Chapter 1265: The Remains of a Myth

Based on the intelligence gathered, the unique environment of the War God’s divine realm causes all magic-powered items to lose the ability to draw energy from their surroundings. However, the internal reserves of magical energy within these items remain unaffected. For example, explorer automata can still operate within the divine realm by relying on the mana crystals embedded inside their bodies. By the same logic, Kamail could carry a massive array of mana storage crystals to prevent himself from suffering “depletion” after entering the divine realm.

He glanced down at the silver-white metal case connected beside him. On its top was a transparent crystal “skylight,” through which he could see rows of pale blue crystals neatly embedded in a rune-engraved grid plate. Several layers of these mana storage crystal plates were stacked inside the box. Without casting any large-scale spells, this setup was more than enough to sustain Kamail’s activities in this strange environment for a long time.

Though Kamail himself possessed a magical reservoir far beyond that of ordinary mages and could survive here on his own power for quite a while, as Windsor Mapel had warned, relying solely on his own magical body would inevitably drain his “life foundation.” It was too risky. So unless an emergency arose, Kamail had no intention of using his own mana reserves to brute-force this realm’s draining conditions.

The mirror-like portal hovered silently above the divine realm’s plaza. The White Knights began establishing a temporary forward base centered on the portal, setting up essential facilities one by one: repair stations, medical posts, and supply points. Meanwhile, two White Knights approached the portal to install a special device.

The device’s core was a half-meter-tall metal cylinder covered with numerous rune interfaces. Its structure was simple but intricate. Extending from its base was a segmented “drag chain” made of alloy plates, each inscribed with precise conduction runes and inlaid with magical metals like mythril and adamantine. The plates were connected by sturdy, finely crafted hinges—clearly a valuable piece of equipment.

After securing the metal cylinder to the ground, one White Knight carefully extended the alloy drag chain toward the portal, pushing its end through the shimmering “mirror” surface.

Moments later, the rune chain trembled slightly, as if someone on the other side had connected and locked it in place. Then, the metal cylinder beside the portal began to glow faintly. The runes, previously dim, flickered a few times before lighting up fully.

“The theory holds—mana is flowing through,” one of the White Knights installing the device said, rising to his feet. His voice was muffled beneath his heavy helmet. “Master Kamail, the mana supply station is now operational.”

Kamail nodded with satisfaction. A trembling voice echoed within him: “Good… at least while near the portal, we can replenish lost mana at any time.”

“What’s next?” the other White Knight asked, looking up at Kamail, who floated midair with a large box trailing behind him. “Shall we proceed to the plaza exit as planned?”

“Wait a moment,” Kamail said gravely. “Our senior advisor will be arriving shortly to provide technical support.”

Before the White Knights could ask for more details, everyone present suddenly felt an overwhelming, solemn presence descend upon the plaza—an immense pressure that demanded respect. The White Knights turned toward the source, only to see the metal cylinder, which had no magical load connected, suddenly blaze with a brilliant red light, accompanied by a deep humming. The rune drag chain, designed to handle massive loads, sparked and heated to near overload. Then, a swirling cloud of mist crackled with electric arcs, materializing above the cylinder.

The vortex stabilized after a moment, and from within it emerged a towering figure—like a clock tower in stature—radiating an aura so compelling it was impossible to look away. She had a distinctly feminine silhouette, but her face was shrouded in a veil of mist. She wore a black gown resembling a royal court dress, and countless star-like runes shimmered deep within the hem of her skirt. Every detail matched the descriptions mages gave of the “Source of All Magic,” the “Master of All Mysteries.”

She stepped out of the swirling mist. Under the astonished gazes of the White Knights, the colossal woman suddenly began to shrink, condensing from clock-tower height to a noblewoman about three meters tall within seconds. Her face became clear, the misty veil transforming into a translucent black mask. Her lower half, once a smoky haze, solidified into a tangible skirt. Aside from her still-impressive height, she now looked almost human.

“The old stag’s method really works…” the woman stepped forward, looking down at her current form with satisfaction. “It’s the first time I’ve compressed myself this small outside the neural network… but alas, this is only an avatar.”

Kamail felt the flow of mana within him shift the instant she appeared. Though it soon stabilized, it was enough to prove the immense power and “rank” she possessed. But he was used to this by now. This wasn’t their first meeting. Since the establishment of the Divine Authority Council, they had, in a sense, become “colleagues.” The once-divine “Source of All Magic” was now just a senior advisor within the organization.

He floated closer to the three-meter-tall woman, speaking respectfully: “Lady, is your status stable?”

“Quite stable—everything is proceeding as predicted. This avatar is sufficient for this operation,” Mylmina looked down at Kamail, then raised her gaze to sweep over the distant, desolate cityscape and towering palace silhouettes. A hint of awe tinged her voice. “The War God’s divine realm… I never imagined I’d one day set foot in another god’s domain.”

She glanced back at the metal cylinder beside the portal. The red glow was fading, and heat still rose from the rune drag chain. This brief avatar’s arrival had put the most expensive magical device through an extreme test—but it had held up, just as she had calculated.

The goddess of magic had arrived in the War God’s divine realm (×).

Mylmina had infiltrated the abandoned manor left behind after the War God’s fall (√).

“This place is truly unsettling,” Mylmina withdrew her gaze and took stock of the surroundings. Though the divine realm was no longer actively resisting her as an “invading alien god”—since the War God had fallen and his divine seat vanished—the unique mana-depleting environment still made her uneasy. “Completely rejecting magic… no wonder a brute like him lived here.”

“Is the environment affecting you much?” Kamail asked, watching the goddess avatar. He noticed faint rune locks swirling around her, like layers of seals shielding her from spiritual contamination and preventing any psychic leakage.

Mylmina scoffed. “Don’t worry about me. Though the environment is harsh, at this rate of depletion, it would take at least ten years to drain this avatar’s power.”

Kamail looked up at the goddess, noticing faint wisps of smoke rising behind her. The deep purple mist flickered with tiny arcane flames. He couldn’t help but say, “But you’ve been smoking since you arrived.”

“…” Mylmina silently glanced upward, then lowered her head again after a long pause. Her tone lost some of its earlier confidence. “Fine, maybe two years… but that’s not important. Explorers, it’s time to move. This space is vast, and its edges are constantly collapsing. We need to make good use of this place before that happens.”

Two flames ignited in Kamail’s eyes. He took a deep breath—a habitual gesture—and waved toward the distance. “Solide Knights, you and your squad stay here to continue setting up the base and support the technical teams coming through the portal. Queen Knights, you and your squad follow me. We’re heading to the gate the explorer automata discovered last time!”

He immediately dimmed his glow, the twin flames in his eyes shrinking accordingly. His mana reserves were limited; he had to conserve energy to extend his endurance here…

…

In the dim, chaotic Rebellious Courtyard, a majestic white stag stood silently among a cluster of fully powered magical devices. Its crystal-like eyes fixed on a platform ahead.

On that platform sat a massive throne carved from giant stones gathered nearby. A woman in a black court gown, her lower body a misty illusion and her height like a clock tower, sat quietly. Around her, dozens of magical devices hummed softly, each topped with a softly glowing artificial crystal. The special force fields emitted by these crystals enveloped the entire courtyard. At the center of this field, the woman was surrounded by layers upon layers of rune halos—each a seal, but also a protective barrier.

Suddenly, Mylmina opened her eyes. Within them flickered scenes from another space. Her voice was calm and deep: “We have left the plaza… and entered inside the city walls.”

“How is the situation there?” Amon watched the “Goddess of Magic” projecting part of her power along the network lines, concern in his voice. “Any danger?”

“We’ve seen many giant stone statues guarding the gates and empty suits of armor… but the statues are just stone, and the armor no longer moves. There are no active guards anywhere in the city,” Mylmina said softly. Suddenly, one of her eyes flashed brightly, projecting a clear, three-dimensional hologram before Amon. It showed the scenes the divine realm exploration team had witnessed. “The War God has truly fallen… dead beyond any return.”

Amon bowed his head slightly, his voice low and somber. “But the kingdom he left behind will drift in the deep sea for many, many years—perhaps lasting until the end of our current civilization…”

“As for this…” Mylmina said lightly, “I’ve noticed something interesting. This realm probably won’t drift in the ‘Deep Sea’ for hundreds of thousands of years like the divine realms we know. I can sense it fading—fading faster than we imagined, even faster than Lady Enya described. It might vanish completely in just a few decades, maybe even less than twenty years.”

“…Fading that fast?!” Amon’s eyes widened in shock. “How is that possible?”

“I suspect it’s because it began to unravel after mortals broke free from their chains,” Mylmina offered her theory. “The mortals’ act of breaking those chains stirred a massive ripple in the collective consciousness. It’s enough to affect the Deep Sea itself. What would normally take decades to slowly dissolve—the ‘echoes of divinity’—now crumble rapidly in the face of such waves.”

“…So the impact of that battle was this profound,” Amon said slowly. “Looks like mortals don’t have much time left to study this…”

“No, it’s enough,” Mylmina replied softly. The phantom of the rune-locked ring circled beside her like a flowing stream, and her voice grew gentler. “For these diligent mortals of today, it’s already sufficient…”

…

Kamail led the exploration team beyond the city wall at the edge of the plaza, delving deeper into this “City of Gods” built from the collective faith and thoughts of countless mortals.

The “Goddess of Magic,” who had manifested here to assist, walked alongside the group. Whenever the explorers discovered something, she would often pause to analyze it, offering references from ancient knowledge.

Among the team was a woman standing three meters tall, giving off an odd impression. Most White Knights were tall, especially when clad in their specially designed power armor—around two meters tall, a standard for these armored clerics. Kamail himself, who often floated in the air, was no small figure either. Yet, standing next to this three-meter “Tower” of a woman, they all seemed like children.

But this strange feeling remained unspoken. Everyone here was professional; they had come on serious business.

“We’re passing through what the War God’s scriptures call the ‘Path of the Cheerers,’” Kamail recalled from his prior research, observing their surroundings as he spoke. “It’s said to be the dwelling place of the War God’s servants. This path connects the ‘Plaza of Glory,’ which leads into the divine realm, the Eternal Arena prepared for brave warriors, and the palaces where warriors rest. When those favored by the War God die heroically in battle, they pass through the Plaza of Glory, enter this district, receive cheers and applause from the divine servants, and gradually shed their mortal flesh to truly become eternal spirits within this realm…”

A White Knight lifted his head, his gaze sweeping over the buildings with iron-gray roofs, windowless and doorless, and the wide, empty avenues. After a long moment, a low voice rumbled from beneath his heavy helmet: “There is no cheering.”

The “Tower” woman’s avatar bowed her head. “Yes, no cheering… That glorious, radiant myth has been ended by mortals themselves.”

(End of chapter)