Chapter 894: The Eyes That See Fate (30)
Walking silently across the prairie, she knelt before the coffin and carefully opened its lid.
Crack…!!
Lapis, confirming the faintly twisting spatial rift within, nodded with a surprised expression.
“A rift to the Outer Sea… it truly existed.”
“That’s why the Hexagonal Fortress exists, isolated from the city’s other districts.”
“How can multiple rifts like this exist in a specific location?”
At Lapis’s natural question, Lennok shrugged with his arms crossed.
“There are a few possibilities I can guess, but they’re just uncertain conjectures. It’s not a story worth telling now.”
“But…”
“The Eyes of Blue entered the Central Front directly, searching for a way to enter Ars Nova, didn’t they?”
Lennok smiled and nodded.
“That’s enough. Relying on baseless inferences only clouds judgment. Ultimately, you won’t understand without experiencing it.”
“…What exactly happened in this city?”
“Well.”
Lennok took a cigar from his pocket, put it in his mouth, and shook his head.
“Perhaps someone tried to achieve something similar to what you’re attempting now, using human power.”
“…”
Watching the silent Lapis, Lennok slowly stepped back.
“From here on, this isn’t an area where I can help. You know that, right?”
Lennok lit the cigar, drew in smoke, then pulled out a small bottle from his pocket and held it.
“I’ll go outside and begin preparations to expand the rift. If I forcibly tear open the space with my magic, the repercussions will surely affect the rift.”
Immediately after being betrayed by Vice-Mayor Amy Weinstein, Lennok knew it had become impossible to conduct the ritual in District 19.
However, he realized that he could stimulate the Outer Sea rifts in the fortress in a similar way, having forcibly absorbed the Outer Sea’s magic flowing from the [Gate] in District 19 to expand his maximum magic capacity.
‘If I use the power I received from Damon, it might even be possible to fix the expanded rift into the form of a Gate and open it.’
The ancient Military Spirit he encountered after the events in Yorta.
Among them, the black Magic Scribe gifted to him by Damon, who had introduced himself as a noble from the central city.
He had called the power of that Magic Scribe ‘power from another source,’ functioning as a key to open a gate.
If he expanded the rift with the Outer Sea’s magic and then fixed it with the black Magic Scribe, this rift would function as a [Gate], albeit for a very brief time.
Click!!
He emptied the contents of the small bottle, filled it with the black Magic Scribe, and placed it before the sanctuary.
Lennok naturally ran a hand over his lips and spoke.
“When the rift expands to rival a [Gate], you’ll definitely be able to sense it then.”
“…”
“All that’s needed is to perform the ritual at the right time and send your consciousness beyond the world’s boundary.”
Lennok knelt, met Lapis’s gaze, and said quietly.
“We’ve come a long way around, but in the end, we’ve returned here.”
“Evan. I…”
Watching Lapis bow her head silently, Lennok let out a small laugh.
“Let’s make one last promise. Is that alright?”
“Yes. I will definitely succeed and—”
“No.”
Lennok met Lapis’s gaze and said.
“Let’s meet here after the ritual is over.”
“…”
Looking into her transparent, sky-blue eyes, Lennok asked.
“You understand what I mean, don’t you?”
“Then, Evan, you must promise me too.”
Lapis said in a subdued voice.
“No matter how this ends, you won’t leave the Eyes of Blue…”
“…”
Was Lapis already worrying about how the outcome of this fight would end?
Lennok, releasing Lapis’s hand as she knelt, stood up and smiled.
“Don’t worry.”
The showdown awaited by all the monsters and eccentrics of this city was near.
Yet the beginning, development, process, and conclusion were all in the hands of a single person.
And Lennok had decided from the start how this fight would conclude.
“Ah, and may I ask one more thing regarding the ritual?”
Lennok, not forgetting to leave his final message to Lapis, firmly locked the sanctuary door.
He deployed Jindun’s barrier spellcraft to seal the gaps and set an unlock code so that only Lapis could open it.
Finally, he slightly twisted the latter part of the barrier spellcraft’s incantation to prevent reverse-calculation from the outside.
Woosh…!!
A trick Jindun often used when finishing his barrier spellcraft during his lifetime.
Now, he had used barrier spellcraft for so long that he could even imitate the habits of an Ascendant.
“…”
Pushing aside his inexplicable feelings, he strengthened the barrier around the sanctuary, forcibly bringing it to completion.
Clunk!!
With a sound like a very heavy lock engaging, the barrier’s glow transparently melted into the air.
“Now, then…”
Lennok slowly massaged his shoulders and turned towards the wooden corridor where darkness had settled.
Neither Partisha, who had accompanied him in ring form since the bounty was placed, nor Lapis, whom he had rescued from the magic tower, was with him.
Since taking on Lapis’s escort duty, it had been quite a long time since Lennok found himself alone like this.
Just as Lennok, realizing this, reached into his pocket to check the remaining time—
[Master.]
A small fox head suddenly popped out from Lennok’s pocket.
But instead of speaking first, Davi simply looked at Lennok and let out a strange groan.
[Ughhh….]
“…Davi?”
[First of all, just in case, I wanted to confirm something beforehand….]
Davi hooked her front paws onto Lennok’s lapel, looked up at him, and asked.
[You’re… not actually crazy, are you?]
“I can’t quite hear you. Would you mind repeating that?”
[Abububububu]
As Lennok grabbed Davi’s cheeks and squeezed them vigorously, a series of screams that weren’t quite screams instantly burst forth.
The cybernetic spirit flapped in the air, its face held in both his hands.
Noticing the six colorful, swirling tails below her, Lennok finally let out a chuckle.
“I’m joking. In the first place, that’s not a question I can answer.”
[Uweee… What do you mean?]
“If I were truly insane, there’s no way I’d be able to recognize it myself, is there?”
Lennok smiled, holding Davi’s front paws and lifting her up.
“The same goes for you. If something were to go wrong with my mind, you’d be affected without even realizing it.”
[Hmm….]
Davi, who had been contemplating with her paws under her snout, soon tilted her head and said.
[I don’t think I’m crazy.]
“There’s your answer.”
How could Lennok’s mind, which had remained intact even after direct exposure to the Outer Sea, be corrupted now?
Lennok was confident in his sanity, having participated in the rituals of Outer Gods and then withdrawn by his own will.
Still, he could vaguely understand why Davi was asking such a question.
“Don’t worry. There’s no problem with handling the Incarnation Body itself.”
Lennok’s Incarnation Body was a power modeled after a martial artist from the First World.
Therefore, unlike Lennok, it possessed talent in martial arts, but it was also an incredibly unstable existence, not being from this world.
Considering how much trouble he had controlling the incarnation in Yorta, it was natural for Davi to be anxious now, with the Incarnation Body’s battle approaching.
“While stabilizing it through natural spellcraft, I can neutralize the Incarnation Body’s origin. The problem you’re worried about won’t occur—”
[That’s not what I was trying to say.]
“…What?”
[Pandemonium sent a summons. They’re planning to gather members in the simulated consciousness space, and they’re asking if you intend to participate.]
“…”
[If Master enters the consciousness space with a problem in his mind, it’ll be obvious. So—]
“Davi.”
Lennok grabbed Davi’s tail, lifted her upside down, and pressed a bulging vein on his forehead.
“You should have told me that first.”
[But Master was the one who suddenly started talking about mind theory—bubububu—]
Lennok, making Davi pay the price without further argument, belatedly opened his phone and fell into thought.
The message had arrived via Hylaea’s secret line, specifically containing a request for Victor’s participation.
“Pandemonium, huh…”
[Do they have something to ask of Master?]
“If Hylaea herself is opening the simulated consciousness space, that’s unlikely.”
Lennok turned off his phone, put it in his pocket, and replied.
“Rather, it’s more likely that the Demon Warband has become aware of our activities here. It seems they want to review Adamant Thunder’s movements.”
He recalled that the Adamant Thunder Subjugation Campaign had been discussed several times in the Demon Warband’s meetings.
Considering that, it was a reasonable inference that they were summoning members whose opinions were needed ahead of the upcoming battle.
“What should I do….”
But Lennok wasn’t agonizing over a different issue.
“It wouldn’t be a problem if I didn’t attend, but I’d like to hear the discussions taking place over there beforehand.”
While Victor wouldn’t be scolded for not attending now, it was also true that Lennok wanted to know what Pandemonium was discussing.
The problem was that, at this point, splitting his consciousness further and sending one more into the simulated consciousness space was not practically easy.
‘I’ve barely gotten used to the sensation of maintaining the Incarnation Body for days on end. Splitting my consciousness one more time now would…’
He was already operating with his consciousness split into two to simultaneously control both his main body and the Incarnation Body.
While it wasn’t impossible to split his consciousness further and send it, it would undeniably hinder his upcoming battle.
No, in terms of danger, the risk lay not so much in the battle itself, but in the third consciousness he would send to the Demon Warband.
The members of the Demon Warband were eccentrics with such diverse experience and knowledge that even Lennok couldn’t disregard them.
What was the likelihood that the monsters of the Demon Warband wouldn’t notice the strangeness of a vaguely split consciousness?
If they realized Victor wasn’t in a normal state, it wouldn’t be strange for him to invite suspicion upon himself.
Even so, he wanted to hear the contents of the discussions held within Pandemonium.
Especially if the members truly intended to discuss the ‘Adamant Thunder Subjugation Campaign’ to gauge it beforehand.
For that, a fully functional consciousness would ultimately have to participate in the simulated consciousness space—
Lennok’s gaze, having thought that far, turned to the cybernetic spirit hanging upside down and swaying.
[Eek-hoo, ee-eek-hoo~]
“…I see.”
As Lennok silently watched Davi, a sudden glint appeared in his eyes.
“I was worrying unnecessarily with the answer right in front of me.”
[Master?]
Lennok ignored Davi’s question and immediately knelt in the corridor, beginning to draw a magic circle.
The minimum procedure required to participate in the simulated consciousness space.
Normally, concentrating his mind and sending his consciousness would be enough, but now was different.
Whoosh!!
Lennok, after drawing the magic circle, placed Davi upon it and nodded.
“Alright, it’s ready.”
[Um, Master…?]
“I’d like you to participate in Pandemonium’s meeting in my stead.”
[Huh?]
“Davi, you are the only one who observes and remembers my actions and habits most closely.”
Lennok slowly infused magic into the edge of the magic circle and asked.
“Then, wouldn’t it be possible for you to imitate Victor in my place?”
Only then did the cybernetic spirit’s mouth slightly part, understanding Lennok’s words.
[…You want me to sit among those organic beings and extract information for you?]
Click!
He opened the main gate of the Ilwon family estate and walked out.
He was leaving the fortress through a proper path, different from the secret passage he had used to enter.
It was close to noon, though overcast. Yet, not a single person was seen near the estate’s main road.
The street was eerily deserted, to a strange degree.
A man stood in the middle of the main road, waiting for Lennok.
A familiar face with shaved sides and tattoos. His expression was clearly tense, and he couldn’t hide his cold sweat.
Lennok, recognizing the young man’s face, let out a small laugh and asked.
“If you wanted to protect the sanctuary, isn’t it too late?”
“…I’m not trying to protect it.”
Chen Kruger, a member of the Hexagonal Fortress, replied.
Soo-ryun’s half-brother and a freelancer operating his business from the Ilwon family estate.
And the person who had been managing the Ilwon family estate on Lennok’s behalf.
However, Chen’s reason for waiting for him instead of protecting the estate lay elsewhere.
“A message came down from the Tower. It said not to stop you.”
“…”
“Go on.”
Chen gestured towards the outside of the fortress and said.
“I’ll be waiting.”
“Alright.”
Lennok walked past Chen.
He saw the Three Great Family Heads’ raven blur past above the rooftops.
Chen glanced back at Lennok and muttered with a look of dismay.
To him, it seemed incomprehensible that Lennok had so readily accepted those words.
“Why on earth… are you doing this?”
“…”
“I’ve explained it to boredom, so if you have questions, ask your comrades.”
Lennok’s gaze, looking up at the overcast sky stretching outside the fortress, deepened.
“Now, there’s truly no time to spare.”
“…You’re insane.”
Chen, staring at Lennok as if dumbfounded, exhaled with a trembling breath.
“Yes. High-level spellcasters are all the same kind, I suppose. I thought I knew that…”
With that, Chen no longer asked Lennok anything.
He quietly walked past Chen and stood before the massive fortress gate that sealed the outer wall.
He lightly pushed the gate with both hands, and it smoothly opened without any resistance.
Creak…!!
Beyond the fortress gate, a vast eight-lane road stretched out.
An asphalt highway intentionally widened to transport supplies into the Hexagonal Fortress.
As the fortress gate closed behind him, the sound of it firmly locking resonated.
“…”
Whoosh!!
The wind blew.
An overcast sky. A violent gale raged as if a storm was about to break.
Contrary to the loud, turbulent sky, the ground where Lennok stood was utterly serene.
No trace of life could be felt in the complex urban area stretching outside the fortress.
An artificial emptiness, as if the entire district had been deliberately cleared out.
But the eyes watching this place now were undoubtedly more numerous than at any time since the district was established.
Even now, if he closed his eyes, he felt as if he could distinctly sense the gazes and will-thoughts trying to penetrate him.
Feeling a heavy sense of solitude, as if standing alone under a spotlight amidst tens of thousands of spectators.
Step…!
Lennok slowly began to walk down the middle of the vast road.
With every step, heat surged within his body as if a fire were being stoked.
Thump, thump…!!
He drew in his breath, fanning and expanding the heat, pushing in more fuel.
One by one, he unleashed every spark he had kindled within himself, without reservation.
“Initiate Release.”
Fwoosh!!!
Six Heat Cores began to rise behind Lennok, rotating counter-clockwise.
They blazed vividly like suns, tracing a massive fiery trajectory and emitting flames behind him.
Whoosh!!!
The six cores, rotating in complex trajectories, unleashed torrents of fiery breath.
A vast wave of flame shimmered behind him like a cloak, completely engulfing one side of the road.
Kwoooooosh!!!
A surging sea of flame. He unleashed his preheated magic without reserve, calling out to his opponent.
Lennok, who had engulfed the entire stretch of road in flames with a single breath, slowly raised his gaze.
Crack…!!
As if in response to his gaze, a brilliant blue lightning flashed within the dark clouds.
Lightning transferred between the clouds, and a powerful electric glow illuminated the entire sky.
Kwoooooh!!
The massive afterimage of lightning bisected the dark clouds, elongating a wizard’s shadow.
On the rooftop of a tall building, a cold young man stood leaning on a staff, looking down at Evan.
Unlike Evan, who was enveloped in crimson flames, no trace of magic could be felt around the young man.
Instead, the lightning filling the entire sky raged on his behalf, descending towards the ground.
The most infamous archmage in Vulcan and the flame wizard who had burned this city and fostered his flames once again faced each other.
“…”
Words were unnecessary.
There was more than enough accumulated karma to bypass such formalities.
The spectators who had eagerly awaited this moment wouldn’t want such things either.
“…Right.”
But only after finally facing this moment did Lennok feel a truly pure sensation welling up within him.
From when and where had things become so entangled?
Why did he have to prepare this showdown and set the stage?
The pretext of stimulating and expanding the Outer Sea’s rift and preparing Lapis’s ritual.
The bounty on his head, tracked across the city. The excuse of a clash to reconcile his identities.
Even the reason that all of this was for a single answer was momentarily pushed aside.
Only what two identities, built over different times, could display before everyone’s eyes.
Not just the onlookers, but Lennok himself was singularly focused and engrossed in that one fact.
Feeling his complex thoughts neatly arrange themselves, Lennok let out a small laugh and muttered.
“Let’s begin.”
Kiiiiiiing!!!
Adamant Thunder, standing at the edge of the building rooftop, and Evan, standing in the middle of the eight-lane road, looked at each other and simultaneously began to form hand seals.
The four Heat Cores rotating behind Evan aligned in a straight line in front of him, following the direction of his hand seals.
They successively absorbed and released the drawn-out magic, amplifying it at tremendous speed.
Flame-type Innate Magic
Property Transformation Amplification Extremity
Crimson Star System (赤色星界): Solar Zenith (太陽氣頂點)
Fourth Stellar Body: Yukseo
Kwoooooh!!!!
A surging wave of flame on the ground rotated around the single wizard and rose.
Flames, erupting like pillars of fire, gathered above Lennok’s head and began to form a grand crimson spiral.
[Flame Helix (炎熱螺旋)]
[Crimson Arrival (紅連到來)]
A sight as if all the flames rushing into his vision were rotating and converging into a single point.
Within the heat-distorted view, the flames converged at the center of the spiral, condensing to their limit and rotating.
Crackkkk…!!
The moment the flames were compressed to their extreme and materialized, Evan’s knee buckled under the unbearable weight.
The shimmering wave of flame on the ground rotated around Evan, transforming into an elongated cannon, becoming a launching platform for a single spell.
Whoosh!!
The moment he raised an arm, stretching it as if pointing towards the archmage in the sky.
From Evan’s lips came a faint incantation, one that only he himself could reiterate.
“Gapeom (迲炎).”
Kwoooosh!!!!
Magic surged, piercing between the four rotating stellar bodies, each with its own unique flame and characteristic, turning into flames particle by particle as it rotated.
Beyond the mandala traced by the trajectories of the four Heat Cores, the surging, incandescent flames became a single torrent of fire, streaking diagonally from the ground towards the sky.
Kugugugugugu!!!
The moment the light of the ‘Gapeom’ shot from the ground leaped across the land towards the sky, fire ignited along its trajectory, painting a magnificent fiery tail on the ground.
It traversed the center of the vast, open hundreds-of-meter highway at supersonic speed, heading towards the archmage standing at its end.
An amplification spellcraft whose power increases in proportion to the time and heat consumed in burning the flame spellcraft.
Among them, it was a flame that had its fire attribute raised to the extreme, undergoing a 4-fold amplification through the Crimson Star System.
As the signal flare announcing the start of the showdown, it would be a more spectacular and scorching celebratory blast than any other spell.
Click!!
Then, seeing the torrent of flames rushing faster than the speed of sound, Adamant Thunder raised his hand.
CRAAAACKLE!!!
If a flashy and powerful lightning spellcraft comparable to the Crimson Star System’s 4-fold concentrated torrent spell, Gapeom, was needed, the answer was set.
It was one of the spellcrafts Adamant Thunder himself trusted most, a secret art he didn’t easily reveal.
No hand seals, no magic circles, no incantations.
What was desired became will, what moved became magic.
From the other side of the void, it took shape by his will alone, becoming a single bolt of lightning.
A single bolt of lightning, proving the time Adamant Thunder had lived.
The will-thought, flashing and descending within his inner Mind Imprint, soon became the seal of a lightning strike carved at the edge of the sky—
“Lightning Seal (雷印).”
The moment Adamant Thunder muttered indifferently and pointed at the ground.
From beyond the overcast sky, beautiful silver-white lightning surged and descended upon the ground.
The silver-white lightning struck down at a speed far exceeding Gapeom’s flames, colliding in the center between the two wizards.
KWOOOOSH!!!!!
The radiance of flame and lightning, each shining with different colors, clashed, bisecting the sky and ground diagonally.
Everything around was engulfed in pure white light, filling the entire commercial district with a vast surge of magic.