Trench Bolts and Magic

Chapter 273 Necromancy
Master Eiffel, dragging his weary body, left the core energy chamber.

When he returned to the main control room, he found an uninvited guest.

An elderly mage, also dressed in a gray mage's robe but with an unnaturally pale complexion and a faint smile always playing on his lips, stood in the center of the hall, observing with great interest the flowing bands of light on the walls.

Upon seeing this person, Master Eiffel's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

"Chardonnay?"

He was somewhat surprised, and also somewhat wary.

"What are you doing here? I thought you had already gone to Bordeaux with the main force of the mage group."

The newcomer was none other than the most mysterious and feared member of the 'Eye of the Loire' mage order—the only seventh-circle necromancer archmage, Chardonnay.

"Oh? My dear Eiffel."

Chardonnay turned around, and when he saw Eiffel, his smile widened.

"I had already left, but halfway there, I suddenly felt a little unwilling."

He shrugged and said in an aria-like tone:

"Isn't it a real shame to just hand over our greatest masterpiece to those Saxon barbarians?"

"So, I changed my mind and came back. I think you wouldn't refuse another helper in protecting Paris, especially one who is a seventh-circle mage."

His words sounded grand and dignified, but Master Eiffel saw in his eyes a deeply hidden and unsettling fanaticism.

Necromancer.

This is a school of thought that is strictly regulated and monitored in any country.

They study death and toy with souls.

Their magic is always associated with plague, curses, and those repulsive undead creatures.

Although Shardonne held a transcendent position within the mage order due to his strength as a seventh-circle archmage and his academic contributions.

But most mages—including Eiffel—kept their distance from him.

The fact that a necromancer who should have evacuated secretly returned at the last moment before the fall of Paris is clearly not an ordinary situation.

"I do need help."

Master Eiffel was silent for a moment, then nodded, but he did not let his guard down.

"However, I hope your purpose is really as simple as you say."

"Of course, of course."

Chardonnay said with a smile:

"We are all working for the Republic, aren't we? Although we study different fields, we all have a patriotic heart."

"Is everything ready?" Chardonnay changed the subject and asked.

Master Eiffel gave him a deep look, but did not answer his question. Instead, he turned and walked to the other side.

"Come with me. Since you've chosen to stay, there are some things you need to know."

He led Shardon to one side of the main control hall, where there was a huge magical light screen and a device composed of maps.

At this moment, a few red arrows are projected on the screen at the location of the Paris suburbs—information captured by the constant [Eagle Eye] at the top of the Eiffel Tower.

Although the specific troop organization and size could not be determined, it at least allowed the people inside the giant tower to know from which direction the enemy was attacking.

"The main force of the Saxons will probably start entering the city tomorrow morning."

Master Eiffel pointed to the moving red arrows on the map and said:

"Their offensive is fierce. I estimate that the city's garrison will not be able to withstand it. We don't have much time left."

As Chardonnay listened to Eiffel's words and looked at the map, the smile on his face became even more amused.

"Yes, time is running out for them."

His gaze fell on the area marked 'Paris Catacombs' at the bottom of the map.

There seemed to be something there, waiting to break through the soil.

“Chardonnay, don’t think I don’t know what you’ve been up to these days.”

Master Eiffel suddenly turned his head, his gaze sharp as lightning, staring directly into Chardonnay's eyes.

"You've been frequently entering and leaving underground tombs, and you've brought a large amount of obsidian with you. What exactly are you planning?"

Despite the questioning from Master Eiffel, Chardonnay's smile remained unchanged.

"Oh? It seems nothing can escape the notice of the Eagle Eye at the top of the tower. My dear Eiffel~ Yes, I did make some small preparations down there."

"Prepare?"

Eiffel's voice turned cold:
"Did you use those who have passed away peacefully as your experimental subjects?!"

"Your mentor, the great Master Pasteur, dedicated his life to extending human lifespan and fighting against disease and death! And you, as his most prized student, spend your days manipulating the dead and desecrating the souls of the departed?!"

Eiffel's voice was filled with anger and disappointment.

Charles's mentor, Louis Pasteur, was one of the most renowned mages and biologists in Europe.

His invention of pasteurization and various vaccines saved countless lives; he spent his entire life fighting against death.

His students, however, took a completely different path.

This is undeniably a huge irony.

"Mentor? Heh."

Upon hearing the name 'Pasteur,' a change finally appeared on Chardonnay's face.

“I respect my mentor, Eiffel, but respect does not mean agreement.”

"My mentor is a great genius, but also an incurable idealist!"

"He wants to conquer death? How ridiculous! Death is the fairest and most eternal law in the world! It is the ultimate truth!"

Chardonnay's voice began to rise and become more fervent.

"What's the point of him trying so hard to extend the lives of ordinary people by a few years or decades?"

"Won't these mortals eventually turn into a handful of dust?"

Instead of futilely delaying the outcome, why not study how to 'utilize' that outcome?

"you"

Master Eiffel was so angry at his fallacies that he couldn't speak. "Alright, alright, my dear Eiffel."

Chardonnay waved his hand, his expression returning to that indifferent smile.

"There's no point in arguing about this now, is there?"

"Your goal is to use this tower to cause as much trouble as possible for the Saxons, right?"

"And that is also my purpose."

He pointed to the underground cemetery on the map.

"I just chose a different 'path' than you, but our 'destination' is the same."

"If that's the case, why should we get hung up on each other's methods?"

Master Eiffel stared intently at him, his chest heaving violently.

He desperately wanted to use a chain of lightning bolts to blast this madman in front of him into charred remains right now.

But he knew he couldn't.

As Chardonnay said, now is not the time for infighting.

They have a common enemy.

Moreover, he had just presided over the fusion ceremony, and his mental energy was greatly depleted, requiring time to recover.

He wasn't confident he could take down a seventh-ring necromancer here.

After a long while, Master Eiffel finally suppressed his anger.

He didn't look at Shardon again, and turned to walk towards the magical transfer device leading to the top floor.

As Eiffel and Chardonnay passed each other, he stopped, did not turn around, and simply said something in a cold and weary voice.

"For Paris."

Chardonnay's smile faltered slightly.

Behind him, Master Eiffel's aged yet resolute figure walked into the magical transfer device.

Only after the magic transfer device door slowly closed, isolating that figure, did he repeat a sentence softly, as if talking to himself.

"For Paris."

For the first time, the mockery and amusement on the old necromancer's face completely vanished.

He stood in the empty main control room, lost in thought.

The magical transfer device transported Master Eiffel to the top floor of the giant tower.

This is his private office, and also his lounge.

He poured himself a glass of red wine, sat in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, and quietly looked out at the city where he had lived his whole life.

He knew this might be the last time he would so peacefully appreciate the Parisian night view.

He felt neither fear nor reluctance.

There was only a sense of peace and composure in my heart as I prepared to complete my mission.

“Margaret, I stay in this spot closest to you every day, yet I can never truly get close to you.”

"But don't worry, I may be able to see you soon."

That night, Maestro Eiffel completed his final long rest.

The next morning, as the first rays of sunlight streamed into the room at the top of the tower, he opened his eyes precisely on time.

Immediately afterwards, two muffled loud thuds came from the east and west of the city.

Master Eiffel walked to the window and saw the two huge columns of smoke that were slowly rising.

He knew it was a new weapon from the Saxons, used to clear out the city's anti-aircraft magic positions.

Then he saw the two huge armored airships swaggering into the skies above Paris.

The enemy's general offensive is about to begin.

Master Eiffel straightened his mage robes and pushed open the door leading to the highest platform at the top of the tower.

The wind howled, blowing his gray beard and hair.

He opened his arms, closed his eyes, and felt the pulse of the entire giant tower.

"Wake up, my child."

He called softly.

"Om-"

The entire Eiffel Tower emitted a deep hum.

Inside the tower, the souls that had become one with it responded to his call.

Clearly, the souls inside the tower are far more numerous than those of Bastian and his companions from last night.

The surging magic, like a flood bursting its banks, poured wildly into Master Eiffel's body from every corner of the tower.

His body slowly floated up and came into mid-air.

He opened his eyes, and those once cloudy eyes had now turned pure white, radiating a terrifying light.

All emotions and all distracting thoughts vanished from him at that moment.

He is no longer Gustave Eiffel.

He is the will of this tower.

He was the last vestige of anger in Paris.

His gaze was fixed on the Saxon troops below, who were as insignificant as ants, approaching the base of the tower in the Ares Square.

He slowly raised his right hand.

It pointed to them.

"Fuck-"

At the top of the tower, endless bolts of lightning began to converge wildly.

The moment of judgment has arrived.

(End of this chapter)