“…I haven’t seen the full extent of the Ten Towers’ power yet.”
While leaving the examination hall, Kine muttered quietly.
That’s true. The reason Carisia brought Kine to Elysion was to confirm whether Hydra Corp truly intended to cooperate and oppose the Ten Towers.
Can the desire for revenge against the Ten Towers remain unshaken even after witnessing their immense power?
However, the Ten Towers didn’t directly participate in this terrorist act. While Blasphemia could be considered an extension of the Ten Towers’ power, Kine never got to see the real moment when the Ten Towers wielded their mysterious strength.
I nodded.
“Indeed. I expected the Ten Towers to crush Argyreion’s assault outright, but unexpectedly, it turned into a confrontation with Blasphemia.”
“Does the Ten Towers think they don’t need to get involved? Do they consider Blasphemia sufficient as subcontractors?”
There was no way for us to know what the Ten Towers’ leadership was thinking.
As we arrived at the Madong Train Station, the loudspeakers crackled to life again. Unlike before, it wasn’t Argyreion pirates hijacking the line.
“To all mages of Elysion, please be cautious. Terrorist-released extraplanar contagions still lurk throughout Elysion.”
“Special personnel have been dispatched to handle the contagions. If you spot any, avoid approaching them and contact Elysion’s Safety and Disaster Management Division.”
“The contagions appear to have been spread in infrastructure and areas with high normal-time populations…”
Kine visibly tensed up. Indeed, Madong Train Station would be an ideal place for silver thread hosts to lie in wait.
“Don’t worry, Miss Kine. We have the Chairman, don’t we?”
“Ortes, are you planning to pass the buck to the chairman?”
Carisia took my words as a joke, but I wasn’t joking. Honestly, I doubted that even if dozens of silver thread hosts attacked, they could injure Carisia.
“No… There’s something ominous…”
In the distance, a squad wearing visors approached. I could sense the dark attribute mana surrounding them.
Carisia quickly identified them.
“Black Rock Tower’s undead soldiers. To be honest, I expected either Silver Iron or Black Rock to show up.”
Even after the situation concluded with Argyreion Mage’s self-destruction, the Ten Towers kept their eyes on Elysion.
This was because it was unreasonable to assume only one terrorist had been dispatched by Argyreion. Killing the main culprit before their mission was fully accomplished would just result in wasted manpower for Argyreion.
Judging that there must be at least one backup operative, the Ten Towers initiated additional search operations.
Of course, the backup operative had long since died from Carisia’s magic frying his brain, but the Ten Towers still hadn’t received information about the perpetrator who attacked the examination hall.
A dispute arose between Silver Iron Tower and Black Rock Tower regarding the composition of the search team. Regarding the silver threads that replicate using mages’ mana as a power source:
Both parties agreed that Silver Iron automatons or Black Rock undead were suitable for minimizing silver thread damage, as they were tools that could be reproduced even if destroyed.
“Isn’t it obvious with silver threads? Their incompatibility with automata of the same metallic category is clear. Deploying undead would be the safest course of action with the fewest variables.”
“On the contrary, precisely because they’re of the same category, there may be methods worth attempting. It’s possible Silver Iron’s secret arts could control these silver threads.”
Both sides obviously coveted the extraplanar product.
Extraplanar products were technically supposed to be jointly sealed and monitored by the entire Ten Towers.
However, the Ten Towers knew everyone was secretly researching the extraplanar realm seeking clues to ascension behind the scenes.
While only two towers were openly displaying their greed regarding handling the silver threads this time, the entire Ten Towers’ attention could shift depending on Argyreion’s secrets.
The two towers, unwilling to give up new leads, agreed to dispatch their respective regiments without interfering with each other.
The powerful automatons and undead legions descending upon Elysion dispersed according to their masters’ orders under the pretext of eliminating remaining silver thread hosts, initiating obsessive search operations.
It was merely chance that Kine encountered Black Rock undead instead of Silver Iron automatons.
Kine sensed a familiar power within the undead, causing confusion to wash over her.
That power should not exist in the magical sanctuary of Elysion.
Divine power. The power of believers.
The undead battalion slowly dismantling silver thread hosts was far from the stereotypical image of skeletal warriors.
Hulking figures covered in black reinforced fiber artificial muscles. The matte helmets covering their faces prevented any view beyond the visors. Metal plates near where their hearts would be hinted at the installation of undead cores.
When Kine sensed divine power from the undead, Ortes whispered to her.
“Don’t be too tense. It raises suspicion.”
“How…!”
“The undead handled by Black Rock differ from traditional undead. Aren’t lich mages who store their souls in phylacteries nearly immortal? They’ve simply improved upon that method.”
They bind the souls of those they k*ll into magic stones, creating a kind of pseudo-phylactery, then construct artificial bodies to install these cores.
From skeleton construction using reinforced alloys to special fiber muscles inscribed with top-tier enhancement magic by Blasphemia, every aspect of Black Rock’s undead battalions’ durability surpasses traditional undead by dimensions.
A capital crystallization achievable only by the Ten Towers.
The sight of binding ensouled magic stones into artificial bodies resembles planting seeds, hence they’re called Spartoi (Σπαρτοί), meaning “sown men.”
These specially improved undead, continuously developed by Black Rock throughout history, can use the full power of the soul while maintaining absolute safety by severing the connection between the core and body if the soul resists.
“There is one problem with this method. Creating basic undead using regular souls doesn’t offer much. To achieve cost-effectiveness with Spartoi, you need souls that accumulate power, in short, mages or…”
Ortes intentionally trailed off. That was enough for Kine to understand.
Mages’ or priests’ souls.
Kine counted the number of Spartoi deployed in Elysion. At a glance, there were hundreds, possibly reaching a thousand.
Even now, the number of simple believers could reach tens of thousands, maybe even hundreds of thousands.
But how many priests who accumulate divine power within their souls?
Gathering all the priests from the entire church might not even reach ten thousand.
Perplexed, Kine asked.
“How could there be so many?”
Ortes gestured. Carisia erected a soundproof barrier. Moving out of the Spartoi controllers’ sight, Ortes murmured.
“Ah, it’s quite a simple story, Miss Kine.”
Originally, the ones ruling this world were priests. Comparable to today’s mages in both status and numbers.
“Where did all those numerous priest classes go?”
The magic stones embedded in the Spartoi were proof of millennia of accumulated massacres.
“Mm. They probably wouldn’t put souls enduring for over a thousand years into mass-produced weapons. Those are valuable. Considering compatibility across eras, maybe a century or two?”
“…Can enemy souls be made to obey so easily?”
“Soul resistance and ability usage should be viewed separately. The Spartoi’s artificial bodies are completely under Black Rock’s control. Forcibly suppressing resistance and extracting power will accelerate soul consumption, of course.”
How many magic stones has the Ten Towers amassed over the years?
Ortes’ whisper ended with that question. Kine realized the Ten Towers regarded believers’ souls as mere expendables.
No different from batteries powering the Spartoi. Perhaps comparing them to magic-etched drives would be more apt, given the varying strengths based on installed souls.
It was a horrifying fate. The Ten Towers treated humans as literal disposable items.
Kine saw not the power of the Ten Towers, but their ugliness.
The vague form of vengeance began to take concrete shape.
Coincidentally, Kine’s magic affinity was darkness – the attribute of Black Rock controlling the Spartoi.
Kine realized what she needed to do.
Ortes forced her to learn dark magic by holding her family’s reunion hostage. Saying dark summoning magic would allow her to meet her family’s souls.
Summoning magic dealt with both invoking and banishing souls. Ortes had prepared her from the start to counter the Spartoi.
Though aware of being used by Ortes, she couldn’t refuse the proposal.
Not just for the pragmatic reason of needing to comply with Ortes to retrieve her family’s remains.
Having seen souls exploited by Black Rock like this, Kine couldn’t turn away from their misery.
She had to send the captured souls back to where they belonged.
Surely, everything from Argyreion’s terrorism to witnessing the Spartoi was within Ortes’ foreknowledge.
Facing this unavoidable destiny, Kine solemnly spoke.
“…I’ve decided, Ortes.”
“I’ll join Hydra. You’re truly cunning.”
…?
What?
What are you scolding me for? I scratched my head while responding.
“Discuss employment contracts with the Chairman. I’m not in charge of hiring.”
