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Episode 479 Libereas (1)
Verden organized a party to invade the Great Hall, consisting of Adrian, Isabella, and Alphaman.
Not only the magicians from other societies including Hares, but also Cain and Junia, who are among the most powerful, were excluded.
Because Libereas was a place where humans could not enter.
There were few available means to circumvent the constraint.
And above all… … just one mistake could soon lead to the survival of everyone.
It was a burden that was too heavy for the new generation of society to handle at the moment. It was premature to go into battle where even the Transcendents could not guarantee their survival.
Thus, the opinions of Verden and the wise men were in agreement, and the two twins are currently unaware that the plan for the Black Hour is being carried out behind the scenes.
It won't be too late to tell you after you've achieved your goal.
“Hello again, Divine. And nice to meet you, gentlemen. My name is Cayman Vermont.”
The Verden group, who left the ownerless land, reunited with Cayman.
The location was not the previous cliff village, but a cave on the coast. The dark space filled with the scent of the sea was a secret place where you wouldn't know if a demon was hiding.
“It’s Adrian.”
“This is Isabella Deiros.”
There was no particular reason to hide their identities, as the people deep inside the Society already knew Adrian and Isabella.
After briefly introducing myself and giving my greetings, I got down to business.
Verden asked.
“Have you finished the etiquette map?”
“Of course, I prepared it without a hitch. Please take a look.”
Cayman pulled a thick, rolled-up piece of parchment from his sleeve. It wasn't exactly real sheepskin, but something with a similar texture.
The color of the surface was a dark purple, and it even seemed to be moving constantly as if it were alive.
Cayman untied the ropes binding the bizarre hide and flung it to the floor.
Quite a large area.
A structure made of the flesh of an unidentified creature gradually rose above the rectangular leather.
The Great Hall of Black Hour.
The map prepared by Cayman has three-dimensional physical properties, not two-dimensional.
The entire structure of the scaled-down Great Hall was revealed.
Adrian, Isabella, and Alpha looked surprised and each leaned their heads and bodies forward.
“It’s so detailed. It’s like looking at an elaborate architectural model.”
“Isn’t this on par with the maps that Arteson Mattap specially made…? But this thing’s surface moves intermittently. Is it alive? It’s creepy, but it’s also fascinating.”
[Scanning… …It appears to be made from the skin of a beast. The source is unknown. It is assumed to be demonic power.]
Cayman nodded and explained simply.
“This is a special map created by breathing the life force of a demon into the skin of an ordinary beast. It may look alive, but it is not a living creature. It is a tool after all. However, implementing the detailed structure is entirely up to the creator’s ability.”
At that moment, Cayman's eyes moved slightly. His eyes, sparkling with curiosity about the unknown, turned to one side.
“By the way… is this child a golem? From the outside, it looks like an artificial golem, not a natural one….”
Alpha always maintains <transparency> when going out for outdoor activities.
Because it was clear that if it was discovered by an unspecified number of people, like a communication device or a memory golem, something annoying would happen.
That's why no one in Society has ever directly witnessed Alpha.
Although Cain and Junia tilted their heads and vaguely sensed Alpha in her transparent state, Verden did not bother to explain it to them.
Because the circumstances were so complicated.
'But I can't take Alpha secretly while entering Libereas… … .'
It was only natural that Alpha would be revealed to Cayman here.
Alpha stared at Verden.
The guy who had been given permission to introduce himself silently spoke up.
[Name. Alpha.]
“As I introduced earlier, this is Cayman Vermont. An artificial golem with reason. I thought it was a fantasy creature… It’s truly amazing.”
[Secret outside.]
“Oh, of course. I will never tell anyone, not even to Melad. I promise as one who has become part of the devil.”
The devil's contractor and the mini golem extended their arms and shook hands. It was not a sight you would see often.
When we first met, Cayman said he wasn't a wizard, but he couldn't hide his admiration for Alpha, as a wizard would.
He came to his senses belatedly and continued speaking, coughing in vain.
“Ahem, sorry. I got sidetracked for a moment.”
Cayman pointed to the devil's map.
“You’ve probably already heard the overall plan from Melad. But this time, since we have a map, I’ll explain the plan in detail myself.”
* * *
The plan to infiltrate the Daejeon Hall consists of three stages.
“First, while you are staying in Libereas, we will raid and eliminate the Black Hour executives in the Society. After that, the Western Continent’s Magic Tower Alliance will launch a large-scale attack on Black Hour’s strongholds.”
The Society, led by its first member, Melad, succeeded in locating several Black Hour strongholds.
It was information accumulated over several years.
The first step was to reveal such secrets to the Bohemian Tower Alliance, causing them to engage in battle with Black Hour.
'That should be enough to get Dahit Westroel's attention.'
Verden was convinced as soon as he heard the outline of this plan.
The three wise men of society.
The Sage of Power is a warlord from the Arnak Empire.
The Sage of Wisdom is the first member of Black Hour.
'And the last guardian sage must be the Magic Tower Lord or someone of equal status in the magical world.'
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Otherwise, I wouldn't have dared to think of inducing the Magic Tower Alliance.
No matter how certain the information was, the Magic Tower Alliance, due to its nature of calculating profit and loss, would have tried to persistently verify it rather than move rashly and boldly.
That is, if there is no one instigating the forces of the Tower in the middle.
'The one who founded the Society, the anti-Matap force, is the Lord of the Towers. I wonder who he is.'
It seemed to be one of the lower level towers… … I just let it go without making any guesses.
It's not important right now, and we'll find out later anyway.
Bam.
Cayman pointed to the center of the Great Hall, which was embodied as a map of demons.
“And the moment you judge that you have observed Dahit or diverted Dahit’s eyes sufficiently, those of you in Liberias will infiltrate the Great Hall. The expected transfer location is here.”
The main area of the main hall is divided into two large areas.
One is the 'Stratum' where the main magicians of Black Hour gather, and the other is the 'Deep Layer' where only a very small number of people in Black Hour can enter.
The Verden party intended to dig in and observe the spatial coordinates of the midpoint between the stratum and the depth.
The depths were very heavily guarded by magic, so if you were not careful, you could be discovered as soon as you arrived.
“The artifact containing all of the research records of the Black Hour, [Eternal Hourglass], is located in the deepest part of the Great Hall. Inevitably, you must pass through two gates: the entrance to the depths and the entrance to the innermost layer.
Cayman's finger moved downwards and touched the floor of the Great Hall.
“Of course, the code for manipulating the gateway would have been changed long ago, but the one who designed the Great Hall was our first member. We already created the code to forcefully open the gateway. If you’ve reached the innermost part, you’re halfway there. Now it’s time to find the [Eternal Hourglass].”
“Wait, what if Dahith Wesroel had moved the location of the hourglass in the meantime?”
“That artifact is based on the characteristics of the natural cave that forms the foundation of the Great Hall. The ‘magic of nature’ is the only key that moves the [Eternal Hourglass].”
An infinitely pure magical power that is nearly impossible to extract even from the highest grade magic stones.
Everyone's consciousness except Cayman was momentarily turned to Verden.
“If you were to arbitrarily take the [Eternal Hourglass] out of its innermost part, it would be a very troublesome thing. Not only would it take several months for the natural magic power to gather enough to operate the hourglass again… but the numerous research results organized inside would also be mixed up. There is no way that Dahit, who values efficiency above all else, would go through such trouble. I can assure you with all my heart.”
Cayman once assured Dahit that he was his master.
Verden asked.
“In other words, it is possible to change position within the innermost part.”
“Yes, [the Hourglass of Eternity] will be hidden somewhere in the ‘Ring of Eternity’, which acts as a sort of storage. It will be impossible to find it through normal means, but don’t worry. I will tell you everything about how to find the Hourglass, as well as how to operate the Ring of Eternity.”
Verden nodded.
In short, we infiltrated the Great Hall while attracting Dahit's attention.
Break through two gates and several magical guards, manipulate the ring of change, and steal the [Eternal Hourglass].
Next… … .
'Enter the coordinates of the space outside and escape the Great Hall through the <Gate>.'
Clear three steps, nothing complicated.
Of course, only Verden, Isabella, and Alpha, who have magical knowledge, can break through the functions of the Great Hall.
Adrian was a force prepared for emergencies, when combat was inevitable on the battlefield.
That was when.
Adrian asked Cayman a question quietly.
“I heard the plan, but there’s something I’d like to ask separately.”
“Speak, Heavenly Sword.”
“……Basically, I understand that devil worshippers pay a price to receive power from the devil. So what price did you pay?”
* * *
The devil prefers sacrifice.
Adrian had encountered a few demon worshippers in his past, all of whom had gained supernatural powers through their rituals.
But they were all nothing special, so I killed them all with one stroke of a sword.
In any case, even if they are beings who made a contract with the devil, the way they transmit their power will not be much different from other devil worshippers.
Then Cayman laughed.
“As I told you last time, the demon I made a contract with is a special kind. I don’t even want human sacrifice.”
“…….”
“And I promise I will never harm anyone.”
To change the subject without giving a clear answer.
It was a smile that was far from positive. Cayman took back the map, as if he didn't want to say anything more about it.
“I have explained everything I have planned here. Just give me the word and we will be on our way.”
"i get it."
Hwaak.
Verden summoned a blue cube from subspace.
Sealed Artifact [Archeo].
It was a precious item obtained by exchanging artifacts with the lone wolf, Romer, whom I met in the Republic of Beldirn.
“Adrian, are you ready?”
“Yes, my lord.”
Adrian exhaled deeply, completely calming the energy in his entire body. Along with it, the strength left his trained muscles.
Completely defenseless.
“Illuminate and confine powerlessness.”
As soon as he spoke the words, a bright blue light illuminated Adrian.
[Archeo]'s sealing condition is that the sealed target must not move at all for exactly 5 minutes without any resistance.
Phew.
A translucent blue curtain gradually began to cover Adrian's entire body, and soon the appointed time had passed.
“See you later.”
"okay."
After a brief conversation, the moment the entrance to [Archeo] opened, Adrian, who was surrounded by a curtain, was sucked in.
The seal was successful.
Of course, Adrian's presence is clearly felt by Verden.
“You have a variety of artifacts. With that level of sealing, you should be able to pass through the entrance of Libereas. Good. I will begin as well.”
Cayman took off his glasses and his eyes sparkled.
Kkuddududuk.
A pitch-black shadow leaked out from his slightly open mouth. Something dark and slimy. The black fog flowing out from his body engulfed Keimon from head to toe.
Soon the fog cleared.
[ha…….]
Cayman Vermont, who has shed his human form and become completely mutated.
A giant body over 2m tall, the clothes it was wearing disappeared and a strange body took its place.
The color of the skin and muscles all over his body changed to a black color that did not reflect light, and the texture was not human either.
The two newly grown teeth on either side of the jaw, on the outside, were large and sharp.
As the previous gentle impression disappeared, the entire facial features became sharp.
It had a truly devilish appearance.
"and."
[Record name. Demonization.]
Isabella clapped her hands in surprise, and Alpha, who had received the memory golem from Verden, recorded Cayman's transformation process.
Since both of them were clearly heteromorphic, there were no negative feelings.
[Uh, um. Now, I will open the entrance… … .]
At the reaction that was the exact opposite of what he expected, Cayman scratched his eyes with his sharp nails and cut his palms in embarrassment.
Thud thud thud.
As soon as the demon's blood touched the ground, it was absorbed into the shadows.
There is movement everywhere.
From the darkness that filled the coastal caves, countless black grains crawled out like larvae.
Cayman called it the larva behind the scenes.
As tens of thousands of pitch-black devil insects gathered at the spot where Cayman had dropped his blood, creating a circular shadow, a strange current began to rise.
That wasn't of this world.
[Follow me.]
Cayman moved readily.
His new form sank down as he stepped into the shadows.
The presence has completely disappeared.
“I’ll go next.”
Likewise, Isabella jumped in and disappeared from sight.
Verden sealed Adrian in [Archeo] and stored it in a subspace, then entered the entrance to another world with Alpha.
An empty coastal cave.
The darkness of the other world soon disappeared.
* * *
Libereas, the other world created by the great evil Noxias by sacrificing his life and body.
It is the only refuge and shelter for beings who wish to avoid the light.
A landscape so empty that it feels visually cold.
This space, where boundaries and depths were indistinguishable, gave off an eerie feeling as if one was being sucked in just by looking at it.
At its center was Noxias' right hand, fixed in space itself.
Various structures are erected on the giant palm, which is severed from the wrist.
Cayman, standing on a large rock far from Libereas but connected to a rocky path, stretched out one arm.
[That's Libereas.]
Isabella's eyes widened slightly.
“I didn’t know there was a city.”
[They say that it naturally took on this form because it was a place where demons under Noxias 'lived'. The inside is more systematic than it appears.]
[The devil makes the city. Check.]
Alpha gained new knowledge.
The reactions of the guests who came to the other world were different, but they all had a deep interest in the city created by demons.
Alpha was like that, and Isabella was like that.
but.
Verden just couldn't do that.
'This scenery is… … .'
This intense sense of foreboding.
A space separated from the world and a small world within it───a place similar to this flashed through my mind like lightning.
Here.
It is similar to the Ark, the Sky Island of the Ark.