Chapter 97: Fate (6)
The laboratory was filled with silence.
Elbon’s eyes, stained with complex emotions, looked at the freaks in front of him.
It had been several minutes since they came to Elbon’s laboratory.
Elbon was known to be impatient by nature, but he was especially intolerant when it came to his disciple.
He had been more enraged than ever since he found the brooch on the table.
Next to Elbon, Sigor was watching him with a worried face.
‘I don’t know what to say.’
The self-proclaimed follower of the god had been aggressive towards Elbon from the start.
Eutenia Hyrost.
The one who kidnapped Elbon’s disciple was a fanatic of the cult that served the god.
If they were rational beings, they would not have used such extreme measures.
They were doing this because they were insane followers of the god.
They had walked into the magic tower, which could be called the enemy’s territory, on their own feet.
They would not have chosen this action if they did not have confidence in their skills.
If this continued, Elbon would also be swayed by their intentions.
‘Normally, there would be no room for compromise with the followers of the god, but…’
Still, Elbon could not resist them strongly.
He was worried about the safety of his disciple who was captured by them.
Enia was Elbon’s greatest masterpiece that he had nurtured with his heart and soul.
Losing her here would be an irreparable loss for Elbon.
Sigor stepped forward instead of Elbon, who was silent.
“Did you say your name was Eutenia? You may be a deviant being, but there is a limit to your rudeness.”
“Was I rude? But it was a matter of my precious disciple.”
The ash-colored eyes under the hood looked at Sigor.
It was an arrogant and oppressive attitude.
He looked down on the magicians who lived in the tower.
Of course, he must have come here because he was sure he could get out safely.
But this was the central magic tower of the empire.
It was the essence of magic where all kinds of geniuses and magic studies of the empire gathered.
He did not know what it meant to fight in the territory of a prepared magician.
There was no magician who would endure humiliation in his own territory.
Eutenia’s words made Sigor respond with a rough attitude.
“Do you not understand where you are standing? This is the tower.”
“Of course I know.”
“If you try any nonsense, the defensive magic circle installed in the tower will crush you in seconds.”
Sigor glared at the intruders with angry eyes and warned them.
As long as Elbon, the sage of the tower, knew him, Sigor’s words were not empty.
He was a master of ice magic.
He was one of the most powerful combat magicians in the system, and he had access to the defensive magic installed in the tower.
He had mastered countless combat magics and was a master of battle who had gone through numerous battlefields.
Moreover, he had priority over all the defensive magics in the tower right now.
The opponent was showing an arrogant attitude in front of him.
Sigor could not tolerate their attitude towards Elbon.
“You seem to have some confidence in the magic of the tower?”
“Yes. I wouldn’t have said this if I didn’t. This place is a collection of countless magics that the empire has been researching.”
“But that won’t help you save your disciple who will suffer.”
His voice was gentle, but his words were sharp.
Sigor’s face frowned at Eutenia’s threat to Enia.
Elbon, who was sitting in his seat, was lost in deep thought after hearing that.
Hoo-.
Elbon’s sigh echoed in the laboratory.
To save Enia, he had to find out what they wanted first.
Elbon, with a troubled face, opened his mouth towards Eutenia.
“What do you want from us?”
“We would appreciate it if you followed us quietly. Of course, we also need to take all the equipment from the laboratory.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“That’s a secret.”
Eutenia answered, bringing her finger to her lips as before.
Her proposal was simple.
She wanted to kidnap Elbon from this place, just like she did with Enia.
And she wanted to take all of Elbon’s research data with her.
The only difference from when she took Enia was that she promised to release Enia in exchange for Elbon.
She was saying that she would kidnap the Sage of the Tower in front of the Master of the Tower.
It was an offer that the Tower could never accept, even if it meant losing Enia.
It was an offer that Sigor would not let go of, even if Elbon agreed to it.
As if to prove Elbon’s expectation, Sigor spoke with a more enraged voice.
“I cannot accept such an offer!”
“…Sigor.”
“Do you think you can exchange a mere disciple for the Master of the Tower!”
Sigor rejected Eutenia’s offer with a firm voice.
At the sight of Sigor, Elbon tapped his forehead.
The conversation was over as soon as Sigor refused.
It was an unreasonable offer that Elbon’s side could not easily accept from the beginning.
If they could not accept the other’s offer, Elbon had to use money or something else to persuade them.
At the moment when Elbon was about to bring up the topic of Enia’s ransom,
A cold voice flowed out of Eutenia’s mouth.
“It doesn’t matter if you refuse.”
“What did you say…?”
“I was planning to take you by force anyway.”
Eutenia said so and pulled out her right hand from under her cloak.
In Eutenia’s hand that came out of the cloak, there was a thick book.
There was no way to avoid a clash of force between them.
The moment he sensed that fact, Elbon drew out his staff that was hanging on his waist.
Sigor, who was behind Elbon, also moved his hand and drew up his magic power.
Eutenia looked at the two of them and expressed her dissatisfaction with a regretful face.
“I asked you to come quietly… It seems like it will be a bit difficult.”
“You finally show your true colors, spawn of the evil god! I command you! Activate the emergency extermination order!”
From Sigor’s mouth facing Eutenia, a command for the Tower’s defensive magic circle came out.
It was a command that Elbon also knew well from hearing rumors.
Emergency extermination order. It was a means that only a magician who had the priority command right of the Tower could use.
From the moment the activation was declared, a pulse that interfered with magic power was emitted throughout the Tower, and everyone except the magicians of the Tower was restricted from using magic power.
It gave a fatal disadvantage to unauthorized intruders.
The use of the emergency extermination order caused damage to the magic research of the Tower, so it was a command that was restricted unless it was an urgent situation.
As Sigor’s voice echoed, the artificial spirit that managed the Tower responded to Sigor’s voice.
-“Confirmed activation of emergency extermination order by priority commander. The emergency extermination order will be executed according to the rules.”
-“Detected unauthorized intruders.”
-“Activating magic barrier – crackle.”
-“Failed – sizzle – fizz – emergency… extermination – error occurred.”
-“Failed to execute emergency extermination order.”
-“It will take 5 minutes and 48 seconds to recover from critical error.”
However, what came back from the artificial spirit of the Tower was not a normal answer.
Sigor’s face turned dark at the voice of the artificial spirit reporting an error.
The Tower’s defense system was not working properly.
The magic that gave an absolute advantage to the magicians of the Tower was neutralized for some unknown reason.
It was a situation where a problem that could not be compared to Enia’s kidnapping occurred.
Eutenia, who they were facing, turned over a page in her book and spoke in a relaxed voice.
“It looks like I can block it for about 5 minutes if I concentrate.”
“Impossible…”
“It was an interesting magic. Unfortunately, its effect is hard to see with your eyes.”
“What are you talking about, cough…!”
Boom!
As soon as Eutenia’s voice ended, a scream burst out of Sigor’s mouth.
Elbon quickly turned his head and looked at Sigor.
Sigor’s abdomen, who was trying to use magic, was pierced by a giant shadow’s fang.
He failed to properly respond to the sudden attack from behind.
Sigor, who was bleeding and glaring at Eutenia, turned into ice and disappeared.
In an instant, Sigor moved to the other side of the laboratory, his abdomen covered with red frozen ice.
“Sigor!”
“I’m, ugh… fine! It’s just that the Tower’s defense system… seems to be temporarily disabled…”
“I know! I’ll join the fight too!”
Elbon shouted in a hurry to Sigor, who used magic to stop the bleeding from his wound.
Elbon was not very good at combat magic, but this was his laboratory.
He was not so weak that he could do nothing in his own territory.
A prepared magician was much more powerful than an unprepared one.
That was true even for Elbon, who walked the path of alchemy.
Swish.
Elbon gripped his staff and stood up, glaring at the intruders.
Eutenia, the magician who neutralized the Tower’s defense system, blocked Elbon’s way.
“It seems like you want to fight. Aren’t you worried about your disciple?”
“Kuh…”
“It won’t take long even if we fight properly.”
“Ice Spear!”
Sigor, who had teleported near Elbon, used magic against Eutenia.
Ice Spear. It was a mid-level ice magic.
A spear of ice that condensed in the air flew towards Eutenia.
Crash!
The spear that rushed at high speed was blocked by a wall of shadow that rose from below Eutenia.
The ice spear shattered into pieces as it collided with the shadow, scattering ice fragments everywhere.
Eutenia, who was targeted by Sigor, was unharmed.
“Do you use ice magic?”
“Ice Storm!”
But Sigor’s magic was not over yet.
The ice fragments that scattered and fluttered were swept by the wind and began to move.
An ice storm that was created in an instant assaulted Eutenia with pressure.
With a coldness that could make flesh ache and sharp ice fragments that spun fiercely.
Eutenia pulled up her shadow more as she felt the threat of the closing ice storm.
It was a sight of her shadow thickening and wrapping around her body quickly.
Elbon, who saw the movement of the shadow that tried to surround her, pointed his staff at Eutenia.
“Elemental Burst!”
Boom!
The last of Elbon’s elemental explosion magic mixed and ended the chain of magic that aimed at Eutenia.
Thick smoke rose in the laboratory, and the furniture that was swept by the explosion flew around.
Ice Spear. Ice Storm. Elemental Burst.
The destructive power created by the three magics in succession.
It was clear that Eutenia could not completely block the current attack from her appearance of pulling up her shadow desperately.
Even if she managed to block it, she would have suffered a fatal wound.
Elbon looked at Eutenia beyond the smoke with a hopeful voice.
“I wonder if we got her.”
“…Elbon.”
“Sigor! We don’t know yet, so we have to pursue the other guy…”
“Get away.”
Elbon could not hide his bewilderment at Sigor’s voice.
Sigor suddenly told Elbon to get away from him.
Get away. What did he mean by that?
As Elbon turned to look at Sigor, who was full of wounds,
A huge change occurred in the wall of the laboratory.
“Wha…?”
“Elbon! Hurry up and evacuate–!”
As the smoke cleared, Elbon detected a huge change in the scenery.
A change.
It was a sight that could only be described by such a word.
Beyond the smoke where Eutenia stood,
The wall of the Tower that could never collapse collapsed.
Crunch!
What appeared beyond the collapsed wall was a giant hand.
A giant rose from the shadow of the Tower cast by Eutenia’s body.
A giant born from the shadow of the Tower made by sunlight was as big as the shadow itself.
“…”
If God himself came down to earth, would he move such a huge body?
That thought crossed Elbon’s mind as he looked at the giant of shadow.
Right after Elbon witnessed the giant’s appearance,
A giant hand made of shadows moved toward the tower.
It was a swift movement, despite its massive size.
The shadowy hand passed through Eutenia, who was blocking its path, and approached me.
A gust of wind brushed against my cheek as I faced the black giant.
“El… sir… avoid… it…”
“This is…”
A faint breeze on my cheek.
And then a strong wind that pushed me back.
The voice that reached my ears in the turbulent air faded away.
My body flew to the corner along with the raging wind.
Crash! Craaash!
The sudden blast of wind shook my vision as I looked ahead.
In the shaking sight, I had to watch the laboratory equipment being scattered around.
The unfixed equipment in the laboratory was swirling in the air by the wind.
“Elbon sir!”
“Cough… ugh…”
My body hit the wall hard after being flung away.
Thud.
Blood spilled from my mouth as I hit the wall.
My sight returned for a moment and then blurred again.
The blood must have rushed to my head from what just happened.
I groaned in pain and held my head, trying to regain my senses.
I moved my eyes to find Sigor, who should be somewhere in the laboratory.
“Elbon sir! Snap out of it!”
“A few steps away from where I was thrown.
There was Sigor, who was trying to resist the giant with his cold magic.
He was a master of combat magic, indeed.
But he didn’t look like he could hold on for long.
There was an overwhelming difference in size between him and the giant.
‘The evil god created a monster.’
The girl in front of me was a monster.
She had disabled the tower’s defense magic in a short time, and at the same time, she was pushing back the master-level mage of the tower.
She was a monster born from a combination of innate talent and endless magic power.
I thought she was just a fanatic who served the evil god, but that was a big mistake on my part.
I knew what to call such a being.
An apostle.
She was an apostle of the evil god, sent by him.
She was a sword forged to destroy the human kingdom.
“Why… why are you doing this!”
Sigor saw me spitting blood and shouted at Eutenia.
His cold magic that blocked the giant’s fist was losing its power.
His magic power was gradually running out as he fought Eutenia.
With the tower’s defense system disabled, it was an uneven fight from the start.
The opponent was an agent of the evil god with infinite magic power.
And Sigor was a mage who couldn’t overcome the limits of humans.
Still, he didn’t back down and kept resisting the giant.
Eutenia brushed her hair with her hand and answered Sigor’s scream as he resisted in the laboratory filled with noise.
“That’s because it’s his great will. Didn’t you refuse my offer to take you peacefully?”
“Stop! If you attack like this one more time, Elbon sir will die!”
“Do I need to show mercy to unbelievers? You even refused to take the hostage I worked hard to catch.”
“No matter how much you want Elbon sir, you don’t intend to kill him and take him away!”
Sigor’s argument was reasonable from a human perspective.
But the opponent was not a being that could be measured by human common sense.
Eutenia shook her head at Sigor’s words.
It was a reaction that showed she didn’t need any hesitation at all.
She declared coldly to Sigor with her head down.
“It doesn’t matter if I kill him and take him away. I can just make him an undead anyway.”
“…”
“I guess it’s a pity to see the equipment being destroyed.”
“Stop… right now.”
“But it’s not bad to show some resistance like this. The unbelievers of the empire will know his greatness.”
My eyes saw the giant beyond the broken wall.
The black pupils filled with darkness looked down at me and Sigor.
The giant started to move its fist on the opposite side that it hadn’t stretched out yet.
Sigor’s magic power, which had reached its limit, wouldn’t be able to stop the next attack.
The moment of destruction was coming.
I felt a sense of emptiness as I sensed my end and closed my eyes tightly.
‘…I remember that stupid conversation we had at the bar.’
In the face of impending doom, I recalled my conversation with the priest.
That day, at the bar, he talked about fate.
He said that human rise and fall were determined by fate led by six gods.
It still sounded ridiculous to me now.
If human fate was predetermined, then human effort would be worthless in the end.
It would be nothing but a script for a play that had its beginning and end set.
There would be no value in such a life other than being a toy for the gods.
‘Of all things, it had to be the evil god, not the god of abundance. Really…’
If the future given by the gods was fate, then what was the name for the destruction given by the evil god?
A curse? Or a retribution?
Or a cruel joke by a transcendent being who was after a bait?
If it wasn’t even that,
It was really——a damn fate.
