After calling out for the group to stop, the gloomy voice suddenly fell silent.
What followed instead was an endless barrage of golden crescent blades shaped like barbed arcs, pouring in from every direction.
In an instant, Lucian and the others found themselves surrounded by countless golden crescents.
It was obvious that, regardless of why they had come, the Hornsent guarding this place had no intention of allowing anyone to proceed.
Lucian chuckled.
There might have been a great many of those golden crescents, but they were nothing more than the basic incantation used in the Tower Settlement.
Trying to deal with him using such elementary magic was almost laughable.
With a casual wave of his hand, Lucian summoned a violent gust. The incoming golden crescents shattered one after another before they could even reach him.
At the same time, the gale expanded outward, becoming a towering tornado that connected earth and sky as it swept into the distance.
Empowered by the Divine Beast Head and the Enraged Divine Beast talisman, the divine tornado howled across the valley, blowing away every trace of the thick mist.
As the fog blanketing the valley floor was completely scattered, every figure hidden within it was finally revealed.
Several figures of different shapes and sizes emerged among the gravestones and forested slopes.
Only one of them, however, was real.
The rest were spectral phantoms, clustered around a gaunt Hornsent elder.
Moments earlier, those spirits had hidden themselves within the mist, firing golden crescents from every direction.
The moment Lucian saw the withered old Hornsent, he couldn't hide his surprise.
'A living Hornsent?'
Over these past days, he'd encountered countless dead Hornsent and shadowy Hornsent spirits, but living Hornsent were exceedingly rare.
Aside from the Hornsent among Miquella's followers, the only others he'd met were the Horned Warriors and the Hornsent Grandam.
Lucian focused his gaze.
The old Hornsent was wrapped from head to toe in a heavy yellow robe, with even his face concealed behind hanging strips of yellow cloth, revealing not a single feature.
Growing from his head was an enormous pair of antlers resembling those of a stag.
They were not natural antlers, but masses of intertwined horns twisted together into a single grotesque structure.
Even his shoulders bore clusters of spiraling, tangled horns that pierced through his robe.
The Hornsent revered horns above all else, seeing them as symbols of glory.
Someone with horns this extravagant was undoubtedly no ordinary figure.
And Lucian's guess was correct.
The one standing before him possessed an extraordinary identity.
Jori, Elder Inquisitor, the greatest among the inquisitors, known as the Answer of the Tower Settlement.
Yet despite his illustrious past, the Elder Inquisitor now looked utterly miserable.
His once-splendid inquisitor's robes had long since rotted into tattered rags, hanging from his body like filthy scraps of cloth.
His magnificent golden barbed staff was planted firmly into the ground with both hands, barely allowing him to remain standing against the raging winds.
At that very moment, Jori himself was equally stunned.
The instant the mist was dispersed, he sensed the power of the Divine Beast emanating from Lucian.
There was no doubt about it.
That terrifying storm carried the unmistakable aura of the Divine Beast.
But after only a brief moment of surprise, Jori immediately determined that Lucian was not one of the Divine Beast Warriors.
His eyesight remained perfectly sharp.
A single glance was enough to identify Lucian's true nature.
Only someone like the blind Hornsent Grandam, who recognized others solely by their aura, could have been fooled by the Divine Beast's presence.
Since Lucian was no Divine Beast Warrior, yet carried the aura of the Divine Beast, there was only one explanation.
He was a thief.
He must have stolen one of the sacred relics of the Divine Beast Dancing Lion from the Tower Settlement and gained this power through theft.
What a despicable robber.
Jori ground his teeth as he glared at Lucian.
Trespassing into the forbidden valley had already been a capital crime.
Now there was yet another offense to add.
In his mind, Lucian had already become his next subject for interrogation.
He would wring screams of agony from him as an offering to the gods.
After all, torture was a pleasant diversion during the endless years of waiting.
—
Among the Hornsent existed a special class known as Inquisitors.
Unlike inquisitors in ordinary civilizations, Hornsent inquisitors were far more than simple interrogators.
Hornsent society was brutal and bloody, yet deeply steeped in religious devotion.
To them, torture itself was one of the sacred rites offered to their gods.
Because of this, Hornsent inquisitors possessed tremendous power and occupied positions of great authority, serving as the gods' earthly representatives.
Among them, the veteran inquisitors enjoyed especially exalted status, much like the senators of ancient Rome.
Jori was the greatest of them all.
Even his fellow inquisitors called him a monster.
Naturally, only someone like him could be entrusted with certain missions.
Such as the reason he stood here now.
Seal Midra, who had embraced the Frenzied Flame. Purge the manor. Lock down the valley.
Countless years ago, Jori had led a contingent of elite inquisitors into the valley that had already been consumed by the Frenzied Flame.
Though they paid a certain price, the mission was completed with surprising ease.
There was barely any meaningful resistance.
Within the valley reduced to ashes by madness, Midra had quietly accepted the Greatsword of Damnation, allowing it to be driven into him.
The cleanup afterward proceeded just as smoothly.
The valley was sealed forever and declared forbidden ground.
The inquisitors' golden barbs were not merely instruments of torture.
They were also the finest tools for suppressing a prisoner's power.
To prevent the Frenzied Flame from leaking out...
To ensure the sinner could never escape...
Jori scattered countless golden barbed crescents throughout the valley, constructing an enormous ritual.
The ritual transformed the entire valley into a domain where teleportation was impossible.
Whether one attempted to enter or leave, any teleportation magic would always be forcibly redirected to this very location.
Those harboring ill intentions had no choice but to face the inquisitors here.
Once his replacement arrived, Jori would finally be able to return to Enir-Ilim, the Spiral Tower.
But for reasons unknown...
No one ever came.
So Jori continued waiting.
And waiting.
Until every subordinate he had brought with him died one after another.
—
Lucian recalled how this old Hornsent had blocked their path, refusing to let them approach the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
He also remembered what Liliana had said about the strange, unstable seal surrounding the Lord of Frenzied Flame.
It immediately became clear to him that their failed teleportation earlier had also been this old man's doing.
With that thought, Lucian looked at the Hornsent across from him.
"You're the one who sealed the Lord of Frenzied Flame?"
Jori sneered coldly.
"I have no obligation to answer you."
"Anyone who sets foot in this forbidden land must die."
"Be grateful."
"You shall become sacrifices offered to the gods."
The moment those words fell, he swung the great golden staff in his hands.
The golden barbs adorning its head immediately unleashed a torrent of golden crescent blades.
Unlike the ones hidden within the mist moments earlier, the crescents fired directly by Jori flew with astonishing speed, as though they were an entirely different incantation.
At the same time, two elderly Inquisitor spirits wielding barbed candlesticks raised their implements high and began performing the Tower's incantations.
One focused on restoring health, while the other strengthened the offensive power of every inquisitor present.
The relentless barrage instantly intensified into a storm of attacks crashing toward Lucian and the others.
A gigantic Hornsent, so massive that he resembled a walking mountain of flesh, charged straight ahead, hurling himself forward with a crushing belly slam.
Unfortunately for him, both the attack and his enormous gut were kicked into pieces by Melina.
Not only were the attacks numerous, but every spell cast by Jori also possessed astonishing power.
Even though they were merely the lowest-tier Golden Arcs incantation, each strike was far stronger than anything the Horned Warriors had ever unleashed.
Empowered by the Land if Shadow itself, these attacks had reached a level capable of injuring even a Demigod.
Of course, Jori's physical frailty was equally obvious.
Lucian casually waved a hand, and a raging storm swirled around Melina, Irina, and the others.
One after another, the golden crescents shattered against the wind barrier, exploding into countless tiny fragments.
Melina glanced at Lucian, clearly eager to join the battle.
But Lucian simply shook his head.
"Leave him to me."
Living Hornsent were rare.
This old man was the perfect target to test something new.
Besides, Lucian had already grown rather annoyed by the old inquisitor's endless barrage.
None of those attacks posed the slightest threat to him.
But there were simply too many of them.
The battlefield had practically become a blinding light show.
Originally, Lucian had wanted to ask about the Lord of Frenzied Flame, since it seemed the Hornsent had been responsible for sealing him.
Instead, every question was ignored while the old man remained completely immersed in his own self-righteous world.
Someone who had once occupied such a lofty position...
Yet couldn't even recognize the overwhelming gap in strength between them.
How pitiful.
Since that was the case...
The old man no longer had any value.
Perfect.
He would use him to test his newly developed technique.
It was a move he'd devised only a few days earlier while treating the Shamans.
Specifically...
To deal with the Hornsent.
Lucian raised his hand toward the Elder Inquisitor.
A mass of deep violet gravity magic slowly gathered in his palm.
"I've already studied your kind..."
"Lifeform Disintegration Ray."
As the ominous purple light steadily brightened, an overwhelming sense of dread surged through Jori.
His entire body trembled uncontrollably.
Every instinct screamed at him.
Every cell in his body seemed to be crying out in terror.
Danger.
Extreme danger.
Do not take this attack head-on.
The next instant, a violet beam shot forth, piercing straight toward Jori.
The ray struck a nearby gravestone instead.
One corner of the stone quietly crumbled away, leaving behind only an almost imperceptible crack.
Having barely escaped by using the Tower's teleportation technique, Jori stared at the damaged gravestone...
Then almost laughed.
That's it?
All that dramatic buildup... for this?
Such an imposing display, yet the power is so weak it can't even destroy a gravestone?
If he'd known, he wouldn't have wasted his teleportation technique.
It consumed a tremendous amount of magic and couldn't be cast again immediately.
Jori shook his head.
'Seems I've gone too long without fighting.'
'I've become overly cautious.'
This appeared to be nothing more than a soul-targeting intimidation technique, meant to create an opening for other attacks.
Meanwhile, Melina had already dispatched the remaining Inquisitor spirits one slash at a time.
Surveying the battlefield, Jori clicked his tongue in annoyance.
'I let myself get tricked into wasting my teleport.'
'I have to be more careful now.'
Lucian showed no disappointment at missing his first shot.
After all, this was a newly developed technique.
Naturally, it still had flaws.
For example...
It wasn't particularly fast.
Even a genuine old man had managed to dodge it.
But that didn't matter.
He could afford to miss countless times.
His opponent, however...
Could not afford to make even a single mistake.
Besides...
Who said he could only fire one beam at a time?
Lucian spread both arms.
One after another, dark-purple gravity spheres appeared before him, each charging a destructive ray.
The next moment...
A dense web of violet beams erupted, crisscrossing together like the bars of a gigantic cage that descended upon Jori.
This time, Jori could no longer use teleportation.
He had no choice but to rely entirely on his footwork.
Within the deadly lattice of beams, the elderly inquisitor displayed agility completely at odds with his appearance.
Twisting, turning, and weaving between the attacks, he even found opportunities to counterattack.
A massive golden crescent swept outward, cutting through countless beams and clearing a wide path.
Yet despite avoiding the overwhelming majority of the barrage...
One ray still grazed his thigh.
Feeling only a faint sting, Jori paid it no mind.
'Pathetic.'
'This attack isn't even as dangerous as his storm.'
At least the Divine Beast's winds had been powerful enough to neutralize his attacks.
Mortals were never meant to wield the Divine Beast's power.
Jori assumed Lucian wasn't using the storm offensively because he couldn't truly control it.
Unfortunately...
His composure didn't last long.
Because suddenly...
He couldn't feel his leg anymore.
Jori lowered his head.
At some point...
Half of his thigh had simply disappeared.
His balance vanished instantly.
He collapsed toward the ground, barely catching himself with his staff.
Only then did the Disintegration Ray reveal its true fangs.
The portion struck by the beam began collapsing before his eyes.
Piece by piece...
It crumbled into dust.
And through it all...
He felt no pain whatsoever.
Across his countless years as an inquisitor, Jori had never encountered anything so utterly unnatural.
Terror overwhelmed him, and he screamed.
Lucian curled his lip.
"Scream if you want."
"Your time is still running out."
Several more violet rays immediately descended upon him.
When the light faded...
Everything below Jori's waist had vanished.
His lower body had completely disintegrated into lifeless dust.
Yet the destructive energy lingering inside him continued spreading relentlessly, dismantling his body piece by piece.
The once-greatest inquisitor...
Could now do nothing except watch helplessly as his own body unraveled.
As Lucian slowly approached, Jori raised his staff once more with trembling hands.
Lucian casually knocked it aside.
Hidden beneath the strips of cloth covering his face, Jori glared viciously at him.
"No matter what you intend to do..."
"Entering this forbidden land..."
"Attacking an inquisitor..."
"Those are crimes punishable by death!"
"The inquisitors will avenge me!"
"Enir-Ilim will never forgive you!"
"When that day comes..."
"You will learn the true wrath of the Hornsent!"
Lucian gave him a strange look.
For the first time...
He actually felt sorry for the old man.
"It seems you really don't know what's happened outside."
"How pitiful."
"You don't even know your people are on the verge of extinction."
"Even your precious Enir-Ilim has already been sealed away."
"You survived only because you've been hiding in this forgotten place."
"So go."
"Join your fellow Hornsent."
For the first time, true despair appeared beneath the cloth covering Jori's face.
"What...?"
Lucian gave him no opportunity to finish his final words.
Another Lifeform Disintegration Ray shot forth.
This time, the beam engulfed Jori's entire body.
He instantly collapsed into dust.
Thus...
The astonishing elder met an equally astonishing end.
Looking down at the small pile of inorganic residue at his feet, Lucian shook his head.
'If I'd been around during the Crusade...'
'Things never would have become this troublesome.'
Some people might call the complete eradication of an entire race, reducing them to nothing but inorganic matter, a horrific war crime.
Lucian simply called it...
Efficiency.
Liliana flew over to his side.
"Should we teleport now?"
"Now that he's dead, the barrier blocking teleportation seems to have disappeared with him."
Lucian considered it for a moment before shaking his head.
"There are still some Frenzied Flame creatures ahead."
"We'll clear them out while we're at it."
"The Hornsent had a good reason for sealing this place."
"If those things escaped..."
"It would become a serious problem."
—
[T/N: Life Form Disintegration Ray is the ultimate ability of the League of Legends champion Vel'Koz, projecting a channeled energy beam that deals magic damage to enemies in its path.]