Chapter 409 - Descent
Among the ten great magic towers, which are widely known as the most representative organizations in the world, there fundamentally exists such things as trust and prestige.
Considering their position, it is only natural that they must demonstrate the dignity befitting it.
To pursue profit through deception and coercion regardless of circumstance or opponent would, on the contrary, be an act that lowers their own status.
The Bohemirn Magic Tower is no different.
If they were to treat implicit agreements lightly and ignore them, and as a result, be ostracized by society, it would be no different than receiving a de facto death sentence in terms of profit.
Well, unless one could crush the entire world with an overwhelming difference in power that none could dare challenge, but… that is a premise not even worth considering.
No matter if a magic tower is ruled by a Transcendent, to suppress and dominate the other nine towers and the entire magical world is absolutely impossible.
Even if the other towers had not a single Transcendent, the same would hold true.
A Transcendent is not invincible.
The union of mighty groups that balance against even absolute power, this too is a logic of strength.
And within that framework, the Bohemirn Magic Tower reigns as the second in martial power and the fourth in overall ranking among the towers.
None can deny the fact that it possesses overwhelming power and interests.
Thus, the other magic towers involve themselves in the dispute with Black Hour.
By indebting the Bohemirn Magic Tower one way or another, they seek to later reclaim great profit.
If the Bohemirn Magic Tower were to grit its teeth and ignore them, there would be no method, but as expected, such a thing does not happen.
As a higher magic tower, it must preserve its honor.
Especially so in the case of the omnipotent Transcendent, Balrog Bessias.
This was the background that led to the formation of a temporary alliance of magic towers, with the Bohemirn Magic Tower at its center, for the purpose of annihilating Black Hour.
Of course, the fact that a tower's power source had gone berserk, and that they felt a tangible threat from it, also weighed heavily.
But, until now, not a single person had been able to put forth a convincing conclusion to the question, "How did they interfere with the power source?"
Neither Mage, nor Magus, nor Transcendent.
Even with the entire magical world mobilized, not even a clue to the cause had been revealed.
For now, the dominant hypothesis was not that Black Hour was the culprit itself, but that it was merely one of many factors that brought about an unforeseen anomaly in the power source.
Thus, the response of the towers amounted only to more carefully inspecting and monitoring their own power sources, while profiting from the conflict.
They thought there was no possibility that Black Hour would deliberately aim for their lives.
But they overlooked something.
Even if the combined power of the alliance could more than overwhelm Black Hour, its leader was a Transcendent who had undergone awakening.
And Dahit Wethroel was a man who, for the sake of his goal, would willingly stride into the enemy's stronghold.
"Magic towers may strut about these days, but for the likes of you to dare oppose me."
The towers, complacent in their daily advantage on the battlefield, paid dearly for that fatal oversight—Diamoon Magic Tower was the one to bear it.
"Pathetic."
Amwol, Dahit curled his fingers.
Crack.
The skull of the Diamoon tower master, charred black in flame, crumbled to ash. Even the scattering dust vanished into nothing.
With that, the high command of Diamoon Magic Tower's main stronghold was annihilated.
Had they been prepared, they might have succeeded in mounting a meaningful resistance, but more than half their forces had already been dispatched to the front.
Naturally, Dahit knew this.
It was his nature to move not in arrogance with transcendent strength, but always in the 'most efficient' way.
Dahit turned his gaze left.
"That place, then."
He strode without hesitation toward the location where immense magic power was sensed.
There were many obstacles, but they meant nothing.
He burned through corridors, nullifying dozens of defensive magic circles, erased even the massive door infused with the highest magical techniques.
The few tower members who encountered him on the way were erased before they could even comprehend.
When at last there was nothing left to block his path, what emerged before him was one of humanity's ten… no, nine remaining achievements.
The power source.
The supreme heart of a magic tower.
"…As rumored, to call it complete would not be an exaggeration."
Though he had indirectly come across it countless times, this was the first time Dahit had seen a power source directly.
Infinite magic power.
It felt as if he were facing an ocean made of pure magic power.
After briefly beholding the spectacle, Dahit examined the fusion of magic power closely.
"How did they drive the power source berserk?"
For Dahit, who had been falsely branded as the power source's destroyer after sending a spy into Bohemirn Magic Tower, it was something he had to find out.
That was the purpose of his raid upon the tower.
Dealing with the Diamoon tower master was only incidental.
He flung open all his senses.
The structural design was beyond comprehension anyway, so he discarded it.
He focused his insight solely on the magic power emitted by the source.
After several dozen minutes of analysis, Dahit groaned.
"I don't know."
The same conclusion as Balrog, the Bohemirn tower master.
"Impossible to destroy with super-tier magic, even more impossible to manipulate artificially. Other than using it as power itself, it lies outside any domain of magical interference."
He had built up various hypotheses, but not a single one fit logically.
At one point, he even considered, half-mad, directly plugging the source's connection into his own heart to use it, but…
"If it's a Mage of the fifth tier or higher, they might endure for a while, but ultimately their body would be dismantled. And without being able to control the source's magic power, it's meaningless."
In other words, a fresh form of suicide.
No Mage with sanity intact would even imagine such an attempt.
"…."
Dahit suddenly thought of the origin of the power source.
It had first been invented about 180 years ago, and though ten were made, the number had never increased since.
Though Dahit had gathered much information beyond what was widely known, he had never been able to ascertain the exact origin of the power source.
"Then who…"
He lifted his gaze.
Facing the transcendent heart of the magic tower, which radiated light that even a Transcendent could not overcome, he muttered.
"Who created the power source?"
And.
"Who on earth caused the power source to collapse?"
Dahit Wethroel's raid upon the magic tower concluded with two questions.
***
[Seventh-ranked tower master slain by Amwol.]
The information regarding the western continent, gathered by the Society, was conveyed to Verden through Cain.
Step, step.
Verden left Gargant alone, wandering amid the blue wilderness.
Silent tranquility.
It was a place second to none for sorting out a tangled mind.
"So Dahit attacked Diamoon Magic Tower… it must have been to confirm the power source."
Though it had been Verden himself who drove Bohemirn Magic Tower's source into a frenzy, in the end, Black Hour was branded the culprit.
"Not that I ever intended it."
Even Verden had been flustered when he first heard the news, so needless to say how Dahit must have felt, suddenly waging war against Bohemirn Magic Tower.
He could not say he failed to understand the sentiment, and so Dahit's bold actions made sense to him.
As for what he gained from Diamoon Magic Tower, it was nothing at all.
'Anyway, with one of the ten tower masters dead, the magical world will be struck with enormous repercussions.'
And yet, even so, as it had been before, Transcendents like Ignacia would not intervene.
Though the Diamoon tower master was not a Transcendent, his death had occurred within the war between Transcendents.
Since he himself had joined Bohemirn Magic Tower, there was no cause for outside interference.
The conflict would continue for some time.
'In any case, I have mountains of work ahead.'
Verden sighed, running a hand through his gray hair.
He needed to collect materials to restore Isabella's eyes, and he also had to craft armaments from dragon parts.
That was not all.
The Sovereign of the Ownerless Land was a latent threat, he had to visit the Great Forest at Merquien's guidance, and he had to uncover whatever could be gained from the Diamoon tower master's death.
Above all, his main objective was to usurp Black Hour and annihilate Bohemirn Magic Tower, but… to minimize sacrifices, Verden's own transcendence was a prerequisite.
'Awakening…'
By killing Rayshen Tailroad, he had at last fulfilled part of his revenge.
His conviction that he was in the right had not changed. No, it had grown even stronger than before.
And yet, what was lacking?
Since witnessing Rayshen's final moments, Verden had felt an unknown knot within himself. As though, while moving forward, he could not truly advance.
It was less a vagueness, more a suffocating frustration.
Standing alone in the forest, Verden sank into silence, lost in torment.
It was then.
"You are still hesitating, Verden."
A voice pierced his ear without warning.
He had not sensed it at all.
Verden immediately activated his Mystic Eye, and with
The Orient that had appeared in his hand was already aimed at the intruder's back.
Verden's magic power rippled.
"Who are you, to know my name?"
"There is no need to be wary. I have no thought of harming you."
"Answer the question."
The true name hidden behind the alias Asher was known only to Adrian, Isabella, and the Society.
And aside from Adrian, he had revealed it only recently.
Even if by chance a traitor had emerged from the Society and leaked the information, it was far too soon for it to have spread widely.
'And yet, I feel no presence at all.'
Though something stood before his eyes, it was no different, sensorially, from facing the trees and grass scattered about.
Even instinct lay quiet.
That alone made it perilous.
The woman spoke.
"I have come from the Great Forest."
She slowly turned her head.
Beneath green hair, long ears came into view.
"…An Elf?"
"I may look similar, but I am not the kind of Elf you know. To children like them, I am called Mother───"
An Elf, with an androgynous beauty that blurred the line of gender, gazed at Verden.
"In the world, they call me the World Tree."
***
In books about Elves it was written, the World Tree is the greatest tree rooted in the world, and the foundation of the Elven race.
Some see the World Tree as something transcendent, others as a natural being that is the Elves' spiritual pillar.
But these were the private opinions of historians who had met neither World Tree nor Elf properly.
And yet, when all such opinions were combined, there was only one conclusion.
A being to be worshiped.
Elves revere the World Tree.
Just as humans do the God of Light, Luas.
'In other words, the World Tree is, to the Elves, God itself…'
Verden stayed silent.
Though he feigned composure, he could not conceal his agitation.
Having come across much information about Elves, unwillingly, in the Kingdom of Estiria, he knew at least roughly what the World Tree meant.
The World Tree stepped closer.
"Asher, or Verden, the one who aided Karans. I know your name because I can perceive essence. Though, beyond that, I can discern nothing more from you."
Verden lowered Orient slightly.
If Karans name was mentioned, then this was surely one of the Elves.
The possibility that this was truly the World Tree was high.
Keeping his mana circuits still activated, he parted his lips.
"…Why have you come to me?"
"To put it simply, I have come to fulfill my duty, as one who observes."
An observing being?
It was a phrase he had never heard before, weighty with meaning. Verden furrowed his brow.
"That is not an answer."
"I suppose not. It cannot be helped. The farther I am from my true body, the narrower the range of what I can say."
And of course, even in the Great Forest, I could not speak of it in detail, the World Tree added softly.
The World Tree and Verden faced each other.
"I would have preferred to meet in the Great Forest, but since it seemed unlikely you would come at Merquien's guidance immediately, I came myself. To invite you, the one who chooses."
Words heavy with mystery.
But the gist was simple.
Why did the World Tree, of all beings, go so far as to summon him to the Great Forest?
To Verden's unspoken question, the World Tree whispered gently.
"By now, you too must have faintly realized it."
"What…"
"That the existence called Verden, in rejecting fate and constantly making choices, has come to bear meaning far beyond what you imagined."
The World Tree tapped a white fingertip against Verden's chest.
"And that because of it, you have become such a special being."
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