◈ 431. [Free Exploration] Mage Tower Attack (3)
The midnight sun is a lich.
A lich is a wizard who has obtained immortality by turning himself into an undead.
Each of these crazy wizards who plunge themselves into the pit of the dead to avoid death has a reason for becoming a lich.
There is an intuitive reason to be afraid of death, and there is also an overpowering reason to gain stronger black magic power.
Among them, the reason Baekya became Rich was simple. There was still a lot of research to be done.
A wizard from the Lake Kingdom, she clung to magic research until the end of her life, but faced the time of her death without seeing the end.
to see the end of the study. She herself became an undead- a lich.
The problem was after that.
Around ten years after she became a lich, the entire Lake Kingdom sank beneath the lake.
Since he was not alive, he did not receive the curse of eternal life and continued his magic research as a lich under the Lake Kingdom for the next five hundred years.
However, the body of the undead is not immortal either.
Her body, which only had skeletons left, began to gradually disintegrate.
So, from the time when he became a lich and was three hundred years old, the midnight sun began to search for a new body.
At first, he transferred his consciousness to the body of Jiangshi using Eastern magic.
Although this new body was strong enough, the midnight sun was aware of the finiteness of the physical body.
– If you move to a new body anyway, it will collapse again someday… … I need a way to preserve my sanity so I don’t have to move around at all.
So, the midnight sun began researching a way to transform his ego into a cybernetic device and perpetuate it inside the magical device.
After a long time, the research was a success.
The White Night succeeds in converting her consciousness into data and uploading it into the mechanical system of the Mage Tower.
If the sorceress seeking immortality is a lich, then she is still a lich after turning herself into a cybernetic device and remaining inside the machine.
So the midnight sun still called itself a lich – game users called this midnight night a cyber lich.
***
After carefully explaining his past.
“Your enemy outside… I am not the White Night who is active as the commander of the Nightmare Corps.”
The White Night continued as he guided us to the botanical garden decorated on the roof of the Magic Tower.
《Strictly speaking, he had the same ego as me, but he rebelled against me… Another me.”
… What kind of dog grazing sound is that?
When everyone made the same expression, Baekya smiled bitterly in the magic panel.
I don’t know how a skeleton can make such an expression.
“I have brainwashed my consciousness and put it into a machine. And while I’ve been researching this work… … He ordered me, who has a physical body, to commit suicide.”
When the White Night uploaded his consciousness into the machine, two White Nights appeared in this world.
The White Nights of the material world that remained in the body of Jiangshi, who had been studying for so long.
The White Night of the cyberworld, who obtained the immortal spirit as he had hoped for.
In order to maintain the uniqueness of existence and as agreed in advance, the White Night of the Cyber World ordered the White Night of the Material World to commit suicide. however.
《But the other me refused to commit suicide.》
The midnight sun of the material world refused to die.
If you think about it, it makes sense.
A lich is one who seeks immortality by running away from death.
Even if the other me persists in the cyber world, there will be no reason for ‘me’ to die in reality.
《At that moment, we became separate entities.》
“… .”
《The ‘other me’ who refused to commit suicide escaped the mage tower and killed all the many ancient mages resurrected by the demon king… … I even rose to the position of head of the wizard corps under the Demon King.”
I had read the game setting book, so I knew the story.
The rest of the co-workers still looked puzzled as if they didn’t quite understand. I clapped.
“Simply put, this lich’s mind is split in two: one is the good guy here, and the other is the bad guy we need to kill. okay?”
Evangeline’s face brightened.
“and! Suddenly, it’s so easy!”
“Hey, it’s not that simple… … .]
Midnight sighed lightly in the panel.
《… no. In fact, you could say that’s all there is to it. It’s the same thing I’m going to ask you to do.”
Spinning around. The wheeled mechanism stopped and looked back at us.
Richie said in the panel.
《Kill the ‘other me’.》
3rd place in the ranks of the Nightmare Corps Commander – White Night, the Great Emperor of Magic.
This Cyber Lich commissioned us to kill those who were the same as before they were differentiated.
“We couldn’t kill each other. Because we know each other’s numbers completely… … So I need someone else’s help.》
“… .”
“If you do that, I’ll make whatever you wish for me come true. Of course, if there is any help I can offer, I will provide it.]
Of course, of course, all the nightmare corps commanders have to be defeated.
In the process, if you can enlist the help of the skull inside this machine, you should be happy.
But I’m genuinely curious.
So I asked without knowing.
“May I ask why?”
《Huh?》
“Do you have any other reason to kill yourself?”
I’m also Ash and I’m also a fan of classics… … Is it because it is copied and added?
I wondered about her intentions to kill another self.
Then, the midnight sun looked at me carefully and
opened its mouth,
“If I look in the mirror and the me in the mirror moves differently from me.”
“Then it would be very unpleasant?”
“… .”
《How would you feel if you ran into someone exactly like you while walking down the street?》
There is something called a Doppelgänger.
An old superstition that seeing someone who looks just like you brings bad luck.
Does anyone have an instinctive hatred for a being like me?
“I must be unique. If there is someone else who can replace me, there is no reason why I should exist, right?”
“… .”
“So you have no choice but to kill another me like me.”
I shrugged my shoulders and nodded broadly.
“I accept the request. Instead, I want you to promise full cooperation.”
“It’s okay not to worry about that. Just say anything.”
“Okay. Then first… … .”
I pointed to a large box in the corner of the botanical garden.
“Open that treasure chest.”
twinkle.
The box, which emits light that says ‘I’m expensive’, looks luxurious even at first glance, and is locked with various complex-looking mechanisms.
White Night readily responded to my request.
“of course. Since you have cleared the ‘Magic Tower’ here, you have the right to open that box.]
Chiiik –
Chulkkong!
Almost immediately after the horse fell, the box began to open.
A dazzling golden light spread from the open box, giving off smoke like dry ice.
‘Well, SSR!’
I slowly stood in front of the box and took out the contents.
that… It was a pair of silver bracelets and a pair of anklets.
I picked it up and headed in front of Evangeline. And he smiled.
“Your Evangeline.”
“yes? oh well then this… … .”
Evangeline was embarrassed and accepted the bracelet and anklet.
“Armor… What?”
“okay. The ‘pretty’ armor you used to call it.”
“but… Can’t you see through the armor?”
Evangeline, who was puzzled, gave me a chin gesture.
Then Evangeline, while puzzled, threw off her existing armor and put on bracelets and anklets on her wrists and ankles.
“How does this serve as armor… Whoa?!”
It was before Evangeline could even speak.
charrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!
From the bracelets and anklets, like scales sprouting, white gloves began to form and cover Evangeline’s entire body.
Clap! Click-!
In no time, the silver-white armor that covered Evangeline’s body was completed.
The cloak draped from the shoulder armor to the back was also white as snow.
The helmet was sleek like a motorcycle helmet, and the front part was a transparent visor made of magic panels.
Evangeline’s bewildered face was clearly visible.
This rapid deployment of armor, which could be called a transformation, ended in just a few seconds, and finally the closing armor [Snow White] revealed its brilliant appearance.
“Wow wow… wow… … .”
Evangeline looked at me with her mouth wide open, probably because she sensed that it was a terrible thing to look at.
《The crystallization of magic engineering in the Lake Kingdom – Barbed Snow White.》
The White Night calmly explained.
《It’s the armor with the strongest protection that I’ve ever worn. I can’t die until I complete my research, so to protect myself… … I made it by integrating all the skills that can be used.”
I don’t need it now that I lost my body, so take it,” the Midnight Sun added.
“What a dope… !”
Examining the gauntlet carefully wrapped up to the tips of her fingers, Evangeline hesitated.
I nodded as I looked at Evangeline, who had finally completed the temp setting.
[Snow White] is an armor that gives out the best performance no matter who wears it, but it is especially compatible with Evangeline.
It’s because the various additional functions create synergy with Evangeline’s skills as if they matched… … .
Well, I’m going to use this in practice later to prove it.
Anyway, I am happy to see Evangeline who is delighted with her new armor.
“Lord.”
Lucas, who had come up behind me before I knew it, murmured sullenly.
“Aren’t you too partial to Evangeline… ?”
“Wow, what a surprise!”
I look back in horror. All the other heroes are glaring at me with sullen expressions… … these children?
“No, it is not. You all will take care of it too.”
And you all got items one by one in this Mage Tower attack! Rather, I didn’t get anything!
However, even if everyone did get it, it was about SR grade, and when Evangeline took the SSR grade (mid-term grade) equipment, he looked envious.
“I’m OK!”
Damian smiled brightly and held up the [Venom Fang] he had obtained earlier. Yes, yours is also an SSR grade item… … !
Anyway, let’s appease everyone by saying they’ll give us another good item.
Belldandi cautiously approached me.
“… Ash.”
“huh. It’s your turn anyway.”
I turned my head to the white night and asked.
“white night. Is there something called the Holy Grail here?”
“huh? Holy Grail… … ?”
“It is necessary to defeat the other you. I want you to provide it.”
After thinking about it for a while, the midnight sun is aha! After making a sound, I moved the mechanism and headed into the botanical garden.
“You are saying that. it’s inside ruler. Follow me.”
At the far end of the botanical garden was another glass door.
Guided by the midnight sun, we entered it.
As soon as he entered the botanic garden’s boudoir, Belldandy stopped in a startle.
“what?”
“What’s wrong, Belldandi?”
When I asked, Belldandy murmured in disbelief.
“… It can’t be, but it smells like home.”
“From home?”
“yes. That too… .”
Belldandi frowned.
“The smell of the World Tree… .”
Belldandi was correct.
Because there were trees that were hard to see in the outside world hanging inside the inner room of the botanical garden.
“… It’s not just a tree.”
Belldandi, who looked at the trunk of the tree, stammered and murmured.
After looking at the leaves and even smelling them.
Belldandy let out an embarrassed moan.
“This is a tree of the same species as our elves’ world tree… !”
But the tree was dry and twisted and dead.
As if the barely dead state was stuffed with magic. With all life activities stopped… … It was hardened.
“I hate to remember.”
Quilan growled as he glared at the red leaves of the maple tree hanging next to him.
“This is the cursed maple tree in the hometown of our Danpullang tribe… … It’s the same paper.”
The maple tree was also dry and attached as if stuffed.
Beside it was a metal tree that glowed golden and stretched out in all directions. Dusk Bringer drooled.
“This branch made of gold… It is the golden tree, the guardian of the dwarves.”
I murmured softly as I inspected the blue coral reefs in the tank that filled one wall.
“And this is the blue coral reef of the mermaids.”
The golden tree and the blue coral reef are all equally dry as if they were stuffed.
Even if they were already dead, the guardians of the 4 different races were all gathered here in the Mage Tower.
why?
The Midnight Sun, which had stopped before us in a panic, pointed to each tree and spoke slowly.
《Evergreen tree of life, guardian of the fairies… … Evergreen. ”
… Evered
. ” … Evergold. ”
… Everblue.”
Finally.
She took out a black twig and showed it.
《And the result of artificial magic grafting made by combining these four trees.》
That thorn tree, withered as if it had already died, was undoubtedly.
《… Everblack, the Guardian Beast of Humanity.”
In the imperial palace of the ecliptic.
And it was the same tree I had seen in the spirit world.
