Chapter 83
Chapter 83
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 083
Chapter Title: Prophecy Stone Gate
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It was none other than a pair of gray shoes.
And the one who soon revealed himself was...
"!!"
"That guy's...!"
None other than an old man with an extraordinary presence. In other words, the Sage.
"What...?!"
Austin Marshall's eyes widened in utter disbelief.
According to the original plan, Walter Lebeck should have emerged from there.
'Th-this...'
He instinctively sensed it without realizing.
'...Something's.'
Gone wrong...!
Then, another figure followed behind the Sage.
The man hid his face and body beneath a black hood and robe, but Austin and the others recognized him on instinct.
'That bastard...!'
His eyes trembled.
'The... Butcher...!!'
The only visible part beneath the hood—Kyle's lips—curled upward.
Seeing this, Special Forces Leader Jacob Schnell swallowed hard.
'N-no way... That's impossible...!'
They could chalk up shaking them off and infiltrating the Magic Tower to luck.
But the tower, where the devil's descent ritual was underway, must have been a nightmarish hellscape in itself.
'Even so, he survived that...?'
No, more than survived.
'Did he actually succeed in stopping the devil's descent ritual?!'
If true, it would be an unbelievable feat.
And it wasn't just any descent ritual.
It was one using the tower's own people as sacrifices.
The devil's influence and power mid-descent would have been far stronger than usual.
'Just who... is that man...?'
As Jacob stared at Kyle like he was beholding something beyond words, it happened.
[Se, Senior, how'd it go?!]
Gordon snapped out of his daze at Casey's piercing voice in his ear.
"Uh, huh?"
[Did it succeed?! Or fail?!]
"......"
Gordon glanced down at the black-robed Butcher, then let out a hollow chuckle.
"Heh."
[Senior?]
"Heh, heh-heh, hahaha, hahahahaha!!!"
But that lasted only a moment.
Soon, the man who had been laughing merrily clutched his forehead and spoke.
"What a world!"
It wasn't just anything—it was an unprecedented attempt at a devil's descent.
'In such a hopeless situation!'
He had gone in alone and miraculously resolved the crisis completely.
Was this really reality?
Could a human even do that?
'Damn it, who cares!'
Feeling chills race across his skin, Gordon muttered.
"Kyle Clark...! You really are...!"
As Gordon gazed at the Butcher with eyes full of awe and reverence, Casey's impatient voice rang in his ear again.
[So, what happened?!]
The Rapid Response Team felt the same.
At the sight of the hooded figure who had appeared with the Sage—clearly the Butcher—Lane spoke in a trembling voice.
"...Situation cleared."
He addressed his team members staring up at him from below the tree.
"All clear."
"!!"
"No freaking way...! For real?!"
Lane nodded to Mitt, who looked up at him in disbelief.
"Yeah, now that it's actually happened, even I'm totally floored."
He said with a blank expression.
"Looks like the Butcher really pulled it off."
"Holy shit...!"
"I've thought he was no ordinary guy for a while now, but... whew."
Mitt spoke as if genuinely getting goosebumps.
"This time... I got nothing to say."
Mask fully agreed.
"Couldn't agree more."
Then, the dark elf Lumia, who had been meditating calmly in front of the tree, clicked her tongue at them briefly.
"Tch, you faithless lot."
"...?"
She glared at the Response Team like they were heretics and said.
"Of course Lord Clark would succeed... Though ignorant humans like you wouldn't understand."
"......"
Snorting at them, she clasped her hands in prayer and cried out to the sky.
"Ah...! As expected of Lord Clark...! Once again, you've personally shown that lowly Rank-2 devil the vast gap in your levels...!"
Lane spoke up.
"I've been wondering this for a bit."
He pointed at her incredulously and asked Mitt.
"Does that one even realize she's a prisoner herself?"
"...Beats me. I'm more curious about that myself."
And at the same time.
"I see. So that's how it went."
Rockton swallowed hard upon receiving the news.
Through the wide-open window stretched the sight of Dun City's central administrative district.
Dawn's light began seeping into the receding night forest of buildings.
Having heard from Casey's support team, Rockton closed his eyes silently, phone in hand.
"Got it. I'll head that way soon too."
With a click! the call ended, and everyone in Rockton's office turned to him.
The ensuing silence.
Someone gulped nervously, but soon the chief aide approached cautiously.
"Congressman."
"...They say it succeeded."
"Pardon?"
Rockton looked at Congressman Coaster on the sofa and said.
"That friend Kyle Clark... pulled it off again."
"!!"
The aides exchanged shocked glances.
But as expected.
Soon the office filled with their cheers.
"No way!!"
"For real? He actually did it?!"
"Unbelievable...! What is this!"
"Stopping a descent ritual single-handedly...!"
"This is a miracle, right?! A miracle!"
The chief aide, snapping out of it late, said to Rockton.
"Congressman. I'll ready the helicopter immediately."
"Mm."
Turning from the aide rushing out, Rockton looked at Coaster.
"Congressman Coaster."
"...Looks like the heavens are still on our side, fortunately."
Coaster, who knew the full story, let out a sigh of relief.
He thought of the young man called the Butcher.
'Kyle Clark.'
That friend was surely the long-awaited final successor of the Venerator, the one who had beheaded the great bloodline that day.
'And now, thwarting a descent ritual in the Magic Tower all by himself.'
Coaster narrowed his eyes.
He recalled a story from long ago, told by the master of the Blood Sword Feast.
'Originally, the Blood Sword Feast was a sword aimed not just at the great bloodline, but at slaying the demons themselves—humanity's eternal nemeses.'
Yet the Venerator had died without perfecting it in his lifetime.
But for his final successor to achieve such a feat alone...
'Could Kyle Clark have reached a realm the Venerator never touched? At such a young age?'
It was hard to believe, but how else to explain this accomplishment?
'If that's true...'
Truly, he might be the great one to sever not just the great bloodline, but humanity's tangled karma with demons entirely. It was then that thought struck.
"There's this guy leading the 141 Unit who once told me."
"Hm?"
"That Kyle Clark has the power to create miracles."
"...The power to create miracles."
Rockton gave a wry smile.
"Maybe that really is the case."
In truth, Kyle had wrought a miracle this time too.
In a situation defying all logic save for a miracle, and so spectacularly.
Even as the head of the Rockton Family, seasoned through every trial, he couldn't help shuddering at the feat.
"But as you know, we've only crossed one hurdle."
"Yes, I know."
Coaster continued.
"Congressman Rockton, if what you say is true, this fight is against Marshall... no."
The old man looked up at him with sharp eyes.
"The ugly secret lurking in this city's shadows—we must drag it into the light to end it."
"I think so too."
With that, Reinhold Coaster rose from his seat.
"In that vein, I'll leave the Magic Tower to you."
"And you, Congressman...?"
"As you said, whether the Investigation Bureau truly betrayed us, and what exactly is happening inside."
Seasoned resolve burned fiercely in the elder's eyes.
"I'll confirm it with these eyes myself."
"Please do."
Rockton nodded, and Coaster said.
"Then, I'll contact you again."
After seeing him off hastily, Congressman Rockton gazed out the window once more.
Not far away stood the towering city hall of Dun City.
Looking up at it, he muttered.
"Simon Marshall."
He had failed to seize the Magic Tower, now his greatest potential asset.
Rockton's eyes narrowed.
"What will you do now?"
Grit!
Austin Marshall ground his teeth unconsciously upon realizing the meticulously prepared descent ritual had gone up in smoke.
'Walter Lebeck...! You useless old monster!'
How incompetent do you have to be to let a single Butcher ruin everything!
Reading his ominous aura, the Special Forces Leader and guards stepped back.
But only briefly.
Now masked, Austin spoke calmly.
"...Let's go."
"Yes."
Led by Austin, the group entered Sapientia.
They traversed the eerily empty streets to reach the plaza before the tower.
Austin bowed to the Sage, barely holding himself upright.
"It's an honor to meet you. Great Sage of the Magic Tower."
He slightly raised his head and stated his name.
"I am Austin Marshall, Vice Chairman of the Emergency Response Committee temporarily formed by the city council to resolve this incident."
'Marshall, huh.'
A political powerhouse said to be in league with Lebeck.
Kyle eyed him coolly, thinking.
'Finally, I get to see that face.'
The Sage then revealed his own name.
"...I am Henry Fleetwood, head of the Fleetwood Family and representative of this tower."
"First, allow me to say it's a relief."
Austin feigned expression as he spoke.
"Successfully stopping that vile devil's descent in the worst possible situation—truly befitting the great Sage of the Magic Tower..."
"Austin Marshall, was it?"
"Yes?"
The Sage cut him off abruptly, pausing to swallow before continuing.
"I have no intention of bringing up how you ignored our calamity. Why? Because we've ignored yours all this time as well. However."
Step by step, he approached Austin, his face hardening fiercely.
"This is different."
"What do you...?"
"...What did you hope to gain by tampering with my testimony in the council? Marshall's son."
"...!!"
Austin's eyes widened, glaring at Kyle behind the Sage.
'That bastard...!'
He hurriedly spat excuses.
"There must be some misunderstanding. We merely..."
"This incident was undoubtedly a tragedy led by Lebeck, one of the five founding families."
The Sage's eyes narrowed.
"But they couldn't have orchestrated this alone. Do you understand?"
He glared at Austin and declared.
"Sapientia will find the external forces who used Lebeck to attack us and exact due retribution."
"......"
"No matter who they are. Marshall."
Austin raised his head, his eyelids twitching with humiliated fury.
He addressed the Sage.
"You seem to have much to say. If so, testify directly in the council later. Of course."
Crack—the mask over Austin's face fractured.
"...If you can."
"......"
"......"
At that moment, Rebecca and other survivors from the sacred relic barrier began gathering in the plaza.
"Sage...! And...!"
But catching Kyle's eye, she quickly shut her mouth.
She had noticed he was concealing himself with the robe.
Rebecca eyed the outsiders warily, thinking.
'...Come to think of it, Lord Clark said Dun City had no intention of helping us.'
Which meant they had likely sealed the tower completely before incineration procedures.
Yet he came to save them.
'He must have forced his way through the blockade.'
Defying the city's policy outright.
And his identity might have been exposed in the process.
In this situation, revealing himself could give them pretext to arrest him.
'Even so, he came out here.'
Rebecca glanced at the Sage's poor complexion.
The faint light mana emanating from behind him.
It was healing magic.
'The Sage's condition...!'
Judging further delay was dangerous, she signaled the other mages.
They encircled Austin and his group, pressuring them like a standoff between forces.
Tension thickened unexpectedly.
The Sage spoke.
"If you have nothing more to say, leave us. Marshall. As you see, we must focus on cleanup now."
"...I see. Yes. Of course."
Grit—once more grinding his teeth, Austin stepped back.
"I'll report to the council that the incident resolved smoothly. However, you'll need to submit your own investigation results later via spokesperson. A devil descent can't be overlooked."
As he turned to leave, he added as if remembering.
"Oh, and. Did you happen to miss it?"
"Miss what?"
"While the Investigation Bureau had this place sealed, someone in black combat gear intruded without permission."
"No, never saw such a person."
The Sage stated flatly.
"Even if there was, the devil's barrier. No one could last; they'd succumb to the curse."
"...Are you certain?"
Austin pressed.
"If it turns out the tower sheltered that intruder later... Even you, the Sage, can't evade a council summons."
"Didn't you hear me?"
The Sage scowled in displeasure.
"I said I've seen no such person."
"...Understood."
Confirming the tower's stance, he glared one last time at the black-robed Kyle.
"Then, see you soon."
In that instant, Kyle felt it.
Those words were aimed at him, not the Sage.
So he replied.
"Anytime."
"...!"
Kuh...! Clenching his fist in humiliated rage, Austin whirled around harshly.
"We're leaving!"
"Yes!!"
As the Investigation Bureau and guards withdrew following him, the mages sighed in relief—only for a moment.
The Sage, who had held out until the end, collapsed on the spot.
"Oh no...!!"
"S-Sage!!"
Kyle finally pulled off the stifling hood and poured maximum mana into [Blessing of Light] as he spoke.
"He needs proper treatment. It won't improve beyond this."
'Even with this much mana... if it's not working...'
Likely internal injuries, damaged organs.
[Blessing of Light] couldn't heal that.
Rebecca shouted urgently.
"Hurry, the Sage...!"
"I'll carry him!"
Bowen with glasses rushed over and lifted the fallen Sage.
Kyle told Rebecca.
"And mobilize everyone who can move right now to search the entire village. The curse is gone, but the weakened ones need immediate care or they could be in danger."
"Yes, got it...!"
As Kyle moved to help Bowen support the Sage.
A familiar message appeared before his eyes.
You have splendidly completed the 'Sapientia Savior' mission.
[Breached the devil's power 'Labyrinth of Dreams' in 30 minutes (★★★★★)]
[Halted the devil's descent ritual before incineration (★★★★★)]
[Involved in suppressing Walter Lebeck (★★★★★)]
Mission Achievement Rating - S Rank
+ All Stats +Additional from High Rank
+ Reinforcement Skill Points awarded
But that wasn't the end.
Kyle's eyes widened.
Not only the fourth unlock condition, but...
'Prophecy Stone Gate?'
It was then.
Rumble—!! A tremor shook the tower, mana waves pulsing from the top floor.
"?!"
"Wh-what is that?"
Amid the flustered mages, the Sage—supported by Bowen—widened his eyes.
"This is...!"
He instinctively knew the waves originated from the Hall of Wisdom, deepest in the tower.
And there lay the stone gate said to open only for descendants of the founding mages.
"Could it be, that gate...?"
The Sage's trembling gaze turned to Kyle beside him.
"As I thought... you...!"
But Kyle merely blinked.
"Pardon??"