Chapter 6: Spider Silk
David Obis frowned when he heard that. It wasn't due to the disdain in the other party's words, but because he had accurately described the Lunar Monster's species behind him.
800 years ago, Great Sage Yeats established the Astral Laws and divided magic into 9 levels and 13 series according to the distribution of the stars, completely reshaping the magic foundations of Vic.
Moon Realm spells that had always been in a gray area were excluded from the new system and became equivalent to a taboo.
800 years later, the Astral Laws system remained as firm as bedrock. The prohibition against Moon Realm magic had never been loosened.
Across the continent, other than the ascetics sitting in Demon Burial and the living dead in the Obliteration Tower who were specially allowed to study the taboos from the Moon Realm, anyone who privately studied Moon Realm magic would be considered a heretic.
This was the reason why he was expelled from Arcana University back then. He was no exception even though he was the number one genius in Arcana University's past 50 years.
The person in front of him could tell the species of Psoriasis at a glance, which meant that he knew a little about Moon Realm magic.
Therefore, was he also a heretical mage?
Thoughts ran through David's mind before he probed, "May I know your name?"
"I'm still not sure what my name means to this era, so I don't plan on revealing my name for the time being. Please forgive me."
What do you mean?
What did he mean by "not sure what my name means to this era?" Did his name hold significance in this era?
Although the other party's random answer left him at a loss, he originally asked for a name to give the other party the impression that he was willing to communicate. Since he couldn't figure it out, he might as well continue the conversation.
"Then, Mr. Unknown, I have a suggestion. If you leave and pretend as though you didn't see anything, I guarantee that I won't hurt you and the lady hiding behind you."
"Why?"
The other party didn't look at him but at Psoriasis, who was going through the anchoring ritual.
"You and I are both so-called heretics who have betrayed the Astral Laws. Since we're the same, it's naturally better to be friends than enemies."
With that said, he fixated his gaze on the other party's expression, hoping to figure out something.
He wasn't afraid of fighting the person in front of him. Even if Psoriasis couldn't attack yet, dealing with a mage who needed to rely on magical power to break through the barrier wasn't even a problem for him.
However, Psoriasis had yet to complete the anchoring ritual. Its only connection to Currere was the statue of the Lady of Starvation. If the other party was really a heretical mage who had a certain understanding of Lunar Monsters, his attacking the statue and severing the connection between Psoriasis and Currere would put all his efforts over the past year in vain.
Therefore, although David didn't plan on sparing the lives of these two, he had to act generous.
It wouldn't be too late to kill these two after the ritual was over.
After hearing his explanation, the person didn't say anything other than muttering the Astral Laws in a puzzled tone. He didn't even look away from the anchoring ceremony.
"Sir? Do you accept?"
David couldn't help but feel a little anxious when he saw that the other party had been paying attention to the ritual and ignoring him, so he asked again. This time, his voice carried a slightly threatening tone.
"Oh…"
The other party finally turned his gaze to him.
"Both of you will die today."
For a moment, David thought that the other party had guessed his plan and said this to expose the proposal he didn't plan on fulfilling.
However, he quickly saw from the other party's eyes that the person was only expressing his intentions.
The other party also didn't plan on letting him off.
A comical feeling surged into his heart before turning into an unconcealable smile.
"Hahahahaha… A gutsy one you are."
He laughed as he looked at the person, unable to hide his killing intent.
"It puzzles me. Why aren't you willing to let yourself live longer? Why are you in such a hurry to die?"
As David spoke, he slowly pointed the lead-colored staff in his hand at the person in front of him and then at the woman behind him.
"Is it because of the lady behind you? Is she a survivor of the archaeological team from before? Or is it because you're too confident and think that just killing one or two Subdemons and breaking through the barrier outside will…"
"What barrier?"
The other party suddenly asked, his voice filled with confusion.
"The barrier you broke open with your mana stream before you came here. Don't you remember?"
David sounded puzzled.
"Was there such a thing?"
The other party's expression was filled with confusion, and he didn't look like he was lying.
This made David truly wary.
Could it be that he wasn't the one who destroyed the barrier outside the Scar of Sorrow? Was it someone else?
Was that person hiding nearby? Could this clown in front of him just be bait?
David asked as he looked around warily, "A barrier—the Wall of Shadows—was set up outside. If it wasn't cracked by you, how did you find your way in?"
After hearing his question, the other party finally revealed an enlightened expression.
"Oh, that thing… For anyone below Lv. 80, that thing… Ahem, it doesn't affect anyone above a certain level of strength. I probably didn't notice and walked in. As for cracking it, it's probably thanks to the enchantment on my armor that automatically cracked the barrier."
David couldn't digest the information in his words.
What was the meaning of this? The barrier that could block magic chanters below Lv. 5 was cracked without him noticing?
It sounded as simple as accidentally bumping into spiderwebs and destroying them while out.
A bluff… It was definitely a bluff.
David thought, but for some reason, he felt a chill down his spine.
An extremely ridiculous thought appeared in his mind.
The other party was very strong, far stronger than him.
However, this should be impossible.
He looked back at Psoriasis's ritual that was coming to an end.
In the ether domain, he could clearly sense a pale and dirty comet plummeting into the depths of his soul.
This Stumbling Demon from the Moon Realm was about to appear in Currere through his soul anchor.
He had to buy some more time.
But this time, it wasn't because he was worried that the other party would destroy the altar and ruin his year of hard work. Instead, he wasn't sure if he could kill this unknown magic chanter in front of him alone.
He needed to wait for Psoriasis's ritual to be completed before teaming up.
As a spawn of the Lady of Starvation, if the Stumbling Demon could successfully descend into Currere, even powerhouses at the Master domain would have to avoid them.
With this in mind, David planned on buying time through a conversation.
"Then, I want to ask again why you're here to be our enemy. It's because…"
"I know you're stalling."
The white-haired, silver-eyed magic chanter interrupted him.
"It's fine if you want to buy time for the Stumbling Demon's anchoring ritual to be completed. I'm also waiting for it to be completed."
The other party's words made David subconsciously take a step back.
"Without an anchor in the demon summoner's soul, it can only rely on that disgusting statue to appear. However, the commotion on my side might be a little loud later. If I accidentally shatter that statue, that Stumbling Demon will have to obediently scram back to the Moon Realm."
This wasn't good.
The man who wasn't willing to reveal his name said, "As for why you asked me why I'm your enemy, although I know you only want to buy time, I think it's fine to give you an answer."
David couldn't help but swallow when he saw the other party staring at him.
"Because you're a Demon Summoner and it's a Lunar Monster. The ruin not far away is the Twilight Fortress. Using that as a reason is sufficient."
When the other party finished speaking, the pale and filthy comet in the ether domain happened to completely sink into the depths of David's soul. Violent magic powers began to surge in his blood.
A strange feeling of mycelium growing in his body began to surface.
The anchoring ceremony was completed.
Psoriasis roared behind David, and the rusty dagger in his hand quickly became covered in dark-green patterns.
The distorted blobs of flesh on its body also began to proliferate and separate. When they fell to the ground, they squirmed and morphed. Long limbs and a huge head grew out of them, and finally, they turned into newborn Subdemons.
Psoriasis walked forward and held the dagger that emitted a decaying aura. He looked down at the magic chanter and said in a deep voice, "Shameless worm, tell me, how do you wish to die?"
-- Gift
received