Book Eater

Chapter 348: Prometheus’ Plot (2)

[Ancient Kingdom’s Sword has been consumed. The amount of magic power it contains is large.]

[Glory’s Armored Ring has been consumed. The amount of magic power it contains is large.]

[Draconic Buckler has been consumed. The amount of magic power it contains is huge. It interacts with Aquilo’s Blood and the efficiency of the absorption is doubled.]

[Sage’s Orb has been consumed. The amount of magic power it contains is huge.]

[······]

Dozens, nay, hundreds of artifacts entered Theo’s left hand. The three dragons watched this sacrifice with pained expressions. These were relics and treasures which would be preserved in museums of the present age. The dragons watched their treasures of incalculable value get consumed like snacks at a city fair.

“B-Boy. The necklace that I’ve saved...”

Despite the beauty’s begging eyes, Gluttony’s tongue swallowed the necklace without hesitation. Aquilo sat on the floor like a broken puppet and stared into space with empty eyes. Brasmati and Erucus couldn’t escape the suffering either.

“Aaaah! You are absorbing all of them, human!” Brasmati screamed at losing the fortune he had gathered for thousands of years, while Erucus grimaced.

They would’ve kept some of their precious treasures hidden, but the promise Clipeus made was an absolute force that applied to all dragons. Their bodies would release all of the treasures, even if they didn’t want to.

Surely I won’t become enemies with the dragons because of this...?

They were the strongest species... Theo didn’t think those who defended the material world would have such a narrow mindset, but the expressions on the dragons’ faces were really terrible. There was no guarantee that Erucus, the green dragon who wasn’t known for being greedy, wouldn’t hold a grudge. However, Theo had no other choice.

Gluttony, how many points do I have?

- 335,000 points. It is possible to perform it once.

Only one attempt is possible with 335,000 points. It is the worst.

Now that he had enough achievement points for a single try, Theo stopped eating, then he looked at the summoning conditions of one particular individual. Gluttony wanted to eat the rest of the dragons’ hoards, but it wasn’t the one who would bear the grudge of the dragons. The grimoire had already eaten eighty percent of their hoards, so the rest wouldn’t do much good anyway.

So Theo quickly said, “Okay, I can do it somehow.”

As soon as Theo spoke, the dragons instantly took back their remaining treasures. He wondered what would happen if he asked them to bring the treasures back. Clipeus sighed.

[It looks like everything is ready. Is there nothing more we can do to help you?]

“No, this is enough.”

He now had even more points than the time Gluttony had consumed Jerem’s Tartarus. Nevertheless, the points could only be used once. Gluttony’s 6th stage feature had a high potential, but also a corresponding cost.

In retrospect, Theo had wondered about it from the moment he had opened the Hall of Fame. Would he be able to call the souls directly at the sixth stage if he spent achievement points? This hypothesis was verified with the sixth stage.

“Request for Evocation.”

A message popped up in response to Theo’s words.

[The A Rank Evocation is invoked.]

[Please speak the name of the target.]

It was the strongest figure in the Hall of Fame. Theo hesitated before calling his name, “Simon Magus.”

Simon Magus had been the magician who established the system of Gnosticism. He had challenged the trial of the 10th circle and lived a glorious life as a transcendent at the apex of the Age of Mythology, when all types of monsters had roamed around. In the past five years, Theo had spoken to a number of transcendents and made great strides through their advice. However, he hadn’t been able to even talk to Simon Magus. The reason for that was very simple.

[Are you sure you want to open Simon Magus? 163,210 points will be consumed to awaken this soul.]

Nearly half his achievement points disappeared, and Simon Magus’ portrait started to glow in the Hall of Fame. It was an opportunity that had come unintentionally, but he could finally wake up one of the greatest magicians of the Age of Mythology.

[Simon Magus has been summoned to the material world.]

A few moments later, the light of an unknown character poured out from the hole in Theo’s left hand. No, it probably wasn’t light. It was a higher level of power that living things couldn’t recognize. Only the dragon lord, Clipeus, could detect the shadow of a human in the light.

“―Urgh.”

There was no need to wonder who made the noise. Everyone except Clipeus had stepped back in fear of the unknown shadow. Even the dragons who could erase a mountain with a single breath felt crushed as the man’s sheer presence seemed to weigh down on them. A few seconds later, the light cleared away.

“The air is stuffy. I’m glad I wasn’t born in this age.”

Simon Magus, the person who reappeared in the material world after thousands of years, turned to Theo who called him.

His gaze was filled with annoyance. “Hey, talk.”

Theo asked cautiously, “... Simon Magus?”

“Did you call me to ask me that? If so, I will return.” Simon Magus turned around.

Theo cried out anxiously, “I-I need a spell of banishment from this dimension!”

“Hoh?” Simon Magus’ eyes narrowed, and he turned back. “That’s a spell no one uses. What’s more, there’s not much need for it either, so it was buried. What do you need it for?”

Theo spoke concisely. “I need to banish a grimoire from this world.”

“Hmm?” Simon Magus’ eyes shone as he saw the Cage of Chronos that was slowly starting to disappear. This was a magician who had been at the height of the Age of Mythology. “Ah, so it’s Sloth. That’s an impressive amount of mana it’s gone and gathered. Did it spend thousands of years sucking up the continent’s mana? If it explodes, it’ll blow a hole clean through this dimension. You want to expel it from this dimension?”

To think that Simon Magus had seen through everything with a single look? Theo thought it was ridiculous, and his mouth dropped open. While the rest of the people were suffocating in Simon Magus’ presence, Clipeus walked forward and spoke,

[Do you know what kind of changes will occur to this world if you banish Sloth?]

“The constantly circulating mana will leak in large quantities, and you will become extinct. It is already an inevitable fate. Accept it, Dragon King.”

[... I know. I just wanted to hear you say it.]

Just like what Gluttony said about inheriting old memories, Simon Magus and Clipeus knew each other. However, their relationship didn’t seem intimate.

Simon observed Sloth for a moment before speaking to Theo, “Dimensional Banish will take about ten minutes to expel the target. You can only use Dimensional Banish once with your remaining achievement points. If I participate in combat or suffer a direct blow, my summoning may be canceled. Be careful.”

Theo was embarrassed and asked carefully, “No, it will take ten minutes?”

“It wasn’t a spell designed for combat, but more for dealing with engineering wastes. It was cheaper to blow them up through the atmosphere. The problem was that I drilled a hole in the dimensional plane.”

“Ugh.”

It was a horrible side effect. Theo didn’t need to ask why Dimensional Banish had gotten buried.

Simon Magus fell silent as he examined the Cage of Chronos without a care in the world, as he no longer had anything to say. Theo gathered the dragons and his companions to prepare for battle. There was still one question that couldn’t be resolved. After the Cage of Chronos ended, what method would Sloth use to interfere with them?

However, that question was quickly answered.

***

Someone said, “It is starting.”

Five minutes after Myrdal warned them, the Cage of Chronos wrapped around Sloth started to collapse. The darkness collapsed like melted chocolate. This darkness that didn’t allow a single light to exist slowly diminished in size, eventually shrinking to the size of a small carriage.

Perhaps this mass of darkness was Sloth’s body.

What will it use to try and stop us?

He didn’t dare underestimate the power of the Seven Sins. Pride and Envy were both monsters that he didn’t want to face again. After all, Theo himself was the owner of Gluttony. If he were an ordinary magician, he would avoid fighting with Gluttony’s contractor. As part of the Seven Sins, it was clear that Sloth would have a trump card to overturn this situation.

Crack.?

Unsurprisingly, his super sensitivity started ringing in alarm.

“... What?” Titania’s fingers twitched as she stared into the darkness without blinking.

Four lumps had fallen from the unmoving darkness that was Sloth. At first, their shapes were unclear, like mud or shadows. However, they gradually grew sharper and started radiating their own presence.

- This is an impressive last hurrah. Don’t die, User.

Gluttony advised, having noticed their identity before anyone else.

- They are the transcendents Sloth has collected. They are just empty shells without souls, but their combat power is still a threat.

Theo blurted, “What? Then we have to deal with four transcendents?”

The faces of Theo’s companions stiffened. Grandmasters were monsters born in the body of a mortal but had surpassed their limits. Any single one could match a dragon in combat, but now Theo and his companions had to face four of them!

“One piece of advice should be fine,” Simon Magus spoke as a magic circle slowly spun around him. “Dragon King, take the one in the rear. All of you can handle the rest. If possible, don’t come near me.”

[I understand.]

There was no more time to explain. Clipeus nodded as the four shadows finished transforming into human figures. Some of them had swords, and their armor looked very real. The terrifying presence that raised goosebumps on one’s skin was evidence of their transcendence.

“―They’re coming!”

It happened in the time it took to blink.

Kwarururung!

Two of the transcendents sprang at them faster than the speed of sound, only for Brasmati and Erucus to intercept and hurl them away from the battlefield. They intended to put as much distance between their battles and Simon Magus, who was casting Dimensional Banish.

[I’ll leave the remaining one to you.]

Clipeus also decided their opponent. As Simon Magus advised, Clipeus targeted the transcendent at the rear. Clipeus’ dragon body was much smaller than the other two dragons. However, that didn’t diminish the power of their breath.

――――――――――――――!!!

The small golden dragon released light from its mouth. No one could escape the speed of their breath, and the transcendent was blown a few kilometers away. Clipeus disappeared instantly, pursuing the transcendent before it had a chance to escape.

“... Damn.”

The only transcendent remaining was a magician with glassy eyes. Theo, Randolph, Titania, and Aquilo faced him together. They had enough power between them to wipe out some kingdoms, but the scale of power still tilted toward their opponent. The opponent was a magician who reached transcendence, a 9th Circle magician.

The moment a black staff appeared in the hands of the mysterious magician, Theo instinctively shouted, “Scatter―!”

The space where the four of them were standing shattered.