Chapter 675: The Tower Without a Ceiling and the Intermingling Humans - 6
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 675: The Tower Without a Ceiling and the Intermingling Humans - 6
A short distance from where Ruel had descended.
“Haaaah…”
A fine white frost crept up the blades of grass. The meadow, which had been swaying gently in the wind, froze as if trapped in a painting. The world, stained with light and ice, was purely white. A fragile body shivered in the frost-rimmed wind.
In the center of that cold ink wash painting, the Blue Tower Master swept back her blue hair and let out a long breath. Frost glittered at the corners of her lips. The world was freezing around her.
The mages, who had been on the verge of clashing just moments before, were now encased in ice, able to do nothing but blink.
Sensing the terrifying power, they didn't even think of trying to break free.
If the one who had created this ice had harbored even the slightest ill will, they would have all died, turned into living statues of ice.
“Be careful. I don’t want to hurt you. You’re the chosen people, after all, even if you have a long way to go.”
Unique Magic. Determinism.
The Blue Tower Master’s power to crystallize matter within a certain range into a solid state.
Having incapacitated all the mages in an instant, the Blue Tower Master spoke, her tone still refreshingly direct.
“Things got a little complicated, so I missed my cue. Hmm. But I don’t think I’m too late.”
“M-Blue Tower Master?”
“You did well, Avant-garde. You acted like a true disciple of the Blue Tower. I’m sorry for deceiving you, it wasn’t my intention.”
The Blue Tower Master lightly patted Avant-garde’s head before taking a light step forward.
Shei, who had been momentarily startled by Ruel’s appearance, now spotted the Blue Tower Master. Like a winter spirit, the Blue Tower Master brought a chill with her as she stood before Shei.
“Shei.”
“Elisha? In the end, you too…”
“You don’t seem that surprised.”
Shei hesitated before answering.
“I thought you might show up at this point. You and the Shrine of the Divine…”
Because you interfered with the Shrine of the Divine at every turn. After the Floating Castle fell, the Shrine of the Divine was nothing but a group of mad mages bringing about disaster.
Shei didn’t say the words aloud. The Blue Tower Master, guessing the gist of her thoughts, replied.
“The Shrine of the Divine. Yes. That was a mistake I made. On a day when I believed I could do anything, I tried to take control of the Divine and bend the world to my will.”
Everyone has their youth. A time of overconfidence and vigor, when even a moment’s hesitation feels foolish. Hailed as an overwhelming genius in the Celsius domain, she had eventually left her sister behind and ascended the Floating Castle.
She climbed the Blue Tower, then Babel, climbing until there was nowhere left to go, until she felt she could touch the sky.
It was then that she suddenly realized there was nothing beneath her feet.
“But what’s up there isn’t that. It’s the power to destroy the world in an instant. To want to bend the world to my will meant I wanted to destroy it with my own hands.”
“Do you know what’s up there?”
“It was easy to realize how dangerous it was. And I also realized that no one could ever control it perfectly. That thing is a non-starter. Hwaran and Lankart are brilliant, but not as brilliant as I am. The two of them will destroy the world with that power.”
It was a conviction. And it was likely the truth. The Blue Tower Master had been the leader of the Shrine of the Divine. Although she kept her distance now, there was a time when even Lankart and the Red Tower Master had followed her.
“It must remain as mere knowledge. The moment some fool tries to use it as a power, this world will end.”
Shei suddenly thought of another name. The moment she did, the name was already leaving her lips.
“What about Hughes?”
The Blue Tower Master fell into thought for a moment.
She couldn’t say Hughes was a fool. From what she had observed, his intellect was her equal, or perhaps even greater. Moreover, as the King of Humans, he had the minimum qualifications.
But his actions so far had been too peculiar. So much so that even the Blue Tower Master couldn’t begin to comprehend them.
And so, she couldn’t make a quick judgment. If she couldn’t understand him, was it because he was insane? Or was it because he existed on a higher plane than her?
*
Ruel’s power, Lux Vis Mea. A simple Unique Magic that grants physical force to light.
With that alone, White Tower Master Ruel is one of the most formidable powerhouses. The speed of light far surpasses the speed of sound. If one could imbue it with physical force, they could strike an opponent without giving them any time to react.
But if it were only her Unique Magic, it could be countered. There are plenty of spells to deal with light magic, and if you know where your opponent is aiming, you can dodge in advance. Besides, I can copy the Unique Magic of others.
But its true value doesn't lie there.
“Light is immutable. In any time, in any space.”
With every step she took on the invisible staircase, light flashed at her feet. She was creating footholds with reverse bursts of light. She was using it for footholds now, but with her light magic, she could likely fly freely through the sky.
“My power as a Saintess is to foresee a moment of stopped time.”
She can stop time.
No, she can move within stopped time!
Zero seconds, a moment no one can perceive or move within. A moment that should simply pass by, yet the Saintess of Light splits that infinite time to foresee it.
Within that stopped time, she knows what will happen.
“In stopped time, I, who have received the grace of light, exist alone. Through my Unique Magic, I have the right to move by myself. Ah, was that explanation too pedantic? To put it simply, shall we call it the power of time stop?”
Of course, that in itself is meaningless. I can also know what will happen in stopped time. Everyone will be frozen, unable to move. Why? Because time has stopped!
However, while she grants physical force to light, the Saintess of Light gains the right to act even in stopped time.
“The grace of light transcends even time. What do you think, King of Humans?”
Descending to the ground by treading on light, Ruel approached me with a brilliant smile. I answered, my body tense.
“How was I able to hear your voice in my ear?”
“I sent my voice carried on the light. The mages of the Floating Castle might use a formula to reverse-calculate light into sound, but I have no need for that. The light I send directly vibrates the air to create sound.”
“You’re very honest. Is it really okay to tell me all that?”
“Of course! It’s my power, isn’t it?”
She had no intention of hiding anything. She revealed everything, just like light. Ruel, the Saintess of Light, was like a literal personification of light itself. Radiant and direct, as if she alone could fill the entire space.
“A Unique Magic that grants physical force to light, and the power to foresee stopped time. I’ve revealed all of my powers. So? Your thoughts?”
Toward her, who was asking for an evaluation, I answered honestly.
“It’s incredible. It seems no one can be your match.”
“With the exception of the Mage King, that statement is mostly correct. Hmm. The other four Tower Masters with Unique Magic could put up some resistance, I suppose. Though they would never be my equal. You know why, don’t you?”
“Because your power is most lethal when used with malicious intent.”
“Correct!”
Stop time. Move within stopped time. Ambush the opponent before they notice, in a way they can never notice.
Countering her? If you don't have the power to split stopped time and act within it, you don't even have the right to try. But who the hell has a power like that? The Mage King? That's because the Mage King is an exception.
“The reason this world is still intact is that I hold no ill will toward it. It’s because light chose to shine warmly upon the world instead of burning it to the ground.”
Everyone must show their will. I demanded it as I brought everyone to the table.
But the Saintess is overwhelmingly powerful. Powerful enough to dominate the board all by herself.
“…It’s because the Mage King is bound by the shackles of Saint Rene, still holding onto Pride.”
“Pride?”
“Yes. The star of destruction that takes aim at the surface from high above the Floating Castle. Pride.”
She’s talking about that star of calamity Shei mentioned, right? The one that will end the world if it falls. So it’s not even a secret anymore?
“The power you will obtain when you climb this tower is the switch to make Pride fall.”
“Oh, you spoiled it for me. How boring.”
Despite my accusation, the Saintess of Light proudly puffed out her chest and said.
“It’s the privilege of the one who knew first! And what you were trying to do was hand out that switch to all these people. And mixed among them were people who should never, ever be given one.”
She must be talking about Kuram and Dokjine.
She’s right. They are dangerous. Neither has the knowledge to understand magic, but if they had a switch in their hands, they are the type of people to press it without hesitation. What wouldn't they do, having already made the decision to ruin their own bodies?
“It’s the same for the other mages. They may have more discretion than those two, but who’s to say they won’t suddenly press the switch one day? Everyone has days where they feel weak, or excited, or just want to make a mistake. It’s better for the switch to be in the hands of as few people as possible. Especially if it’s the switch for the continent’s destruction!”
“Wow. Really.”
“Yes! You were trying to hand this switch out to everyone! Do you understand what a mistake you’ve made now?”
Ruel explained like a kind teacher instructing a child. And she possessed an equal amount of arrogance.
I replied with a deeply impressed expression.
“It wasn’t a mistake.”