Chapter 423
Chapter 423
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 423
Chapter Title: The 2nd Command (2)
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"Th-This can't be..."
The gatekeeper was at a loss for words.
As far as he knew, Shirone was a Nephilim who wielded light magic, yet what had destroyed the Ophrica was dark magic.
The problem was that it was broad daylight, with the sun beating down.
To wield the power of darkness in a place filled with the essence of light was impossible for anyone not free from the fundamental laws.
"Are you going to keep this up?"
Plu drew her magic staff, 'Phoenix,' from her Kubrick and twirled it.
She had lost the first strike to Shirone, but if she had been a moment later, the Phoenix Pavilion would have emerged and decimated the prison.
The gatekeeper's face twisted into a menacing scowl.
"Don't spout such nonsense. We are the Norr. We won't be swayed by some baseless myth!"
The gatekeeper cast the sound magic, Perry, and an ominous sound, like the cawing of a crow, filled the sky.
Riding the wind magic, Eios, three Norr landed behind the gatekeeper.
They were Norr guardsmen who had been on standby nearby.
"Hey, what's going on? You called all of us? Huh?"
One of the guards, a bald man, spotted Shirone's group and frowned.
"Who are these kids?"
"They're from the 1st Command. The blond one is Shirone, the Light of Sector 73."
"Shirone?"
The bald man stared intently at Shirone.
Like the gatekeeper, his expression soured with displeasure.
"Ah, *that* Shirone? The one who sided with those half-wit Mecha."
Plu stepped forward and said.
"Anyone else you need to call? We're busy people, so if you're going to do this, let's get it over with."
The gatekeeper instructed the guards.
"Don't let your guard down. Their magic system is different from ours."
"We know. It's far weaker than ours."
Just as Plu snorted and thrust her Phoenix forward, Shirone placed a hand on her shoulder and stepped up.
"I'll handle this, senior."
No matter how the Norr perceived him, Shirone's key position in the war against Heaven would not change.
To rally the tens of thousands of Norr under the command, he needed to demonstrate the power of a Nephilim starting now.
"Fine. But make it quick."
As Plu stepped aside, Shirone walked slowly toward the gatekeeper.
"Take us to the command center. There's no need to continue this pointless fight, is there?"
"Hmph, you certainly live up to your reputation. But do you know this? The true strength of the Norr is about to be revealed."
The gatekeeper's eyes widened as he spoke to his comrades.
"Prepare Mahagart."
The bald man turned with a puzzled expression.
"Mahagart? Do we really need to go that far?"
"Didn't you hear me? He uses strange magic. It's best to end this in one go."
"Tch!"
The bald man reluctantly complied.
Regardless of rank, at the entrance to the command center, the gatekeeper's judgment was paramount.
The remaining three men mirrored the bald man's movements.
Ancient magic isn't as individualized as modern magic, but sometimes, that tendency becomes an advantage.
Namely, the ability to cast group magic.
Sensing the surrounding atmosphere grow heavy and condense, Shirone compressed photons in front of him.
The four Norr cast their magic simultaneously.
"Mahagart!"
A powerful gust of wind, exceeding the density of a gas, rushed forward.
It was a spell so powerful that anyone caught in it would be unable to resist, slammed against a wall until their limbs were torn apart.
Shirone gritted his teeth and fired the Photon Cannon.
As the heavy flash of light pierced the center of the atmosphere, the air rippled and buckled like water.
Finally, with an eardrum-shattering roar, it tore Mahagart to shreds.
"Grrrk!"
The aftershock of Mahagart blasted through, whipping at the Norr's collars.
The sound waves alone were enough to make one's mind feel like it would shatter.
"M-Mahagart was..."
The Norr's group magic was a system as intricate and powerful as the Mecha's three-stage combat system.
A spell that could only be attempted with perfect teamwork.
For that spell to be destroyed by a single person was a crushing blow to the pride of the Norr combatants.
Plu had already anticipated this outcome.
'Idiots. They should have considered the difference in density.'
No matter how strong the wind force, it couldn't push back the Photon Cannon, which was compressed into a single point.
That's why in modern magic, air magic was divided into press-type and blow-type, allowing for application in numerous situations.
'Still, he's trained quite a bit in a short time.'
The power of his Photon Cannon was far greater than when he was at the Magic Association. His time as a graduating student must have helped.
As someone who had trained with him in both Shotgun Movement and Laser Guidance, Plu was as happy about Shirone's growth as if it were her own.
* * *
Shirone's group followed the gatekeeper deep into the forest.
The prowess Shirone had displayed was shocking, but it wasn't enough to break the spirit of the Norr combatants.
The only one they truly obeyed was their commander, and they had no doubt she would lead the Norr to victory.
Nevertheless, they changed their minds because the situation was now beyond their scope of judgment.
They had no way of knowing the principle behind it, but Shirone's skill in destroying a four-person joint spell in a single blow was worth reconsidering.
"I'll guide you, but don't think for a second that we'll accept you. The Commander will never permit an alliance with the Mecha."
Plu asked.
"What exactly caused the split? There must have been some kind of trigger, right?"
It wasn't strange for conflict to arise from the different ways the Mecha and Norr thought, but during a war with a common enemy like Heaven, joining forces was the universally logical course of action.
She believed they wouldn't have split up simply because they were different.
"The Mecha are arrogant. They think what they know is the greatest. The Norr have their own ways. But they refused to acknowledge that. War is fought to be won. We have no desire to join hands with the weak ever again."
The gatekeeper stopped walking and pushed aside the leaves of a shrub.
"We're here. This is our command center."
Shirone tilted his head. All he could see was a sheer cliff.
"This is the command center?"
The gatekeeper cast the Perry magic, and its characteristic birdsong pierced the sky.
A moment later, dozens of holes opened up on the cliff face, and Norr sentries revealed their faces.
The ground vibrated as the cliff began to transform into a fortress.
A gate opened at ground level, and a staircase made of stone descended from above.
'Ancient magic.'
It seemed the Norr, who utilized their affinity with the natural world, had magically shaped the entire mountain into a natural fortress.
Upon arriving at the command center, formidable-looking individuals surrounded Shirone's group.
A tall, blonde woman with a sensual air approached from the main gate with a haughty stride.
She was the Norr Archmage, Lacis, commander of the 2nd Rebel Command.
"What's going on? The sound of a Purin's song."
The gatekeeper had Shirone's group wait as he approached Lacis and whispered something to her.
Plu switched the audio feed of the floating drone to an internal channel and amplified the sound.
A warning window popped up on her retinal vision: Sound Collection Impossible. It seemed they were using magic to block the sound from spreading.
"Hmm, I see."
After hearing the report, Lacis nodded and walked over to where Shirone was standing.
A master of ancient magic with a Spirit Force of 32 percent.
Plu remained vigilant, ready to act at any moment.
But Lacis's face, which had been expressionless until then, suddenly brightened in front of Shirone.
"Welcome, Light of Sector 73."
While he was bewildered by the unexpected welcome, Lacis spread her arms and hugged Shirone tightly.
She smelled of strong perfume.
A perfume as thick as blood.
Lacis led Shirone's group into their base inside the cliff.
At that point, Clove and Gardlock departed, and the remaining two were guided to the commander's office.
A rug covered the floor, and two three-seater sofas were arranged facing each other.
To Shirone, it was certainly a more familiar scene than what he was used to with the Mecha.
When Lacis, seated in the seat of honor between the sofas, offered them a seat, Shirone and Plu, as if by prior agreement, each sat on a different sofa.
A position that would make a coordinated attack easier in case something happened.
Lacis looked at their unusual seating arrangement and gave a cryptic smile.
"So, what brings you here?"
Shirone said.
"I'm sure you've already guessed. The 1st Command has proposed an alliance."
Lacis rested her chin on her hand and crossed her legs.
"An alliance, you say. What good is that now? What are we supposed to do by joining forces?"
Shirone relayed the same words Sein had used to persuade Crude.
After hearing the story, Lacis, too, grew serious and fell into thought.
"Hmm, paralyzing the Aegis System. If that could be done, it would be a good thing for us as well."
"Once we get inside Heaven, we can create variables. So, how about joining hands with the 1st Command and moving together?"
"But there's one thing I want to ask before that."
Lacis said with a wink.
"If we succeed and conquer Heaven, who becomes the king?"
"What? The king?"
"What I mean is, who is this alliance for? We were on good terms when the rebellion first started. But now, haven't we seen all there is to see with the Mecha? Even if I order an alliance for this or that reason, do you think my people will just follow obediently? We've already split once. They may have extended their hand first, but what guarantee is there that they won't stab us in the back a second time?"
From the Norr's perspective, such thoughts were inevitable.
As Shirone struggled for an answer to this unexpected hurdle, Lacis continued.
"So, I have a proposal."
"A proposal?"
Lacis's index finger pointed at Shirone as if to stab him.
"The Light of Sector 73. If you, the symbol of the rebel war, join the 2nd Command, then I'd be willing to actively persuade my people."
Plu asked.
"It's not a bad proposal, but does it really matter? We'll be integrated again once the alliance is formed, won't we?"
"True, it doesn't matter. That's why I'm proposing it. The Norr aren't foolish enough to make an offer the other side would refuse. However, we need some insurance for when we win the war, don't we? The symbol of freedom belongs to the Norr—that should be enough to persuade my people."
Seeing Plu nod, Shirone readily agreed.
Just as the Mecha and the Norr each had their own circumstances, Shirone's team just needed to get the rebels moving, one way or another.
"Alright. When the war is over, the Norr can use my name."
Lacis clapped her hands with a bright smile.
"Excellent! A wise decision. Now, shall we go get you registered?"
"What? Registered?"
"Now that you've joined the 2nd Command, we naturally have to measure it—your Spirit Force."
* * *
Shirone and Plu stood before two changing rooms placed side-by-side.
Measuring Spirit Force required several tests, one of which was a physical examination.
Before they entered the changing rooms, Plu spoke.
"If anything happens, focus on returning here rather than fighting. The most important thing is to regroup."
"Yes. You be careful too, senior."
As the two entered their respective changing rooms, two drones followed their owners, splitting off.
Hearing the door close from the outside, Plu looked around.
It was an empty space with nothing but another door leading further inside.
A Norr woman who had been waiting approached her.
"Please take off your clothes and give them to me. I'll return them after the examination."
"How much do I need to take off?"
"Everything. We need to sterilize them in the disinfection room and collect blood and hair samples."
Plu undid the buttons on her blouse one by one.
Even though they had joined the 2nd Command, Lacis was still a woman who couldn't be trusted.
She could be ambushed in a worst-case scenario, but being naked wouldn't diminish her combat prowess.
'Well, it's not like my clothes have any defensive properties.'
What she was more curious about was the Norr's examination.
'Collecting a blood sample? What are they planning to do with that?'
As she mulled this over, she took off her last piece of underwear and handed it over. The woman placed it in a basket and said.
"Um, you'll have to take off that ring as well... G-Gasp!"
Plu's eyes, which had been calm even while naked, suddenly turned cold.
Staring intently at the woman, she held up her ring finger, showing off the ring, and said.
"Not this one. If the purpose is sterilization, a ring shouldn't matter, right?"
The Phoenix was stored in her Kubrick.
As a tool that amplified her magic, she could take off her underwear, but not the ring.
"Ah, yes. It doesn't really matter. Then, this way, please."
As the pale woman exited the door as if fleeing, Plu finally relaxed her expression.
The reason she had intentionally revealed her killing intent was to test the woman's reaction.
If the woman had tried to get the ring off her one way or another, the possibility of this examination being a trap would have increased.
But contrary to her expectations, she couldn't sense any particular intention from the woman.
'Am I overthinking this?'
Plu followed the woman into the next room.