Chapter 101: A Dead End
Treason?!
Faraosis?
Shavin's God of Law, the kingdom's protector?
The one who settled in the Empire as a Grand Magister forty years ago, advanced to a Spatial Sage twenty years ago, became an Arcane Sage ten years ago, resolved countless natural and man-made disasters, and as a Great Astrologer, repeatedly helped the nation avoid harm and seek benefits, foreseeing the future...
Treason?
If anyone were to commit treason, it couldn't possibly be him!
Even with Marshal Galahad and Duke Garros, the highest-ranking individuals present, uttering those two words, the members of the Knight Order and Hurricane Mage Group inevitably stirred.
Under such a revolutionary shock, if these people weren't the Shavin Empire's highest-level elite troops, unavoidable Chaos would have erupted!
But even so, these two forces could only maintain superficial stability, and had no intention of immediately turning on Fara.
The Tsar's Sword Knights were relatively fine, but there were many in the Hurricane Mage Group who viewed Fara as an idol.
Although their commander was Garros, it was still not enough to make these spellcasters immediately decide to attack the old man in front of them...
However, for Mo Tan, this scene was already enough.
After making the announcement, neither he, Garros, nor Galahad immediately attacked Fara; they simply stood in place, quietly watching him.
The old man accused of treason also didn't fly into a rage or become indignant; he simply continued his work while calmly asking, "What's the reason?"
Fara's heart was far from calm, but he also understood that an immediate outburst wouldn't solve any problems.
Duke Garros and the Sin Duke were one thing, but for Galahad to say such words...
It wasn't normal! No matter what, it wasn't normal.
Fara knew his fiery old friend too well; that old lion would never draw his sword against him based solely on some 'investigation' results.
As for secretly investigating him, that was absolutely preposterous!
But, why exactly, and when exactly...
Fara had to figure all of this out!
"Didn't Sin Duke just state the reason?" Duke Garros said in a deep voice.
"If you want an explanation, I can make it clearer: you are the one who destroyed the city beneath our feet, and not only that, what you intend to activate now is not some Reversal Array, but a forbidden magic capable of annihilating the Royal Capital!"
Fara sneered and shook his head, "Nonsense.
If I truly wanted to do something to the Royal Capital, why would I specifically rush to this place?
If I am the true culprit behind the destruction of Banse City, then what would be my motive?!"
"You couldn't act in the Royal Capital," Galahad suddenly said in a low voice.
"Because you wouldn't be able to perform such a lengthy incantation right under my nose, and besides, you wouldn't have sufficient materials!"
A trace of pain flashed in Fara's eyes: "Galahad, you..."
"And if I'm not mistaken..." Mo Tan suddenly said softly, "the reason you didn't depart with us, but chose to come here first, was likely to conceal your actions, wasn't it?"
"Absurd!" Fara retorted in a deep voice, "Why would I need to conceal my actions?!"
Mo Tan smiled slightly: "It's simple. You needed ample casting time to prepare a magic capable of destroying the Royal Capital, and the most crucial initial chanting part is very easy to expose the essence of the spell.
Anyone with a little magical knowledge could discern something from it, and a day's head start would be enough for you to complete this stage, wouldn't it?"
Fara was so enraged he laughed instead: "Is that all you have to say?"
"More than that, there are actually many benefits~" Mo Tan shook his head, looking around.
"Firstly, Banse City's geographical location is excellent, not only because it is now an uninhabited cursed land, but also because its distance from the Royal Capital does not exceed the range of certain ultra-long-distance magic.
Those poor souls can also serve as necessary materials for many forbidden magics; I know of over a dozen such kinds..."
Garros immediately chimed in, "That's right, I can attest to that.
Although I don't have Sage-level power, I am at least a Grand Magister."
"Thank you, Duke Garros." Mo Tan gave Garros a gentle smile, then continued, "Secondly, without the aid of spatial magic, we had to rush here day and night.
During this process, the warriors would inevitably become fatigued, and in your original calculations, our arrival time should have been roughly the same as your casting completion time.
Because the Marshal, whose power is similar to yours, also came personally, leaving the Royal Capital without a top-tier expert at that time..."
"Enough!" Fara said sharply, "Do you really think anyone would believe such insane ramblings?"
"And there's another point that greatly concerns me~" Mo Tan continued, suddenly turning to face the Hurricane Mage Group, "Has anyone heard of a magic called 'Great Reversal Art'?"
The mages subconsciously shook their heads...
"Then, Duke Garros?" Mo Tan looked at Duke Garros beside him, curiously asking, "As a Grand Magister, have you heard of it?"
The latter immediately replied, "No."
Fara's heart sank sharply...
The Great Reversal Art did indeed exist, but it wasn't conventional magic; it was... the magic of Tian Zhu Mountain!
"No~" Mo Tan shrugged, spreading his hands to Fara, "Could you perhaps answer this question for us?"
Clearly, he had guessed correctly...
Although Mo Tan had been eighty percent certain that the mages present would not know of the 'Great Reversal Art' after confirming it with Garros, when he saw the numerous runes in the sky, extremely similar to those of Tian Zhu Mountain, he could definitively ascertain Fara's identity, and also confirm that the so-called 'Great Reversal Art' was by no means a verifiable conventional magic.
Fara fell silent.
"It's alright if you don't want to answer." Mo Tan chuckled softly.
"In any case, this Great Reversal Art seems to be debatable, which leads to the next question: what were those precious spellcasting materials you requested from His Majesty the King used for?"
"That's because..." Fara did not continue.
Those were indeed necessary materials for casting the 'Great Reversal Art', but this spell, originating from Tian Zhu Mountain, was something he himself couldn't explain clearly.
"Would you like me to answer for you?" Mo Tan's eyes behind his mask were clear and bright.
He said softly, "I remember they were essential materials needed to cast the 'Great Reversal Art', weren't they?"
Fara nodded.
"For now, I'll assume you're not lying." Mo Tan said this at the moment, gently shaking a finger.
"Then why exactly did you want to cast this spell?"
"That's of course to..."
"To uncover the true culprit behind the destruction of Banse City; His Majesty would naturally not begrudge you those hard-to-find, costly spellcasting materials." Mo Tan's voice suddenly grew cold.
"Then, why was Banse City destroyed? Could the answer be hidden in our previous conversation?"
Fara was already somewhat confused; he glared with bloodshot eyes at the Sin Duke, who had been so respectful to him during their previous two meetings, and stammered, "What do you mean by this...?"
"That should be my question." Mo Tan sighed softly, then said in a deep voice, "What exactly do your series of actions mean?
Does this place, which almost no one is willing to set foot in, truly require a Marshal, the strongest besides yourself, and the entire Empire's most elite forces to come?"
The commotion subsided, but everyone's gaze towards Fara had changed...
Although Mo Tan's previous words were by no means flawless, and most of their content consisted of misleading suggestions, no one at this moment could calmly ponder them.
In this situation, where they were impressed but didn't quite understand, the only thing they could see was that a mere Viscount had left their God of Law speechless.
Therefore, the Sin Duke, who was weaker but spoke with righteous indignation, must be right?
It must be said, this mentality is also one of humanity's inherent flaws...
Just then...
"I saw it that day!" A young man with deep blue curly hair suddenly stepped out of the crowd, pointing at Fara and stammering, "I saw... Master Fara..."
"What did you see?" Fara immediately asked him loudly.
And in the next moment...
Bang!!!
In everyone's eyes, the moment the God of Law looked at this young knight in a fit of rage, the latter's body strangely swelled up.
Before he could utter a single word, he exploded into countless splashes of flesh and blood in mid-air with a loud bang.
This was accompanied by an ominous aura that could drive people mad; the sky-high blood rain permeated with endless madness and sin, a power so indescribable that it would make any living creature retreat three paces...
That young man knew something!
He was about to say it, and then... he was killed!
Silenced!
By Fara!
Just a glance, without even raising a hand, merely a meeting of eyes...
That young knight was killed as if executed!
"Why!" Another Knight Order member charged at Fara like a madman: "He's just a child..."
Bang!!!
Blood rain everywhere...
The second one!
"What kind of evil power is this...!!!"
Bang!!!
A Mid-Tier Mage from the Hurricane Mage Group also exploded with a mournful wail.
No one spoke anymore, but everyone's gaze towards Fara had become filled with hatred!
And Ji Xiaodao remembered what Mo Tan had told her earlier in the carriage...
...
"Humans are blind, fickle, and fragile.
The unknown causes panic, fear leads to anger, and confusion breeds Chaos..." Mo Tan chuckled as he watched the young knight named Thomas walk away.
"And the death of one's kind is the best catalyst.
Commoners don't care about the death of nobles, and soldiers won't use their superiors' fate as their own reference, but if it's just someone like them who is murdered... then reason will always retreat three paces at the first instant.
Publicly executing a chicken won't have much impact on monkeys, but for other chickens, it's a different story~"
...
After the soldier named Thomas exploded into a shower of blood, Fara knew that anything he said would be useless.
The strange power that erupted at that moment was undoubtedly the target he had been investigating, but now it seemed that everything from the beginning until now had been under the opponent's control; he had been calculated from the very start!
The situation was out of control!
Now, even if someone were to discover flaws or improprieties in Mo Tan's previous words, it no longer mattered!
The spellcasters had already raised their staves, and the Knight Order had all mounted their horses, forming an attack formation against Fara!
Now, all that was left was...
"Unforgivable!" Galahad charged forward, leading the way, and roared, "Kill him!"
Let's take a look from a God's eye view...
【Galahad Waldstein】
Race: Half-Orc (NPC)
Gender: Male
Level: Warrior Lv40, Berserker Lv50, Grand Lord Lv50, Weapons Master Lv17
Alignment: lawful neutral / chaotic evil (Original Sin-ified)
Faith: Shavin Empire (Sealed), Chaos Contract (Forced)
Attributes: Strength 270, Dexterity 155, Wisdom 60, Constitution 330
Combat Attributes: One-Handed Weapon Specialization Lv50, Two-Handed Weapon Specialization Lv50, Expert Horsemanship
Skills (Partial): Advanced Chivalry, Sandstorm Dragon Lance, Defender, Bloodlust Frenzy, Giant Wheel Slash, Crushing Cross Slash, Bloodshed, Bulwark, Bladestorm, Mud Shark Flying Blade, Soaring Battle Intent, Rampage, Demoralizing War Cry, Sacrificial Roar, Knight Skill - Falling Star, Knight Skill - Raging Tide, Knight Skill - Dance of Sand Grains, Knight Skill - Lion's Thunder, Knight Skill - Lionheart, Knight Skill - Fearless Charge, Knight Skill - Shield Bash, Knight Skill - Wings of Freedom, Knight Skill - Judgment, Knight Skill - Sword of Treacherous Sand, Knight Skill - Iron Cage, Knight Skill - Hammer of Wrath, Knight Skill - Sandstorm Spiral, Knight Skill - Tsar's Sword
This Shavin Marshal's attributes were undeniably terrifying.
Even the High Paladin who killed Lang En in Pato City that day would absolutely not be his match.
Although Galahad couldn't be considered a top-tier expert, and there were countless beings stronger than him in this world, he could definitely be called a first-rate powerhouse, but...
Fara was even stronger than him!
"Inverted Dimension..." The Deputy of Tian Zhu Mountain raised a hand, sighing somewhat wearily, "Spatial Severance."
Galahad's Giant Wheel Slash was forcibly deflected in another direction, and the Hurricane Mage Group's ensuing combined magic—Annihilating City Storm—was completely swallowed by a sudden dark rift that appeared in mid-air.
Then, another silver ripple brushed past the Knight Order, who had already begun a Charge, instantly slowing their movement speed by nearly eighty percent, almost as if they were moving on foot.
"Very clever." Mo Tan revealed an unusually pure smile: "Because immediately stopping the Great Reversal Art's casting would 100% result in a violent backlash, so it's better to use defensive measures to stall for time as much as possible.
Moreover, by trying not to kill anyone, you can make the 'enemies' apprehensive, and then focus most of your energy on the Great Reversal Art.
If you complete the casting in advance, you can at least prove many things.
This indeed seems like a path to survival, but unfortunately..."
He raised his hands, and crimson blood glowed between his fingers...
"This is an unsolvable dead end!"
Chapter 98: End