Episode 1034 The End of the Arcadium (2)
You can only be at the forefront if you are prepared to be the leader.
The screen shows the intellectual clash that has instantly turned into chaos. Shelbron, who had been screaming, discreetly went down to the stage and tidied up the equipment.It was the duty of the Arkadium butler.
The Verden artifact, standing tall at the center of the world of intellectual conflict, stood out remarkably. Although the surroundings were in chaos, it did not waver at all.
{I guess I should welcome the protagonist. And add some entertainment.}
The host leisurely got up.
Tearel realized that no matter what the outcome of the third game was, it wouldn’t have been much different from now. Come to think of it, there were several related foreshadowing elements.
───{To the intellectual who reaches the ‘end’ of this Arcadium, I shall bestow the soul of a Transcendent. If you wish, I will cook it myself.}
A speech by the host holding a banquet of knowledge.
───{In the sole pursuit of knowledge, perfect rules are meaningless. Only when there are invisible loopholes in the rules can one see something new.}
Talakan’s quotes from the adventure story, etc… … .
The host did not declare the intellectual who survived the three games and remained alone to be the winner. He merely imprinted on everyone the implication that the one who reached the end of the Arcadium would be the protagonist.
From the start, the rules surrounding the Banquet of Knowledge were flawed in themselves.The game was not the focus of the banquet.
Whether you were eliminated in the second game,forfeited the third game, orparticipated in the third game, orwon or lost the third game
Because among the remaining intellectuals, the one who finds the Host—or more precisely, the ‘Host’s main body’—is the one who reaches the end of the Arcadium.
Thearel asks.
Is it fun playing with everything like that?
My intention is merely a catalyst. Although the beginning may be deliberate, the process and outcome are unpredictable. I always keep possibilities in mind, and I yearn for new knowledge that cannot be explained by possibilities alone.
“Clinging to ideals. You’re not a transcendent being.”
Dreams are the driving force of life and evolution.
The host put his hands behind his back as if he were about to leave at any moment. The human form he displayed to others was a disguise and a terminal of his.
Don’t you have any intention of finding my main body?
“I’m not interested. Even if I obtained Draven’s soul, there isn’t really anything I could do with it. As for giving it to Asher, he has a higher chance of winning than I do.”
{In that case, Nineteenth Guest, Terrin. Since you forfeited the third game, you will not be able to meet me again in this Arcadium.}
The host turned his head slightly.
{Now is your only chance to use the right to ask a lower-level question. Will you use it?}
Through the intermediate question ticket, I heard about the ‘Seed of Resistance’ and the ‘Adversary of the Apostle’. Tearel currently has one lower question ticket.
“hmm.”
What should I ask? Since it is a low-ranking position, I probably won’t get any great information… After a brief moment of contemplation, Tearel voiced his personal curiosity.
“Talakan said that Host is the fourth most intelligent. Who is the most intelligent above him?”
{Who is clever? It’s been a long time since I’ve heard that question. To me, cleverness means… … the qualification to achieve greater things than myself.}
The host readily answered.
{The first clever one is ‘Oldark’, and the second clever one is ‘you’. And.}
The long fingers fold one by one.Exactly three.
The third most intelligent one is ‘Verden’.
* * *
Just as the Transcendent Being had a domain, the Apostle of Fate also had a domain.
Ishur, as a god, ruled the Desert of Silence.The ancient king ruled the realm of death.The first king of the human world managed the rifts of the world.
The Host’s domain is the Arcadium… but if we expand its meaning, the scale is overwhelming. The Host must be an Apostle ruling the vast ocean.
Andes Necrail, the first necromancer who was resurrected as an undead even at the cost of losing his transcendence for the sake of the continent, spoke this way about the Old King’s sealing place in the Silent Desert.
───[The Saint and I resolved to scatter the six fragments across this continent. And we decided to cast the most powerful seal.]
───[The Seal of Oblivion.]
───[Of course, I considered the ocean as well. If I were to throw it into the immeasurable depths of the abyss, even a transcendent being would be unable to find it. In fact, I even threw one of the body fragments into the middle of the sea. However… … .]
───[Not long after, a wooden box containing a body fragment was discovered on a nearby coast. I repeated the same experiment time and time again, but the result was the same. The body fragment always returned to the continent.]
The sea rejected the old king.
Why is that?
Because I am an apostle of fate.
Even if he maintains a neutral stance, the Host is an Apostle. It was only natural that he would not seal the Old King, who was also an Apostle, in the deep sea forever.
Where could he be? Where will he intend to conclude the banquet of knowledge?
The Host in Verden’s eyes was not some kind of clone, but the true body. Although he had only seen its shadow, the Host’s body was so vast that it far exceeded the category of mere size and could be described as scale.
The safest place for the host.The most stable place for the host.The space that best suits the host.
Deep sea.
The host must be in the deepest part of the ocean.
in other words…….
[The Boundaries of Knowledge.]
[It seems to be in the landfill of knowledge.]
Not long after Verden’s thought reached them, Alpha and Beta also came to the answer. He emitted dark red magic as if nodding his head.
BANG!
As the walls of the Arcadium were destroyed several times in succession, seawater began to surge in. It was the boundary where the light flowing from the mansion met the darkness of the abyss.Simultaneously, the magic
The back of the mansion came into view.
It was the very place where he met Tearel, who had come to Arcadium on his own. Beneath the cliff situated there lies the Landfill of Knowledge. Adark land swarming with the specters of knowledge who, despite having lost all knowledge, still pursue it in an attempt to become intellectuals once again.
and.
At the edge of the cliff, VIPs and many guests were tied to stone pillars. They were intellectuals who had lost all knowledge in the game.Fear, resignation, rage…They would soon lose their sense of self and fall as specters of knowledge. It was the price of an excessive thirst for knowledge. That choice was entertainment for the host.
Just then, various presences began to boil from the windows and doors of the mansion, and a face steeped in a thirst for knowledge burst out.
“The Host ordered us to carry out their execution!!!”“I’m glad I stayed until the end!”“Free knowledge! Knowledge!!!”“The VIP is mine alone!!”“Hahahahahahahahahahaha!”
Intellectuals watching the third game.
Judging by how quickly they came out, it seemed the host had even made an entrance door.
“No, no……! Aaaaaaaah!”“Host, have mercy!!”“My knowledge!!!!!!!!!!”
Crunch! Sizzle—snap!
The sound of flesh being torn and eaten, firmly caught in teeth, could be heard. There was not even a refined cooking process befitting a banquet. It was not killing. It was merely stealing knowledge through consumption.The spectacle of a primitive meal—eating alive—took place at the boundaries of knowledge.
It is utterly disgusting.
I want to wipe them out in an instant, but the rules of the Arcadium prohibit physical killing. Do not forget what takes precedence.You must never hand Draven Lemarque over to Bloodia.
It was then.
A sword, seemingly intended for decoration in a mansion, brutally murdered an intellectual hanging from a pillar. It also severed the head of a wedding guest during a meal.
“……what.”
Mortelan, the ninth distinguished guest who had commanded the elves in the second game but was counterattacked by Verden, froze with blood smeared all over his mouth.
“Luzak… Are you out of your mind? To commit murder in the Arcadium…!! Don’t you know what happens if you violate the Host’s rules?!”“Throw away the rules of the Arcadium. I have finally found myself.”
The sixteenth distinguished guest, Luzak Paltein, held his sword straight. His reverent posture was identical to that of the ruthless knight seen in his adventures.Before Mortelan could even step back, the blade pierced his forehead.
“Ugh…”“Stop playing games and defend your dignity. Our souls are not toys!”
Even though he knew the fate of an intellectual who violated the rules, Luzak did not hesitate.Recalling the grace he had received from Archbishop Hadras during his lifetime, his eyes were as vivid as they were when he had volunteered for sacrifice in the ancient adventure.
If it is destiny, we will meet again.
Luzak met Verden’s eyes as he headed toward the landfill of knowledge. Facing the greedy intellectuals who were standing before him in astonishment yet determined to oppose him, Luzak gave a hearty farewell.
Farewell, star.
Luzak, having made his own choice, disappears beyond the boundary line, swinging his sword with a shout. Having entered the landfill of knowledge deeper than that place, Verden and his party have completely left the mansion.
[Luzak. Survival?]
“It is highly likely that he will become a specter of knowledge. After all, he defiantly rejected the host’s oppression.”
Verden reached the floor.
Still, I have a feeling we will meet again.
The pitch-black beings filling the vast pit recognized Verden. Specters of knowledge… they, too, are intellectuals, and also souls.
Ahhh… …?
The specters who recognized Verden soon flinched and stepped back. It was because of destruction. They instinctively sensed that exposure to destruction could lead to eternal annihilation.
Beta investigated the light of magical power.
[There is a gap in the center.]
As the specters, swarming enough to obscure the surroundings, cleared a path, a massive underground passage leading to an even deeper space appeared.
It is dark.
An eerie atmosphere hanging in the surroundings.
The deep sea within the deep sea, and that deep sea… … one cannot predict what lies beneath. Verden willingly plunged into the unknown.
The abyss led Verden.
Taaaaaaang!
A short time later, Bloodia emerged into the deepest depths of the ocean. The magic circles set by Verden reacted.Massive gravity crushed her body, sending her plummeting downwards.
[trivial.]
The magic circle, unable to withstand pure physical strength, is torn and turns into magical power.
Thump, thud… … Thump!
Bloodia staggers violently. The walls of the mansion and the ground collapse upon colliding with her body. More than half of the polymorph has been released.Her limited presence has amplified.Although she was still in human form, the dragon characteristics, including her wings and claws, grew stronger and larger, transforming her into a massive dragon-human.
Crack.
The ocean current split into five branches.
Deus’s concealment was released after he dodged Bloodia’s claws by a hair’s breadth.
Are you planning to break the rules?
[The servant’s soul or whatever… it doesn’t matter.]
Bloodia’s nature overwhelmed reason. Dragons are not enduring beings. They are the pinnacle of life that makes their prey endure.
[I’ll tear you to shreds.]
As Bloodyia kicked the ground twice, the axis of the deep sea within a radius of several hundred meters sank slightly.A strong vortex arose from her movement, which did not slow down at all despite the fierce currents, and her roar hindered spatial movement.
Paat, paat, paat.
Deus, having moved from his position, traveled by repeatedly using summoning and reverse summoning circles. It was his unique transfer magic, unconstrained by spatial conditions.
Deus, having arrived at the Landfill of Knowledge after passing through Verden, entered the Bottomless Sea.
Kwagwagwagwagwa!
Bloodyia threw herself into the darkness while smashing the area around the entrance to the passageway.
Thus, the Apostles, Resistors, and Destroyeres are attempting to gather once again in one place.Into a zone where the rules do not effectively oppress.
iced coffee……?
The specters of knowledge stood blankly amidst the chaos that had suddenly turned their nest into a mess. Thearel exploited that gap.
I have no interest in Draven’s soul, but I can’t just sit around waiting.
Tearel also jumped down. Less than a few tens of seconds after she disappeared, another figure stood in front of the underground passage.
“Hohoho, now that things have turned out this way, it would be only right to watch until the end.”
The fourth distinguished guest—Feldianne Piercia Reit—also headed straight into the abyss.
iced coffee……?
The specters, lacking knowledge and unable to understand the situation, scratched their heads and soon covered the entrance leading to the host’s quarters with their bodies.
* * *
Passing through the abyss… … .
Verden saw the light beyond the darkness. Soon, as the light enveloped his entire body, the distinctive pressure of the sea that had been covering him vanished.
widely.
Verden’s feet set foot in a new region.
[Sea. None.]
[It appears to be land. However, it is presumed not to be a continent. The oxygen concentration in the atmosphere is abnormally high.]
Bubbling volcanoes, cracked earth, jungles, forests, lightning-struck skies… This place, where diverse terrains were gathered together, delivered a unique shock to Verden.It was a vast land boasting a scale large enough to extend beyond the horizon.
Does that mean there is a host here?
Huge creatures of different appearances, resembling reptiles, fly through the sky and roam the ground. They somehow resemble dragons.Not only Alpha and Beta, but Verden was seeing a monstrous species for the first time.
“How should I put it? It’s just like a toy box.”
A box filled with miscellaneous items according to preference, regardless of type—that was Verden’s first impression of this world the host had created.
anyway.
I’ll start the search right away.
[check.]
Verden summoned [Interis] and closed his eyes. His magic circuits reacted to his intense concentration. The magic power that soon extended spread far and wide.
Horsepower Detect
Verden’s infinite magical power covered the small land.
