Chapter 1266 — Remains of a Myth

According to the intelligence gathered so far, within the peculiar environment of the War God's divine realm, objects that drew upon magical power found themselves unable to replenish it from their surroundings—though whatever magic was stored inside the objects remained unaffected. The Explorer puppet could still operate within the divine realm on the mana-storage crystals it carried in its body. By the same principle, Kamael could bring along a massive array of mana-storage crystals to prevent himself from suffering "attrition" once he entered the divine realm.

He glanced down at the silver-white metal case connected to his side. On its top was a transparent crystal "skylight," through which he could see neat rows of pale blue crystals set into grid plates carved all over with runes—and several more layers of such mana-storage plates lay within the case. So long as he did not unleash any large-scale spells, they would sustain Kamael's activity in this bizarre environment for quite a long while.

Though his own mana reserves far surpassed those of an ordinary mage, and he could survive here on his own strength for a good while yet, as Windsor Mappel had said, doing so would ultimately be draining away his own "life foundation"—far too dangerous. Unless an emergency arose, Kamael did not intend to pit his magic-formed body directly against this withered environment.

That mirror-like portal hovered quietly above the divine realm's plaza. The White Knights began establishing a temporary forward base centered upon it, setting the necessary equipment into place; a repair station, a medical station, and a supply point were arranged one after another. Meanwhile, two White Knights came to the side of the portal and began setting up a special device.

The device's main body was a metal cylinder studded with numerous rune interfaces, no taller than half a meter—hardly a complex structure. From its base extended a "drag chain" formed of linked alloy plates, their surfaces engraved with precise conduction runes and inlaid with lines of mithril, adamantine, and other mana-conductive metals, all interlocking through fine, sturdy hinges—at a glance, it looked costly indeed.

After anchoring the metal cylinder to the ground, one of the White Knights carefully brought the alloy "drag chain" before the portal and pushed its leading end through the "mirror" surface.

A moment later the rune chain gave a faint shudder, as though someone on the far side had connected and secured it. Then Kamael saw a pale glow surface upon the metal cylinder fixed beside the portal, and the runes that had been dim flickered several times before lighting up in rapid succession.

"Theory confirmed—the mana's coming through," said one of the two White Knights responsible for the installation, rising to his feet, his voice muffled beneath the heavy helm. "Master Kamael, the mana supply station is up and running."

Kamael nodded in satisfaction, a trembling resonance within his body: "Excellent... at least now, while we're near the portal, we can replenish our mana losses at any time."

"What do we do next?" The other White Knight looked at Kamael, floating in midair with a great crate drifting behind him. "Do we proceed to the plaza exit as planned?"

"Wait a moment," Kamael said gravely. "Our senior advisor is coming to provide technical support."

Hardly had the words left his mouth—before the White Knights could press for details—than everyone present abruptly sensed an extraordinarily powerful, majestic presence descending upon the plaza, laden with immense authority. The White Knights looked up in astonishment toward its source, and saw that the metal cylinder, so recently installed and connected to no mana load whatsoever, was now blazing with a glaring red light at full output, accompanied by a deep, humming drone. The rune drag chain, theoretically capable of bearing enormous loads, was radiating scalding heat and energy sparks as if on the verge of overload. The next second, they saw a swirling vortex of cloud and mist wreathed in lightning appear out of thin air above the metal cylinder!

The cyclone persisted for a time, at last gradually settling into stability. From within the mist emerged an exceedingly tall figure, vast as a bell tower, radiating a presence impossible to look away from against the hazy, chaotic sky of the divine realm. Her outline was feminine, yet her face was wholly shrouded in a veil-like fog; she wore a black gown like a court dress, and countless star-like runes could be seen glittering deep within her "skirts"—every trait matched exactly what the mages described of the "Source of All Magic," the "Mistress of All Mysteries."

She stepped out of the vortex, and then—before the astonished gazes of the White Knights—this "colossal lady" suddenly began to shrink, in mere seconds going from bell-tower height to a noblewoman "only" some three meters tall. Her features grew clear; the fog that had veiled her face became a translucent black veil, and the smoke-like, wavering hem of her gown took on solid texture—until at last, apart from her three-meter stature, she looked almost like a "mortal."

"Old Deer's method really does work..." The lady took a step forward onto the ground and looked down at her present body, speaking in a tone of satisfaction. "This is the first time I've 'compressed' myself this small outside the neural network... a pity it's only an avatar."

Kamael felt the flow of mana within his body change the instant the lady descended. Though it swiftly steadied again, that was proof enough of the immense power and "rank" she bore. Yet he was long accustomed to it: this was not their first meeting. Since the founding of the Divine Authority Council, they had in a sense all become "colleagues"; she who had once been a deity, the "Source of All Magic," was now nothing more than the senior advisor of the unit.

He drifted toward the lady who, even after "shrinking," still stood a full three meters tall, and spoke with solemnity: "Madam, is everything stable on your end?"

"In fine shape—everything as the preliminary projections predicted. This avatar will suffice for the operation," Myrmina said, looking down at Kamael, then raising her head to sweep her gaze over the distant, lifeless city and the silhouettes of towering towers and palaces, a note of wonder in her voice. "The War God's divine realm... I never imagined I'd one day truly set foot in another deity's domain."

She glanced back. The red light on the surface of the metal cylinder beside the portal was gradually fading, heat rising around the rune drag chain. In that brief descent of an avatar, this magical mechanism built of the most expensive materials had endured a trial by extremes—but whatever else might be said, it had withstood the shock, just as she had calculated.

The Goddess of Magic descended into the War God's divine realm (×).

Myrmina crawled along the cables into the War God's masterless old house after his fall (√).

"This place really is uncomfortable," Myrmina said, withdrawing her gaze and taking a rough measure of the surrounding environment. Though the War God had fallen and the corresponding divine seat had vanished, and she herself had cast off her "chains," so that this masterless divine realm could no longer actively resist her as an "invading alien god," the unique mana-depleted environment here still displeased her. "Total rejection of magic... truly worthy of a brute's dwelling."

"Does the environment here affect you much?" Kamael could not help studying the divine avatar who had descended here. As she spoke, he could faintly see what seemed like many rune-lock rings encircling her, those hazy phantoms shrouding the "Source of All Magic" in layer upon layer of seals, and barring all psychic contamination that might otherwise leak out.