Arid’s expression brightened when they heard Lukas’ words.
“Ah! As I expected! Then I’ll immediately check for them.”
[Check for them? How?]
“That’s simple. As long as I touch you and concentrate…”
Just as Arid’s finger touched Lukas’ hand.
Sizzle.
“U-, ugh… Wh-, what was that? This…”
Arid’s face became white as Lukas shook his head.
[Don’t do that. I’m not a being you can afford to touch.]
“Ugh. E-, eek.”
Although they heard this, Arid didn’t give up. Instead, they bit their lip and concentrated even more.
Due to their concentration, their eyes gradually began to glow white. In fact, light began to pour out of their entire body like a fountain.
After a brief moment of surprise, Lukas realised that Arid was beginning to resonate with him.
Even if briefly, they had managed to touch and connect with the soul of an Absolute.
This was an amazing feat. After all, this was something that even a first-class Medium, Necromancer, or Sorcerer talented enough to be called a super genius would be unable to do.
‘…however.’
It was not something that they could keep up for much longer. If it continued, Arid’s body would slowly begin to crumble like a castle made of sand.
Just as Lukas was about to forcefully break the resonance between them, Arid spoke.
“The ones that Mr. Soul wants to see… are very far away.”
Arid’s voice was hoarse and came out in a stutter.
“They live… in a faraway place that is outside of this world.”
[…]
Lukas couldn’t help but shake slightly at those words.
As if possessed, Arid continued to speak in an airy manner.
“There are many people there waiting for Mr. Soul’s return… So many… I’m sorry, but it would be impossible for me to help you see them all…”
[All…?]
“Yeah…”
Arid continued to speak without bothering to wipe the sweat that dripped from their face.
“I can help you see… at least one person.”
Paht!
Suddenly, Lukas’ gaze was filled with a bright white light.
-The light was so bright that even he was dazed for a moment.
As the light slowly dimmed, a scene began to unveil before his eyes.
Lukas saw a large room, in the center of which sat a large throne. At first glance, one might think that it was only roughly hewn, but upon closer inspection, one would realise that it had been elaborately crafted. Nevertheless, it wasn’t the throne that Lukas was paying attention to; it was the figure sitting on it.
A man with hair like a lion’s mane.
“…”
Lukas immediately recognised who this man was.
It seemed like only a few years had passed since he’d last seen him. His muscles seemed to be a bit smaller, and his stomach a bit larger than he remembered, but other than that, his appearance was almost the same.
He didn’t have any wrinkles yet. However, it seemed he had grown a beard. His beard was just as unruly as his hair and perfectly matched his wild aura.
‘…I see.’
It seemed that much time hadn’t passed in that world.
Suddenly, the man’s eyes turned in his direction.
Then, he slowly opened his mouth with a lazy attitude.
[…I can feel you looking at me.]
The man, Ivan, spoke in his characteristic, arrogant tone.
[Which bastard is it?]
* * *
He hadn’t neglected his training.
Lukas wasn’t sure just how much time had passed, but he could at least see that much. Compared to the last time he’d seen him, Ivan appeared to have grown stronger.
This was great. After all, he had lost his right hand during the fight with Lord. He knew just how much the loss of ‘one arm’ meant for a Warrior.
Nevertheless, Ivan seemed to have successfully regained and improved his strength, Probably through an immense amount of hard work. Lukas couldn’t be sure if he’d managed to perfect a new fighting style to match his condition, but at least he seemed better.
[Ivan.]
Lukas called out to him.
But Ivan continued to look around, his expression becoming a bit strange.
It was as he expected. Ivan couldn’t see him, nor could he hear him.
Lukas could only watch on from the side.
This couldn’t be called a reunion. Nevertheless, Lukas shook this bitter thought from his head, grateful to at least have this chance.
Ivan looked around for a bit longer before finally shaking his head.
“What’s going on? Was it all in my head?”
With a slight shrug, he leaned back on his throne.
“…I’m tired.”
Ivan had never been the type to say such words easily. He truly appeared tired at that moment.
Lukas couldn’t help but wonder what was troubling him for him to be in such a state.
That wasn’t all.
He wanted to have a conversation with him. There was a heap of things that he wanted to ask, that he wanted to talk about.
[How is everything now? How are the others?]
Like before, his voice didn’t reach Ivan.
Lukas let out a bitter chuckle. It wasn’t very Wizard-like of him to try something when its failure had already been proven.
He had to be patient. Just being able to watch was enough for now.
His anxious heart slowly calmed, and an affectionate light shone in his eyes.
It was unexpectedly easy to calm his emotions.
Suddenly, the door to the throne room opened and someone strode in.
It took some time before Lukas was able to remember the name of this person.
“…Cairo Wilsemann.”
The man known as the 11th Tower Master and the leader of ‘Paragon’.
He looked at Ivan with his wrinkled face for a moment before bowing his head.
“Grand Master.”
“Mm.”
Ivan nodded charismatically.
Grand Master.
‘You’re the leader of the Circle now.’
This was something that Lukas had asked him to do, and although he’d grumbled and complained at the time, it appeared that he’d kept his word.
Cairo then spoke with a heavy expression.
“The <Dijellik Gauntlets(1)> have been annihilated.”
“…even Gomez?”
“That’s right.”
Ivan pressed his fingers firmly to his temples.
“The army will gain momentum once again.”
“What will we do?”
“I will deal with it myself.”
Crunch-
Ivan clenched his left fist tightly before adding with an expression of dissatisfaction on his face.
“…is what I’d like to say, but I know you’d never agree to it.”
“Isn’t it time you realised the weight of your position as Grand Master?”
“I envy that woman.”
Cairo let out a faint chuckle at those words.
“Miss Iris is not playing around.”
“I know. She’s the busiest of us all.”
Hoo.
Ivan let out a sigh.
“I guess we can only observe the situation for now.”
“Please be mindful of your position. It’s not like you don’t know how important you are to us now.”
“I know.”
Ivan sighed again, appearing even more tired.
“That’s why I’m so frustrated. Because I can’t make a move even in a situation like this.”
Were they fighting against someone?
‘Who could stand up to the current Circle?’
Was it Elliah, the only surviving Demigod?
No. Lukas knew her personality. She would not repeat the mistakes the Demigod race had before.
Other than her… it might have been the Demons, but the most powerful Demons had all been killed during the battle against Lord.
‘…is it internal?’
That was the worst possible conclusion.
Just as Lukas tried to focus a little more on their conversation…
Paht!
His vision was once again filled with an intense white light, and the scene of the throne room faded. Not only that, but the voices of Ivan and Cairo faded into the distance.
Then, the white light faded, once more revealing the room at the top of the former Korea Headquarters’ building.
As the bright light completely disappeared, the first thing Lukas noticed was Arid’s hunched figure.
“Cough, cough…”
It took a few moments for Arid to calm down, after which he smiled wryly at Lukas.
“…that’s the first time I’ve ever had such a difficult [Communication].”
It seemed that Arid had reached the limits of their mental power.
This was to be expected. After all, Arid had just accomplished a task that was impossible even for Absolutes.
In all honesty, Lukas was still in disbelief.
[Thank you.]
He said these words with utmost sincerity.
This caused a faint smile to blossom on Arid’s lips.
“Did that help you to resolve your troubles a bit?”
[Right. It was very important to me.]
“Heh. That’s good.”
[Are you okay?]
“What do you mean?”
[That Communication seemed to have put your mind under a lot of pressure.]
After saying that, Lukas looked closely at Arid.
To put it bluntly, their white skin, which normally looked pure and sacred, now resembled that of a corpse. And although the light shining from their eyes was somewhat deceiving, Lukas could tell that they were incredibly fatigued.
“Yeah. I’ll be fine after I get some rest.”
With just those words, Lukas was able to understand just what kind of person Arid was. They were the type of person who found satisfaction in doing good deeds. People like this were usually well respected and carried great authority.
Nevertheless, Lukas didn’t completely believe Arid’s words.
After all, they looked like they could collapse at any moment.
(Note:
1. For those who forgot, it was one of the Circles, Gomez was the Circle Master and he stood up to Rezil Wilsemann during the emergency Circle meeting – Season 1 – Chapter 146 )