Chapter 1391: Paradise Lost (2)
The unprecedented situation: Jinwa’s Paradise Lost was moving towards Yeongheo Palace, where the Corpse Emperor was said to be buried.
As soon as Hylaea confirmed this, she partially altered her original plan of moving through the Gate.
Her reasoning was that since they had already used force to break through the Spell-Word and locate Paradise Lost, proceeding through the Gate might expose them.
They needed a safe means to bypass the Gate and enter Paradise Lost directly, all while evading the eyes of the Ascendant.
While Hylaea moved to borrow the ‘Authority’ she had prepared for this operation, Lennok and the Conjunction Spell Master were out in the bustling city center, where the Flame Flower was most visible.
“Not here.”
“……”
“Hmm… not this direction either.”
“……”
“Ah, yes. Right here. This was the spot.”
The Conjunction Spell Master, pressed flat on the ground with both hands, spoke with an utterly serious expression.
“It seems this is precisely where my left brain was incinerated by Cheonbeon.”
“……Just how long do you plan to stay like that?”
It wasn’t strange for the Spell Master to belatedly attempt to recover the remains of his left brain, which had perished in Gateway City. The problem was that in the process, he was sweeping the bustling streets of Gateway City with his entire body.
With his head buried in the ground, half-swimming as he tried to find the exact location, it was natural for all eyes to turn to him.
“If you’ve roughly found the location, get up. If you need to dig, I’ll help with that much.”
Lennok subtly glanced at the gazes quickly concentrating on them.
“If we drag this out any longer, someone will call the patrol. Unless you want to cause a ruckus—”
“No, this is enough.”
The Spell Master scooped up a handful of dirt with both hands and slowly brought it to his mouth.
It was a bizarre sight: mumbling and chewing on dirt with an utterly serious expression.
“……That’s enough.”
The onlookers recoiled in shock, and Lennok sighed softly, but the Spell Master didn’t stop.
“Why? This is the most efficient method.”
“……”
“A part of my left brain has permeated this soil. This is the fastest way to absorb the remaining power.”
He wasn’t like the Clown or Ermont, yet he would nonchalantly do such bizarre things for efficiency.
While the Conjunction Spell Master Lennok remembered had a more emotional disposition, seeing this side of him confirmed that he was indeed the same person.
“Good. This seems to be going smoothly.”
The Spell Master, ignoring the surrounding gazes, chewed on the dirt, then slumped to the ground and drew forth his mana.
At that moment, a strange resonance echoed from the Spell Master, and his presence began to sink heavily.
Whooooom…!!!
“This should be enough to restore some of the remaining spellcraft. In terms of overall output, there’s roughly a 5% efficiency increase.”
“To achieve that much of a difference from eating dirt, it’s not something to be ignored.”
“Precisely. I knew you would understand.”
The Spell Master nodded with a satisfied look.
“Fools without talent in spellcraft don’t realize how significant that difference is. They even ask, ‘Is 5 out of 100 really a problem?’ Such a question ignites murderous intent in me.”
“……”
“Just as with intricate surgery, God is in the details. How can one ignore minute differences that determine life and death, sway judgment, and change the tide of battle?”
The Spell Master brushed off his clothes and stood up, turning to Lennok.
“To use your analogy, it’s like being able to kill 100 people but letting 5 escape. I believe you understand how immense that loss is.”
“That’s a terrible analogy.”
Lennok’s response was curt, but the Spell Master’s words weren’t entirely wrong.
For Arch-Spell Masters of Lennok’s or the Conjunction Spell Master’s caliber, a few percent difference in spellcraft efficiency was quite literally as vast as an ocean.
That seemingly trivial difference could, at a critical moment, cause manipulation to falter, judgment to twist, or power to fall short.
Lennok understood why the Right Brain Spell Master was resorting to such bizarre acts as eating dirt to reclaim his traces.
“Once the absorption is complete and my will-thought is adjusted, I should be able to open my ‘Operating Room.’ That should prevent me from being a hindrance in this endeavor.”
“Operating Room?”
“It’s a type of conceptual space created by [Conjoining] my Domain and Authority.”
The Spell Master tapped his fingers with satisfaction.
“The Left Brain Spell Master apparently couldn’t use it properly, but it was one of the most powerful abilities I originally possessed…”
“……”
“But even after reclaiming a part of myself, I still don’t know. What emotions did my left side feel just before dying at Cheonbeon’s hands?”
The Spell Master’s expression deepened in thought.
“Did he calmly accept his end? Or did he belatedly plead for his life? In that final moment, did I crave life?”
“……Which do you think it was?”
“I don’t know. But I hope it was the latter.”
The Spell Master said.
“I hope I became aware of emotions I didn’t know, and succumbed to them. I hope there was an ugliness there that I hadn’t seen in myself.”
“……”
“If I discover that I was human, just like the mediocrities I despised, perhaps I can advance even further… I have such a thought.”
The Spell Master slowly turned his head and asked.
“Perhaps I returned to this city because I wanted to know that. What do you think?”
“Well…”
Lennok looked up.
“Perhaps that wish was never granted.”
The Left Brain Spell Master never begged Lennok for his life, even as he died.
Even as he was obliterated by the flames of the Hundred-Thousand-Mile Heavenly Flower, he only sought to understand Lennok until the very end.
Indeed, no matter how much he observed, the Conjunction Spell Master was no ordinary human.
The Spell Master didn’t recklessly split his brain and survive because he craved life.
It was an aspiration to look higher, to something beyond the present. A curiosity, hoping there might be something different out there.
At the deepest core of the insane Spell Master’s being lay a pure and primordial desire, not unlike Lennok’s own.
That fact, instead of the Conjunction Spell Master, made Lennok reflect on himself.
If he strayed even slightly from his path, one day it might be Lennok, not the Spell Master, standing in that very spot.
Digging through the dirt in pursuit of his intact traces, yearning for unknown truths, wandering in madness.
The realization that such a branching point was neither too close nor too far away steadied Lennok’s heart.
Lennok did not peer into the madness of others to go mad himself, nor did he seek fallen Ascendants to fall in the same way.
Considering what needed to be done now, he needed to maintain this resolve and prepare more than ever.
Lennok, lost in thought, slowly turned and walked away.
“Once you’ve eaten all the dirt you want, come to the rendezvous point. I’ll go ahead.”
“The others haven’t arrived yet. Will you be alright?”
“It probably won’t matter.”
Lennok glanced up at the burning Flame Flower.
“It will only take a moment.”
The vast plains stretched out behind Gateway City’s back gate.
Lennok arrived at the expansive lakeside beyond the plains and silently gazed at the water.
The Emperor.
The being who stood at the apex of Ars Nova, the Central City, and established the Empire by instigating the Unification War.
The ruler who bound the world’s shining geniuses and monsters to the Imperial Palace, using them as tools.
The one whom even those Lennok had met dared not speak of lightly, regarding him with fear or awe.
Ultimately, the being who left this world to become an Outer God.
“……”
Aronbaiger Kabahim, the King of Kabahim, had called the Emperor a being akin to a world administrator.
Anathema, exiled from the Empire, claimed that only the Emperor held the answer to what lay beyond existence.
Ezekiel said that Lennok already possessed the potential the Emperor sought to obtain even by becoming an Outer God.
A being who stood at the beginning of many things, and at times, was the very conclusion of many things.
He had expected to hear that name someday, but when the moment finally arrived, he couldn’t help but feel a complicated mix of emotions.
Perhaps it was because he knew his past self had some connection to the Emperor.
Every time imperial figures remembered Ban-gung, their recollections of the Emperor lingered in his mind, refusing to fade.
Yet, Lennok hadn’t delved into that fact, believing it would be difficult to uncover the full truth without reaching the sunken Imperial Palace.
But had Jinwa found a way to achieve her desires without directly reaching the Imperial Palace?
As someone who held the rank of Grand General and was loyal to the Imperial Palace, she must have known the meaning behind the Emperor’s legacy.
If she intended to use the Empire’s secrets and hidden histories, unknown to Lennok, to transcend the shackles of an Ascendant and become a god.
“So you were here.”
A gruff female voice came from behind Lennok, who was lost in thought.
A sudden hot wind blew across the lake. The water shimmered, heating up with her steps.
The red-haired knight stood alone and aloof behind Lennok.
“Everyone else has finished their preparations. They will arrive here within 5 minutes.”
“I see.”
“So… I wish to speak with you briefly before that.”
Silence descended instantaneously.
A peculiar atmosphere, different from when Lennok and she first met.
This was likely because Martina also perceived something about Lennok that she hadn’t known before.
As she herself had acknowledged, while fulfilling her duty to protect Gateway City as Cheonbeon’s Guardian Spirit Beast.
She had, at some point, understood that the wizard she constantly spoke of was standing right before her eyes.
“I don’t know what to say first.”
Martina said quietly.
“I don’t even know if I dare ask if what I suspect about you is true…”
“……”
“I remained silent because I wasn’t sure myself. I would have preferred to leave without ever having to face you like this, but…”
“Then don’t worry about it.”
Martina’s expression twitched at the indifferent reply.
“What do you mean…?”
“I understand why you are borrowing the power of the Flame Flower. A being bound to the power of the Ninefold Lanterns wouldn’t be able to do anything reckless with that power.”
Lennok spoke with an unreadable expression.
“That’s enough. Didn’t you yourself, unaware of why you awakened, wait for me?”
“……”
“Regrettably, I cannot give you the answer you seek. Conversely, you too cannot give me the answer I desire.”
Lennok slowly turned his gaze, looking at Martina’s firm expression.
“If we cannot provide answers to each other, is there any need to force meaning into this situation?”
“……”
Whether Martina was a being who died defeated by Ban-gung, or a knight loyal to Ban-gung.
Given that she didn’t remember many things about herself, these questions were meaningless for now.
With their departure for Paradise Lost imminent, there was no time to delve into these facts at length.
All he could do was organize this complicated situation in his own way and then leave.
Silence fell.
Lennok’s words had been decided from the beginning, and Martina vaguely understood why.
“You… seem to think it doesn’t matter what kind of being I was.”
Martina said with a complex tone.
“Is it because everything I did as your Guardian Spirit Beast holds little meaning to you?”
“You’re misunderstanding something.”
Lennok smiled.
“The Flame Flower in Gateway City is a power I can reclaim anytime if necessary. But if you intend to protect the Gate, why would I bother?”
“……”
“You’re not secretly stealing my mana. You’re synchronizing your mana with the Flame Flower, borrowing the power of the Flame Flower I left behind.”
The Flame Flower left in Gateway City was not maintained by Lennok consuming his mana.
It simply remained there as proof that a battle had ended, burning the barrier semi-permanently.
It was clearly Lennok’s possession, but it was an essence of power that did not subsist on Lennok’s mana.
Unless Martina was secretly siphoning Lennok’s mana, it wasn’t something he needed to worry about.
“As long as you don’t go around killing people in my name, I don’t care. I’m sick of that reputation, you see.”
“……I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Once I leave this city today, I won’t be returning here for a while.”
Lennok slowly approached the lake and turned his gaze.
“So, consider for yourself who you are. I hope you have a better answer next time.”
“……Is that so.”
Martina’s expression clouded.
“Even though you are a Transcendent whose power is hard to imagine, you travel ceaselessly.”
“……”
“I don’t remember clearly, but the one I served long ago seemed to have such a side as well. And then they departed on a journey from which they could never return.”
She slowly placed a hand over her heart and said.
“So, I promise here and now. I will bury today’s conversation in my heart… and protect this city until the day you return.”
“……”
“I hope that at the end of your journey, you will finally achieve what you desire.”
Lennok glanced, but no time was given for the conversation to continue.
Flash!
A gate opened behind Martina, and the members of Pandemonium, led by Agneta, arrived.
“Did everyone bring everything? Once we cross over this time, we can’t come back, so check one last time.”
“Hylaea, do you think we’re kids or something? Stop nagging. It’s getting on my nerves.”
“If someone’s going to forget important equipment, they can just die in Paradise Lost. What’s the problem?”
“Black Wizard, your words flow like a river. But who was it who forgot their luggage twice in front of the suite?”
In the middle of the now bustling lakeside, Lennok and Martina fell silent, as if by agreement.
Ermont, who was gathering his bag while receiving Sarin’s nagging, belatedly spotted Lennok and his eyes widened.
“Huh? Adamant Thunder, what are you doing there by yourself? Why are you being so gloomy, unlike yourself?”
“Idiot, are you blind? Can’t you see the Guardian Spirit Beast standing right next to him?”
Freya said, smacking the back of Ermont’s head.
“Well, obviously, he came out alone to press for information about Cheonbeon. I can roughly guess. You said you had a personal grudge, right?”
“……”
“I won’t pry into the Tower Lord’s personal affairs, so just handle it. Anyway, they might look fine on the outside, but they’re definitely itching for a fight.”
“Adamant Thunder. The promised time is almost here.”
Hylaea said with a calm expression.
“If you need time to talk to her, I’ll step aside. Can you finish in one minute?”
“Hylaea, what one minute? If we step aside, all the time will be gone!”
“No, let’s go now.”
Lennok smiled wryly, leaning on his staff as he walked.
Since the rendezvous point was a lake, he had a hunch about what Authority Pandemonium intended to use for their travel.
“I’ve said what needed to be said. The rest of the conversation can wait for next time.”
“Good. Then right now…”
Hylaea slowly closed her eyes and murmured.
“I’ll send the signal to the Fisherman, get ready.”
“……”
As soon as Hylaea’s words fell, a tense atmosphere spread among the group.
The Fisherman. One of Pandemonium’s most unique and transcendent members.
He himself possessed no particular combat power, nor did he directly participate in or intervene in Pandemonium’s operations.
Yet, within Pandemonium, he was treated as even more peculiar than the Clown or Croken in some respects.
His unprecedented ability to travel anywhere he perceived as a ‘fishing spot.’
It was because no one was unaware of the absurd potential of such a relaxed, almost foolish, condition.
The situation where they had no choice but to clash with Jinwa’s Spell-Word during the process of confirming Paradise Lost’s location.
Even so, Hylaea had no intention of walking directly to Paradise Lost or embarking on a continent-spanning journey.
As soon as she pinpointed Paradise Lost’s location, she intended to borrow the Fisherman’s Authority and enter the Ideological Domain directly.
“Hey, do we have to go this far? We don’t have to fully immerse our heads, right?”
“Freya, are you going to keep acting like a rookie? Are you scared?”
Splash, splash…!!
The tense members, one by one, stepped into the lake.
They waded in, deep enough to reach their knees, then their waists, and one by one, they stopped moving.
“Oh, seriously! This is my first time traveling like this. Of course, I don’t know!!”
“Even in Kabahim, only seers like Victor and Antares had ever directly used the Fisherman’s ability.”
Soryu said, coolly brushing the lake water with her hand.
“If the Fisherman’s ability is as rumored, there’s no need to immerse your entire body in the lake. It’s more important to have your feet on the boundary of the lake.”
“Wh-what does that mean?”
“His very concept of a fishing spot is ambiguous to begin with—”
“Now.”
Hylaea, eyes closed, spoke.
“He’s here. Get ready.”
“We’ve been ready for ages—”
Vwoooom…!!
At that moment, Lennok felt Ermont’s grumbling voice cut off abruptly.
Not just hearing, but all five senses, including sight, and his entire Magical Perception, severed and broke off completely.
At the same time, Lennok felt his senses connect instantly with somewhere impossibly distant, then resurface.
A sense of unreality, like rapidly rising from very deep water and slowly regaining one’s senses.
He opened his eyes in a peculiar floating sensation, as if the world had flipped upside down—
Splosh!!!
“Cough, cough!!!”
“Uweaak!!!”
The impact of surging water striking their faces.
Those who surfaced from the overturned water coughed and sputtered.
The drenched members swam through the water and walked onto the shore.
Swoooooosh!!!!!
The crazily churning surface of the lake rippled like waves, continuously pouring down overhead.
Ermont, feeling a terrible churning in his stomach, retched and gasped for breath, collapsed.
“Haaah, haaah… No, what the…”
“It seems the Fisherman thankfully didn’t mess up the coordinates.”
“……Huh?”
As Ermont lifted his hazy gaze, he saw Lennok, leaning on his staff.
Lennok was slightly wet, but unlike Ermont, he hadn’t even stumbled.
Ermont, about to say something in disbelief, stopped when he saw the colossal monument towering behind Lennok.
Ooooooooh!!!!
Beyond the rippling lake.
A gigantic, purplish glowing monument stood tall beyond the mist-shrouded foothills.
The moment Ermont realized it was a type of Spell-Word Stone, heard only in rumors, he held his breath.
Lennok looked down at the countless Spell-Word Stones that had grown to the horizon and murmured.
“It seems we’ve arrived successfully.”
The Ideological Domain of an Ascendant gone mad with the desire to become a god. The insane orchard inhabited by a corrupted Spell-Word user.
The garden of language, wandering the outskirts of the Central Front, constantly collecting humans like fruit pulp and making them into knowledge.
At that very moment, they had finally set foot in Jinwa’s Paradise Lost.
But Lennok did not linger in contemplation, immediately raising his gaze to the sky.
“……”
Kwoooh!!!!
Beyond the purplish sky, an endless tide of darkness relentlessly surged.
Intense black magic, crushing Paradise Lost with a roar, crumbling and scattering.
The other members, who had been staring blankly at the scenery of Paradise Lost, also flinched, reading the chilling magic, and turned their eyes.
“Surely, that’s…?”
“It’s the Nether King’s black magic…”
Hylaea murmured blankly.
“It’s been so long since that battle ended, and still…”
“……”
Jain, the subordinate of Grand Duke Yeongheo, had been right to warn Lennok.
Even after a considerable amount of time had passed since Myeong’s defeat, his black magic still raged wildly on that battlefield.
An Outerworldly Demonic Realm, where the remnants of a corrupted Ascendant and a defeated challenger intertwined, clashed, and surged from the very entrance of Paradise Lost.
“It’s a scene straight out of hell from the very beginning.”
Lennok walked towards the darkness and the Spell-Word Stones, which were clashing incessantly even at this moment.
“Let’s go in. To that decisive battlefield.”