Chapter 1186: Bloom (17)
CRACK…!!!
The overgrown grassland split left and right, revealing a Long-lived Being, eyes rolled back in unconsciousness.
It was the Long-lived Being, thoroughly beaten by Lennok, who had received treatment for its wounds and subsequently lost consciousness.
Euphoria Aosel, a Supreme Committee Member of Kundara’s Elder Council, gazed down at it with an expressionless face.
“So, it was your spellcraft that healed that fellow earlier after all.”
Lennok, standing behind her with his arms crossed, asked.
“Did you forcibly activate its cellular regeneration ability using your Life Spellcraft?”
“This Long-lived Being must not die in a place like this.”
Euphoria Aosel said in a cold voice.
“He will return to Kundara and receive the punishment he deserves.”
“You speak as if you revived him against your will.”
“Life Spellcraft was not created to kill life.”
Euphoria shifted her gaze.
“As a rightful successor of Primitive Magic, I am obligated to use my power only for nature and life. Bringing harmony and well-being to this land is a mission that inherently falls to beings who harbor mysteries.”
“Since you were the one who brought up the Power Ranking first, I’ll say this.”
Lennok tilted his head.
“I, too, saw your assessment. It stated that as an 8th-level Life Spellcaster, you possess unparalleled lethal abilities.”
“……”
“It seems you’ve accumulated quite a record on your way here. Should I interpret that you don’t agree with that assessment?”
“Kundara’s fall freed us from the shackles of Outer Tribulation, but not everything was smooth and peaceful.”
Euphoria stared at the unconscious Long-lived Being with a cold gaze.
“Among the chaos caused by the collapse of the entire city, there was also the escape of criminals who violated our laws.”
“……”
“This individual did not harm any life, but was a criminal who consumed several rare relics and artifacts within Kundara. From the Elder Council’s perspective, it was an unacceptable matter.”
CRACK!!!
As Euphoria moved her hand lightly, the surrounding vegetation stirred and engulfed the Long-lived Being.
Having quickly retrieved the unconscious Long-lived Being, Euphoria turned and looked at Lennok with a cold expression.
“What drives us is the centuries-old rule of longevity. The order and rules that have sustained our city for an immeasurable amount of time.”
“……”
“Even this moment of my action is, macroscopically, solely for the perpetuation and maintenance of our laws. It is not for the well-being of humans or Short-lived Beings.”
“What are you trying to say?”
In response to Lennok’s question, Euphoria glanced away with an expressionless face.
“I do not pay much mind to the evaluations made by Short-lived Beings in the mundane world.”
“……”
Only after replaying their recent conversation did Lennok understand what she had been trying to say.
Could it be that she had gone through such a roundabout way just to say she didn’t care about the Power Ranking Lennok mentioned?
Of course, in the process, he had learned why Euphoria had come all the way here to personally intervene, but still…
“For someone who says that, weren’t you the one who brought up the Power Ranking first? That’s not a very convincing answer.”
“As a Long-lived Being, it is quite difficult for me to acquire information or understand the habits of Short-lived Beings.”
Euphoria calmly conceded.
“I will not deny that I received assistance from a tool created by Short-lived Beings to compare and evaluate their strengths.”
“You have a very peculiar way of speaking… Are the other Supreme Committee Members of the Elder Council like this too?”
“Let’s stop talking about me for now. What about you?”
Euphoria ignored Lennok’s question and stared intently at him.
“I believe I’ve given you ample time to investigate my abilities and actions. May I hear your answer to my proposal?”
“……”
“Will you accompany me on the way to the Legion Parade?”
Had she caught on that he was deliberately stalling for time to assess Euphoria Aosel?
No, Lennok hadn’t exactly hidden it, so it wasn’t strange for Euphoria to notice.
“I have a question before I answer.”
Lennok said.
“You are a Transcendent, one who ranks among the most exceptional spellcasters on the continent. You’ve probably never faced any particular difficulty in taking care of yourself.”
“……”
“Even if you’re a Long-lived Being, not human, there should be no threats on the way to the Legion Parade. Why are you so insistent on accompanying me, someone who has crossed paths with Adamant Thunder?”
Euphoria Aosel was a supreme powerhouse, ranked among the very top of the Eastern Continent’s Power Ranking.
Furthermore, according to the Power Ranking, she was a high-level Long-lived Being who had mastered Primitive Magic, much like Maleon Gnosis.
It was surprising enough that she had accepted the position of Deadrise’s 3rd Legion Commander, but what could such a being possibly lack that she would request Cheonbeon’s accompaniment?
It was true that he felt suspicious, perhaps because he had previously seen the assessment that she was not favorable towards humans.
Perhaps she was trying to pull some kind of trick regarding Cheonbeon’s personal safety.
“Your question contains three errors, first of all.”
Euphoria replied without a change in expression.
“Firstly, I am not a spellcaster without rivals across the Eastern Continent, as you mentioned. While my Life Spellcraft is Primitive Magic, it requires several conditions.”
Euphoria gazed down at her hand and said.
“It falls a bit short of the primeval mystery that disregards spellcraft efficiency without any conditions, like Maleon Gnosis’s Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style. Right now, if you look at the Power Ranking, there are several Short-lived Beings ranked similarly to me.”
“Didn’t you just say you didn’t care about the evaluations of Short-lived Beings?”
“Secondly.”
Euphoria ignored Lennok’s words coolly and replied.
“Not all Long-lived Beings in Kundara are favorable towards Adamant Thunder. There are those who believe his transgressions are as significant as his achievements.”
“……”
“I am among the latter. Of course, Adamant Thunder’s confrontation with the Silver Star was indispensable at that moment, but the process leading up to it was something a mere Short-lived Being should not have interfered with.”
Euphoria lifted her gaze, her expression cold.
“Kundara shed the cycle of Outer Tribulation, but that was not a conclusion our Long-lived Beings reached on our own. I believed it was wrong and tried not to intervene, but after the Silver Star’s Ascension Ritual concluded, everything was already too late.”
“……”
“As a result, our Elder Council took responsibility for condoning the situation and came out into the mundane world, but I have no regrets. What Adamant Thunder did was, in its outcome, close to a good deed, but his intentions could by no means be called benevolent.”
“……I see.”
So that was why the other Elder Council members, apart from Regnus, didn’t intervene until Kundara’s fall.
From the outset, there were many among the Elder Council’s True Bloods who believed Lennok’s and Maleon’s plan was wrong.
Even they, while acknowledging that Adamant Thunder ultimately saved Kundara, couldn’t bring themselves to accept his intentions.
It was understandable, and thus, a more complex issue than he had initially thought.
Should he consider it a gain to have learned that not all Long-lived Beings might be favorable towards Adamant Thunder?
“Therefore, I do not entirely view your existence, having opposed Adamant Thunder, in a negative light.”
Euphoria stared intently.
“Furthermore, from what I gather from public assessment, you are regarded as a remarkably virtuous individual even among Short-lived Beings. You seem quite different from Adamant Thunder, whom even other humans were reluctant to associate with.”
“……If that’s the case, why did you speak in such a roundabout way earlier, saying you didn’t care about Short-lived Beings’ evaluations?”
Lennok chuckled, ignoring Euphoria’s silence, and nodded.
“Well, never mind. Anyway, I understand that you’re a tremendous fan of the Eastern Continent’s Power Ranking.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Don’t lie. You have quite the thick skin, for a Long-lived Being. For now, I’ll give you my answer to your proposal.”
A Supreme Committee Member of Kundara’s Elder Council. A commander assigned to the Eastern Front. Unparalleled lethal abilities.
Seeing her with the brutally stark evaluations written in the Power Ranking, Lennok had a rough idea of what kind of being Euphoria Aosel was.
A great person who could be infinitely ruthless for her beliefs, but otherwise largely uninterested or unconcerned with other matters.
At most, she seemed to have an interest in stimulating records like the Power Ranking, and even then, she couldn’t hide her likes and dislikes, shamelessly lying.
Of course, he hadn’t completely ruled out the possibility that all of this was an act, but the situation in Kundara that Euphoria Aosel described almost perfectly matched what Lennok knew.
It must be true that she was here due to her responsibility for condoning Kundara’s fall. If so, it was unlikely she would betray him during their accompaniment to the Legion Parade, at least.
Even if the worst-case scenario occurred, it wouldn’t be too difficult for Lennok to handle it himself.
Having finished his thoughts, Lennok immediately turned and walked away.
“I am interested in your Life Spellcraft. Specifically, I want to confirm the extent to which you can interfere with the lives of others using your spellcraft.”
“……”
“If you let me confirm that aspect, I will accompany you to the Legion Parade.”
Euphoria Aosel possessed Life Spellcraft, an ability that allowed direct interference with a target’s life activities and capabilities.
It was one of the abilities Lennok had sought as a freelancer for a long time to resolve his ‘lifespan’ issue.
Regardless of Euphoria’s proposal, if there was a way for Lennok to utilize or learn her abilities, there was no reason to refuse.
Having made that decision, Lennok immediately snapped his fingers, summoning his bike.
VROOOOM!!!
As the engine started, a massive monster bike materialized and stopped in front of Lennok.
Lennok grabbed the handlebars and mounted it, then tapped his foot, looking at the expressionless Euphoria.
CLICK!!
The monster bike’s thick armor panels unfolded, and a sidecar instantly assembled beside it.
Lennok gestured towards the sidecar attached to the bike and said.
“We don’t have much time, so let’s head straight to the 2nd Command. Get in.”
“……”
Euphoria said nothing, only staring at Lennok’s bike.
She was expressionless, but the atmosphere strongly suggested this was not the answer she had hoped for.
“What is it? Surely you’re not going to say something like, ‘As a Life Spellcaster, I can’t ride such mechanical equipment’–”
“Come to think of it, I haven’t explained the third reason to you yet.”
“The third?”
Lennok replayed their recent conversation, tilting his head.
Euphoria Aosel’s three reasons for wanting to accompany Cheonbeon to the Legion Parade.
Had she something to say about the third reason, which had been omitted because Lennok had made his decision after she’d stated the first two?
“Just because you mentioned it once doesn’t mean you need to state all three reasons. Was it something I needed to hear after I’d already decided to accompany you?”
“Yes.”
Euphoria replied sharply.
“I am not attending the Legion Parade for celebration or commemoration. I have no interest in such frivolous ceremonies of Short-lived Beings.”
“……Even after accepting the position of the 3rd Legion Commander, you have no interest in the Legion Parade?”
“I was traveling to treat someone at the Legion Parade. I was in the process of acquiring the necessary medicinal herbs for them.”
The Long-lived Being, staring intently at Lennok, said.
“There are medicinal herbs I seek in a nearby human city. As someone unfamiliar with the customs of Short-lived Beings, I cannot acquire them.”
“……”
“You will have to come with me.”
VROOOOM!!!!
Lennok, without answering, forcefully twisted the throttle.
The bike, gaining acceleration, shot forward powerfully, only to stop less than 2 meters away.
Tree roots, surging from beneath the ground, firmly gripped the monster bike’s wheels.
SCREEECH…!!!
Lennok, watching the scene with an expressionless face, said.
“Let go.”
“Didn’t you promise to accompany me?”
“I granted permission. It wasn’t a promise.”
“You’re playing word games.”
“You’re the one playing word games. Who said we had to stop at another city during the Legion Parade?”
“A brief stop to purchase the herbs will be sufficient. I will handle the task; you just need to ensure no problems arise.”
“That’s not my concern.”
Just as Lennok said that and was about to twist the throttle all the way, Euphoria spoke calmly from behind him.
“The targets the Legion Command asked me to treat were two high-ranking generals.”
“……”
“If you accompany me, I will show you the treatment methods of Life Spellcraft and the process of treating the targets. How does that sound?”
“If you tell me who the targets are right now, I’ll consider it.”
“I was not told who the targets were.”
“Then why did you accept the troublesome proposal to personally acquire the cure and head to the Legion Parade?”
“Our Elder Council came out into the mundane world, taking responsibility for Kundara’s fall and fragmentation.”
Euphoria replied quietly.
“The Legion Command offered critical components needed for Kundara’s reconstruction as payment. As the commander of the Eastern Front, it was a deal I could not refuse.”
“So that’s why you accepted the position of Deadrise’s 3rd Legion Commander?”
“……”
Euphoria did not reply, and Lennok fell into thought.
To ‘treat’ high-ranking generals of the Legion, they offered components necessary for Kundara’s reconstruction as payment.
It was unclear whether that referred to the Legion’s Marshal or its Lieutenant Generals.
The ironic thing was that as soon as he heard that, several candidates popped into Lennok’s mind.
If he helped Euphoria Aosel, he would naturally find out who the Legion intended to treat.
A powerful individual capable of healing others, not just themselves.
Moreover, a being with spellcraft capable of treating high-level mana users was extremely rare across the continent.
Wasn’t that why the Conjunction Spell Master received patients from various factions despite his bizarre hobbies and notorious reputation?
‘The fact that they asked a high-ranking True Blood of Kundara for help is proof they’re trying to treat a crucial internal figure… Could it be…?’
Lennok, deep in thought, slowly dismounted his bike.
Lennok brushed off his coat, turned, and nodded at Euphoria.
“As I said, there isn’t much time. We need to take care of this and move within half a day.”
“Understood.”
“And every single promise you just mentioned must be kept. If you shamelessly feign ignorance like with the Power Ranking issue–”
“I have no interest in the evaluations and well-being of Short-lived Beings, as I said, but Kundara’s affairs are a different matter.”
Euphoria stared intently at Lennok.
“As a member of the Elder Council, I have the duty to rebuild Kundara. I swear upon the True Blood flowing in my veins to keep my promise.”
“……Alright. Let’s go.”
As Lennok agreed, Euphoria gestured, moving the tree roots beneath their feet.
RUMBLE…!!
The bushes and tree roots they stood upon moved, rising from the spot and traveling.
A colossal bridge of tree roots, swiftly moving the shortest distance, leaping over entire mountain ranges.
Lennok, standing dozens of meters in the air in an instant, gazed down at the ground below and said.
“Come to think of it, if you can swear upon your True Blood, you could also prove the truth of your claim that you have no interest in the Power Ranking.”
“……”
Euphoria pretended not to hear.
“This is the place.”
The Sea of Understanding, surrounding the outermost edge of the Eastern Continent.
An unnamed mid-sized city on the coast, where the distant horizon was visible.
Lennok, riding with Euphoria on a platform woven from trees, looked at the surrounding terrain.
“According to my Life Spellcraft, there are unique medicinal herbs that grow only in this vicinity.”
Euphoria explained with an expressionless face.
“It seems this area’s ecosystem is structured entirely differently from other environments on the continent.”
“It’s due to the massive, unknown updrafts blowing from near the Sea of Understanding.”
Lennok replied.
“Matter imbued with mana easily floats, freed from the effects of gravity, which is why an ecosystem unlike any other on the continent has formed here.”
“That’s a very detailed explanation. Do you know this place well?”
“Rather than knowing it well… this kind of environment exists nowhere else on the entire continent to begin with.”
In response to Euphoria’s question, Lennok glanced up.
“This is the outermost edge of the Pilenom Autonomous Region. One of the entrances to the Floating Island Cluster. The Moon Island, where the Eyes of Blue headquarters is located, lies beyond that sea.”
The Pilenom Autonomous Region was an arcane region where Heavenly Sight, Madria Falcia, resided, and where the Eyes of Blue headquarters was located.
Moon Island, where the First Lighthouse was located, following the Lighthouse Keeper’s mission passed down through generations.
It had been a long time since he visited the Floating Island Cluster, even before leaving the Eyes of Blue, yet Lennok remembered the scenery around here.
A beautiful landscape where dozens to hundreds of islands floated upon the sea, forming a massive cluster.
Even after traveling to all sorts of arcane regions on the continent, scenery comparable to this was rare.
“Indeed, as a former Watcher of the Eyes of Blue, you know this place well.”
“You truly have some nerve. Have you come all this way just to pretend you knew nothing?”
Lennok sneered.
“Your request for accompaniment wasn’t a coincidence; it’s because you knew I was a former Watcher, isn’t it? Did you think I wouldn’t notice?”
“……”
“Unfortunately, I have no intention of getting involved with the Eyes of Blue anymore. If you were thinking of getting my help in the Autonomous Region, you’d best give up.”
The main force of the Eyes of Blue, led by Lapis, was currently clashing with the Guido Cult near the Central Front.
Even if Lennok passed near the Autonomous Region, he wouldn’t encounter Watchers or end up helping them.
He had completely relinquished his duties upon leaving the Eyes of Blue. Hadn’t Lapis also known this and let Lennok go?
On the contrary, if Lennok were to get involved with the Eyes of Blue again in this current situation, it would only complicate matters for them.
He had no intention of being openly hostile, but he also didn’t particularly want to help them or receive their help.
“I wasn’t acting. It’s just that I don’t know much about the Eastern Continent beyond the information recorded in the Power Ranking.”
Euphoria gazed out at the Sea of Understanding.
“The Eastern Continent today is vastly different from what I knew centuries ago, so my memories are almost meaningless.”
“……The Eastern Continent was different centuries ago?”
“It doesn’t seem to be recorded in the history of Short-lived Beings, but the Sea of Understanding surrounding the Eastern Continent wasn’t as it is now.”
In response to Lennok’s question, Euphoria replied calmly.
“In fact, it had an environment and terrain almost completely opposite to what you just described to me. I don’t know the exact variables either, but…”
“……”
“We’ve arrived, so let’s head down to the city. Because of the updrafts you mentioned, the city’s life signatures aren’t being properly read from up here.”
SHWIIISH!!
The tree roots that had been firmly entwined beneath their feet split apart, and Lennok and Euphoria descended.
The two of them, landing lightly with almost no magic, began to walk towards the city built on the coast—
Immediately afterward, they both stopped walking at the same time.
“…Wait.”
“I smell blood.”
Lennok’s face hardened, and Euphoria shifted her gaze.
The Long-lived Being’s eyes, watching the waves crash against the shore, turned cold.
“The waves… are red.”
Due to the mana updrafts from the Sea of Understanding, no human presence had been detectable from outside the city.
But even after closing the distance this much, no signs of life or life signatures could be felt inside the city.
They already instinctively knew what had happened.
“……”
SPLASH!
As soon as they passed through the small city gate, they were met with a pool of blood.
A gruesome sight of countless corpses strewn about the streets.
In the center of the main thoroughfare, piercing through the city, a headless corpse hung, conspicuously dead.
A massive red flag, planted as if piercing the blood-soaked center of the street, flapped in the sea breeze.
ROOOOAR!!!!
Below the flag emblazoned with a roaring skull, sprawling, jagged letters covered the entire street, scrawled as if in haste.
A grotesque vestige, as if the killer had used the blood of their victims as ink to leave their signature at the scene.
[Baitan]
“…Baitan.”
Lennok, too, remembered that name clearly.
A powerful individual ranked at the very top of the Eastern Continent’s Power Ranking on the Deepweb.
A monster whose description and evaluation were uniquely alien compared to other superhumans.
The lord of Wargear, currently called the most dangerous rising star near the Eastern Front.
“I see what has happened here.”
Euphoria said in a calm voice.
“I heard Conqueror Baitan swept through the Pilenom Autonomous Region recently. He is still in this vicinity.”