Chapter 1047: Landmark (34)
The Tower Lord dragged Lennok to the innermost depths of the Thorben War-Mage Tower, the Thunderbolt Reliquary.
He explained that the War-Mage Tower itself was a relic, a strategic mobile battleship from Ars Nova, modified for its current purpose, and even its deepest power core was capable of mimicking the Boundary Line of the World.
“The concept of the Celestial Lightning Body, as defined by the Thorben lineage, is simple.”
Facing Lennok in the vast space where blue lightning radiance flashed, Thorben spoke.
Lennok listened to the Tower Lord’s explanation, taking the elixirs he had prepared one by one.
“Mind-Spirit Unity (心氣一體). Qi-Body Resonance (氣體相印). The mental image and will-thought are one, and will-thought and the physical body are connected, thus the mental image and physical body can also communicate with each other.”
Crackle!
As the Tower Lord raised his hand, his entire arm began to collapse, transforming into lightning from his fingertips.
“By engraving the causality and properties of lightning into one’s body, all metabolism and functions within the body become akin to lightning.”
The Tower Lord said, pointing to his arm, which had transformed into lightning.
“Replacing the central nervous system rooted in the body, major organs, and all bodily systems responsible for metabolism and hormone secretion with lightning. It is to transform the very essence that makes a human a human into lightning, unifying it through Lightning Integration (一通)….”
Whoosh!
The Tower Lord, who had instantly restored his body, turned to Lennok and said,
“This is what we call the Celestial Lightning Body (仙雷之體). It is the power that literally allows our time to reside in the realm of the mental image.”
“So that’s why you could continue fighting perfectly fine even after a lightning strike pierced your heart.”
During his battle with Lennok, the Tower Lord had taken a direct hit from Lennok’s Partial Lightning to the heart, yet moved without issue.
This was possible because the functions of his internal organs had already been replaced and substituted with lightning.
“However, even this old man does not perfectly wield the Celestial Lightning Body. Rather, my achievements were simply highly compatible with it.”
“What do you mean?”
“This old man could obtain the Celestial Lightning Body because my mental image had literally reached the extreme of Lightning Transformation (雷化).”
The Tower Lord stroked his chin and replied.
“Each time I unleashed my Domain, I would transform my body almost to its limits into lightning, and in the process of returning, I realized the trick of ‘accidentally’ leaving out internal organs one by one.”
“What?”
“When transforming the body into lightning, one relies on sensation, but when materializing it back, one must directly return it to the remembered physical form.”
The Tower Lord chuckled at Lennok’s bewildered retort.
“I did that trick so many times that when I brought my body back, I’d sometimes leave out a stomach or a liver. Turns out, it’s surprisingly livable.”
“……”
“In that process, I came to understand the sensation of keeping internal organs and bodily functions themselves in a lightning-transformed state.”
“Right, I understand.”
Lennok stared at him with cold eyes.
“So you meant you’d personally improve my body’s constitution with that kind of memory.”
“……Oh, did this old man add unnecessary details?”
Thorben, scratching his cheek with an awkward expression, then grinned and turned his gaze away.
“Anyway, if you’ve understood this much, you’ll know why this old man recommended changing your constitution to a Celestial Lightning Body.”
The Tower Lord said, pointing at Lennok.
“If you cannot accept the ideal of Apex Thunder, then you just need to adjust the vessel from your physical body. The Celestial Lightning Body is the cornerstone for that.”
“So, it’s a sight one can only face by directly becoming lightning oneself.”
Lennok looked at him with an expressionless face.
“That’s a conclusion you’ve reached because you’ve already attempted such a feat multiple times, I presume.”
“……”
Thorben’s will, eager to confront his magic against the end of the Outer Sea.
Because there was a necessity of fitting the process to a predetermined conclusion, Lennok, too, had respected the Tower Lord’s answer, having reached such a profound state.
But the advice the Tower Lord offered Lennok could only come from someone who had attempted to transform their very existence into lightning.
Lennok realized it was a miracle that could only be experienced through the obsession of literally abandoning human form and becoming lightning.
“What meaning is there in a conclusion reached by using oneself as a tool?”
“My boy. Shouldn’t we at least have a drink of medicinal wine before starting such a conversation?”
The Tower Lord chuckled, stroking his beard.
“Let’s finish this discussion. First, I will use the Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft to unravel your physical body, then here, in a space similar to the Boundary Line of the World, I will blur the boundary between your mental image and your physical body.”
“……”
“Immediately after that, I will reconstruct your physical body to be closer to the Celestial Lightning Body, modify the vessel, and then reverse the procedure. If the procedure concludes normally, you will be able to freely achieve full-body Lightning Transformation, possessing physical immunity incomparable to before.”
Crackle!
The currents flowing through Thorben’s body glowed bright blue, illuminating the cavern dazzlingly.
“First, I will tell you the peripheral nervous system and bioelectric conversion points that need to be fundamentally manipulated.”
Thorben, approaching while scattering violent lightning, raised his hand towards Lennok and said,
“Once you become accustomed to manipulating electromyograms and electrocardiograms, you will be able to extend that control to electroencephalograms and biomagnetism, even controlling hormone regulation.”
Crackle, crackle!
As Thorben spread both his hands wide, vast currents flowed along his arms, spreading out like wings.
Thorben, with bright blue lightning radiance wrapped around his back like a colossal halo, spoke.
The Tower Lord, nodding with a serious expression, said, “If you’re ready, take out the key. Considering what we’re about to do, we should probably seek permission from the Transcendent beforehand.”
“Right.”
Now that he possessed the Lightning Emperor’s Key, he ought to verify its abilities and performance to some extent.
It was something he would have to try soon, even if not immediately in this place.
Thinking so, Lennok reached out his hand into the air, creating a spatial rift.
Crack!
[Piercing Thunder Key (穿雷鍵)]
Once more, he drew a colossal lightning key from the void and gripped it.
Lennok looked at the sharply flashing key, then at the Tower Lord, and drew upon his mana.
Crackle, crackle…!!!
The synchronization of mana and will-thought.
The Piercing Thunder Key in Lennok’s hand rapidly resonated, unleashing violent lightning radiance.
Soon, the key’s size explosively amplified, then roughly plunged into the center of the cavern.
KABOOOM!!!
A colossal golden key, dozens of meters long.
The Tower Lord stroked his beard, observing the magnificent form that, from a distance, appeared to be a Lightning Spear.
From the tip of the lightning, which had taken the form of a Lightning Spear, a majestic voice resounded.
[For something obtained after such a grand persuasion, you’re calling me surprisingly quickly.]
Wooooong!!!
[Or has something urgent happened already, requiring you to borrow my power?]
“Opportunities to test its performance wouldn’t be plentiful outside of a place like this.”
Lennok said, nodding his head towards the Tower Lord over his shoulder.
“A familiar face, isn’t it?”
[……]
As if only then realizing the presence of Akendrias El Thorben, the Lightning Emperor paused momentarily.
Looking down at the Tower Lord, she, who had been emitting a majestic vibration, asked in an indifferent tone,
[Akendrias El Thorben. You’re still alive and well, even after handing over the qualification to the Hall of the Thunder God to this one.]
“There are still far too many things I haven’t done to enter a coffin, Lightning Emperor.”
The Tower Lord chuckled.
“As a fellow disciple who engraved enlightenment in the Hall of the Thunder God, I’d like to catch up, but there’s no time. For now, would you mind cooperating with my junior disciple’s endeavor?”
[Junior Disciple? That wizard is not the kind of person to be bound by such a hollow title.]
The Lightning Emperor retorted with a questioning voice.
[I don’t know what kind of trivial nonsense you’ve summoned me for.]
“I intend to teach the Celestial Lightning’s enlightenment right here, so I need your spellcraft.”
The Tower Lord shrugged, looking up at the piercing radiance of the Lightning Spear.
“I will use the Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft to unravel my junior disciple’s physical body, and then transform his vessel with the enlightenment of Celestial Lightning. All the necessary preparations for the ritual are complete, so all that remains is to proceed with the procedure.”
[……]
As if understanding the Tower Lord’s perfunctory explanation at once, the Lightning Emperor’s consciousness seemed to turn its gaze to Lennok.
[You. Do you intend to awaken the power of the Celestial Lightning Body yourself, instead of inheriting it?]
The Lightning Emperor asked in an odd tone.
[And to do that, you’re going to unravel your own physical body, using my spellcraft as the foundation?]
“As long as your potential resides within my mental image, the Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft will not harm me.”
Lennok’s body cannot undergo Lightning Transformation, nor does it react to such changes at all.
Therefore, transforming his constitution into a Celestial Lightning Body through Lightning Transformation, as the Tower Lord had suggested, was impossible.
But with the Lightning Emperor’s Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft newly residing in his Kaleidoscope, it was a different story.
Because it was a possibility contained within the Kaleidoscope, it could affect Lennok’s physical body, yet as a power belonging to Lennok himself, there was no chance of it harming him.
“With the situation and conditions met to this extent, it’s certainly worth a try. The Tower Lord’s words have merit.”
[Hah, ‘worth a try,’ you say…]
“……”
A part of the landscape of the Domain and the answers Lennok had revealed to persuade the Lightning Emperor.
The Lightning Emperor, too, seemed to easily understand that this current attempt was an extension of that.
The moment the Lightning Spear, which had been contemplating the Tower Lord’s explanation, flashed sharply and emitted light.
Flash!
Before their eyes, a dazzling altar formed of lightning surged forth.
[Very well. If even this moment is part of the trials and errors you spoke of previously, I shall lend my power.]
The Lightning Emperor’s voice resonated leisurely.
[Now, show me directly what you intend to do.]
“……Alright.”
With a determined expression, Lennok rolled up the sleeve of his left arm and approached the altar.
He wore the prayer beads of the Charm of Earth’s Embrace on his left forearm, then cast overlapping barriers to isolate his arm.
As the Tower Lord stepped aside, and the Lightning Emperor’s Key, now the center of the sanctuary, scattered brilliant lightning radiance.
The moment Lennok slowly placed his rolled-up left arm diagonally onto the altar.
Fwoooosh!!!!
The dozens of meters-long key, plunged into the ground, rotated, forcibly ‘tearing open’ space itself.
The failed answer an Ascendant of the Old World had offered to the sanctuary of the Hall of the Thunder God.
The overwhelming manifestation of will-thought, reached by transcending the esoteric art known as Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft.
In the fleeting moment, even the Tower Lord shielded his eyes from the indescribably violent pressure and radiance.
The Lightning Emperor declared.
[Spellcraft Deployment]
CRACKLE!!!
Centered around the dozens of meters-long golden key plunged into the ground, the entire ritual cavern of the tower was completely transformed.
Lightning surging from all directions swept across the sky and ground, rotating and forcibly ‘tearing open’ space itself.
With the colossal golden lightning plunged into the center as its pillar, it propped up the sky, forming the shape of a magnificent spire.
The lightning spread across all sides collectively plunged towards Lennok’s left arm with tremendous speed.
RUUUUMBLE!!!
Even the Tower Lord couldn’t help but momentarily marvel at the immense wave of lightning power.
“Such an enormous amount. How can a mere medium manifest this much output…!!!!”
The Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft (雷解術式), which used lightning as its power to unravel all things.
The transcendent potential of lightning, accumulated by the Lightning Emperor of the First World to the point of achieving Ascension.
The power of the branching point, acquired through the Kaleidoscope, now circled back and poured entirely onto Lennok.
Crackle, crackle, crackle!
“Kuh…!!”
Each time the lightning of unraveling coursed over his arm, a hollowness, as if his senses were vanishing, was felt.
It wasn’t simple pain, but an eerie sensation, as if parts of his body were scattering and disappearing.
But instead of watching his left arm engulfed in lightning, Lennok raised his gaze and concentrated.
He had already been informed by the Tower Lord about the knack for bioelectric manipulation needed to achieve the Celestial Lightning Body.
Lennok’s task was to directly manipulate the bioelectricity of his arm, unraveled by the Lightning Unraveling Spellcraft, and reconstruct his physical body.
The Boundary Line of the World, where the distinction between body and mental image blurred.
In this space, which mimicked that extremely rare and alien environment, it was a challenge worth attempting, ignoring Lennok’s penalties.
Thinking so, Lennok quickly drew up his will-thought, and the moment he concentrated on his arm engulfed in lightning.
Simultaneously with an eerie flash of lightning leaping from his left arm, the entire cavern was enveloped in golden lightning radiance.
KABOOOM!!!
“S-succeeded?!”
[……]
The Tower Lord, who had been observing the process with a stiff expression, and the Lightning Emperor, who had transformed into a colossal key, reacted simultaneously.
Amidst the swirling storm of radiance, Lennok, who had placed his arm on the altar, slowly turned around.
Crackle, crackle…!!
His rolled-up left arm still remained intact, attached to his shoulder.
But the veins beneath his skin glowed a dazzling, bright blue.
Only then did the Tower Lord collect himself and ask,
“What happened?”
“Half a success, I suppose.”
Lennok replied with a bitter smile.
“No, perhaps half a failure?”
“……What do you mean?”
“I succeeded in processing and manipulating bioelectricity with will-thought. But…”
Lennok’s gaze, looking down at his arm where the veins glowed bright blue, sank heavily.
“An unintended power mixed in during the process of reconstructing the body. As it is, I can only use it in a way different from the intended purpose.”
“What ‘different way’ are you talking about?”
Instead of answering the Tower Lord, Lennok spread his left hand to the side.
The moment the Tower Lord tilted his head, perplexed by the gesture that lacked any hand seals or incantation.
“What is it? Why aren’t you using magic-”
Whoosh!
Lennok’s hand was already lightly pressing against the Tower Lord’s solar plexus.
The Tower Lord stared blankly at Lennok’s hand, then realized something was amiss and frowned instantly.
“……Wait.”
Crackle, crackle…!!!!
In the instant the veins in his left arm flashed bright blue, Lennok’s hand became covered in a dark violet radiance.
The very mana flowing within the Tower Lord’s body simultaneously twisted and began to violently shake.
A bizarre sense of dissonance, as if the magic, imbued with will-thought and fully incanted, was collapsing without maintaining its original form.
The lightning emanating from the Tower Lord’s entire body simultaneously lost its form and crumbled.
CRACKLE!!!
“My mana…!!”
“The moment mana is injected into the arm, Decasing (脫殼) automatically occurs, forcibly scattering the mana.”
From behind the Tower Lord, who was horrified to realize his mana was forcibly disassembled, Lennok said, raising his left arm, which had turned violet.
“Mana itself has no properties, so it just wears away and vanishes. This is-”
[Rather than a spellcraft or innate ability, it’s closer to a complete counter-spell, an anti-ability.]
The Lightning Emperor, who had been listening to Lennok’s explanation, said with a bewildered tone.
[I knew you weren’t right in the head from the start… but you, did you perhaps modify your own arm into a Forbidden Armament?]