Chapter 889: The Eye That Sees Fate (25)
“The 8th floor of the Magic Tower. There’s a subtle conflict where the barrier is cracking. It looks highly likely to wear down after about three hundred thousand repetitions.”
Sector 49. Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower.
Following Adamant Thunder’s word, Jenny hadn’t completely restricted Lapis’s movements.
She had merely assigned mercenaries to accompany her as surveillance.
But instead of struggling to escape, Lapis was doing something entirely different.
She was touring the Magic Tower, pointing out flaws and conflicts in the security system to the mercenaries.
“The elevator on the 7th floor. The mana flow is eroding. If it wasn’t installed with the expectation of taking damage, you should probably replace it.”
“Mana is leaking out of the barrier from the office on the 10th floor. It could be the work of an insider.”
“…Incredible.”
Soo-ryun, who was taking notes beside her, murmured in admiration.
“The points you just indicated are all issues the tower was already aware of or had actual problems with.”
“…”
“We hadn’t grasped the problem on the 10th floor, in particular. Considering the business partner branch located there was constantly changing, there must have been an issue. You’ve been a great help.”
“I just have good eyes.”
Lapis offered a faint smile.
“It’s nothing special.”
“No, it is special,” Soo-ryun asserted.
“The system currently protecting the Magic Tower is so complexly intertwined that no one besides the Tower Lord, Van, and Professor Vylun can properly understand it.”
“…”
Not noticing the smile vanish from Lapis’s face, Soo-ryun continued.
“To think your eyes can confirm things that are only possible through the intuition of a great wizard or the insight of a genius scholar.”
Soo-ryun gave a gentle smile.
“As great as that ability is, the Lighthouse Keeper must bear an equally heavy mission.”
“…I heard you are from the Eightfold Fortress, Soo-ryun-nim.”
Lapis quietly changed the subject.
“You left your home to help the Magic Tower. Has it been difficult for you?”
“Hmm, are you interested in me?”
Soo-ryun smiled sheepishly.
“It’s embarrassing to say, but I never liked my hometown. In fact, I wanted to leave the fortress so badly that I accepted Van’s offer.”
“…”
“The fortress I lived in maintained an isolated society for certain reasons… Of course, it wasn’t the fault of the family heads, but I wanted to leave.”
As she spoke, Soo-ryun turned and began walking toward the floor Lapis had just pointed out.
“Though I feel this city isn’t so different, I have no regrets. It was something I couldn’t have known without experiencing it myself.”
“Is that so…”
“That’s why, if you’ll forgive my impertinence, I hope this incident becomes a valuable experience for you as well.”
Soo-ryun’s expression turned serious as she looked back at Lapis.
“Van is not an evil person. If anything, he has a mirror-like quality when dealing with people.”
“…”
“I have never seen another high-ranking superhuman who tries so hard to retain their humanity.”
“That’s…”
“Of course, it wouldn’t be strange if my words sounded like utter nonsense to you.”
Soo-ryun smiled at Lapis, who didn’t deny it.
“However, I am confident that you will be able to leave Vulcan safely. Van will not kill you.”
“…”
Was it that she had to speak her mind about Adamant Thunder, even if it earned her Lapis’s enmity?
Though one could guess from her stiff tone and neat demeanor, Soo-ryun seemed to be a martial artist with a more upright character than Lapis had imagined.
“Ah, you said you wanted to stop by the archives last, right? Let’s go now.”
Without waiting for Lapis’s reply, Soo-ryun headed straight for the archives.
Dozens of bookshelves were packed tightly with thick tomes and files from completed requests.
It was a quiet place, smelling strongly of paper, as if an entire floor had been converted into a library.
“Ah, I’ll wait here.”
Soo-ryun let Lapis enter the archives and stopped near the entrance.
“All exits and entrances on this floor are connected to the main passage. If you find any problems, call me immediately.”
“I will.”
Watching Soo-ryun’s back as she turned toward the reading room, Lapis’s expression hardened.
Her transparent, sky-blue eyes gazed beyond the silent, empty bookshelves.
It had been several days since she started spending time in the library under the pretext of wanting to read.
And Lapis had not come here merely to read books.
“Where should I start today…”
She passed the literature, history, and academic journal sections, and went past the area where grimoires on spellcraft were shelved.
She pulled out a recent weekly magazine that primarily covered current affairs, economics, and social issues.
Fwip!
The smell of paper wafted up, and a vivid photograph printed inside was the first thing to catch her eye.
Lapis’s trembling eyes naturally drifted down to read the article headline posted below it.
[Director Evan Vylun Formally Inaugurated at the Vylun Research Institute.]
[Despite the formal technology partnership between Rebatenon Magic University and Adamant Thunder, the institute has announced plans to continue research in its own independent direction…]
“…”
Evan Vylun. A doctor and official professor at Rebatenon Magic University.
A genius researcher who had gained a reputation that shook the entire academic world through three thesis presentations.
A figure who had currently established an unrivaled domain in the field of mana theory research in Vulcan, a genius whose achievements were being watched by other cities, which were conducting derivative studies.
However, the Evan Vylun that Lapis knew was definitely—
“Why…”
Flip, flip!
Lapis’s hands quickened as she rummaged through the archives’ booklets, newsletters, and file bundles.
There were plenty of plausible reasons. If she tried to accept it, she could.
But Lapis already knew.
The reason why Evan Vylun had joined hands with the most insane wizard in Vulcan.
The reason why he roamed the entire city, growing stronger and fighting, trying to get her back.
The reason why, at the last moment, Evan Martinez had apologized to her.
“…”
There was a secret greater than that. Perhaps something beyond what Lapis could even imagine—
Grab!
Lapis’s hand gripped a pamphlet, and in that same moment, as she slowly set it down as if giving up.
A low voice came from behind her.
“Seen everything you wanted to see?”
“…!!”
As Lapis whipped her head around, she saw Jenny with her arms crossed.
She was leaning casually against a bookshelf, watching Lapis search through the books.
Seeing Lapis’s expression harden, Jenny shrugged.
“You won’t find the information you want, no matter how much you search. We’ve separated all the truly important news and confidential information.”
“…”
“People from our partner companies often visit this archive, you know. We can’t just store important secrets where outsiders can wander around, can we?”
“You…”
“You’re interested in Van, aren’t you? No, to be more precise, his cooperative relationship with Professor Evan Vylun?”
Jenny smiled.
“It’s understandable if you were trying to ask for help from the most famous outsider in this city. Professor Vylun is someone whose request even Van wouldn’t refuse. You chose a good option.”
“…”
“I don’t know what method you used, but you must have overheard the conversation in Dylan’s hospital room. Seeing your attitude now makes me even more certain.”
Had she already suspected that Lapis had been eavesdropping on their conversation?
Watching Lapis slowly back away with a guarded expression, Jenny slowly tilted her head.
“What to do… It’s hard to overlook you trying to drag Professor Vylun into this…”
“…Do you truly know about the wizard named Van?”
Lapis asked in a low voice.
“Don’t you want to know why Adamant Thunder is doing all this?”
“…”
Of all the people Lapis had met in this city, Jenny was exceptionally sharp and savvy in business matters.
If so, perhaps she could be persuaded from the other side.
If Lapis explained the relationship between Evan and Adamant Thunder that she now vaguely perceived and asked for her understanding—
“If I need to, I can find out. Perhaps, this whole incident is actually…!!”
“So what?”
Jenny asked back with a smiling face.
“What changes even if I find out the details?”
“What…?”
As Lapis stood there, speechless, Jenny slowly began to walk.
Only Jenny’s voice echoed quietly through the silent archive.
“Why is Van making his move? Why did someone with his talent drift into this city? Why is he seeking enlightenment to find answers… Is any of that important?”
“…”
“Even if, by some one-in-a-million chance…”
Jenny smiled bitterly and lifted her gaze.
“Even if Van is living another life somewhere else, does that really matter?”
“…You.”
“Lapis. We’ve come too far.”
Watching Lapis, who had frozen on the spot, Jenny shoved her hands into her pockets.
“So far that even suspecting each other has become meaningless. In fact, it’s starting to get a little scary.”
“…That’s.”
“You too, right?”
Jenny asked, as if she knew what Lapis was thinking.
“You felt the same thing. You want to know because you’re holding the same worries in your heart, don’t you?”
“…”
Lapis couldn’t answer.
Because the words Jenny had thrown at her with such conviction seemed to pierce her heart with too much accuracy.
Because Jenny seemed to already know the motive that Lapis herself hadn’t consciously acknowledged from the beginning.
“It’s tiring… isn’t it?”
Jenny murmured, closing her eyes slightly.
“Pretending not to care about something is even more so than actually caring. Pretending not to know, looking away… you were searching the archives because you couldn’t stand it anymore.”
Toward the silent Lapis, Jenny slowly gestured with her chin.
“Go back, Lapis. I’ll let it slide this one time.”
“…”
“But from now on, you’re forbidden from entering the archives. Understood?”
Without waiting for Lapis’s answer, Jenny smiled and raised her phone.
“A message came from the Eyes of Blue. We’ll consult with Van and try to get things done before the Watchers return to Vulcan—”
“No. It’s fine.”
At that moment, Lapis quietly cut Jenny off.
Several years had already passed since she founded the Eyes of Blue and reached her current position.
From starting with just a few Watchers to leading thousands of members into the Central Front.
She was no longer a child who had to entrust her own decisions to others.
Lapis smiled and raised her gaze to Jenny.
“Because I probably won’t be visiting this archive again.”
“…What?”
The moment Jenny’s expression changed, having read the deeper meaning in Lapis’s words.
Fwoosh!
The lights in the archive all went out, and the room was plunged into thick darkness.
CRASH!
“Dammit…!!”
Jenny threw herself forward the instant the lights went out, only to realize she had caught nothing and shouted.
“Soo-ryun, you there?!”
“Jenny!! What’s happened?!”
Soo-ryun must have noticed something was wrong and entered the archive immediately, a heavy glaive in one hand.
Click!
Jenny turned on her phone’s flashlight, illuminated the spot where Lapis had been standing, and bit her lip.
“Lapis Falcia has escaped. We have to catch her before she leaves the tower.”
“Sh-she escaped?!”
Soo-ryun’s eyes widened as she tried to raise her mana sense, only for her expression to fall in defeat.
“It’s true. I can’t sense her presence at all. How could the power go out at this exact moment…!!”
“It wasn’t a coincidence. She must have tampered with the tower’s internal facilities beforehand to time it.”
With a cold expression, Jenny left the archive and headed for the floor below.
Soo-ryun followed her out belatedly, blaming herself.
“My apologies. It’s my fault. I should have been watching her closely…”
“It’s not your fault. It was my request for you to step aside so I could talk to Lapis. More than that, it’s more like…”
Having quickly made her assessment, Jenny bit her lip.
“I deliberately lured her into seeking me out. She was waiting for a moment to be alone with me from the very beginning.”
With the power of Lapis’s ‘eyes,’ she would have known that Jenny was the closest to a normal person among the tower staff.
That’s why, even with a card that could temporarily black out the tower’s facilities, Lapis had waited for a moment to be alone with Jenny.
So that even if Lapis disappeared right after the blackout, the low-ranking Jenny wouldn’t be able to find her rashly.
“So she wasn’t leading a massive force like the Eyes of Blue for nothing. Looking for files on Professor Vylun might have just been a bluff to get my attention.”
Jenny muttered while quickly sending messages to the tower staff on her phone.
“Internal facility systems restored.”
Flicker!
Simultaneously, the lights in the blacked-out tower began to turn back on.
The floors brightened, and the signs of the business branches located on the outer corridors began to sparkle.
While the wizards who had come out due to the sudden blackout gathered between floors and murmured amongst themselves,
Tap!
Jenny looked down at the first-floor lobby from the stairway and raised her phone.
“Seal all entrances and exits of the Magic Tower. From now on, we must commit all our resources to securing Lapis Falcia.”
[Regarding the unidentified arsonist, Evan Martinez, who has recently been roaming the city outskirts, the City Council’s directive has…]
[The city government has officially withdrawn the wanted order and will soon announce a suspension of the pursuit.]
[Criticism is mounting over the withdrawal of the wanted order while Vice-Mayor Weinstein has not yet awakened, but it seems the policy is unlikely to change…]
[Some are criticizing it as a rushed administrative move to prevent the spread of damage.]
[Meanwhile, in the outer districts, the number of copycat criminals imitating the arsonist has surged, causing a major headache…]
Click!
“All I hear is X-rated shit wherever I go.”
A mercenary listening to the news flowing out from near the entertainment district in Sector 48 spat out a curse.
“One minute they’re nagging us to kill him and bring his head, and now they’re telling us not to even get close?”
The other mercenaries sharing drinks with him tried to placate him.
“It’s proof that the Watcher is an extremely dangerous wizard. You know that.”
“The officially confirmed casualties are over a thousand. Considering all of them were mana users, that number is just ridiculous.”
“Did you hear the news? They’re calling him Cheonbeon (踐燔). Because he tramples and burns to death everyone he comes across.”
“For a Watcher who follows the Eyes of Blue to get such a bizarre moniker… it’s truly ironic.”
Cheonbeon (踐燔) Evan Martinez.
For those who knew through rumors what kind of secret society the Eyes of Blue was, the name was laughable.
It was also proof of the unrealistically large number of outlaws the wizard named Evan had burned to death in a short time.
“He must have completely lost it after losing his master. How could he be sane after losing his leader?”
“Maybe that’s what made him stronger. It’s famous how much of a shackle psychological constraints are for a wizard.”
“How strong is he now? Marshal-level or higher? Maybe even Saint-level?”
“Who knows. If someone had observed his Domain during a battle, there’s no way it wouldn’t be talked about in this scene…”
The strength of the supernova who had suddenly appeared in Vulcan’s underworld was a hot topic in both the light and the dark.
Not only were comparisons constantly being made with famous superhumans on the deep web, but the mercenaries gathered in bars also made a frequent topic of conversation out of debating the superiority among the strong.
Among these topics, the Domain (自成領域), which reveals a wizard’s Root Mindscape, was a subject that was never left out of the discussion.
A symbol of a completed rank that any who handle spellcraft must eventually reach, regardless of their school or innate talent.
Because it reveals the Root Mindscape as it is, there are quite a few cases where it is not actually helpful in combat or is useless.
Nevertheless, the fact that the domain reveals the caster’s essence in the most primal way remains unchanged.
That simple yet difficult power of constructing an environment solely for the caster had a facet that drew in even non-casters.
“You know they’re already taking bets on the deep web, right? If you’re interested, you should put some money down.”
“What, on whether Cheonbeon is actually a Saint Wizard or not? That looks like a junk bond if I’ve ever seen one.”
“No, you idiot. The betting is obviously about Cheonbeon and Adamant Thunder. How can you be so slow on the uptake?”
“Well, if by some chance Adamant Thunder dies, we won’t have to be afraid of that crazy bastard anym—”
One of the mercenaries at the table, frustrated, was about to tilt the glass he was holding, but then tilted his head.
“What, who drank my booze?”
“You’ve been holding it this whole time, what nonsense are you spouting?”
“Bruno, you’re fumbling after just that much? What a lightweight!”
“No, dammit… am I just tired these days?”
The mercenary called Bruno grumbled and poured himself another drink, then brought the glass to his lips.
“…”
Bruno silently lowered the glass from his mouth, his expression turning as blank as if he’d seen a ghost.
“…It’s gone.”
“What’s with this guy?”
“Hey, snap out of it!!”
Bruno muttered in a trembling voice.
“The drink… it evaporated before I could even drink it…”
“…Evaporated?”
The gazes of the other mercenaries all turned to the glasses they were holding.
Sizzzle…
Only after seeing the contents of their glasses disappearing at a rapid rate did the mercenaries’ complexions change drastically.
A heat so intense it could evaporate a drink they were holding. Yet, their senses felt none of that heat.
A combustion phenomenon manifested purely through will-thought, without even using mana.
From experience, they knew that by the time they felt this sense of wrongness, it was already too late.
“Hey, this is…!!”
“Raise your mana. Block your ears and nose!!”
“Hold your breath and endure. Just think of it as suffocating to death!!”
“Fuck, fuck, fuck…!!!”
The mercenaries threw down their glasses, dropped to the ground, and clamped their hands over their ears and noses.
With their mouths shut tight and breath held, they barely managed to protect their eyes with mana and look up.
Fwoosh!!
A tremendous, flesh-searing heat blew in from the other side of the entertainment district.
A heat so intense that if they hadn’t raised their mana to protect their senses beforehand, it wouldn’t have been strange for their internal organs to have been cooked.
Even with mana protection, it felt difficult to even keep their eyes open.
They instinctively knew that if they couldn’t hold on and took even a slight breath, their lungs would be completely roasted.
Sizzzle!!
“…!!”
Others drinking in various parts of the district seemed to have grasped the situation, abandoning any thought of escape and assuming a similar posture.
They knelt down and prostrated themselves, keeping their bellies off the ground to prevent the heat from reaching their organs.
Just as everyone in the vicinity, without exception, had prostrated themselves and barely managed to lift their heads.
Whoosh!!
From the other end of the street, amidst the shimmering flames, someone began to approach slowly.
A thin, lean build. An expressionless face from which it was difficult to read any emotion. A thick coat and the shape of thick exhaust pipes fastened to his forearms.
But what stood out most of all were the six dazzling spheres of flame rotating behind the young man.
As if drawing a great mandala by their very existence, they rotated in different orbits and directions, leaving behind chaotic afterimages.
Rumble…!!!
Their gazes were inadvertently stolen by the bizarre sight they had never seen before.
Everyone on the street, forgetting even their current situation, stared at the spheres of flame circling the young man.
A magnificent scene, as if several planets were rotating and dancing around a sun.
The flames that man had kindled were being endlessly amplified, emitting and pressing down with heat as they traveled along six different paths.
The six Mana Cores (魔力爐心), created by compressing flames, which used his mindscape as fuel and were raised to their absolute limit with Jindun’s barrier art.
The zenith of amplification and emission, where he made himself the center of a planetary system, rotating and unleashing all his power at full force.
In this place, not even a handful of people recognized that this was one of the points of arrival that pyro-thermal magic pursued.
“That’s right.”
The young man saw the people prostrated before him, covering their noses and mouths, looking up at him as if mesmerized, and he smiled.
“Keep your heads down like that, and wait until it’s all over.”
“…!!”
Paying no mind to the flinching reactions of the people, the young man moved forward silently.
Following his quiet steps, where not even a footfall could be heard, eight paths of suns blazed, illuminating a road of fire.
“It won’t take long.”
Lennok’s gaze was fixed on the massive Magic Tower soaring high into the sky in the distance.
Adamant Thunder’s Magic Tower in Sector 49.
The great wizard’s domain, a manifestation of extraterritorial rights, was now so close it could be seen with the naked eye.
Not far now.
Hunted by Vulcan’s wanted order, dealing with all sorts of mercenaries and freelancers, he had nurtured the embers without sleep, and finally.
He reached the verge of the conclusion that people had so eagerly anticipated, heralded, and feared.
Fwoosh!
Rotating the six thermal cores simultaneously, he reached out a hand over the boiling asphalt.
With a vibration that shook the very axis of the earth, the clouds distorted before evaporating, and the atmosphere twisted and buckled.
Crack-crack-crack!!
With an eerie sound like the air itself was cracking, a small spark of fire was squeezed into existence and settled in Lennok’s hand.
Slowly, very carefully, Lennok wrapped his hand around the spark and brought it to his lips.
Ruuuumble…!!
From far away, on the other side of the city, thunder rumbled from behind dark clouds, and a faint flash of lightning flickered.
On behalf of the thousands, tens of thousands of people who would be watching from now on, he set off the most spectacular celebratory firework.
At the moment when everyone’s gazes turned in unison toward the lightning in the distant storm clouds.
Lennok swallowed the spark and muttered.
“Shall we begin?”