Sand Mage of the Burnt Desert Chapter 614

The Blue Scorpion leader was the first to sense the shift within Levin.

‘Something is wrong,’ he thought.

On the surface, nothing had outwardly changed.

This was due to Levin's body having become rigid, like a statue, as the power of the Abyss Prison reached its zenith.

The Blue Scorpion leader himself was unaware of the Abyss Prison’s true capabilities.

Because it was a single-use artifact, this marked his initial attempt at utilizing it.

His understanding was limited to the fact that upon activation, immense pressure would be generated, the body would stiffen, and the passage of time would decelerate.

To observers outside, mere moments would elapse, but for the individual ensnared within, an eternity seemed to unfold.

The human psyche was incapable of enduring such a distorted temporal flow.

Consequently, even a brief entrapment would lead not only to physical collapse but mental disintegration—this constituted the entirety of the Blue Scorpion leader’s knowledge.

Initially, his intention was to deploy the Abyss Prison against Zeon.

He harbored the belief that if Zeon could be incapacitated, he could seize control of the slums.

However, this plan was subsequently discarded after observing Zeon’s engagement with the golems controlled by Trijian from a distance.

Upon reflection, he found it difficult to conceive of the Abyss Prison being capable of containing Zeon.

The sheer presence Zeon had exuded at that time was overwhelmingly potent.

Therefore, he shifted his target to Levin.

Levin was, without question, a unique awakened individual.

He possessed the ability to turn intangible, akin to a specter, and to wield lightning-based abilities of immense power with great freedom.

Due to the overpowered nature of his phasing ability, both Zeon and Levin had initially attempted to maintain its secrecy.

Yet, following numerous grueling encounters, they were compelled to utilize it openly on multiple occasions, rendering it no longer a hidden talent.

As a consequence, Levin had been categorized as a high-risk individual.

His designation as a top-tier threat stemmed not only from his combat prowess but also from his specialized skills in infiltration and intelligence gathering.

Numerous parties actively sought methods to impede or neutralize him—and the Blue Scorpion leader believed he had discovered his own unique solution.

That solution was the Abyss Prison.

It was an item intended for a single use.

Once deployed, it could never be employed again.

Yet, the Blue Scorpion leader harbored absolute confidence that it could completely incapacitate Levin.

He had subjected Levin to such extensive scrutiny.

And as anticipated, Levin had been rendered entirely immobile by the Abyss Prison.

Despite this apparent success, a lingering sense of unease persisted within the Blue Scorpion leader.

Thump! Thump!

A rhythmic thudding reverberated in his ears.

Initially faint, the sound gradually intensified, becoming remarkably loud and rapid.

Upon first hearing it, he conjectured it was his own heartbeat.

He surmised that his heightened state of tension was causing him to perceive his own pulse.

However, within moments, he discerned that the sound did not originate from him.

Resembling the mana engine of a colossal transport vehicle, that robust and powerful heartbeat was emanating from Levin.

Its intensity was so profound it felt as though his eardrums might rupture.

The Blue Scorpion leader glanced at Teddy beside him, his expression etched with bewilderment.

Teddy's face was contorted with alarm.

He too had perceived Levin’s accelerating heartbeat.

“W-what in the world is happening? Why can I hear that bastard’s pulse pounding in my ears?”

“That’s…”

The Blue Scorpion leader moved his lips, then abandoned any attempt at explanation.

It was a phenomenon even he could not comprehend.

“Damn it! Attack him right now!” Teddy exclaimed with urgency.

“But if we do, the Abyss Prison might shatter…”

“It’s going to break anyway at this rate. And then we’ll all be dead.”

Teddy placed his trust in his instincts.

It was these very instincts that had enabled him to navigate countless perilous situations and emerge alive.

And at this very moment, they were screaming a dire warning—

Eliminate Levin immediately.

“Damn it!”

A malevolent glint flashed in the Blue Scorpion leader’s eyes.

He too was experiencing an acute sense of impending crisis.

The two unleashed their most potent abilities against Levin.

“Strike of Ruin!”

“Poison Tsunami!”

KWAHH!

The convergence of their two skills resulted in a synergistic amplification, transforming them into an even more destructive force.

Individually, each skill possessed the capacity to instantly dissolve and obliterate the majority of monsters—but united, their combined power was magnified manifold.

Anything within the affected radius was annihilated, melting away like water.

The dense concrete structures, even the steel reinforcements embedded within, liquefied instantaneously—a truly terrifying spectacle.

And at the epicenter of this devastation stood Levin.

‘Perish like this.’

‘Please!’

At that precise juncture—

Levin's eyes fluttered open.

“….”

Instantly, both Teddy and the Blue Scorpion leader were rendered blind.

A blinding flash erupted, searing their retinas.

“Ghk!”

“Urgh!”

Delayed groans escaped their lips.

The world dissolved into pure white, only to be abruptly plunged into darkness.

Isolated in the profound blackness, the two were disoriented and helpless.

The Blue Scorpion leader, recovering his senses first, focused all his attention on restoring his sight.

The searing pain gradually subsided, and his vision began to return, albeit slowly.

The sight that greeted him was Levin—now entirely cloaked in white.

From the crown of his head to the soles of his feet, he was pure white.

This was not a change in his skin pigmentation.

His entire form was enveloped in crackling electric currents, giving him this luminous appearance.

It was as if Levin himself had transmuted into living lightning.

Their combined assault had inflicted no damage upon him whatsoever.

Levin gazed blankly at his own limbs.

He could feel the electric energy coursing through his being.

Instead of blood, an endless surge of lightning flowed within his now translucent body.

“Did I… become S-rank?”

The barrier Levin had struggled against unexpectedly crumbled during the intense crisis, allowing him to break through.

His innate phasing ability, now fused with his lightning skills, had propelled him to a completely new level of awakened power.

Previously, the apex of lightning users was recognized as Lee Ji-ryeong, the commander of the Pegasus Assault Squad, who had achieved S-rank competence solely through his lightning abilities, granting him immense destructive capabilities.

However, Levin had now augmented that power with his phasing talent.

“D-die!”

“Fuck!”

In a final act of desperation, Teddy and the leader of the Blue Scorpion launched their attacks anew.

Yet, their assaults inexplicably passed through Levin’s form, striking only the empty space behind him.

BOOM!

With explosive force, the surrounding walls disintegrated and melted away.

Though their attacks retained significant power, they were utterly ineffective against Levin.

It was only then that the true nature of Levin's transformation became apparent.

The convergence of phasing and lightning had seemingly converted Levin’s very being into lightning itself.

“A lightning… body? No… could it be a lightning god transformation?”

This was a skill that even the legendary Lee Ji-ryeong had never possessed.

At that critical juncture, the Blue Scorpion leader, unable to relinquish his final assault, struck out once more.

KRAAACK!

An instantaneous bolt of lightning struck him down. He was incinerated to black charcoal before he could even utter a scream, his body reduced to ash from skin to the innermost organs.

It was a truly ignoble end for one who had once commanded dominion over the desert.

“Ugh!”

Teddy shrieked in a horrifying, unnatural tone.

Unlike the Blue Scorpion leader, Teddy opted for flight.

He fled with all his might, but a thunderous roar from behind compelled him to turn. Before him lay the charred remains of the Blue Scorpion leader.

“Hiiik! Fuck!”

Screaming, he accelerated his desperate flight, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face as his terror reached its zenith.

He, who had inflicted so much suffering, was now experiencing the same agony.

“That monstrous bastard! What kind of warped world could possibly spawn something like him?”

While others harbored the greatest fear of Zeon, to Teddy, Levin represented the ultimate catastrophe.

Cursing the heavens for the misfortune of Levin’s existence in the same era, Teddy continued his frantic escape.

KRAAACK!

“And where do you think you’re rushing off to?”

With the crackle of thunder, Levin materialized directly in front of him.

He had effortlessly outpaced Teddy, transforming into a streak of pure lightning.

“H-hik! Spare me, Levin!”

“After all the harm you’ve caused, you dare beg for mercy?”

“I was wrong! Everyone makes mistakes, right?”

“Mistakes happen. Once, perhaps.”

“Exactly! You get it, don’t you? I have people to provide for, no means to earn a living. What other choice did I have? Sometimes, a little wrongdoing is necessary.”

“You pathetic excuse for a human. But your transgressions weren’t limited to a single mistake, were they? Do you even have a grasp of the sheer number of crimes you’ve committed in Guro?”

“S-so you mean you won’t spare me?”

“That’s correct. I won’t.”

“Hey, you bastard! Do you even possess a shred of humanity? You’re going to execute someone who is genuinely repentant?”

Teddy’s voice cracked, spittle flying, the veins in his neck visibly bulging.

Levin simply shook his head.

“You are truly beyond any hope of redemption.”

“You bastard! Who are you to lecture me like this? You—”

“Silence.”

KRAAACK!

A blinding white bolt of lightning descended upon Teddy’s head. He was instantly reduced to charcoal, frozen in the very posture of his defiant outburst.

Only after this final act did Levin dispel his lightning transformation.

“…This sensation is peculiar. A hidden blessing.”

He murmured, flexing and unflexing his fingers. Even without the transformation, he could feel residual currents coursing through his body.

His senses had been amplified manifold, and his reaction speed was now genuinely akin to lightning.

Having crossed merely one threshold, it felt as though he now inhabited an entirely different realm.

It was as if he existed in a dimension entirely separate from everyone else.

“Is this the state Hyung Zeon exists in constantly?”

Only now did a glimmer of understanding emerge regarding the world Zeon inhabited.

While such a transformation might have led others to arrogance, Levin remained grounded. This was because, unlike himself, who had just ascended to S-rank, Zeon had long surpassed that level.

A sky above the sky. The ultimate awakened being among all awakened.

That was Zeon.

Standing beside such a formidable individual, any sense of arrogance was utterly nonsensical.

Organizing his thoughts, Levin turned around. His gaze fell upon the small cage, and the stark realization that his friends remained imprisoned jolted him back to the present. “Harbin! Kaden!”

He sprinted towards them, calling out their names. With a mere twist of his hand, the lock yielded as if it were brittle straw. He flung open the door and pulled them free.

“Ghh…!”

“Haah…!”

The two, deeply ensnared by addiction, gasped laboriously, as if on the verge of ceasing to breathe.

“Hey! Snap out of it!”

Levin shook them vigorously, but they remained unresponsive.

Just then, Aaron and Dominic arrived.

“Levin! You made it.”

“We’ve neutralized everyone outside.”

However, upon witnessing the state of Harbin and Kaden, their faces drained of color.

“Fuck… are they addicted?”

“We must transport them to the underground city immediately and have Lemura administer treatment. I’ll go ahead; you handle things here and follow.”

“Understood. Go!”

KRAAACK!

Before Aaron could even finish his sentence, Levin, accompanied by Harbin and Kaden, transformed into lightning once more. The trio vanished in a blinding flash.

Aaron and Dominic could only stare, mouths agape.

“Unbelievable…”

“At this rate, he’s truly become a living bolt of lightning?”