Mage Adam

"The Dilus race invaded the Mage World?" Adam was a bit taken aback. He'd had his suspicions, but hearing it confirmed still shocked him.

"Yeah, but it happened ages ago." Arnold led the way, filling Adam in on the details.

"Back then, the magic system had just gone through a huge change. The Mage Council wasn't a thing yet, nor were the hidden world coordinates, the Mage Network, or the elevated Origin. The Great Archmages were off fighting in other planes and pretty much ignored their own backyard. During this time, a group of Diluses, led by three level-nine Diluses, stumbled upon the Mage World."

Adam tried to picture what the mages must have felt back then: They were just starting to grasp the wonders of magic. Discovering the ability to travel through time and space must have been exhilarating, drawing them into the vast, energy-rich ether void. The rush of expanding their power probably made them a bit cocky and careless about potential threats. 

No matter the reason, that fight must have been brutal.

"The only Great Archmage left in the Mage World was Annecroft, the Guardian. All he could do was defend; he couldn't counterattack."

Adam asked, "Why didn't the other Great Archmages come back to help?"

"Because they were too powerful. Any action they took would be suppressed by the ether void. You saw earlier, it took nearly half the legion's energy just to let His Holiness Maxis's arm appear for a few seconds. His actual body is still way out in the void. Being extremely powerful doesn't mean you can do whatever you want. The stronger they are, the more restrictions they face. For the Great Archmages, the ether void is both a shackle and a prison. So, mages have to find a way to transcend it. Otherwise..." Arnold paused, smiling, "These things are too far off for you."

Adam got the hint that he wasn't allowed to know more, so he wisely kept quiet. But he made a mental note to remember that "otherwise."

"Back then, there was no Mage Network to send real-time messages. By the time the Great Archmages outside knew about the Dilus' arrival, it was already too late." Arnold's tone turned reverent as he continued, "His Holiness Maxis, from the Sixth Tower of Pharmacy, stepped up in that crisis. He pulled together all alchemy knowledge, innovated, and created the rule of equivalent exchange, rising to the rank of Great Archmage. He then fought the three level-nine Diluses on his own, won, and saved the Mage World."

"The current Seventh Tower is actually made from the corpse of a level-nine Diluses. Even the war weapons and most of the transdimensional mage towers you saw earlier were originally void war castles of the Dilus race. His Holiness has kept an eye on this race over the years, but there hasn't been much news. Your information is incredibly valuable."

At that moment, the two of them stepped into the brightly lit Command Center.

Inside, senior mages, all at least level four, were bustling about. Their eyes were glued to the light screens displaying data on the Devourer, issuing commands nonstop.

The magic array to summon the Great Archmage couldn't be used again anytime soon, so they had to keep the Devourer alive and in place until the Great Archmage's true body arrived.

Arnold led Adam to the other side of the command center, saying, "Titania's resources are top-notch, just what we need. Compared to the Dilus, the warfare in this plane are pretty routine. We can ensure the Titan race's survival easily, which means the battle isn't too urgent. Right now, the key thing is extracting info about the real location of the Dilus race from the soul of the Devourer. Mages from the Third Tower will handle this, and they need your help."

Adam thought, 'The Third Tower again. This Tower, which carries the name of mages but seems separate from the current system, has too many secrets. Even their orders sound different. "Require" isn't a word other mages use.'

Arnold stopped outside a room and said, "I don't like them much. From here, you go in alone. After you answer the Third Tower's questions, a combat staff officer will verify the Titan intel with you." With that, he left, and Adam passed through a barrier into the room.

The mages from the Third Tower always seemed out of place, including their surroundings. Unlike the brightness outside, the room wasn't dark, but it gave Adam a gloomy feeling. It was as if the five mages repelled the light.

In the center of the room was a 3D projection of the Devourer, its body fully restored in detail. The mages were performing complex operations on the projection.

Their aura was mysterious, and Adam couldn't determine their levels.

The five mages didn't introduce themselves. Seeing Adam enter, one of them said, "Repeat everything you know about the Dilus race, without any omissions, even the smallest details."

Adam frowned. Their tone was really off-putting, like he was a criminal. He replied, "My mission details are all uploaded to the Mage Network. You can check them yourselves."

One of the mages played the initial scene of the fire transmission, pointing to the Titans and Metal Eaters fighting at that time. He asked Adam, "The Reincarnation Spell kept your soul in this area for a long time. Since you couldn't enter the Original Flames, why didn't you leave or choose to reincarnate as a Dilus?"

Adam stepped up to the screen and took over the playback control, his voice cold. "First, those are just the degenerated individuals of the Dilus race. It's more accurate to call them 'Metal Eaters.' Second, the Reincarnation Spell is your magic. When it was taught to me, the core knowledge was kept secret, so the choice of reincarnation target was determined by the spell, not by me. Third," Adam dragged the scene to the moment of Lithium 15's sacrifice, "their reproductive method is through parental body reproduction. Ordinary Metal Eaters don't have reproductive abilities, and there was no parental body near the battlefield for me to reincarnate into."

The Third Tower mages didn't seem bothered by Adam's tone. Perhaps these questions were routine for them. Seeing that Adam had given an explanation, they moved on without further comment, asking, "Your information shows that the parental body of the Dilus has absolute control over its offspring. Are you sure?"

Adam nodded.

"To what extent?"

"Similar to a master-slave pact."

"Is it possible to reverse-invade the parental body through lower-level individuals?"

"Very difficult. Their evolution is controlled by higher authority units. I am not skilled in this area, so I cannot make a further judgment."

The questioning paused as the five mages communicated silently, leaving Adam ignored for a moment.