Nastiorn explained the current situation to the parasite. For some unknown reason, the factions within the Theistic Order had united and begun a pursuit.
「So, he really is a demigod after all!」
The parasite boldly proclaimed this. To Nastiorn, it seemed practically impossible, and it was something he hoped would never come true. Yet, every circumstance pointed to Ortes being an incarnated demigod.
But logically, Nastiorn believed that the arrival of a demigod was impossible.
He himself, sitting in his place, could not predict the birth of a demigod by seeing thousands of miles away or piercing through the divine workings beyond dimensions.
However, the Ten Towers could.
Among the groups dividing Panoptes, the eyes and ears of the Ten Towers, were the Eidolrons, weren’t they? They were the watchers of celestial omens.
If a demigod had descended, the Ten Towers would already be in emergency mode, having resolved to eliminate the demigod with their vast power before they could wield any strength.
All signs pointed to him being a demigod, yet the group that should have reacted fastest to a demigod’s appearance remained inactive.
Nastiorn confided these worries to the parasite, his temporary ally.
「What does it matter if Ortes is actually a demigod or not?」
「What do you mean?」
「Haven’t I been saying all along that even assuming he’s not a demigod, he poses an equivalent threat? Is there a difference in danger between a demigod and someone who isn’t but can do everything a demigod can?」
‘This parasite is right. Whether he’s truly a demigod or not, if he can do everything a demigod can, what’s the difference?’
In fact, there was a difference.
The fact that the Ten Towers hadn’t detected him.
A being that possessed the powers of a demigod yet wasn’t one, making them undetectable by the Ten Towers.
This was an even greater threat than an actual demigod.
‘The best card we can play right now is still the false god.’
The limits of the false god depend on the performance of the core inhabited by the parasite.
For attempting metamorphosis, something with a transcendent magic storage capacity like the Proper Tower’s magic core would suffice. However, for perfect metamorphosis, a physical body with overwhelming magical talent, akin to Carisia, would be required.
Of course, Nastiorn couldn’t prepare the “perfect vessel” mentioned by the mental parasite. If what the parasite called the perfect vessel was what the Argeyirion officers referred to as another great adversary, then such a body would only exist once in this era.
Instead, Nastiorn decided to provide an enhanced material for the magic core.
Just as Ortes had fused the Thunder Giant with silver worms to create the Thunder Lord, so too had Argeyirion researched the use of silver worms.
Thus, they created a fusion of the magic core and silver worms. This unnamed artifact might not achieve transcendence through the body of a supreme mage but would surely result in a far more powerful existence compared to ordinary metamorphosis using a magic core.
Satisfied with Nastiorn’s explanation, the mental parasite accepted the synthesized magic core willingly.
「…But there is a problem.」
At this very moment, the hunters of the sects were searching every corner of Algus City for the parasite’s host body. The number of hosts they had destroyed had long since exceeded double digits.
Attempting metamorphosis would naturally leave the parasite vulnerable. Of course, even in its cocoon state, it could still cast spells, and the shell’s durability would surpass most metals…
「Our opponent is the Theistic Order. Not the impoverished and meager sects of recent times, but ones that lavish resources like water.」
If the shell were stronger than steel, they would summon the priests of Polyphron, the smithing god, to melt it down.
If it burrowed underground, the priestesses of Kidaria, the earth goddess, would be waiting.
Even if all possible methods were used to block tracking…
Then the Priests of Phobos would intervene. Using the extremes of revelation and prophecy, they would uncover the parasite.
Such a sect, wielding divine power without restraint, was a cruel adversary indeed.
Nastiorn pondered deeply. To ensure the parasite’s safe metamorphosis, they needed to physically distance themselves from Algus City, ensuring the transformation was complete before the trackers arrived.
But this method also had problems.
The biggest issue was timing. If the trackers arrived just as the metamorphosis was completed, the farther the distance, the longer the necessary travel time.
During the time spent returning to Algus City with the false god, Ortes would seize Amimone Magic Tower unimpeded.
Using spatial magic could reduce the travel time to almost zero.
But the Ten Towers were the problem.
Algus City, chosen as the stage for the Magic Tower Master election, was under the supervision of the Ten Towers’ overseers. While the Theistic Order could conceal traces of divine power with their unique techniques, spatial magic had to evade not only the overseers but other surveillance networks as well.
Amimone Magic Tower itself.
The original duty of a magic tower was to prevent extraplanar descents. The magic core of Amimone Magic Tower, operating autonomously without a master, was undoubtedly prepared to sound an alarm upon detecting any spatial distortion. Once the overseers heard the core’s alarm, they would immediately request reinforcements from the Ten Towers.
Nastiorn slowly reviewed the issues.
To hinder Ortes—and the Theistic Order under him—they needed the false god’s metamorphosis.
However, to achieve metamorphosis, they had to hinder Ortes.
It was a paradoxical cycle.
An impossible deadlock.
「…Wait.」
The Ten Towers.
Yes.
Why were the Ten Towers only adversaries of Argeyirion?
An anonymous denunciation flew into the management department overseeing the Amimone Magic Tower Master selection.
It exposed a suspected heretical group secretly using sacred artifacts.
Of course, Hydra Corp’s name was prominently featured in the list.
However, the expected effect did not materialize.
“What the hell…”
Nastiorn’s shadow body seethed. He had used one of the most sensitive heresy cases the Ten Towers were currently reacting to.
His list blended truth and falsehood. It was crafted so it couldn’t be dismissed as entirely fake. The scheme initially seemed effective; a few Magic Tower Master candidates were detained, and some backers hastily tried to flee.
But Ortes of Hydra Corp, the one Nastiorn targeted, got off with merely a cursory investigation. Despite clearly colluding with the Theistic Order!
‘Did they anticipate and prepare for this move…?’
But how?
To know about and preempt a plan devised spontaneously—had a new prophet appeared in the Phobos Sect?
There had been a significant change in the Theistic Order. Nastiorn feared what this shift meant.
Unexpected mud was thrown into the Magic Tower Master selection. Allegations of ties to heretical groups were raised against participants and their sponsors alike.
But I wasn’t worried.
Hydra Corp had already completed its purity inspection. It happened around the time I asked Lampades to find Cnemon. Our company had undergone an audit long ago.
Only Carisia, summoned as a representative, found it slightly bothersome.
However…
“You’ve put some thought into this.”
This “heretical group investigation” held little significance for Hydra Corp. We’d already been pre-verified.
But the issue was that the Ten Towers had mobilized many members of Panoptes for purity inspections—essentially ideological police.
“Though we’ve been discreetly using sanctums outside the city, now shadows of the Ten Towers are everywhere.”
Demos, who had temporarily halted the parasite hunt, clicked his tongue. Thanks to this political magic, which had multiplied the density of mages in Algus City several times over, the Theistic Order couldn’t move freely.
“I didn’t expect them to go this far.”
It was a truly cowardly act. Riots are the struggles of the weak, yet Argeyirion resorted to causing chaos.
“The situation has become quite intriguing.”
“Should we lower our heads and wait for the storm to pass?”
But…
“Because of this situation, there are methods we can now employ.”
Upon receiving the tip-off about heretical groups, the Ten Towers urgently dispatched nearby Panoptes-affiliated mages to Algus City.
Incidentally, who had been stationed near Algus City recently?
Niobe, sent on special assignment by Salmosia.
The Blasphemia support force Niobe urgently requested after witnessing an extraplanar storm had their duties quickly shifted to search operations around Algus City for potential Argeyirion traces once the initial incident settled down.
That is, the Panoptes-affiliated mages scattered throughout Algus City naturally included Blasphemia personnel led by Niobe.
If Argeyirion used public grievances as a weapon to summon the shadows of the Ten Towers, I would expose a case of corruption tied to power.
