Inside a conference room within the front line.
Henry Muir sat at the head of the table, his face clouded with worry.
The past two days had been extraordinarily difficult.
Although he had been on high alert ever since receiving the report from the detection department and had already begun preparations for various contingencies, he never expected the situation to deteriorate so rapidly and without warning. In just a day or two, the entire situation within the front line had spiraled into chaos, leaving him completely unprepared.
Taking a slow breath, he looked at the representatives of various races and the demigod-level powerhouses seated around the room and spoke with a grim expression, "The plague within the city is now completely out of control. I don't even have an accurate count of how many are infected. In order to minimize the spread and prevent outside contamination, I've ordered all external access points to the front line sealed off. Only a few critical supply routes remain open, guarded under strict security."
An elderly human spoke up, "That may be so, but we still need to deal with the infected somehow. I have a proposal: could we use the massive barrier that covers the entire front line to detect those who are infected? That way, we might be able to isolate them from the healthy and temporarily restore some internal order."
This suggestion received nods of agreement from many of the attendees.
However, Henry could only shake his head and sigh. "That barrier does have the ability to detect disease, but its sensitivity is comparable to the equipment we use to detect combatants. That means a large number of asymptomatic carriers will slip through undetected. No matter how we try to isolate the infected, we'll miss too many. In short, the plan is meaningless."
His explanation made many of the attendees visibly distressed.
It meant that individual quarantines were unfeasible. They would have no choice but to assume everyone was infected and enforce a complete citywide lockdown—an extremely crude and passive solution.
Given the current medical capabilities, such a measure would inevitably result in massive casualties within the city. It was a desperate move, a last resort.
Moreover, under ordinary circumstances, such a method might have been acceptable. But during an ongoing planar war, this kind of approach would severely cripple the front line's combat effectiveness—already disadvantaged—and might push them into outright collapse.
To the powerful figures present, all of whom bore the heavy responsibility of their people's survival beyond the walls, that outcome was simply unacceptable.
"We must do everything in our power to contain it!"
That was the silent consensus shared by everyone in the room.
After a moment of thought, another demigod-level figure made a suggestion:
"If we can't stop the plague itself, then what about the one who released it?. The symptoms are remarkably consistent, and the outbreaks occurred almost simultaneously. That suggests a common origin. Could we trace it back to the source and eliminate the culprit?
We can't be sure if killing the caster will lift the plague, but I think it's worth a try."
"I've considered that," Henry replied. "In fact, we already attempted to use prophecy spells to locate them. But over a dozen legendary mages specializing in divination all failed!
Not only did they get no useful information, but several of them glimpsed some kind of grotesque, unknown entity during the attempt—one that caused them significant mental trauma."
Stroking his beard in thought, a demigod mage named Charliel exchanged a glance with another demigod beside him before speaking.
"If they saw something twisted, but survived, then it means the entity hasn't surpassed certain limits. It still resides within a level we can reach—so perhaps I can give it a try."
Henry's eyes lit up instantly.
He had no real idea what these ancient demigods were truly capable of. Each one was older and more secretive than the next, and no one but themselves knew how many trump cards they still held.
So when one of them stepped forward to volunteer for such a dangerous task, he had no reason to object. On the contrary, he offered his full support on the spot, promising to provide any casting materials required—no matter the cost.
His generosity, combined with the first volunteer's lead, encouraged other uncertain demigod mages to follow suit. One after another, they stepped up, each willing to lend their strength to the cause.
After a round of discussion, they resolved to work together on a large-scale divination ritual, hoping to tear aside the veil and expose the mastermind behind the plague—once and for all.
---
Soon after...
With the combined manpower and resources of numerous factions inside the front line, a massive magical ritual was painstakingly prepared.
It spanned over a thousand square meters and consumed a tremendous amount of rare and valuable materials. The design was incredibly intricate, inscribed with precision across the surface of a large plaza.
Standing at the edge of the ritual circle, the gathered demigod mages—each among the most powerful beings below godhood—exchanged solemn glances before closing their eyes and beginning their chant.
As their voices rose in unison, an unseen force gradually stirred in response.
Meanwhile, hundreds of kilometers away…
Orsaga, who was in the middle of pounding a random demon into paste for amusement, immediately sensed something was off.
After punching a high rank demon's head clean off and sending it flying dozens of kilometers, he didn't even bother looking at the now-upright corpse. Instead, his gaze turned sharply toward the direction of the front line.
He could feel it clearly—waves of hostility were being directed straight at him.
Simultaneously, several hundred constant-effect spells layered over his body began activating on their own.
Every single one was anti-scrying or anti-divination in nature.
But he didn't feel the slightest bit alarmed. Instead, he chuckled to himself and muttered, "Seems like they're making quite a fuss this time..."
Over the past few days, he had sensed multiple attempts to spy on him using magic.
But compared to this, those earlier efforts were little more than child's play—not even enough to catch his attention.
Now, however, his innate warning abilities were flaring. Without hesitation, Orsaga's will surged forward, transforming into a mass of twisted shadow that slipped into the void.
It surged directly toward the incoming spell, intending to block the magical probe head-on.
And so began a direct clash of willpower—
---
"Cough, cough..."
As tension mounted around the ritual circle, one of the demigod mages suddenly grimaced in pain. His forehead bulged with veins, and he began to cough violently as if struck by some powerful force.
Blood frothed from the corners of his mouth.
"Pffft!"
With a spray of blood, he collapsed to the ground completely.
The others rushed forward to support him, quickly administering emergency healing.
Meanwhile, the remaining demigod mages, still immersed in the ritual, kept their eyes shut, pushing forward despite the backlash.
Though their injuries were not as severe, their pallid complexions spoke volumes—they were struggling mightily.
Everyone watching from the sidelines felt their confidence falter...
__
T/N:
Hello everyone! My Patreon is just $3 — a perfect opportunity to access 60+ advanced chapters and support the translation.
🔗 patreon.com/user?u=79514336
Or simply search Translator-Sama on Patreon