Chapter 216 – The Calm Before the Storm (5)
Joseph doubted his own ears.
'What did I just hear?'
A transcendent, by existence alone, is an absolute being that influences the world.
Especially in the distant past, when transcendent beings or those on par with them rampaged, it was nothing short of pandemonium.
Continents burned and cities crumbled.
The blood of people flowed like rivers, and corpses piled up into mountains, becoming nests for the Undead. Power that could not be opposed ran rampant, without restraint.
The casualties were so great that the recorders gave up writing midway.
────Had other transcendent beings not stood against them, had they not all joined forces, the continent would have long since perished.
This was a personal opinion written in the hand of an archbishop from that era.
The handwriting, twisted as though trembling in fear, was full of warped letters. Perhaps that was why it felt all the more real, and left such a vivid, unforgettable impression in his mind.
Beside Joseph sat the tower master.
He, too, was one of those transcendent beings of great power.
'And yet, a challenge?'
He could not understand.
No, that was a misguided arrogance.
How could a 5th-tier mage possibly withstand the magic power of a transcendent?
If careless, the mental shock alone could leave him permanently crippled. Surely this was just a young mage, facing a transcendent and mistaking foolhardy bravado for courage.
It must be stopped.
But it was already too late.
"This is the first time in my life I've received such a request. That alone makes it very interesting. How shall we proceed?"
"Through magic power typification, if you please."
"Basic manipulation of magic power, is it. Very well, let it be so."
The exchange ended in an instant.
Tense silence filled the room.
Joseph hurriedly tried to stop the tower master.
"W–wait a moment, tower master! If something goes wrong..."
"Be quiet."
The tower master smiled.
"For I am enjoying this greatly right now."
It was a chilling, ghastly smile.
Joseph had never seen the tower master smile like that before.
But one thing he understood.
The necromancer was completely serious about this.
"Damn it...!"
Joseph immediately drew upon his holy power to brace for the impact.
At that moment, the tower master released his magic power.
***
The transcendent, and those who had not reached transcendence.
There exists a boundary that divides the two.
It is called awakening.
When one reaches transcendence, without exception, one experiences this concept, and it is the proof, a qualification of sorts, that one has truly become transcendent.
And among what one gains from awakening, is the very presence known as existence rank.
A transcendent who trained the body reveals rank in aura, a mage reveals it in magic power, a priest who holds faith reveals it in holy power.
Fear, awe, dread, unconsciousness.
Though it differs for each transcendent, whatever form it takes, the influence of rank is overwhelming. Those who fall short cannot even maintain their sanity.
That is why they are called absolute beings.
Crack. Craaack.
Space itself screamed.
The typified magic power bore physical force.
Though the tower master limited its range, the entire reception chamber shook. Confections, teacups, the table and chairs, all were already crushed and shattered.
"Ghhhk...!"
Joseph endured the impact with his holy barrier.
Between him stood Verden and the tower master, facing one another.
But only for a moment.
Verden fell to one knee, pressing his hand to the floor. The sight of the chamber floor, splitting into hundreds of cracks, filled his vision.
Even breathing was difficult.
Edmon was not even comparable to this.
And this was not even mana coercion.
It was nothing more than the release of magic power through activated mana circuits. This was undoubtedly the rank of existence that only a transcendent could attain.
Though his entire mana circuits were activated, resistance was meaningless. After achieving Defying the Heavens, this was the first time he was being so utterly overwhelmed.
'That is why it has value.'
Verden had accumulated no small experience until now.
Soul Tree, Rupel of Gluttony, the dark sorcerer, Edmon, the court mages, Karans—he had faced many strong opponents, and never once had he been defeated when he fought with full strength.
That was not something to be pleased about.
It meant he had never truly faced a being of higher rank. In that sense, meeting a transcendent now was fortune itself.
The new experience fiercely stimulated Verden.
'This is....'
Perhaps because of that.
In Verden's heart, deep within, a great ripple surged through the unknown magic power sleeping there.
The rampaging magic, of its own will, forcefully widened his mana circuits.
The pain was fierce, yet the more he endured, the more the lacking output grew. As if to oppose the transcendent's magic power.
He left the flow to instinct, not reason.
The suffocating oppression remained.
Yet as time passed, his consciousness became ever clearer.
Mental fortitude was one of Verden's greatest weapons.
He would not submit to anyone. That was what he vowed, again and again, from his days in the magic tower. That resolve had never wavered.
And it never would.
Rrrrummmble...!
The waves of magic around Verden warped and twisted.
His own magic clashed against that of the transcendent. Resistance grew fiercer, and he regained partial control over his body. There was no longer reason to remain kneeling.
With his hand on his knee, Verden slowly rose to his feet.
Joseph's eyes widened.
"Th–that's impossible!"
This was magic imbued with the rank of a transcendent.
For a mage who had not even pioneered the way of magic to endure was impossible. But to go beyond endurance, and resist—it was beyond belief.
The tower master, too, thought the same as Joseph.
"How can such a thing be possible?"
There was no explanation.
Even Verden himself did not fully understand the reconstructed body he gained through Defying the Heavens. But reason was of no importance here.
With difficulty, Verden parted his lips.
"...Insufficient, it is."
The tower master was holding back.
What he sought was the true power of a transcendent, not a fraction, but the full force of magic. To accelerate his slowing growth, he needed a greater stimulus.
Tap.
The tower master set his staff upon the floor.
"If that is what you desire."
Fwoooosh!
A power, on an entirely different level than before, surged forth.
The reception chamber was utterly devastated, and in its place, the overwhelming presence of a mighty being filled the void.
The tower master slowly increased his magic power.
Watching closely, measuring just how long Verden could withstand it, seeking to resolve the doubts Verden had awakened within him.
"...!...!!"
His flesh tingled as if being cut by blades.
The hapless victim, Joseph, leaned against the wall, unleashing his holy power with all his might. Even for an archbishop, the force was nearly unbearable.
If not for that unknown magic, Verden would have long since lost consciousness.
'So this is the power of a transcendent.'
At last, he truly felt it.
Just how overwhelming a transcendent was, and how distant, how perilous the path was toward his targets of vengeance, the tower master of Bohemirn and Balrog Bessias.
But.
'...It is clear.'
The realm he had once only vaguely imagined, now he could feel it.
That longed-for destination shimmered before him, the supreme heavens that Verden must ascend to, and trample beneath his feet.
In less than two years, he had reached this far.
If the same time were to pass again, what heights would he reach? No, even half of that span, surely he would attain a level far beyond what he now stood upon.
Then suddenly, the thought came to him.
'Is it not possible to seize it now?'
The power of a mage grows with years.
That was common knowledge, yet when he reflected, doubt gnawed at him.
A body with no limits.
An innate understanding of magic, genius in nature.
An unending effort, a mental fortitude that could endure it, magical knowledge on par with any tower master, resolve forged by risking death, and the weight of countless experiences.
So then, why must he endure the slow march of years?
'The preparations are already complete.'
His heart pounded.
Uncontrollable excitement made blood and magic boil within him. His body, his mana circuits, ached as though being torn apart, yet it mattered not.
He wanted strength, he wanted to ascend higher.
Desire surged fiercely.
And as though in answer, the unknown magic within him surged forth.
Verden and the tower master.
Between the two opposing forces, a field was formed.
And then—
KWWWWAAAAAANG!
The reception chamber exploded.
***
"What the...?!"
The mansion began to tremble, then suddenly a thunderous roar erupted.
Marquis Esperanza instantly sharpened his senses, gauging the location. The epicenter was none other than the reception chamber.
The chamber where the archbishop, the tower master, and Verden were.
The marquis immediately seized his sword.
"Summon the knights at once!"
The entire household rushed toward the reception chamber.
Calia, Edmon, Melzard, all armed and ready. The marquis himself ran ahead, yanking open the half-collapsed chamber doors.
"Are you all right..."
His words stopped.
At the strange sight, the marquis' eyes went wide.
"My word..."
The reception chamber was a wreck.
Archbishop Joseph sat slumped against the wall, sighing. Not a wound marked his body, yet his face showed deep exhaustion.
'It doesn't seem to be an external intrusion.'
Cautiously, he turned his head.
Two figures stood in his sight, facing one another.
Verden, breathing heavily, weary, and before him, the tower master gazing silently.
Then, the tower master's shoulders shook.
And he laughed.
"Hahahahahahaha!"
The sound echoed through the ruins.
When his laughter ceased, the tower master stepped toward Verden.
"That you dared oppose my magic is astonishing enough, but that you should seize upon the experience to achieve growth—remarkable. And yet your mana circuits are not shattered to pieces, but intact, standing firm. Truly difficult to believe."
"...Thanks to you, tower master."
"My name is 'Ryndel'. Ryndel Nexleon."
The two stood within arm's reach.
"For the last time, I ask. Who are you?"
"A mage, Asher."
"...Is that so."
Ryndel laid a hand on Verden's shoulder.
At once, magic pulsed, and a voice rang within Verden's mind.
───When next we meet, I expect you to reveal your true name
"...!"
To convey thought through magic—that was the craft of a transcendent.
Verden bowed his head in silent reply.
Ryndel removed his hand, and asked.
"I have granted your request, so now only one thing remains. Tell me, what is this deal you wish to propose?"
"A magic tome."
From his spatial bag, Verden drew out a book.
A dark grimoire seized from Viola, like the golden bone. For the tower master of DarkWarton, it was a treasure impossible to refuse.
"Hm, a material-specialized branch, is it. The price?"
"I leave it to you, tower master."
An advance offer.
And to a transcendent, no less.
...Clang.
The marquis dropped his sword.
***
The costs of the shattered furniture and ruined reception chamber were paid entirely by Ryndel.
For the master of the magic tower, it was but a trifle. To refuse would be rude. The marquis bowed his head in gratitude.
Thus, the three-way meeting came to an end.
Inside the Luas Church's carriage.
Joseph and Ryndel sat diagonally across from one another.
"...A weary day indeed. Not only did he suddenly challenge the tower master, but he even proposed a deal... Truly a most unusual mage."
"Not unusual, unprecedented is the proper word."
"I agree. Especially at such a young age, at such lacking attainment, to endure the magic of a transcendent—I have never heard of such a thing. Who in the world is that mage Asher?"
"For now, we cannot know. But this I promise."
"Yes? Promise what...?"
"Before long, a new transcendent of magic will be born."
...A transcendent?
Joseph's eyes flew wide in shock.
"T–that, could it be...!"
"So remember that mage, Joseph. And now, I take my leave."
Fwaaaah.
At the surge of magic, shadows swept forth.
In the blink of an eye, Ryndel slipped outside the carriage, halting in midair. With the setting sun at his back, he looked upon the royal capital.
The First Princess, who might bring countless deaths.
The mysterious mage, shrouded in the unknown.
The two beings who had caught Ryndel's eye, and stirred his awe.
Strangely, the capital that held them was peaceful, serene.
Like the calm before the storm.
He had no thought to interfere.
He would simply watch from afar.
For when that small stream would one day become the flow of the world.
Even a transcendent, one who understood death, would be given his role to play.
"Truly, it is something to look forward to."
Ryndel smiled. And gave thanks—
That in this era of upheaval, he was here to witness it.