Episode 1178 ‘You’ – 2
Just how many lives has she taken? Indren was suffocated by an intimidation even greater than when she faced the evil dragon Nekhbael.Air escaped her, crushing her lungs.Suicidal impulses welled up.Her mental strength was worn down merely by facing her.A death aura fundamentally different from that of the undead, the narrative of the sins she carries…
Do you want to know?Feel it.For I will feel it too.
───Splash.
Indren took a step forward. Supporting Feldianne, whose legs were trembling so much she could not stand, he stepped toward that deep will.
Arms of the gods extended diagonally.A triangular ceiling made of blood and flesh.
As they passed beneath it, drops of blood falling from the gods soaked the two people.
[Hiante, please show me the future.]
[What is waiting for us?]
I hear the whisper of ‘your’. However, it is not of the deep will. But it is you. It is just a voice much younger and kinder than that.
‘Past… …? Is it a conversation from the past?’
Indren wiped the blood from his eyelids. The metallic smell of blood seeped into his robe and body. Human footprints remained vividly shimmering on the blood-red puddle.
The voice heard again.
[Gods!]
[We must not be at odds any longer! The dark future that awaits us… … Please, please, just once, tell my story… … .]
The gods fixed to the true cross mock you. The ancient gods who once ruled the continent with tyranny send sneers of utter contempt toward ‘you’. Even whenshe, who was relatively weak and infinitely kind, pleads earnestly, they do not even pretend to listen.
Through the concept of time, we have come to know the future of the universe, but it is such a distant future that it makes no difference to beings living in the present.What does it matter what becomes of the world after one dies? No matter how altruistic one may be, who could possibly foresee the conclusion that will come eons from now?
[Only I… … .]
Ripples rise in the sea of blood.
Splash!
The hem of the pants turns completely red because force was unintentionally applied to the front paw.
Haa… … Haa… … Haa… … .
Feldianne was barely able to reach the center of the temple thanks to the support of her ancestor. Trembling. Rejecting her instincts, she strained to lift her chin.
The majesty of the divine throne that swallowed the vast light.
Her deep will rose to her feet. Her shadow, born with her back to the light—or rather, supported by all the light—began to slowly stretch.
Thump.
Indren and Feldianne’s heads were involuntarily slammed into the floor. It was not an effect on their bodies. Their souls were crushed.Shimmering like gas,flexible like liquid,and tangible like a solid.Through themselves, they realized the form of the soul that they had known only conceptually until now.
Ah ha ha ha ha!
Most of the corpses in the temple let out louder and more violent laughter from all directions than before. Was the object of their mockery the guests who had entered the temple, the master of the temple, or both?
Some of the corpses groaned and poured out their sorrow. With faces filled with resignation, they let out long, drawn-out vocal cords exposed through their flesh. They were filled with despair and regret.
A tiny fraction of the corpses writhed as if they did not want to suffer any longer.At best, they only shook their legs.
The heartless god muttered.
[Power source.]
The god whose head had been displayed snickered.
[Ark.]
The skinned god sobbed.
[New Humanity.]
Thump.
The deep will stopped. As she gestured lightly, the two were forced to stand up. ‘You’ was just two steps away.
‘Still… … all I see is those tears.’
‘You’ were clad in a robe like a universe where no starlight existed. Although the location of each body part—where the head was and where the arms were—could be recognized, the color of the skin and the facial features could not be identified.
Only the tears of blood were distinct.
Fragments of emotion that have been flowing ceaselessly since the first time he saw it… Only then did Indren realize where the countless pools of blood filling every corner of the temple originated.It was not the blood shed by corpses, but the traces of tears that ‘you’ had poured out.
[Oldark has always been noble, yet at the same time, she is incredibly human. It is because she is human that she can make such choices. Also, like a wizard.]
“Typical of a wizard…….”
[Feldianne Piercia Rate.]
Feldianne flinched.
Deep Will took another step closer, with hands clasped below, truly reverent like a god. Now they were one step apart.
Feldianne approached to hear the purpose of the Deep Will’s descent—a purpose other than coming to see off the Sixth Apostle.
Since he had somehow walked the ‘pilgrimage path,’ his deep will soon gave the answer.
[The only thing I am not involved in is the war of the Sixth Apostle.]
The condition of war.
We intervene except in war.
Feldianne was not greatly shaken, as he naturally knew that would happen. Taking a deep breath, he spoke cautiously with ‘your’ permission.
“I understand that there are limitations as long as the surface will and… the deep will remain separated.”
[That is true. I can’t roam the continent secretly like Oldark.]
Deep Will slowly drew his face closer, and the god standing beside her, with a stake driven into the back of his hands, the tops of his feet, and his heart on the true cross, represented her.
[However, arbitrarily shaping the situation without stepping forward directly is not Oldark’s exclusive property. Rather, that is my method. The one he learned from his defeat at my hands.]
“…….”
[Tell Oldarc this.]
Feldianne’s heart pounded. This was not the realm of the mind. It was a real place. He had just actually died and come back to life.His shattered body had been ‘created,’ and his original soul breathed into it to resurrect him.
‘The Master of Fate’s… … power.’
She whispered.
Do you think things will go your way?
* * *
[Book of Destiny]
Balion glared at the book that someone—no, something—had dropped from the bookshelf.He did not pick it up rashly.
‘… … What language is this?’
It was a script I had never seen or heard of, even though I was a living history possessing vast historical knowledge and memories of hundreds of years.Before the emergence of the continent’s common language, there were many indigenous languages specific to each tribe, race, nation, and continent, but none of them were even remotely similar to this.Yet, I could understand it completely without any confusion regarding its meaning.
I checked my surroundings again.
The empty library of the Citadel, devoid of any notable signs of life, responded with silence. My intuition,transformed strangely by the transplant of Gluttony’s organs, advised me. In this Citadel, and to the Old King, a force beyond comprehension is at work.
… … Swoosh.
Valion picked up the book with suspicion. Ignoring it was not an option. He was also certain that whatever the book was, it would be safe.He brushed off the dust and lightly turned the page titled “Book of Destiny.”
Starlight is a lie.
“……untruth?”
A sentence written in an equally strange language sat prominently in the middle of the page.The rest was blank space, as if to show off.
I moved on to the next chapter.
[The universe is not eternal.]
I still couldn’t understand it. It was yet another sentence. This was the first time I had seen a book produced so inefficiently. I furrowed my brows and moved my hands again.
[end.]
Valion paused.It was strange.He felt an uneasy sensation that he shouldn’t turn this page. However, Valion suppressed his body’s resistance and delved into Fate again.
This time, there was no margin.
[I reveal the truth to (Balyon Freya), who stands leaning on the last warmth.]
Following the sentence containing Balion’s real name, countless letters were densely arranged without even the slightest spacing between them.
[The night sky we gazed up at in wonder is merely a false illusion left behind by stars that perished hundreds of millions of years ago; this universe is a world of darkness where the flame of creation has already been extinguished.]
[We are not surrounded by infinite light. Even in the brilliant sky of yesterday and the nights before that, we have lived gazing only at afterimages hovering in the empty void.]
[Our world, left alone in endless emptiness, is already slowly losing its warmth, and in the end, amidst eternal silence, the universe will meet its demise without being remembered by anyone, ending with us.]
[Your very existence is meaningless, so erase the new humanity and commit suicide. Your lover and all traces of you are worthless, so there is no need to cling to them. It is alright. I will save you through an eternal cycle.]
[Die in peace.]
Overwhelmed by the words, Valion ran out of the library in terror before he could even read the whole thing.
* * *
Feldianne’s presence suddenly vanished after hearing ‘your’ whisper.
“Feldianne……!”
[I just went back outside, so you don’t need to worry.]
… … It cannot be a lie. They are not in a relationship so equal that she would go out of her way to lie. If she had wanted to, they would already have both become the corpses of the True Cross.
Deep Will stared at the space where Feldianne had just been standing, then turned its head toward Indren.The mocking laughter of the corpses still lingered like background music.
[Indren Piercia Rate.]
“……Speak.”
[I will only take one question.]
Does she mean she’ll answer if I have any questions? Indren swallowed hard. He didn’t know why she was offering such a favor, but he didn’t refuse.
Indren had never felt such fear, nor had he ever been so curious. He wanted to know about ‘you’.
“Why… are you weeping so sorrowfully?”
[… … .]
Deep Will stared intently at Indren, then tilted her head slightly. Although her expression was not visible, she seemed to be smiling.She stroked the head of Indren, whose form was fixed as that of a boy. Although Indren had lived for over a century, he was always young to her.
[At one time, I appealed to everyone with all my heart and sought their understanding. I persuaded, pleaded, and prayed. But no one shared my feelings.]
“…….”
[I prepared for the apocalypse alone. And at the end, I hoped my friend Oldark would understand. Of course, as expected, he did not agree with my methods.]
“…….”
[So I asked if there was an alternative to the eternal cycle. To this, Oldark replied.]
“…….”
[At least that is not the case.]
Deep Will let out a low laugh. It was a quiet sound, but it felt much louder than the gods’ mockery. She let go of Indren and bent slightly at the waist.
[Even after reaching this point, Oldarc has not found a clear answer. Yet, he is rejecting the answer I have chosen. Everyone who has lived alongside me as equals—the World Tree, the Gray Dragon, and others—has been unable to accept my fate. Oldarc described the endless repetition of past, present, and future as ultimately a dead world.]
“…….”
[It is only natural that it is right to endure forever rather than perish forever. You said you would let me forget the past every time fate repeated itself. But I said I would remember everything and willingly invite pain.]
The tears of blood from the depths of the will grew thicker.
[I felt immense sadness that I was not understood despite my attempts to persuade. However, I am fine now. I am okay.]
“……What is acceptable.”
The god that spoke on her behalf, its head was snapped in an instant.
Crunch crunch!
The necks of the gods hanging on the cross twisted. The sound of mockery abruptly ceased. In the silence, the pupil of the Deep Will began to reveal itself.The fully opened right pupil stared directly at Indren from close range.
I no longer expect understanding.
“……!!!!”
Because I’m right
Even as ‘you’ asserted that, you paused for a moment and continued speaking.
However, I intend to ask for understanding only from Verden.
Verden?Why?
Because he is fully qualified for it.
‘You’ seemed to be looking at something, then straightened your back.
=The war of the Sixth Apostle is coming to an end=
“……!!!!”
Do you want to see it?
Indren felt as though his divine body was about to be crushed… but he did not lose consciousness and nodded.He wanted to know a little more, a little more.
Please check.
‘Your’ slender fingertips dug deep into Indren’s eyes.Indren shared the vision she saw.
