Book Eater

Chapter 354: Pandemonium (1)

The collapse of the Central Empire!

The people of the East Continent were unsure of the situation, but Theo could see it. The Central Empire was literally the greatest empire in the East Continent. Even if all four of the other kingdoms united, it would still be an uphill battle. The empire accounted for more than half of the East Continent, and also had a vast number of troops and a dense population. Moreover, the heart of the empire held the existence known as Lust.

It was too strong a country to collapse without any precursors.

“... The two Tower Masters left one last message before contact was cut off. They said they were going into a defensive battle with the local forces. It seems they are unsure of what type of force they are fighting and how many there are,” Orta’s lips moved under the white mask he always wore.

He believed in the abilities of the two Tower Masters. However, if there was no contact, something may have occurred. Theo had a similar theory in mind.

The local forces must mean the Fairy Dance Lee family. If the two Tower Masters fight with the Fairy Dance Lee family in the Baekun Mountains, they won’t fall easily.

However, there were too many variables to believe in just their power alone. He was still concerned about the Central Empire that was stuck in the palm of Lust’s hand. Theo had met and fought with grimoires a number of times, so he was very wary. A grimoire wouldn’t do anything that would violate the purpose of its existence. If Lust’s purpose was to be the ultimate womb, then the collapse of the kingdom was likely to be something she engineered.

He was reminded of the evil shamanic ritual, the Receptacle of Solitude, where the seven-tailed fox had formed from eating off the rejects. Although it seemed ridiculous, Theo had already seen an entire country sacrificed to a dragon. What would happen if an empire ten times bigger than Lairon was devoured?

“I need to hurry,” Theo muttered.

Orta nodded. He hadn’t just been twiddling his thumbs waiting for Theo to return, after all. “Yes, I gathered just enough people that it won’t exceed the limit of the space gate. Combat ability isn’t the only thing needed. Personnel to secure the area and make a base is necessary.”

"That’s a good judgment,” Theo agreed and added, “I’ll leave the command of the support team to you.”

“Huh?”

He had anticipated that the Chief Tower Master would act alone since he was on a different level of strength. A magician with the power to overcome armies by himself shouldn’t be tied down as a commander.

However, Orta intuitively sensed that this wasn’t what Theo meant. “Chief Tower Master, do you intend to leave for the East Continent one step ahead of the support team? You just came back, and the space gate needs two more days.”

Theo shook his head. “It’s okay. The space gate is just for assistance. The standby time isn’t a problem if I use my magic power.”

“No, please reconsider,” Orta spoke with a more cautious expression than usual. “Chief Tower Master, I don’t doubt your ability, but the East Continent is currently in a state where I can’t see what’s ahead. I think it is better to go with the support team rather than hastening the schedule and consuming a lot of magic power.”

“I understand your opinion. It’s a good decision.” Theo smiled; he would’ve made the same judgment as Orta a few days ago.

The identity of the enemy was a mystery, and the status of the empire was unknown. Unnecessary consumption of magic power should be avoided in a situation where there were several undetermined variables. However, after becoming a transcendent, Theo didn’t have to worry about that.

“It can’t be helped.” He didn’t intend to brag about it, but this method was the best way to convince Orta.

As Orta waited for his answer, Theo finally revealed some of his strength. He had a decent sense of it when he reached the limit of the 8th Circle, and he grasped it fully after reaching the 9th Circle. It was the power to move the world itself to his will, World Order. Theo closed his eyes, raised his right hand like he was swearing an oath, and pressed down using the power of a transcendent.

People who could only see the hollow shell of the world wouldn’t see it. The general public might not be able to feel it, but countless invisible currents existed in the world. Knights who trained their body and senses to the extreme or magicians who turned their hearts into cogwheels could trace the barest edge of the boundary.

“... Heoook!”

Orta had been born without sight, so he was more sensitive to the invisible flow of power than anyone else. Theo’s will stopped the world around him. Only time flowed leisurely, while everything else stopped like it was frozen. No, he could even stop time if he wanted to.

Orta was astonished. “C-Chief Tower Master! Surely… Surely you haven’t?”

A magician couldn’t not know. It wasn’t reasonable to interfere with the will of the world and force it to move. The only ones who could were known as transcendents. If they knew enough a transcendent could interfere with the structure of any material and reverse any physical phenomenon.

Theo just grinned. “Is there anything else?”

Naturally, there wasn’t.

***

After Theo convinced Orta using an atypically violent logic, he instantly returned to the research building. It was a simple feat for Theo who could cross continents with a single space transfer.

Aquilo took one look at Theo’s expression and asked, “You came back faster than I thought. Is it something urgent?”

He ignored her question and changed the topic, “Will you follow me to the East Continent?”

Aquilo smirked. “Of course. How can a young dragon like me defy the lord’s order? Isn’t it nice to take me to a place I’ve been before?”

Theo rolled his eyes. “Nice... Well, it doesn’t seem like you will be a burden.”

Aquilo hadn’t been much help against Sloth, but she was a dragon who could fight equally with three masters. Veronica had more combat power, but Aquilo was probably more evenly balanced. Moreover, dragons were revered in the Central Empire, there were no downsides to taking her.

He looked at the pros and cons and reluctantly said, “... On the condition that you follow my words well.”

“Call!” Aquilo didn’t hesitate to raise her index finger and laughed as she approached Theo. Her eyes were shining and playful. “It is quite funny when thinking about it. Boy, what do you feel when I say I will absolutely obey you?”

Theo kept his voice even. “It isn’t an official contract, so don’t exaggerate.”

“Hoh, really? I can listen to whatever you say...” Aquilo’s thin white fingers danced up his forearms, and her coquettish eyes gleamed brightly.

However, Theo didn’t fall for her temptation, poking the middle of her forehead. “Don’t do this.”

“Tch.” Aquilo was pushed back by his decisive attitude and changed the subject. She understood that there was no chance in this atmosphere. The boy had changed over the last five years. “But boy, are you only taking me? The knight or high elf will be helpful.”

Theo shook his head. “Oh, I won’t take Randolph and Titania with us.”

“Why?” Aquilo looked bewildered.

However, Theo shrugged without answering. After all, the two had a right to their privacy. Titania had met the teacher she had waited to see for over a hundred years and left without being able to have a proper conversation. Meanwhile, Randolph had multiple wounds and was still recovering. It would be much easier to move with Aquilo than to take those two.

He simply said, “Well, they won’t be able to do anything.”

It was cold but true. If the situation couldn’t be solved with Theo, who was a transcendent, then it wouldn’t be meaningless to take Randolph and Titania. Aquilo stood beside him silently as he reached out to the space gate connected to the East Continent.

“Geotia, activate the space door.”’

A blue light appeared around the edges of the space gate.

[The space gate leading to the Baekun Mountains has been confirmed. The magic power storage container is at 55%.]

“Use my magic power to cover the rest.”

[Yes, I will do it according to Master’s will.]

Once the ring on his finger stopped flashing, Theo’s magic power started to flow somewhere. An enormous amount of magic power, an amount that even three 7th Circle magicians weren’t capable of, poured out. An 8th Circle magician might be exhausted for a while, but a 9th Circle magician could recover in a few breaths.

Geotia’s voice rang out.

[Warp Gate 3, move!]

A radiant light burst from the space door. The emptiness gradually distorted, and revealed a completely different scene than the research laboratory’s wall. The dense forest of the Baekun Mountains, located in the northeastern part of the East Continent that had been managed by the Fairy Dance Lee family for generations. gleamed in the moonlight.

It was the dark of night, unlike Manavil where the sun was still rising.

“Let’s go.”

Theo held Aquilo’s hand without waiting for an answer and plunged into the space gate. The amount of mana consumed every second to operate the space door, which spanned across the sea to the East Continent, was enough to kill three or four elder grade magicians.

Wuooooong...!?

It took only a few seconds, but this space gate was crossing over three thousand kilometers. Of course, the intensity of this space transfer was beyond imagination. Once the two shadows appeared on the other side, Aquilo let out a breath and started vomiting.

“Haaap! Hah! Hah!”

She soon rebuked him with watery eyes, “B-Boy...! T-There, i-is, t-this, side, effect...!”

“I’m sorry, I had forgotten.”

Transcendence spared Theo from space nausea, so he smiled gently as he supported her. He placed his palm on Aquilo’s forehead, and light gushed out, calming her dizziness. When they looked around, they both frowned.

“What is this mana? Didn’t you say this was sacred land?”

As a dragon, Aquilo was more sensitive to mana than any other species in the material world, and her expression was stiff. Even a battlefield would be better than this place. They could feel mana filled with blood and death flowing over the earth, while the malice in the wind pricked their skin. It wouldn’t be strange if some creature emerged right now. If this was the first time Theo had stepped foot here, he wouldn’t have known it was the Baekun Mountains.

There is something wrong. This type of poison in the Baekun Mountains-!’

.

Once he looked closely, he found that every single piece of vegetation was affected. The green leaves were black as oil, and branches hung down like ailing chickens. This was at the level of a child compared to the poisonous swamp, but the problem was that it shouldn’t be occurring at all. Why had the mountain range which had been filled with clean energy a year ago suddenly become rotten?

“Yes.”

“Ah.”

At that time, something touched Theo and Aquilo’s senses.

“We’re surrounded...?”

Surrounded… It was likely that there was a large number of creatures in the area. Theo tried to count them all, but stopped once the count crossed a thousand. The creatures were different from humans and beasts, and they soon started to reveal themselves.

Grrr! Grrrrrr! Gruruk. Kuwoooook... Kikikikikik! Kihihihi!

Theo regretted waiting for them to reveal themselves.

Damn, these disgusting guys.

If one imagined a human and a beast mutated together; it was a picture that could be mistaken for black magic. Pride could reproduce the characteristics of all creatures in one body, and it was quite ugly. However, the monsters that had just appeared were much worse.

Aquilo flinched at the sight. “Ugh, my eyes are rotting! Boy, is it okay for me to wipe them all out?”

“... No.” Theo restrained the disgusted Aquilo, blocking her vision as he raised his right hand. “Leave it to me.”

When he brought his hand down again, the grotesque scene was little more than splatter.