#502

Interim Summary (6)

Whirrr...!!

As the deity’s eyes rapidly bloomed, Lennok thought to himself, "I need to be careful."

He had known it since the moment he heard Doctor’s explanation. This midterm summary, which compiles the relics and information of the Old World, might present a significant opportunity for him. Others could only participate in the summary by searching for relics or records from the Old World, but Lennok was different.

The information from the 1st and 2nd worlds was none other than the knowledge from the very game Lennok had played himself. Whether the existence of the Old World was actual reality or just a world based on the game was still uncertain. But it was clear that these two concepts were closely intertwined.

In this world, Lennok’s game knowledge had been mostly useless, but ironically, it might finally come in handy at this moment. Even at the point of half-believing it, Lennok chose to reveal the information about Amrita's death first, rather than recklessly flaunting his game knowledge.

"There’s no need to rush. Just understanding the process and atmosphere of the summary is enough."

From what the other members had said, it was certain that these kinds of summaries were held irregularly. Therefore, instead of revealing his game knowledge at this stage, it was better to first secure a safer achievement. The information about Amrita’s death was undoubtedly significant for both Lennok and Pandemonium, but for the cult, it would be an even more devastating blow. That secret wouldn’t remain hidden for long.

No matter how powerful the cult was, it was impossible to completely conceal the fact that Amrita’s scale technique had been sealed. Before long, the fact that one of the cult’s ten apostles had died would spread across the entire continent.

Lennok’s plan was to leak the information ahead of time to gain a relative advantage over others.

"Amrita’s death is directly tied to external affairs, so it will undoubtedly be considered information related to the Old World." 

The only issue was determining how volatile this information was. Even though Lennok had revealed it in hopes of gaining a benefit before its value diminished, he still couldn’t easily gauge its importance.

Click, click!!

Five eyes on one of the deity’s two faces opened rapidly and quickly moved to the sixth eye.

"It’s over level 6."

"For pure information, it’s less volatile than a relic... but even so?"

"It’s going higher."

"That’s impossible. Victor is participating in this summary for the first time–"

Sabrina’s words were cut off as the seventh eye of the deity began to open.

"...Level 7. It’s surpassed the numbering from the 1st world brought by Soryu."

"From here on, it’s likely to be information directly tied to the fate of the world. We must proceed carefully..."

"Be quiet," Maya muttered.  

"It seems like there’s still something left."  

"...!!"

The response from the deity, which had slowed down starting from the seventh eye, continued to draw everyone's attention. Blood dripping from Hyulno, the drunken Vernon, even the indifferent Maya—all of them focused on the deity's movements. Even Doctor, who had been silently observing the whole situation, remained silent.  

Click.

The eighth eye faintly twitched before stopping in place.  

"......"

Eight gleaming lights illuminated the dark main hall of the theater. The movement of the deity's eyes lasted only a brief moment, but no one failed to grasp its significance.  

Vernon quietly put down the bottle he had been holding to his mouth. Maya’s face hardened, and Soryu stopped his cold gaze. An icy silence filled the room.  

"Level 8...!!"

"Are you saying this is volatility reaching the initial stage of level 8?"

"I’ve never seen anything like this since I started participating in these summaries..."

The adjustment of causality had far surpassed anything in previous summaries. No relics or high-level artifacts from the Old World had ever reached this outcome. Those who understood what it meant to measure volatility knew how impossible this situation was.  

It was more plausible to believe that the deity’s functions had malfunctioned than to think that Lennok’s words could have caused such a result. No one dared to exchange opinions hastily anymore. Instead, they all focused on Lennok, observing in silence. They understood that what had just occurred was an incredible turning point, something too significant to easily accept.  

"Doctor, what exactly is the value of volatility at level 8?" Soryu asked.  

Doctor replied, "Information that could determine the fate of the Old World—something like the key details of a world-shaping war or a massive project. In terms of our own history, it would be akin to the ‘Night Parade of Yorta’ at the very least."  

Lennok didn’t miss the slight tremble in Maya’s fingertips at Doctor’s words. The fact that Doctor didn’t mention the Ascension Gate of the mechanical city, Machina, was likely an act of consideration.  

"To put it simply, it's the level where entire established theories or assumptions would need to be completely overturned. I didn’t expect there would still be this level of variables left. This is going to be troublesome," Doctor added with a sigh.  

"But before that, there’s one thing we need to confirm."

Doctor’s blue eyes, buried in a tuft of white fur, turned toward the masked Wizard standing idly on the eighth arm of the deity. The masked figure, draped in a black robe, had orchestrated all of this but remained unresponsive. The other members also kept a close eye on him, determined not to miss any of his movements.

Looking at Lennok, Doctor spoke in an oddly cheerful voice.  

"Victor, how did you know that the death of Amrita, one of the ten apostles, was related to the Old World?"  

"......"

"Since I started working under the commander’s orders, this level of volatility has only been recorded twice. One of those was brought by Croken Asilas himself."

"...!!"

"The Croken Asilas..."  

As that name, which even Lennok couldn’t take lightly, was mentioned, a few of the members grew tense. Anyone who had encountered that crocodile giant in any way would likely have had an unforgettable experience, just as Lennok had.  

"I’ve said before that the importance of information doesn’t always correspond to its volatility, but this is beyond excessive. I believe it’s reasonable to ask about the circumstances surrounding this."

Doctor’s eyes glinted sharply.  

"I’d like to hear your thoughts. Would you care to explain?"  

"......"

Instead of answering, Lennok fell into thought. He hadn’t expected that the information about Amrita’s death would be evaluated with such high volatility. Could it be that Amrita’s death, and the circumstances surrounding it, were that crucial in determining the causality of the Old World?  

It must be because of Amrita’s immortality.

Amrita had surely gained a power similar to immortality by seizing the strength of both the priestess and the apostle. Lennok had managed to damage that power through the Domain: Radiant Void of Harm. If that circumstance had been judged as a fatal variable in terms of the Old World’s information or causality, it wouldn’t be surprising.  

However, explaining such details to those gathered here was not an option.  

While Lennok maintained his silence, the others quickly exchanged opinions.  

"But is this reliable information? Are you saying Amrita Praubel is really dead? You mean the Inquisitor I know, right?" Vernon asked as he gulped down his drink.  

"If an apostle ranked within the top 10 has died, there’s no way that fact wouldn’t have come to light."  

"When exactly did it happen? How long has it been since they died?"  

Amidst the barrage of questions, Lennok responded slowly.  

"I only know that it’s been less than a month."  

"Unbelievable..."  

Chevien, the lanky puppet who had been sitting with their head lowered, muttered.  

"There are numerous curses cast upon the highest apostles of the cult… especially someone like Amrita. If she had really died, that news would have reached Yorta by now."  

"......"

Chevien's puppet-like eyes gleamed with an eerie light.  

"If you’re presenting this as information, you’ll need clearer evidence..."  

"Evidence?"  

"Amrita Praubel, one of the ten apostles, was famous as an Inquisitor even before becoming an apostle. You know that, right?" Soryu, who had been listening, added coldly.  

"Considering the scale of curses she accumulated during the Holy War, it would be expected that the disappearance of those curses would have been detected in the military command city, Yorta, as soon as she died. Almost all conceptual curses on the continent are monitored from Yorta."  

Soryu pressed again.  

"Given the strategic importance of Amrita’s Scale Technique within the cult, this definitely requires more thorough verification."  

Lennok understood the implications. If Amrita had truly died, the disappearance of her curses should have been observed, and there’s no way Yorta wouldn’t have noticed the disturbance.  

Soryu and Chevien were both asking for additional clarification about the information Lennok had shared. Lennok, however, had already grasped why this might not have been the case.  

It was likely because Amrita had died immediately after being reborn in Izelle’s body. Since the original body of Amrita, which was retrieved by the 2nd apostle, had not perished, it wouldn’t be surprising if the curses tied to that body had yet to disappear. If only the mind had died and the body remained, it would make sense that the curses had not vanished.  

But since Lennok was closely involved in Amrita’s death, it was impossible to explain all these details here. Making a hasty lie could backfire, drawing even more suspicion.  

There was only one answer he could give from the start. Crossing his arms and tilting his head slightly, Lennok replied.  

"I can’t say."  

"Where did Amrita die? Where is the body now?"  

"I can’t say."  

"Who killed the apostle?"  

"Who knows?"  

"And the source of all this information?"  

Feeling the increasingly cold atmosphere around him, Lennok smiled.  

"I don’t really know."  

In that moment, a chilling bloodlust filled the theater, as if a predator had opened its jaws toward him. The dark, animalistic hostility was far more intense and explicit than any monster or superhuman Lennok had faced recently.  

Whoosh!

In an instant, a muscular man, Logia, jumped onto the deity's arm and stood beside Lennok with his hands in his pockets. The massive figure leaned down, staring at the masked Lennok. His tattoo-covered face remained eerily expressionless as he looked down. Without turning his head, Logia spoke to Lennok, his eyes fixed on the mask.

"Hey, I’m not in the mood for jokes right now."

"......"

"If you're going to say an apostle is dead, you should be ready to explain yourself. Are you going to keep being uncooperative?"

"The authenticity of the information has already been cross-verified, as far as I know," Lennok responded calmly. 

"Once the deity assessed the volatility of causality, wasn’t that the end of it?"

"......"

"If I say I can’t explain, then I can’t. If you can’t understand even that much, then there’s nothing more to discuss."

"Is that so?"

As the tension quickly escalated, Logia's lips twisted slightly.

"Then I’ll have to make you talk."

Boom!

In that instant, Logia's arm vanished and reappeared in front of Lennok’s abdomen, unleashing a shockwave. A high-speed strike so fast it was almost impossible to perceive, powerful enough to obliterate everything above the waist. But in that moment, dozens of layers of magical threads appeared in front of Lennok, intricately woven together to absorb the blow.

Crack!

Not only did the barrier absorb Logia's first strike head-on, but it also cleverly redirected the shock outward like a wave. Immediately after, the air behind Lennok condensed into a circular ring, smashing into the back of the theater’s seats.

Bam!

The giant figure of the deity trembled slightly from the impact, and shockwaves ricocheted throughout the theater hall. Despite the new gash carved into the center of the audience seats, Logia smirked.

"Looks like you’ve got something up your sleeve, huh?"

As he spoke, the tattoo on Logia’s right hand began to glow faintly with a crimson hue.

"Keep going."

"Logia, stop it!!"

Sizzle!

At the moment Logia gripped the bundle of magic threads with his bound hand, the red tattoo on his hand emitted a light that shredded the threads to pieces. Before Lennok could even react to the unexpected occurrence, Logia’s hand shot forward again, this time aiming for his mask.

It was clear what Logia intended. He wanted to rip off Lennok’s mask, expose his identity, and use that leverage to force information out of him. Not even ten seconds had passed since Logia had started this confrontation. It wasn’t a random impulse—Logia had clearly been targeting Lennok from the start. Lennok knew it was time for a proper countermeasure.

Just as Logia's hand bulged with veins, ready to shatter the mask, Lennok’s body flickered, and he suddenly reappeared, gripping Logia’s hand in return.

Kiing!!

Lennok caught Logia’s hand mid-air, stopping it cold, and gently placed it down. The act was so calm, without any trace of magic, that Logia instinctively prepared to strike again. But before Logia could land another blow, Lennok spoke.

"An engraved spell, activated through conditional movements, is it?"

"......!!"

"Even though it's convenient, not many people do this sober."

The moment after Logia’s first strike, the spell had assembled itself in the air, cutting through Lennok’s magical threads. The spell’s implementation time was suspiciously brief for something so powerful, and the tattoo between Logia’s fingers had gleamed when it activated. It was a type of seal used to rapidly activate pre-engraved spells during combat through specific movements.

Although this method allows for the quick deployment of spells without the need for incantations or hand signs, it comes with its drawbacks. Once engraved, the spells are difficult to modify, and they must be triggered through specific actions. This makes it a rare choice among sorcerers, except for those with immense mana but limited control over it.

"If you naturally have a large amount of magic but lack control over it, then it makes sense. Otherwise, it’s not something most would choose." Lennok remarked, releasing Logia’s hand and stepping back.

At that moment, a strange hissing sound came from Logia’s hand, where a small glass tube had started to burn.

Hiss...!!

As soon as Logia became aware of the object in his hand, an explosion erupted from it, engulfing him in a sphere of light.

Boom!!

Lennok quickly evaded the blast with a teleportation move and landed back on the ground, shaking off his robe. It was a Mana Resonance Explosive, a specialty product from the mechanical city, known as "Machina." Having used it once before as Victor, he was familiar with it and felt no hesitation. The controlled, small-scale explosion was tailored to focus all its destructive power directly on Logia.

Ignoring the stunned silence of the other members who had lost their words at the violent display, Lennok casually glanced back and smiled.

The explosion triggered by the resonance incendiary rapidly diminished in size. In the place where the sphere of light had disappeared stood Logia, his body billowing with smoke, gripping the glass tube with both hands.

“Phew...”

Logia had realized there was no escape from the explosion Lennok triggered and had grabbed the small incendiary with both hands, suppressing the recoil as much as possible. It wasn’t so much a matter of quick reaction or judgment but rather the domain of pure animal instinct. That instinct had saved Logia from a fatal blow.

Lennok, observing Logia, gently stroked the bottom of his mask.

“That’s not the kind of firepower you can withstand with just your body. Incredible durability... or maybe…”

Logia’s body began to swell, rapidly covered in jet-black fur.

“Were you never human to begin with?”

“Grrrr...!!!”

In a flash, Logia transformed into a massive creature, nearly three meters tall—a silver werewolf, half-man, half-beast, growling deeply as he towered over Lennok. Bathed in the moonlight that filtered into the theater, Logia’s fur gleamed a brilliant silver, and in an instant, he vanished from sight.

Like lightning, he flipped in midair, his beast-like front paw poised to strike Lennok squarely in the back.

Clang!!

The werewolf's arm froze in mid-swing, encased in a massive block of ice. A sudden wave of freezing cold swept through the area. At the source of the cold stood Soryu, his hand outstretched, his expression icy.

“That’s enough,” Soryu said.

“Soryu...” Logia growled, shattering the ice clinging to his hand.

“Are you trying to interfere?”

“It’s possible that when he says he can’t speak, he literally can’t. He might be bound by a geas or an oath, preventing him from revealing secrets.”

Despite the werewolf's savage growl, Soryu remained unfazed and turned his gaze toward Lennok.

“It could be that he simply doesn’t want to talk, but figuring that out would take too long. After watching the recent exchange, it's clear.”

“...”

“Now that the evaluations are over for everyone present, the priority is to calculate the results based on each person’s findings. If you want to fight, deal with it later.”

“You're suggesting we just let this guy get away without explaining how an apostle died? Are you out of your mind?” Logia snarled, stomping on the shattered ice beneath his feet, stepping toward Soryu. His enormous wolfish face sneered as he bared his fangs.

“There’s no way I can let this go without forcing an answer out of him.”

The atmosphere was razor-sharp, as if a fight could break out at any moment. But no one in the theater made any attempt to stop them. Both sides had valid points, and everyone seemed to agree that each argument was justified.

Lennok, observing the scene from the side, clapped his hands.

“Let’s handle this another way. I’ve got a good idea.”

“You think you can talk your way out of this—!” Logia snapped, but at that moment, as Lennok clapped, a trigger activated. Compassion of the Archangel was unleashed.

Pop! Pop! Pop!

Immediately, six glowing blue glass tubes appeared inside Logia’s mouth. The sudden shift in the situation caused a stir in the room, and Lennok smiled.

“A loud dog needs a muzzle, don’t you think?”

“Wait, hold on, that’s not a muzzle—!” Sabrina screamed in realization, recognizing that what was inside Logia’s mouth were the very bombs Lennok had used earlier.

BOOM!!!

A blinding flash of light erupted, enveloping the werewolf's body in a massive explosion.