Chapter 65

My head hurt.

It wasn’t a simple headache. I could feel the burst of capillaries in my eyes, unable to process the violent influx of information.

Damn it. Blood is streaming from my eyes and nose.

It’s bringing back memories of when I was being chased by Blasphemia.

The pain accumulated from the eyes is even worse than getting electrocuted by the thunder giant’s internal lightning.

‘Even so, compared to the life-or-death struggle against Blasphemia in the desert, this situation is better…’

I looked at the gemstone in my hand.

A golden torrent of lightning swirled restlessly within the brilliant sphere, a result of an unstable and unruly sealing.

However, its power wasn’t leaking out. The silver threads surrounding it absorbed the nearly explosive lightning and circulated it inward.

Every time the strange circulation occurred, the silver threads encircling the gemstone writhed as if they were alive.

If you viewed this gemstone as a massive eye, the condensed lightning inside might be the iris, and the adhering silver threads akin to blood vessels.

‘This thing isn’t right.’

It wasn’t originally intended for two organisms to maintain such a precarious balance against each other.

All I wanted was performance equivalent to the original Thunder Talisman—nothing more, nothing less.

The addition of the silver-thread parasites did enhance things like mana-to-magic conversion speed…

But if mishandled, this could become something that either gets devoured by the silver threads or fried by leaking electricity.

‘I can’t handle this. I’ll have to take it to Carisia and ask her to fix it.’

I secured the Thunder Pearl in my bosom and turned around.

In the distance, the troubleshooters were approaching, and the mages of Torres Tower were trembling.

What should I do about this?

***

Rugret witnessed him securing the ominous gemstone into his embrace.

From the moment he approached the Thunder Giant, one possibility had lingered in Rugret’s mind.

This smiling man might not just be a regular agent of Blasphemia.

They don’t act this way. Agents of Blasphemia, who operate for the preservation of the Ten Towers and their systems, prefer verified methods—stable approaches.

Rugret knew this because he was once an agent of Blasphemia himself.

The reckless display of madness moments ago…

‘An apocalypticist.’

People who can laugh even as the flames they’ve spread consume themselves. Only such people could make such a destructive choice and still smile.

The man’s clothes were scorched in various places, his body showing no signs of healing beneath the burnt and torn fabric.

Yet, the faint smile on his lips remained.

The blood flowing from the corners of his eyes must be a side effect of exceeding magical limits. The smiling man raised his hand to wipe his face. The blood-streaked face appeared pale, almost indistinct, as though it might vanish at any moment.

Surveying the surroundings, Rugret instinctively understood that the mages of Torres Tower had lost their will to resist. They must have judged that opposing the awe-inspiring mage who single-handedly ended the catastrophic battle between the two giants would be meaningless.

The alarm bells rang in Rugret’s mind. This shouldn’t exist in this world.

He had to bring this person down, somehow.

Thinking carefully, Rugret realized it was impossible for a single mage to independently develop a magic controlling the silver-thread parasites at this point. From acquiring silver thread samples to having enough time—it was all lacking.

If it wasn’t independent development, then it must have come from someone or something else.

Only a limited number of individuals in Argeyirion handled silver-thread parasites. If someone approached to learn control magic, there should be records. Naturally, there was no mage with such an appearance in Argeyirion.

If neither independent development nor information leakage from Argeyirion was the case, then the only path left for this man to acquire the control magic was through Blasphemia.

A chilling fear rose within Rugret. An apocalypticist had infiltrated Blasphemia, not just some subcontracted organization.

And they had concealed their true colors perfectly enough to receive cutting-edge confidential magic.

While suppressing his fear and searching for an opportunity to attack, the smiling man turned his gaze toward the side of Torres Tower.

“Members of Torres Tower. You’ve gone too far. Collaborating with the mastermind behind the Elysion terrorist attacks was bad enough, but now causing this magical disaster?”

Was he trying to mimic Blasphemia? His lecturing tone carried a de facto death sentence for Torres Tower.

Rugret saw hope in this provocative declaration. Overpressuring people often leads to a counterreaction.

Immediate execution is the principle for enemies of the Ten Towers. But are the members of Torres Tower, who allied with the Ten Sages and Argeyirion, the kind to die quietly?

Right now, the mages are awestruck by the overwhelming presence the smiling man displayed earlier. However, if they step back from fear and think rationally, it’s obvious that using such massive magic would have drained immense amounts of magical power.

Once they realize this and start resisting, they’ll be able to stop this evil apocalypticist.

The smiling man’s gaze shifted behind the mages.

“Did the troubleshooters and mercenaries sign contracts knowing that Torres Tower has formed an alliance with the traitorous group, Argeyirion, against the Ten Towers?”

Rugret grasped the man’s intent.

“I am an agent dispatched by the Ten Towers and possess the authority for immediate judgment regarding the current situation involving Argeyirion. If you wish to avoid punishment, show me your actions.”

The smiling man didn’t intend to deal with Rugret and the Torres Tower mages directly.

He planned to let the troubleshooters and mercenaries scattered across Crete Island finish the job.

‘This cunning devil…!’

Elimination was now impossible. Unless his magically enhanced strength was fully intact, facing this apocalypticist along with the troubleshooters and mercenaries under the current circumstances would be pure suicide.

Just as Rugret was about to flee, a cold blade pierced his back.

“Cough…!”

“S-spare me! I’ll tell you everything I know!”

Shaking uncontrollably, Smichia bowed deeply to Ortes.

She had been the interviewer for the excavation team of Torres Tower on Crete Island.

***

When Smichia stabbed Rugret and fell to the ground, the other mages of Torres Tower followed suit, pleading for mercy.

The reason for their sudden change of heart was simple. The highest-ranking mage among those sent to Crete had already been burned to death by the Thunder Giant.

The remaining mages were either those who had been pushed aside in internal politics during the crucial moment of discovering the Thunder Giant or those who had fled from deep within while fighting the Thunder Giant.

These were people who knew very well that even if they were reborn countless times, they wouldn’t be able to defeat the Thunder Giant.

Thus, instead of opposing the mage who defeated the Thunder Giant, it was better to betray their comrades and superiors, hoping for a future where they could survive a little longer.

Behind the prostrated mages, the troubleshooters and mercenaries aimed their weapons. Ortes raised his hand to stop them.

“Very well. Then please testify, in detail, about what happened.”

***

“…That’s how it went.”

Ortes’ report upon returning from his mission. On the hologram screen set up by Carisia, an emergency announcement declaring the official extermination order for Torres Tower was passing by.

“The silver-thread parasites ran rampant, destroying the communication relay station… I gathered the remaining personnel on Crete Island and handed them over to the nearest magic tower before returning?”

“Yes. I tried to offload the cleanup to Blasphemia, but the communication equipment wasn’t functioning properly. There was nothing I could do.”

Ortes continued his explanation.

To prevent pursuit, he didn’t visit the magic tower directly but used one troubleshooter as a messenger. During this time, he informed the personnel stationed outside the city, pretending to use the identity of a Blasphemia inspector, assuring them they could trust him.

Carisia pointed at the mail log floating on Ortes’ gauntlet-type communicator.

“What is this?”

“Oh. It’s the conversation record with a priest of Enyalius that I had arranged beforehand. While waiting outside the city to hand over the mages of Torres, I received a message.”

“The results of the vote are uncertain. It seems that the Theistic Order considers it reasonable to leave Argeyirion alone if they can hide it from the eyes of the Ten Towers.”

“There are also doubts about whether you’re truly the prophet of Phobos. Some suspect you to be a spy of the Ten Towers.”

“Only those who have met you in person can sense the unique aura of a prophet. Though it’s embarrassing to say, if you can provide proof of your prophecy…”

The evidence of Phobos’ prophet was prophecy itself. Ortes shrugged.

“I told them that a crackdown order accusing Torres Tower of colluding with Argeyirion would soon be issued. I thought they might suspect it’s information I obtained from within Blasphemia, but fortunately, it worked.”

It couldn’t help but work. The alliance between Torres Tower and Argeyirion was unknown even to Blasphemia.

“Soon, the Theistic Order will clarify their stance towards Argeyirion. But until the voting ends, we still have some time. In the meantime, I’ll reconsider the recruitment of Lampades.”

***

As the troubleshooters slowly ascended from the ruins’ depths, they distributed the remaining food.

Their bodies were weary, but their minds were clear.

The air quality changed. They were about to reach the surface!

They had stayed deep below for hours, perhaps days, since discovering Utes’ traces.

Initially, they had tried hard to return to the surface quickly. However, as they cautiously felt their way through the passages…

BOOM! KRAAAAH!

A cacophony of thunderous sounds mixed with human screams echoed faintly. Soon after, the entire lower level shook violently, followed by the sound of something collapsing.

They easily guessed the gist of what happened. Just as Utes had prophesied, something terrible had been unleashed.

The released calamity was sweeping away people. The troubleshooters survived thanks to their isolation in the darkness.

At the same time, however, their original route out was blocked. They could try to force their way through the debris with magic, but…

Traps hidden within the rubble. And the fear of falling into the clutches of ‘something’ that might track magic usage kept them from moving recklessly.

After the noise subsided and silence followed, they shared two meals in the dark before resolving to ascend to the surface.

They weren’t planning to use the same passage they explored earlier. The epicenter of the prophecy was unpredictable.

Instead, they utilized their skills as relic explorers to bypass the collapsed passage and carve out a new route. It was more fitting for troubleshooters to keep challenging until the end rather than perish in the dark.

“I see it! Light ahead!”

The lead companion shouted. Even the troubleshooters reinforcing the passage to prevent collapse rushed forward and broke through the ground.

Finally, the radiant sunlight caressed their hair.

The troubleshooters, savoring the fresh air above ground, looked around. Something was off. The destruction was understandable, but…

There was no sign of human activity anywhere.

Searching the entire island of Crete yielded no trace of people. One of them muttered blankly.

“Utes (Ουτις)…”

The name meaning ‘no one.’

But even this ‘no one’ was nowhere to be found on the island of Crete.