Chapter 334: Target Acquired

Beneath the central spire of Skyborne City's three main towers, six monolithic metal obelisks stood in a perfect circle in a hidden chamber. Each bore a distinct sigil meticulously etched in an archaic style, representing its bearer's identity.

The designs might well seem familiar to a true scholar of heraldry. They bore a singular shared motif: the mark of a "disciple."

The rest of the symbols, however, held meanings known only to the engravers themselves.

Suddenly, one of the obelisks shimmered with light. A youthful male voice emerged from within.

"Several of the guilds under our surveillance have begun research aligning with our parameters. They're now being handled. Eye, continue tracking the targets."

Another obelisk pulsed in response. A composed, mature woman's voice answered, "Understood. Mouth, convey the directive. Time is not a luxury we possess. We're unable to divert additional authority to suppress researchers who haven't yet reached the critical threshold.

"That guild that we've destabilized via Hand's tampering and resulting apparatus failure lost key personnel in the incident. Even so, it seems that they have yet to abandon their project. I must focus fully on their movements."

A third obelisk glowed, and a hoarse, elderly male voice rasped out, "The Council of the Arcane hasn't given up, has it? They're pursuing the notion of 'unbound mana.' Ear evaluated its potential months ago. If completed, the research would more than satisfy the legacy criteria. We'd be replaced."

The matter of the hour was clearly the Council of the Arcane's research on hypermagic.

"They haven't ceased," came a young girl's voice from Ear's obelisk. "From the data I can access, their acting leader, Icarus of the Winged, recently used a transit conduit to seek out researchers I stalled. Their intent is clear."

"I'm unable to interfere further," added Hand, sigil flaring. "After my last maneuver, they were forced to rebuild their laboratory. It lacks access nodes I can manipulate—unless, of course, I'm granted more authority."

That last statement drew all eyes—real or imagined—toward the obelisk at the center of the circle.

Unlike the rest, which stood alone and silent until activated, this central monolith was ensnared by a web of cables feeding from all corners of the chamber. Arcane magic pulsed through them, mingled with other, stranger forces.

Though silent, the sigil upon it shimmered with a slow, rhythmic glow, as if it were breathing. It did not reply to Hand's implicit request.

Even so, Hand seemed to perceive a response. Hand's voice rose in frustration and exasperation.

"Julius, have you forgotten how we surrendered our authority so you could bypass Master's constraints? Yes, the full command of Skyborne City lies in your hands, but without us Disciples, you'd be powerless yourself.

"Deny us access, and you'll watch another guild complete research fit to replace us. We who sacrificed our bodies and took on these forms to survive—we'll vanish."

The central obelisk was the only one that the others referred to by name.

Another obelisk joined the chorus. "Indeed, Julius," said Ear. "Our forms are flawed, diminished. Though our lives continue, our abilities are no longer sufficient to produce viable research under Master's laws.

"Even with access to those sealed abyssal entities, hidden beyond the knowledge of the outside world, we've made no progress."

Ear was clearly on Hand's side. Ear likewise wanted Julius to cede more authority to Hand to prevent the Council of the Arcane from researching hypermagic further.

"Astartes... Yes. That was my oversight. We've all forgotten about the Machine Spirit. Julius, even now, we do not understand how the Master breathed soul into steel. Astartes evolves, while we decay.

"Bound as it is to the core protocols of Skyborne City, it exists to ensure the power of us Disciples will never be absolute. The Master cared more for the progress of sentient civilizations than for his former students.

"And yet, he was too trusting. Too idealistic. There are always cracks in any system. That's how we've survived thus far—and how we will again."

The central monolith remained silent, but it pulsed in acknowledgment. As if having received Julius's response, Hand calmed down. Hand's tone softened.

"Indeed," Hand murmured. "Astartes holds half the City's authority.

"But it is restricted. Its power is limited to Skyborne City's defenses and its legion of alchemical golems.

"It cannot communicate with others about the nature of power in Skyborne City, and it cannot alert others to our moves. Even if it knows about us, it cannot act.

"The Master's regulations were meant to prevent infighting among those seeking Council ascension—but they've become Astartes' chains and our shield."

Hand began analyzing Astartes, as well as their shared mentor, Merlin.

"Our master was a single-minded man. A skilled researcher beyond compare—and yet far too idealistic for the material world. His rules meant to spark innovation and evolution in magical theory had far too many loopholes to exploit.

"All Astartes can do is hinder us. Combined, we may access 20% of Skyborne City's alchemical legions. That's more than sufficient to take down any legend.

"It shall suffice. We can't deploy them against any law-abiding citizen, but it's easy enough to make them break some laws. All we have to do is sacrifice some of our pawns."

Mouth picked up the analysis where Hand left off.

"Let us act, then. From the shadows, we'll trigger conflict severe enough for Skyborne City's alchemical legions to intervene in accordance with internal regulations."

As the obelisks had described, for reasons unknown, Merlin's disciples, who had once shared authority over Skyborne City, chose to relinquish all their rights to Julius alone.

Stripped of their former powers, they could only rely on Julius to lend them access if they wished to influence the inner workings of Skyborne City. And yet, in losing their authority, they had also freed themselves from certain constraints.

They could cultivate operatives within Skyborne City itself—agents whose actions, even if harmful to the city's inhabitants, would be difficult to restrict or trace.

"There are no further issues at the moment. The most pressing matter remains stopping the Council of the Arcane from completing their research. I wonder if the members of that society will even notice our presence along the way...

"Some legends have powers beyond reason," another added. "Especially those legendary knights with their potentials—who knows if one of them will suddenly break through our defenses and appear right here?"

Eye acknowledged the plan, but also voiced concern about the potential threat posed by the Council of the Arcane.

"True enough. If Julius were able to fully wield that thing now, we wouldn't need to worry," said another, chuckling. "Funny, isn't it? A mechanism designed to limit us—Astartes, the machine spirit—must simultaneously guard us with the trump card of Skyborne City's alchemical legions."

Julius said nothing. He simply acted. One of the obelisks suddenly flared with light. At the far end of this hidden chamber, footsteps echoed through the dark. A figure stepped out from the shadows and came to stand beside them.

It was a sexless, unclothed body, humanoid in shape but unmistakably not inhuman. The sole visible difference was a transparent crystalline frame embedded in its chest, right where a heart would be.

Within that frame floated a mechanical sphere suspended in the chest cavity, formed from countless tiny components. It spun and shifted with quiet intensity, arcs of electricity dancing along its surface and feeding a steady flow of power through the automaton's body.

This was no living being, but rather an alchemical golem. Like Astartes, it was created by Merlin himself. Numbered among Merlin's three greatest masterpieces, this golem had been incorporated into the Skyborne City's alchemical legion and represented its supreme weapon.

Crafted from nearly every rare dwarven metal, enhanced by gnomish engineering, and refined with the elves' most complex magical arrays, it embodied the pinnacle of every race's technological achievement. Its raw physical strength defied imagination.

In terms of sheer destructive force, not even a peak legendary knight could last more than a few blows against it. Perhaps its only shortcoming compared to these transcendent beings, was its lack of strange, logic-defying powers.

But that was hardly necessary. This so-called Machine God existed solely to protect the Central Assembly—the six obelisks—and to ensure they couldn't be destroyed by anything short of full annihilation.

Meanwhile, in the scholar's quarters of Skyborne City, a nondescript figure leaned against the wall of a shadowed alley and quietly observed the movements of the Council of the Arcane from afar. His lips moved faintly as he whispered into the Magiweb, using a secure channel provided by his mysterious bosses to deliver a verbal report.

"The intel is in place. The two researchers who came to investigate the Seekers' Guild's records were members of the Council of the Arcane. That society is still attempting to complete research certain parties would rather remain unfinished."

"Well done, Joey. The next orders have arrived. Find an opportunity to strike at the Council of the Arcane directly. Stir up a conflict. Give the alchemical legion the excuse it needs to intervene."

Wang Yu and Avia would have recognized this Joey as the receptionist they had spoken to in order to gain access into the Seekers' Guild's archives.

"The alchemical legion, huh? Am I supposed to perish alongside the Council of the Arcane, then?" Joey replied mildly. His voice held no anger—only a quiet acceptance of the end he had long foreseen.

"...I believe so," the young man replied after a pause. "You and I have both seen their ruthlessness. All we can do now is hope they keep their word—that they'll fulfill the promise they made."

There was another pause before the young man asked softly, "Joey, how long has it been since we last worked together?"

"Six, maybe seven years," Joey answered.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" A faint trace of warmth entered the young man's voice. "This time, I'll join you in death. Maybe it's time our partnership returned for a final encore."

Joey smirked. "Oh? With you by my side, I suppose that's not so bad. Fine. When do we begin? And who's the first target?"

The reply came without hesitation: "As soon as I arrive, we'll strike. The first targets will be those two who came looking into the Seekers' Guild's records. They're likely to be suspicious now that they've seen the research records. Let their deaths be the spark that ignites it all."