Far from the city, even beyond the reaches of Asia.
After an indeterminate stretch of time, crossing vast distances, they traversed valleys, oceans, and forests, finally arriving at a place that could be considered a hidden refuge.
In a peculiar mountain range in Northern Europe, or rather, a unique magical fortress.
This was an extraordinary region, a forbidden land isolated from the world, the closest to the visage of the Age of Gods. It was a cornerstone of the Mage's Association, standing equal with the Clock Tower and Atlas Institute, the Wandering Sea.
The Wandering Sea, also known as Baldanders, was one of the three major branches of the Mage's Association. Alongside the Atlas Institute, it was considered a prototype of the association. It was said that among the association's founders were many heretic magus expelled or ostracized by the Wandering Sea or Atlas.
Its stronghold lay somewhere in Northern Europe. Known as the Moving Sarcophagus, it was a mountain range itself, typically adrift at sea as its name suggested, though it occasionally ventured onto land.
Unlike the Clock Tower magus, who pursued "the further development of magecraft." The Wandering Sea's true motives remained unclear.
In ancient times, to shield themselves from human and divine gazes, they built a workshop on a remote island and vanished from that universe entirely.
Since then, save for the "five gates." none could observe or interfere with them.
Compared to the overt magical or mystical organizations of the world, the Wandering Sea was profoundly enigmatic.
Its movements were secretive, shunning external contact and preserving its primal mystery. Even within the Clock Tower, only a few at the pinnacle, like the Lords, were permitted to set foot here.
Yet, on this unremarkable day, the secrecy maintained for countless years and their meticulously crafted magical bounded fields were effortlessly torn apart by an incomprehensible, unfathomable force.
When the Hermes Trismegistus beneath the Atlas Institute detected something descending upon Earth, the great powers across the planet, East and West, sensed it too.
This included the Wandering Sea, the mystical organization closest to the Age of Gods and natural magical foundations. While the Clock Tower, due to Zelretch's sudden absence, received no word, even the Church had received divine revelations from the Father, sensing the potential arrival of an [Apocalypse]. They were doing their utmost to prepare.
As for the Wandering Sea…
Boom!!
With a shattering roar from the peak of its dome, a massive hole was torn through the snowy mountain range. Two unpredictable figures burst through the rift, crashing into a corner of the Wandering Sea.
Amid the meteor-like impact, two figures, one tall, one short, emerged from the dust, surveying the environment, indistinguishable from an external city.
This was a special area within the Wandering Sea, likely used for daily life and residence.
Their arrival revealed a vast artificial lake spanning hundreds of meters. Sunlight, simulated by overhead chandeliers, danced on the water's surface, evoking the shimmering beauty of dusk. Paired with a breeze mimicked by machines, the scene was surprisingly fitting.
Though it was daylight outside, the Wandering Sea's interior was already dusk, fully embodying its isolation, even from the world's time.
Roy couldn't help but marvel at the eccentricity of these magus.
To an Outer God like Yog-Sothoth, however, the Wandering Sea's vaunted isolation was meaningless.
Living on this fragile glass bead of a planet, where destruction meant certain death, what was the point of seclusion? Where could they go? What was worth isolating on a planet without even an Ultimate One?
To her, the Wandering Sea's self-imposed separation was nothing but the foolish, ignorant behavior of lesser beings, devoid of practical meaning.
Roy, just set down, glanced at Abigail, then helplessly at the shattered sky above. Considering their location and the countless bounded fields Yog-Sothoth had just obliterated, he immediately understood where they were and what they'd done.
They had pierced through the magical bounded fields the Wandering Sea had maintained for eons, along with the entire mountain.
Yog-Sothoth's strike was decisive, wiping out all the bounded fields in one go, in a way that couldn't be regenerated or repaired.
Even if the Wandering Sea held backups or blueprints of their fields, restoring them would take untold years. With that effort, they might as well develop something new.
For a group dedicated to returning to the Age of Gods, already so reclusive, this was akin to uprooting their very foundation.
Had another faction, like Altrouge Brunestud leading the Twenty-Seven Dead Apostle Ancestors, done this, the Wandering Sea's shut-in magus would have rolled up their sleeves and fought.
But now, the Wandering Sea was eerily silent, clearly not letting sudden rage cloud their judgment, maintaining basic rationality.
Facing an entity that could shatter all their accumulated bounded fields with a single strike, terrifying the planet and freely altering phases and reality, they dared not confront it. It was a miracle the entity hadn't come for them.
Revenge through a desperate fight was one thing; rushing to be crushed was another.
They might challenge the Dead Apostle Ancestors or even the Black and White Princesses, but they lacked the courage or qualification to face Outer Gods, ORT, or Transcendents.
With such a being crashing in, what could they do? What could they say?
Nothing.
They could only accept their misfortune, retreating to their rooms, [magical workshops], to quietly continue research while praying the entity ignored them and left after a brief visit.
They were reclusive but not foolish.
Though furious, they dared not speak, let alone act.
Even if this had happened at the Atlas Institute, Zepia would make the same call.
Unless they were brainless, reality-blind fools like some in the Clock Tower, anyone would choose correctly.
Within a day of these anomalous presences arriving on Earth, the great spider ORT, deemed the planet's greatest potential threat by the Wandering Sea and Atlas, vanished from South America.
The connection needed no explanation.
Faced with a threat far beyond human comprehension, they could only surrender and pray.
Seven world-ending weapons, Magicians, the Holy Sword of the Stars, Heroic Spirit summoning, or other great powers?
Mere toys.
The enemy's magical energy signatures numbered in the hundreds, restrained to Earth's limits. Even if they miraculously defeated a few avatars, what then? Who could guarantee the cosmic entities wouldn't crush Earth in a fit of rage?
It wasn't about unwillingness to resist but the sheer inability to do so.
In the day since their arrival, no human had been harmed, suggesting a possible turning point.
They weren't here to destroy the planet.
Nor did they believe a mundane planet's fate warranted hundreds of Outer Gods.
They must need or seek something here.
Though desperate to uncover the truth and find a way to save the world, they lacked the means to communicate with Outer Gods.
So they could only avoid resistance, avoid provocation, and silently pray the disaster passed quickly, hoping these cosmic ancestors didn't crush Earth on a whim.
"Nug and Yeb haven't shown up. We've likely lost them for now. They shouldn't catch up soon."
As he spoke, Roy glanced at the gaping hole in the sky above, revealing the blue heavens.
After a moment's thought, he drew the invisible sword and plunged it into the ground, linking it to the region's ley lines.
Though Outer Gods didn't rely on ley lines or inefficient magical energy, their presence naturally stirred nearby mana.
Since detection magecraft couldn't sense their presence, the faint resonance from ley lines might provide early warning.
Though unsure if this trick would work, it was the most promising method Roy could devise.
"Don't worry. They haven't followed."
Abigail nodded slightly, offering the only words so far to ease Roy's mind.
Roy nodded back, still not fully relaxed, his hands continuing their work. He formed seals, manipulating the invisible sword for one final preparation.
"Phew…"
Exhaling softly, faint golden light flickered around him, rapidly expanding from the sword's insertion point as the center of a magical array. In an instant, an invisible bounded field enveloped the entire mountain range.
Now, the Wandering Sea was even more thoroughly concealed from the planet.
This should buy some time.
He used the invisible sword as a substitute for the Holy Grail, with the Wandering Sea as a node, mimicking Daoloth to create a unique dimension or Singularity to hide his presence.
On Earth's surface, finding him was impossible, but to Outer Gods, this was merely a closed door, easily opened if they sensed something amiss.
Even with the sword and his soul's status, allowing him to create Singularities at will, his abilities felt outdated against these foes.
Compared to Human Evil or Alien Gods, within his manageable range, the Outer Gods, especially the Three Pillar Gods, were leaps beyond, far too vast for the Nasuverseview.
It was like a Level 10 player leaving the starter village, defeating a Level 14 elite goblin, only for the Level 999 final boss to ambush them from the bushes.
No way to win!
After finishing, Roy glanced at Abigail, sighing helplessly. The sudden intrusion of these Outer Gods into his peaceful life left him frustrated and exasperated.
"Daoloth's little trick. You mimicked it well. This should stall Nug and Yeb. With their personalities, they won't find this place soon."
Yog-Sothoth, observing Roy's process, offered her evaluation and approval.
"After I guided your true power, you've mastered it quickly. Worthy of being our compatriot. You've only just grasped the invisible sword and touched your soul's power, seen Daoloth's dimension once, yet you devised your own solution. Impressive…"
She gave Roy the highest praise an Outer God could offer.
His actions weren't original magecraft or authority but an imitation of Daoloth's ability, tearing a rift in reality to open another dimension, hiding living or inanimate objects within the world's underside. This was highly effective; even Outer Gods passing by might be fooled once or twice if they didn't scrutinize dimensional shifts.
Though this concealment was like covering an object with paper, inadequate for long-term hiding, for Roy, newly wielding the sword, it was remarkable. He hadn't asked Yog-Sothoth, the All-in-One, for help, drawing inspiration solely from glimpsing Daoloth's dimension.
"No, it's thanks to you. Otherwise, I wouldn't have known my soul and status, which I've carried so long, could be used like this."
Roy replied to Abigail, checking for flaws.
"When I gripped the invisible sword, I felt my mind fill with knowledge, able to grasp so much. It even gave me the illusion of omnipotence."
He chuckled self-deprecatingly.
His power now surpassed the Third Magic and brute strength. The invisible sword fully utilized his status and compatibility as a vessel.
Merlin once said he could master all magecraft on this planet, regardless of conflicting natures, because the planet only had magecraft or magic.
To Yog-Sothoth, his status went beyond, reaching Outer God levels. As a visitor from another universe, he was unbound by this world's concepts.
If Roy wished, he could wield any concept or ability in his cognition, including those of Outer Gods.
During his clash with Daoloth, though a test, he glimpsed her abilities and nature. The sword absorbed some, allowing him to use them when needed.
This unique compatibility was why the Outer Gods targeted him.
If he could contain their nature and power, could he not also contain their consciousness and souls?
With his status as a vessel, Roy could cross the cosmic barrier as he arrived, escaping this fate-bound wretched universe.
They'd abandon everything in this universe, bodies, power, but their consciousness would escape, with a backup of their existence.
If the Sleeping Father awoke from his dream, reducing this universe to nothingness, they'd persist through seeds sown in other universes. Regaining their power would take eons, but compared to true freedom and peace, what were those years?
They couldn't bear the endless eons in this confined universe, bound and shackled, awaiting only destruction and void.
When they saw Roy, whose status could contain all Outer God natures and powers, able to cross the cosmic barrier without shattering the dream, their ecstasy was boundless.
To them, Roy was the key to escaping this prison, the ark to a new world, the freedom they'd seize at all costs.
So…
Struggle all you want, dear child.
Your choice is fated, with no second option…
Nor will a second option be allowed!!
___
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