Magician in Type-Moon

Page 591

The birth of this "weapon" can certainly bring unparalleled deterrence and power, but it is also a huge "target" that needs to be maintained by all twelve parties, a source of endless internal strife.

Would those shrewd monarchs who value family lineage above all else be satisfied with just a "scepter" that is collectively owned and more symbolic than actually controlled?

However, this doubt did not linger in Matou Ike's mind for long. Cold rationality, like gears, quickly meshed and turned, incorporating new factors into its consideration.

Clock Tower...

The thought flashed by like a shadow.

Considering the Clock Tower's accumulation over thousands of years, its exploration of the underlying laws of this world and many forbidden areas has probably already reached a certain... unsettling depth.

Regarding those concepts that exist only in dusty observation records and forbidden prophecies—

Such as the "Otherworld" that erodes reality.

A "white storm" sweeping across the planet

Even the branches of the "tree of imaginary numbers," rooted outside the world and drawing sustenance from fantasy...

At the top of the clock tower, those monarchs who possess the most ancient secrets are probably no longer just "speculating" or "doubting," but rather have real cards to play and real knowledge.

With this understanding, Matouchi's thinking suddenly became clear.

So, in this "extraordinary period," like the eve of a storm, with rain brewing...

Possessing ultimate power capable of tearing apart legends, shaking storms, and even... possibly touching the realm of "trees" is no longer an incomprehensible ambition, but a cold-blooded, inevitable choice based on the instinct for survival!

A "super-standard concept costume" that rivals or even surpasses some deities represents more than just power or benefits.

It is a shield, enough to provide a corner of the sky for the crumbling civilization of magicians in the face of possible, mind-altering disasters.

It is also a key, perhaps able to unlock the door to deeper secrets and gain more leverage for survival.

Understanding it from this perspective, the motives behind the clock tower's scheme become incredibly clear, even... logical.

Seeing Matou Ike fall into a brief silence, the playful smile on Hartres's lips grew even wider, and his eyes behind his glasses gleamed with an all-knowing light.

"Of the many purposes for your trip to London," Hartress's voice carried a confident guidance, her gaze like a precise pointer slowly moving to a corner of the room, "one of them must be...that, right?"

Following the direction of his gaze—

There, two completely different containers, both exuding an ominous aura, sat still.

On one side was an open wooden box, inside which were stacked dozens of Stadt coins that gleamed with a cold metallic luster—the very medium that Hartres used to disperse the "divine" existence contract.

On the other side was a strangely shaped, sealed box of unknown material. Even through the container, a faint magical fluctuation originating from the "anomaly" itself could still be faintly detected.

That was the severed head of Emiya Norikane!

Hartres used the body of this "Sealing Designation" magician, which was highly distorted by time magic, as the base and fuel to construct that inherent barrier that distorts time.

It was that barrier that forcibly infused the Heroic Spirit Iskandar's transformation into a higher-dimensional "god" with the equivalent of thousands of years!

This information, like a cold key, instantly unlocked the floodgates of Matouchi's memories.

He clearly remembered that he had inquired about an extremely secretive topic from Van Phim, one of the twenty-seven Dead Apostles:

"A method to make the gears of time mesh."

"Did Van Fem tell you?" Matou Ike's voice was calm and even, but his eyes were sharp as knives, piercing straight at Hartres.

“Not at all.” Hartres shook his head slightly, a hint of mockery in his smile directed at the vampire grand duke. “Him? He’s nothing more than a… behind-the-scenes ‘broker.’”

"broker……"

This title is like a pebble thrown into a deep pool of thought, stirring up ripples that spread across the heart of Matouchi Pond, each wave carrying a chilling doubt.

Van Fem... the Dead Apostle King who controls the lifeline of finance, he also possesses Stat Gold Coins.

In Matouchi's previous understanding, this was almost equivalent to confirming that there was some unknown direct transaction between Van Fim and Hartres, mediated by gold coins.

However, at this moment, Hartres casually belittled this one of the Twenty-Seven Ancestors as a mere "broker"—a middleman who connects others in the shadows and facilitates their transactions.

The sense of disorientation from this information instantly tightened his nerves like a spider web.

If Van Fem is not the true party in the transaction, then the identities and purposes of the two parties engaged in the real game behind this "broker" are enough to send chills down one's spine.

An ancient and taboo name floated like a ghost on the edge of Matouike's mind:

The Dark Six – The Dark Six Kingdoms?

The being that has lingered for millennia in the legends and fears of the Clock Tower, a symbol of the deepest shadow?

This speculation is not unfounded.

He vividly remembered that the heretic, Tsbia Eltnam Atlasia, who possessed almost futuristic vision, had revealed to him in an almost fatalistic tone:

The Dead Apostles' "Final Ritual," which points to the end, requires his presence as the "Fruit of the Blood Ring of Principle."

This was no coincidence. Matou Ike refused to believe that his existence, at this crucial juncture, was completely unrelated to the vast chess game before him, which involved spirit tombs, gods, gold coins, and time taboos!

So, what is the true core of the deal facilitated by Van Fem, this "broker"...?

What exactly is it? Is it the vitality of the spirit tomb? Is it the descent of a deity? Or... does it point to a crucial step in that "final ritual"?

A strong, suffocating feeling, as if enveloped by an invisible giant net, suddenly seized Matouchi.

He felt as if he were in the center of a vast spiderweb woven from millennia-old conspiracies, the secrets of the Dead Apostles, the ambitions of the gods, and the power struggles of the Clock Tower, covering the entire European magic world.

Each seemingly independent thread secretly transmits vibrations, pointing towards a deeper darkness.

As a magician who has long remained outside the mainstream system of the Clock Tower, he is ultimately separated from the intricate and secretive transactions of this ancient land, and the undercurrents flowing deep within the bloodlines of the nobility and the ancient covenants, by an impenetrable fog.

Even though he had already made his move in the game, supporting the El-Melloi clan as an outpost to penetrate the Clock Tower...

Perhaps, it is precisely the existence of this relationship itself that...

A chilling thought flashed through my mind.

Instead, it became a shackle that excluded the El-Melloi faction from certain truly core circles?

How could a faction with shallow roots and close ties to "outsiders" easily meddle in those transactions that truly touch the origins of the world and involve ancient existence and ultimate rituals?

Therefore, in the crucial field of intelligence, there must be a huge, irreparable gap in the level that El-Melloi II could reach.

A deeper level of doubt quietly began to emerge:

El-Melloi II… could that monarchical proxy named Waver Velvet truly represent the will of the entire El-Melloi faction completely and thoroughly?

Matou Ike was by no means questioning Weber's personal abilities or loyalty.

However, at the heart of the power vortex built by millennia of political maneuvering in the Clock Tower, people are "forced" to compromise, "forced" to remain silent, and "forced" to become mouthpieces for a certain will...

This kind of thing is the oldest and most common drama on this land.

An individual's will is often as fragile as a candle in the wind when faced with enormous family interests, the pressure of ancient contracts, or more direct coercion.

This feeling of being shrouded in layers of mist, pulled by invisible threads, and unable to fully grasp even the true situation of key allies...

Like cold venom, it slowly seeps in, bringing an extremely uncomfortable, bone-deep sense of loss of control.

Hartres's voice, like a cold blade, precisely pierced through Matou Ike's turbulent thoughts:

“I am willing to hand over this ‘technology’ to you. In exchange, you only need to stop obstructing my next actions.”

Matouchi slowly withdrew her gaze from the void and refocused it on Hartres.

"You... are surprisingly confident..."

Matou Ike's voice was soft, with a hint of amusement at the end. He didn't elaborate, but he was certain that Hartres, with his intelligence, would catch the unspoken, immense doubt in his words.

Hartres's "deification" plan has its ultimate goal crystal clear:

He wanted to destroy the current, rigid, and corrupt modern magic system dominated by the Clock Tower, and return the world to the era of "divine magic" with its purer and more powerful energy, so that even ordinary magicians could access that lost power.

His aim was directed at the entire Clock Tower, or rather, at the very foundation of the entire Magic Association!

However, the terms of the deal he proposed at this moment seemed unusually "restrained"—

He merely asked Matou Ike to stand by and not stop his god-making plan, rather than going further and asking Matou Ike to join forces with him to cause trouble for the Clock Tower.

This seemingly simple condition reveals an extremely crucial piece of information:

Hartres possessed absolute confidence that even if the Clock Tower successfully forged the remains of the "Last Dragon," Albion, into a "super-standard concept costume" of astonishing scale and strength, he—

And the "god" who is about to descend upon him—

We can still win!

The source of this confidence has become a mystery that Matouchi's thinking urgently needs to be solved.

If we only engage in a cold comparison of data and a contest of strength on paper:

Once the Clock Tower successfully completes the ceremonial robe based on the most ancient dragon remains, its power, in terms of both "specification" and "strength," will almost certainly surpass that of a newly born "new god."

This is a reasonable inference based on the nature of the materials and the scale of investment.

So, where does Hartres's almost arrogant confidence come from?

Were they monarchs or magical nobles who had secretly cooperated with him?

Matou Ike almost instantly dismissed this possibility.

On this bottom-line issue concerning the very survival of the Magic Association and touching upon the core interests of all the millennia-old nobles, there may be disagreements within the Clock Tower.

However, when confronting the subversive threat of "deification," they will inevitably demonstrate an unwavering will.

The possibility of division and disintegration is extremely slim. This is an inviolable bottom line.

Are they the "new generation" magicians who possess Stat's gold coins and are able to share some of the magical power of the Age of Gods?

A group that wields the magical power of the Age of Gods is indeed a force to be reckoned with.

But to use this to shake the clock tower, a towering tree with deep roots and unfathomable depth?

This idea itself seems overly naive.

It's important to understand that even if the Clock Tower ultimately fails to complete Albion's transformation plan, its current power—

Including the considerable number of powerful Heroic Spirits obtained through the Greater Grail Summoning Ritual—which is far beyond what Hatres and his followers can currently match!

A chilling conclusion grew ever clearer in Matou Ike's mind:

If it weren't for the Clock Tower's grand plan to transform Albion into a conceptual costume, a crucial element of its success would have required Hartres's "god-making" plan as a catalyst or necessary step...

This "pre-modern magic" lecturer, who dared to challenge the very foundation of the association, has probably already been subjected to one of the Clock Tower's ultimate weapons—

That "Record Belt of Boundaries," which records aspects of human history and contains endless possibilities—completely erased, leaving not even a trace of its existence!