Chapter 185
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 185
While Badal, Jujak, and the other fallen gods feigned conversation to secretly tighten their net, Turan was frantically calculating his escape.
Simply grabbing Harun and taking flight on Bije was a losing move for the same reasons as before. With the gods of Zahar—all masters of long-range warfare—positioned around him, it would be even more reckless than his previous attempt.
He needed a distraction, even if it only bought him a moment.
As Turan weighed his tactical advantages, the answer became clear.
Flight.
Since most of his enemies were earthbound, gaining altitude would, at the very least, force a one-on-one confrontation with Badal. Of course, simply taking off would leave him wide open to interference, just as it had moments ago.
What if I change my perspective? What if I eliminate the ground and turn this entire space into the sky?
Fortunately, Turan had the means to do exactly that.
The Water of Death.
It was a liquid capable of dissolving even bricks forged from the ground bones of ancient giants. While he didn't have much left after eroding the foundations of the Red Fortress, he didn't need a massive quantity for this specific plan.
Standing perfectly still to maintain the facade of conversation, Turan secretly manipulated the Water of Death beneath his clothes, boring a hole into the earth.
Good, it’s working...
Luckily, his Zahar noble attire featured a long coat that wrapped around his legs like a skirt, reaching his ankles. This allowed him to pour the liquid onto the ground without drawing attention. He used wind magic to pull the fumes produced by the melting earth into his High-Capacity Pouch, a method that served the dual purpose of muffling the noise.
There was a high probability that the acidic vapors would cause significant damage to the items stored inside the pouch, but he had no choice; he couldn't afford to let his scheme be discovered.
After diligently hollowing out the earth, Turan reached his target. The mana-infused Water of Death made contact with a vein of groundwater that stretched all the way from the lake near Axum City.
Activating his Carmine bloodline, he mixed his remaining Water of Death into the stream and seized control of the groundwater.
First, I’ll cut off the flow from the lake and redirect the contents toward the desert...
In truth, manipulating groundwater hundreds of meters below the surface was a feat nearly impossible even for a high-ranking noble of the Carmine bloodline. It was only possible because Turan was a mage who had reached the level of a master in both fluid manipulation and earth transformation.
The depth of the techniques Turan had mastered while developing the southern reclamation sites was on a different dimension compared to other mages. What happens when a genius, who learns in a single day what others take weeks to master, invests months and years into a single field?
Turan recalled the basics of magic he had learned from Keorn.
Bloodline.
The magic he was performing now was the ultimate fruit of that labor.
Turan froze a portion of the groundwater to block the inflow from the lake, then forcibly pushed the rest toward the desert. Naturally, the ground became unstable as the water vanished, leaving behind a hollow void. If this had been the desert, the sand would have collapsed instantly, but since they were still near Axum, the soil was firm enough to hold—for now.
Using the geological engineering knowledge he had acquired through reclamation projects and mining, Turan sculpted the foundations. He ensured the ground could barely support its own weight, creating a structural weakness that would trigger a chain reaction of collapses the moment a significant shock was applied.
This transcendental display of magic—collapsing a radius of hundreds of meters with a single stomp, a feat seemingly reserved for the gods—was made possible by such sophisticated, high-level sabotage.
*
"What...!?"
"What is the meaning of this!"
As the earth suddenly gave way beneath Turan’s stomp, the gods of Zahar were thrown into chaos. Setting aside the fact that the magic they had just witnessed was incomprehensible, they simply lacked the immediate means to counter it.
A few who had consistently practiced magic in their current bodies managed to stay aloft with levitation spells, but the rest fell helplessly dozens of meters into the pit. While none of them would be seriously injured by such a fall, they were effectively removed from the battlefield; they couldn't mount an attack while plummeting.
While the gods of Zahar were temporarily neutralized, Turan took flight toward the north on Bije, carrying Harun.
Because he had to be mindful of Harun, a mere human, he couldn't accelerate too quickly. Badal, the only one among the enemies who could use flight magic and thus remained unaffected by the collapse, glared with fury.
"Don't think you can escape!"
He swung his massive hammer, Divine Punishment—the symbol of the Thunder Lord—and unleashed a bolt of violet lightning. He no longer seemed concerned if Harun’s soul was shattered by the attack, abandoning his earlier restraint.
However, Turan had already prepared a trump card. He hadn't used it before to maintain the element of surprise, but in a situation like this, it was his only option.
Go!
The Green Shield, a magic tool he had obtained from a Baraha mage, rose to meet Badal’s violet lightning, powered by its master's mana.
It was a horribly inefficient move. If he had activated a Guardian magic tool, he might have withstood several hits, but attempting to defend with the Green Shield would consume more than half his mana just to block a single strike.
Therefore, Turan chose not to expend that much mana.
As he cut off the flow of mana halfway, the Green Shield groaned and distorted as if screaming under the pressure of the violet lightning before shattering into pieces.
Turan hadn't been idle while sacrificing the powerful artifact. He released all the toxic smoke he had collected while melting the ground with the Water of Death. The smoke, now even blacker and more foul-smelling due to the half-melted coins and items from his High-Capacity Pouch, poured out like a thick screen, obscuring their vision.
"Ugh...!"
Naturally, for a powerful wind mage like Badal, clearing such a cloud required only a wave of his hand. But in a high-speed chase, the split second gained by that single action was crucial.
Taking advantage of that opening, Bije accelerated as much as possible without putting too much strain on Harun’s body.
Turan’s relief at widening the gap was short-lived. Below, he saw Talis, who had stabilized himself with levitation magic, nocking a short arrow into a guide on his bow.
It was an Aegisal—also known as a pyeonjeon, mazra, or solenarion—a weapon with a long and storied history. The arrow it spat out pierced through the air, saturated with a magical venom that was practically a curse.
I have to block this!
He focused his attention to defend against the terrifyingly fast projectile, but he quickly realized where the attack was aimed and shouted desperately in his mind.
• Bije, shrink your body!
Unfortunately, the arrow was so fast that Turan’s warning couldn't even reach Bije in time.
• Aack!
Bije let out a scream as the arrow pierced through her body, and she began to plummet. Turan immediately cast purification and healing magic. Fortunately, the arrow had entered through her right flank and exited through the left side of her neck, so there was no need to pull it out.
• It... it hurts. It hurts so much.
• Just go inside and rest for now. Thank you.
Since Bije was a powerful magical beast, it was difficult to heal a wound that had completely mangled her body in one go. Turan performed emergency first aid, withdrew her into his body, grabbed Harun, and accelerated once more.
Just then, he encountered the Zahar army approaching to form a perimeter, but he didn't need to worry.
"How... how do we attack that?"
"I don't know! Just fire everything!"
The Zahar army was only effective against enemies on the ground or flying at low altitudes. Though he had dipped momentarily, Bije had soared nearly a hundred meters high in a short time, making it difficult for them to react.
Against an ordinary bird, perhaps, but they lacked the skill to shoot down Turan, who was flying through the air by applying magnetic force to iron balls in his hands.
Having successfully broken through the encirclement, Turan let out a sigh of relief.
Good, I’ve managed to put some distance between us for now...
He had finally succeeded in distancing himself from the gods of Zahar after using every trick in the book, but he hadn't completely escaped pursuit. Badal Arabion was still chasing them, his eyes full of fire.
Because of the distance, Badal could no longer interfere with Turan's magnetic fields as he had before, but his pure flight speed was slightly superior. At this rate, they would be caught within a minute or two. If they were caught and forced into a brawl, the Zahar army would eventually catch up as well.
"Lady Harun. It seems I'll have to kill your body here and recover only your soul."
Considering the owner of that body was originally someone from the Enril Desert, it wasn't a pleasant thought, but he had no choice. Handling a living body was several times more difficult than moving her soul inside a jewelry box. Of course, he would still have to figure out how to deal with the pursuing Badal while he extracted her soul, but he would cross that bridge when he came to it.
At Turan’s words, Harun, cradled in his arms, replied softly.
"No. Leave me... and go."
Perhaps because her lungs were being compressed by the continuous high-speed maneuvers, her voice sounded forced, as if she were squeezing it out.
Turan shook his head.
"If I were going to leave you behind, why would I have gone through all this trouble?"
"I’ve seen the person I wanted to see. That’s enough. Thousands of years is a long life. I’ve told you everything you need to know anyway."
Her speech became smoother as her breathing returned to normal. Turan knew who she was referring to.
"Earlier, Talis... Jujak also said that I’m not some reincarnation of Otas."
"Perhaps. But it doesn't matter. If someone thinks and acts exactly like that man, they are no different from a reincarnation. At the very least, you could be called his true successor."
Hearing those words, Turan realized the source of the favor Harun showed him. She didn't view Turan as the same being as the man she loved, nor did she harbor romantic feelings for him. She simply saw him as someone who shared a spiritual connection with that man—something akin to a son or a successor. Perhaps she even viewed Turan as the child born between herself and Otas.
Harun took several deep breaths to steady herself, then looked back at Badal, who was pursuing them.
"If it’s him... I won't be able to kill him, but I can at least stall him."
"Stop it."
"I’m sorry, but that is for me to decide."
The moment her face, which had broken into a bright smile, turned pale, Turan instinctively awakened his Spiritual Awareness.
He saw a spirit body emerging from between Harun’s brows. It was the figure of a woman with vertical, cat-like pupils, scattering black dust around her body. Her hair shimmered like green liquid, and she wore a cloak that looked as if it were fashioned from the night itself.
She looked to be in her late teens or early twenties. That face, with its slightly narrow eyes and light dusting of freckles, was likely Harun’s appearance when she was human.
As the spirit body gripped the physical form, mana began to radiate from her. It surged from a meager amount, barely that of a knight, to the level of a lower noble, a middle noble, and then beyond, reaching the heights of a top-tier noble.
A woman who had been a mere commoner moments ago had suddenly acquired the immense power of a high noble.
"No, how...?"
"They aren't the only ones who researched how to use souls. I never thought the day would actually come when I’d use this, though."
From the way Harun’s spirit body was gradually dissipating, it wasn't hard to tell the price of such power.
The extinction of the soul—no, its complete disintegration. Her essence would be scattered into the Sea of Spirits, becoming unrecognizable to anyone. It was a price far too cruel for the power she had just displayed.
"Fly straight home while I hold him off. Even if the two of us joined forces here, it would be difficult to finish off that stalker before the enemy reinforcements arrive."
Turan couldn't find the words to answer Harun as she muttered that once she used this, there was no turning back, and that it was better than being captured and tortured again.
Even if they fought together, there was no guarantee they could finish Badal quickly. Especially considering that her power wouldn't last very long. If the fight dragged on and the gods of Zahar arrived, they would be back in the same predicament as before.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Turan loosened his grip. She fell gracefully and landed softly on the desert sands.
Holding a shadow rifle she had manifested on the spot, the woman waved her other hand in farewell.
[Goodbye.]
A moment later, he felt the collision of violet lightning and pitch-black shadows behind him. Turan continued to fly, never looking back.
*
It was about a day and a half later when Turan, having escaped Axum, arrived back in Kalamaf.
It was an achievement born of using his remaining mana to heal Bije so she could fly again; when she was exhausted, he flew himself or ran across the ground when his mana ran low.
Naturally, the Parsha family was thrown into an uproar by the return of their nearly catatonic head. Most of them hadn't even realized Turan had been absent.
Without even properly greeting those who welcomed him, Turan collapsed onto his bed and slept like the dead for an entire day.
When he opened his eyes again, a familiar voice greeted him.
"Are you awake?"
"Mmm."
Meisa, one hand cradling her growing belly, sat on the edge of the bed, looking down at him. As he sat up, he realized that despite wandering the desert and wilderness for nearly two days, his face and body were quite clean.
"I washed you while you were sleeping. You were so tired you didn't even open your eyes."
"Thank you."
"So, what happened? You said you were just going to take a quick look, but you came back looking half-dead..."
She tried to speak composedly, but her eyes welled up as she struggled to contain her emotions. Turan knew what she must have imagined. Even if his wounds were completely healed with magic, his tattered clothes alone were enough to guess the intensity of the battle he had faced. In her mind, Turan must have died and come back to life several times.
"I'm sorry for making you worry."
"If you're sorry, don't do things like this anymore."
"I won't. Truly."
This experience had also given Turan cause to reconsider such reckless infiltrations. Though it was partly a string of bad luck, he had come dangerously close to being buried in the middle of the Enril Desert or being used as a mere tool for his bloodline.
Thinking back, he didn't seem to be this way when he was younger and weaker, but it felt as though he had become too reckless since acquiring great power. Then again, the heads of great families acting while mindful of others was a necessity of the times.
As he lay in bed, sharing a moment of healing with Meisa as she stroked his hair, Turan recounted everything he had experienced. In truth, most of the time had been spent traveling; his actual infiltration of the capital, Axum, had been brief, so there wasn't a vast amount to tell.
When he spoke of Harun’s end, Meisa remained silent for a long time before letting out a deep sigh.
"So, that person... no, that god, has vanished."
"I suppose so."
"If there is another world, I hope she can be with Otas there."
Though she had started a war that caused countless deaths and sacrificed hundreds of thousands of souls just for Turan’s birth, the pure devotion she showed for someone who was already gone was touching.
"Still, I'm glad you're not the reincarnation of the Night Hunter."
"Why?"
"Thinking about having a love rival like that... it's terrifying just to imagine."
No woman would be happy to know there was another woman pouring infinite love onto the man she liked. Compared to that, Berit, whose marriage was an overt political arrangement, was almost cute.
Turan burst into laughter at Meisa’s adorable jealousy.
"Well, anyway... I learned a lot from this. I'll have to discuss it with Solif soon. There are things we need to act on immediately."
From scouting the internal situation of Zahar, which was his original goal, to discovering the relationship between the Sea of Spirits and the Boundary of the World, and even uncovering their true objective—aside from failing to save Harun, he had more than exceeded his goals.
And according to what he had learned, the time for the Parsha family to act was now—no sooner, no later.
Leaving the bedroom, Turan summoned Asiz and immediately announced preparations for war.
"War... Is it Zahar after all?"
"Yes. If we don't strike first, they'll attack us once they're perfectly prepared."
Combining what he knew with Badal’s previous words, their return to their original world was not far off. In other words, unless they were going to waste time creating another body with the same qualities as Meisa, they were bound to attack soon. Especially now that Turan had uncovered their entire plan.
It went without saying that striking first was better than letting their home base be devastated by war.
"And it's about time for Solif to return to Baraha, so tell him to join the war planning as soon as he arrives. Also, let everyone know I'll be away for about a day."
"Away? Where to?"
"Here."
Turan pointed to the northern part of the map on his desk. The hilly region north of Kalamaf—the temporary capital of the Carmine family.
"We don't have time, so I'll head there myself, negotiate, and come back."
If things went as planned, he would be able to manipulate them just by strategically releasing a few pieces of the information he had gathered.