Counterattack

Tower of Covenant 40th Floor. The Plains of Revelation.

Though the sky within the tower usually bore no stars, here on the Plains of Revelation alone, it sparkled with countless starlight.

Strictly speaking, what could be seen here was not stars but starlight. A unique magical phenomenon where the movement and light changed according to the world’s transformations. Even when Academy was founded, they had looked at the stars here and read the celestial patterns to determine the timing.

Right. Academy’s headquarters was precisely this place.

At the peak of the plains stood an ancient observatory.

Some said it was built thousands of years ago, others estimated it was built tens of thousands of years ago. At this observatory, an old man stood gazing up at the stars before letting out a sigh.

“So the Magic Emperor has truly died.”

The old man’s face was pale and his pupils shook uneasily. He said nothing more, struggling to suppress his agitation.

Hooooo…

After releasing a deep sigh, he examined the stars once more.

“Fourteen priests including the first priest have died, and the sixth apostle also died at the Magic Emperor’s hands. But the Magic Emperor’s death has greatly shaken countless starlight. In the meantime, the five apostles will devour light and nurture darkness. Even if we overcome all those trials… the darkness beyond shows no end. To think they would be so obsessed… The Magic Emperor was wrong. Coexistence with the Outer Gods is impossible. Checks and balances cannot exist. Either be devoured. Or drive them out—that’s all there is.”

The brightest star that had illuminated the central heavens disappeared, and the shining stars around it flickered like candles. Even amid this, there were new stars burning more brightly, but the darkness that surrounded the star clusters with growling menace was too deep and fierce.

“Record Keeper.”

“Yes. Dean.”

“I must arrange a meeting with the Forest’s Balance.”

“The Forest’s… Balance, you mean?”

“Yes. In the end, she and I must move to find a way forward in this fight.”

“Will she truly move?”

“I must make her move. No matter how much those creatures cry about balance as psychopaths… that too is only possible if the world remains, isn’t it?”

“…There will be much to prepare. I hear that even among them, there are many who view this destruction as part of balance… We’ll need to find strategies to bring about a reversal.”

“Right. Report everything immediately as it develops.”

“Understood.”

The Record Keeper left with an urgent expression.

A cool wind swept across the observatory.

Grego-Ramdal, Dean of Academy and counted among the Three Sages of the Nine Dragons, looked up at the sky once more. He read the new star that had become the brightest and the constellations gathered around it. Stars that burned confidently as if they would advance fearlessly even through the deep sea of darkness.

Seeing this, Grego-Ramdal felt somewhat reassured.

“Divine Wizard… the only variable standing before this despair.”

Tapping the ground with his staff, he made a covenant.

“I will prepare the final stage for you. I, Restoration wizard, stake my name on it…”

* * *

The singing had disappeared.

Among all the people we encountered on the way to the 65th floor Allied Command, not one was singing.

With gaunt cheeks and dark eyes, hesitation filled every step they took.

“What happens now?”

“Is the alliance dissolving?”

“Truth Tower… will it disappear?”

“Those screams… were they real?”

“Well, His Majesty hasn’t appeared at official events since then. With the situation this dire…”

“The Allied Command leadership is also delaying their official announcement, right? If His Majesty were safe, wouldn’t they have hurried to announce that everything was a misunderstanding?”

“His Majesty, what. That bastard who died so pathetically.”

“Shh! Watch your words!”

“Watch my words, my ass… Look. I’m making such a bold declaration right now, but my magical power isn’t wavering at all. What do you think this means?”

“Hah…”

The shock didn’t come all at once.

Like water seeping into stale bread, slowly, more certainly each day, it crushed people’s hearts.

We broke through this atmosphere and reached the 65th floor Allied Command. The mages who had followed me this far numbered only about sixty. I was grateful, but… I honestly didn’t know what they believed in to have sought me out. Our situation was objectively hopeless beyond measure. Could I really move this group fallen into despair? I was afraid too. But if we missed this opportunity, the future would certainly become even more difficult, so I took a deep breath and mustered my confidence.

‘Let’s go. Trust myself. If I can’t win now, I won’t be able to win later either.’

After all, the true nature of a mage is challenge.

I pulled my chin in, straightened my chest, and moved my legs lightly.

Step. Step. Step.

Hwi Someong, Ak-hu, Tris, Lytol, Yuria, and me.

With these five at the head, sixty-some mages crossed the swampland.

Was it my imagination?

I felt gazes upon us. The mages who had been sitting dejectedly raised their heads as if responding to our confident footsteps. They murmured.

“What’s with those guys?”

“Heh… They’re quite spirited.”

“Is there some good news?”

In the black and white world, only the path we walked seemed to briefly regain color. Of course, after we passed, it fell back into listless gloom, but for a moment, we delivered freshness that let them catch their breath, conveyed through nothing but confident steps.

Crossing several rafts,

We finally arrived at the Allied Command headquarters.

It was a tent as tall and wide as a circus tent on Earth. Of course, its appearance was more splendid than that. The threads used to weave the tent were no ordinary materials, and the textile structure where the threads were interwoven possessed magical effects in itself—a masterpiece of magical engineering. It was nothing less than a mobile fortress capable of easily withstanding even 6th Circle magic.

“Halt! This is Allied Command headquarters! Identify yourselves!”

The mages standing guard were all 5th Circle or higher. The one who stopped our advance was a 6th Circle wizard.

But so what?

I spoke arrogantly.

“I am the Second Magic Emperor. As a member of the alliance, you have no right to block my path.”

Oh,

Their expressions were amusing. They had practically written ‘What kind of bullshit is this?’ on their faces.

“…Seeing that you’re accompanied by the Water Wizard, it doesn’t seem like groundless talk… I’ll go inside and ask first.”

They were telling us to wait a moment.

Of course, it was a request I couldn’t accommodate.

Wait?

Right now, the most important thing for us was momentum.

In this gloomy and rigid atmosphere, there was no courtesy in waiting around. Besides, I even had justification, right? I’m declaring myself the Magic Emperor, yet some 6th Circle nobody dares to block the way?

“Tris.”

At my signal, Beatrice stepped forward.

Dragon Speech erupted without hesitation.

Beatrice’s current level was 5th Circle 2-star. Her progress had been slow due to learning the unfamiliar Ki-blood magic, but that alone had made her stronger than before. Dragon Speech had always been on a different level. Even before meeting me, Beatrice had torn apart 6th Circle wizards in just a few moves, and now with Ki-blood supporting another foundation for her Dragon Heart, she was something new entirely.

!!!

The mages on guard froze in place. We casually passed by the mage who could only roll his eyes.

“Hiiik! What…!”

Only the 6th Circle wizard managed to move his mouth. But he still couldn’t move his body.

I gently patted his shoulder.

“As a security chief, that was impeccable conduct. I’ll make sure to give you a special commendation.”

I immediately passed him and threw open the tent flap wide. So those outside could see inside too.

Inside the tent were three 7th Circle wizards who had shot to their feet.

Through the Magic Emperor’s knowledge, I could recognize them immediately.

“Divine Wizard? …How rude.”

The old man immediately expressing displeasure was the Magic Tower Master, Wizard of Soul Severance Bram Skeleton. He boasted a striking appearance with absolutely no flesh on his left cheek and jaw. Not thin in the usual sense, but literally no flesh—about a quarter of his face showed bare bone. They said he’d suffered irreparable injuries from experimenting on himself in the many grotesque magical experiments befitting Magic Tower. He moved his jaw through magic instead of the lost muscles.

‘Even if he couldn’t heal, he could have attached seamless artificial skin… that’s just bad taste.’

I sneered at him as I replied.

“Well now. The Wizard of Soul Severance talking about rudeness? You attempted to kidnap me twice—have you conveniently forgotten? Though compared to that, sending a spy named Shado was quite a courteous gift.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Bram Skeleton immediately denied it without a moment’s hesitation. Wow, is it because of that skull face? Not a flicker of wavering showed.

I had thoroughly analyzed the mind control magic connected to Shado with Monggu’s <Dimensional Severance>. It was obviously connected to Magic Tower. Moreover, the Magic Emperor’s knowledge vouched for it once more. That Magic Tower was behind the fake knight order that attacked Lanciel City, and Principal Ruttle’s betrayal, all of it.

Yet he so brazenly denied it… what a thoroughly disgusting human.

“Well, I know everything, so there’s no need for word games. At least today, that’s not what I came to discuss.”

I turned my gaze from Bram Skeleton to examine the other two.

“Hmm… I don’t know why you’ve come all the way here, but anyway, I also have a bill to settle with you.”

A middle-aged man with impressive blonde hair and orange eyes making the absurd claim about having a bill to settle with me—that was Society’s chairman, Wizard of Rebirth Walrot. A legendary mage and merchant who had climbed from the city’s lower classes to the tower’s pinnacle.

“Get out.”

And beside him, the black-haired man in his early thirties who made people uncomfortable with a single short phrase.

Though he was a member of the Nine Dragons, he wasn’t well known to the world. The head of Society’s guardian family, the Wizard of Arrogance Yeon Gae-bu-so.

Society, with its profit-seeking nature, inevitably made many enemies, and the one who blocked all those threats and built solid walls was precisely Society’s guardian family, the Yeon Gae Martial House. Even now, as the powerful force responsible for Society’s military might, the head of the Yeon Gae Martial House was treated as equal rank to the chairman. Of course, since they never interfered with Society’s operations and only emerged during armed conflicts, the chairman held greater practical authority. But while the chairman’s position changed from time to time based on ability, the head of the Yeon Gae Martial House had been passed down through bloodline alone for hundreds of years, so their pride and foundation were never to be underestimated.

Right. They were all such distinguished gentlemen, which was why they held their necks so stiffly.

I acknowledged it. I had no desire to engage in power struggles one by one. I had no intention, at least for now, of settling past grievances.

Right now, I would simply do what needed to be done.

“Wizard of Rebirth. Let’s settle the Shilo de Medissa matter later. Let’s handle the urgent business first.”

“Who gave you permission…”

“I’m speaking as the Senior Elder of Pathfinder and the Second Magic Emperor of Truth Tower. Be quiet for now and listen first.”

I spoke quietly while releasing the Magic Emperor’s presence.

The expressions of the three who had been looking down on me immediately changed.

Even 7th Circle wizards had no choice but to feel intimidated by me. That was precisely what the Magic Emperor’s authority meant.

Moreover, my combined forces of Pathfinder and Truth Tower now exceeded Society and Magic Tower by far.

Those bastards who had accomplished nothing good shouldn’t be holding their necks so stiffly before me.

Only then did they seem to grasp the situation, and the three fell silent.

Finally it was quiet enough. Enough to say what I needed to say.