Chapter 380: The Second Continental War (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 380: The Second Continental War (3)
Rumble!
The darkness surged.
While Edwin Hector's mind plunged into the Abyss, his physical body lay unconscious on the floor, shrouded in darkness. The Master of the Sky Magic Tower looked down at him with an affectionate gaze. The world praised their relationship, claiming the continent's greatest mage had finally found a worthy disciple. But the truth was far different.
"You have no idea. You don't know how desperately I've yearned for you all this time."
Shepir.
And the Master of the Sky Magic Tower.
The mages who followed Alexander knew they could never break through the barrier of the higher Circles through ordinary means. The human body had limits. Since magic was never a power permitted to humanity in the first place, surpassing those boundaries required a catalyst to transcend their innate physical limitations.
And so, they began to devour the mana of others.
Primordial Energy amplified the power of the Circles. Every time they swallowed a new talent, the craving to devour more only grew. But they could not progress by consuming the mediocre. One day, while stagnating at the 7th Circle, the Master of the Sky Magic Tower met his fated prey.
It was Edwin Hector.
A brilliant, radiant talent.
Just looking at the boy sent shivers down his spine. Although Edwin Hector had been unable to properly train in magic due to his circumstances, he was undeniably born with monstrous potential. From that moment on, a deep, gnawing craving took root. Convinced that Edwin Hector was the key to guiding him into the realm of the 8th Circle, the Master of the Sky Magic Tower did not rush. Instead, he slowly beguiled the young prince's mind. Simply devouring him was meaningless. To maximize the effect, he needed to personally teach him and let that talent ripen.
That was the ugly truth.
So, one could only imagine how desperately he had yearned for this moment.
Edwin Hector had long since met the conditions to be devoured, but because of his status as the Prince of Hector, the Tower Master had no choice but to watch and wait. If Roman Dmitry had not stirred up trouble in the Valhalla Empire, the Master of the Sky Magic Tower would have kept his true nature hidden for a few more years, just as Alexander had ordered.
But not anymore.
The time had come.
Although it wasn't the perfect timing Alexander had envisioned, the order to conquer the Salamander Continent had been moved forward. If Edwin Hector had not come seeking his help, the Master of the Sky Magic Tower would have hunted him down first. As the dark mana surged and began to drain the boy's Primordial Energy, the Tower Master watched from inches away, his face gradually twisting with madness.
"More, more, more...!"
He burned with anticipation.
His mouth watered.
Because it had to be absolutely perfect after such a long wait, he patiently bided his time, waiting for the Primordial Energy to be completely extracted.
It was then.
Gurgle, gurgle.
Rumble!
The mana violently fluctuated.
Something was wrong.
Normally, as Primordial Energy was encroached upon, it should have quieted down. Instead, it surged even more violently than before, fiercely resisting the dark mana. This only served to excite the Master of the Sky Magic Tower even further. It proved the boy's talent was truly extraordinary. He hovered right in front of Edwin Hector, eagerly waiting for the encroachment to complete.
At that moment—
Flash.
Edwin Hector, who had been lying utterly still, snapped his eyes open.
And then...
"Come with me."
Grab.
He seized the Master of the Sky Magic Tower by the scruff of his neck and threw himself directly into the surging dark mana.
* * *
The Phantom Demon Art.
Its effects manifested.
Immediately after regaining his senses, Edwin Hector recalled Roman Dmitry's teachings.
"Ordinary mind control releases its shackles the moment you regain your reason. But dark magic is different. Its power burrows deep into your mind and will continuously fracture your psyche. The moment you submit, even once, it will completely take over your head. The solution to breaking free from this shackle is simple. Drag the host in and cut off the source of the darkness. Rather than being devoured, devour your opponent first."
He remembered the teaching perfectly.
Breaking free from the shackles of darkness for a brief, fleeting moment, Edwin Hector dragged the Master of the Sky Magic Tower into his own mental space.
Glug, glug.
They plunged into the abyss.
Because the Master of the Sky Magic Tower was mentally linked to his prey, even with his 7th Circle magic, he could not shake off the hand gripping his neck. The backlash was immense. Sucked into the dark mental space, the Master of the Sky Magic Tower unleashed his mana in a fit of absolute rage.
[How dare you!]
His eyes flared.
He had intended to swallow Edwin Hector whole, but if the boy resisted to this extent, the story changed.
[For a mere brat like you to try and harm me! Out of consideration for our past relationship, I was going to end this peacefully by simply absorbing your mana. But from this moment on, I will show you no mercy. I will devour everything you are. Then, I will use your soulless corpse as a puppet to bring about the destruction of Hector by your own hands!]
He shrieked with venom.
His mana surged forward like a tidal wave.
Within the mental space, the Master of the Sky Magic Tower sought to utterly crush Edwin Hector.
Boom!
Rumble!
A massive shockwave erupted.
Although he had succeeded in dragging the host into the same space, Edwin Hector was practically defenseless against his opponent's onslaught. The Master of the Sky Magic Tower was a formidable 7th Circle mage. Winning a mental battle against him was nearly impossible. As his Primordial Energy was rapidly absorbed, Edwin felt his mind growing hazy.
It was nauseating.
His consciousness began to fade.
As he was dragged deeper into the suffocating darkness, Edwin Hector gritted his teeth.
"In a mental space, the standards of the physical world are not absolute. As long as you do not break mentally, you can defeat your opponent using the exact same method they use against you."
Roman Dmitry's words.
He believed them with absolute certainty.
Common sense dictated that it was impossible to defeat a 7th Circle mage, but Edwin Hector refused to give up. He channeled his mana. He resisted the crushing force trying to shatter his mind. A violent clash ensued. Though it felt as if his psyche would splinter into a million pieces, he pushed back against his opponent's power, driving the strength of his Circles to their absolute limit.
And then—
Whoosh.
Rumble!
Just like the Master of the Sky Magic Tower, he began to devour his opponent's mana.
* * *
The Master of the Sky Magic Tower could not help but be utterly bewildered by the situation.
Not only had the boy dragged him into this dark space, but he was now absorbing his mana in reverse.
This was going too far.
His anger flared to its absolute peak.
He unleashed his mana with the intent to obliterate Edwin Hector's soul. If he did this, the effects of absorbing the Primordial Energy would be severely diminished. But venting his rage came first. He could not tolerate a mere beggar who had clung to him for teachings daring to bare his fangs.
But...
'What on earth is this?'
It was strange.
Little by little, his own power was being pushed back.
It made absolutely no sense.
The dark magic was a power bestowed upon him directly by Alexander; it was not the kind of power that could be subjugated by a mere human.
Then how could this situation be explained?
He shrieked in desperation.
He struggled, unleashing his full power, but from a certain point, his mana was the one being encroached upon.
The Phantom Demon.
A figure who had rewritten the history of the Central Plains Murim, transcending even the bloody legacy of the Demonic Cult.
That being, who had explored the absolute limits of the human brain, was hailed as the undisputed best in the Murim when it came to mental-type martial arts. Even Baek Joong-hyuk acknowledged his domain. The reason Roman had manifested the Phantom Demon Art for mind-related purposes—such as subjugating Shepir's mind—was because no martial art in existence surpassed it in this field.
Therefore, the effect was dramatic.
Not only did Edwin resist the force trying to subjugate his mind, but he actually began to absorb the dark mana as his own.
It was impossible.
The Master of the Sky Magic Tower was horrified.
Cracks began to spiderweb across his face as he screamed in desperation.
[Edwin! Stop! Withdraw that dangerous power this instant!]
It was clear.
At this rate, he was going to lose.
He had no idea what method Edwin Hector was using, but that power completely overwhelmed his mind control.
[I was wrong! I was temporarily blinded by greed and made a terrible mistake trying to harm my beloved disciple! Please, for the sake of our past relationship, stop here! If you give me one more chance, I will dedicate everything I have to the Hector Kingdom! The Valhalla Empire, the Kronos Empire... I will do everything in my power to help you so that those wicked forces cannot destroy Hector!]
His voice was desperate.
He begged and pleaded, but Edwin Hector had already entered a State of Selflessness.
He could not hear the voice.
He had even forgotten his own existence.
Riding the wave of exploding mana, the power originating from Edwin Hector completely swept away the dark mana.
[N-No!]
A final, desperate scream echoed out.
The mana exploded.
The Master of the Sky Magic Tower's existence faded away, and the dark space collapsed into nothingness.
Boom!
Rumble, crash!
* * *
Outside the office.
Butler, who had accompanied him as a guard, felt an odd sensation as time passed without a single word from inside.
'Why is it so quiet?'
They had visited the Magic Tower many times before.
If Silence magic had been cast to maintain secrecy, it would be understandable, but in the past, he could always faintly hear the hum of conversation while waiting outside. This meant that, unlike before, extreme measures had been taken to prevent even a single sound from leaking out. That realization triggered an ominous foreboding.
As a guard knight, his entire existence was meant to eliminate variables.
It might be a needless worry, but he couldn't just stand there fretting.
"I must check inside for a moment," Butler said.
"I'm sorry, but that won't be possible," the guard replied. "The Tower Master ordered that no one be allowed inside."
"Just a quick check—"
"It is impossible."
The Sky Mage standing guard outside the office smiled thinly as he refused.
Butler took a step back.
But he wasn't retreating.
Pretending to back down, he suddenly lunged toward the door.
'Something is definitely wrong. Even if I get disciplined for this, I must check inside.'
Rumble!
An explosion of mana erupted!
Before the startled mage could even react, Butler smashed right through the heavy wooden door.
Crash!
Shatter.
The door splintered into pieces.
Beyond the shattered frame, Butler witnessed an entirely unexpected sight.
"Your Highness!"
His eyes widened in shock.
Inside the room, there was no sign of the Master of the Sky Magic Tower. Instead, Edwin Hector lay unconscious on the floor, his body convulsing.
* * *
The Deputy Master of the Sky Magic Tower, Verde, hurriedly quickened his pace.
"Damn it. Don't tell me he failed the absorption."
Just moments ago, he had received an urgent report from a subordinate.
Butler had attacked the mages, and the Tower Master's whereabouts were currently unknown.
His heart sank.
Verde knew the dark secrets of the Sky Magic Tower.
That was exactly how he had risen to the position of Deputy Master. When he heard that Edwin Hector had visited, he thought the time had finally come. The Master of the Sky Magic Tower had waited years for today. Since the Tower Master stated he would immediately enter closed-door training to form his 8th Circle after absorbing Edwin Hector, Verde had already been making the necessary preparations.
The possibility of failure?
He hadn't even considered it.
They had laid the groundwork so thoroughly over the years that there was absolutely no way Edwin Hector could break free from the mind control.
Irritation flared within him.
One thing was certain: things had gone completely awry.
Butler had attacked the Sky Mages, and while Edwin Hector was unconscious, his life was safe for now. Verde headed toward the office, flanked by a group of elite mages. If the worst-case scenario had truly occurred, their top priority was to subdue Butler and Edwin Hector immediately to prevent the secret from leaking out.
However, when he finally arrived at the office, he witnessed an unbelievable sight.
"...H-How?!"
Inside, the office was a complete mess.
The mages who had been guarding the place were all sprawled on the floor as cold corpses. Amidst the carnage, a single figure sat perched on the edge of the office desk, staring directly at Verde.
Goosebumps erupted all over his skin.
Not only was it unbelievable that the figure before him was conscious, but the heavy gaze pinning him down triggered a deep, primal dread.
It was none other than Edwin Hector.
The young man who should have been an empty husk spoke, his eyes chillingly sharp.
"Verde. Explain what happened here from the beginning. If you cannot make me understand... you will die."