#498

Interim Summary (2)

After resting for about a day, Lennok prepared to leave immediately. He exchanged a few words with the Watchers who had decided to stay on the island and boarded the boat heading off the island.

Grisha smiled at the sight of Lennok, clutching objects like the talisman handed to him by Gapsun and Rappard's cross in both hands.

"You sure are something. We haven't even properly divided the merits of this mission yet, and you're already moving on without any regrets?"

Grisha pulled something out from her bosom and tossed it to Lennok.

Thud!!

Lennok, as expected, missed catching it and sighed as he bent down to pick it up.

"Can't you just hand it over nicely?"

"Huh? Didn't something like this happen once before?" Grisha tilted her head in thought, then grinned as she pointed at the item now in Lennok's hand.

"Well, it doesn't really matter. After all, there's no Watcher here who contributed more than you."

"…So, what is this?"

"It's a key that grants access to all the facilities on the island," Grisha said. "You can enter everything—from the soon-to-be-constructed third lighthouse, to the vaults storing relics and elixirs, to the warehouses and hangars with all the equipment."

She smiled slyly while looking at the item in Lennok's hand, a key glowing faintly with a blue light.

"You're free to use anything that can be opened with that key."

"…"

Was she saying that all the assets accumulated in the name of the Far Eastern Branch of the Order now effectively belonged to Lennok? Though the assets would still be jointly managed under the Eyes of the Blue, the fact that Lennok could use them whenever he wished was practically the same as giving him ownership. 

It was essentially a declaration that the island's assets were being transferred to Lennok's name. Finally understanding the full implication behind Grisha handing him the key, Lennok chuckled.

"Since it's impossible to divide the merits right now, you're just giving me everything?"

Grisha, who had worked with Lennok from the early days of the Eyes of the Blue, knew what kind of person the mage Evan was. Since she believed that Lennok would take what he needed without greed, she was able to entrust him with such a key. Allowing Lennok access to all the assets of the Far Eastern Branch was a testament to her trust in him.

"When you inject mana into the key, the island’s location will appear in real-time. If you need something, you can come and take it."

"The island’s location will appear in real-time? Was there an artifact like this in the vault?"

"I made it yesterday."

"…"

For something she made while yawning, it was an astonishingly intricate artifact. Being able to observe and quantify the coordinates of an island floating across the sea in absolute terms was a feat impossible without exceptional intuition and technique from the practitioner. 

The fact that Grisha had crafted such an artifact in just one night and given it to Lennok was a remarkable achievement. Though it wasn't surprising given her long life and experience with making tools, the way she revealed her skill caught Lennok slightly off guard.

"Well... fine. There are some decent items among the Order's equipment. I'll drop by when I need something."

Since the Far Eastern Branch was responsible for the Order's logistical support, it held a considerable amount of supplies and weapons in storage. Among them were forbidden arms, which could not be used without authorization as a member of the Order. Irina Pheffield of the Arasha Expedition’s large blood-streaked greatsword was one such weapon, wasn't it?

Although Lennok wasn’t the type to use bladed or pole weapons, he knew a mercenary capable of wielding such weapons.

"Time to go."

"Yeah. Although there were quite a few unfortunate incidents this time, let's meet again under better circumstances next time."

"That's an amusing statement," Lennok laughed. 

"Have we ever gathered for something fun or joyful?" Grisha smiled bitterly without a response.

Leaving behind the shaman puffing on his cigarette, Lennok boarded the small boat. Pio, who had been waiting on the boat, skillfully pulled the motor's cord, and Lennok was jerked backward.

Thud!!

As the boat swiftly cut through the water, pulling away from the island, Lennok grumbled irritably.

"…Can you slow down a bit?"

"Heh heh, I'll take you at top speed!!" Pio and Gio, laughing mischievously, seemed unusually high-spirited, even though their bodies were still wrapped in bandages from the aftermath of the intense battle.

Lennok, watching the twins argue over who should steer the boat, asked, "Are you feeling okay?"

Though other Watchers had a hard time as well, it was the twins who pushed themselves the most after Lennok in the recent battle. Not only did they confront several bishops who had broken their binding spells, but they also fought hundreds of priests in group combat in place of Lennok. Even if they had reached Level 8 by merging their minds and bodies, the battle deep inside the temple must have been no ordinary endurance fight.

Pio and Gio exchanged surprised glances before looking at Lennok.

"I never thought you'd be the type to worry about us. I’m touched."

"Right? The first time he spoke to me, he called me a heartless killing machine without blood or tears..."

"Shut up, you crazy bastard!" Pio quickly covered Gio’s mouth, horrified.

Instead of responding to the nonsense he'd heard countless times, Lennok asked something else.

"I'm not just talking about your injuries. I mean after the fusion."

"Fusion?"

"There's no way that merging your minds and bodies came without a cost. I’m sure there are some significant aftereffects."

"…"

Lennok had learned the basics of fusion magic and could guess as much. Twins born at the same time on the same day, each mastering transformation and synchronization spells to complement each other's differences—perfect conditions. But even so, merging two distinct beings into one is not an easy feat. If they temporarily unite to achieve a higher level of existence than they normally could, there would surely be a price to pay.

Finally understanding what Lennok meant, the twins awkwardly shifted their gazes.

"Well... it’s not like there are no problems."

"Sometimes our memories get mixed up, or our strength temporarily drops when the fusion ends."

"Yeah, so one time this guy accidentally... with his girlfriend..."

"You jerk! Don’t blabber about that!"

The twins, who had been serious moments before, were now throwing punches at each other. Meanwhile, Lennok's complexion turned pale as the boat rocked violently, making his stomach churn.

[Haa… What pathetic creatures.]

Davi, who had been watching from Lennok's arms, sighed and hacked into the motor, stabilizing the boat as it resumed cutting through the waves. 

By the time they reached the shore, the twins had stopped fighting and disembarked to sort out their belongings.

"Anyway, thanks for your help in this situation."

Pio, with a bruised and swollen face, extended his hand to Lennok. Although the state of his face wasn’t from a battle with the cult but something that had just happened, Pio’s expression remained serious.

"You know, to be honest, I don't really care much about this mission to save the world or whatever."

"......"

"As long as you enjoy today, it's okay if tomorrow gets a little tough. The sun will rise tomorrow anyway, right?"

Pio said, "It's the same. If you've lived your life to the fullest in the present, wouldn’t it be okay to accept that the end will come someday? That’s what I think."

He didn’t seem to have much emotion or resistance toward the end of the world. For someone of his high status, it was an unusual way of thinking. Perhaps it was this attitude of not being overly concerned with his situation that allowed him to master shapeshifting, unbound by appearances, to such a high degree.

Lennok, quietly listening to his words, asked, "Even so, why did you join Eyes of the Blue?"

"Pio has a family," Pio said, turning his gaze slightly.

"I don’t care much, but my younger brother is different. He has two kids, neither of whom are even ten years old."

"......"

"No one knows exactly when the end of the world will be, but if we need a little more time, isn’t this the only place?"

Pio grinned as he said this, but Gio, who had just finished securing the boat, approached and smacked him hard on the head.

Smack!

“Gah!!”

"Don’t talk nonsense. Who said I'm your brother?"

Gio grumbled and kicked Pio toward the boat. He then turned to Lennok and said, "Ignore whatever that guy says. He’s not trustworthy."

"I understand."

"Unlike me, he's irresponsible, lazy, and can’t even save properly. But..." Gio smirked. "That doesn’t make me accept the end. I will survive. My brother and my family too."

"......"

"In that sense, it’s comforting to know that there’s a wizard like you in Eyes of the Blue... At least it means I wasn’t wrong about people."

Gio nodded, looking directly at Lennok. "I owe you this time. Next time, I’ll make sure to repay you, along with my brother."

A moment of silence followed. But before the atmosphere could settle, Pio, clutching his head, charged at Gio.

"You bastard... Don’t you know I came out a few minutes before you!!"

"You don’t get it. In our sect, the one who came out later is the elder!"

"......"

The sight of the twins wrestling in the sand didn’t quite match their earlier serious resolve, but Lennok understood what they meant.

Even skilled individuals who had been drifting without belonging anywhere now faced the time to choose a direction. As long as they remembered that, it was enough.

"Lapis said there’ll be another East-West unification summons for the higher-level watchers. See you then!"

"Hey, I told you not to mention that since it’s not confirmed yet!"

Lennok exchanged a few brief goodbyes with the two fools, whose faces were swollen, and then turned away.

Spending a day with the watchers, sharing stories, wasn’t bad. Working with them to construct the third lighthouse might have been a valuable experience. But if he had to choose one thing, it was only natural to focus on what needed to be done now, something that couldn’t wait any longer.

The midterm review of the Pandemonium, which he learned about from mentions by Clown and Freya.

‘I wasn’t planning to participate in this phase...'

However, through recent events, Lennok had unintentionally acquired valuable information about the cult. Some of it was classified intelligence that would soon lose its value.

With the situation of the cult changing, it was important to keep an eye on other organizations' movements.

To avoid wasting this information, Lennok decided it was time to participate in the midterm review.

He slowly pressed the call button on his phone.

"Hairea. It's me."  

A naturally distorted voice flowed out.

[Victor...?]  

A tense voice of a nun leaked from the other end of the phone.

"The midterm review of Pandemonium that I mentioned before. I understand there's not much time left."

[.......]  

Ignoring the silence, Lennok spoke coldly.

"I'm planning to attend, so tell me the exact time and location. I'll head there now."

[......Vulcan satellite city, Byrutz. The exact time is midnight, one day from now.]  

After a brief pause, Hairea's voice had calmed considerably. The tone was so composed that it was as if the person on the other side had completely changed personalities.

[However, if you're really planning to attend, you should be prepared for some friction.]

"What do you mean?"

[Many operations involving the retrieval of relics from the Old World have recently gone terribly wrong.]

"......"

[Due to the truce between the cult and the Pandemonium, the landscape of the central front has drastically changed, and some operations were hit directly by that.]

The very reason for holding the gathering in the satellite city was to conduct a midterm review among members who had acquired relics from the Old World. It was only natural that those who had failed or incurred losses in previous operations would be disgruntled.

[The atmosphere will likely be quite tense. If they know what you've done recently in the jungle, there's a good chance that...]

"They'll want confirmation?"  

Lennok chuckled.

[They'll want to know if you brought anything out of the Pantheon’s well.]

"Fine. I've heard enough."

As Lennok was about to hang up, Hairea added a final word.

[The higher-ups won't interfere in any conflicts between members. If you want to survive, you'd better prepare thoroughly...]

Click—  

Lennok cut the call and shoved his phone into his coat.

It was pointless to talk about how Pandemonium operated at this point. He had assumed that level of risk from the moment he took the mask.

Lennok took out the obsidian mask and raised it to his face. As he did, the shadow beneath him surged upward, transforming into the shape of a robe.

"Byrutz, huh..."  

After checking the digital map Davi had given him, Lennok began to move.

"I'll get there in about a day."

The roar of a bike's engine echoed, and as the shadow around him rose dramatically from the spot, Lennok's figure disappeared from the coastline.

***

Vulcan's satellite city, Byrutz.  

It was the product of a city expansion development plan designed to handle the rapidly growing population, wealth, and resources of the giant city. At the time, the city government aimed to form a large city federation by establishing several satellite cities around Vulcan. However, the project crumbled with the failure of the Black Consumer Project.

The satellite cities, once a hub of investment, were abandoned and forgotten. Now, they were nothing more than ghost cities, devoid of visitors.

Occasionally, gangs, scavengers, robbers, and terrorists would use the satellite cities as hideouts. Yet even they didn’t stay long in a forsaken place like Byrutz.

A city that’s been abandoned by everyone equally is also a place open to everyone equally. Even the outlaws preying on citizens could become prey themselves in such lawless zones.

“Ugh…!!”  

The dark night sky. The cold wind blew through the ghost city. Groans echoed from between the rusted railways of the floating train that was supposed to run throughout the city.

A man, dressed in clothes marked with a gang symbol and drenched in blood, lay dying. His lower half was completely missing, and blood was gushing from the severed waist.

The gang member looked over at Lennok with pleading eyes, his mouth gaping. Lennok glanced at him briefly, then passed by without hesitation. The man’s eyes, filled with despair, soon lost focus.

“You made a wise choice, friend.”  

A gaunt man appeared beside Lennok, grinning wickedly.

“Lately, there haven’t been many fools wandering around so fearlessly. Do you know how sweet their marrow tastes when you cut them in half and suck it out?”

The man snickered as he walked next to Lennok without hesitation.

"Those who've lived their whole lives believing they were superior taste the best. Maybe it's because they've never bent their backs; their cartilage is incredibly fresh..."

“......”

"Knowing how to act oblivious, knowing one's place—that's a great virtue. You should strive to keep that up for as long as you live."

As he spoke, more figures began to emerge from the previously empty streets. The gaunt man grinned.

"If you can survive losing everything below your waist, that is."

It was clear that every one of them was a magic user. Their presence was eerie and hollow, almost inhuman. Lennok realized that their gazes, more than simple hostility or anger, were filled with hunger.

"Ah, ghouls."

"I’ve heard rumors from Jenny before. When a superhuman who has studied necromancy, soul summoning, or command magic falls into a coma and can’t wake up, they become a monster that endlessly craves the body and soul of the living."

It was a vividly horrific tale that had stuck with him, but seeing it in person was a first.

Through the mask, Lennok's expression grew cold as he silently surveyed his surroundings.

"Judging by how much you talk, you must have been a decent superhuman in life."

"Khehehe, young man, you shouldn’t speak so harshly."

As the man spoke, a faint, pale spirit rose behind him, beginning to take the form of a skeletal knight. At the same time, the others around Lennok also summoned their own spirits, closing in on the empty street from all sides.

"We're not idiots. We know you're a pretty formidable sorcerer."

The man’s jaw dropped as if it had come unhinged, and a long, non-human tongue slithered out from within.

"But you see, prey that's been hard to catch always makes for a more special delicacy. Do you know why that is?"

The man’s grotesque figure looked as if he were licking his lips while gazing at Lennok. But Lennok simply smiled in return.

"For a monster that's no better than a corpse, it seems you haven't forgotten the meaning of effort. A little more and you might even manage to mimic a human."

With that, Lennok reached into his robe and grasped the "Compassion of Archangel."

"Just die."

The teleportation spell contained within the Compassion of Archangel, one of the highest-grade artifacts from the Old World, was activated. At that same moment, the shattered glass lying at Lennok’s feet neatly embedded itself into the man’s elongated tongue.

Bzzzt!

It was a flawless and precise teleportation, impressive even though it had been powered by the artifact. Lennok’s understanding of spatial manipulation had drastically improved after his battle with Amrita, allowing him to control the artifact’s power as if it were his own.

“Khehehehe!!”

The man laughed maniacally, blood oozing from his decayed face.

"That’s useless! It won’t work!! Go ahead, try your best—!!"

"Self-augmentation spell, activate."

Whirrr...!!

In that instant, a brilliant light burst from the Compassion of Archangel, held tight within Lennok's robe. Though most of the light was contained within the shadowy robe, a portion escaped through the sleeve, enveloping the man’s face.

"Unique ability, Code Élise."

Ssss!!!

“Gaaahhh!!”

When Lennok unleashed the unique ability of the Compassion of Archangel, the ghoul’s head melted away on the spot.

“What the hell!!”

“What did you do!?”

The unexpected destruction sent the other ghouls into a panic, causing them to retreat. As Lennok ignored them and prepared to raise the Compassion of Archangel for another strike, a gruff voice called out from above.

“Is that the Old World artifact you brought with you?”

A middle-aged man, seated on a nearby rooftop with a bottle of alcohol, looked down at Lennok with a drunken grin, his face flushed red from drinking.

"A self-augmentation spell from the divine realm. It's a rare and peculiar type, even among artifacts."

Though the man sat there in a lazy posture, his bulging belly exposed, Lennok couldn't find a single opening in his defenses. He was clearly a powerful physical adept, one who had survived countless battles.

The drunk’s eyes gleamed with an odd light as he gazed at Lennok.

"It’s definitely a rare item, but you’re using it wrong. You’re not even interested in this type of thing, are you?"

"......"

"You're just using it to deal with ghouls. You must have gotten it recently."

The man rambled on, completely ignoring the ghouls that stood frozen, unsure of what to do. Lennok released his grip on the Compassion of Archangel and asked, "What’s your point?"

"My point is, I can teach you how to use an artifact like that properly."

Thud!

The man lightly jumped down from a height of several meters and grinned at Lennok.

"In exchange, if you have any other valuable items, why don’t we trade them before the review? What do you think?"