Chapter 143:Tower Master

As Rain Adriche transcended space, Yohan created a distortion sphere in mid-air, intending to latch onto him at high speed by pulling himself along.

But the instant the man crossed over-

“…Damn it.”

Yohan’s brow furrowed like a demon’s. He’d planned to follow Rain Adriche through the spatial rift, but it closed the moment the man passed through.

Forcibly breaking through was impossible. Yohan was ignorant of magic involving space, and it was practically Rain Adriche’s symbol. He might have lost limbs if he’d tried.

“Hoo.”

Though the situation was unfolding rather shoddily, Yohan took a calm, deep breath.

‘The location is the clothing salon Francia and I frequented.’

The location was on the Street of Art in the Imperial Capital. As long as he knew the place for sure, it didn’t matter. He could just rush over there.

He immediately headed for the window.

He’d get his bearings and fly.

The distance from the Magic Tower to the Imperial Capital was considerable, but he could get there quickly.

He’d already set the route to reach the Imperial Capital in the shortest time and adjusted his Magical Power.

It was the moment Yohan placed his foot on the windowsill.

Kugugugu-!

Something surged in from outside the window. A sphere made of flames. Blue flames rushed in at high speed.

Whirr!

Sensing the flames, Yohan hurriedly threw himself back. And immediately after, the flames approached, leaving behind a massive explosion.

Kwaang-!

The acrid smoke that had filled his vision vanished, and his sight cleared. Sunlight poured in excessively. A large hole had been blown through the top floor of the central Magic Tower.

Visible through the hole were mages wearing robes emblazoned with the emblems representing each Magic Tower. He didn’t know how they’d done it, but they were flying in the sky.

Their numbers exceeded dozens, even hundreds.

Judging by the deep Magical Power he felt, they were all Rank 1 or higher.

“Duke Rahardt, you won’t be leaving this place.”

The mage at the very front spoke. His eyes were glowing blue, as if he’d pushed his Magical Power to its limit. He was an especially powerful one. Surpassing even Special Rank.

However—that didn’t pose a problem.

“I did expect it to turn out like this.”

Yohan drew up his Magical Power. Mana filled his entire body, and his heart beat rapidly.

His physical condition was optimal right now. He wouldn’t lose consciousness from overexertion like last time.

“I’ll make you regret messing with us.”

Kugugu-!

Yohan’s eyes flashed. The mana floating around him vibrated in unison with him. The air distorted, and a heavy Magical Power weighed down his shoulders.

Grip.

The mages expressed their tension in their own ways, clenching their fists or swallowing nervously.

The person before their eyes was a mage who had reached the realm of transcendence. Perhaps even comparable to the Tower Master. They couldn’t help but be nervous.

“Fire!”

But as mages of each tower who followed the Tower Master, they had no choice but to attack Yohan. To them, the Tower Master was like the sky, the will of God.

Magic circles unfolded in the mages’ hands.

Magic with attributes poured out all at once.

Fire, ice, electricity, wind.

None of it was weak.

An Archmage would have been helpless and succumbed.

Of course, that was irrelevant.

Hwaaaak-!

The Spirit Stream Formation filtered out all the attribute magic surging in like a wave. All that reached Yohan was a subtle breeze created by the flow of Magical Power.

“What…!”

“All of that?”

While the Magic Tower mages were flustered-

He closed his eyes and extended his open palm forward. He grasped at the air. And twisted it. These actions alone were enough for Yohan to deal with them.

Immediately afterward, what was heard was—

Kwaddeudeuk-!

“Keuhak!”

“Kkeuaaaa!”

“Keoheok…!”

The sound of bones breaking and flesh twisting.

Screams that couldn’t be contained and burst out of their mouths.

The air wept. Space collapsed. And they collapsed, vomiting blood. Their eyes rolled back. Their bodies contorted. They couldn’t even twitch a finger.

Soon, their entire bodies distorted along with space.

Kudeudeuk!

The mages each spat out blood and fell to the ground with their eyes rolled back. They couldn’t move anymore.

There was no reason to be held back here any longer. Yohan didn’t even bother to check if they were definitely dead. Time was of the essence. He would use high-speed movement as is and head to the Imperial Capital.

Woong-!

Yohan kicked off the windowsill and leaped from the Magic Tower. What he felt was the cold, sharp wind and gravity. But he wouldn’t fall like this.

He created distortion spheres one after another in front of him, moving at high speed. He used the Spirit Stream Formation to minimize air resistance and maximize his speed as much as possible.

Kwaaaa-!

He traversed the sky at a speed that the naked eye couldn’t follow. The sound of mana tearing apart struck his ears. Even the air couldn’t keep up with his speed.

His eyes and brain felt fatigued, but he didn’t feel it much. It was probably because various hormones were being secreted as his mind cooled down due to his anger.

He’d suffer later, but he didn’t care. That wasn’t what was important to Yohan in this situation.

‘Father-in-law is there too, so there’s enough time.’

Duke Ferbache, though only at the beginning stages, was clearly a transcendent mage. Even if the Tower Master’s power was strong, he could certainly hold out for a while.

Of course, that didn’t mean he could go leisurely. Anything could happen at any moment.

Yohan increased his speed even further and headed for the Imperial Capital.

*    *    *

The ceiling of the Mary Jane Salon had collapsed.

The peaceful laughter that had been echoing until just now had completely disappeared.

Now, all that remained was the pained groans seeping out from under the collapsed debris, and the faint, continuing breaths.

Duke Ferbache stood in front of Francia, drawing up his Magical Power. His eyes flashed with lightning, and a low-lying frost swirled beneath his feet.

“Tower Master, do you know where you are doing this?”

The Duke’s voice was calm, but his gaze flashed with vigilance.

“The heart of the Rozino Empire, the Imperial Family. If you cause trouble here, the Magic Tower won’t be safe either.”

“…”

Rain Adriche merely wore a meaningful smile in response to the question.

“Hmm, the Magic Tower won’t be safe? I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

A low voice cut through the air.

“I am the sky, and the path I take is the correct answer.”

Rain Adriche grinned.

A confident smile that held not a shred of doubt.

However, his thoughts were closer to madness than conviction.

“What kind of…”

Francia gasped. The words were arrogance beyond confidence, and even beyond that, conviction. The man’s thinking was chilling. Even

when time changed, he remained the same.

“Duke Ferbache, I will make you an offer now.”

Thud.

Rain Adriche descended from the air and stepped onto the floor that was on the verge of collapsing.

His words continued.

“Hand over your daughter. Then I will leave immediately.”

The Duke frowned.

“You speak nonsense, Tower Master. What father in this world would grant such an absurd request?”

“That’s… a bit strange. Most of the children who come to the Magic Tower come because their fathers and mothers abandoned them.”

“Those aren’t fathers and mothers, but beasts in human skin. I think it’s a bit rude to put them on the same level.”

Crack, crackle…!

Soon, the ground completely froze over. A ruthless frost slowly swept in. But Rain Adriche took each step slowly, as if even this was trivial.

Crakle…

The frost that filled the space froze beneath Rain Adriche’s feet, but only for a moment. The ice disappeared cleanly, as if dust had scattered.

“If that’s the case, then it can’t be helped. Well, I suppose I’ll just provoke Duke Rahardt’s anger even more…”

Rain Adriche smirked.

“I’ll just have to use a slightly more violent method.”

The numerous magic circles drawn behind him obscured the sky. The Duke and Francia’s bodies stiffened. Their eyes widened. The sight before them made them do so.

None of those numerous magic circles were unified. That meant they were all different magics with their own forms. He was using all elemental magic, regardless of attribute.

“…A monster.”

The Duke muttered. Casting magic required a high degree of computational ability, so at most, two or three were the limit. But this man…had cast dozens.

Kwagwagwaga-! The magic circles activated. Rain Adriche’s body slowly floated up. A chilling mana swirled around him, causing his skin to tingle, and a great whirlwind arose.

The Duke didn’t just stand still. The frost that rose from beneath his feet took shape. Ice shards containing a chilling Magical Power were fired at the man.

Kwaaaak-!

In that instant—

Dozens of magic circles overlapped in the air.

Light distorted.

Fire, ice, wind, lightning—

All the elements were sucked into a single core.

“All for one.”

Transcendent magic containing binding.

Dozens of magic circles shone simultaneously. Each element merged together, fusing into one. A terrifying Magical Power that could not be considered human pressed down on the atmosphere.

Kwagwagwagwa-!

Something that should never have been born into this world was being born from the gap in space.

At the Tower Master’s gesture, the fused elemental Magical Power writhed.

“Celestial magic will be recreated here today.”

Kwaaang-!

The two magics collided. The ice shards born from beneath the Duke’s feet continued to be fired, but the massive fusion magic didn’t budge even slightly.

Francia hurriedly cast a blessing on the Duke. It was a magic that increased the purity of Magical Power to enhance the user’s output and cleared the mind to speed up calculations.

Kagagagagak-!

The fusion magic spread out as if to swallow the sky. A storm of various Magical Powers swirled and burned mana, and countless frost shards flew toward its center.

Blinding flashes of light flickered one after another. The earth shook. Heat and shockwaves spread in all directions. It felt as if the world was collapsing.

Kkadeuk.

Duke Ferbache bit his lip. He was being pushed back. But he couldn’t give up. He had to hold on. He had to create an opening so that at least Francia could escape.

He burned even more Magical Power.

Kagagagagak-!

The two magics collided relentlessly. The Duke’s magic was only slowing down the speed at which the massive fusion magic advanced. He would strengthen his output even more.

Woowoong-!

The Duke’s mana vibrated. Thud. Blood flowed from his nose. Was the difference this great? But what he had to do didn’t change. He wouldn’t back down and would respond.

Frost magic rained down even more. Shards that had gathered Magical Power into a single point pushed the Tower Master’s sphere back even further.

The ice creation magic shattered into pieces.

Cold sweat flowed from the Duke’s forehead. The nosebleed didn’t stop. Even though Francia was constantly healing him, his brain was still being overworked.

Pasasak…

The ice shards returned to nothingness. The fusion sphere was slowly approaching. He could feel the intense heat. No, perhaps it was a cold chill. His magic had no definition.

It was at that moment. A small dagger shimmering with golden light emerged from Francia’s arms. The dagger soon received Magical Power and increased in size, emitting an even more brilliant light.

“…Gladius Luminosus.”

Francia murmured quietly. A golden flash of light flickered. The blade, which stretched out in a straight line, pierced through the fusion

sphere and rushed toward the Tower Master’s heart.

Ssaeeaaek-!

“!!!”

In a fleeting moment, Rain Adriche’s eyes widened. A golden radiance. A blade he could never forget. It was the light with which Yohan Rahardt of a now-vanished timeline had inflicted a fatal wound upon him.

“This…!”

Rain Adriche deployed a mana barrier. But he couldn’t block the golden radiance. 

Clang! 

The shield crumbled like breaking glass.

Kwaak-!

Soon, the blade pierced into Rain Adriche’s abdomen. A golden flash burned Magical Power. Hwareureuk! It was the fire of divine punishment. This wouldn’t do. Yohan Rahardt would be here soon, and he couldn’t face him in this state!

“Keuheuk…!”

Rain Adriche clutched his pierced abdomen, frantically gesturing in the air.

Space warped, and a rift appeared. He threw himself into the distorted space and vanished.

But the transcendent magic he left behind didn’t stop, and ultimately fell upon the Duke.

KWA-AAAAAAA!

The explosion erupted in a circular form, engulfing the area. The remains of buildings turned to dust, disappearing without a trace. The transcendent magic completely incinerated the mana in the atmosphere.

*    *    *

The Street of Art was utterly demolished.

Only rubble remained.

And at its center, Mary Jane’s Salon. The once-splendid space was gone.

Only shattered remnants proved what it had once been.

In that place—

“Father! Father, please wake up!”

Francia cradled the fallen Duke in her arms. Her heart pounded wildly. Her fingertips trembled. But she didn’t stop channeling her Magical Power.

But, there was no response.

“Father…!”

Her trembling fingertips stroked the Duke’s cheek. It wasn’t cold. He was breathing. But— he wouldn’t open his eyes. It wasn’t a simple fainting spell.

Something was blocking him.

‘Could it be…!’

Francia’s complexion turned ashen.

Magical Binding.

The healing magic flowing from her hands bounced back as if hitting a wall.

The flow of Magical Power… was completely locked.

‘What on earth did he do…!’

As a healer, she knew. This wasn’t a simple loss of consciousness. His soul was forcibly sealed shut.

Francia calmly considered the solution.

‘To break this binding…’

The master of the binding.

Killing the Tower Master was the only way.