Chapter 118: Amidst the Storm (5)
Danao frowned as he faced the Blasphemia inspector, who had requested yet another private meeting.
“Gorgov is one of those assigned to Argos. Honestly, it was hard to believe you vouched for his innocence, given how high the suspicion of treason was.”
He had just witnessed Gorgov earlier, cursing Argyrion with genuine venom and casting a deadly curse. Such an attack could only come from someone who genuinely saw Argyrion as the enemy.
“Indeed, if he were a disguised spy, it would be hard to believe he’d attack his own people so fiercely.”
Orthes merely shrugged. There was no need to reveal the full truth—that Gorgov *was* an Argyrion agent, but he genuinely believed the Argyrion squad he attacked were spies from the Ten Towers.
“The Inquisitor’s judgment is sharp. It’s no wonder your reputation precedes you. But tell me, why have you come to me when you’re supposed to be hunting down Argyrion?”
“Because Argyrion has come directly to us, hasn’t it?”
“And yet they retreated under Gorgov’s attack, didn’t they? If they came so hastily, there’s not much to worry about.”
Danao’s words reflected his confidence in the defensive magic installed throughout Amimone Tower.
A tower’s defensive spells usually mirror its history and wealth.
As one of the Ten Towers, with a long history and vast resources, Amimone Tower would be an overwhelming challenge for any attacking force. This was Danao’s judgment.
‘And I need to shake that confidence,’ Orthes thought.
Orthes quickly formulated his strategy: exaggerate small examples, distort a singular case, and emphasize low probabilities.
His opening line came with certainty.
“That’s not true.”
“What?”
“Argyrion’s forces have far more power than what you’ve just seen.”
“Even so, can they truly break through the tower’s defenses? Not even your Blasphemia commander could hope to take down a Ten Tower directly.”
“Of course not. The fact that even in the face of such a powerful extradimensional incursion, only a few areas on the outskirts of Algoth have been affected, while the city as a whole remains intact, is a testament to your tower’s strength. However…”
Orthes paused deliberately, just long enough to stir Danao’s discomfort.
“Do you think Argyrion will face you head-on?”
“What?”
“Consider this: How do you think Argyrion’s forces even made it into Algoth?”
“A mage capable of creating such an extradimensional storm must have already been in the city, arriving with other fiends.”
“I don’t think so.”
Orthes began to unveil a secret, his voice hushed, as if sharing confidential intelligence.
“I suspect they’ve obtained an artifact capable of long-range teleportation. When Elder Talo was assassinated, multiple assassins appeared simultaneously, even though he was far away on an external mission.”
“What?!”
“Blasphemia believes this technology was provided by a cult of ‘Gatekeepers,’ a sect that worships the ‘God of Gateways.’”
“So, you’re saying Argyrion is preparing an invasion using this artifact?”
“You saw the silver soldiers, evolved from Silver Thread Hosts. Blasphemia has developed effective countermeasures against Silver Threads.”
Algoth had been thoroughly searched by Blasphemia in recent days. If any Silver Thread Hosts or their variants had been present, they would have been detected.
Orthes lowered his voice further.
“Blasphemia found no trace of Silver Threads in Algoth. So, what does it mean that these new variants have now appeared?”
In reality, Orthes’ explanation was far from the truth. Argyrion had developed methods to evade Blasphemia’s Silver Thread detection magic. By placing the hosts in a state of suspended animation, they minimized both magical and life-force signatures, allowing them to go undetected.
But none of that mattered. What was important was not reality, but *perceived* reality—the art of deception.
“You’re suggesting Argyrion’s mages used long-range teleportation to enter the city from beyond its borders?”
“Yes. The cultists’ artifact must have been involved.”
“Damn…”
“And without an anchor or focus, unlimited teleportation is impossible. That’s why they didn’t directly transport themselves into Amimone Tower, instead appearing within Algoth, at a distance.”
Danao understood what Orthes was implying. If Argyrion’s forces lacked an anchor for teleportation, then the risk would disappear only if there was no way for an anchor to be created within the tower.
But within Amimone Tower, there were mages who could, in desperation, become such an anchor.
“The only ones we can be absolutely certain of are you, me, and, if we include Gorgov, perhaps three in total. We don’t have enough eyes to watch every mage.”
‘If the traitor uses this moment of chaos to cast the necessary spell to connect with the artifact…’
The threat of enemies within and without. Danao clenched his teeth.
“Then, what do you propose we do?”
“Simple. We need to pursue and annihilate the retreating Argyrion forces.”
“What are you talking about?”
“If everyone, including the traitors, is engaged in battle, they won’t have the opportunity to establish the anchor for teleportation.”
A traitor was only dangerous if they could assist the invaders from within. But if they were forced outside the tower, even if they cast the teleportation spell, it would be meaningless.
While Argyrion had already broken through Algoth’s external barriers, Amimone Tower’s defenses still held firm.
“And in the heat of battle, high-level spells like teleportation become difficult to focus on. In such moments, a single well-placed attack or a defensive spell to save one’s life takes priority over casting a massive spell.”
“And if the traitor abandons teleportation and simply stabs us in the back?”
“Pair every group with multiple mages. If any sign of betrayal emerges, the others can deal with it immediately.”
Once Orthes sensed Danao’s trust crossing a threshold, he revealed his true purpose.
“If we eliminate the mage who fought Gorgov—other than the silver soldiers, they’re the only notable enemy—we’ll significantly increase our chances of survival.”
But that mage was undoubtedly skilled, sent alone by Argyrion. It would require a mage of equal power to defeat them.
“We’ll need someone strong to take them down.”
“You’re suggesting I be the one to fight them?”
“Think of it as a strategic shield. If you personally defeat Argyrion’s mage, Amimone Tower’s loyalty will be proven beyond doubt.”
After some hesitation, Danao asked a final, logical question—one that Orthes had been waiting for.
It was the last piece to complete his plan.
***
Argyrion’s mage, Sprigo, found himself deep in thought.
“To face the adversary or not—that is the question.”
Had the adversary shown themselves, Sprigo wouldn’t have hesitated to retreat. That being carried with them an unspeakable evil and madness.
The adversary didn’t set traps.
They *were* the trap.
Sprigo believed this horrifying figure could turn even the air he breathed into a snare.
However, Sprigo was also a member of Argyrion, having survived countless battles. If the adversary wasn’t present themselves but only their remnants, Sprigo believed he could navigate through it.
Was the monster lurking inside Amimone Tower, or was it merely a trap left behind in the shadows?
As Sprigo ordered a retreat from the tower, his brief contemplation was interrupted by simultaneous warnings from his Draxima scouts, hidden throughout Algoth.
“What?”
An attack?
Not a defense?
The remaining forces in Amimone Tower were minimal. If the Ten Towers were truly planning to purge the tower, there should have been supervisors overseeing the divisions that Danao had absorbed through acquisitions.
But even so, Amimone Tower was a Ten Tower. With almost all personnel shifted to an offensive posture, their capabilities far exceeded expectations.
“There you are.”
The ground beneath Sprigo turned into a pool of corrosive acid. The moment he felt his shoes melt, Sprigo extended his tree-like arms, climbing up the side of a building.
In the next instant, an entire wall of the multi-story building transformed into a deluge of poison, aimed directly at him.
Leading this fierce attack, of course, was none other than Tower Master Danao.
***
The final question Danao asked me before engaging the enemy was this:
If the tower’s strongest mage, its master, steps outside, who will maintain the barrier powered by the mana core?
As an outsider, I obviously couldn’t do it.
But was there not a capable mage from Amimone Tower who had been validated as trustworthy by Blasphemia, one with enough skill to be sent to Argos?
Gorgov.
“Oh… Oh! To think we’d gain entry into the Tower Master’s chamber without shedding a drop of blood!”
Those whom Gorgov had “verified” as pure were left as the minimum defense inside the tower. Naturally, they were all Argyrion’s infiltrators.
“Praise the leader of Argyrion’s vanguard! Hail the wise one who claimed victory without bloodshed!”
I now stood before Amimone Tower’s mana core, flanked by an army of traitors.
TL Note: Rate us on NOVEL UPDATES