Escaping was simple.
Present in this place was a magician who, by using only an illusion school of magic, was evaluated as being on par with a veteran.
Lewena’s lightly woven spell formula, the illusions materialized by the mana she had imbued, easily deceived the eyes of the guards.
After leaving the tavern and watching the setting sun cast long shadows, the crimson waves filled the city far and wide.
In that city, the traveling party was together with someone who was once their enemy.
Perhaps even still an enemy, a woman full of secrets.
Even behind her, like ducklings following their mother, the veteran mage of illusions walked, though there wasn’t enough information to judge yet.
Nevertheless, Aslan could decide on some level of treatment.
“I’ll consider an alliance. However, I want to visit your Anuritin Council. If you refuse, I’ll kill you here.”
Aslan didn’t need to bend or enter unnecessary negotiations.
Thus, his words flowed freely, and Lumel looked at Aslan with a subtle expression filled with various thoughts.
On the other hand, Ados nodded as if understanding, maintaining a seemingly blank face.
“I would have done the same. You’re cautious indeed. You could be called a priest-slaughterer.”
“Enough with meaningless talk. How do you plan to get us from here to the Anuritin Council?”
Aslan coldly spat out, and Ados stroked his chin.
“Is there no means of transportation?”
A misinterpretation of those words led Aslan to make a comment.
The woman silently smiled, then nodded, and Aslan signaled to the group to follow.
Ten people walked side by side. The bustling guards paid them no mind at all.
Because of this, they reached the back alley without drawing any attention.
It wasn’t dirty but seemed intentionally devoid of many things, a desolate alley.
The houses made of lime bricks on either side had windows facing the direction where sunlight entered, so from the direction of the group, it was just a plain wall.
An appropriate situation for hiding and doing something.
However, it wasn’t suitable as a combat position. Everything gained through a single exchange would be lost instantly.
But they didn’t let their guard down.
Aslan, who had experienced unexpected ambushes and delivered them himself, stared intently at the woman.
Ados endured that gaze while pulling out several tools from his robe.
There was a tool resembling a hoe and another oddly shaped like a hammer.
Even as Aslan kept his hand on the hilt of his sword watching, the woman approached the angular wall at the end of the alley with an air of expectation and planted the hoe into the wall.
With a thud, and then placing the hammer-like tool behind the hoe,
Bang!
She struck the hoe, carving a hole into the wall.
Aslan, pondering what this act might signify, soon widened his eyes at the ensuing change.
Zzzz, crack!
A golden current flowed, and the center of the wall split open unexpectedly.
Though one might think the building would be affected when the wall split, nothing happened.
The split wall receded from the space.
Through the gap created by the receding space, Aslan saw a familiar ancient passage appear alongside round tunnels.
“The Underworld?”
It reminded him of the Underworld’s passage.
It was so similar that Angie blurted it out reflexively.
“No, the Underworld has been destroyed. Its gate no longer functions.”
However, it wasn’t the gate of the Underworld.
Indeed, the gate of the Underworld currently didn’t work.
Moreover, the gate Ados had opened now was completely different from the Underworld gate Aslan knew.
First, its color was golden, and the characters forming the gate were unlike anything in Aslan’s memory.
Nevertheless, the purpose was easy to infer.
Following Aslan’s gaze, the woman elegantly pointed at the gate and stepped forward toward it.
Her figure disappeared gracefully, melting into the portal.
The veteran mage of illusions followed without a word, cradling his staff, prompting Aslan to grimace slightly.
“Let’s go. I’ll take the lead.”
He spoke first and headed toward the mysterious gate.
“Are you really sure? Hmm, it doesn’t feel right…”
Richard appeared restless, watching such an Aslan.
“It’ll be fine. If it’s a trap, we’ll crush it.”
Ereta said this, and the rest of the group didn’t seem particularly anxious either.
Rather, they seemed ready to fight at the slightest provocation, adjusting their weapons accordingly.
Thus, the group quickly approached the gate and slipped through.
A faint sensation of floating passed over them, and when they opened their eyes, they found themselves in a vast space.
A building with thick ivory pillars supporting a ceiling that stretched high above.
In this space, countless individuals moved about.
More accurately, they stopped upon seeing Aslan’s group.
Their eyes carried caution, along with the confusion typical of humans trying to understand the situation.
It was too unprotected to be a trap.
“There are quite a few of them. But they wouldn’t stand a chance against me.”
Tiamat was right; the numbers were certainly large.
But if Aslan so desired, he could kill ten of them before they could even take a breath, they were so defenseless.
Of course, it could also be a feint to attack under the guise of such vulnerability, but since there were no immediate signs of such intent,
Aslan relaxed his guard somewhat and felt familiarity from their attire, the architectural style, even the floor.
Aslan had to admit.
This was the Anuritin Council he had visited in the game, and the tunnel they had just exited was a technology enabling spatial travel.
“Welcome to the Anuritin Council.”
A thin, clear voice. Aslan turned his head to see the same-dressed woman from earlier.
The president of the Anuritin Council, Bishop Ados.
Somehow, she could teleport through space.
Was Aslan’s emotion reflected in his gaze? The woman tapped the closed gateway with her fingers.
“You look surprised. As you guessed, this is a device similar to the Underworld gate you used. With this alone, you can travel back and forth between the northernmost and southernmost ends of the continent within a few minutes.”
Ados spoke proudly.
Her pride-filled words caused Aslan to frown.
Despite his prejudice against priests, this was a technology that couldn’t be ignored.
Serious enough that Aslan momentarily considered an alliance.
Since Aslan was gathering allies for his plans, he would eventually have to summon this coalition during the final quest.
And since the time spent on that would decrease his chances of success, this method of transport could be a meaningful way to preserve strength for Aslan.
Even if no alliance was formed, the technology had to be extracted.
Furthermore, the state of the Anuritin Council exceeded expectations.
“What are all these…?”
Angie rarely showed surprise, yet her eyes sparkled now, while Lumel uneasily glanced around while looking at Ados.
As for Richard, he wore a dazed expression as if transported to another world.
Aslan understood the looks of his companions.
Except for the basic styles, the white stone floors, ivory pillars, and towering ceilings, everything else was new.
Glancing around, he saw wires. There were many electric lamps illuminating the interior of the building.
Moreover, there were numerous other things that shouldn’t exist in this Geladridion.
Stacks of cargo wrapped in containers, equipment needed to move those containers.
Small vehicles for transporting small goods, research facilities that clearly contained mechanical parts.
Anyone could tell that these facilities bore the strong influence of predators.
“Hmm.”
Tiamat felt the warm air swirling around the series of equipment and loosened the tension on her bow.
It wasn’t lowering her guard but preparing for battle.
Ready to draw and fire an arrow at any moment.
Beyond the tapping sounds of her fingers on the loosened bow, Aslan was certain without looking around.
The Anuritin Council was already in the clutches of the predator.
Naturally, given that the president was Ados, a priest of the predator.
Phey quietly signaled readiness to dart off at any moment, while Lumel watched Ados with a troubled expression.
“There’s no need to be on guard. Of course, saying this won’t change anything.”
Without showing any reaction to the unified gaze of the group, despite the tense atmosphere, she took a step forward.
The veteran mage of illusions followed her, walking behind her.
Almost as if rehearsing, it brought to mind the image of young animals following their mother.
Aslan uncomfortably watched this scene and then walked in the direction Ados was heading.
If it were a trap leading to victory rather than escape, he was confident in his abilities.
Whether Ados was aware of this internal thought or not, she led Aslan’s group to a large room, where a strange smell lingered.
A smell that didn’t match any in Aslan’s memory.
But the sense of smell is directly connected to memory.
Thanks to the heightened senses of his newly acquired body, Aslan somehow associated it with a hospital room.
Everything filling this large room evoked images of a hospital room.
It was a peculiar situation.
What Aslan saw were countless pods.
“What are these…?”
At Ereta’s questioning tone, the group reacted differently.
Some touched the pods, others looked down and gripped the hilts of their swords.
Still, others wandered around with bewildered expressions.
The least reactive was Tiamat, who held his bow loosely and was feeling his quiver.
“This is… a box, maybe?”
Angie tilted her head, but Aslan knew.
These were definitely pods.
If it were a game, they would have had a more intuitive name.
Pod (P).
Something akin to a cocoon, like a shell or a pod.
Mechanically manufactured pods.
Aslan’s sensitive perception hinted at the purpose of these mechanical pods, and he listened carefully to the voice guiding him, glancing around.
Each pod had a number written on it.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5.
Beyond that, some numbers were obscured.
Aslan’s eyes were drawn to a pod near the center that was open.
It was labeled “13.”
A sudden wave of discomfort surged up.
This was the womb where Test Subject No. 13, she, was born.
Aslan turned his head without trying to hide his discomfort, and there sat Ados at a table in the center.
Behind the table where she sat was a primitive-looking pod, distinct from the mechanical ones filling the massive room.
And Ados suddenly spoke.
“To the public, I am presumed dead. You must have believed that too.”
Although there was no response, Lumel answered instead.
“I heard from Omul that you died. It was your second defeat…”
“That person might well think that. However, although I may have suffered defeat, I did not die.”
Ados continued naturally.
The exact same voice sent shivers down Lumel’s spine, causing him to close his mouth, while the woman rested her chin on the table.
“To be precise, I feigned a defeat that wasn’t truly a defeat. Likewise, I disguised my death. And escaped.”
Next to her sat the veteran mage, his expression nearly blank but subtly fearful.
“Taking the battle with Omul as an opportunity, I concealed my existence from history and established the Anuritin Council. Since then, I’ve acted secretly behind the scenes.”
The purpose of this sudden statement was unclear. It was hard to understand why she was saying it.
But Ados was looking directly at Aslan as if urging him to listen carefully.
“To transcend the limits of lifespan, I modified my body and infused the lives of secured test subjects. In the process, the byproduct known as ‘equalization’ emerged, which you might understand the principle of.”
Aslan stiffened slightly at this, and Ados concluded her speech.
“While enduring this way, I survived the four thousand years during which the old gods fell and new deities arose, waiting solely for one opportunity.”
As if unable to continue beyond that point.
Aslan realized what she had left unsaid.
His eyes widened.
“Did you… resurrect as a specter?”
Ados confirmed with silence.
Thus, Aslan understood.
The specter before him, Ados, had truly endured for four thousand years.
Had discarded her frail body, died, and resurrected as a specter.
“I’ve never died.”
And Aslan grasped the hidden meaning in those words.
She had foreseen the day she would resurrect as a specter.
Moreover, she had foreseen the fall of the ancient gods and the emergence of an evil deity.
All these implications dawned on Aslan, causing him to stiffen.
“How?”
The reply came not from Ados.
Aslan’s eyes shifted, and then he saw someone leisurely walking between the mechanical pods.
It was Tiyalmisof.
To be precise, it was the mechanical body of the person Aslan knew.
Walking normally with all limbs intact.
As Aslan stared intently, Tiyalmisof approached and spoke.
“I anticipated the downfall of the gods. Similarly, the emergence of transcendent beings who would bring the gods to their knees. Moreover… that the fate of Geladridion would be entrusted to one person.”
Another voice came from a different direction. Shifting his gaze, Aslan saw another machine walking towards them.
A bulky machine emitting scorching hot air.
“Of course, I didn’t know exactly who that person would be, but looking at you now, it’s clear. They might have tried to conceal it, but wouldn’t it leave traces?”
The direction of the voice changed again.
By that point, Aslan’s eyes had adjusted to the darkness, allowing him to see countless machines merging into the shadows.
Their numbers were incalculable.
Too many.
The slow footsteps of the approaching machines resonated with a metallic clang.
“They knew they couldn’t avert the predetermined destruction. So, absurdly, instead of fighting, they pushed it into the future. That’s how I could foresee you. Specifically, your existence.”
Born in a distant future, burdened with the fate of this world.
With that added statement, the machines stopped.
They were surrounded. Despite the shock freezing his mind, Aslan firmly gripped the hilt of his sword.
Tiyalmisof stared intently at Aslan.
“The gods’ judgment couldn’t have been sloppy. They had no chance of victory, and through their attitudes and various histories, I perceived the creator of this world.”
All these words validated the experiences Aslan had gone through.
“The purpose for which the great being intended to use this world. Also, that the ancient gods would suffer a terrible defeat in the process.”
He murmured as if reminiscing.
“I searched everywhere for a way to intervene in the impending future. And through simple deduction, I figured it out.”
Thud! Countless machines extended their arms, index fingers, hands, pointing at Aslan.
It was a purely rhetorical gesture, devoid of any real threat.
“As the one entrusted with the fate of the world resists and fights, the immense being will surely seek ways to suppress them. Otherwise, the ancient gods wouldn’t have prepared so covertly for ‘next,’ would they?”
The verbose explanation. Aslan frowned irritably.
“What exactly are you trying to say?”
“If the flow of this world’s history, destiny, and heroes align with the intentions of that immense being, I believed they would certainly use it.”
Thus, foreseeing the resurrection of specters.
When Tiyalmisof finished speaking, Aslan, amidst his astonishment, maintained composure.
The group prepared for battle, surrounded by the encircling force, and Aslan loosely drew his Abyssal Sword.
These countless machines were mouths for Tiyalmisof.
Realizing this, Aslan spoke as if understanding.
“Did you survive by using this method? Leaving your main body to control other bodies…”
“Hmm?”
Tiyalmisof tilted his head in apparent curiosity.
Then he chuckled and said,
“Not bad reasoning, but lacking in originality. Unfortunately, they’re all the main body.”
An even more astonishing fact emerged, and Aslan glared at the scientist, who seemed delighted.
Specifically, at some of them.
It was impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood.
Therefore, he should operate on the assumption that this statement was true.
Fortunately, Aslan had newly acquired means, and thus he placed his hand on his cloak without hesitation.
Moving the mana rising gently through his heart, Aslan prepared to spring forth.
As Tiyalmisof observed Aslan and the group, he said,
“I’ll say this only once, so listen carefully.”
Surely it’s a trap.
Thinking this, as Aslan lowered his body, Tiyalmisof spoke in a deep voice.
“Do you prefer fish or meat for dinner?”
