Volume 22: Resurgence and Rise
Chapter 1: Innovation
It was over half a month before Komer received news from Mahagumi in the Caucasus. Mahagumi’s intelligence network expanded rapidly, thanks in large part to Komer’s substantial financial support. Komer understood that to compensate for his own weakness among the upper echelons of the Kingdom of Nicosia, this was the only way.
Additionally, Mahagumi’s boundless energy and natural talent for intelligence were key reasons behind the rapid expansion of the Caucasus intelligence network into regions of interest there. This half-orc hybrid possessed an extraordinary sense for intelligence and intuition, even surprising Komer—such sensitivity seemed unlikely in a half-orc. The only explanation was that this descendant of a half-orc born from a rape by a mortal might have inherited exceptional gifts from his father’s side.
Komer was well aware that his deal with Kakiya couldn’t remain hidden. Kakiya’s circle of interests wasn’t monolithic either. Hoffman must have planted spies within her group, just as Kakiya likely had her own informants within Hoffman’s sphere of influence. News of Lenta’s mission to Galle and Homer reached the Caucasus immediately—clearly a countermeasure to their secret agreement. What troubled Komer was that he couldn’t appear openly in the Caucasus at the moment. What kind of deal had that old scoundrel Philip made with Hoffman? Would they take actions detrimental to the Caucasus soon? These were all things Komer urgently wanted to know, but Mahagumi’s intelligence hadn’t revealed anything clear on this.
However, some signs indicated a worsening situation. In Jazair, Hoffman frequently met with the chief mage of the Kingdom of Nicosia’s court mage group and kept bestowing rewards on its members. Given the kingdom’s financial difficulties, it was questionable whether spending so much money to win over these mages was necessary. In the struggle for the throne, this group of outsiders from the court had no say, unless both sides resorted to war—but the situation wasn’t there yet, and Taze and Matthew wouldn’t allow it to happen. Didn’t Hoffman understand this? Komer didn’t believe it. The only possibility pointed to Homer. Having suffered a crushing defeat, Homer might have lost confidence in conquering the Caucasus alone, or perhaps they didn’t want to face another failure. With the support of the kingdom’s court mage group and Homer’s regular army, Bruce and Leon would be in great danger.
He watched with distress as the letter hovered in the air and slowly burned. The situation was truly a dilemma—having managed to establish a firm foothold in the South, the stronghold in the Caucasus seemed to be facing danger once again. If Mahagumi’s analysis was correct, the situation was quite severe. The court mage corps of the Kingdom of Nicosia was by no means as weak as Homer’s mage corps; it was one of the best in the entire Northern Alliance, boasting many magi who had already reached or were on the verge of becoming archmages. Once Hoffman and Philip reached an agreement on this issue, Komer knew his half-orc forces would inevitably collapse, especially with Homer still possessing strong infantry and cavalry forces.
Perhaps he should return to the Caucasus secretly, the thought suddenly occurred to Komer. But he quickly dismissed this somewhat unwise idea. The Inquisition surely still had spies in the Caucasus, and he would not be able to avoid their notice if he returned. Moreover, the situation in the South was thriving at the moment, and leaving casually could only lead to chaos.
The fort of Gdansk had already begun repairs quietly. All the barbarians had withdrawn from Flanders, and the effects of starting these repairs surprised Komer. The Flanders people, who had fled their homes, returned in large numbers upon hearing the news. To them, the ability to drive back the barbarians and rebuild Gdansk was more effective than any promise. As the Flanders residents returned, the first Dark Temple was built in the center of Antwerp. There, the power of the Light Church was quite weak—their churches had been destroyed by the barbarians and lacked the funds to rebuild. The massive Dark Temple replaced the Light Church as the new focal point of the city.
The construction of the Dark Temple in Antwerp was just a microcosm of what was happening across the South. In Piraeus, in the Kingdom of Iberia, in Troy, in Carthage, in Tyros, in Pyrgos, and even in Patras in Sparta, Dark Temples were rising one after another. A few months after the Olympic Games, the forces of darkness surged across the entire Southern Mediterranean region like giants awakened after a thousand years of slumber. After uniting several small sects that worshipped the god Hades, the Great Secret Sect also raised the banner of the Dark Religion, signaling a full-scale resurgence of dark forces in the southern part of the continent.
Throughout it all, Komer adopted a policy of guidance rather than direct involvement—encouraging but not indulging. Faced with Xuro’s repeated requests for him to appear in public as a dark ruler, Komer never gave a direct response. In his view, the situation was far from reaching the point where he needed to take charge. The rapid rise of dark forces would surely bring negative consequences, and the Light Church along with some local secular powers would not remain indifferent. There would be various variables and complications, and staying in the shadows, deliberately maintaining a distance from these dark forces, might allow him to respond more flexibly to such changes.
The time spent in Flanders was a rare period of leisure for Komer. Neptune and the group he brought with him adapted to the land of Iberia at great speed and integrated well into Flanders thanks to Komer’s influence. Compared to the hardships he faced when first arriving in the Caucasus, Flanders’ fertility and stability were like paradise. The simple-minded people of Flanders turned their gratitude for being freed from barbarians into loyalty and obedience to their new lords, making everything much smoother for Neptune and his group.
Over these months, Komer focused most of his energy on improving his magical skills. Although Rebrí was no longer around, Mihajović and Newman could still provide him with significant assistance. Uma could also serve as a test subject for Komer, constantly facing challenges, especially in relation to the magical creatures he was exploring.
Magical plants were just the initial stage of Komer’s experiments in creating new magic. His powerful magical abilities and extensive magical knowledge made it impossible for him to resist the temptation to innovate. In Komer’s view, magic was a way to release energy in various forms within a short time and limited space by leveraging natural forces. Once the energy was released, it needed to be replenished. If the energy could be cultivated within living beings through daily accumulation, allowing it to be released continuously at specific times through special means, it would not only enable control over when magic was released but also allow intelligent magical creatures to determine the degree and method of energy release based on their on-the-spot perception. This was the goal Komer aimed to achieve.
The Vine Demon Plant had taken its first step forward; all its efforts had not been in vain. Its formidable strength and rapid reflexes had already enabled it to match the power of those lower-tier magical beasts. Once fully developed, with just a spell or gesture, this creature could become a sentient puppet under one’s control, and compared to ordinary magical puppets, it undoubtedly possessed far greater vitality and adaptability.
Vladkov’s knight’s sword emitted a faint mist of ice. The spinning ring of sword light turned countless branches and vines that lunged at him into fragments in an instant. Yet, as soon as these fragments touched the ground, they seemed to absorb some kind of regenerative force, quickly merging back into the main body of the Vine Demon Plant and sprouting anew in a very short time.
The swirling vines moved like a giant, ferocious octopus, swiftly sliding across the ground to attack the dark knight. With his sword in one hand and his combat energy surging, Vladkov shattered the vines on the spot, while his agile movements allowed him to evade the relentless Vine Demon Plant.
It was a clash between a knight and a magical creature. Komer watched the scene with great interest. Of course, he had to constantly provide magical support and guidance to the Vine Demon Plant. Compared to Vladkov, the plant was still too immature. Without Komer’s timely intervention, Vladkov’s sword would likely have pierced through the plant’s life core long ago. Komer didn’t want his hard-earned creation to be destroyed in such a trial battle. The plant’s life core had required considerable effort to create successfully. Although it still seemed immature, the intelligent Vine Demon Plant could learn and adapt during battles to strengthen itself.
Komer didn’t expect this magical creature to make him invincible, but at least it could give him a boost at critical moments. Even if it died, it should force the enemy to pay a price in return.
A clear, resonant clang came from the sword blade as a faint black aura shot out from its tip, aiming straight at the still-advancing Vine Demon Plant. Realizing the danger, the plant suddenly contracted its body and moved rapidly across the ground to avoid the black aura. But the speed of the aura was too great for the plant to dodge, and Komer couldn’t react in time either.
Dark energy penetrated the demonic plant, causing violent tremors as if a dying creature was struggling. The damage inflicted by that dark energy on the demonic plant was clearly severe—most of the swirling vines drooped limply, and strange, rattling sounds came from the core of the plant.