Chapter 186: The Great Flow of Fate
The symbol of Demtoer illuminated the sky.
The white initial "D" gradually faded into the clouds.
Late in the afternoon, beneath the dimming light of the signal flare, an unexpected feast unfolded.
Caw! Caaawk—!
A swarm of crows, drawn by the scent of blood, began gathering one by one.
From the massive corpse of a Hotaru to the heap of human bodies, the crows indulged in their blood-soaked banquet, undisturbed for once.
Moments later—
Vhuuung~!
A fierce gust of wind swept through the area.
As a dark shadow loomed over the entire mound of corpses, the startled crows screeched in terror and took flight.
Kiiieeehhhhh—!
A piercing, unnatural shriek tore through the air.
With a sky-shaking roar, a massive beast unfurled its wings and descended upon the ground.
A wyvern clad in silver scales revealed itself.
This was Veluga, a flying beast only handled by the most elite mages of Demtoer.
"You've done well."
Kriik—
Sensing its master's touch, the massive beast let out a low, satisfied rumble.
A mage leaped down from the saddle.
Scanning his surroundings, he extended a hand and softly clenched his fist while chanting.
A ring of light burst from his hand, expanding outward in all directions.
It was Life Scan, a magic technique that detected life force.
Nothing.
The mage furrowed his brow and pushed back the hood of his robe, which was obscuring his vision.
His deep gray hair fluttered in the wind.
A young mage with sharp features surveyed the vast forest, tracking the traces of a large-scale movement.
The Reed Forest and the Ghost Forest.
A massive group had passed through here—and disappeared into the forest.
"Tch. I was too late?"
He looked up at the sky.
The mark had vanished, swallowed by darkness.
Under the slowly setting sun, only two silhouettes, large and small, cast their lonely shadows over the Reed Forest.
"Such a shame... I didn’t get to see her."
Even though he had pushed Veluga to fly at full speed, the signal flare had been fired at the very edge of Hel Grime, near the Ghost Forest's boundary.
More than enough time had passed for them to escape.
If at least someone had managed to delay them, he might have arrived in time to confront them.
Clicking his tongue, the mage turned toward the city.
"Pathetic. Absolutely pathetic."
Had the mages stationed in the city reacted to the signal and gathered, they could have at least stalled her.
Yet even now, with the signal gone, he was the only one who had arrived.
Because their target was none other than the feared Witch of Ordor, the mages of Demtoer had hesitated, waiting for higher orders before acting.
They were likely wary of the Ortas, who protected Lily.
For all their calculated intelligence, they were cowards.
"Even the Guardian of the Forest was here?"
His gaze fell upon a set of massive footprints imprinted in the ground.
Regret flickered in his eyes.
Lily Base and the beast Keros.
Both were figures one rarely had the chance to encounter.
The mage stared into the depths of the Ghost Forest.
She was close.
For a moment, he considered stirring up trouble by entering the forest, but he quickly dismissed the thought and turned away.
Even he was reluctant to set foot inside.
In that mana-depleted space, a mage’s abilities were severely hindered.
"This was a waste of time."
Fwoooosh!
With a single powerful flap of its wings, the silver wyvern took off.
Soaring high above the vast landscape, the mage gazed beyond the endless forest below.
Tobaron.
The cursed land where Lily Base had once been sighted.
Now, she had emerged on the borders of Hel Grime.
The witch, who had lived quietly like a ghost, had suddenly begun leaving traces and taking active steps.
"What is she after...?"
He needed to consult with the Stars as soon as he returned.
A fierce wind pressed against his back.
Just as he was about to break through the air and depart—
"Huh?"
The mage abruptly pulled on the reins.
His Life Scan had picked up something.
A life force.
It wasn't coming from the direction where the trail had ended—it was approaching from another direction.
Someone was leaving the forest and heading straight toward this location.
His reaction was swift.
Crossing his arms, he activated the rough metal bracelets wrapped around both wrists.
Tiny runes surfaced along their edges, and then—
Flash!
A dazzling light erupted from the crossed bracelets.
A massive cross-shaped beam shot down from the sky, striking the ground like a divine judgment.
The barren earth flared with brilliance, and an enormous explosion followed.
Everything caught in the radiant blast melted away like ice.
The Hotaru’s corpse, the human remains—everything vanished the moment it touched the light.
With a sharp pull on the reins, the mage directed Veluga toward the blast site.
His mana surged.
A living being had emerged from the Ghost Forest.
That meant there were only two possibilities.
Either it was the Witch—
Or it was a powerful figure connected to her.
Either way, there was no need to hold back.
The explosion's epicenter came into view—a deep, cross-shaped scar scorched into the barren earth.
And at its center, he came face to face with an unexpected figure.
Dismounting from Veluga, the mage let out a groan.
Before him stood a man, looking at him with an awkward expression.
"...Arcane."
"It has been a while, Ren."
For Ren, this was an encounter he could have done without.
The Prophet of Fate, Arcane, had appeared from the forest.
He should have been caught in the explosion—yet he stood there, completely unharmed.
Then again, Ren knew better than anyone that Arcane was far from an ordinary man.
"You came out of the forest. What were you doing in there?"
"I did nothing. I merely left the forest. Then, I saw the signal and followed my curiosity here."
So, he had come after seeing the signal flare.
"I saw you emerge from the Ghost Forest. Do you have a way to pass through it?"
"Trade secret."
"You’re not secretly dealing with witches, are you?"
"You should know better than anyone how much they despise me. I wasn’t in the forest itself—I was in Tobaron."
"Tobaron? That cursed land? What were you doing there…?"
"I simply followed where fate led me."
"Fate, huh… You really do love saying things that piss off mages."
Despite Ren’s rebuke, Arcane merely shrugged and glanced around.
His eyes twinkled with curiosity as he observed the massive traces leading toward the Ghost Forest.
It seemed that those who had emerged from the "Passage" had safely entered the forest.
Ordor Forest was the witches’ final sanctuary.
Would they truly allow humans to tread upon that sacred ground?
‘Of course not.’
It piqued his interest.
What had driven them to cross the forest?
And more importantly—what had Lily Base seen that made her permit this?
"Do you know anything about the group that appeared here?"
"Not in detail."
"So you do know something."
"You’d get a quicker answer from Tobaron than from me. Word should have reached them by now."
"That’s precisely why Demtoer is in an uproar. What were you thinking, handing that man a communication gate?"
"Breaking through the forest’s defenses—wasn’t that an interesting proposal?"
"And you believe some borderland lord can accomplish what even we could not?"
"We’ll just have to wait and see. He’s special."
Ren’s brows knitted together.
Coming from the Prophet of Fate, Arcane, those words carried weight.
If Arcane had foreseen a way to breach the forest’s defenses, it might truly exist.
After all, many of his prophecies had come to pass.
Because of this, most members of Demtoer viewed him favorably—but Ren was different.
If anything, he was more wary of him than anyone else.
Arcane’s words were like whispers of fate, subtly shaking the hearts of even mages.
"I don’t know how you managed to sway the Grand Duke, but be careful inside Demtoer. I don’t like you."
"If you were one of Demtoer’s Stars, you and I could have been good friends. What a shame."
Demtoer’s Stars.
Just as the Ortas existed within Ordor Forest, Demtoer had its own "Stars."
The Masters of Divine Names.
Ren of Radiance.
He was one of Demtoer’s Stars.
"The only one among the Stars who welcomes you is Gram. Don’t fool yourself."
"In time, the others will also come to realize how beneficial it is to converse with me."
"That will never happen."
"Will you escort me to the Ivory Tower? In return, I’ll share some interesting information."
"My Veluga despises you."
"It’s about Tobaron."
"I’ve already heard plenty from Kamel Blazer."
"But you lack the most crucial information—about Kamel himself. If you intend to negotiate with him, you’ll need precise intel. He’s not an easy man to handle."
"I’ve already placed an inquiry with the Black Market."
"They won’t know him better than I do. He’s a Master of Divine Names."
"And?"
"If you choose my information over the Black Market’s, the quality will be far superior."
Arcane smiled slyly as he toyed with his earring.
At that moment, Ren’s expression hardened.
"Get your hand off your earring."
"So touchy."
"If you do it again in front of me, I’ll cut off your wrist."
"So… will you give me a ride or not?"
Arcane’s unbothered smirk only irritated Ren further.
He was a man Ren would rather not keep around, yet Demtoer couldn’t simply reject him.
The mages, forsaken by the gods, were blind when it came to Divine Name-related matters.
The best approach would have been to capture and enslave Arcane, as they had done with witches and others.
But this man was not someone they could easily subdue.
That was why Arcane wielded considerable influence within Demtoer.
"Kiren."
Kriiik— Kriiik—
Ren called Veluga’s name in a low voice, and the silver wyvern let out a disgruntled growl before stretching its long neck toward Arcane.
With that, Veluga soared high into the sky, carrying Arcane.
As they rode the fierce winds, Ren’s voice drifted through the air.
"Weren’t you supposed to be helping Kamel?"
"I’m on no one’s side. I simply observe fate flowing as the gods have ordained. But I’ve seen a greater tide within Demtoer than in Kamel."
"A greater tide?"
"Depending on Demtoer’s stance, Tobaron is about to undergo a significant shift."
Arcane ran a hand through his pure white hair.
His sharp gaze slowly drifted across the landscape.
He mapped out the power dynamics of Tobaron in his mind.
Having spent significant time near Kamel, Arcane could predict the trajectory of Tobaron’s future.
"He… or Kamel Blazer…"
On the surface, it appeared to be a battle between two men and their factions.
But Tobaron’s fate could be completely overturned depending on the forces of Ordor Forest and Demtoer.
"The ruler of Tobaron will be decided soon."
"The cursed land’s ruler is of no concern to Demtoer."
"Is that really the case?"
Arcane was certain—Tobaron’s ruler would determine the fate of Hel Grime.
‘The flow of fate dictated that the Lord of Blyer should have claimed Tobaron…’
But with the balance now disrupted, that future had become uncertain.
He needed information about the one who had altered the flow.
Especially—his name.
Just knowing his name would reveal a great deal.
"The only clue left is that assassin…"
Alex Marcia.
A man who should have died long ago had appeared alive and well.
And yet, Arcane could glean nothing from him.
"A divine blessing, he said."
Was it truly because of that?
One thing was certain—his abilities were unique.
He was hiding something.
The Ivory Tower’s archives contained ancient texts detailing the Age of the Absolutes.
Alex’s bow.
And his mysterious ability to seal Divine Names.
Was it truly an ancient artifact?
Before encountering him again, Arcane had much to investigate.
Because he was sure—
This would be a crucial clue for the future.