CHAPTER 79: BLASPHEMY

Hermes stood silently with his arms crossed. His eyes were glued to the scene unfolding in the abyssal skies. The man named Andre stood proudly, as if walking on air. Even with [Sensory-Boost], Hermes found it difficult to even look at his form. Just like his crimson cape, the ethyric particles surrounding him were violently quivering. Radiant cosmic force oozed from his colossal buster sword.

His eyes shifted to the elegant woman sitting confidentially on her stave. The smug expression on her face was visible, even from his position. An eerie darkness slightly covered her body, concealing not only her intentions but also the majority of her figure.

He sighed. "Those two are complete monsters... Will I ever reach the same level some day?"

Mason, who was standing next to him, took a puff from his cigar. "Kid, If I had to call anyone a monster, it would be you."

Hermes chuckled, "Am I that ugly to you?"

Mason didn't reply. His eyes were sharply glued to the scene unfolding in the darkened skies. Both Merlin and Andre were conversing about something, but the dimensional pressure made it hard for even him to listen in. He looked down at Hermes, who was trying to hold his fedora from flying away. It seems he still hasn't realized just how ridiculously powerful he is. Most stage 1 Celestials lack the ability to even stare down an enemy, let alone fight a one man war against droves of Inquisition Knights two to three stages higher than him...

His eyes darted to Hermes' Dawnbreaker replica, which was attached to his back. That weapon he uses is definitely special, but even with the power it provides him, he is still the one that needs to control it. And judging by how injured he was when we first arrived at Astrum Aeternum, it must have a number of drawbacks...

A wide grin took over his face as he stroked his beard. I dread the day when he reaches stage 5 or higher...

"Say, how the hell is he flying like that in the sky?"

Hermes' voice broke him from his reverie. He cleared his throat.

"He is using [Ethyric-Enlightenment]. That is the final ability you gain once you ascend to 9.0, perfect dimensionality. With it, you gain absolute control over all the ethyric particles around you and access to even more, as long as you wish for it from the spirit world. Most Martial Masters like Andre tend to use it to invoke flight since that is the only way for them to compete against Mystics who know how to cast wind or gravity magic."

Ethyric Enlightenment...

Mason continued, "However, it comes at a cost. Even with absolute control over Ethyria, you would still need a solid amount of cosmic force to maintain that ability as it drains up your reserves fairly quickly." He looked down at Hermes and muttered under his breath, I say that, but I doubt it would ever be a problem for someone like you...

Oblivious to his thoughts, Hermes stroked his chin, "I see. So what do you think will happen now? Why is Andre not attacking her like he just did previously?"

"He is probably trying to buy time for more reinforcements. He knows that even if he defeated Merlin here, he would have to expend almost everything he has to do it. I doubt he would want to fight me or everyone else in my crew afterwards..."

Hermes squinted his eyes at Andre's form. The obfuscation effect from his cosmic force made it difficult to recognize his figure, but even so, he could still notice the slight panic on his face. He turned his neck to face Mason, who had his arms crossed.

"Still, him trying to stall for time seems like a bad idea as well. Merlin's spell is pretty much ready to be cast. I doubt he wants to stick around and find out what effects it has on him and the rest of his men."

Mason stood silently for a minute before answering. "I am almost certain he is looking for an opportunity to use [Battle-Cage]."

Hermes tilted his neck. "[Battle-Cage]? What's that?"

"It is exactly as the name foretells. The ability allows you to isolate another person within an enclosed space inside the spirit world. The only way to break it is if you are also a knowledge domain user with a higher dimensionality. Otherwise, your only option is to duke it out with the Celestial in question and kill them."

"Andre will probably use this to his advantage to separate Merlin away from everyone. If her connection to the spell ceases to exist, her magic will collapse onto itself. Unlike ritualistic magic, normal spells cannot self-sustain themselves. They rely on the user that cast them for cosmic force."

Just as he had finished his sentence, a cold breeze blew past them, brushing against their skin. It carried with it a soft feminine voice that whispered into their bones.

"I know what you are thinking... If Andre casts [Battle-Cage], do not try to help me..."

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Hermes' eyes widened as he tilted his face toward Mason.

Hearing Merlin's words, he smiled softly while stroking his beard. "That damn witch. She sure loves to tease."

Hermes adjusted his glasses. "Was that a message from Merlin?"

"Indeed," he nodded his head. "It seems she has something planned to deal with [Battle-Cage] if it ever comes to it."

Mason then tilted his neck, facing the large hovercraft. Lance and Frederick as well as the rest of his crew, were doing check ups on the machine. The large swarm of metallic insects formed a protective dome around them all, shielding them from the incoming gunfire.

Mason squinted his eyes and frowned. "You can come out now. There is no way I wouldn't be able to detect you, y'know?"

Puzzled, Hermes shifted his gaze in the direction Mason was looking, only to find nothing suspicious. Suddenly, the air a few meters away from them warped. A gradual silhouette began to form in the shape of a hooded man, holding a stave in his hand. Hermes furrowed his brows.

Mason uncrossed his arms. Without hesitating, he immediately conjured a large battle axe and popped it over his shoulder.

"Man, are all youngsters nowadays okay with breaking into private spaces?" Interestingly enough, he himself was currently breaking into a private space...

The man stepped out of the fog, his crimson cloak fluttering in the wind. The sound of steel insects vibrating in the air added to the heaviness in the air. Startled, Lance and the rest of the crew scrambled to aim their weapons at him. Hermes observed as the cloaked man stood silently, unbothered by their reactions.

With a faint smiled, he bowed gentlemanly toward Mason. "It is an honor to meet you, Steelmancer."

Mason furrowed his brows. "I don't think I care about what you find honorable. Leave this rooftop immediately or I will turn you into mince meat like the rest of your platoon."

He chuckled, "You're right. I guess pleasantries do not matter in war." He slammed his stave to the ground, creating a ripple effect of ethyria. Almost instantly, a shockwave spread across the field. Lance, Hermes, Frederick and the rest of his crew all fell to their knees, holding their throats tightly. The dimensional suppression emanating from Nicholas was so powerful that it severed Lance's link to the steel insects, causing them to plummet to the ground like flies.

Lightning arcs danced in the air as the suffocating pressure increased in power. In response, Mason unleashed his own dimensional suppression. The clash between the two caused fractures in the air as sparks ignited spontaneously all around them.

Mason grit his teeth. "Hmph, I guess Ill play with you next."

...

Merlin twirled a strand of her hair and sighed. "Andre, can you, like... Lower your dimensional suppression? It's ruining my hair..."

Ugh... This bitch... She knows that maintaining my current dimensionality is the only way to suppress her spell from completely activating... He held his temples while gritting his teeth. If it wasn't for that bastard, Mason, I would have already activated [Battle-Cage]... He lifted his neck and glared at the woman sitting comfortably on her levitating stave.

Noticing his gaze, she smiled. "Ah, are you hesitating to go all out because of my comrades? Don't worry, I already told Mason not to interfere with us."

His vision turned red. "Are you trying to pity me?"

"Hardly!" She flicked her witch hat and smiled. "Besides, do you really have any choice in the matter? Either you kill me here and now or face the consequences of my Midnight Magic. It is as simple as that."

Contrary to her previous request, Andre increased his dimensional suppression to the max. He stared squarely in her eyes and declared in a solemn voice, "Very well. I shall honor your wishes."

With a wave of his hand, a strand of cosmic force blasted off into Merlin's direction. Even with [Force-Barrier] active, the energy strand pierced through it as if it was a ghost and burrowed itself within her chest. Merlin looked down at her body and smiled.

"[Battle-Cage]," he declared. Suddenly, a dome of cosmic force enveloped their battlefield, consuming both her and Andre simultaneously.

Merlin glanced upwards at the once darkened skies, now radiating in an array of colors. Storms of what looked to be a mesh of ethyric elements swam in 'space', blowing past their fighting zone. Even without activating [Spirit-Vision], Merlin knew that she was currently inside the spirit world.

She smiled, "interesting. So is this your [Battle-Cage] zone? Why did you choose such an inconspicuous area? it would have been more fun if we were attacked by malevolent spirits..."

Andre ignored her remarks. He decided to use this chance to finally question her motives.

"Merlin. Tell me seriously, what the hell are you planning? I understand that you dislike the church, but I also know you only do things that benefit you. Why are you aligning yourself with the rebels? Surely, if it is the pursuit of magic that you desire, I would be happy to plead for your release as well as your reconciliation with the church. I can even use my connections to enter you into the Magistrate's Spire..."

Hearing his question, Merlin's eyes turned serious. "Are you seriously asking me that?"

"Yes, why shouldn't I? You are a talented Mystic that could be useful to the empire and church. It would be a waste to have you die here."

She sighed. "Andre, let me ask you something. If I were to use an Ascension Stone to pierce through the celestial veil, what would your church say?"

"... That would clearly be in breach of the commandments."

"And what if I told you that the manuscripts I used to decipher the Midnight Magic I have just successfully been able to utilize for the first time had come from an Outsider? Specifically, a celestial of the Chaos domain?"

"Th-that would be blasphemy of the highest order..."

She scratched her hair at his responses. "Indeed. You are correct about my desire to learn new and exciting magic. However, that is clearly not possible if the church exists. No matter what I find interesting, they always have to poke their noses into it! Even during my time at the academy, all they would do is preach about the blessing of the monarch this, blessing of the monarch that, ugh! Tell me, how is humanity supposed to surpass its limits in this vast cosmos if we continue to limit ourselves based on arbitrary moralities?!"

Andre's eyes narrowed. "How dare you question the monarch! Humanity would have faced destruction countless times without 'His' intervention! Have you not read anything about the glorious Luminaric empire?! Our golden age lasted 800 years under 'His' rule! Humanity would have been nothing without 'Him!'"

Merlin crossed her arms. "And where is this supposed Luminaric empire? Blown to waste! Face it, Andre! The Monarch has already disappeared for more than 200 years! Does 'He' even answer prayers anymore?"

"Silence, witch!" He roared.

"Hmph! You know I'm right. That is why I have decided it was best to destroy the church. If they plan to become an obstacle for my growth, then so be it."

With a smile, she stared directly into his eyes. "Obstacles are meant to be toppled."

End of Chapter