Episode 1190 Spoils (1)
Arcand’s soul was not stored in the first legendary [Animus], nor in the third legendary [Gring Arcanum].
“Collecting a massive number of souls through war to determine destiny is the mission of the Sixth Apostle that Arkhand accepted.”
Even if ‘you’ promised a new destiny and eternity, he would have refused and burned his soul to become the cornerstone of an endless cycle,just like the other souls being used as sacrifices for fate in the fifth world.
Verden thought.
It’s annoying.
Not all souls are equal.Differences in status exist.
As he did not know the standard amount of a normal soul, he could not tell how many ordinary souls Akand’s soul could replace.
If, by any chance, Arkhand had met his death in some way after annihilating the world, his destiny might have been fulfilled at that very moment.That is why the First Demon King must have spent hundreds of years devising countermeasures using sinners.
After his death, Draven realized the contradictions of Akhand and plotted internal division, causing a major rift in the strategy of the Xerion Empire itself.Akhand, having planned his own demise from the beginning, contributed to his fate.
When a transcendent being becomes a minion of a massive group, they are incredibly difficult to deal with.
The greatest weapon designed by the first Demon King, the Transcendent. To think I would feel ‘your’ emotions like this.
Transcendents do not yield and reject all domination by fate; however,since Akand was an innate transcendent whose own ideals were not yet determined, he was able to pursue fate as an ideal under the pretext of salvation.
‘Then, for what reason is the transcendent being wielding two daggers submitting to fate… … .’
The martial arts transcendent being witnessed by Yurion.The unknown man who inflicted serious injuries on Adrian while targeting Verden, who was attempting to prevent the resurrection of the Apostles on the island in the Hiaremar Inland Sea.
“Alpha, hold on.”
Verden let various thoughts run wild and handed [Gring Arcanum] over to Alpha.
Rumble… … !
As the demonic path was materialized, lightning raged furiously from the staff. All things originating from a beginning are inherently bound to refuse the approach of an end.It was the most terrifying concept in the universe, yet the messenger was not frightened; instead, as if entranced, he stared blankly at the cruel lightning that swallowed the darkness.
The manager took the messenger and stepped back two steps.
Destruction of [Animus].
This was also the execution of the commandment.
Crunch!
The choice made by Verden pierced through the ancient legend.
As destruction burrowed in and radiance burst forth—the soul, no, the desire to manipulate souls howled, and the inverted imperial castle of the Sixth Apostle shook.
Verden twitched the corners of his eyes.
“… … That’s terrible.”
What power does a soul release when crossing from the continent to the fifth world, and what power does it absorb when crossing from the fifth world to the continent?It was almost identical to the natural order of things, where water absorbs surrounding heat when it evaporates and releases it when it freezes.
If we were to express a certain power here as the power of the soul, that is, spiritual power… … .
[Animus] performs miracles desired by its owner by consuming spiritual energy rather than souls.The function of saving souls from death on the continent is intended to secure a large amount of spiritual energy by sending many souls to the other world at once.
This was its operating principle understood through Draven’s experience.
“Soul transfer based on differences in spiritual power. This must have been established to clearly distinguish the continent from the Fifth World. The fact that one can travel between the two sides without significant expenditure implies that the boundary is that weak.”
The two worlds are separated vertically due to a difference in spiritual power, much like potential energy. It is ‘your’ law that forces souls confined into a single world to remain trapped and unable to escape.
Verden reached the source and understood [Animus] more correctly.
The [Animus] before your eyes was created by ‘you’.A divine object.She created the concept of the soul to be used as a sacrifice to fate. The soul is both a means and a material. The [Animus] is the crystallization of such ideology.
I could not fathom how much spiritual power I had consumed so far. Ironically, through this, I could vaguely gauge how many souls the eternal cycle requires.
Indeed, time was indispensable for ‘your’ ideal.
Even if one were to harvest all the souls of an era, the cycle could not be perfectly connected.Perhaps, to satisfy the conditions, one would have had to destroy at least a few eras, dozens, hundreds, or perhaps even more.That is, if judged simply by the ‘quantity’ of souls.The sheer number of souls, to the point where the term ‘astronomical’ was insufficient, struck a chord in my mind.
If Akand had the chance to crown the end… … .
Verden gave a bitter smile at the chill.
“Now I understand why the Second Apostle hated me so much and tried to kill me from our very first meeting.”
The Wheel of Destiny, which had fought a world war against the first Demon King and spent nearly an eternity of time and effort to complete it, slowly harmonizing the cycle.Since the very concept of destiny had been shattered and destroyed by the struggle of some unheard-of, and even first-tier, mage, that old man, who believed in ‘you’ fanatically, could not possibly forgive it.
Imagine that a transcendent being was finally on the verge of realizing their ideal, only for an ant that crawled in from nowhere to suddenly peck at it and ruin everything.Honestly, even Verden would have stared blankly and lost his reason.
That is why it was also a question.
‘Why do you, who should be the most outraged, endure?’
Setting aside the realm of purity, the madness of ‘you’ in pursuing ideals was undoubtedly no less than that of Verden; if anything, it was greater.
Verden did not know exactly how long she had existed in terms of years, but he thought that there would be a difference in degree that would be difficult to bridge between the madness that had repeated itself over and over again through immense years.
However, since they didn’t try to retaliate immediately and instead showed room for friendship, one can’t help but be puzzled…
What on earth is he harboring?
Is he trying to appease me to keep the First Demon King in check, or did he purely judge that my abilities would be helpful to fate?If the latter is also the answer, what concept did he believe could contribute to fate?
Aaaaaaaah… … !
A faint scream emanating from the [Animus] awakened Verden from his thoughts. The traces of spiritual power clinging to the source were gradually peeling away.
It doesn’t matter what it is.
A metallic sound rang out from the gray gauntlet.
Only I am right.
With a shout, Verden drew [Interis] downward.The light flickered.A momentary silence enveloped the moment.
Aaaa
A wailing far greater than the simultaneous screaming of billions of people enveloped the space.
Verden pushed his hand into the gap in [Animus] while enduring tremendous recoil. 8th-rank magical power surged. Tendons and blood vessels bulged. The muscles of his entire body expanded to the point where they were noticeable through his robe.
Crackle.
As Verden finally clenched his hand, the source of [Animus] was crushed.The divine artifact was destroyed.
The radiance of [Animus] subsided in an instant, like a magic stone lamp from which a magic stone had been extracted. The souls stored within poured out like a waterfall.
[Wow.]
Originally, they should have gone to the fifth world according to the established order, but just as when they were stored in [Animus], there was another abode nearby, so they moved there.As expected, new souls were recorded in [Gring Arcanum].
The principles of [Animus] and [Gring Arcanum], which has transformed into the Book of Souls, are very similar. Perhaps the Host’s hand reached the construction of [Animus] as well. After all, the Host is also a part of the Gods, just like us.
Verden contemplated the souls. The soul of the evil dragon Nekbael, who had been sleeping quietly, slowly opened its eyes, raised the corners of its mouth, and bared its fangs.
While recognizing that appearance, [Gring Arcanum] was stored in subspace.
“Phew.”
It was the first time I had smashed a sacred object, and the shiver did not easily go away. And through this, I was able to realize a new fact.
Only a god can destroy a divine object.
The Dragon Sword [Magrath] can destroy divine artifacts, but it cannot completely eradicate them. This is because the realm of the gods cannot be fully encompassed by the ordinary material or spiritual realms.
‘… … Also, if a god of lower rank carelessly harms a sacred object, they may self-destruct.’
It is a good thing it was Verden; if it had been an ordinary god, it would not have left even a trace the moment it attempted to destroy ‘your’ sacred object.
God’s rule, or the natural order.
Encountering a god as a god, it seemed as though the invisible world of the gods was finally visible. It was knowledge difficult to obtain in the modern era, where most gods are dead and the rest, with the exception of Luas, are treated as mere fiction.
“Verden.”
At the manager’s call, Verden turned his head, swallowing the lingering sensation.
Saaa… … .
The messenger was disappearing. To be precise, he was going somewhere.
Delivery of the Strange Book.Location Guide for [Animus].
It seemed as though he had completed his original purpose and was returning to ‘you’.
Verden said.
“What do you symbolize?”
The god of the abandoned asks not for identity, but for essence.To this, the gods united with one another answer.
“We are light.”“……!”
light?
Verden and Alpha were inwardly bewildered. It would be fair to say they were shocked. The messenger’s answer was far from what they had expected.
“we are.”
Bloodshot eyes flickered.
As the messenger’s figure gradually faded, he grabbed Verden’s sleeve and forced his lips together.
“moon.”
Tears of blood fell.
Dawn.
The messenger whispered one last time.
“Please kill me.”
With those words, the messenger dissolved into the pitch-black silence, his form and presence vanishing. Verden stared blankly at the space devoid of any presence.
The era after the fall of the ancient gods, as seen in the game of Arcadium.
God of the Sun.God of the Moon.God of the Morning Star.God of Twilight.God of Dawn.
The era when the current Archdemon Commander Hadras was the Archbishop of the Goddess of the Morning Star, and Eloris, the Knight of the Dawn, originally met his death.
The five gods who symbolized light.
The God of the Morning Star was overthrown by the machinations of the other four gods, and Hadras died in the process. Afterward, the remnants of the Morning Star, led by Eloris, were pursued relentlessly until they finally fell with their revenge.In the end, they were unable to recover the God of the Morning Star, who had vanished without a trace.
In modern times, the gods of the sun, the moon, the twilight, and the dawn eventually vanished without leaving any records behind.
However, those names came out of nowhere from ‘your’ messenger.
The God of the Moon and the God of Dawn. Could it be that those two gods are literally combined like that, posing as ‘your’ messengers… …?
Eloris unleashed the divine power of the Morning Star to prove that the Goddess of the Morning Star was alive. In other words, the Goddess of the Morning Star whom they had been searching for so desperately might be held captive by ‘you’.
and.
Luas is the god of light.The miracles of the Luas religion are fatal to demons.
In other words, it is highly likely that Luas is either ‘your’ minion or a prisoner whose existence has been mortgaged, like that messenger.
In the past, he could not finish such contemplation. It was because he felt he was touching upon a taboo. However, now that he had heard the taboo of fate, Verden’s thoughts flowed unhindered, and he arrived at his own answer.
If you dig into Luas, you can find out the whereabouts of the Goddess of the Morning Star.
A new purpose has arisen.
Suddenly, I remembered what Hiante had said—that both ‘you’ and the first Demon King had eventually crossed the line.
“…….”
Verden let out a sigh and slowly closed and opened his eyes. He could not fathom the suffering that would follow if his spirit and body were forcibly linked and coexisted.The messenger’s sorrow, begging to be killed, stirred Verden’s emotions.
“Master.”“What is it, my disciple?”“I didn’t know the world was this complicated.”
A man who desired nothing but magic and revenge came to discuss the world. The lesson he learned from his short but intense life was the ambiguity of good and evil.One person’s evil was another’s justice, life was riddled with sacrifice, and the world was something gray, not self-evident like black and white.
The manager patted his back.
“That’s probably why the conflict never ends.”
[Stop worrying.]
Alpha stroked Verden’s head with his small hand.
[Even if the world is complicated, Your Majesty Verden is the best.]
Alpha always comforted Verden.
* * *
‘Your’ hand stroked the surrendered god. The messenger trembled violently. Terrified by extreme fear, even his tears had dried up.
I do not know if Verden can interpret the ‘oracle’ I delivered, but he must have gained some small realization just from the contact. However, if you harbor a secret alone, it is bound to rot away eventually.
A senior’s consideration.She was filled with compassion.
That is why understanding people are important.
‘You’ clasped your hands while seated on the divine throne.
=Establishment of Taboos=
The universe waited for the declaration.
=A person with an understanding of Verden is not subject to sanctions even if he shares the information he has obtained=
The laws of the world were rewritten by the Absolute.Some taboos were modified.The World Tree, a contemplative being, obeyed.
“Oldark will gladly accept it, too. Both he and I look forward to seeing what Verden will ultimately choose now that he has realized the whole truth. Verden’s confidants will surely hasten that time a little.”
‘You’ shifted your gaze.
Now it is your turn to choose your fate, Indren.
“…….”
Have you finished worrying?
With his eyes closed, Indren was trying to understand everything he had experienced here. The cold sweat he shed fell into ‘your’ eyes.
