Chapter 40

Chapter 40
Chapter: 40

Chapter Title: Mage Hunt (6)

—

Puuk!

The edge of Mosquito, carved with blood-red runes, sank into the carcass of the defeated bear owl. It thirstily drained the life essence from within and funneled the energy to its wielder.

* Grooo… grooo…

The creature gave its final rasping breath as wisps of vapor drifted from Kadim’s skin. The cramped tunnel was choked with the remains of dozens of beasts that had served as his source of restoration.

Kadim rolled his shoulders. Though exhaustion clung to him, his physical trauma had largely vanished. With his strength returned, he turned back toward the interior.

He reached the core of the stronghold, a chamber shrouded in the darkness of snuffed-out flames. In the center, a massive form lay shattered and broken.

* Kugh, finish it… I beg you, just end my life…

Every sinew in its limbs had been torn apart, with jagged stones wedged into the gaps. A flickering spark of its heart kept it breathing, but it was a prisoner in its own meat, unable to heal or twitch. The ogre let out jagged moans, pleading for the release of death.

Kadim, however, had no desire to be merciful yet.

“From this point on, speak only when I question you, and tell the absolute truth. When I have what I need, I will grant you the peace you seek.”

* Kugh, kuugh…

“Attempt to deceive me or waste my time, and I will ensure your agony lasts an eternity longer with every lie.”

The ogre’s mangled eyes flinched. It had already experienced the horror of Mosquito dragging it back from the brink of oblivion. It understood that this was no idle threat.

Having discarded its mortal shell, there was no returning to its former life. Nor could it hope to best this savage fighter who wielded such unsettling power. Ymir resolved to provide the answers and chase the silence of the grave as swiftly as possible.

Kadim took a seat on a nearby boulder. He scanned the rows of extinguished candles lining the stone walls and initiated the questioning.

“This is quite the temple you’ve built. Why were you herding so many creatures in this place? This goes far beyond a simple plot against the council members.”

* …Kugh, these beasts have inhabited these depths for ages. This was a nesting site for those taken during the old purges… It only became a ‘project’ once I was stationed here.

“A project?”

* Indeed, a scheme to dominate the wills of monsters on a grand scale to forge an undefeatable legion. I was sent here as an overseer to bring that vision to life. Had it succeeded, we would have wiped out the roaming demons and brought the rival councils and the Empire itself to heel… Kugh, but because of your interference, it has all…

“Then what was the purpose of the slaughter? I found chambers overflowing with the dead.”

* …The greater the number of monsters, the more volatile they become. But by harvesting human consciousness through the ‘Soul-Squeezing Chains’ and grafting them into the beasts, the two spirits collide, creating a hollow ego. This vacancy allows for the manipulation of much larger hordes.

“……”

* Kugh, naturally, anomalies like myself—where the human soul completely supplants the monster’s—had to be discarded…

Kadim’s brow furrowed in disgust.

He was not one to claim moral superiority, but this work felt less like the pursuit of knowledge and more like the work of the abyss. The words that followed only confirmed his loathing.

* Kugh, you have ruined a masterpiece… You have rendered the deaths of all those subjects meaningless… They were essential fuel for the progression of the Magic Tower, and you turned their sacrifice into a waste! Even now, their ghosts must be screaming for your blood…

Kadim jammed the edge of his axe between the ogre’s talons and wrenched upward with a sickening snap.

“……Kuooooh! Kuooooh!!”

“I warned you against talking nonsense.”

Enduring immense pain did not make one immune to it. The ogre shuddered violently, falling into a submissive silence.

“Now, return to my previous query. Why employ the ways of demons for your craft? Why use the corruption of demonic energy as your power source instead of mana?”

The ogre recoiled at the mention of ‘demons’ and ‘demonic energy,’ a look of bewilderment crossing its face.

* …Demonic energy? I don’t follow. I have utilized nothing but mana…

“Stop your lying. The ‘mana’ I speak of is the pure essence the spirits wield, the breath of the world. Not this foul, tainted sludge you call power.”

* Spirits… the breath of the world… Ah, are you referring to ‘ancient mana’?

“……What?”

* Kugh, you speak of myths… ‘Ancient mana’ vanished from existence centuries ago. The spirits perished as relics of a forgotten era. In this age, the only way a mage can weave a spell is by anchoring mana stones within their chests and pulling from the core…

The ogre spat out a glob of bloody bile. A look of profound confusion washed over the warrior. He had no way to verify this claim. He had been unable to detect even a trace of mana in the air, then or now.

When Kadim spoke again, there was a slight tremor in his tone.

“Why… how could ‘ancient mana’ simply vanish?”

* Kugh, the true cause is lost to me… Only the Lord of the Tower and the highest elders possess such secrets.

“……”

* But I have heard whispers… tales that a single individual unleashed a ‘grand magic’ so colossal it sucked the world dry of mana in an instant… Kugh, such a feat of ‘grand magic’ sounds like a fairy tale, but…

“[Lies. Melissa channeled countless ‘grand magics’ to strike down archdemons without ever draining the world.]”

The atmosphere in the room turned heavy and cold in a heartbeat.

Kadim’s voice resonated as if coming from a great, hollow depth. It was an abrupt, chilling shift in his very essence. The ogre’s face contorted in sudden alarm.

* What? Kugh… what are you talking about…

“[That deceptive tongue again. I believe I told you to stop with the falsehoods.]”

An icy shiver raced down the creature’s spine. It strained its neck to look at the man and saw his eyes burning with a terrifying, supernatural red glow. A primal horror began to consume Ymir’s mind.

* Me-Melissa? The First Tower Lord? Kugh, why would you speak of her…

“[Melissa held a hatred for demons deeper than any. To see her heirs using demonic filth to fuel their arts… well, it was a contradiction that never sat right with me.]”

* What are these ramblings? I have spoken only truth! P-Please, keep your word and end this pain…

“[Silence, demon. Your games are over. I shall rend your form to dust and consume every drop of your lifeblood.]”

Reason had fled. The shadow looming over the ogre gripped its axe and drew near with a solemn, terrifying focus. Ymir’s hope for a quick end evaporated, replaced by a paralyzing dread of this possessed barbarian.

* Kugh, kuugh, kuugh!!

It struggled to pull away, but it was anchored. The stones embedded in its wounds only ground deeper into the bone.

Sss – kkach!

* Quoohaah!!

At last, the heavy axe blade tore through the ogre’s neck.

The berserker didn’t stop, hacking repeatedly at the flesh as it tried to knit back together. He shredded the throat to ribbons, reached in to tear out the windpipe, and crushed it in his grip. The ogre’s eyes turned bloodshot and bulged. Its massive frame thrashed, sending tremors through the very foundations of the fortress.

* Quok, quoohaah!

Kuung, kuung, kuuguugu…

Chijak, kwaduk, chii – kkach!

The blade bit deeper and wider. Thick vessels were severed, and a torrent of dark blood sprayed outward. Watching the fountain of gore, Kadim’s expression grew increasingly feral.

He licked the spray from his knuckles. This was a rare opportunity to taste the blood of a demon-touched being. He didn’t stop at a taste; he leaned in, biting directly into the open artery to drink. Once the thirst took hold, he became a whirlwind of teeth, nails, and steel.

Blood coated his eyes, turning his world into a blur of crimson. Every sense was drowned in the metallic tang as he drank with a frantic hunger. Even as he gorged, the void inside him felt unfillable. More, he needed more…

* Kuooo…

It was only when the ogre finally became a cold, motionless heap that Kadim came back to himself.

“……”

This hadn’t been a true demon. Simply a beast possessed by a mage’s spirit.

The final candle died out, leaving the room in a heavy silence. Kadim used his sleeve to wipe the gore from his chin. He looked up into the suffocating dark, his gaze piercing.

‘Even without the blood of a Hydra… it takes hold like this.’

The remnants of the blood-frenzy lingered in his mind like a persistent rot.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
The magnificent city of Vesta, the crown jewel of the Free City Alliance.

On paper, the head of the council held the reins of power. However, every citizen—from the youngest child to the eldest statesman, and even the chairman himself—recognized the reality. The true ruler resided elsewhere.

He was the master of the gleaming white spire that pierced the clouds.

“……”

The chairman strained his thick neck to look up at the towering Magic Tower. Swallowing hard against his nerves, he waited until the massive doors swung open and a young mage stepped out.

She greeted him with a soft, practiced tone.

“Welcome, Chairman. Please, follow me.”

“Yes, my thanks…”

Wung –

The moment he crossed the threshold, the world blurred, and the girl disappeared. He found himself standing in a somber hallway where the air felt thick enough to choke on.

“……”

Torches flared to life, illuminating the way. At the end of the hall stood a massive stone portal etched with glowing sigils and complex geometric patterns.

Though he had made this journey before, the tension never eased. He walked forward, and the stone groaned open, revealing the apex of the tower.

“Enter, Chairman. Take a seat.”

Shifting colors danced in the air, and the walls were as clear as glass, showing a panoramic view of the world above the clouds. The voice that spoke carried an unnatural weight.

A figure draped in a heavy white robe, face obscured by a hood, sat upon a shimmering chair. He spoke with the familiarity of a master to a servant, and the chairman accepted it without a word.

“It has been some time, Tower Lord. I trust you are in good health?”

“I have many burdens. That is why I sent for you.”

“……”

“I will be brief. There has been a catastrophe at the hidden fort near Remtana. The entire stock of monsters has been wiped out, and Ymir Demil is almost certainly deceased.”

“What? How can that…”

The chairman’s eyes went wide with shock.

Ymir was among the elite mages of their order. He was a force to be reckoned with on his own, and his recent breakthroughs in beast-binding had made him a vital asset. Who possessed the strength to bring him down?

“No organization in Remtana has that kind of power… Was it a high-ranking demon? Or perhaps the Holy Knights of the Empire or the ‘Decagram’ crossed the frontier…?”

“None of the above. I have yet to identify the culprit. It is possible Deluta or Galenta unleashed some hidden champion. I had great expectations for Ymir… it is a pity.”

The Tower Lord ran a hand over the glowing orb on his desk.

The ‘Eye of Callisto.’ An artifact that allowed one to watch the world from afar, though its vision faded with distance and it required long periods of rest between uses.

The Tower Lord’s voice grew stern.

“A new threat has emerged, and we have taken a significant hit. Therefore, I must expand our capabilities. Double the council’s contribution for the next cycle and harvest every demon specimen possible. We are surrounded by enemies—demons, the Church, and rival cities alike.”

“……I understand. I will handle the council and send the orders to the outlying districts.”

The city already gave nearly everything to the tower, but the chairman had no choice. He remembered the fate of those who had dared to say no. It was safer to comply and look for profit elsewhere.

“However… Tower Lord. The demon activity on the ‘Golden Highway’ is strangling our trade. If I may, perhaps you could send more mages to clear the path…?”

“Have I not already deployed numerous Invokers? Do not mistake my intent—the Golden Highway is a shared road. I will not squander Conjurers on a task that other cities will eventually be forced to deal with if we wait.”

“……”

Recently, the highway connecting the alliance had become a hunting ground for demons. The reports were grim.

‘They say greater demons with twin horns are appearing in packs… The local guards won’t stand a chance…’

The chairman kept his thoughts to himself. The reports came from a traumatized scout; they might be exaggerated. Bringing up unconfirmed fears could be a death sentence.

But the constant subjugation grated on his pride. He decided to touch upon a subject he knew the Tower Lord detested.

“I see. It is simply a shame we are so short-handed. If a legend like the ‘First Tower Lord’ were still with us, your path would be much easier…”

“……”

The chairman stole a glance at the hooded figure. The Tower Lord’s eyes narrowed.

“The First Tower Lord is a ghost of the past. Did you not see her resting place in the foundations of this very tower?”

“Of course, Tower Lord. It is just that there are whispers coming from the great southern forests…”

“Have you forgotten your place, Chairman?”

“……”

The voice was like a blade of ice. A spectral light flared beneath the hood.

“Keep this in mind. You keep your position because you act like a loyal, silent beast—a dog that knows when to bow. Do not let your ambition cloud your judgment. Do your job, Conrad.”

“……”

Hearing his common name used so dismissively, the chairman bowed his head like a beaten animal. The Tower Lord watched him for a moment before snapping his fingers. In a burst of light, the chairman was teleported out of the spire.

In the sudden quiet, the Tower Lord stood like a sentinel watching the end of an era. He weighed his thoughts, then rose to pace across the transparent floor, looking out toward the distant south. He spoke in a low, bitter whisper.

“Give up this futile vigil. The one you wait for is never coming back, Melissa…”