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Chapter 373: The Story After. (5). [Side Story 5]

[So this is the place.]

The Tower Master was now heading toward a mountain range at the edge of the continent. The destination was starting to come into view.

A vast, endless mountain range, blanketed in snow.

Its name was Alfra.

It was one of the five largest mountain ranges on the continent.

Rumors had spread that earthquakes kept occurring there, so he had come to investigate. Of course, if it were just an ordinary earthquake, there would’ve been no need for him to come in person.

At most, one of his disciples could have taken care of it.

But this case was different.

The Alfra mountain range lay at the very outskirts of the continent.

No one lived anywhere near this remote place.

Even the closest village was extremely far away—even when measured on a planetary scale.

And yet the earthquakes from Alfra were so powerful that their effects reached all the way to those distant settlements.

This meant something on a continental scale was taking place.

That was why the Tower Master himself had come.

As he flew onward, he muttered to himself.

[An earthquake in the Alfra mountains?]

When the Tower Master had examined Alfra’s ley lines a few years ago, there had been no sign of problems.

On the contrary, the range was so stable that it should not have experienced a single quake for thousands of years.

Perplexed, he arrived at the mountains and entered within—only to suddenly freeze in place.

[…What is this?]

The Tower Master was horrified.

Alfra.

The colossal range of snow-covered peaks that pierced the clouds, mountains piled upon mountains.

That entire mountain range… had collapsed.

The ground had sunk and shattered, causing the mountains to cave in.

To an unknowing eye, it wouldn’t look like a mountain range had once stood there at all—it would simply look like the land had caved in and been torn apart.

The mountain range itself was gone.

The Tower Master faltered.

Could this have been a delayed aftereffect of the great war against the Demon King and the Twisted One?

Or had they simply failed to notice it before?

[He read the traces carefully.

The result was clear.

[…This isn’t that old.]

Among the scars of destruction were some that had occurred only recently.

It had nothing to do with the war.

Which made it all the more incomprehensible.

A mountain range that was among the five greatest on the continent had collapsed without any connection to the war.

[Something’s strange.]

Landing upon the broken remains, he placed his hand on the ground.

Woooom.

A vast wave of mana spread outward, enveloping the land.

He was attempting to read the lingering traces of mystery to uncover what had happened.

But nothing revealed itself.

There were no traces at all.

It felt as though the mountains had simply collapsed naturally.

[What is this?]

The Tower Master was bewildered.

If he returned now and reported that there was no problem—that the mountains had just collapsed on their own—no one would question it.

And yet, something felt wrong.

His instincts told him that something massive, something alien, was involved.

[This is going to be troublesome… but there’s no helping it.]

He spread his hand.

Complex formulas of a magic circle began to form.

[Deep Searching.]

A Level Ten spell manifested.

His magic didn’t just scan the area—it penetrated the air, the land, and deep into the crust below.

Kiiiiiin.

All the details of the collapsed mountains poured into the Tower Master’s mind.

He organized the information.

His probing expanded deeper, pushing down into the very mantle of the earth.

“…Well, that’s a mess.”

The Tower Master let out a dry laugh.

The land was completely ruined.

Even with Ketal’s strength, restoring it would be nearly impossible.

What in the world had happened to leave it in such a state?

He couldn’t even begin to imagine.

He continued the search—and then noticed something strange.

Deep within the crust, his detection was being blocked.

[Is there some kind of mana-blocking ore down there?]

It wouldn’t have been unusual for rare ores to exist deep underground.

The Tower Master shifted the flow of his magic to probe deeper.

[…Hm?]

But again, something was wrong.

No matter how he tried, his detection could not pass through.

It felt as though an invisible wall was blocking him.

[What is this?]

He had explored deep beneath the crust many times before, but never had he encountered such a vast, impenetrable obstruction.

And when he had last surveyed Alfra, no such thing had existed.

Frowning, he expanded his probing further.

His magic spread wide—but still failed to detect anything.

That absence of detection was, in itself, a kind of information.

And then he realized something.

‘…It’s moving?’

The areas where his magic could not penetrate were shifting—slowly, in a regular rhythm.

As he observed the pattern, he froze.

The movement where his magic failed to reach… resembled the breathing motions of a living creature.

Just as that realization struck him—

The ground shook violently.

Whatever was blocking his detection began to rise.

Kuuuuuuuung!

The collapsed mountains sank further into the earth.

The Tower Master shot skyward in alarm, shielding himself.

Kugugung! Kuuung!

The mountain range collapsed entirely into the ground, leaving a massive hole.

And from that hole, something began to crawl upward.

[Daring, aren’t you.]

A thin, whisper-like voice.

The Tower Master shuddered.

It was the sensation of prey before a predator.

[To disturb my slumber.]

[…Ah.]

The Tower Master groaned.

It was a snake.

A white serpent.

But enormous.

No—that word alone couldn’t capture it.

Its long neck rose up so high it pierced the ruined earth and touched the sky.

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And still, its entire body could not be seen.

The Tower Master realized what it was.

[…The legendary White Serpent!]

From a time long past—

a monster spoken of in the Emperor’s legends.

The White Serpent that devours glaciers.

The White Bear that shakes the earth with quakes.

The vile Rat that defiles the seas.

It was one of them—the White Serpent.

His instincts told him so, and the Tower Master was horrified.

‘How?!’

Surely, Ketal had severed the Forbidden Lands from the surface world!

The serpent flicked its tongue, its gaze locking onto the Tower Master.

[A pitiful mortal. Arrogant thing. You don’t even look edible.]

Ruuuumble!

The serpent stirred.

That single movement made mountain ranges collapse and whole stretches of land crumble.

Its very body was a calamity.

[Not even worth chewing. Die.]

Boom!

It thrashed its body.

Chunks of mountains were hurled into the air, flying toward the Tower Master.

Even a single fragment was no mere stone, but the size of a small hill.

Not something even he could ignore.

He quickly raised his arm.

Kiiiing!

A barrier of mana spread out, intercepting the debris.

The shield trembled under the crushing mass.

Annoyed, the serpent shifted again.

Ruuuuumble!

[Damn it…!]

Entire mountains were flung like meteors toward the Tower Master.

He clenched his jaw, fists tightening.

[Teleport.]

The Tower Master’s body vanished.

The hurled mountains slammed down, shaking the land to its core.

Shockwaves rippled outward like tidal waves.

The Tower Master reappeared above the serpent’s head.

Spells, invoked at high speed, erupted simultaneously.

[Hellfire.]

[Frozen Tempest.]

Hell’s flames and a storm of ice raged downward.

The magic of a great archmage—force enough to overturn nature itself.

Even one of the Demon King’s Four Lords would be wounded if struck head-on.

[Hoo.]

Toward that destructive power, the serpent casually breathed out.

BOOOOM!

And with just that breath, it scattered both the hellfire and the freezing storm.

[Kkkhhhhh!]

But it didn’t end there.

The Tower Master’s body was hurled skyward.

He was blasted so high that he nearly crossed into the thinning upper atmosphere before stopping himself.

[…What!]

A single breath had shattered his magic completely—and launched his body skyward.

A monster.

The serpent actually seemed intrigued he had survived at all.

[Oh? You managed to keep your form… and you’re still alive? Among mortals of the outside world, you’re not entirely useless.]

Its slit eyes gleamed, fixed on the Tower Master.

[You may not look like food… but not bad. I shall grant you the honor of becoming part of me.]

With those words, its head lunged.

Instinctively, the Tower Master blinked away.

The serpent’s jaws snapped shut just beside him.

Whoooosh!

Even the wind of its passing made him stagger.

The serpent lashed its head.

CRACK!

That massive head smashed against him.

Every shield, barrier, and artifact he wore shattered instantly.

His body was rocked by the impact.

KRAAAASH!

He was driven deep into the earth, the land trembling once more at the aftershock.

The serpent clicked its tongue in annoyance.

[Crush them like that, and it’s hard to find a corpse. Eating becomes troublesome.]

Still, it might scavenge scraps.

The serpent lowered its head to the ground.

Even the simple motion stirred storms in the air.

But then, it noticed something.

[…Still alive.]

[…Barely.]

The Tower Master’s body was in shambles.

His skull was fractured.

His lower half was gone.

Half his ribs were nothing but powder.

He was struggling to regenerate, but the damage was grievous.

The serpent chuckled.

[To withstand my strike and still draw breath… impressive. You have my praise.]

[…You are the Serpent of the White Wasteland, aren’t you?]

[Why ask what is obvious?]

The serpent flicked its tongue.

The Tower Master gave a bitter laugh.

[…How?]

Ketal had sealed them all away.

Yet the serpent spoke gleefully.

[I came outside long ago. I’ve simply been waiting in silence for the right time.]

It had not just emerged—it had been lurking beneath these mountains for years, unmoving.

The serpent laughed.

[I wondered if that one was still around… But seeing this world still intact, I take it he’s gone. Then there is no problem.]

[…By “that one,” you mean Ketal.]

[If he were still here, this world would not remain so whole. His absence is fortune for me.]

At its words, the Tower Master asked quietly:

[So all this time, you hid… because you were afraid of Ketal?]

[…Silence!]

The serpent roared suddenly.

The very air quaked at the sound.

The Tower Master let out a dry laugh.

[Guess I struck the mark.]

[What mortals think means nothing. Without him, this world is mine.]

The serpent rose higher, pulling the very atmosphere upward, the heavens trembling.

[This world shall be mine. And you, mortal, will be the first stepping stone!]

Its colossal jaws closed around the Tower Master.

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