Chapter 139. Annihilation Zone (2)
STEP.
Riman stepped close to the red line and stood there.
The students watched this scene nervously from behind.
Because if you cross that line, you just disappear.
That was the reason why the zone beyond this line was called the ‘Annihilation Zone’.
And currently, 98 percent of Kowloon Walled City's area had transford into the Annihilation Zone.
‘If I cross this line, I disappear.’
Crossing inside this line, communication and links are all cut off as well.
Once entered, you cannot return, nor can you transmit information to the outside.
Then how can one find out the internal state?
There is no way.
However, there is exactly one way to infer the internal state.
Riman shot a mana wavelength with his outstretched hand.
[Detection]
WHIRRR!
A high-density [Detection] wavelength was shot from Riman's palm towards the Annihilation Zone.
And naturally, the emitted wavelength disappeared the mont it touched the boundary surface.
This seed like a futile act.
Indeed, for an ordinary wizard, it would have been a useless act.
But for Riman, it was not futile.
Riman's senses were abnormally enhanced compared to other wizards.
Therefore, the feat of collecting every detail of the sensation at that fleeting mont when the [Detection] wavelength disappeared and creating a single image in his mind was possible.
He could grasp the surface condition of the boundary surface.
And the boundary surface between the safe zone and the Annihilation Zone was also the surface of the Annihilation Zone.
In other words, he could read the surface layer of the Annihilation Zone.
[Detection]
WHIRRR!
Riman activated [Detection] once again.
WHIRRR!
And again, again, and yet again.
Riman tirelessly shot [Detection] wavelengths and read the surface of the Annihilation Zone.
The students watching that from behind were bewildered.
“W, what is he doing right now?”
“It seems he keeps using [Detection]......?”
“Using [Detection] endlessly like that?”
In their view, what Riman was doing right now was practically madness.
Because shooting [Detection] like that without delay would deplete the mana in the body in an instant.
Of course, contrary to their expectation, Riman's mana had no chance of depletion.
Unlike ordinary wizards who store mana in their bodies, Riman was the type to absorb and use surrounding mana on the spot.
WHIRRR!
Like that, Riman continued to read the surface of the Annihilation Zone.
It was an act no different from inferring the state underwater just by looking at the water surface.
Nevertheless, Riman continued this work.
Until he could grasp a clue as to what on earth the state of that interior was.
* * *
One hour later.
Kowloon Walled City Investigation Team Headquarters tent.
One man entered the tent.
Judging by his attire, he was a wizard from the Sanhae Magic Tower side.
And inside the tent was Investigation Team Leader Yenzen.
Yenzen asked the man who entered.
“...Right, you said you succeeded in identifying the state inside the Kowloon Walled City Annihilation Zone?”
“However, we couldn't reach a complete identification. For now, please consider it a... likely hypothesis.”
“It doesn't matter. Since we hadn't even derived such a hypothesis until now. Try explaining.”
The man dragged over a whiteboard that was in the corner of the tent.
And began to explain his theory with a black board marker.
Nurous symbols, characters, and figures began to dizzily fill the whiteboard.
The man continued his presentation, adding a sowhat fast pace to his dry and concise style.
Data analysis based on nurous reference docunts and complex magic formulas followed in succession.
Just when the presentation, reaching about 10 minutes, was nearing its end.
The man drew a conclusion.
“...Thus, our team's conclusion is that it is reasonable to view the current interior of Kowloon Walled City as a .”
“Maze caused by Spatial Flux......?”
“Yes. It's not a perfect taphor, but... it can be expressed as a state where space flows and mixes ceaselessly like water.”
“.......”
Yenzen closed his eyes gently and buried his body in the backrest.
The deep wrinkles ford between his eyebrows showed the depth of his contemplation.
“...In other words, the internal space is distorted by mana.”
“It's not at the level of simple distortion. Flux, aning space is continuously flowing.”
“The reason is?”
“As for that, we haven't......”
“Phew.......”
“If this hypothesis is correct, it explains why people who entered the Annihilation Zone couldn't co out. Simply put, they get swept away by the rapid current of space the mont they enter.”
“But if it's a rapid current, can't one go upstream? Why couldn't we even pull out people who went in with safety devices like chains?”
“In front of the force of space flowing entirely, chains must have been too fragile as well.”
“.......”
This was the conclusion.
That the space inside Kowloon Walled City is randomly mixing and flowing.
However, this conclusion brought nothing.
It couldn't tell the cause of this phenonon's occurrence, and the solution was even more unknown.
“...Can't we stop the flux of space with magic?”
“The difficulty would be similar to freezing a flowing river entirely. Furthermore, space lineage magic is a field where research itself has barely been done.......”
Yenzen squeezed his eyes shut again.
Although they desperately repeated investigation and research, eventually the only conclusion that returned was ‘there is no answer’.
A feeling of being suffocated rushed in.
It was understandable, as twenty of his disciples were in a missing state within Kowloon Walled City.
“...Damn it.”
Just at that ti when worries were only deepening.
Unwelco news flew in from beyond the tent again.
“Team Leader! That guy from earlier is still remaining!”
“That guy?”
“That guy called Leman or whatever! He is currently near Kowloon Walled City!”
“Is this bastard crazy about wanting to go missing.......”
Yenzen ca out of the tent.
He ran straight to where Riman was.
Entering the pioneered area of Kowloon Walled City, he could see Riman.
Riman doing sothing standing precariously near the red line.
Yenzen shouted in an angry voice.
“Hey! Didn't you hear
say get lost imdiately?! What are you doing here right now?!”
“.......”
“This bastard... If even you go missing, only our workload increases! Hey! Can't you hear ?”
Riman lowered his hand.
And turned his head towards Yenzen.
He saw Yenzen striding towards him with an angry face.
Yenzen said.
“Hey! What on earth are you doing he......”
“Ah, you ca just in ti.”
“What?”
“I just roughly finished the investigation anyway.”
“...What?”
Just before the words asking what kind of bullshit that was popped out of Yenzen's mouth.
Riman's words hit his head.
“Maze phenonon caused by Spatial Flux.”
“...What?”
Yenzen froze just like that.
“Wh, wh, wh, what did you say......?”
“Spatial Flux. Simply put, a phenonon where space flows and mixes like water.”
“......!”
Yenzen was montarily lost for words.
.
Content exactly identical to what was reported just a mont ago was flowing out of Riman's mouth.
“H, how.......”
It was an impossible thing.
The investigation team side gathered data by grinding in twenty-seven wizards and hundreds of dolls and drones to derive that single conclusion.
The conclusion barely obtained with information collected like gathering grains of sand with tweezers was exactly this.
It was .
But that person called Leman caught up with their investigation results in just one hour since coming here.
Riman had committed an act far exceeding Yenzen's comprehension.
Riman said.
“I didn't use a complicated thod. I continuously projected high-density [Detection] magic onto the boundary surface between the Annihilation Zone and this side.”
“We tried that too......”
“For one hour.”
“......!”
“Like that, I continuously scanned the surface of the Annihilation Zone. And I tracked the movent of that surface, modeled it, turned it into an image, and proceeded with analysis in my brain.”
“.......”
In short, it ant he finished all this complex analysis just inside his head.
Naturally, it was an act possible because it was Riman.
Thanks to mana usable almost infinitely, and senses much more precise than others.
In addition, hundreds of volus of knowledge obtained from Sanhae Magic Tower's virtual library were also a trendous help.
That was also why he could reach the sa conclusion as Sanhae's investigators.
Yenzen muttered inwardly filled with astonishnt.
‘Analysis where dozens of investigators and a considerable amount of equipnt were inputted, he solved with just an individual brain......?’
At this point, Yenzen had no choice but to acknowledge.
Riman was not an obstacle.
No, perhaps he could be the most capable talent in this situation.
A talent absolutely not to be missed.
Perhaps a person who could terminate this unprecedented situation.
So Yenzen bowed his head.
“...I committed rudeness. I beg your forgiveness.”
He begged forgiveness for his past of throwing words to get lost at Riman from the first eting.
Although it was a quite embarrassing situation, it couldn't be helped.
Because Yenzen himself was in that desperate a situation.
It was his current situation that if it's a person who seems helpful, he must recruit them even if he has to swallow his pride.
And unexpectedly, Riman accepted that apology coolly.
To be precise, it was closer to a tone that he didn't care much about past matters.
Because Riman was in as desperate a situation as Yenzen.
If by any chance Lancelot dies in there, freedom goes down the drain just like that.
Riman said to Yenzen.
“Yes well, past matters are past matters. More than that, I have a question.”
“Please speak freely.”
At so point, Yenzen's tone towards Riman had changed to honorifics.
Riman said.
“That red line drawn on the floor, actually even if one crosses that, they don't disappear, right?”
“...Yes?”
“I'm not denying the annihilation phenonon itself. To be precise, the Annihilation Zone is located a bit further inside than that red line. aning... even if one crosses the red line by about a step, they don't disappear imdiately.”
“.......”
“You knew, right?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you draw the line like that?”
Wizards are a strict race.
Therefore, they never draw even a single line roughly without reason.
So Riman had felt strangeness.
Because they weren't humans to draw the boundary surface of the Annihilation Zone clumsily like that.
Yenzen asked.
“Seeing you ask like that, it seems you haven't crossed over the line yourself.”
“Yes. Because I thought there would be a reason for drawing the line anyway.”
“Correct.”
“What is the reason?”
“Because crossing that line, disappearing is all the sa.”
“What does that an?”
“A person who crosses that line jumps into the Annihilation Zone on their own feet just like that.”
“......!”
“As if possessed by sothing.”
“By any chance.”
“Yes.”
“Then Lancelot too......?”
“...Yes. After stepping beyond that line, he jumped in on his own feet.”
“Aha.......”
Now he felt he knew why Lancelot was caught inside there.
‘It was a ntal attack.’
Defeating or kidnapping Lancelot with physical force is difficult.
But if they attack the ntal side, the story changes.
Because physical strength is not directly connected to ntal strength.
Riman asked.
“Then by any chance, are there people who returned even after crossing the line?”
“There was a ti we sent in a few people with ropes tied around their waists. Fortunately, we succeeded in rescuing them by pulling the ropes before they jumped in.”
“What did they say?”
“They only said... they heard a voice.”
“Voice?”
“Yes. A voice dragging them towards the inside.”
“Exactly what words did they say they heard?”
“They themselves don't know. They only say they don't rember properly.”
“Hmm.”
Riman, contemplating for a mont, said.
“Please prepare a chain.”
“Yes?”
“I will try crossing the line once.”
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