Supreme Magus

ʼIʼm so proud of you.ʼ Lith could almost see sparkles in Solusʼs eyes while she thought those words.

ʼYou are willing to help these people for good instead of taking the easy way out.ʼ

Truth to be told, Lith empathized with the Kadurians. Their situation, pain, and struggle were similar yet much worse than his own. Yet he didnʼt care that much. Lith had just got carried away with his act while pointing out the clericsʼ stupidity.

ʼHelping them also means helping us.ʼ Lith replied. ʼWhile I listen to their explanation, you look into the blueprints for clues about the body and soul preservation process.ʼ

Solus was too happy about his sudden change of heart to notice how quickly he changed the topic.

After Lith finished learning and practicing the spells necessary to disable the Black Star, Solus reported her findings.

ʼThe Black Star is indeed a masterpiece. It can draw power from the mana geyser and use it to empower all the arrays that run through the city. Just like the academy, any damage the building takes can be repaired this way.

ʼIt also possesses an amazing number of skills, but nothing out of the ordinary. Even after reading five out of eight blueprints, I have yet to find a single rune pattern thatʼs not about a combat spell.ʼ

”I have a question.” Lith had no time to beat around the bush. He needed some answers and he needed them before it was too late.

”Who came up with the idea of granting the High Lord the ability to restore your bodies? Iʼm a Healer and with such a spell I could save countless lives.”

”No one did.” The clerics replied in unison.

”If we could do something like that, thereʼs no way we would lose a war. The High Lord purpose was to destroy our enemies and supply our mages with the mana coming from the mana geyser that is underneath Kaduria.” Ruka said.

”Thatʼs not entirely true.” The high cleric Meru said while caressing his chin.

”We were outnumbered, so we gave the High Lord the ability to cast tier four light magic. That way it could both heal our troops and replenish their life force. The idea was to make our army unstoppable as long as they were within the city.”

ʼThereʼs something amiss. I can do everything they just mentioned yet I canʼt even fix a single damaged mana core, let alone recreate a whole body from scratch.ʼ Lith thought.

ʼYeah. Based on what they said, the Black Star would simply allow them to use Invigoration.ʼ Solus pondered. ʼDo you think itʼs possible that somehow they forgemastered something thatʼs greater than the sum of its parts?ʼ

ʼNo way. We have forgemastered countless items, seen incredible artifacts being crafted by Professor Wanemyre while we were at the academy. Yet not once the final product diverged from the specifics. What we have seen so far is an unprecedented anomaly.ʼ

Despite the situation was still dire, Lith burned with curiosity. There was a thought scratching at the back of his mind. He couldnʼt put his finger on it, but he believed that the answer was getting closer with every possibility they discarded.

Lith cast Rukaʼs Invisibility spell. The clericʼs creation clouded the artifactʼs perception, making Lith able to get close to it without risking his life.

The clerics accompanied him downstairs to the main temple. They formed a circle around the Black Star, pretending to pray out loud while they actually covered the artifactʼs line of sight.

Lith used their cover to sneak in undetected. Invisibility blocked the Black Starʼs magical senses and the clerics blocked the physical ones. For once, Lith wasnʼt happy for being so tall.

He had to crouch all his way in until he was close enough to start chanting the Freeze spell. Lith chose not to float or use the Hush spell because he had no idea what was the range of Rukaʼs spell and wasnʼt willing to take risks.

Once again, paranoia saved his life. Invisibility made his life force and mana flow undetectable, but the Black Star was still able to perceive the spell coming out from Lithʼs body while he was so close.

It wiped out the clerics with an energy blast, leaving eight black puddles as the only trace of their previous existence.

”You! How did you get here?” The Black Star said. It had no reason to keep pretending of being inactive. It tried to emit a second focused beam of pure mana, but it was already too late.

The Freeze spell was completed. It shut down all of the artifactʼs abilities but its mind. Lith kept a Warp Steps and a Blink ready at hand, just to be safe. He reached the artifact and used Invigoration on it.

”Keep your hands off me, you filthy human! What did you do to me?” The Black Star screamed. There was a tinge of emotion in its voice. It resembled panic.

”You donʼt know?” Lith asked with a grin.

ʼThe cursed item is paralyzed and it doesnʼt seem able to assimilate the peopleʼs memories. So far so good.ʼ He thought while analyzing with Solus the results of his breathing technique.

At first glance, the Black Star was almost identical to Solus. It had a life force and a mana core instead of a pseudo core. A bright purple core at that. The star shaped crystal that was the artifactʼs body had a purity level like Lith had never seen before.

It breathed like a living being, but instead of air it sucked in world energy and expelled something else. It was a dense gas, similar to mana yet now that Lith was close enough, he could feel his skin prickle, a nauseating sensation spread through his body.

Lith checked his surroundings with Life Vision, making sure he had no witnesses. Redan was waiting for him on top of the stairs, nervously shifting his body weight from one foot to the other.

ʼGood, he wouldnʼt like what I have to say.ʼ

”Now listen carefully, because Iʼm not going to repeat myself.” Lith said with his usual stone cold business tone.

”I want to know how you are able to bring back the Kadurians, how you can replicate mana cores and bodies.”

The artifact laugh was devoid of emotion. It didnʼt express amusement, only mockery.

”Or what? Even if Iʼm paralyzed you are not strong enough to harm me, fleshling. Your witchcraft is fading by the second. Youʼd be wise to run away.”

Lithʼs reply was the last spell Ruka had devised, Repentance. It was a forgemastering spell. Lith spread the special ink onto the ground, leaving to Solus the duty to form a magic circle by manipulating the droplets with water magic.

The runes shone and took life, floating around the Black Star before sinking into it one by one. When the first rune crashed against its body, the artifact found itself unable to breathe anymore.

The second rune made the mana coursing through its crystal lattice go turn into poison. Its transparent surface revealed green spots that branched into slim veins that spread along the chiseled lines shaping the artifact like a disease.