The Most Arbitrary Wizard

Chapter 139: Chapter 86: "A Casual Punch

Sean had left Zajik completely unable to tell what was real and what wasn’t. The philosophical questions he couldn’t comprehend, the unexpectedly immense Magic Power emanating from the shackles—it all threw his mind into a turmoil.

He knew only one thing: he was in deep trouble tonight.

The only thing to do now was to fight for his life.

And he had to pray that Flame Crow wouldn’t join the battle.

Otherwise, facing two opponents of the same Tier, he had no chance of winning.

He couldn’t even run.

And things went as he’d hoped.

Elvire didn’t make a move.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to; she was just as startled by the sudden explosion of power from Sean. Her round, deer-like eyes were filled with a giant question mark.

’Isn’t this guy Tier Three?’

’How did he suddenly get so strong?’

’...Forbidden Meditation?’

Elvire suddenly thought of the Book of Ancient Language stored on the 3rd Floor of the Holy Hall.

’Could it be that this guy can not only access the second floor, but the third floor as well, and has secretly learned a Forbidden Spell?’

Seizing the moment while Elvire was lost in thought, Zajik decisively unleashed his Bursting Qi.

This time, it was for real.

Zajik’s Magic Power surged out of his body without reservation. Ignoring the risk of exhaustion, he forcibly shattered the chains binding him and threw a vicious punch straight at Sean’s face.

This was his only chance.

He had to repel Sean before Elvire could intervene if he wanted any hope of escaping with his life.

Although he had lost his Puppets, his fundamental Magic Power was still there. Sean, being a flashy Wizard, probably specialized in control. Both the incident at the hospital and the questions this time pointed to that fact—Sean was skilled at control-type Magic, which meant his close-combat abilities were likely weak.

"Posing questions" as a "refined" method of fighting easily gave the impression that this Wizard was fragile.

But Zajik had forgotten one phrase.

"Knowledge is power."

This was the three-word mantra that had defined the entire Era of Polymath.

Sean’s body was indeed rather fragile, no match for a true Tier Five, but the explosive power he wielded after using the Forbidden Spell was in no way inferior to other Tier Five Wizards.

Facing Zajik’s life-or-death punch, Sean’s gaze turned cold. He didn’t dodge or evade, simply throwing a punch of his own.

This was no "great truths are simple" moment.

Zajik threw this punch because he had lost his Puppets and guessed Sean was poor at close combat, leaving him with no other moves but to punch.

Sean was different.

He wasn’t about to indulge Zajik.

His punch looked ordinary, but it was actually condensed with a purer Truth Magic Power than the one used for the shackles.

It was also a form of Truth Technique.

The reason it was called a "Technique" rather than a type of Magic was because it could be integrated into any move.

BANG!

The two fists collided, erupting in a blinding golden light that filled the entire room and engulfed everyone inside.

The light was so bright it was uncomfortable even with one’s eyes closed. So much so that passersby on the street below turned their heads, looks of shock and uncertainty on their faces, thinking something had exploded.

But there was no sound.

Only Zajik heard it.

Because it was his brain that had exploded.

The moment his fist met Sean’s, Zajik felt as if he had plunged into an ocean of knowledge.

He drowned in that ocean, sinking as countless symbols, formulas, and pieces of knowledge—both familiar and foreign—invaded him like an omnipresent virus. They drilled through his ears, nose, mouth, eyes, and even his pores, seeping into his skin and merging with his body, before surging upstream with his blood, rushing straight to his brain.

In that instant, a clarity appeared in Zajik’s eyes.

The hatred and anger he held for Sean vanished from his mind. He forgot the deceit and trickery between hunter and prey, leaving only the purest longing and thirst for knowledge.

He stared at the golden characters before him as if he had arrived in Heaven.

THUD.

Zajik’s body collapsed to the floor.

A smile hung on his face until the very last second of his life.

Zajik was dead.

Overwhelmed and killed by knowledge.

Sean cautiously nudged Zajik with his foot to check for breath. Confirming he was beyond saving, he let out a long sigh of relief, patting his chest. "That was close. I was almost turned the tables on."

Elvire and the others: "..."

’Was it really just "close"?’

’Why did it look to them like Zajik was completely helpless and instantly killed by Sean’s single punch?’

Yisha couldn’t even believe it. She stared wide-eyed at the old man on the floor who looked like he was sleeping soundly, and stammered, "He’s... he’s dead? Just like that?"

’That easily??’

’But that was a genuine Tier Five!’

"It was actually very difficult," Sean said seriously. "After all, I only threw a casual punch and didn’t use any other Magic. At best, you could call it a narrow victory."

The women: "?"

’So you killed Zajik with just a casual punch?’

’If you were actually fighting seriously, would that mean all of us together wouldn’t be a match for you?’

In truth, it wasn’t that exaggerated.

But Sean certainly wasn’t going to reveal his own secrets.

In any case, he hadn’t played his trump card with that last punch.

In essence, he had taken advantage of the fact that Zajik had lost his "arms."

A Wizard who specialized in Puppets without his Puppets was like a tiger without its fangs. It was perfectly normal that he couldn’t defeat Sean in his forbidden state.

If Zajik hadn’t been "injured" beforehand, this fight wouldn’t have been so simple.

That’s why Sean had called it a "narrow victory."

"A fluke, a fluke."

"Hmph, keep pretending," Elvire said with a pout.

She wasn’t an idiot. How could she not see that Sean was deliberately showing off?

’So what if you one-shotted a Tier Five? What’s there to be so proud of?’

’Does he think this will improve his standing in my eyes?’

’It’s not that easy.’

She had said it before: her standards were very high.

For something like this, she would, at most, think a little more highly of Sean.

’What, that’s not enough?’

’Then I’ll give him a second look.’

’If two looks aren’t enough, then three...’

"Stop looking," Elise said with an amused smile, watching as Elvire tried to size Sean up without being obvious, sneaking glances at him. "Our business here is done. We should go. This place isn’t as safe as we thought."

New Eldo was, after all, the enemy’s headquarters. The commotion from Sean’s punch was too great. Although it made no sound, the light and Magic Power fluctuations were substantial. Outside the window, Smell Crows were already flying about.

"Alright, we’ll split the money on the way."

Sean wasn’t "impulsive" this time.

Because he wasn’t confident.

In fact, if Sopea, Kate, and the others hadn’t gone to the police station and promised to hold Higgins back, he wouldn’t have chosen to make a move in the city. Now that he had the money and had gotten his revenge, it was time to slip away before the enemy could react.

Besides, their final destination was never New Eldo to begin with.

This was just a "layover." Sean also wanted to personally confirm whether there was any connection between New Eldo and Kovri.

The answer was no.

Just as Elise had said, the geography, environment, customs, and culture of New Eldo and its surrounding cities were completely different from the Kovri in his memory. It wasn’t that he believed in some "continental drift theory," but it was the only reasonable explanation for now.

So, they had to keep moving forward.

This journey was far from over—quite the opposite, it had only just begun.

"I have a premonition," Sean said, narrowing his eyes.

Seeing his serious expression, Elvire couldn’t help but frown as well. "What kind of premonition?"

A "premonition" could also be called "intuition," and her own intuition had always been accurate, so she trusted Sean’s as well.

Sean said, "Zajik may be dead, but the Florist Family is still around."

Not to mention the mysterious faction behind the Florist Family.

Revenge is a never-ending cycle. After you get your revenge on me, it’s my turn to get revenge on you.

Everyone wants to wipe out their enemies root and stem, but no one has the power to do so.

At least, not yet.

"On the road ahead, we’re likely to run into a lot of trouble. The person leading the charge might be even stronger than Zajik," Sean said.

There are disparities even among Tier Fives. A Zajik without his Puppets was undoubtedly among the weakest. The next time they encountered someone from the Florist Family, it wouldn’t be as simple as setting a trap to solve the problem.

"So?" Elvire didn’t understand what Sean was getting at.

’Isn’t it obvious that we’ll be targeted by Witch Hunters on our journey?’

Sean continued, "We must increase our strength quickly to have a better chance against them."

"So, my beautiful Miss Flame Crow..."

"Let’s do Dual Cultivation," Sean said with a dead-serious expression.

Elvire: "?"

...