Chapter 259: Bentu of Ti and Space
The mont pain struck his forehead, a single emotion flooded Lyon’s mind.
It was an intensely frenzied and sticky sensation.
The overwhelming emotion of madness.
It was not sothing that could be withstood even with Lyon’s 5-Star ntal fortitude.
His consciousness blurred, and long-forgotten mories flashed by like a lantern slide.
His first eting with his lord, Kal, the shock, the hesitation, betrayal, and the oath of loyalty.
Betraying the House of Blyer, then pledging loyalty to it again—at the center of it all was Kal.
“mories...”
The mories that resurfaced quickly faded.
His sense of self was being devoured by madness at a terrifying speed.
He could see Rengua waving his staff. He should have stopped that hand, but at so point, thought itself vanished.
A madman.
Only the whites of Lyon’s eyes remained.
Now, only one thing lingered in his mind—His lord’s final will, heard through Rengua.
[I want to see an ice flower bloom on the Millennium Tree.]
"...An ice flower..."
With the phrase ice flower stuck in his head, Lyon slowly stood up.
His torn and pierced flesh had been stitched back together like a puppet.
Touched by Rengua’s spell, his body resembled that of a doll.
“Ggrurgh!”
Drooling blood and saliva, Lyon turned his head.
Far beyond—where the Millennium Tree stood.
Gripping the Dagger of the Dead, Lyon crouched like a beast and sprinted.
Crack!
Trees were uprooted and flung away by his swinging arms.
The power from the Stone of Madness had turned him into a monster.
Destroying everything in his path, Lyon disappeared.
Silently concentrating on his spell, Rengua slowly opened his eyes.
He looked at the now-empty forest where Lyon had vanished and touched his chest.
The Frost Lord’s Heart, so cold it chilled to the bone, yet beating with a heat greater than any fire.
It’s different.
The Frost Lord’s Heart was not supposed to beat. But after passing through Lyon, the heart had begun a new life.
“I guess now it should be called Lyon Martrein’s Heart.”
He wasn’t just naming it after Lyon for sentint.
[A being that holds a divine na... This is a bizarre situation, even for .]
That was what Arcane had said after rescuing them and examining Lyon.
Lyon Martrein—soone close to reaching 6-Star might, yet had never awakened as a bearer of a divine na.
Arcane had taken interest and discovered that it wasn’t Lyon himself, but his heart that housed a divine na.
So-called: [Lyon Martrein’s Heart].
It was the Frost Lord’s Heart, reborn within Lyon’s vessel.
Since the heart’s form adapted to a human host, there should no longer be side effects.
Rengua turned his gaze to a figure.
Kal Blazer.
He slowly walked toward the gruesoly deceased corpse of his lord.
Using spells, Rengua closed Kal’s wounds. Then he summoned red tendrils and wove them into a cocoon that gently wrapped Kal.
Vwooom!
Taking out the Gem of the Dead, he extended his hand toward the cocooned Kal.
Red energy flowed heavily over the cocoon.
“I’ve bought about a month, at least.”
With this, he had prevented his lord’s soul from leaving the body.
But he had only bought ti.
The remaining work would have to be done in the city.
Rengua tied the tendrils around his waist and began to walk slowly.
As he dragged Kal behind him, he murmured quietly.
“Has the brainwashing faded?”
The mont he saw his lord’s corpse, he realized he had been freed from the domination bond.
But that didn’t change Rengua’s resolve toward Kal.
There had always been only one reason he walked the path of the Black Shaman—
To create the most perfect voodoo doll in the world.
That was why he had remained by Kal’s side, who had no qualms about making such dolls.
“Everything is in place now, just as he intended.”
He had even acquired the divine na entry: [Doll Crafting Technician].
The heavens had already ordained that a perfect being would be born from his hands.
Since the heavens had granted it, he would now follow their will.
He had developed a desire—to create not just a doll, but a singular lifeform unlike any in this world.
“And I want to see it.”
He wanted to be there, even at the mont of death, to see how far that being would go in this world.
Though his lord had t his fate at the hands of his enemies, Rengua knew better than anyone how terrifying Kal truly was.
A man who prepared even for his death.
To Rengua, Kal was soone worthy of staking his fate—
before death, at the mont of death, and even after death.
[He will be my new nest.]
That was what his lord had said at their final parting.
He had said that in order to face “him,” Pri Root was necessary.
That to surpass “him” and expand into the world, one had to beco the master of Pri Root.
Rengua pulled out a book from his robe while dragging Kal’s body.
Dominic Huaton’s research journal.
He opened it and checked a note Kal had left behind.
[First: Establish an intelligence network within Pri Root.]
The note briefly listed the funds, personnel, and incidents necessary for building the organization.
It was so detailed that failure seed impossible if followed as written.
“Does he know the future...?”
Though the thought crossed his mind, Rengua didn’t doubt it—everything his lord predicted had always co to pass.
[Do not antagonize the following people inside Pri Root.]
A list of nas was written under the label Black Stars.
However, perhaps due to lack of ti, it seed like an old list that had been updated and handed over.
Rengua tilted his head as he looked at the nas that had been crossed out with a line.
Two familiar nas stood out—nas that didn’t match Pri Root at all.
“Lily Base and Fenry Chaser...”
A witch and a dark elf—why were their nas on the Black Star list of Pri Root?
He was puzzled but soon shook the thought away.
“Probably a mistake.”
Rengua trudged across the desolate land where dry sand blew.
At this pace, it would take about a week to reach Pri Root.
Before entering the city, he planned to morize the notes and research journal left by his lord.
***
“The monstrous bird Fortea? That fortune-teller was really that strong?”
Fenry let out a dry laugh, looking surprised.
She knew who Arcane was.
It was only natural—once soone beca a divine na holder, they were bound to encounter him.
She had thought of him as rely a great prophet, like the Prophet of Light once fad for serving the Grand Duke. But after hearing Arthur’s explanation, it was clear Arcane was no ordinary figure.
“Why would soone like that rescue Rengua and Lyon?”
“There must’ve been a deal.”
“A deal? But Kal is dead.”
“Then all I can say is—it must’ve been a conversation before death.”
If Arcane had flown off in the direction of Pri Root with those two, then it wasn’t a favor for Gram.
Gram had no connection to Pri Root. The only person tied to that place now was the regressor, Kal.
“What kind of deal did he make before dying... that monster bird actually moved for him?”
“If we could capture Rengua, we might find out—but that’s not possible right now.”
After recovering, the group was now moving across the Forest of Ghosts toward Ordor Forest.
With the ghost Elton leading the way, their pace was remarkably fast.
Fenry glanced at Elton, then motioned to herself.
“We’ve got him for the path—I could go check out Pri Root instead?”
“No. That area is far too dangerous right now.”
“I’ve got a lot to settle with that bastard Rengua...”
Countless of her kin had been killed during Rengua’s raid on the Blue Rose Inn, and Fenry was eager for revenge.
But I shook my head to stop her.
Now isn’t the ti to provoke Pri Root.
What we needed now was to secure Ordor Forest and a safe route.
If we held the forest, we could draw Tobaron’s forces into it.
After that, we could slowly approach Pri Root.
Given our future dealings with Demtor, even if we weren’t allies, we could use Pri Root to apply pressure on them.
For now, what mattered was the fact that Kal was dead.
“With this, Tobaron will unify as a single territory under the blood pact.”
All we needed now was to protect the witches’ forest.
Having secured Tobaron, facing Demtor would now be much easier.
“But shouldn’t we be thinking about how to deal with that monstrous bird first? Arcane has sided with Demtor, right?”
“That...”
Even in the novel, Arcane was portrayed as a figure shrouded in secrets.
I didn’t know the full truth behind Fortea, either.
But then, unexpectedly, I received surprising information from an unexpected source:
[You think the summoned creature’s master is human? That’s a huge misunderstanding.]
“...What do you an?”
[The creature’s master isn’t human. It’s the summoned beast of Bentu of Ti and Space.]
“...Bentu?”
I froze at Reto’s words.
Bentu of Ti and Space.
I knew the na.
A being from ancient tis, one of the rulers of a fallen world who once acted alongside Retonicalus.
As the ages passed, the rulers of that ruined world began to appear again, gaining the title of Absolutes.
But Bentu was the one being who had never shown themselves again.
So Bentu of Ti and Space was connected to Arcane?
This was the first ti I’d learned new information about Arcane.
“But... how do you know this? I thought most of your old mories were still foggy?”
[They still are. But when a clue is given, so things co back. Probably because of you.]
If it was due to , it could only be from Assimilation Rate.
As my divine na list grew, my assimilation with Reto increased. The more entries I gained, the more changes Reto seed to undergo.
If Reto’s mory ever fully returned—
We might be able to learn far more precise information about the Absolutes.
That was when sothing happened.
“...Huh?”
Fenry narrowed her eyes and looked at .
“What is it?”
“Sothing in your chest... it’s glowing?”
“Glowing...?”
While I had been distracted, a faint light began to glow from inside my robes.
The silver coin.
I quickly pulled it out—the one Elton had given .
Before I could even contact him, Samuel had reached out to first.
As I hesitated and recited the spell, a familiar voice urgently rang inside my head.
[Who is this?! Elton?]
[It’s Alex.]
[Ah, Alex! Where are you? Quickly, tell !]
Samuel’s voice was filled with panic.
Why?
I had a lot to say about what happened with Lyon, but sensing the urgency, I went straight to the point.
[Where are you now?]
[The Witch’s Hut!]
[Why did you contact first?]
[Things aren’t good! Ugh—my beard! Hey—don’t pull that! This thing only I can use—]
The noise and chaos buzzing in my head made furrow my brow.
It sounded like soone nearby was tugging on his beard.
There was only one person who would do that.
The one Samuel called a brat and avoided—Lily was clearly with him.
[Where are you right now?! Tell imdiately!]
[You’re coming here?!]
[Things are bad. Conflict has broken out between the Dortas, and so witches are planning a preemptive strike on the mages today. Two Dortas will move.]
[Absolutely not!]
[It’s not a situation I can stop!]
I didn’t know the full details yet, but it seed a serious rift had ford among the witches.
Was it another trick by Demtor?
But one thing was clear—We had to get to Ordor Forest imdiately.
I gave Samuel the coordinates, and the transmission cut off.
He was likely creating a space portal and rushing over.
“We have to hurry.”
“Damn it, seriously—no ti to rest. Why is it that every ti I get involved with you, it’s just endless suffering?”
“On the flip side, you gain a lot too, don’t you?”
“Hmph, yeah right.”
We picked up our pace and raced westward.
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