A mirage fluttered in the night sky with bewitching brilliance. In the dark blue light, the veil of the abyss, beneath it, the red mountains trembled like weeping.
＜Aurelinople＞ The head of the witch association watched the scene from the terrace, facing the strong wind, and turned around when the guests came in.
Her white, gray hair was long enough to reach the ground, and numerous age spots and spots appeared on her wrinkled, saggy face. He was supporting himself with a rickety broom.
“Come on. I’m allene I’m incompetent, but I’m leading the ＜Aurelinople＞ Witch Association.”
＜Aurelinople＞ Witches’ Association was a five-story building located in the central district of the city. Headquarters was using the top floor.
It was the moment when the sense of incongruity he felt when he met the witches at Friede’s birthplace and the uneasiness that had been revolving around his spine ever since he entered this building came true.
Lane looked at the Headquarters Director with a sigh as the guide witch closed the door and left.
“There is no end to the disappointment. How did even the head of the Noble Witch Association become so corrupt?”
It wasn’t a loud voice, but the contempt contained in it was clearly conveyed. Miria’s eyes brightened in embarrassment.
“no way… … .”
Allene raised her head with a benevolent smile.
“I just saw new possibilities in black magic, young man.”
“There is no possibility for the power of the abyss. There is only deception and death. The reason why the Red Mountains are going crazy right now is because of black magic.”
“They’re sending as many witches and soldiers as possible to stop it.”
“This is what it means to give you a bottle and give you medicine. What possibility is this?”
In the office of the Headquarters, there was a large and elaborately carved model map of the ＜Aurelinople＞ river area and the mountains of the Red Mountains. The general manager pointed at it with a broom.
“I have lived 120 years. I’m old enough to forget a lot, but I still can’t forget what my teacher and grandmother told me.”
“… … ?”
“The Republic was said to be very beautiful during the days when Master Friede and Master Tureina led the Republic on the front line. Everyone was equal under one order and knew how to trust each other.”
Alene looked at the map with a soft gaze, perhaps reminiscing about the distant past.
Hearing the word Tureina, he felt the pipi hidden under his clothes tremble. Maybe my body was shaking too.
“I worked for 100 years to create that era once again. But all of them failed and the country is now like this. I have the same feelings as you.”
“That’s why you need black magic. to rule by force. Black magicians are—”
“—Wrong, everything is wrong, young man. It’s not me who needs black magic. She is the disciple of the greatest shaman on this land, Lady Tureina.”
The moment I heard those words, I could feel the blood draining from my face.
“What the Republic needs now, what can bring the Republic together again, is not this old man. He is such a hero.”
“The horse… … It does not make sense. Turaina is dead. About 10 years ago.”
“The Emperor’s Office must have had no choice but to announce that in order to control the panic that was to come. He is alive.”
“Impossible.”
“You’re only focusing on waking up the frozen archmage… … I believe that if his wish comes true, he will take care of this land again.”
It can’t be true.
Blood was circulating in my head.
Even if it was Turaina, it would be an impersonation like Xernix. I have no choice but to.
“The ceremony is already at an end. Now, there is only one thing that is needed, the core containing infinite power, the body of the Jinryong that you are enshrining.”
“… … !”
“If you can concentrate all the divine power flowing in the Red Mountains in one place with that power, melting the ice won’t be a problem.”
I felt my breathing quicken.
Then, was it the fake Tureina that attacked the Emperor’s Office and stole Rin’s body from there? Was this idiot tricked by the fake Turaina?
Wake it up and use it where? There is no such thing as a soul left in that body already?
“So, when the ceremony begins, what will happen to this whelp?”
“The dragon will understand. Just as you have sacrificed for us until now.”
“How much more do you want to sacrifice? You sacrificed over 1,400 years for humanity?”
Arakish’s final smile flashed through his mind. Jinryong, who has lit up this land alone since the era of origin… … Akirea he entrusted to me.
“A great cause only requires sacrifice, and we cannot afford more than this.”
“Who is that proud ‘we’?”
“Humanity. I’m just looking realistically at the situation the world is in right now. I guess you’re still too young to see it.”
As soon as he finished his words, he felt an unusual energy, and then the door to the office opened, and thirty witches and resident spearmen rushed in.
And in an instant, they lined up on the four walls as if enveloping us in a big way, but Miria couldn’t even think of reaching for the hilt, as if she couldn’t believe the current situation.
Witches in big cities wield great influence not only in religion but also in politics… … Such beings are advocating black magic and threatening whelps. You won’t believe that this is real.
“Miria, don’t fall from my side.”
As the witches stretched out their hands in unison and chanted the language of runes, the magic power spread with long tails flying.
The power of the supernatural power that spread widely becomes a prison of light beams layer by layer, forming a bondage formation that covers the enemy in a square… … couldn’t
Jin, which was about to be completed, stopped in the air as if time had stopped, and the next moment it was torn apart by a vortex of intense flame.
“what… … ?!”
Witches skilled in battle immediately began to recite the next chant… … The trembling of power that had been ringing in his throat suddenly exploded in his mouth with terrifying heat.
“────?!”
Since it is a language spirit that has not yet been equipped with ‘power’, it is only a weak flame to interfere with Bell Curious, but the pain is enough to turn the speech spirit into a scream.
However, chanting Altigma is not my area of expertise, and it takes a lot of time to interfere.
The spells that were activated before being canceled out by Bell Curious evaporated with a flash of light that seemed to burn the cornea, albeit belatedly.
While I was dealing with the witch, Miria, who had dodged the spears of dozens of spearmen, slashed the spearhead with a sword, and kicked her leg to disable it, shouted.
“I have to get out of here.”
Around that time there was a commotion all over the building… … The sound of numerous footsteps was increasingly concentrated in this direction.
I do not have time.
While wiping the cold sweat from my forehead, I ran and grabbed Arlene by the collar.
“What the hell are you guys up to? What are you trying to do by being tricked by those bastards who pretend to be Turaina!”
At that time, the old witch, far from casting a spell, only let out a low sigh.
“There is not a single lie in what I have told you. I’m just trying to light a lamp of hope, and I can’t help it if I die here.”
“Please listen to me! you are cheating Completely deceived—”
“—and the orders I received were to keep you here a little longer. You will see him soon.”
I knew it in that brief moment.
Judging from my experience dealing with many warlocks in my past and present life, I realized that no matter how much I hold on to this old man and interrogate him, I won’t get the answer I want.
Just as I was about to slam my fist into the ugly, toothless, saggy face, a strange smell stimulated the tip of my nose and my whole body stiffened.
The sore eyes and nose and unpleasantly irritated skin that I experienced in ＜Landkeeper＞… … A faint twitching occurred at the fingertips.
“You are here.”
I was about to punch him before running out, but stopped because Aki woke up wriggling.
In the hallway, a fog was already creeping up to your feet, and witches and spearmen in iron rings ran through the fog.
Are you trapped, the worst is the situation… … If I could combine magic of various attributes, I would be able to escape easily.
“Hold tight!”
At that moment, Miria grabbed my waist tightly and rushed to the leaded window.
Is this, is this crazy… … ?
Before I even had time to think about it, a feeling of floating had already invaded my whole body, and the next moment, gravity was dragging my body to the ground. Her clothes fluttered violently in the wind, and Aki let out an exclamation.
“Out-!”
Then the mechanics went into chaos as Miria threw the hooked rope out of the fourth floor window.
With the power of the rope fixed to the window frame through the leaded glass, she was barely able to avoid being slammed to the ground. Thanks to that, I had to roll the lawn a few times.
Ceresia became soft and fluffy like a cushion, canceling out most of the impact of the fall that hit Aki and me. Miria hastily held out her hand to me.
“It’s already foggy all over the city.”
“Fog, fog, fog.”
When I stood up holding her hand, the city was ringing the alarm bells of sorcery, and torches and spears flashed in the mist.
“You, were those witches commissioned by you?”
“No, I said I was directly subordinate to the shrine maiden.”
then… … .
Should I go to another big city, ＜Aristapo＞ or ＜Tervenople＞ to find a shaman?
“Let’s go upstream. I have to go up to ＜Altaris＞ again. I have to ask those witches, those witches. Wake me up somehow.”
I don’t know if I can wake it up somehow… … .
It’s really unbelievable, but that’s the best option now that all the witches in ＜Aurelinople＞ have been seduced by black magic.
I came down to ＜Aurelinople＞ without waiting because I was in a hurry, but I thought that would have been the worst option.
“We must take Aki out of the city unconditionally. okay? Miria, no matter what happens, it’s in those guys’ hands—”
The moment when she entrusted Aki to Miria to make magic easier may have been a crossroads in fate. I even remember the flash of dark blue light on the other side of the fog.
uh?
Then, for the next moment, the body was flying through the air. In the midst of her consciousness yellowed by intense pain, she bounced off the side of the road several times and landed on a roadside tree from her back, spitting out blood.
‘Instantaneous defense magic, and that’s a whopping 3-star, but it just pierced it?’
Heck, I could see part of the miracle in my darkly flickering vision.
The flames of the abyss that had been blazing fiercely on Ceressia’s surface, as Cerescia flashed coldly in the dawn light, soon twisted here and there, were sucked into the formless vortex and annihilated.
At the same time, Ceressia’s magic cloth gradually became thinner. Could it be that Ceresia’s legendary power, which blows the supernatural ability that attacked the caster into subspace, was activated?
‘A 4-star magic that concentrates all power into one point like an archer… … If Cerescia hadn’t mitigated the damage, I’d just be 100% dead… … .’
I tried to get up, but the blood flowed from the ruptured intestines, and the body sank to the floor. Ribs, several ribs seemed to be broken.
“hey!”
“Ah-boo!”
As Miria urgently called for the boy who had flown over the fog, the ominous footsteps of her high heels brushed against the marble floor rang.
again… … .
… … again… … again… … .
again… … again… … again… … .
No, footsteps are not ominous. That presence, powerful enough to make your back run bleakly hot, is inexplicably ominous.
Like a prey driven into a corner, how long has it been since he felt this sense of helplessness, with his entire body rigid and only his fingertips twitching?
Breathing stops randomly The brain is dyed white. My back is soaked with cold sweat.
“Hold tight, Aki!”
But these crises have been overcome many times over. I forcibly moved my frozen body, grabbed Aki with my left hand, and started running north.
“Ah, ah, ahhh!”
After that, the flames of the witches who had been driven out of the headquarters building and the vines of supernatural powers attacked, but Miria avoided being hit by turning left and right.
The witches’ spells were somehow avoidable… … It’s a problem when sometimes something comes in without any warning, something that blew the lane away.
Roadside trees were smashed and toppled by the flames, attacking citizens who were sleeping on the ground and obstructing their path. Miria gave up on the main road and jumped down the tunnel.
“Pippi, tell that guy! I will wait for you at ＜Altaris＞!”
“All-ta, all-ta, all-ta.”
Pippi nodded, changed course, and flew in the direction where Rain flew earlier.
And soon after, the shape of the hat stood out in the fog, and soon a woman with a smoking pipe in her mouth walked out with a bewitchingly ingenious movement.
The red witches of ＜Aurelinople＞ immediately prostrated themselves in front of him and were extremely polite.
“Tureina-sama.”
At that time, Turaina’s eyes were fixed on Miria’s back as she was forced to sleep in the middle of the city, and to be precise, on the whelp crying in her arms. As I blew out a long cigarette in that direction, the mist of dragon poison thickened even more.
“I will secure Jinryong’s remains. You guys take care of the protectors for sure. They’re all going to die from being hit directly by a 4-star spell.”