After hearing Adam’s explanation about what this place was and some of the Monster World history, Clara’s eyes twitched open with minor surprise; her hold on the Umbragarden hardened as a result.
Her eyes, falling on the sandstorm, then shifted up to the sky.
Then, back to Adam, seeing her reaction, Adam chuckled a bit, as he said with a casual expression.
"Relax, dear Clara. We’re not crossing the desert or anything crazy like that. I like existing, thanks, thank you very much."
"...And besides, we just need to find Nyla and drop off a certain letter at the nearest hotspot."
On the other hand, however, his attention shifted to the devastated ruin before him.
Dust and time had gnawed at the stone, carving deep cracks into walls, although it confused him, why the hell did Yarquella make this her base, yet another puzzling question.
But that aside, Adam’s attention soon shifted to the epicenter of this place, as he turned north of him.
He said, looking onwards.
"Hmmm... What seems to be the problem, mon Maître?"
Looking back at Clara, Adam remained silent as he remembered one of the very first words Casimir said to him.
"You fool... Has no one taught you? Noble vampires are sensitive to Astrum itself. I can feel every ripple you make, and react to any magic attack before they even land."
Falling back on this, Adam’s eyes tilted to Clara as he said to himself.
’It seems that bastard wasn’t pulling my leg... noble vampires and above, are really sensitive to Astrum, but I guess that same logic does not apply to the peasant ones, ha? Otherwise, how the hell does she not feel that? At the center of this city, a vast amount of Astrum has been gathered into a single area... I can feel its immensity from here... That of Nature.... That of Darkness... Honestly, who or what has such a horrifying output?’
Adam said to himself, keeping his thoughts to his own. The eyes of the world, and the Gate of magic that makes him sensitive to Astrum work in tangem, from where he stood, he understood just how vast the sheer amount of Astrum that had gathered, and was being used in that direction.
Clara, being ever observant, saw her master look northwards; his playful demeanor was nowhere to be seen; rather, he looked more worried than anything else.
"Maître, you appear bien inquiet... What burdens your cœur so gravely that your countenance alters in an instant?"
However, Adam did not answer the way Clara would have liked him to.
"Clara, follow me, and remember to keep within a ten-meter radius of the barrier."
Those were Adam’s last words before he grew a pair of wings and flew in the direction of the Astrum output.
His great wings flapping towards the gathering at the epicenter of this city. His goal was to see what was happening.
Ever faithful, Clara followed without hesitation, her psyche energy propelling her forward through sheer will. She stayed close behind him with ease. Thanks to the stealth spell, a blend of light and air magic...they moved largely unnoticed, slipping past countless Antmen as they pressed toward the center.
And the ruined city sprawled out beneath Adam’s wings as he soared higher, cutting through the cold, heavy air like a high-speed shadow in the sky.
They pressed onward, weaving around crumbling towers, pyramids, and broken streets until at last, the true heart of the ruin came into view.
And as he neared the centers... Adam slowed, nearly stopping midair, a sharp breath catching in his throat.
And what lay at the center of the great ruined city was quite the sight indeed.
At the city’s heart, looming like a god’s forgotten playground, stood a colossal coliseum. No...not just colossal, utterly absurd in size was the best way to describe it.
Even the ones back on Earth, the tourist traps with overpriced tickets and bottled water for ten bucks a pop, would’ve looked like dollhouses next to this thing. This monster could fit several towns inside, and still have room for a damn football tournament.
Cracked stone towers flanked its perimeter, their sheer size making Adam look like an ant before a smart watch. Ancient banners hung from the sides, as they flowed down from north to south, and east to west, their colors long drained from the abandonment of countless years.
But none of that was what made Adam’s skin crawl. Now closer to the source of the magic spell, he could see just how much power was being output here.
Nature Astrum, wild and raw. Darkness Astrum, cold and suffocating. It pooled and surged at the center.
If he compared the amount of Astrum he had painstakingly hoarded up until now, the sheer amount he has in his current reserve, scattered across different types. Then this monstrous gathering was... 4,958 times that amount if you take all he has, and put it up with how much has gathered for this spell.
Four thousand, nine hundred, and fifty-eight times.
He almost laughed. It was either that or scream into the desert.
’Echidna wasn’t kidding...
Adam thought, grimacing.
"All For One is truly a wonderous spell, I really want to see that magic circle behind that thing...I just need to get inside."
"Still a spell so monstrously powerful that even if I dumped every last drop of Astrum I have left across the board at the moment, I would not even have half the fuel needed to cast it once."
Adam said to himself, as his wings folded in as he landed lightly on the broken street leading up to the coliseum, Clara, touching down right beside him, soon followed as well.
Right at the entrance, he walked forward.
"...Yeah, just need to see that magic circle once and then...
He said to himself with excitement at the thought of another new spell in his arsenal.
But that excitement soon died down when he suddenly hit, or rather walked into, something hard and invisible.
It was clear to him that his body slammed into an invisible wall of some sort.
Causing Adam to stagger backwards, rubbing his nose.
"Ow, fuck me sideways... What the hell?!...
Clara, on the other hand, blinked at him, confusion flickering across her face. She reached out cautiously, and her fingers, too, met solid nothing.
There was a barrier between the two of them.
And Adam narrowed his eyes.
His senses were trying to pick up the nature of its structure.
He did not sense Astrum from it...so this was not a product of magic.
And upon realizing that he clicked his tongue, annoyed.
"No magic signature... Great. That narrows it down to natural powers, Lore abilities, or some artifact...just great."
Frustration simmered under his skin.
But all was not lost; when in doubt, resort to the System.
’Hey, System, a little help here, do you have any information on this barrier?’
『Hmmm... Just a second, master, let me check』
『Ah, I see, so that is what it is...
The System informed Adam as she began to explain further about the mechanics of this barrier.
『Master this barrier was made by Yarquella Mortlake, and it is formed using particles that do not exist within this or any known universe within the field. As a result of this, it exists outside natural laws... because it is unreal by reality standards, as such it type of illogical defence』
Adam’s heart sank at this explanation, but he was determined to get inside; as such, he questioned further.
’Is there any way to break it?’
『Unless an entity comparable to its creator comes and breaks it...breaching is impossible. All known entry paths, including subterranean routes, are covered as well』
Adam stood there, deadpan, letting the information settle in.
’You’re telling me...
He started slowly, as he went into a state of deep thinking and worry.
’...that I can’t even dig under this damn thing either?’
『That is correct, Master』
He pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing when he heard these words.
"...Don’t tell me an entire night is going to be wasted just because of a barrier?"
Clara hovered close, silent but tense, watching him from the corner of her eye.
It was clear there was no way she could help here.
Adam could beat magic barriers by overwriting spells. He could even overpower some freaks stronger than him with enough trickery or brains. But this...
This was way beyond his pay grade.
This was something entirely outside the rules of the world, something he couldn’t cheat his way around, not without strength on par with its creator.
He could train and defy the odds with his Shinso ability, but training takes time, even if he could do it quickly.
It still required time.
He cursed again under his breath.
"Sigh... At this rate... I might as well just call it in and report to Minerva. Tell her this is as far as I can realistically go."
Adam kicked a stray pebble hard enough that it ricocheted off the invisible wall with a sad little thunk.
"FUCKK!! Do I really have to call it quicks here?"
He asked himself while rubbing his head in confusion.
Clara hesitated, her lips parting like she wanted to say something comforting...but did not...because honestly speaking, what could she say?
Adam sighed, dragging a hand through his hair in annoyance.
He asked himself, and honestly, he was not expecting an answer.
But apparently, the universe decided to humor him today.
Because the System spoke again, this time with worry in her voice.
『Master... I can sense two immense Monster energy signatures detected in proximity』
Adam blinked, straightening slightly.
But before the System could reply...a bright purple glow spilled from the inside pocket of his black feathered cloak.
The one Minerva gave him.
It floated upward, pulsing with energy as cracks of light spiderwebbed across its surface. The air shivered as the envelope opened up, revealing a rift space inside.
"Mon Dieu... Master, what is this madness?"
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