Book Eater

Chapter 356: Pandemonium (3)

―――――――――――――!!

At the sound of the thunder, the people gathered in the darkness covered their ears, while the shower of light blew away the darkness.

The lightning that poured from the sky was literally a divine punishment. One blow, ten blows, one hundred blows... Innumerable thunderbolts pierced through the fog to annihilate the monsters.

Kwaaaaah!

Kieeeeek!

Even the monsters that had mutated beyond biology couldn’t withstand the pain of overwhelming lightning. They simply screamed in anguish before turning to charcoal.

Chiiiik!

The solid soil melted like clay thanks to the boiling bodies. It only took ten seconds of thunder and lightning for the twenty thousand monsters to perish. It was the same amount of time that Theo had needed to create the magic circle in the sky.

“...”

“...”

“...”

The whole world was soaked in silence as the mountain of monsters was scorched off the face of the earth. Those who had been desperately fighting the creatures a few minutes ago looked up at Theo and Aquilo with pale faces. The horrible monsters that filled the horizon had been killed in a few heartbeats. It was a situation that didn’t seem realistic.

Theo didn’t know their dismay and winced.

“Kuk!”

Consuming that much magic power all at once had left him feeling a little dizzy. If he hadn’t tensed his knees, he might’ve fallen over. The consumed magic power was quickly restored, but it was clear he couldn’t chain cast ultimate spells quite yet.

It is a good thing I experienced it before meeting the right enemy.

He might be the best magician on the continent at the moment, but Theo’s experience as a transcendent was still immature. If he didn’t know what he was lacking and met a transcendent enemy, he might not be able to use ultimate spells to defeat the enemy. Theo would’ve died powerlessly within the first few seconds of battle.

「 Blow, wind. 」

After a short reflection, Theo blew away the remnants of the monsters in front of him. There was no smell of blood due to the thunder, but the air still stank of ozone and burned flesh.

“Aquilo, fly up.”

“What? Ah, yes!”

Aquilo responded one beat late as the remaining monsters came into sight. Another twenty thousand monsters were milling around the area. The nearby mountains still had more monsters, but at least the ward was clear of monsters.

By the way, it is quite good. I didn’t know it when I saw it from a distance, but the ward is more efficient than magic. Shamanism can’t be ignored.

Theo examined the ward and raised his evaluation of modern shamans by a few notches. They might not be the same as Seimei but the current generation of shamans wasn’t inferior to magicians of the same level. It might be worth exploring in earnest.

Tak.

The moment both of them landed on the ground in front of the ward…

“S-Stop right there!” The voice was filled with obvious fear.

A middle-aged man in a military uniform was pointing a shaking finger at him. It didn’t take long for Theo to find the uniform in Seimei’s memories.

Dao... ist? It is a different type of shaman from an onmyōji.

It wasn’t common in the East Continent, but it was said there were many daoists in the Central Empire. Unlike other shamans, daoists were those who pursued apotheosis. There were many hypocrites, but the tendency itself was toward religion.

Theo relaxed and spoke to the daoist who was being guarded by two people, “Who are you?”

The daoist sputtered, “I-I should be the one saying that! How can you use that type of lightning treasured object? I can’t open the ward until you confirm your identity!”

Theo raised an eyebrow. “Treasured object?”

It seemed that this daoist thought that the ultimate spell was an artifact rather than Theo’s ability. It was understandable. In an age where no one was a transcendent, people wouldn’t be looking for transcendents.

Well, it doesn’t matter.

Theo didn’t feel the necessity to correct him. He didn’t know why this daoist was in the Baekun Mountains, but the Baekun Mountains were under the jurisdiction of the Fairy Dance Lee family. As long as Lee Seol didn’t interfere directly, no one had the authority to stop Theo. However, it would be annoying if he broke this ward.

Let’s see.

Theo reached out to flatten his palm against the ward.

“W-What? Stop touching it before you get hurt?” The daoist was surprised by Theo’s boldness.

However, Theo was busy analyzing the ward with a transcendent’s insight. It was similar to the building path of the Art of Yin and Yang Written Treatise, but it was slightly different. The blockade was based on the user’s perception. It wasn’t strong enough to stop master level intruders, but it could stop people from entering with force.

However, the ward had a common weakness.

If it doesn’t recognize the object as a target of rejection, then the exclusion feature won’t be activated.

It was the same as a password. If a person could trick the identification method of the ward, they could come and go freely. Theo decided to give it a try.

Pajijik!

The level of the ward was quite high, but it couldn’t dispel Theo’s magic power. His magic reached into the core of the ward in an instant and confirmed the identification function.

Those who are known and those who are unknown. It is a standard procedure.

In other words, the ward blocked any unknown presences. If so, adding an exception to this rule was enough.

【 Except for Theodore Miller and his companions. 】

Theo added a clause and grinned. Now the ward would recognize him.

He reached out with his other hand. “Aquilo, hand.”

Aquilo raised an elegant eyebrow. “... Do you think I’m a dog?”

Theo grinned. “It’s not like that. And you are more like a cat than a dog.”

“Is that a compliment or an insult?” Aquilo murmured but held Theo’s hand.

Then he stepped through the translucent circle.

Wuuong.

Theo had passed through the ward!

“T-This is ridiculous!” Apparently, it was so shocking that the middle-aged man’s mouth dropped open, and he sat on the ground. He shouted as he saw Theo and Aquilo get closer, “S-Superhuman! A great master...”

“Hoh.”

It seemed the East Continent used the word superhuman instead of transcendent. Perhaps Theo’s ability had been correctly measured when he passed through the ward. Perhaps it might’ve been better to break or bypass the ward. Even if magic evolved in different directions, there was no difference in where they reached. The daoist master was astounded, but the crowd suddenly parted.

“-Theo!” A beautifully dressed lady with braided hair ran toward him.

Lee Seol had grown after five years. She evidently hadn’t neglected her training as she skimmed across the ground.

Theo smiled warmly. “Seol.”

“You finally came! I knew you would!” Seol tackled him in a hug. She had been forced to grow up prematurely, so she only made up for it with those she trusted the most.

Theo smiled bitterly and spoke as she hugged him, “You’re safe. I’m glad.”

She buried her face into his robes. “Hehe.”

He gently patted her head. “You have gone through a lot as head of the family. You are truly capable.”

Her voice was muffled as she hugged him tighter. “I am undeserving of your words.”

Theo saw Lee Joonyoung appear behind Lee Seol and said, “Congratulations on becoming a master.”

Lee Joonyoung had seemingly crossed over the wall of a master during Theo’s absence. The tension and bubbling violence in his spirit had calmed down to become a serene sky. This was the path that the martial artists of the Fairy Dance Lee family pursued. It seemed that Lee Joonyoung had solidified his position as the family’s backbone with Lee Yoonsung’s teachings.

Theo gently disengaged from Lee Seol’s hug. “There is a lot to talk about. Let’s go inside.”

She brightened. “Yes!”

Lee Joonyoung bowed. “As you command.”

Lee Seol laughed cheerfully and walked toward the mansion with Lee Joonyoung and Theo. Then Theo realized something and turned back.

Wuuuong!

The daoist master sensed the change in the ward and looked at him in astonishment. Other people might not realize what Theo had done, but the daoist master was intimately connected to the ward.

“I fixed some of its weaknesses. I increased the shielding ability against remote projectiles and encouraged the vigor of those inside the ward. It should also be less of a burden on you now that I connected it to a nearby dragon vein,” Theo explained.

“... Thank you, great one,” the daoist master bowed.

Theo smiled. “The title is a bit burdensome. I also have something to talk to you about, so follow me.”

“Yes...”

The daoist followed Theo, while the villagers belatedly cheered that the village was safe. The ward emitted a gentle light as if responding to their mood.

***

Theo sat in the parlor of the Fairy Dance Lee mansion and sipped tea while exchanging greetings. There were a few things he wanted to ask, but he refrained from speaking. In any case, the person who should explain had already been decided.

The daoist realized his role and didn’t hesitate. “My name is Tae Rang, and I’m in charge of enforcing the laws of the Kunlun. In order to overcome the difficulties faced by the Central Empire, I visited to seek assistance from old members of the Fairy Dance Lee family.”

Theo searched his memories. “Kunlun?”

The daoist nodded solemnly. “Yes. It is a fabled place that the daoists devoted their lives to gaining entrance to. It is rare for anyone to come down from the mountain, but the recent situation is too serious.”

Theo nodded.

The group of daoists was more powerful than I thought. Since he’s a lawkeeper, this daoist must have excellent skills.

It meant that the power of at least three masters was secured.

The daoist, Tae Rang, hesitated for a moment before suddenly getting up and saying, “Before I explain the rest of the matter, can I say something to the great one?”

Theo shrugged. “Go ahead.”

The daoist fell on both knees and bowed as he pleaded, “Please calm this tribulation! I heard it is an inevitable disaster but a superhuman beyond the laws of causality can overcome it! Please show mercy to the people of the Central Empire!”

Theo quietly said, “Tae Rang.”

“Those who came before were very supportive, but destruction is upon us!” Tae Rang lifted his head as he talked.

Theo was surprised by the helplessness, self-doubt, and despair in the middle-aged man’s eyes. The strife in the Central Empire was enough to make a shaman with master level ability feel despair.

“Tae Rang,” Theo sighed. “Let me hear your explanation.”

Theo placed the cold cup of tea to his lips and sensed it would be a long story. It seems breaking through to transcendence didn’t change the mountain of work he had to do.