Chapter 290
Chapter 290
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 290
Chapter Title: 91. Spear and Shield in Hand, Into the Eye of the Storm (1)
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The "Tower of the Mage" is reclusive.
They avoid communication with the outside world to an extreme degree.
Many people wonder what they do in the shadows, making it the center of all sorts of conspiracy theories.
Communication with the outside happens only once per quarter. At the 'Superhuman Conference' where the Federation and G12 all attend, they disclose the research achievements and accomplishments of the past month.
Why are they so reclusive?
Because they create magics that must not be known to the world.
Who's sponsoring them?
The Federation.
Thus, the Federation and the Mage Tower are practically in a superior-subordinate relationship.
"Got it. I'll contact them directly."
A great mage of Genie Ansirem's caliber, along with Witch Valentine, has a hotline to the Tower of the Mage. Connected directly to the leadership.
For these reasons, right after making the hotline call, Genie Ansirem's mood soured.
— Tu... tu... tu...
The Mage Tower wasn't picking up her hotline.
"Not answering?"
"......"
At Yoo Ji-tae's question, she held her tongue.
But her expression turned utterly grim, for mages have even stricter hierarchies than the military.
Even a 5-second delay in picking up warranted an outburst, yet they weren't answering at all?
As the great mage quietly burned with rage, someone nearby poured oil on the fire.
"Ah...? Hello?"
The Mage Tower had picked up Jefferson's call.
Having tried the Mage Tower's reception desk just in case, Jefferson glanced at Genie Ansirem with twitching eyes. If looks could kill, her expression was already that of a serial killer.
"Speaker."
"Ah, yes..."
At her voice, cold as ice, Jefferson hurriedly switched to speakerphone.
At any rate, the Mage Tower had answered. Jefferson decided to calmly do his part.
— Hello.
"Good to hear from you. This is Federation Grade-4 Agent Jefferson Antonio."
— Hello. Weren't you the chairman's chief of staff? It's been a while.
Jefferson politely brought up the Golden Cross Guard. He urgently needed information on Unit 12 member.
— Ah... That won't be possible.
"Pardon?"
— The Golden Cross Guard is currently securing the 72nd floor research. They're on standby duty.
"Ah, no. I'm not asking to speak to Unit 12 member. I need their personal information."
— Sorry about that too. The Tower doesn't release information without personal consent. It's the rules.
It was absurd.
It might be the rules, sure.
But refusing a request from the Federation under the Federation's name? No justification for that.
"What nonsense is that? Then when does the 72nd floor research end?"
— It started early last month... and we don't know when it ends.
"You think we're idiots? Research has deadlines."
— Sorry. That's classified; I can't say.
"Hey. Hey."
Jefferson's voice rose.
"You messing with me right now?"
— Sorry. We'd love to help, but our internal policy changed recently.
After that, Jefferson probed various angles several times, but the other side parroted the policy change excuse like a broken record.
— Then, if you'll excuse me...
"Hey! Hey! You bastard!"
The call had already ended.
Jefferson huffed in fury.
Something was off about the situation. The transcendent beings and soldiers looking at him had puzzled expressions too.
He asked Genie.
"Genie. Do you know what they're researching?"
"We don't ask about that... Research is important."
"Even you transcendents don't know?"
"Hm— Around this time, it might be..."
As this conversation continued.
Yoo Ji-tae furrowed his brow.
The 72nd floor was the Mage Tower's top level. Where the Tower Lord and elders conducted research directly. Magic researched there was at least S-grade. Or higher. And long-term research spanning months on the 72nd floor should normally only begin in earnest ten years from now. Because that's when the signs of the Second Great War would appear...
The future of the 7th round had changed. He had changed it.
But among the elements he had touched and altered, was there anything that would move the 72nd floor this early?
No.
Even if there was something, the inevitability of the event was far too low.
Of course, in extremely rare probability, it could be a butterfly effect gone wrong...
"......"
Something was wrong. No matter how he thought about it.
He pieced together the puzzle fragments. Recently, the Mage Tower's internal policy had changed. On the 72nd floor, they had started creating magic fifteen years ahead of schedule. Thus, the top floor was ignoring Genie's hotline. And there happened to be a mysterious superhuman 'Mu' there. In Yoo Ji-tae's view, Mu was suspected to be the same as Q...
Up to here, just scattered pieces.
The final piece had powerful adhesive force.
"Q is suspected to have brainwashing abilities."
Suspicions began to chain together.
The incident gained rapid momentum.
"I'll try once more."
Incensed, Genie Ansirem headed straight to the Federation's Magic Division. Using the Federation's hotline, she attempted to contact the 72nd floor again.
— How did it go?
At the Prophet's question, Genie Ansirem bared her fangs. The great mage wore the expression of an enraged lioness.
This time, it was an organization-to-organization hotline, not personal.
"They say they can't answer now."
— Who?
"......An auto-responder."
At this point, the bewilderment outweighed the anger.
Contacting the Mage Tower on this line was a once-in-12-years event. The first since the Great War end declaration.
Such an important line...
As suspicions chained on.
A new message arrived on his watch.
It was from Zhuge Haeyeon.
[Strategy Room
Zhuge Haeyeon: We've secured new footage from the previous video. Shot from a different angle, face visible. Please check.]
The situation officer hurriedly played the video.
There was a hooded figure.
Just after the slaughter, like in the previous footage. She opened a window. Then held a transparent, pitch-black square box to her nose and seemed to inhale. Her chest heaved deeply enough to see.
Right after, she turned her head...
Yoo Ji-tae licked his dry lower lip.
The face covered by the infinity mask was unfamiliar. But her eyes gleamed with amethyst-like purple iridescence.
Lightning struck in his mind.
"Mu" was there.
"Kang Ah-jin. Go get permission from the Chairman."
"Ah, yes...! What should I say?"
"Send an official Federation delegation to the Mage Tower."
The situation felt far more serious than expected.
Soon, Jefferson and Kang Ah-jin dashed out. The 5th Command Room buzzed too. A meeting was about to convene.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-tae decided not to attend the meeting.
His mind was in turmoil.
As Quay's leader, Q had spent months erasing traces. Killed Christoph's son. Repeated terrorism. Hastened the anti-Federation flow.
That was "Mu."
Why was the Apocalyptic Clock silent at a time like this?
The connection hadn't severed. But it had been silent since first meeting Mu, even as things escalated this far. It didn't even respond when spoken to.
This was irresponsible. Wasn't it because of its incompetence that variables like this arose in the 7th round?
Thus, Yoo Ji-tae bore all the responsibility alone, but he lacked information.
Where.
How.
What had started.
Nothing certain yet. Not even the mechanism or power source of the brainwashing.
But one thing was sure.
Before the 6th round, he had faced such incidents every regression. And in every case, Yoo Ji-tae had found answers. Stepping on that history of turning impossible into possible, he stood here now.
The regressor hypothesized.
Now that the Federation had officially formed a delegation. The Mage Tower couldn't refuse Federation personnel, 72nd floor or not.
So if Q was there.
And there was something to hide...
An incident to divert attention was inevitable.
Exactly one hour later.
The Federation, under Prophet Season's name, formed a delegation and announced it to the Mage Tower.
Right after.
Astoundingly, an incident erupted just as Yoo Ji-tae predicted.
An utterly colossal one.
"Huuuugh—! Downfall has been launched—!!"
The situation officer screamed like a banshee.
"What? Downfall!?" "What the hell...!"
"D-Down, Downfall...!"
Downfall
An ultra-high-speed cruise warhead that uses mana fission phenomena to imbue an entire vast space with intense "Death" intent.
In simple terms, the post-New Era "nuclear missile artifact."
As everyone froze in disbelief.
"Move, you bastard—!"
One commander shoved the situation officer aside and scanned the MIMS (Mana Integrated Information Processing System) display.
Wings absorbing black light floated high in the sky, twisting and crossing the heavens.
Realizing each one was a mana clump numbering in the hundreds of millions.
The commander's face paled.
"M-M-Mexico, why suddenly..."
Launch site: Mexico.
Target: Federation.
A weapon restricted by international agreement.
The greatest asymmetric force a single nation could possess.
It was tearing through the sky toward the Federation right now, tracing its trajectory.
Red lights flashed in the situation room.
Alarms blared.
Beep—! Beep—! Beep—!
Danger level R5.
Bursted Grenade.
The alert signaling entry into "Emergency Wartime Status."
"This is insane...!"
Downfall streaked like a comet, its tail brushing dimensional joints in passing space. Unstable dimensions dragged out adjacent rifts.
From now on, hundreds, thousands of rifts would generate in real time.
"Entering Emergency Wartime Status!"
"Entering Emergency Wartime Status—!"
In the frantic chaos, veteran soldiers who had seen war grabbed their weapons and moved to positions.
— Transcendent muster.
To divert the incoming Downfall. Federation Level-4 artifacts activated one by one. Transcendents and rankers gripped weapons and filled their posts.
Meanwhile, Yoo Ji-tae went to find Bom in the office.
"Bom."
Bom, who had been waiting for his meeting to end, looked startled by the sudden commotion.
"What's going on? My chest feels tight all of a sudden, something feels off..."
"Downfall's been launched. You know what that is. It'll rain down on the Federation within 10 minutes."
No guarantee of safety.
And from now on, Yoo Ji-tae wouldn't stay here.
He had to send Bom away.
"So go. To Room 301."
"......"
But Bom looked reluctant to go. Her hesitating hands, her anxious gaze said so.
"Go. Teleport."
Right now, even Yoo Ji-tae was pressed for time.
No time to tussle with Bom here.
"Hurry—"
Soon, Bom was enveloped in a magic circle, dyed in light. Her lips, full of regret, bit her lower lip. Only as the light engulfed her did she speak. "...Don't get hurt." Knowing full well he wouldn't, Bom still uttered worried words.
After sending her off, Yoo Ji-tae opened the window.
The regressor gazed into the distance.
The Mage Tower floated in the air.
Direction: Southeast.
Distance: Approximately 5,950 km.
Location: Eastern Oceania, South Pacific.
Altitude: 45 km above the Pacific. The edge of the stratosphere.
Far higher than Hate Ling. Magical protective devices restricted teleportation and spatial movement. He had to fly there now.
"......"
The regressor thought.
Mexico possessed only one Downfall.
Obviously triple- and quadruple-locked with safeties.
Downfall was the ultimate "asymmetric artifact force."
Wasn't Mexico's military, outmatched conventionally, momentarily throwing the Federation into chaos with it? Even with absurd "brainwashing" power, brainwashing everyone involved with Downfall wouldn't be easy for Q.
Meaning Downfall was a hard-won weapon even for Q.
Half a year ago, Q had robbed the grave of Seol Bitnara, who taught "Trace Management Mana Operation" to past Yoo Ji-tae.
In that half year, Q could have fired Downfall anytime but didn't. Why fire it now?
He envisioned what would unfold.
The Federation would block Downfall. Subjugate spreading rifts. Appease public sentiment. Then hold Mexico's government accountable. Meanwhile, Q gains time.
...That "time" was what Q desperately sought, even sacrificing a hard-won weapon.
The situation grew urgent.
Something was definitely on the 72nd floor.
— Hey! Prophet Season!
Then.
Zhuge Haeyeon's voice came over the hotline.
A hologram display rose from the watch.
"Speak."
— You're going to the Mage Tower!
As expected of the Federation's brain. Judging that far in this crisis and calling.
— If you're flying anyway, wait a bit! I'll send T088!
"What's that."
— The newly developed Level-3 artifact! State-of-the-art mobility suit! Damn it, it'll still take 6 hours, but way faster than flying bare...
But Yoo Ji-tae waved it off toward the screen.
"No need."
— What?
"Too late in 6 hours."
— W-Wait...!
Soon, the screen went dark, hotline cut.
Feet on the window frame. The man leans forward. Explosive power gathers in his legs. Muscles split and tense rigidly, revealing form.
At once, the air vibrates. The floor underfoot crumbles, the ground shatters. Mana, unable to withstand compression, sparks like lightning in all directions—
Yoo Ji-tae kicks off the surface.
Kwaaaaang ——— !
His body launches. Like a missile, slicing through the air, into the sky, the atmosphere, the heavens. Tearing air and space, leaping vast distances in one bound. The Federation building shrinks to miniature, to palm-sized, to smaller than a fingernail—
He thought again. 6 hours was too late.
2 hours...
Must arrive within 2 hours at latest.
[Activation]
The situation had escalated too far for pretty packaging.
So he set aside complicated thoughts.
[Hell's Shackles]
Method no longer mattered.
[Release]