Free Web NovelChapter 392: Chapter 389: Stumbling into the Venue
The monster didn’t give chase, but Rorschach’s avatar was in a freefall.
It was like clipping through the floor in a 3D game and falling out of the world. After his misstep, Rorschach could only watch helplessly as he was ejected from the Temple World.
But around him, the wreckage of many buildings began to appear, as well as... corpses. Monsters similar to the one from the second Holy Temple floated silently by, brushing past him, but most of them had missing limbs and were utterly lifeless. There were even more bizarre entities. They had once been living creatures, but now, without exception, they showed no signs of life.
’Have I fallen into a graveyard?’ Frustratingly, they could simply float around the far side of the Temple World, yet Rorschach continued to plummet. The sights along his descent gradually shifted from monsters and mythical creatures to humanoid figures. There were Giants, burly ancient soldiers, and exceptionally beautiful women. They were all drained of color, like pale marble statues, drifting and colliding, chipping away at each other or even shattering completely upon impact.
Rorschach would have been fine with simply falling back to the real world, but it was as if this space was actively working against him, as a turbulent, unavoidable torrent of Transmuting Dust appeared below.
’Damn it!’ For his main body, losing this splinter of his soul would be agonizing, inflicting a wound deep within his very Soul. But as a young man, perhaps he still had a chance to recover. Rorschach’s avatar, however, possessed a powerful survival instinct. Discovering that his Casting Ability had returned mid-fall, he decisively conjured a Blue Light Barrier to envelop himself, thickening it as much as he could.
Violent energies clashed with his barrier, mutually annihilating. Just as it was about to give way, Rorschach slammed hard into a solid obstacle. He seemed to have hit a "Vesicle" that was adrift in the Transmuting Dust, and this Vesicle’s Space Jade was incredibly durable.
The impact instantly created cracks in the obstacle, but Rorschach was still kept out. The dense Transmuting Dust enveloped him, gnawing at him like a swarm of ants.
"Hold on, damn you!" Rorschach’s survival instinct somehow allowed him to transcend the limits of his avatar. The Transmuting Dust that pierced his Blue Light Barrier touched his Spirit Body, and the direct damage to his Soul was stimulus enough. What followed was not his splinter soul mutating from the Transmuting Dust. Instead, these raw "Divine Kingdom Fragments" were gradually assimilated by the blue light, forming a new crystalline armor around Rorschach’s body.
But turning into an impregnable fortress wasn’t enough. Rorschach daringly began to utilize the assimilated, recrystallized material, extracting the energy it contained for his own use. He was still locked out of the "Vesicle" below.
’To hell with it! I’m taking it with me!’ Gritting his teeth, Rorschach forced the Technique for the [Great Splitting Technique]. The blue, recrystallized Transmuting Dust flaked off and merged into his Spirit Body, arranging itself into circuits within him. After a process of constant refinement, the spell—one that surpassed his avatar’s Casting Ability—was successfully cast! ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
There was no sound in the Void, nor was any needed. A single wave washed out, and everything around Rorschach was annihilated.
...
Within a mysterious Chaos Space, where there was no distinction between sky and ground, stood thirteen vague figures.
"The Empire’s vanguard is aimed straight at the Valois Capital. They clearly intend to end this war before spring," a Great Mage began, explaining the current situation. "Come March or April, the rains will increase, and the muddy roads will impede their army’s advance."
A Great Mage from Valois spoke up. "So, you’re saying the Kingdom just needs to hold on until spring?" freeweɓnovel.cѳm
"Not necessarily. Within the Empire, they’ve rushed to complete a railway line that runs north to south. It’s highly likely they’ll extend it once their rear lines are stable, which would drastically speed up their logistical capabilities. Furthermore, the Dwarves’ restrictions on the supply of Lightweight Flammable Element haven’t impacted the Empire’s ability to use Airships for its supply lines. They must have found another supplier."
Feuerbach knew the truth behind this, but he remained silent, not about to expose a certain someone’s star pupil.
Kano, the one with the star pupil, was growing impatient with the discussion. "The Empire cannot be allowed to unify the Ferolun Continent—that is our consensus. So why are we bickering over these trivialities? The Empire Army has its Military Mages, so we Mages of Valois must also enter the fray!"
A Great Mage from the Empire refuted Kano’s idea. "But the Mages of Valois are almost exclusively members of the Magic Guild! If you insist on intervening, I will face twice the pressure from the Empire’s side."
Kano scoffed at the idea that the Empire could threaten a Great Mage. Everyone knew the man who just spoke was suspected of being close to the Empire’s leadership. He was making a fortune off this war and had even directed his Guild Chapters within the Empire to purchase war bonds in bulk.
’Too bad we can’t just drop the pretenses yet...’
"What is Istani’s position? Are they willing to support Valois? Even if they are neutral or acting out of consideration for the continent’s balance of power, they should still intervene, at least by imposing a resource embargo on the Empire..."
The Mage from the Tower of Storms, located on its island, gave a wry smile. "Don’t you read the papers? Istani has yet to recover from its own turmoil..."
"Then don’t bother," Kano cut him off. "Since the Magic Guild can’t intervene and must maintain its precious neutrality, then the Mages of Valois can simply withdraw from the Guild and fight as individuals. Even a Low Tier Mage can take down an Airship without breaking a sweat."
If the vague Spirit Bodies in the Illusion Realm could show clear expressions, you would have seen someone’s eyes go wide. "Encouraging a mass withdrawal from the Guild? You’re threatening the Guild’s very foundation!"
However, more of the Great Mages were in agreement. "I concur with Master Kano. What is the foundation of the Guild? It is the Thirteen Magic Towers we represent! Is there any power in this world that dares to make a move against our Magic Towers? They may have the ambition, but they lack the strength. So, as long as the core personnel and knowledge of the Magic Towers are preserved, what’s the big deal about letting the juniors go temper themselves in battle?"
"Mages have been fighters since time immemorial; peace is ultimately not the natural state of things. Once the war ends, most Mages will naturally return to the Guild." The Mage supporting Kano paused. "As for those who object, I suspect they’re less worried about the Guild and more concerned about their own personal interests."
"You..."
Kano stated bluntly, "I don’t care what interests any of you have in the Empire. My own home is about to be smashed to bits. Besides, times have changed. Whether you all agree or not, whether any individual Mage agrees or not, more and more of them will be drawn into this conflict."
Just as the Great Mages were about to reach a consensus, the Illusion Realm suddenly began to shake violently.
"We have an intruder!" The Great Mages were all present in this illusory space as Spirit Bodies. This place had served as the link between the thirteen chiefs ever since the Aurora Hermitage was founded. They never thought their "Secret Meeting Room", always so hidden and stable, would experience an incident.
Even without understanding what was happening, several had already dispelled their Spirit Bodies and made a swift exit. The remaining Great Mages began preparing to cast, their figures growing clearer as their Magic Power began to circulate.
However, what greeted them was a tear in space that abruptly ripped open overhead. A massive volume of Transmuting Dust came roaring in right after.
This was no longer a lethal dose; it was an avalanche of Transmuting Dust that could bury them all alive.
The Mages struggled for a moment but failed to mend the breach. Just as the Transmuting Dust was about to damage their Spirit Bodies, Kano raised a barrier, trying to dampen the blast from the Divine Kingdom Fragments and buy everyone else time to escape.
"The Space Jade is broken. Could be a natural phenomenon... In any case, this place is lost." Kano gave one last look at the indistinguishable heavens and earth of the Chaos Space before his Spirit Body vanished and returned to reality. With the Transmuting Dust pouring into the "Vesicle", the thirteen chiefs lost the "Secret Meeting Room" that had been passed down for generations.
Amidst the torrent, the unconscious avatar of Rorschach tumbled out. The Spirit Body hadn’t been destroyed by the Transmuting Dust. Instead, a golden thread sprouted from its wounds. It grew like a plant’s root, anchoring itself in the massive quantity of Transmuting Dust. Then, a main stalk of golden radiance grew upward, sealing the breach in space.
It was the branch of the "Tree of Law" that had once merged with Rorschach.
The Transmuting Dust that had already entered the "Vesicle" began to transform. Under the guidance of the fledgling Tree of Law’s root system, however, it gradually stabilized. From that moment on, the concept of "Earth" was born in this Chaos Space. And the Spirit Body of Rorschach’s avatar lay buried deep beneath the tree, as if it were its seed.
