Chapter 161
Chapter 161
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 161
Chapter Title: A Battle of Philosophies
-----------------------------------------------------------------
That was all.
Werner hadn't prepared any particular spells in advance. He simply drew his magical power throughout his body.
A mage truly specialized in improvisation.
This was likely possible due to his seemingly inexhaustible well of magical power and his brilliant mind.
Loan, having studied Werner's style, knew that this was more than enough preparation for him.
“Come.”
The moment Werner spoke, the demonic beast moved.
It had eight legs. More than ten appendages that could be called arms. Strangely, it had even more mouths, each filled only with fangs.
Things that could be claws, nails, or sharp hairs jutted out from all directions like thorns.
In conclusion, it was a rather chaotic-looking demonic beast.
The creature shrieked at the top of its lungs as it closed the distance.
Words were mixed in with the unintelligible screams.
As if a significant portion of its intellect had degenerated, only vulgar words and curses spilled from each of its open mouths.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Werner picked at his ear as he walked in a straight line toward the approaching creature.
The magical power he emanated gently pushed aside the mana in the atmosphere.
He was incredibly composed.
But Loan was surprised not just by his composure.
It was because Werner's mental message had suddenly reached him.
-The Tower of Schwerin is built upon Phenomenon, Perception, Sensation, Ideation, and Manifestation, because four concepts underpin the expression of magic.
The wave of the mental message did not pass through the [Sphere of the Void].
Yet, it was audible because the wave struck the sphere's surface and generated meaning.
Thus, the mental message was not delivered only to Loan.
Everyone inside the sphere heard Werner's thoughts.
The thought that he had sent the message with this in mind naturally inspired a sense of respect.
-Yes. I am aware.
Loan answered on behalf of everyone.
His mental message exquisitely passed through the sphere and reached Werner.
Loan had long since reached a state where he could finely tune the convection and currents of mana.
Furthermore, through this experience, he had learned to variously transform and handle the [Sphere of the Void].
Creating a momentary opening in a part of the sphere for the wave to spread was not a difficult task.
In the instant he cast a [Hardening] spell to shield his entire body, Werner glanced back at Loan, showing his surprise.
He took the beast's sharp claws to his face as he continued his mental message.
-That is why the Master of the Manifestation Tower must be respected by all other towers. Accepting phenomena without regard to school or discipline...
Lightly extending an arm, he scattered [Blades of Air] in a spiral, slicing off the beast's arms, legs, and mouths.
It was as if he were recreating the vortex of magical power that Loan had dismantled on the bridge to the Phenomenon Tower.
It was no different from giving a demonstration to prove his point.
However, slicing it apart was not the answer.
As expected, the severed pieces of the demonic beast pulled toward each other again and reconfigured into a new form.
Its size grew even larger, and its shape became more grotesque.
“Kweeeeeegh!”
Accordingly, its attack patterns also diversified.
A leg that whipped down like a lash would suddenly try to bite, and a long, sharp horn that had been thrusting forward would unfold like a blooming flower, switching to an attempt to capture him.
At times.
Karl, holding butcher knives in both hands, would fill the gaps in the attack with swift movements.
But the Werner he faced was just as dazzling and formidable.
As he received and countered attacks, the mage sometimes looked like a martial artist, and at other times like a knight or swordsman skillfully wielding various magical weapons.
All the while, the mental message continued.
-One must not be lazy in equipping oneself with theory and concepts.
At some point, Werner gained the upper hand in the fight.
He used [Frost Magic] to immobilize the shrieking beast as it retreated.
When the severed appendages of the beast showed signs of reassembling, he flicked his fingers in their direction, igniting [Eternal Flames] in various spots that would not extinguish until their targets were completely annihilated.
Each one was a high-tier spell that demanded a considerable amount of magical power.
Wielding them without hesitation.
-Training one's senses to not fall behind warriors and martial artists who use their bodies...
At some point, he flanked Karl and lightly dodged the nimble attack from his swinging butcher knives.
Then, as if injecting magical power, he tensed his muscles—
-Wary that the pursuit of truth and mastery might converge on consequentialism and lead to collusion with the darkness...
He forged a mass of light in the shape of a giant mace, gripped it with both hands, and smashed it against Karl's head.
-One must do their best every moment so that the lineage is not lost and the mysteries continue. Complex, yet simple. Nothing new, but therefore valuable each day. That is my life.
Kwwaaaaang— As he watched Karl's massive body roll away with a loud noise, Loan asked.
-And has that borne fruit?
-Hmm?
Werner, who was about to launch another attack on the frozen beast, suddenly turned to Loan with a blank expression.
He had, in his own way, boldly expounded on his philosophy as the Master of the Manifestation Tower to a potential successor, complete with an appropriate demonstration, only to receive an unexpected response.
Loan pointed in front of Werner, as if telling him to focus.
While Werner was distracted.
Karl, having shot back to his feet, charged again with a dazzling speed unbefitting his heavy body and struck the frozen beast with his own hands.
The moment pieces akin to granules scattered in all directions, he tried to cast the recombination spell again—
“Not so fast.”
Werner did not let him have his way.
He immediately fired [Chains of Magic] at Karl.
First, he sealed the creature's mouth.
“Mmph! Mmph! Mmph!”
Watching the chains dig into the folds of flesh, causing the creature's body to change in an interesting way, Loan added.
-I was curious whether dedicating oneself to the preservation of the past is truly the best course of action.
-Was it not from that line of thinking that you urged the Tower Masters to come out into the world?
Sending a somewhat cynical mental message, Werner tightly bound the creature's entire body and burned away all traces of the demonic beast.
It was a perfect capture, just as he had initially declared.
Loan replied dryly.
-The four Tower Masters have agreed with my intentions, so now it is the turn of the Master of the Manifestation Tower.
-I offered you the position of the next Tower Master.
-Because that wasn't what I wanted.
-Can you be sure?
-For now, yes.
Gripping the end of the magical chains, Werner slowly turned to face Loan.
Loan, confirming there was nothing left to be wary of, also dispelled the [Sphere of the Void].
The mages furrowed their brows at the sudden, foul stench that washed over them.
Werner said.
“Then try to persuade me.”
“Setting aside intentions, I have a fundamental question as to whether the current trend of magic is truly achieving a complete recreation.”
Loan faced him and continued speaking calmly.
Though his thoughts were not yet fully formed, he felt it was a suitable opportunity and time.
Was this man not a figure at the pinnacle of magery?
He asked in return.
“You're not talking about the Age of Creation, I assume. Is this a critique of the later generations who have lived since then?”
“Yes.”
It was as if he were speaking to everyone in this space except himself.
Although the one speaking was a junior by a vast margin, because it was Loan, everyone listened attentively.
“It suddenly occurred to me that perhaps the pioneers who created magic in the past are, in fact, more distant, more alien beings than the guardians from other dimensions living in the same era.”
“That is difficult to understand.”
“When I began to doubt if even the 'me' in the mirror was the real me, that thought grew stronger. And so my thoughts continued. Is the magic manifested from reading a grimoire truly the same as the magic from the Age of Creation?”
“Hmm.”
“My thoughts then fell back to a fundamental question. What is it that we truly manifest with magic? A visible phenomenon? A materialized image? A grimoire is, after all, a transformation of that 'something' into language or pictures. If so, can we say that it has been captured in its entirety?”
Loan's words, as he had feared, were closer to unrefined thoughts, conjectures, or abstract musings—too abstract to convey to someone else.
However, those present were mages who had reached a high level of mastery.
They were accustomed to making educated guesses, harboring doubts, and organizing fleeting inspirations into coherent thoughts.
Everyone fell into deep thought, listening intently to his story.
“Magic is a unique domain built upon mystery. It is difficult to say that any attempt to translate or interpret it into words or letters can be a perfect one-to-one correspondence.”
“Then?”
“We must approach it differently. Not by memorizing, practicing, and recreating, but by understanding the principles of the world and truly manifesting. Stepping outside the towers will be the beginning of that. It has more than just symbolic meaning.”
“Your premise, development, and conclusion jump all over the place. Either your logic is not yet mature, or you have something concrete but have no intention of sharing it.”
“Everything converges on the principle of circulation. I am researching and training in that regard. I do not believe I am at a stage where I can announce a concrete concept yet.”
“Conceptualizing circulation...?”
Watching the pensive Werner, Magda couldn't hold back her frustration and burst out.
“How petty. Why must you pry into every little detail?”
A flustered Werner immediately retorted.
“In my position, isn't it natural to be concerned?”
“That's why I'm calling you petty. Thanks to Loan, that repulsive wall is gone. He even set the stage for you to keep your declaration.”
“That's true, but...”
“Don't give me that 'true, but' nonsense. You think I don't know you? Honestly, didn't you scoff when the magic circle activated? And isn't it also true that you struggled for a bit after the barrier was in place?”
“...”
“If that barrier had remained, the beast's regeneration would have continued endlessly, just as that pig said. Our magical power is not infinite, meaning the outcome would have been difficult to guarantee.”
“I could have just destroyed the barrier itself.”
“But you didn't.”
Werner could not refute her.
Magda chided Werner with a practiced familiarity, a sight Loan found quite fascinating.
It made him wonder if they had once been quite close—
“That alone is more than enough reason to accept his proposal, yet you keep dragging it out. Isn't that truly pathetic?”
“...”
—but watching her press him so relentlessly, almost excessively, he concluded that his speculation was probably wrong.
‘Commander Magda is truly amazing. She's so assertive with everyone.’
However, Werner was no pushover either.
Truly the pinnacle of Schwerin.
Despite being scolded so harshly, he did not bend his will.
“Magda, you're impossible to talk to. Loan. Let us speak again after we leave this place.”
“Hah... I guess people really don't change.”
Magda clicked her tongue and turned her back completely.
It was a clear sign that she didn't want to look at him anymore.
Only then did everyone, except for Magda, once again become aware of Karl, tightly bound in the chains of magic.
Werner stared blankly at the man.
“There will be much to be gained from him.”
As he said this, he tightened the chains. Karl's body twisted bizarrely, and a 'crack-' sound came from deep within his flesh.
It seemed a bone had broken.
Karl's face turned crimson from the intense pain, but with the chains gagging his mouth, he couldn't make a sound.
Loan narrowed his eyes slightly.
“Will you draw out answers through pain?”
“Hmm. Wouldn't that be the fastest way? Though I'll have to break his spirit as much as possible first so he can't chant.”
Werner's expression as he turned back after answering held a question: was there another way?
As if he had been waiting, Loan asked in return.
“If it's all right, may I give it a try?”
More effective than uncertain torture and interrogation.
Loan had a surefire way to draw the answers he wanted from his opponent.