Free Web NovelChapter 449: Chapter 446: Threat
"More?" Rorschach was taken aback.
The area around Deryats was like high ground in a flood. It did its utmost to shelter those enveloped by its divine power, expanding its domain bit by bit. As a result, leaves and flowers even began to sprout from the fortress’s outer walls.
But the opposing force was far more violent and swift. In a single instant, it spread over an area larger than any the Necromancer had ever created, continuing its process of draining life.
While resisting the surging power, Deryats spoke. "Aleyman, an apprentice of the Tower of Secret Techniques, discovered a fragment of the Dead Sea Scrolls and simultaneously displayed a talent for Necromancy.
"At the time, the head of the Tower of Secret Techniques, Rogge, ruled that Aleyman had violated the tower’s regulations for managing ancient texts and expelled him. Aleyman, however, was convinced he was driven out for his skill in Necromancy.
"He wasn’t considered a threat at the time, but by following clues from the fragment, he went through great hardship to find the other parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls. They recorded some of the magic of the Ancient Arcane Masters, including the only one that is still effective today: the Islelm Longevity Technique.
"That is the information I’ve obtained. Now, I can tell you what I already knew." Deryats paused to strengthen its power. A great tree cloaked in blue fluorescence burst through the bricks of the fortress wall, but the materialized, foul power immediately gained the upper hand. Black, viscous pus began to ooze from the cracks.
Deryats spoke faster. "Back in the era when the Longevity Skill was invented, the Death God chose to ’cooperate’ with the Arcane Master Islam, but in reality, was using him to contend with other Divine Spirits. This Arcane Master, who stood at the pinnacle of all Casters, received the Death God’s favor and secret aid, which was the only reason he could develop such a miraculous skill—one that shatters balance and transcends the cycle of life and death.
"But the source of the Death God’s power is also the Great Mother, She who belongs to the end of all things. You have already witnessed many facets of Her dominion: corruption, mutation, depravity, and uncontrolled proliferation. Now, you will witness Her aspects of death and reincarnation."
’No, I don’t want to witness any of that...’
Deryats’s domain inherently had a restorative effect. Although the great tree it had sprouted was teetering on the verge of collapse, the blue fluorescent light it shed fell upon the wounded, improving their conditions. But many more people had no such divine protection, and their life forces continued to wither away.
This withering was not an immediate annihilation into ash, like the effects of the Longevity Skill. Instead, its victims fell into a state between life and death. Simultaneously, on the battlefield, all the casualties, new and old, "came alive." Whether they were passing from life to death or from death to life, they were all undergoing a convergent mutation, gradually being transformed into the same type of being.
"Since the war began, Mother Earth’s ’material’ has become plentiful. If this is allowed to continue, all of Northern Valois and the Empire’s Southwestern Region will become a kingdom of the living dead. It will continue to evolve and coalesce, providing the foundation for Her return."
While Deryats explained, Rorschach pulled out a pen and paper, wrote a note for Richard, and tucked it into his inner jacket. Then he asked, "I’m going to check on the situation inside the fortress. Do you have any suggestions for stopping Her?"
"You can certainly give it your all."
Rorschach hurried back into the fortress, heading toward the secret chamber. By now, however, the fortress’s core had melted into a pool of black water from which shapeless monsters were constantly emerging. The scene was remarkably similar to the Divine Abomination in the Black Forest.
The two Great Mages were constantly reaping the monsters that crawled out of the black, molten pool, but their numbers seemed endless.
Mother Earth’s power had first erupted from the large crater Rorschach had created, catching all the Casters off guard. Fortunately, Deryats’s domain had temporarily established a safe zone, halting the black water’s advance from one direction and giving the group a foothold and room for casting.
Kano had since opened a temporary portal, allowing Paulina and Snow to evacuate the two wounded. He and Poincare, meanwhile, were trying various other methods to fight back.
"Rorschach!" Seeing him, Master Kano’s face lit up with renewed hope. He urged Rorschach to cast a spell immediately.
However, when the Great Dissociation Technique struck the center of the molten pool, it certainly vaporized the monsters being created within and caused the "water level" to drop visibly. But as soon as the spell’s ray vanished, the black water immediately surged back, even attempting a retaliatory strike against Rorschach.
He switched to Forbidden Magic Roar, but it had no effect on the surging, corrupt divine power.
’Did it not cover the right frequency band?’ Rorschach’s spell was designed to target Casters, as it could interfere with most magical frequencies. But a Divine Art clearly operated on a spectrum beyond that of mortal magic, and its power output was on a completely different order of magnitude.
It could be said that he and the two Great Mages were battling against all the death that had occurred on the entire battlefield. Without Deryats’s aid, Mother Earth would have claimed an overwhelming victory long ago.
So, what could they do? As long as the black water wasn’t completely eradicated in one go, the remnants would immediately proliferate and surge back. A thought occurred to Kano: he could forcibly summon the Starlight Torch Tower to the site of Moncado Fortress. He could use the tower’s core to amplify Rorschach’s Great Dissociation Technique. He was willing to pay any price, even if it meant annihilating what was left of the fortress and sacrificing an expensive Alchemy Tower.
But that would take time and require cooperation from Valuva. The black water was already starting to boil; it was clear they were out of time.
Rorschach, on the other hand, was thinking back to what had happened in Istani. The Ancient Mage had drawn from him some kind of rule belonging to a previous world, temporarily blanketing the area with an order devoid of magic and mysticism. This had completely cut off any possibility of Mother Earth’s power from seeping in further.
But that feat had been performed entirely by the Ancient Sage. Even as a mere remnant of a soul, his mastery of Arcane Magic was so profound that Rorschach couldn’t even hope to compare.
’How did that old man do it?’ Rorschach couldn’t replicate it in the slightest. It was like facing a difficult problem on an exam; he had clearly seen the top student solve it, but due to his own limited ability, he only remembered the vague approach. He couldn’t recall a single step and was now completely unable to even start.
Ever since settling in Bayern, Rorschach had been confident in his own strength, a confidence that was reinforced when he effortlessly broke the Super Tier Magic just a moment ago. But now, faced once again with a situation like those in the Black Forest and the Shadow City, Rorschach realized that he was powerless on his own.
The black water spewed forth like lava from an erupting volcano, its volume ever-increasing. Rorschach’s Dissociation technique could only offer him and the two Great Mages a brief respite, but it couldn’t alter the outcome.
The test was about to end, and the only answer he could write, again and again, was ’Dissociation’.
Just then, a shadow suddenly fell over the fortress.
...
Aboard the flagship of the airship fleet, an adjutant reported to the technical director, "Unit Three is fully charged. Sir, all Forbidden Magic Devices are ready for activation at any moment."
"Understood. I will issue the command immediately. Have the engine room and the mechanics in charge of the gasbags perform one last check." The Glasses Mage rested his hand on a large lever on the control console.
"Yes, sir!" The adjutant left the command room. Now, only the director remained, along with an eagle that had boarded the airship at some point. It was rumored to be his new magic pet.
The director adjusted his glasses, making sure his eyes weren’t deceiving him. Looking down from the command room window, he saw that apart from a single corridor filled with a brilliant cyan light, every other area was shrouded in a black miasma, within which a strange surging was faintly visible. The fortress and Kongdi Capital, both enveloped by this bizarre power, looked as if they had been dragged into the legendary Netherworld.
The Empire Airship, carrying the Forbidden Magic Device, carefully navigated the safe corridor Deryats had opened and arrived directly above the fortress. This, in fact, was the true commission Deryats had accepted: to force the Empire’s Forbidden Magic Device to intervene and ensure the Empire’s airship could reach the epicenter of the outbreak when Mother Earth’s corruption erupted.
The Eagle transformed into a human—it was Alexander von Humboldt. A mysterious lady had commissioned him for this task, offering terms and demonstrating a level of power that made it impossible for him to refuse. Of course, the Master had no idea he was merely the subcontractor of a subcontractor.
Humboldt placed a large hand on the technical director’s shoulder. "Activate all devices."
Faced with a command from a Great Mage, the technical officer, himself a military mage, could only comply. He immediately shoved the lever forward. A piercing whistle shrieked across the sky, and an instant later, five massive pillars of light descended at once, engulfing the fortress.
