Legacy of the Dark Sage

Cyneah heard Alta's declaration and inwardly sighed. She made a mental note to remind the latter not to call her Lady because it was a little embarrassing. Being called Mistress by Kyran's people was already uncomfortable enough; she did not want to have another title tied to her.

To be clear, Cyneah did not detest being addressed with such respectful titles. She just felt it was too excessive. Besides, she never wanted them to think she was higher than them but an equal.

Cyneah pushed the random thought aside and left the automatons to Alta.

Typically, non-living things did not emit any light. However, automatons were different. They might be artificially created, but because of the energy core that allowed them to absorb and generate magic energy, they could be considered similar to the living. The light they emitted was a little different, like how a light from a sun differed from a light bulb.

Nonetheless, it allowed Cyneah to see them.

In any case, Cyneah did not have to worry about the automatons because Alta was there. Even if she roughly estimated that the level of the automatons before them were entry-level High Sovereigns, the quality of their magic was still lower against a genius like Alta.

With that in mind, Cyneah focused her magic sense on the scene below.

'...Where are you, Kyran?' she wondered.

Let us backtrack a bit before Lucian's arrival.

When Cyneah, Alta, Leif, Mira, and the mages, with Marigold escorting them, arrived at the end of the hidden passageway underground, Alta sensed a drastic change from the magic fluctuations above them.

Leif and Mira sensed the same thing but pondered if voicing their concern was right.

To be fair, it was in their best interest to leave the Crepuscule Auction House because it would not bode well for their clan to be caught up in the current situation. That was not to say that they were thinking of betraying Kyran.

It was just that it would not benefit them in the long run if their clan's involvement with Kyran got exposed in the early stages of their plan to overthrow The Emperor if they meddled with what was happening above.

Furthermore, unlike Kyran, who could teleport, warp, or use a powerful movement technique like the Dragon Steps, Leif and Mira had no effective techniques or spells that would allow them to escape to safety. Although Kyran gave them pre-made arrays that could teleport them, the distance they could cover was short. They would likely only end up exhausting those pre-made arrays, unable to escape.

Besides, if they were caught, there was no guarantee that their captors would allow them to use them because The Emperor's side likely possessed anti-array activation spells and relics.

Still, Leif and Mira knew the importance of Kyran in their plans. If the latter were caught by The Emperor's side, proceeding with their plan would be hard.

Alta also had similar thoughts. However, unlike Leif and Mira, Alta was unafraid to be exposed. Thus, she did not mind returning and assisting Kyran.

In the end, the one who decided to return was Cyneah. Even without Alta and the others voicing their thoughts, Cyneah changed her mind and declared she would return to Kyran's side.

What influenced her decision was different from the others, however. She also sensed a sudden change in the above magic fluctuations, but the increasing death energies were what convinced her to go back.

As soon as Cyneah decided to return, Alta's resolve to return solidified.

However, they soon faced a problem when returning above ground. There was an invisible veil of some sort that prevented them from moving up. Only then did Alta and the others realize that the Crepuscule Auction House was already trapped inside a Dimension.

Luckily, after a few tests, they confirmed that the Dimension did not extend to the underground passageway. Thus, Cyneah and the rest made their way out of the passageway and decided to observe the situation of the Crepuscule Auction House from the outside.

That was what led to the current situation.

Alta and Leif realized that The Emperor was the one who cast Dimension and trapped the Crepuscule Auction House. This scared the hell out of them. But now that they confirmed that the situation had escalated with The Emperor's arrival, they were even more determined to save Kyran.

After all, they could not allow Kyran to fall into The Emperor's hands.

Still, Alta had some reservations. This was because she knew that Cyneah was also an Ancient Magic user, unlike Leif and Mira. Although Cyneah did not have the Soul core, The Emperor did not know that. Even if they denied it, given how potent Cyneah's Soul aura was, the Emperor would not believe them.

Considering this, Alta swore to protect Cyneah with her life.

Using the bell to amplify the effect of her Sound magic, Alta forced the winged automatons' movement to a stop. After that, she grabbed the two swords circling her and charged at them.

Alta attacked the nearest winged automaton.

CRACKLE!

"!"

However, the winged automaton still managed to deploy a defensive barrier and blocked Alta's sword. Sparks flew around where Alta's sword and the winged automaton's barrier collided.

Whoosh!

One winged automaton broke free from Alta's paralyzing attack and swung its great sword at her.

CLANG!

Alta raised one of her swords just in time to block the winged automaton's great sword.

Crackle! Crackle!

"Tsk," she could not help but click her tongue as she jumped back to gain some distance.

This was an annoying part when fighting automatons. Because of how they were built, the effect of Alta's Sound magic's paralysis did not last long.

Not that it would affect Alta that much. It was annoying, but that did not mean she was greatly disadvantaged because of it. What mattered was that she could stop their movements for a few seconds while she focused on destroying one of them.

DING! DING!

The bell rang again, forcing the winged automatons that regained their freedom to a stop once more.

Golden swords coated with a gold concentrated magic energies appeared around Alta. Without hesitation, she manipulated the swords and had them rain down on the winged automatons.

The winged automatons deployed their defensive barrier just before the swords touched them.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Crackle! Crackle!

Some of the swords managed to put a crack in the barriers, and Alta, who summoned more golden swords, aimed at those cracks.

DING! DING!

The bell circling Alta continuously rang out as she bombarded the winged automatons with golden swords.

The sparks that flew out as her swords collided with the winged automatons' barrier were like fireworks. Still, none gave off a similar exhilarating feeling when watching a fireworks display. Instead, the more sparks the collision of the sword and the automaton barriers created; the more Alta ground her teeth in exasperation.

'As expected of automatons created by Deus, I suppose...' she thought in annoyance.

Alta was eager to eliminate the automatons quickly, yet it appeared she required more time to manage them all. She was naturally short-tempered, and dealing with the winged automatons tested her patience.

Meanwhile, True Void snapped out of his surprise at Cyneah's arrival and flew up.

"GAAH! Seriously, you and Void Halfling... I swear I'd die of a heart attack because of you!"

Enjoy more content from empire

Says him, who did not even have a heart.

But then.

Throb!Nôv(el)B\\jnn

True Void stopped in his tracks as he felt a sensation akin to a heartbeat filling his body.

'...What...?'

Caught off guard, he belatedly recalled his words and nearly screamed: He did not even have a heart, so what was that beating just now?

HAAAAAAA....

True Void heard a deep sigh that echoed around him and sent shivers up his spine— something that he did not possess as well.

'T-That... W-What was that...?'

HAAAAAAA....

The sigh permeated his ears once more, and this time around, he realized that he was the only one who could hear it.

True Void noticed this because everyone else, Ruin and Deus, the armored woman fighting against the winged automatons above, and Cyneah, who seemed to be searching for something, did not flinch when that sigh sounded.

And that was when True Void caught sight of the Macabre Glacier behind Cyneah. It was not that he did not notice it earlier. In fact, its appearance was why he even remarked that Cyneah would give him a heart attack. After all, the Macabre Glacier was a very dangerous weapon that The Emperor would definitely covet once he realized what it was.

True Void's attention was captivated by the silhouette of a human attempting to emerge from the mirror's surface. There was something about this figure that intrigued him; he couldn't quite identify it, but it sent chills down his spine.

HAAAAAAA....

'...Again, with that sigh...' True Void furrowed his brows inwardly. But it was then that he noticed something. Wanting to confirm what he saw, he stayed still and kept his eyes on the silhouette in the mirror.

And then...

HAAAAAAA....

"!"

True Void's eyes constricted as he confirmed what he noticed.

Every time he heard that strange sigh, the silhouette on the mirror emitted a strange aura while opening its mouth.

That was when...

HAAAAAAA.... COME BACK.... RETURN.... TO ME.....