Chapter 1031: Milestone (18)
The vast church offered a clear view of the ground below, a landscape ravaged and ruined.
In stark contrast to the still-clamorous surface, the Domain unfurled above was utterly silent.
A church built upon a sprawling prairie, surrounded by countless gravestones, tightly packed together.
The Undertaker’s Domain, symbolizing a serene repose unshaken by any storm.
Crack!
Lennok threw open the church doors and stepped into the chapel with a sharp flash of Lightning Radiance.
He straightened his disheveled ceremonial robes, then used a lightning bolt to incinerate and evaporate the tobacco he had been holding.
The wizard’s figure still shimmered with fierce, pale-blue electricity, as if the aftershocks of battle had yet to subside.
The Undertaker, standing in the center of the chapel, and Olivera, who had been confronting him, simultaneously turned their gazes.
“……”
The Undertaker gazed silently at Lennok, his face unreadable.
Olivera, having recognized Lennok, also sharpened the light in her Mystic Eye, but did not speak first.
A strange silence, as if the choice in this chaotic situation, brought about by Thorben’s intervention, now rested with Lennok.
It wasn’t incomprehensible, given that Lennok had killed Anathema and gotten entangled with the Thorben Magic Tower Lord—
“Huu…”
Lennok exhaled softly, calming the tumultuous magic surging within him.
The lingering scent of lightning that had emanated from his entire body slowly faded, until all was quiet.
The chapel’ fell silent in an instant.
Should he be angry at the Central Nobles’ recklessness, or should they first discuss how to address the responsibility for this incident?
But Lennok had already decided where to start anew.
After a long silence, Lennok slowly raised his gaze and spoke quietly.
“Let’s handle Anathema’s funeral first.”
“……”
“……Adamant Thunder.”
The unexpressive Undertaker and Olivera, who called Lennok’s alias as if surprised.
But Lennok ignored both their gazes and stared at the coffin placed in the chapel.
“After the ritual, I will sort out everything regarding this matter.”
“……”
“I also have some questions for you Central Nobles, so until then, cooperate with the funeral rites.”
The visit of the Central Nobles for Anathema’s funeral. The Thorben Magic Tower Lord’s intrusion. The Guardian Spirit Beast’s consumption of the Domain.
Inexplicable events had occurred simultaneously, yet Lennok did not forget what needed to be prioritized immediately.
The important thing was that the Central Nobles of Ars Nova, who had been so difficult to meet until now, had come seeking Lennok.
He might be able to glean information about the fallen Ars Nova from them.
Anathema’s name was an extremely rare and contradictory causality on this continent, unbound by The Prohibition.
Therefore, while Anathema’s funeral was being conducted, he might receive answers regarding the Central City’s affairs.
At that moment, the Undertaker, who had been silently watching Lennok, opened his mouth.
“This generation’s Ascension Candidate possesses quite remarkable patience.”
“What did you say?”
“Even after once transcending a hierarchy, you haven’t let yourself go.”
The gaunt Undertaker merely turned towards him, creating a height difference of nearly two heads.
A thin, tall figure, well over two meters. Before Lennok could fully comprehend the oppressive aura emanating from his physique, he spoke.
“It was almost fated that Anathema would lose to you.”
“……”
“I intended to ask the murderer where his death ultimately lay, between chance and inevitability… but there’s no need for that now.”
The emaciated man then closed his eyes right there.
He ran a thin finger over his face and spoke quietly.
“If you are ready, bring out the ritual offerings. I shall now open the Funeral Ship to the Sea of Return [장송귀해선] Domain.”
His response made it sound as if Lennok had the authority to begin the ritual.
At his indifferent remark, devoid of any further explanation, Lennok was intently observing the man when—
“Just place a part of Anathema’s remains in the coffin.”
A languid female voice echoed from above the chapel.
“The rest, Cyrus will take care of. That’s his role as the Undertaker.”
“You…”
A woman with thick glasses and disheveled hair, draped in a robe.
She rested her chin on the railing, gazing at him with a sleepy expression.
She was one of the presences Lennok had felt immediately after entering the church. And among them, the one whose presence was most ethereal.
Was this woman, with her relaxed demeanor, also one of the Central Nobles?
Olivera, who remained in the Domain, would surely know her identity.
Noticing Lennok’s gaze, Olivera added.
“Jutiya Heiberk. The Central Scribe. And among them, the last record-keeper.”
“……Heiberk?”
“She was once the entity who managed all ceremonies and council minutes conducted in Ars Nova.”
“Oh, you’re explaining that much?”
The woman called Jutiya smiled faintly at Olivera’s words.
She slumped down the chapel steps, her head drooping towards them.
“You’ve changed a lot, Olivera. You weren’t usually so kind to others.”
“You’ve grown more talkative with your nonsense.”
Olivera retorted coldly, parrying Jutiya’s remark.
“When you served as the Scribe for the Council of Fate, you were a much more demure attendant than you are now.”
“……”
Jutiya Heiberk. A noble from Ars Nova, responsible for recording and organizing as the Central Scribe.
Though her appearance didn’t match, Lennok knew her words weren’t false.
He could clearly sense a peculiar sense of otherness from her, as if she wasn’t quite human.
She merely mimicked a human form, but from birth, she was a creature of a different species entirely.
“I saw you dealing with Thorben. The grim rumors circulating the continent weren’t exaggerated, were they?”
Jutiya slowly blinked and spoke.
“It’s not strange for Apostle-Slayers to fight like monsters, but I never expected you could face Akendrias head-on.”
“……”
“Though his inherent personality is a bit odd, under the premise of using his Domain, he was a man with few rivals even in the Central City. It seems the rumors of you overwhelming Anathema were true.”
“……That is.”
Lennok began to answer, then simply closed his mouth.
Akendrias El Thorben’s Domain was a power that continuously expanded its range and targets by transforming surrounding matter into lightning.
If there was material to transform into lightning nearby, and he could continuously draw power for his Domain through it, there would be almost no superhuman capable of defeating him.
If he activated his Domain to its absolute limit, theoretically, his firepower wouldn’t fall short compared to any Transcendent Lennok knew.
Without the Guardian Spirit Beast’s presence, the battle wouldn’t have ended so anticlimactically.
But to Jutiya, even that seemed to have increased her estimation of Lennok.
“You didn’t seem to kill Thorben, so what trick did you use at the end to so easily subdue that mad old man?”
“Despite having cleared out the Cartel’s business district beforehand, the commotion seems to have spread already.”
Olivera said, arms crossed, as if a thought had suddenly struck her.
“It seems news of your fight with Thorben has already spread throughout the city, so devise a suitable excuse for the motive and outcome of the battle.”
“……An excuse, huh.”
Did she not see that the Guardian Spirit Beast had devoured Thorben’s Domain at the last moment?
Even as a Central Noble, she couldn’t peer into events happening within Lennok’s Jurisdiction from the outside.
But Lennok didn’t fully understand why the Guardian Spirit Beast had devoured Thorben’s Domain either.
‘It didn’t dismantle it; it merely absorbed it. The power of Ouroboros alone doesn’t work that way.’
The Thunder God’s Flowering Court Domain was a power with extremely potent Domain effects, one Lennok wasn’t confident in winning against.
It was a Domain that had reached the pinnacle of Property Transformation, transforming matter into lightning, to the extent that Lennok believed he needed to receive its full force within his own Jurisdiction to minimize damage.
Yet, the Guardian Spirit Beast had ignored such output and destructive power, devouring the Thunder God’s Flowering Court.
Rather than a simple contest of strength, it was highly probable that it was a result of being consumed due to some form of compatibility.
Could the Guardian Spirit Beast, born from the Ouroboros magic system, possess an extensibility Lennok was unaware of?
No, this was the first time the Guardian Spirit Beast had ever stepped up to defend the Magic Tower since that fat dragon was born.
Jutiya, who had been staring at the pensive Lennok, retreated with a languid smile.
“If you don’t want to talk, I can’t force you. Though, come to think of it, perhaps it was Akendrias who was strange for constantly rambling about his lightning at every opportunity?”
“You seem to have known the Thorben Magic Tower Lord for a long time.”
“Don’t even get me started. He was a man who scoured the entire continent like a lunatic, looking for an heir.”
Jutiya shook her head with a sleepy expression.
“If he had seen potential in you, he would have killed someone right then and there to hand over either his magic or his position.”
“……”
An accurate guess, as if she had been watching Lennok and Thorben’s conversation from right beside them.
Indeed, that lightning-crazed old man wouldn’t have been reserved in front of others.
If he had been constantly proclaiming the superiority of lightning magic everywhere, it was understandable that others would react this way—
But for now, achieving his initial objective was paramount.
“What is this ‘legacy’ hidden within the ruined Central City?”
“……”
“Is whatever remains in the ruined city truly a solution directly connected to Ascension?”
“Adamant Thunder.”
Olivera called out to Lennok when he unhesitatingly cut to the core with his question, but he ignored her.
Lennok’s cold gaze fixed on the coffin before the Undertaker.
“I need to confirm if Anathema’s causality is necessary to hear that answer.”
A noble born in Ars Nova, who had enjoyed its glory, would surely know how the city met its demise.
No, it was precisely because she survived the fall of the Central City that she remained in this world.
If Anathema’s causality could unravel the unspeakable secrets tied to The Prohibition placed on the Black Consumer Project, which led to Ars Nova’s destruction—
He might hear the secret of that day directly from the mouth of a Central Noble.
However, Jutiya showed no particular reaction even after hearing Lennok’s question.
“Hmm.”
She merely slowly drooped her head, a look of trouble on her face.
“You truly aren’t affected by The Prohibition at all. Anyone else would have had their head explode and died right there.”
“……”
“Simply saying it’s because you weren’t born in that era doesn’t explain it.”
Jutiya rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought as she watched the silent Lennok.
“There was a reason Akendrias showed even more interest in you than I thought. Is some very special curse tied to your birth or origin?”
“Enough with the meaningless speculation. Just tell me if you can answer my question or not.”
“If you know about The Prohibition, you must have heard how dangerous it is to both listen and speak.”
Jutiya replied, reaching out her hand into the air.
She tapped the air as if touching an invisible screen and said,
“But it’s also clear you have the qualifications… It’s a difficult problem. Ultimately, it’s hard to know the criteria without trying it directly.”
“Criteria?”
“Those who know the contents of The Prohibition are inevitably forced to share information.”
Jutiya said nonchalantly.
“If you’ve already stepped across that boundary, I might be able to share a little of what I know.”
“……”
“I can’t be certain. After all, The Prohibition isn’t a Golden Paradise; it’s a binding created by great failures. Regardless of knowing its operating principles, you can’t predict what aspects it will react sensitively to…”
Jutiya gazed into the air with a thoughtful expression and said,
“But this is also a rare opportunity, so shall we try an experiment?”
Thwack!
The moment Jutiya rested her hand on the chapel’s railing and turned her head, her body had already descended before Lennok.
Her movement was utterly undetectable from her languid and fatigued demeanor.
As Lennok furrowed his brow at the unsettling sensation, as if space had been edited to shorten the distance, Jutiya reached out a hand towards Lennok.
“Give it to me.”
“What?”
“Anathema’s remains. Any body part.”
Jutiya nodded.
“You said you wanted to test it, didn’t you?”
“……”
Considering the meaning of experimenting with The Prohibition, what she was about to do shouldn’t be taken lightly even by her.
As a Central Noble, she wouldn’t make empty boasts on such a subject, yet her attitude was excessively lighthearted.
It was almost impossible to grasp the true intention behind her casually demanding Anathema’s remains from Lennok.
But even as Lennok thought this, he reached out his hand towards his sub-dimension.
Click.
Anathema’s severed finger, from which blue blood slowly dripped.
Even if he were to waste it carelessly here, it was worth the price if it meant experimenting with The Prohibition.
Thinking so, Lennok placed Anathema’s finger into Jutiya’s hand.
“Hmm, Armas Anathema. So this is what you looked like in death.”
Jutiya clutched the finger in one hand, scrutinizing it intently.
The skin was a messy mix of blue scales and goat hair, appearing almost unclean at first glance.
She casually toyed with Anathema’s finger and spoke,
“The blessing of the Subterranean Giant God. Among the powers of the Outer Gods, it’s excellent as a vessel due to its hardness, but it demands a physical transformation akin to改造 (kaijo).”
“……”
“Since Anathema himself already mastered Dragon Sorcery, the backlash would have been severe. Did he wish to return to reality, even if it meant becoming like this?”
“You…”
“If he couldn’t return to human form and was exiled from reality, he would have wanted to grasp even the hand of a failed savior. I understand.”
A response far removed from ordinary human sentiment or emotion.
But what truly piqued Lennok’s interest were the details about Outer Gods that Jutiya mentioned so casually.
Jutiya’s monologue accurately recognized the blessings and talents bestowed by the Subterranean Giant God, one of the Outer Sea’s calamities.
Was the power of the Subterranean Giant God so well-known, or was Jutiya’s knowledge truly exceptional?
As Lennok watched with a furrowed brow, Jutiya shook the finger she held and spoke,
“Let me say this upfront, this is my way of taking responsibility for this matter. Thorben was a special case, but I don’t want to be so arrogant towards outsiders.”
“……”
“We needed your consent to bring the Funeral Ship to the Sea of Return Domain into the skies above Vulcan’s outer district. Protocol, by nature, is about mutual adjustment—”
“You’re long-winded.”
Lennok said, his hand on his robe.
“Can you prove that your words hold such value?”
“Well, alright. Shall we start right away?”
Jutiya smiled, holding up Anathema’s finger and saying,
“The reason Ars Nova fell due to the project’s failure is that the two cities ultimately pursued the same goal.”
“……What?”
Jutiya’s direct statement pierced him without warning.
Lennok’s face hardened, and he sharply turned his gaze, but Jutiya’s languid voice did not stop.
“The ‘adjustment’ attempted in Ars Nova ultimately failed in a more complete form in the Black Consumer Project.”
Crack!
At that moment, something snapped in Jutiya’s head, and blood began to stream from her nose.
“As a result, the older, more transcendent side ended up bearing the entire brunt of the failure’s backlash.”