[708] Nineteen Thousand Worlds (2)
* * *
The Arctic.
In the middle of the endless ice plains, an ivory tower thrust up toward the sky.
A place given over purely to the pursuit of scholarship, where most spent their lives in quiet study—except for the stars. Today, however, the atmosphere felt different.
'Truly strange.'
Before the elevator that led up to the Great Earth Sanctuary, Araka, Chief of Internal Affairs, stroked his beard and fell into thought.
'An assembly of all the stars currently staying in the Ivory Tower.'
It was the first time in twenty-nine years that Tae-seong had summoned the stars from each department for anything other than private audiences.
"Long time no see, Mr. Araka."
The first to arrive was Seong Arte, a three-star resident of the Balance Department—the ghost-demon.
"Have you come, Star of Intellect?"
Arte fanned himself with a paper fan tied with bells, impeccably dressed.
Satellites were excluded from observer status, so Tokei wasn't present.
"This is unusual, assembling in such numbers."
"Oh? Arte's here too?"
Seong Tsuoi, a two-star resident of the System Inspection Department, walked down the mirror-smooth corridor.
"Yes. I arrived yesterday."
The number of stars varied with realm and rank, but internal hierarchy within the Ivory Tower wasn't rigidly enforced.
"Do you know what's going on? Personally, it's the first time I've seen the stars summoned like this."
Arte flicked his fan and asked.
"The last time was when a massive meteorite was predicted to strike a planet. The Five Great Stars intercepted it, but…"
Most of humanity did not know that.
"Hmm. A massive meteorite. What could rival that?"
"It seems related to an altar. It won't be unrelated to Ra Enemi's current state."
A hoarse voice came from the corridor.
"Heh heh, unlucky stars have all been called here."
A man in eastern blue garments, his face plastered with yellow talismans, walked toward them.
Seong Heukgangsi—epithet: Law Teacher.
Of the Law Department, he managed the flow of worldly laws and was a master of incarnation arts who had sealed his own avatar.
Arte spoke coldly.
"Calling us unlucky is your opinion. Being summoned by Tae-seong is an honor."
"Ha! Is that so? Well, to each their own. Still, even a ghost-demon fears Tae-seong, eh?"
Arte's fan snapped shut with a click.
"Mockery of others springs from one's own thoughts. If that's the extent of your thinking, the remark may apply to you."
"..."
Heukgangsi fell silent, but a clash of killing intent—more fierce than any battlefield—rolled between the two.
Tsuoi paid it no mind, but Araka, despite his one hundred and seventeen years, broke into a cold sweat.
'This is why they shouldn't meet.'
These were people who drove their convictions to the extreme; when they collided, a major incident was likely.
"You're late. Greetings. Pleased to meet you."
A woman crawled in like a spider, folding at the waist and slipping her feet forward over her shoulders.
Her black hair dragged on the floor; her pale face had no eyebrows or lashes, and her lips were the same color as her skin.
Seong Morai Borbor, a two-star resident of the Ivory Tower.
Her epithet was the Mollusk—not merely because her body was supple.
A master of mental magic in the Balance Department, her subjectivity was an absence of subjectivity; she possessed transcendent mental fluidity that could even resonate with microbes.
Tsuoi blinked and asked, "What—Borbor's here too? I heard she went south. Did she handle that demon-terror incident?"
"No, about that…"
A voice came from Borbor's crown.
"I told her to come."
On closer inspection, a woman the size of a human thumb was clutching Borbor's hair and sitting there. Her face was so small one might miss the features unless they stared—yet she was undeniably beautiful.
Seong Twelve Mini, a two-star resident of the Ivory Tower.
Epithet: Super-Giant.
Affiliated with the Integrated Universe Management Department, she specialized in scale magic and was a lonely girl who stuck to Borbor whenever she could.
Tsuoi frowned at Mini. "Still, what are you doing—abandoning a mission to come here?"
"It's fine. Borbor said it was okay."
"No, that's not it. Borbor will do anything if someone asks…"
Mini hugged Borbor's crown.
"And we're best friends. Right, Borbor?"
"Huh? Oh, right. We're best friends."
Mini beamed at the satisfied reply, waved at Arte and called up, "You're as handsome as ever, Mr. Arte. Want to sleep with me?"
Arte, who had still been locked in a stare with Heukgangsi, opened his fan and hid his face.
"I'll pass. I have no wish to drown."
After answering, he glanced at Araka.
"This looks like everyone. Shall we depart?"
"If you leave me out, Tae-seong will be displeased, won't he?"
Where everyone turned their heads, a white-haired old man in a suit approached, a pipe between his lips.
Not only was his beard neatly trimmed; simply being dressed unlike the dream-attire people expected made him stand out.
"Mr. Ruber as well…?"
"You were specially called. It must be an important matter."
Seong Ruber, a four-star resident of the Ivory Tower.
Epithet: Somnial.
Affiliated with the Integrated Universe Management Department, his origin was Drimo and he currently oversaw human dreams.
'What could possibly require a four-star resident?'
Arte watched Ruber beyond his fan, thoughtful; even Heukgangsi looked unusually grave.
Borbor lifted her head. "Shall we go up now? Everyone's here, right? Greetings?"
"Not yet… looks like one more is coming."
Where Ruber had turned his head, something the size of a human brain floated through the air toward them.
It was nothing but a brain; thus it was called Brain.
Seong Brain, a four-star resident of the Ivory Tower.
Epithet: the brain of some unknown someone.
Part of the Humanity Safety Enforcement Division, it manifested in various forms through illusion magic, but no one had ever had a real conversation with it.
When the brain began to cast, a woman with sleek hair and a high brow materialized.
"It only turns pretty when I'm around."
Mini grumbled, but Brain didn't bother to answer and simply strode toward the elevator.
Ruber said, "All gathered. Convey this to Tae-seong."
"Understood."
Araka was no spring chicken, but Ruber's time-sense as a Somnial carried weight.
'Thank goodness Ruber came.'
A dream-controller like Ruber would keep even a three-star resident from acting brashly before Tae-seong.
"Tae-seong, the stars request an audience."
While waiting for the summons, Tsuoi asked, "If it's something as big as a meteor impact, is it really just about an altar?"
Heukgangsi shook his head. "It's not an immediate emergency. The Council of Ten isn't showing any major movement. I think it's about the Ivory Tower's test."
Mini chimed in. "You mean me?"
Borbor rolled her eyes up. "I'm dangerous. My sword-transformation is incredible. But is it as serious as a meteor impact?"
"It might be worse."
Arte said, "It's proceeding much faster than we predicted. At this rate, it will reach liberation before the test even takes place."
Tsuoi stroked his chin. "Could it be… because of Shirone?"
Ruber turned as if reacting, and Mini raised an eyebrow. "Hexa's a problem you can't ignore, but surely not bigger than mine?"
"There was a rumor that Tae-seong cast the vote for Shirone. It was a ritual vote, but…"
"Ah, that can't be. Honestly, even I doubt I could handle him. He's not in the same league."
Until recently, Tsuoi had thought the same.
"After meeting Shirone this time…"
Before he could finish, a pillar of light descended into the elevator and the stars' forms dissolved.
* * *
Screams echoed through the labyrinth.
"Calm down! André Tourism operates an anti-terror unit and is supported by the Land Management Department—!"
The guide tried to calm them, but the terrified, irrational crowd surged for the exits without looking.
"Rian, get ready. We won't be able to hold them."
If an S-rank Maga bandit group from the vast Kashan Empire had shown up, even an anti-terror unit would be helpless.
Kido said, "Are you sure? Even if we open all the doors at once we have to maintain the Spirit Zone. The main body has to remain."
With the entity multiplied into nineteen thousand copies, the chance that the original consciousness remained intact approached zero.
"Shirone will be fine. I'll stay behind."
Hearing the distant roars of battle, Rian drew a large map.
"Go. I'll hold this place—release the seal."
Rian was someone they could trust.
"Please. Kido, you be careful too."
Shirone hurled himself into the depths of the labyrinth. The guide reached out, shouting, "Where are you going? There's a secret passage this way!"
"We're not leaving!"
The guide, stunned by the absurd reply, blinked and turned to Rian and Kido.
"You're not leaving either? Bandits broke in!"
Kido, who had scooped up all the tourists' dropped water bottles, drank greedily and waved his hand.
"Run. The labyrinth's seal will be lifted soon. Then you'll know what hell is."
"…You're insane."
Convinced he was mad, the guide bolted for the secret passage. Rian kept watch at the exit.
"They run well. Almost no stragglers."
Nearly forty Maga bandits had routed the anti-terror unit in an instant and were rushing toward André.
"Is it the Council of Ten? That woman's here too?"
Rian frowned at Kido, who was still twisting the cap on his water bottle.
"Why are you drinking so much? How do you plan to fight with your stomach sloshing?"
"Huh? Oh, sorry."
Kido stuck out his tongue like a puppy and approached. Rian sensed something off.
"What's wrong? Any problem?"
"No, nothing. Just thirsty. Maybe because we crossed the desert."
He said it, but inside he thought otherwise.
'Strange. Why am I so thirsty?'
No matter how much water he drank, the thirst refused to be quenched.
'This is driving me insane. I want to drink more.'
Like a fish with a split belly, or a parched land yearning for the first rain.
"They're coming, Kido."
At Rian's side, a sand-streaked band of Maga bandits led by Bak-nyeo came into view.
"They don't look tired. Can we do it? Shirone said at least seven days, right?"
They had to hold the Maga bandits for seven days.
"There is nowhere to go. We'll cut them down."
"That's nonsense. Do you know how monstrous that woman is—"
Kido's eyes went wide.
From Rian poured a terrifying yaksha's ferocity that Kido had never seen before.
'This guy's for real.'
Rian's Divine Transcendence was already strong, but—
'I will protect you, Shirone.'
When it came to the embodiment of protecting Shirone, he was unmatched.
"Here I goooooooo!"
Divine Transcendence—Deny.
A will that denied the Law surged like a Mach wave, and Rian's body lunged toward Bak-nyeo.