To You Who Will Destroy Me - Chapter 126

“You remember me,” the man said with a slight smile, his lips scarcely moving. His eyes, now both sharp and focused, made it hard to believe he had ever been blind in one of them.

‘It was all a lie,’ Irel thought. The story about going blind due to experiments had clearly been fabricated. The eye patch had simply been to hide his unique heterochromatic eyes. She sighed as she glanced back and forth between his blue and gold eyes.

“It’s not just that I remember you, Leonardo. I know more than you think,” Irel said coolly.

“Oh? And what might that be?”

“Where should I start? Maybe with the fact that you’re not a scholar from the Academy, but actually the Archbishop of the Church of the High God? Or that instead of studying Risevra, you were actually researching how to control the Masaka?”

The pretense was over; the polite game of testing each other had ended. As Irel spoke each revelation, the surprise on Archbishop Ramon’s face was undeniable.

“…So it wasn’t just me who was playing dumb.”

Back then, she had feigned ignorance, letting his questions pass as if she knew nothing. Now, his face twisted in annoyance. It stung to have been deceived by someone he considered beneath him, especially for someone as prideful and intelligent as Ramon.

“Enough with the small talk. We’re not here to exchange pleasantries,” he said coldly.

“I agree. So, would you mind leaving?” Irel replied with a sweet smile, her tone intentionally condescending, as if talking down to a child. The irritation on Ramon’s face grew.

“Leave? How dare you…!”

“Oh? Didn’t the Church teach you how to wait your turn? We were here first,” Irel shot back, her tone now filled with her own rising frustration. She didn’t know what these murals meant, but she knew they were related to the quest. She needed to investigate them thoroughly for clues, and now this unwelcome interruption had arrived.

“I don’t know how you found this place, but it’s quite unfortunate,” Irel added.

Ramon ignored her irritation entirely, as if she were a mere inconvenience. Instead, he raised his torch higher, inspecting the carvings on the wall. He clicked his tongue in disdain.

“That worthless sculptor wasted his time with these before his death,” he muttered.

It was clear he knew exactly what the murals represented. His narrowed eyes, filled with displeasure, turned back toward Irel.

“I was originally going to drive you out… but now that you’ve seen what you shouldn’t have.”

“What are you talking about? It’s just a mural,” Irel responded with a deliberately innocent tilt of her head, hoping to glean some information from him.

“Quite the actress, aren’t you?” Ramon wasn’t foolish enough to be deceived twice by the same person.

“Don’t get cocky, Risevra. Do you really think you can prance around believing in that trashy Masaka? Utterly foolish.”

“The only fool here is you.”

Jin stepped forward, his voice ice-cold. He couldn’t stand seeing Irel insulted like that.

“Didn’t the Church teach you how to speak properly, Prince?” Jin taunted, his eyes glinting with a strange light. Ramon’s eyes momentarily glazed over, caught in Jin’s illusion.

“So this is the famed hallucination magic I’ve heard about? Fascinating.”

It was clear that Ramon was seeing something through Jin’s illusion, but while Jin’s abilities could fool the eyes, they couldn’t completely overwhelm the mind. Those with strong willpower or mental fortitude, especially those aware of his tricks, were hard to shake.

‘At least this should buy us some time to escape,’ Jin thought. He could sense something off about Ramon. Though their encounter seemed accidental, Ramon wasn’t fazed at all. In fact, he already knew about Jin.

‘Something’s not right.’

Ramon was a regular human, not a Masaka. Even though Jin wasn’t a combat specialist, he could still defeat someone like Ramon in a single blow. But Ramon’s calm demeanor suggested he had something up his sleeve.

“You’ve certainly put in some effort, but I can’t let you go just yet. Come out.”

Ramon smirked cynically and raised his hand. A figure emerged from the cave entrance, blocking their way out.

‘So I was right.’

The newcomer was clearly a Masaka. He had dark hair, tanned skin, and an ominously grim expression. As Irel and Jin tried to figure out what kind of ability this man possessed, he immediately unleashed his power.

Shhhahh—!

In an instant, a bright flash filled the area. It felt as though a bolt of lightning had struck or a camera’s flash had gone off right in front of them.

‘What was that?’

Irel blinked rapidly, her eyes still reeling from the afterimage of the light. While her vision was momentarily impaired, she was surprised to find that nothing else seemed to be wrong.

“I see,”

Archbishop Ramon’s expression was strangely satisfied. Irel noticed that his once-foggy eyes had regained their clarity.

“Light has a way of dispelling illusions, you know. It exposes everything as it truly is,” he said. The way he delivered this line was almost dramatic, like a teenager quoting something from a textbook. But it was clear from his words that the grim man’s power was related to light.

“Damn it,” Jin muttered with an uncharacteristically troubled expression. He attempted to cast another illusion, but once again, the flash of light effortlessly dispelled it.

“It’s useless,” Ramon said, chuckling quietly, fully confident now. Illusions were no match for light-based powers.

“The weak tricks of a Masaka who can’t even fight… amount to nothing.”

Jin’s face twisted in anguish at those words. In the Masaka world, where power determined everything, Jin had long endured the scorn of others. If only he had a rare and unique ability, like Yan Louis, things might have been different. But instead, he was treated like a cheap street magician who could do little more than entertain children.

Despite everything, Jin had worked hard. He had found a trustworthy Risevra, Bianca, and managed to climb to the second tier of the Masaka hierarchy. He even earned the prestigious duty of guarding Varkan’s fiancée. But now, all that pride, all that achievement, was shattered. Ramon had crushed his hopes and dreams as if they were nothing.

“Jin.”

Irel’s voice came softly from behind him, gently breaking him out of his daze.

“Are you alright?”

It was only then that Jin snapped back to reality. He had been so consumed by his own disappointment that he expected Irel to be just as let down by him.

“I’m sorry, Sister-in-law,” he said, his voice filled with self-loathing.

What’s with him? Irel thought, puzzled by his sudden apology. But this wasn’t the time to worry about Jin’s emotional state. She grabbed his arm and whispered urgently.

“Listen carefully. I can neutralize their attacks once. When that happens, we’ll use the opportunity to run. Understand?”

“What? Neutralize? How could you…?”

Jin’s eyes widened in disbelief. It was unheard of for a Risevra—let alone someone like Irel—to be able to neutralize a Masaka’s power.

“I can. It’s hard to explain, but trust me. When I say go, you run. Can you do that?”

“Yes, yes, of course. I’ll also cast another illusion to buy us some time.”

Jin quickly gathered his composure. He felt a deep sense of embarrassment that he, a Masaka, was being protected by Irel. But more than his shame, he was determined not to let her down.

‘She hasn’t given up yet, so there’s no way I can either.’

The look in Jin’s eyes reflected newfound respect for Irel. The courage and determination she displayed in such a perilous situation was something few could muster.

‘I really might have found someone worth following,’ he thought.

Jin’s initial feelings of chivalry—protecting a delicate, refined lady—began to evolve into something deeper, something closer to loyalty.

[Ding! Jin’s affection level has increased by 10 points.]

Unfortunately, there was no time to dwell on the rise in affection. Archbishop Ramon smiled that sickeningly superior smile, his face exuding refined arrogance. Pointing back and forth between Irel and Jin, he issued his command.

“Capture the woman. Kill the man.”

Before his words even fully settled, the dark-haired man stepped forward. His long bangs hung over his eyes, and he muttered incomprehensibly to himself, like a madman.

It was the moment right before he unleashed his power. Irel noticed Archbishop Ramon suddenly squint his eyes shut and turn his body away, as if anticipating something.

“Close your eyes! Now!” Irel whispered urgently, her sharp instincts kicking in. Jin quickly covered his eyes just in time.

FLASH!

A searing burst of light erupted, even stronger than before, momentarily turning everything white.

‘Ugh!’

They say staring directly at the sun would blind you, and this light was no different. It had no physical force but was devastating nonetheless. The light was almost like gazing straight at the sun with unprotected eyes. Without Irel’s quick reaction to neutralize it, their vision might have been permanently damaged.

Irel squinted painfully, her eyes watering from the lingering effects of the light. Though her vision was still warped with afterimages, she could at least see somewhat through the tears.

“Now! Run!!” she shouted, but Jin had already taken off.

In the brief moment of chaos, Jin had conjured another illusion. The intensity of his aura surged as he sprinted, determination written across his face.

“How is this possible?!”

The man’s voice shook with disbelief. His strongest attack, one that he had confidently unleashed, had failed. Not only that, but Jin’s illusion seemed to take hold for a moment, making the man hesitate rather than chase after them.

“Snakes! There are snakes everywhere!” he shrieked.

“What’s going on, Drakal? Haven’t you dealt with them yet?” Ramon, still turned away and eyes closed, asked impatiently. “And what nonsense is this about snakes?”

The man called Drakal stammered, panicking. “M-My power… it’s not working!”

“You fool! If it doesn’t work, make it work! Are you just going to let them escape?” Ramon snapped.

Drakal snapped out of his daze at Ramon’s reprimand, gritting his teeth in frustration. He activated his power once more, blasting light to dispel Jin’s illusion. He repeatedly tried to blind Irel and Jin with flashes of intense light.

‘This is unbearable.’

The flashes came relentlessly, like bolts of lightning firing off without pause. Even with her ability to neutralize his attacks, Irel was struggling. It was like trying to stop a water gun while still getting drenched by the puddles left behind. Even after blocking the source, the flashes left her vision spinning.

‘At this rate, we’re going to get caught!’

Each blinding strike weakened her defenses bit by bit, making it harder for her to keep resisting. The relentless light was overwhelming, and she knew she couldn’t hold out much longer.