Chapter 435
Chapter 435
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>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 435
>Chapter Title: ......Who Is It?
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A deafening roar echoed through the air.
The sky path trembled, and the vibration reached even the observation room.
It was just as expected.
It didn't take long for Pahren to cross the sky path.
Pahren simply walked. Though the sky path was on a different level from the previous two gates, it made no difference to him.
Flames that burned mana.
Azure Flame, the superior secret art of Red Fire.
Before those flames imbued with such power, the nature and density of mana held no meaning.
It was an astonishing feat.
Something impossible without the advancement of magic itself.
Yet Pahren, the man at the center of it all, reached the end of the sky path and opened the door without a flicker of emotion.
And then...
Thud!
After the door swung open, Pahren stepped into an empty chamber.
Soon, one wall turned transparent, revealing the observers.
Pahren stood still, scanning the room before lifting his head to look at them.
Only then did emotion stir in his impassive eyes.
And so.
Parapus, Count Taurus, Kahazar, Demeia, Kizistone, the Judge of Jamal...
He took in each observer one by one. Their faces were etched with shock, as if they had witnessed something they shouldn't have.
It was unavoidable.
Sea, land, sky.
Regardless of the gates' difficulty, the magic Pahren had displayed was that shocking.
But unlike them, Pahren remained calm. A faint glimmer of anticipation lingered in his eyes.
......Tower Lord.
He wondered what the man's reaction would be.
Yet, for some reason.
“......?”
Pahren narrowed his eyes.
It was incomprehensible.
Seven observers.
Among them, seated squarely in the center and looking down at him, was the masked mage... the Tower Lord. While all other mages struggled to recover from the shock, the Tower Lord alone exuded leisure.
No, it wasn't mere leisure.
How to put it.
His eyes held a certain boredom.
“Challenger.”
“......”
“Challenger? It is time for the final trial. Will you... take a rest?”
Pahren snapped out of his thoughts at Hermit's call. The flames enveloping him vanished right after.
Whoosh—
Having reined in the flames, Pahren turned his gaze to Hermit. Hermit had appeared in the now-empty chamber and was bowing politely. Pahren directed his question at him.
“What did you say?”
“I asked if you would take the final trial immediately or rest first. If you choose to rest, we can grant you half a day. What will it be?”
“The final trial...”
Pahren trailed off, taking in the space around him.
“Is the final trial held here?”
“I cannot disclose the contents of the trial, but... yes, it is.”
“......”
Pahren's eyes swept the room. His sharply honed senses probed every corner meticulously.
What kind of trial would it be.
He sensed nothing in particular.
No, there was something.
......The center of the stone chamber.
A circular stone slab on the floor.
Made of an unknown material, it was profoundly strange. A perfect void, emitting no energy whatsoever.
“What will it be?”
At Hermit's repeated question, Pahren closed his eyes briefly.
......The final trial.
In truth, the answer was already decided.
“I'll challenge it now.”
“Understood. Then I shall prepare.”
With that, Hermit retreated. The door to the sky path closed immediately after.
“......”
Left alone in the sealed chamber, Pahren stood motionless, staring at the stone slab. Was his guess correct, after all. Light began to emanate from the circular slab.
Gasps rose from the observers at the change.
“Huh!”
“What is this...!”
Was this truly the final trial.
The mana flow triggered by the slab's transformation was anything but ordinary.
Not only was the mana pouring from the slab vast in quantity, but the harmony it produced was wondrous as well.
Even they, great mages, couldn't fully comprehend that harmony—and Pahren was no different.
How much time passed like that.
Flash!
When a burst of light exploded, Pahren and the observers alike instinctively knew the change had ended.
But still...
‘What is the final trial.'
'What could require something like this...'
As the observers brimmed with anticipation, the light faded. They circulated their mana to normalize their vision.
And then.
“......?”
“......?”
Every observer tilted their head in confusion. They couldn't make sense of the scene before them.
The landscape was the same as before.
With one exception.
......Atop the stone slab.
An elderly man who had suddenly appeared.
“......”
The old man, who had been keeping his eyes closed, slowly lifted his eyelids. He looked at Pahren, then shifted his gaze to the observation room.
He glanced down at his own body, clenching and unclenching his fist.
After a moment.
Having checked his physical condition, the old man raised his eyes to Pahren again. And he asked.
“Are you the challenger?”
“That I am.”
The old man nodded as if he had expected as much at Pahren's response.
“As I thought. Pleased to meet you. As for me... how should I put it.”
The old man pondered how to describe himself before finally speaking.
“Perhaps you've heard the name Bodo Kan Sherman?”
“......”
Pahren made no reply. Instead, he rarely narrowed his eyes, staring intently at the old man. He seemed considerably surprised—and Pahren wasn't the only one shocked by the name.
“Bodo Kan Sherman?”
“No way, that...?”
The observers couldn't hide their astonishment.
How could they?
If the old man spoke true...
Bodo Kan Sherman.
The previous Arch Mage.
The strongest of the previous generation stood before them.
While the observers reeled in shock, Aster regarded the old man with sunken eyes.
And he thought for a moment.
'......Who is it?'
* * *
Whether Aster knew or not, the observers hardened their expressions and approached the glass wall.
They could scarcely believe it.
'Bodo Kan Sherman.'
The previous Arch Mage.
He was alive?
Perhaps sensing their thoughts, Bodo Kan Sherman looked toward the observation room and chuckled softly.
“Seeing you all like that reminds me of my own time. The observers back then wore the same expressions. But... it's not quite what you're imagining.”
What they were imagining was obvious.
The previous Arch Mage was alive. Had he been in seclusion in the Sanctuary all this time.
Something like that.
But Bodo Kan Sherman's current state was quite far from their assumptions.
“To be precise, this body isn't the 'Bodo Kan Sherman' you all know. How to explain it... yes, an avatar might work. Or perhaps a duplicate?”
“......A duplicate?”
At Pahren's question, Bodo Kan Sherman nodded with a smile.
“Yes, a duplicate. ...Honestly, I'd rather not admit it. Me, a duplicate? Tsk, and yet my memories are so vivid. Not a pleasant feeling.”
But what could he do.
He had no choice but to accept it.
Beyond circumstantial evidence, his instincts told him as much—leaving Bodo Kan Sherman no option but acceptance.
That aside.
“You're the challenger?”
“That I am.”
“Hmm... indeed, worthy of aiming for the Arch Mage's seat.”
Bodo Kan Sherman appraised Pahren up and down before snapping his fingers.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, the surrounding scenery shifted.
“This is...”
“A stage needs some space, don't you think. So I moved us a bit.”
Bodo Kan Sherman surveyed the surroundings as he spoke.
In an instant, they stood in a vast plain.
Beyond the glass wall floating in the sky above the plain were the observers—a bizarre sight.
“How's this. Not to your liking? I can change the location if you wish.”
“I've never heard that Bodo Kan Sherman was a master of barrier magic.”
“This isn't barrier magic. If anything, it's one of the Sanctuary's abilities. The reason I can use it... probably because this body is a duplicate. Anyway, does it matter? Just say if you want a different stage.”
Snap, snap.
Bodo Kan Sherman snapped his fingers, altering the scenery.
It turned into a volcanic zone one moment, the middle of the ocean the next—changes as fantastical as they come.
Pahren watched silently before speaking.
“Anywhere. Whatever you want.”
“Heh...”
Bodo Kan Sherman let out a hollow laugh.
Such arrogance.
“Well, you need that confidence. Of course, I understand.”
But Bodo Kan Sherman had dominated an era himself... no, as an Arch Mage, he had history at his feet.
“Let me see... yes, this place. How about it?”
He chose an ordinary plain.
Pahren nodded.
“Do as you like.”
“Very well, as I like it is. Anyway... the rules of the trial are simple. You must kill me. And likewise for me. Understood?”
Pahren nodded. At that impudent display, Bodo Kan Sherman smiled faintly.
“You won't forfeit, I assume?”
“You talk too much.”
“Good, that's the spirit.”
With that, the conversation ended.
Snap!
Bodo Kan Sherman snapped his fingers again, and the space between him and Pahren stretched out.
At the same time, the observers' glass wall rose high into the sky.
High enough to overlook the two distant figures at a glance—and the observers no longer questioned this odd phenomenon.
It wasn't what mattered now.
“Will you come at me first?”
Bodo Kan Sherman's low voice echoed. Pahren stood still, taking him in.
But only for a moment.
Beckon.
Pahren gestured with his hand.
Bodo Kan Sherman burst into laughter.
“Very well, I'll gladly accept your concession.”
......With that, Bodo Kan Sherman kicked off the ground and leaped forward.
Rumble—!
The earth surged like a tidal wave. The ground became waves crashing toward the sky.
At the same time...
Crackle, zap—!
Dark clouds gathered in the heavens, lightning flickering within.
Earth and sky. It was an overwhelming scene, as if calamity had descended—yet this was merely the beginning.
Lightning raged, storms howled. The ground quaked, flames erupting from split earth.
Bodo Kan Sherman was nature itself, immense and uncontrollable.
“......”
Pahren stood rooted, absorbing the sight. It felt as if the entire world harbored hostility toward him; his skin prickled.
No escape in any direction.
Yet, facing the impending disaster, a faint smile curved Pahren's lips.
“Impressive...”
Frankly, he had been disappointed.
Sea, land, sky.
To think such gates screened Arch Mages.
But this was shaping up nicely.
Pahren thought that far, then looked up. His gaze met the masked face beyond the glass high in the sky.
......Aster looked down at Pahren.
The corners of his mouth curled upward.
Boom—!
Even as the tidal earth crashed down, the smile on Pahren's face did not fade.