Book Eater

Hwang Mountain was three thousand meters tall, and stood as the barrier that protected the capital of the Central Empire. It was near impassable if one strayed from the roads hewn into it, and any passes were fiercely guarded. Intruders were killed on the spot, and no matter how prestigious their standing, anyone who entered without the permission of the imperial family were severely punished.

Theo stood at Hwang Mountain’s slopes and scoffed.

So this is what the empire has come to.?

The empty guard posts and scattered bodies of the soldiers. There were no signs of conflict, so it was likely they had entered Geongun Castle on orders. Lust preferred sacrifices over guards. Theo broke down the door and clenched a hand. He didn’t need chants anymore, as magic followed his will to destroy the guard post before him like a sandcastle before the coming tide.

“Hmm, your hands seem a bit callous today. Did something bad happen?” Seimei, who had come to stand next to him, looked strangely at him.

Theo hadn’t realized it, but he was being a little rougher than usual. He shook his head with a bitter smile. “It isn’t a big deal. The final battle is approaching, so I’m probably just tense.”

“Is that so? From my point of view... No, I guess it is okay,” Seimei tried to say something before shrugging it off. “You can handle it. This isn’t a story for an old man who has already died.”

Theo turned to glance at him. “What...?”

Seimei shook his head. “It is nothing. You’ll realize it without my help anyway. Let’s focus on the problem we are facing right now.”

Theo was now curious, but Seimei avoided him by climbing the mountain. Moreover, it was better not to know if it was a story that would disturb him before the upcoming battle with Lust. So Theo shook off his curiosity. The two of them climbed to the peak of Hwang Mountain and looked down at the scenery below them.

“... So that’s it.”

“Yes, that’s Geongun Castle.”

Theo saw the capital of Geongun Castle for the first time and had to admire it. It couldn’t be compared to Belfort, the capital of the Andras Empire. The labor and cost of the building process, as well as the defenses of the castle itself, were phenomenal. It was like it was the culmination of all human civilization.

Seimei’s eyes narrowed. “The castle’s name of Heaven and Earth isn’t just arrogance... It boasts a ridiculous function. This castle is the reason why I didn’t choose an all out war.”

Even Seimei, who could proudly claim to have been the strongest in the east in his era, had been limited to only sending a single body into the castle, and he had eventually fallen. Seimei’s white eyebrows bent slightly as he looked at the site of his death, Geongun Castle.

He raised an index finger. “Kagutsuchi, stab.”

There was no time for Theo to stop him. The attack spell that borrowed the divinity of fire was already complete by the time Seimei spoke. A flaming giant appeared and hurled a sword at Geongun Castle.

Kwaaaaang!

The greatsword was incredibly powerful and fast, causing a massive explosion fifteen meters away from the wall. Theo could feel the heat from a few kilometers away. It was a spell that stood at the peak of the 8th Circle.

Theo’s eyes narrowed. “... Ward?”

Still, there wasn’t a single iota of damage on the translucent barrier around the castle. Theo’s face stiffened as he saw the revealed ward. However, Seimei didn’t look surprised that his attack was so easily nullified. The defense of this barrier greatly exceeded even ultimate spells.

Seimei cursed. “Dammit! How many people were killed to make this? At least eight hundred million, considering the inefficient structure...”

“Seimei.”

Theo stopped Seimei, who was muttering gibberish with anger, and looked at him for an explanation.

Seimei closed his eyes before explaining coldly, “As you know, the more complex the structure of the ward, the better the efficiency. If a barrier with a complexity of one can stop a force of one, a barrier with a complexity of ten would be able to handle ten, or even twenty. Do you understand so far?”

Theo nodded. “Yes.”

“But just following this principle doesn’t mean that your ward can be strengthened indefinitely. The more complex the formulas used, the more ways there are to break them. Therefore, a ward must inevitably find a compromise between these two elements. Increase efficiency or eliminate gaps? This doesn’t change even in the ultimate state.”

It wasn’t a perfect analogy, but it was similar to a mechanical device. The more complex the structure of the machinery, the greater the performance of the system. However, a single misalignment could lead to a fatal flaw. Focusing on complexity wasn’t necessarily the best thing for a ward.

However, Seimei was disgusted by the ward. “Now, here’s the question. What is the level of the ward surrounding the castle now?”

Theo guessed. “Isn’t it at an excellent level?” 𝑏𝑒𝘥𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝑙.𝘰𝑟𝑔

“In a manner of speaking, but not really.”

The vague answer left Theo confused. Seimei ground his teeth together. “The formula governing that ward is one of absolute simplicity. The efficiency isn’t even at 1:1. It is a trash barrier that wouldn’t even be taught to novice shamans. That is the essence of the Geongun Castle ward.”

Theo looked askance at him. “B-But! That ultimate spell couldn’t break through the defense of the ward. How can such a defense―”

Seimei growled. “It’s simple. If the efficiency is low, just pour in energy. There are plenty of sacrifices in this land.”

“...!”

Theo took a second look at the transcendent defensive ability of Geongun Castle as he understood Seimei’s cursing. Eight hundred million, or perhaps even more, were the number of people who had been consumed to form and power this inefficient ward.

Theo said quietly, “... The efficiency of the ward wasn’t considered to push its defensive ability to the maximum?”

Seimei glared down at the castle. “It’s obvious but perfect. It is so stupid that I can’t think of a way to attack. If you describe the ward as a wall, breaking it is like cracking open the bricks that make up the wall. Yet this ward is a single slab, not a wall. It can only be crushed with strength.”

The problem was that even that method was impossible. It was a slab forged by eight hundred million and more lives. The legendary black magician, Jerem, had used all the people of Lairon as sacrifices to call Nídh?ggur. The dragon had only been able to materialize for a short period, but the kingdom’s lives had been enough to call a demon king who threatened the material world.

In this case, close to a third of the continent was focused on strengthening a single ward!

Goetia.

[Yes, Master.]

Theo calculated his maximum firepower and what would happen if they collided with the ward.

I can create seven clones with the power of the Eight Jade Magatamas and use ultimate spells. I can also invoke the fusion spell that borrows the power of the god-sword. Calculate the possibility of breaking through if I hit a single point.

[I understand.]

The prohibited book Goetia was silent for a few seconds before coming up with an answer.

[Less than 0.105% chance. It is impossible.]

However, Theo continued without stopping,

Summoning Fafnir and maintain his Eraser for 10 seconds.

[0.312%, error range is 0.027%. It is impossible.]

Summon a top soul. Use one of Simon Magus’ spells.

[0.289%, error range is 0.012%. It is impossible.]

The deification of Dmitra. Can she collapse the earth beneath the ward and weaken it?

[0.138%, error range is 0.02%. It is impossible. Additionally, Dmitra’s deification can only be done in the Great Forest, so this situation is impossible.]

Theo clicked his tongue. He had forgotten the reason he hadn’t called Mitra once since he had come to the East. Now that the world tree had lost its vitality, Mitra was the one sustaining the Great Forest. Her deification was based on the faith of the elves, so she could only exercise the power of a god in the Great Forest. Outside of the Great Forest, she was just a powerful ancient elemental.

“... It is impossible to break through the front.”

Seimei nodded with a bitter smile. “That's right. In my time, I could enter alone. But they seem to have learned a lesson from that. My mother, who has no interest in anything other than mating, seems to have used her brains.”

Theo “Maybe the great monk who will soon arrive can do something, but... I don’t think there will be a breakthrough.”

Seimei tsked, “Can we only come this far?”

It was almost like they needed a pie from the sky. They could see their enemy plotting in front of them yet there was no way to enter. However, Theo shook his head. He had prepared himself for something along these lines

“It is too early to give up.”

“Hoh?” Seimei’s eyes shone as he responded immediately, “It seems you still have a trick up your sleeve. What are you thinking?”

Theo shrugged. “It is a simple matter. If they want to buy time, then we can prepare something.”

Seimei asked, “What are you going to prepare?”

Theo’s eyes turned flinty. “A hunt.”

Theo had laid a trap during the negotiations with Lust, a trap that he knew couldn’t be escaped from. He would take the advent of the heavenly demon and drop that ghastly ceremony into the depths of hell.

***

After he returned from Hwang Mountain, Theo started to prepare. There was nothing else to do as long as they didn’t have a way to break the ward around Geongun Castle. They cleared a space near Hwang Mountain and installed something in the land.

“Theo, what purpose does this construction serve?” Suzuka asked him curiously.

However, Theo didn’t answer her question. There was a possibility that someone here might leak information, but more than anything, he knew that the enemy still had hidden cards/ If they could read minds with just a look... It was clear that more than half the plans Theo was preparing would be lost.

Randolph dropped by to help. “I’ll give you a hand. I’m getting bored anyway.”

Titania also chimed in. “I will also help. Don’t damage the forest as much as possible.”

“... That elf there, did you say something to me?”

Additionally, the colleagues that Theo brought directly took the initiative to join Suzuka and Nobutsuna. The Japanese warriors didn’t know what this was for, but were forced to help out anyway. Since the workforce was mostly made of masters, the mountain slope was quickly transformed according to Theo’s instructions.

After seven days and nights of construction, he started the next stage.

“Masters, we need to talk.”

If a heavenly demon really did come into existence, then Theo was the only one who would be able to confront him head-on. According to Gluttony, the heavenly demon wasn’t a transcendent but was a monster that could demonstrate combat power beyond transcendence. In another dimension, he would climb to the status of a demon king and spread blood and nightmares all over. No matter how strong the people gathered here were, they wouldn’t be able to endure more than a few seconds in front of him.

Thus, Theo had prepared a few tricks.

“Hah...”

“T-That is possible?”

“Wow, I pity that guy called the heavenly demon. If we do this, won’t we be able to win?”

“... If the prey is strong, it is the hunter’s job to design a strategy. Okay, I will be the arrow in your snares.”

Each master received his instructions and nearly all were in awe or surprise at Theo’s preparations. If they couldn’t do this, they would die anyway. Nobutsuna was obsessed with a duel and wasn’t convinced, but he couldn’t say anything against the strategy of the much stronger Theo.

A few days later…

The masters were diligently training when a guest found Theo. The old man was in a wheelchair, but he was escorted by two familiar faces, so Theo easily guessed his identity.

“It is nice to meet you, Supreme Monk. I am sorry to greet you in this shabby place.”

Taeryun and Taerang were treating him very respectfully. If Theo remembered correctly, the supreme monk had lived for over three hundred years.

When Theo politely greeted him as a senior, the Supreme Monk laughed hoarsely, “Haha! You are as humble as these two children, Taeryun and Taerang, said. This old man has no regrets because I get to meet such a person of distinction.”

“Huh?”

He sounded like he had been waiting for Theo. Theo was surprised by the familiar tone and raised his head. Blue eyes and black eyes met each other silently. No, the silence was just an illusion. It was just like when time slowed to the extreme when he was concentrating.

What is this feeling?

Why did he get the feeling that he had met this person before? Suddenly he remembered. If it had been a few months later, he would’ve forgotten.

But Theo was able to recall the person who gave him this sense of deja vu. “... You were also on the East Continent.”

The two monks blushed at Theo’s lack of honorifics.

However, they were stopped by the Supreme Monk, who smiled and nodded. “It might be a bit different from what you think, but yes. Do you have a few minutes? I have something to say to you.”