Atop an endless expanse of snow-capped mountains, Lynn's aura merged seamlessly with Little Green's power, as if he had become an inseparable part of this world.
Though he had yet to reach the rank of a Morning Star Wizard, his unique resonance with Little Green allowed him to ignore the suppression of the labyrinth's rules and move freely as if walking on level ground.
At this moment, Lynn casually retrieved a bottle of Divine Blood Pills from his pocket, grabbing a handful and tossing them into his mouth as if they were mere candy.
Beneath his feet, the snow-covered mountains had long been thrown into chaos by Little Green's stirring, leaving no trace of undisturbed tranquility.
As time passed, the pure white landscape was enveloped in an eerie silence, as if even the flow of time had slowed.
Lynn, however, paid no mind. He continued consuming two entire bottles of Divine Blood Pills, causing his spiritual power to surge, finally breaking past the threshold of 30 points!
Just as he felt a sense of satisfaction, an unexpected phenomenon occurred.
But it was not the gateway to the sixth level he had been expecting. Instead, strange symbols suddenly appeared in the air, floating and flickering with a faint glow almost like a warning.
Lynn frowned slightly, halting his actions as he tried to decipher the obscure text.
"Emergency! Severe spatial damage was detected. Immediate intervention is required to maintain the balance of*"
A trace of doubt flashed in his eyes. "What's going on?"
He had originally planned to break through to the sixth level, but now he found himself deep in thought.
The image of that golden balance scale lingered in his mind as if it was somehow connected to the changes before him.
After a brief moment of contemplation, Lynn made his decision.
Closing his eyes, he focused on his spiritual power, attempting to establish a connection with the mysterious symbols.
Before long, a gateway of light materialized in front of him.
Unlike the previous gateways, this one radiated a hazy and enigmatic aura, as if it led to an unknown and mysterious realm.
With a cautious yet determined expression, Lynn stepped through the light, entering a world beyond comprehension.
The surroundings were an expanse of nothingness without length, width, or height only boundless emptiness and misty obscurity, as if even time itself had lost meaning.
His gaze was soon drawn to the very center of this space where a golden balance scale stood majestically, exuding an aura of supreme authority and inviolable power.
"This is…" Lynn's expression shifted slightly, a faint trace of shock surfacing in his heart.
Around the balance, countless projections flickered into existence each displaying different scenes from the labyrinth, as if revealing the entirety of the Landscape.
Lynn focused his eyes and soon found a familiar figure among the images of Whiteheart Tower Master.
The labyrinth where he resided was flashing with a glaring red light, a clear indication of severe damage.
Nearby, another image emerged of another Morning Star Wizard, the Master of the Furnace!
"Where have I ended up this time…" Lynn murmured, shifting his gaze to the Furnace Master's projection.
...
At the farthest end of the seventh level, a figure cloaked in black robes stepped through a gateway of light.
Beyond this gateway lay the entrance to the eighth level.
The Furnace Master's towering figure emerged into the space, his eyes reflecting the resplendent golden glow of the balance scale. Ancient and mysterious power surged within his gaze.
"I've finally returned…"
His deep voice carried a complex mix of emotions nostalgia intertwined with an inescapable weight.
The Furnace Master's gaze grew distant, as if peering through layers of space to glimpse his past self the one who had once climbed to the eighth level with unshakable ambition.
Back then, he had obtained a reward from the seventh level, a gift that had allowed him to leap from the peak of a Third-Level Grand Wizard to the threshold of a Morning Star Wizard.
From that moment on, he became a figure upon whom the wizarding world set its sights.
However, fate never offers true gifts without cost. For every gain, a price is engraved into destiny.
The blessings of the Landscape always come with an even more terrifying reclamation.
Not long ago, he had personally cast the gaze of origin bestowed upon him by the wizarding world into the furnace, destroying it completely.
He had done so with only one goal in mind: to stand here once more, to enter the eighth level, and to execute the plan that would change everything.
"From the Landscape, I gained the chance to touch the Morning Star. But because of the Landscape, I lost my very essence as a Morning Star. And now…"
His gaze dimmed slightly, and in a voice low as a sigh, he muttered,
"The price I must pay to sever these chains… is far greater than before."
It was as if he was speaking to his past self, his tone laced with bitter mockery yet also newfound clarity.
After a long exhale, the Furnace Master's eyes grew even more resolute.
He understood that without the Landscape, he might never have crossed the threshold of a Morning Star Wizard, forever remaining an ordinary Third-Level Grand Wizard.
But at the same time, he also knew that if today's plan succeeded—if he could sever the bond between himself and the Landscape then even if he lost his Morning Star essence, he would still be something far greater than a mere Third-Level Grand Wizard.
"To cut off my connection to the Landscape, I will rely on the forbidden wizardry I acquired from the Furnace Stone The Art of Deceptive Soul Severance."
His voice was deep, his gaze as fathomless as an abyss. As he uttered those words, they were tinged with both reminiscence and determination.
The original purpose of the Art of Deceptive Soul Severance was to conquer the endless worlds of the vast starsea.
A powerful wizard could tear apart a fragment of their soul, embedding it into a target world as an "indigenous being," gradually eroding and dismantling the world's rules from within.
Yet, despite its bold and ambitious design, the spell's practical application had proven to be a disappointment.
The process of soul severance inflicted excruciating, irreversible damage upon the caster, particularly for a Morning Star Wizard.
As a result, the spell was ultimately classified as a forbidden art one too perilous to be casually practiced.
But after exhaustive searching, the Furnace Master had come to a single, undeniable conclusion if he wanted to break free from the Landscape, there was only one path left for him: The Art of Deceptive Soul Severance.
He had once consulted a "great figure" within the Furnace Stone.
The answer he received was clear: if this wizardry could deceive the rules of countless worlds, then deceiving the fabricated laws of the Landscape should be even easier.
"The agony of tearing apart one's soul… is beyond words…" the Furnace Master murmured, his voice heavy with painful recollections.
"The first time I attempted it, I failed. That searing pain of having my soul forcefully ripped apart tormented me for decades. Even with soul-repairing elixirs, the relief was barely enough…"
His failed soul fragment had proven useless for his plans. In the end, he had refined it, turning it into a Spirit of the Furnace.
But fortunately, his second attempt had succeeded.
His severed soul fragment had successfully merged with the body of an unborn child carrying his life essence.
"From that moment on, I saw her as the embodiment of my hope, sparing no effort to protect her."
A hint of warmth flickered in his voice, but deep within his gaze lurked a glacial calculation.
After years of careful nurturing, the vessel of his soul had finally matured becoming the perfect tool to free him from the Landscape.
And now, as the Landscape tightened its grasp, he knew it was time to reap what he had sown.
"Come now, my dear child… Aestry."
With a slight wave of his sleeve, shimmering runes surfaced in the air, forming a dazzling silver teleportation array upon the icy ground.
And within the luminous glow, a graceful figure slowly emerged.
With delicate features and an icy demeanor, her aura resonated with that of the Furnace Master.
She was Aestry.
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