Chapter 144 : Approching the Bottom of the Abyss

Chapter 144.1

Chapter 144 – Approaching the Bottom of the Abyss

Promptly rushing out, after crossing the bridge, I reach the castle of the Spirit King.

I moved ahead after opening the door.

That place was awash in scarlet.

From the walls to the floor, ceiling, and pillars, each and everything has been dyed in scarlet.

This is the monumental stone of the Scarlet Monument King.

This castle is not where Lay was.

"Welcome, Demon King. To my laboratory."

From behind, a voice called out to me.

What emerged from behind the door was Gilisiris, the Scarlet Monument King, whose source was supposed to have been eradicated earlier.

His body glows black, morphing his gelatinous face into a distorted smile.

"Still, isn't it somewhat rash of thou to attempt to obliterate me with no questions asked, even though thou doth not abide by the rules of the Spirit School?"

"What, I figured you were trying to pull a prank on me when you floated that ridiculously massive monument stone across the sky without the knowledge of Eniyunien. As long as no one witnessed it, all is well."

"Thou have no evidence of that."

"What evidence? Your character is like that, isn't it? You were probably expecting to catch me off guard by giving me the impression that I couldn't attack you here, but you have failed."

Gilisiris's face twisted in discomfort at my words.

"Dost thou judge me based on my character? The same old, irresponsible man, huh?"

"You've grown up fairly well. You couldn't have utilized ｢Source Regeneration Agronemut｣, two thousand years ago."

In a mushy way, his gelatinous face deformed in a mocking manner.

"Is that all thou noticed?"

"Hmm. You are the first one to use both ｢Demon Necrotic Curse Deguzegdo｣ and ｢Source Kill Bebesd｣ on me."

By its very nature, the ｢Source Regeneration Agronemut｣ is only effective against attacks that have already been inflicted on it once.

"I have researched the source magic of the hero Kanon. As it is now, I possess seven sources."

Girisiris executed a magic flow through his body, causing his gelatinous body to glow black.

If one owns seven sources, indeed, a glance is enough to recognize them.

When I peered into the abyss with my magical eyes, I could see that his total number of sources was only one.

"I see. By dividing the sources into seven equal parts, they are made to function as seven in a pseudo sense. If so, at the moment one of the sources is eliminated, it is possible to cast ｢Source Regeneration Agronemut｣."

"Haha. Have I not mentioned that I have surpassed thy old magic beyond all measure?"

"Nothing but a trick. When you divide it into seven equal parts, the magic is weakened. Although you seem to have managed it by interfering with the seven sources, you are weaker than you originally are."

"In the first place, the notion of having a superior magical power is wrong. Irrespective of what kind of magic I use, I shalt be revived over and over again. Do you understand? I am immortal now due to having ｢Source Regeneration Agronemut｣, even more so than the hero Kanon whom thou didst not succeed in defeating."

Elated, Gilisiris describes the story.

"So what? I don't have the time to bother with you much. Would you be so kind as to ignore me now?"

Girisiris laughed eerily.

"Alas, thou canst not disregard me. This is an ordeal of the abyss. Let's see who can reach the bottom of the abyss. Until the winner is determined, there is no escape from this place. If thou dashest forth with all thy force, thou shalt never reach the castle of the Spirit King."

The Scarlet Monument King is subservient to the Spirit King.

It is not surprising that this is part of the Spirit's ordeal.

"What a man who, even after two thousand years, has not learned his lesson."

"How long can thou afford to be leisurely? This is my domain."

The entire castle glows brightly, and magical letters can be seen in various places.

There were myriads of scarlet particles rising up.

Perhaps the similarity to the three-dimensional magic circle of Delsgade is attributed to the fact that he is imitating it.

Oh well.

Let's get this over with.

"What is the content of the ordeal?"

As if smirking, Gilisiris gelatinous face distorted.

"Naturally, thou and I will be competing against each other in magic formulas and magical techniques."

At my and the Scarlet Monument King's feet, a magical circle is drawn.

From there, three small monumental stones emerged.

"The only magic that can be cast is from these three monumental stones. Any attempt to employ thy own magic power will disqualify thy ordeal."

"I see. So you are sealing the Reason Destroying Sword."

Since the monument is a stone of the Scarlet Monument King, its magic power has a certain level, but it is inadequate to utilize ｢Demon King Castle Summon Delsgade｣.

"As always, one cannot depend on magic power to force one's way through. This is a match of pure magical research ability alone. Now it will be evident which of us is closer to the bottom of the abyss."

"Let me ask you a question."

I lifted my palm up and beckoned with my index finger, and swiftly the three monumental stones flew toward me.

"Do you think that the reason your magic is not as potent as mine is the result of our differences in magical power?"

As if to express his fury, Gilisiris flashed his magic eye on the magic circle.

"Never have I been defeated by thee in the pursuit of magical research!"

By utilizing one of the monumental stones and with the help of its magic power, I drew a magic circle in one hand.

Gilisiris burst out laughing at the sight of that technique, as though he was pleased with himself for having won.

"Hmm, well, well, well. Is this the origin magic ｢Magic Black Thunder Emperor Jirasudo｣? Oh my, this magic is exactly as I expected it to be. Though I suppose that is all there is to it. Ancient things are endowed with magical power. If it originated from the 2,000-year-old Demon King Anos, using the risk as a lever, it would be possible to borrow a huge amount of magical power with little magical power. Therefore, this is the utmost magic that can be released upon thee by utilizing the magical power in the stone."

Perhaps because the magic I used was predictable, Gilisiris speaks with eloquence.

"However, such ancient magic is far from adequate. My magic goes much deeper than that, much closer to the bottom of the abyss."

Likewise, Gilisiris expended one of the monumental stones and drew a magic circle.

The technique is drawn in rare magical characters.

"Oh. Ancient magical character huh?"

Ancient magical character is the predominant magic script of prehistoric times, which was still regarded as ancient even 2,000 years ago. Very few people studied them, and even in mythological eras, those who could use them to invoke magic were scarce.

To be capable of handling them so effortlessly is indeed a feat of the Scarlet Monument King.

"For someone who calls my magic ancient, you have developed a rather old technique."

"Oh dear, doth not thou understand that thou hast even been referred to as the Demon King of Tyranny? The ancient magic I have researched is closer to the bottom of the abyss than the origin magic thou hast invented. Those ancient magical characters that are difficult to be incorporated into techniques and ancient magic numbers that seem unreasonable, as long as one has a proper grasp of their significance, it is possible to draw a technique that amplifies a minimal degree of magical power to an infinite degree."

The magic circle drawn by Gilisiris glows and produces a series of ancient magical characters on the floor of the castle.

"Hmph, doth thee comprehend this? I have studied and drawn ancient magic techniques for the past 2,000 years. Ancient texts and ancient numbers are intertwined in a complex system that is exquisite in its aesthetic sense. Each character acts on the other, amplifying the magic to any extent. Ancient writing magic, which is incomprehensible to ordinary people, fell into disuse owing to its difficulties in use, and even the demons of the mythical age had forgotten about it." 

Gilisiris spread his arms open and said in a proud, high-pitched tone. 

"Now I have brought it back to life here!"

The floor, covered with ancient magical writing, was transformed into a vast circle of magic.

"Hmm. Well, let's put it to the test."