A location slightly apart from where Ruel descended.
ZHFFaHg0NTVMUERqTnhDNTdpRkczWXF3YVBBdHRqU2FSTzA0L3dKZVplbXRYdjNUZ3gyc203eG5NNGczVk9DeA
"Haaah..."
Pure white frost crept up the grass. The meadow, swaying gently in the wind, stopped as if trapped in a painting. The world dyed in light and ice is merely white. A fragile body trembles in the wind like frostbite.
At the very center of that cold ink-wash painting, the Blue Tower Master swept back her blue hair and exhaled a long breath. Frost sparkled at her lips. The world is frozen around her.
The mages who had been about to engage each other moments ago were covered in ice, only blinking their eyes.
Feeling the terrifying power, the mages didn't even think of breaking free from the ice.
If the one who created this ice had harbored even slightly worse intentions, they would have all died as living ice sculptures.
"Be careful. I don't want to hurt you. Even if you fall far short, you are the Chosen People."
Intrinsic Magic. Determinism.
The power of the Blue Tower Master that crystallizes matter within its range into solids.
Having rendered all the mages incapable of combat in an instant, the Blue Tower Master still spoke with a refreshed attitude.
"The circumstances turned out oddly, so I missed my timing to come out. But hmm. I suppose it's not too late at this point."
"B-Blue Tower Master?"
"You did well, Avant-garde. You acted like a disciple of the Blue Tower. I'm sorry for deceiving you unintentionally."
After lightly patting Avant-garde's head, the Blue Tower Master took light steps forward.
Shea, who had been briefly startled by Ruel's appearance, discovered the Blue Tower Master. The Blue Tower Master stood before her, bringing a chill like a winter spirit.
"Shea."
"Elysia? So you too..."
"You don't seem that surprised."
Shea hesitated before answering.
"I thought you might come out by this point. You were the one who..."
'Kept interfering with the Demon God Temple at every turn. The Demon God Temple after the Floating Castle fell was truly a group of mad mages bringing disaster.'
Shea didn't spit out those words. The Blue Tower Master roughly guessed what Shea was going to say and answered.
"The Demon God Temple. Yes. That is a mistake I made. In the days when I believed I could do anything, I sought to obtain the Demon God and mold the world to my will."
Everyone has those days. Confident, full of vigor, in that childhood where hesitating even briefly felt like becoming a fool. Having been counted as an overwhelming genius even in the Celsius territory, she ultimately left her sister behind and ascended to the Floating Castle.
Climbing the Blue Tower, climbing Babel, climbing until there was nowhere left to walk, when it seemed she could reach the sky itself.
She suddenly realized there was nothing beneath her feet.
"But what lies up there is not that. It's the power to destroy the world in an instant. To mold the world to my will means to destroy it with my own hands."
"Do you know what's up there?"
"It was easy to realize how dangerous it is. And I also learned that no one can perfectly control that thing. That won't do. Hwaran and Rankart are outstanding, but not as much as me. Those two would destroy the world with that power."
It was conviction. And it was likely the truth. The Blue Tower Master was the leader of the Demon God Temple. Although she keeps her distance now, even Rankart and the Red Tower Master once followed her.
"That must remain only as knowledge. The moment some fool uses that as power, this world will end."
Shea suddenly thought of another name. The moment she realized it, that name had already slipped from her lips.
"Hughs?"
The Blue Tower Master fell into thought for a moment.
She couldn't call Hughs foolish. From what she had observed, Hughs's intellect was equal to or greater than hers. At the very least, he possessed the minimum qualifications to be the King of Humanity.
But the course of action he had shown so far was too peculiar. So much so that even the Blue Tower Master couldn't understand it.
Therefore, the Blue Tower Master couldn't easily reach a conclusion. Was it because she couldn't understand it, and thus it was madness? Or was it because he existed on a higher dimension than her?
***
Ruel's power, Lux Vis Mea. A simple Intrinsic Magic that grants physical force to light.
The White Tower Master Ruel is a remarkably strong mage with that alone. The speed of light vastly surpasses sound. If physical force could be imbued into it, one could strike before the opponent could even react.
However, if it were merely an Intrinsic Magic, it could be broken through. There are many magics to counter light magic, and if you know where the opponent is aiming, you can dodge in advance. Besides, I can copy others' Intrinsic Magics.
But the true value lies elsewhere.
"Light is immutable. In any time, in any space."
Every time she walks up invisible stairs, light flashes at her feet. She is creating footholds with the reaction force of light. Though she uses them as footholds now, utilizing light magic, she could freely fly through the sky.
"The power I possess as a Saint is to foresee a moment where time has stopped."
She can stop time.
No, she can move within stopped time!
Zero seconds where no one can perceive or move. Time that should simply flow onward, but the Saint of Light divides that infinite time and foresees it.
In stopped time, she knows what will happen there.
"Within stopped time, I who have received the blessing of light exist alone. Through my Intrinsic Magic, I hold the right to move alone. Ah, was the explanation too academic? Simply put, it's the authority of time stop?"
Of course, that alone has no meaning. I can also know what happens in stopped time. No one can move and everything simply stops. Why? Because time has stopped!
However, while granting physical force to light, the Saint of Light earns the right to act even in stopped time.
"The blessing of light transcends even time. How about it, King of Humanity?"
Thus, Ruel, who had personally descended to the ground stepping on light, approached me with a brilliant smile. I answered, thoroughly tense.
"The voice I heard at my ear?"
"I sent my voice riding on light. The mages of the Floating Castle would use a spell that reverse-calculates light to convert it to sound, but I have no need for that. The light I send vibrates the air directly to create sound."
"You're quite honest. Is it really okay to tell me all that?"
"It is! It's my power after all!"
She has no intention of hiding it. She reveals everything like light itself. The Saint of Light Ruel was literally the personification of light. Brilliant and straightforward, as if she alone could fill the entire space.
"The Intrinsic Magic that grants physical force to light, and the power to foresee stopped time. I've revealed all the power I possess. How about it? Your impression?"
Facing her who sought my evaluation, I answered honestly.
"It's amazing. It seems no one could be your match."
"With the exception of the Demon Lord, that statement is largely correct. Hmm. The other four Tower Masters with Intrinsic Magics could resist to some extent. They could never become my match, though. You know why, right?"
"Because your power would be most lethal when used with malicious intent."
"Correct!"
She stops time. She moves within stopped time. She ambushes before the opponent can notice, making it impossible for them to even perceive.
Counter? Without the power to divide stopped time and act, one doesn't even qualify to counter. And who has such power? The Demon Lord? That's just the Demon Lord being special.
"The reason this world remains intact is because I haven't harbored malice toward the world. Because light chose to shine warmly rather than burn the world."
Everyone must show their will. I demanded that by putting everyone on the board.
But the Saint is overwhelmingly strong. Strong enough to dominate the board alone.
"...It's also because the Demon Lord is bound by the chains of Seongrene and still clinging to arrogance."
"Arrogance?"
"Yes. The star of destruction eyeing the ground from high above the Floating Castle. Arrogance."
You mean that star of disaster Shea spoke of? The one that would end this world if it fell. Is it no longer being kept as a secret?
"The power you would obtain when you climb this tower is the switch to drop Arrogance."
"Oh my, spoiler. That's no fun."
Despite my reproach, the Saint of Light stood tall and proud as she spoke.
"That's the privilege of the one who knew first! And the act you were about to commit was giving this switch to all these many people. Among them were those who absolutely must never receive it mixed in."
She must be referring to Kuram and the Poison Centipede.
Right. They are dangerous. The two lack the knowledge to understand magic, but if they had the switch in their hands, they would press it without hesitation. Having already made decisions that ruin their own bodies, what wouldn't they do?
"It's the same for the other mages. They have more discernment than those two, but who's to say they won't suddenly press the switch one day? Everyone has days when they're weak, excited, or want to make a mistake. A switch should go to as few people as possible. Especially if it's a switch for continental destruction!"
"Wow. Really."
"Yes! You were trying to give this switch to everyone! Now do you understand what mistake you've committed?"
Ruel explained like a kind teacher instructing a young child. And she had an equal amount of arrogance to match.
I replied with an expression of deep impression.
"It's not a mistake, though."