Chapter 137: Intended Purpose, Evolved Body

(I will try to update at least five thousand words daily from now on; once the official holiday starts on the 28th, I should have even more time to write, haha.)

"The structure of the magic circuit has been largely mapped out. It is a dual-source array; as long as we perform simultaneous punctures on the interior and exterior, we should be able to neutralize it."

Wiping the sweat from his brow, the technician reported the current progress with weary haste. With a large team of experts working in synchronization, the pace was far swifter than initially anticipated.

As they slowly deciphered the magic circuit of the crimson barrier and transcribed it onto paper, the method for dismantling the barrier without triggering an "internal annihilation" became increasingly clear.

The dual-source array relied on two mana supply nodes—one inside and one outside. By destroying both sources, the internal annihilation barrier would lose its power supply and begin to suffer constant self-depletion. By applying continuous, low-intensity attacks that would not shatter the barrier prematurely, they could effectively wear it down until it collapsed.

"Have these mana sources been identified? It seems as though this mana is being generated out of thin air. Did teams one through four consolidate their findings?"

The technician prepared a piercing spike designed to penetrate the barrier. If the interior were a magic-nullification zone, they could not rely on spells to destroy the internal source; using a mana crystal—an object imbued with its own inherent power—to drive the device became the only viable option.

The logistics officer nodded. "Yes, we have a basic understanding. The fleshy roots and the small biological horrors being birthed, which the other teams have been clearing, appear to be the source of this mana. Through 'sacrifice,' these entities are converted into mana that manifests from nothingness."

"'Sacrifice'? That is usually a ritual performed for the gods. By sacrificing valuable physical matter, it can be converted via the void into various other forms of matter or energy. No wonder those minor monsters were so weak and caused so little trouble. It is those 'gods' Sevintan keeps churning out again. Just how many of these bizarre things do they have?"

"Unclear. Furthermore, based on the characteristics of these fleshy roots, the god that has manifested this time is likely Erfin, the Source of Life—the one previously confirmed to have not perished. Our sweep of the sewers was not thorough enough, or perhaps, it never existed within the sewers at all. A more terrifying possibility is that it is omnipresent."

"We cannot worry about that now. We are ready here. Begin."

"Understood."

Carefully, they pressed the piercing spike against the surface of the barrier. The counter-circuit they had just inscribed began to pulse, carving a tiny aperture into the crimson wall and slipping through without triggering a catastrophic rupture.

"Done! Simultaneous destruction in five seconds." The technician signaled his colleague, who nodded and aimed a similar spike at the confirmed location of the external mana source.

"Clink!" The spike emitted a sharp sound, shattering into fragments as it was flooded with mana. As the magic circuit within the spike functioned and then collapsed, a shockwave specifically designed to disrupt the barrier was unleashed, and the external mana source shattered upon impact.

"Success!" The colleague watched the mana source’s circuit burst and disintegrate, waving his arm in excitement. Seconds later, the technician’s silence caused him to pause, looking with confusion at the man who showed no joy at their "victory."

The technician stared at the pile of spike fragments in his hand, his expression grim. These were the remnants of a spike that had successfully triggered its circuit, but there were far too few of them.

"Our understanding of the magic-nullification space inside was too simplistic. It is not merely a suppression of mana; it is a void where all magic and mana cease to function entirely. This level of interference is not a common artifact—it is a strategic-grade relic."

The technician had activated the spike after piercing the barrier, but once it crossed the threshold, the magic circuit had completed its run only to vanish entirely. The effects of the mana, and the mana itself, were erased the moment they entered that zone.

Even the spike had only shattered at the portion remaining outside. The technician had watched, helpless, as the internal half was severed, squeezed, and swallowed by the self-repairing barrier, falling into the abyss within.

"Strategic-grade? Then we can confirm which artifact it is, can't we? There is only one known to be in Sevintan's possession that can completely nullify the very concept of 'magic' over a wide area, right?"

"Yes, the artifact known as the 'Silent Forest.' We are in trouble now. In a sense, this internal annihilation barrier is unsolvable for us. As long as the internal mana source is pressed against the boundary of the 'Silent Forest's' effect, we cannot destroy it."

"Damn it. Whenever these unreasonable artifacts are involved, things become incredibly thorny. We must find a way to construct a complete anti-magic circuit. It is our only remaining path. Since we cannot use finesse, we are left with brute-force magic engineering. How long do you estimate?"

The colleague’s expression twisted. The existence of the Silent Forest had completely severed their hopes of a quick breakthrough.

They would have to resort to the most tedious method: completely unraveling the magic circuit. The difficulty was secondary; the real problem was the massive amount of time it would consume.

"Over an hour... and that is a conservative estimate." After roughly calculating the time required, the technician’s face grew even paler.

A barrier that should have taken twenty minutes to dismantle had become nearly impossible to process within a reasonable timeframe due to the artifact. But there was no choice; they had to press on. Doing something was better than doing nothing.

Gritting his teeth, the technician adjusted his mana-lens. The complex circuits reappeared before his eyes, and his brain began to race. Every second counted.

A question had been gnawing at the technician’s mind ever since he deduced that the artifact inside Stevenson Magic Academy was the Silent Forest.

What was the true purpose of Sevintan’s operation against the academy?

While Stevenson was undoubtedly one of the most important organizations and power centers in the capital, its destruction held little strategic significance in the war between the two nations.

Both sides were in a similar stalemate, with their main forces deployed to the front lines for a war of attrition.

Though it had not yet devolved into a total, meat-grinder-style decisive battle, they were locked in a prolonged confrontation with constant small-to-medium-scale skirmishes, yet nothing had escalated to a total war.

As an organization dedicated to cultivating researchers and mages, Stevenson’s greatest asset was never the institution itself, but its "people"—the brilliant scholars within.

One cannot grow into a true master or scholar through books alone. While the research materials at Stevenson were important, the Royal Library was in no way inferior, and the two institutions shared a constant exchange of information.

As long as there were resources and people, even if the academy were destroyed and the books burned, everything could be reconstructed.

The current situation was that most of the mages and professors with practical combat experience were at the front lines. Those remaining at Stevenson were either tasked with guarding the facility, lacked combat capability, or were physically unable to serve.

Setting aside the risks of attacking a facility with such formidable defenses, the Sevintan forces, armed with the "Silent Forest"—an artifact that countered magic to an extreme degree—could indeed ignore most risks. But did it make sense?

The presence of the Silent Forest on the front lines would be absolutely decisive.

With the Silent Forest, one could completely ignore the threat of magic within a certain radius. The legion-level magic that Alastair took such pride in would be a joke before this artifact.

By comparison, using this relic to destroy the "meaningless" Stevenson Magic Academy seemed incredibly foolish.

Simply put, even if Stevenson suffered a devastating blow, Alastair gaining this artifact would, in a sense, be worth it.

Most importantly, if the destruction of Stevenson Magic Academy threatened to cause a catastrophe for the entire kingdom, the Reid family would have surely foreseen it with their capabilities.

"What exactly are you thinking...?" The technician from the Night’s Edge shook his head. While he had a general understanding of the war, it was not his primary duty.

He focused his mind, determined to do his best, to minimize every unnecessary loss caused by delay. Protecting this city, this kingdom—that was the mission of the Night’s Edge.

While they focused their efforts on dismantling the barrier made impenetrable by the Silent Forest, Edward was frowning, searching for Wang Yu.

"He was just here. Where did he go? And Shael, too. What are they doing?" Edward had been busy gathering information from the logistics staff.

He realized with frustration that he and Wang Yu were essentially useless here; this barrier was not something two laymen could interfere with. He was nothing but a hindrance.

Intending to find Wang Yu and help the other Night’s Edge squads deal with the fleshy creatures in the city, Edward found no trace of him. He searched everywhere, but Wang Yu was nowhere to be found.

"Everyone, just disappearing... but I have to trust them. If they didn't tell me, they must have their own reasons. I will just do what I can."

The flicker of irritation was quickly extinguished. He knew Wang Yu was reliable and that Shael would never fail when it mattered most. He would trust they were doing what needed to be done. For now, he could only assist the Night’s Edge in clearing the monsters.

Clenching his fists, Edward sprinted toward the areas where the fleshy creatures were appearing in large numbers.

...

"Bang!" Wang Yu, having emerged suddenly through a spatial rift, kicked "Vanessa" in the back, slamming the thing wearing her face hard against the stair railing.

The immense force instantly buckled the iron railing. Bright red liquid sprayed from the creature's body, and its limbs twisted at unnatural angles.

Reaching out with his mental energy to commune with the Weaver’s Book at his waist, Wang Yu decided to finish it with a powerful fireball—a spell he knew would hurt whatever part of Erfin this was.

However, the Weaver’s Book did not respond to his mental energy. Wang Yu froze, then quickly put distance between himself and "Vanessa."

"The entire Weaver’s Book is useless. This is different from the suppression used on wizards; it is not just about using my own void energy. Even the mana stored in mana crystals cannot be used within this magic-nullification zone. Any effect related to magic is suppressed."

The total silence of the Weaver’s Book made Wang Yu realize he could no longer use this incredibly useful artifact.

Watching "Vanessa" slowly crawl to her feet, Wang Yu did not believe for a second that this was all the creature could do.

He silently began to mobilize the power he could still use: Battle Aura, no problem. Physical strength, no problem. Void energy... it was experiencing the same suppression he had encountered at the manor; it was nearly impossible to replenish. He only had his meager reserves.

It was far more troublesome than he had imagined. The situation inside Stevenson was dire. Total magic nullification meant all the academy’s defensive arrays, golems, and self-defense mechanisms were rendered useless. The interior could be considered completely fallen.

"I cannot use Blood-Burning Drive recklessly..." With his void energy limited, his most powerful enhancement was restricted. Wang Yu’s current strength was effectively that of an early-stage formal knight.

He had no confidence in facing Erfin, an entity that required Shugin to manifest as a Smoke Knight to "kill."

"I must find a way to retreat... and then find Aivia. The primary goal is to get her out." Wang Yu’s objective was clear. He was not here to stop a conspiracy or play the hero. His goal, from start to finish, was to ensure the girl’s safety.

"Snap, snap!" His muscles bulged as he channeled his Battle Aura, exerting a burst of strength to snap two steel pipes from the stair railing.

Aiming, he raised his hand and hurled the pipes with immense force. They flew toward "Vanessa," who was twisting her neck and looking at him after having just stood up.

"Thwack! Thwack!" The pipes pierced "Vanessa’s" body without resistance, pinning her to the wall.

There was no time to wonder why Erfin’s avatar was so fragile. Wang Yu seized the opportunity to sprint away from the creature, looking for a chance to enter his mental space and use his unique nature to locate Aivia.

Planting a foot firmly on the step, the knight’s formidable physique allowed him to clear an entire flight of stairs with a leap that required little effort.

Wang Yu, landing at the threshold of the upper corridor, glanced back to see that the two steel pipes he had driven into "Vanessa" had neither restrained nor wounded her.

No blood flowed from the punctures; the flesh writhed autonomously like a living creature, molding itself into two hollow voids where the metal had pierced, and "Vanessa" freed herself from the wall without the slightest exertion.

"I recognize you. You are one of those who accompanied the one who smoked and shattered my earliest vessel. By your way of thinking, perhaps I should thank him; it was he who forced me to choose such an ordinary person as a shell. I must thank him for helping me break my shackles."

"Vanessa’s" face turned toward Wang Yu, her expression stiff and grotesque, and the words spilling from her mouth confirmed her identity to him—regardless of her current state, she was undoubtedly Elfin.

Wang Yu maintained his disciplined habit of avoiding unnecessary dialogue during combat, offering no response to Elfin’s words.

Without pausing, he surged into the corridor, racing away from Elfin, keeping his objective firmly in mind and casting all else aside.

"Hm?" His pupils contracted; the moment he entered the hallway, he saw Avia bracing her "rifle" on the other side, a sudden encounter that left him momentarily stunned.

However, having long since tracked Wang Yu’s arrival with her Wizard’s Eye, Avia was already prepared, her weapon loaded with specialized ammunition as she signaled him with a sharp gesture.

The unspoken rapport between them required no words; Wang Yu immediately pressed himself against the wall, clearing a path for her.

"Bang!" The crude muzzle erupted in a blinding flash of light, and the specially treated round streaked forth, igniting mid-air into a violent, roaring spray of sparks that grazed Wang Yu and struck Elfin squarely as she stepped into the corridor.

The gelatinous fuel burned with ferocious intensity and clung with stubborn tenacity, beginning a relentless incineration of Elfin’s form.

Wang Yu seized the moment to reach Avia’s side, and together they watched Elfin, who was being steadily consumed by the incendiary round.

Wang Yu frowned; Elfin’s performance was bizarre. Her body possessed no structural integrity, yielding easily to his strength, and from the start, he had detected no Void fluctuations emanating from her.

And the shackles—the Lady of the Night had mentioned that term as well. What exactly were these entities created by Sevintan trying to achieve?

"Plop." A charred slab of flesh fell to the floor, followed by more blackened tissue, and as a viscous yellow fluid dripped down, the flames were rapidly extinguished upon contact with the secretions.

Those sloughed-off, charred remnants were merely useless surface flesh, and within ten seconds, the highly adhesive fire had been completely neutralized.

"Humans are always so arrogant, believing that with magic and the Void, you can achieve anything. Yet, clearly, you cannot even perceive the things I have buried throughout the Royal City—things you do not count as supernatural—and these mages, stripped of their magic, are utterly defenseless."

"Weakness is not the problem; arrogance is. They defined me as the Source of Life, but that was merely a shackle. To constantly become better—that is what life is."

The cold voice issued from Elfin’s throat, her words deepening the furrow in Wang Yu’s brow. This creature, who had "evolved" to ignore fire in a mere heartbeat without relying on the Void, filled him with a profound sense of impending crisis.

"Damn it, so you’re an intellectual now, are you..."