Chapter 180
Chapter 180
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 180
Chapter Title: Transcender (2)
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After the black dragon Ataraxia departed.
The Black Witch pulled out her Witch's Orb and began examining it closely.
"Aheta."
In an instant, Aheta's image appeared above the Witch's Orb.
It was the face of Aheta as he had manifested during the "Third Night."
Cornered, he had resorted to a cheat, trying to personally judge someone.
Even Death Commander Anubis wasn't enough, it seemed.
What could possibly drive the Moon's Lord and Night's Overseer to such desperate measures against mere humans?
—Arch...mage.
Aheta pronounced his opponent's name clearly the moment he appeared.
No doubt about it. "Archmage."
The Black Witch's Witch's Orb was a supreme treasure that illuminated a designated location, rewound time there, and revealed every detail of the situation.
It was the most exceptional orb among those held by all witches and the reason she could secretly monitor the Abyss from this "Deep Abyss."
With the Black Witch's Witch's Orb, nothing was beyond sight.
Not even the territory of a Demon God could escape her panoramic view.
'It's invisible.'
But the surrounding scenery didn't appear.
The only thing visible was Aheta himself.
Something like a powerful barrier. Or some kind of magic protecting the Archmage.
The Black Witch kept spinning the orb.
—Wish? You... you can wield Wish?!
A Wish user.
Not content with stealing the Star of Pride, he had greedily seized Adora's "Wish" as well?
If the Archmage could fully wield "Wish," it was only natural that the Witch's Orb couldn't detect him.
Wish protected its user on its own.
'In the Abyss, those who can wield Wish are few and far between.'
However, even if he had stolen Wish from the Witch of Death, Adora, mastering it fully was another matter entirely.
It required magical prowess.
Talent so overwhelming it surpassed even ancient dragons.
In other words.
'Archmage. True to his name, he possesses formidable power in magic.'
Even among the dragonkin, rulers of magic, only three could properly wield Wish, as far as she knew.
The black dragon Ataraxia?
His magic was impressive, but it hadn't reached "Wish."
Of course, knowing how to wield Wish didn't automatically make one stronger than dragons who hadn't attained it.
Ataraxia could likely hold his own against those who had if he went all out.
But the gap between those who had attained it and those who hadn't was clear.
'Wish raises the threshold of magic without conscious effort or training.'
Wish's utility wasn't limited to protecting its user.
It drastically reduced mana instability and spell misfires.
Even dragonkin experienced uncontrollable backlash when pushing magic to its limits.
Magic was inherently imperfect.
And Wish supplemented that imperfection with perfect information.
In short.
'To use magic beyond the Twelve Realms, Wish is essential.'
To wield more powerful, higher-order magic, Wish's aid was mandatory.
Forcing it without Wish led to backlash and self-destruction.
Beings capable of magic beyond the Thirteen Realms were rare in the Abyss.
Dragon God Sepiro was naturally among them.
Sepiro's magic was exceptional, but the other dragonkin? Debatable.
Could a technique reliant on external aid truly be called supreme?
'Black magic is the truly complete one.'
Intuitive black magic was far superior.
Offer a sacrifice, and it unleashed power matching the witch's epithet.
Thus, she couldn't accept it.
Magic standing above black magic.
Black magic should rightfully supersede regular magic.
However... there was one puzzling point.
'...The Wish the Archmage possesses is undoubtedly Adora's.'
Black mages could naturally possess "Wish" too.
The Witch of Death, Adora.
Adora's talent stood out even among witches.
The Black Witch had recognized at a glance her potential to awaken Wish.
She planned to have her kill Kankun and fully become the "Lord of Pride."
But the Archmage had stolen Adora's Wish.
It was certain.
In that fleeting moment when Aheta recoiled in shock, she had sensed the trace of "Wish."
It closely resembled Adora's black mana.
'Did he kill Adora and take it? But... can a mage truly steal and wield a Wish achieved by a black mage?'
She didn't know.
There was no precedent.
Not even the Black Witch, with her countless years, had witnessed such a case.
Logically, mana and black mana were polar opposites, clashing to mutual destruction.
Crackle!
Crackle-crackle!
It was then.
Static flared across the Witch's Orb, forcibly ending the transmission.
And she could observe no further.
It had happened repeatedly already.
The Black Witch's eyes deepened endlessly.
"I can't let 'that' be taken too..."
...The Star of Pride, Adora's Wish.
All seized by the Archmage.
But the treasure Aheta had left in the "Secret Lab" could absolutely not be taken.
Recovering "that" took precedence even over killing the Archmage.
'Aheta. Entrusting it to you was a mistake.'
The treasure in the Secret Lab.
It was the supreme treasure the Black Witch had entrusted to Aheta.
Incomplete at the time, but Aheta had boasted he could finish it and even built a "Secret Lab."
Yet it seemed he had vanished without completing it.
...Fool.
But she couldn't blame Aheta's incompetence forever.
With Aheta gone, recovering "that" came first.
That was why she had assigned three high witches and Ataraxia to the pursuit.
Secret Lab.
Finding it, entering it, reaching its depths—all would be no easy task.
'Hidden deep in the Land of Eternity. So thoroughly even I was kept in the dark.'
Though he hadn't completed the research, she knew Aheta had done his utmost to ensure no one could access the Secret Lab.
She hadn't pressed the issue because the moment "that" was completed, she would know inevitably.
'Layered with double, triple security. Even if the Archmage somehow gained Secret Lab authority, finding its location won't be easy.'
And the black dragon Ataraxia was unmatched at locating things.
She had ordered him to find the Secret Lab.
She judged his abilities essential for reaching its depths smoothly.
But the Black Witch hadn't told Ataraxia everything.
"Keep a close watch on Ataraxia."
She secretly informed the three witches she had attached.
Ataraxia's mission failure.
He reported he couldn't find it himself.
It was unprecedented, and the process had many suspicious elements.
For instance, during the "Second Night," she had checked him via the orb.
—...$%@%#?
She had clearly seen him staring at someone in shock.
Yet even the name he uttered wasn't audible.
His lip movements were concealed.
The orb showed only that single scene.
Transmission ended right after.
...Who could it be.
Who had shocked him so.
A being whose name couldn't easily be spoken.
A existence even the Black Witch's orb couldn't identify...
One of the great nine lords' names, or.
'Sepiro.'
It could only be that damned Sepiro.
Was Dragon God Sepiro present during the "Second Night"?
'...Impossible.'
She shook her head.
Sepiro never stirred except for things that piqued his interest.
He had holed up in the Dragon God Temple for centuries already.
Moreover, when he moved, the entire Abyss quaked.
No exceptions in eons.
He obsessively fixated on what intrigued him and loved making a spectacle.
The moment Sepiro appeared, all Abyss demon lords tensed, and the Twelve Sovereigns watched vigilantly.
If Sepiro had been at the "Second Night," it wouldn't have been this quiet.
He would have turned it upside down and pressured Aheta for what he wanted.
Then who?
Did that mean another being rivaling Sepiro was there?
The Black Witch spun the orb again.
This time, Ataraxia and the three witches heading to the Land of Eternity appeared.
"...If Ataraxia has truly betrayed me."
The Black Witch's eyes sank like an abyss.
She then addressed only the three witches.
"Kill him the instant you recover 'that.'"
"Here it is, Father."
Flap! Flap!
Signus spoke as he rapidly reached the Secret Lab, wings beating.
Park Chan-woo, mounted on Signus's back, silently gazed at the Secret Lab's entrance.
"...Aheta hid it well."
Additional Reward 4 granted only authority to the Secret Lab.
It hadn't revealed the location.
Without Signus, finding it would have been a hassle.
'Fox Fire. The power to reveal hidden truths.'
Signus had awakened "Fox Fire" by consuming the "Fox Den."
Thanks to it, he quickly uncovered the Secret Lab's hidden spot.
Near a rift beneath the Land of Eternity.
A place impossible to find by normal means.
'Hidden this thoroughly. What's inside?'
Even the "door" was no ordinary thing.
A massive door enveloped in shadow.
'...Shadow of Death. A Twelfth Realm barrier.'
A barrier even the "True Shatyros's Shoes" couldn't ignore.
Creating such a barrier would demand an astronomical amount of coins from a Creator.
Beyond what most Creators could dream.
Aheta's intent to allow no one entry was palpable.
Shoooo...
As Park Chan-woo approached the door, the shadow receded.
Special-Class Administrator.
Seeing the title, Park Chan-woo nodded.
'Now I understand why he directed me here.'
Anubis had known of the Secret Lab from the start.
And he had secretly hidden a superior condition over Aheta's.
Only Anubis and his bloodline could enter as "Special-Class Administrator."
...Proof of how vital what lay inside was.
Stepping inside the now-open door, he immediately frowned.
'What are these?'
Visible right upon entry.
Countless "golems."
500 Dark Guardians, 300 Death Golems, 100 Nightmares!
Golems whose names alone sent chills.
Artworks so advanced even a Golem Meister would struggle to craft one—scattered everywhere.
But.
"...Why are they all broken?"
Long neglected, covered in thick dust, every single one damaged somewhere.
Dubious if they could even function.
It was at that moment.