Chapter 615 - Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint

Even a floating fortress is classified as a castle. If it's a castle, it naturally has means for defense when an enemy invades. This holds true even for the seemingly impregnable floating fortress. The capital of the Magic Union, true to its name, possessed magical defense mechanisms. The five magic towers situated at the points of the pentagram were aimed with enough force to topple mountains. But why that power against us? Why on earth? Lankart responded to my puzzled question. "I was modifying a scroll and ended up on a forbidden trajectory. It's prohibited to fall vertically from a trajectory far higher than the floating fortress." "Hey, you moron. This is your fault!" "Sigh, don't worry. There's some responsibility on my part for this, so I'll handle it." "You're stating the obvious... But how are you going to handle it?" "Well—" Before Lankart could finish speaking, the magic towers began to shine. First, a luminous path extended forward, followed by a violent surge of power along that path. Flames, wind, lightning, steam, and vibrations. Magical beams imbued with different elements were shot forth. The trailing beams stretched across the sky, striking us with force. Magic that can change the battlefield by itself is called tactical-grade magic. And magic that can alter war strategies by itself is termed strategic-grade magic. The five beams fired from the magic towers each held enough power to transform the terrain with just one of them. With the situation in such a precarious state that even moving in the air was difficult. In that razor's-edge moment, Lankart raised his right hand. "The World of Right-handedness." Lankart's unique magic transformed all straight lines into curves. The five beams of light, tracing different paths, diverged and veered off in all directions. It wasn't because they hit something, nor was their direction changed. Rather, it was as if they naturally followed the path they were meant to, forming different curves centered around Lankart, and missing us. Despite the immense power, the result was rather anticlimactic. Sensing the miss, the magic towers adjusted the direction of their beams. Like wielding a giant sword made of light, the beams swung broadly in the sky, aiming to sweep us. Yet, it was the same result. As if surrounded by a transparent glass sphere, everything from light swords to beams grazed past Lankart in a circle. "Pathetic. Simple as that." Ignoring the defense magic of the floating fortress, Lankart descended. It was as though nothing was impeding him. "They just amplified the sheer power without any originality. Might be effective against fools... but against someone like you or me, who can circumvent norms, it's utterly pointless." "Why bring me into this all of a sudden? To me, even that was terrifying enough." Only someone like Lankart, with a unique magic akin to absolute defense, would call it pathetic; otherwise, I would have been reduced to ashes. It's an attack that transcends mere physical force with a magical nature. Even at full capacity, Shei wouldn't bypass it as effortlessly as Lankart did. Gradually, the beams of light diminished. Lankart muttered quietly. "It seems they've decided to stop wasting mana. Still, as expected of mages, they had the sense to quit pointless actions." The floating fortress, realizing the futility of their defensive barrage—or perhaps recognizing Lankart's presence here—ceased their bombardment and relaxed their defensive stance. We plummeted directly toward the now ready and awaiting floating fortress... Wait a moment. "Hold on. We're falling?" We hadn't felt the speed due to hovering in the air, but we were approaching the fortress at an alarming pace. The once-distant massive structures suddenly filled our view. What was once far off now loomed right before us. "We're going to crash!" Just then, right before reaching the floating fortress, a tremendous force enveloped us calmly and without impact. Instead of colliding and shattering at meteor-like speed, we lightly settled atop it, as if stepping onto a mountain summit. "This is... Reverse Gravity?" "An Equilibrium Gravity Field. It applies different gravity according to speed, converging both people and air to the floating fortress. With it, the floating fortress secures both air and people in this lofty sky." "My, what an array of spells." "This is the Magic Union. The country that handles magic better than anywhere else. It’s on a different level than the military nation. Even for someone like you, Hugh, it would take a year of study to master the magic here." Thanks to that, we safely landed on the floating fortress. A legendary floating castle heard of only in tales. Surely, it was mystical, but... It was a bit different from my expectations. A floating fortress, I imagined, would be a majestic castle overlooking the world from the sky, literally floating above. However, the ground was so far below that nothing could be seen. Only endless sky and the clouds spread below us could be observed. Far too distant from the ground, it felt as if we were living in a completely separate world. "...But more importantly. Isn't it okay to just fall like that?" Shei, who had followed behind, asked worriedly. Lankart replied. "Do you feel any odd gravitational pull?" "No. Not that. I mean those beams of light from the magic towers that attacked us earlier." "The floating fortress defense magic? It's nothing significant. Products of convention can't overcome my World of Right-handedness." "That's not the point! Using the defense magic means they intend to exclude us! Even if you broke through the defense magic, if the Federal Defense Forces come to...!" Ah, it's that pattern again. The pattern where Shei warns us of danger too late and then it comes. Feeling the déjà vu, I stepped back and looked around. And, as always, it arrived unfailingly. Swish. Swish. Swish. From the magic towers, figures clad in giant capes began to swoop down like bats. Clutching staffs adorned with jewels, they clung to the walls, aiming their weapons at us. Amidst the glimmer of hundreds of magical auras, a woman in a green dress approached with a stern expression, twirling an umbrella. "Sigh. Lankart Spendry. It's you again, isn't it?" In the floating fortress stand five magic towers. Only the strongest mages, capable of protecting the towers, can become their masters. Thus, the person before us must be one of the five most powerful mages in this floating fortress. "The Green Tower Lord? What brings you here?" "Why do you ask? As a federal investigator, no less?" The Green Tower Lord tapped the ground with her umbrella as she questioned me. "Landing on the floating fortress from an elevation of over Region 7 at an angle greater than 45 degrees is prohibited. It's because they can't distinguish you from meteor fragments falling from space. Consequently, the magic towers also fail to differentiate and end up firing their defense magic." No wonder it seemed overly potent to use against people. The tower's bombardment was meant for intercepting meteors. Do they see them that frequently? That’s fascinating on its own. "It doesn't matter. Defense magic ultimately obeys the rule of the right hand." "It's not just about you being fine, federal investigator. What about the wasted mana? Five Exion of mana is a loss your salary couldn't cover." Even when faced with one of the five tower lords of the floating fortress, Lankart's demeanor remained unchanged. He spoke with a shameless and self-centered air, as if he were the center of the world. "They shouldn't have fired in the first place. It was useless." A vein throbbed on the Green Tower Lord’s forehead. She grimly distorted her face and pressed down hard on her green-brimmed hat. "You... You're acting out without knowing your place just because you were lucky enough to acquire powerful innate magic." "Luck? Is that something for you to say, who reaps the benefits of your own innate magic?" "That's you, Lankart Spendry. For someone like you, who runs wild with the world as if it were your possession, all because of innate magic obtained by chance as a child, it can't be called anything but misfortune." In the floating fortress, the most useless item might be an umbrella. Situated above the clouds, the fortress never sees rain or snow. Unless used for sunshade purposes, which would still be puzzling... Since the residential area of the floating fortress is down below, within the fortress itself. Thus, the umbrella wielded by the Green Tower Lord was closer to a weapon than anything of practical use. "For me, it might not be luck, but for you, it's pure chance. I'm going to teach you a lesson, brat!" The Green Tower Lord opened her umbrella. Sparkling jewels dangled like dewdrops from the pale green tips resembling leaves. The umbrella's ribs, intersecting gemstones of various colors, formed a magic circle of their own. "Emerald Parasol, Set." Mana wove through the jewels. Dozens of the hundreds or thousands of umbrella ribs lit up, forming a singular geometric pattern. This was the essence of white magic using gems as a medium. She pointed the umbrella etched with the magic circle at us while casting an incantation. "Pascal!" The winds at the floating fortress aren't particularly strong. Likely, they've found a way to bind and enclose the thin air. Yet from behind the Green Tower Lord's umbrella, a fierce gust arose. With no place to cling on the floating fortress, a misstep could send us plummeting below. I flattened myself against the surface, using air manipulation to cling to it, while Shei absorbed the wind's flow with a technique. The moment we arrived at the floating fortress, the tower lord attacked. Shei and I shouted in panic. "What the heck? Why are you suddenly attacking us?" Even amidst the tempest, Lankart stood unruffled within his ‘World of Right-handedness,’ tilting his head in confusion. "I'm not sure. Is it jealousy?" "And why would I feel inferior to you? That's ridiculous, brat!" The Green Tower Lord, peeking over the umbrella, snapped furiously. "Lankart. She denies that." "Then there's no reason for her outburst. Especially raising an ineffective wind." Lankart pondered aloud seriously. It seemed apparent why the Green Tower Lord was furious. As much as mages are said to be absorbed in their own world, Lankart was notably self-centered, even for a mage. Someday, someone needs to sort out his attitude. But first, I need to secure my own life. "It might not affect you. But it affects us! Do something!" "There's no point." "What?" "I said there's no point. The unique magic of the Green Tower Lord is beyond my means to break. So there’s no reason to even try." Lankart replied brazenly. "I don't cast meaningless spells like the Green Tower Lord does." "I just intended to teach you a bit of manners…!" And then, Lankart managed to trigger the Green Tower Lord’s switch. Regardless of degree, mages are self-centered. This is because one needs the stubbornness to project their sense of self onto the world to awaken their innate magic. The Green Tower Lord was also one of the most powerful mages in the floating fortress. Thus, equally as tenacious and self-centered. To the extent she'd attack a recently returned federal investigator without hesitation. "Arrogant to the end. Die." At the very last moment, the Green Tower Lord declared with a voice chilled by wrath as the laws of the world reversed. Her innate magic, One-Way Path. The Green Tower Lord's unique magic was simple. She erects an invisible imaginary wall. It's one-directional. It permits passage from this side to the other but blocks anything attempting to go the reversed way. A straightforward yet potent power that fixes all directional flows within a certain space to one side. The true strength of the One-Way Path, though, is not when it is blocking… but when it ceases to block. "Wind Barrier. Release." The Green Tower Lord's umbrella housed an invisible sphere. Only visible within her own mental imagery, it was composed of a one-way wall allowing entry but denying exit. The white-magic-driven wind, unfortunate enough to enter the sphere, found itself trapped by her innate magic. Wind, as the flow of countless gaseous particles, should roam freely. Yet confined under the one-way umbrella, the particles compressed. As they accumulated, piling up more and more, the condensed wind became so concentrated it shone visibly, reaching its limit. Even merely maintaining the condition of the innate magic brought forth a force exceeding that of strategic-grade magic. The Green Tower Lord removed her umbrella. The one-way wall in our direction was lifted. The wind that had been transformed into light was released, rushing to engulf me.