The Scythe!

"A washroom?" The corner of Husen's mouth twitched, and he turned to Karen. "What did you design this for?" In truth, designing this had not taken much effort. The same went for the exterior styling of the castle—it merely cost a bit of mental deduction, and the overhead was negligible. At the very least, it was far simpler than Mars's initial suggestion of engraving arrays directly onto the outer walls. An array was not a mere "engraving," just as slapping together a pile of cement into the shape of an array pattern would not activate its effect. Arraycraft was an intricate engineering work concealed deep within the unseen. However, before Karen could offer an explanation, Mavaglio spoke up: "Generally, Black Prison Castle is deployed in emergencies. That is especially true for them, as they will soon enter the Gate of Samsara to participate in the trial. Their primary objective is exploration rather than offense, so the castle will most likely be summoned when under attack or when a teammate is wounded. Having an extra washroom inside the castle allows for effectively sheltering injured teammates and better tending to their wounds." Karen immediately said, "Instructor is right. That was precisely my thinking." Husen blinked and gave a cough. "Oh, so that's why." "This castle is very well done," Mavaglio praised. "Did you study architecture before?" In fact, the spell rubbing scroll included the "architectural blueprints," but expecting a layman to build a structure after a single glance at the blueprints was to severely underestimate professionals. However, Karen had the Key to the Rubik's Cube to run deductions. During construction, he had rendered it into a three-dimensional model directly in his mind, significantly lowering the difficulty of execution through extensive calculations. "In reply to Instructor, I previously designed and renovated a residence myself." "Oh? A manor? I'd really love to see it." "A funeral parlor." "Well, then it must have an even greater artistic flair." Mavaglio pointed at the small black orb and said, "Let us begin. For the initial communion, I need to help facilitate and confirm the connection." "Yes, Instructor." Karen reached out and held the small black orb. "Do not resist the mental power it transmits into you. Reach out and welcome it actively." "Understood, Instructor." When their mental powers made contact, Karen's consciousness began to be drawn outward. Soon, he found himself standing atop an ancient, archaic dais. Beside him stood Mavaglio. Only, Mavaglio was covered in a hazy black shadow at this moment. Karen noticed that Mavaglio was gazing upward. He too raised his head and looked up, where he saw a colossal scythe. Its sheer presence seemed to completely fill the space above. It was difficult to imagine what kind of entity could wield such a thing. Mavaglio spoke: "This is the Scythe of War." *The Scythe of War?* Karen remembered that Mr. Hoffen's notes contained records about the Scythe of War. According to them, its long shaft was forged from countless bones, while the blade was condensed from innumerable departed souls. Whenever Nases, the God of War, appeared wielding it, it invariably signified the outbreak of war and the descent of the reaping of death. The God of War was one of the chief gods in the camp of the God of Eternity during the early era. After the God of Eternity fell into oblivion, the camp of the God of Light launched an assault against the camp of the God of Eternity. This was the first large-scale divine war that erupted in the early stages of the previous era, and in that battle, the God of War perished. Consequently, the God of War's divine artifact fell into the hands of the God of Order. Relying upon it, Marchettini, one of the Twelve Knights, established the Black Prison Castle spellcraft system, altering to a certain degree the combat doctrine of the knight orders under Order's banner. The shadow over Mavaglio began to swell, as if another figure had manifested, yet it remained indistinct. However, as Mavaglio began to chant and call out, a beam of white light descended before Karen. "Touch this light with the hand bearing the imprint." "Yes, Instructor." Karen reached his hand in. A faint wisp of golden runes flared on the back of his hand, resonating with the white light. In the unseen depths of perception, Karen felt as though a bond of sorts had been established. This bond was not quite a contract; it was far fainter than a contract, resembling more an acknowledgment. The Scythe of War was like a banner. Now, it had acknowledged him, allowing him to stand beneath it. From this moment on, he would be able to wage war in the name of this banner—meaning that whenever he summoned it through Black Prison Castle, it would respond to his call. This meant it was a fully intact, supreme divine artifact, capable of serving a function akin to a deity... receiving and answering prayers. "All right, it is done." Mavaglio's figure began to pull back. Karen also felt his consciousness being drawn backward. Before being pulled out of this space, Karen glanced upward once more. *Wasn't this divine artifact supposed to be kept in the Temple of Order? So is this purely a space of consciousness, or is it a specific realm within the Temple of Order?* Before Karen could make out anything more, his consciousness returned entirely to his body. Opening his eyes, he was back in the control chamber. "If you have nightmares tonight about being killed by it, don't panic. It is a normal psychological projection. Anyone who has faced it directly experiences something similar; you will recover after a while," Mavaglio cautioned. "Yes, I understand. Thank you for the warning." Karen felt he shouldn't be so fragile. "Now then, try controlling the castle." He truly was instructing, step by step, almost like after-sales service. Karen looked down and saw that the original small black orb had grown. Initially the size of a tennis ball, it was now about the size of a basketball. As Karen extended his consciousness into it, a black vine emerged from the orb and wound around his hand. In an instant, everything about the castle was fully perceived by Karen. The sensation was as if an extra leg or arm had been added to his body. "Go help carry the equipment," Mavaglio said to Karen's squad and Muri's squad. Muri's squad had no complaints. They followed Bart and the others downstairs to help carry the war implements, as though it were only natural everywhere for underperforming students to do more manual labor. Piece by piece, the equipment was carried inside. Bart and Ventura mounted the repeating crossbows in their designated positions. Aisli set down the Imprisonment Cage on the raised platform to one side of the control chamber. In his workshop below, Mars laid out the Array Screen and tied it to the flagpole. Blanche, stationed opposite Aisli, arranged her Priest Astral Chain. As for the final piece, the magic crystal cannon, Muri personally led his people to drag it up and complete its installation. Once the equipment and personnel were in place, Mavaglio, Husen, Muri's squad, and the others left the castle and stepped outside. Karen immersed his consciousness into the black orb once more. Black threads instantly sprouted from the walls, first binding to the Priest Astral Chain and the Imprisonment Cage right inside the control chamber. Next, they linked to the two repeating crossbows mounted by Ventura and Bart. Finally, one above and one below, they bound to the Array Screen at the very bottom and the magic crystal cannon at the very top. It felt as if his own blood vessels had reached out, forming an intimate connection with these instruments of war. Karen asked, "Aisli, do you have any useless monster beasts on hand?" Aisli immediately rolled up her sleeves. "Yes, plenty." "Pick one that can fly and let it out." "Right away, Captain." Standing before the Imprisonment Cage, Aisli chanted her summon: "My dearest friend..." Soon, a plume of green smoke drifted into the cage first, then flew out from it, finally billowing outside the castle to reveal the phantom silhouette of a large green bird that looked like a giant peacock. Karen immediately commanded, "Bart, Ventura, shoot the tail!" "Yes, Captain!" "Yes, Captain!" Bart and Ventura at once swiveled their repeating crossbows to aim. *Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!...* A barrage of bolts flew out. Bart's aim was remarkably precise; every shot struck the great bird's tail, shedding a large cloud of feathers. Jolted in terror, the bird furiously flapped its wings and flew upward. Ventura's volley, on the other hand, missed almost completely, failing to land a single hit. Karen made a mental note: Ventura still needed more practice with operating the equipment. "Blanche, buff everyone!" "Yes, Captain!" Drawing on the Priest Astral Chain, Blanche channeled her spellcraft. Soon, spheres of white light floated out, falling upon Karen and Aisli, while more light spilled forth to alight upon the rest of the team one after another. "Mars, binding array!" "Yes, Captain!" Having swiftly set up his array, Mars raised the flagpole. As the screen billowed, the array unleashed its effect, conjuring an enormous net in midair that trapped the large bird. At the highest point of the castle, the muzzle of the magic crystal cannon shifted under Karen's control, locking onto the trapped bird. Sensing the imminent danger, the great bird spread its body completely and began thrashing desperately. *Boom!* At the moment of firing, Karen tilted the angle upward. A terrifying beam of light slammed directly into the sea in the distance, detonating into an explosion that sent seawater and a shower of seafood raining down ceaselessly. Karen felt that Muri's squad wouldn't need to arrange a late-night snack at all tonight—with this haul of seafood, they could easily last until the day after tomorrow. Having narrowly escaped death, the big bird was on the verge of collapsing from fright. It hung there entirely immobilized, not even putting up a token struggle anymore. "Aisli, recall it." "Right away, Captain." The great bird dissolved back into smoke, returning to Aisli's arm where it turned back into a tattoo-like mark. Outside, Husen called out, "All right, you can come down now!" After calling out, Husen said to Muri's squad standing nearby, "Head up and help carry the gear down." Karen looked down. The black vine wound around his wrist loosened and retracted into the black sphere. The equipment previously carried up was hauled back down. Karen released the spell, and the castle swiftly weathered away and vanished. Mavaglio addressed all the members of Karen's squad: "Before you officially enter the Gate of Samsara, the church will provide you with specific scrolls. When the time comes, you will only need to take the scroll and use it at the desired location to teleport the corresponding equipment there. There won't be any need to carry them up manually like this." Everything aligned with Karen's expectations. The church would set up teleportation arrays at the Samsara Valley camp to allow these war implements to be sent inside. However, recovering them afterward would be out of the question, and his squad certainly wouldn't drag these heavy weapons around upon departure. It was a form of waste, but one that had already been calculated into the operational cost. "Karen, you may take your squad back to the hotel to rest," Husen said. "I have a request. May we practice with weapons like the repeating crossbows back at the base?" Mavaglio said, "Of course. Though the magic crystal cannon is excluded." "Naturally. Thank you, sir." The staff began repacking the equipment. Karen nodded to Muri, then boarded the cruise boat back to the hotel with his squad, while Muri and his team had to drill through the night. Upon returning to the base, Ventura first went to the front desk to order room service, requesting today's allotment of tobacco and alcohol as well. "Oh, right. The people in the other three rooms won't be returning tonight. Please deliver their tobacco and alcohol rations to my room." The front desk attendant looked at Ventura, who kept smiling throughout. "Certainly. It will be sent up shortly." "Great, thank you." Ventura stepped away from the counter and hurried over to catch the elevator upstairs with his teammates. Upon reaching their floor, Karen clapped his hands to his squad members and said, "Get some rest early after you eat. When you wake up tomorrow morning, you can check out equipment from the base storehouse to practice." "Yes, Captain!" Back in their suite, Karen took a shower first. By the time he stepped out, dinner had arrived, along with a copious stash of tobacco and alcohol, which Ventura was busily stuffing into suitcases with his head down. Karen took some food and sat on the sofa to eat. Once Ventura finished stashing everything, he trotted over to eat as well. "Captain, do you think they'll finish practicing tonight?" "Probably." "Will there still be class tomorrow, then?" "Most likely. The final session isn't technical training; it's an overview of the situation inside the Gate of Samsara and a briefing on our trial objectives. Even if they don't sleep all night, it won't keep them from attending." "Oh, I see. I was planning to hit the black market once day breaks to trade all this for point coupons." "No rush for that. There will definitely be time. All right, keep eating. I'm going to turn in." "Okay, Captain. Good night." "Good night." Lying down in bed, Karen read for a bit to wind down from the studious state of mind. Before long, he tossed the book aside and closed his eyes. ... *Drip... drip... drip...* The sound of dripping water echoed. Karen opened his eyes to see a terrifying scythe looming before him. *I'm having the same dream, after all. I really was influenced by the Scythe of War.* Karen recalled what Mavaglio had said earlier—anyone who faced the Scythe of War would suffer nightmares for a period of time, dreaming of being killed by it. *Skrrr...* A harsh, grating friction sounded. Karen had already prepared himself to be executed by the scythe in the dream, only to discover in surprise that the blade was not swinging toward him. Rather, it seemed as though the scythe, which had originally stood beside him, had lost its restraints and was toppling forward. And in the abyss below, a towering, majestic figure seemed to emerge. *Slash!* The scythe plunged into the darkness, as if cleaving through something. Immediately after, From the depths of the darkness came an enraged, low roar: "Order..."