Chapter 459: Unable to Resist, Alliance Invitation

Gazing at the figure that had suddenly manifested among the wizards, Lorian saw a form seemingly composed entirely of translucent energy. It lacked a lower body, while its upper torso retained a vaguely humanoid shape, leaving Lorian’s heart heavy with suspicion regarding the wizards' current state.

The entity, resembling a projection of some deity, did not attack any member of the investigative team; it merely hung there, suspended among the wizards. Its featureless face swayed slightly with the movement of its head, leaving Lorian and Bethany, who stood beside him, hesitant—unsure whether to strike immediately or observe a moment longer.

"We cannot delay. The wizards' condition is dire. Let us drag them away from that thing before considering anything else."

The dwarf mage, whose thinking was relatively blunt and straightforward, refused to overanalyze; doing something was better than doing nothing. He swung his staff, gathering mana, and manifested a Mage Hand far more potent than any standard spell. It split into dozens of smaller hands, flying toward the wizards who stood in a daze, intent on pulling them to safety.

Yet, halfway to their targets, the wizards—who had been motionless—suddenly regained their mobility. What they did next, however, far exceeded the expectations of the investigative team.

Void energy surged. In this region where the Void and the material world showed clear signs of merging, it was far too easy for a wizard to channel power. With almost no delay, several beams of deep, chaotic blackness erupted from the wizards, striking the incoming Mage Hands and shattering the magical constructs into dissipating clumps of energy.

"Answer me! Do you still possess your own consciousness?"

Bethany was startled by the wizards' actions. She had seen elves whose minds had been twisted in the elven kingdoms and had fought them personally; these abrupt movements immediately filled her with a sense of dread.

"This shouldn't be possible. The mental wards the wizards set for us haven't been breached in any way. How could their minds be twisted..."

Bethany’s sharp interrogation allowed Lorian to grasp the gravity of the situation, yet the clear sensation of the mental ward covering his own consciousness reminded him that their minds had not been invaded at all.

"We are perfectly clear-headed, of course. We have simply learned a few things here. Everyone, I fear our initial decision was wrong from the start. Investigation, and even intervention, are unnecessary. What they are doing is for the sake of all intelligent races across the continent."

One of the wizards responded to Bethany’s questioning. His tone was certain, convinced of his own clarity, and he pointed out that the investigative team and the current Alliance were acting in error.

Hearing this, Bethany frowned and responded sternly.

"This sudden change in attitude lacks any supporting reason. It is impossible for us to believe you are fine. What exactly is this so-called 'error'?"

The logic of the words seemed sound, and based on their demeanor and gestures, they appeared truly "sane." But this sudden shift in attitude made Bethany feel uneasy; compared to forced mental interference, this silent, seamless cognitive distortion was far more terrifying.

"A reason? I suppose you are right. You do not understand the situation, so naturally, you cannot know why we speak this way. No matter; you will understand soon enough."

The wizard muttered to himself, nodding slightly as if he could understand Bethany’s confusion. Then, he raised his hand toward the rest of the team, and the other wizards followed suit.

"Defend!"

This clearly targeted action immediately triggered the vigilance of the entire team. Aura shields, mana barriers—every available defensive measure was deployed, covering the group as they braced for an imminent attack.

But the expected barrage of sorcery never came. The action originated from the "Shadow of the Deity" above the wizards. A ripple of indescribable energy pulsed from its body, sweeping over the defensive formation, linking with the power of the Utopia organization’s "nodes" to interfere with their wills.

All defensive measures were ignored. The ripple pierced through mana barriers and other protections, pouring directly into their bodies to seek the souls sheltered within. It was unreasonably easy—so easy it defied everything the group understood about mental interference; the invading force entered their bodies as if returning home.

The mages were the first to fall. As the ripple flooded their souls, information and influence from the "nodes" were forcibly injected into their consciousness, beginning to twist and warp the mages' souls, which were even more resilient than those of the knights. Even though the mages sensed the coercion, all resistance proved futile against the tidal wave of overwhelming power.

"Urgh, ah, get out!"

Inexplicably, even though the mages' souls were stronger and more mentally adept due to the demands of channeling mana and constructing spells, the only ones currently capable of resisting were the warriors in the group.

Clutching their heads, muscles tensed, their aura flared uncontrollably. Relying on sheer "willpower," they fought against the force invading their minds. The mental wards covering their souls were useless; the invading power passed through them as if they didn't exist.

"What... what are you people?"

Lorian’s consciousness began to collapse under the endless onslaught. His resistance weakened, and his tensed muscles began to slacken from exhaustion. In a daze, through the mental power of his crumbling soul, Lorian caught a glimpse of the thing influencing their wills. His lips trembled as he asked, filled with anger and resentment.

"We are merely taking back what belongs to us. Nothing more."

The words he heard in his daze were indistinguishable—it was unclear if they came from that massive collective entity or the wizards whose forms were already blurring before his eyes.

The next moment, the resistance of Lorian’s soul collapsed entirely. The final line of defense was overrun by the invading force, and his free will was washed away by an endless stream of chaotic information.

He was the last one in the group still resisting. As his resistance failed, the wills of every member of the investigative team were interfered with and altered by the "nodes," transforming them into mere individuals within the vast collective of the Utopia organization.

...

"It can be analyzed. Ethan Harris's final strike, the one he couldn't fully unleash, didn't just look like the Void—the power of the Void was indeed mobilized. Beyond his own strength, that slash was infused with Void power."

Inside the Tower of the Spellbound, Wang Yu and Avia were discussing the issue of Ethan Harris. This time, Wang Yu didn't leave things unexamined as he once did; his current level was sufficient, and with the help of the genius Avia, they had the ability to probe deeper into such questions.

"In other words, after he said 'I understand,' he gained a power capable of interfering with the Void. Where did this change come from?"

The girl was reviewing the battle with Ethan Harris using data recorded by the Perfect Fractal Lens, confirming that his final strike contained Void power. Wang Yu was quite curious about the origin of this strength.

"As you said, Wang Yu, he attributed all this power to the concept of 'swordsmanship.' So, what he achieved in the end must be a further advancement of swordsmanship, right? Perhaps it is an expansion leaning more toward cognition?"

The girl pondered for a moment before offering her view.

"Cognition? Can a change in cognition directly bring about a change in power? That doesn't make sense. Knights aren't wizards; you can't just say that by 'realizing' something, you can suddenly channel the Void. Though, it is true that legendary knights have the ability to resist sorcery with their bodies alone, so influence is possible. But channeling it? No records mention that."

Wang Yu scratched his head, searching his memory for information on knights, but found nothing. No document ever suggested a knight could act as a wizard unless they dual-classed, and even then, the powers of a wizard and a knight acted separately.

As for Wang Yu’s own anomalous Chariot Power, it could forcibly channel Void energy, but as he had said before, he only looked like a knight; what he actually was remained a mystery, and he couldn't just "realize" his way into using new powers.

Even when his Chariot Power evolved from "Ripple," it was predicated on the fact that the Chariot Power already existed and was simply renamed. Subsequent changes required him to "touch" or "learn" them.

"So, to be able to use new power immediately after 'realizing' it, that power must have already existed. The problem is, where would a knight get wizard power? That guy doesn't look like he would study wizardry."

Shrugging, Wang Yu didn't think this "Sword Saint" was also a wizard.

"A legendary knight's inner potential and domain do have some similarities to the Void; both affect surrounding objects and existence. However, this power originates from the knight's own body, so the two shouldn't be categorized together. Besides, such basic research would have been discovered by scholars long ago."

Thinking further, Avia realized the only points of contact between knights and the Void were inner potential and domains, but linking them remained quite a stretch.

"Eh, Avia, that’s not quite right either. I... ugh, still not right. My Void affinity is indeed zero, but do you remember that old mage? The reason he couldn't become a wizard was because his Void affinity was too low, but it still existed. In that case, Ethan must have had some too. That should count as his connection to the Void."

Wang Yu suddenly remembered something. It was precisely because of his own uniqueness that he could think of this point so quickly. He remembered the girl comparing the old mage's notes with Roland's manuscripts, pondering what exactly Void affinity was, though they had no answer then.

"Hmm... right, Void affinity. I was too focused on whether he was a wizard. In fact, even if one isn't a wizard, Void affinity is an objective existence. It is a connection to the Void that all intelligent beings, except for you, Wang Yu, possess."

Prompted by Wang Yu, Avia immediately found the point she had overlooked—something she hadn't paid much attention to since she reduced her use of wizardry and focused on magecraft: Void affinity.

Wang Yu’s Void affinity was non-existent, while her own was so strong that even demons would covet it...

"Wizard... this profession is even older than I thought..."

The girl chewed on the words she had seen in the manuscripts in Roland’s study, as well as the "Key"—an object that possessed Void affinity despite being an inanimate item. Her thoughts became tangled.

Wang Yu did not disturb the girl’s deep contemplation. Shier had sent a message through the prayer communication network, saying that the Alliance of Intelligent Races on the continent was inviting Alastair to form an alliance, and on the side of the Nightfall Church, the White Dragon Patriarch Mistryx and the Silver Dragon Erian were both seeking the opinion of Wang Yu, their "boss."

"Uh, why are they asking me?"