Chapter 162 – Eternal Magic

Uung.

Right after Rian completed his 5-Star Promotion and reached 6-Star, the North Pole Divine Crown activated on its own.

The North Pole Divine Domain unfolding around Rian, who was piloting the Gigant.

Through the North Pole Divine Domain, which views destiny as the essence of the world, Rian could glimpse the new concept of a Gigant Pilot and the destruction that would stem from it.

Fragmented scenes of the future flashed before Rian’s eyes like a panorama.

Pararara—

A scene of the New Ardenia Empire, which produced the Genocider and Terminator, expanding its territory using Slaughter Doll armies as vanguards.

A scene where they realized that excellent Ruin Hunters also had high Gigant compatibility and began subjugating famous Ruin Hunters one by one.

And then, a scene of over a hundred Gigants, along with their pilots, parading in the underground city of Ark.

.

.

.

And finally… a scene of dragons and Gigants clashing, and the eventual defeat and second downfall of Rian’s new empire.

‘This… is not the future I desire!’

Clenching his teeth at the unwanted future, Rian tore off the North Pole Divine Crown he was wearing and threw it.

Crash!

With that, the North Pole Divine Domain, which had been illuminating the empire’s destiny, shattered like glass.

As the vision of destruction vanished before his eyes, Rian, having somewhat calmed his excitement, organized the scenes he had just witnessed in his mind.

“Certainly, if I focus on training Gigant Pilots as the core of my forces, my military power will grow rapidly. …However, in the end, Gigants are merely inferior versions of the defeated High Dvergr Armored Soldiers. I will not produce new Gigants.”

Rian acknowledged the limitations of Gigants and decided to abandon their production.

“Training Gigant Pilots would provoke the dragons. Unless I have forces capable of facing a Dragon Lord, Gigants would only bring crisis to the new empire.”

The greatest enemy in inheriting the Ardenia Empire is the dragons, the Transcendent Species of the continent.

He had thought the Golden Dawn Society’s opinion that dragons, aware of the future of extinction due to the Dragon Slayer Emperor, were behind the empire’s downfall was just that—an opinion. But judging from the scenes he witnessed, it seemed that was indeed the truth.

Thus, Rian began considering new possibilities instead of Gigants.

“The Iron Hearts of the Gigants have potential for separate utilization….”

The Iron Heart, the core that enables output equal to an Elder Dragon, is a power source equivalent to a Dragon Heart.

It was sufficient to serve as the core for constructing a 4-dimensional Magic Circle, the ultimate of the Magic Theory he had newly acquired and something only the Dragon Slayer Emperor was known to have achieved.

However, for that, at least 100 Iron Hearts were needed.

―Is it possible to produce only Iron Hearts? Your Majesty.

Upon asking Alter through the Gigant’s voice, the answer came back that it was possible.

“If we only produce Iron Hearts, the resources needed to produce 8,000 Genociders would be sufficient for each one.”

―Good. I thought 100 might be insufficient, but that should be enough. 【Divert all remaining resources to Iron Heart production】.

Uuung— Clank— Kiiing—

Rian’s Order was delivered to the production factory, and the factory began operating again with a clamorous noise.

* * *

Three months later.

The underground city of the Imperial Tomb ruins was no longer just a ghost city with only its foundations.

Thanks to being reorganized as the new headquarters where all members of the Golden Dawn Society, scattered across the continent, had gathered, the place was bustling with people.

In the city’s square, various lectures on the organized knowledge of the empire were being held for the assembled members.

“…By linking artifacts inscribed with magic Circuits in this way to form planar figures, even lower-grade artifacts can exhibit power equivalent to mid-grade artifacts.”

Among them was the wisdom of Magic Theory that Rian had comprehended.

Of course, Rian, the Emperor, wasn’t personally giving the lectures; an Elder who had received knowledge from him was conducting them instead.

So, what was Rian doing?

Kakak— Kagakagak.

He was in the Gigant hangar attached to the factory, now an Iron Heart production facility, stacking Iron Hearts and inscribing three-dimensional Magic Circles on them one by one.

These were Magic Circles that converted the output of the Iron Hearts into magic while also serving as Connection Points to link with other Iron Hearts.

“This is the 119th, so finally the last one.”

And after three months of work, finally.

The task of inscribing Magic Circles on a total of 120 Iron Hearts, including the Iron Heart from the first produced Gigant, was completed.

“Excellent. With this, it seems we can truly recreate the Dragon Slayer Emperor’s hypercube Magic Circle.”

Alter, who had been offering advice beside Rian, nodded with a hearty laugh.

Seeing the anticipation in Alter’s eyes for what was about to happen, Rian proceeded with the final combination process.

First, after boarding the Gigant and standing between the evenly arranged Iron Hearts.

―【Combine】.

Along with the Emperor’s Word Spirit, he activated Perfect Mana Control.

While Perfect Mana Control perfectly governed the mana contained within the 120 Iron Hearts.

Clankclankclankclank!

The dodecahedron Magic Circles inscribed on each Iron Heart began combining.

At the end, what completed was a 4-dimensional regular polytope, the ‘Dodecaplex’ (regular 120-cell).

It was a 4-dimensional Magic Circle.

Kiiiiing!

The immense mana contained within each Iron Heart circulated through the 4-dimensional Magic Circle and passed through Rian’s body, which was Synchronized with the Gigant.

Under the immense mana pressure, an ordinary body would soon reach its limit.

Udduduk— Kkaddeudeuk!

“Kuuuuh….”

Amidst the pain of bones twisting and muscles being torn apart, his body transformed by mana.

But this transformation was not harmful to Rian.

The Mental Image in the form of the 4-dimensional Magic Circle, forming a vast circulation, guided the direction of this change.

Swaaaaaa—

Impurities were washed away by the flow of circulating mana.

His entire body’s mana conductivity was maximized, as if it were part of the Magic Circle.

[Conditions met. <Circulation Constitution> is Blooming.]

No sooner had Rian Bloomed his new constitution than.

Wiiiiing!

Even the resistance that had been present in Rian’s body, the only source of resistance in the mana flow between Iron Hearts, disappeared.

The 4-dimensional Magic Circle began operating perfectly.

Within it existed a void capable of containing a mythical-grade supreme magic.

―What will you fill it with?

As if the Magic Circle had a will of its own, it asked Rian what myth he would fill it with.

“【What I desire is Eternal Magic】.”

Rian, who had already decided which mythical magic to contain, answered immediately.

Then, the Magic Circle began exerting its power to fulfill his will.

Paaat!

Just as the Dragon Slayer Emperor, when constructing a 4-dimensional Magic Circle with a Dragon Heart, could manifest the wheel of the Wheel Constellation.

The 4-dimensional Magic Circle created with Iron Hearts could manifest the creative power of the Steel Throne.

Although the power of the Steel Throne, specialized in matter, couldn’t create the flow of Eternal Magic itself, it could create the ‘Material Structure’ necessary to obtain Eternal Magic.

Clackclackclackclack—

The parts composing the Gigant separated into 120 pieces, and then, except for the Gigant’s Iron Heart, the remaining 119 parts combined with the other Iron Hearts composing the Dodecaplex.

And as they recombined in the reverse order of separation, returning to the form of the Gigant, the Dodecaplex, which had expanded to cover the entire hangar centered on the Gigant, compressed back inside the Gigant.

An upgrade was taking place to allow the 4-dimensional Magic Circle to be completed within a single Gigant.

While Rian concentrated his entire mind on this change.

“This can no longer be called a Gigant.”

Alter, who had been watching the Gigant’s transformation, muttered.

Through Void View, he saw that the Gigant’s limits were expanding beyond the 7-Star level, reaching the level of a 9-Star Mythological Species.

“Titan. That name would be fitting for its grade.”

However, this change was both an advantage and a disadvantage.

In the long run, it was a good thing, but for now, it was a change too burdensome for Rian, who was only 6-Star.

As expected.

Wiiing….

The Titan, having completed its evolution, despite having 120 Iron Hearts, complained of power shortage and ceased operation.

This was because it had greatly increased the amount of mana required for maintenance, assuming the supreme magic Eternal Magic as its power source.

Unless Eternal Magic was placed within the Dodecaplex compressed inside the Titan, the Titan would not move again.

In this state, even exiting the cockpit seemed distant.

With the transformation into the Titan, the physical exit of the cockpit was blocked, and attempting to escape via magic was impossible because Rian’s mana was being sucked in like a black hole by the Titan.

Rian was essentially trapped inside the Titan.

“This change is still too much for Your Majesty to handle, so I will assist. Ouroboros.”

Alter deployed Ouroboros targeting Rian and the Titan.

As if the Illusory Form of a snake biting its tail floated above the Titan’s head.

The moment the Gigant evolved into the Titan began repeating countless times.

“If you master all the flows composing the Titan and identify the empty void, you can inversely comprehend the form of Eternal Magic through it.”

* * *

‘Hmm.’

Within the countless repetitions of Ouroboros, Rian focused on the Titan’s mana flow.

Thanks to his Circulation Constitution recognizing the flow as part of his own body, although it took time, grasping the essence of Eternal Magic was not difficult.

The problem was his lack of capability to create such a flow.

‘Perfect Mana Control alone cannot manifest Eternal Magic.’

The issue was that the total amount of mana Rian possessed was insufficient to initiate the supreme magic.

Specifically, he couldn’t simultaneously activate the 120 Iron Hearts composing the 4-dimensional Magic Circle.

He needed to distinguish between what was possible and impossible and find a new method that was possible even for him as he was now.

Thanks to Ouroboros, he had plenty of time, so he delved into Magic Theory.

‘If I properly combine what I have, there must be a way.’

The wisdom of interpreting all phenomena through magical principles glimpsed new possibilities from Rian’s Skills.

[<Flow Control (Innate)> + <True Word Chanting (Innate)> = <Silent Casting (Legendary)>]

By adding the principle of True Word Chanting to Flow Control, he comprehended Silent Casting, which implements magic using only mana flow without chanting.

[<Magic Circle (Innate)> + <Echo (Innate)> = <Magic Workshop (Legendary)>]

He designed a Magic Workshop that multiplies Magic Circles with Echo to fill a certain Domain entirely with his own magic.

[Conditions met. <Mana Restoration (Innate)> is Blooming.]

And in the process, he even awakened the method of returning the mana expended in casting a spell back to its state before activation.

[<Circulation Constitution> + <Mana Restoration> = <Perpetual Motion (Legendary)>]

This, in turn, combined with Circulation Constitution and evolved into a Legendary skill that would become the foundation of Eternal Magic.

It was a skill inspired by the cycle of the Ouroboros currently applied to him.

Although named Perpetual Motion, the skill’s duration was not actually eternal; it only reduced the consumption cost of all other abilities to zero during its duration.

Only after newly obtaining these three Legendary skills was his preparation to manifest Eternal Magic complete.

Smoothly.

Perhaps Alter noticed that Rian’s preparations were complete, as the Illusory Form of Ouroboros that had been cycling him also disappeared.

‘Let’s go.’

Entering the flow of time moving forward again, Rian prepared to activate Eternal Magic according to the method he had conceived during the loop.

Uuung.

With Perpetual Motion activated, temporarily reducing all mana consumption costs to zero.

Pababababat!

A Magic Workshop deployed inside the Titan, bringing the entire Dodecaplex under Rian’s control.

And in that state, using Silent Casting, he sequentially activated the 120 Iron Hearts with short enough intervals that the flow of the Dodecaplex wouldn’t break.

Kiiiiing—!!

Thus, by solving the insufficient total mana with Perpetual Motion, he barely generated the output needed to activate Eternal Magic.

Feeling that Perpetual Motion’s duration was almost ending, Rian hurriedly opened his mouth.

“【Eternal Magic】!”

Flash!

Immediately after, the Spell Formula of Eternal Magic filled the previously empty interior of the Dodecaplex, and the Titan began operating.

It was the moment a new existence, meant to protect the Ardenia Empire in place of the dragons who had left the empire, opened its eyes.

* * *

[Feat, ‘Eternal Sorcery Understanding’ achieved….]

[The North Star Constellation records Rian Shin’s Feat and Altered history….]

[6th Awakening Skill 《Eternal Magic》 Blooms….]

…….

As Rian’s Six-Star Promotion Completion and the North Pole Divine Crown returned to reality.

In the Dream Fantasy World, Lee Hanseong, who had been watching him, as in the previous Historical Alteration, connected the moment the North Star Constellation’s record ended with the moment the Epicenter Throne’s record began.

Through this, the dream that had naturally illuminated Rian’s era transitioned into a dream illuminating Utangka’s era.

“Now, if I just see Utangka, it’s the last….”

“Shh!”

Just as he was about to approach Utangka, suddenly Mirkala approached, covering his mouth with her hand and carefully distanced them from Utangka’s dream.

Only after putting some distance did Mirkala remove her hand from his mouth, her expression still clearly tense.

“What… is the matter?”

“If we had gotten any closer, Prometheus in reality would have detected our location.”

“Huh?”

Mirkala pointed with her finger at the giant Monster, which was ‘formerly’ 5-Star Rank and that Utangka, having assimilated with Lightning Fire, was about to face in the dream illuminating Utangka, and spoke.

“That Monster is Prometheus’s Familiar.”

“……!”

Now, a Familiar of an Apostle, revealing a 6-Star Grade, was targeting Utangka.