Book 20 Chapter 3
The archenemy and pioneer of the mission,
The New Heaven Kaditpol Knights (8)
Year 1106 of the Tersia Era.
The Red Holy Land, <Shuriganakyus>.
“Leader, have you heard the news?”
<Shuriganakyus> was at the center of the ‘Three-Front Line’ carried out by three major cities: <Raftas>, <Langbard>, and <Shuriganakyus>.
‘Yellow City <Raftas>’, a land stronghold and a passage for maritime control, saw its dominance change daily in the back-and-forth struggle with the Red Dragon Legion and the Abyss.
Yet, <Shuriganakyus> maintained its iron-clad dignity even as all surrounding strongholds were falling.
“Yes, I heard.”
Attributing this solely to the geographical advantages of <Shuriganakyus>, which fortified the Keltimus volcanic region, would be an oversimplification.
Under the command of the Golden Dragon Legion, the best personnel from both continents, including the Republic and the Empire, were concentrated in <Shuriganakyus>!
Ulan Page, the leader of the Magic Alliance, was also stationed here, accompanied by the entire famous ‘Magic Imperial Guard’ of the Page family.
“You mean the news that the Lista Party succeeded in subduing the Dirbeta front?”
“That’s right. Soon, the supply route to <Shuriganakyus> will also be opened.”
“Leader, it’s truly presumptuous of me, but a bet is currently underway among the mages. It would be wise to address it.”
As the isolated situation continued for nearly half a year, only the silence of despair gradually settled, but the fact that bets were being exchanged was a good sign.
“What kind of bet?”
“It’s about your post-war whereabouts, Leader.”
“Ah, that.”
Ulan Page had already pondered this issue deeply.
No, in fact, it was a problem that didn’t even require deep thought.
Even though it was a significant matter, the time it took for him to question and answer himself to reach a conclusion was short.
“I’ll have to step down from the leadership. Aquizard (5-star) has appeared; how can I possibly hold this position? I’d be completely uneasy.”
“But Lord Rin is still so young…”
“Not only did he reach 5-star, but he also subjugated the old nobility; that’s a different level entirely. The length of time one has lived doesn’t matter when the depth of that life is different.”
Just then, a trumpet sounded a long blast from somewhere, and then bells began to toll one after another.
It was a signal for opening the gates.
<Shuriganakyus> had satellite cities on each peak of the Keltimus volcanic region, with each satellite city serving as a fortress.
“A return? Who has come back?”
At Ulan’s command, one of the Magic Imperial Guard members quickly disappeared somewhere and soon returned with an answer.
“They say it’s ‘Special Unit 3’, which went on a reconnaissance mission to the northwest to connect the transport route with <Langbard> two months ago and then went missing. Fortunately, they were alive.”
Ulan Page felt an instant chill run down his spine.
“Leader? Leader, where are you going?”
“Special Unit 3 wasn’t missing! We just listed them as missing because we couldn’t even retrieve their remains!”
The Golden Dragon Legion was stationed in <Shuriganakyus>.
In the past, this fact alone would have made Ulan Page conclude that what he knew was wrong.
But the situation had changed. Someone had created a spell to deceive the Dragonfolk.
“It’s an emergency signal! Tell them to close the gates immediately!”
Above, yellow wyverns on patrol duty were seen moving quickly towards the city gates.
‘Was this gate-opening signal not given by the Golden Dragon Legion in the first place?’
Of course, the Dragon Legion was never foolish.
Special Unit 3, which had entered the city, was surrounded under the command of Cardinal Hagon, and it looked as if a search of their belongings would begin soon.
Ulan, arriving at the scene, was engulfed in bewilderment.
‘What’s going on? Special Unit 3 was alive, yet there’s no trace of the Abyss to be felt.’
Ulan opened his mouth.
“Were you… alive?”
A mage from Special Unit 3 chuckled upon seeing Ulan.
“No, we died.”
“What?”
“You, the Magic Alliance, and the Dragonfolk abandoned us, but He never abandons us. So now, both our bodies and minds will be devoted to Him who saved us.”
It was in the very next moment that he realized all of it was not for infiltration, but merely to draw attention for a brief moment and disrupt the patrol network.
Great Chaos!
The city walls, which had stood firm for four years against the fierce offensives of the demon race, began to collapse before a power that was simply overwhelming.
‘Could this be…?’
Before Inrahit or Ulan could give an order, the artillery squad, in bewilderment, poured all their firepower beyond the collapse.
“Stop! Stop it! You’ll only accelerate the collapse of the walls!”
It was concentrated fire from hundreds of mages and witches who had carried out combat missions on the front lines. Even the Dragonfolk would not be able to keep their bodies intact if exposed to this offensive.
And yet!
Suddenly, didn’t a pillar of fire, blazing and surging from beyond the dust cloud, scatter all that concentrated fire?!
“……!”
“……!”
“……!”
This left the mages and witches feeling as if they had been struck on the head.
Their attacks repelled in a single blow? That too would be shocking.
But the greatest shock stemmed from knowing the principles of fire-element spells.
‘Fire-element spells concentrate kinetic energy at their end point…’
‘To use power in a vertically ascending form like that as a barrier is an inherently impossible attribute…’
‘But what on earth…?’
Only Ulan Page, in that place, truly grasped the situation.
His eyes trembled as the pillar of fire, which seemed ready to swallow the entire horizon, split into individual sparks.
Everyone thought it was dissipating into particles as its power ran out, but that was not it at all. That was the secret art of the Kepel family──!
“────Everyone, deploy defensive barriers!”
Before that thought could reach a conclusion, particles of magic began to scatter from Ulan Page’s fingertips.
This was the symbol of the Great Sage who caused the Page family to be called ‘The Drawing Mages’.
It was the way mages in that sage’s lineage used magic; it wasn’t a specific secret spell, but simply something they could use genetically.
Pong, pong, popopopopopong…!
Strictly speaking, the secret magic of the Page family was precisely these large and small purple bubbles.
The pinnacle of sealing magic, researched by Emitsa Page to confine non-human beings.
Its power showed immense resistance to all forces pushing from within and without, and Ulan had the highest understanding of this sealing magic among the Great Sage’s lineage.
It was almost simultaneous.
The appearance of bubbles everywhere, encircling people and structures… and the pillar of fire, fragmented into embers, raining down upon the city.
Explosions tearing at the retina…
That roar, the chaos… somewhere beyond, a silent…
…into the stillness.
When Ulan regained consciousness, everything had instantly turned to ashes, and only what had been surrounded by the bubbles still preserved its form to some extent.
“I had intended to completely raze it, but you’ve managed to block it to this extent. You have more talent than Page from a thousand years ago.”
A voice echoed, muffled, into the mere handful of hearing he had left.
It was ‘him’.
The deduction and understanding of his identity were already complete, given that he used the Kepel family’s secret, crystallization magic, at a molecular level.
Julak Kepel.
The 4th Archmage.
His alias was the Archmage of the Hero’s Party.
The rumor that he had been resurrected within an organization called the New Heaven Kaditpol Knights was considered almost an absurd fabrication among mages.
Because there were no eyewitness accounts.
This was because the Dragon Legion always blocked the New Heaven Kaditpol Knights. Moreover, Kaditpol would appear once or twice a year, engage in a major battle, and then vanish suddenly.
‘Each time, the Dragon Legion had to pay an outrageous price…’
Among the five cardinals of the Golden Dragon Legion, only Inrahit and Hagon were in sound condition, and in the Red Dragon Legion, excluding Pyras, Grydaone and Zhakan had even withdrawn from the front lines for a time.
“Why…?”
Countless questions echoed frantically through the past events he had gone through to become Gladus (4-star) and the leader of the Magic Alliance, but that was the only word he could utter.
“To correct a flawed mathematical formula.”
And before his breath failed, a strange answer to that question returned.
“The very foundation of this world… which is twisted from its roots.”
* * *
When the Hero’s Party crossed the suspension bridge and entered <Shuriganakyus> from <Vanesis>, the city was already in pandemonium.
Slaughter, formless within a sandstorm, was descending upon the defenders and citizens.
Kies immediately drew his bowstring… and the spot in the air where the arrow struck strangely wavered before suddenly collapsing onto the sand.
“Reptilian…!”
Having confirmed the enemy’s identity, Freya uttered the name of an ancient horror with a groan almost like a lament.
“Reptilian?”
It was Shuan who answered Rin’s question.
“They are the Lizard Lord’s minions! They say those creatures can freely use mimicry to completely blend into their surroundings! Everyone, be careful!”
Lista dashed to the front of the refugees and swiftly cut down a dozen Reptilians with her holy sword.
“Everyone, quickly over there! Go to the North Gate! We’ve secured the north!”
Even as she said this, she cast a frantic gaze at Freya.
“Freya, the appearance of Reptilians means…!”
At her gaze, Freya nodded with an urgent yet somber look.
“Yes, the seal’s release is in its final countdown stage!”
They had to hurry to the central grand plaza, yet young, old, and sick refugees were endlessly flocking to this north.
‘It’s impossible to abandon these people… no, but then the king’s seal might be broken…’
It was then, as Lista gasped for breath in agonizing torment, her head feeling like it would burst.
The creatures, which had seemingly died instantly with arrows piercing their vital spots, began to rise again.
As the Hero’s Party flinched in bewilderment, Shuan cried out.
“Oh no… The Lizard Lord’s power is ruin that twists life and death! He’s a true king who has even taken away the ‘right to die’ from his minions! That’s why his minions can’t be killed by conventional means!”
Rin’s eyes sparkled with insight.
“By conventional means, you say?”
A light even more dazzling than that sparkle was already unfolding and swirling around the young Archmage’s left hand.
Osarius-style hand seal, 3-star.
Lightning Blade.
This magic, which would later be inherited as the essence of lightning magic, was frequently favored by Rin, and it was convenient to think of it as a reduced-power version of the ‘Lightning Palm Blood Drain’ (뇌장방혈), famous as the ultimate technique of lightning magic.
“If I burn their entire bodies to ash, what can they possibly do?”
In a flash of gold, Reptilians burned to ash by the dozens at once never rose again. A master!
“Lista, we don’t have time to keep doing this! We have to leave this to Rin and the four of us must go!”
“But…!”
“Shuan! There must be a fast way to get there, right?”
“Look for the moving walk! It’s a legacy of ‘The Arrived Ones’! It’s a moving floor! It only exists in <Shuriganakyus>! If you adjust it to high speed, you’ll be able to reach the Grand Plaza within 10 minutes at Lady Lista’s speed!”
Lista gazed blankly at Rin for a very brief moment, and just as she was about to say, “I’ll leave it to you.”
“Ugh, ughhhhaaaahhh!”
“Sa-save, save me!”
Suddenly, the bodies of both the refugees fleeing towards them and the transparent Reptilians chasing them began to melt into a viscous slime!
No, that’s not quite right!
Before melting, their bodies first completely decayed and rotted away! That’s why it looked like fat melting!
“What is that? What happened? I didn’t do anything.”
Rin tilted his head, perplexed.
Shuan was engulfed in horror at the catastrophe, stopped his search for the moving walk, and ran towards them.
‘Still, I can still save them…’
To protect just one child, one who hadn’t yet completely melted into slime.
“Don’t touch it, Shuan! That moss-like stuff!”
Freya cried out hastily, her face miserable.
“That’s sorcery! If you touch it, it could infect you too! No, it could even explode! Stand back!”
The essence of sorcery is communication with nature.
Its principle is to amplify the natural energy floating in the atmosphere.
But this was that very sorcery grotesquely twisted with a forbidden Orbios Rune.
“It’s sorcery that was originally meant to amplify natural metabolism to exert healing power, but it’s been cunningly twisted to drastically lower metabolism, causing bodies to rot in a short time! It’s a crazy, twisted hobby! Be careful! This is an incredibly skilled practitioner of sorcery!”
Freya was right.
The body of the one remaining child, who had reached out to Shuan in agony… exploded the next moment.
Had the barrier of Shinaeshi not enveloped him, he would have met the same fate.
“…It was a confident ambush, but I couldn’t kill a single one.”
From a distant northeastern bell tower, a being looked down upon the struggles of the Hero’s Party.
A remarkably frail physique.
But black armor, which gave even that slender figure dignity… it was the uniform of New Heaven Kaditpol.
“…Looks like there’s someone who knows a bit about sorcery.”
The identification number engraved on the breastplate was Dell. Interpreted from the numbers of ‘The Arrived Ones’ into modern numerals, it is ‘03’.
“…I just get angry when I see people like that who believe they are justice.”
In other words, this girl was Kadine Dell (03). The very girl who had terrorized the world under the name of the Witch of Calamity!
“…Humans are all just ugly monsters, you know.”
The girl was not alone.
She was perched on the shoulder of a giant of unrealistically massive build, a complete contrast to her frail physique.
Something jutting out from beneath his tattered cloak, resembling a hedgehog, was peculiar. The giant said nothing.
“…”
Of course, an identification number was also engraved on the giant’s chest; translated directly, it was Omek.
‘The Arrived Ones’ used both decimal and septimal number systems, so Omek meant ‘06’ and ‘the last number’.
However, it is said that the Holy Elmene Knights, who commanded the mythical era of the past, did not have an identification number called Eldia Omek (06).
“…Omek, let’s kill them as painfully as possible. Just like we’ve done to tens of thousands of people so far. When people suffer, their masks come off and their true faces appear, and I like that moment the most in the world.”