Chapter 922: Summit (5)
It was past evening, nearing midnight, but the tower was still bustling with people.
Though less vibrant than during the day, this was the hour when the value of transactions flowing back and forth grew higher.
Dangerous deals, impossible to publicly disclose, were discreetly taking place throughout the tower.
The mercenaries guarding the tower, unlike in the daytime, simply looked the other way.
“If we set a time to condone illegal transactions, we can attract merchants who would otherwise avoid the Magic Tower.”
Jenny, standing next to Lennok, said.
“If they want to trade under your protection within the tower’s jurisdiction, they’d have no reason to hesitate. It ultimately expands the market.”
“Though I can’t allow transactions related to human trafficking,” Jenny shrugged.
“So, are we leaving now? We still have a little time.”
“I never intended to arrive exactly on time.”
Lennok replied, looking down at the tower from his office window.
“And if the necromancer’s words are true, there’s a need to confirm what’s happening before the summit.”
“Then—”
“I’m just waiting.”
“……”
Lennok closed his eyes.
“They’ll know too.”
Yes, if he was still in this city, there was no way he wouldn’t know.
Perhaps he had completed his manifestation in this city precisely because he knew.
If there was anything that needed to be said before night fell and everything began, now was the time.
The moment Lennok thought this, stroking his staff, Dylan knocked on the office door.
“Van, you have a visitor.”
“……At this hour?”
Jenny frowned but opened the door, then immediately fell silent.
A platinum-blonde woman whose age was impossible to guess.
A wizard, her shoulders draped in an antique robe, stood calmly before the office.
“Claris Richellen……”
“Adamant Thunder. May I speak with you for a moment?”
Even though Lennok didn’t reply, Claris spoke calmly.
“There are some things I wish to say before the summit begins.”
“……Come in.”
Jenny and Dylan naturally stepped aside, leaving only the two of them in the spacious office.
Claris, seated opposite Lennok, smiled and said.
“It’s been a while since we last met.”
“When did you arrive in Vulcan?”
“Just before your fight as Cheonbeon began? I barely made it in time.”
“……”
Claris, too, was one of the high-ranking wizards the Central Council had called upon for consultation regarding that fight.
He had heard that many wizards had remained in Vulcan since then, but he hadn’t expected her to still be here.
“It’s rare to witness a full-power decisive battle between blessed wizards. Even for me, it’s been a very long time since I’ve seen spellcraft combat reach such a level.”
Claris added naturally.
“Are you aware that there’s a growing trend among other wizards to learn physical combat techniques? I hear rumors that related studios in Vulcan are flourishing…”
Lennok became lost in thought, listening to Claris explain the rumors and circumstances circulating among the Magic Tower’s wizards.
He had an idea why Claris had come.
However, with her arrival, the possibility that the being Lennok was waiting for would not appear—
At that moment, Claris tilted her head slightly and asked.
“Were you perhaps waiting for someone else, not me?”
“……”
“Oh, I didn’t read your mind. Beings like myself are simply sensitive to such emotions.”
Claris quietly said.
“Waiting for something is a very familiar experience for us as well.”
“……Enough. Get to the point.”
Lennok asked, pressing his temples with a tired expression.
“Did you come about Olivera?”
“Yes. As you might have surmised.”
Claris adjusted her clothes and bowed slightly.
“I consulted her previously regarding the Kundara matter, as I requested, and even though I didn’t mention your name, she seemed to pick up on it.”
“……”
“Though it wasn’t my intention, I feel I may have unnecessarily complicated things.”
“So you’re acquainted with Olivera Ron Maize.”
“Long ago, she was a genius who wandered through various magic towers. You might not know, but on this side, she’s quite famous.”
Claris conceded.
“An eccentric who was never satisfied with her own magic, constantly searching for a twisted ideal… Many dislike her for her pride and arrogance, but I rather like her.”
“Is that because you’re a Long-lived Being, not human?”
“Well, rather than that… perhaps I should say it’s because she possesses what I do not.”
Claris smiled faintly.
“So, when she was first blossoming with talent, I tried to take her as a disciple. But she refused, so it came to nothing.”
“……”
Did that mean the arrogant witch might have once been a fellow student with Aris?
“Anyway, whatever she asked of you, you don’t necessarily have to grant it.”
Claris belatedly returned to the main topic and explained.
“She is capable, but also very demanding. She will certainly demand a price for her assistance.”
“I know.”
“Even without her help, there’s a way to manipulate the orbital period, so I came to confirm that for you.”
A subtle smile touched Claris’s lips as she looked at Lennok’s expressionless face.
“I also don’t want to do anything bad to someone Aris cares about.”
“……”
“I apologize to Olivera, but I cherish my disciple more.”
Well, would things really work out as easily as Claris claimed?
She said there was another way, but the mere fact that she consulted Olivera was proof enough that it wouldn’t be easy.
That was likely because adjusting Kundara’s orbital period would require a causality manipulation ability at least on par with The Seven Debts Jewels Mystic Eye.
In any case, he understood that entering the Outer Tribulation City was indeed such a delicate task.
Lennok concluded this and rose from his chair.
Click!
Leaning on his staff, he checked the feel of the handgun tucked inside his coat.
He pulled out a new cigarette, lit it, and then exhaled a long stream of smoke as he started walking.
Claris, too, seemed to have heard about the events unfolding in this city, as she nodded without surprise.
“It’s already time. If I don’t want to disrupt the summit, I should go…”
“There’s one last thing I’d like to ask.”
Lennok interrupted Claris, glancing back at her from the office door.
“The name Anathema. Do you know it?”
“Anathema…”
For a moment, a faint surprise colored Claris’s face, then it transformed into a gentle smile.
“That’s a nostalgic name.”
“……”
“They were pitiable traitors, reckless exiles.”
Claris closed her eyes slightly and said.
“The thoughts shed by those bearing that name are far closer to those of a Long-lived Being than a human.”
“……”
“Please, avoid directly confronting their Mind Imprint.”
Had she surmised, from Lennok’s single question, why he asked about that name and what he intended to do?
Lennok, about to ask her about it, realized he wouldn’t get any more answers from the silent Claris and turned away.
Olivera had said that Claris had facts she couldn’t speak due to the laws of the Long-lived Beings.
Perhaps the matter concerning Anathema, too—
Click!!
Jenny and Dylan waited outside the office door.
After a brief exchange of glances, Lennok leaned on his staff and immediately gathered his magic.
Whoosh!!
Accompanied by a hallucination that made his vision utterly invert, Lennok’s body descended onto the Magic Tower’s rooftop.
As he focused his mind, the tower’s power source and Lennok’s Root Mana responded in sync.
The tower, imbued with lightning affinity, resonated with the wizard’s magic, rapidly expanding its range and covering distance.
Crackle, ZZZAP!!!
In Lennok’s mind, as he lightly closed his eyes, his perception of distance stretched wildly.
His senses instantly extended beyond Sector 49, transcending kilometers to reach beyond the undeveloped zone.
The moment Lennok confirmed his senses were directed towards Etanoc, the satellite city designated as the summit location, he immediately cast his Will-thought.
ROAR!!!
With a powerful bolt of lightning that struck the Magic Tower’s rooftop, Lennok’s form vanished from that spot.
The satellite city of Etanoc.
Though an unfamiliar name among the many satellite cities located on the outskirts of Vulcan, this wasn’t Lennok’s first experience.
This was because Pandemonium’s interim settlement, an event where its members gathered, had previously been held in the satellite city of Bailuts.
Just like Bailuts, Etanoc was likely a ruin abandoned after development investment was halted during its expansion plan.
Lennok had thought the same and tried to find a way to the satellite city, but—
Soft crunch!!
“So, a place like this existed in the undeveloped zone.”
Unlike the rough, acrid deserts of the undeveloped zone, this was soft, finely ground, pristine white sand.
Scattered transparent crystals shimmered beautifully, reflecting the moonlight of the night sky.
But what most strongly captivated Lennok’s gaze was—
Clatter!!
“……”
Lennok looked down at the skull fragments rolling under his feet and quietly closed his mouth.
Remains that instantly inverted the seemingly beautiful atmosphere of this white sand desert.
And not just one; the vast desert was filled with scattered remains buried all around.
An eerie city, a complete contrast to his memory of Bailuts, filled with traces of human death.
This was why the necromancer had taken it upon himself to announce the summit location.
Perhaps the raw material for this pristine white sand wasn’t rock, but human…
Growl…
At that moment, an intense killing intent emanated from beyond the desert, directed at Lennok.
With its bright yellow eye and matted fur all over its body, the one-eyed wolf approached, drooling as if it had just found Lennok while sifting through the piles of skulls.
Was this a beast wandering the vicinity?
The moment Lennok thought this, preparing to draw his revolver for the first time in a while—
A house-sized foot slammed down on the one-eyed wolf’s head, crushing the magical beast.
CRASH!!
The impact completely overturned the white sand nearby, faintly revealing the piled skulls and remains beneath the sand.
Lennok, not a speck of dust on him even amid the wave-like sandstorm, lifted his head.
[WHOOSH!!]
A house-sized rhinoceros, its entire body encased in thick, iron armor.
It was as massive as a building, so huge that it was unbelievable such a beast stood so conspicuously in the middle of the desert.
Its unique feature, perhaps, was the horns on its head, as enormous as its body.
Normally, a single horn adorned its head, yet this beast had two.
A two-headed rhinoceros, its two heads facing Lennok, let out a fierce roar.
[ROOOOAR!!]
Its roar alone churned up a storm, unleashing shockwaves mixed with Will-thought in all directions.
A monster that projected tangible and intangible force by instinctively mixing magic and Will-thought.
The moment he realized this two-headed monster was not an ordinary beast, but a magical beast—
Someone’s voice came from the very top of the massive magical beast’s head.
“My, my, who would have thought I’d find someone lost in a desert like this…”
The figure of a baby with an oddly gigantic physique.
The baby, its voice like an old man’s, looked down at Lennok.
“It’s our esteemed Tower Lord of Vulcan.”
“……”
Instead of replying, Lennok silently gazed at the magical beast the baby rode.
Its two eyes were bloodshot, and it snorted roughly.
It trembled as if it would charge at Lennok at any moment, yet remained firmly rooted as if bound by an unseen restraint.
An art that forcibly agitated the magical beast into a frenzy, while keeping its movements perfectly under control.
Lennok’s eyes narrowed as he realized the magic forming the foundation of the spellcraft belonged to a very familiar lineage.
“A black wizard.”
“For now, yes. But…”
The black wizard, who readily conceded, observed Lennok standing alone in the desert and wore a peculiar smile.
“It seems the arch-wizard who wields the fastest and most powerful lightning in this city can’t even arrange a means to transport himself.”
“……”
“It’s no concern of mine, but at this rate, won’t it take too long to reach the satellite city?”
The black wizard burst into boisterous laughter without waiting for Lennok’s reply, then said.
“Well, that’s just a matter of his own abilities. A wizard’s talent and aptitude being skewed toward a single field isn’t necessarily a flaw, is it?”
“……”
“Then, I’ll be going ahead.”
Thud!!
Without stopping, he gave Lennok a dismissive glance and walked ahead.
Beneath the faint moonlight, without even bothering to conceal its form, it dyed the white sand desert as it advanced towards the satellite city.
“……”
Lennok, left behind, stared at the magical beast’s retreating back, lost in thought.
[Master, are you just going to let that arrogant organism go?]
Davi poked his head out from inside Lennok’s coat, sounding slightly annoyed.
[He’s basically calling Master an uncultured organism who’s only good at fighting!]
“And aren’t you the one provoking me right now?”
[Mph!]
Lennok pulled Davi’s mouth into a long line and shook his head.
“There’s no need to clash before the summit. It’s a waste of time.”
[But…]
The opponent, too, likely had no intention of settling things with Lennok right here, despite their words.
It’s just a petty pride battle played out before the summit.
Lennok, therefore, had no intention of wasting time fighting the black wizard right now, but—
Lennok stroked Davi’s head, smiled, and nodded.
“However, there’s no need to tolerate such low-level provocation.”
[I knew you’d say that!]
Lennok, holding the now-brightened Davi in his arms, plunged his staff into the ground and began forming hand seals.
With each incantation completed, a dazzling lightning magic circle was drawn around the staff plunged into the ground.
CRACKLE, ZZZAP!!!
Violent afterimages of overflowing lightning instantly erupted from the completed magic formation.
Once one reaches the pinnacle of a single elemental magic, there’s no longer a need to adhere to the boundaries of that lineage.
Will-thought that transcends limits can influence other lineages, beyond the defined categories of spellcraft.
What Lennok was about to do now, in that sense, referred to the means he would acquire.
He brought his overflowing magic towards the lightning-striking staff.
“Summoning Spell.”
ZZZZZZZZAP!!!
The lightning, beyond merely striking, surged violently as if tearing space apart, erupting into the night sky.
RUMBLE!!
Perched atop the jewel-encrusted magical beast, the black wizard, in the form of a giant baby, surveyed the satellite city.
CRACKLE!!
[Tillian. It’s time.]
A low voice echoed in his ear, accompanied by a subtle static noise.
[You must close the siege barrier and complete the Eight Trigrams Formation, so hurry.]
“Akto.”
A quiet reply flowed from the baby’s lips, who was called Tillian.
“I met Adamant Thunder on the way here.”
The man called Akto paused for a moment.
[……And?]
“He was walking alone in the desert.”
A mocking smile touched the baby’s lips.
“It seems he hasn’t heard anything about the Eight Trigrams. No need to be as wary as Olinic said—”
FLASH!!
At that moment, an intense bolt of lightning struck across the dark desert night sky.
A light so intense that even the magical beast, snorting and stamping its feet, flinched and lifted its gaze.
Immediately after, a colossal pillar of lightning struck down from the sky, then began to split on both sides.
CRACKLE, CRACKLE, ZZZZZAP!!!
“……”
The flashing lightning pillar split apart, and in that instant, transformed into the shape of wings.
A Thunder Bird, several times larger than the magical beast Tillian rode, appeared from the depths of the night sky.
ZZZAP, ZZZAP!!!
The monstrous bird, its entire body gleaming with powerful lightning and thunder.
Between its wide-spread wings, electricity sparked in place of feathers, as it let out a strange cry.
The moment he realized someone was atop the Thunder Bird’s back, leaning on a staff—
Lennok and the black wizard’s gazes met once more.
“……”
A composition where the black wizard, atop the magical beast’s back, looked up at the Thunder Bird flying in the sky.
With the eye-level now reversed from before, the black wizard, realizing the blatant intent, narrowed his eyes.
[WHOOSH!!]
The magical beast stomped its feet in furious anger, but the Thunder Bird merely flew, mockingly, unleashing bolts of lightning.
Lennok, with the flashing lightning at his back, looked down at the black wizard and let out a faint chuckle.
“I hope you don’t arrive too late.”
The Thunder Bird, soaring conspicuously over the head of the roaring magical beast, instantly reached the skies above the satellite city of Etanoc.