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At that very moment, the boy, whose heart had momentarily faltered, regained the strength to rise again with the help of the young girl.

Following the chaos of the musical instrument incident two years ago and the subsequent arrival of the Great Demon, the world began to move swiftly.

“He has finally descended! This is the precursor to the demons extending their sinister claws into the human world!”

“How could someone trapped in a domain descend to the mortal realm?”

“How he descended is one thing, but why did he choose to descend there? Isn’t that the important question?”

The Church Order reacted with great sensitivity to the news of the Great Demon’s descent.

Immediately, investigative forces under the Inquisition were dispatched to the scene, and local Spell Tower organizations also cooperated by assigning personnel.

With reports from Sophia and high-ranking church officials, the Church Order was soon able to grasp the situation.

“That ‘Rock of Kings’… could it really be a terminal of the Omphalos?!”

“If he accessed the Omphalos through that rock, it would be disastrous… What? He has already completed the access?!”

It didn’t take long for the Church’s leaders to learn that the Great Demon Rupifer had already accessed the Omphalos through the Rock of Kings and taken measures to alter the records of the Void Chronicles.

Although he hadn’t yet begun full-scale revisions, it was now common knowledge that the demons intended to modify the Void Chronicles through the Omphalos. The fact that they left traces of tampering suggested they had plans to exploit it further.

“Soon, a ceremony will be held elsewhere. A grand and formal one. This is just the preliminary preparation.”

“Isn’t that just a possibility?”

“Don’t you understand yet? Demons are like mold. Even the slightest possibility can lead to spontaneous generation, and no matter how absurd the delusion, they are already acting on it in reality!”

Though it was a wildly speculative leap from a narrow perspective, this conjecture soon proved to be true.

Shortly after, a new message from the Church’s observation team spread across the continent.

“An island will soon rise in the Atlas Sea!”

Following this, oracles confirming the observation results began to flow from priests serving divine powers.

“That island will be a massive altar created by the Twisted Ones, who have warped the veins of the sea.”

The Twisted Ones referred to demons and their allied kin, and the veins of the sea meant the underwater ley lines. The oracle foretold that the demons would twist the ley lines to raise a massive island, which would serve as an altar.

Those who understood the deeper implications could guess why the demons would go to such lengths to create an island that could function as an altar.

“It means their grand ceremony will soon take place on that island.”

“This is…”

“In the end…”

As Sophia finished speaking, sighs and uneasy silence filled the room.

It was the day Sophia arrived in Hiberia, the day before Maria’s coronation.

Maria had already left for the coronation rehearsal, protected by the royal authority, allowing her to listen in on the conversation from afar.

Thus, only Conra, Karl, and Brantley were present.

“A new star has already risen in the sky. The island rising from the sea will not only be a result of twisting the ley lines but also a ‘Fate Island’ influenced by the star’s gravitational pull.”

Stars in the sky sometimes influence the lives of mortals, and astrologers call this ‘fate.’ While human lives branch into infinite possibilities, the gravitational pull of stars can converge them, altering life’s trajectory based on which star’s influence is felt.

The ‘Fate Island’ Sophia mentioned meant that the island’s rise from the sea was inevitable, too late to stop, and an event that had to be accepted.

“I should have stopped it, but I couldn’t reach it in time.”

Sophia forced a bitter smile, acknowledging the limits of her power as an avatar.

To oppose the star’s power, one had to rely on the same star’s energy (罡氣), and to counter fate’s pull, one had to endure the chain of causality (仙劍術) leading up to it. At this point, Sophia was the only one on the continent capable of such a feat.

The problem was that her avatar, projected through a sword, had limited power. She was already a step too late to stop Rupifer from tampering with the Omphalos, and lacking the situation and strength to counter the rising star’s power, Sophia deeply felt the meaning of ‘helplessness.’

“Still, thanks to your swift action, he couldn’t carry out his plans on the spot, right? Don’t blame yourself too much.”

Brantley Somz cautiously comforted Sophia, who wore a pained expression.

He wasn’t wrong. If Sophia hadn’t arrived in time to intervene, the Great Demon would have leisurely rewritten the Void Chronicles instead of just leaving traces of tampering.

“Regardless, he will soon perform a ceremony to raise the altar. The raised altar will undoubtedly connect to the Omphalos. What this means, I think Spellcaster Somz understands better than anyone.”

“His schemes are closely tied to the domain. They will significantly impact the flow of the world’s spell waves. A global catastrophe is inevitable.”

Brantley Somz’s expertise was the relationship between main strength and spell waves. His insights, which could even penetrate the domain, were likely to be accurate.

The manifestation of spell waves in the phenomenal realm is called matter and phenomena. In other words, changes in the flow of spell waves lead to changes in phenomena.

If Brantley’s predictions were correct and the world’s spell waves lost their stability due to external influences, it would undoubtedly lead to a disaster beyond human control.

Frost and snow would fall in hot regions, while snow would melt and flowers bloom out of season in cold regions. Hot springs would cool, glaciers would melt, jungles would wither in cold snaps, deserts would flood, wetlands would dry up, and fertile lands would suffer droughts.

Deep and shallow ocean currents would reverse, and tidal patterns would lose their regularity.

Stable ley lines would shake, causing earthquakes and volcanic eruptions. Cities built on solid ground would suddenly experience sinkholes, high lands would lower, low lands would rise, hard things would soften, and soft things would harden.

Animals, losing their habitats, would disrupt their natural territories and run amok. Insects, affected by sudden climate changes, would either overpopulate or cease activity and disappear.

And it wouldn’t stop at natural disasters.

Spell waves are not only involved in natural phenomena but also in all sorts of mystical occurrences.

Those who should have been buried through proper funeral rites would suddenly rise from their graves to attack the living. Cold fire and hot ice would appear, corruption and poison would spread in clean places, rivers and lakes would turn blood-red, and frogs would rain from the sky.

Fairies would lose their sanity and run wild, mediocre spellcasters would be unable to cast spells and suffer from spell plagues, monsters would appear in inappropriate regions and times, and newborns would be born with various deformities and mutations.

Those with weak mental strength would risk having their personalities twisted overnight… Harmonious families would become worse than enemies, and kind-hearted lords would turn into capricious tyrants.

“It will be nothing short of an apocalyptic scene.”

The originally calm and orderly flow of spell waves had never been disrupted by the tricks of mere spellcasters. It was precisely because of this that the natural ecosystem and human civilization had been maintained until now…

But if an external shock large enough to disrupt the spell waves were to occur, the world could truly be turned upside down.

Of course, the laws of nature are vast and profound, and such disruptions would ultimately be temporary, soon returning to normal. But for humanity living in the present, that temporary disruption would feel like an eternal cry of doom. Even that brief moment of chaos could potentially reset civilization itself.

“We need to prepare.”

“Preparations are already underway. Warning documents have been sent to churches, Spell Towers, guilds, and awakened monarchs across the land. The important thing is something else.”

As she spoke, Sophia unfurled a large linen scroll. A vast nautical chart was spread out, showing the coastlines of Europa and the western Maghreb. Those present could immediately recognize it.

“The Atlas Sea.”

Brantley, hailing from the Kingdom of Dane, the backer of the Kalmar Union, showed interest in matters related to the sea.

Regardless, Sophia calmly stated her purpose.

“Ultimately, the key to raising the altar lies in the ‘fate power’ of the ‘star’ that ‘he’ has raised. If we track that gravitational pull, we can guess where the altar will rise.”

“Indeed. While ocean currents and depths will be useless by then, at least we can secure the coordinates.”

“If we can secure the coordinates, we can consider a decapitation operation, assuming all resources are supplied without a hitch.”

Finally understanding a concept amidst the confusion, Karl chimed in with a bright expression.

Given that the ley lines would be twisted, causing the island to rise and the spell waves to be disrupted, sending a fleet would be impossible. But the Spell Towers’ ‘Spatial Transmission Arrays’ were a different story.

Normally, with the spell waves in turmoil, using spells for approach would be too unstable, effectively blocked… But there were indeed artifacts that could bypass such issues.

So-called relics and artifacts. For example, Conra’s divine spear and sword, the Seven-League Boots, the Harp Pale Note, the Cloak Quiness, and Maria’s divine sword ‘Liberatus Calabrum’ were such items.

In the same vein, Spell Towers also enjoyed similar advantages.

All Spell Towers across the continent were built on ancient ruins with a uniform pattern. These ruins still preserved their mysteries, and the Spell Towers had been functioning to preserve and study them.

The ‘Spatial Transmission Arrays’ were one of the ancient mysteries hidden within these ruins, serving as a medium connecting the ruins across the continent. The spatial transmission services operated by the Spell Towers today were merely a result of researching these ruins, awakening their mysteries for modern use, albeit incomplete and resource-intensive…

“But in this time of continental unity against disaster, such minor issues are negligible.”

Another problem with the ‘Spatial Transmission Arrays’ was that they required pre-prepared ritual arrays for safe reception, as they were fundamentally bidirectional.

But that wasn’t a major issue either, due to the nature of the transmission arrays.

As the name ‘Spatial Transmission’ suggests, the principle is to ‘shoot’ the user across space. The need for a ritual array is solely to ‘safely receive’ the transmitted user…

“Strong individuals for the decapitation operation can protect themselves even if just shot to the coordinates.”

Practicing the Reverse Muscle Technique allows one to organize ethereal muscles, approaching divine sinews, while the Reverse Brain Method cultivates ethereal brains, nearing divine perception. As training progresses, the ethereal body approaches completion, transforming into a divine body upon crossing a certain threshold.

Whether that’s truly the case is hard to say, but those strong enough to participate in the decapitation operation wouldn’t be harmed by the spatial pressure of the transmission arrays. Their ethereal muscles’ sturdiness and strength, and their ethereal brains’ heightened perception, would protect them.

If they weren’t at that level, reaching the Great Demon’s presence safely wouldn’t even be considered a viable option.

“But there’s still a problem. Whether the Spell Towers’ transmission arrays can reach the target coordinates.”

At Brantley’s remark, Karl fell silent.

Indeed, it was a point that couldn’t be overlooked. One of the reasons Sophia had abandoned using the Spell Towers’ services during the last Great Demon descent was the effective range of the spatial transmission arrays.

Even if the decapitation force were shot through the transmission arrays, could they reach the target coordinates?

Sophia, too, furrowed her brow in thought, unable to immediately find a solution.

+++++

The solution to the dilemma came from an unexpected place.

“Uncle Brantley, let’s work together.”

Maria, who had returned from the coronation rehearsal and overheard the conversation, suddenly addressed Brantley.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

Brantley responded, puzzled by Maria’s call.

Though still a young girl, Maria was set to become the formal Duke of Asturias and the next High King of Hiberia tomorrow. With just one more year as Duke, she would ascend to the throne, so Brantley didn’t dare speak casually.

“Uncle, the transmission arrays’ range… can’t we extend it with formations?”

As Brantley unconsciously calculated the possibility, he was soon startled. Maria was right—using the principles of Qi Men Dun Jia, they could create relay points to extend the transmission arrays’ range.

Brantley, still somewhat dazed by the unexpected possibility, began to show signs of excitement and joy on his face.

Seemingly understanding from his expression, Maria nodded and continued.

“As you said, setting up those relay points won’t be easy. Tides, ocean currents, and seabed topography changes aside, securing a space stable enough to withstand the spell waves’ turbulence will require absurd resources.”

As Maria spoke, Brantley, still mentally calculating, unconsciously nodded in agreement. Maria, with her confident smile, continued.

“I’ve been thinking with the royal authority’s protection, and I can exert control over spaces considered ‘territory.'”

Traditionally, ships have always been considered part of their nation’s territory.

“As the Duke of Asturias, first in line to the Catalan throne, and the next High King of Hiberia, I can provide enough ships. At least within those ships, the royal authority can calm the spell waves. Can you set up relay formations to assist the spatial transmission arrays?”

‘Spell waves sufficiently calmed within ships… This could work, right?’

Finally finishing his mental calculations, Brantley’s eyes lit up with certainty at Maria’s bold question.

“Just leave it to me. I’ll make it happen.”

If he could pull it off, it would be a monumental achievement in spell history. The thought sent a thrilling sensation coursing through Brantley’s mind.

 

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