Chapter 1441: A New Phase (6)
CRUNCH!!
A heavy fist pierced through thick skin and burst out as if exploding.
Blood and crushed flesh splattered down, covering the stained silver scales.
Watching the collapsing corpse, the silver dragon walked on with a blank expression.
THUD…!!
As the silver dragon, wearing a thick cloth like a hood, crossed the blood-stained corridor, the ground shook and a tremendous roar erupted.
From under the cloth covering its body, turbid, corrupted mana flowed down, melting the floor and emitting acrid smoke.
The sight of the silver dragon, contaminating and melting all surrounding matter just by walking silently.
At the sight of it, not even thinking of hiding its visit, the soldiers waiting in various places moved.
“All units, hold your positions!!”
RATATATAT!!!
Sharp gunshots exploded, and thousands of bullets poured down towards the silver dragon.
A barrage of magic bullets, enchanted with spellcraft to pierce the scales of a Long-lived Being and inflict damage.
But the silver dragon silently advanced forward, taking the rain of bullets pouring down like rain.
HISSSSSS!!!
The bullets all melted the moment they touched the corrupted mana flowing from the Dragon-kind’s body. The soldiers let out screams mixed with horror.
“Monster…!!!”
“Not wrong, I suppose.”
WHOOSH!!
The silver dragon, having broken through the barrage and approached at once, lifted a soldier by the collar with one hand.
“Sadly, it seems ordinary firearms no longer work on this corrupted body.”
“Kuh, keok…”
“Magic bullets… Come to think of it, I recall Van mentioning he uses a magic gun.”
The silver dragon’s eyes glinted with a strange light as it stared with a cold gaze at the dying, drooling soldier.
The Dragon-kind tore off the magazine the soldier was holding with one hand with a crunch and looked at it.
“This dragon is a layman when it comes to firearms… Would this be helpful if I brought it to him?”
“…”
There was no answer. Only the corpse of the soldier, whose breath had been cut off just by being briefly held in the silver dragon’s hand.
Realizing it was ineffective, the soldiers clicked their tongues and immediately resorted to other measures.
“Tch…!! Prepare!!”
“Target cluster locked. Coordinates set. Firing sequence initiated!!”
“Fire!!”
WHOOSH-
BOOOOOOM!!!!
Tank cannons spewed fire, and missiles fell like a barrage, raising pillars of flame.
A line of incendiary bombs containing white phosphorus rained down, incinerating the coordinates where the silver dragon stood.
A hellish, boiling heat melted the corridor and walls, creating a river of red lava.
KRRAAAACK!!!!
However, amidst the hellscape of lava flowing from all directions, the silver dragon stood silently.
Beyond the thick cloth covering its body, the shape of its raised hand was faintly visible.
The moment the stained, silver starlight flashed, following its gesture.
Primitive Magic: Star-Linking Eight Extremes Style
Eighth Type - External Method
FLASH!!!
A vast, silver sea of stars pierced the horizon diagonally and unfolded before everyone’s eyes.
The starlight, which had swallowed the bombardment, flames, and heat that had struck the ground, rotated fiercely and overflowed.
It completely erased everything that existed to kill the silver dragon, rendering it meaningless.
KWAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!
No screams, no shrieks, no shouts, no rage.
It walks alone through the battlefield, once a grand mansion, now ruins covered in corrupted mana.
The moment the silver dragon, body covered in thick cloth, finally reached the end of the mansion and stopped.
“Silver Star, Maleon Gnosis.”
A low voice was heard from the other side.
“I didn’t expect to meet Kundara’s noble Gemstone Dragon in a place like this.”
“…”
The shadow, hidden in darkness, was not clearly visible.
“This dragon, too, did not anticipate this moment.”
Maleon gazed at the shadow with a calm expression.
“I was pursuing the Gray Ghost to leave no loose ends in The Legion’s affairs… I never imagined I would encounter a fallen one like you here.”
“Ah… I see. The Gray Ghost. Was it because of Gileon Miloze?”
The shadow spoke in a hollow tone.
“I heard what happened with Faud Older… I express my deepest condolences for your unfortunate failure.”
“…”
“You too would have deserved to stand alongside the great enlightened ones. Still, the affairs of this world do not flow as they should. It is unjust.”
“I do not need your pity.”
Maleon replied quietly.
“I experienced a shameful failure, but I received a meaning far more precious from it.”
“…”
“Having committed many mistakes, I was given a chance to atone. To wish for more would be an extravagance.”
Maleon said, staring intently at the shadow.
“There is no longer any wavering within me… I will simply cast aside delusion and move forward, following the answer.”
“An answer…”
The shadow tilted its head as if sneering.
“Has such a thing ever truly existed in this world?”
“There’s no need for a lengthy exchange between us.”
THUD!!
Maleon stepped forward and said.
“This dragon has tracked Gileon Miloze’s movements to Paradox Blue. I already know that he fled from Ultima Alert and has taken refuge here.”
“…”
“I intend to settle the unfinished business of the subjugation operation here. So, I ask that you, Grand Duke, please step aside.”
KIIIIING-
Maleon, holding silver starlight in his hand, looked up at the shadow with resolute eyes.
“As a former member of Kundara’s Elder Council, I do not wish to harm the leadership of the Imperial Palace with my own hands.”
“Unfinished business…”
The shadow asked.
“It seems you’ve grown quite fond of your new master. You’re still chasing The Legion even after that war has ended?”
“Gileon Miloze was a man of such outstanding ability that he competed with this dragon, even while dying of illness.”
Maleon answered.
“His ability to dominate the sky, in particular, had aspects that even this dragon did not anticipate… We couldn’t finish it at Ultima Alert.”
“…”
“If he survives somehow and holds a grudge, he will become a great threat to Van. This dragon cannot stand by and let that happen.”
“…Not wrong, I suppose.”
The shadow, slowly rising, said.
“Gileon Miloze’s talent and aptitude were too great for an ordinary human to contain. If he suffered from illness his whole life, that was probably why.”
“…”
“However, it is ironic. Because of it, his life has managed to meet a meaningful end within me… This too must be seen as the natural order of things.”
“…Grand Duke.”
“You said you were looking for Gileon Miloze.”
Gileon, walking out from the other side, looks down at the silver dragon with a blank expression.
The moment Maleon realized this, his expression slowly hardened.
The Grand Duke of Yeongheo, having taken possession of Gileon Miloze’s body, gave a hollow smile.
“Perfect timing. I too have business with the True Bloodline of Kundara.”
The trip back to Vulcan with Pandemonium was chaotic in many ways.
“Ermont, can’t you get rid of those creepy-looking souvenirs? Why are you bringing things like that into the cabin?”
“Hey, Freya. Why are you being like this? You’re a famous celebrity, so why is your taste so poor?”
Ermont, who had boarded the cabin just in the nick of time before departure, wagged a finger at Freya.
“These aren’t ordinary souvenirs, they’re cursed fetishes. What kind of good memories could I possibly have of Paradise Lost to be collecting souvenirs?”
“Do you really want to die? I’ll burn them all.”
They were traveling by renting out an entire car of a transcontinental train that passed through major cities on its way back to Vulcan.
Freya, sitting by the cabin window, glared daggers at Ermont as he approached with a bizarre-looking doll.
Because the doll, which was emanating a dubious aura at a glance, was not just unpleasant but downright ominous.
Hylaea frowned at the doll Ermont was holding.
“It’s an ominous object that induces misfortune and failure upon its owner… Do you want the train to derail or explode midway? Why did you bring something like this on board?”
“Well, a peddler was selling these interesting items behind the train station we just stopped at.”
Ermont grinned and held up the doll.
“I brought it because I thought it would make your tedious journey less boring. Good job, right?”
“Soryu.”
CRACKLE…!!
As soon as Hylaea spoke, Ermont’s arms, holding the doll, were covered in thick ice.
Agneta wrapped the half-frozen Ermont in Mana Threads and headed for the window.
CREAK-
Maiya, without even taking her eyes off her newspaper, opened the window with one hand.
In the blink of an eye, Ermont, hanging halfway out the train window, squawked.
“N-no, a joke!! It was really a joke!! Just a lighthearted prank!! Would I really try to mess with wizards with such a shoddy item? It’s true!!!”
“Your insolent remarks are increasing by the day.”
“It’s because the Tower Lord never gets angry even when he hears things like that. He should’ve been crushed long ago.”
Freya said, looking at Lennok incredulously.
“Come to think of it, Tower Lord, you’re usually fine, but I don’t think I’ve ever seen you actually get angry. Do Grand Mages not get angry over trivial things?”
“I’m not as patient as you think.”
Lennok glanced nonchalantly at Ermont, who was dangling from the window with his body stuck.
“There are just so many people around who spout nonsense. I’ve simply gotten into the habit of not listening to it for long.”
“Heeh… Now that you put it that way, I’m a little curious about what kind of people are in your magic tower.”
Freya, naturally perching on the seat next to Lennok, asked.
“We’re heading to Vulcan now, right? Is there anything special we need to be careful about at the magic tower?”
“I’m often away myself, so I’m not too sure about that.”
Lennok asked in return.
“In the first place, do you think I’ve ever had to be careful about anything in my own magic tower?”
“…”
Freya stared at Lennok, her mouth agape, then nodded her head as if in understanding.
“Right, you were always like this, even when we first met. It’s been so long I kind of forgot.”
“That doesn’t sound like a compliment.”
“You think?”
Ignoring Freya, who was grumbling about him being a jerk or worse than her, he turned his gaze out the window.
The transcontinental train, which ran through many cities and stations, had now reached the vicinity of Vulcan.
It’s been a while since the journey back was this noisy, but it also feels like time passed that much faster.
“Hoo, hooo~”
Ermont, sitting back in the cabin, carefully placed the cursed doll into the toad’s mouth.
As the Curse-Eating Ghoul, having eaten the fetish, burped in satisfaction, Ermont immediately hugged the toad tightly.
Feeling the black magic instantly fill his body, Ermont’s expression twisted into a creepy grin.
“Ah… wonderful. This is it.”
“If you brought the fetish to borrow the Curse-Eating Ghoul, you should have just said so.”
Hylaea said, dumbfounded.
“If you’d said you needed it for your recovery process, no one would have touched you. Why did you lie like that?”
The Curse-Eating Ghoul was an artifact stored in Anathema’s temple, along with the Ice Seal.
It’s a type of power source that consumes curses or fetishes and converts them into black magic.
Ermont was using the fetish he bought at the train station by feeding it to the Curse-Eating Ghoul to restore his black magic.
“It’s alright, Hylaea.”
Ermont grinned after hearing Hylaea’s scolding.
“If this cabin regained its laughter through my sacrifice, then that’s all that matters.”
“Is he really crazy? Spouting nonsense as if he made some noble sacrifice?”
“Sorry, but it wasn’t funny at all. Who here was laughing?”
While the group relentlessly nagged Ermont, Lennok stood up and approached Sarin.
Sarin, who had been sitting at the end of the cabin deep in concentration, saw Lennok and flinched, averting his gaze.
“Oh, Tower Lord?”
“What is Myeong’s condition?”
“Well…”
The artificial spiritual body, made entirely of darkness, lay sleeping as if dead on one of the cabin’s chairs.
Curled up with small wings, its diminutive form was reminiscent of a young dragon.
Sarin stroked the spiritual body’s limp wing with one hand and shook his head.
“The circulation of his spiritual veins is normal, but he shows no signs of waking up. It seems we’ll have to wait a while longer.”
“Does it seem like the soul fragment failed to properly synchronize with the vessel?”
“Looking at it with blood magic, the soul itself has settled safely into the spiritual body. Perhaps it’s more that he lacks the strength to awaken?”
Sarin shrugged and said.
“The priority is to watch and see how things progress over time. Hylaea proposed the pact to you knowing that, right?”
“…”
Retrieving Myeong’s soul had been a sudden decision for Lennok, so no definite alternative had been prepared.
He simply couldn’t stand by and watch Myeong’s soul burn away in the sea of lightning he had unleashed.
He knew it was an impulsive decision. It might not have been what Myeong wanted in the first place.
But for that very reason, Lennok intended to keep paying close attention until the spiritual body awakened.
“Well, it’s famous that Vulcan’s infrastructure is superior to other cities. We might be able to find a way. From what I hear, it seems Hylaea is preparing something on her end.”
“Preparing?”
“Yes, to settle the accounts for this incident and also call the members who didn’t participate—”
Before Sarin could finish his sentence, the train shook violently and let out a magnificent horn blast.
BWooooo-
With the loud horn, the familiar scenery of a satellite city began to appear outside the train window.
The docks of La Haven, where countless airships ceaselessly came and went in the sky.
“Wow, so that’s the famous Skyway of Vulcan! That’s the one Evan Vylun completed, right?”
Freya, who had been endlessly bickering with Ermont inside the cabin, turned her gaze, her eyes sparkling.
“I heard it was recently completed, but the scale is enormous. Looks like the City Council really went all-in on the investment.”
“That’s surprising, Freya. You were never usually interested in current affairs of that sort.”
“Ah, that…”
Freya scratched her cheek with an awkward expression.
“Well, I saw a news report that the largest duty-free shop on the Eastern Continent is opening at the docks…”
“You never fail to meet expectations in many ways.”
“What? What’s that supposed to mean?”
The train stopped at the satellite city station, and the members, having gathered their luggage, disembarked one by one.
Lennok caught an airship passing through the docks and immediately headed to the vicinity of District 49.
The entrance to the bustling downtown area of District 49, with far more people coming and going than the docks the group had just left.
The members entering District 49 for the first time looked at the bustling crowd and shops with peculiar expressions.
“So this is the rumored domain of Adamant Thunder… There are so many people.”
“So it was true that the entire district is run as a business area for handling artifacts and items.”
“I thought it hasn’t even been half a year since the subjugation operation ended, but the recovery is already complete?”
Occasionally, they could feel gazes on them from within the crowd, but most people paid them no mind.
They were only focused on selling or trading the various catalysts and items piled up like mountains everywhere.
Are the fees attached to all these processes flowing towards that towering, dark blue magic tower in the distance?
The members, looking around with fascination, began to walk towards the bustling street one by one.
“Seeing this, I can understand why the Tower Lord wasn’t interested in the treasures of Paradise Lost. If he gets to see this kind of scenery all day when he returns to the magic tower, why would he care about gold and jewels?”
“I don’t know about that. Didn’t he warn us to keep it safe because he’d take it back from us? That man only sees us as living luggage.”
“After we finish our business, I’d like to visit that famous item exchange. I heard they handle many catalysts and materials that are hard to find even in the central cities.”
“Ah, me too. I heard it’s great for shopping because all the other research institutes and magic tower branches are gathered here. We can finally go, right?”
“I’m afraid not.”
The answer came not from beside Freya, but from directly in front of her.
Snow-white hair. A pure white robe. A white longspear held at an angle in the hand behind his back.
“You cannot proceed any further. It’s a shame you came all this way.”
“You are…”
“Pandemonium.”
The white-haired spearman called them out nonchalantly, with a benevolent smile.
“For coming into the heart of enemy territory, aren’t you being far too defenseless?”
WHOOSH!!
With those words, the atmosphere around the group and everything else changed completely.
The sight of Freya retreating with a tense expression in an instant, and the superhumans quietly raising their mana.
“Freya, fall back.”
Maiya, adjusting the prosthetic on her left arm, said in a dry voice.
“The Tower has recognized our presence and made its move. They intend to fight.”
FWOOSH!!
A pillar of hot fire erupted from a rooftop on the bustling street, and the witch descended.
A bird-headed giant holding a massive hammer blocked the path the group had come from.
Naturally, so as not to throw the countless people coming and going in District 49 into chaos.
And yet, in the blink of an eye, intense presences surrounded the section of the street where the group stood.
GUOOOOOOH!!!
In the instantly heightened atmosphere, several superhumans faced off with hundreds of people between them.
Just as Hylaea, looking around with a bewildered expression, was about to say something to Krod, who was blocking their path.
“I thought we might meet someday, but I never imagined it would be like this.”
A woman with curly hair emerged from among the mercenaries and looked at the group with a cold expression.
“Or is the organization called Pandemonium just fond of moving so recklessly?”
“…Jenicia Bajour.”
“You know my name? Well, it doesn’t matter. Now that you’ve come this far, there’s no way for you to escape.”
Jenny said, raising her hand with a cold expression.
“You must have come after hearing the news about Paradise Lost. It seems you saw the city was in an uproar over it and tried to seize the opportunity.”
“…”
“Looks like you were aiming for District 49 while Van was away. I’ll teach you just how futile that thought is.”
KUGUGU…!!
At that moment, a faint vibration was felt from beneath their feet, and they could feel the entire district transforming.
Jenny, having activated her authority as the tower’s administrator, instantly gauged the coordinates to divide the surrounding space.
The moment she, without a shred of hesitation, tried to reorganize the battlefield centering on the members of Pandemonium and the magic tower.
“Quite interesting. Is this a newly learned spellcraft?”
“…Huh?”
At the familiar voice coming from somewhere, her movements stuttered as if she had broken down.
“It seems you’ve learned a few tricks for manipulating the tower as you’ve mastered the Ouroboros magic system. The experience from the subjugation operation certainly seems to have helped in many ways.”
“Van…? How—”
The sight of Lennok, standing naturally in the crowd, munching on a paprika sandwich.
For a moment, everyone forgot the current situation and stared blankly at Lennok.
“What’s wrong? Continue.”
Lennok beckoned with his hand towards those staring at him.
“It seems there’s some bad blood between you all. I’ll just wait here until it’s all over.”
“…”
“Wouldn’t it be better to get it all out of your systems before we seriously discuss the pact? I’ll help make sure things don’t get too out of hand.”
“No, that’s…”
Jenny, too flustered to speak, and Pandemonium, staring at Lennok with cold eyes.
The rapidly escalating atmosphere suddenly deflated, and the scene on the bustling street turned bizarre.
Ermont asked Lennok with a look of utter disbelief.
“…Don’t tell me you accepted the pact just because you wanted to see a situation like this?”