Chapter 293

She systematically laid out the situation.

“Do you know? From the beginning, our strategy to win Har-Magedon did not include a response to Reed. Why do you think that was? Was it because we believed a convenient situation would arise where we only needed to subjugate Abyssinis and seal the Chaos Evil God, excluding Reed?”

“Surely not…”

“Yes, that’s right. From the start, my role was to deal with Reed. That was the strategy. So, there was no need for separate discussions.”

“…!”

Everything was within the scope of what was expected.

This was because she had someone by her side who could read Reed’s actions, someone living Reed’s future.

“One more thing. As long as Reed is involved, distinguishing between strategy and tactics is meaningless. His power transcends common sense.”

Reed alone can traverse the entire continent, disrupting all strategies.

“To suppress such a being, we must use an equally powerful card. That would be me.”

“…”

“Lastly, while it is true that I am important to our Holy Incantation Army, there is someone who can perfectly replace my role.”

Aillet’s gaze pointed to one person.

As everyone expected, the silver-haired handsome man was there.

“From this moment, I delegate my command authority to Sir Tesillid Argent. Sir Tesillid will probably do a better job of catching Abyssinis than I would, so just follow whatever Sir Tesillid says. I’ll be checking later.”

“Your Holiness…!”

It seemed she had already discussed it with Tesillid. He just stood there quietly, his eyes sunken.

In the end, no one could stop her.

Aillet, pulling out a Spatial Teleportation Stone for Mount Eltio, smiled brightly.

“I’ll be back. I’ll try to rejoin you after subjugating Abyssinis.”

Just as she was about to crush the Spatial Teleportation Stone.

“Ail.”

Tesillid, who had remained silent as if all arrangements were finalized, reacted belatedly.

“Tes?”

Ignoring the gazes around them, he pulled Aillet’s arm and embraced her deeply.

It was an action born of uncontrollable impulse. He had pretended to be calm and reserved, but in reality, he was the one who least wanted her to leave.

Tesillid whispered into Aillet’s ear, his voice slightly unsteady.

“You’ll come back, won’t you?”

It wasn’t merely a question about her survival.

“You’ll come back to me, won’t you?”

“…”

Because she loved even the Reed within him, he couldn’t help but feel both relief and anxiety.

Of course, as always, Aillet didn’t make him anxious.

“Of course.”

“…”

“Safely, quickly, and well! I’ll come back to your side.”

“…Okay.”

“So you too, don’t do anything overly dramatic, and take care of yourself. Got it? I’ll be checking on you too.”

“Got it.”

At Aillet’s gentle insistence, Tesillid found calm. She slipped out of his embrace.

“Then I’m truly off. Everyone, I wish you good fortune.”

The Spatial Teleportation Stone shattered in Aillet’s hand. As the winds of space-time carried her away, a pure white light replaced the spot where her form had been.

Soon, the light turned to dust and fell around them. Tesillid clenched his right fist as if grasping the snowflake-like particles.

The Regressor steeled his will.

To save the world for the eleventh time.✠The calamitous night sky heralded a new phase.

The rain of stardust had finally ceased, and dark clouds began to gather low like smoke towards the Pontifical Palace.

Naturally, the movement of clouds was a matter of the sky, so it would be logical for those on the ground to look up.

However, in certain areas, the situation was different.

Altitude: 5,426 meters.

This place, known as ‘the closest place for humans to reach God,’ could cultivate ice that wouldn’t melt for ten thousand years, and boasted a height that could easily pierce through low-lying clouds.

It was none other than the summit of Mount Eltio, known as the roof of the Serentra Continent.

Snowflakes swirled in the air, which felt cold enough to freeze one’s breath and burst blood vessels.

They weren’t falling from the sky. It was merely a phenomenon created by the snow and ice accumulated on the summit being scattered by strong winds.

One thing that made the dizzying height palpable here was the boundary between sky and earth.

From the summit of Mount Eltio, the horizon curved visibly, allowing one to perceive its curvature with the naked eye.

Sub-zero temperatures, low pressure, thin oxygen.

For several hundred years, no human had ventured to this land that dealt white death to living beings for any purpose.

But after a truly long time, someone intentionally set foot here.

Step, step.

Footprints appeared on the snowy hills. In response, the fiercely blowing air currents suddenly calmed.

Even the air seemed to fear the appearance of this special being, weighing itself down heavily.

The being who made even nature prostrate was a handsome man with long black hair. He existed, black and alone, amidst the white environment.

The white Fractal Flowers scattering in the wind vanished before touching the black garments worn by the man.

The fallen being never allowed anything pure white to approach him.

He approached one end of the summit and sat on the eternal ice. The highest place in the world was of great use as a vantage point.

Taking advantage of this, he looked northeast, where the Pontifical Palace was located.

By now, a surreal celestial body symbolizing Demon King Abyssinis had appeared in the sky.

The eerie moonlight emanating from a melting purple crescent moon shone intensely upon the Pontifical Palace.

The speed at which the dark clouds swirled and converged was also gradually accelerating.

It was a sign that something had begun at the Pontifical Palace where Abyssinis was.

It seemed Reed’s plan had entered its final stage.

He rummaged through his sub-dimension and pulled out Holy Ground Construction. An artifact in the form of a long flagpole with a flag attached.

He stared at it quietly, then finally lifted his head to the sky.

This was the place where humans could come closest to God. That age-old metaphor filled his mind with thoughts.

Is there a God beyond that?

“…”

The sudden sensation that washed over him was as desolate as the snowy mountain he stood on, and as empty as the vast sky above his head. The light slowly faded from his eyes.

The man’s lips murmured in solitude.

“I’m waiting. So hurry and come. Hurry and come to pity me. You’re the only one who can give meaning to my futile struggles.”

He called out to a being as exciting as death itself.

“It’s truly only you, Aillet Rodelain…✠Mount Eltio is located in the southern part of the Serentra Continent.

Even now, at the onset of winter, green and fresh wildflowers could be seen at the foot of the mountain, but the summit was an extreme environment covered in eternal ice.

Naturally, there was no Spatial Teleportation Stone that would take one directly to such a place.

Not only did no one deliberately come to an uninhabitable zone, but there were also no brave creators who would risk their lives to find the coordinates and engrave them onto a Spatial Teleportation Stone.

Therefore, I first had to use spatial teleportation to Devon Village, the closest to the destination.

As soon as I arrived, I turned on the system map and marked my destination. [

The highest point on the Serentra Continent at 5,426 meters above sea level. Temperatures at the summit are below -16 degrees Celsius, so thorough preparation for cold weather is required.] As I walked along the winding path, Agnes grumbled.

<Why is the meeting place like this? Over 5,000 meters high, on a mountaintop.>

“Well, the view should be good.”

<How did Reed get up there so high?>

“He’s a mage, isn’t he? He must have flown.”

<Oh, right.>

He must have flown on an updraft for about an hour, clad in survival magic to withstand the extreme environment.

Flight magic consumes a lot of mana, making it an insane feat that most mages wouldn’t even attempt with their mana reserves.

It was only possible because he was a 9th Circle mage.

<Then what about us? It looks like it’ll take days to climb on foot, should we fly with Divine Descent?>

“The height attainable with Divine Descent is limited.”

Agnes burst out in indignation.

<That Reed! He made you come here just to make you suffer! Look at his personality. Hey, Aillet. Be careful with your boyfriend, okay? Don’t let his true colors show at the 100th iteration.>

Yes, yes. I’ll be careful not to let him get twisted and just shower him with love.

Apart from the controversy over Reed’s personality, the situation wasn’t that bad. I appeased Agnes.

“Don’t worry about climbing. There’s a way.”

<Really?>

“Yes. Actually, there’s a ruin inside Mount Eltio, about 500 years old. We should be able to travel comfortably to the summit through there.”

<Oh, good.>

Just then, I arrived at the entrance of a facility inside the mountain. At first glance, it looked like just a snow-covered corner of the mountain.

I activated a skill I’d been using quite often lately.

“Blue Holy Flame.”

As the celestial flames melted the snow and ice, a massive stone entrance was revealed.

Soon, the stone gate, now completely free of ice, granted me entry.

Whoosh—

The sound of air circulating after half a millennium of stagnation was eerie. I stepped onto the well-maintained corridor.