Chapter 63

Chapter 63

Not long after Zenom fled.

The Temple forces responsible for monitoring each floor arrived at White Cloud Castle.

“What in the world…….”

They were left aghast at the sight of White Cloud Castle, which had been reduced to a wasteland in less than an hour.

And they trembled at the latent power of the Downfall Order, which possessed strength capable of causing such destruction.

“Hurry with the rescue operations!”

While requesting support from the Golden Order on the surface, they began searching for the injured and treating them.

In that process, they were shocked once more.

“Compared to the damage…… the number of casualties is astonishingly low.”

There were people with serious injuries, but not a single person had died.

Even the civilians who could not fight and the nobles who had been visiting White Cloud Castle had all finished taking shelter inside the mansion.

It was a response admirable even from the Temple’s perspective.

And when they learned that it was the work of boys and girls who had not even reached adulthood, they were left utterly stunned.

“Such talents…… They are a great blessing for Ebla.”

“The great Golden Rule is watching over us.”

Isran, Persica, Jin Sohwi, Jin Baek, and Gordon all received treatment.

Gordon, in particular, urgently needed treatment, as his left arm had nearly been torn off.

“How exactly did you come up the Styxia River?”

Persica stared at Gordon, who was being treated, with an expression of utter disbelief.

What kind of place was the Styxia River?

It was a living hell where even a 7-Star Adventurer could not dare guarantee survival.

Powerful Aquatic Monsters lurked within it, its riverbed was so deep that the bottom could not be seen, and the current was so fierce that it was difficult even to control one’s body.

The Styxia River was a place where even brutal criminals were not pursued once they crawled into it.

“I wrapped my body in Aura, cut down the approaching monsters, then used them as shields.”

“……That is possible?”

“It was possible once I did it.”

At an answer that reminded her of a certain someone, Persica’s eye twitched.

“Who was the one you were chasing earlier?”

“He is a 7-Star Alchemist named Zenom Draut. That is based on old records, so by now he is likely 8-Star or 9-Star. A Wanted Order was issued for him long ago, and after that, he colluded with the Downfall Order.”

“I did not know someone like that existed…….”

“It is only natural that you did not. Even within Trinity, he was a secret equivalent to top-class confidentiality.”

If it was top-class confidential, then Persica might not have known.

Although she was of Ortanis’s Direct Line, she had not yet even reached adulthood.

In any case, it seemed Ortanis had issued an extermination order for Zenom the moment the Downfall Order began to move.

If they had begun their activities, one of the beings who would become the greatest threat from now on was Zenom Draut.

Of course, Persica did not know why Ortanis had been the one to execute that order, and Gordon did not tell her that much.

“I came running the moment I heard he had headed to the Second Floor.”

“What about the Knights who went down with you?”

“They should be coming up around now. I was the only one who took the river.”

Gordon had been able to commit the mad act of leaping into the Styxia River because he was an Aura user.

The members who were not could only become fish food if they entered the river, so they were currently making their way up through the Dungeon.

“By the way, Lord Isran has grown considerably stronger as well.”

“……Yes. He has.”

The two of them turned their gazes toward the sleeping Isran.

Persica and Jin Sohwi had performed remarkably, but whatever anyone said, the greatest contributor in this battle had been Isran.

He had been the one to recruit(?) Lorentze’s master in preparation for an unforeseen situation, and he had also been the one to face the suspicious puppet brought by the Downfall Order.

Because Isran had taken charge of that puppet, Persica and Jin Sohwi had been able to fight safely, and as a result, the number of casualties had been greatly reduced.

Whether he knew that or not.

Isran was fast asleep, oblivious to the world, while hugging his sword tightly.

Seeing that, Persica let out a small laugh.

“I do not know whether he truly has no fear or whether he is simply brave…….”

[I am curious about that as well.]

At that moment, Persica flinched in surprise at the sudden voice.

Gordon swiftly moved and grasped his sword.

There stood ‘he,’ still maintaining his possession of Lavina’s body.

“What brings you here?”

[That insect and I still have something left to settle, do we not?]

The one ‘he’ pointed at was Isran.

[Is it not suspicious? How can an Adventurer who is merely 2-Star possess such powerful strength?]

Persica’s expression hardened.

Right now, that being was suspecting Isran of being a ‘Possessor.’

[As the master of the Enforcement Division, I intend to carry out an ‘execution’ upon that fellow, so step aside.]

At the word execution, Persica felt the gazes around them gather on this place.

The atmosphere sank coldly.

Persica hid Isran behind herself and blocked ‘him.’

“Isran is a guest of Ortanis.”

[To be precise, he is your guest.]

“I am also Ortanis.”

[Well, that hardly matters.]

‘He’ smiled coldly.

[No one can stop the Order’s ‘execution.’ Even if they are also part of Trinity.]

“…….”

[If you understand, move aside. Out of consideration for Robert, I will overlook this once.]

Gordon checked Persica’s complexion.

If the other party had been an enemy, he would have drawn his sword without hesitation, but his opponent was Lorentze’s master.

Gordon was merely a knight, so he could not act carelessly.

“…….”

Persica bit her lip.

She could not hand Isran over like this.

‘He’ had simply said he would carry out an execution, but she knew. She knew that was nothing more than an excuse.

An execution meant verifying whether or not Isran was a Possessor.

And that being could brand Isran as a Possessor regardless of the result.

‘Then everything will be over.’

There were already many eyes watching.

If Lorentze’s master declared Isran a Possessor here, public opinion would turn in an instant.

Even if that did not happen, they would lose any justification to stop him from taking Isran away.

‘What should I do?’

Should she take him and run? But how?

As Persica broke out in cold sweat and racked her mind, she suddenly felt a small sense of incongruity.

‘But…… why is Ishara so quiet?’

The sword Isran was holding.

Whenever it detected hostility toward him, she was usually the first to react.

Yet even with ‘him’ right in front of them, Ishara remained silent.

As if everything would be all right.

“Very well.”

“My lady?”

Persica stepped aside.

Gordon voiced his doubt, but she raised a hand to stop him.

There must have been a reason Ishara was staying still.

When Persica stepped back, trusting her, ‘he’ chuckled.

[A wise decision.]

‘He’ approached Isran and reached out a hand.

A moment later, ‘his’ consciousness burrowed into Isran’s inner self.

***

“I warned you. I told you that you would pay the price.”

A platinum consciousness gazed into a pitch-black space.

This was the Consciousness World of the human named Isran.

He was still merely an Ordinary Person who could not even manifest an Inner Image World.

Thus, what ‘he’ saw was nothing but an empty black space.

“I wonder what kind of scream you will let out.”

The Enforcement Division’s verification was an act of rummaging through one’s consciousness and memories to uncover one’s true identity.

Because the process was accompanied by extreme pain, there were even those who howled for death instead.

Even if one had lost consciousness, the pain of having one’s consciousness itself manipulated could be felt vividly.

It would likely be no different for Isran.

It was the moment ‘he’ slowly began drawing up his power.

“Who are you?”

Something was lurking in the space of consciousness.

He lit a glow in his hand and illuminated the space, which held nothing but darkness.

Revealed within the receding dark was a massive “centipede,” so large that it was difficult to take in at a single glance.

It looked at ‘him’ with black eyes.

“I see. So you were harboring something like this.”

He had thought the boy would not be ordinary, but to think the soul of such a Spiritual Creature was dwelling within him.

If it had been anyone else, they would have immediately fled the Consciousness World in shock, but ‘he’ instead looked at the centipede with interest.

“Begone. If you interfere with me, I will not spare your soul either.”

With the power of ‘him,’ who had reached Master, a soul like that could be annihilated as easily as he wished.

However, the centipede gave no particular answer and merely stared at ‘him.’

“Did you not hear me? I told you to leave at once─”

“What a foolish one you are.”

The centipede, ‘Hyeollyeo,’ opened its mouth.

“What?”

“Since that person has seen you, foolish one, you should prostrate yourself where you stand and beg for mercy.”

He could not understand what it was saying.

What did that thing dare say to me?

Rage surged up within him, but that emotion did not last long.

“……!”

In an instant, ‘his’ consciousness body began to be pulled somewhere.

A powerful attraction that left no room to resist.

Something was pulling ‘him’ in.

‘He’ immediately tried to shake it off, but the force was so tremendous that he could not possibly break free.

“Wh-What……!”

A light sparkled beyond the darkness.

The light drew nearer.

And when ‘he’ came to his senses.

‘He’ was standing atop a lake as clear and still as a mirror.

“This is…….”

When he raised his head, he saw the “stars.”

‘He’ realized that this was the “sky,” which had vanished from Ebla a thousand years ago.

Countless “stars” glittered in the pitch-black night sky.

The vast and boundless night sky, impossible to fully take in at a glance, emitted an immense presence that overwhelmed his consciousness.

Beneath it stretched a lakeshore with no visible end.

The water’s surface beneath his feet reflected the night sky like a mirror, making ‘him’ feel as though he were standing upon a sea of stars.

“……!”

And.

Beyond that.

At the center of the lake.

“Someone” was there.

[She] sat upon a throne on the lake.

[She] was the master of this world.

[She] moved her gaze.

[She] looked at him.

“Haaah!”

‘He’ could not keep his senses under the overwhelming power of Thought-Force pressing down on his consciousness.

His nonexistent knees buckled, and he braced himself against the ground.

He had no need to breathe, yet his breath caught.

It was as though a Great Mountain, a Great Mountain, was crushing him.

Prostrate yourself where you stand and beg for mercy.

Just as the centipede had said, ‘he’ lay flat on the ground as though bowing and could not even dare think of looking at [her] face.

“Th-This cannot be……!”

Only then did ‘he’ understand.

It was that woman.

The being before him was the very one who had blown away the entire South Spirit Mountain of the Second Floor.

[You tried to lay a hand on Isran, did you not?]

[She] spoke.

He felt her jade-like voice burrow into his mind and tear through his consciousness.

It was not even an attack.

[She] had no such intention, but her existence was so overwhelmingly powerful that ‘his’ consciousness could not withstand it, causing this to happen.

“Wh-Who are you?”

[Me?]

[She] laughed.

[His Fairy.]

The sound of her laughter echoed inside his head.

The pain was like his soul being torn to pieces, and he could not even scream properly.

Feeling an indescribable terror, ‘he’ pressed his head against the surface of the lake.

‘If I had not reached Master, I would have died the moment I entered this place……!’

That was no ordinary Master.

Ordinary People lumped Masters together and described them as a single realm, but in reality, even among Masters, differences in realm existed.

And ‘he’ was certain.

If an ordinary Master was a being “approaching the sky,” then that was, in both name and reality, a being “above” even that.

A being who had surpassed even the sky…… one comparable to the great Providence, the Golden Rule itself.

[Remember this.]

[She] pointed at him.

[There will be no next time.]

‘He’ understood by instinct.

[She] had shown him mercy.

Because he had helped Isran once, she had stopped at this much.

[She] issued an order dismissing him.

‘He’ was immediately expelled from the world of the sea of stars.

***

[Khaaaak……!]

After being thrown out of the Consciousness World, ‘he’ let out a scream.

It felt as if his soul had been carved to pieces.

Simply by “receiving an audience” with [her] for a brief moment, ‘he,’ who had reached Master, was writhing in agony.

Trembling with fear, ‘he’ shouted.

[Wh-What in the world…… are you? What are you, damn it?]

When ‘his’ attitude suddenly changed, even Persica was bewildered.

And in that moment, she became certain.

Ishara had taken some kind of measure.

Smiling faintly, Persica said,

“So? Is Isran truly a Possessor?”

[You wench……!]

He wanted to roar at her insolent attitude at once.

However, the reaction around him was far from ordinary.

People were gathering.

Jin Sohwi stood beside Isran, and Gordon also moved to block ‘him.’

And at some point, Jin Baek had arrived as well, leaning on his Staff.

“This old man is curious as well. Is that fellow truly a Possessor?”

[Th-That is…….]

‘He’ could not answer.

A Possessor?

That was not what he was…… He was a far more dangerous being than that!

He was someone protected by a “Great Being” whom even he could not oppose……!

[This fellow is…….]

But he could not say it.

The words [she] had spoken rang loudly in his head.

The warning that there would be no next time resounded in his mind as overwhelming fear.

[Kh……!]

‘His’ consciousness left Lavina’s body.

He had fled.

“…….”

“…….”

THUD—

Only then, released at last, did Lavina collapse on the spot.