Chapter 1090: Level 9 (8)
Crack, crack!!!!
The Promotion Magic Circle, which had soared to the Universe of Mist, violently split and exploded from all directions.
Each time, the magic circle was stained black, slowly eroding Maleon’s body.
Crrrack……!!
Ka-kach, ka-ka-kach!!
The sounds were like something twisting, splitting, and being gnawed away, collapsing. A prelude to ruin that conjured terrible outcomes in one’s mind just by hearing it.
From beyond the Universe of Mist, ominous black lightning struck down. It fell upon the Promotion Magic Circle, damaging and corrupting it.
With each strike, Maleon’s shadow twisted grotesquely, changing in a strange direction.
[Aaaaargh!!!!]
Maleon’s horribly distorted scream became a chilling telepathic transmission that echoed through the Hall of the Eighth Tribulation.
Whoosh!!
The scream alone shattered all the glass windows in the hall and shook the very ground.
Something was wrong with Maleon.
Realizing this, Lennok cut off his mana and rose from his seat.
“Ma-Maleon-nim!!!”
“No, no!!!!”
“Please……!!!!”
The Long-lived Beings, sensing the anomaly, screamed and cried out in anguish.
These beings, who had lived for hundreds of years, were now screaming like children, eyes squeezed shut, trembling.
With pale faces, they constantly shivered, fervently praying to non-existent gods and the heavens.
“Pl-please help Maleon-nim…….”
One of the Long-lived Beings supporting Heoryeong stammered, barely forming words, as he clutched Lennok.
“I-I don’t care if it costs my life. Please!!”
“…….”
“You’re the only one…… I beg of you……!!!”
“Wait, I was planning to act anyway.”
Lennok, who had leapt to his feet, drew upon his mana as he watched Maleon’s shadow floating in the sky.
At the same time, Lennok’s eyes glowed with an intense violet light, beginning to illuminate Maleon.
He simultaneously employed the Kaleidoscope and the Revelation Ability to pierce through what was happening within.
‘The mana flow inside the magic circle is continuously misaligning at the particle level.’
Lennok’s expression hardened as he quickly organized his thoughts.
‘This isn’t a minor error or bad luck. Something foreign has interfered with the ritual process.’
Creation and destruction that dismantled and reconstructed Maleon’s very existence.
A process that infinitely connected and severed cause and effect, imprinting that miracle onto the very instinct of life.
But the ritual, which had been proceeding smoothly until just now, had instantly warped, spiraling towards the worst possible outcome.
The problem wasn’t with the procedure or sequence of the ritual, but the presence of an external factor that was demolishing the ritual’s foundation itself.
‘The black lightning is clearly the cause. But the source of that power—’
Just as that thought crossed his mind, Olivera grabbed Lennok’s shoulder.
[Adamant Thunder. You see something, don’t you?]
Whoosh!
Olivera tilted Lennok’s shoulder, meeting his gaze at the same height, and spoke.
[Look up. Can your Mystic Eye discern it?]
“……Olivera.”
[Since a part of your Mystic Eye mimics mine, you might be able to see the same thing, even if crudely so.]
Olivera, whispering with a cold telepathic transmission, drew upon her mana.
[It’s above the Promotion Magic Circle you were operating. Even higher than the Universe of Mist.]
“……That is.”
Only then did Lennok realize what Olivera was referring to, and he gasped.
Crackling……!!!
From beyond the Universe of Mist, ominous black lightning struck down. It fell upon the Promotion Magic Circle, damaging and corrupting it.
From even higher than the Universe of Mist where Kundara was located.
Even further than the Veil that formed the Universe of Mist.
It came from a place even more distant than this world Lennok stood upon.
“From the Outer Sea…… is it interfering with Maleon’s promotion?”
Something unknown from beyond the dark sea was destroying Maleon’s challenge.
A powerful, formless will, more virulent than resentment, more ominous than Dead Thoughts.
It was this will that descended like black lightning, tearing apart the Promotion Magic Circle and hindering Maleon’s promotion.
[As the Promotion Ritual began, its light shone even beyond the Universe of Mist.]
Olivera spoke calmly.
[Because of that, ‘something’ from the Outer Sea seems to have noticed this moment.]
“The darkness of the Outer Sea that obscured the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation…… it used that as a medium to intervene.”
Since it was a process to gain the qualification to challenge ascension, did that moment, conversely, transmit beyond the world to the Outer Sea?
While he could accept that an Ascendant’s birth would accompany such repercussions, he never imagined an intervention from the Outer Sea itself the moment it was perceived.
‘But, that lightning—’
Black lightning falling from beyond the Outer Sea.
Even if it was power that visualized will-thought through the Mystic Eye, he felt a sense of déjà vu, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
Black Lightning that felt familiar despite not existing in Lennok’s own memories.
[It seems that whatever is observing this situation from beyond the Outer Sea does not wish for the Gemstone Dragon’s promotion.]
Olivera asked.
[If things continue like this, the plan will fail. What will you do?]
“……”
Even at this moment, black lightning from beyond the Universe of Mist descended, binding the magic circle.
Each time the strangely twisted Black Lightning grazed the magic circle, the magic circle floating in the Universe of Mist was erased and crushed.
And each time, Maleon’s shadow, visible beyond the magic circle, violently distorted, letting out a terrible scream.
[Kaaah…… Aaaaargh!!!]
A desperate scream, filled with such resentment that Lennok had never imagined he would hear from Maleon.
There was no need to describe the agony Maleon was enduring inside that magic circle.
At this rate, not only would the Promotion Magic Circle be destroyed, but Maleon’s concentration would also break, causing the ritual to fail.
That would be tantamount to Maleon failing to promote and dying right there.
“Black lightning pouring down from beyond the Outer Sea…….”
Lennok, with a hardened expression, looked at the Black Lightning cascading onto the magic circle and asked.
“There’s no way to adjust the magic circle to restore the ritual and eliminate that lightning, is there?”
[Are you suggesting we take a trip to the Outer Sea in your current state?]
“……Blocking the magic circle to defend against the Black Lightning is also impossible, then.”
The black lightning falling from the sky right now was an emanation of will pouring onto the magic circle from beyond the Outer Sea.
If Lennok used spellcraft to block the Black Lightning, the Promotion Ritual would inevitably be affected.
But if he just stood by, the magic circle would be destroyed by the Black Lightning’s power, and the ritual would fail anyway.
The moment the Outer Sea’s corrosive influence mingled with Maleon’s aspiration to be reborn as an Ascendant, irreversible consequences would unfold.
Yet, there wasn’t no way.
“Having come this far, I can’t just stand by and watch the plan fail.”
If Maleon failed, it would become impossible for Lennok to follow him into the Ninth Tribulation.
With a resolute face, Lennok turned and knelt down below the Promotion Magic Circle.
Thump!
Placing both hands on the magic circle, Lennok drew upon his mana, closed his eyes, concentrated, and spoke.
“There’s one method I can try. Can you cooperate?”
[What do you intend to do?]
“It’s simple, but it’s the easiest way.”
Whoooosh……!!!
Lennok, drawing upon his mana and pushing it into the Promotion Magic Circle, reclaimed the operation authority he had handed over to Maleon, and said.
“I will directly assist Maleon’s Promotion Ritual and guide it to success.”
As he poured mana into the Promotion Magic Circle, Lennok’s senses spread throughout its every part.
For Lennok, mana was another sensory organ, far more sensitive and intuitive than the five physical senses.
When he imbued the magic circle with mana and let his consciousness flow, it felt like a new bodily organ.
Lennok, having pushed his senses into the magic circle, only then realized how dire the situation was.
‘Most of the processes have completely collapsed into disarray.’
Every stage and process making up the Promotion Ritual was severed and damaged beyond recovery.
The fact that the ritual was still being maintained was due to Maleon’s strong will, which formed its core.
Even as he was ravaged by the Black Lightning pouring from the Outer Sea, he somehow held himself together to prevent the ritual from failing.
That was not for himself, but because he trusted someone outside the magic circle who must be watching this situation.
Suffering from an unbearable pain, yet believing that someone outside would find a way.
[Concentrate.]
Tap!!
Olivera, placing a hand on Lennok’s shoulder, pushed aside her Veil with one hand and ran it over her eyes.
The moment her Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye, shining with rainbow colors, gleamed and glared at the magic circle under Lennok’s touch.
[Seven-Hued Laws: Mystic Eye Conjunction]
[Immutable Edict: Causal Fixation]
[True Stillness]
Kiiiieeeeeng!!!
With a strange resonance, the mana flow of the magic circle stabilized and began to maintain its flow.
The seven-hued abilities contained within the Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye.
Among them, the True Stillness Ability, which fixes observed causality in place and makes it unchangeable.
[I have fixed the mana flow of the magic circle you stabilized, making it immutable.]
Olivera said, pressing one hand to her eye.
[I will enforce the stabilization work with my Mystic Eye. You focus on Maleon’s ritual.]
“……Will you be alright?”
The Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye was undoubtedly a powerful force, but it was an Innate Ability that placed an immense burden on her body with each use.
Olivera had always refrained from using her Mystic Eye herself until crucial moments for this very reason.
Even if she had purged impurities in Nives’s lair, was it really alright to overuse her Mystic Eye like this already?
However, there was no time given to discuss or dissuade Olivera about that fact.
The furiously flashing Black Lightning falling from the sky. Maleon’s screams still echoing at this very moment.
Lennok quickly organized his thoughts and calmly closed his eyes.
“Let’s begin.”
Whoooosh……!!
He poured mana to reconnect the severed links of the magic circle.
Damaged parts were rewritten anew, and irrecoverable parts were boldly discarded.
Utilizing the Barrier Spellcraft left by Jindun, he repaired the magic circle, selecting what to discard and what to mend.
He lowered its performance to the precarious threshold where the Promotion Ritual could be maintained, and repaired parts to prevent backlash from erupting.
Wiiiiiiiiing!!!!
At the same time, the magic circle surrounding Maleon began to rotate violently.
The complex sequences, characters, and symbols forming the interior of the magic circle rearranged themselves, shifting positions at an incredible speed.
The other Long-lived Beings, who had been watching with fervent prayers, began to stir in confusion.
“Wh-what is it?”
“What is he trying to do?”
“Don’t, don’t arbitrarily change the position of the magic circle. If the ritual escapes Maleon-nim’s control……!!”
[Utterly noisy.]
Olivera, standing behind Lennok with her hand on his shoulder, cast a chilling gaze.
[Shut up and watch. What he’s about to do won’t be easy even for him.]
“What in the world is he planning to do…….”
Olivera didn’t even deign to reply, simply raising her gaze to the sky.
The Long-lived Beings, naturally following her gaze, gaped in astonishment at what was unfolding far above.
Flash!!
Black lightning fell from the sky, mercilessly crushing the Promotion Magic Circle.
Normally, a part of the struck magic circle would vanish, and the damage would extend to Maleon.
But even as the Black Lightning seared the magic circle, Maleon did not scream.
This was because, immediately after the black lightning flashed from beyond the Outer Sea, Lennok manipulated the Promotion Magic Circle.
He shifted all the characters and sequences composing the interior of the magic circle, emptying the impact zone where the Black Lightning would fall.
Crack!!
The black lightning struck the magic circle, but erased nothing, vanishing emptily.
Each time the Black Lightning flashed from beyond the Outer Sea, he manipulated the magic circle, emptying the space and minimizing damage.
Each time, the Promotion Magic Circle began to restore its brilliant radiance, slowly completing itself.
Whooooosh!!!
“Su-surely…….”
Only then did the Long-lived Beings realize what Lennok was doing, and they burst out in voices filled with alarm.
“Is he individually rewriting the magic circle, evading the Black Lightning, and continuing the ritual?!”
“Impossible. A human can’t do such a thing!!”
“Even if he rewrote the magic circle before calculating the coordinates, the timing wouldn’t match……!!!”
He was evading the Black Lightning by rearranging the symbols, characters, and sequences forming the Promotion Magic Circle in real-time.
Anyone with even a slight understanding of Barrier Spellcraft would grasp how preposterous this was.
“He’s insane. Does he want his head to explode and die?!”
Regnus shouted, looking utterly aghast.
Such was his shock that his complexion, in his human guise, had turned deathly pale.
As an exceptional Barrier Spellcaster, he understood better than anyone how impossible what Lennok was attempting was.
“Not even Jindun could manipulate Barrier Spellcraft in such a way. You are currently maintaining the ritual in a manner that fundamentally defies the profound principles of Barrier Spellcraft!”
It was like replacing hundreds of parts of an extremely complex machine in real-time, keeping it running without a single pause.
It was like changing the numbers and symbols in tens of thousands of equations, yet ensuring the same result every single moment.
Furthermore, in Barrier Spellcraft, the symbolism, order, and arrangement of symbols hold great significance.
This was not something that could be conceived or attempted within the realm of calculation or prediction.
It was a task of manifesting a process that logic could not reach, relying purely on intuition within the realm of senses.
Drip, drip……!!
As if to prove Regnus’s words, blood dripped from Lennok’s nose.
Kaleidoscope. Revelation Ability. Davi’s computational power. Operation Authority of the Hanghasa Labyrinth.
Even utilizing all these Innate Abilities to their limit wasn’t enough, and the burden was now reaching Lennok’s brain.
“Stop it. You’ll get caught up in it and die too!!”
“No.”
Lennok wiped his nosebleed with one arm and replied.
“I’m doing it because I can.”
“……What?”
“I can’t arbitrarily change someone else’s destiny. Thinking so is close to arrogance.”
“…….”
“But if an opportunity to choose is needed, I can create it.”
Sometime, he remembered telling someone something similar.
At the end of a sealed-off area. Against the memories of someone who no longer existed.
If Lennok himself could become the standard for those who weren’t even given a chance to choose.
If it was just about placing seekers wandering in a closed world at the starting line.
“You can do it. If you are a being attempting to change your own destiny.”
Lennok looked up at the Promotion Magic Circle and said.
“Just as Maleon’s challenge is, someday—”
So that Lennok himself could say that.
Whoooooosh!!!
The speed of the Black Lightning falling from the sky accelerated.
But the rearrangement speed of the magic circle manipulated by Lennok was accelerating even faster.
The ominous will falling from beyond the Outer Sea futilely struck the empty spaces of the magic circle and vanished.
Conversely, the Promotion Magic Circle surrounding Maleon burned even more brilliantly, completing itself.
Lennok manipulated the ritual with his own senses and intuition, awakening Maleon, who was dormant in the center of the magic circle.
“Wake up, Maleon.”
Gritting his teeth, Lennok raised his hand and shouted in a low voice.
“Prove for yourself, in the end, whether you are a challenger worthy of success……!!!”
Kwooosh!!!
As he slammed down on the edge of the magic circle, dazzling magical light spread throughout its entire expanse.
It completely filled tens of thousands of divided circuits, and now, by itself, rearranged its patterns to evade the Black Lightning.
Past the lightning that futilely cut through empty space and vanished, the ritual, completed amidst infinite changes, embraced Maleon and revolved.
Krrrrrrrk……!!
The circularly rotating magic circle slowly split open and unfurled like a butterfly’s cocoon.
From within, a brilliant radiance, too vast for the eyes to behold, burst forth, illuminating the Universe of Mist.
Kundara’s night turned to day, and the light seeping from beyond the Veil erased the shadow of the stars.
The Veil, spread as if to cover the central city of Ars Nova, momentarily flickered and then vanished.
At that moment, an immensely powerful and explosive will, enough to make one forget the void, rounded out the world’s spacetime.
Flash!!
All sound vanished, and the world was filled with a transparent silver light.
The silver light, filling the entire world, pushed back the Black Lightning falling from the sky, and extended beyond the Boundary Line of the World towards the Outer Sea.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!!!!!
A colossal silver pillar soaring into the sky, extending throughout Kundara, cast its warm radiance.
All life forms across Kundara were overwhelmed by that transcendent will and the overflowing Mental Image, and then, realizing its meaning, they cheered.
[Aaaaaaah!!!!!]
The cry of a soul. The roar of life. The celebratory cannonade of birth.
The soundless trumpet blast, deafeningly loud, announcing the birth of another miracle in this world.
Lennok quietly removed his hands and looked up, at the moment the silent roar filled the air.
“…….”
Ooooh!!!!
At the center of the silver pillar that enveloped the entire Hall of the Eighth Tribulation stood Maleon Gnosis.
His head tilted back, eyes closed, hands spread to his sides, his body reclined.
Naked, his entire body glowing with gem-like scales.
He savored everything without even breathing.
As if he already possessed everything without needing to breathe, as if every moment granted to him was perfectly serene.
With his mere existence carving himself into the world, accompanied by an overwhelming, grand presence.
Maleon Gnosis opened his eyes.
“Finally.”
The Transcendent, clenching and unclenching his own hands like a newborn, spoke.
“I have achieved it.”
To change destiny. To earn qualification.
To reach the Ninth Tier and stand directly before the conclusion.
To vaguely yearn for all of this, yet believe it to be an achievable dream and challenge it.
A reckless gamble, staking his entire lived life, which might have originally been destined to fail.
An infinite succession of moments that might have led to a repulsive decline and a miserable failure.
But either way, he had proven himself a being deserving of the outcome.
Outer Tribulation City Kundara. Hall of the Eighth Tribulation.
At the end of countless untraversed paths and anguishes since beginning the Promotion Ritual before the Trial of the Ninth Tribulation.
Defying a future that was originally destined to fail, a failure that was predetermined.
A new Ascendant was born in Kundara.