Episode 1026 Adventure (4)
Bloodyia’s presence completely vanished, and the tension that had been lingering in the underground space also dissipated.
Lingering breathing sounds… … .
Alpha approached Verden, dragging the remnants of the evil god processed by the remnants of the Morning Star. It was about the size of an average adult’s forearm.Inside a silver metal pillar engraved with the symbols used by the Morning Star religion, the remnants of the evil god—the evil god’s nerve bundles—were sealed.
“…What about the arm?”
[No startup issues.]
Alpha proudly gleamed his single eye.
[Bloodya. Continues to treat Alpha as a liability. As a consequence of ignoring him, Alpha secures the remnants of the Evil God.]
Yeah, well done.
[Your Majesty Asher. Blood.]
Verden covered his abdomen, which had been pierced by the dragon’s claw, with his hand. Blood was seeping out, but he wouldn’t die immediately from this.
“No problem. More importantly…….”
Verden carefully stroked the cross-section of the Mini Golem’s rough right arm, then, as always, lifted Alpha and carried him on his shoulder.
“Don’t throw yourself like that anymore. No matter what happens, make sure you come first.”
[……check.]
It seems like Alpha answered subtly late, but it’s probably just my imagination.
Verden tried to grab the remnants of the evil god with his right hand, but realizing again that his right hand had been blown away by the explosion, he reached out his other hand.
My senses are a mess.
As my body, bound by restrictions, breaks down, an unprecedented sense of alienation creeps up on me.It feels like being trapped in a cramped prison.
… … Thump.
Verden took a deep breath through his nose and slowly moved forward. Soon, he knelt on one knee. He calmly assessed the condition of the knight at dawn.
“It’s better than before.”“The poison… I failed to purify it, but at least I drove it into a corner…”“If it weren’t for you, Alpha would have been in danger. I thank you.”
[thanks.]
The knight at dawn blinked his eyes and let out a small laugh.
“If you hadn’t tried to protect me, I wouldn’t have been in danger in the first place…… But to thank a mortal…… The Demon God…… is…… too…… human…… to be called a god…….”“It must be a difference in perspective. After all, being human isn’t simply limited to blood and flesh.”
Even to this day, Verden has never once thought of himself as a god straight out of a children’s fairy tale.
“Before I became a god, and after I become a god, I am still me. And it will be the same in the future.”
Changes continue, but the subject does not change.
Even after finally awakening as a transcendent being and realizing his divinity, Verden was fundamentally no different from when he was a powerless and pure human.If a god possesses a human heart, is it human or god? Ultimately, defining the meaning of being human is a matter of perspective.
[God doesn’t say thank you?]
“For God is not a being who bestows gratitude… but a being who receives it. God is one who does not communicate but conveys, of worship… a symbol of faith for mortals like me to complement our respective shortcomings…”
She closed her eyelids for a long time, revealing her eyes, which had become even clearer.
“You saved me—already dead… a mere soul… surely because you had something to ask me.”“I will not deny it. However, the outcome would have been the same even if you had no business with me. I value the dignity of sentient beings, and I am also an enemy of fate.”“Dignity… so that is the specific domain governed by the God of Demons…”
The Knight of Dawn barely managed to support himself on his elbows and slightly raised his upper body. His gaze, as if he had gathered his thoughts, stared directly at Verden.
“Speak.”“There is a demon among my believers named Hadras.”“……!”
Verden pointed to the coffin.
“It is the same name as that Archbishop Hadras. If you look not only at this world but across various eras, there are likely more than a few people with the same name… but I do not consider this a mere coincidence.”“In other words… it seems that the demon Hadras and Archbishop Hadras are the same being…?”“Do you have any idea?”
The Knight of Dawn stared blankly at the coffin, then opened her eyes wide. At that moment, her mind shone with hypotheses and conjectures, astonishment and ecstasy.
“…Faithful believers of the Morning Star do not reveal their names to the world for doctrinal reasons. This is especially true for those in high positions, and it goes without saying that this applies to me and the Archbishop. To us, a name holds a powerful… force.”
[strength?]
Though unseen, the morning star shall shine forever.
The Knight of Dawn recited the doctrine.
“Even if everything is forgotten…… we are not lost.”“It is a prayer.”“The five religions of light have depicted the afterlife according to their respective beliefs…… Among them, it is said that for believers of the Morning Star, when the body reaches death, the spirit ascends to the Morning Star…… becoming light to illuminate believers in the present world…….”
She smiled with a pale face.
“Always…… Always with the same name…….”
Their gazes crossed.
Even without the Knight of Dawn speaking any further with difficulty, Verden had already obtained a piece of enlightenment.
“and.”
Cough, cough.
The dragon’s venom driven in destroys the Knight of Dawn from the very end. Dead blood mixed with his cough. His eyes, once resembling the morning star, grow blurry.
“And… well… I have been thinking about this ever since I became aware of my situation… and I was able to come to a conclusion of my own.”“I am listening.”“I am a being of the past… and this place repeats the history of the past… but it is also the present where the God of Demons lives… That means the divine power of the Morning Star that I wield is at work in the present…”
The last morning star shines.
The Goddess of the Morning Star is alive. In that modern age, where the God of Demons dwells.
… … !
Verden and Alpha looked surprised. To think the Goddess of the Morning Star is alive now that the forms of polytheism have vanished and only the religion of Luas reigns?If so, where on earth is she? And if she is there, why doesn’t she reveal herself?
‘Surely Luas of Light isn’t the Goddess of the Morning Star… No, that probably isn’t it.’
Even though they were the same light, the divine power of Luas and the Goddess of the Morning Star was of a different nature. So much so that it could absolutely not be interpreted as identical.This was something Verden himself could guarantee, as he was a divine being.
Verden said.
“Then the God of the Moon, the God of Dawn, the God of Twilight, and the God of the Sun might be alive as well.”“I haven’t been able to verify everything… so I cannot give you a definitive answer, but the believer in the Moon… used divine power. If my judgment is correct… the religion of the Moon would be in the same situation as the religion of the Morning Star.”
The Knight of Dawn did not lie down even as he gushed out blood. He tenaciously supported his weight with his elbows and raised his lowered gaze.
“The remnants of the evil god that I have crafted need no further explanation… The God of Demons will surely understand them and use them far more usefully than I have… So please, use them wisely…”
Seeing Bloodia attempt to take the remnants of the evil god at the last moment, the Knight of Dawn realized that all objects of this era could be taken to the modern era.
“Also, my kendo…….”
Kugugugugugugugu… … .
Dust falls from the ceiling that Verden has secured with the
“Lastly… I know it is shameless of me… but… may I ask… just one favor?”“Speak.”“Even in the distant future, will you free me and us… and the souls of this place again? …When our stars reach the end… Hadras…”
The Knight of the Dawn longed for a reunion with her beloved Hadras as a woman rather than as a believer. While desiring at least the chance to be reunited with him, she also prayed for the salvation of those who had been reduced to mere playthings.
“The soul will be freed. However, it might be difficult to meet Hadras easily.”“What…?”
[Different religions.]
The Knight of Dawn, understanding the meaning of Verden and Alpha’s words, let out a chuckle. Having lost her smile, she ended up laughing several times today.
“I’ve never… experienced such proselytization in my life. Above all, it was God Himself…”“It is the first time I’ve ever been solicited into a religion. Well, anyway. When we meet again in the future, we’ll discuss whether or not to convert then.”
Verden asks.
“Knight of the Dawn, say your name.”
The Knight of Dawn seemed to understand why Hadras worshipped the Demon God.It was a fresh and impossible occurrence for a believer who merely prayed to and obeyed the God’s will to communicate in this manner while facing the God’s face.
“Eloris.”
The Knight of the Dawn────Eloris breathed her last with her eyes half-closed.She had exited the adventure. Alpha closed her eyelids completely, and Verden pulled her over and placed her beside the coffin.
[good night.]
Kugugugugugung… … .
The adventure is over.
[Starlight of dawn.]
Alpha pointed to the task of knowledge.
From the moment they obtain that, Verden, Alpha, and Beta escape the danger of death like Bloodia and leave the false world.
The problem is Thearel’s situation.
If Tearel has not yet completed the task, it amounts to abandoning him. This is different from when Luzak decided to end his own life.The significance of the responsibility Beta shouldered in his place disappears.
But there is no way to go up.
It was then.
Just as I thought a shallow vibration was approaching, a sound came from the gap in the ceiling through which Bloodia had pierced. I turned my head upward.In the darkness, a single blue, oval eye glowed and immediately drew closer.
“I just jumped. I’m lucky.”
thud!
Tearel and Beta, looking a mess, reached the bottom of the underground. Just as Bloodia had done, they had descended into the underground passage through the cracks in the ground caused by the remnants of the evil god running rampant in the capital.
The royal castle has collapsed, and the capital has fallen. The magic circuits are completely broken. If we go back out to the surface from here, it’s the end.
[The remnants of the dragon and the evil god have run wild.]
Tearel was dripping blood from his forehead.
The two of them spoke at the same time.
“What is the task?”“What is the task?”
And Thearel saw a jewel necklace shining like the starlight of dawn, and Verden saw a mysterious book that Beta was holding.
“Cheongram.”“Starlight of dawn.”
The two of them acquired the task of knowledge together.
{The nineteenth distinguished guest, Terrin. Task accomplished.}
{The fourth guest of honor, Asher. The task is complete.}
The host’s voice echoed within Verden, Alpha, Beta, and Thearel, respectively. As their bodies gradually faded, they felt the danger of the adventure vanish.
Only then did Tearel sit down and look around.
“So Luzak is dead.”“Thanks to you, I was able to make it this far.”
Tearel did not ask about the man and woman lying peacefully in the coffin. He did not even have the physical strength to prioritize his inner curiosity.Since Luzak had a face that showed he was prepared for something from the very beginning, his death was not unexpected.
Saaaa… … .
Verden recalled, one by one, the things he had experienced during this ancient adventure.Clues related to the world’s various secrets, the death of Ruzak, Bloodia, and so on—he didn’t know exactly what the Host wanted, but he felt as though his thoughts were becoming clearer yet simultaneously complicated.
I didn’t think very deeply about the clues.
Excessive knowledge is poison.
He decided not to forget Deus Wieden’s advice. Because it seemed that if he continued on this path, he would reach the truth and cross a line that should not be crossed now… Verden interpreted only the shallow truth on the surface.
“Host…….”
Verden muttered softly as he looked at Eloris’s body, which appeared to be in peaceful sleep. She was a victim whose dignity as an intelligent being had been violated.In this adventure, every being who believed themselves to be alive was a sacrificial lamb.
Tearel flinched.
Verden’s presence, freed from the constraints of an adventure story, was as chilling as a torrent in the deep sea.
“You octopus-headed bastard.”
And so, Verden and his party completely vanished from the ancient adventure story.
Second Game: Ancient Adventure.
Participant: Fourth Guest of Honor – Asher.
Task of Knowledge: Acquire ‘Starlight of Dawn’
[ Acquired Knowledge ]
• The faith of the Morning Star has fallen.• The setting of the ancient adventure is the era when the Second Apostle reigned during his human days.• What is the origin of the magic book?• Luzak Paltein was a dead human.• Most of the intellectuals of Arcadium are the dead.• The adventure of Arcadium is a world of true souls and false bodies.• There was always a loophole in the games of Arcadium.• A god who has attained a high level can create Apostles.• The Goddess of the Morning Star is alive.• The demon Hadras and Archbishop Hadras are the same being.• Some demons were human.• Host is an Apostle who manages souls. (Estimated)• Bloodia commands the Followers of Fate, and the Followers of Fate are dragon worshippers.• One of the Followers of Fate’s strongholds is located in the hidden fortress west of the Kingdom of Maren.
[ Acquired Item ]
• Equipment: Execution of Submergence – Eisenfall• Tool: Unregistered Spellbook (Primordial)• Equipment: Sword of Dawn• Tool: Remnant of an Evil God – Processed Optic Nerve of Bargnon• Divine Relic: Starlight of Dawn
* * *
Ancient Adventure, Chapter 3: The Demon God.
The devil god, realizing that part of the devil’s origin was human, did not immediately pursue the core truth, even though he could have.
A discerning being suffers harm by touching what should not be touched, while an unwise being is foolish for not even being able to touch it.
Temperance that maintains boundaries depending on the situation.
One can only be called intelligent if one controls the thirst for knowledge and knows how to keep the future in mind, so the Devil God is clearly an enlightened being.He even covered up the dregs remaining at the bottom of his heart with intense emotion.
The Devil God heard the name of the Knight of the Dawn and directed his wrath toward the apostle who threatened his family and regarded souls as toys.
However, in the end, you will face a truth that cannot be resolved by emotion.
What choice will I be forced to make in the end?
Truly worth looking forward to…
{Hmm, forcing it? No. This kind of ending doesn’t suit it.}
Host wrote in an easy-to-read style, refraining as much as possible from pedantic expressions. After all, writing only has meaning when read by others.
I erased “what choice I will be forced to make in the end” and wrote the phrase again.
Standing at a crossroads, what final choice will the God of Fate, the God of Magic, and the God of Demons make? Cycles, renewal, or a third path that does not yet exist?
Whatever it may be, new knowledge will be born.
{If you can read, you should be able to read at least this much.}
widely.
He closed the book he had finished recording Verden’s adventures and placed it on the table. He snapped his long fingertips to remove the fountain pen and crossed his legs.
{Due to the arbitrary will of Talakan, a soul that has become independent from me, the ‘Product of the Primeval’ has passed into the hands of a being other than those three. However, since this will also serve as a path leading to new knowledge, it will be a beneficial variable.}
“…….”
The second game is drawing to a close, and the final, third game is just around the corner. Aren’t you truly looking forward to it, Draven LeMarque?
The host clapped his fingertips together as if he were happy.
{Who will reach the end of the Arcadium and seize your soul… … .}
