Chapter 408 – Joining
With the dagger once received from Count Rodenmeyer of the former duchy, he carved into Isabella's flesh and muscles, inscribing a magic circle without the slightest error.
Though she was inevitably drenched in the venomous blood that melted even objects, to Verden, who was enveloped in [Ainber], it was nothing more than blood.
Of course, the furniture in the chamber could not endure even slightly, most of it ended up severely damaged.
"...!...!!"
Isabella, barely holding onto her consciousness, clutched the blanket tightly, biting into it, tears streaming from her eyes.
No matter how much she branded herself a monster, the sense of pain remained human. However accustomed she might be to horrific torment, it did not mean she felt no pain.
Still, she had to endure.
Verden deliberately ignored her suffering, his gaze fixed upon Isabella's back.
'With this, the foundation is complete.'
The blood pooled along the threads of the magic circle...
Without hesitation, he extracted the Coercion within her body, transplanting it into the Panian's Mole that Heras had brought as spare.
It was to keep Balrog from detecting it, just as in the case with Rayshen. For he could not conclude that there was only one means of tracing Isabella's forced magic circle.
The true step was next.
As the forced magic circle, which had been maintaining the balance, vanished, [Blood of Resurrection] stirred. As anticipated, the foreign substance was absorbed into her body at an uncontrollable pace.
Isabella thrashed instinctively, and he pressed her down forcefully. As her consciousness flickered away, distortions and mutations began spreading across her body.
This was the reaction he had awaited.
'Now.'
Fwoooosh!
At once, Verden poured pure magic power into Isabella.
When activating the magic circle of Defying the Heavens, two magical phenomena could be manifested.
The first was 'Body Unseal', forcibly expanding the caster's mana circuits.
The second, the ultimate essence, was 'Reconstruction of the Body'.
What he needed here was clearly the latter.
More precisely, it was the partial reconstruction, limited only to the points where mutation arose—a selective Defying the Heavens.
'Not a single one can be missed.'
With focus raised to its utmost, Verden manipulated the colossal magic power with extreme delicacy.
Crackkk...!
Through the magic circle, Isabella's body was attuned. The flesh that had been corrupted by [Blood of Resurrection] returned to its original state.
It was effective.
From here onward, it was simple.
He would continuously repeat the process until Isabella's body and [Blood of Resurrection] became completely one.
How long it would take was uncertain, but that mattered little. As long as he did not give up, someday he would reach the end.
Just as he always had.
***
A radiant manor, and the garden serving as backdrop, with her family standing in a row.
All smiling, gazing at her. All those who had long since departed.
'This is a dream.'
An illusion born of longing...
Until recently, it had been her only refuge, yet now she instinctively knew this was the last.
It felt as if, for the first time, she was truly saying farewell, and her chest ached.
Isabella looked at them in turn, from left to right, quietly reciting their names.
Carver.
Marianne.
Kael.
And───
'...Xenia?'
Isabella faltered.
The others appeared as they always had.
But only Xenia's expression was blurred, as if obscured by a dark fog.
Strange.
Even after more than ten years, her memories of her family surfaced this vividly... why, then, could she not see Xenia?
Why?
Unconsciously, Isabella reached out her hand. Unknowingly, she stepped forward.
But she could not touch.
Before she could resolve her doubt, she felt her consciousness flash violently, and she lost awareness.
...
Suddenly, Isabella opened her eyes.
She held her throbbing head, blinking her eyelids. The beloved manor where her family had been was gone without a trace.
Only pitch-black darkness lay before her.
'Where… am I?'
An endlessly unfamiliar space.
It was difficult to tell if it was reality, or dream.
As she recognized it, things hidden in the shadows began to appear in her vision.
Walls covered with densely inscribed geometric magic circles and notes.
The cold floor stained with blood and sweat, traces of desperate struggle scattered everywhere. The stench of old blood assaulted her senses.
Then, sensing a faint presence, Isabella turned.
'That is...'
At the center of the small, barely twenty-pyeong chamber, a man lay prostrate.
He muttered endlessly in a faint, incomprehensible voice, scrawling something onto the floor.
Compelled by instinct, Isabella cautiously observed him.
Unofficial Experiment 77.
The moment she saw his eyes, bloodshot with madness, emotion and fragments of memory streamed into her.
'Ah.'
Isabella understood Verden.
***
From atop the tall building, the view of Gargant spread below, quite romantic.
Of course, beneath the surface of that great city, countless conflicts still flared, large and small, yet everywhere life overflowed.
Perhaps opposite to nature's scenery, and yet alike.
"..."
Isabella leaned against the railing, her eyes tracing the bustling streets.
Breathing, living, felt unfamiliar.
It was like a prisoner casting aside ancient shackles.
'Well, it's not wrong, is it?'
She lifted her right hand.
Staring at her palm, she slowly opened and closed it, repeating. Along the activated mana circuits, magic power coursed through her body.
The searing pain from Coercion's resistance was no more.
Her body brimmed with strength.
Moreover, with her magical talent transformed by the materials of the special entity, magnified through the artifact [Screamer], she had, if only for a moment, reached a realm surpassing Rayshen.
Union with [Blood of Resurrection].
In conclusion, Isabella had become something inhuman, yet her self remained intact.
She did not loathe or reject this new self, but accepted it wholly.
Lifting her gaze, Isabella caught sight of the academy grounds in the distance. Calmly, she spoke.
"May I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"I've thought about it for a long time... was it Crodon's true nature that killed my family? Or was it because I told him about the heirloom that such a tragedy befell them?"
Verden gave an unhesitant answer.
"It was his nature."
Isabella might remember Crodon from her academy days, but Verden had witnessed for years the essence of Crodon, heir of the Bohemirn magic tower.
'Crodon Olentia is a human, among narrow-minded and selfish Mages, with an extreme disposition.'
What made him particularly dangerous was this… even though he knew what he could not accept, and what was wrong, he still persuaded and convinced himself, willingly carrying out his peculiar self-justification.
He rejected and belittled the existence of Verden's overwhelming magical comprehension, though it belonged only to a 1st-tier, yet at the same time made active use of him.
And after stealing the heirloom of the Argyle family, he shifted the blame onto Isabella, which was exactly in that same vein.
Crodon was always such a man.
At the academy, he merely concealed it, for he had no distinct power to show.
"...So that's what you think."
"It isn't what I think, it is fact. Murder committed to seize the heirloom was purely Crodon's greed, not your fault."
Isabella laughed.
'He should be the one hearing that directly.'
What words would Crodon spew if he were placed in the same situation as Rayshen?
Just imagining it made her blood boil, but... no matter what, she could never entrust the fate of Crodon Olentia's life to someone else's hands.
Crackkk.
When Isabella twisted her wrist, the iron railing snapped off easily.
The coarse grip strength crushed the metal.
"Master, can I be the one to kill Crodon?"
"I intended to entrust it to you anyway."
Crodon was one of those who had stolen Verden's life, but to Isabella, he was the betrayer who slaughtered her family.
Verden gladly yielded.
"But before that, restoring your eye must come first."
"...!"
Her left eye had completely lost all function.
Because it had been offered as a sacrifice to the artifact [The Price of Phalanhard], no regenerative force could restore it.
Her eyes widened.
"You mean, it can be healed?"
"Yes, at least in theory."
Isabella had no doubt in Verden.
"...Thank you. I will never disappoint you."
Then she tilted her head.
"But what about you, who is your target?"
"The elders of the Bohemirn magic tower."
From the shadows where he had avoided the sunlight, Adrian answered.
"While you're getting familiar with faces, let me offer you one piece of advice as your senior, Isabella Argyle. Do not let revenge and emotion blind you, and bring trouble to our lord."
"Well, of course... wait, what did you say? Senior?"
Adrian pointed first to himself, then to Isabella.
I am first, you are second.
Understanding the meaning, Isabella raised an eyebrow, resting her hand on her hip.
"The order of who joined first doesn't seem that important to me. What, afraid you'll lose to me?"
"We'll see about that. But aside from that..."
Adrian pointed to the railing Isabella had broken.
"This building belongs to the Society. You'd best pay compensation."
"Ah."
She stared blankly at the crumpled metal in her hand.
"But I've got no money left, I spent it all on artifacts."
"That's why you shouldn't have damaged property without reason. Isn't your expression a bit too excessive?"
"No, it's just that I'm still not used to my body..."
Isabella closed her mouth instead of offering excuses.
Then she rolled her eyes slightly, casting a furtive glance at Verden.
The golden eyes gleamed.
"...I'll handle it, don't concern yourself. We've had enough air, let's go down now."
"Yes, my lord."
"All right, Master."
Turning his back, Verden moved forward, Adrian and Isabella following behind.
The concept of a tier limit existed only for humans.
But with [Blood of Resurrection] and the partial Defying the Heavens, she could no longer be confined to the race of human.
Through that unprecedented process, her existence shifted, even her magical talent warped.
A 6th-tier high-ranked Magus.
Following Verden, yet by a different path, Isabella Argyle had surpassed her original tier limit, and joined the party.
***
On the Society's island, within its silver citadel, two Sages were holding a meeting, based on the information Cain and Unia had sent.
The Sage of Guardianship was absent.
"Heh, they swore they'd deal with Rayshen Tailroad within two months to prove their resolution, and it really came true."
"It makes one realize afresh just what kind of person Shinseong is. More than that..."
The Sage of Wisdom, Melard, narrowed her eyes.
"They say Shinseong's true name might be Verden, but I have no memory of ever hearing that name."
"Nor I. It is certain the name has never once been mentioned in the magical world. Perhaps even that true name is but an alias... but still."
The Sage of Power, Osgar, stroked his beard.
"Adrian Chambers. I never thought I'd hear that name."
The nameless swordsman at Verden's side.
One of the former top four of the Central Continent, once called the Celestial Sword, long presumed missing.
"Why is the Celestial Sword with Shinseong?"
"For now we cannot discern the exact cause, but it must surely be deeply tied to the Bohemirn magic tower."
And besides, the report was filled with words not easily ignored.
Number 89, revenge, Coercion, forced magic circle, fierce hostility toward the Bohemirn tower master, the colossal lightning that pierced the surface, the woman who regenerated even severed arms...
Scattered like dots, countless pieces of information, yet to a seasoned and distinguished Magus, an instinct arose.
"Could it be, human experimentation?"
"Most likely."
The taboo of the magical world.
Of course, if one scoured the world, the number of groups that broke such prohibitions was not few.
Other magic towers were no different.
The Society had long tracked and investigated such groups.
Even so, the notion that the second-ranked tower by force might be conducting human experimentation... frankly, it was hard to believe.
Not because of Bohemirn tower's reputation or integrity, but because not a single circumstance had ever been found until now.
"Hmm, it still seems related to this forced magic circle."
"Even so, it is dangerous to hastily conclude. Gathering more information must be our first priority. We should send word to the Sage of Guardianship. As for Shinseong, best to leave that matter with Cain and Unia for now."
"I agree."
They solidified their course.
As the two Sages were about to rise, ending their meeting—
Clatter.
A Magus of the Society, dispatched to the Western Continent, rushed in, panting.
"Forgive me. The Sage of Guardianship has sent an urgent message."
"The Sage of Guardianship? What is it, so pressing───"
"The head of Black Hour, Amwol, Dahit Wethroel, has assaulted the main base of the Diamoon magic tower...!"
The Magus reported in haste.
"The Diamoon tower master is dead."
The master of the 7th-ranked magic tower, assassinated.
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