The Royal Treasury - III
While I watched Heaven's Grasp beat the living lights out of the Hydra Hound, I was snooping around my immediate area.
If not for the special circumstances of their performance, I would have genuinely admired them.
They fought like a well-oiled machine.
Each of their actions had a trace of beauty despite the chaotic flutter of mana.
***
Opheus, with each shield he discarded from the corrosion, was an impenetrable wall, incapable of being wounded despite the maws of death that slammed upon his armor without a halt. The Hydra Hound's claws could barely scratch the mana armor he had coated around his body.
Feura, whose arrows weaved between her comrades, drew irregular arcs that all pierced the Hydra Hound at the same spot. Each time she let loose an attack, the area around her boomed with formidable energy.
Quill could barely be seen, but with every moment that passed, an infected wound would appear on the Hydra Hound's body. Many of the Hydra Hound's attacks seemed directed at thin air. Only afterimages could be found as Quill danced around the monster.
Laurence was moving around the battlefield, his entire body glowing with mana. At times he would wave his hand, and at others, he would draw in the air. Each action of his signified a significant movement in the battle's tide.
Ella was casting a flurry of bombardments, raining hellfire and icicles in a very standard hot-cold attack pattern. The flashing blues and reds were mesmerizingly chaotic, yet her attacks never once bothered the frontline.
Finally, Lila, whose movements were the most beautiful of them all, danced across the Hydra Hound's massive body. She spun her swords with her body, carving out bloody grooves throughout the monster's flesh. With each flash of her swords, a huge gash would come flying into the Hydra Hound, and blood would erupt.
It was no wonder Heaven's Grasp was capable of duking out with even dragons.
However, Aventine didn't seem interested.
Instead, something else had caught his interest. As he moved around with the veil of invisibility draped over his body, he studied the patterns on the opposite end of the room.
Using as little mana as possible, he peered into its secrets.
"It's some kind of circuit,"
With eyes flashing with curiosity, he followed the flow of mana. While Heaven's Grasp whittled the Hydra Hound down until its last breath, Aventine discovered a silver pebble embedded into the ground.
With the smooth, pattern-filled marble floor, it was difficult to spot. However, it was clearly out of place given the absolute lack of mana-induced phenomena surrounding it.
To Aventine, this was a clear indicator of its special nature. The room was overflowing with mana. This silver pebble was siphoning it all into itself, uncaring of the sheer volume it was consuming.
"Hm,"
After a quick survey of his surroundings, he plucked the stone out of its place.
At the same time, the Hydra Hound collapsed.
"Good work, everyone." Lila's voice echoed throughout the room. "We have two more to fight. Let's move with haste."
Hearing these words, Aventine hurriedly went over. With Ella's mana, the entire group was transported once more.
***
Daimyuon wondered what the 'spirit' seemed to be doing. It didn't participate in any of the three battles, opting instead to roam around the room.
"Is it not with them?"
A third party? Someone who had appeared at the moment of the doors' activation?
For the first time in a long time, Daimyuon was amused. He couldn't sense the truth behind the party's existence, assuming them to be some sort of wandering <Spirit >. A force of nature that didn't have a consciousness.
Snapping his fingers, Daimyuon decided to summon one of his students.
After a short moment, space suddenly warped, and an old man with white hair appeared.
"Master," The old man bowed, "What do you seek from this humble one?"
"How has your command over spirits grown? Any progress?" Daimyuon asked, "Have the elves given you any hints?"
Hearing these words, the old man sighed, "Years have gone by and my research still bears no fruit. Have I taken the wrong path?"
Daimyuon chuckled, "My dear student, the joy of magic is in the mere pursuit of its greatest heights. Don't doubt the path you have taken. There will always be a way forward."
Then, with a gesture, Daimyuon conjured a moving image of the situation faced by Heaven's Grasp.
"I want you to look at this. Do you sense anything off about this situation? Any hint of a <Spirit >?"
The old man's eyes scanned the image. Yet, even after straining his gaze for several seconds, he found nothing. Skeptical, he glanced at his master.
Daimyuon raised a brow. "Even you can't sense them?"
"Them? Is there someone here that even Master cannot locate?"
"...Indeed," Daimyuon leaned back into his chair. "Yet the numbers don't lie. The number of entities teleported always numbered at seven. The only way I am keeping track of them now is through a mark — and even that requires focus."
The old man's eyes shrank. A seventh person? Just who could elude their senses in their entirety?
Muttering, Daimyuon focused on his perception.
"Like the ever-present threat of death. Wholely imperceptible and incapable of being held within one's grasp."
Daimyuon couldn't help but remember an old demigod he had met all those years ago. He was the <Prince of the Underworld>.
Their auras were similar. However, if the <Prince of the Underworld> reeked of the scent of souls, this one emanated the singular concept of <Death >.
"Fine," Daimyuon decided after a moment of thought, "Why not? I'll meet this entity in person."
He did not mind this moment to be his end. To face the unknown and protect what he loved was all that he wished for in life.
Therefore, after watching the final beast fall to the party of Heaven's Grasp, Daimyuon's figure shifted. Like walking into a mirror, the <Archmagus > traversed through space without a word.
Meanwhile, the old man regarded this moment as a privilege. Standing by the side, he ravenously began absorbing insights into the Laws of Space. His previously bloodshot eyes turned crimson with the strain.
Tears of blood began to trickle down his cheek, yet he paid such matters no heed.
To meet this mysterious master of his was the most difficult thing in the world. He needed to make the most out of it.
"It is good that you still behave this way, Charles."
Daimyuon's voice resounded in the old man's head. He seemed pleased.
"Continue down your path, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. Even if those younger than you have achieved the status of <Archmagus >, I hope you do not falter."