Infinite Mage [Remake]-Chapter 168: The Reversal of the Law (Part 5)

But upon reflection, the Howling wasn't the problem. He had never seen a magic transformed into a massive flash of light and flew into the sky.

The Pursuit Leader muttered,

"How did they do that? Who are they?"

Two experts in tracking began searching for Shirone's group. One sniffed the air like a dog, while the other stuck out his tongue and raised his head to the sky.

The man using his sense of smell surrendered,

"Captain, the wind is blocked. We can't track them."

The man using his sense of taste held out a bit longer. With his tongue stretched to his chin, he finally retracted it and said,

"I can catch them with taste. They went that way."

When the reinforcements arrived, the captain mounted his horse. He turned in the direction the scent expert had pointed and said,

"They've only crossed one wall! They can't have gone far! Pursue them!"

"Kyaaaah!"

The pursuers let out eerie cries as they turned back.

One minute later.

Shirone's group descended in a flash of light, returning to their original location.

It was Shirone's idea to exploit the Kergo's tracking abilities.

Since the scent was already embedded here, tracking would be impossible. Therefore, the pursuers would only return after checking every possible location.

Guardrak leaned on Clove again. He pointed to a deep fissure in the valley and said,

"Thanks to you, we're alive. We won't run into them for a while. Let's go this way. There should be a path."

Amy asked skeptically,

"Where exactly is Noor's sanctuary? How much farther do we have to go?"

Guardrak replied,

"That's what I want to ask you. How do you manipulate light magic so freely? Do you extract it from the air?"

Amy said,

"We don't use that method. Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"

Guardrak explained,

"To move to Noor's sanctuary, we need a place where light gathers. It's similar to the magic you use, but it can travel much farther. Anyway, trust me and follow. There's a Shining Spot just a bit ahead."

Perhaps the magic Guardrak was referring to was spatial teleportation. It seemed to involve borrowing the power of photons from a place where light gathered to fly directly to Noor's sanctuary.

It was an excellent choice. With this method, even if the pursuers killed the guide, Noor's sanctuary would remain hidden.

The Noor's way of thinking was undoubtedly that of mages. A place where such individuals gathered—what kind of place would Noor's sanctuary be?

With a small thrill, Shirone followed the fissure in the valley and slipped through to the other side.

The Pursuit Leader muttered,

"Where could they have hidden?"

He was serious. Even after 20 minutes of searching, he couldn't find any trace of their scent.

A scouting party rode up. Their expressions clearly showed they had failed.

Scout:

"Nothing. We couldn't find any traces of entry in Maru Valley or Fan Stream."

The Pursuit Leader cursed,

"Damn it! To lose them after we had them cornered!"

Scout:

"But Captain, isn't it strange? How did they escape during our fight? That area wasn't a Shining Spot where light gathers, was it?"

The captain had been thinking the same thing.

As far as he knew, no mage in Noor used such magic. They could be extraterrestrials, but they resembled humans too much.

Having hunted heretics for four hundred years, he recalled a hint from ancient history.

The Pursuit Leader muttered,

"Could they be... humans from the earthly realm?"

A sharp glint appeared in his eyes. If they were humans from the earthly realm, pursuit wasn't the issue.

Mecha digs into what they know, Noor digs into what they don't know, but Kergo digs into the gods. That's why they were the only believers who knew the whole truth.

Humans from the earthly realm weren't mere imitations. To the Kergo, they were a serious variable that could influence the law.

The Pursuit Leader ordered,

"Stop the pursuit. Return to Shamain. Reporting comes first."

As the pursuit leader turned his horse, his troops followed.

At that moment, a vibration came from the ground.

Everyone, who had been casually scanning their surroundings, widened their eyes as the vibration grew stronger.

The Pursuit Leader muttered,

"Could it be...?"

The Noor's used the valley as a midway point because it was a clean zone where no harm could come as long as they avoided one law.

Therefore, this vibration should never have happened. The emergence of the Whirlwind Serpent during daylight was an event not even recorded in history.

The Pursuit Leader whispered,

"The law... is being disrupted."

A strong wind blew, and a black curtain fell over the vision of the twenty pursuers.

In the state of seeing nothing, screams and cries followed.

As time passed, their shouts faded away.

The darkness lifted, and sunlight poured down, illuminating the cold valley. Thousands of pieces of flesh floated on the red stream.

Shirone asked, confused,

"Shamain?"

Realizing she had been too brief, Kanya added an explanation. Being new to people from outside Heaven, she sometimes forgot they came from the earthly realm.

Kanya explained,

"It's the area in Heaven where believers live. It's also called the First Heaven."

Shirone asked,

"The First Heaven? As in the first sky?"

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Guardrak answered that question. As a heretic, he felt less burdened explaining Heaven than Kanya did.

Guardrak said,

"Heaven is divided into seven regions, from the First Heaven to the Seventh Heaven. Among them, the area where believers live is called Shamain."

Shirone recalled the scenery he had seen from the sky.

A massive circular wall enclosing six pie-slice regions and another region at the center.

The seven heavens Guardrak mentioned referred to that.

Shirone asked,

"Do all races live together in Shamain?"

Guardrak replied,

"Yes. Their living areas are different, but they all live in the First Heaven. Even the Kergo behave themselves. Believers are fundamentally protected by the law. But Purgatory is extraterritorial. That's why Heaven's laws don't apply here. Surviving here isn't easy."

Shirone asked,

"How many races live here?"

Guardrak said,

"Including Purgatory, there are too many to count. There are also extraterrestrials whose origins are unknown. The One-Horned Demon you fought is also an extraterrestrial. But as of now, there are only three races that uphold the law of the gods. Each has its strengths and weaknesses, so they work together to form the foundation of Heaven. Noor loves exploration, and Mecha loves research."

Shirone asked,

"Then what does the Kergo love?"

Guardrak smirked.

Guardrak said,

"They love the gods."

Kanya snapped,

"Guardrak! How can you say such blasphemous things?"

But Guardrak didn't care.

From the moment he decided to become a heretic, no law bound him. In exchange for abandoning the gods, he gained a painful life, but it was his own choice.

Guardrak continued,

"The Kergo love conflict. Their role is hunting. That's why they're the only race allowed to enter Purgatory. Of course, the individuals seem to interpret it strangely."

This time, even Kanya had to agree.

Kanya said,

"They're really an unpleasant race. Just because they use the abilities of giants doesn't mean they are giants. It's annoying to see them imitating those who uphold the law."

Shirone asked,

"What exactly is this 'law'?"

At first, he had interpreted the word "law" as he understood it, but over time, it seemed to have a different meaning here than in his original world.

Kanya asked incredulously,

"You don't know what the law is? Doesn't the earthly realm have laws?"

Shirone replied,

"No, we do, but... do you have to follow it?"

Kanya said,

"Of course. The law is the will of the great Ra. Those who oppose it cannot exist. That's why it's called the law."

Shirone spread his hands in frustration,

"But we're breaking the law right now, aren't we?"

Kanya snapped,

"That's why we're suffering like this in Purgatory! Why can't you understand? Would you want to live in a place like this forever?"

Clove retorted,

"Hmph, what's so bad about it? It's much better than living in that cramped place forever."

"Oh, really? Then go ahead and live well. Spend your life being hunted by the Kergo's as a heretic."

As Clove was about to snap back, Guardrak spoke.

"That's possible. We're Lawbreakers, after all. That's why we were exiled to Purgatory, but so what? At least we've gained freedom."

"How is that freedom? It's just fear. The fear of not knowing when you'll die."

"I don't know when I'll die. But the right to die is mine. Isn't that enough?"

Kanya's expression hardened.

Though divine subjects were said to gain eternal life, death was still a sensitive topic. Especially coming from a heretic, the mention of the right to die was a mockery of heaven.

Kanya couldn't hold back her anger and snapped.

"If you're a believer, shouldn't you follow the law? They run away as they please, and now they talk about freedom and the right to die. Do you think their lives will improve just by wrapping it up in such words? This is why I don't like Noor."

Rena tried to stop her.

"Stop it, sister. Fighting with heretics won't change anything."

Kanya also knew. Those who stood at the opposite end of the law couldn't be reasoned with.

But Guardrak was determined to settle things now that the fight had started. After years of purgatory, he had a lot bottled up inside.

Guardrak sneered,

"Do you really think that? Do you think you're right?"

Kanya shot back,

"Of course! We're different! The reason we left purgatory is because Heaven doesn't use things like elixirs. Once we get what we need, we'll return to Shamain and live happily under the protection of the gods for the rest of our lives!"

Guardrak retorted,

"You don't need to sugarcoat it. You're just another creation thirsty for eternal life, aren't you?"

Kanya's eyes burned with anger.

Until now, she had tolerated the blasphemous conversation because there was a line that could be crossed. But Guardrak had just crossed that line by a mile.

Kanya growled,

"You... no matter how much of a heretic you are, I can't forgive those words. I could kill you right here, right now."

Rena pleaded,

"Sister, don't."

Kanya shook off her sister's hand and drew her arc. But Guardrak simply looked at her calmly, almost pitifully.

Guardrak asked,

"Then why did you come looking for me? No, what are you trying to get at Noor's sanctuary?"

Kanya's shoulder twitched as she aimed her arc.

"You don't need to say it. It's obvious. Soon, someone in your family will undergo the 'Flower of Tales' ritual, right? That's why you came here to buy Noor's medicine."

The aim of her arc wavered. At this distance, if she let go of the handle, there would be no way to stop the projectile. But in the end, she couldn't shoot. Tears poured uncontrollably from her eyes.

Kanya sobbed,

"What's... what's wrong with that? What's wrong with thinking about my parents? This has nothing to do with the law! I just... I just want my mom to...!"

Even the men of Heaven were weak to a woman's tears, and Guardrak's emotions softened. Once, he too had been a believer. That's why he understood Kanya's feelings better than anyone.

Rena hugged her sister and said to Guardrak,

"I'm sorry. My sister..."

Guardrak replied,

"I understand. There's no need to apologize to a heretic. The Mecha tribe has strong family bonds. I got carried away. It's all because of this wound."

Guardrak awkwardly examined the wound on his abdomen. The muscles were cut, but his organs were unharmed. The problem was the bleeding wasn't severe, but it hadn't stopped.

Guardrak turned and said,

"Don't worry. The Noor's don't attach emotions to objects, so you'll be able to get what you want. But you'll need quite a bit of elixir. The Noor's are excellent traders."

Kanya wiped her tears and said defiantly,

"Hmph, don't worry about that. I've saved enough for a year."

A sad smile appeared on Guardrak's lips as he walked away.

Shirone, who had been watching their conversation, felt a heavy weight in his chest. Many of the words were unfamiliar, and the reason for the emotional outburst was unclear, but this place wasn't governed by absolute values either.

What is the 'Flower of Tales'? Is Ra truly a god? Is this place Heaven, or just another world?

When this journey ends, will I be able to return with all the answers?