Chapter 49

The Ten Towers responded swiftly. They isolated the infected areas with barriers and quickly began to hunt for the perpetrator.

However, what the Ten Towers hadn’t anticipated was the movement of the host carrying divine grace. As soon as one area was successfully quarantined, a bomb containing silver threads detonated in the next unsealed zone.

A precise attack that mocked the security structure of Elysion, targeting only its weak points.

Within the meticulously designed chain reaction, the Ten Towers sensed the traces of an insider. The suspects were clear: survivors of the Golden Desert Operation—traitors eroded by another dimension.

If the one who first reported the traitors had any contingency plans, they would have thought of them by now.

Inspector General Salmosia of Blasphemia was summoned to the senior council of the Ten Towers.

Salmosia gazed at the shimmering light before her eyes. The crack distorting reality led to Ethereal Space.

Ethereal Space in such a high-dimensional form that it could accommodate fully corporeal beings—the Eleusis.

High-ranking members of the Ten Towers gathered across dimensions and observed the turmoil in Elysion with interest.

“Salmosia.”

“…Yes.”

An elder of the Silver Iron Tower spoke.

“Didn’t L13 warn about the rebel faction established by infiltrators? Did you not acquire intelligence on the Elysion terror plan?”

“I apologize. We anticipated the possibility of terrorism but couldn’t confirm the target location.”

He hadn’t called her simply to reprimand her. The divine grace stirring within Elysion wasn’t detectable by magical power—it was undoubtedly a product of another dimension. He believed she must have gathered some information about this unique metal.

“How is the investigation into the rebels’ base progressing?”

“We haven’t found new leads since L13’s report. The mobile branches disappeared without a trace after a certain point.”

“There’s a good chance they’ve reached the level of possessing an Ethereal Space like Eleusis. We need to increase personnel investigating areas near other dimensions.”

There are limited ways to completely hide massive equipment like magic-powered trains or unfair devices. They must have created an Ethereal Space using extraplanar forces to store worldly artifacts intact.

“Find the mastermind, Salmosia. The traitors you created must be captured by your own hands, right?”

With those words, Salmosia found herself back in her office, having been expelled from Ethereal Space.

Salmosia’s hands moved rapidly. It was a scenario she had already anticipated—that the traitors, fearing exposure of their base, would divert attention through terrorism.

‘The question isn’t where’ the terrorism occurs; Blasphemia receives support from the Ten Towers.

Deploying agents to all expected locations was all that needed to be done.

“To Blasphemia agents stationed in Elysion.

Uncover the hidden rebels in Elysion.”

***

Things ended quicker than expected. Since I’d received contact info from Lampades, there was no reason to stay at the examination hall.

I exchanged a few words with Carisia and decided to go meet Kine. There was no ignoring the possibility of getting caught up in the terror plot orchestrated by Blasphemia’s rebels.

‘Those rebel bastards might be strong, but they can’t possibly penetrate all of Elysion’s defenses.’

There’s a vast gap between knowing the security details as an insider of the Ten Towers and actually neutralizing them.

By the time the Ten Towers realized the information had leaked, they must have already prepared countermeasures. Even if the security layout hadn’t changed, the sheer weight of force would overwhelm them.

Even if a terror attack happened, subduing it wouldn’t take more than an hour.

…That’s how it should have been.

“Hahahahaha! Hahahah!”

Why am I watching a mad magician pour napalm onto the city streets?

***

K17, Niobe, gasped for breath. Stationed in Elysion, she sprang into action the moment Salmosia’s order came down.

“But my skills aren’t enough to take down the rebels…”

Having accurately assessed her abilities, Niobe opted not to directly confront the masterminds but instead to disrupt the rebels’ plans.

She calculated that if the plan to increase the number of silver-thread-infected individuals faltered somewhere, the leader would appear to correct it. Once the leader showed up, other agents would come to support her, and all Niobe had to do until then was hold the leader in place.

But the figure who appeared before Niobe wasn’t a Blasphemia rebel—instead, it was a traitor from Elysion’s central guard corps.

“Not possible, not possible! The true world is finally arriving!”

“Guh…!”

At the feet of the red-cloaked mage, who laughed maniacally, lay the corpses of his former comrades-in-arms, mere seconds ago.

Rupaldon, the fire-attribute mage, was a doomsday cultist. The Ten Towers were well aware of the existence of doomsday believers hiding within their organization.

They maintained close surveillance over suspected doomsday cultists and purged them when necessary, keeping a list of potential threats. Originally, Blasphemia targeted enemies outside the Ten Towers, while other organizations handled internal threats.

However, the leadership of Argyreion once consisted of top-tier agents from Blasphemia. Doomsday cultists, who didn’t hesitate to ally with superstitious followers, occasionally gained access to confidential lists due to their high clearance levels.

What was originally intended as a safety measure for identifying doomsday cultists within the Ten Towers had become a recruitment list for key figures in Argyreion. Rupaldon willingly joined hands with Argyreion.

Argyreion used Rupaldon as an informant for internal leaks in Elysion and proposed joining their “grand plan.”

Using Elysion, the holy land, as a gateway for an invasion from another dimension was the opening move in their scheme to bring about the apocalypse from beyond.

Upon hearing Argyreion’s plan, Rupaldon immediately pledged his full cooperation.

And now.

“This plan cannot fail here, right? Haha. They said that if Blasphemia was involved, they’d have agents ready. Looks like they were right!”

The flamethrower attached to Rupaldon’s body spewed fire. The sticky liquid ignited upon contact and burned fiercely even when doused with water. To extinguish it, one had to scrape it off with a blade.

Simultaneously casting spells, Rupaldon fired streams of liquid fire that automatically homed in on targets. A line of flames formed at the tip of his staff, extending into a 3-meter-long whip that lashed out whenever he flicked his wrist.

“I wanted to face a more skilled agent than some clumsy brat!”

Niobe hastily activated a magic-inscribed cartridge issued to agents. A circular shield expanded around her. Though filled with water, it would buy her some time against the flames.

“Not… going… to work!”

The color of the flame whip shifted. The white-hot flames struck the water barrier, evaporating it instantly with a deafening roar.

Instead of reinforcing the shield with another cartridge or infusing it with mana, Niobe rolled to the side.

“Does fire beat water? Overwhelming firepower beats water.”

The spot where Niobe had just been was now charred black. There was no trace of spilled water.

“More silver… we need more silver.”

Rupaldon eyed the Museion admissions office in the distance. Though inexperienced in combat, the students inside were recommended by the tower for their immense potential—worthy sacrifices.

If the silver threads could reach the students inside, the arrival of the otherworldly presence would be greatly accelerated.

All the effort put into carefully arranging patrol routes to be here at this time was worth it.

“Pity, Blasphemia. Your comrades seem busy?”

Rupaldon approached Niobe, who clutched magic-inscribed cartridges in both hands.

‘Doesn’t seem to have enough mana left for direct spellcasting. Finish her quickly and spread the silver threads to Museion—’

“May I ask you something?”

Rupaldon turned around. How did someone manage to get this close without triggering his detection spells?

Instinctively, he unleashed a burst of flames from his device. The elemental intelligence-based auditory sensors had locked onto the source of the voice.

But there was no one in the fiery area.

“Is this the Museion admissions office?”

The last thing Rupaldon saw was a chilling smile.

The dagger piercing his heart was cold. As the searing wound grew hotter, Rupaldon closed his eyes.

***

Niobe stared blankly at the flames.

Relief at surviving was secondary to her confusion.

That pale-skinned, featureless face with its subtle smile was unmistakably that of the undercover inspector posing as someone else.

Yet something about his aura felt oddly familiar. The air of the senior agent who had so thoroughly deceived her.

“Hey, nice to see you again. I’m here on business at Museion.”

“That… that face. Isn’t it fake?”

“Of course. This time, I’m on your side. Normally, I’d come in a face you wouldn’t recognize, but revealing myself as ‘that person from before, but now on your side’ would blow another disguise, wouldn’t it? These disguises aren’t easy to make. We have to conserve them.”

‘So that’s how it is?’

Meeting the secret inspector for the second time, Niobe couldn’t help but accept his explanation.

“I’ve received special orders to evacuate the prospective students to a temporary shelter in case Museion becomes a target. For now, please step back from the scene, Miss Niobe.”

***

Damn it.

Why is that Blasphemia kid here again?