Whenever I close my eyes, my consciousness slowly submerges.
Even in such a state, the shimmering of Magic Power is felt as vividly as if I were seeing it with my own eyes. My internal body is a vast universe.
The Circles are galaxies, and the Inscriptions are stars. The only thing that roams freely through that expanse is Magic Power.
The Magic Power swims through the universe, touching the stars one by one. Light enters stars that had been extinguished as if dead, and that light follows behind the Magic Power.
Starting from the first star, then the second, the third… reaching the 170th, it becomes a sort of massive Milky Way, following wherever the Magic Power leads.
A massive band is formed.
An immense light originating from the stars. The light emitting from 170 stars moves in a circle, following the Magic Power.
Moving beyond the fifth galaxy.
By hovering around its exterior, the framework for the sixth galaxy begins to take shape. Because it is so vast, it takes a long time to complete a single revolution, but a sense of stability arises as it orbits repeatedly. If I could just keep repeating this, I felt as though I could firmly establish it as a complete sixth.
However—
Tremble—
The movement began to shake faintly. The very slight tremor began to fluctuate, and that fluctuation soon became a powerful vibration that shook the entire universe.
Kaboom—!
An explosion erupted within the universe. The Milky Way, now out of control, was destroyed, stretching out in all directions and dealing a shock to everything it touched. It delivered an impact as strong as the speed at which it had been rapidly rotating.
Boom!
“Ugh……”
Ultimately unable to withstand the shock, Hio withdrew all his Magic Power and clutched his chest. He had failed to create the sixth ring again.
The problem was that it was too far from the center. He could rotate stably up to the fifth ring, but the 6th Circle lacked stability, and even the slightest slip caused it to shatter as it just had.
The shock and pain from the failure were added bonuses.
“Tsk, tsk. It looks like it hurts.”
As he clutched his chest in agony, a voice suddenly drifted over. Without even looking, he knew it was Kreutzvalt. His expression as he looked at Hio didn’t hold a shred of worry. He merely chuckled as if asking if he had failed again.
‘What a damn old man.’
Of course, since he couldn’t say those thoughts out loud, he only gave him a sideways glare.
“How nice would it be if I could just gain enlightenment or something and reconstruct my body without having to go through all this trouble?”
“That is the most ideal method.”
“That’s why I’m asking you to give me a hint.”
“There is no such thing. You must realize it yourself to fully enter the stage of a transcendent.”
The most ideal way to reach the 6th Circle is to gain enlightenment and reconstruct the body. Well, it wasn’t exactly the kind of reconstruction where one sheds an old shell to return to the body of their prime, like Vitalianus.
It was simply becoming a bit stronger, sturdier, and things like that; if that were achieved, one could support the sixth ring. It meant having a heavy sense of stability equal to that of the fifth ring.
“I have to know what I’m supposed to realize to actually realize it…… Good grief.”
But if someone just told him to realize something out of the blue, how was he supposed to get a feel for it? He had no idea what kind of enlightenment it was or how to even start.
‘If he were a knight, he would at least try swinging a sword, but what was a Magician supposed to do?’ This was why most Magicians were frustrated, unable to overcome the wall of the 6th Circle.
“If you can’t realize it, then keep repeating the labor.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Hio, answering half-heartedly with an irreverent expression, readjusted his posture and closed his eyes once more. It was possible to reach the 6th Circle even without enlightenment. What Hio was doing now was one of the representative methods.
It was commonly known as ‘stupidly hammering at it until it works.’
You can think of a Magician’s Circle as a part of the body and one of its major organs. And the human body is bound to adapt and develop. It meant that if one foolishly and repeatedly draped the rings, the physical body would adapt to it and evolve accordingly.
At first glance, it seemed like an absurd and ignorant method, but this was a proven method with surprisingly many success stories.
Since Kreutzvalt had guaranteed it, it likely wasn’t a lie. However, the problem was that there was no way to know when the body would adapt or evolve.
The variance between individuals was so great that no one could guarantee whether it would take ten years or thirty years. Of course, it was also possible to succeed in just one month.
And as he had just experienced, another problem was that every time he failed, it damaged his body and was followed by great pain, but neither Hio nor Kreutzvalt seemed to view such things as an issue.
“Sigh…… What else can I do? If I’m ignorant, I have to make up for it with my body.”
“Disciple, you are saying something right for once in a long time.”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Answering dismissively, his Magic Power moved again. He was about to try creating the ring once more when—
Gurgle—
A sound rang out from deep within his stomach. A thunderous notification announcing that his stomach was completely empty.
‘I should rotate the Circle one more time and then go out to hunt.’
To escape this hellish world where there was no proper food and no proper humans as quickly as possible, his only choice was to get stronger.
***
One month had already passed since the terrible 58th Floor of the Abyss ended.
Winter had passed. When winter passes, spring comes. The thickly piled snow gradually melted away, and through the gaps, small sprouts poked their heads out.
When spring arrives, the heart is bound to flutter. When the frozen body thaws, the heart is bound to melt along with it. The wind was still quite cold, but if a warm breeze blew through it, one was bound to feel good for no particular reason.
However, those words did not apply to Claire. Whether the snow melted, the greenery sprouted, or spring was coming, Claire’s heart was still in winter. Frozen solid, she remained still on that day.
“……”
She stared into the empty air with hollow eyes. Up until one month ago, a black, flickering Gate had been there. Up until one month ago, this place had been bustling with the Expeditionary Force and the troops sent to support them.
‘But how was it now? It was far too peaceful. It was terribly quiet. Should it really be like this? How could it become this peaceful in just one month? How could things be so carefree, as if the events of that day had never happened? Did they even know whose sacrifice today’s peace was built upon?’
“Hio.”
She didn’t think he was dead. As if agreeing with Claire’s thoughts, even the Imperial Household had not announced the death of Hio Pavlenko. Until just a few days ago, they had continued the search for Hio Pavlenko here alongside her.
“Come back quickly.”
Claire’s memory recalled what had happened here just a few days ago. It was when a part of the Expeditionary Force still remained here to continue the search. Even while knowing there was no hope, they were inspecting the areas where the Gate had been just in case.
— “The trash gathered here, I see.”
Suddenly, a massive amount of Killing Intent swept through. At that incredible energy—a mixture of crimson and gray—everyone nearby turned their gaze toward one place.
— “Why are you all still breathing?”
The moment their eyes met hers, they froze in their exact postures. It wasn’t a metaphorical expression. They truly turned into Stone Statues right where they stood.
Only then did Claire’s gaze turn toward that spot, and she could see her.
Long, trailing black hair. Behind her, a massive, flickering crimson energy. It was Airlights.
— “Airlights.”
— “Right. Claire, you were in that place too.”
However, it was an expression Claire had never seen before. It wasn’t the face that was always overflowing with composure, but an expression where it seemed all emotion had completely dried up. In that state, with every step she took, the number of people becoming Stone Statues rapidly increased.
— “I shouldn’t have trusted someone like you and sent Hio.”
Countless emotions were mixed within Airlights’ blood-red eyes. Anger and hatred. Regret, despair, and distrust.
Anger toward herself, and hatred toward those who couldn’t protect him and instead only received protection. Regret for not being by his side. Because it wasn’t much different from Claire’s own feelings, it was easy to understand. Those emotions reached her poignantly.
— “What exactly were you doing? Why did Hio sacrifice his life for trash like this?”
As she drew closer, the air grew chilly. It was because of the massive Killing Intent that was unbelievable for originating from such a fragile body. The area was submerged in silence.
There were many people—knights, soldiers, and Imperial officials—but the only one speaking was Airlights.
Those who saw her form turned into stone on the spot, and those who heard her voice were wrapped in crimson energy and slammed their heads into the ground. As if apologizing, as if begging for atonement, they slammed their heads down repeatedly.
Step— The distance to Airlights closed. Claire felt that unprecedented energy reach her, attempting to harden her body from the tips of her toes. She felt as though she could resist this if she poured out flames with her full will.
But she didn’t.
“……Don’t do that.”
She merely said those words toward Airlights. With hollow eyes that seemed to say it didn’t matter what happened to her, she was trying to stop Airlights.
To that, Airlights neither snorted nor mocked. It was likely because she had been unable to show any expression since hearing the news.
— “Do you want to live? Do you want to save this trash that barely escaped with Hio’s life?”
Crimson eyes filled with hatred and hollow red eyes met each other. Airlights had no intention of stopping. With every step, the petrification proceeded even faster, and the sound of heads thumping against the ground accelerated in tandem with her stride.
— “Why?”
Airlights was genuinely curious. Why these people had to live. What value they had. Why Hio had to die for trash like this.
To that, Claire answered without the slightest movement. For her, it was an all too obvious answer.
— “Hio will hate this if he comes back.”
Because Hio wasn’t dead. Because he would definitely return.
At that answer, Airlights’ footsteps came to a dead stop. The thumping sound of heads hitting the ground and the rapidly progressing petrification both ceased, and the air was once again enveloped in silence.
***
After remaining like that for a long time, Airlights’ voice barely leaked through her lips. Unbelievably, it sounded as though she were suppressing a sob.
— “……Those words.”
Airlights turned around and headed back the way she came.
— “They must come true.”
After withdrawing every bit of that immense energy—and locking the hatred, anger, sadness, and regret contained within it back inside her fragile body—Airlights disappeared.
That was only a few days ago. The many people who were here even then had all disappeared, and now Claire was left alone. It wasn’t that they had left because they were exhausted or because they had given up the search. Of course, there were surely people like that, but it was certain that there was a bigger reason.
That was to be expected, as a new Gate of the Magyeong had appeared.
The Abyss 59th Floor. The entrance to the hell that had swallowed Hio, the one that had disappeared along with him, had revealed itself once more.
“Now…… I have to go.”
Naturally, Claire had to go too. The clue would be inside the Magyeong. If she entered that place, she might be able to find a trace of Hio. No, she absolutely had to.
If……
If, by some one-in-a-thousand or one-in-a-million chance, she couldn’t find a trace of Hio even on the 59th Floor, what would happen?
“……What do you mean, ‘what’? I’ll just have to find him on the 60th floor.”
If she couldn’t find him on the 60th floor, then the 61st. If she couldn’t find him on the 61st floor, then the 62nd. She would simply continue to search.
As Claire moved her feet, hope still remained in her eyes. A very faint hope that no one knew how long it would last.
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