Chapter 1205: The Price (6)
“For a long time, the unbelievers who bore the name of the detestable Apostle-Slayer have been an eyesore to me…”
An observatory near Deadrise’s 2nd Command military zone. A high vantage point overlooking the entire command headquarters.
Archbishop Claudio Jerome of the Guido Cult’s General Headquarters gazed with stern eyes at the flames surging in the distance.
“Indeed, I must admit that this wizard, at least, wields a power of heresy that is on a different level from other unbelievers.”
“……”
Supply factories, lined up in orderly rows as if to encircle the outskirts of the headquarters, burned down one after another, vanishing.
Deadrise’s incessant bombardment and siege enveloped the factory facilities, raining down shells without pause.
Scores of fire pillars surged repeatedly from the ground, making a mockery of the fire raining from the sky.
Amidst them, a black sun rose, round and full, turning the ground into hell.
Kugugugugu!!!!!
Each time the black sun, resting on the ground, rotated, black flames rotated with it, spreading in all directions.
As the waves of Black Flame, rotating like rings around a planet, swept across the ground, all the pouring bombardment burned away and vanished.
Even in this moment, the ominous black sun reversed and devoured the fire raining down on the combat zone.
“I harbored a secret disdain, wondering what remarkable talent a mortal who did not follow the doctrines of the myriad gods could possess. But it seems the 10th Apostle’s defeat by that unbeliever was no mere coincidence.”
A benevolent smile appeared on Archbishop Jerome’s lips as he watched.
“To wield such ominous and fearsome flames within the body of a living human… I see now the meaning of my attendance at this military parade.”
“What a terrible thing to say. Is that all the sentiment you feel at this parade, Cardinal of the Cult?”
The Fairy Conjunction Master, sitting beside Jerome, asked with a sleepy expression.
“Deadrise generals would be displeased if they heard that. Oh, or was it meant for them to hear?”
Jerome did not answer the Fairy Conjunction Master’s languid question. The benevolent smile on his lips merely turned cold for an instant.
The Fairy Conjunction Master, who had been watching from a nearby chair, glanced away.
“Well, I can’t deny that what’s happening down there right now is quite interesting.”
“……”
“Cheonbeon Evan Martinez. A Grand Mage who, despite making enemies of numerous factions on the Central Front, is currently enjoying the highest acclaim…”
The Fairy Conjunction Master’s eyes sparkled as she looked down at the ground where fire pillars surged.
“But seeing ‘that’ summoned above the command headquarters, it seems the public’s evaluation still doesn’t properly gauge Cheonbeon’s true worth.”
A black sun rested on the ground, rotating and scattering Black Flame.
In contrast, a gigantic shadow of a fire dragon floated in the sky, obscuring the sun and recreating a total solar eclipse.
Kuooooooo!!!
Each time the shadow, covering and darkening the sun, rotated, it took the form of a shimmering warship.
As it slowly rotated and shifted its position in the sky above the command headquarters, the heat from the ground raged out of control, beyond the Legion’s command.
The Legion’s tactical weapons poured a frenzy of bombardment towards it, but the warship obscuring the sun merely greedily devoured all the incoming heat.
The Fairy Conjunction Master whispered admiringly.
“That’s not even fully operational yet. It’s scattering this much power just from its inherent effects upon summoning and the spatial distortion that accompanies its forced occupation of spacetime coordinates.”
The Conjunction Master’s seemingly sleepy eyes now held a sharp focus.
“A symbol that uses the sun as its engine, acting as its surrogate… Is it a warship designed to replace the sun itself? Even at a glance, it must have been built with an absurd design purpose.”
“Hahaha, a symbol…”
“Even by the Alliance’s standards, it’s at least a mythical-grade artifact. Perhaps even something a genuine Outer God might be involved with wouldn’t be surprising. To use such a summon just to draw the Legion’s attention… Cheonbeon truly isn’t in his right mind in many ways.”
Kwaaang!!
The barrel of a tank, just preparing to fire, exploded in place, or a missile, having completed its ignition, exploded before reaching its target.
Jet engines of fighter jets overheated and crashed, and the Legion’s tactical weapons lined up on the ground broke down without fulfilling their roles.
The Legion’s firepower was helplessly destroyed, as if forcibly endowed with more heat than was permissible.
At the far end of the command headquarters, now a sea of fire, only one wizard freely wielded flames, running wild.
Kwagwagwagwagwa!!!!
“And such an absurd summoning spell must be possible because of the amplification secret technique known as Cheonbeon’s signature move.”
The Conjunction Master said in a languid voice, pointing at the fire pillars connecting heaven and earth.
“A stellar body that draws out mana using fire as its core… Its amplification rate is astonishing, yet he has never lost control while using such a dangerous technique. It’s proof that he has perfectly established a stabilization process even after building a mana source outside his body.”
“……”
“In terms of widespread bombardment capability, it’s no different from being able to overwhelm an entire Legion. Do you still think such a being can be called human?”
“Our Cult does not treat unbelievers who do not follow the doctrines of the myriad gods as humans.”
“…Archbishop. If you’re going to talk nonsense, I’m leaving?”
The Fairy Conjunction Master glared at Jerome, who, true to a Cardinal of the Cult, spewed off-topic answers.
Ignoring the Cardinal who waved his hand with a benevolent smile, the Conjunction Master turned her gaze.
“The Legion’s generals also know Cheonbeon’s abilities. That’s why, even after establishing the encirclement, they’re trying their best to coordinate the battlefield and prevent power losses. Given how natural the sequence of events is, it must be Deimus or Lieutenant General Mirva, both renowned commanders from the Central, who are involved.”
“Is that so.”
“One question remains: there’s still no sign of him using his Domain. Neither the spellcraft that defeated Chapman at the First Gate, nor the ability that killed your 10th Apostle, show any presence.”
“……”
“Everyone knows Cheonbeon’s [Flame Flower], so he wouldn’t be trying to hide it now, but is there a reason he’s not using his Domain? I suspect it has something to do with his private meeting with the Marshal…”
The Conjunction Master’s words, casually mentioning the defeat of Chapman and the 10th Apostle.
The priest standing behind the Cardinal flinched, and the Conjunction Master, like a ghost, instantly noticed the change and spun her head.
“Oh, are you showing discomfort because I mentioned the 10th Apostle? Is it disrespectful for an outsider to mention it?”
“Klein.”
The priest bowed his head, and the watching Cardinal slowly raised his hand.
“Step back. This is not your place.”
“…Archbishop.”
“It is a matter of accommodating the Fairy of the Alliance. The Cult must accept this degree of freedom.”
Saying so, Jerome offered a gentle smile to the Conjunction Master.
“Above all, against that unbeliever, the Alliance and the Cult were comrades who shared the same pain.”
“I’m sorry, but could you please not compare Chapman’s defeat to the 10th Apostle’s on the same level?”
The Conjunction Master chuckled.
“Your Apostles are quickly replaced like parts even if they die. I heard that a new 10th Apostle has already taken their place.”
“The same could be said for the position of the Order Alliance Leader.”
“Apostles leave their spellcraft behind when they die, but a Conjunction Master only possesses one spellcraft. Don’t you know that the Amrita’s Scale spellcraft has been fully restored to its original form?”
“Even if a great will and power are inherited, the absence of a person leaves a noticeable void.”
Jerome replied quietly.
“Lady Amrita was a great warrior, an inspiration to all during the Holy War. Many of our faithful had their lives saved by her abilities.”
“……”
“Even if the 10th Apostle’s position is succeeded and the Apostle Spellcraft is passed down, the Cult will not forget her sacrifice.”
The Cardinal’s eyes, looking at the sea of fire below, turned cold.
“Likewise, no matter how powerful that unbeliever’s strength may be, the Cult will never forget this grudge.”
“Of course, you blindly fanatical cultists would say that.”
The Conjunction Master’s voice, which had been drowsy, turned cold.
“But the Alliance’s stance is different. Evan Martinez’s existence is so alien that it’s difficult to find a precedent for it even on the Central Front.”
“……”
“Across the entire continent, there are fewer than ten Transcendent beings who have defeated so many powerful individuals of equal caliber in such a short period. This is even more true when the targets are the key leaders of the Alliance, the Cult, and the Legion.”
“Is that so.”
“He is still considered a step below Adamant Thunder, but his potential is clearly comparable. Especially when you consider that he is favored by the Lighthouse Keeper and is the successor of Jindun.”
Jerome asked with a benevolent smile.
“So, does the Alliance intend to raise that apostate as a flame to oppose the Cult?”
“……”
“He possesses many talents and is blessed despite not serving a god. I have no intention of deliberately denying his excellence.”
Jerome spoke leisurely, looking at the silent Conjunction Master.
“However, no matter how extraordinary an individual may be, before the doctrines of the myriad gods, they are but a small candle. It is impossible for an unbeliever to defy the great order.”
“……”
“Therefore, there is no need to disturb our faithful with frivolous words.”
The Cardinal smiled and shook his head.
“Once The Grand Consecration prepared by the Priestess is complete, everything will soon return to its rightful place.”
Without needing to be said aloud, everyone gathered here knew.
That the war between the Alliance and the Cult on the Central Front was not yet over, and likely never would be completely.
Even the discussion between the Alliance’s Conjunction Master and the Cult’s Cardinal today was merely a prelude to a greater clash yet to come.
“Indeed, as you said, Archbishop, such a future might have existed in the past.”
The Conjunction Master rose from her chair and countered with a languid smile.
“Cheonbeon rising to the position of Grand Spell Master and becoming a part of the Great Connection, burning down Apostles indiscriminately in the war against the Cult…”
“……”
“But you don’t have to worry. The Alliance has already decided to choose another path.”
The Conjunction Master slowly turned and murmured.
“Even if he cannot be properly controlled, we believed that only an even more dangerous Transcendent could bring about a decisive conclusion.”
“Is that so.”
“Nothing is clearly decided yet, but it won’t take long for a conclusion to be reached. The Alliance Leader never misjudges people in such matters.”
The Conjunction Master’s eyes narrowed for a moment as she looked down at the Cardinal seated in his chair.
“So, I’ll be waiting for the day we meet again.”
“Whispers from the Fairy of the Alliance should always be heeded.”
Jerome smiled.
“I eagerly await that day.”
The Fairy Conjunction Master did not reply.
With a languid smile, she merely turned and vanished as if washed away from that spot.
Her unique spellcraft, effortlessly leaping over the boundary between reality and the Spirit World.
Immediately after, Jerome’s benevolent smile turned utterly impassive.
“Klein.”
“I hear your words, Archbishop.”
Without even looking at the bowed priest, Jerome asked with a stern gaze.
“Has the investigation into those Black Flames been completed?”
“Yes. We have already cross-referenced with the General Headquarters’ sanctuary. But…”
Klein hesitated.
“It is uncertain whether it originated from the same power as the Black Flame that killed Bishop Martinez in the megalopolis.”
“Why?”
“The Black Flame that burned the missionary in the Eight Directions Citadel blazed for three days and nights, taking a long time to extinguish.”
Klein replied, faltering.
“In contrast, Cheonbeon’s Black Flame, though possessing immense power, merely ‘combusts’ matter upon manifestation and then vanishes… It seems even the General Headquarters could not reach a clear conclusion.”
“I see…”
Archbishop Jerome murmured.
“I thought perhaps, given the name Martinez, there might be a connection, but it seems it’s not so easily linked after all.”
“…My apologies.”
“No, it’s not your fault.”
Jerome tilted his head, watching the black flames burning on the ground.
“It is true that our order did not witness Bishop Martinez’s successes and failures in the Eight Directions Citadel. Perhaps it is foolish to try to clarify the situation of that time now.”
“……”
“However, it seems clear to me that that unbeliever must have received something from Vulcan’s demon, or gained a similar enlightenment. Otherwise, how could he have become so strong after his defeat by Adamant Thunder, and trouble our order so much?”
“Archbishop…”
“Either way, it could be an important clue in uncovering the origin of that adversary. For that alone, my participation in this military parade today will be sufficient.”
The Cardinal slowly rose from his seat and said with a cold gaze.
“It seems the end is near, so let us return. We must hurry if we are to return to the General Headquarters before The Grand Consecration truly begins.”
Kwa-reureureuk!!!
Eight flame-heat cores rotated around Lennok, each scattering a different brilliance.
Complex barrier formations encircled the cores like planetary rings, orbiting and tracing different trajectories.
Eight cores rotated around Lennok, continuously orbiting, pushing and pulling each other in a strange configuration.
Each time, a heat transcending all limits erupted from around Lennok, reducing everything nearby to a handful of ash.
Hwaaaaaak!!!!
“Kugh, ugh…”
Lenore, fallen at Lennok’s feet, gasped for breath, his head bowed.
Flames piercing his chest burned fiercely, incinerating his body beyond recovery.
Heat and excruciating pain burned all internal organs, scorched his nervous system, and shriveled even muscles and blood vessels.
The mere fact that he lay fallen, somehow clinging to breath, inversely proved what an outstanding superhuman the soldier before him was.
“The… Marshal… misjudged… you…”
With each gasp, not blood, but Black Flames, leaked from his respiratory tract.
From his devastated body, where even his internal organs and lungs were burned away, he scraped together what little mana and will-thought remained to form words.
“You… are not someone… to belong… anywhere… I, from the beginning…”
“Perhaps.”
Lennok replied calmly.
Lennok’s gaze, looking down at the fallen Lenore, was utterly cold.
“So this time, I intend to leave no room for doubt.”
“Ah…”
Hwooook!!
As Lennok took a step, a gentle wave of heat enveloped and swept past Lenore.
The Lieutenant General’s strong body instantly turned to ash and scattered, his eyes wide open as he vanished.
Even after killing the 9th Legion Commander, annihilating his elite units, and single-handedly breaching the factory facilities under heavy bombardment.
Lennok’s expression, as he looked back at the path he had traversed, remained utterly frozen.
‘Spellcraft output is dropping. Even considering I borrowed Megiddo’s power, is this all the might it has?’
Sky-Lotus Drill is a flame-heat magic that compresses Black Flame and drops them to the ground like a black sun.
It is a profoundly arcane art that requires extremely special conditions, usable only within the Domain of Black Sun’s Fall.
Because the spell incinerates all matter within the Domain, the Black Flames, using the Domain as fuel, blaze endlessly even in reality.
However, perhaps because he only extracted and used the arcane art, borrowing Megiddo’s ability without deploying the Domain, the Black Flames of the Sky-Lotus Drill scattered and vanished.
While it was expected for it to manifest properties different from when used under the Adamant Thunder identity, the problem was that the spellcraft output itself was lower than anticipated.
There was no need to ponder what the problem was.
‘The Incarnation Spellcraft is not just raging but evolving… The backlash intensifies with each spell I use.’
This was the cause of Lennok’s rapidly deteriorating condition, which had been preserved until just before his private meeting with Ethan.
The Incarnation Body, having consumed Ethan’s blood, was on the verge of exploding, completely out of Lennok’s control.
Even after canceling the Incarnation Spellcraft and withdrawing the Incarnation Body, its detrimental effects continued to gnaw at Lennok’s body.
He had an inkling as to why the Incarnation Body had raged after drinking Ethan’s blood, and why Lennok was caught in the backlash alongside it.
If the Incarnation Body had been a mere clone unable to contain Lennok’s talent, this wouldn’t have happened.
Conversely, if it had been a perfect incarnation, a direct projection of Lennok’s talent, it wouldn’t have raged after consuming Ethan’s blood.
However, the Incarnation Body Lennok obtained in Yorta was created based on a 1st World martial artist, not Lennok himself.
Because it was a being infinitely close to Lennok, yet ultimately different in its origin.
That instability was causing the Incarnation Body, after consuming Ethan’s blood, to evolve into something incomprehensible.
Forced growth, not previously expected from the Incarnation Body, and the resulting backlash.
An anomaly that even Lennok, who had anticipated the worst-case scenario before meeting Ethan Bajour, had not predicted.
Lennok, closing his eyes and calming the mana boiling within, slowly took a step.
Even at this moment, with everything chaotically falling apart, Lennok’s task was clear.
‘Escape the command headquarters before the Crimson Star System deactivates.’
He had summoned Megiddo to draw the Legion’s attention and annihilated the 9th Legion’s command staff blocking his path with the power of the Sky-Lotus Drill.
At that point, he had successfully pushed back the Legion’s forces encircling the factory district and created a breakthrough.
Kkii-eek…!
He pushed open the door, uncertain whether the screeching sound echoed from outside or from within his own body.
A gigantic hangar, storing fighter jets, airships, and unidentified bipedal combat machines equipped with cannons, all yet to be deployed.
He struggled to walk past the various armaments that maintained their form even in the intense heat.
Lennok was currently in the outermost hangar facility of Deadrise’s 2nd Command.
Beyond this point, paved roads were installed, allowing for speed even on a motorcycle.
Once out of the hangar, shaking off pursuit and escaping the command headquarters wouldn’t be difficult.
The meeting with Ethan Bajour, which had been chaotic despite yielding answers.
At its conclusion, the confident, yet uncertain, realization of Ethan’s true identity, and the raging Incarnation Body accepted as the price.
Either way, it wasn’t too late to sort it out and reach a conclusion after escaping this place.
As Lennok stood before the passage leading out of the hangar, thinking this, he froze in place.
“……”
With the Crimson Star System activated, Lennok would not be harmed by the heat outside.
The blazing fires and pouring bombardment were, in fact, like fuel to Lennok.
Yet, if there was a variable that made Lennok’s heart turn cold at this moment.
It was undoubtedly the presence of someone standing at the end of the hangar, looking at him.
“I’ve always thought Mirva is too greedy.”
Someone watching him said in a languid tone.
“Even in this situation, he tries to achieve completely opposite goals simultaneously. Like minimizing Legion losses while facing you.”
“……”
“Because he has that trait, the 4th Legion is so outstanding. But I’m not smart enough to do two things at once.”
With each slow step, a pristine white coat fluttered in the wind.
The pure white was similar in color to the one Lennok received at his promotion ceremony, yet distinctly different in design.
“In that aspect, Deimus is the opposite. He plans operations by starting with what to exclude, so it’s easier to add things later.”
Clank!
As he landed, the white coat flared open, revealing the longsword at his hip.
The flames parted, the shimmering heat haze cleared, and the young man’s face appeared.
A casual, leaning stance with a hand on his longsword’s hilt. Disheveled white hair.
“That’s why I’m here.”
“…Song-ha.”
He knew.
At this point, with the entire Legion turned into an enemy, the Legion’s strongest individual force had not yet moved.
If he were to intervene, he would be waiting for Lennok at the most crucial and decisive moment.
The reason other legions had vacated their positions and retreated. The reason the bombardment had ceased, and their lines had pulled back.
The journey of this military parade, where not a single moment could be predicted. The opponent he faced at its end.
The Captain of Deadrise stood before Lennok.
“It would be a shame to pass by ambiguously after coming all this way, wouldn’t it?”
The moment he placed his hand on the hilt of his longsword, a chilling, explosive aura burst forth.
Kugugugu!!!
That alone caused the entire hangar facility to shake violently, and fighter jets and bipedal combat machines collapsed and crumbled everywhere.
A mighty transcendence, directly interfering with spacetime with individual will-thought, scattering it as will-thought beyond physical laws.
“Unfurl your Domain, Martinez.”
Song-ha said in a low voice.
“Let’s have a fight between Captains.”