Chapter 482 - Great Hall (2)
Southern part of the Western Continent.
Near the border of a small state belonging to the Arnak Empire.
On the mid-slope of the third highest peak among the winding mountains stood a secret base of Black Hour, concealed and protected by advanced magic circles and magic items.
This was a key forward stronghold, mainly tasked with observing the movements of Helion Magic Tower, one part of the Western Continent's Magic Tower Union.
"Shit, when the hell is this damn war going to end…!"
Stigor, an executive of Black Hour who periodically managed the base, spat out curses and chewed on his lips.
Once, he had been the commander of a magic corps in a small kingdom of the Central Continent.
But when he stole Mandrake extract that the royal family he served had happened to obtain, and fled to the Western Continent, he became a wanted man in the magical world—already 11 years had passed.
He had lost his true identity, fallen into crime in an instant, but he had no choice.
With Mandrake extract, one could create a demon core.
Barely ten vials a year were produced, most of them claimed by powerful nations or magic towers—such a precious substance…!
Moreover, with his progress stuck at upper 5th-tier, Stigor had no options left.
After three years on the run, he finally succeeded in creating and absorbing a demon core… but it was impossible to continue hiding from the magical world's gaze.
So, as if in exile, he went to the Western Continent and joined the necromancer group, Black Hour.
A 5th-tier upper mage was no common talent.
For the next six years, he lived as a member of Black Hour, eventually reaching the lower 6th-tier, a tier-limit breakthrough.
It was growth impossible without the power boost from the demon core.
Though he failed to pioneer Mado… so what.
There were countless mages who never became Magi, yet Stigor had stepped into 6th-tier and risen to the rank of executive.
Even if it was only a minor seat, becoming an executive of Black Hour was incomparable to serving as a mere kingdom's magic corps commander.
With the overwhelming power and authority of standing behind a Transcendent force, he could do anything.
'At least, it was supposed to be…'
But when Black Hour was suddenly accused of unleashing the beast that drove Bohemirn Magic Tower's power source berserk, a great war erupted.
The four towers of the Western Continent, aided by nearby nations… and now three towers united, excluding Diamoon Magic Tower.
They were powerful.
On another level entirely.
If Stigor had acted rashly, he would have long since died—like the many Black Hour executives killed over the past two years.
Still, thanks to Black Hour's Transcendent taking action, Diamoon's tower master was slain, and the Union of Towers also suffered irreversible losses.
The war had settled into a stalemate.
In short, both sides were locked in an endless war of attrition.
"There's no way this ends only when one side is annihilated… right?"
It was a thought he didn't even want to imagine, yet he couldn't shake the dread.
Black Hour and Bohemirn Magic Tower.
Their conflict was beyond repair.
Peace negotiations were impossible. The pride of two Transcendents would never allow it.
There was no retreat.
Even if, by some miracle, Black Hour killed Bohemirn's tower master and defeated the Union, it would be meaningless.
Another war would await.
If magic towers from other continents began to move… the moment the magical world's Transcendents stepped onto the stage, it would be the end.
Only a bleak future lay ahead.
'Should I escape somewhere else? No, if I try that, the [Black Hour's Compass] will pinpoint my location and I'll be executed. My magic information is stored in the Great Hall. Shit, shit, shit, shit. After everything I went through to rise to this seat…!'
Joining Black Hour purely for self-preservation, Stigor now inwardly resented Dahit, biting his fingernails bloody.
Why did Dahit have to tamper with Bohemirn's power source? He denied it, but who would believe him.
If he were going to cause such a disaster, he could have at least given the executives a warning.
It was something Stigor could never say in front of Dahit… so even while alone, he dared not let it slip aloud, and only grumbled inside.
It was then.
Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwang!
The stronghold shook violently.
Startled out of his thoughts, Stigor raised his head.
Bang!
A subordinate burst in, face pale with panic.
"L-Lord Stigor, outside—!"
A surge of enormous magic power.
Eyes snapping wide, Stigor instantly stirred up a raging Tidal Wave to shield himself.
Light exploded.
A heavy blast struck the base, shattering its very foundation. Stigor's pupils trembled violently as he blocked the rain of collapsing debris.
"What the hell…! Did the Union discover this place?"
Impossible.
He had just recently scouted Helion Tower's movements himself.
There had been no signs of an assault.
'For now, I need to get out.'
Stigor hurriedly pushed aside rubble and moved. His subordinate's body, crushed to pieces by the explosion and debris, lay exposed.
He ignored it and passed.
Emerging outside, he found unknown mages confronting the surviving members of Black Hour.
"Tsk tsk, even for a minor executive, to be so slow in response… clearly, you've done nothing but force your tier higher. I needn't have come in person."
A staff-wielding mage, the old man who seemed to be leading the intruders, clicked his tongue while sitting on a collapsed pillar.
'These bastards, they aren't from the Union.'
Scowling, Stigor flared his mana circuits to full activation.
"You've lost your minds. Nobodies like you dare oppose Black Hour—"
"As always, when a leader strays, so does his flock."
The old man, Osgar, rose.
"In the distant past, Black Hour's name was revered in the magical world, but now it's filled with pathetic creatures like you."
"What?"
"Thus, before reclaiming the true Black Hour, it is right to sweep away the irredeemable trash. Wouldn't you agree, Stigor Hawend?"
Mana surged violently from Osgar's body.
Tier unfathomable.
Stigor realized this man was at least 6th-tier.
Step.
Osgar stepped forward.
The crunch of rubble under his boots echoed in every ear.
Fwaaaah!
Society's mages unleashed a simultaneous bombardment.
Black Hour's mages tried to block, but overwhelmed by both scale and quality, they faltered, and casualties mounted.
Society and Black Hour clashed.
Amidst a battlefield rife with murderous spells, Osgar and Stigor faced each other directly.
"Give up running. We are not so lenient."
"You bastards…!"
Stigor hastily calculated spells.
'I need to retreat.'
They were vastly outmatched in power, but above all, the old man's aura was terrifying. And a mage only grew stronger with years.
Feigning aggression to mislead the enemy, Stigor struck out.
But.
A 6th-tier lower mage.
A 6th-tier upper Magus.
The difference was obvious.
Moreover, a man who brute-forced his way up tiers could never match one who had once been a Lord of the Arnak Empire.
Kwagijijijik!
Osgar burst straight through the great wave, shattering Stigor's shoulder.
Then, maintaining close distance while dispersing spells with mana control, he launched a fierce assault of gravity and flame.
From the start, the tilted scales could never regain balance.
Puuuuuhng!
After a one-sided clash, Stigor's waist exploded under a staff strike, and the Black Hour base was annihilated.
"A man who was merely a kingdom's corps commander ten years ago amounts to only this? No wonder they say Black Hour's lower executives are nothing but husks filling seats. Pathetic."
The strongest of Society, the Sage of Power, Osgar, sighed, shook his head, and raised his wrist.
He activated a communicator.
"Nailse, as planned, Stigor Hawend has been dealt with. I'll leave the next to you."
───Understood. We'll begin moving as well.
The Sage of Guardianship replied.
And soon after, the Western Continent's Magic Tower Union launched large-scale assaults on Black Hour's bases.
***
Cayman, traveling between the outside world and Libereas, conveyed the unfolding situation to Verden's group.
[Thanks to information leaked by Society, 4 of Black Hour's 7 hidden bases have been obliterated by the Western Continent's Magic Tower Union.]
Including Stigor, two lower executives of Black Hour were killed, and another was captured alive with heavy injuries.
But capturing a higher executive at any base was impossible.
That one not only responded to the assault, but even counterattacked, breaking through part of the encirclement and escaping.
Black Hour's higher executives were close confidants of Dahit.
Comparing them to lower executives was meaningless.
In any case, after a long period of minor skirmishes, the flames of war were rising again.
A sufficient diversion.
But for Verden, the most important matter was elsewhere.
"How did Dahit Wethroel respond?"
When asked about the Transcendent of Black Hour, Cayman twisted his lips.
[Fortunately, Dahit's location has been confirmed.]
Good news.
"He took the field personally?"
[He appeared alone and intercepted the Union's main forces. Two elders of Helion and Ostea Towers were heavily wounded, though they survived thanks to reinforcements from Bohemirn's council.]
There was no denying a Transcendent wielded overwhelming strength, but elders of the towers had reached the human extreme.
He could not swat down many of them like mere flies.
'Above all, Dahit is wary of Balrog.'
No matter that he led Black Hour, even he could not handle Bohemirn's tower master—who had many elders at his side—alone.
Even now, he must be on edge, investigating the cause of the sudden Union assault while watching the situation closely.
Yes, now was the time.
***
After making full preparations, they followed Cayman toward the outskirts of Libereas, where a small square filled with demons awaited.
Eight faceless demons, cloaked in crimson robes, stood in formation, forming an incomplete circle with one passage left open.
At the center, a demon wrapped in writhing darkness stood.
An aura surpassing Geras.
A formidable power, no doubt a high-ranking demon.
Cayman spoke.
[Commence the ritual, Farnium.]
[…]
The high demon, Farnium, turned.
For a moment, his gaze brushed Verden, then faced forward again.
Swoosh.
From within his dark form, thin arms extended. Hands with long nails lifted toward the sky.
[The ritual… shall begin…]
Whoooong.
The heads of the eight demons around Farnium turned crimson. Their life force flowed into him.
A pitch-black sphere formed in his hands.
The manifestation of unique authority through sacrificial ritual.
As Farnium drew sufficient power from the demons, his hands shook madly.
From within the darkness shrouding him, blazing white eyes darted restlessly, scouring spaces beyond the veil.
At last, his gaze fixed.
[Coordinates… confirmed…]
Cayman had mentioned the Great Hall, its spatial coordinates had been successfully observed. At the same time, the sphere exploded, spreading shadows.
As two chilling waves rippled silently across Libereas, a massive oval-shaped darkness formed before Farnium.
A passage into the Reverse Side.
Thus, Libereas and the Great Hall were temporarily connected.
Isabella smiled awkwardly.
"This… to others, we must look like terrifying demons, don't you think?"
That was true.
Surrounded by grotesque demons, receiving their aid, to any onlooker they might appear as dreadful demon-worshipers.
Not that it mattered.
Just then, Farnium slithered aside, moving away from the entrance.
A straight path toward Black Hour's Great Hall spread out.
[… Now, it is farewell.]
Turning from the passage created by Farnium, Cayman looked at Verden and his companions.
[Our wish, to reclaim Black Hour, shall serve as a stepping stone for your own purpose. Whatever it may be, achieve it without fail. Do not die, all of you return safely.]
Without giving anyone time to respond, he urged them to depart quickly.
[The connection between the two worlds will not last long. Hesitate, and you will miss it. Enter before that darkness vanishes.]
Though he spoke calmly, he wore a bitter smile. He knew this meant the moment he would become a complete puppet of demons.
Since Cayman would soon learn of the additions to the contract and soul anyway, Verden saw no need to tell him.
"We will see you again."
"Thank you for your help, Cayman."
[Gratitude.]
Verden walked between the demons, Isabella following closely at his side.
Alpha, perched on Verden's neck, waved toward Cayman.
"..."
For a moment, Verden glanced to the side.
Meeting his gaze, Farnium bowed slightly in respect.
'When will I next return to Libereas?'
That was unknown, but his instincts told him that the "time" Noxias had spoken of through Geras was not far off.
Soon, Verden and his companions stepped into the passage of the Reverse Side.
The darkness swallowed them whole, then slowly dissipated into nothingness.
Silence settled over Libereas.
[Thus, the contract is fulfilled.]
Cayman took several deep breaths, then nodded firmly.
[Farnium, take the remaining soul's ownership. I am prepared.]
His resolve was unshaken.
Without the demon contract, he would have long since died, no regrets remained.
His final act was given for a friend, and to reclaim the Black Hour of the past…
At that moment, Farnium stretched out his hand once more from the darkness, then waved.
[Soul… not needed…]
[… What?]
[The contract… is deferred… for there is… a matter… far more important…]
Farnium's clawed fingertip pressed against the center of Cayman's forehead.
Through it, the power and authority of a stronger, high-ranking demon surged into him.
[Cayman Vermont… go forth… into the world… seek it. The Parasite Archdemon… Ipea Karn's… traces… investigate the one… whose face bears… the demon's curse…]
Not only granting power without a contract, but suddenly commanding him to seek the vestiges of a vanished Archdemon.
[…]
Cayman blinked, unable to comprehend.
***
The deep, slanting passage that connected the strata and the depths of Black Hour.
Magic stone lamps set at precise intervals glowed with faint blue light.
Dark, azure… as though at the border between shallow sea and deep sea, the colors filled every direction.
Whooong.
At the passage's center, the Reverse Side's passage appeared, spitting out Verden with Alpha, and Isabella, before vanishing.
The sensation of floating.
Landing on the steep passage, nearly 70 degrees in slope, the two pressed low to the ground, bracing with their hands to prevent tumbling.
Verden surveyed the surroundings.
'… We have arrived safely.'
The space reflected in the walls resembled almost exactly the structure Cayman had described.
There seemed to be no coordinate errors.
Immediately, through Arcane, he cast large-scale
He confirmed that no new magical security had been set in the passage since Dahit seized Black Hour.
This was originally a path only the great mana elevator could traverse, the sole route leading to the Great Hall's depths.
'Since all is quiet, the elevator is inactive. We won't run into anything mid-way.'
Verden raised his hand, signaling to Isabella.
The two launched forward together.
Pulled by gravity, they accelerated downward along the passage.
Before long, their first destination came into view.
Using minimal
[Arrived.]
Alpha looked around and confirmed.
Verden took out [Arkeo].
"Liberation from impotence, and freedom."
At the incantation, the cube opened.
With clear blue light, Adrian appeared from within the seal.
Verden asked.
"Were you bored?"
"Meditation gave me plenty of time, so it wasn't too bad… but if it lasted much longer, I think I might have gotten bored enough to break out."
Adrian joked, stretching lightly.
Originally, [Arkeo] was an artifact for sealing incapacitated opponents.
It forced the sealed into deep sleep.
But as in Adrian's case, if one chose not to resist, they could awaken at will, even break the seal if desired.
"So… this is the gateway."
"Yes, the entrance to the depths."
Before them stood a massive gate.
At the end of the passage that connected to the strata where Black Hour's mages worked, the entrance into the Great Hall's depths.
"I'll open this one."
Whooong.
Isabella stepped forward and activated the device beside the gate. Black Hour's runes, formed of mana, floated in the air.
Her golden eyes gleamed, her ten fingers moved swiftly.
She input one by one the specific code components Cayman had revealed, the principle of which Verden had explained, for forcibly opening the Great Hall's depth gate.
Ten minutes passed.
Kwoong.
Kugugugugu…
The first gate opened.
At once, a cold current swept past their skin.
[…]
Alpha wanted to record the scene as a memory golem, but restrained himself.
He understood the heavy atmosphere.
From subspace, Verden summoned Interis and stepped forward.
"Let's enter."
The divine faction stepped into the depths.
***
"What is the estimated damage?"
"T-the thing is…"
A lower executive of Black Hour, uneasy and struggling, reported the state of the bases to Dahit Wethroel.
An unexpected large-scale raid.
Because of it, the forward line of Black Hour, restored over the course of a year, had collapsed.
"…"
Dahit simply listened.
He showed no anger.
He made no move to kill the subordinate speaking grim tidings. Cutting his own forces served no benefit.
That would be inefficient folly.
'Yet something is strange.'
Dahit assessed the situation more objectively.
It was odd that Bohemirn's Union had gathered such intelligence, and stranger still that they chose now to strike.
Something was amiss.
Just as his thoughts reached that point… the unusual accessory on his wrist trembled.
The ancient artifact, [Horizon Observer].
By registering a location, it gradually observed and specified the beings within its range over time.
Normally, Dahit would have dismissed it.
There were always some higher executives permitted entry into the depths where the [Horizon Observer] monitored.
But.
"I told them, no one was to step into the depths for the time being."
Someone disobeyed his order?
Impossible.
No one could defy Dahit, the absolute ruler of Black Hour.
That meant only one thing…
"Rats have crept in."
The Dark Moon rose to its feet.
A variable had appeared.
Between them.
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