Episode 947 Divine Power – 1
Verden’s inner self.
I never expected that two of the six legendary objects would be living creatures rather than tools, or that they would be the source of the strange precognitive abilities Aisha occasionally displayed.
The concept of time.
Space can be manipulated or interfered with depending on one’s ability, but time cannot.
Time is absolute.
Given this, Verden could not help but be astonished that the girl before him claimed to possess the concept of time. If she could manipulate time at will… she would be no different from an almost invincible monster.
Then, laughter spread.
“I am not such a great being. I am merely a trace flowing with time. In that sense, I am both living and non-living. Perhaps you could say it is meaningless to draw a clear boundary between life and non-life.”
Aisha, or rather Hiante, innocently guessed what Verden and Alpha were thinking and answered before they could even ask.
It is not as if I have read the inner thoughts of others,nor does it seem to be seeing the future in the sense of the concept of time.
Verden sensed an indescribable, strange aura of seasoned experience from her. Resembling the gray dragon he met in the defeated soldiers’ prison, the primordial dragon…
Alpha asked.
[Hiante. Age?]
“It has already surpassed countable standards. Strictly speaking, there are slightly more than the Gray Dragon. Although he was born from the remnants left behind by the birth of the world, he has naturally existed throughout the entire world since the emergence of time.”
Hiante walked along with her hands behind her back, still in the form of the girl Aisha.
[Gray Dragon?]
“It is the name referring to the primordial dragon that the host mentioned in the Arcadium. I will let you know what kind of being that dragon is soon.”
[check.]
Verden had been wary of potential taboos all this time, so he could not give anyone a hint about the primordial dragon. This remained the case even after he met the host in the Arcadium.Alpha and the others understood Verden’s situation and did not ask, even though they were curious.
“Did you see not only the conversation I had with my Master, but also my encounter with the Gray Dragon?”“I couldn’t see how the Gray Dragon and Verden met or what words they exchanged. The prison where he is confined is beyond my perception. Even so, the fact that I could guess the meeting between the Gray Dragon and Verden is thanks to [Einber].”
Her eyes curved.
Because the traces of the primordial dragon sleeping inside are clearly visible.
The power bestowed by the Gray Dragon is inherent in the robe of the first Demon King.
───[I noticed quite a few flaws in that robe Oldarc crafted from dragon material. It is likely a failure. I have included it as a gift, so you will naturally obtain it in the future once you meet the minimum qualifications. Therefore, focus on your duties.]
I don’t know what that gift is yet.
If the minimum qualification refers to an advancement in skill level, I might find out soon enough, but without even a little information, it was difficult to predict.
“……You know a lot.”“That is merely a superficial insight. I cannot see what is invisible. Just like how I cannot see anything if I cover my two eyes like this.”
Hiante stopped and covered his eyes with his palms.
“Time is merely everywhere; it is neither omniscient nor omnipotent. It is simply one of the backgrounds that make up this world. An ancient being, yet a powerless entity that the Host does not bother to mention, unlike ‘you,’ Oldark, and the Gray Dragon. The presence Verden felt from me just now is all there is.”
That’s right.
Hiante’s aura was immense, but the sense of intimidation was so weak that it was safe to say there was none at all. Like an ordinary person with no magic, prayer, or divine power.
“I have a few questions.”“I’ll answer everything I can. I told you.”
The girl removed her palm.
“I’m closer to Verden’s side.”“…….”
Verden stared into the light green eyes, which held not the slightest trace of age. Ally. That was entirely up to Verden to decide.
First question.
“What happened to Aisha’s personality?”“She’s fast asleep.”
Hiante spun around Verden.
“I am inhabiting Aisha’s body as a personality of the concept of time—to be precise, within Aisha’s prophet lineage. It is based on a principle similar to the possession Lunesika Anternoa demonstrated at the World Council. However, unlike her, I do not cause any harm to Aisha’s soul, body, or existence itself.”
[A kind of ancient bloodline?]
That is essentially the case.
A pleasant breeze blew.
“Thank you for worrying about Aisha first. Aisha likes Verden very much. Both as a person and in essence.”“I said I would look after Aisha and her family, so thank you is enough. It’s only natural. But what do you mean by ‘essence’?”“Aisha possesses a talent for a prophet that is extremely rare since the creation of destiny. Enough to gradually understand the concept of time without even realizing it.”
The Wheel of Fortune created a virtual future based on the real world, and the byproduct of that formation process gave birth to the seer.
A seer is a prophet who has unconsciously and naturally experienced hypothetical futures. Among them, a seer who has encountered so many futures that they instinctively foresee the future has been called a prophet.
Aerodon explained it that way.
“Fate is a concept that restrains time, which holds countless possibilities. Just as I am, it is a natural reaction for Aisha to be drawn to Verden, who destroyed fate. Of course, Aisha and Verden meeting was entirely a product of chance.”
Hiante reminded him of the past.
Aisha, who was about to fall after bumping into someone at the inn in Cohen, a city in the Principality of Livaant, and Verden, who caught the ice cream that had flown into the air. A world where coincidences overlap and connect through fate. That is the primeval era where nothing is predetermined.
Verden remembers his first meeting with Aisha. He also remembers the moment he was led by Aisha’s hand to her grandmother in Cohen to tell his fortune with cards.
The three cards I chose.
The first is the Messenger (Record).The second is the God (Record).The third is the Human (Record).
At the time, Aisha’s grandmother remarked that it was a very good fortune telling, suggesting that she should continue living as she was.However, after reuniting in Daunt, the city where they had captured Beldoran, Gluttony’s third fang… in the ownerless land, she apologized and revealed the true outcome of the fortune telling she had seen back then.
Inverted death.Inverted birth.Inverted life.
In other words, it is chaos.
A world without a future that a seer dares not glimpse, a world of possibilities where nothing is certain now that one has escaped one’s own destiny.
───… … You, Wizard, may disappear without accomplishing anything, but conversely, you may also seize everything and reign over it.
Verden is not bound by fate, yet the prophecy effectively came true.A coincidence became an inevitability.
“Aisha’s grandmother is quite extraordinary, too.”“She wasn’t a prophet, but in her youth, she was on a comparable level. I even possessed her before Aisha was born.”“In any case, as long as Aisha is safe, that is all that matters.”
Verden suddenly reached out his arm and gently pulled his wrist.
Kugugugu.
A tree root shot up and served as a makeshift chair without a backrest. Hiante, with a surprised expression, hopped onto the root.
“To think you would start dealing with this world already. You have realized what this place truly is.”“As I stayed here longer, I naturally came to understand. I can only move this way for now, but that is only a matter of time.”
The leaves carried by the wind embraced Alpha.
[Wow.]
As if responding to Verden’s will, the vast forest sways gently.Within the unique imagery composed of a sea of magic and a forest of life, there lies the colossal tree and the endlessly vast space that Isabella had seen with her keen eye that visualizes essence…
This place is my essence.
Why was it that one could not manipulate magical power, and why were physical abilities in reality not manifested either?
It was unnecessary from the start.
Because he can achieve whatever his heart desires without any intermediaries. Just as it originated from Verden, this world has not forgotten efficiency.Of course, it does require time to adapt internally, though.
“The broader one’s inner self, the harder it is to recognize oneself. In that sense, Verden is indeed exceptional. So, is it the next question?”“Yes.”
Second question.
Verden tapped the head of Alpha, who was sitting on his shoulder.
“This is my world, so I can accept it. But why on earth is Alpha here?”
* * *
[question.]
Although Alpha’s mini-golem draws power from Verden’s magic, it is difficult to accept that the mental realms are connected solely by that.This is because it cannot be established magically.
There is a hidden story.
Verden asks what cause and effect are intertwined in this. Alpha is also curious and listens intently to Hiante’s voice.
“After all, Verden used the Magic Tower’s power source as a means to escape his fate, and the Magic Tower’s power source and Alpha share the same roots. There is an intersection between Verden and Oldark’s artificial golems.”
[Root? Your Majesty the Demon King?]
Clang.
The metallic sound of the forbidden chains twitching echoed from the sky. At the same time, a heavy pressure settled over Verden and Alpha.
Hiante put her index finger to her lips.
“The chains of taboo are close at hand, so it is difficult to say anything more than this. Even if I wanted to convey it indirectly, the meaning embedded in the voice is clear; it is a structure where the more detailed the circumstances, the harder it becomes to reveal the secret. This is the limit of my ability to answer that question.”
She whispered cautiously.
“Oldark and the Power Source, ‘you’ and the Soul. The moment Verden understands the two, he will realize the whole truth. Why on earth did the Battle of Destiny break out… and what choice Oldark, having been defeated once, ultimately made to resist.”
Clang. Clang.
The huge chains twisted and began to stare in the direction where Hiante was.
The heavy pressure vanished.Instead, a sense of life-threatening danger lingered.
It felt like my breath was taken away.
“It seems like we shouldn’t go any further than this, right?”“Right, let’s move on.”
[Question passed. Confirmed.]
The three of them quickly changed the subject.
“The third question is about the name you just gave me.”“God, you mean?”“What exactly does that mean?”“It means exactly what it says.”
Hiante pointed straight ahead.
“Verden is a new god. He is destined to become a new god.”“I…….”
Verden contemplated his body, wondering if anything had changed.Nothing had particularly changed.
“……A new god?”“Verden is still standing on the boundary, so it will be difficult to grasp the reality right now. That is why you must make a choice here. Whether to become a true god, a free god, or not a god at all.”
To think a god would come out of nowhere.
I definitely remember summoning a divine artifact of the desert and sending it flying toward the Old King after casting
Why did Latir, the Spear of the Sun, who had previously shown only a brief reaction before falling silent, answer Verden’s call and attack the Old King while harboring destruction?There was no room to reflect on that moment, but at the time, his body temperature was boiling and his head was dizzy, blurring his senses, so he was unable to grasp the reason.
[Your Majesty Verden. Your Honor.]
Alpha’s eyes light up.
Verden, trying hard to ignore the guy’s burdensome gaze, asked again.
“I understand that a true god is born when sincere faith is added to a being worthy of becoming a god.”“Yes, the Administrator told Verden that.”“Do I have that qualification? And who is the subject of that sincere faith?”“Who the subject is isn’t important right now. It is Verden who must realize it.”
Hiante continued speaking.
“The key point is that someone defined Verden as a god, sincerely worships him, and awakened divine power through him. Thanks to that, Verden was able to undergo the process of becoming a god. That is also the reason he became able to wield the weapons of the Desert God.”“……Even divine power?”“And did you ask about qualifications? The answer is simple.”
She spread her hands.
Verden’s mindset is no different from ‘you’ and Oldarc’s already.
