Chapter 1472: Hunting the First Apostle (6)
The party, having moved through the dimensional gate, arrived at their scheduled destination immediately.
A barren wilderness with no end in sight, where a vast Milky Way stretched across the night sky.
However, the others couldn’t take their eyes off the Milky Way spread across the night sky.
“That is…”
Whoooosh…!!!
The brilliance of the Milky Way, flowing endlessly, holding countless lights even at this moment.
This wasn’t a scene made of gathered stars. Each and every one of those lights was proof of an existing spell and spellcraft.
“I’ve heard much about the Great Connection, but I never imagined it would exist in such a clear form.”
Abraham, the Pathfinder from Pioneer, said as he looked up at the sky with his arms crossed.
“Has the Great Connection built by the Alliance already become vast enough to cover an entire star?”
“That Milky Way is not the true form of the Great Connection,” the Chroma Spell Master said.
“It is merely depicting the power of the Great Connection that exists here in a form that humans can comprehend, drawn across the night sky.”
“I don’t understand what you mean. A form humans can comprehend…?”
The brilliance of the Milky Way covering the night sky felt so vivid, yet it wasn’t even its true form?
“Follow me. I will guide you to where the real Great Connection is.”
While the other Transcendents were looking up at the sky, the Chroma Spell Master naturally took the lead.
Amidst the sand-swept wilderness, Kalion sidled up next to Lennok.
“What is it?”
“Can’t you feel it? That druid has been staring holes through you for a while now.”
Glancing at the centaur following behind them, Kalion shrugged.
“It seems he couldn’t accept what happened earlier. I’ll keep him in check, so don’t worry—”
“Leave him be.”
“…Huh?”
“There are always fools who don’t know their place and act out.”
Leaving the hesitant Kalion behind, Lennok walked on with a blank expression.
“If he becomes more of a nuisance, I’ll just kill him then. As you said, there’s no need to reduce our numbers before we even begin.”
“…”
Since it was impossible to know what tricks the Cult might pull, watching the situation for now was the priority.
Lennok also agreed to some extent with what Kalion had said in the meeting hall.
If the druid showed any suspicious movements later, he could just deal with him then.
At the very least, the current Lennok possessed the power to act on such a judgment.
At Lennok’s indifferent words, the Fairy Conjunction Master shook her head, and Kalion made a strange expression.
“So you don’t even consider an average Transcendent worth your notice… I think I see why Antares rates you so highly.”
“Why does it lead to that conclusion?”
Ignoring Kalion’s nonsense, he walked through the wilderness with the others for some time.
In the distance, a massive structure made of piled-up glass fragments began to appear.
“We have arrived.”
The Chroma Spell Master said, stopping in front of the opaque glass structure.
“This is the Alliance’s 3rd Ritual Site where the restoration ritual for the Great Connection will take place, and also a Gamma-level high-risk research facility, [The Nest].”
“A research facility…”
Vwoooom…!!!
As its name, The Nest, suggested, the facility was shaped like a ring made of rounded glass fragments pieced together.
Inside the ring, one could feel a concentration of mana so dense it was unnerving, rotating.
“The flow and directionality of the mana feels quite one-sided.”
Kalion, who was looking up at The Nest with his arms crossed next to Lennok, muttered.
“Is the entire Nest akin to a particle accelerator that circulates mana to concentrate energy?”
“You’ve seen it correctly, Lord of Valefor Magic Tower.”
The Chroma Spell Master nodded.
“The Great Connection is the linking of all spells in the world into one. Therefore, all spells must be in a complete ‘activated’ state under the Great Connection.”
“The amount of mana required just to operate all the spells connected to the Great Connection must be astronomical. Is this Nest supplying that power?”
Spellcraft and spells are reality-altering abilities that operate using specific powers like mana or magical energy as fuel.
Therefore, to actually activate a spell, at least a small amount of mana must be consumed.
The mana consumed by each spell might not be much, but the more spells connected to the Great Connection, the more astronomical the consumption becomes.
“I can see it’s an efficient form for supplying mana, but wouldn’t a structure like this be overly vulnerable to external shocks?”
Lennok, who understood immediately after hearing the Chroma Spell Master’s explanation, tilted his head toward the Fairy Conjunction Master.
“If the balance is even slightly disturbed, the entire accelerator could collapse. It doesn’t seem like a suitable place to face the Cult.”
Having acted as a researcher in Vulcan under the identity of Evan Vylun, Lennok was quite knowledgeable on related matters.
The particle accelerators of this world were devices that accelerated mana particles to near-light speed, extracting transcendent kinetic energy from extremely small masses.
The larger the accelerator, the more stable the output, but its area would inevitably increase exponentially.
Due to the nature of particle accelerators, even a small error could be a fatal blow, making it dangerous in many ways.
However, the Fairy Conjunction Master nodded at Lennok’s words and said calmly.
“It will be fine. This entire facility was built with that in mind from the beginning.”
“I will explain the details as we go inside.”
Upon entering the facility, all its components, including the ceiling and walls, were made of translucent glass.
Through the glass, one could faintly see the cluttered scenery of various labs and thick cables laid everywhere.
Over a hundred Spell Masters and researchers were bustling in and out of The Nest, busily preparing something.
It literally felt as if the entire facility was on edge with tension ahead of a major ritual.
The urgent atmosphere, as if the restoration of the Great Connection could begin at any moment, made the Transcendents’ faces stiffen.
It was because, as the Chroma Spell Master had said, it was clear that almost all preparations were complete, and they were just awaiting execution.
“The inner walls of this facility. They’re not ordinary glass or minerals.”
Lennok said, stroking the glass wall with his hand.
“Hardened mana… no, is it a barrier made by extracting and materializing a specific spellcraft? In a way, it has similarities to [The Veil].”
“It’s a type of spellcraft-barrier, that’s right. We had to prevent The Nest from exploding if the accelerator was damaged.”
The Fairy Conjunction Master said so and raised her gaze.
“At least, as long as ‘that’ existed inside this Nest, it had to be that way.”
“…”
The reason the Order Alliance had built a research facility of such an unrealistic scale and brought them here through the Dimensional Corridor.
The Transcendents’ gazes were now directed toward the massive hollow space at the end of the transparent corridor.
Gooooooooh!!
At the center of The Nest, which rotated like a transparent ring. In the middle of the hollow space that reflected the Milky Way like a mirror.
A massive, colorless rotating body resembling a Möbius strip floated, repeating its rotation endlessly.
The Alliance’s answer, materialized in reality, fueled by the energy produced by a particle accelerator thousands of meters in scale.
One could tell the moment they saw it, without needing an explanation.
This was the very entity that projected the Milky Way of spells across the night sky.
The fact that it was the totality of the great connection that linked all of the Order Alliance’s aspirations into one.
“The Great Connection…”
One of the Transcendents muttered quietly.
“It’s beautiful. Is this the totality of the great answer the Alliance has put forth?”
“…”
No one could refute those entranced words, and they silently looked up at the rotating body.
It was because everyone could feel just how much vast mana was intertwined within that curved surface that had no inside or outside.
Lennok, too, felt its overwhelming power the moment he saw the band of the Great Connection and was inwardly amazed.
‘The density is incredible… In terms of power compression, it surpasses any concept I’ve ever seen.’
The density of mana and information contained within that Möbius strip was on a level even Lennok had never seen before.
As a concept that connects all spells in this world, it wouldn’t be strange for its power to be on a pan-cosmic scale.
He once again realized why so many spellcasters sympathized with and followed the Alliance’s cause.
That single-surfaced rotating body, spinning elegantly at the center of The Nest, was proof of the Leader’s greatness.
It was tantamount to a symbol that he had found a meaningful answer in this closed world.
Amidst the hollow where emotions of undeniable awe and admiration burst forth, the Chroma Spell Master turned around.
“What you are seeing now is a terminal that has materialized the power of the Great Connection into reality, a core device for proceeding with the restoration ritual. Virtually all of The Nest’s power is being consumed to maintain this terminal.”
“To have materialized the power of the Great Connection directly… was this the work of the Grand Spell Masters?”
“The Stillness Spell Master halted the Great Connection, and the Conjunction Spell Master conjoined a part of it to materialize it. The Fairy Conjunction Master moved the terminal to The Nest via the Spirit World.”
The Transcendents, who had been listening silently, chimed in as if they found the names interesting.
“The Stillness Spell Master, I heard he’s a powerhouse comparable to the Conjunction Spell Master among the Grand Spell Masters. I heard he’s single-handedly responsible for the Northern Front.”
“Antares once mentioned that the Stillness Spell Master has a very unique bloodline. I’d like to fight him someday.”
“He hasn’t left his domain in decades. It’ll be hard to even see his face unless you go to him directly.”
“Aww.”
“I have something to ask about that.”
While Kalion looked crestfallen at the Fairy Conjunction Master’s scoffing reply, Lennok asked.
“Among the Grand Spell Masters, the Conjunction Spell Master is already dead. Does that mean this terminal was created before he died?”
“That is correct. You’ve pointed out the most important part, Tower Lord,” the Chroma Spell Master said.
“Now that the Conjunction Spell Master has died at the First Gate, the Alliance currently has no way to recreate this terminal. This means that the moment it is damaged, the Alliance’s plan will come to nothing.”
“…”
The surroundings turned unnaturally quiet.
“It won’t matter after the restoration of the Great Connection is successfully completed and the Fusion Spell Master ascends to the position of a new Grand Spell Master, but until then, this terminal must be protected no matter what.”
“It seems that after a new Grand Spell Master is born, the terminal for the Great Connection can be made again.”
“Becoming a Grand Spell Master is a process of connecting one’s own spellcraft to the Great Connection to support it.”
The Chroma Spell Master agreed with Lennok’s words.
“It’s fine if it’s just a temporary proxy like the Yeonri Spell Master, but to completely replace one, reconstruction must come first. This is also why the Alliance has invited you all for this matter.”
“…”
“Because we are using the entire power of The Nest to maintain the terminal of the Great Connection, during the restoration ritual, all of you will be using the entirety of The Nest as a battlefield.”
Taking a brush from his sleeve, the Chroma Spell Master naturally began to draw in the air.
“We will deploy our forces according to the positions and formations agreed upon in the meeting. Once the ritual begins, you will buy as much time as possible…”
“…”
The Chroma Spell Master drew a schematic of The Nest and immediately began assigning personnel, but Lennok ignored him and fell into quiet thought.
“Adamant Thunder.”
The Fairy Conjunction Master called to Lennok quietly.
“You seem to have a lot on your mind. Is there something you can’t accept?”
“The flow…”
“What?”
“The flow… is strangely fast,” Lennok answered.
“We finish the meeting as soon as we gather at the Alliance headquarters and immediately begin the restoration ritual. The situation is understandable, but the process is excessively rushed.”
“…”
“The Leader said he didn’t have much time left.”
Slowly turning to the Fairy Conjunction Master, Lennok asked.
“Is the Alliance in such a tight spot that they must start the restoration ritual as soon as possible?”
“A tight spot… not necessarily.”
The Fairy Conjunction Master crossed her arms and slowly tilted her head.
“Supporting the Great Connection is the role of the Grand Spell Masters, but it’s not so flimsy a structure that it would falter with one missing. The leadership is probably worried about something else.”
“Something else…”
Despite being one of the Alliance’s Grand Spell Masters, the Fairy Conjunction Master often spoke of the Alliance’s decisions as if they were someone else’s problem.
Was it because, for her, who spent most of her time in the Spirit World, the affairs of the mortal world didn’t resonate as strongly?
In any case, it was clear that her position and status within the Alliance were special, different from the other Grand Spell Masters—
And for that reason, the moment he heard the Fairy Conjunction Master’s answer, Lennok could guess the reason as well.
“Information leaks… or they’re wary of external observation.”
“From the moment we contacted the collaborators and moved to The Nest, it’s inevitable that information previously confined to the Alliance would be shared outside,” the Fairy Conjunction Master nodded.
“The Cult has many bizarre ability users who defy imagination, so they could read our plans and interfere in some way later on. They’re trying to start the ritual as quickly as possible before such variables arise.”
“I see. They will try to interfere in some way later on…”
He understood what she meant.
According to the Leader’s explanation, as soon as the restoration ritual began, the Grand Spell Masters would be unable to move from their respective positions.
The Alliance was likely trying to start the ritual and force a quick conclusion before variables they couldn’t control increased.
“…No.”
But upon hearing that, Lennok slowly raised his gaze.
“It won’t be something that happens later.”
“What?”
“If I were the Cult, I would definitely, right now—”
The long-standing war between the Cult and the Alliance. A crucial turning point that could change its course and outcome.
The moment the Chroma Spell Master, who had been directing them while drawing the schematics of The Nest with a brush, turned around.
“From this moment, we will officially begin the restoration ritual of the Great Connection—”
CRASH!!!!
The Chroma Spell Master’s words were cut short.
Before he could finish, the glass ceiling of The Nest shattered, and something plummeted down at incredible speed.
WEEEEEEEEEEN!!!!!
At the same time, red warning lights flashed explosively from all directions, and an ear-splitting siren blared.
“…!!!!”
The Chroma Spell Master’s reaction, having noticed the anomaly, was astonishingly fast.
He crushed the schematics of The Nest drawn in the air, scattering them, then drew over them, creating a shield above his head.
A nimble reaction, constructing a barrier and attempting to protect himself before even properly identifying what was falling from the ceiling.
However, the falling thing did not slow down even as it saw the shield deployed above the Spell Master’s head.
Shwwwwwwwk!!!
Instead, it kicked off powerfully, leaping into the offensive of the collaborators who had stepped forward to intercept it—
And as if by magic, it ignored all resistance and defenses, traversing space to appear behind the Chroma Spell Master in an instant.
Fwoosh!!
“Chroma Spell Master. A pleasure to meet you for the first time.”
An old man in a fedora smiled, holding a sword that emanated a chilling frost.
“And farewell.”
“Ah…!!!”
Shk!
The moment a sharp gleam of a sword descended at a speed invisible to the eye and passed through the Chroma Spell Master.
A red line was vertically etched across the Chroma Spell Master’s face, and the gruesome sound of flesh being sliced echoed.
As the Spell Master’s body was bisected vertically and split apart, the frozen halves of his torso collapsing, the old man turned around.
“It seems I must greet you unbelievers again.”
“…You are.”
“It seemed it would be fine to begin right away without dragging things out.”
In the frozen silence, the old man adjusted his fedora.
The face of the old man holding the frozen sword was grotesque, as if someone had vomited up rags.
The form of a gruesome monster, as if a human corpse and an Apostle’s flesh had been stitched together.
The moment Lennok superimposed the face of someone from his memory onto the old man’s.
“I am the 5th Apostle of the Guido Cult. My name is Eldrih.”
The 5th Apostle, stepping over the corpse, looked down at the assembly and spoke softly.
“From this moment on, I will sever the Alliance’s long-standing Great Connection, so I advise you all to be aware of that.”