Steampunk: Sixth Era Epic

Chapter 1968: Maze Lock - Lovers of the Bell Tower

"Power surpassing the Thirteen Rings."

Even though she knew this battle would determine everything, Miss Danester’s face under the tree still showed respect for both sides:

"Laplace Klein Howard, truly a genius."

"Could your association really cultivate such talent?"

The curator of the Apna Library, Old Higgins, asked the diviner beside him, "Mr. Crystal" Adelaide Lenormand shook his head slightly, while Granny Natalie from the Guiding Light Hermitage beside him looked at the towering crimson light and remembered many years ago when Laplace Howard sought asylum from the Hermit Society:

"Unfortunately, the idea he wanted to validate was not feasible. Escaping has never been a solution... may civilization endure."

The blood-red shade enveloped the snow-covered Green Island, and the power that the diviner had just spread across the island now entirely recoiled, as if taking everything on the island along with it.

The blood-red light pillar descended from the sky, enveloping him. In this blood-red glow, the expression of "Edwards" was solemn and grave, even exhibiting some sense of holiness. One hand pointed to the sky and the other to the earth; at this moment, he was the true master of this small world. Everything on Green Island, after more than two hundred years of preparation, finally became the final step for him to ascend to higher grounds.

The Ring of Fate behind him, formed by tree roots, finally melted away completely in that crimson light. The human aura on him faded entirely, and the "Edwards" born from the Blood Tree of Green Island finally became the master who could control everything here.

If only he had fused enough family members, having completed the great work of "Creation Space," he would already be able to use the ritual to become The Chosen One.

But his current state already seemed sufficient; less than two hours remained until midnight. And at this moment, shedding the human form, with the threefold identities of "Child of Green Island," "Father of Green Island," and "Spirit of Green Island," he transcended all human Circle Sorcerers, becoming the true master here.

The blood light contracted until all the light recessed into himself. Opening his eyes, the uncontrollable glow directly pierced the golden light mass represented by Shard standing on the floating island below him.

The giant tree swayed with his motions, the island trembled with its breath, the wind pulsed with its breath, and the mist’s recoiling matched his heartbeat frequency. Edwards flicked his fingertip lightly, and the space-obliterating grand force turned into a gray, murky light, striking towards Shard standing on the floating island.

But the rapidly rotating Seven Ring Life Ring instead absorbed that elusive light. Shard, having unlocked the Maze Lock "Water of Wisdom," completely understood the Edwards’ Ascension Spell and thus also at this moment used the power of Edwards’ Ascension Spell.

The blood-light figure high above lowered its head to overlook, while the figure with the sword below had already released the treasure sword.

Shard, who originally controlled part of the power of this ritual at this moment, also commanded the great power of "Edwards’ Ascension Spell." He even felt that this power of "United as One" and "Fusion of All Things" inherently belonged to him.

The brass-colored Enlightening Aura assimilated Edwards’ casual strike; on the crazily rotating life ring, a new power was consequently born.

"To perceive others, flesh is a vessel adorning the soul; to perceive oneself, flesh is the materialized form of the soul. The fusion and devouring of flesh, even in the bygone days when ancient glows had yet to dissipate, was the most effective and cruel means of survival."

For a moment, Iluna, also standing on the floating island formed by the wreckage of the banquet hall, seemed to see Shard’s flesh body turn into stone, but a blink of an eye, she realized that was just an illusion.

"You have mastered the power of flesh fusion."

The power learned from "Water of Wisdom" also belonged to the domain of "Enlightenment" elements. On the rapidly spinning life ring, the brass-colored aura finally inscribed Shard’s first spirit rune of the seventh ring:

"Outlander, you have inscribed the Enlightenment - ’Flesh’ Spirit Rune."

The ancient rune, written in a language unknown, had Shard yet to fully appreciate this brand new power when "she" suddenly said:

"Outlander, your sorcery ’Active Soil’ resonates with ’Enlightenment - Flesh.’ Sorcery ascends to an Arcane Technique."

"The power of wisdom?"

The vibrating voice constantly interacting with the air created an effect similar to an echo, though maintaining a human form, yet one glance seemed to see the entire Green Island man, asking Shard from the high sky, the voice coming from all directions.

He did not expect Shard to give a response, that question, although posed, was already assertive:

"An outstanding power, the resonance of the Sage and the fairy tale can compose such a grand force. God Summoner, I am not afraid that you have learned the power I possess. Now that Edwards’ Ascension Spell is complete, if you still consider me to be erroneous, then please use the power of Edwards’ Ascension Spell to defeat me, to prove your correctness."

Blood light gathered in his right hand, the crimson colored the starlit sky, which had become clear because Shard activated the Maze Lock, while also dyeing the floating island under Shard’s feet.

Even though both had activated the "Edwards’ Ascension Spell," the enemy could absorb the island’s and family members’ power, could wield the transformed Maze Lock power of Green Island, could use the giant tree to fulfill a two-hundred-year-old wish, while Shard had none of these sources to draw from. "Water of Wisdom" enabled him to learn those powers unfamiliar to him, but this Maze Lock could not create material substance and spellcasting materials out of thin air.

Blood light surged, morphing into a sphere in "Edwards’" hand. The bright red sphere flew into the night sky, with blood fog gathering within, only to swiftly in the canopy above the giant tree, morph into a light mass larger than the floating island representing Shard’s Maze Lock, pouring out waterfalls downward.

The blood light pressed downward, and the first clear crack appeared on the floating island, followed by the disintegration of crumbling earth. The floating island, originally seeming to exist truly, even without being hit, already began to slowly disappear.

Megan reached out to help Shard, but Shard instead turned to face Iluna.

Under the looming shadow of the giant red light about to land, he pursed his lips, looking at Iluna whose face was intertwined with shadows and revealed signs of tension.

He asked just one question:

"Am I worthy of your heart?"

The seventeen-year-old girl holding the "Love God’s Sting" gently nodded, the pink thorn already pressed against her chest:

"Never doubt it. You didn’t choose us; I chose you. We ask not for reward, only loyalty."

The thorn slowly pierced her chest, and she saw Shard’s face already bathed in red, his smile visible. Amidst the loud explosion of the floating island, she saw his mouth forming the words and understood his final phrase:

"Happy birthday, Iluna."

Boom!

As people all over the island gazed in bewilderment, the red light orb released by "Edwards" destroyed the Maze Lock of the "God Summoner" in just one blow. The gigantic floating island entirely vanished from the top of the blood-colored giant tree, and even the night sky, where stars could once be seen, quickly filled with crimson.

The falling soil and debris disappeared within the light before it touched the ground, the collapse against the Maze Lock caused the Maze Lock - Green Island to utterly occupy every corner of this small world.

"Did the God Summoner... fail?"

"No, he hasn’t failed... hmm? Why am I here?"

Originally on the floating island, Megan and Durut Giles together appeared beside Luviya under the tree, but the purple-eyed girl didn’t converse with her instead continued to look up at the sky.

After the explosion of the floating island, mist scattered on the blood-colored giant tree canopy, from within the smoke, like the first rays of sunrise, thoroughly illuminated tonight’s night sky.

Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!

The world-shaking toll of bells rang from an unknown place. Snow-covered the streets of Green Lake Town, as the "Nightmare Witch" Maria Ingram from the Church of Nature, the "White Dove Messenger" Mr. Minsk Toders from the Peace Church, and the "Child of Light" Mr. Arlin White from the Dawn Church all witnessed the street beneath their feet transformed into a stone pavement. Looking up, the blood mist dispersed, under the heavy snow, at the glass shop window illuminated by light, the Matchstick Girl looked up at the moon;

Warm bonfires ignited spontaneously under the blood-colored giant tree, Miss Danester turned towards the flames, in a trance saw the apparition of Academy founders Mana Felian and another witch in a green dress, the scent of the Ancient Witch seemed retained by the fire;

Edward’s old mansion above the hills transformed at this moment into a towering castle at the kingdom’s center, in the uppermost tower, moonlight intrudes through the window, casting light upon the face of a girl slumbering in a crystal coffin;

The water that fell after the floating island exploded formed a silver lake at Green Island’s southern side, in the Heart Lake Island there was no one, a lonely longsword pierced into the ground, its silver blade shimmering in the moonlight;

And at the center of the castle, a grand ball was underway. Pumpkin carriages dashed out of the castle gates, racing through the small Fairy Tale Kingdom, the streets spacious and tidy with the carriage’s journey, houses neat and orderly, forest glimpsed small animal silhouettes in the light spread by the carriage, even the earth covered by blood-colored roots birthed greenery and flowers in the snow due to the carriage’s passage.

When the carriage reached the island’s southern hills’ peak, where Shard and Megan once climbed, Sister Delphine was about to push open the lighthouse door when she noticed that at some unknown time the lighthouse had turned into a black-stoned, dilapidated bell tower.

The Fairy Tale Kingdom and Green Island interwoven, blending into one, at the pinnacle of the entire island, the entire kingdom’s highest bell tower, surrounded by four columns, Iluna stood against the column, looking at Shard under the clear night sky as he nearly transformed into Silvermoon.

She smiled and closed her eyes, her whole self as the wound on her chest became the center crystallized. The pink crystal statue smile under the moonlight froze, the face illuminated by moonlight rapidly showed the first crack due to the ringing bell——

Crack!

The crystal statue under the moon shattered, Iluna Beath vanished from this world. And from within the statue, a radiating ray of bright sunlight emerged with the ringing bells, ascending into the sky.

The dazzling sun at the bell tower’s pinnacle, and Shard at this moment transformed into moonlight intertwined within the night sky. Stars twinkled because of them, the wind celebrated the union of sun and moon.

On the path leading from Green Town to Edwards’ old house, Miss Galina watched this scene, inexplicably amused by her unregistered student:

"Ha~ Iluna worried all along that Shard wouldn’t like her."

"Meow~"

The cat also watched the night sky, with its left eye as the sun, and the right eye as the moon, the tail swaying seemingly pondering something. While Angelina holding the cat, gazed with an empty expression at the moon and sun mingling atop the giant tree.

[Chaos.]

She didn’t notice the sound in her ear, the facial expression illuminated by the sun and moon on her small face, appeared somewhat grim, bewildered, greedy, seductive, but ultimately transformed into a deeper resolve:

"Is this... the power of my knight?"