Chapter 113: The Storm Sweeping Amimone (4)
Orthes opened the box and repeatedly turned Adoosiam’s power off and on.
If the signal was detected only once, they could claim it was a malfunction or a coincidence, but if it was picked up multiple times like this, such excuses would be impossible.
‘This should do it.’
Blasphemia had likely set up surveillance radars everywhere to gather evidence, and they would certainly have detected the waves emitted by Adoosiam.
With a satisfied smile, Orthes left Amimone Tower.
However, what Orthes overlooked was the situation inside Amimone Tower, specifically the state of the Argyrion collaborators trapped within.
The public accusations against Amimone Tower had spread throughout magical society via the Ether Space network. It was an open accusation that couldn’t be hidden.
Naturally, Argyrion became aware of the danger looming over his operatives in Amimone Tower.
Argyrion didn’t act directly because they had already agreed on a contingency plan with their agents. If things truly became dangerous, the operatives would send a distress signal.
That “dangerous situation” didn’t include death. The collaborators fully believed in Argyrion’s “cause,” and they had pledged their loyalty to it, willing to die without revealing anything.
But there was a time when death could not be allowed—like when a necromancer from the Black Dark Tower, known for their soul-capturing magic, had prepared to harvest souls for interrogation.
If their souls fell into the hands of the Black Dark Tower, they would dissect the soul, tearing apart every strand of mana to extract all the secrets.
That was precisely when the collaborators had agreed to send a distress signal.
There were other agreed-upon scenarios for sending the signal, like acquiring a powerful artifact but being pursued by the Ten Magic Towers and facing imminent capture. The common factor was always the immediate danger to Argyrion’s cause.
The leakage of this distress signal posed a significant threat. After the incident at the Grand Temple of Pluton, Argyrion assumed that the Ten Magic Towers had somehow mimicked their distress signal—although this wasn’t true—and had been developing a new signal with a different frequency.
Had they completed it, Argyrion would have approached their operatives one by one, providing them with information about the new signal to replace the old one.
But they hadn’t had enough time.
Even if they had completed it, another significant problem remained.
It had been less than a month since the Elder of the Ten Magic Towers was killed at the Grand Temple of Pluton. With the Ten Towers now on high alert, it was nearly impossible for Argyrion to make contact with the collaborators in Amimone Tower.
Argyrion had no opportunity to reconnect with his agents.
Thus, the distress signal Orthes sent was a storm of confusion.
***
“How are we supposed to interpret this?”
One of Argyrion’s senior leaders, a veteran of the Golden Desert Operation, spoke up. The debate over the distress signal from Amimone Tower had been going on for over an hour.
“We must exercise caution. We already know from that black cliff incident that the Ten Magic Towers can imitate our signals.”
“But the comrades in Amimone Tower don’t know that. The current distress signal pattern is the only one they have.”
“What if it’s another trap? Killing an Elder was certainly a victory, but the complete annihilation of our dispatched force was a tragedy!”
The debate among Argyrion’s leaders showed no signs of ending. Some argued for sending a task force immediately, while others insisted it was another trap laid by the Ten Towers. Both sides had valid points.
If the debate couldn’t be resolved among the leaders, only one person could make the final decision.
As the voices gradually quieted, the leaders’ gazes all turned toward one person. The round table where Argyrion’s leaders gathered symbolized equality, but there was still one person who had received the greatest blessing from the cause.
Everyone in Argyrion turned to look at Halto. He had held the highest position among them since their time in Blasphemia, and he was, without a doubt, the leader most favored by the cause.
Halto let out a deep sigh.
“This matter…”
His hollow gaze swept across the round table. Every one of Argyrion’s leaders, even Nastion, who usually hid in the shadows and concealed his emotions, was waiting for Halto’s decision.
“It is undoubtedly the work of our great adversary.”
“…?”
Everyone in Argyrion knew who this “adversary” was. Though blessed by the cause, which had blurred their memories of the world, they could never forget the enemy who had devised the Golden Desert Operation.
Though their appearance might have been distorted by the blessings of the extradimensional realm, it was impossible to forget the hated enemy who had caused so much suffering during their time in Blasphemia.
But why was that name being mentioned now?
“The great cause foretold that our adversary would become our greatest obstacle. This situation is a challenge unlike any we’ve faced before. I sense the shadow of our adversary behind this.”
Nastion pondered Halto’s words from the shadows.
They were incomprehensible.
‘He’s saying it’s the work of our adversary because he can’t decide? Has Halto already lost his sharpness?’
Unlike the rationally minded Nastion, other leaders of Argyrion agreed with Halto’s words.
“Indeed! This kind of dilemma! It’s the signature of our adversary.”
“Absolutely. Creating a situation where any choice results in loss, while escaping before the trap even springs… This is exactly that accursed enemy’s style!”
Nastion couldn’t understand why everyone else was so in sync with Halto’s thinking. Halto, however, nodded as if he had expected this.
“We have never succeeded against the adversary outside of the Golden Desert Operation. No matter how tight our net, if there’s even the smallest gap, they always slip through. It was only through the bold and unexpected tactics of the Golden Desert Operation that we were able to face them head-on.”
“And so?”
“To counter their trap, we must respond with an even bigger trap if we want to seize victory.”
Halto snapped his fingers.
A hologram appeared, showing the locations of the Silver Thread hosts scattered across Algoth City.
“If we can use all of them to catch a trace of the adversary, victory will be ours.”
“Wait…!”
Nastion wanted to protest, arguing that it was an insane waste of resources, but his voice was drowned out by the enthusiastic applause of the other leaders.
From the shadows, Nastion lamented.
‘Argyrion’s leader has already lost his judgment. It seems he was never truly fit to carry the cause…!’
***
Orthes returned to his accommodations immediately. The place had been arranged by Blasphemia, meaning he hadn’t spent a single penny of his own money.
‘It’s not the most luxurious place, as I didn’t want to attract attention, but it’s still decent.’
As expected, Niobe would likely rush to him soon. No doubt she would have detected traces of communication with Argyrion through Blasphemia’s surveillance equipment.
Once that happened, Orthes would have a legitimate reason to enter Amimone Tower.
No matter how resourceful Orthes was, entering the personal quarters of the tower’s master would require significant effort and luck.
But if he had a valid excuse to search the tower like this, Orthes could simply walk in with his eyes barely open, confidently heading toward the location of the ancient relics.
‘With this, Hydra Corporation’s objective will be complete.’
Aside from handing Amimone Tower over to Knemón, Orthes also needed to find the ancient relic hidden within Amimone Tower.
Once the relic was located, he could use it to tighten the noose around Amimone Tower even further, achieving two goals at once.
Smiling at the thought of investigating Amimone Tower alongside Niobe and the Blasphemia agents, Orthes imagined the scenario unfolding in his mind.
*Bang bang bang.* There was a hurried knock on the door.
“Senior!”
Just as expected. Orthes opened the door leisurely.
“What brings you here at this hour? Did some evidence come to light?”
Of course, it must have. She was probably about to say something like, “We need to head into Amimone Tower right away!”
“It’s not about that! Look outside!”
‘Huh?’
Something was wrong. Orthes, confused, was pulled outside by Niobe.
She pointed to the sky, and Orthes’ eyelids twitched.
‘Why is *that* here?’
A black vortex was swirling in the sky, with flashes of multicolored mana radiating from its center.
“An extradimensional storm…”
It was the precursor to an extradimensional flood—a supernatural disaster Orthes had grown tired of seeing during his days as a troubleshooter.
And that storm was circling directly over Amimone Tower.
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