Chapter 113 – Zodiac

“What does that mean? Calling me a failure…”

He had no intention of keeping it a secret until the end.

“You are the most successful work among the humans I transmuted. Before that, all the works became monsters and failed. But Luna, you are different. You are the most perfect human I created, and you are genetically completely identical to her.”

His next words followed.

“But you are not her. The most important… memory and soul are missing.”

Kane looked at her inside the desk photo frame.

She was the only one he remembered.

It was not that something standing over there who looked like her.

“Luna. Return. And live your own life.”

Although he admitted the futility,

it was certain that this was the best he could offer.

Luna covered her mouth with both hands.

“That’s a lie.”

“Whether it’s a lie or not, it doesn’t matter anymore. Go. I don’t even want to see the sight of you.”

She, who was taking a few steps backward, stopped running away.

“I… was an orphan, wasn’t I?”

“I left you at the orphanage.”

“Then… what about my current parents?”

“That is because they took you from the orphanage. Since your talent was not a lie, your parents probably also knew you were extraordinary and took you in.”

“Then… why did you sponsor me? You… abandoned me, didn’t you?”

“The sponsorship was…”

In the beginning, he had expectations.

That that child might fill her empty spot.

But she could not.

That child could not replace her.

She was a completely different person.

He acknowledged it from a certain moment, and then began.

The Humanity Equivalent Exchange.

“Enough. Go.”

Kane tried to drive her out, but she continued to remain on the spot.

“What… am I, after all?”

Kane remained silent and did not even answer.

Since he had already said she was a failure, what would be the point of saying more?

Having stood on the spot for a while, Luna suddenly grew resolute.

“Stop doing such crazy things now. Turning all the people in the world into the Divine Primordial Matter. Do you think that dead woman will return just because you reach the truth?”

Her turning resolute when cornered had a side similar to her.

Could it be that her personality was also imprinted in her genes?

“Luna…”

“Please stop it!”

“You are noisy. Why have you still not left?”

“You are trying to do something so ridiculous! How can I just go? Do you think the people of the world will leave the Professor alone?”

“No one will be able to stop me. Because I have prepared for it until now.”

She recalled his plan that she had read in the article.

A way to block it occurred to her.

“If no one stops you, I will stop you. You plan to establish a grand transmutation circle by erecting structures, right? Then what if even one of them is not completed? Can the Professor’s Grand Transmutation Circle actually be completed?”

“Dharma mages are guarding every structure. It is not something a novice like you can do anything about.”

“No! I will stop it!”

Stretching out both hands, she projected a magic formula into the air.

Kane’s eyes narrowed.

“Are you saying you will even attack me?”

“Because I have to… stop the Professor!”

The circuits forming the formula sparked violently from the injected mana.

As the circuits preheated and the formula was activated, a crescent-shaped magic bullet was prepared.

The Transcendent Slash was fired.

“What a useless thing to do.”

Kane reached out his hand into the air and cast a defensive barrier.

The Transcendent Slash sent by Luna directly hit the unfolding barrier.

An explosive sound drenched the area, and unconsumed mana splattered like shrapnel.

As if this was not the end,

Transcendent Slashes poured out one after another.

The power of the magic bullets was considerable, too much to dismiss her as a novice mage.

‘This won’t do.’

Kane flung his body to evade her magic bullets.

It was when the Transcendent Slash ruthlessly blew away his desk.

Kane, placing his hand on the floor, created a cage-like prison around her through a transmutation circle.

The metal rods rising around her gathered at their tips, forming the shape of a cage.

The metal used here was not a common metal like iron.

It was the material of constraints used to bind mages.

Luna, who ended up trapped helplessly, was flustered as she felt her mana vanishing.

“You annoy me to the very end.”

The magic she fired was quite powerful, but she was a novice with no actual combat experience.

Kane was not one to be beaten by a novice.

“Although I tried to let you enjoy the remainder of your life…”

Kane recalled the words she had said.

That she would interfere with him.

“It is your own fault. You will not be able to get out of there until it ends.”

Luna, who tried various things, soon sat down in resignation, and immediately after, dharma mages rushed into the board chairman’s office.

Without even looking at them, Kane looked at the panoramic view of the Imperial Capital and said.

“Fetter her with constraints and lock her away. Since she is not one to let her guard down, there must be no mistakes.”

The dharma mages moved in accordance with his command.

* * *

Arriving at work leisurely, Rashid scanned the newspapers placed on his desk.

[The Flower that Bloomed on the Battlefield, ‘Arcane Flower’… Shook the Allied Forces’ Command Ship -Imperial Capital Dispatch-]

[The Legend is Not Over. Two Heroes Who Shined in the Grey Morning, Step Onto the Battlefield Again -Imperial Daily-]

[Explosion of Controversy Over Shielding Kane… Dharma Mage Division-Purgatory Witches, Magic Tower Civil War Outbreak -Sky Island Newspaper-]

The war between the Empire and the Allied Kingdom grew increasingly fierce, and the Magic Tower was still in turmoil because of Professor Kane.

‘In fact, Kane is… not that difficult of an opponent.’

Professor Kane.

Capturing him was possible even now.

If they faced each other one-on-one, Rashid could guarantee his own victory.

‘Even if I do not step forward myself, there are many ways to catch him.’

A prime example was using the Face Changer.

Since he was a skilled figure who had reached the rank of archmage, capable of crushing Kane with only an independent field.

‘The problem is Zodiac, who is sticking with him.’

Kane was not the problem, but Zodiac, who was with him, was the problem.

‘Even after catching Kane, I would probably have to risk my life to catch Zodiac.’

If he captured Kane, the Mana stat and various rewards would follow.

Since he was also promised the Spirit-Sealing Jar from the Witch Leader, his mana armor would also become stronger than now.

But even considering all of that, Zodiac was too much.

He was a villain with combat power at the final boss level to that extent.

‘The power of Zodiac that I estimated was more than Ryden and Varasha combined.’

Right now, his combat power was slightly short of Ryden.

So Zodiac was bound to be impossible, of course.

‘So in the end, that stunt is necessary.’

Alienation.

In order to catch Kane, sowing discord between the two was essential.

Because only when he separated the two somehow could he catch Kane first.

‘In that sense, I hope he succeeds.’

There were many ways to sow discord between them.

Although there was also a way to utilize a person inside the Magic Tower.

At this point, there was him.

A reliable ally who was proudly infiltrating the club.

‘Was it today? I hope there is at least some result.’

* * *

There was a sophisticated gentleman wearing a monocle entering the board chairman’s office.

Although its influence had died down somewhat since the revolution, it was Kaiser, the representative of the Golden Age Party ruling as the second-largest party in the Empire.

“The board chairman’s office of the Magic Tower University is truly grand.”

Using this vast space alone.

Kaiser thought that he would also like to have a similar office later.

“I should also make my office this size when I become Prime Minister later. Should the master of the Empire be pushed behind by a mere university board chairman?”

“You have arrived? Please come and sit here.”

Led by Kane,

Kaiser went to sit at the reception area located on one side of the board chairman’s office.

There was already another guest who had arrived beforehand.

It was another member of the club who had the silhouette of a woman.

‘Is that person Zodiac? This is my first time seeing them.’

He knew absolutely nothing about him.

He only found out for the first time now that the appearance was that of a woman.

“Is it by chance this person? The one called the Dragon Lord?”

Kane nodded and confirmed.

“Yes, the Dragon Lord and the last dragon remaining in the world.”

“Hadn’t all dragons vanished?”

“Although all dragons of this world have been annihilated, this person is not a dragon of this world. Since they came over from another world.”

“Oh… a dragon of another world. This is an existence outside the standard. Nice to meet you.”

Kaiser offered a friendly greeting with a smile.

“Wolfgang Kaiser. I am the party representative leading a small political party in the Empire.”

Zodiac did not even react.

Only Kaiser, who had offered the greeting, became embarrassed.

“Haha, a person who is very shy. Or perhaps they cannot understand our words?”

“That is not the case.”

Kane stepped forward.

“More than that, I received a lot of help from the representative in many ways. Especially regarding the licensing of the Weiman Direct Domain, if the representative had not made an effort, we wouldn’t have even been able to make the first shovel stroke, let alone break ground.”

“Oh, that much. It was nothing. Is there anything else I can do for you besides that?”

Kane spoke to Zodiac with a slight frown.

“He is a necessary person for the progress of the plan.”

Only then did Zodiac react.

Even so, giving a little attention was all.

Kane asked.

“More than that, what is the reason you wanted this meeting?”

Wanted.

He had never wanted it.

It was a meeting that wouldn’t have existed if a certain hateful inquisitor had not forced it.

“I wanted to see the club members properly. I heard there used to be more people in the past. It’s somehow very empty.”

Kane stroked his chin.

Although he had never deliberately thought about it, as he said, the club members had decreased a lot.

“We can just increase the members again.”

“I see.”

Kaiser looked back and forth between Kane and Zodiac.

At the same time, the words he had said occurred to him.

‘To drive a wedge between these two?’

Although he did not raise any objections since he had heard enough reasons,

how to drive a wedge between the two of them, who looked perfectly fine, was simply daunting.

For now, he decided to appeal his usefulness.

Of course, backing it with the power of authority.

“At least when it comes to matters related to the Empire, you can ask me. I can resolve them as much as possible.”

When there was no response, Kaiser added.

“If I also have something to request from the Magic Tower or the Dharma Mage Division, should I do it to you?”

At that moment,

Kaiser’s vision went black, and a giant Dragon Eye loomed over him.

As the startled Kaiser blinked in confusion,

a heavy low voice echoed in his head.

[You have something interesting.]

By the time he realized that was Zodiac’s voice,

his vision had already returned to normal.

“What was that? Suddenly…”

Subsequently, his gaze met Zodiac’s.

The flashing golden pupils behind the black veil felt eerie, as if sizing up prey.

“Haha… that was startling. The feeling… is like a dragon licking its lips while looking at me… that kind of feeling.”

At the same time, the words Rashid had said occurred to him.

That Zodiac was a completely superior version of the Blood Empress.

Although his Dragon Eye did not match the authority possessed by the Blood Empress, the martial power he possessed was said to be almost final boss-class.

‘Simply put, does it mean he’s a sword-slashing Blood Empress?’

When he reached roughly such a conclusion,

Zodiac suddenly took Kaiser’s pulse.

And then, he saw right through him.

[Intriguing.]

This guy was a bug inferior to the dharma mages under his command,

yet he possessed a strange power that attracted him.

Wondering what it was,

“Why are you doing this? Casually grabbing a strange man’s wrist.”

It was in his mouth.

In other words, his martial power was extremely insignificant, but a power that could not be ignored was felt in the words he spat out.