Chapter 1469: Hunt for the First Apostle (3)

Order Alliance Regios.

One of the largest groups of spellcasters on the continent and one of the mega-factions of the Central Front.

It was a coalition that drew in spellcasters under the banner of the Great Connection, the weaving of all spells in the world into one.

Since it embraced any and all spellcraft without discrimination, Lennok remembered several Spell Masters belonging to the Alliance.

The Conjunction Spell Master Chapman, the Fairy Conjunction Master, the Corpse Ghost Spell Master, the Yeonri Spell Master he met in the Demonic Realm, and the Subordinate Spell Master who had guided him to Kundara.

There were even beings like the alien evil spirit, Yaksha, who belonged to the Alliance, so its diversity was beyond question.

It was a group with a strong tendency to handle unique spellcraft they had developed or acquired themselves, rather than pre-existing magic or spellcraft.

For that reason, as much as Lennok considered the Order Alliance an enemy, he also held an interest in it.

He wondered what the headquarters of the Order Alliance, said to be home to the largest gathering of spellcasters on the continent, would be like.

The sight of the Alliance headquarters, which he had been vaguely curious about but had never actually visited, was quite different from what he had imagined.

“What an incredible scale.”

Kwooooooo!!!!

A dimensional gate over several hundred meters in diameter opened, and beyond it, dozens of massive ships floated.

The ships passed through the dozens of dimensional gates spread in all directions, fanning out across the continent.

At the focal point where the dimensional gates overlapped and distorted, a vast corridor of indeterminable width was spread out.

“They used an Old World dimensional gate as an axis to link spaces together and create a focal point,” the Fairy Conjunction Master, standing beside Lennok, said with her hands on her hips.

“It’s a base created by artificially distorting space, so it exists while constantly moving, never fixed in one place.”

“So, it’s connected to a different space at every moment of its existence…”

Lennok, who had been silently looking up at the Order Alliance headquarters, let out a small sound of admiration.

“In a way, it’s an impregnable fortress that can never be surrounded or captured.”

It artificially overlapped countless dimensional gates at a single coordinate, using the resulting distorted space as a base.

A base that repeatedly connected to and disconnected from countless coordinates across the continent, constantly moving without ever being fixed in one place.

Inside the Order Alliance’s headquarters, the Ideological Pavilion, Dimensional Corridor, a countless number of laboratories and workshops were layered on top of each other, forming a single city.

“The 14th condensation experiment was a spectacular failure. My entire lab is frozen solid, can anyone help?”

“Fried! Your ice fragments flew all the way into my Domain and contaminated my mana composition. What are you going to do about it?”

“I’m about to start research on transplanting angel organs. Anyone interested? If we succeed, I’ll put your name as the second author on the paper.”

“A request for support has come in from the Spell-armament battalion dispatched to Paradox Red. They want a high-ranking Spell Master dispatched. Looking for volunteers.”

“I’ve completed the Spirit Body Transformation Spellcraft. Is there anyone, or any test subject, who wants to try it out? I’ve tested it on my own body, but I want to see if it’s possible for others too.”

Hundreds of spellcasters moved about ceaselessly in all directions, sharing research results and debating spellcraft.

At this very moment, he could feel the presence of over ten Domains deployed all around.

People were weaving through the chaotically cluttered labs, busily exchanging requests and deals.

All these scenes unfolded simultaneously, packed closely together within the vast structure, creating a sense of congestion.

“It’s a huge mess, isn’t it?”

The Fairy Conjunction Master standing next to Lennok summed up his impression in a single, short phrase.

Shrugging, she guided Lennok through the densely packed labs and said, “It’s always a bit like this here. The Spell Masters who settle in at headquarters are mostly nuts about research.”

“……”

“There’s no interference from within the Alliance, and the other Spell Masters don’t care, so this is what it becomes. I hardly ever come this way myself.”

“The atmosphere within the Alliance seems quite liberal, more so than I thought,” Lennok said as he followed the Fairy Conjunction Master.

“The Order Alliance I saw on the outside didn’t have such a horizontal feel to it.”

On the Central Front, Lennok had mostly encountered the Order Alliance as an enemy.

The Alliance spellcasters he had faced in the Demonic Realm had been individualistic, but they didn’t give off such a free or disorderly impression.

He had felt there was at least a minimum of discipline or order, but the atmosphere at the Alliance headquarters was completely different from what he had perceived until now.

The answer was surprisingly simple.

“That’s because most of the people who can stay in the Dimensional Corridor are high-ranking Spell Masters. Those of a lower rank aren’t given this much autonomy.”

“So authority and rank among Spell Masters are divided by the level or value of their spellcraft? Very fitting for the Order Alliance.”

“When you have such a vast database, a hierarchy naturally forms within it.”

The Fairy Conjunction Master said it nonchalantly.

“Usually, just by connecting one’s spellcraft to the Great Connection, we can measure its value. Treatment and reception can change based on that.”

“Evaluating people solely on the value of their spellcraft, disregarding all other criteria… In a way, it seems fair.”

“That’s why many of the lower-ranking Spell Masters are obsessed with their research results. Having ambition isn’t a bad thing for the Alliance.”

The Fairy Conjunction Master stared intently at Lennok.

“But you know more about the Alliance than I thought. Have you killed quite a few of our Spell Masters?”

“……”

“Well, don’t worry, I’m not trying to interrogate you. It’s not like there’s a special bond between Spell Masters. Everyone’s just doing what’s best for themselves.”

She gestured at the complex rows of labs and smirked.

“Everyone is here because they think the alternative proposed by the Leader is reasonable.”

“…It certainly seems like a great number of labs are gathered here.”

Lennok smoothly changed the subject.

“However, this Dimensional Corridor doesn’t seem to be a very suitable place to proceed with the restoration of the Great Connection. Do you intend to face the Cult here?”

“Worried already?”

“The spatial intervals are too narrow and irregular. In a place like this, whether it’s the Alliance or the Cult, vision will be obscured, and it will be difficult to distinguish friend from foe.”

Lennok glanced around and replied.

“It’s hard to call this a good battlefield. In fact, it’s like starting with one of the Dimensional Corridor’s characteristics and advantages thrown away.”

The headquarters of the Order Alliance was the spatial corridor itself, created by artificially distorting space by overlapping dimensional gates.

It could connect to any space and was not fixed in one place, so it wouldn’t even allow an attack in the first place.

But for that very reason, proceeding with the restoration of the Great Connection here was tantamount to openly revealing the Dimensional Corridor’s location to the Cult.

It was no different from starting a war after erasing the advantage of the Dimensional Corridor, which was free because it could connect and move anywhere.

Since the spatial coordinates were not fixed and constantly changing, it would be difficult for Lennok to lay down spellcraft or barriers in advance to counter the Cult.

“They say you’ve killed all sorts of Transcendent beings, and your perspective on these things is certainly broad. You’re right.”

The Fairy Conjunction Master nodded as if agreeing with Lennok’s words.

“The restoration of the Great Connection won’t happen here. We came here because headquarters is serving as the assembly point for this plan.”

“An assembly point?”

“Just as the Leader summoned you, other Transcendent beings have also agreed to participate in this plan.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Are you saying other Transcendent beings not affiliated with the Alliance are participating in this?”

Lennok looked down at the Fairy Conjunction Master with a blank expression.

“I heard nothing about this from the Leader. An explanation is in order.”

“Because it wasn’t the Leader’s doing. The other collaborators, aside from you, were called by other Spell Masters of the Alliance.”

The Spell Master shrugged.

“You heard that the Grand Spell Masters can’t move while the restoration of the Great Connection is underway, right? The elders, anxious about that, sought collaborators in the name of the Alliance. It seems they agreed to participate in the plan in exchange for some kind of compensation.”

“…”

So some of the high-ranking Spell Masters or elders sought out Transcendent beings to help the Alliance ahead of the restoration.

While the Leader was currently unable to act, it was understandable that other Spell Masters would look out for themselves, but—

“This is a plan to hunt the First Apostle. A mediocre Transcendent would be worse than nothing, no?”

“Well, I haven’t seen them myself, so I’m not sure. I did hear that the Alliance headquarters picked some incredibly skilled individuals…”

The Spell Master said, casting her gaze far into the distance.

“Ah, looks like someone is already here. See?”

“…Is that.”

Lennok turned his head to follow her gaze, then frowned at the sight.

“That doesn’t look like a person.”

Clank!!

Whirrrrrr—

Beyond the corridor densely lined with various labs, a giant robotic arm was moving.

A sophisticated mechanical arm, close to the essence of magic engineering, with an engine constructed from mana and each joint connected.

On top of that arm, an old man with thinning white hair stood with his hands behind his back, discussing something with the surrounding spellcasters.

“Hmm?”

The moment Lennok and the Spell Master looked at the old man, he whipped his head their way as if sensing their gazes.

He took a mechanical device from his coat and pressed a button, and the old man’s figure leaped over dozens of meters, landing in front of Lennok.

Fwoosh!!

“I sensed an unusual mana. Are you two among the collaborators for this war?”

The old man, who had thrown off the goggles he was wearing, looked at Lennok and the Fairy Conjunction Master and spoke.

“I was curious what kind of madmen would cooperate in something like this, but you look decent enough, which isn’t bad. So, how many of those cult bastards have you killed?”

“Just from you throwing a question like that out of the blue, I can tell you’re not sane either.”

Lennok, looking down at the old man with his arms crossed, asked with a look of disbelief.

“You’re not an Alliance Spell Master, are you?”

“Hmm. You seem much younger than me, yet you demand we introduce ourselves first?”

Despite his words, the old man didn’t seem offended and answered readily.

“My name is Betagron. It would be best if you thought of me as an inventor who wanders the continent.”

“…Betagron?”

For a moment, hearing the unexpected name, Lennok inadvertently froze.

Despite seeing the face for the first time, he was sure he had seen that somehow familiar name before.

Davi, who had been yawning in Lennok’s arms as if uninterested, spoke with a tone of wonder.

[Oh, that’s the name of the organism that was on the Eastern Continent Power Ranking.]

“……”

Lennok, too, immediately recalled the name and description he had seen on the power ranking and fell silent.

[10th Place. Betagron. 8-level Magic Engineer. Affiliated with The Designers.]

=The continent’s foremost expert in military engineering.

=After becoming an Apostle-Slayer and entering the rankings, has attempted large-scale military experiments several times.

=Successfully created the quasi-Forbidden Armament ‘Ferocity’ using the remains of an Apostle as material, raising his rank.

=Currently conducting a forbidden exploration within the Eastern Continent’s interior.

An 8-level Magic Engineer who had placed a remarkable 10th on the last updated Eastern Continent Power Ranking.

He was one of the very few superhumans among the top rankers who, along with Lennok, had received the title of Apostle-Slayer.

The Order Alliance had succeeded in recruiting none other than an Apostle-Slayer as a collaborator for this task.

“I didn’t expect to see the continent’s famous military engineering expert here.”

The Fairy Conjunction Master also seemed to have heard his name and spoke with a curious expression.

“I’ve heard a lot about your skill in developing weapons of war. Was there someone among the elders with connections to [The Designers]?”

“I am an inventor, not a military engineering expert.”

Betagron frowned.

“I pursue pure curiosity and make a living from inventing, but lately, people have been calling me by strange titles. It seems that power ranking thing has deluded people.”

“That’s a strange thing to say. If you’re skilled enough to earn the title of Apostle-Slayer, you must be a Transcendent who is battle-hardened. Do you want to be called a war inventor?”

“My hostility towards the Cult and my killing of an Apostle were for personal reasons. My coming here at the Alliance’s request was for the same reason.”

The old man’s eyes, as he stroked his beard, momentarily sank into gloom.

“If I can kill even one more of those cult bastards, that is enough. It seems many misunderstandings about my profession have accumulated in the process.”

“……”

“Well, I didn’t mean to weigh down the mood with such talk, so let’s move on. It’s a relief that a capable collaborator has joined this effort.”

Quickly regaining his composure, Betagron feigned nonchalance and naturally stood beside Lennok.

Apostle-Slayer. Military engineering expert. Genius of Forbidden Armament creation and military experiments.

For someone who carried several ominous titles, Betagron himself seemed to be quite a down-to-earth person.

“If you’ve just arrived, you must be on your way to the meeting, right? I shall accompany you.”

“That’s right. A meeting to explain the reconstruction of the Great Connection and assign roles will begin shortly in the Ivory Tower.”

At the center of the distortion point created by the overlapping Dimensional Corridor stood a mystical, white, shining Ivory Tower.

An subspace that drew in and distorted the surrounding gates by its mere existence, exuding an aura that was clearly extraordinary at a single glance.

Were the high-level Transcendent beings who had come from all over the continent at the Alliance’s invitation already inside?

After meeting Betagron, Lennok too had become somewhat interested in the other collaborators.

“The Transcendent beings summoned by the Alliance and the high-ranking Spell Masters will gather to decide the order and formation.”

Responding to Betagron’s words, the Fairy Conjunction Master, who had naturally approached the entrance of the Ivory Tower, said,

“In the end, we need to buy time against the Cult in this matter, so the Transcendent who has dealt with the Cult the most will receive the highest treatment. I think this man will probably take the lead?”

“That’s a statement I can’t just ignore. For several years now, I have put aside all other inventions and focused on killing those cult bastards.”

Betagron, walking beside them, frowned.

“I am confident that there is no being on the continent more dedicated to that task than I. Are you saying this young whippersnapper is more skilled at killing cult bastards than I am?”

“Of course. In that area, there are few who can even compare.”

“Hoh… Then I suppose I’ll have to see for myself.”

Betagron took something out from his coat and grinned.

“However, there’s no need for us to do something as inefficient as fighting amongst ourselves before a war. Would you care to see a curious invention of mine?”

The old man, who had been rummaging through his coat, finally pulled out a small flask and showed it to Lennok and the Fairy Conjunction Master.

“This is an invention I devised while recently destroying a Cult branch. It’s called the [Angel in a Bottle].”

“An angel? This is… just a monster, isn’t it?”

[Kieeeeek!!]

Inside the flask Betagron held, a grotesque eyeball with multiple wings was flying around.

It was a bizarre sight, crashing its wings against the flask wall and letting out irritated screams at Betagron.

Ignoring the Fairy Conjunction Master who was startled by the rather creepy form for an angel, the old man held up the flask and explained.

“It’s an artificial lifeform made by processing a Cult Cardinal’s pituitary gland. It feels hostility towards beings who have killed cult members, and intimacy the closer a being is to the Cult. Through its reaction, we can see how many cult members one has killed.”

“…You, didn’t you just say something about being an inventor chasing a pure dream? And a person like that made such a bizarre and heinous invention?”

“Enough with the chatter, both of you come over here. It’ll be quicker to show you than to explain.”

Betagron said, naturally gesturing towards Lennok and the Fairy Conjunction Master.

“As you can see, I’m someone who has killed quite a lot of cult members, so this thing always shows hostility towards me. But if I bring it to someone else, like this—”

[Kieeeee….]

The moment he brought the flask towards the Fairy Conjunction Master, the reaction of the artificial angel inside noticeably diminished.

Its wing beats weakened, its screams faded, and it became distinctly calmer. In a way, it seemed completely uninterested in the Fairy Conjunction Master.

Seeing that, the old man smirked as if he knew it and said,

“It reveals that you’ve hardly ever fought the Cult. It doesn’t read the target directly, but the karmic debt of slaughter entangled in the soul, so there’s no way to avoid it.”

“‘Reveals’ has a strangely unpleasant tone. I’ve rarely been on the front lines since I joined the Alliance. Do you know how highly my spellcraft is treated in the Alliance?”

“Alright. Then let’s check this young man right away, shall we?”

Betagron, turning a deaf ear to the Fairy Conjunction Master’s grumbling, held out the flask towards Lennok with a confident air.

“The Transcendent who has dealt with the Cult the most gets the best treatment? Then we can settle the score with this in the meeting room. Of course, it’s only natural that I’m the most—”

[Kieeeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!!]

At that moment, the old man’s words were cut short by a desperate scream from inside the flask.

The moment he held the bottle towards Lennok, the artificial angel inside began to convulse madly, trembling and backing away.

It wasn’t just trembling its wings; in an instant, its entire eyeball turned bloodshot and began to drip blood in a ghastly manner.

[Kieeeek!!!! Kkeeeeeeeeeek!!!!!]

“No, this is…”

[Kkueeeek!!! Kkeogeogeogeok…!!!]

While Betagron stood with a dumbfounded expression at the unexpected reaction, the artificial angel suddenly began to self-mutilate.

It used its own wings to tear at its eyeball body, slammed its head against the bottle over and over, then swelled up—

And with an explosion intense enough to shatter the flask, it vanished on the spot without a trace.

Boooooooom!!!!

At the entrance of the Ivory Tower. In front of the main gate that was just beginning to open as if the meeting was about to start.

In that brief moment when even the Fairy Conjunction Master, who had been watching with a snort, fell silent with her mouth slightly agape.

“For my invention, imbued with a Cardinal’s spirituality, to be unable to bear it and commit suicide…”

Betagron, who had been staring at the flask at a loss for words, turned to Lennok with a dumbfounded expression.

“You. By any chance, are you some legendary demon who crawled up from hell?”

“……”