Chapter 719: Breaking and Entering (12)

Whoosh!

While he sent Tatiana off to the launchpad first, Lennok pulled a cigarette from his pocket.

He had been chain-smoking ever since the battle ended, utterly exhausted. Considering the conversation ahead, there was no need to show his fatigue in front of Peshia.

Lennok, who had been watching the direction Tatiana vanished, tapped his still-dead phone and spoke.

“You’re awake, aren’t you? By now, you should be able to understand basic conversation.”

An 8-level High-Hierarchy Superhuman.

Especially one who transcends Hierarchy by building upon their physical body—their durability and regenerative power already exceed the limits of their species.

Unless their life was completely extinguished, they would somehow cling to life and attempt to recover at an unbelievably rapid pace.

Even if their entire body was shattered and they fell into a comatose state, as long as their consciousness has awakened like this, they must be able to communicate.

“I’ll speak assuming you’re listening.”

Lennok sat down in front of Peshia, who had her head bowed low, and met her gaze.

Puffing on his cigarette and lost in thought, Lennok spoke.

“As far as I know, Kaiser Bajour’s son is already dead.”

“…….”

Without waiting for a reply, Lennok slowly recounted his memories.

“Kaiser’s innate Regressive Magic. He couldn’t live long because he ambiguously inherited that natural talent.”

Although a significant amount of time had passed, Lennok vividly remembered what he had experienced in the illusions of the past as if it were yesterday.

Memories of the past, occurring in Restricted Area 25. The superhumans from decades ago, vibrantly alive within them.

Up to Kaiser’s final moments, when he understood his own situation and chose annihilation.

The pocket watch he left behind, and the Mind Imprint of his Domain, were still vividly clear, as if he could grasp them.

Because he remembered every word Kaiser spoke in his final moments.

Even though he couldn’t empathize with the will Kaiser left behind, he considered it worthy of that much respect.

Lennok simply couldn’t comprehend that the leader of Deadrise was Kaiser’s son.

“Kaiser only found out quite late that he had a granddaughter. If he had another child, there’s no way he wouldn’t have mentioned it.”

“…….”

“Answer me. Is your legion’s leader truly his son?”

If there had been another child besides the son who died young, the project wouldn’t have easily disintegrated with Kaiser’s death.

Furthermore, Jenny wouldn’t have been barely working as a broker in Sector 49, needing Jordan’s help.

If the leader of Deadrise truly is Kaiser’s son, then that means he is Jenny’s biological father.

To hear an explanation for this situation, where cause and effect seemed severed like a broken tape, Lennok felt it necessary to keep Peshia alive, even if it wasn’t for his deal with Olivera.

Peshia, who had been listening to Lennok’s questions silently, her lips twisted faintly.

“…You, you were involved after all.”

Her vocal cords were completely burned, her voice hoarse and cracked.

Though speaking itself must have been agonizing, Peshia ignored it and let out a low chuckle.

“At that time, not many understood his circumstances so deeply…”

“…….”

“Yes… I thought it might be so. He always considered countermeasures and told us to prepare for what came next.”

Peshia muttered bitterly.

“Even if he prepared an alternative like you, keeping it secret from us… I can accept it.”

“Well, from what I see, it doesn’t seem like you’ve accepted Kaiser’s ideals.”

Lennok retorted dismissively.

“The Kaiser I remember wasn’t foolish enough to dabble in human sacrifice. But what about what you’re doing now?”

“…….”

“After you resolve the immediate problems by using power that naturally belongs to the cult, what will be left then?”

“Oh really?”

Peshia struggled to lift her head.

Her terribly burned eyes gleamed with undisguised cynicism.

“You know all that, yet you’ve joined forces with Olivera again?”

“…….”

“You’re no different. What makes you so different from us that you possess his memento?”

Peshia spoke with difficulty, as if spitting out words.

“When the project failed, and no alternatives were left for us… why didn’t you help us then?”

Undisguised hatred blazed in her eyes as she desperately spat out each fragmented word.

“It’s no longer needed. Nothing can be undone now. But even if I abandon all other values he held dear… I will protect this one thing.”

“Protect one thing?”

“Lord Bajour knew that better than anyone. That one thing is enough.”

Peshia, after spitting that out, lifted her head as if she had no more regrets.

“That’s enough. Just put those damn restraints back on. You’re going to take me to Olivera, aren’t you?”

“…….”

“Heh heh heh, I don’t care. It’ll be a long time since I’ve seen that woman’s face… the one I want to tear to shreds…”

Peshia closed her eyes, not even breathing, as if she had no intention of saying anything more.

Did she know, from the moment she was captured, that things wouldn’t end well, and that she was connected to Olivera?

Considering her reaction, it seemed clear that she and Olivera had a long-standing bitter rivalry.

As much as he wanted to press for more about that time, forcing it now would likely only expose Lennok’s ignorance.

For now, it would be better to leave room for Peshia’s misunderstanding.

“Alright. I’ll do that.”

Lennok replied, taking out the Charm of Earth’s Embrace again.

Peshia’s eyes briefly flared as she looked at the prayer beads, but before she could speak, it restrained her, fixing her and the space itself.

Lennok transferred the tightly bound Peshia to a magic cord, then spotted Tatiana standing in front of the launchpad and called out to her.

“Tatiana.”

“Van, is it all over?”

“More or less.”

Lennok said, turning his gaze.

“Where are the other executives?”

Tatiana shook her head with a troubled expression.

“Meryllda retreated, and Anghel came with me this far, but now he’s nowhere to be seen.”

Immediately after Lennok began his battle with Peshia, Meryllda subdued the incapacitated Starkton, secured Killian, and retreated.

Conversely, Tatiana and Anghel had entered the launchpad to stop the satellite launch.

Thanks to the two executives risking their lives and playing their part in the operation, things went more smoothly than expected.

He hadn’t expected them to face Peshia, so their decisive contribution to the operation’s progress could be considered a help.

Lennok quickly cast Mana Sensitivity and nodded.

“Meryllda is out of range, and Anghel is unconscious beneath the water pipe.”

“Beneath the water pipe? Why did he burrow so deep?”

“To explain that, one must first understand the hypothesis that innate elemental superhumans instinctively cling to their environment—”

Tatiana cut Lennok off sharply as he began to elaborate.

“So, he stays in places where there’s likely to be moisture?”

“…Exactly. It seems his life isn’t in danger, so let’s prioritize recovering the necessary items from the launchpad.”

Lennok, cigarette in mouth, nodded as he injected a painkiller ampoule into his shoulder.

“There are a few things I couldn’t retrieve while fighting the Ghost Princess. We’ll need them for what comes next.”

Rumble!

In the distance, the launchpad and factory debris, broken in half and blazing fiercely.

The wreckage was melting down, irrevocably damaged beyond any hope of recovery.

The satellite located within must also have suffered fatal damage. It would never function properly again.

Tatiana watched the explosion site with a complicated expression.

Lennok, pulling a cart and walking, suddenly asked.

“Do you regret it?”

“…No, not at all.”

Tatiana replied quietly to Lennok’s question.

“I had to send it off like this. If anything, it was too late.”

“…….”

“It was something I should have done sooner, but I was insufficient…”

Rather than letting it suffer by becoming engine material, it was right to borrow the authority of the Phoenix Hall and give it peace.

Tatiana had made that clear to Lennok from the beginning, and Lennok had accepted it.

That’s why, even when their opinions didn’t completely align, Tatiana had accepted the farewell.

Lennok slowly raised his gaze and spoke.

“…It’s regrettable. This is all I could do.”

“No, if you hadn’t inherited the Magic Tower’s authority, even this kind of ending would have been impossible.”

There wasn’t a hint of hesitation in Tatiana’s words.

Her shoulders, as she turned her gaze, trembled faintly.

“Thank you. Truly.”

“…….”

Lennok didn’t entirely agree with the saying that ‘if it ends with good memories, everything is good.’

In this world, there are countless things where the process is more important than the result, and countless outcomes where even good memories are unsatisfactory.

Ultimately, setting those standards and making judgments rests within one’s own heart.

Yet, was Tatiana feeling relief that she had brought peace to a death so twisted it couldn’t be undone?

Mourning someone’s death isn’t difficult. He could understand and empathize with that emotion too.

But would Lennok also feel the same relief as her, at the end of the conclusion that awaited him?

Lennok, a wry smile on his face, headed with Tatiana towards the collapsed launchpad facility.

“Are there any Deadrise remnants left?”

“No signs detected by my senses.”

Lennok and Peshia’s battle was a fierce engagement that had scoured the entire theme park, tearing everything apart.

Even if they were lucky enough to survive, they probably weren’t in good shape.

Scanning the area with Mana Sensitivity would confirm it, but there was more important work to do.

Click!

The shattered debris of the satellite beneath the launchpad.

From amidst it, he slowly extracted the satellite engine, which had still preserved its original form.

“Van, try to hold it more firmly…!! It keeps slipping out.”

“The magical manipulation is under strain, making control difficult.”

“If you can’t control it, I’ll be crushed to death…!!”

Screech…!!

Tatiana strenuously pulled out the engine, which was the size of a human torso, from within the satellite debris.

Lennok extended his magic cord above Tatiana’s head, who was desperately holding up the engine, even using physical reinforcement despite her lack of aptitude for it.

Swish!

The magic cord tightened over the sleek spherical engine, distributing its weight.

Only then did Tatiana, finally freed, collapse onto the floor, profusely sweating.

“I’ve never even had to reinforce my body like this on a battlefield…!!”

“You did well.”

The satellite’s engine was made of powerful magic-resistant materials, making external magical interference difficult.

It was so difficult to touch unless the engine was physically extracted, as they were doing now.

Of course, it wasn’t impossible if Lennok set his mind to it, but his high mana consumption from the battle with Peshia made delicate manipulation difficult.

That’s why Tatiana, not Lennok, personally went in and carried the engine out.

Leaving Tatiana to rub her wrist, Lennok immediately reached out his left arm.

“Let’s start right away. We should test its performance while the engine is preheated.”

Returning to the launchpad and extracting the engine wasn’t merely to claim spoils.

He knew the true value of the satellite Deadrise intended to launch lay within this engine.

The satellite, designed to operate in the atmosphere, was broken, yet the engine, embedded as its component, was perfectly intact.

This meant that Deadrise had paid extremely careful attention to the engine’s design and power unit.

Whirr!

Lennok nodded, channeling mana directly into the sleek engine’s body.

“As expected, they heavily borrowed from anti-gravity engine technology. And it doesn’t end there; I see traces of hundreds of spell adjustments.”

“It was probably preliminary work to use the Phoenix Hall as a power source.”

Tatiana also examined the engine’s interior beside Lennok and replied.

“An enormous heat source would be needed to power a satellite. This must have been a measure to fully operate the heat internally.”

“Most of it consists of ‘Overlapping Spell-Words’ that superimpose concepts. It seems intended to extend the Tower’s concept into the atmosphere.”

It wasn’t just that the Phoenix Hall was a powerful heat source and thus needed as an engine component.

They intended to establish a new branch of the Magic Tower in the atmosphere, centered around the Phoenix Hall, which serves as the Magic Tower’s Authority Receptacle.

The fundamental goal was to extend the Tower’s concept skyward through it, protecting the satellite and expanding their sight to observe the Central Front.

Deadrise and the Magic Tower had joined forces, needing each other’s technology and magic, to construct this satellite.

“By analyzing the engine’s internal structure, we can understand how they intended to utilize the Phoenix Hall.”

Tatiana nodded.

“Then, when you establish a new Magic Tower, you’ll be able to fully benefit from the results these guys created.”

If they intended to expand the Magic Tower’s concept skyward instead of keeping it bound to the ground, wouldn’t it be far more useful to exploit their achievements rather than destroy them?

Lennok and Tatiana had been aware of this from the start and had even planned to recover the engine after all events concluded.

“What do you think? Want to try experimenting with it here?”

“That would be good.”

Lennok said, stroking his left arm.

“This one seems ready.”

Rumble…!!

The crimson flame spiral wrapped around his forearm, twisting like a snake, flowing out with Lennok’s touch.

[Flame-type Unique Magic High-Hierarchy User confirmed.]

[Responding to the summoner’s will, constructing form.]

Whoosh!

Above his right hand, the Phoenix Hall’s will-thought, transformed into a small firebird, lifted its head and flapped its wings.

[Official succession candidate recognized.]

[Please designate authority.]

As Tatiana gave a wry smile, Lennok held the firebird in both hands and placed it on the engine’s power unit.

At the top of the engine, split in half, was a small chamber shaped like a fist-sized receptacle.

The firebird gazed at Lennok, then hopped into the chamber.

Like a small bird nesting, it folded its wings and pressed its body close to the power unit.

The firebird closed its eyes, nuzzled its beak, and nodded.

[Considering the output of this receptacle, suitability is medium-to-high.]

[Understood.]

At that reply, Lennok and Tatiana silently exchanged glances.

“…That means it’s good, right?”

“It’s a very roundabout way of saying ‘not bad’.”

[Output settling complete. Solar System proxy manifested.]

Boom!

At that moment, dozens of long flames burst out from all sides of the engine, instantly lifting its body into the air.

Rumble!

A heavy whirring sound, and simultaneously, the engine’s internal output rotated, a wondrous feat that lifted the engine itself into the air.

While it was similar to the Anti-gravity Engine Lennok had developed, the engine’s true capability lay in what happened next.

[Provisional Labyrinth appearance pending. Prepare for impact.]

RUUUMBLE!!!

Red pulsations, swirling around the Phoenix Hall engine, instantly shook the entire ground where the two stood.

A strange sensation of levitation, as if defying gravity.

The ground, engulfed in flames, trembled, then slowly began to rise.

Instantly, the land near the launchpad floated like a small island, and Tatiana looked down as she spoke.

“It’s operating more smoothly than I thought. Perhaps because it’s preheated, it seems ready to run right away.”

Tatiana muttered in wonder, then turned her gaze to Lennok as if remembering something.

“If this works well, we could really build a new Magic Tower in the sky, couldn’t we?”

“Good.”

Tatiana shook her head at Lennok’s nonchalant reply.

“Don’t be so indifferent. This is an unprecedented event. Is there anything you want to do once you establish the Magic Tower?”

“Hmm…”

Lennok chuckled, gazing at the slowly rising ground.

What more could he add about an achievement whose process and outcome were already fully predicted?

Talking about this and that now, before even properly establishing the Magic Tower, would just be meaningless fantasy.

If there was anything he vaguely thought of at this point—

“Why did they use the will-thought material of the 7th Magic Tower Lord as a power source?”

“What?”

Lennok spoke, disregarding Tatiana’s reaction.

“There must have been several relics of previous Magic Tower Lords in Blaiver Magic Tower’s main fortress. Wouldn’t there be a reason why they specifically chose the Phoenix Hall?”

“…….”

“An environment beyond high altitude. Power to withstand the atmosphere. Observation and sustainment overlooking the ground. If this was the only power source that could satisfy such demanding conditions and situations…”

[Consciousness transfer section established due to Domain formation complete.]

Before their eyes, a colossal firebird appeared, supporting the ground and lifting its head.

WHOOSH!

Lennok realized that sharp focus, which hadn’t originally been there, had settled in the firebird’s eyes, and he muttered.

“I wonder if it’s because the 7th Magic Tower Lord’s magic was more unique than the other Tower Lords.”

[Replaying the Message of the Seventh Sun.]

At that moment, a long staircase of flames began to unfold before their eyes.