Chapter 1107: Level 9 (25)

At the deepest part of the Ninth Tribulation, the entrance to the Tenth Coffer.

At the end of a vast hollow, where basins and tubes were laid out, a silver dragon perched diagonally.

Piling up the mummified bodies of the Founders to form a throne, he leaned back and slowly polished his equipment.

A gleaming golden spearhead. Daggers sharp as fangs. Mystic Eyes dripping with crystal fluid.

All manner of armaments crafted from the body parts of high-ranking Long-lived Beings, brought from the treasure trove of the Ninth Tribulation.

Maleon picked them up one by one, inspecting them, and scraping them sharply with his talons, he spoke.

More accurately, it was the dead head of Seonjong, affixed to his chest, that spoke.

“There aren’t as many useful items as I thought. They are effective, but these tools cannot withstand the power of this body for long.”

[…….]

“The closer one gets to ascension, the more one sheds the shackles of matter. But that doesn’t mean an Ascendant doesn’t need to rely on equipment.”

Thwack!!

With a light swing of the single spear, a cleaving strike ripped through the air.

But Seonjong merely swung the spear once before tossing it behind him without a second thought.

“Old World artifacts. Or myth-grade relics and Forbidden Armaments are sufficiently helpful in battles of equivalent rank, you see.”

[…….]

“This is even more so if we assume the worst-case scenario of Ascendants fighting each other. Of course, such an occurrence would be rare throughout the history of the world, but…….”

Rumble……!!

Maleon’s colossal body slowly rose to its feet and spoke.

“Unexpectedly, such things were not uncommon in the Old World.”

[…….]

“I understand why. For them, salvation through ascension existed. There must have been a need to pursue higher realms, even through conflict.”

Seonjong walked on, not waiting for an answer.

Passing through the hollow piled with various artifacts and mummies, he muttered.

“I thought there would be at least one armament suitable for this body among the treasures in the Ninth Tribulation… but I’m still not sure.”

Reaching the end of the bulkhead where the entrance to the Tenth Coffer was located, Seonjong finally cast his gaze down.

“Isn’t that right, Olivera Ron Maize?”

[…….]

Where the dragon looked down, a woman in a splendid ceremonial robe sat slumped beneath the broken bulkhead.

Groooaaan!!!

Not only the ceremonial robe she wore, but even the veil over her face was drenched in crimson blood.

A presence so faint it seemed to vanish. A weak tremor, making it unclear if she was even breathing.

A dazzling silver spear was impaled through her right shoulder, piercing the bulkhead.

A gruesome sight, as if Olivera’s body had been skewered onto the spear and pinned to the bulkhead.

Only the flickering light of a Mystic Eye behind her veil indicated that she was still alive.

“Still, it’s fortunate that searching the Ninth Tribulation’s treasury wasn’t entirely without gain.”

Growl……!!

Bending his thick legs, Seonjong squatted down and met Olivera’s gaze, then spoke.

In Maleon’s hand, two crushed Mystic Eyes oozing crystal fluid were clutched.

“Experimenting with the Mystic Eyes stored in the treasury, it seems certain that if you die, the power of the Mystic Eye will grow stronger.”

[…….]

“It’s been so long since I’ve seen such a case, I couldn’t be sure, but innate abilities are indeed a nuisance.”

Seonjong’s hollow eyes fixed upon her with a sneer.

“If I kill you now, implanting my head into Kaiser’s body will become difficult. Did you calculate that far and stay in the Ninth Tribulation alone?”

[…So noisy, my head is throbbing…]

Olivera, who had been bowing her head, replied quietly.

[Why don’t you chatter with… those mummies you revived…?]

“You’re still using Telepathic Transmission even here.”

Thump!!

Maleon’s left hand struck the bulkhead at an invisible speed.

A gesture as if lightly hitting the air, or merely grazing the bulkhead.

But that alone caused the spear shaft impaled in the bulkhead to vibrate, shaking Olivera’s body, which was skewered on the blade.

[…!]

“Is the inability to speak due to the Mystic Eye’s binding, or merely a lack of condition?”

Seonjong tilted his head, watching Olivera tremble in pain.

“But either way, it’s clear that your mana manipulation is quite free in this Ninth Tribulation. The reason for that is the—”

Maleon’s thick finger caught a drop of blood falling from the edge of her veil.

“—True Blood flowing through your body, no doubt.”

[…….]

The reason Olivera Ron Maize knew the Long-lived Beings of Kundara.

The reason she was unusually knowledgeable about the abilities and value of True Blood.

The reason she could fight Maleon on equal terms for a while even in the Ninth Tribulation, and understood the principles of a blood contract.

It was because Olivera was a human imbued with True Blood, despite not being a Long-lived Being.

Seonjong had realized this fact immediately after the battle unexpectedly concluded.

“A being imbued with True Blood in a human body. Interesting.”

Did even an Ascendant feel an unusually strong impression from this fact?

Both of Maleon’s heads and Seonjong’s both cast peculiar glances simultaneously.

“If I recall correctly, there was only one place throughout the continent and beyond where this kind of ‘experimentation’ was possible.”

[…….]

“The disgust of an empire that created miracles befitting its arrogance, even while filtering genes and talents as if breeding livestock… I can feel it very clearly.”

Seonjong met Olivera’s gaze and asked in a slow, emotionless voice.

“The central city, Ars Nova. Are you a being from the Imperial City?”

[…You…]

“What did you say?”

[You don’t even know who… you are, yet you’re curious about others.]

Olivera’s faintly glowing Mystic Eye behind her veil curved into a sneer.

[Aren’t you curious what became of the ‘real’ Faud Older… who abandoned his existence and left…?]

“…”

Olivera had realized Seonjong was Faud Older immediately after encountering Seonjong’s will-thought.

But the will-thought had attacked her directly instead of answering her question.

Olivera had not missed that subtle change in attitude and had remembered it.

That Olivera was someone who knew about the true Seonjong, who had become an Ascendant.

And thus, the will-thought had instinctively tried to avoid the topic and attack her.

Olivera, with her unique intuition, had grasped the true nature of the will-thought’s discomfort.

“Not curious…….”

Seonjong muttered this, moving Maleon’s body.

The Dragon-kind’s thick hand firmly gripped the silver spear impaled in Olivera’s shoulder.

Crunch……!!

The grip alone twisted the spear shaft, driving it deeper into Olivera’s shoulder.

Watching Olivera not even let out a moan amidst the tearing pain, Seonjong spoke.

“I’m not sure if I can define my feelings about that as simple curiosity. After all, no one knows better than I what ‘my dead self’ became.”

[…….]

“However, there was a desire to confirm it just once. Whether ‘he,’ who took my death, truly exists as we promised.”

The head hanging from Maleon’s chest bore a hollow smile.

“It was a necessary and unavoidable step to contend with the responders from beyond the world, but our promise was a gamble so dangerous, its outcome uncertain.”

[Necessary and unavoidable… step…?]

“You say that I, who exists here, am fake, and that he, who died and became an Ascendant, is real, but that is incorrect.”

Seonjong stood up, looking down at Olivera.

“It’s more accurate to say that ‘he’ took my name and causality. Therefore, the being who was called Faud Older before becoming an Ascendant is undeniably myself.”

[…….]

“That is why I remained here, moving to obtain Kaiser Bajour’s body.”

[…You.]

At Seonjong’s unhesitating declaration of his purpose, Olivera’s Telepathic Transmission sharpened.

The will-thought, calling itself the true Faud Older, defined itself and Seonjong as separate entities.

Was this merely distinguishing between the living Faud Older and the dead Seonjong?

Or had the Ascendant Seonjong, having reached Level 9, become a completely independent being?

In the fleeting moment Olivera, through her hazy consciousness, perceived this subtle difference in tone.

Her Telepathic Transmission abruptly ceased as she felt an even more intense sense of incongruity from the silver dragon before her.

[The voice… No way.]

“Ah, you noticed already?”

The pitch of the voice coming from Seonjong changed.

The two heads attached to Maleon’s body.

Seonjong, who had been speaking through the dead head, was now speaking through Maleon’s own mouth.

“While experimenting with the Ninth Tribulation’s artifacts, I was also adjusting to take control of this body.”

Maleon’s eyes, which had been scattering intense light, calmly dimmed.

Only a hollow will remained in the gaze that looked down upon Olivera.

“This is the body of a Level 9 Dragon-kind. There’s no more suitable vessel to use right now.”

A dry smile touched the Dragon-kind’s face as he stroked his chin with one hand.

“Since I could no longer implant my head into Kaiser’s corpse, I had no other choice. In a way, I owe it to you.”

[…….]

Had Maleon Gnosis finally lost his body completely to Seonjong?

While Olivera remained silent, Seonjong slowly rotated his right shoulder.

“But the damage from the magic bullet a wizard struck is considerable. Even though the regeneration of the right half of the body is complete, it’s not moving well.”

Though mana was insufficient to unleash full output, Lennok’s magic bullet had undeniably carved a deep wound into Maleon’s body.

So much so that even with the Dragon-kind’s robust physique and an Ascendant’s mana driving its transcendent regenerative power, the backlash still lingered in the body.

“But even considering that, it would be more efficient for me to directly manipulate the body, so it can’t be helped.”

[Simply taking… the body won’t be the end of it…….]

Olivera struggled to lift her gaze beyond her veil.

[If you forcibly seized control of the body, Maleon’s spellcraft would be unusable… Do you intend to be satisfied with half an Ascendant?]

Faud Older was a Long-lived Being born outside the continent and had lived for a very long time.

It wouldn’t be difficult for him to skillfully control Maleon’s Dragon-kind body.

However, using Maleon Gnosis’s unique spellcraft isn’t something possible by merely seizing the body.

Spellcraft is a miracle that changes reality, built simultaneously from the body, mental image, and the depths of the soul.

Moreover, the Primitive Magic Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style is a power that only Maleon himself, born as a silver dragon, can wield.

It would be impossible for Seonjong, who lacks Maleon Gnosis’s mind or soul, to use Primitive Magic.

Even if it were possible, it would only be a half-baked spellcraft with severely diminished output or hierarchy.

Wasn’t seizing Maleon’s body in such a way proof that he was essentially giving up on spellcraft? That was Olivera’s question.

“You’re misunderstanding something.”

But Seonjong, occupying Maleon’s body, offered a hollow smile at Olivera’s words.

“I never said I forcibly seized Maleon’s body.”

Whoosh!!!!

Before Olivera could reply, dazzling silver mana began to glow violently in Maleon’s hand.

A heat source violently rotating within Maleon’s claw-like left hand, scattering brilliant starlight.

Cracccck!!!!

A miracle that converted the Dragon-kind’s unique mana into a powerful heat source, wielding it freely.

In the fleeting moment she realized it was the ‘star’ itself from Maleon’s own Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style.

“I don’t particularly like Primitive Magic because its operational principle is archaic and inefficient, but for a spellcraft like Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style, it’s a different story.”

Crack!!

Seonjong said, tightly grasping the starlight with one hand.

“Primitive Magic, imbued with ancient mysteries, operates by disregarding the laws of spellcraft and the principle of equivalent exchange. It is a forced outcome created before the world became whole.”

[…….]

“Moreover, a spellcraft that governs the stars of the heavens is close to my own origin, so I never intended to abandon it from the start.”

The starlight clenched in Maleon’s hand rotated on its own axis, without burning or melting his hand.

Proof that Seonjong was already wielding Maleon’s Primitive Magic with perfect mastery.

“That’s why it took some time to ‘persuade’ Maleon Gnosis.”

[…That means.]

Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style is an ancient Primitive Magic that only Maleon himself can properly wield.

What did it mean for Seonjong to be wielding it so perfectly now?

Had Maleon, who had gone berserk and lost his reason, finally had his will completely broken?

At that shocking declaration, Olivera looked up at Seonjong with a chilling gaze, just as the silver dragon, still gripping the starlight, turned and looked down at Olivera with an indifferent gaze.

“Then it’s your turn now.”

[…….]

“If I kill you with this starlight, will your Mystic Eye grow stronger after death, or will it conversely weaken?”

Whoooosh!!!

Holding the flowing starlight and extending it before Olivera’s eyes, Seonjong spoke.

“With this starlight, which disregards the laws of spellcraft, I could annihilate your innate ability and free Kaiser Bajour’s corpse. Couldn’t I?”

[Perhaps…….]

Olivera managed a weak smile.

[If you’re so curious… why don’t you try it yourself?]

“…….”

Kiiiiing……!!!

The compressed starlight in his hand rotated fiercely, descending onto Olivera’s shoulder.

Olivera stared at the falling starlight without averting her gaze from behind her veil.

Seonjong, who had silently watched her, finally smiled and withdrew his hand.

“Of course, I can’t do that. Too much is at stake to gamble on such a reckless act and kill you.”

[…….]

“But there are plenty of ways to circumvent the Mystic Eye’s power without directly killing you.”

The dragon, as if bored, extinguished the starlight he held and stood up.

“Once the sensory adjustments are complete, I’ll start by attempting to ‘extract’ your Mystic Eye. I haven’t tried it yet because precise manipulation is difficult, but soon—”

Whoosh…!!

Suddenly, an ominous black light, dyed endlessly dark, pierced Seonjong’s mind.

Darkness momentarily filling and overflowing Seonjong’s consciousness and inner self.

A distant hallucination, as if a distorted black halo unfolded before his eyes.

“……!!!!”

It was no mere hallucination or illusion.

The unrealistically immense remnants of will-thought had forcibly constructed a form within Seonjong’s consciousness.

Not a mental image he himself conjured, but a dark, ominous star forcibly imprinted by another.

The moment Seonjong, a step too late, understood the source of the darkness, he sharply turned his gaze.

Whhoooosh!!!!

A cold, black breath blew between the two.

An eerie chill, freezing the Spacetime of the Ninth Tribulation.

Beyond the broken bulkhead, an empty corridor unfolded. Beyond the glass, a cold wind blew.

From the outermost fringes of the Ninth Tribulation, something immense was rapidly approaching.

Crrraaaaccckkk……!!!!!

“No way……!!!”

Waves of black mana surged, completely covering and overflowing the transparent glass exterior wall.

Annihilating the mummies that had been wandering between the bulkheads, revived with Seonjong’s awakening.

Leaping effortlessly over the rampaging Invasion Domains and storms of spellcraft from all directions.

Staining and defiling this colossal Founders’ tomb with its own color.

A will-thought so twisted and corrupted that even Seonjong couldn’t recognize it for a moment.

Mana of Heaven’s Nadir, rushing towards destruction by its own will.

“I can’t believe it……!! To have already ‘reached’ that state in such a short time—!!”

Just as Seonjong, finally recognizing the master of this darkness, roared and amplified his mana.

Fwooosh!!

Suddenly, a wizard wreathed in black lightning stood before Maleon.

Darkness vigorously emanating from his entire body. A colossal black halo rotating behind his back.

“…….”

Rumble…!!

As he slowly lifted his gaze, the surrounding air fluctuated and crumbled.

As the halo’s rotation intensified, the presence of the two Transcendent Beings became equal.

The moment the silver dragon’s and the wizard’s gazes crossed in the abyss of the Ninth Tribulation’s deepest part.

Seonjong could see the darkness shattering and scattering within Lennok’s eyes.

“…Wizard.”

The Ascendant spoke in disbelief.

“Just… what have you become?”