Chapter 718: Housebreaking (11)
A beautifully sculpted glass garden.
A night sky with a sprawling Milky Way reflected overhead, and dew-laden flowers and trees quietly bow their heads.
The garden, submerged in quiet silence, as if completely detached from the busy affairs of the world.
Someone, who had been sitting on the lawn, tilting a wine glass, sharply turned their gaze.
“…Hmm.”
An elderly man with rugged features. His casually swept-back white hair gave him a rather antique air.
Despite his considerable age, what radiated from him was less the flow of time and more an explosive vitality.
That of a wizard who, despite the passage of countless years, still enjoyed his prime effortlessly.
The old man, who had been staring at the far side of the Milky Way with an ambiguous expression, soon tilted his head, as if failing to grasp something.
““I definitely felt it… strange.”
““What is it?”
From beyond the shadows within the garden. Someone sitting in a deeply shadowed chair asked.
A quiet presence enveloped in exceptionally deep shadows, even within the garden illuminated by the starlight.
Fingers, illuminated by starlight beyond the shadows, were transparent like glass.
““Have you made your decision?”
““You’re being too hasty. It’s not that.”
““Then why the frown, even after drinking the glass drops in my garden?”
At the words of the other, who asked questions in a level voice, the old man stroked his chin, lost in thought.
After a moment of thought, as if deciding to explain, he swirled the glass in his hand and replied.
““Lightning that touches the Horizon of Ideation begins to reverse beyond perception and speed.”
“…
““If you’re looking at the same scenery, just sometimes… you can perceive that moment.”
The old man’s words, suddenly delving into the principles of magic.
But the other immediately understood, and instead spoke with apparent interest.
““If what you say is true, then a Lightning Mage like you just crossed the Horizon of Ideation.”
““Perhaps.”
““Where?”
The other asked.
If that eccentric old man evaluated it to that extent, it was proof that lightning transcending limits had appeared somewhere on the continent.
And it meant that such a phenomenon was established in reality without borrowing any power from a Domain.
The master of the lightning the old man just mentioned must also be a powerful individual who has reached a transcendent Hierarchy.
““If there’s a wizard who communicates better than you, I’d certainly like to have a conversation with him.”
““Well, I’m not entirely sure myself.”
Even at the other’s blunt retort, the old man indifferently picked at his teeth.
““The ability to survey an entire planet is a privilege granted only to a handful of Ascendants. That’s not their own Domain.”
The old man, having said that, looked at the Milky Way flowing above his head and laughed.
““Rather, I suspect I was able to sense it because of this garden.”
“…
The glass garden where the two stood was no mere cleverly sculpted miniature space.
It was beyond a boundary, where the horizons of the real world had been shaved infinitely thin, ultimately narrowing to be closer to the Outer Sea than to reality.
The Milky Way seen overhead was not the real sky, but a glass window looking out onto the scenery of the Outer Sea.
Therefore, from this place, one could most sensitively perceive disaster-level events occurring across the world.
An impossibility without reaching a state where one could interfere with the space-time of the world, beyond merely manipulating space directly.
But the old man, knowing this fact, neither guarded against nor revered the one before him.
Only someone of that caliber could entertain the insane notion of weaving all the spells in this world into one.
““I enjoyed the drink. And since I’ve seen something interesting, I don’t think there’s any need to stay here any longer.”
Thud!!
The old man, tossing his glass, rose to his feet.
His antique ceremonial robes, as if someone had dressed him, were crumpled and disheveled, but the old man paid them no mind.
The other knew that the robes were Spell-crafted Armaments, inherited for a very long time, but didn’t bother to mention it.
Instead, their transparent gaze simply shone from beyond the shadows.
““Have you made your decision?”
““Yes. I’ve thought about it, but joining the Order Alliance would be difficult.”
The old man chuckled, looking at him.
““How can I trust those bastards running things in the center? To this old man, the Cult and you lot are all the same.”
“…
““Put the tab on my credit. I’ll have one of my subordinates pay for it later. Was it ‘glass drops’ you called it?”
““There’s no need. It’s not something whose value can be measured by worldly currency in the first place.”
The other said so, slowly leaning back from beyond the shadows.
““But that’s a pity… I thought we’d at least need the power of a War Entrepreneur to stand a chance against the Apostles.”
The ceasefire agreement between the Order Alliance and the Guido Cult, signed after the death of Amrita, the 10th Apostle of the Cult.
But the agreement, whose very formation was peculiar, was spiraling towards disaster faster than expected.
Apostles were resuming activities across various fronts, and reports of human sacrifice, which had decreased, were now increasing again.
What did it mean for the Cult, which had been quiet throughout the ceasefire, to start moving again now?
That they had fully recovered from the damage incurred by Amrita’s death, and were ready to press forward again towards their paradise.
It was clear as day where the Cult’s re-established power would strike first.
““Agreement or not, you sort it out yourselves. No matter how I think about it, there’s nothing to gain from this.”
The old man chuckled, picking at his teeth.
““Didn’t you declare a ceasefire with those mad fanatics because you were confident you could handle them?”
“”…The 2nd Apostle is different from the others.“
The other spoke quietly.
““He functions as an Apostle yet is not consumed by madness. Even when the agreement was made here, we couldn’t foresee anything.”
“…
““He is empty, and thus filled with motives no one can understand. It’s closer to independence, not relying on the Cult’s doctrines. If your opponent is an incomprehensible enemy—”
The other wiggled transparent fingers towards the smiling old man.
““As you said, wouldn’t something that transcends the Horizon of Ideation be necessary?”
Countless wizard organizations exist on the continent, but among them, there is one tower that has maintained a uniquely distinct path for centuries.
Thorben, which has researched and inherited unique lightning-based magic.
Wizards who obsess over inner flames and lightning, and have directly proven their power by diving into the war business.
Centuries ago, everyone called them mad, but now, they had become ‘entrepreneurs’ who traded war.
““That’s not wrong. It’s only natural that Thorben’s thunder is the heaviest and fastest.”
The old man chuckled and turned to leave.
““Our lightning is the most dazzling, and our will moves first. That’s a natural fact. But—”
The old man abruptly stopped speaking and turned his gaze from the edge of the glass garden.
Referring to the other, who still hadn’t emerged from beyond the shadows, the old man spoke mockingly.
““If there’s one lesson I’ve learned from living long, it’s to look before you leap.”
““Why?”
““Because with a stage and actors of this caliber, once you swing, there’s no turning back. Be it will or magic.”
“…
The old man gave a dark smile towards the silent other.
““You arrive at your destination before you can even withdraw your hand. That’s why you must consider carefully and make your decision.”
The light buoyancy that had surrounded the old man was gone, replaced by a gloomy, ponderous magical power that filled the space.
The true nature of a Warmage, which he had never revealed in the center of the garden.
The old man slowly murmured, looking at the other.
““I care not for the Cult or the Alliance. Bring me a better offer. Until then, Thorben will not intervene in this war.”
He moved, not waiting for a reply.
The glass garden, created by slicing the world’s space thin.
From its edge, as if tearing through a thin membrane, he stepped back into reality.
The floating sensation, as if drifting through an illusion, vanished, and the mundane air of the world pressed down on the old man once more.
““Well, then…”
The old man, straightening his hunched back and exhaling lightly, gazed at the horizon for a moment before smiling.
““Shall I go find out what kind of fellow the master of that lightning was?”
He hadn’t explained it in detail to the Order Alliance, but the old man knew the meaning of the lightning that had grazed the Horizon of Ideation.
It was not a power achievable merely by long and arduous cultivation of unique lightning-based magic.
A state beyond merely changing the properties of lightning, forcibly twisting and rewriting its very concept.
It was insufficient to merely complete a Hierarchy, and even transcending a Hierarchy fell slightly short.
Proof of a Transcendent who, beyond simply obtaining the title of Grand Wizard, was re-establishing the Hierarchy itself.
That alone was sufficient to say that the ‘vessel’ was already complete.
““Is the roar of thunder still echoing in this era?”
As the old man, asking himself, stepped forward, pure white lightning surged up his legs.
Crackle, crackle…!!
Immediately after lightning flashed beneath his bent shadow, the old man’s form flickered and vanished beyond the horizon.
Rumble rumble rumble!!!
Heat boiling like lava. Traces on the ground where metal and earth had melted indiscriminately.
The heat rising from the theme park, which had transformed into a living hell, shimmered into a haze, swaying the dawn sky.
Lennok sat perched on the collapsed Ferris wheel, silently observing the devastation he himself had wrought.
From below Lennok, who took out a cigarette from his pocket, someone’s voice was heard.
““Van…?”
A red-haired wizard covered in dust and blood. Her attire was messy, and her appearance was nearly in shambles.
Tatiana was looking up at Lennok, struggling to steady herself.
““What are you doing up there?”
Lennok, with the cigarette in his mouth, smiled as he looked at her.
““You’re awake. Are you alright?”
“”…Thanks to you. I feel like I’m dying, but somehow I’m alive.“
Tatiana, who had slumped down with difficulty beneath the Ferris wheel wreckage, retorted as if dumbfounded.
““Are you alright? You look more unscathed than I do, but…”
Though covered in dust and looking a bit tired, Lennok himself had no significant injuries or wounds.
He looked remarkably clean, almost impossibly so for the person who had just waged a fierce battle that shook heaven and earth, pulverizing the entire area.
Lennok exhaled smoke and replied casually.
““I used a lot of magic, but it wasn’t unmanageable. Just a little tired.”
““That’s absurd… It’s more terrifying that you can say something like that so nonchalantly.”
Tatiana let out a hollow laugh, as if flabbergasted.
Was he saying that even when facing Peshia, with whom it was difficult to even buy time, he concluded the battle merely by overspending his magic?
It was almost unbelievable that the outcome itself was due to a plan originally intending to capture her alive.
They were breathing and talking in the same space, but their perspectives were already on different levels.
““It’s you who probably has a bigger problem than just injuries.”
Lennok asked, rubbing his throbbing forearm.
““Geas. Has it completely vanished now?”
“”…Yes.“
Tatiana gave a wistful smile.
““All the restrictions my master placed on me, they took away instead.”
“…
The Geas that required a spark to use conflagration magic.
Besides that, all the restrictions placed to maximize her magic’s power were gone.
A miracle where the achievements from the Geas remained intact, but only the binding vanished.
Lennok also had a strong interest in it, but it wasn’t something he could research immediately.
““Once things settle down, I’ll properly research it. I have many questions about the Geas’s disappearance and combustion.”
““Alright. But why are you holding your cigarette to the lava?”
““I just wondered for a moment if pyromancy flames might have such an ability.”
Lennok tilted his head, looking at the cigarette that, far from lighting, had burned down to the filter.
““It doesn’t work well. Maybe it needs higher heat resistance than this?”
“…
Lennok subtly averted his gaze from Tatiana’s eyes, which looked as if she was staring at someone mentally ill.
Tatiana, too, instead of dwelling on Lennok’s eccentricities, asked something else.
““What happened with the fight? Where’s Ghost Princess?”
Immediately after appeasing the spirits of her fellow wizards and preventing the satellite launch, Tatiana lost consciousness on the spot.
The mental fatigue accumulated since fleeing the Magic Tower with the Phoenix Hall, and the fierce battle fought during the operation.
The extreme magic consumption paid to survive. All these factors combined, causing her to lose consciousness.
She knew well that the reason she could open her eyes seemingly fine, despite sensing death, was because of the wizard before her.
It was likely because Lennok had faced Peshia and concluded the battle that the collapsed amusement park was so quiet.
But Lennok was perfectly fine, so what did it mean that Ghost Princess was nowhere to be seen?
“”…Did you kill her?“
At Tatiana’s question, spoken as if she could barely believe it, Lennok gestured with his eyes behind her.
Tatiana turned her gaze and gasped at the sight in the distance.
Between the charred and evaporated framework of the observatory, someone’s form hung grotesquely.
Her entire body’s skin was burned and distorted, making it difficult to even guess her face, but Tatiana immediately recognized her.
““Unbelievable….”
Tatiana slowly approached her, a choked expression on her face.
Lennok, who had been watching her from behind, suddenly spoke as if something just occurred to him.
““Don’t get too close. She might still be alive.”
““What?!! Alive…!!”
For Tatiana, who was about to say it was a miracle the body was even intact, this was astonishing.
Lennok nodded, putting the cigarette in his mouth and lighting it.
““Originally, I intended to annihilate her, but she was lucky. I had just enough energy left to leave a corpse.”
The spear Peshia Grisbern hurled in her final attack was a single shot containing an entire Miniature Universe.
Because it was a power created with the resolve to completely damage her Hierarchy, it became a suicidal technique that disregarded her own existence.
From the moment she slammed her entire Miniature Universe into the spear shaft and threw it, Peshia’s own body became infinitely vulnerable.
Lennok, perceiving this at the moment he tore apart the grotesque dragon’s spirit with Sand-borne Divine Thunder, slightly reduced the power of the Thunder Genesis he chanted a second time.
He adjusted it to a level where Peshia’s physical body would not be completely annihilated.
““Th-that’s right. The fact that the observatory’s framework even remains….”
Tatiana, belatedly surveying the surrounding landscape, let out an awkward exclamation of admiration.
If the firepower was enough to erase an 8-level physical superhuman, the observatory would have vanished without a trace.
The mere fact that a form remained to bind Peshia was proof that he had controlled the power.
““I figured it out after I acted, thinking I should leave a body as evidence. The possibility is quite high.”
“…
Tatiana, approaching cautiously with awkward steps, carefully examined her.
Her appearance, hanging from the observatory framework, would have looked stranger if she weren’t dead.
But Lennok’s words couldn’t be false, so as Tatiana mustered her remaining magic to check her condition, her expression turned strange.
“”…Van, this woman isn’t breathing.“
““Someone like Ghost Princess isn’t limited by breathing for survival.”
““Then what about her heart not beating?”
“…
Only then did Lennok approach Tatiana and examine Peshia’s form.
Leaning on his staff, Lennok observed Peshia, then slowly nodded.
““She’s alive, as expected. Look here.”
Lennok said so, pointing to Peshia’s shoulder blade.
““It’s slight, but the muscles below her collarbone are swelling.”
““Why is that?”
““She’s prioritizing the regeneration of her most crucial internal muscles and blood vessels near her organs.”
“…
““I heard that transcendent physical superhumans can enter a state of suspended animation optimized for survival, even unconsciously. It wasn’t just a rumor.”
Instinctively, they prioritize internal organs necessary for survival, and sequentially repeat regeneration and recovery.
In that process, to minimize energy consumption, they forcibly shut down consciousness and fall into suspended animation.
Since all external stimuli are blocked, at this point, no words or voices would be heard.
Lennok, too, had known about this through old combat records and historical documents, but this was his first time witnessing it directly.
At Lennok’s reaction, observing Peshia with apparent interest, Tatiana shook her head in disbelief.
““If you’re just going to keep staring, I’ll move her myself?”
“”…No, wait a moment.“
Lennok replied, slowly extending a hand and placing it on Peshia’s brow.
““I think I can wake only her consciousness with a slight touch.”
““What?”
““Her body is in suspended animation, but her consciousness isn’t damaged. If I just stimulate her precognitive aptitude a little…”
Ping!!
The moment he lightly flicked the Will-thought infused into his fingertip into Peshia’s mind.
Peshia’s eyelids, which had been still as if dead, twitched briefly for a moment.
Lennok nodded towards Tatiana, as if to say “See?”
““I can forcibly awaken her by stimulating only her consciousness like this.”
“”…I have no idea what you’re talking about.“
Tatiana hadn’t fought Peshia directly, so the talk about precognitive aptitude would be hard for her to understand.
Lennok, not expecting a positive reaction anyway, shook his head with a smile.
““I didn’t need to say that. More importantly, could you clean up the surroundings first?”
Lennok turned his gaze towards Peshia, who was convulsing, bound by the Charm of Earth’s Embrace.
The wizard’s eyes, looking down at her, emitted a strange light.
““Because I still have things to talk about with this woman.”
Deadrise’s secrets that Peshia had mentioned. The leader commanding the legion.
There was still a fact to confirm regarding Kaiser’s son.