The Path to Lordship Begins in the North

Anastasia couldn't understand how the once so proud Erex could allow a human to ride on his back.

Especially when the magic circle on Erex's body shone brightly, and he actually drew a huge super-level magic circle on his body and used himself as the source of magic power—although Erex didn't seem to care much about those humans, and some humans even couldn't withstand Erex's jolting and fell off along the way.

If Irex, who once led his people to storm the tower, could see himself in this state now, he probably wouldn't understand what he's become.

But when the super-level magic was actually activated, Anastasia seemed to understand why.

As the storm descended from the sky, Anastasia immediately sensed a sense of despair. Erex had incorporated the flesh and blood of the Outer Gods into the Super-Tier Magic.

Erex has gone mad! Neither Anastasia's understanding of Erex nor the calculations of the Holy Grail could have imagined that Erex would draw the magic circle of super-rank magic on himself, let alone that Erex would willingly become the source of super-rank magic power.

However, the tower was not entirely populated by ordinary people in the Eastern Territory. Soon, the professionals in the tower began to take action. Some attacked the spellcasters on Erex's back, while others wove defensive magic. The tower, as it had been in history, stood firm amidst the storms.

On the contrary, Erex kept howling in pain, and his dragon breath was more like a rain of destruction than a prelude to super-tier magic, descending on the city below the tower.

Even in such agony, Erex stared at the professionals below the tower and shouted in a voice that filled the sky: "Human professionals, are you so willing to be subservient to the tower? You worked so hard to climb to the top of this continent, only to be manipulated by the tower?"

"No! A world where the strong prey on the weak is more suitable for you. We, the strong, are the ones who deserve to rule this world!"

To be honest, there were quite a few unofficial professionals under the tower who were tempted by what Erex said. But even if these professionals harbored resentment, the people inside the tower also abided by the rules, and under the constraints of the God of Contracts, they were even more strict than these unofficial professionals.

Therefore, even if they harbor resentment, most professionals do not complain in their daily lives.

However, in this environment, under the pressure of the super-level magic cast by the united dragons, these professionals who have reached the pinnacle of the continent began to have some ulterior motives.

Is a dog-eat-dog world really more suitable for these high-level professionals?

A black dragon and a super-tier spell—to be honest, this level of power is far inferior to that of the war back then. Even if something unexpected happens, it cannot pose a substantial threat to the tower. However, the tired elf looked at the super-tier spell, which had been stained black, with some tension.

Anastasia saw it; the phantom that should have been sealed deep within the ocean of consciousness appeared in the sky.

In an instant, Anastasia felt her heart and lungs stop. So that's how it is. No wonder the demons caused the sea of ​​consciousness to churn when they used super-level magic. The flesh and blood of the Outer Gods can actually directly affect the sea of ​​consciousness?

As Anastasia watched the phantom in the sky seem about to break through some kind of seal, her expression finally changed.

"Erex, stop! Do you know what you're doing?!"

Seeing the look of panic finally appear on the face of the elf who had always regarded him as a giant lizard, Erex suddenly felt that it didn't matter that his magic power had been drained, and he could no longer even feel the pain.

The tower was even more sturdy than Erex had imagined, but that didn't matter. Anastasia seemed terrified of the super-tier magic he was casting, and that was enough. For Erex, just seeing Anastasia's expression was more than enough.

With Erex's furious laughter, black rain fell along with the dragon's breath, but even so, the human warriors displayed extraordinary resilience. How terrifying is a city composed of warriors? The defensive barrier forcefully blocked both the super-level magic and the dragon's breath.

Erex felt his wings being corrupted and his mind losing consciousness. Was it because he had used his magic? This black downpour was even more unsettling to the dragon than the torrential rain in the very heart of the East.

The demonic flesh on Erex's back had already devoured the spellcasters and was still expanding. Soon, this black flesh covered Erex's entire body, rotting his dragon scales.

The flesh and blood quickly enveloped Irelia's entire body, causing him to fall from the sky like a lump of mud.

But in mid-air, the crimson dragon eyes suddenly opened, and the familiar phantom pain returned. Erex spread its wings like a madman, blowing off the rotting flesh on its body, and with its already corrupted body, it rushed straight towards the tower.

"Anastasia, come and fall into the abyss with me!"

Erex crashed into the tower.

Anastasia and the other professionals did their best to resist Erex's impact. Even the tower that had stood firm throughout history began to sway under Erex's self-sacrificing blow.

Like a rotten tomato slammed against a wall, the rotting flesh from Erex's massive body clung to the tower. But as if sensing the tower being shaken by him, a strange, intermittent laugh even emanated from Erex's body.

Coupled with the attack of the super-level magic that absorbed the power of the dragon and the flesh and blood of the demon god, red lights flashed inside the tower for the first time, seemingly warning the people inside that danger was imminent.

The weary elf admitted his mistake. Perhaps when they passed through the black rain and mist of the Eastern Lands, Erex's mind had already been affected in some way. The dragon had gone mad!

But what truly alarmed Anastasia, more than the damage to the tower, was the phantom in the sky when the super-tier magic was activated.

"Quickly monitor the situation in the ocean of consciousness!"

Under the cover of rain, Anastasia began to direct the people inside the tower.

"Already doing it!"

Just then, a researcher quietly approached Anastasia and said, "My lady... the God of Contracts... the God of Contracts is showing signs of instability."

In an instant, Anastasia broke out in a cold sweat.

"Gather all personnel inside the tower!"

After speaking, the elf, whose age was unknown, entered the tower. The lights in the entire room instantly turned on. The elf stood in front of the tower and said to a huge screen, "Anastasia Romanova, requesting to initiate a self-inspection procedure and requesting temporary authorization."

"Permissions confirmed".

A cold, synthesized sound rang out.

"Permissions confirmed. Connecting to the server. Quick self-check initiated. Automatic repair program activated. Granting partial elevator access to observer: Anastasia Romanova."

After receiving authorization, Anastasia connected her Holy Grail to the server and, with the server's computing power, began to quickly examine the state of the ocean of consciousness.

Anastasia squatted down. How much time had passed since she was born? Anastasia couldn't remember anymore. The only thing she remembered was the thought etched into her genes: to ensure the continuation of human civilization.

Anastasia looked up, her gaze seemingly piercing through the tower's ceiling. What exactly lay atop that tower? But in the end, seeing the results on the large screen, Anastasia stood up and left the room.

A quick check cannot pinpoint exactly what went wrong in the deeper layers of consciousness, but it can at least indicate that the situation is not yet at its worst and there is still a chance to salvage it.

“An abnormal fluctuation has occurred in the sea of ​​consciousness. Fortunately, only our God of Contract has been affected and is no longer able to perform his/her duties normally.”

"This was one of the purposes for which we initially created gods. Just as we predicted, the God of Contract became a dam in the ocean of consciousness when disaster struck, but if left unchecked..."

Anastasia didn't continue, but the assembled professionals looked at each other in bewilderment. The God of Contracts had been affected, which meant that the God of Contracts no longer had any control over these professionals who stood at the pinnacle of the continent.

"Therefore, I have decided to temporarily close the tower and allow us to enter the ocean of consciousness to remove the pollution."

No sooner had the words been spoken than a professional stepped forward and asked, "But sir, we are merely observers; we do not have the authority to enter the ocean of consciousness."

Anastasia remained calm and said, "I know."