The Genius Mage Was Reincarnated Into A Swordsman Family-Chapter 190: Ancient Machinations

"Transform it into what?" Alexandra's question hung in the air as pieces of ceiling crashed down around them, forcing the survivors to scramble for cover.

Klaus studied the ancient console, all Four Eyes of his Ten Eyes Mantra fully open, granting him perception beyond ordinary human senses. Each opened Eye allowed him to perceive different aspects of reality - energy flows, structural weaknesses, dimensional anomalies, and temporal fluctuations - all simultaneously and with perfect clarity.

What he saw disturbed him deeply.

"Into a gateway," he finally answered, fingers tracing symbols that stirred something in the depths of his mind - knowledge that wasn't his, yet felt hauntingly familiar. "Not just to another location, but to something else entirely."

A massive chunk of the ceiling gave way as one of the Duke's crystalline appendages punched through, showering them with debris. Opalescent fluid poured from the breach, flowing with unnatural intelligence toward the chamber's edges, cutting off potential escape routes.

"Leone, establish a perimeter!" Klaus ordered, not looking up from the console. "Alexandra, Juron—secure the central platform. I need time."

The survivors moved with disciplined efficiency, taking defensive positions around the miniature rift apparatus. Leone organized his remaining officers into a rotating guard pattern, while Team 55's members fortified points of structural weakness.

Klaus immersed himself in the ancient technology, his Four Eyes perceiving multiple layers of information simultaneously. The designs, the symbols, the operating principles - they should have been incomprehensible, yet understanding flowed into his mind like water finding familiar channels. Not memories from his life as Klaus Zagerfield, but something deeper, more ancient, as if knowledge dormant for centuries was awakening within him.

"This shouldn't be possible," he muttered, recognizing formulae and concepts that sparked recognition from some buried part of his consciousness. "These calculations account for dimensional constants that weren't discovered until..."

He trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought aloud. The implications were too staggering.

The Duke's voice—now a multi-layered chorus of perfectly synchronized tones—resonated throughout the chamber. "Fascinating. You comprehend the architecture." His massive form began squeezing through the breach, crystalline appendages extending like probing fingers. "Few possess such acuity."

Klaus ignored the transformed noble, focusing entirely on the console as his fingers danced across control surfaces. More cracks appeared overhead as the Duke's enormous hybrid body forced its way into the chamber.

"Klaus, whatever you're doing, do it faster," Alexandra warned, cyan aura flaring around her blade as she prepared to engage the first wave of homunculi flowing through smaller breaches.

The miniature rift at the chamber's center pulsed with increasing intensity, its violet energies synchronizing with patterns Klaus could perceive within the Duke's opalescent body. The connection between them wasn't coincidental—it was by design.

"It's reacting to his presence," Klaus realized. "He's not just controlling the process; he's part of it."

The rune on his palm burned with excruciating pain as Klaus channeled arcane energy through it into the console, temporarily overriding its connection to the Duke's network. The miniature rift's pulsations slowed, creating a momentary disruption in the larger pattern.

"That's it," he murmured, his Third Eye revealing fluctuations in the energy harmonics. "The system requires perfect harmonic resonance to function. If we can introduce enough dissonance..."

The Duke's massive form finally broke through completely, sending tons of concrete and reinforcement rods crashing to the chamber floor. His transformed body now resembled a grotesque fusion of mechanical, alchemical, and biological components—a mountain of brass, crystal, and flowing opalescent substance with the Duke's face—now split perfectly between flesh and clockwork—still visible at its center.

"Your interference is noted but inconsequential," the Duke stated, voice carrying the weight of multiple synchronized consciousnesses. "The Convergence proceeds regardless."

Homunculi poured into the chamber from every breach, surrounding the survivors in a tightening circle of silver bodies and crystal appendages. Leone's remaining officers engaged them with grim determination, their blades seeking the vulnerable runic junctures Klaus had identified earlier.

Alexandra and Juron formed the inner defensive perimeter, protecting Klaus as he worked. Their coordinated movements spoke of countless hours training together, each anticipating the other's actions without need for communication.

"Whatever you're planning, make it count," Juron grunted, his massive sword cleaving through a homunculus that ventured too close. "We can't hold them forever."

The miniature rift's violent energies continued building, resonating with similar patterns visible throughout the Duke's hybrid form. Through his Four Eyes, Klaus perceived beyond the physical manifestations to the underlying structure—a vast, interconnected system spanning the entire containment zone and beyond.

As the true scope of what they faced became clear, Klaus made a critical decision. He closed his physical eyes, focusing entirely on his Ten Eyes Mantra. Within his mind realm, the four opened Eyes aligned their focus on a single point, and the magic circles contained within each Eye began to spin rapidly, channeling arcane energy rather than merely perceiving reality.

This was the true power of the Ten Eyes Mantra - the ability to cast magic directly through his Eyes without forming external circles, bypassing the conventional limitations of mages.

"Dimensional Anchor," he whispered, channeling arcane energy through his palm into the console.

The arcane energy formed complex patterns as it flowed from his mind realm through his palm and into the ancient systems. Unlike conventional mana manipulation, which would have been detected and countered, the arcane energy interfered with the alchemical processes on a fundamental level.

The effect was immediate and devastating. The miniature rift's energies suddenly inverted, flowing inward rather than outward. The connection between it and the Duke's network shattered, causing cascading failures throughout the hybrid systems.

The Duke's form convulsed, opalescent fluid boiling within his crystalline components. "What have you done?!" the layered voice demanded, true alarm breaking through its mechanical composure.

"Created a feedback loop," Klaus answered, his voice strained but determined. "Your own energy, turned against your network."

The homunculi throughout the chamber froze, their synchronized movements disrupted as the controlling intelligence struggled to compensate. Some collapsed entirely, opalescent fluid hardening into inert crystal.

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Klaus's temporary victory came at severe cost. Blood now flowed freely from his nose, ears, and eyes as the strain of channeling such intense arcane energy taxed even his enhanced physiology. The Ten Eyes Mantra required tremendous mental discipline to maintain under normal circumstances - using it to directly interfere with ancient technology designed to manipulate reality itself pushed him to his limits.

"The system's primary controls are over there," he managed, pointing to a section of ancient machinery near the chamber's far wall. "If we can recalibrate the output nodes, we might be able to send a directed energy pulse strong enough to reach White Lion headquarters."

Leone didn't waste time questioning Klaus's unexplained abilities. "Alexandra, Juron—cover him. The rest of us will hold this position."

The Duke's massive form began to recover, the disruption caused by Klaus's intervention already being countered by redundant systems within his hybrid network. The opalescent fluid stabilized, flowing with renewed purpose as homunculi regained their coordinated movements.

"Your understanding is impressive but incomplete," the Duke stated, crystal appendages reconfiguring into more aggressive forms. "The Convergence has been prepared for centuries. One wielder of arcane energy cannot stop it."

Klaus staggered toward the output controls, his earlier use of the Ten Eyes Mantra having depleted much of his strength. Alexandra moved to support him, her expression a mixture of shock and determination.

"What you did..." she said quietly, "That wasn't normal aura manipulation or conventional mana work. That was something else entirely."

"Questions later," Klaus replied, focusing on staying conscious despite the blood continuing to trickle from his eyes. "Help me reach those controls."

Juron carved a path through recovering homunculi, his massive sword keeping them at bay while Alexandra and Klaus made their way to the ancient machinery. The chamber shuddered around them, the Duke's hybrid form causing structural damage as it maneuvered toward the miniature rift.

"The disruption is temporary," Klaus explained, fingers dancing across control surfaces with practiced precision that belied his own confusion about how he understood the ancient technology. "I've bought us minutes at most. The Duke's systems are already adapting."

He studied the output node configurations, his Four Eyes revealing connections and pathways invisible to normal vision. Strange fragments of knowledge continued surfacing in his mind - not memories exactly, but understanding that felt primordial, as if part of him had always known these systems.

"These controls connect directly to the main barrier," he said, following intuition that felt like remembering something he'd known ages ago. "If I can reconfigure them to send a concentrated pulse along the existing energy conduits..."

An explosion of opalescent fluid interrupted him as the Duke launched a concentrated attack. Crystal spears erupted from the liquid, targeting critical junctions in the ancient machinery. Alexandra intercepted several with her blade, cyan aura flaring brightly as she pushed her core to its limits.

"Whatever you're doing, hurry!" she shouted, narrowly deflecting a spear that would have impaled Klaus.

His Second Eye focused entirely on the threats around them, giving him perfect spatial awareness despite his concentration on the controls. Within his mind realm, the magic circle in his Second Eye spun rapidly, channeling arcane energy into a localized distortion that diverted several incoming projectiles without requiring him to physically move.

The effort caused him to cough up blood, his already depleted reserves dangerously low.

Despite this, his fingers continued their dance across the controls, executing a complex sequence that shouldn't have made sense to him yet felt as natural as breathing. The output nodes hummed with building power, energy conduits glowing with increasing brilliance.

"Almost..." he managed through gritted teeth.

The Duke surged forward, multiple appendages converging on their position. "You will not interfere with the Convergence!"

A massive crystalline limb smashed into the platform where they stood, sending Klaus and Alexandra flying in opposite directions. The ancient console sparked and shuddered but continued functioning—the sequence already locked in.

Klaus crashed into a bank of machinery, the impact driving the air from his lungs. Through blurred vision, he saw the energy conduits reaching critical levels as his reprogrammed sequence executed.

"It's done," he gasped, struggling to remain conscious. "The signal..."

A pillar of concentrated energy erupted from the chamber's central array, shooting upward through the breaches in the ceiling. The beam punched through layers of concrete and steel, continuing into the sky above Northwatch where it split into multiple directed pulses—each one carrying the same encoded message:

Northwatch compromised. Ancient technology activated. Eternal Rift weaponized. Send reinforcements immediately.

The effort of maintaining the signal drained the last of the system's independent power reserves. As the beam faded, the chamber plunged into momentary darkness before emergency lighting flickered to life.

In that instant of darkness, the Duke struck. Multiple crystal appendages lashed out simultaneously, targeting each survivor with precision that shouldn't have been possible in the low visibility.

Klaus's Four Eyes perceived the attack coming but his depleted body couldn't respond quickly enough. A crystal spear pierced his shoulder, pinning him against the machinery behind him. Another claimed one of Leone's remaining officers, impaling the man through his chest.

"No!" Alexandra shouted, her blade severing the appendage holding Klaus but too late to save Leone's man.

The Duke's transformed face—half flesh, half clockwork—regarded them with clinical detachment. "The signal is irrelevant. By the time reinforcements arrive, the Convergence will be complete."

Klaus pulled the crystal shard from his shoulder, blood soaking his uniform. Despite his injuries, his Four Eyes continued analyzing the chamber, identifying potential advantages and escape routes.

"What is this Convergence?" he demanded, buying time as the survivors regrouped around him. "What are you trying to accomplish?"

The Duke's layered voice carried an unsettling note of religious fervor beneath its mechanical precision. "The culmination of centuries of preparation. The Eternal Rift is not a wound in reality—it is a door waiting to be opened."

"A door to what?" Leone asked, helping Klaus to his feet.

"To perfection," the Duke answered. "To the ascension of all life on this limited plane. To Those Who Wait Beyond."

The phrase triggered something deep in Klaus's consciousness - not a memory from his life as Klaus Zagerfield, nor even from his former life that he partially remembered, but something more primal, a warning etched into the very foundation of his being. His Four Eyes momentarily revealed glimpses of entities that existed outside conventional reality, beings of such power that ancient civilizations had erected barriers between dimensions specifically to prevent their entry.

"You're trying to bring something through," he realized, the full horror of the Duke's plan becoming clear as ancient understanding welled up within him. "The homunculi, the transformations—they're preparations. You're creating vessels."

"Not vessels," the Duke corrected, opalescent fluid flowing through his hybrid form with renewed purpose. "Worthy forms. Physical manifestations capable of hosting consciousness beyond your comprehension."

The chamber shuddered again as the Duke's body expanded further, absorbing machinery and homunculi alike. The miniature rift at the center pulsed in perfect synchronization with these changes, its violet energies beginning to form a distinct pattern.

"The signal's away," Leone said quietly to Klaus. "If reinforcements come..."

"They won't arrive in time," Klaus replied, equally quiet. "Look."

He pointed to status displays around the chamber, where countdown sequences had initiated on multiple systems. The Duke's transformation had triggered the final phase of whatever process had been building for centuries.

"We have hours at most," Klaus continued, "before whatever's on the other side of that rift breaks through completely."

Leone surveyed their depleted group—six survivors, all injured to varying degrees, facing an enemy of incomprehensible power. "What do we do?"

Klaus studied the chamber's systems, his Four Eyes perceiving vulnerabilities in the ancient technology that his inexplicable understanding helped identify. "The process requires perfect harmony between the miniature rift and the main barrier. If we can disrupt that synchronization, we might be able to delay the Convergence."

"How?" Alexandra asked, helping Juron bind a wound on his arm.

"The barrier control station on the surface," Klaus answered, pulling together fragments of ancient knowledge that continued surfacing in his mind. "It contains override protocols that might allow us to destabilize the connection temporarily."

The Duke's massive form shifted, focusing its attention on them once more. "Your persistence is noted," the layered voice stated. "But the Convergence cannot be stopped. Those who resist will be harvested. Those who accept will be elevated."

Crystal appendages reconfigured, forming a forest of razor-sharp spears that surrounded the survivors. Opalescent fluid flowed across the chamber floor, cutting off retreat to the tunnel they had used to enter.

"We need to reach the surface," Klaus said, his voice low but steady despite the blood still seeping from his wounds. "The barrier control station is our only chance."

Leone nodded grimly. "Then we fight our way out."

The Duke's hybrid form pulsed with anticipation. "Your resistance will provide valuable data for the final calibrations," he observed with clinical interest. "Proceed with your futile efforts."

As if responding to an unspoken command, the homunculi surged forward in perfect unison, crystal appendages extended to impale, capture, or convert.

The final battle for Northwatch had begun.