Chapter 903: The Eye That Sees Fate (39)
Rumble…!!
From beyond the warping sky, crimson petals scattered aimlessly.
The afterglow of the lightning seeped beneath the sundered clouds, and the fragments of the flame-flower lost their form, sprinkling a faint heat.
Amidst the lingering haze on the ground, Lapis raised a hand.
“……”
Without a word, she touched the corner of her mouth with a blank expression.
As if only now becoming aware of her own changed appearance, verifying and acknowledging it.
Her navy-blue hair flowed down long. Her features had grown sharper than before.
Even her calm gaze as it swept over her surroundings felt alien, as if it were no longer human.
The consciousness of Heavenly Sight she had met at the world’s boundary.
Lennok’s eyes narrowed at her appearance, which was a mirror image of a young Madria Falcia, while the others hardened their expressions.
Dudududu…!!!
Just watching her instilled an intense sense of unease, as if everyone’s gazes were being forcibly bent toward her.
It was as if she seized their attention and refused to let go, forcibly binding them to her every action.
‘I can’t read her presence…’
A feeling of otherness, as if she had completely deviated from the existing hierarchy, caused the high-ranking wizards of the Tower to break into a cold sweat and step back.
The pressure was so immense it felt like it was crushing the thoughts and minds of those nearby, just by her standing there.
The moment everyone simultaneously understood that Lapis Falcia’s power had undergone a tremendous change on the other side of the fortress.
Lapis’s cool gaze met Lennok’s eyes precisely.
“……”
Everyone watching the confrontation between the two held their breath, tense.
A mad archmage who, even after a battle that devastated the city district with Evan Martinez, stood perfectly fine, waiting for what came next.
A confrontation with Lapis Falcia, who had appeared completely changed from beyond the sanctuary of the Hexagonal Fortress, transcending time and space in an instant.
There wasn’t a soul in this city who didn’t know how strangely the causal ties between the two were entangled.
It wouldn’t be strange if either one of them moved to finish their unresolved fight.
“……”
But Lennok and Lapis neither drew upon their mana nor uttered sharp words at each other.
As if by an unspoken agreement, they simply gazed into each other’s eyes.
The Lighthouse Keeper seemed to peer into Lennok’s inner self, and the wizard made no effort to avoid her gaze.
After a while of looking at Lennok, she turned away without a word.
Thud!!
Grisha, who had descended below the giant tree, supported Evan and stood behind Lapis.
The other high-ranking Watchers who had surrounded the area also quietly followed Lapis.
Step!
As the Lighthouse Keeper began to walk slowly, hundreds of Watchers moved to follow her.
The army of Watchers, supporting a single fallen wizard, marching through the heart of a city district turned to ruin.
“Wait, you can’t just leave like this without any post-battle processing-”
“Matif.”
Just as one of the city councilors belatedly tried to hold her back, Meyer tapped his staff.
“Let them go. Open the front lines we established on the outskirts of the undeveloped district as well.”
“Councilman Meyer. But…”
“Don’t you understand yet?”
Meyer gestured to the side with a bitter smile.
Lennok, who showed no reaction to Lapis’s actions.
Meyer understood that from the moment Adamant Thunder silently condoned this, they had no choice.
“The sorcerer is right. We lost here. They are the ones leaving with their objective achieved.”
“……”
“It’s best to let them go when they say they will leave peacefully.”
Meyer nodded his head calmly.
“I will take responsibility, so withdraw the army-”
“Senator John Meyer.”
Lapis, who had approached him, looked down at Meyer without a word.
Meyer, momentarily at a loss for words at her noble figure that seemed to have transcended humanity, opened his mouth with a bitter smile.
“…Lady Falcia.”
“……”
“You’ve changed a lot since I last saw you.”
Lapis, looking down at him with a transparent gaze, gave a slight nod.
“I can see you now.”
“…You can see?”
“So I will state this clearly here.”
Paying no mind to Meyer’s hesitation at her abrupt words, Lapis spoke.
Her cool gaze swept over the people standing around as she opened her mouth.
“The ritual is over. I have made my decision.”
“……”
The reason for Lapis Falcia’s sudden growth in appearance.
The reason hundreds of Watchers, who had shown no presence, could suddenly appear.
And crucially, the fragments of formidable mana flowing from Lapis Falcia’s entire body.
As Meyer’s expression stiffened, Lapis spoke softly.
“Many things have happened, but I am still me.”
“……”
“As promised, I have decided to keep that one fact until the very end.”
Lapis murmured this and gently closed her eyes.
The wizards and investigators who couldn’t understand her words exchanged silent glances.
But Lennok understood that the words Lapis was speaking now were an answer meant for a single person.
Because she had met Heavenly Sight at the world’s boundary and made her decision. Because she had returned after glimpsing what Lennok desired.
She was trying to express those feelings in this very place.
“Therefore, everything that happened today…”
Lapis was about to say something, but then she shook her head with a bitter smile.
As if to shake off all the lingering attachments left within her.
Her two eyes, when she slowly opened them, shone with unparalleled clarity.
Lapis, repeating the words she had whispered to herself, spoke.
“I will leave everything that happened today buried here.”
“……”
At her resolute words that brooked no refusal, the moment everyone unconsciously turned their gaze to her.
“…I see.”
At that cold declaration, Meyer stroked his chin and nodded slowly.
“I have heard you clearly. I will personally deliver the message to the Central Council.”
“……”
“However, after everything is over, could you promise to send an envoy to the Council once?”
Meyer asked calmly.
“Setting aside the matter of responsibility, the non-aggression treaty of the autonomous region will need adjustments. Wasn’t that the reason you visited Vulcan in the first place?”
“The tenth Lighthouse is nearing completion.”
Lapis said with a deadpan expression.
“Once the Lighthouse is complete and its new functions are unlocked, there will be no need for promises like this.”
“……”
As if that was all she had to say, Lapis turned and walked away without any lingering attachment.
Whoosh!
The now much taller Lapis nodded her head and walked past Lennok.
She showed no trace of attachment to that fact anymore.
“…Van?”
Meyer called to Lennok with a slightly flustered look, but Lennok did not answer.
To whom was that nod from Lapis just now directed?
Either way, it was clear that Lapis was trying to bring her own closure to this situation.
In that case, Lennok should also respect Lapis’s judgment.
That was the only thing Lennok could do for Lapis, who had sworn to remain in the world until the very end.
Shhh…!!
The high-ranking Watchers under her command shot sharp glares at Lennok’s face as they passed him.
Lennok, ignoring their intense gazes, looked up at the sky, away from the departing main force of the Eyes of Blue.
“It’s starting to rain.”
“……”
Plop, plop…!!
Dark clouds gathered once more over the sky where the heat had dissipated, and rain began to fall.
Its effects arrived long after the battle between the two wizards had ended.
The abnormal weather phenomenon caused by the clash of monsters that had surpassed their limits was normalizing, the rain cooling the ground.
Watching his aides hurriedly bring out umbrellas, Meyer let out a sigh with a troubled expression.
“The media must be in an uproar. How should the Council announce this situation…”
Letting the rain falling from the darkened sky drench him, Lennok slowly turned around.
Leaving behind a seemingly speechless Meyer, Lennok walked in the opposite direction from Lapis without a second thought.
Closed Area, District 19. A direct wanted order from the city government. A clash over the sanctuary of the fortress.
The great turmoil watched by the entire megacity had come to an end, with only its aftermath remaining, echoing through the ruins.
And, for Lennok, there was one last thing left to do.
Rumble!!
The main force of the Eyes of Blue crossed the undeveloped district, with hundreds of Watchers arrayed on either side.
A ship woven from tree roots was traversing the rough, unpaved road at high speed.
An amphibious fleet, created by Grisha’s sorcery, designed to sail not the sea, but the land.
A Watcher approached Lapis, who was leaning against the deck, and spoke.
“Lady Lapis. We’ve summoned a Mid-Voyage Dimensional Engine to the outermost edge of the undeveloped district.”
“……”
“Using the power we’ve accumulated, we can return within two days-”
“Senju.”
Grisha shook her head.
“Later. I’ll handle the secondary matters separately.”
“…Understood.”
The Watcher, who was about to say more, quietly nodded his head.
Most Watchers were aware that Lapis was trying to carry out a very important mission in this city.
However, the nature of that mission had not been properly revealed.
“Lapis, how are you feeling?”
Grisha asked, looking back at the receding megacity with her arms crossed.
“Are you alright? Can you talk?”
Grisha knew that Lapis had visited Vulcan to meet the consciousness of Heavenly Sight.
She also knew that Lapis had been searching for a gate to the Outer Sea to reclaim all the functions of the Lighthouse Keeper.
But Grisha did not forget that she had to confirm the most important fact with Lapis.
Grisha’s eyes, looking at Lapis, sank deep.
“Are you… still the person I know?”
“Lady Grisha.”
At those words, Lapis slowly opened her eyes.
Lapis, staring blankly at Grisha, smiled expressionlessly.
“I’m just a little tired. I’m fine.”
“……”
“I was thinking about the meaning of the last thing I saw.”
“The meaning…”
Grisha’s complexion changed slightly.
Because Grisha too was aware of the ‘something’ that had appeared when the sky opened up as they were entering a satellite city on the outskirts of Vulcan.
The high-ranking Watchers who had been listening intently to Lapis’s words finally began to speak up one by one.
“She must be talking about the ability Adamant Thunder used at the end.”
“The sky opened and closed, did everyone see that?”
Raiza and Senmyo, who were more like physical ability users, and Rapperd, a sorcerer specialized in close combat.
In addition, other high-ranking Watchers newly recruited from the central region recalled what had just happened.
“I’ve seen many abilities, but I’ve never seen the sky open just by deploying will-thought.”
“It was a very clear and powerful mindscape. In terms of construction rate, it was denser than the old Jeokbyeok’s Miniature Universe.”
“The archmage is on another level. Has he reached a state of complete perfection in manipulating his mindscape?”
“The speed of his domain deployment was on a different dimension compared to any sorcerer I’ve ever seen.”
Grisha nodded with a firm expression.
“To openly show a domain deployment process with that much convergence… it was the first time I couldn’t comprehend its true value.”
“……”
A miracle that vanished so quickly that all the Watchers present, despite perceiving it with all their senses, could not guess its true nature.
“Sir Evan’s Domain won’t fall behind either.”
Senmyo, gripping his spear shaft tightly, hastily spoke up.
“I heard on the way here that an unexpected variable occurred during the battle, so he had no choice but to-”
“What?”
At those words, the other Watchers looked at Senmyo with some surprise.
“Senmyo, I didn’t know you could talk like that.”
“Did you grow attached after knowing him for a long time?”
“…It’s not like that.”
As Senmyo irritably slapped away the hands of the chuckling Watchers, Grisha shook her head with a bitter smile.
“Let’s ask Evan about that after he wakes up. We’ll have to confirm it before we reach the central region anyway.”
Since he appeared in Vulcan for a while to help Lapis, it wouldn’t be right to forcibly drag Evan to the central region now.
Just as Grisha was thinking that and about to move her power to steer the ship.
“Lady Grisha.”
Lapis, who had her eyes closed, suddenly spoke.
“There is someone waiting.”
“…What?”
Lapis, slowly opening her eyes, said,
“I don’t think we can just pass by.”
“Someone waiting, what does that mean…”
Booooom!!
As Grisha said that, her face hardened at the pressure of the will-thought pressing down on her shoulders.
The moment Lapis’s words fell, it crushed the entire area as if it had no intention of hiding itself.
A ferocity that felt almost arrogant, kneading the surrounding space as it pleased.
On the other side of the crossroads leading out of the city, an extravagantly decorated palanquin was placed.
Fwoooosh!!
“That is…”
On either side of the palanquin, veiled by a transparent curtain, red giants were kneeling.
People in suits stood behind the palanquin, their mouths firmly shut.
The presence emanating from the palanquin was not inferior to Lapis’s.
No, in fact, if one were to consider the sheer strength of the presence, it surpassed anyone here-
[So you are the Lighthouse Keeper who has inherited the seat of Heavenly Sight.]
“……!!”
A powerful, resonant voice that instantly hardened the expressions of the Watchers.
Not a physical voice, but a strong will conveyed purely through the vibration of mana.
Click.
The palanquin door opened, and a tall woman walked out slowly.
A flowing robe and a veil covering her face. Beyond it, a rainbow-colored light glinted in her eyes.
A heavy and intensely powerful mana flowed out like a thick fog.
Kugugugu!!
Just by standing there and casting her gaze this way, the surrounding air felt heavy with pressure.
Sensing she was a powerhouse beyond common sense, the Watchers quickly jumped down and formed a line.
[I had heard the stories, but you are far younger than I thought.]
Olivera spoke leisurely.
[That old man wouldn’t have erred in his mission by clinging to the bond of blood, so did he prioritize talent over experience?]
“Olivera Ron Maize…!!”
“What is the leader of the Cartel doing here?”
Ignoring the Watchers’ sharp reactions, Olivera gestured lightly.
Thump!
A girl with fluorescent hair appeared, carrying a large chair, placed it down gracefully, and retreated.
Leaning back into the chair naturally, she tilted her head back from behind the veil and spoke.
[Before all is said and done, I wished to see the face of the new Lighthouse Keeper for myself.]
“……”
[If not now, I doubt I could ever gauge when our causalities might align.]
The moment Lapis Falcia reclaimed all her functions and was reborn as the new Lighthouse Keeper.
Olivera had come to find Lapis to witness this moment of sworn duty with her own two eyes.
And Lapis already knew that Olivera’s words were not wrong.
Because if she hadn’t come to meet Lapis, their timelines would never have overlapped.
And, the fact that Lapis was experiencing this truth just as Olivera was, clearly-
[The function you inherited and my two eyes share a resemblance. You feel it too, do you not?]
Olivera smiled strangely from behind her veil.
[We delve into the unborn future and see the knots of undetermined causality. We are not a success, but a curse born from the shackles of failure.]
“……”
[We imitate the second-best option for all things, coveting miracles beyond our capacity, yet never reaching our true wish… isn’t it ironic?]
“I don’t have much time.”
Lapis replied with an expressionless face.
“If you have something to say, please say it right here, right now.”
[Yes, you must have seen it clearly with those eyes… How was it?]
Olivera, staring at Lapis’s face, smiled.
[Was there inaction beyond the flux of life and death beneath that sky?]
“……”
Only then did Lapis raise her gaze and look straight at Olivera’s veil.
Because she realized why Olivera had traveled all this way to ask her that question.
Inaction beyond the flux of life and death. A world of absolute, existing truth.
What did it mean to ask Lapis about that in this very place?
Olivera already knew that Lapis was the only one who had seen Adamant Thunder’s mindscape and returned.
Was she trying to confirm with Lapis whether a concept that transcended human reason, or something even greater, existed beyond it?
[If an absolute, unchanging truth has descended upon the human world, then it is something that must be addressed here and now.]
Olivera said leisurely.
[Calculating the future without considering an immutable point of causality could turn even a small mistake into an uncontrollable miscalculation.]
“…No.”
Lapis quietly shook her head.
“I saw, yet I did not see. As the one who inherited the function of Chogyeon, I should not say that I saw its true nature.”
[Then?]
“However, if there is still an undecided answer for me, I thought that would be enough for now.”
Lapis said, glancing at the fallen Evan.
“If an unwritten conclusion is still on our side, then surely, someday, we will be able to stand before the truth.”
[…….]
Olivera tilted her head with a displeased look.
[How utterly pure. Is it enough for you that the world is given just one more chance?]
“……”
[Well, very well. Such purity is also a virtue that one who upholds a mission should possess.]
Standing up slowly and gesturing, the chair she was sitting on vanished as if it were never there.
Turning her body without hesitation and stepping into the wide-open palanquin, Olivera laughed.
[But I am already certain. The mere fact that what you and I saw was not an illusion will be meaningful enough for us.]
“Are you still searching for meaning?”
[The fact that it exists is what’s important. Pondering any more than that is too tedious.]
Olivera flicked her hand.
[Fixing a conclusion and fitting the process to it… I had more than enough of that when I failed the first time.]
“……”
[Normally, I would have tested the qualifications of the new Lighthouse Keeper myself right here, but….]
A faint hint of laughter mixed into Olivera’s voice as she turned toward the palanquin.
[Spoiling the stage before the curtain call is a tasteless affair.]
Clank!!
As the palanquin door closed, the red-skinned giants lifted it and stood up.
Immediately, they led the crowd of suited figures and vanished into the distance like mist.
Lapis stared blankly at the spot where they had disappeared, then slowly turned her gaze.
The giant wooden ship made from Grisha’s residual power.
At the edge of its deck, Evan, who had awakened at some point, was looking down at the ground.
“……”
His complexion was pale and faintly trembling, as if exhausted from the arduous battle.
His expression was stiff and awkward, as if all the color had drained from his face.
The other Watchers, belatedly realizing Evan had woken up, brightened their expressions.
“Sir Evan, are you alright!”
“What are you doing up already when you were unconscious?!”
“You almost died. It would be best to rest.”
The loud voices of the Watchers echoed on the deck.
But Lapis, watching this, did not smile along with them or call out to him loudly.
“Sir Evan.”
She simply stared intently into the eyes of the now-awakened Evan with a blank face.
“Could we talk for a moment, just the two of us?”
“…Lapis?”
Ignoring the hesitant words of the other Watchers, Lapis gave a slight nod toward Evan.
The curtain call that Olivera had mockingly mentioned.
It was ironic, but Lapis also knew there was no better way to describe this moment.
She had decided to bury everything that happened today in those ruins, but there were still things to be exchanged.
“There is something I wish to tell you about your fate.”
For the first time, Lapis gave a bitter smile.
“About a conclusion that might just be our last.”