Nastion explained the situation to the biological entity. For some unknown reason, the cults belonging to the Divine Cult had united and begun tracking them.
“Turns out it really is a demigod!” the biological entity shouted confidently.
Nastion thought it was practically impossible, and believed it shouldn’t come to pass, but all the signs pointed to Orthes revealing himself as a demigod.
However, in Nastion’s reasoning, no matter how he pondered, the arrival of a demigod seemed impossible.
Just because Nastion could see a thousand miles ahead while sitting in his chair and pierce through the divine providence beyond the extra dimension didn’t mean he could foresee the birth of a demigod.
Yet, the Ten Towers could.
The Ten Towers’ arms, Eidolons, were the watchers of divine omens, weren’t they?
If a demigod had descended, the Ten Towers would have already entered a state of emergency, resolved to slay the demigod before it could unleash its vast powers.
All signs indicated it was indeed a demigod, yet the group that should have reacted the quickest remained motionless.
Nastion voiced his concerns to his temporary ally, the biological entity.
“What does it matter if Orthes is a demigod or not?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I’ve been saying all along, even if he’s not a demigod, he’s still a threat of the same caliber. Is there really a difference in danger between a demigod and a being that can do everything a demigod can do?”
‘That biological entity is right. Whether Orthes is a real demigod or not doesn’t matter; if he can do everything a demigod can do, what’s the difference?’
In fact, there was a difference.
The Ten Towers not noticing it was one.
An existence equipped with demigod powers yet not a demigod, making it undetectable to the Ten Towers.
This posed a greater risk than the original demigod.
‘The best card to play right now is still the false god.’
The limitations of the false god were determined by the performance of the core it inhabited.
It was enough to have a substance with extraordinary magic capacity, like the Mage Tower Core, for a successful transformation. However, for perfect transformation, a physical body with overwhelming magical talent, like Carisia’s, was necessary.
Of course, Nastion couldn’t prepare a body like the “perfect sacrifice” the psychic entity spoke of. If the perfect sacrifice he mentioned was another rival in the eyes of Argyrion’s executives, then that body would exist only once in this age.
Instead, Nastion decided to provide a substance to reinforce the Mage Tower Core.
Just as Orthes had previously fused the Keranos and Silver Thread Worm to create the Thunder Orb, Argyrion had also pondered the applications of the Silver Thread Worm.
Thus, the combination of the Mage Tower Core and Silver Thread Worm was created. Although using this peculiar item wouldn’t match the overwhelming magic of a powerful mage’s body for transformation, it would surely be a far superior entity compared to a mere Mage Tower Core.
Upon hearing Nastion’s explanation, the psychic biological entity accepted the synthesized Silver Thread Core satisfactorily.
“…However, there is a problem.”
Even at this moment, the cult’s hunters were scouring every corner of Algoth City, searching for the biological entity’s body. The number of bodies blown up merely out of necessity had long surpassed two digits.
If a transformation were attempted, the biological entity would naturally be left defenseless. Of course, it could still cast magic in its chrysalis state, and while its shell was far more durable than ordinary metal…
“The other side is the Divine Cult. Not the recent, destitute and shabby cult, but one that consumes holy power like water, just like in their ancient glory.”
If the shell surrounding the biological entity was as hard as steel, they would surely call upon the priests of the blacksmith god Poliphron to melt it down.
Even if it burrowed underground, the priests of the earth goddess Kidaria would be waiting.
What if they mobilized all available means to block the tracking?
At that point, the Priests of Phoibos would come into play, utilizing the extremes of irrationality known as revelation and prophecy to locate the biological entity.
A cult that could wield the power of the gods without constraint was indeed a malicious enemy.
Nastion fell into thought. If he wanted to safely transform the biological entity, there was no choice but to physically distance himself from Algoth City. By the time the pursuers arrived, the transformation must have already concluded.
But this method also had its problems.
The biggest issue was timing. Let’s say they fled far enough that when the pursuers arrived, the transformation was already complete. The further the distance, the more time it would take to traverse, a principle that applies equally to everyone.
While returning to Algoth City with the false god, Orthes would likely seize the Amimone Tower without any hindrance.
Using space magic could reduce the time consumed to almost zero.
However, the issue lay with the Ten Towers.
Algoth City, designated as the venue for the Mage Tower Master selection, was currently under the watch of the Ten Towers’ supervisors. The Divine Cult could conceal traces of divine power through their nefarious arts, but they also had to evade the other surveillance networks alongside the supervisors.
Especially the Amimone Tower itself.
The primary duty of the Mage Tower was to prevent the descent of extra-dimensional entities. The Mage Tower Core of the Amimone Tower, currently in motion without a master, was undoubtedly prepared to sound alarms the moment it detected spatial distortions. The supervisors, upon hearing the alarms from the core, would promptly send requests for assistance to the Ten Towers.
Nastion slowly reviewed the problem.
To hinder Orthes and the Divine Cult under his command, the transformation of the false god was required.
Yet, to achieve that transformation, he needed to hinder Orthes.
It was a paradox of endless contradictions.
An impossible dilemma.
“…Wait a moment.”
The Ten Towers.
Right.
The Ten Towers were not merely enemies to Argyrion, were they?
*
An anonymous letter reached the administrative office of the Mage Tower Master’s selection, revealing suspicions of a heretical group secretly using relics.
Of course, in the middle of that death list was the name of the Hydra Corporation.
…But the effect Nastion had hoped for did not manifest.
*
“What the hell…?”
Nastion’s shadowy body bubbled in frustration. It was a clever move to take advantage of a recent sensitive issue regarding heretical groups that the Ten Towers were most reactive to.
His compiled list was a balance of truths and lies, so they couldn’t dismiss it outright as mere deception. The scheme seemed to operate effectively at first glance, leading to some Mage Tower Master candidates being detained or sponsors hastily fleeing.
However, the Orthes of the Hydra Corporation, the very target Nastion aimed for, was released after just a few formal inquiries. Surely, he was the most suspicious given his alliance with the Divine Cult!
‘Did he anticipate this and prepare for it…?’
But how?
The plan he had crafted impulsively was somehow known beforehand. Was a new prophet emerging from the Phoibos Cult?
Something significant had changed within the Divine Cult. Nastion feared the winds of change had come unnoticed.
*
Unexpected muddy water was thrown into the Mage Tower Master selection. Accusations had been leveled against both participants and sponsors regarding their affiliations with heretical groups.
But I wasn’t worried.
The Hydra Corporation had already completed its purity screening. It was around the time I’d asked Lampades to find Knemon. Our company had undergone a tax investigation ages ago.
Only Carisia, who was called in as the representative, had a bit of trouble.
However…
“They’re clever this time.”
This latest ‘heretical group investigation’ had no significant meaning for the Hydra Corporation since they had verified their purity ahead of time.
But the problem lay in the fact that the Ten Towers had summoned a substantial number of personnel, essentially acting as thought police for purity verification.
“I used holy power while trying to avoid the supervisors’ eyes on the outskirts of the city, but…now shadows of the Ten Towers are appearing all over the city.”
Demus, temporarily suspending his pursuit of the biological entity, clicked his tongue. Thanks to this political magic that had multiplied the density of mages in Algoth City, the Divine Cult was significantly hampered in their movements.
“I didn’t expect them to act this way.”
It was truly cowardly. The Argyrion lot were the ones making a mess.
“The situation has turned quite fortuitously indeed.”
“Should we just bow our heads for now and wait for the storm to pass?”
However.
“Such situations also present methods we might use.”
With reports about heretical organizations received, the Ten Towers sent out emergency dispatches of mages from the Panoptes organization near Algoth City.
But recently, which mage had been stationed in Algoth City?
It was Niobe, dispatched on special orders by Salmosia.
After witnessing the extra-dimensional storm, Niobe quickly requested support from the Blasphemia forces. Since the situation had been quelled somewhat, their mission was now shifted to searching for signs of Argyrion in the vicinity of Algoth City.
In short, the mages from the Panoptes organization spread across Algoth City were undoubtedly Niobe and the Blasphemia agents.
If Argyrion had summoned the shadows of the Ten Towers using a grievance, then I would show them the corruption of power collusion.
