Chapter 987: The Calm...
Northern stared down with an indifferent, blank expression, watching two figures leap from below and latch themselves onto the Tower’s underside.
Northern closed his eyes briefly.
’Let’s see... what defense mechanisms does this Tower possess?’
Since the Tower’s Control room sat nestled within his consciousness, Northern held direct access to its contents through his mind.
All he needed was to sift through his memories like searching through files. Within seconds, a smile crept across his face.
’Found it.’
***
The moment Azzut and Aszdan launched themselves upward, they clung to the ship’s base like geckos—their hands seeming to stick to the surface. They began scaling the concrete hull at an utterly inhuman pace.
Just as they neared the ship’s bow edge, one of the layered hull bricks groaned and split open.
Aszdan froze, glancing down with narrowed eyes.
"Ignore it," he commanded.
As he turned his gaze upward again, a fierce gust erupted from the opening, battering both climbers. Being Paragons, mere wind couldn’t dislodge them—though it slowed their progress. The ship’s rim lay only five more handholds away.
More hull bricks creaked open. The wind grew savage, their black coats snapping violently in the tempest.
Then the very bricks beneath their grip split apart, plunging them into the yawning darkness before they could react. The Tower swallowed them whole.
Koll observed from below.
He clicked his tongue in disgust.
"Useless things."
His scowl deepened as he studied the airship with sharper focus.
Recognition sparked in Koll’s eyes like a struck match.
’Ah... isn’t that the Tower of Trammel?’
His expression darkened further.
He’d overlooked it initially—such a sight wasn’t common in his long existence. The Tower had wandered endlessly until the Origins seized it, transforming it into a prison for the Chaos Prince.
Later, the Chaos Prince claimed it as his domain.
’That brat.’
Still, how Northern—bearer of the Chaos Prince’s vestige—had stumbled upon such a relic puzzled him.
’Fate...? impossible.’
Koll shook his head slightly. Fate lacked the cunning for such elaborate schemes. This had to be the Chaos Prince’s doing...
’The Chaos Prince is dead. Don’t overthink this.’
Naturally, his immense power left remnants that still shaped the world. The Leviathan lurking beneath the Crimson Cloud was born from his body’s decay. His soul’s vestige—the one Koll had carefully orchestrated Northern to absorb—would draw all chaotic forces, ready to be fed to Kryos upon his awakening.
His frown shifted, realization dawning.
’What if... it was drawn to the Vestige?’
That explanation made perfect sense for why Northern possessed the Tower of Trammel.
Since the Tower had grown intimately familiar with the Chaos Prince, after its master’s death, it could have wandered through the Underworld into the Upperworld, seeking the Vestige—explaining how Northern stumbled upon it.
That meant the Tower likely knew how to traverse between worlds.
Koll raised an eyebrow.
’Fascinating.’
Yet he seemed uninterested. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t return to the Underworld whenever he wished.
Still, the Tower of Trammel was a remarkable structure. Owning it would prove invaluable.
A Paragon behind him finally spoke, shattering his thoughts.
"Boss. Should I go instead?"
This one sported purple hair cropped short, with sharp, slanted eyes—small and eerily calm. Too calm.
Koll didn’t turn around.
"Pointless. You’ll meet the same fate."
The young soldier bowed respectfully.
"What do we do then?"
"We wait."
The three behind him exchanged bewildered glances.
The one with black, wavy hair spoke up.
"Lieutenant, we didn’t come here to wait."
Another chimed in:
"We can’t just stand idle while the Academy burns. We must play our part in carving history."
Koll turned back, his expression sour.
"So... you want to charge down there and slaughter instructors too? All for our cause?"
The calm one lowered his head slightly.
"I dare say—that’s exactly what we’ve been doing all along. What’s different now? Because they’re instructors or students? Boss, don’t tell me your friend’s death is making you soft?"
Koll’s jaw clenched. If he didn’t need these fools, he’d have killed them all on the spot.
Of course, it wasn’t that they couldn’t kill—Koll simply didn’t want to waste precious time cutting down fodder. He’d framed it hoping they’d show some restraint.
Apparently, they were too far gone for morality.
He sighed, watching flames devour the Academy below.
"You know what... go do your thing. Storm the Academy and destroy whatever you please. I have somewhere else to be."
The three bowed and vanished.
Koll exhaled shakily, releasing his sweaty palms before looking up at Northern.
The Tower ship hovered over the chasm, nearly across completely. Yet Northern’s gaze remained fixed on Koll—or rather, Lieutenant Dante, as everyone knew him.
Northern watched as Koll turned away, beginning his descent down the mountain.
A flicker of concern crossed Northern’s mind.
’Where is he going?’
He harbored a vague suspicion but remained curious about Koll’s true destination.
Even more intriguing was how Koll knew of that place’s existence—if indeed that’s where he was headed.
Northern sighed, facing forward.
’First, I must help Annette.’
He walked slowly to the ship’s bow, leaping onto its rim. Hands at his sides, he stared at the gaping wound in the Academy’s walls. He still remembered his first arrival—not even two years ago—when everything had seemed so perfect.
Those walls had been heavily fortified, reinforced metal. He’d thought nothing could breach them. Who would have imagined that the very thing capable of tearing them down lay caged beneath?
Northern’s gaze drifted to the chasm’s dark, hollow depths.
"What could have been down there..."
He paused, touching his chest.
"...and why does my entire body feel so heavy?"
Something writhed inside him, like a caged beast clawing to break free through his ribs. The sensation had only begun minutes ago as they’d reached the mountain chasm.
Northern fought to keep himself steady. He couldn’t understand why Chaos was suddenly stirring, but he was certain it connected to whatever creature had escaped from the chasm’s depths.
This made Northern question how the coming battle would unfold—especially when he did not plan to unleash any ability tied to Chaos and Void.
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