Chapter 15

Ironwood City. The Western District.

That afternoon, Clyris and Charlo sealed their pact in blood and ink. He would hide her presence from the world, and in return, she would act as a consultant for his research—specifically regarding the popularization and miniaturization of magical arrays.

He took her to the Western District, to the cluster of strange, slate-grey buildings she had seen from the tower. Upon entering the main facility, Clyris realized this was the beating heart of his operation: The Ironwood Magic Research Institute.

"This is my Chief Weapons Developer—the Fourth-Rank Mage, Freya!"

A little girl with fiery red hair and a lab coat far too big for her looked up from a schematic, puffing out her chest and staring at the disguised Demon Lord with haughty, challenging eyes.

"And this is my Chief Magic Researcher—the Fourth-Rank Mage, Alice!"

A blonde young woman stood nearby, clutching a clipboard, looking at Clyris with a timid, nervous expression.

"These two, along with the twenty-odd low-rank mages under their command, represent the bulk of my R&D capabilities," Charlo explained to Clyris, gesturing around the workshop filled with brass gears, crystal lenses, and scribbled chalkboards. "As you can see, our study of magic is limited. We are fumbling in the dark from a low-level perspective. That is why I need you. As a High-Rank Mage, I hope you can provide guidance from a higher vantage point."

"I can try..." Clyris looked at the two young girls doubtfully. "But what exactly do you want me to do? Let me be clear: I am not a teacher."

Clyris was a self-taught mage—or rather, a warrior forced into a mage's role by destiny. As a human, she had been a knight with absolutely no magical talent. Her current ability to cast spells came entirely from the knowledge forcefully injected into her mind by the Legacy of the Demon King. She grasped the concepts intuitively, but the pedagogy was beyond her.

"Hmph! The wisdom of The Great Me requires no teaching from thee!" Freya muttered, turning her head away with a hmph. "Especially from one who hides her head and tail like a rat in a sewer."

"Now, now. Miss Clyris has compelling reasons to hide her identity. Show some respect to the High-Rank Mage I went through so much trouble to hire!" Charlo chided gently, patting Freya on the head until she swatted his hand away.

"The bottleneck we are currently facing is the Geometric Simplification of magical arrays," Charlo explained, his tone shifting to business. "I need to engrave functional mana circuits onto small-scale mechanical components—pistons, gears, firing pins. However, standard arrays are too complex and sprawling. We haven't been able to streamline or miniaturize them without breaking the mana flow."

"It is as Lord Charlo says," Alice added softly, stepping forward. "I have been stuck on the topological reduction for months. I just can't find a solution that maintains stability."

"Magical Arrays..." Clyris felt a bit out of her depth. She wasn't an academic; she was a conqueror.

However, relying on the ancient knowledge echoing in her skull, she knew the fundamentals.

"Magical Arrays... they are more complex than spellcasting. They are a combination of Core Runes that determine function, Secondary Runes that gather ambient mana, and Auxiliary Runes that stabilize the connection. Do you know the Eight Cardinal Runes?" Clyris asked the blonde girl.

"Yes, of course," Alice nodded. "Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Time, Space, Light, and Darkness. The Eight Cardinal Runes formed from these elements are the axioms of our reality."

"Correct. The foundation of all magic lies in these eight elements and their derivatives," Clyris recited, her voice taking on an unnatural resonance. "For example, a basic Kinetic Barrier Array requires Earth, Fire, and Water runes in a strict 6:2:2 ratio. But... that rule only applies to Low and Mid-Rank mages."

"This..." Alice was stumped. "Are the ratios not absolute?"

"It can't be helped. I don't have a single High-Rank mage here, so please, don't keep us in suspense," Charlo said with a wry smile.

"Fine." Clyris continued. "Once you reach the High Ranks (7th-9th), you gain a completely different perspective—Elemental Vision."

"With this vision, supernaturals can observe the essence of the world more clearly. We can see the flow of mana like water and resonate directly with the elements. This is also why High-Rank entities can distinguish between supernaturals and commoners at a glance. Under Elemental Vision, a supernatural entity burns like a torch against the void."

"Therefore, High-Rank supernaturals—especially those at the Eighth Rank and above—do not need to adhere to strict ratios when mixing elements. We rely on Harmonic Resonance. We determine the ratio based on feeling and intent. The function remains the same, but the power is exponentially greater, and the structure far simpler."

"But what does this have to do with the arrays?" Charlo couldn't help but ask.

"Everything!" Clyris rolled her eyes at him beneath her veil. "Low and Mid-Rank mages manipulate 'mana of different attributes', which is bulky and inefficient. High-Rank mages manipulate the 'essence of the elements', which is concise! I can provide you with the rune structures for Mixed Elemental Resonance. By using High-Rank Runes, you can drastically reduce the surface area required. Doesn't that solve your miniaturization problem?"

"Hmm..." Charlo thought for a moment, rubbing his chin. "Is there no other way besides using High-Rank Runes? And does the engraving have to be done by you? Can a machine do it? Can a commoner?"

"I am just an ordinary High-Rank mage, not a God!" Clyris looked at him speechlessly. "Simplifying magic is a top-down process; you cannot reverse engineer it from the bottom. Currently, this is the only method. Perhaps if I ascend to the Saint Realm one day and understand the source code of the universe, I can provide a better, democratized method. But for now... sorry, no."

"As for engraving, commoners definitely cannot do it. However, it doesn't have to be me. Any mage can do it. High-Rank Runes possess inherent volatility; during the engraving process, a mage must continuously inject mana to stabilize the lattice, or the rune will collapse and likely explode."

"Alright..." Charlo sighed, resigned. "It seems my dream of mass-producing enchanted gear via assembly line is on hold."

Clyris couldn't help but laugh dryly. "You overestimate me. Tens of thousands of years have passed, and countless Saints haven't fully demystified the essence of magic. You expect me, a crippled High-Ranker, to solve it for you over tea?"

"Haha... I suppose I was too impatient!" Charlo scratched his head awkwardly.

"Very well. Moving forward, Miss Clyris will be responsible for drafting the High-Rank Rune schematics. The mages will then engrave them manually onto the equipment," Charlo decided. "Alice, you will act as the liaison. Explain our mechanical requirements and verify the magical output!"

"Yes! Lord Charlo!" Alice bowed respectfully to Clyris. "Please guide me well, Lady Clyris!"

________________________

The Wall of Holy Light.

The air here was thin, holy, and oppressive.

"May the Holy Light protect us. The Wall remains intact."

An elderly man with a long white beard and flowing robes of white and gold stood before the shimmering curtain of light, letting out a sigh that rattled his frail frame. This was Pope Farragut Nicholas, the Voice of God on Rodinia.

"Hmph! A mere Demon Lord who hasn't even reached the Saint Realm... to think we let her escape!"

A tall, middle-aged man dressed in opulent imperial regalia growled in annoyance, his voice like grinding stones. This was Curtis Thebes, Emperor of the Thebes Empire, a man whose ambition rivaled the sun.

"Curtis, she has already fled into the aether. Dwelling on it is useless! The urgent matter is to locate her signature!" A man in simple, elegant indigo mage robes chided the Emperor. This was Melton Velvet, Sage of the Magic Association.

"A mere Ninth-Rank possessing Four Authorities... this is unheard of!"

A young man in shining silver battle armor turned to the elderly priest. "Your Holiness... this generation's Demon Lord is an anomaly. Can the Hero truly defeat her?" This was Wade Balan, the Sword Saint of the Balan Empire.

"Wade, has ascending to the Saint Realm made your courage shrink?" Curtis glanced at the young man sarcastically. "The Three Great Empires have never relied solely on the Hero to exist! We are the pillars of this world!"

"Curtis..."

The old man before the Wall suddenly spoke. The three other Saints instantly fell silent, waiting for the oldest and most respected among them to speak.

"I felt it..." Pope Farragut murmured, his voice trembling slightly. "This Demon Lord... a part of her power does not belong to her."

"What... what do you mean?" Melton asked, stepping closer.

"A part of her power belongs to the Demon Lords of the Dark Era."

"That... that is impossible! The Dark Era ended twenty thousand years ago! Those monsters are dead and dust!" Curtis exclaimed in disbelief.

"I dare not believe it either, Curtis."

Farragut’s ancient eyes stared into the Wall of Holy Light. His gaze seemed to pierce through the endless golden radiance, seeing the Abyss that had been sealed away for ten thousand years on the other side.

"But I felt it. A palpitation from the deep Abyss, transmitting through the Wall. He responded to the Demon Lord who stood here! That is something only the Demon Lords of the Dark Era—the Progenitors—could achieve!"

"This..." Melton stood frozen.

"The demon invasions of Rodinia are an old story. But the victories of the last twenty thousand years have made us complacent. We have nearly forgotten how the Old Gods of Rodinia fell, and how the Divine Kingdoms that once stood upon this continent were shattered one by one!"

Holy light flowed across Farragut’s solemn face like liquid gold tears.

"The Rodinia Alliance Army must be reformed. We cannot treat this enemy as we have the previous Demon Lords. We must prepare for War as if we are back in the Dark Era... or we will perish!"