Ch.190The Pope’s Gambit (1)

Several coincidences overlapped amid the chaos.

First, Nastion faithfully carried out Haltos’s orders: summoning Eidolon’s Astronomical Director to the Green Eye front.

This had been ordered before Ortes conceived his plan to impersonate White Light, and was accomplished before the portal was opened to receive White Light’s reinforcements at Green Eye.

The betrayal of Eidolon, whom the Ten Towers trusted most among the Panoptes, was an unexpected development even for the Ancient Elders. Considering what powers Eidolon could wield, it was an especially fatal betrayal.

Eidolon were observers of other dimensions. They could be considered the highest authorities on extra-dimensional matters within magical society. They projected spatial magic for observation, using all the extra-dimensional specimens they had collected over time.

While Haltos’s ability to open and close dimensional gates was beyond magic and in the realm of divine authority, those belonging to Eidolon could reproduce similar results through magic, albeit in a limited way.

Magic designed to enhance the clarity of extra-dimensional observation was essentially magic for “safely approaching other dimensions,” and if the safety element was removed, it became akin to magic that poured in other dimensions.

Eidolon’s magic was added to the axis of Haltos’s power. The amplified power created fractures into other dimensions. Lethal contamination poured into Green Eye.

Each Ancient Elder had succeeded in elevating themselves to become a world unto themselves. Their blood and flesh were magical power and arcane formulas.

Yet this made them more vulnerable to extra-dimensional erosion. Since other dimensions contaminate magical power itself, they affect bodies composed of magic more powerfully than those made of flesh and blood.

Normally, at the level of the Ancient Elders, any moderate amount and concentration of extra-dimensional magic would be decomposed and disappear upon contact. However, this extra-dimensional overflow was far from moderate.

It was like the relationship between fire and water. Normally, fire is extinguished when covered by water. But if the fire is sufficiently large and fierce, and the water insufficient…

A reversal occurs where the fire evaporates the water instead.

The layering of Eidolon’s observation magic. The dimensional wall grew infinitely thin. When Haltos’s power granted by the Cause was added, extra-dimensional magic began to overflow. Like the flood said to have covered heaven and earth in ancient times.

The Ancient Elders did not panic. It was an attack with a predictable direction, given that Eidolon had appeared on the battlefield and simultaneously was not an ally of the Ten Towers.

They moved to contain the dimensional fracture while avoiding direct contact between their bodies and the other dimension. It was a wise choice, but it also meant that the powerful firepower of the Ancient Elders maintaining the front line was removed from the battlefield.

Haltos and Argyrion did not miss this opportunity. The rapidly increasing concentration of extra-dimensional magic enhanced Argyrion’s power, and the path toward Green Eye was empty as the Ancient Elders had withdrawn from the front line.

And at precisely this point, Lampades’ interference transmission was withdrawn. This was the second coincidence. The Tower Master of Green Eye believed White Light’s declaration of support at face value and formed the Eleusis passage for White Light, despite the space unbalanced by the other dimension.

Now, two passages had formed at the top of Green Eye.

The first connected to another dimension, and the second to White Light.

From this point, spatial instability had already reached a critical point. Excessively powerful magicians had gathered in a limited space, the dimensional wall had collapsed, and other dimensions were overflowing. Yet it was still precariously below the limit.

There are limits to the range of magical support from the Ten Realms. When Karisia descended upon Green Eye, she had to plunge in after abandoning the magical support from White Light and the artificial Ten Realms.

If Karisia had maintained magical support while entering, the already torn dimensional wall would not have been able to withstand another massive magical structure, causing a great catastrophe.

But here, a third coincidence overlapped.

It was the judgment of the Divine Faith Order.

They agreed that this battle was the decisive moment that would shift the entire situation of the Ten Realms front. Thus, the Divine Faith Order deployed their most powerful trump card, which they had kept hidden until now.

A secret dagger shared only by the Pope and Joachim.

It was the Director of Blasphemia.

***

The Director of Blasphemia is in seclusion. This was a well-known fact among those in the know. However, ‘why’ she was in seclusion remained unknown.

Even Salmosias, the Audit Director of Blasphemia, did not know the detailed reason. It was only known that after the failure of the Golden Desert operation, she ceased all external activities at some point.

The Director of Blasphemia was a person befitting the position of director. Appropriate skill and political acumen, and above all, a sense of responsibility suitable for the leader of an organization.

She wanted to somehow recover the elite agents of Blasphemia who had evaporated after being deployed by her decision.

What the Director relied on was the Prophet of the Basement¹. A future prediction device created by connecting the brains of prophets secured by Blasphemia.

White Light’s illegitimate child, who had been the cause of the Prophet of the Basement’s malfunction, had also been removed. Though maintenance was insufficient, speed was important to fully recover the agents who had disappeared beyond the other dimension.

So the Director used the Prophet of the Basement at maximum output and…

Fell into the Pope’s trap.

She tried to see the future through the Prophet of the Basement, but the Pope and Joachim had early on noticed that Blasphemia was predicting the future. For some reason, while Blasphemia had suspended future prediction, they prepared a trap for the Prophet of the Basement.

The moment she tried to observe the future, the Director’s soul was sealed in a maze of constantly branching time. It was the result of Joachim’s sanctity combined with the Pope’s authority.

An empty body with the soul stripped away. It should have ended as a vegetative state, but commands could be input through the Prophet of the Basement connected to the Director.

The Pope handled this very delicately. If the Ten Towers discovered the espionage through the Director of Blasphemia, they would immediately dispose of the Director.

Therefore, the Pope decided not to use the ‘Director’ until the final moment. Outwardly, it was seclusion due to frustration over the failure of the Golden Desert operation, but in reality, it was the Pope’s concealment process to avoid suspicion from others.

And now.

When a battle that would determine the direction of the Ten Realms front, and further, the direction of the world, was taking place at the top of Green Eye.

The Pope finally played the ‘Director’ card.

***

Suddenly, the Director of Blasphemia ended her seclusion and rose resolutely. However, the Director did not wish to reclaim the authority of Panoptes from Salmosias and Niobe.

What she wanted was battle. Since she bore great responsibility for Argyrion’s birth, she was determined to end the fight personally.

What she needed were powerful sacred artifacts that Blasphemia had confiscated from superstition followers. Forbidden items that had been sealed away because they were too powerful for any individual to possess.

But given the Director’s position and justification, this could not be stopped.

Niobe contacted Ortes as soon as the Director departed, informing him that the Director had joined the battle equipped with all the highest-grade sacred artifacts from Blasphemia’s relic vault.

The fourth coincidence was that Ortes had no time to confirm this news.

***

Haltos shouted with all sincerity that all requests for reinforcement were traps.

But the Tower Master of Green Eye had no time to listen to the words of an enemy. Why should they believe the persuasion of a madman like Argyrion and his group of corruptors?

The situation, which had been overwhelming Argyrion thanks to the efforts of the Ancient Elders, had collapsed due to Eidolon’s betrayal. To rectify this terrible situation, the power of the same Ten Towers was needed.

“You disgusting servants of other dimensions! Taste the power of the Ten Towers!”

Green Eye opened the passage without hesitation. The sky split and stairs of light unfolded.

From the heavens, majestically, a magician descended.

The oldest magician. An apostle of magic who had lived since the mythical age.

Green Eye rejoiced with the stairway at their back. Haltos noticed that the silhouette descending from the sky was not one, but two.

“Ortes…”

Even in the dazzling backlight, that fearsome blue light was clear. What agreement had White Light and Ortes reached? No. If White Light was truly a magician, they could not possibly tolerate that.

If White Light could not tolerate Ortes, then it was natural that Ortes could not tolerate White Light either. Then one of them should have perished.

So what was this White Light descending now?

A monster infinitely similar to White Light, yet incomparably vicious, came to mind. Another monster that had been associating with Ortes.

‘White Light’s illegitimate child’…?

Was it mimicking White Light?

Haltos felt unprecedented fear and, simultaneously, elation.

In the end, even Ortes himself had to come out to fight directly in this situation. In the previous Golden Desert, he had created an opportunity for the villain to escape, but this time was different.

No matter what sacrifice it took, if he could just defeat him—

That’s when it happened. A distortion in space that Green Eye had not approved formed.

Soon the distortion materialized into the form of a golden door. Divine power, the bizarre authority of ancient priests, permeated the golden door.

The massive door opened without friction. An otherworldly sense of incongruity.

And beyond the door stood someone all too familiar to Haltos.

The reason why he, who had awakened to the Cause, had consistently sought to recruit Blasphemia agents despite the risk of being detected by other Ten Towers. The person who should have become a standard-bearer of the Cause alongside him.

His former master, whom Haltos had served as a loyal subordinate.