Episode 1064 Subject (4)
[Gring Arcanum], which was transformed by souls in the passageway connected to the host’s quarters.As soon as I returned from the Arcadium, I raided the base of the Followers of Fate and had to attend an emergency summit, so I couldn’t open it myself…
Souls in the book.
A radiance is now flowing out from between the bookshelves, shimmering like mist. It was a pure white light. It was also faint enough to be transparent.
Ahhhhh…
A faint scream of the soul, a jumble of various emotions, tickled my ears.
Osgar felt as if the hairs on his body were standing on end. He was horrified. It wasn’t just them; even Bargnon froze, his gaze fixed on Verden.
At that moment, Verden’s hand moved.
Click.
The page turned. The sound of air being sucked in was heard. [Gring Arcanum] and the present world were temporarily connected.
At that moment.
Shhhhhhh!
Countless pages, too numerous to dare count, began to move rapidly.The number of pages in *Gring Arcanum* immediately visible to the naked eye was at most one or two thousand, but suddenly tens of thousands had been flipped over.The bookshelves still showed no end.
The strange phenomenon was just beginning.
Paaaat.
As the white light extending from [Gring Arcanum] illuminated the ceiling of the laboratory, a scene unfolded that at first glance resembled the memory golem created by Alpha playing an image imprinted with magic.
Shadows were projected onto the ceiling.
Countless people were inside. Humans, beastmen, elves, and dwarves alike. Their eyes, which moved and stopped repeatedly whenever the light flickered, gazed one by one into the interior of the laboratory.
The mental world was turned upside down.
“Ack…!”“Ugh!”
First, Junia let out a short scream and hit her back against the wall.Munadim of the Apostate slumped to the ground.The pale-skinned Phases all looked up at the ceiling with expressions of astonishment.
I feel dizzy.
My stomach is churning like an oil slick floating on a stormy sea.
Gharun frowned at the feeling that someone was silently peering into his inner self, and blood vessels began to flare in Isabella’s eyes.
‘Human forms beyond the boundary… … H- h- they are similar. It is just like when I first perceived a soul through the Visionary Eye at the Demon King’s fortress, Centrum… … !’
Isabella gritted her teeth at the overwhelming presence of the souls reflected in her clear eyes. She barely managed to suppress the urge to vomit that stung her throat.
Adrian stood firm with his brows furrowed.
Alpha and Beta also gazed at the souls appearing and disappearing, then their single eyes gleamed as they pointed together at the elf’s soul situated in the corner.
[A familiar face.]
Only Verden understood the meaning.
Lewiendel.
An elf encountered in Arcadium’s second game, the Ancient Adventure.A human-hating elf who attacked the capital of the Kingdom of Hersaon, deceived by Mortelan, the ninth distinguished guest assigned the role of an elf in the game.An elf who died long ago… who mistook Verden for the incarnation of the World Tree.
Lewiendel, with his eyes half-open in a daze, soon vanished into the light.And, other souls manifested.
“… … In the adventure, all living beings were souls placed in the host’s hands. Like distinguished guests and wedding guests of the Arcadium.”
Verden tightened his grip on the [Gring Arcanum].
You have freed the soul the host was toying with, right inside this book.
That’s right.
So [Gring Arcanum] was the Book of Souls.
A world banned book that ‘stores’ souls.
In other words—the souls that had been reenacting long history in ancient adventures had now fallen into Verden’s grasp.
The problem is the host’s true intentions.
What on earth can be done with these souls? What is the reason the souls have transformed? What connection is there between this and the remnants of an evil spirit?
Suddenly, the corners of my eyes twitched.
‘no way.’
Verden shifted his gaze from the ceiling to Bargnon and opened his mouth.
“Isabella, check the soul.”“……!”
Isabella barely regained her senses and concentrated her magical power on her eyes. There was no need to even ask whose soul she was supposed to verify.
She saw through the remnants of the evil god.
It’s completely empty.
The remnants of the evil god had no soul. They were merely fragments of a god whose original form had been destroyed. They were puppets that thought and acted according to instinct, devoid of a soul.
A book imbued with a soul.A soulless body.
Is there any other relationship as complementary as this?
widely.
As Verden closed the [Gring Arcanum], the eyes of the souls vanished.It became clear what needed to be done.
I will ask.
Blue eyes watching the remnants of the evil god.
Are you an intelligent being or an unintelligent being?
* * *
Verden’s clone, struck by a single blow, turned into magic power.
Did I miss the move?
Bargnon, who had gone from being a mere residue to possessing intelligence close to the main body thanks to Verden’s blood, glared in disbelief.
Clearly, it is an immature deity.
Even if the body is shattered into a thousand pieces, and even if one becomes unable to think, nothing can infringe upon the will to endure faith.
Divine power remains.
Fragments of God are akin to the fundamental particles that make up the world; even if they are damaged, there exists a section that can never be destroyed at any moment.
Therefore, high gods do not perish.
However, the young god before my eyes blatantly shattered the proposition of the gods.
I retraced my memories. I revived not only my vision but also the final emotions felt by my fragmented self. I saw once again how my self, buried in the desert, had eventually perished.
Dark red magical power… … .
It is a concept that did not exist in the primeval era when Bargnon was active. The World Tree in the true sense cannot possess such magical power.This is because it is the opposite of life.
for a moment.
‘Divinity is incomplete, but power surpassing a god… …?’
The images of the beings that Bargnon’s true self feared the most brushed against his optic nerves.
Oldark and ‘She’.
A monster that overwhelms gods even though it is not a god, and a gentle god who loves peace more than the World Tree.
[uh?]
Her name does not come to mind. It is in my memory, but I cannot retrieve it. My train of thought was blocked, as if the world had forbade it.
“Th-this is the working of a taboo. To think a taboo is concealing my very existence. I have never seen such a powerful taboo.”
Bargnon’s nerve bundles were engulfed in an indescribable feeling. The great divergence in which his true self had been torn apart, and the present era in which he had finally regained thought processes close to his true self.What could have happened in between? The disparity overwhelmed his divine mind.
A strange sense of unease.
Both the forms of the beings swarming within the book of unknown origin and this world itselfwere as unfamiliar as the passage of time.
I will ask.
It was then.
Are you an intelligent being or an unintelligent being?
The blue eyes look into Bargnon.
A familiar sense of unease.
Only then did Bargnon realize the sense of unease he had felt only once in his life.
The face of ‘her’ that I had seen at the Great Divide came to mind vaguely. The ancient divine forces disregarded or despised ‘her,’ who cared for the weak and sacrificed herself to such an extent that she could not be treated as a god.
but.
Bargnon perceived an immeasurable depth in ‘her’.
A merciful yet maniacal smile. Affectionate, but somehow chilling attitude.Above all… a deep gaze that seems to view the gods not as gods, but as prey.
Bargnon sensed in Verden a presence that seemed to be a mixture of Oldark and ‘she’. And, among them, the aspect of ‘she’ was more strongly visible.The strangeness overflowing from the book held by the young god added strong certainty to Bargnon’s suspicion.
It must be asserted.Indeed, any individual belonging to the world.
You must not exist.
[───Aaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!]
Bargnon swung his tentacles as the scream of the weak, filled with encroaching terror, echoed, as if to prove that he was not an intelligent being but an inanimate one.As his biological tissues reconstructed moment by moment, the air split sharply.
Boom!
Sparks flew from the light sword [Silendar].
“I will subdue you, my lord.”
The moment Adrian took a step forward and bent his upper body, Bargnon’s limbs were half-severed. It was a sword speed that exceeded expectations.However, the regeneration speed was just as fast.
Before the new blood could even fully gush out, Bargnon’s pupil, where the severed surface was attached, expanded.
[Why, do you have traces of Oldark…?]
Transcendentalist.
It likely refers to beings derived from a concept created by the first Demon King, but the concept of transcendents did not exist in the era of Bargnon.
So, it’s no wonder I’m flustered.
Psychokinesis
[Ugh… … ?!]
Bargnon’s knees gave way. His entire body felt crushed, as if being dragged down to the bottom. The magical power penetrating his flesh was snatching away his control.It was the magic of erosion of Isabella, who had awakened a piercing eye in her left pupil.
[What, that’s ridiculous. You mean you harbored the remnants of the World Tree and Oldark within one body?]
Demon race.
A new race created through the collaboration of the World Tree and the First Demon King. Since this was also a concept that emerged after the Great Branch had completely ended, Bargnon had no way of knowing about it.
[Oldark, ‘She’, World Tree… … ! What on earth have you bastards done──]
As he attempted to break the binding with divine power, an offensive swept in from the surroundings. Aldanis’s storm and G’harun’s massive hammer struck Bargnon’s face.
The glowing Bargnon sent out dozens of tentacles to sweep around, and the phases, led by Adrian, responded.
Kagagagagagagagagagang!
The purple sword energy severed the tentacles.
Levana helped Isabella, adding weight to Bargnon’s control.
Boom!
Protected by Medrant’s multi-magic shield, Rateon struck the tentacle with the shield, cut it with his sword, charged straight forward, and rammed the evil god with his shoulder.It was damn heavy.Confirming that it wasn’t being pushed back properly, he immediately drew its attention by slashing the instep.
Crunch! Smack!
Cain’s magic sword and Gravey’s short sword pierced the muscles and cut diagonally, and at the same time, Melad and Aldevan temporarily inhibited regeneration with their unique dark magic.
Osgar and Junia rotated in opposite directions on the left and right sides of the evil god.
Boom!
Gravitational waves that overlapped at the point of impact of the two staffs exploded. Bargnon, whose center had collapsed, braced himself against the ground but was suppressed by Isabella’s magic.
[How dare a mere lowly creature like you!]
Both arms were severed. Bargnon’s body of nerve bundles fell over. Not only the legs, but the major joints were severed in the blink of an eye by the light sword.
Isabella persistently exploited that weakness and seized more than half of the remnants of the evil god.
“Control is finished.”“Confirmed.”
Pfft!
Adrian firmly plunged the light sword, held in a reverse grip, into the nape of the evil god’s neck.
Subjugation complete.
“It is dangerous, but weaker than I thought.”“I heard that not all gods are formidable. If you calculate the average, transcendents are far superior. That would be even more true for fragments without a true form.”
Verden stroked the cover of [Gring Arcanum], heightening his soul’s senses.Then, he knelt on one knee before the remnants of the evil god, whose head was raised toward the sky.
[What are you?]
Bargnon trembled and barely managed to lift his head.Verden was reflected in his large eyes.
[The World Tree, Oldarc, and ‘She’ created it together… … Does that mean it is a god? Why do you see all three of them at the same time… … .]
I am just me.
Verden’s fingertips dug into the bookshelf.
“A fabricated bundle of Bargnon’s nerves. You are not an intelligent being, but nothing more than a shell with only instinct remaining. Nevertheless, if you wish, I will grant your last word.”
[… … .]
The remnants of the evil god were calm. They did not struggle to be saved. This is because fragments from which the original body has perished no longer have a reason to exist, and gods do not beg.
[I can vividly picture you bastards advocating for peace in the Great Divide. Distinguishing between good and evil… … I am reminded of what the Kraken always used to say. That good and evil are merely differences in perspective.]
Kraken—a part of Bargnon, who had spoken with the Host a few times during his lifetime, soon let out a low sneer.Toward the World Tree visible beyond Verden, Oldarc, and ‘her’.
[You are even greater chaos than us, who tried to destroy the continent.]
Whoosh!
The eyeball twitched, and a tentacle shot out as it shattered the lens. Before it could reach Verden, the host’s book opened again.
“[Gring Arcanum].”
Verden memorized the starting phrase.
Fill the empty vessel.
A single white flame shot out from the halo of light that burst forth from [Gring Arcanum]. A soul. A single soul inhabited the remnants of the evil god.
Crunch cr
The nerves collapse.The collapsed tissues merge back together.
The sight of red, sticky nerve bundles being reconstructed one by one into bone, organs, muscle, and skin was like molding a human being from scratch.
Eventually, the bowl was filled.
Rateon muttered.
“……female?”
A naked, beautiful woman lies on the laboratory floor with her eyes closed. Verden took a large blanket out of the subspace and covered her.
“It takes a little time for the soul to fully settle into the body. It will probably wake up at dawn. Until then, I leave it to you, Junia.” “Ah, alright.”
Yunia nodded, but cautiously pointed at the unfamiliar woman.She didn’t understand the situation, though.
“But… who is this person?”“Her name is Eloris.”
Knight of the Dawn, Eloris.
The last leader of the Religion of the Morning Star, which was overthrown by other religions, and an apostle of the Goddess of the Morning Star who realized his own death during an ancient adventure.
Host stored even her soul inside the [Gring Arcanum]. Then, Verden extracted her soul and bestowed it upon the body of a god.
“She is a divine being of an ancient religion.”“A divine being? Then…”“If anything, you could call her a saint.”
… … !
Levana opened her eyes wide as if they were about to tear and looked at Eloris who was asleep.
“A saint of another religion…?”
It is hard to imagine what would happen if this fact became known to the outside world,since Luasism professes to be monotheistic.
Silence fell.Osgar gaped.
“Then, I will wrap up the experiment here. Good job.”
And so, the experiment on the remnants of the evil god came to an end amidst shock and horror.
* * *
It was when Verden’s secret experiment had ended and the entire bulkhead in the depths had opened.
I received a call from outside.
Your Majesty, the transport of the prisoners is complete.
Let’s go there.
Grimmel Gromfar and Lunesica Anternoa, who were imprisoned in Prohas, have been successfully transported to the prison of the Alliance of Transcendents.
Now it is time to meet the second servant.
