Chapter 83: Revival

Saint Veil, Outer Perimeter of the Sky Palace, Third Institute of Grand Arcane Research.

Zhao Tianhe lay at the center of a massive magic circle, his entire body suspended in midair, eyes shut as if in deep sleep.

Nearby, Artoria gazed at her hands, lowering her head in frustration. Over an hour had passed since Zhao Tianhe had lost consciousness. Ereshkigal’s summoning time had expired, and she had already returned, leaving Artoria to stand helplessly by Zhao Tianhe’s side.

Ereshkigal had been the first to sense something amiss with Zhao Tianhe, quickly realizing that his soul had been taken away by some force. Though she was highly sensitive to matters of the soul, she now lacked the means to manipulate it; spells like Soul Recall were beyond her reach. All she could do was send him to the relevant authorities.

“I’m sorry, miss, but your companion’s soul is being confined by the subspace barrier of the entire underground city. There’s no way we can call it back directly,” a mage said, his face troubled as he approached Artoria in her swimsuit.

“I know,” Artoria replied, her face expressionless as she walked to Zhao Tianhe’s side and gazed quietly at his face.

“Is he your boyfriend, young lady?” A leisurely, world-weary voice sounded. Artoria turned to look and recognized the speaker.

It was an old man in a slate-blue suit, his long silver hair and beard flowing together as one.

“Aren’t you the commentator from the previous selection tournament?” Artoria was taken aback. “Do you work here too?”

“Of course not. The Third Institute’s folk…” The old man chuckled. “You probably don’t know why this young man was brought here, do you?”

“The Third Institute is responsible for this matter because the artificial dungeon technology at the heart of the problem has always been their primary research focus.” He glanced at the mages bustling about and continued with a wry smile, “The leak of core technology—this is an unprecedented catastrophe. There’s no doubt there’s a traitor among the higher-ups.”

“Oh? Then, if we find the traitor, can this be resolved?” Artoria narrowed her eyes slightly.

“More or less. Once that’s done, your boyfriend will be saved,” the old man said, smiling.

“No, he’s not my lover,” Artoria sighed. “He doesn’t know everything about me, and I’m not yet ready to open my heart to him.”

“But judging from your concern, you’re clearly more than just companions.” The old man looked at her, a hint of mischief in his tone. “I’ve seen plenty fall in love with their summoned spirits. For someone to date a beauty like you is hardly unusual.”

“You know?” Artoria was startled. She had never revealed her identity as a summoned being while here.

“I’m with the Association, not the Institute,” the old man replied with a laugh. “I’m the same as that boy, and I can be of some use in this matter, which is why the Association sent me to help.”

“You can wake him up?” Artoria asked in surprise.

“I suppose you could call it waking him, but I can’t bring him back,” the old man stroked his beard. “By using the resonance of the Heroic Spirit System, I can temporarily strengthen his forcibly separated soul across the barrier, but I can’t do more than that.”

“This boy’s body is just too weak!” The old man eyed Zhao Tianhe’s arm with disdain. “I doubt his strength exceeds ten points. How can a man be so feeble? He’d never withstand my enhancements!”

“Well, actually, He is a summoner and a mage focused on perception, so…” Artoria hastily explained.

“All right, all right. The point is, I can give his stolen soul a boost.” The old man raised his right hand. “It’s only temporary, but it should free him from some of the restrictions.”

“The Heroic Spirit System also strengthens the soul. Since he’s not dead, he must just be imprisoned. Once he breaks free, the boy should be of some use.” As he spoke, vibrant runes appeared on his right hand.

“I only came to see the rare swimsuit tournament, but now I’m stuck dealing with this mess…” The old man grumbled impatiently. “Day after day of bloodshed on the northern frontier—I thought I could finally retire in peace…”

Artoria watched Zhao Tianhe’s reaction with grave concern, paying no mind to the old man’s rambling.

The runes slowly entered Zhao Tianhe’s body, and with each one, a twisted mark appeared on his skin.

‘I’ve never seen magic like this before…’ Artoria observed the changes. ‘His body density is increasing—this energy can alter a being’s very nature. This old man is no ordinary mage. But Ah He is nearing his limit.’

Just as she predicted, the old man ceased his spellcasting.

“From here on, it’s up to him,” the old man shook his head, turned, and waved farewell as his figure gradually faded. “Farewell, young lady. The swimsuit suits you!”

Artoria watched as the old man vanished, noticing that among the busy mages and researchers, not one seemed aware of his presence—they all remained absorbed in their own tasks.

‘Has he been masking himself from others’ perception to conduct his investigation? Even with my current abilities, I sensed nothing unusual. Incredible…’ Hope flickered in Artoria’s heart as she stared after the old man.

Creak, crack—

Bang!

A figure sprawled, arms and legs akimbo, on the empty hall floor.

“Ow… what happened? Why am I in this creepy place?” Zhao Tianhe brushed debris from himself, looking up in confusion.

Above the vast hall hung row upon row of translucent spheres, each containing a child curled up, eyes tightly shut—so many that the number was impossible to count.

“It’s a bit unnerving…” Zhao Tianhe brushed the dust from his hair.

He himself had just been trapped in one of those translucent spheres, sunk in a deep coma, yet had awoken for some unknown reason. A surge of tremendous strength had flooded his body, shattering the sphere and sending him tumbling to the ground.

At this moment, Zhao Tianhe was merely a soul, but in this dungeon, owing to certain rules, every soul had been given physical form.

But this was nothing like the Third Magic from Fate. Here, even after being embodied, souls possessed the same vulnerabilities as flesh. If destroyed, they would die just the same, their souls erased—utter annihilation.