Chrono's magic power surged. In response, the Ancient magical tool placed beside him — Estia Magna — activated as if answering his call.
Its presence, the magic power it emanated — this was entirely different from when Archbishop Yohan had wielded Skaldrogia. That had been nothing more than unilaterally borrowing a fraction of a magical tool's power. But this was different. A wielder with the proper qualifications to use this magical tool had spent an entire week thoroughly attuning his magic power to it, and now, every last ounce of the tool's true power was being unleashed without reserve.
The celestial globe blazed with azure light, and the luminous ring orbiting it accelerated its rotation even further.
The light pouring from within blazed so brilliantly it could burn the eyes of all who beheld it — and then, at its peak —
The world trembled.
◆
Let us take a moment here to explain one fundamental mystery.
—What, exactly, is a magical tool?
To explain that, it would be easier to start from an even more fundamental question. That is to say — let us begin by examining what a "tool" is in the first place.
The significance of tools. The meaning of their existence.
There are no doubt various theories on the matter, but one that comes close to the ideal answer would be... that tools exist for the purpose of doing things that humans cannot do alone.
Because the human body alone cannot cut and divide animal flesh, bladed weapons were born. Because efficient tilling was impossible, farming implements were born. From the very root of the concept of "tools," they emerged and developed as extensions of human capability.
Magical tools are no exception.
Tools exist so that humans can do what they cannot do alone.
Likewise, a magical tool is —
lets a human
alone
wield magic they
cannot.
to perform
for the purpose of
— is what they are.
That, right there, is the very origin of what is called a "Magical Tool."
Ancient Magical Tools
— among those, an even rarer handful. The seven supreme-class Ancient Magical Tools, beginning with Estia Magna. These were Magical Tools born at nearly the same time as the dawn of Bloodline Magic — literally, as the name suggests,
magic
to use
for the purpose of
tools
— is what they are.
So, with that established, the next question.
those
Ancient Magical Tools
— what was the "magic" they attempted to wield using them?
To address that, we must go back even further — to the very moment when "Bloodline Magic" first came into being.
What is Bloodline Magic?
This is where the common knowledge prevalent in this country and the understanding held by Ermes and the others are at odds.
The common knowledge in this country holds — "Bloodline Magic is the magic bestowed by God upon the chosen."
Ermes and the others' understanding — "Bloodline Magic is a technology that humans created by accumulating wisdom."
Which is actually correct? Now, let me state the conclusion.
──
Both
are
not
wrong.
If I had to be more precise... Ermes and the others' understanding is fundamentally correct, but there are also elements that gave rise to some of the common knowledge in this country — so to speak.
Because, first of all, I want you to consider something.
Magic. Creating something from nothing, wielding fire and ice without the slightest effort, and at its peak, even commanding power comparable to a catastrophe.
Could mere humans have created such a technique — without any precedent or reference?
The answer is no.
That is the very reason magical tools came into existence — the truth that, until now, no one had ever reached, save for a handful of humans.
It existed.
A separate path from the Bloodline Magic that humans created and passed down by embedding it into their blood. It was the origin of those arts, and the model upon which they were built.
──
In this world,
from the very beginning,
it had
existed —
magic.
was.
They were so vastly, overwhelmingly powerful compared to Bloodline Magic that even if one obtained them, a human body simply lacked everything needed to wield them — to a hopeless degree.
But for those captivated by that power, even that was nowhere near enough to abandon their desire of claiming it as their own.
That was precisely why they created them.
Obtaining magic alone was not enough. Even inheriting it by embedding it into one's blood was still not enough.
If so — then rather than inheriting it internally through bloodline, an external method of inheritance. They divided the obtained magic, and by embedding a portion of it not into "blood" but into a "tool," they forged a new means of inheritance.
That was the origin of what would come to be called "Magical Tools."
While most of what has survived to the present day has been altered in form and reduced to merely "enhancing the effects of magic," the original purpose was to "wield magic that a single human body alone cannot handle."
Born from that founding purpose, the seven
Ancient Magical Tools
alone have not forsaken their original purpose — they still wait somewhere in this world, yearning to be delivered into the hands of one worthy.
And so, now.
Just as they who lived long ago had wished,
Ancient Magical Tools
— one of them has been passed into the hands of a human who inherited the corresponding magic through their bloodline.
The magic dwelling within a human body, and the magic sealed within the celestial sphere — the two interlock without the slightest discrepancy.
— and one myth manifests.
◆
"[Six is
the Clock Tower
redemption and chaos—ring the bell, ring the bell]"
Resonantly, solemnly.
With a voice that soared and stilled, Chrono wove his Chant.
Simultaneously, the celestial sphere—whose luminance had reached its limit—cracked from within with a heavy metallic sound, and the many magic circles and strings of characters it contained were set free. As though returning to where they belonged, everything converged upon Chrono without the slightest hesitation.
"[Let us sing a poem, let us wipe away the rain. A world perfected without error is dreadfully tedious]"
Laplace, his expression tinged with elation and irony.
Yurugen, his demeanor composed yet threaded with awe.
Ortesia, her eyes bearing the glint of a hollow, vacant madness.
The three of them, each in their own way, watched over the spectacle.
"[The great, the wondrous, the strong, the radiant—
superiority and inferiority,
let us forge,
shadow and shade—
let us love. In the primordial mud, pure light]"
The conditions for manifesting "that magic" could be broadly divided into four.
The first was the fundamental prerequisite: inheriting the relevant magic as Bloodline Magic.
The second was to possess exceptional talent even among those who had inherited it, to understand the magic within oneself and accumulate diligent study, thereby reaching a certain threshold of mastery.
Without this, "that magic" would still be powerful—comparable to other Bloodline Magic—but would settle into a rather plain form without any particular distinction. An example the Ermes group had already witnessed was,
Sara's,
second—
Bloodline Magic
is what that refers to.
"[Become anyone you please. Know what shall break. For such stars are—beautiful.]"
Having cleared that, the third step. Through the culmination of refinement, to gain the ability to wield all magic that resides within oneself—that is to say,
Magic Inscription Liberation
mastering it.
And the fourth step. Obtaining the corresponding
Ancient magical tool
—understanding its proper use, and making it truly one's own.
Yet the pinnacle of magic residing within one's body alone was not enough. One had to also draw external magic to its absolute limit before such power could finally be unleashed. Because it was magic of that magnitude, not a single soul throughout the kingdom's history had ever managed to fully replicate it. Its lineage had been severed over the long span of history, reducing it to nothing more than a fantasy—truly, nothing but a fairy-tale magic.
—And now. The fantasy has become reality, and the fairy tale encroaches upon the world.
"[All things into the cauldron—melt the furnace, cast the bell. Sound the lullaby. Roar, for this is the world!]"
It is magic that exists yet another dimension above Bloodline Magic.
The very foundation of the Church's faith. Magic truly and genuinely created and sent forth by an existence of the dimension called God.
Magic that, quite literally, created the world.
"[□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□□ □□□□]"
After closing with the song of the stars—which hides its resonance from this world, for its creatures cannot even hear it—
"—
Magic Inscription Liberation
"
Beyond what Bloodline Magic could ever achieve — at the end of a seventh-tier Chant.
That magic now sees the light of day.
"
The Sixth Genesis Magic
— '
□□□□□
'"
And so,
Genesis
magic was unleashed.
— The end of a nation had begun.
At last, I've been able to reveal one of the core elements of this work.
From here on, we'll be solving more and more of the mysteries leading up to this point, so I hope you enjoy the decisive battle's flow going forward!
Look forward to the next chapter!