"A demon lord's castle…" one of the younger knights muttered under his breath, eyes wide with dread.
Smack! Gareth struck the back of his comrade's head-a gesture he often delivered, whether warranted or not. "What nonsense are you talking about?"
"So, is this the source of sinister energy? Interesting," Allen uttered, his eyes narrowing as he surveyed the surroundings.
One of the knights pointed toward a weathered wooden post near the base of the tower. "Look there—it bears a warning: Do not enter."
The knights exchanged uneasy glances, their murmurs growing louder. "That clearly meant trespass,"
"Is that an abandoned magic tower?" one of them asked.
"Perhaps not," another replied, studying the structure. "Though it looks worn, it is far too well-kept to be forsaken."
"Was this here before?" a third knight questioned.
Remarked by Allen, "Looking at its appearance, this tower must have existed for at least a thousand years. This is an amazing discovery."
Commander Darius calls forth his marshal, saying with firm authority, "Marshal Romeo, take count of the casualty and report immediately."
After a short while Marshal Romeo returned, his countenance grave. Bowing his head slightly, he spoke, "Commander, 20 elite knights has died due to self-inflected wound. Most of them are newly promoted elites."
With restrained sorrow, Commander Darius muttered, "Figures! The best thing we can do is to pray for our fallen comrades and collect their valuables as mementos."
The prayer was led by Priest Jarek as he cried, "Oh God Jeremiah of mercy and boundless love, We mourn for our brethren who have fallen because of the wicked witch magic. Though illusion clouded their senses, their hearts remained true. They died with honor, clad in duty and please grant them eternal rest as they join your grace. May the justice of light prevail and punish those who sinned…"
Touched by the sacred words and the weight of shared memory, the knights could no longer hold back their grief. Hardened warriors, clad in steel and scarred by battle, wept openly. Some fell to their knees, others bowed their heads, clutching the hilts of their swords in silent reverence. And as one, with voices trembling yet resolute, they echoed the priest's final word: "Amen…"
With the prayer concluded the steeds of the fallen—military horses that had borne their masters—were now gently laden with the corpse wrapped in cloaks bearing the sigil of their order.
"We've been venturing this area multiple times, but I've never seen this magic tower before, not in this area." commanded Darius, voice firm and authoritative. He turned to Allen as he pressed his question further, "You still haven't answered my question."
Allen hesitated, then exhaled slowly. "Fine! But it's difficult to explain… but I recognized the magic. The inscription, the pattern of the drawing—it's familiar to me. The counter to the illusion is simple, if you know it: blockade and shut down your mana flow. The spell targets your mana directly. If you cut it off, the illusion loses its usefulness."
"Hey! Isn't disabling your mana the same as ending your life? You can't just do that! That's suicide! We should punish this mage for lying." Gareth scowl.
Allen scoffed "See? Hard to explain, ignoramus will never grasp the knowledge of a 7th core mage."
Commander Darius, pleased by his words, uttered, "Well then, step aside." At his command, the knights obediently stepped aside, but Allen moved to intercept him. "I had told you everything I know. What do you think you are doing?"
Marshal Romeo stepped forth, his brow furrowed with worry ,"Commander, Think twice before doing this. We suffered casualties and we cannot afford to lose more."
Commander Darius ignored them as he unsheathed his Azure Great sword, gripping it with one hand. He held the sword high above his head, the blade slightly angled downwards. His lead foot was on the same side as the hand gripping the sword, with his knee bent slightly. His rear foot was positioned slightly behind and to the side, ready to support his stance.
A blue aura suddenly engulfed the entire area, its intensity and size comparable to the earlier magic circle. The aura emanated from Commander Darius, swirling around him like a tempest. He took a deep breath, his eyes focused and determined, and screamed, "Storm Sword Style, First Form: Line Drive."
The knights watched in silence, their eyes wide with amazement. The sheer power and elegance of the technique left them speechless, as they marveled at their commander's skill.
"Whoosh. Whoosh"
A slight earthquake shook the ground, accompanied by a massive breakthrough of wind as Commander Darius thrust his sword towards the magic tower. The sheer force of his attack created a massive ground contour, carving a deep trench in the earth. A trace of faint blue aura shimmered like a ghostly trail
Though the weight of grief still lingered, the knights could not help but be drawn once more to the sight before them. "So cool," one of the knights whispered in awe.
"That's our Commander Darius," another knight added.
Every time Commander Darius performed the technique, almost all of his opponents were annihilated. His swordsmanship style, Storm Sword Style, had been passed down by a select commander in Southern La Magia entrusted with protecting the territory. It was renowned as one of the strongest swordsmanship styles in the kingdom.
To their surprise, the magic tower remained unscratched, protected by a powerful barrier that enveloped it. However, the barrier itself was not impervious to Commander Darius's attack. His thrust left a mark, shattering a human-sized section of the barrier.
On the sideline, Allen wasn't impressed by Darius's swordsmanship but rather by the barrier magic. "I've never seen a barrier of this caliber," he remarked filled with astonishment.
Commander Darius retorted with a smirk, "You've never seen a magic barrier this flimsy?"
Allen shook his head. "You're just a monster of a different level, but this is considerably one of the strongest barriers I've ever seen."
Allen thought to himself, 'Common strikes and 6th core magic wouldn't work against this kind of barrier. Even I, is not confident that I could even scratch the barrier. And yet the Southern Strongest Sword- one of the kingdom's strongest swordsmen, a 5th aura corewith a Heroic knight as a blessing, wielding the strongest swordsmanship and he is considered as the greatest aura user cannot shatter it. This barrier needs to be studied.'
As Commander Darius was about to prepare for another masterclass attack, Allen shouted, "Hold! This barrier magic needs to be studied on behalf of the duke's grace!"
Commander Darius had no choice but to comply if it would benefit their territory. He unsheathed his great sword.
Commander Darius turned to his men, as he called out, "Those who would brave the Magic Tower at my side, step forth. Those who choose to remain, stand watch and await our return."
His knights had fought alongside Commander Darius in various wars, slaying monsters and facing life-or-death situations. Because of this, they all had the courage to raid the sinister Magic Tower together. They also felt safer with Commander Darius by their side rather than waiting outside, where they might encounter unknown dangers without their commander. And thus, the raid began.
As soon as they set foot at the magic tower entrance. A massive magic circle inscribed by runes stone has appeared underfoot. Allen knew what it was as he said, "Everyone, calm down, this is a teleportation magic. There's no need to panic."
After but a few moments of blinding light and the strange sensation of weightlessness, the knights found themselves elsewhere- transported into a vast chamber that dimly lit with an eerie, otherworldly glow emanating from the walls. The room is circular, with high, vaulted ceilings that seem to stretch endlessly into darkness. Within distance, there is a huge statue standing at around 65 feet that resembles a knight clad in armor.
Commander Darius quickly notices that half of his units are missing. "Where is the half of my units?" he asks. The knights' glance at each other, realizing that some of their comrades are missing.
Suddenly, they heard a shout from the other side of the room. "Commander, where are you?" The voice is familiar, belonging to one of the missing knights.
Commander Darius recognized the voice immediately that was coming from the other side of the room as it was the same voice from one of his knights. "I am here, Jan. Are you okay there?"
With an enthusiastic voice, the separated of roughly 200 knights in the other chamber replied, "Yes commander."
As Commander Darius and his group advanced, they drew closer to the towering statue. Suddenly, the statue's began to open—slowly, deliberately—revealing a burning red light within. The knights were startled by what they saw. The statue then spoke in a deep, resonant voice, "Greetings, challengers. I am Sophius, the guardian of this tower. Behind me lies the door that leads to what you seek. Only those who are deemed worthy may pass through."
Gareth cracked his knuckles and stepped forward with a grin, his voice echoing boldly through the chamber. "So, we just need to beat the life out of this cranky giant?" he said, stretching
"A statue that speak unheard of, it's mechanism is not a craft of magic. A technology, no, unknown technology, every revelation in this tower never failed me to amazed." Uttered by Allen.
The statue's voice boomed again, "Your worthiness will be determined by your wit. Solve my riddle, and you will be deemed worthy. You have two attempts and ten minutes to solve the riddle before I end your foolishness."
Gareth scoffed, "So it's just a puny, gigantic Riddler."
"I turn polar bears white, And I will make you cry.
I make guys have to pee, and girls comb their hair.
I make celebrities look stupid, and normal people look like celebrities.
I turn pancakes brown and make your champagne bubble.
If you squeeze me, I'll pop. If you look at me, you'll pop.
So, what am I?"
"Verily, that statue is powerful. Its aura is…vast, larger than mine at best. So, it's wiser if we solve the riddle." Uttered Commander Darius.
Even Commander Darius acknowledges the danger of the statue, thus they had to other choice but to play with the riddle before them. Thing is, all of the knights tilt their head in confusion, as none of them knew the answer, their craft wasn't about wit. Thus, every gaze turned to Allen.
He spoke, "I know this riddle."
A gladsome smile came to their face.
"The riddle was dismissed by most scholar as nonsense as it has no definitive answer since it breaks the traditional riddle structure, and I don't exactly know the answer."
At this, the countenances of the knights did blanch as they murmured, "Well we're dead."
Gareth taps Allen's shoulder as he said, "We understand, we're at like mind and understanding except that you know some magic. Our commander will solve the riddle."
Allen thought within himself, "Surely, I am wiser than these hapless knights, whose minds are dulled by steel and not sharpened by book."
Then stepped forth a knight, bold yet uncertain, and spoke, "The answer is Time."
The commander, brow furrowed as he asked, "How do you say so, Ryan?" As the knight opened his mouth to speak, Allen did swiftly interject, "Time turns polar bears white because of evolution. Time will make you cry-time brings emotional experiences, nostalgia, or even joy that can lead to tears. Time makes guys have to pee- the passage of time leads to the natural need to relieve ourselves. Time makes girls comb their hair to groom themselves. Time makecelebrities look stupid. Over time, public perception can change. Past actions or statements resurface, making celebrities appear foolish.Time also makes normal people look like celebrities. Time can bring fame or transformation—ordinary people can rise to celebrity status.
Marshal Romeo interrupts his explanation as he raised his hand, "That's enough, time is ticking. What can you say, Commander?"
Commander Darius gave them a slight nod.
Gareth murmured under his breath, "Allen, way to grab the glory that you didn't earn, huh."
Allen gazed upon Sophius as he exclaimed, "Our answer is TIME."
"Wrong," declared Sophius
A murmur rippled through the gathered knights. Allen's brow furrowed as he stepped forward and asked, "Why? How can that be?"
But Sophius did not yield. Instead the statue replied, "Five minutes remained before you can deliver your last answer attempt."
Allen turned to the knights and said, "Figures."
Gareth, visibly frustrated, "Hey bastard, you know that the answer is incorrect, and you didn't object. Instead, you explained it convincingly."
"Told you earlier, I don't know the answer, but that doesn't mean that I cannot explain the candidate answer. Worth a try."
Allen thought to himself, 'A mere knight's wit cannot surpass the ancient riddler."
Time has logical inconsistencies, from the line, if you squeeze me, I'll pop. Time isn't something that we can physically squeeze. And the last part is metaphorical at best, inconsistent with time."
Marshal stepped forward, "Why you didn't bring that earlier?"
"Time is ticking, lad." Allen with wry simply mimic Romeo's response earlier.
Romeo understands that escalation doesn't help their situation. Romeo thought to himself, 'This mage is…helpless. Lucky bastard, he is untouchable because of Duke's grace."
Allen gazed at Priest Jarek, looking for an answer. Jarek replied with a shrugged, "God Jeremiah condemned playing with the trial of evil. I refuse to offer an answer."
With a wry curl in his lips, Allen murmured, "Figures, isn't the ancient tome of four Gods said that: Seek the truth with all thy heart, and thou shalt fine me. For I am the way, the truth and the answer that shall remain when all questions fades."
For one thing, Allen has a talent to annoy anyone. Priest Jarek knew the sacred weight of the scripture. He remarked, "How dare you wielding the word of God in vain."
"Pay him no heed, Father Jarek," uttered Romeo
Jarek stirred by Allen's provocation, did narrow his eyes and speak, "So be it! My answer is Heat."
Allen also reveal his answer with a smirk, "Ho! fortune, my answer is Pressure. "Allen added, "Both are feasible answer but we don't have time for a debate. How about settling it with a game of Rock, Scissor and Paper?"
Jarek, his brow furrowed in disapproval, "I don't partake in such childish game. Let's your answer stand."
Gareth strode forward though he didn't care whether the answer proved correct or not, he couldn't stand Allen folding the situation in his will, "No, I will represent the Priest"
Commander Darius paid no heed as his eyes fixed on the large statue. Marshal Romeo, however, clicked his tongue with the unfolding clownery despite the urgency of the situation.
"Well then, are you ready?" uttered by Allen
Gareth rotate his arm and shoulder with a grin, "I am, Lad!"
With fists clenched and eyes locked, Allen and Gareth stood face to face, they raised their hands in unison, and with a steady rhythm, chanted, "Rock…Paper…Scissor…"
On the third beat, their hands struck forth- Gareth drew rock while Allen drew Paper, winning the game. Truth is Allen cheated using subtle magic that Gareth failed to notice.
With confidence, Allen proclaimed, "Done this, a thousand times but I never loss."
Gareth a knight with honor, accept his defeat wholeheartedly, lowered his gaze as he said, "It's my loss."
No one raised an objection to Allen's answer. With great surety, he turned to face Suphius, lifting both hands high in triumph, and did proclaim, "Hear me out, Suphius. Our answer is…Pressure"