pole(1)

Even if Balthazar disappeared, nothing changed immediately.

The academy was peaceful, and the battlefield was busy.

There followed days when everything went on as usual, and most people couldn’t even notice that it had changed.

But if there are places that are peaceful, there are also places that are not.

One of the three major families, Vega’s mansion was untimely tense.

“So you’re saying you made a divine contract… with yourself?”

Helena was facing Encia with a very embarrassed face.

An oath that angels can make only once in their lifetime.

Encia returned with the ‘divine contract’ concluded.

Even that, breaking the law that ‘the subject of a contract is only another person’, while making a contract with himself.

“The professor told me how!”

“·······.”

Helena looked at her innocent daughter with a mixed look.

As for the method of making a contract with oneself, in the long history of the angel race, such a case could not be found even once.

But since Encia’s words were false, it wasn’t like that.

‘The strings of the contract are connected…’

The two people who made a divine contract are connected to each other by an invisible string called the ‘string of the contract’.

Usually it appears as a single line, but in Encia’s case, a ‘circle’ was drawn inside her.

It was clear evidence that he had made a contract with himself.

“Whew…”

It’s an awkward situation, but it’s not a bad situation either.

I didn’t suddenly sign a contract with a strict person, and I didn’t have to worry about Encia dying after passing the age of majority anymore.

Besides, the power that Encia awakened was so outstanding that even among the angelic tribes, it could be counted on one hand.

‘The guiding light.’

A power that protects the protected object from all external forces and strengthens it so that it can fly wherever it wants.

It was an ability that was enough even if it was the best in terms of reinforcement-type abilities.

It was the part where we could see how Encia felt when she signed the divine contract.

‘yes. This is enough.’

It was a little regretful that she couldn’t sign a contract with Kang Yu-jin, but Helena decided to be content with the fact that her daughter was safe.

Besides, I was very curious about the way he signed the contract with himself.

‘If it’s possible for other angels…’

If so, the number of angels who die because they can’t make a contract will be significantly reduced.

Great Mathematics and Mind Control.

Those two studies had too little potential to be used only for warfare.

He closed his eyes for a moment, burying his personal thoughts in his arms, then looked at his daughter again.

Whether it was a sacred contract or whatever, Ensia, who was still smiling brightly, was the most precious to her.

“…Yes. You did a great job. Wasn’t it scary?”

“Yeah! The professor protected me!”

From the beginning to the end, Kang Yoo-jin protected his disciple.

Overall, there were many dangerous moments, but there was never a single time that Ensia was dangerous.

The voice that taught me the answer to overcome guilt, and the way I said it was my duty to protect you no matter what.

Whenever she recalled the memories of that time, Ensia felt her tender heart beat vigorously.

“You. Are the bean pods properly covered?”

“Ugh, huh? What are you talking about?”

“Don’t pretend you don’t know. You look like that when you’re obsessed with something.”

Ensia held both of her cheeks.

It seems that the soft cheeks are making an ambiguous expression.

“How does mom know that?”

“Because I am your mother.”

Helena, who usually only thinks of Encia, could read her daughter’s expression more easily than breathing.

“Is that professor that good?”

“Yeah! Good!”

I agree without the slightest hesitation.

From that bright smile, Helena could sense the pure affection that Encia had.

“I see.”

She entrusted the necromantic stone to Claire in order to save at least Encia.

It was a selfish choice to save as much as her daughter even if it put everyone in danger.

However, Yujin Kang not only risked everything to save Encia, but also showed her the right path to walk.

Looking at him, Helena was too ashamed of herself.

‘I should apologize…’

No matter what accusations you hear, it would be right to tell the truth.

To him who protected her daughter, Helena had an obligation to do so.

“Then I’ll go see Shinny!”

“Yes. Yes.”

Seeing her leave the mansion, Helena waved.

*

Balthazar’s disappearance.

The disappearance of the corps commander, which happened for the second time after Diablo, brought about big and small surprises on the battlefield.

It was that the activities of the ghost tribes were negligible, or that the frontline on the Witchbeast’s side shrank and was pushed toward Pandaemonium several times.

The battlefield was full of cheers for the sudden victory.

However, the constellations that looked down on the ground from the highest point couldn’t do that.

“The trend of Pandaemonium is strange.”

The meeting room was shaken by the report that a Constellation had put out.

“What do you mean by weird?”

“Pandemonium is too quiet.”

The Constellation gave an enthusiastic speech.

He is a constellation named Ribbenstein, and it is a star with the mission of observing the movements of the Demonic Beast with the source of “search”.

“Isn’t it very different from your usual report that Pandaemonium is quiet?”

The reaction was lukewarm.

Pandemonium, the base of the demons, was famous for not having any special activities, and in fact, most of the reports that Liebernstein posted were ‘no activity’.

“I know. But, this time is really different.”

He wasn’t looking at other people.

Only the top of the conference hall.

It was facing only the ‘Empress’ who contemplates the stars from the highest place.

“The Emperor has begun to move. Here, look at the Magi covering Pandemonium.”

He raised the data he had observed aloud.

On the screen projected with holy power, the figure of Pandemonium covered with black demonic energy and the surface invisible was stamped.

“This is the Pandaemonium observed a month ago. And…”

He flipped the screen to the next.

“…This is the latest observation.”

The picture changed, and the hall was buzzing.

This is because the size of the magic that covered Pandaemonium has grown incomparably larger than before.

Not two or three times as much.

Enormous demons, enough to say ‘tens of times’, were devouring the dimensional abyss.

“This···.”

“Unbelievable···.”

The commander of the corps could not emit such a demonic energy.

No matter how powerful the corps commanders were, their power was staying in the realm of common sense.

Although it is possible to cover the entire dimension with Magi, it was impossible to encompass the scale enough to devour the ‘star cluster’ like that.

There was only one person in this world who could do that.

“…the emperor.”

A voice was heard from the highest point in the conference hall.

It was the moment when Laniakea, the Empress of the Constellation, who had been silent all this time, opened her mouth.

“Is that movement related to Balthazar’s disappearance?”

“I’m assuming that’s the case.”

Other than that, there was no other reason.

The timing also coincided perfectly, so it could be said that it was a reasonable guess that Baltazar’s disappearance had an effect on that.

Then one of the people in charge of the seat of the ‘elder’ on the left side of Laniakea spoke.

“Then, I believe it is necessary to gather more accurate information.”

It was a beauty with white hair pinned up with a hairpin.

Constellation Ariadne.

It was the star that led Deneb, one of the three great families.

“The Emperor’s trend has a lot of room to act as a big variable on the battlefield. How about setting up an investigation team quickly?”

At her polite words, the other Constellations nodded in affirmation.

The right seat of Laniakea.

Elder Renoir saw the Empress.

“What would you like?”

“·······.”

It is right to form an investigation team.

The biggest factor that determines the outcome of a war is ‘information’.

As there is a saying that the guard is not able to fight, the role of information in war can be said to be more important than anything else.

Currently, the main enemy of the Allied Forces is the Witchbeast, and it is judged that the Emperor is the most powerful being among the Witchbeasts.

If such an enemy showed any suspicious trends, it was the right decision to gather information somehow.

“The problem is, not many people can go there.”

“·······.”

Everyone drooled.

dimensional abyss.

The cold and dark world covered with demonic energy was a hellish environment for the Constellation.

The sacred power of the constellation was a power that was in conflict with the magic, and it led to a fierce repulsion in the abyss of the dimension filled with the demonic energy.

Of course, the repulsive action was really enormous, and it stood out above all else.

This was the reason the Constellation was not a very good resource for investigations where secrecy was the lifeblood.

“The Constellation can’t do it, so I’ll have to send someone.”

A person who has enough resistance to withstand the thick demonic energy and the ability to survive even in such a demonic world.

There would be very few people like that in all dimensions.

“…the only ones that come to mind right now are those professors.”

It is difficult to get people out of the military.

Given the situation on the battlefield where large and small fierce battles take place every day, bringing in talent who can go all the way to Pandemonium would leave too much space in the power.

However, when we turn our eyes to the academia, they are strong in theory, but often find it difficult to demonstrate great power in practice.

That’s why they didn’t even know that they all thought of the same people.

The four professors of Helios.

With their abilities in charge of the core subjects, they would be able to withstand even the demonic realm of Pandemonium.

“The question is, will they accept such a risky role?”

They are not soldiers.

They could not force dispatch orders, and even if they did, they had the ‘power’ to refuse.

‘Except for Roshua, everyone is doing the same thing…’

Even after reaching the 9th Circle, Professor Skadi continued to rise in the realm, and is considered the strongest magician in existence.

Yujin Kang? Now, Raniakea, who watches over this place from above, is his main god.

Due to her nature of caring for her apostle more than anything else, if Yujin Kang refused, she would respect his wishes.

Not to mention Lapless.

Now that she was completely under Kang Yu-jin’s command, if Laflis herself asked for protection, Kang Yu-jin would protect her.

In fact, since all four professors were so tightly bound by friendship, no agency at the central level could impose orders on them.

The Constellations who knew this only let out a sigh mixed with lamentation.

“···then.”

And, it was none other than Laniakea who broke that silence.

“Let’s try to get an opinion from my apostle.”

“Yes…?”

Everyone’s eyes widened at Laniakea’s completely unexpected opinion.

It is already a well-known fact that Raniakea cares for the apostle Kang Yu-jin.

To a certain extent, if he slandered Kang Yu-jin even a little in the conference hall, he would instantly get a mixed gaze from Laniakea’s enemies.

At the meeting of the stars, where Raniakea’s opinions mattered most, her hostility was fatal.

‘The fairness of the empress also counts her apostles as an exception.’

Now, her love for apostles was so famous that even such a proverb came up, but it was surprising that she herself expressed her opinion first.

“Isn’t that… dangerous?”

“Even if it’s that person…”

The Constellations expressed their concerns.

Not because I doubted his strength.

It was because he did not have the confidence to deal with the aftermath of the storm when he went to rough terrain and something unfortunate happened.

“Because it’s what he wants.”

“Yes, yes…?”

You wanted something dangerous like that?

While doubts lingered in the audience, Laniakea sprinkled her holy power into the conference hall.

The screen that Liebenstein had displayed crackled, and soon it switched to the screen that Laniakea wanted.

There, Yujin Kang stood with her back to the screen.

─Test 100768. Source circled, thirteenth implementation.

The audience holds their breath.

Yujin Kang’s heavy voice, even if it came from the screen, had the power to grab people’s attention.

─Let’s start.

he holds a revolver

The chamber rotates, and a circle gradually begins to be implemented over it.

Witnessing the formation of a vivid dark blue ring, they gradually began to hide their faces in astonishment.

“That, that!”

“Source!”

The source of ‘fate’, the source that Yujin Kang had, began to rotate as a circle.

Beyond magical power, even the root that can be said to be the foundation of a constellation, he has embodied as a circle.

It wasn’t enough to materialize the source of the Constellation with a human body, even to harden it into the shape of a Circle.

It was shocking to see him handle the mighty power of the constellation so delicately and freely.

“It’s not over yet. Keep watching.”

Laniakea, smiling and working hard, was not used to it.

The smile of the always blunt Empress was a scene that was too unfamiliar to the Constellations.

─Implementation of the second circle. let’s begin.

Another holy power begins to dwell in the chamber.

In front of the dark blue circle, this time a brilliant platinum circle took shape.

The power Yujin Kang inherited from Kaya.

It was a circle created by the source of ‘brilliance’ derived from her potential.

“Ha, you mean that one being handles two sources…!?”

The repercussions were huge.

Through the screen created by Laniakea, I could feel the principle of the opponent’s power.

So they could know.

That the two black and white circles created by Kang Yoo-jin are operating from completely different sources.

“Did you see it?”

All eyes turned to her.

For some reason, her proud appearance seemed to show off, saying, ‘This is my apostle.’

“They say they need a variety of places to test that power. If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be okay to entrust this job?”

“·······.”

Only then did they realize

Kang Yu-jin had already sounded out his opinion to Raniakea, and today’s meeting had conditions that matched Kang’s opinion.

Whether they pondered it or not, Laniakea had intended to bring this subject to him.

“…then it’s decided.”

Renoir smiled bitterly with a face that couldn’t be helped, and concluded.

This time, I decided to leave the investigation to Yujin Kang.

*

Helios Snowfield.

Deep in the winter forest, I contemplated my inner strength.

Enormous holy power flowing through the revolver.

A swirling circle around a heart.

And, the turbulence of enormous power felt in those two beings.

Because of that, I was finally convinced.

“… that should be enough for now.”

The final, fifth stage of mind control.

The time has come to complete the power of ‘conquest’.