Chapter 250 - Infinite Mage

“Well. As far as I know, their world doesn't operate with such liberality. Anyway, you're playing the role of the Grand Witch in the magic society, aren’t you?” “So, you're not giving up on the excavation? You can't escape anyway.” Arius pretended to blow non-existent earwax from his ear. “Why would I need to escape? As I’ve said before, you don’t have the authority to arrest me. No, never mind. This isn't the time to argue about that.” Arius pointed to the statue, introducing it as if it were his own. “What do you think? The Archangel of Amplification, Ikhael. Of her powers, Ataraxia is known to be the most powerful superpower amplification array. As expected, but who would have thought it’d be this beautiful?” “Do you think I'll just let you take it?” Zion said, lifting his chin. “Of course, I must take it. Do you know how much this is worth? From now on, the owner of Ataraxia is me.” “You vile creature! Someone like you doesn’t deserve to live!” Amy, her eyes blazing, charged forward. At that moment, the vision warped and the distance seemed to grow. When he regained his senses, Armin was standing next to him. It was flicker magic. “Why are you hesitating? We must catch Arius quickly.” Armin cast Wind Cutter. A wind in the shape of a shuriken shattered with a clang halfway. Thin electricity spread out right-angle from the point of impact. “It’s a mental wave barrier. Divers call it ‘String Game.’ It’s woven with Shirone's psi into the form of a barrier.” Arius clapped his hands with a delighted expression. “You’re indeed knowledgeable. The title of Perennial Contemplator isn’t just for show. Correct. While you were slowly crawling like turtles, I played a little with Shirone's mind.” Secrets of the Abyss (4) Amy, her face aflame with fury, shouted. “You wretch! Using the master's belonging to build a barricade? If you’re a wizard, fight fair! Are you scared of losing to me?” “Haha! Is there really a need, when the disparity in skill is so immense? Moreover, Armin, I know you’re not in your normal state.” Arius touched the statue. “The rehearsal is over. I wanted to wait for all of you before the main event so we could share this historic moment. It’ll be a spectacle rarely seen, so please enjoy it.” As he cast the Scale Magic Resizing, the 8-meter Ataraxia statue shrank to a size similar to a chess piece. With the archangel's statue turned into a figurine, Zion's eyes sparkled. At that size, it could easily fit in a pocket, making it effortless to wield Ataraxia at any time. “Hmm, this will do nicely. Now then...” “You rogue! That belongs to Shirone! If you so much as touch it, I won't let you go!” Seeing Amy trembling with anger exhilarated Zion. “Haha! What can you do about it? There's nothing you can do anyway. Just watch as Ataraxia becomes mine.” Arius grabbed the archangel's figurine, raising his torso with a hoot. But for some reason, it wouldn’t budge. Even as his face turned red with exertion, he couldn't manage to lift it. “...” Arius stepped back and released the figurine. And as he looked at everyone focusing on him, he broke into a sheepish laugh. “Hahahaha!” Why wouldn’t it move? Resizing reduces spatial scale, not mass. To a human, a small pebble is a massive boulder to an ant. ‘Yet still, it won't lift. Mass beyond dimensional constraints? No, there can't be a dimension that exceeds Scale Magic. Then what is the problem?’ Unable to take it any longer, Zion pushed Arius aside and took his place. “Move. What’s so difficult about this?” Arius let Zion have a go. While he might have the strength of a child, Armand could channel power akin to a schema. “Really, these wizards...” Zion clicked his tongue and bent over. Gripping the archangel's figurine with one hand, he clutched his wrist with the other, triggering Armand's immediate response. -Muscle strengthening system activating. Increasing energy metabolism rate. Augmenting muscle fibers. Actuating joint flexibility. Enhancing ligament tensile strength. Re-calibrating force focal point. “Ughhhh!” Holding Ataraxia, Zion straightened his back, surprised by the overwhelming weight. But aided by Armand’s muscle enhancement program, he brimmed with strength. He felt he could even move a house-sized boulder. He straightened his bent knees, pulling his upper body up. Finally, the archangel's figurine began to lift off the ground by a finger-width. “We can’t allow this! We must go in and retrieve it somehow!” Amy shouted, but Armin only observed Zion’s actions. As a Scale Mage, he knew. Ataraxia wasn't heavy; some other rule aside from mass was at work. ‘What is happening?’ Zion succeeded in raising Ataraxia to his waist. “Got it! This is now mine...!” Suddenly, a metallic shriek echoed and the surroundings were stained red. The peaceful temple's atmosphere shifted to one of dire tension. When the archangel's figurine unleashed a shockwave, Zion and Arius were flung to the walls. In contrast, Armin's group remained unharmed, having the mental wave barrier absorb the impact. Zion, using Armand’s strength, regained his footing. As his stubbornness surged, intending to once again claim Ataraxia, Arius, leaning against the wall, shouted out. “Don’t! Stay away!” As a magic circle engraved itself on the floor, a veil of light surged around, enveloping the figurine. The surface of the veil began to rapidly inscribe itself with ancient celestial script. “We need to retrieve Ataraxia quickly!” Reina, readying her bow, moved to charge. However, Armin extended an arm, stopping her advance. “Wait! That’s a sealing array.” If alchemy had advanced magic through engineering, the sealing array was the result of advancing magic spiritually. While wizards don’t acknowledge a dichotomy of good and evil, the religious community has trapped numerous entities they define as evil within sealing arrays. Arius immediately recognized this as a process of unsealing and grew tense. ‘How is there a sealing array embedded in Shirone’s consciousness?’ It’s impossible to etch something without a trace into the subconscious in the womb. Even with possession, there should still be something like a statue, just like Ataraxia. Perhaps it was a mutation that occurred when Shirone was an embryo. Yet the probability of a logically composed sealing array manifesting at the first level of the mind was lower than the chance of wind-blown parts self-assembling into a carriage. The process completed as golden ancient script climbed the light curtain. As the programming dissolved, a message appeared in the center of the cylinder. Arius quickly interpreted the heavenly language. ‘Ra Hadamah Judran Arab, Ya Ahud Min Al-Faud. Oh Lord of Chaos, break down the walls of the boundary. Whatever it is, it’s not going to be something cute, is it?’ A new phrase appeared under the passage. Given the nature of a sealing array, it must include the sealer’s signature. This is akin to exorcists declaring, 'In the name of so-and-so, I command you.' This was also proof that Shirone's security mechanism was an artificial construction. “What…?” Armin and Arius, both capable of reading ancient text, froze in shock. As if written by a human hand, the slowly drawn line of light placed a period next to the designer’s name. The name of the lost was inscribed there. McLain Guffin Master of the Incarnate (1) ‘Impossible! Impossible! Impossible!’ Arius's mind raced at an unprecedented speed. It was an emotion composed of 80% excitement, 19% fear, and 1% disbelief. The sealing array designed by Guffin is evidently a security device to prevent the excavation of subconscious thoughts. Otherwise, it cannot explain why it remained silent until now. ‘But why… why?’ The first level pertains to the domain of genetic makeup. Could Guffin’s relic truly be hidden in such a place? Guffin's results ceased 18 years ago. When, then, was the sealing array established? Arius recalled Shirone’s age. ‘Eighteen. But what eighteen? Pre-reset? Post-reset?’ There’s no way to know. Yet Arius felt a thought akin to blind faith. ‘Could it be the reset point?’ The fissure verification experiment demonstrates discrepancies in time and energy. Though merely momentary, this causes the universe to face upheaval. There’s no certainty Shirone was born of the rupture. No probability or evidence supports this. Yet Arius was seized with a compelling conviction. If Guffin truly designed the security mechanism, no living wizard could dismantle it. But why wasn’t it installed at the eleventh level, where the external interference is most prevalent? ‘Because there was no other choice.’ It may have been installed while Shirone was a fetus or even an embryo. ‘Was excavation impossible from the start?’ No diver, including Arius, could penetrate Guffin's sealing array. But he hadn’t given up hope yet. ‘It all depends on what emerges.’ The being trapped in the sealing array began to surface above the magical circle. It resembled a rhinoceros, with skin of ashen grey, covered in rough humps impervious to blades. Its seven eyes—one central, three on each side—stared out. As its legs broke free from the sealing array, the creature braced itself on the ground. When it hoisted up its other leg and pulled out its body, the temple floor crumbled, causing it to spill downwards. Estimating its size based solely on its face was a mistake. Its body was a hundred times larger than its head. Its belly was ominously bloated, with thousands of lightning-shaped horns sprouting from its back. It was as if the fury of the egoist from the seventh level had manifested in reality. “Damn it!” Arius cursed as he distanced himself. The Demon King Behemoth. It was the king of beasts that had reigned long before human history. ‘As much as I like antiques, how ancient is this thing?’ Behemoth is a creature that even appears in the creation myths, in realms as divine as heaven. This is why it is called a Demon King, with even powerful maras bowing to it. Upon awakening from its long slumber, Behemoth stood still for a moment, then twisted its head as if stretching, looking down at the crowd with its seven eyes. “Foolish humans, as per the seal’s contract, you shall be destroyed.” Behemoth issued the command of annihilation, causing electricity to swell at each tip of the horns protruding from its back. Face after face blanched at the sight of the thousands of illuminating lightning bolts. “Damn! We need to get out.” Arius exited immediately after opening the door. Meanwhile, Zion cast a longing glance at the archangel’s figurine. But as soon as he diverted his gaze to Behemoth’s electrifying presence, as if it would incinerate space itself, he involuntarily let out a scream and dashed toward the door. “We must evacuate too! Follow me!” Armin shouted to the two women. This time, there was no need for deliberation. A demon king corresponds to a double S-class entity by magic society’s standards. This translates mathematically to the power of 370 9th-rank combat mages. Practically speaking, it requires the cooperation of a minimum of 20 6th-rank wizards, assuming they know the method of engagement. Moreover, due to the various variables influenced by attributes and combinations during combat, a force at least 1.8 times the standard is required for a stable subjugation. In short, with the current party, it wasn’t just claws—they wouldn’t make a dent, not even a scratch. Without a moment to spare, Amy and Reina threw themselves through the door, and Armin quickly followed with flicker magic. Thousands of lightning bolts entwined in chains of charge, forming an electric field akin to a spider’s web. As the bolts exceeded the saturation point, they spread in all directions, scorching the space around them. The accumulated energy caused the door to burst with a loud bang before it dissipated. *** Armin’s group was launched out of the door as if fired from a cannon. Amy and Reina rolled across the ground, while only Armin managed to land with some semblance of balance. "Are you alright?" Amy coughed repeatedly. "Suddenly, I couldn’t breathe. *Cough*!" As soon as they plunged through the door, a powerful heat wave lashed out from Shirone's mental world. Had they delayed their exit, they would’ve been roasted by Behemoth’s bolts. Arius had already fled, leaving only Zion behind. However, he appeared overwhelmed, taking no action even upon seeing Armin and the others. Amy looked up at Shirone, who was suspended upside-down like a spider in its web. Though the temporal field hadn’t dissolved yet, they couldn’t persist in this state for long. Eventually, the field would have to be dispelled, and no one could predict what would happen next. "It looks like Shirone’s veins are already cut. What should we do?" "What did you imprint on Shirone’s consciousness?" Amy shook her head desperately. "I couldn’t think of anything, so I ended up writing ‘Shirone.’" "Good job. When you can't devise a concrete strategy, something abstract might actually be more beneficial. We can utilize Shirone's consciousness. We’re going to lift the temporal field now. Be ready." "But…!" Amy wasn’t mentally prepared. Though altering the flow of consciousness could lead Shirone to instinctively find a solution, failure would mean Shirone’s neck would be severed in the next instant. Master of the Incarnate (2) "We can’t delay any longer. We have to give Shirone at least a little more wiggle room. The strangling force is continuously tightening. Dragging this out will only worsen the situation." Amy wanted to argue, but forcibly swallowed her words. Armin was right. If it’s inevitable, they might as well gamble on the side with a slightly higher chance of success. "Worry about Shirone, but we still need to pursue Arius. We must reclaim the timeline used on Shirone. I'll give you three seconds. If no other solution emerges, the temporal field will be lifted." A mental timer began ticking in Amy and Reina’s minds. One second, two seconds… no solution emerged. As the third second approached, they resigned themselves to fate. Though it felt like coercion, they were mentally braced for reality when the temporal field evaporated. ‘Good luck, Shirone…’ Armin retrieved the timeline and swiftly vanished from the food storage using flicker magic. If Arius escaped, he’d expose that the agreement had been breached, potentially sparking international conflict matching the scale of the Ataraxia issue. Unaware of Armin’s disappearance, Amy and Reina’s attention was riveted to Shirone’s next predicament. A flash of light surged from Shirone’s body, just as life seemed to return to Xenoger’s face. A narrow beam of intense light exploded outward, sending Xenoger hurtling away. By intensifying the beam’s density, it delivered a blow akin to a physical barrier, as if Xenoger had been struck by a speeding carriage. Yet he couldn’t comprehend what had happened.