Chapter 526 - Purge (1)
The method to distinguish whether an opponent's words of surrender are true or false is clear.
Ambush, and subjugation.
If acceptance of the outcome were sincere, they would not bother resisting, but if it were feigned, they would struggle with all their might.
What matters here is not giving them any leeway to recover from the confusion.
***
Contrary to what he had told Melard, Carindin Lerhar did not head straight to the Great Hall, but changed direction midway.
Whooong.
Together with his escorts, he stepped beyond a magical concealment, into a hidden underground temporary base. Inside, dozens of people had gathered.
Once the news of Amwol's victory was spread, this was the strike squad assembled to erase all remnants of the enemy Transcendent's faction… more precisely, to wipe out every last trace of the former Black Hour, starting with Melard Tastienne.
But the plan had collapsed.
Sensing something unusual, everyone's gazes converged. Standing before them, Carindin calmly relayed the outcome of the magical duel.
The reaction was immediate.
"Dahit… what? Dead?"
At the news, Maybel's eyes trembled rapidly. She was not alone. In no time, turmoil surged forth like a tidal wave.
Amwol had been defeated…?
An impossible situation, a reality none had ever accounted for, spread panic and shock like a horrific plague.
The first to break free from the mental shock, Maybel asked rationally.
"What about that Transcendent? Did you kill them?"
No matter what, since Dahit had been confronted head-on, Melard's successor must have suffered a mortal wound, leaving no strength to do anything further.
Even a Transcendent, if cornered to the brink of death, could be slain by the destructive power of a 6th-tier Mage.
Carindin shook his head.
"I intended to, but before I could act, they spatially teleported away somewhere."
"And you call that an excuse?"
"I had no means. With Melard and her escorts glaring beside me, it was impossible to gamble. Besides, I witnessed Dahit's death up close. Maybel, even you, at that very moment, would have been powerless to do anything!"
"..."
Maybel started to snap back, but seeing the eyes around her, closed her mouth. Showing signs of division here would never be good.
At least not now.
When the conversation briefly subsided, a senior officer cautiously opened his mouth. He had once betrayed alongside Carindin and Maybel, abandoning Dahit to become part of the first generation.
"T-then, what should we do now? If this continues…"
"Most will remain. The succession ceremony was meant to fully absorb the faction called Black Hour, so there will be no wholesale massacre. But among us, some are certain to be killed."
That much was obvious.
On the Day of Usurpation, they had committed a merciless slaughter—would they really be spared?
No chance.
It was more likely they would all be executed, or worse.
'Holding out in the Great Hall is impossible.'
Because with Dahit's death, the master's seat of the Great Hall had immediately become vacant, and the only key to registering a new owner to the First Control was Dahit's corpse.
The Great Hall was no longer safe.
The chamber sank into silence.
Lost in deep thought, Carindin soon gave a small nod.
"…For now, let us return to the Great Hall. There is still time, so we should use him to the fullest. I have another idea."
Currently, all members of Black Hour had been gathered in the Great Hall's corridors. The priority was to settle the confusion and discuss the course ahead.
At Carindin's few words, the turbulent air calmed. It was the faith in Dahit's teacher, and in the highest-ranking officer.
"Then prepare to move."
"Yes."
Including the officers, Mages skilled in magic circles each took their designated positions to inscribe the teleportation circle.
Ordinarily, such a circle could only be realized by a Transcendent Mage, but if in sufficient numbers, those of lower rank could also manage it.
Meanwhile, the two of the original members quietly slipped away. Maybel whispered to Carindin in a low voice,
"There's no such thing as a plan, is there?"
"Indeed. There could never be."
Carindin declared firmly,
"Black Hour is already finished."
It was different from the past, when Black Hour was run under an eight-member system.
Now the group revolved solely around Dahit Wethroel, and it had been so for far too many years.
With Dahit gone, there was no way to maintain the current organization.
"So, what will you do? Run away?"
"We cannot sit here like death row inmates, waiting for execution. Those people will buy us enough time."
By exploiting the headless Black Hour faction to create a gap, they would flee, and completely shake off Melard's pursuit.
They had yet to decide where to go, but that hardly mattered. Even if they revealed their Black Hour origins, there were plenty of places to seek asylum.
A 6th-tier high or mid-level Magus was an elder-class figure of a magic tower.
"Hm, that is the best course."
Maybel offered no objection. Instead, she judged it rational. Her reason, as always, was cold.
Their secret conversation concluded quietly.
Soon, after being informed that the foundation of the circle was complete, the two stepped forward.
Then, they added the power of the Great Hall's Second Control, registered only to the highest-ranking officers, into the teleportation circle.
The light flickered.
The structure filled with formulas on its own, completing the circle.
Thus the spatial coordinates of the Great Hall, normally unobservable from the outside, were fixed and recognized, enabling entry.
Fwaaaaaaah!
Just then, right after the circle was activated—
"…?!"
Kwaaaaaaaaaang!
With a massive shockwave, the ceiling collapsed, and a storm raged.
While two Black Hour Mages blocked the blast at the front, the remaining dozens of elites each activated their mana circuits.
Carindin narrowed his eyes, glaring into the cloud of dust that rose violently.
"…Isn't this reunion a little too soon?"
[You must have expected it. Did you really think they would let you go?]
A skeleton formed of bones, but not only bones—covered in a skin of water, like flesh. Demi-humans, beasts, abnormal species, all bound together into a frame of liquid.
Like a being made of water, an Arch Lich appeared. An unfamiliar figure, yet its magical essence was all too familiar.
Melard Tastienne.
She appeared, granting consciousness to an Undead, and behind her followed a crowd—numbers that clearly outstripped the Black Hour elites gathered here.
Carindin gave no outward reaction, but inwardly he was troubled.
'How did Melard find this place? Could she have tailed me? Impossible. I sensed no magical presence at all until now…?'
Though incomprehensible in many ways, the immediate danger took precedence.
"So, what brings you here?"
[We came to confirm whether the defeat you admitted was sincere. Disarm yourselves, and follow our instructions. So long as you cooperate obediently, no harm will come to you. This proposal applies not only to you two, but to everyone here.]
"Everyone, huh…"
Maybel slowly bent her wrist. Stroking the staff hidden inside her sleeve, she subtly turned her body sideways.
"I don't know how you managed to deceive Carindin's eyes and make it all the way here, but, to think you'd come planning to ambush and subjugate us. Rational of you. You've really changed a lot, haven't you?"
[It is less an ambush, and more that I came to give you one last chance.]
"…A chance?"
[Stop running, and take responsibility. For everything you have done… so that I may truly be able to forgive you.]
Forgiveness.
At that unfamiliar word, Maybel let out a hollow laugh before she realized it.
"With an entourage that looks that vicious, you dare call it forgiveness?"
[Resistance is not advised.]
"Is that so? In that case…"
Feigning hesitation, Maybel gauged the intensity of the light already radiating from the spatial magic circle.
Roughly two minutes until transfer to the Great Hall.
If they could just hold out for that long, they could escape the encirclement immediately. Of course, surrender and capture were never options.
Because she did not want to die.
Whoooooom.
Just then, the spatial teleportation circle linked to the Great Hall abruptly ceased its function. Even Maybel could not conceal her agitation at the unexpected occurrence.
"You'd better abandon any thoughts of stalling for time. It's pointless."
Carindin reflexively turned his eyes forward, where a woman with dark-green hair, her face fully revealed, stepped forth with her left hand extended.
Her wrist and the back of her hand were adorned with a 'peculiar accessory' set with flickering gemstones.
'That one…'
Though he had never seen her before, he could guess her identity.
She could only be that monstrously powerful Magus who, alongside the Transcendent, had infiltrated the Great Hall's depths and stolen the [Hourglass of Perpetuity].
Isabella lifted her chin slightly.
"And that teleportation circle, we'll be the ones using it."
"What…?"
"Before that, I'll ask once more. You truly have no intention to surrender?"
A heavy silence hung in the air.
It was clear this was the final ultimatum. The wavering pupils of the Black Hour strike squad turned toward Carindin and Maybel.
'That accessory the Magus wears, it must be the cause of the teleportation circle's forced suspension.'
Which meant, it had to be dealt with first.
As Carindin let his body relax and exhaled softly, he simultaneously opened his magic path, and like lightning drew his staff.
Surging flames.
But someone moved at nearly the same speed, closing in on Carindin in an instant, and blocked those flames.
"As expected of one of the original members, swifter in action than appearances suggest."
A white-bearded old man, wielding a staff taller than the height of most men.
He had been among those who concealed their identities at the previous parley where the factions had faced each other… and his appearance was familiar.
Carindin soon recalled who he was.
Though he had never met him directly, he had once glimpsed him from afar, as one who lived in the same era.
"…War Lord!"
"A former one, that is."
Kwaaaaaang!
The two clashed at close range, breaking through a wall and vanishing from sight. Next, the Arch Lich bearing Melard's consciousness collided with Maybel.
Ka-ga-ga-gak.
Maybel dragged the dual curved blades whose hilts were staffs against the ground, forcing herself to a halt mid-flight.
She too was forced away from the teleportation circle.
[Your opponent is me, Maybel.]
"Tch…!"
The offer had been refused.
With that, the two forces clashed. Over a hundred Mages combined, unleashing a large-scale magical battle, turning the underground base into chaos in an instant.
The remaining ceiling gradually crumbled.
The aftermath of colliding spells muddied their vision.
Through that turmoil, Isabella froze two of Black Hour's Mages, then stepped onto the now-vacant teleportation circle.
Tak.
As she fully opened her
The forcibly suspended spatial teleportation circle reactivated.
'Truly impressive.'
By devouring and enveloping the mana of nature, she could conceal magical reactions, or even interfere with enemy spells and magic circles.
Based upon the rib of a dragon, forged by the legendary dwarf Gharun and his disciple, a new artifact shaped like a hand chain.
Judgment of Dominion, [Elderron].
The expansion of magic's reach was the most basic effect of this artifact.
"Now!"
Under the thorough protection of the Society, around twenty to thirty individuals surged in at once, taking position beside Isabella.
Among them were Unia and Cain, Grave, Alderneys, Opea, and even the Sage of Protection, Medrant, together with the highest elder of the Ostea Magic Tower he had brought along.
Flash!
A violent violet light burst forth, stealing away all sight.
When the darkness returned, Isabella and her group had vanished without a trace.
'I don't know what method was used, but the control of the magic circle has been seized.'
Osgar's relentless interference left Carindin with no means of stopping it. Retreating hastily, he raised his voice.
To be precise, to Maybel.
"Run!"
At the order, the Black Hour elites scattered in a rush. Likewise, Carindin and Maybel abandoned the fight, fleeing with all their strength.
The chase began.
Osgar, pursuing the two original members alongside Melard, spoke.
"If we simply pretend to chase and drive them into place, everything will proceed as planned. But, are you fine with not finishing them yourself?"
"Divinity has granted me the grace to give Carindin and Maybel a chance to take responsibility. How could I desire more? My role ends here."
Melard activated her communication device.
"I leave it in your hands."
The response came at once.
───Understood.
The Heavenly Sword, Adrian Chambers, moved.
With his new blade.