Chapter 452 – At Times, Intuition
Inside the
A specially crafted small airship, so tiny that it could not even hold a two-digit number of passengers, carried only two people.
The aide muttered.
"...It really was true."
A presence that made the world tremble.
An absolute force, capable of overwhelming multiple Lords of the Empire and the knights of the Oathkeepers.
A Transcendent unknown to the world had appeared.
Even from such a great distance, the aide felt an unbearable pressure, swallowing hard as cold sweat poured down his body like rain.
In contrast, the man sitting calmly in the chair placed on the deck observed the situation without agitation.
"At times, intuition is the greatest basis for action. For beings such as myself, even more so."
"Of course, I never once doubted. That is why I am piloting this airship without complaint, without reporting to the Imperial Court. However, I do have one question I wish to ask... why are you not intervening right now?"
Tak.
The man, asked by his aide, set the teacup he had been drinking from onto the table beside him.
"The identity of this magical Transcendent is still undetermined as an enemy of the Empire."
"Pardon?"
"If that one had truly desired, the Imperial fleet—excluding the Atorium—would already have been reduced to ashes, and one or two Lords would have lost their lives."
The waves felt from the dark crimson magic power.
It was enough to make the man harbor caution, for it was extremely dangerous.
"Yet as you see, none have died. Not even the airships have been harmed. The intent is clearly to inflict the minimal damage, to suppress, all while avoiding serious conflict with the Arnak Empire and the Oathkeepers."
If that Transcendent had truly borne killing intent, they would have already joined the battlefield.
Unless at least four Lords, fully armed with the 'Imperial Treasures', stood forth together, those mere three and Leona could hardly endure.
"A trespasser not hostile to the Empire... it is difficult. What on earth is the true intent of that Transcendent?"
"I do not know."
To be honest, the man did not care at all about the other's purpose.
Only how to handle this unfamiliar Transcendent so that, in the future, it would bring great benefit to the Arnak Empire.
"Therefore, we will watch a little longer."
The man, Grand Duke Rivandale, gazed upon the battlefield.
***
The 6th-tier concentrated spell of the gravity system,
When cast using the body itself as a medium, bones were liable to shatter, organs to rupture.
That shock was multiplied several times over if
But for a magical existence that had transcended species, such rebound did not apply.
Piiiiiiiiiiiiiiii——
At the echo resounding in his head, Fribalt's severed consciousness returned.
Immediately after, a dull agony, as if struck repeatedly by a massive hammer, battered his entire body.
It felt as though his organs had been completely overturned.
Twisting his body, groaning deeply, black stone fragments fell from above.
'I was careless.'
He had taken a direct hit.
His body reacted, but his reason had not followed.
There was no excuse.
Fribalt barely managed to raise his right hand to cover his vision, pressing hard against both temples with his middle finger and thumb.
Whooom.
By stirring a wave of qi within his body, he suppressed both the pain and the ringing in his ears. It was not recovery, only a temporary emergency measure.
Placing a hand on the wall, staggering, he climbed up through the narrow cleft of the rocks.
Once outside, Fribalt looked ahead.
There, the landscape of war spread wide.
───Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The Imperial fleet was unleashing bombardments in succession. Even numerous strategic magic items were being activated to annihilate the enemy.
Blinding lightning and blazing fire flared, burning everything they touched, while massive stones struck the earth, causing small earthquakes.
Even the Black Volcano's solid land could not withstand it, and the ground began to sink.
"Target, intact!"
"...The magic circle is overheating!"
"Divert the flow of power into the barrier. Grizzwold, Leona! Buy us time!"
"Understood!"
"...?"
At Merisa's shout, Grizzwold swung the massive axes gripped in both hands, sweeping away the smoke.
Then, leaping forward, he instantly closed the distance with Verden.
Kwaaaaaang!
With axe-skills based on tremendous strength, he smashed the front with all his might.
As Verden slipped lightly through the air, Leona behind him lowered her upper body, gripping her heavy lance anew.
"Advance."
The word of command activated.
Leona shot forward, leaving afterimages, aiming straight for Verden's heart.
Brimming with killing intent, proving allegiance to a force other than the Empire.
Fwooosh.
Verden evaded by a sheet of paper's width.
His robe and ash-gray hair fluttered in the wind.
Immediately, the two assailants came charging again from the front and the right.
The Spear of Ruin collided with axes, heavy lance, and greatshield one after another.
Ordinarily, the traits of Mado
But the weapons wielded by Grizzwold and Leona were Artifacts, not so easily damaged.
Craack!
Struck in the face by a spatial shockwave, Grizzwold clenched his teeth.
'Every one of our moves is being read...!'
Not one of their skillful axe and lance strikes reached.
Even if he was a mighty Transcendent specialized in magic, how could he be so adept in close combat?
And more than that, every time the waves from that dark crimson spear brushed against them, instinct screamed to flee.
Already, Grizzwold's armor was shattered, his whole body bloodied.
Yet he was delighted.
Grizzwold had come from the freezing North of the continent.
Though a third party had mediated his defeat before, he had never once been felled.
"Gu-hahahahahaha!"
Grizzwold laughed madly, striking like a storm.
The more pain piled on, the more his laughter spread, and his assault grew fiercer.
On the other side, Leona, unfazed by his indiscriminate swings, moved steadfastly in her own style.
Verden thought.
'These two are particularly tough.'
Therefore, if he increased his strength further, their lives should not be endangered.
Fwaaaaah!
Verden deceived their eyes with an illusionary body.
The tip of the dark crimson spear struck Grizzwold directly.
Mado
A realization born of pursuit as an existence, a resolve to crush and trample even the heavens if they sought to block him.
What the once miserable and wretched weakling had so desperately longed for, what he had ultimately and truly desired, was none other than absolute power.
Its essence was destruction of all things.
Thus, it was Ruin.
───!
The massive destructive force crushed Grizzwold into silence. Then, Verden hurled the Spear of Ruin toward Leona.
"Block it."
Leona pulled back the heavy lance and slammed the greatshield in her left hand into the ground.
A golden barrier, formed by the word of command, enveloped the shield's face.
Kwaaaaaaaang!
Leona blocked the strike, her legs gouging tracks into the ground as she was driven back.
She had succeeded in defense.
Just as she thought she had fully withstood it and began to straighten her body, her vision spun, and she fell to one knee.
"Wha...."
A surge.
Blood gushed inside her helmet.
Her body would not move.
Her pupils shook violently, uncharacteristically startled, when the second Ruin came flying.
Puuuuuung!
Unable to withstand the shockwave pounding the greatshield, Leona was flung away like a skipping stone.
At that moment.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
The Imperial fleet, having regrouped, unleashed bombardments again, hindering Verden's movements.
"Spare no power, maintain the current state!"
Merisa commanded the fleet, and at the same time, she fully unleashed the bloodline power she had been steadily elevating since the battle began.
The Genius of the Fesfield family.
Merisa, who had inherited the ancient blood thicker than any in her lineage, rivaling even the founder, was Eldrium itself—Mado incarnate.
The natural magic power of the world converted into mana in real time.
Merisa's eyes darted around.
With all ten fingers, she directly shaped the mana, granting it unique form, fashioning a spell.
Three circles floated in the sky.
They spun chaotically, then at once aligned vertically upon the same axis.
Falling satellite.
From the heavens to the earth.
A searing beam of mana scorched an area roughly 80 meters in radius.
Though it did not create a crater with physical impact like the 7th-tier flame spell
Merisa exhaled sharply, staring into the thickly rising smoke.
And when she saw the shadow cast within it, she bit her lip.
"...Impossible."
She was well aware of the strength of a Transcendent.
Even though she had never directly clashed with one, she had encountered them several times.
Traveling with Fribalt, disciple of a Transcendent, there were times when she came across them.
'But still, to think that even Atorium's bombardment and my magic had no effect?'
Exposed to power that could alter the very environment, even a Transcendent should suffer some damage.
They were not invincible.
And yet, the intruder wreathed in ominous, dark crimson mana showed not even the slightest reaction, standing firm in place.
Had he evaded, at least she could have understood.
"...!"
At that moment, Verden turned his head toward the airship on which Merisa was riding.
His identity still not perceived, she could not even know what he looked like, but she could feel his gaze.
Even the meaning within it.
"If we do not descend, he intends to destroy the airship completely..."
Clicking her tongue, Merisa gave a signal.
"Cease bombardment. From this moment, the entire fleet is to withdraw to the rear and await further orders."
"But...! Yes... understood, Lord."
The colossal airship, Atorium, reluctantly accepted the command.
Merisa descended to the ground.
Just then, Fribalt too joined the fray.
The regained, black-green waves of his power shrouded him, trembling with menace.
"Gu-hahaha...! Late, Sword Saint. Is your endurance not far too weak?"
Meanwhile, Grizzwold, having recovered some stamina, dragged his axes as he walked forward.
One eye had lost strength, but his will remained.
"Ptooey."
Likewise, Leona rose to her feet, ripped off her helmet, and spat out blood.
Her eyes were straight, her expression devoid of emotion, her impression unshaken.
Verden inwardly acknowledged.
'Truly worthy of the title Lord.'
Each one's will was unyielding, showing not a hint of fear. With
Killing them might be easier than subduing them.
'Still, perhaps it is time to finish this.'
Thanks to them, he had grown considerably accustomed to wielding the Mado of Ruin in real combat, against strong foes of a level comparable to Adrian.
But there was nothing more to gain.
Resolving to suppress the Empire and the Oathkeeper faction, Verden stepped forward.
At the same time, the four surrounding him charged all at once.
***
The ground where once the dwarven clans' expedition had dug tirelessly to discover the Black Volcano's crater had long lost its old appearance.
Battles piled upon battles.
The barren land, laid waste by the world's strongest, had been reduced to even greater desolation.
A war that seemed as though it might never end, finally, reached its conclusion.
First, Grizzwold.
With stamina, durability, and resistance beyond the human category, he faced Verden head-on, merging his two axes into one.
"Haaaaaaaap!"
As the Artifact's true power was revealed, Grizzwold unleashed his ultimate technique.
Manrik, Full Strength.
An ultimate strike carrying the power to shatter mountains tore through the air toward him.
But the power of Verden's Mado... destructive might befitting divine authority itself, was too much for it to break.
Kwaaaang!
His final move was shattered head-on. The axe blade broke, the shockwave struck his head, and for the first time, Grizzwold lost consciousness.
Second, Leona.
Possessing endurance on par with Grizzwold, she demonstrated what it meant to embody offense and defense in one, wielding heavy lance and greatshield together.
"Strike true and pierce through."
Surrounded by words of command, Leona charged in a straight line, shaking the ground.
When Verden evaded, impossibly, her trajectory bent back toward him again.
She smashed through
Verden conjured a storm of Ruin with lowered density, extinguishing the word of command itself.
Then, closing in, he seized Leona's head and slammed her into the ground with force.
7th-tier gravity magic.
Kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwang!
An immense mass crushed the range, shattering it to pieces. Leona, her consciousness gone, went limp, subdued.
Third, Merisa.
A unique Magus who transmuted mana into her own distinctive power source, she displayed magic that Verden had never seen before, earning his admiration.
She interfered with space, preventing the activation of spatial magic.
Not only stopping, but scattering even a test
'That is beyond peculiar constitution.'
Perhaps, like Silis of the Estiria Kingdom, she too was born with an ancient bloodline.
Intrigued, Verden battled Merisa in a contest of spells, until he finally bound her body along with space itself and smashed her into the earth somewhere below.
Lastly, the fourth, Fribalt.
The Sword Saint displayed swordsmanship far more refined than what he had shown at the Red Volcano, his blade infused with extraordinary cutting power.
Countless vibrating edges.
Even producing faint soundwaves, they seemed to utterly ignore resistance.
'A touch would be dangerous.'
Even the enhanced [Ainber] would not be able to withstand it fully, his instincts told him.
Not dismissing him, Verden maintained minimum distance, yet still overwhelmed him.
It was practically a rout.
Fribalt, battered to ruin, finally supported himself with his sword against the ground.
Fwaaaah!
Verden formed a small Spear of Ruin, intending to knock him unconscious in a single strike.
Then Merisa, soaring in from the side, planted herself before Fribalt, raising a veil of mana.
"Uugh!!!"
The dreadful shock crashed upon her.
Grinding her teeth, enduring desperately, Merisa manipulated mana with all her might, wrapping the dark crimson power, twisting its trajectory, flinging it aside.
Breathless, gasping to the throat, Merisa forced out words.
"It seems... haa, haa... Transcendent, you have no intent to kill us at all."
"..."
"Then, what is your purpose?"
There was no meaning in answering.
What Verden needed was time, and to secure that time, he had come to stop the two factions at the Black Volcano.
Ssshhk.
Verden raised his left hand, aiming at the two exhausted figures.
But...
'It seems unnecessary now.'
Verden's head turned aside.
Sudden silence fell, and sensing something amiss, Merisa and Fribalt also turned their gazes the same way.
There stood a man, clad in light armor similar to the Sword Saint's.
"...?!"
At the sight of him, Merisa and Fribalt's eyes widened, and as though rehearsed, without hesitation, they each bent one knee.
"Lord, Fribalt greets Grand Duke Rivandale."
"Lord, Merisa Fesfield greets Grand Duke Rivandale."
A being revered even by the Empire's Lords.
The man, Grand Duke Rivandale, accepted their greetings with a mere gesture, then faced Verden.
"It has been a long time since I last saw a new magical Transcendent."
The Sword of Arnak offered his greeting.
***
A Transcendent of the Empire had appeared.
Though the space was sealed by the Empire's Artifacts, his manner of appearing suggested he had already entered beforehand.
Keeping his presence endlessly low.
This was not part of the plan.
The Grand Duke, perceiving Verden's gaze, clasped his hands behind his back.
"This is not the judgment of the Imperial Court. I acted of my own accord. For beings like us, intuition is reason itself. Is that not so?"
"So, you came to deal with me personally?"
Verden still spoke no words, conveying his intent through the trembling of space.
The Grand Duke shook his head.
"No. To be precise, not yet. It has not yet been determined that you, the new Transcendent, are an enemy of the Arnak Empire. Admittedly, the criteria are highly subjective, and I cannot explain them in detail. In any case."
"..."
"Let us talk for now."
The Sword Saint's master proposed conversation.
Outwardly calm, yet leaving no openings.
A being of the same level as Verden, yet like Ignacia or the tower masters of the highest magic towers, a seasoned Transcendent, tempered by countless years.
A presence that stirred tension to its core... yet in this moment, Verden's focus lay elsewhere.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
His heart pounded.
His mana resonated.
With something, at the very bottom of the Abyss.
***
Lava infused with raging lightning.
Heat so fierce that even dwarves could not endure.
A barren landscape, once bustling with restless facilities, now stilled.
Taaang───! Taaang───! Taaang───!
At the center stood Gharun, hammering a colossal staff with his massive hammer.
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