This is, that...
Laphori started to speak with a trembling voice but then stopped.
Everyone looked at the object on the altar with stiff expressions.
Despite several layers of seals, a sinister aura leaked out.
The dreadful presence of death made those looking at it naturally frown.
This is more than I expected.
I thought I had become accustomed to it after absorbing two fragments, but this was beyond my expectations.
The first fragment, from the Oath of the Reversal, was defective and absorbed information from its surroundings.
The second fragment, from the Brokolak Clan, was solidly condensed and hardened...
This one seems to have no defects.
Moreover, its size was as big as the previous two fragments combined.
I hadnt assumed it would be exactly split into thirds, but I didnt expect this much difference.
...Then, lets begin. Please wait a moment.
Laphori sighed lightly, closed his eyes, and concentrated. Natural power flowed from his body and slowly moved towards the altar, touching the death aura leaking from the seal.
Fizz
The aura began to be corrupted instantly.
He hastily disconnected the link and wiped off his sweat.
Ahem, its certainly different from what I expected. If I had started exploring thinking it was simply a concentration of dark magic, who knows how long it would have taken.
He then stared intently at the aura flowing from the fragment, as if trying not to forget and engrave it in his memory.
While they waited for him to finish, the rest of the party just quietly observed. Then...
Sir Heinrich.
The saint approached and spoke to Heinrich.
What are your thoughts after seeing it directly?
His gaze at the fragment was so cold and determined, unlike his usual demeanor, it was hard to remember any of his past carelessness.
Well... Its impressive. To think that one being could contain such a thing, its no wonder it became a disaster for the continent.
Its not about containing. Its about being consumed.
The saint corrected him firmly.
A thousand years ago, for some reason, that which should have been at the bottom of dimensions suddenly appeared on the continent.
It was a more intimate story about the Heart of the Immortal King.
A place in the Outerica dimension that was a dump, where all kinds of negative refuse accumulated in an abyss that should have existed.
Probably the act of a dark wizard seeking greater power. To have opened the abyss and summoned that, he must have been one of the continents greatest at the time...
The desire for power is endless once you start.
The saint sighed and nodded.
Since it already existed on the continent, sealing it was the best option. It wasnt possible to open the abyss again and send it back.
No being could fully accept that power and handle it properly.
It was a part of the concept of death that had settled and condensed at the bottom of dimensions for eons.
Thinking about it, Mind Hub seems all the more impressive now.
Not so much because of the skills power, but thanks to its activation structure.
Creating a facility to properly enclose radiation requires much effort, but managing the entrance to that place is less troublesome, a similar issue.
'Blocking the radiation leaking out is sufficient for "Mind Hub" to activate continuously, and that's manageable.'
Since undead are immune to mental attacks, there wouldn't be any danger as long as he wasn't directly attacked in the mental realm like before.
"Honestly, I'm not sure why I brought Sir Heinrich here to say this, but it must also be the will of the Divine. Surely, it will be of help later."
The saint finished speaking and turned her gaze back towards Laphori.
And Heinrich glanced at the ceiling with mixed feelings.
'God, it's good that you're helping, but...'
He couldn't help feeling like he was being dealt with in a makeshift manner.
It was a win-win situation, but something about it felt off...
"...Well, that should be enough."
Laphori then turned around after taking a deep breath.
It seemed he had successfully completed the task of imprinting the energy.
"Let's leave now."
Following the Grand Inquisitor, who led the way out, they retraced their steps in reverse order back from where they came. Just as they all emerged outside without any major issues, except for Laphori looking a bit tired...
"Then."
As soon as they left the sealed area, a voice was heard.
Turning towards the direction of the sound, they saw that the Grand Inquisitor had already disappeared.
'He's no ordinary person.'
Though it was hard to determine precisely, he was at least of Paladin level.
He would be the one to watch out for in any future endeavors.
"Since Lord Laphori seems to have exerted himself today, it would be best to rest now and continue our conversation tomorrow."
At Archbishop Latius's words, who had been quietly observing all along, the gathering promptly dispersed.
And Heinrich, after escorting Laphori to the guest quarters, immediately headed to the training ground.
'It's done.'
Reflecting on the events inside the sealed area.
'All conditions are met.'
An unexpected fortune.
Now, all that remained was to choose the day of action.
***
[Kekeke... Finally.]
The awaited moment had arrived.
Moreover, Hans had obtained information that would assist in his ongoing research.
Specifically, finding a way to evade the saint's tracking.
'The saint is ultimately tracking the 'Fragment of the Immortal King.' So, if that alone can be concealed, the problem is solved.'
The basic plan involved placing the fragment in a subspace and maintaining only the connection to the dark magic to draw power from it.
A reasonably convincing plan formed by combining the research on subspace dependency, which he hadn't had time to conduct, with the "Immortality" skill, which hadn't been fully utilized.
However, the experiment hit a snag from the initial stages.
For some reason, the fragment could not be placed into subspace in any manner.
Initially, he thought it was due to the immense energy contained within, and he was conducting related research...
But this time, through the saint, he had learned the reason.
'About the origin of the fragment. No wonder it never entered the subspace.'
An object pulled from the abyss of dimensions and manifested in the world.
Naturally, it couldn't be moved to another dimension by conventional means.
'Unless using a being free from the laws of this world.'
Indeed.
Like an awakened one from another world.
'Just like Hans has freely crossed dimensions with the fragment until now.'
Hans was a very unique being.
Despite being undead, due to the "Avatar" characteristic, he was connected to the original body and recognized as an awakened being.
[Kekeke! Ultimately, using this body seems to solve the problem!]
Instead of utilizing the dimension's backside, there had already been some success in creating a subspace dependent on the individual.
Zzzt
The space tore open, and Hans's empty hand disappeared into the air before reemerging.
Now, in his grasp was a skull staff that wasn't there before.
'The space isn't satisfactorily large yet, but that will improve over time.'
If this dependent subspace could be made identical to Hans himself, wouldn't that solve the problem?
[Some tuning is needed. Set the subspace's coordinates to overlap with this body and disperse the boundaries...]
With the direction already determined, it wouldnt take much time.
What remained was to extract the origin with "Immortality," store it in the dependent subspace, and maintain the connection.
Though it couldn't be perfectly hidden due to the connection of dark magic pathways, the deficiencies could be blocked to some extent by constructing a concealment ward on the body, as done currently.
That alone should be enough to roam the continent without issues.
'Yes, once this research is completed, I can freely operate even after obtaining the last fragment.'
With Heinrich having reached the doorstep of where the fragment was sealed, it was as good as in Hans's grasp.
'But I can't just go now. It's not ready yet.'
From what I had seen directly, the size of the last fragment was similar to the two I had absorbed before.
It meant it contained a similarly strong energy.
It was impossible to immediately hide such energy after absorption.
It would take considerable time to manage...
'And the Order won't wait for that.'
Unsealing the significant level of sealing would take time, and absorbing the fragment would take quite long.
Perhaps, I would have to immediately flee by deactivating the summoning after obtaining the fragment.
The problem starts from there.
'If I emit such dark magic without managing it, the Guardians will immediately discover my location and start tracking me.'
I had hidden well until now, but it was impossible right after absorbing a fragment of the same size I already possessed.
'I can't keep summoning it either. Even if I move far from home and separate immediately after summoning, I don't know what means of tracking would follow.'
Especially since the conflict with the Abyssal Conclave had just begun.
Even if they discovered Hans's connection, they might not suspect me right away, but taking such a risk now was uncomfortable.
[Kekeke Done! This will work! Kahaha!]
Moreover, there's no need to take such risks anymore.
After this experiment, I would be able to properly hide the fragment's energy.
***
"Lord Laphori. Are you feeling better now?"
"Yes, it wasnt a big problem. I was just a bit tired."
The day after checking the Immortal King's fragment.
They gathered again to discuss future actions.
How to track the Immortal King.
"We've found a forest nearby that's suitable for a ritual, brought by my party from the Elven Kingdom. We're preparing there."
"Yes, I've heard about that. We've also provided the necessary materials from our side. So, when can we start the search?"
"Hmm..."
Upon Archbishop Latius's question, Laphori paused to calculate something before looking at them and answering seriously.
"The preliminary preparations will be completed within two days, so we can start the formal ritual within three days."
The figures from the Order nodded in agreement.
They had been continuously conducting search operations without any significant results, so they had high expectations for this endeavor.
"Then, we should decide in advance the order in which we'll search the areas."
Although checking all the forests on the continent could take up to a month, with some luck, they could find it much faster.
Swoosh
A large map of the continent was spread out on the table.
A map prepared for this operation, marked with numbers in the regions with dense forests.
"Let's start with the most likely places. Are the parts with larger numbers considered to have a higher probability?"
The saint asked a question to a man in black priestly robes sitting with them.
He was the Inquisitor responsible for the information for this operation.
"Yes. We calculated the probabilities based on the progress of the ongoing search operations and the creature's previous movements."
A gloomy voice flowed from between the pressed-down hood and black mask.
'Its the first time Ive heard the Inquisitor speak properly.'
The Grand Inquisitor who had guided everyone to the sealed area had only spoken in short answers.
Well, the saint had asked directly, and it meant they considered this matter of great importance.
Heinrich, standing behind the saint, glanced over the map.
He was also very interested in this search operation.
'Let's see, the Forest of Beasts is... Huh?'
<28%>
The highest marked probability was around 50%, but even considering that, it was lower compared to other areas.
Despite it being the region where the descendant of the Immortal King was first discovered.
'Its lower than I thought. It must be because of the extensive search conducted before.'
As it was the first place where Hanss traces began, the Talias Immortal King extermination team had thoroughly investigated that vicinity before.
That result must have been reflected in the figure.
"Um, then this area as a priority..."
"Let's start searching here first..."
The attendees of the meeting were busy discussing and deciding the order based on those numbers.
'The Forest of Beasts seems to be pushed back in priority. With this, I should be able to finish the research before the search begins.'
I had been planning to adjust my actions based on when the search would start, but the outcome seemed quite favorable.
Actually, it was very good.
If everything goes as planned, it couldnt get any better.