Episode 849 Gray (1)
When I first encountered the World Tree in the primordial land, I felt as though I were facing living, moving nature itself. Andwhen I came face-to-face with ‘your’ surface consciousness in the silent desert, I felt my breath suffocated and my soul violently fluttering.
It was similar to that time even now.
It is overwhelming.
A massive cliff, so high that the top was invisible even when looking up, mercilessly intimidated Verden, appearing as if it would crush him at any moment.
The magical power fluctuates.
Instinct hurriedly compels you to choose between resistance and escape.
Even though the gray dragon, which was larger than most buildings in Gargant, was bearing several fatal wounds as you could see…Verden unwittingly took on the role of prey rather than predator.
However, Verden had lived as the weak rather than the strong for a much longer time. Facing beings of higher status was a familiar occurrence to him.
“Who are you?”
When Verden asked calmly without backing down a single step, the gray dragon snorted softly and looked at him with interest.
[Right, since you have that much spirit, you dared to ruin ‘your’ plan, Fate Destroyer. It probably wasn’t your intention from the start, though… … .]
The sharply torn pupils turned toward the sky.
[Countless threads of fate have been severed recently. And they are still being severed now. It seems quite intentional that even the remnants of fate have been destroyed. Indeed.]
A low laugh shook the cavity.
[What is your purpose in stirring up fate again even after breaking the wheel of destiny?]
Verden replied.
I asked first.
The difference in rank is stark.I know it.At Verden’s level, I cannot handle the sealed Gray Dragon. However, that does not mean I must cooperate unconditionally.
[It doesn’t matter who asked first.]
Its presence overwhelmed the surroundings.Dragon Fear.
[Boldness and recklessness are different, Verden. Be respected when you are respected.]
“……!!!!”
Verden’s entire body stiffened as if his heart were being held captive.
As the magical power was suppressed, the light faded.
As the magic circuit was forcibly deactivated, my jaw lifted. As I braced myself to keep my knees from bending, my tendons and blood vessels bulged as if they were about to burst.
This distance is… … more than ‘your’ surface will!
Even Verden, who had encountered the secrets of the world until now, had never heard of the Gray Dragon. To think there could be another being comparable to the level of the First Demon King, the World Tree, and ‘you’.
A solemn voice rang out in the darkness where the light had vanished.
[Why did I mess with fate again?]
Crack, snap.
Verden forced his head down and fought against the dragon’s terror. The infinite magical power residing in his heart gradually pushed back the pressure.
“I’d have asked who it was.”
A crack appeared in the cave floor where Verden stood. Light bloomed again, and the darkness distorted.The magical light, which adorned the void as if only two people existed in this world, illuminated only the gray dragon and Verden.
[Recklessness──]
If you want an answer, answer first.
Verden pulled his lips away again.
“Are you on the side of fate?”
The Gray Dragon knows Verden, and Verden does not know the Gray Dragon.
There is a lack of information.
In such a situation, Verden had to confirm whether the Gray Dragon was an enemy of ‘you’ and truly on the side of a resistor like the World Tree.That is the starting point.If they cannot even begin, they have no choice but to run parallel to each other.
[Side of Fate?]
The gray dragon let out a sarcastic laugh as if dumbfounded, then twitched its massive body. A quiet, maniacal laugh was conveyed to Verden through its intense gaze.Whoosh.At the same time, the power oppressing Verden’s magic and body vanished.
[It is the opposite.]
Verden exhaled and gripped [Interis] about twice. Having confirmed that the flow of magic had become smooth, he straightened his gaze.
“Then does that mean you’re on the side of the resistors?”
[I may have resisted fate, but I was not a resistor. For I did not belong to Oldark. It is simply that I did not like ‘your’ will. And this is the result.]
As the gray dragon moved its forelegs slightly, hundreds of massive iron chains clanged.
Verden frowned for a moment.
‘… … It’s a merciless seal.’
Some of the gray scales, whose hardness and strength were immeasurable, were forcibly destroyed, and a pitch-black wedge was firmly driven into the gap.Moreover, I felt a fragment of the power I had sensed, however faintly, in the silent desert.
That is undoubtedly ‘your’ seal.
Eliminate resilience.Continuously dissipate strength.Restrict movement.… … .
It felt like a cruel punishment intended to inflict eternal suffering while still alive. Even the partial effect of the seal that Verden had discerned was enough to make one fully feel its horror. Itwas bizarre that the Gray Dragon was enduring it so nonchalantly.
[The habit of observing phenomena. It is a wizard’s temperament I haven’t seen in a long time. Fine. Now that I have confirmed you possess the minimum qualifications to converse with me, let us begin again.]
The gray dragon asks.
[Verden, how did you get here?]
“……?”
Verden raised his head.
“Weren’t you the one who called me?”
[I’ve never done that. You would know by looking at my situation. I can’t interfere with reality. Well, in that case, it must be related to this.]
The gray dragon slowly moved its forelegs. Verden remained still in his place, even though the shadow had completely swallowed him.Its massive claws gently stroked his gray hair.
[Do you know the meaning of gray?]
“any.”
The sky dragon Aerodon once explained about its gray hair.In front of the mural of Molgarn.
And ‘ash’ symbolizes purification and regeneration—burning or obliterating the past to be reborn anew, and furthermore, resurrection. This dramatic change encompasses not only the external but also an internal transformation.
Here, resurrection does not simply mean dying and coming back to life. It means from life to life. It refers to a being with the same subject undergoing a fundamental and complete reversal without the process of death.
───That is a concept that mortals dare not even dream of. No matter how great it may be, it is absolutely not something a mere wizard can covet.
It was essentially a summary of the results of the reversal of heaven that Verden had successfully achieved. The reconstruction of the body, escaping past physical limitations.
You only have a superficial understanding. That doesn’t mean you’re wrong, though.
The claws moved away.
[As you know, that grayness that appeared from you is a unique proof that you have achieved evolution accompanied by complete resurrection. It is a partial concept.]
“Partial?”
Just as a blazing fire produces ash, the world left behind remnants upon its birth. And from the embers remaining in the gray remnants, a single life was born. An immortal entity whose subject is eternal yet whose essence is completely reversed, continuously repeating the evolution of resurrection.
The gray dragon began to raise its head.
Kugugugu… … !
That alone caused a massive earthquake, shaking the entire area around the cave. Gray dragon eyes flickered from the head that had fallen over the light of magic.
[I am a being who shares the beginning and the end of the world.]
His breath stirred the air.
Gray is my concept.
“……!”
[As you can see, that is the commonality that penetrates me and my essence. Now it is your turn to answer.]
The dragon’s head, having descended once again under the light of magic, was reflected in the wall.
[How did you come here?]
* * *
Mention of the World Tree, a malicious seal where ‘your’ power can be felt, a gruesome appearance, gray justice… There is certainly no indication that you are on Fate’s side.
I don’t even suspect it’s a trick.
You can feel that this cave has existed for an immeasurable amount of time. There is no way anyone would have gone to such trouble just to obtain publicly available information.
The gray dragon has a strong interest in me.
So, it is necessary to explore by giving up what is desired little by little. Verden was curious about what kind of being the Gray Dragon really was and what role it had played in the past.
Based on this understanding, when the summoning magic and consciousness isolation were mentioned… … Verden heard the loudest mocking laughter he had ever heard.
[Hehehe, isolating consciousness? Hahahaha! You’re more ignorant than you look. Is this the result of having the background but lacking the knowledge to fill it? It’s thanks to you that we were able to meet, so it’s not a bad thing, though.]
“What’s the problem?”
[If complete consciousness is separated, how can it be called complete? Let me explain it simply.]
The gray dragon raised its claws and pointed at Verden.
[Have you ever experienced an increase in your magical understanding? Whether it be through repetitive mastery or a momentary realization.]
“I am…….”
Verden looked back on the past.
Understanding of magic.The source of Verden’s innate talent.
I had absorbed countless magic theories at the Bohemian Magic Tower, but that was merely a matter of expanding my knowledge.To be honest, I never once felt that my understanding had improved.
[Existence grows by expanding its vessel, and in doing so, reaches its limit. However, your understanding of magic was complete from the very beginning. Therefore, there is no way you would feel that you have grown even if you studied magic. The same goes for your consciousness.]
“…….”
[Your consciousness was complete the moment you chose transcendence while harboring a part of the concept of Gray. Unless by a truly select few methods, that consciousness cannot be harmed. So why would you isolate the consciousness and do anything to the summoned entity? Don’t even dream of such false summoning magic.]
Verden did not question the loud advice that resonated in his eardrums. He lacked the knowledge on the subject to even pretend to know.
You really know me well.
The gray dragon twitched its nose.
[I can sense it in your aura. This only gives me a rough idea of the flow, though. Anyway… … As expected, your talent resembles his. You are a bit better-looking, by human aesthetic standards.]
Verden flinched.
“You mean the first Demon King?”
[That is an unfamiliar name to me. No matter what he is called, to me, he is simply Oldarc—in the past, in the present, and in the future. Though I’ve gone mad right now.]
The first Demon King has gone mad─── This sentence matches what the fanatical old man encountered at the back of Gargant said.
Verden raised his voice.
“Do you know what the First Demon King is trying to do?”
[Of course. However, I cannot tell you. It is because you, in your current state, lack the ability to withstand the taboos that enforce the laws of the world. You are unqualified. So, do not try to find out.]
The gray dragon was resolute.
[So what did you say was the ulterior motive that damaged even the dregs of fate?]
It meant that if you wanted to hear even a little more, you had to pay the price. The gray dragon was enjoying its exchange with Verden.
Verden did not act stubbornly and this time opened his mouth obediently.
Because I can’t just keep waiting.
[Struck the initiative against fate.]
Isn’t cutting off the enemy’s limbs the obvious strategy?
Interfering with and twisting ‘your’ destiny before it is fulfilled—it was a kind of declaration of war that Verden conveyed through the World Conference.
[I will weaken ‘your’ forces as much as possible by eliminating the Apostles of Destiny. That makes sense in its own way. It might certainly be effective.]
The gray dragon tilted its eyes.
[But what are you actually going to do? Do you think you can do anything to ‘yourself’ with your own power, or that you can resist if you unite the world?]
Nothing is set in stone.
[That is right. You made it so. From a world ruled by fate to the uncertain, primordial world where nothing is determined. It is a marvelous achievement.]
He continued speaking.
[Considering the power you are currently controlling, you belong to the strong group. However, unlike consciousness and magical understanding, you are far from perfect. How many powerful beings do you think have existed since the beginning of time?]
thud.
“……!”
A heavy resonance was felt from behind.It was not a natural phenomenon.A third being, not Verden or the Gray Dragon, was approaching. Making massive footsteps that one could not dare to imagine as belonging to a human.
I’ve been awake for too long.
“what?”
[This is a prison for defeated soldiers. I am a prisoner forever, and you are the only intruder.]
The gray dragon affirmed.
[The guards are coming.]
Pow!
Verden amplified the source of his magical light, greatly illuminating the darkness. Footsteps grew closer. On top of that, a bizarre presence.Before long, a new shadow fell upon the boundary between light and darkness.
… … The ‘giant’ revealed itself.
