NOVEL FROG Chapter 51
Carisia, who was waiting for Orthes to return with Kine, heard a strange crack from the barrier blocking the entrance to the review hall.
‘It seemed like there was enough strength to block the mindless Silver Thread Hosts.’
Though Carisia hadn’t directly cast the barrier magic, it was easy to assess the completeness of the spell in place.
A barrier couldn’t be broken by the mere physical attacks of hosts that could only infect with Silver Threads.
‘Is someone dispelling the barrier?’
Carisia channeled her magic into her gauntlet. Ideally, she wanted to go about her business without drawing attention in the review hall.
‘But…’
Carisia’s gaze shifted.
At the end of that gaze was the Lampades Mage Tower. It seemed unlikely that the mages, mostly comprising research mages, could withstand a massive assault powerful enough to breach the barrier.
‘Since Orthes said he would help with our goals, it would be wise to protect him.’
Carisia’s ultimate goal was the destruction of the Ten Commandments of White Light. Sometimes referred to as the collapse of the White Light Tower, it ultimately meant obliterating the Commandments that continued to carry the name ‘White Light.’
To erase White Light from the world, the Commandments had to be destroyed.
The initial creation of the Artificial Ten Commandments, merely a camouflage to hide the true goal of destroying White Light, had increasingly gained significance in that regard.
When Carisia often joked to Orthes about using the Artificial Ten Commandments as a bomb to destroy White Light, half of it was a jest.
In other words, half of it was serious.
The compressed Artificial Ten Commandments, accumulated with magical power siphoned from the ley lines of Etna City over the years, had the potential to become the world’s largest bomb.
Carisia had her eyes on that possibility.
No one in this world knows the lower limit of power needed to destroy the Commandments.
Because no one has ever attempted it. Thus, Carisia had always kept the option of unleashing her maximum firepower, the rampage of the Artificial Ten Commandments leading to a mutual destruction with White Light, as one of her backup plans.
She appointed Orthes, the person she trusted most, as the head of the ‘Divine Investigation’ aimed at enhancing the completeness of the Artificial Ten Commandments for the same reason.
If, by any chance, it became impossible to destroy the Commandments with all her magical abilities, the only means she could resort to would be the explosion of the Artificial Ten Commandments.
Her last resort to turn the tide swiftly when all plans failed.
In addition, the Artificial Ten Commandments had other ways to be utilized, aside from serving as a bomb.
The Tower Masters backed by the Commandments could exhibit semi-divine capabilities within the Magic Field of the Commandments.
The two potentials hidden in the Commandments: magic power and spells. In a fight against the Tower Masters, who could unleash ancient magic with overwhelming magical power, Carisia did not have complete confidence in her own victory.
‘If it’s under the premise of fighting alongside Orthes, the probability of victory would significantly increase… but…’
The possibility that either she or Orthes would suffer irreparable injuries was extraordinarily high. No, ‘high’ wasn’t the right expression. ‘Certain’ was closer to the truth.
That wasn’t the conclusion she desired.
Typically, magic fields would cancel each other out due to mutual repulsion. As a tool to suppress the Commandments’ magic field and seal the powers of the Tower Masters, the Artificial Ten Commandments were effective as well.
What started as a camouflage project had now become a core project directly linked to the true purpose of Hydra Corporation.
Losing talents that could significantly aid the completion of the Artificial Ten Commandments due to Eroder’s terrorism would be a tremendous loss.
“Everyone, step back.”
A quiet voice. The mages in the review hall unconsciously accepted those words.
Crack crack!
The sound of the barrier being breached grew clearer. Doubt and fear began to fill the eyes of the people. How could a Silver Thread Host have broken through the magic?
Quick-minded individuals considered ominous possibilities.
Though Silver Thread Hosts couldn’t breach the barrier, could the Eroder mage, who identified as Argyrion, do it?
───!
The magic that formed the barrier was completely obliterated. The bang similar to shattering glass was overshadowed by a much more intense roar that swept around. Several mages who participated in casting the barrier fell, bleeding.
“You’re here. Future comrades!”
The voice of the terrorist announcing his identity was different. However, it was clear he was also a member of Argyrion.
Behind the Argyrion mage, numerous automatons lined up. These automatons had their skinless frames and artificial muscles exposed.
And the muscle fibers looked like they were made of the same Silver Threads. As the silver-hued androids slowly marched into the review hall, the Argyrion mage spoke.
“Let us escape from the wicked beasts of the Ten Towers and uphold the Divine—”
His eyes locked onto Carisia. A faded memory of old fears resurfaced as he was washed in extra-dimensional baptism.
“You…”
Carisia snapped her fingers. The metallic gauntlet pinged sharply.
And a dome-shaped curtain of light rose around the entrance to the review hall.
*
Survivor of the Golden Desert Operation, Io Bate, one of the two mages dispatched by Argyrion for this mission, expressed his anger at the resurrected foe from the past.
“How are you here!”
And Carisia wasn’t very fond of such exchanges.
That was judgment based on the combat theory learned from Orthes.
A dense magic circle was drawn in the air at the tip of her finger aimed at Io Bate. Charged with light, it prepared to aim and track.
Fire.
The process from Carisia aiming her finger to emitting light was so quiet it couldn’t be perceived as an attack. In battles among mages, sensing an attack meant detecting the fluctuation of magic, which signaled the prelude of magic.
However, the flow of magic in Carisia’s spell was extremely suppressed.
It was an attack devoid of any prelude learned from her long game of tag with Blasphemia.
Io Bate didn’t evade the strike. He had seen his comrades fall to that method. It was not a spell he could dodge with his skill.
Instead, he unfolded layers of magic barriers. The tracking beam refracted and flew through the gaps between the barriers.
“Gah!”
The trajectory of the beam, bent to break the magic barrier, provided enough time for Io Bate’s telekinesis to lift the Silver Thread Automatons.
Io Bate collided one automaton with the lethal beam. The body of the automaton melted in an instant, shattering its core magical stone.
With the destruction of one automaton, the beam dissipated as well. Io Bate hurriedly threw himself amidst the automatons.
It was a moment gained by sacrificing one Silver Thread Automaton. Io Bate assessed his strength.
‘There are about twenty automatons trapped with me in this barrier. They can’t connect with the rest of the automatons. Can we defeat that monster with this?’
To evaluate it coldly, it was impossible. Although that monster was a variable he hadn’t anticipated, it had defeated all the agents sent for the Golden Desert Operation. Unless Captain Halto was present, he was not a worthy opponent alone.
His best choice was to escape the scene and relay the news of the monster to Argyrion.
Having made that decision, Io Bate looked at Carisia. He sought clues to dispel the barrier.
And that was the end of it.
*
Io Bate’s brain was fried.
That was the effect of the curse prepared by Carisia.
To see something meant that it had been recognized as an existence. The reason why monsters could cast curses just by looking was exactly this.
By witnessing the curse, the concept would dwell within the witness. Carisia had woven a curse by adding her magical attribute to the mechanism of such ‘witnessing.’
Witnessing, or the act of ‘seeing,’ was strictly speaking, within the realm of light.
The light detectable by the human eye is termed visible light, right? Most illusionary magic falls under the light attribute ranking because it deals with visible light.
The principle behind the curse created by Carisia was simple. It extremely amplified the output of visible light entering the eyes of anyone witnessing Carisia.
As a result, Io Bate died. Without any substantial resistance.
‘It seems difficult to deal with a Tower Master.’
That was Carisia’s self-assessment. Currently, multiple conditions overlapped, greatly exceeding her magical control over her opponent. The magic that pierced through the opponent’s magic barrier and amplified the light output inwardly succeeded.
If she couldn’t breach the magic barrier, the curse would be meaningless.
It seemed unlikely to inflict a fatal blow on even high-ranking Eroders that wouldn’t die from brain destruction.
‘Well, I could discuss concrete improvement plans once Orthes returns.’
Carisia leisurely dismantled the automaton that lost its controller. To welcome Orthes.
*
Ah, damn it.
“Blasphemia bastards! Where are the cult members you kidnapped!”
How has the disappearing Divine Cult crawled all the way here?