Chapter 1044: Milestone (31)
The sanctuary of the Hall of the Thunder God, where all enlightenment regarding lightning gathered, transcending time.
This space itself was a miracle beyond enlightenment, one of the answers existing beyond the world.
A miracle made possible because those who had etched the causality of lightning beyond worlds ultimately shared a similar fervent wish.
But Lennok understood that, and thus decided not to choose enlightenment from the Hall of the Thunder God.
Because he valued the process, not the result.
Because he sought the means, not the end, Lennok did not directly choose the outcome.
No matter what enlightenment, transcending the Horizon of Thought, existed in this lightning sanctuary.
It was not something given suddenly like a gift, but one of many possibilities that Lennok had to realize and master himself.
That was why Myeong had only left him the possibility of black magic, instead of gifting it directly.
Because he wished for the answers forged directly by Lennok’s hands to reach even further.
To orchestrate this moment that would one day arrive, and to provide Lennok with the impetus.
Thus, the moment he realized the Lightning Emperor’s true identity, Lennok could decide what he would take from this sanctuary.
“Among all the Transcendent beings who have visited the Hall of the Thunder God across three worlds…”
The Lightning Emperor, who had been silenced, finally spoke.
“You truly are the one who dreams of the most twisted configuration.”
“…”
“The conviction that you are absolutely right. The arrogance that you will surely reach the answer… have you truly taken a non-existent next into your heart?”
She murmured, her eyes fixed on the magnificent Kaleidoscope unfurling behind Lennok.
“This is an answer that should not exist, encompassing all the fervent wishes of the old and current worlds.”
“…”
“It’s preposterous. I never even imagined such a thing would be born in the next world…”
She scoffed at Lennok’s arrogance, pricked at his self-righteousness, and condemned his irreverence.
Her honesty seemed to be an unfiltered outpouring of the emotions she felt upon facing the Kaleidoscope.
Yet, a hidden awe was mixed in the Lightning Emperor’s voice as she spoke.
Shwoooong…!!!
Lennok, with his hands clasped together, slowly pulled them apart, and simultaneously, a golden radiance vibrated heavily.
The sharply rotating Kaleidoscope grew in size, illuminating the future bifurcation point beyond it with even greater clarity.
A scene of his Mind Imprint, infinitely expanding, continuously increasing the number and size of the Kaleidoscopes since the moment he deployed his Domain.
A majestic and dangerous primordial origin, which even Lennok himself could no longer fully control.
“…Ha.”
As if enchanted by the dazzling light of the Kaleidoscope, the Lightning Emperor gazed at it for a long time.
As if she wanted to capture even a moment that should not exist within her eyes.
“…You. How are you still alive?”
The Lightning Emperor turned back to Lennok with a sharp gaze, asking incredulously.
“If you possess such an answer, it wouldn’t be strange for all Transcendent beings of the world to be desperate to have you.”
The Lightning Emperor understood instantly that the Mind Imprint Lennok displayed was a concept that fundamentally should not exist in this world.
She even realized that the moment its existence in this world became known, other Transcendent beings would never stand idly by.
Here was an incomprehensible Mind Imprint that even seekers who delved to the extreme of their own answers could not accept.
She realized that Lennok’s survival to this point, having built his hierarchy and reached this sanctuary, was itself an unbelievable outcome.
“Because I knew what it meant the moment I obtained the Domain.”
Lennok replied.
“I carefully chose the moment to reveal it, only selecting it when absolutely necessary.”
“So you concealed and hid your own primordial origin, yet ultimately made it your solution to reach this point?”
The Lightning Emperor, with her arms crossed, slowly closed her eyes for a moment, a complicated expression on her face.
“Using an unarrived future as a primordial origin is a miracle no Transcendent has ever succeeded in. No, even if they crossed worlds…”
“…”
“You possess something that even the apocalypse swimming in that dark Outer Sea lacks.”
How unreal and absurd a miracle the Kaleidoscope displayed here truly was.
Transcending the norms across three worlds, a primordial origin that even the Outer Sea’s apocalypse could not approach.
As everyone who faced the Kaleidoscope did, she understood Lennok’s primordial origin and, at the same time, mistrusted it.
Lennok’s most powerful and dangerous force, a primordial origin that proved his talent and transcendence.
Because it had become a mirror reflecting parallel worlds from a non-existent future, beyond past and present—
Lennok could directly embrace any possibility and make it his future.
“It’s time to choose, Lightning Emperor.”
Kwoooong!!!
The moment he spread one hand to the side, a golden hue exploded and rotated, drawing a perfect circle.
The magnificent Kaleidoscope, looking down upon the sanctuary of the Hall of the Thunder God, revealed empty possibilities.
“If you use my Kaleidoscope, any possibility can be depicted as a real future bifurcation point.”
“…”
“That means I can take your existence, bound to this sanctuary, as one of those possibilities.”
Lennok’s expression, facing the Lightning Emperor standing with the empty Kaleidoscope behind her, briefly blurred.
He recalled a memory of having said something similar to the memories of someone who had long ago vanished.
The failure of someone he had faced in a sealed-off area that no longer existed.
About the person who sacrificed themselves by defying time, leaving an indelible answer within Lennok.
“It’s not the first time I’ve taken in another’s answer or Mind Imprint.”
Lennok tilted his head, his expression unreadable, and said calmly.
“But having succeeded once, I’m sure I can do even better this time.”
“…”
“It’s the same even now. Even if it’s clumsy and awkward, to get better today than yesterday by repeating trials and errors…”
Crrunch!!
Lennok, grasping the golden Kaleidoscope, spoke.
“I intend to capture the process, existing beyond the criteria of success and failure, as a result.”
“…”
The Lightning Emperor did not answer Lennok’s question.
She merely stared down at Lennok, arms crossed, with an unreadable, strange expression on her face.
Her gaze, inclined from her much greater height than Lennok, conveyed an indescribably peculiar pressure.
How much time had passed as the Kaleidoscope’s radiance rotated, awaiting a choice?
“A Kaleidoscope that reflects future bifurcation points, you say.”
The silent Lightning Emperor slowly raised her gaze.
“But because of that… I wonder where your conclusion will truly stop.”
“…”
“Very well, wizard.”
Her dazzling golden eyes flashed as she looked at Lennok.
“I will leave the Hall of the Thunder God and take your Kaleidoscope. But let’s be clear about one thing.”
She extended her hand towards the golden Kaleidoscope Lennok had conjured, then glanced back.
“This is not merely becoming a part of your possibilities, but an outpouring of my curiosity about the conclusion you will face—”
Crrrck!!
The moment she grasped the ring of the Kaleidoscope, her magnificent figure was enveloped in dazzling golden light and vanished.
“What I can do is entirely up to you.”
The instant the Lightning Emperor vanished from her spot, the colossal Lightning Spear impaled behind her vibrated violently.
The Lightning Spear, trembling as it scattered dazzling Lightning Radiance in all directions, eventually began to contract on the spot.
Whooooosh!!
The pure white lightning, radiating brilliantly, was instantly dyed with the golden light of the Kaleidoscope.
It continued to contract endlessly, eventually transforming into a key the size of a forearm.
Crack, sizzle!!!
The key, crackling with intense lightning, floated vertically before Lennok’s eyes.
But Lennok had seen a shape similar to this key once before.
The lightning key used by the Thorben Magic Tower Lord when he intended to pass on Apex Thunder Magic to Lennok, the lightning spell Piercing Thunder Key [穿雷鍵].
Was it a spellcraft that forcibly opened a mental barrier by using enlightenment and intuition of lightning magic itself as a key?
It was no coincidence that the shape of the Piercing Thunder Key used by the Tower Lord and the key now before Lennok’s eyes overlapped.
The Piercing Thunder Key spell itself was a technique the Tower Lord had imitated, inspired by the Lightning Emperor’s form in the sanctuary.
“…It was long.”
Lennok looked at the rotating lightning key before him and gave a bitter smile.
From meeting the Tower Lord and hearing about Apex Thunder Magic and the Celestial Lightning Body, to confronting the War-Mage Tower that rushed to save him.
Until he obtained a means – a key – rather than enlightenment in the sanctuary of the Hall of the Thunder God.
Everything that began with meeting the Thorben Magic Tower Lord at Anathema’s funeral ceremony finally seemed to conclude.
Crackle…!!
He reached out his hand towards the key, which sparked with intense lightning radiance before him.
Blue electricity crackled between his fingers, but he felt no pain, only a strong exhilaration.
At the peak of this exhilaration, which seemed to forcibly elevate his consciousness itself, the moment he grasped the key—
Paaang!!!!
Lennok found himself no longer in the Hall of the Thunder God’s sanctuary, but standing on two feet beneath an open sky.
A clear sky with not a single cloud.
Soft sand scattered beneath his feet, and the ruins of the War-Mage Tower.
The Thorben War-Mages, belatedly regaining their senses, looked up at him with astonished eyes.
Even the high-ranking wizards of the Tower stood at the forefront of those mages, silently gazing at Lennok.
“Hmm…”
Lennok, standing atop the half-destroyed War-Mage Tower, looked around and casually raised his hand.
Crackle!!
Lennok, staring at the glowing key in his left hand, spoke.
“Unexpectedly, the gains from this venture weren’t bad at all.”
“…You.”
Lennok turned his gaze to Lyraiel, who retorted with a bewildered expression, and shrugged.
“If you want, I might be able to take on a few more in exchange. Interested?”
“…”
Lyraiel, speechless, hugged her long staff with both hands and tilted her head back.
[The Thorben Magic Tower has completed discussions with the Vulcan City Government regarding the expansion of its business sector.]
[The Thorben Magic Tower, which leads the continent’s largest War Business, had not previously operated in the Eastern Continent, but it appears to have promised massive investments through the mediation of the Central Council following this visit—]
[Experts predict that this agreement will proceed in a consortium format—]
[The dispatch of electric weapons and wizards manufactured by the Thorben Magic Tower is scheduled to proceed first.]
Click, click!!
Under a barrage of flashes, two people smiled and shook hands.
A woman with strong features and an old man with a noticeably wrinkled, aged face.
[Saint Wizard Lyraiel Thorben, a direct descendant of the current Magic Tower Lord, is known as an adept who directly commands the entire War Business…]
[It took some time for the City Council, led by Senator John Meyer, to secure favorable negotiation terms…]
“I’d only heard rumors until now, but their handling of affairs is truly sensational.”
District 49, the mega-city of Vulcan. Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower, top floor office.
Jenny, watching the news from the office sofa with Lennok, muttered with a jaded expression.
“To think they’d cover up this entire incident by expanding Thorben’s business to the vicinity of Vulcan.”
“…”
It had been two days since Thorben’s War-Mage Tower had encroached on District 49 airspace and shattered the city.
But surprisingly, there was now almost no public opinion condemning or criticizing Thorben for the disturbance.
The upper echelons of the Thorben Magic Tower, immediately after concluding the Magic Tower Lord’s and Lennok’s affairs, contacted the Vulcan City Council.
By promising business expansion and massive investments, they had swayed the City Government and public opinion to their side.
Jenny herself was amazed at the speed with which they had concluded a deal with the City Council and even determined the investment scale in just two days.
“Thanks to the Magic Tower’s promise of massive investment, this whole incident was completely buried. Did they plan this from the start?”
“It’s widely known that Thorben’s war entrepreneurs hold a great deal of assets in physical form.”
Lennok, watching the news with a languid expression, propped his chin on his hand.
“Perhaps they’ve handled most of the disturbances they caused in this manner.”
“…”
“Well, if Councilman Meyer spearheaded the negotiations, there’s no need to worry further.”
Lennok said that and stood up.
“Thorben Magic Tower. I heard they plan to leave Vulcan soon after the consortium is finalized.”
Jenny glanced out the window and asked.
“Are you sure you don’t need to meet them again before they leave?”
“We’ll probably arrange a meeting before they depart. And…”
Lennok smiled.
“It doesn’t have to be now. As long as we practice the same lineage of magic, we’ll meet again somewhere.”
Just as with most things Lennok had experienced in this world, not all matters could come at the perfectly opportune moment.
If he had met the Thorben Magic Tower a few years earlier, Lennok might have interacted with them in a different way.
He might have studied magic with them, gained knowledge, and dreamed of other possibilities or futures.
But now, having transcended the hierarchy and achieved accomplishments on his own, it was merely a meaningless hypothetical.
“Alright then…”
The conflict with the Thorben Magic Tower was settled, with them taking responsibility for the cleanup, and the Magic Tower Lord’s whereabouts were also determined.
All that remained was to experiment with the Piercing Thunder Key and the Lightning Emperor’s power obtained from the Hall of the Thunder God, and to finalize preparations for Kundara.
As the journey to Outer Tribulation City, Kundara, had been postponed due to various circumstances, he would need to prepare more thoroughly.
With that in mind, he decided to completely finish his research on Olivera and Celestial Spellcraft.
Lennok quickly organized his schedule in his mind, and just as he was about to head towards the training grounds.
Jutiya waddled into the office, carrying something in both hands.
“Oh, Adamant Thunder. You’re here. Perfect timing.”
“Heiberk.”
“I have something I want to talk about, can you spare a moment?”
Thud!!
Jutiya set down what she was carrying on the office desk and said.
“If you see this, don’t you want to tell me something?”
“…”
A shape carved from wood, resembling a desk.
Only then did Lennok’s gaze lower as he realized it was an Obaekro board.
Jutiya smiled languidly at Lennok.
“Heiberk, the search engine. If you can’t remember, shall we talk it over a game?”}