The Demon King is unfathomable

Chapter 619 Arrogance First Signs

The howling wind, carrying snowflakes, lashed the barrier of the Tower of Source Law like the tail of a dragon.

Colin, far away in Roland City, was watching a play with his brightest student, while Professor Hector, sitting in his office, had absolutely no interest in watching the play; his heart was filled with bewildered fear.

The dome atop the tower, its light curtain trembled slightly in the fierce wind.

The translucent barrier refracted an unstable red light, looking from a distance like a bloodshot eye.

Ten minutes ago, the angels of St. Clement's Cathedral suddenly descended upon this place, and that blow, like the sun falling to earth, almost wiped the Tower of Source Law off this land!
However, the magicians of Xuebang were no ordinary people. The defensive magic array they activated immediately managed to block the devastating blow and dispel the divine punishment summoned by St. Clement's Cathedral.

However, everyone in the mage tower knew that this was just the beginning.

The Empire's military forces are gathering in the northern border of the Kingdom of Rhodes; what has been served so far is merely an appetizer.

Beneath the dome, the alarm bells continue to ring!
The runestone slabs darted about in the air, and several of them even crashed into the outer wall of the tower, sending sparks flying and nearly knocking the magic apprentices standing on them off.

Inside the teleportation chamber, the runes of the teleportation array flickered intermittently.

The magic apprentices crowded at the front of the circle pushed and shoved, shouting loudly, but they couldn't bring the paralyzed magic circle back to life.

"Damn it! What on earth happened?" A tall, burly magic apprentice slumped to the ground, his fist pounding helplessly on the core of the magic circle.

His face was filled with fear.

Not far behind him, noise and screams rose and fell, even mixed with helpless sobs and cries.

"Let me go back! I want to go home!"

"Has the Empire gone mad?! Xuebang is its vassal state!"

"By Saint Sith, I beg you to tell me what has happened?! Why are the angels who punish chaos here?!"

Actually, there's no need for Saint Sis to answer this question.

The person who asks this question already has some idea of ​​the answer in their mind, but they are simply unwilling to face the cruel reality.

The angels of St. Clement's Cathedral came for them!

Looking at the chaotic crowd, Barrett's face was filled with terror, and his right hand, which was holding the wand, trembled uncontrollably.

In another year, he will be able to become a formal magic apprentice!

But why did this have to happen at this crucial juncture...?

His expression was contorted with pain, and for a moment he couldn't think of anyone to blame for the suffering he was enduring.

Actually, let's not even talk about Barrett.

Even among the most sages, not all are the confidants of the Great Sage and are qualified to know about the "Holy Water" project.

Panic spread like a plague among the mage towers, and quickly followed the roots of the towers to their very top.

Hurried footsteps echoed down the spiral staircase leading to the first floor.

Porphyry Sai, rushing out of the elevator, didn't bother to tidy himself up and hurried toward the Great Sage's Garden at the top of the tower.

One button on the black uniform had popped open, and the hair, which had been combed with hair wax until it was perfectly neat, was now soaked with sweat and stuck to the forehead like seaweed.

This is a demeanor that hasn't been seen in decades!
The sage of the legal school, a figure known for "order" in the Council of Sages of the Academy, was now walking in a flustered manner, like a reckless prospective student.

Why would the Empire declare war on the Academy?

Xuebang is a vassal state of the empire, which sounds like cutting off your left hand with a knife in your right!
If it weren't for witnessing the angel's descent with his own eyes, and the overwhelming pressure he felt, Porphyry would rather have believed he was having a vivid dream.

As the most loyal supporter of the Great Sage, Porphyry has always regarded the will of Dolrich as the highest law in the world and the crystallization of human wisdom!

However, now, the "supreme law" that he revered as the guiding principle seems to be pushing the entire academic community into the abyss of destruction.

This completely shattered his belief that the great sage was absolutely correct.

He needs to find out exactly what happened!
Finally reaching the top of the Tower of Source Law, Porphyry, panting, pushed open the glass door leading to the rooftop garden.

Apart from him, who had just arrived, and the absent Soul Sage Ormon Sigode, all ten other sages of the Sage Council were present.

They stood in various places in the garden, their expressions varied. Some whispered among themselves, some remained silent, and others glared angrily at the back of the great sage Dolrich.

Porphy noticed that everyone's faces showed some degree of panic, and that panic was no less than his own.

Only the great sage Dolrich remained as usual, with his back to the crowd, slowly and methodically watering a strange plant.

It was a flower that Porphyry had never seen before.

Its stems and leaves are translucent grayish-white, like solidified mist, while a small cluster of dark golden light shimmers faintly deep within the flower stamens.

That completely calm expression somewhat encouraged the unsettled Porphyry. He swallowed hard, stepped into the garden, and stood with the sages of the Enchanting School.

At the very moment he entered the garden, the small black snake hidden in Dolphin's sleeve suddenly flicked its tongue, barely moving.

“…The cunning Novell, I knew He wouldn’t swallow this insult.”

That was a sound that only Dolphin could hear.

Dolph's expression didn't change much in the face of the whispers from the void; he simply responded with a calm and indifferent expression.

“I always thought you were friends, but now it seems that my understanding of friendship was a bit narrow.”

The being in the darkness gave a sinister smile and answered in the same slow and deliberate manner.

"Your understanding is not wrong. In your original timeline, we were indeed still in the cooperation stage. However, unfortunately, because of a damned troublemaker, the pawn that should have belonged to me was pushed to another timeline."

"I see."

"You don't seem surprised at all?"

Avano's clone showed a hint of interest in Dolph's reaction. Dolph, sensing this, simply smiled faintly and responded in a very soft voice within his mind.

"I guess so. After all, I've seen quite a few virtual realms, so I was somewhat prepared for your twisted relationship."

A treacherous mist weaves a conspiracy, a crown of arrogance crowns a tyrant, the claws of eternal hunger devour everything, and the flames of destruction incinerate all.

The wars of the mortal world are merely one link in the vast game of the higher-dimensional world; the gods in the void have never ceased their entanglement with each other.

Having witnessed the endings of countless worlds, Dolrich knew very well that the chosen ones of Chaos could never be true allies.

After completely erasing the indigenous people's spirit, they ultimately need to decide how many points the dice will land. Or to put it more plainly—

They will decide the fate of this world in the inevitable final battle.

A faint smile appeared on that aged face, and Dolphin calmly gave his answer in his heart.

"Oh well, it just means everything has been brought forward."

The deathly silence in the garden made everyone feel suffocated.

Seeing that the Great Sage had no intention of paying attention to the crowd, Porphyry forcibly suppressed his fear and broke the silence with a trembling voice.

"Great Sage, the Empire has just declared war on us. Although you may already know this, I... no, the Council of Sages! We would like to know your opinion..."

Ignoring the cold sweat on his forehead, he carefully hid behind the group and incoherently recounted the intelligence he had just received.

This includes the declaration of war sent by the Empire via teleportation array, and the "holy water" incident that thoroughly enraged the Empire's high command.

Upon hearing those sensational stories, the sages in the garden gasped in shock, while others subtly averted their gazes, seemingly aware of some inside information.

But Porphyry was clearly hearing about it for the first time.

That old face, etched with pleading, is the best evidence.

He could not accept that the mage tower, to which he had dedicated his life, was doing such a blasphemous thing behind his back!
How could he then claim to be a pioneer of advanced civilization and look down on those barbaric and backward feudal kingdoms?
Porphy looked at the venerable Great Sage, hoping that those all-knowing gray eyes would turn around and tell him that it was all a slander by the Empire.

These fabricated pieces of evidence were deliberately concocted by that immortal tyrant in order to usurp the academic achievements of the Academy!
Or perhaps the decaying corpse was a deception, and it was all a conspiracy by the Senate, with even the St. Clement's Cathedral being dragged into their folly!
however--

He was met with silence.

The great sage seemed utterly disdainful of responding to his humble request, and didn't even have the intention of fabricating a reason to deceive him.

Seeing the unmoved figure's back, Porphyry was utterly desperate.

Just as he was sinking into despair, a tall, slender figure emerged from the crowd. Hearing the footsteps, Porphyry quickly looked at him, a glimmer of joy appearing in his despairing eyes.

Philian Twilight, the Sage of the Tower of Life!
This three-hundred-year-old elf had long, silver hair like moonlight, and her usually gentle emerald green eyes now revealed a chill that went deep into her bones.

“Great Sage.” Philian said in a cold voice, his gaze fixed on the hunched back.

"Omon is extracting 'holy water' from the souls of commoners in the North. I want to know if you were already aware of this horrific practice?"

Or perhaps—

"You knew all along, and even tacitly approved of it?"

As an enlightened member of the Council of Sages, Philian's reverence for life far surpasses that of other sages; he cannot even bear to harm the beings behind the illusory realm.

Although his strength was only at the Amethyst level, far inferior to Omon who had already stepped into the threshold of Grandmaster, Pofili still held a glimmer of hope for him.

It is said that a hundred years ago, when the Great Sage was still an ordinary magic apprentice, it was Lord Philian who promoted him and gave him much help and care.

perhaps--

Only this former mentor could persuade this increasingly mad sage to stop.

Dolph did show some concern for Philian's questioning that was different from how he showed concern for other sages.

He put down the kettle and finally turned around. A warm smile appeared on his aged face.

However, his warmth seemed to be limited to his smile.

The moment he spoke, the last vestige of hope in Porphyry's heart vanished into darkness like a blown-out candle.

"Omon was merely conducting a necessary experiment. The shackles of the soul level have plagued this world for millennia, and in order to break the shackles that bind us, he chose a more radical path. As for the flaws in his methods... that's his personal problem."

Philian stared wide-eyed in disbelief, as if he were seeing this old man he had worked with for nearly a century for the first time.

"Flaws... He used tens of thousands of innocent souls as a catalyst, and you call that a flaw?! They were even deprived of the right to return to the stars!"

“Filian, elves have such long lifespans that your perspective is too preoccupied with individual joys and sorrows. Don’t forget that we are magicians, the group closest to the gods.”

Dolphin glanced at him indifferently, his cloudy pupils revealing little pity, only a cold indifference and arrogance that looked down upon all living beings.

"The life and death of mortals are as fleeting as morning dew. The empire's fuss over such a trivial matter is merely an excuse to make a fuss."

Philian wanted to say something more, but Dolrich interrupted him without any politeness.

"Compared to such trivial matters, there are more serious things at hand that deserve the attention of everyone present."

He shifted his gaze from Philian to the other ten sages present and continued speaking in a gentle voice.

"As you can see, the empire has decayed. They have forgotten all restraint and etiquette and have brazenly launched a war against their allies... even though we have been humble enough to them, sharing our loyalty, honor and even knowledge with them."

Gradually, his voice became less calm and took on a seductive quality.

"That living corpse that has sat on the throne for a thousand years without dying, and the parasites surrounding him, are no longer worthy to rule this continent! They are afraid of us, afraid of our youth, afraid that the mages of the Academy will one day break the shackles of their souls and elevate mortals to a level on equal footing with them!"

"Through my observations in the virtual realm, I heard the whispers of the stars."

"The Void shares the fate of thousands of worlds with us, not to make us submit to worldly empires, but to make us realize our own mission—yes, we are the ones who should establish order! Our souls are not given by those ridiculous gods, but earned by our own hands!"

"We will establish a new empire where everything serves magic! In this new era, every magic apprentice will possess the potential to become a demigod!"

"Since the Empire wants to wage war against us, then let them come! The snowy plains of the North will become the burial ground for these foolish mortals!"

The wise men looked at each other in bewilderment.

Some had fear in their eyes, others were completely bewildered, and at least half of the sages remained silent.

Philian's eyes dimmed completely.

He looked sadly at the old man who had ruled the school for decades, and finally realized that the man was terminally ill.

"We both know that even a god cannot make everyone a demigod."

"You've simply made a wish that can never be fulfilled, exploiting the shortsightedness and greed of ordinary people, making them kill each other, and making them spend their lives, which should have been brilliant, chasing after a crazy wish... and all of this is just to serve your personal ambition."

Philian's voice was filled with deep disappointment.

"I should have seen through you long ago; you're a madman!"

He turned around, his gaze sweeping over his silent colleagues, and said, word by word.

"The School of Life Sciences will never participate in this war that tramples on humanity. I will leave here with my students."

With that, Philian turned and left.

Dolph sighed softly as he watched his former mentor walk away.

"Pity."

A true king is always lonely.

The same applies to the wise.

There were no lengthy incantations, nor did a large and complex magic circle appear; the Great Sage simply raised his withered hand.

A vast amount of domain power enveloped the entire rooftop garden in an instant, forcibly rewriting the rules of time and life!
A playful smile flickered across his lips.

These arrogant, pointed-eared creatures, always taking advantage of their near-infinite time to squander, haughtily criticize humanity's blasphemy against life.

Since that's the case, he took away what he valued most.

Philian didn't even have time to turn around before he was frozen in place. As a top-tier Amethyst-level expert, he was utterly powerless against this force!
Vitality was forcibly stripped away at a speed visible to the naked eye!
The emerald green robe woven from magical plant fibers withered and turned yellow in the blink of an eye. Her long, silvery-white hair, as white as moonlight, also lost its luster in an instant, turning ashen and dusty.

Philian's pupils widened.

He watched helplessly as his body withered and dried up like a twig that had been drained of its moisture, eventually turning into a dried-up corpse.

Dolph waved his hand again, causing a magical plant to extend its branches and drag the desiccated corpse into the flowerbed.

The air was deathly silent!

The sudden fall of a Purple Crystal level sage plunged the remaining ten sages into an icy abyss. They fell completely silent, even their breathing became extremely cautious.

They finally realized that the man standing before them was no longer the revered scholar. Stripped of all pretense, he had become an unreasonable tyrant.

Porphyry's legs went weak, and he almost collapsed to his knees.

Noticing the questioning gaze from the Great Sage, he trembled and dared not speak, yet dared not remain silent either, and could only ask a trivial question in a trembling voice.

"Then... what about those students?"

The sage, preoccupied with his own troubles, spoke in a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz.

"Nearly half of the apprentices in the Mage Tower come from the Empire, as well as the Kingdom of Rhodes, the Kingdom of Ryan, the Kingdom of Norman, and Tonia..."

As Porphyry began reciting the menu, a hint of disdain flashed in Dolrich's eyes, and he turned his attention back to the kettle placed to the side.

"They are the same."

He picked up the watering can that had been placed aside and continued watering the strange plant, his leisurely voice sounding ethereal in the spacious greenhouse.

"Including those teaching assistants, mentors, professors, and you... it's up to you. Those who want to go to the new world, stay; those who want to go home, leave on your own. I won't force you to stay."

Porphyry breathed a sigh of relief, as if granted a pardon, and finally dared to wipe the sweat from his forehead with his sleeve. The sages standing around remained silent, not daring to utter a sound.

With his back to the crowd, Dolük had a meaningful smile on his face.

He was curious.

After learning of Philian's fate, how many people dared to say they wanted to go back?

Let him take a look.

Are those smart people he personally selected truly smart? Will they have a place in the new world?

By the way—

Except for teachers and students of the Life School.

They need not pass the Great Sage's test, for they will have the honor of going to the front lines of the war between the Academy and the Os Empire, where they will dedicate their souls to the new era!
The aged sage wore a pleasant smile on his face.

Blame it on Lord Philian.

He's the one who ruined you all.

(End of this chapter)