Chapter 113

Ortes turned the box on and off several times after opening it.

If the signal were caught only once, one could argue it was a malfunction or coincidence. However, with the signal being caught multiple times, such excuses would no longer be possible.

‘This should do it.’

With Blasphemia’s surveillance radar scattered everywhere for evidence collection, the waves emitted by Adusiam would surely have been detected.

Ortes left Amimone Magic Tower with a satisfied smile.

What Ortes overlooked, however, was the situation inside Amimone Magic Tower—specifically, the predicament of Argyreion’s informants trapped within.

Amimone Magic Tower’s public accusation spread widely across the magical community through Ethereal Space. Since it was a public accusation, there was no way to hide it.

Thus, it was natural for Argyreion to realize that its dispatched agents in Amimone Magic Tower were under threat.

Argyreion refrained from direct action due to pre-arranged agreements with infiltrators. If the situation were truly perilous, they would send a rescue signal.

This “perilous situation” did not include death. The informants fully agreed with Argyreion’s greater cause, vowing willingly not to divulge any secrets even if it meant their demise.

But there were moments when they absolutely couldn’t die—such as when the magicians of Black Rock Tower, who specialized in necromancy, prepared to capture souls for interrogation.

If the souls fell into the hands of Black Rock Tower, they would dissect them meticulously, tearing apart every shred of magic composing the soul to uncover hidden secrets.

It was precisely in such moments that the informants had agreed to send out rescue signals.

There were other scenarios where sending a rescue signal was agreed upon, such as obtaining a powerful artifact but facing pursuit from the Ten Towers, making escape impossible without counterattack. However, the overarching premise remained: if they didn’t leave immediately, it would result in significant harm to Argyreion.

The leak of this emergency rescue signal posed a great danger. Following the incident at Pluto Temple, Argyreion believed that the Ten Towers had somehow mimicked their rescue signals—though this belief was incorrect—and thus were developing a new signal with a different wavelength.

Had it been completed, they would have gradually approached the already recruited individuals to provide them with information about the new signal.

…Had it been completed. Argyreion lacked time.

In fact, even if it had been completed at this moment, a major problem would remain.

Less than a month had passed since the elder of the Ten Towers died during the incident at Pluto Temple. With tensions heightened, contacting additional informants within Amimone Magic Tower was nearly impossible.

Argyreion had no room to connect with its recruited spies.

Therefore, the rescue signal sent by Ortes created chaos akin to a storm.

***

“How should we interpret this?”

One of the leaders of Argyreion, an elder who participated in the Golden Desert Operation, spoke up. The debate over the rescue signal transmitted from Amimone Magic Tower had lasted over an hour.

“We must proceed cautiously. We already know from the Black Cliff incident that the Ten Towers can mimic our signals.”

“But the comrades in Amimone Magic Tower don’t know that. This is still the only rescue signal pattern they recognize.”

“What if it’s another trap? Though eliminating the elder was undoubtedly a great victory, the complete annihilation of the dispatched unit would be a tragedy!”

The debate among the leadership continued unresolved. There were those who insisted immediate action was necessary, while others advocated caution, both sides having valid points.

If the discussions among the officers reached a deadlock, there was only one person who could make the final decision.

Gradually, the voices quieted down, and the gazes of the officers converged. Though the round table symbolized equality, one figure stood out as most blessed by the Greater Cause.

Everyone in Argyreion looked to Haltos. From the Blasphemia Era, he held the highest position among them, receiving the most favor from the Greater Cause—a true representative of Argyreion.

Haltos sighed deeply.

“This matter…”

His piercing gaze swept across the round table. All the officers of Argyreion, including Nastiorn, who always hid his emotions in shadows, awaited Haltos’ decision.

“Without a doubt, this is the work of our greatest adversary.”

“…?”

Everyone in Argyreion knew who Haltos referred to as the Great Enemy. Though their memories of the mortal world had grown faint under the blessing of the Greater Cause, none could forget the enemy who orchestrated the Golden Desert Operation.

Though the details might have blurred under the blessings of extraterrestrial dimensions, forgetting the hated figure who caused so much hardship during the Blasphemia Era was impossible.

But why did this name resurface now?

“The Greater Cause foresaw that the Great Enemy would become our greatest obstacle. The current situation is unprecedented for Argyreion. I sense the shadow of our adversary behind this event.”

Nastiorn mulled over Haltos’ words in the shadows.

It made no sense.

‘Since the decision-making process has become overly complicated, it must be the work of our adversary. Has Haltos already lost his edge?’

Unlike Nastiorn, who thought rationally, other members of Argyreion accepted Haltos’ words.

“Indeed! This dilemma is characteristic of the Great Enemy!”

“Certainly. Creating a lose-lose situation and escaping the encirclement beforehand to mock us… It matches that accursed individual’s pattern perfectly!”

Nastiorn watched as consensus spread among the officers. Haltos nodded knowingly.

“We have never achieved a proper success against the Great Enemy except for the Golden Desert Operation. No matter how tightly we weave our traps, if there’s a single gap, he escapes. Only through the radical plan of the Golden Desert Operation could we finally confront him properly.”

“So?”

“To gain the upper hand, we must respond to his trap with an even larger one.”

Haltos snapped his fingers.

A hologram displaying the locations of sleeper agents spread throughout Algus City appeared.

“If sacrificing all of them allows us to trace the Great Enemy, then it will be our victory.”

“Wait…!”

Nastiorn tried to protest, arguing it was sheer madness and wasteful. But his voice was drowned out by the enthusiastic applause of the other officers.

Hidden in the shadows, Nastiorn lamented.

‘Already, the leader of Argyreion has lost judgment. Perhaps he isn’t fit to contain the Greater Cause…’

***

Ortes returned immediately to his lodgings, provided entirely by Blasphemia without spending a penny of his own.

‘We shouldn’t attract attention, so it’s not luxurious, but it’s decent quality.’

As expected, Niobe would soon arrive. She would claim that Blasphemia’s surveillance equipment detected communication between Ortes and Argyreion.

That would give Ortes a legitimate reason to enter Amimone Magic Tower.

Even with all of Ortes’ abilities, entering the private quarters of the Tower Master required considerable effort and luck.

But with a proper justification like this, Ortes could simply step into the tower, slightly open his eyes, and walk straight to the location of the ancient relic.

‘This completes Hydra Corp’s objective.’

Ortes not only had to deliver Amimone Magic Tower to Cnemon but also uncover the ancient relic hidden within.

Finding the relic would allow further leverage over Amimone Magic Tower—a two-for-one advantage.

Imagining inspecting Amimone Magic Tower alongside Niobe and Blasphemia’s agents brought a smile to Ortes’ face.

Knock, knock, knock. A hurried knocking came at the door.

“Senior!”

Just as expected. Ortes opened the door leisurely.

“What is the matter? Could some evidence have surfaced?”

Of course, it must have. Something like ‘We need to enter Amimone Magic Tower immediately!’ would surely follow.

“That’s not the issue! Look outside!”

‘Huh?’

Something went wrong. Ortes was dragged outside by Niobe.

Niobe pointed to the sky. Ortes’ eyelids twitched.

‘Why is that there?’

A swirling vortex of darkness hovered in the air, emitting multicolored bursts of magical energy from its center.

“An extraterrestrial storm…”

A harbinger of extraterrestrial flooding, a catastrophic magical disaster he had seen countless times during his days as a resolver.

The storm swirled directly above Amimone Magic Tower.