Invincible
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#174
🕑 Added 2024-12-28 20:01:19 +0000 UTCSpirit Gate (5)
The whale’s cry was maddening. Originally, five days remained until the Ecok Suppression Battle. Yet now, only two days had passed, and a warning sound was heard.
It was a final ultimatum: "Hurry and grab your last chance, or soon everyone will die."
Ecok was on the verge of gaining the body of the Tyrant Dordone.
"Hersel, that sound… I’ve heard it before."
Limberton, who lived near the coast, seemed to recognize the sound of the whale, perhaps from his distant sea voyages.
"Yes, it’s a whale."
"Why is there a whale on the mountain?"
"There’s no time to explain, Limberton."
I surveyed the situation outside. The slug’s body was crumbling, and the survivors inside were starting to escape one by one. Thanks to joining forces with them, the destruction of the Spirit Gate was expedited.
However, there was still the bat I had decided to hunt.
"The creature is still over there."
I aimed my telescope at the bat, which was staring at the lifeless slug.
I couldn’t read its expression, but from the look in its eyes as it turned back to me, there was an unmistakable hostility.
"Yes, it's been watching me since earlier."
From beginning to end, it seemed the creature was only wary of me, likely because I had easily killed the giant swordfish. It must have recognized that I held the weapon.
Interesting… Maybe I could use this to manipulate its mind?
"Limberton, Aslay, we’re heading outside the fortress."
Limberton and Aslay followed without a word. With our allies advancing, no spirits remained nearby.
I dismantled the multi-fortress and changed course toward the Arcane Chamber.
Limberton seemed surprised, as if he’d expected me to head straight into battle against the spirit legions.
"Aren’t we going forward?"
"No, I’m headed to the Arcane Chamber."
As I glanced at the bat, I saw its gaze follow me, just as I’d expected. Its wariness stemmed from the impending resurrection of the Tyrant. With me, the one who killed the giant swordfish, heading in that direction, it was clearly on edge.
However, it didn’t attack, likely because Rockefeller, who had been commanding from the rear, was on the path to the Arcane Chamber.
After some distance, Rockefeller scowled.
"Hersel Ben Tenest. I don’t know how you managed to build a fortress in the middle of a battlefield, but that’s beside the point. Why are you still waving that staff around?"
"Because I’m in the Department of Magic."
"This brat…"
Rockefeller’s gritted teeth brought me a bit of joy, though only briefly, as he soon issued a stern warning.
"This is a wartime situation. Even students are treated as soldiers. Be aware that non-combat behavior will be severely punished."
I smirked dismissively.
"Do you realize that bat is a high-ranking spirit? Think carefully about why it hasn’t acted yet."
That statement alone was enough. Merely setting up a fortress and making our presence known had kept it from fully participating in battle.
Simply by standing our ground, we had created a stalemate—a Cold War, so to speak.
Rockefeller clicked his tongue in irritation.
"Tsk, enough. Talking to you drains my patience. So what brings you here?"
I leaned in and whispered to him. Though I was heading to the Arcane Chamber, I indeed had business with Rockefeller.
"Soon, I plan to hunt that bat. Initially, I thought of using the multi-fortress, but its alertness was no joke. So, Professor, I need your help."
As I laid out my requests in detail, Rockefeller nodded. He, too, wanted the bat—an essential asset on the battlefield—dealt with swiftly.
Realizing that my journey to the Arcane Chamber was merely bait to lure out the bat startled Rockefeller.
"Oh, the Suppressor Armor? That's an imperial tool for managing Dorothians, not some toy for you to play with! How dare you use such a precious item!!"
Ah, yes, the Suppressor Armor I’d secretly borrowed from Rockefeller’s office.
"Thanks to it, I can use it for an important purpose right now. You should be praising me instead."
I replied shamelessly, causing Rockefeller to clutch his chest as if he were about to explode from rage.
"Aaaargh…"
After a few deep breaths, he regained his composure and spoke.
"Your mission is to destroy the gate. So why are you heading to the Arcane Chamber?"
"There’s something there, Professor, and you know it."
"...Did you sense it too?"
I nodded briefly, then checked the bat's line of sight.
"Aslay, walk in front of me and block its view with your bulk. Limberton, you lead. Keep your bow drawn, and move carefully to stay out of its sight."
We adjusted our formation and started toward the Arcane Chamber. A few steps in, Rockefeller, pretending to survey the battlefield casually, muttered under his breath,
"It’s coming."
This wasn’t a battle of brute force—it was a carefully orchestrated tactic. Even without the fortress, Rockefeller’s support meant everything was in place.
"Aslay, step aside."
As Aslay shifted, I could see the bat flying toward us. Its chest was puffed up, its mouth open wide, as if preparing to unleash some kind of wave attack. But it was a wasted effort because Limberton, skilled in imbuing his arrows with aura, stood in front of me.
"Limberton, it’s fine even if you don’t kill it with one shot."
Limberton’s task was one that demanded nearly acrobatic precision. Hitting a suddenly appearing flying target, even with perfect accuracy, was an extremely challenging shot. But seeing Limberton’s pupils dilate, I knew he was locked in.
Whing!
As I stepped aside, an arrow flew, lodging precisely in the bat’s belly with a thud.
"Guh…"
Blood dripped from the bat’s mouth. It must have been taken aback, not expecting an aura-infused arrow to be fired so suddenly. Even if it had anticipated an attack, it wouldn’t have imagined that an archer capable of such precise, rapid aim was nearby.
"Alright, next up."
I looked up and saw a floating staff, suspended by telekinesis—it was Rockefeller’s doing. The staff’s tip began to darken, and space itself warped. This was undoubtedly Rockefeller’s ultimate move: gravity magic.
"Damn, I’ll have to command from the back today."
Of course, it had the drawback of exhausting him for an entire day after just one use…
Whooooosh!
A black orb appeared, sucking in the very air around it. The bat, still bearing the arrow in its belly, was pulled toward it. The orb slowly descended to the ground and began to dissipate like a heat haze.
Aslay’s eyes flashed, and he charged at the downed bat, Suppressor Armor in hand.
Thud!
The bat tried to fly away frantically, but Aslay’s massive hand seized its leg firmly. It thrashed, biting and clawing at Aslay, but he swiftly grappled the bat, restraining it, and snapped the Suppressor Armor around its neck and ankles.
Click!
It was over.
"Now, what should I do with this?"
I looked down at the exhausted, panting bat and drew my sword. Just as a clever idea struck me, and I was about to put the sword away, someone with a similar thought intervened.
"Hersel Ben Tenest. Capture it alive. Being a high-ranking spirit, there’s much information we can glean from its memories."
Of all people, it had to be Rockefeller. Tch.
***
The advance proceeded rapidly. The death of the slug and the absence of the bat had broken the morale of the spirit legion.
As the joined forces of students and professors unleashed a merciless massacre, Rockefeller thought,
"Battle has always been like this."
He glanced over at Hersel’s group, who showed only their backs.
"But those ones… Even if they join the battlefield, they can’t sync properly with others. Yet they maximize their individual strengths, and the results are outstanding."
A slight chuckle escaped from Rockefeller as he recalled his initial assessment of them.
"Now I understand why Hersel Ben Tenest brought them into the Adele Hall."
He dismissed his earlier judgment that they were admitted through mere connections.
"Professor Rockefeller, we're nearing the gate. Any further orders?"
The approaching professor’s words snapped Rockefeller back to reality. This was still a war, and although victory seemed close, it was no time to be lost in thought.
"What’s the status of those who were isolated?"
"Well, there are some casualties and injuries, but overall losses are minimal."
"Lead the injured to safety, and make sure they return immediately after destroying the gate."
"Uh, but what about that…?"
"Just hurry up."
The professor tore his gaze from the bat and rushed off.
There was no need to look back; the bat’s treatment was now the priority.
Rockefeller squeezed out the last of his mana to levitate the bat with telekinesis and began heading toward the fortress. Destroying the gate didn’t mean the end.
In the shattered Arcane Chamber lay a strange black object—
Rockefeller had sensed a growing unease long before the whale’s cry; an aura of dark energy had been emanating for some time.
"The Arcane Chamber is a vortex of mana. Yet this energy is strong enough to overwhelm even that."
He had to investigate what was happening without delay.
***
Ecok consumed the parasite.
Of course, he had unintentionally eaten rotten food in the past, but this time was different.
As time passed, he gradually transformed into a whale, eventually growing large enough to fill half of the Arcane Chamber.
Disoriented in this new body, the parasite slipped through his blowhole.
The plague doctor, rather than helping, stood by with a satisfied expression.
As a result, unknown forces surged within Ecok's guts, accelerating his growth.
"Is this really alright? What if they attack now?"
With the broken Arcane Chamber, they were exposed to the enemy.
Fortunately, the enemies were preoccupied fighting the legions to destroy the Spirit Gate.
In a state where he couldn’t even speak properly, the plague doctor muttered nonchalantly,
"It’ll take about 10 minutes."
"Urrgh, ugh."
As expected, Ecok couldn’t speak human language.
"Ecok, if human language is too difficult, use the Spirit Language."
"Uuh?"
"Close your eyes and focus on the soul dwelling within you. While you control the body, the soul of Dordone is also there. If you can access his memories, you’ll be able to speak the Spirit Language."
Frustrated, Ecok followed the plague doctor’s instructions, closing his eyes and concentrating.
There was hardly anything he could sense.
'Hmm, should I try speaking? Uh, Dordone, was it?'
At the moment he spoke the name, the darkness turned a bright blue.
The sky was clear, dotted with clouds, and the sea stretched out below him. Ecok found himself standing on the water in a human form.
"What? How am I walking on the sea?"
Perhaps this was some kind of spirit world. Just as he was about to move on, he understood the reason—
The ground beneath him was pitch-black and quivering.
Though it was only a small tremor from its perspective, for Ecok, a mere tiny being in front of it, it felt like an earthquake.
"Aaah!"
He stumbled in surprise as a voice resonated, echoing through his insides.
"Ecok Bill Evans, you’ve finally arrived."
Ecok was bewildered. The identity of the black whale was undoubtedly Dordone. After all, he was transforming into him.
'How does he know my name?'
It was a question he had muttered internally, but he heard a reply.
"Forgive me, but I read your memories. Ecok, you poor child, you’ve endured so much hardship."
Ecok gulped. Dordone’s voice held a gentleness and solemnity that captivated the heart.
For Ecok, who had imagined a ruthless tyrant due to Dordone’s reputation as the Tyrant, it was an unexpected revelation.
"...So you really tried to conquer the human realm?"
When he asked timidly, Dordone’s voice cut through the surface of the water with a tone of pity.
"My followers resent humans, but I do not. Because, like you, I feel sympathy for them."
"What?"
"Humans are pitiful beings, a race fated to live with endless conflict. You are the only ones who consider life itself a burden."
Ecok couldn’t grasp what he was saying. Scratching his head in confusion, he waited for Dordone to continue.
"Alright, let’s not delay. Ecok, I will grant you my memories. Use them not only for the Spirit Language but also to draw on the power of this body."
Suddenly, the scenery began to shift rapidly. Dizzy, Ecok lost his balance and sank to the ground. He didn’t fully understand what was happening, but Dordone’s memories flashed by, embedding themselves vividly in his mind.
"Ah…"
Tears began to flow from Ecok’s eyes as he witnessed Dordone’s past.
The brutality humans had shown by slaughtering countless beings, contrasting sharply with Dordone’s warm compassion and altruism.
As each memory resonated deeply within him, Ecok slumped down, sobbing.
"Now I understand… To you, humans must have seemed so conflicted."
There were those who loved the spirits, yet others exploited them.
Just as he’d witnessed that day, Dordone’s most intense memory emerged.
"Ah… Now I understand why you wanted to conquer the human realm."
The memory faded, and Ecok closed his eyes once more. When he reopened them, the familiar world appeared before him.
The plague doctor approached him.
"Ecok. Can you hear me?"
The voice wasn’t heard through his ears but resonated within his chest.
"So, this is the Spirit Language?"
"Yes. But Ecok, your way of speaking seems different."
"Really?"
Reflecting on the plague doctor’s words, Ecok examined his own feelings.
'I am not Dordone. I am Ecok. That much is clear. Yet it feels as though I’ve become something else entirely.'
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his stomach—something burrowing into his flesh.
"Oh, right. I still have a parasite inside me."
Following Dordone’s memories, Ecok learned to control his body.
"This is rather bothersome."
As he exhaled deeply, his massive body began to shrink. Soon, he was reduced to the size of the plague doctor, and the queen’s body, covered in flesh, emerged within him.
Ecok focused his strength, and with a resounding crack—
Crunch!
The queen’s body was crushed.
