Chapter 435: The Calamity of Proliferation (2)

Whooosh...!!

Toska surged through the roaring blizzard that swept across the northern edge of the continent. He slowed down as a structure came into sight, circling to descend.

“Oh, what a surprise. I wouldn’t have imagined that the Tower of the Sun still existed.”

“Is that what they called it in the Mythical Era?”

“I assume the people of this age have a different name for it?”

“Take a closer look. It’s not the exact tower you remember—it ain’t that old. But from what I’ve heard, there used to be a tower in this location. That relic might be the Tower of the Sun you remember.”

At that, Toska took a closer look—and sure enough, while the tower looked familiar, he noticed subtle differences from the structure he remembered.

“You’re right. It’s not quite what I remember. But they’ve built it so precisely, it almost feels like a restoration. In any case, why are we here?”

“It’s similar to the original. Though the building is different, the purpose is the same. It was created to symbolize the power of the sun. Let’s go down.”

At Karyl’s command, Toska angled downward, descending toward a snow-laden hill. Karyl looked up at the towering structure, its surface bathed in a faint light.

It was the Ivory Tower of the Dawn Council that loomed before them.

“It’s been a while...”

The area around the tower bore the scars of fierce battles, with bloodstains and deep gouges still visible on the ground. The snowy hills had yet to heal from the carnage.

“Hmm... Whoever’s here is likely no different from Hekqet,” Karyl remarked as he gazed up at the tower’s peak, his tone slightly nostalgic. “It’s rather strange that this much blood has remained in spite of the heavy blizzard.”

Allen Javius scanned the area and frowned. “Leaving these traces to make it look abandoned... a bit much, if you ask me. The one living here might be an idiot.”

Karyl chuckled at Allen’s remark.

“Or perhaps just rigid in nature.”

Allen shrugged. “Well, I can guess who you’re here to meet. There’s only one person in the Ivory Tower of such renown. Leaving the bloodstains was likely deliberate, a mark of his stubbornness.”

Creeeak...

Just then, the door of the Ivory Tower opened to reveal a robed figure. His deep, knowing eyes revealed his mastery—an elder sorcerer of great accomplishment.

“Greetings. This marks our first face-to-face meeting.”

With that, Karyl extended his hand.

The elder sorcerer stared at Karyl’s hand for a bit. He bowed instead of shaking it.

“How could I stand shoulder to shoulder with the emperor himself? Please accept my greeting.”

“Such formalities are unnecessary. Your colleague, Nain Darhon, is quite at ease with me.”

“I am not as uncouth as him. At the very least, Kadin Luer is not. The Dawn Council lost, and the empire fell. So it’s only right I show reverence to my lord, however shameful it may be.”

“You say that, though your countenance tells me you’ve yet to accept defeat,” Karyl remarked.

He stood face-to-face with Berchi Blano himself, master of the Ivory Tower and head of the Dawn Council.

During the war against the empire, Nain Darhon’s army of undead slaves had stormed the Ivory Tower, the lingering bloodstains being a reminder of that day. Berchi Blano had vanished after that assault, and the empire had been unable to track him down.

And now, he was back at his tower.

“I should thank you for not involving the Ten of the Dawn in the war,” Karyl said.

“I knew we had no chance of winning. Those sorcerers are my life’s work. Unlike my old self, they are the future of magic in the Dawn Council. Their survival matters more to me than the fate of the empire.”

The elder sorcerer appeared somewhat weary, as if he had spent years living alone in the tower.

“You... How old are you?” Allen growled from behind Karyl.

Berchi Blano’s eyes widened slightly as he stared at Allen’s shadowy form.

So Nain was telling the truth.

He had dismissed it as empty boast when Nain Darhon claimed to have been trained by one of the Assembly of Seven Elders—but the mana emanating from the spirit before him was unlike anything he had ever encountered.

Given his expertise in lightning magic, Berchi could sense the sheer power of Allen’s Arcane mana, even without his using it.

“Tell me, have you lived over a hundred years?”

“Pardon?”

“No, you haven’t,” Allen continued, clearly irritated. “You’re a Great Sorcerer only by modern standards, so what can you truly teach others? You’re no different from Nain Darhon. Focus on your own training instead. His undead slaves may be unrefined, but the spell he used to create them shows he at least understands the modern magical world.”

“...”

“You must have witnessed the First Calamity descend upon the land. Surely you realized why Karyl spared you.”

The Dawn Council had indeed been defeated, but it hadn’t been an absolute loss. Although formidable, Nain Darhon’s undead slaves hadn’t managed to subdue the Dawn Council by themselves.

Ironically, it was Mikhail, wielding Kaye Aesir’s layered spellcraft, who ultimately forced the Dawn Council to retreat.

Berchi doubted his eyes when he saw the young sorcerer, seemingly an amateur, wield a spellbook no one had ever managed to unlock. When Mikhail’s Wind Blades shattered his shield and sliced off part of his ear, Berchi realized the next blades would kill him.

“He’s a fine sorcerer. Though he’s rather meek, he’s got a knack for combat.”

Karyl smirked, knowing Berchi was referring to Mikhail.

“That fine nature is what’s kept him from fully reaching his potential.”

“Lord Karyl, you’re surrounded by sorcerers unlike any I’ve encountered before. The Assembly might have found them unremarkable, but I’ve seen enough in my lifetime to recognize their potential.”

Despite his experience and accomplishments, Berchi genuinely acknowledged Mikhail, a sorcerer half his age.

“...With that comes a deeper fear of death. Even if we had won that single battle, I knew we couldn’t oppose you, Lord Karyl. Instead, I am grateful for your mercy.”

The Dawn Council, indeed, had grown stagnant. When Berchi ascended to the 7th Class, he believed he had reached the pinnacle of human sorcery—and from that moment on, he devoted himself solely to amassing mana.

“I sense a dragon’s presence in that staff of yours,” Toska remarked, his gaze fixed on Berchi.

“Cruah...?”

“It’s probably not the Cruah you remember. Likely one of her descendants, not one from the Mythical Era.”

“Regardless, if a dragon crafted this weapon, it means they acknowledged you. There’s no doubt you once held great renown in the field of magic. Stand tall, human blessed with magical power.”

Berchi Blano, staring at the immense bone dragon before him, was speechless for a few moments.

“The Golden Dragon...”

“But seeing you now, I understand why Karyl chose to keep you alive, even if it renders my words meaningless.”

Karyl chuckled lightly at Toska’s words.

“Lightning is indeed a rare element. Reaching the rank of Great Sorcerer with that alone is impressive, but what’s even more remarkable is that lightning mana is inherently connected to the power of light.”

Toska turned his gaze to Karyl.

“Do you truly claim it was mere coincidence that you acquired me?”

Karyl only responded with a wry smile and a shrug.

“Karyl, you intend to stop the Calamity of Proliferation with the white magic of the Dawn Council and my solar power. Isn’t that right?”

“Bingo.”

Karyl pointed to the tower’s peak.

“We’ll bring the sun down on their heads,” he said with a self-assured smile.

***

Wooom...

Toska slowly opened his eyes. He raised his arm to inspect it. Although his form was translucent—his bones visible through the smoky haze—it was undeniably human in shape.

“The more I look, the more remarkable it gets. When summoning a familiar, the summoner’s mana is crucial. For a human to possess enough mana to control a dragon like me... and to even enable Polymorph. It’s astounding.”

“That much mana is necessary just to enter the tower,” Karyl replied. “And as I told you before, I hold two dragon hearts.”

Berchi Blano gave a faint, incredulous laugh at Kary's mention of the dragon hearts. Most sorcerers couldn’t even conceive of a human absorbing one—yet Karyl possessed two, making him one of a kind.

“It is astonishing indeed.”

Click—

At the top of the Ivory Tower was a large room, its interior resembling an observatory. There, a giant telescope extended outward, and at the center stood a rotating gemstone, brimming with light.

Toska lifted his head to examine it.

“This... I haven’t seen anything like this, not even in the Mythical Era. What is it? A gemstone saturated with magic?"

“Of course not. It didn’t exist back then. While magic may have flourished in those times, engineering and science were still in their early stages.”

Toska turned his gaze from the massive gemstone back to Karyl.

“It’s called trigonal quartz. It’s incredibly difficult to craft. In fact, it takes years just to produce one piece.”

Karyl gestured to the mystical gem, which was engulfed in shimmering golden dust that looked almost like smoke.

“One piece alone... Given its size, it’s no surprise it took so long.”

“It’s a unique mineral, with each facet radiating a different hue. Until recently, it was nothing more than a fancy accessory for nobles. But you, of all beings, should recognize its true value.”

“Yes, I doubt other dragons would grasp its true value.”

“The Immortal Council based their dark magic system on Tarak, but the Dawn Council focused on the magic of light, pursuing what they called Radiance. Light was equated with Divine Power which garnered full support from the Church.”

Karyl shifted his gaze to Berchi Blano.

“But we both know that’s not quite right.”

“They equate light to divinity? Imbeciles,” Allen scoffed. “Any real sorcerer should know that mana and Divine Power come from the same origin but can diverge into separate forces, which is why the magical guilds and the Church coexist.”

Berchi Blano remained silent, reflecting on this bitter truth. Thanks to imperial support, his academy had risen as one of the two pillars of magic. But deep down, he had always known that his pursuit of light magic was not truly aligned with Divine Power.

“Why do some link the pursuit of light to justice? Yula’s power encompasses both light and darkness. It seems like someone who knew better planted that belief among humans.”

“Exactly. And that very question has brought us to a shared purpose. When this is over, the Dawn Council will have the means to study light magic properly.”

“So you’re planning to use me, you cunning human.”

“The initial offer involved sharing the magic within Polsetia, but with you here, there’s no need to waste time.” Karyl chuckled.

“Fair enough. A gemstone infused with solar power... I’ve never seen or even heard of an attribute stone with such a purifying force,” Toska remarked. “It almost feels like it was crafted specifically for me.”

“Perhaps it was meant for this moment.” Karyl’s eyes sparkled with intent.

“This is the Ivory Tower’s observatory, the Astral Chamber. It houses the largest telescope on the continent. The magic here will grant us sight over the entire continent.”

Karyl tapped the telescope lightly.

“Here’s the plan. I’ll be returning to the battlefield, but you’ll be the ones stopping the Second Calamity.”

“Hmm?”

“This telescope will allow us to monitor the continent. The more mana we channel into it, the farther we can see.”

“A principle similar to Superior Vision, then,” Allen deduced, prompting a nod from Karyl.

“Exactly. We’ll have the commanders on the battlefield relay Hekqet’s location to Israphil. In turn, Israphil will use the Superior Vision to report to us.”

Karyl turned to Berchi Blano.

“Next, based on that information, you’ll use the telescope to pinpoint the location once more.”

“So that’s your plan,” said Toska, quickly grasping Karyl’s strategy. “You intend to channel my solar power into that trigonal quartz and unleash it on those monsters after you’ve pinpointed them with the telescope, right?”

“Exactly. Besides me, you’re the one on this continent with the greatest magical reserves, Berchi, so you should be able to cover all the areas designated by Israphil.”

Karyl raised a finger. “Remember, this is a one-time shot. These monsters are the Calamity of Proliferation. Taking them down one by one won’t end it.”

He clapped his hands together, a cold smile straying on his face.

“We’ll bring the sun’s wrath down upon their heads. They won’t know what hit them.”