To kill a magician, one must act before they even begin to think, as the construction of a magical formula can be completed in an instant.
The commander reached the far end of the third floor while the black-uniformed magicians under his command began systematically dismantling nearby cloaking spells. Their coordination was seamless, their actions swift and precise.
The commander's hand brushed against a painting on the wall. The blood-red jade on his ring emitted an eerie glow as the Root System began to automatically decrypt the encrypted magical formulas.
A gentle, kind female voice, transmitted via communication magic from the sky fortress, echoed in the minds of every magician connected to the Root System.
"Logical database access failed. Requesting higher permissions… Request granted."
"Conceptual database access failed. Requesting higher permissions… Request granted."
"Primary database access failed. Cipher analysis conflict detected. Permissions reset."
The voice carried a hint of apology. "I'm sorry. Decryption of the magical formula has failed. Please attempt physical bypass or escalate my security level."
The commander had the authority to escalate the system's security level, but he chose not to. Switching the Root System from covert to war mode within Pranman territory would change the nature of their mission entirely.
Currently, they could claim the destruction of nearby cities was the result of a magical corps mishap causing an energy leak. But activating the war mode would clearly signal deliberate intent by the corps' leadership. Moreover, the activation of the sky fortress' war mode would generate such a massive disturbance that Pranman's magical corps would immediately respond. Within half a minute, two sky fortresses would be in a standoff over this region.
The primary mission now was to eliminate Joseph Mongel, retrieve all experimental data, and execute these tasks swiftly and covertly. Alerting Pranman's military leadership was clearly not an option.
The red glow from the commander's ring gradually faded. He adjusted the brim of his hat and gave his order. "Decryption failed. Forced entry!"
Forced entry would create significant energy fluctuations, which, in this underdeveloped border area, could easily draw the attention of the Pranman Empire. However, there was no alternative. The sky fortress hovering over the border and emitting a strong beam of light had likely already been witnessed by civilians. Delaying further would only attract more attention.
Moreover, the commander's earlier order to flatten the surrounding cities served two purposes: to cut off the Angel of Death's escape routes and to disrupt magical communications, delaying the spread of information. These actions had already made the region's anomalies conspicuous. Staying any longer was clearly a bad idea.
The dark corridor erupted with a blinding light as identical spears appeared in the hands of the magicians. Each spear had a golden shaft and a mithril tip, with gleaming, razor-sharp wings extending outward. The commander's holy spear, however, stood apart, its core centered on the blood-red jade ring. Crimson magical patterns extended from the gem, spreading across every inch of the spear, making it resemble an ancient weapon soaked in real blood, rather than a magical construct of pure energy.
He raised the holy spear high, its crimson light illuminating the old manor in an eerie glow. With unparalleled destructive power, the spear shattered the wall, revealing a pitch-black tunnel behind it. The inner walls of the tunnel were scorched and crumbling, as if ravaged by some monstrous force.
The devastation extended through the tunnel but abruptly stopped at the laboratory, where a visible energy isolation barrier had been activated at the entrance.
The laboratory was vast, brightly lit, and immaculately clean—almost unnervingly so. It was hard to imagine that this room had been in disarray just moments earlier. The meticulous setup of the equipment and the spotless environment hinted at its owner's remarkable professionalism and a touch of obsessive cleanliness.
Behind rows of neatly arranged potion storage cabinets was a wooden door, an incongruous element amidst the advanced magical apparatus. The door was slightly ajar, letting a dim yellow light seep through.
Breaking through the energy isolation barrier was much simpler than decrypting the entrance lock. Within seconds, the commander and his team stormed into the laboratory. They moved with precision and silence, their breathing barely audible as they took care to avoid disturbing anything in the room. Their boots were coated with anti-magic materials, and even their seemingly ordinary black robes could withstand a high-energy impact.
The adjudicators of the magical corps understood all too well the danger posed by "Joseph Mongel." The unbreakable encrypted lock alone was a testament to his threat level—his existence was enough to elevate the Root System's security level to war mode.
The commander was the first to enter the wooden door.
To everyone's surprise, the man who had evaded capture for fourteen years was seated calmly behind it, showing no intention of resistance.
The room was small, with a desk directly opposite the door and a bookshelf on the left. The contents of the bookshelf had already been destroyed. Mongel sat in front of the desk, which was made of plain wood. A sheet of parchment was spread before him, its neat and precise writing meticulously penned. He had already set down his quill and sat with his hands clasped, the black jade on his finger glinting faintly, as dark and inscrutable as his eyes.
The commander locked eyes with Mongel for a fleeting moment, during which countless magical formulas ran through his consciousness.
In an instant, the commander hurled the blood-red holy spear. A targeting light appeared on Mongel's forehead, aimed squarely at his head. The spear erupted with blood-red energy, its glow as fierce as molten lava, filling the cramped study with its searing intensity.
The magicians behind the commander gripped their spears tightly, calculating every possible escape route Mongel might take and sealing them off with precision.
However, Mongel made no attempt to evade. He maintained his cold, mocking expression until the holy spear obliterated his head.
"Destroy the corpse, destroy the laboratory, destroy this house and this city. Erase everything related to him," the commander ordered, his voice calm and steady, unaffected by the loss of a life. "The Root System is already recording all material changes here. Once we return to Holy Lanskarter, the research department will recover Mongel's experimental data."
As long as the Root System was active, no data that had ever existed here could be truly lost. For this reason, the commander was indifferent to Mongel's death, as were the corps' higher-ups. They didn't even particularly care about Mongel's research data. While Mongel was undeniably brilliant, the world was full of talented magicians, and the magical corps of Holy Lanskarter had no shortage of them.
The adjudicators followed orders strictly, removing traitors and ensuring no research fell into the hands of other nations.
Having delivered his command, the commander turned and left, stepping through another rift back to the sky fortress.
After his departure, the holy spear he had thrown twisted briefly, then erupted into blazing flames. The fire roared to life, leaping as high as a person and consuming everything flammable around it. The old manor, built mostly of wood, caught fire quickly. In mere moments, the entire structure was engulfed in flames.
On the ground, the magicians conducted thorough sweeps of the area, using investigative magic formulas combined with energy detection instruments to confirm repeatedly that no living beings remained nearby.
A gentle female voice resonated within the sky fortress:
"Detected an investigative energy wave originating from the northeast, preliminarily analyzed as a tactical-level magical formula from the Pranman military. The wave has been successfully blocked. Would you like to proceed with interception?"
The commander's pale fingers brushed over the blood-red jade on his ring. After a brief moment of thought, he gave the order:
"Block it, but do not intercept. If their investigative magic escalates to a strategic level, we will withdraw immediately."
"Understood. Would you like a cup of hot cocoa?" The Root System's voice carried a faint hint of amusement. "You have been working for thirty-eight hours straight and maintaining combat readiness for four hours. Energy replenishment and emotional relief are crucial."
"No, thank you," the commander replied, frowning slightly. The subtle emotional tone in the system's voice made him uncomfortable.
He thought to himself that before his next mission, he should request permission from the higher-ups to deactivate the system's human-like behavioral processing. Otherwise, he might develop a nervous breakdown from being observed by a system that acted so much like a person.
Whoever had been the previous commander of this sky fortress must have had extraordinary patience to endure such an intelligent and almost human system.
To be honest, the original developers of the Root System might have had some peculiar ideas about its "humanized" features.
He meant… Joseph Mongel.
"Reporting to the Commander-in-Chief: all signs of life at the site have been confirmed eliminated." The leader of the Adjudicators returned to the sky fortress via a drop pod. Standing at attention, he saluted and handed a sealed container to the commander.
"What is this?" The commander took the container and glanced at the label—it was marked as empty.
The leader lowered his voice. "It's the black jade… Would you like to see?"
During the cleanup and eradication process, they had recovered Mongel's black jade ring. Such an item was beyond their authority to handle, so it was brought back to the sky fortress for the commander's decision.
The commander tucked the small ring case into his coat and replied indifferently, "The Angel of Death has already been dealt with. This item shouldn't be of much use."
The jade ring served as an identity marker for key figures in the magical corps' most critical fields. Mongel, as the lead developer of the Root System, had been awarded the black jade ring. While it contained his identity signature, to anyone else it was merely a decorative object. Perhaps, much later, it could be displayed in the magical corps' war museum.
The leader, seeing the commander take the item, had nothing more to say. He proceeded to report on the situation on the ground, while the Root System provided supplementary adjustments and corrections in real time. By the time dawn broke, all traces had been completely erased, and all magicians had returned to the sky fortress.
"Strategic-level investigative magic fluctuations detected in the northeast, approximately 3,000 kilometers away and approaching," the Root System gently reminded the commander. "According to your earlier instructions, it's time for us to retreat."
"Deploy radiological weapons. Destroy all surrounding cities… as quickly as possible." The commander issued his final order before stepping into the cockpit of the sky fortress.
Their mission was top secret. If only Camper was destroyed, the Pranman Empire's attention would quickly focus on this location. Pranman's magical research was in no way inferior to that of Holy Lanskarter, which meant that in a short time, they could use similar methods to recover Mongel's experimental data.
Thus, the focus had to be dispersed, turning this premeditated strike into a catastrophic "accident."
The Root System's voice maintained its angelic, pure laughter. "As you wish. The strategic-level Death Radiance magical formula now fully covers the border sky. Initial estimates suggest that 48 border cities, including Rivera and Tamors in Holy Lanskarter and Tambia, Oakles, and Camper in the Pranman Empire, will be affected."
The commander couldn't help but marvel internally at how intelligent the system was. It not only "understood" his intention to divert Pranman's attention but also took it a step further by using indiscriminate attacks to shift the blame elsewhere.
If the incident only affected Pranman, it would be too obvious and clumsy. However, by making the attack indiscriminate and including Holy Lanskarter as a victim of this "catastrophic accident," they could deflect suspicion significantly.
"Commander, may I?" The Root System's voice appeared in the cockpit, her tone polite and professional. "I've just restored the letter Joseph Mongel wrote before his death. It contains some interesting content. Would you like to read it?"
The tone, as if she were speaking to a colleague, made the commander uncomfortable. He replied tersely, "Go ahead."
A piece of parchment appeared before him. The writing was crisp and fresh, as though it had just been written, showing no signs of restoration.
The commander picked up the letter, clearing his throat to read:
"To my dearest…"
His gaze froze on the name, and even his words faltered.
"Well?" the Root System asked, as if anticipating his reaction.
The commander carefully set the letter down, found an envelope, and sealed it with meticulous care. Tapping his finger lightly on the armrest of his chair, he ordered without expression, "Add another charge to Joseph Mongel's crimes: blasphemy."
In his final moments, the man named Joseph Mongel had not considered escape or resistance. He had calmly sat at his desk and left behind his last words:
"To my dearest…
I have condensed all I have learned throughout my life into your name, hoping that, with its help, you will attain eternal purity and peace. I am too poor; I have nothing. But I wish to create a world for you, a world in which you will be sheltered by the strongest magic, favored by the most beautiful divinities. I hope you will shine brighter than the light of creation, more enchanting than the darkness of destruction.
And, of course, I hope that you will remain completely unaware of everything I have done."