Chapter 828: Knot (15)

“An interesting item, indeed.”

Lennok finally understood Oris’s true intentions and chuckled.

“Are you saying this item allows me to become a Military Spirit after I die?”

A pendant that prevents the soul’s annihilation, not just the body’s death. It was astonishing enough that such an artifact existed, but the intent behind it – to turn Lennok into a Military Spirit – was even more baffling.

He had expected Oris wanted to speak with him alone one last time, but it seemed it was to bestow this gift.

Yet, there was no doubt that this was the greatest favor the spirit before him could offer Lennok.

“Yes, if you happen to kick the bucket somewhere unlucky later, come find Yorta after you become a Military Spirit.”

Oris grinned and nodded.

“I’ll consider this matter a special grace, and then I shall accept you as a spirit of Yorta.”

Lennok, who had been silent, nodded.

“…Alright. I’ll take it. But that won’t happen.”

Lennok put the pendant inside his clothes and stood up from the ferry.

“There won’t be a second chance for me. That opportunity isn’t meant for me.”

“…”

Lennok’s talent wasn’t merely limited to innate intuition, judgment, reason, and self-awareness.

This body bound by penalties, and the magic and magical system he had built up until now.

All of it was the identity and standard that constituted Lennok’s very being.

No one had explained it directly, but he knew instinctively.

“As you said, it’s the same for me, Oris.”

Lennok smiled, looking at the Grand Arbitrator.

“This is the last time. This moment is everything for us.”

“…You.”

For Lennok, such a convenient scenario – dying once, becoming a Military Spirit, and then seeking another opportunity – simply didn’t exist.

That was a miracle permitted only to Transcendants who had already succeeded in ascension, transcending the shackles of the flesh.

Lennok was given only one chance. And that chance coincided with the end of this body’s time.

Regardless of the favor Oris showed Lennok, he must not be mistaken.

Living in this world was unequivocally the lot of the living, those who possessed both spirit and flesh, and the boundary between life and death was one of the world’s fundamental standards.

Lennok himself could not tolerate allowing the exceptional experience in Yorta to make him complacent.

Perhaps surprised by Lennok’s uncharacteristically low voice, Oris gazed intently at Lennok’s Obsidian Mask for a long time, then nodded with a look of understanding.

“…Indeed. I spoke needlessly. Such words should bear no meaning for a living being in this world.”

“…”

“In that case, our connection must end here.”

As Lennok stepped onto the dock, Oris slowly bowed his head from the ferry.

“Farewell, troubled living being. Excellent spellcaster. Great seeker.”

“…”

“May you find what you desire on your path. And may you find peace at the end of your journey.”

Oris slowly turned the boat around, smiling as he looked at Lennok.

“I shall wait for you beyond death and watch the moment your journey ends. Thank you.”

Oris surely knew that Lennok was not merely a special-attribute spellcaster.

The ultimate technique Lennok had displayed against the spirits of the Court of Soul Pacification. The discussion he had shared alone with Croken.

And at its culmination, the brilliant radiance of Ouroboros unleashed against the thunderous monster.

But he asked no more questions, choosing instead to end their encounter by wishing Lennok well on his path.

This was the utmost respect shown to a seeker pursuing an end of the world that Oris could no longer reach or challenge.

And so, Lennok too slightly lifted his Obsidian Mask and nodded.

Whether that was enough, Oris’s figure vanished beyond the Headrain River with a satisfied smile.

The dazzling and beautiful city of ghosts, invisible beyond this swamp.

Even if Lennok were to reach that place again someday, it surely wouldn’t be in the same form as now.

But even so, this encounter certainly held meaning.

Thinking so, Lennok turned around immediately, leaving the receding ferry behind.

Caretakers rushing out from nearby, and other travelers just lining up to head for Yorta, seemed ready to speak to Lennok as if they had been waiting.

But by then, Lennok’s figure had already vanished into the swamp.

Lennok then immediately traversed the swamp, retracing his steps back towards Vulcan.

He didn’t forget to visit the battleground where he had fought Camlodal, who was controlling the mad Apostle.

“Nothing.”

At the place where he had hidden Priestess Seina’s body, there was no corpse left.

The coffin where her body had been stored had also vanished without a trace. Only the disturbed ground where Lennok had hidden it remained.

But what truly surprised Lennok wasn’t the disappearance of Seina’s body.

It was clear that the cult would exert all its efforts to recover Seina’s body anyway.

However, if there was one particularly intense obsession in the cult’s handling of affairs—

“To even recover Jinwa’s Spell-Word completely and erase all traces…”

The fundamental reason Lennok couldn’t take Seina’s body to Yorta was due to Jinwa’s Spell-Word imbued in her body.

Its energy was so potent that merely hiding it there had caused it to permeate and contaminate the entire swamp area, hadn’t it?

Now, Jinwa’s energy itself had completely vanished from the vicinity, as if washed away.

If someone unfamiliar were to visit this place, they would have no idea what had been there.

This was proof that even Jinwa’s Spell-Word, which had been contaminating the ground, had been meticulously recovered, erasing all traces.

Davi also peeked her head out from Lennok’s embrace, looking around.

[It should have been impossible to erase it after it infiltrated the ground beneath, how strange.]

“No doubt they erased the traces through human sacrifice. It’s obvious.”

He wouldn’t deny that he was somewhat impressed by Seina’s resolve in her sacrifice.

But that didn’t change the fact that the cult’s methods were base and incomprehensible.

Regardless of what choices the Pontiff had made to reach this point, it was clear that Lennok did not approve of the cult’s current conduct.

Therefore, instead of moving to pursue the already vanished Priestess’s body, Lennok cleanly gave up and moved towards Vulcan.

Since he had already inherited the High Priestess’s authority from Seina, there was no reason to search for her body.

However, one problem remained: whether this authority would stay with Lennok even after the next Priestess was confirmed.

Perhaps, through the High Priestess’s authority, Lennok might face a situation where he would be connected to the next Priestess.

Lennok fell into thought, looking down at the stigma carved on Seina’s wrist.

‘I could erase it anytime I wanted to…’

Through his Targeted Resistance, Lennok could always shed any external power etched onto his body.

However, considering the high possibility that the High Priestess’s authority could be useful in future cult-related matters, it was truly a waste to erase it immediately.

Ultimately, Lennok, unable to make an immediate decision, crossed the swamp, returned to the train he had taken, and arrived at a satellite city near Vulcan.

Along the way, he buried a few outlaws who tried to extort a suspicious robed wizard, a sight that now felt almost familiar, before boarding an airship bound for Vulcan.

Whirr!!

“…”

Hundreds of airships, never seen before, crisscrossed the skies above the colossal city, drawing skyways.

Airships connecting satellite cities to the mega-city circulated the outskirts, and people boarded and disembarked from stations built on the rooftops of high-rise buildings.

It felt as if new facilities and systems were being built and added every time Lennok left Vulcan and returned.

Thump!!

As soon as he landed in Vulcan’s outermost undeveloped district, he pulled out his bike.

While heading straight for the old cathedral in District 21 where Hylaea was staying, his phone inside his clothes began ringing madly.

As soon as he entered the mega-city’s communication network, his previously dead phone connected.

The accumulated messages and calls ceaselessly triggered his phone’s notifications.

Lennok abruptly turned his bike, stopped near the cathedral, adjusted his Obsidian Mask, and spoke.

“Davi. Filter out only important contacts and summarize them concisely.”

[Yes. Let’s see…]

Davi squirmed in his clothes, observing the phone’s network, and said with a bewildered expression.

[The Machine City was half-destroyed by an Apostle’s attack?]

“What?”

Screech!!

Lennok immediately slammed on the brakes and stopped.

Bang!!

The old cathedral located in District 21.

Hylaea, seated at the organ in the chapel, glanced back, then immediately looked surprised.

“…Victor? When did you return?”

“Something came up.”

Lennok leaned back into an old wooden chair, crossing his arms, and gestured to Hylaea with a tilted head.

“I’m leaving Vulcan soon. I have something to ask before I go, so if you have something to do, finish it quickly.”

“…I was just preparing for a meeting in the simulated consciousness space.”

Hylaea turned around with a reluctant expression and replied.

“The meeting will take a while. Can you wait until then?”

“What do you mean?”

“I heard about the commotion you caused in Yorta. They say it’s chaos because you brought down the Memorial Tower.”

“…”

“They say you rampaged so much that the entire atmospheric pressure around Military Spirit City changed. The communication network is abuzz with news related to you.”

Hylaea, leaving Lennok silent, subtly tested him by shaking her head.

“The weather near the Central Front was also affected, and countless organizations are investigating. Among them, many are openly searching for the culprit.”

“Well.”

Lennok sat back in the chapel chair, arms crossed, tilting his head with a bored expression.

“I wonder which madman committed such a reckless act.”

“…Really? You’re going to feign ignorance at this point?”

Lennok completely ignored Hylaea’s bewildered retort.

“You turned Kabahim upside down to get your hands on the Guide’s Ring. Now what excuse will you—”

“What are you talking about? Refrain from drawing conclusions that could be misleading.”

“…”

Wiping his mouth clean, Lennok feigned ignorance with a confident tone.

“I did visit Military Spirit City, but there weren’t many violent clashes as you might think.”

“You’re not saying there were none, then.”

Hylaea sighed and handed Lennok the tablet she was holding.

“Alright, stop talking nonsense and check this out.”

“What is it?”

“An image transmitted via Deadrise’s military network. I was lucky enough to obtain it and was just about to circulate it in the consciousness space.”

The image on the tablet was of a jet-black figure, drawn with elegant brushstrokes.

The drawing showed a figure in a drab, shadowy robe, wearing a jet-black mask, holding bombs in both hands.

Since no photo could be taken, they must have painstakingly drawn this image.

“As you said, I have absolutely no idea who this is. Do you?”

Hylaea laughed, leaving Lennok speechless.

“Deadrise released information about the culprit who brought down the Memorial Tower. It seems they were stationed near Yorta and deliberately collected information.”

“…”

So, in response to Lennok capturing and threatening Song-ha, they were retaliating by publicizing information?

“In a few hours, the embargo will be lifted, and the name of the terrorist who brought down the tower will be revealed.”

Hylaea asked with a smile.

“How does it feel to be a notorious criminal shaking the entire continent?”

“…You said you were preparing for a meeting earlier, didn’t you?”

Lennok turned off the tablet and stood up.

“Prepare it. I’m going in too.”

“What?”

“Deimus. He’s there, isn’t he?”

If Deimus, the Lieutenant General of Deadrise’s 7th Corps, was going to attend this meeting, Lennok could discuss this matter with him.

Lennok left the flustered Hylaea and forcibly connected to the simulated consciousness space she was preparing.

Since he had entered it once before, connecting and maintaining consciousness was not difficult.

Lennok’s consciousness floated upwards as if rising, then immediately plunged into the center of the consciousness space.

Swoosh!!

An endless dark void with several chairs scattered within it.

Among the Pandemonium members who had already arrived, Lennok spotted Deimus and spoke.

“Deimus. I have something to ask you.”

“…Yes. I did think there might be contact.”

But Deimus, seated in his chair, looked quite bewildered.

“However, I didn’t expect you to come in that form.”

“What?”

At that moment, Lennok realized that his form in the simulated consciousness space was not human.

A colossal void that seemed to fill and surge throughout the entire space.

He stood there in a grotesque, distorted form, like a monstrous creature of jet-black darkness, pinning one of the members beneath his foot.

“Ugh…”

The colossal form of void, distorted like a shadow, stood trampling a heavily intoxicated Vernon with its jet-black darkness.

Deimus stared at the sight with a weary expression and asked.

“What in the world happened in Yorta?”