Chapter 306: Chapter 48. The World’s End
Due to Reed’s first burst, the Final Dungeon was moved from the ‘Cradle of Chaos’ to ‘Sanarak’.
The gluttonous Chaos Evil God ravenously devoured the endless sand hell and the pyramid-shaped tower standing tall at its center.
As a result, the space itself changed grotesquely, as if melted by the Chaos Evil God’s gastric juices.
Like a sea of great floods, like a swamp of the abyss, like a distant chasm, like a cave without an exit…
It changed depending on the viewing angle and time, making it impossible to define in a single word. Yet, one consistent point was that the illumination was extremely low.
Sasa-sasak…
In the amorphous space, a shapeless darkness made a snake-like sound, creeping up Tesillid’s entire body. And like a malicious prank, it repeatedly covered and uncovered his eyes.
Each time his vision failed him, memories learned over thousands of years in the bottomless pit surged up like nausea.
But he did not weakly kneel and stop, unlike in ‘Pandora’s Bottom’.
Because it was different from when he had nothing to protect.
‘Aillet.’
Even without physical light, he relied on the light within him like a beacon, dragging his body forward.
As if to indicate that his feet were pointing in the right direction, the chilling sounds gradually grew louder.
In the deep darkness, voices of all ages and genders expressed their individual rage. Soon, that passion converged in one direction.
<My purpose, in any case, is the world’s destruction…>
An utterly evil chorus echoed through the space with terrible dissonance and horrific tones.
Destruction. Destruction. Only destruction.
The Evil God’s will was becoming extremely simple.
To move a god’s body according to a defined will, the owner of that will must be a being comparable to divinity.
However, the Chaos Evil God’s original will was merely a low-level one, born from countless thoughts gathered together.
With that, it could never even touch the tip of the foot of the distant condition called divinity.
Nevertheless, if one were to force the Chaos Evil God to move, the will driving it must be extremely simple and intense.
That was why the Chaos Evil God was now erasing everything else from its consciousness, leaving only its most important single purpose: ‘destruction’.
“…”
By the time Tesillid’s footsteps stopped, his eyes had finally adjusted to the darkness.
A colossal darkness, pulsating as it repeatedly clumped and unraveled like a mass of clay being haphazardly molded.
The ingredients forming that mass were hundreds of millions of pairs of red eyes glittering like evil stars, and tens of thousands of turbidly swirling vortices.
A being representing evil emitted an overwhelming aura, more than sufficient to claim godhood.
Even its state of losing intellect and gradually becoming simpler still incited awe.
For the concept of destruction, pursued to its extreme, had transformed the Chaos Evil God into destruction itself.
In other words, ultimate destruction was now before his eyes.
Despite facing an intimidation that seemed capable of halting bodily functions just by confrontation, Tesillid remained utterly composed. Rather, he let out a faint sigh-like sound between his lips.
That laugh, resembling a sneer, was in fact self-mockery.
Because the sight of the constantly chanting swarm, proclaiming destruction, looked like him, who once wandered, chanting death.
At that moment, the Chaos Evil God reacted. A colossal single eye formed, forcing its way through the darkness.
<A mortal has entered this place…?>
The eyeball blinked at Tesillid, filled with curiosity.
He raised a haze-like aura above his shoulders to make it easier for him to be scrutinized.
Surprise emanated from the eyeball. Fortunately, the Evil God still had enough consciousness to recognize him.
“It’s been a long time, Chaos Evil God.”
<Were you not supposed to have left this timeline?>
“I am Reed, but not the Reed you know. This timeline was originally mine, not Reed’s. And I am the one who lived Reed’s future and returned.”
<Reed’s future? Which iteration are you?>
“The 117th iteration.”
The soul of a regressor increased in value the longer it had aged. The eyeball glittered with an evil light.
The Chaos Evil God’s blatant greed displayed towards a human. Still, it seemed better than the sadistic favor bestowed by some irresponsible god.
Setting aside idle thoughts, now was the time to negotiate his ransom.
“It seems difficult for you to control your body with your current level of consciousness.”
<Woo-wuo-oh…>
Just then, the low-quality evils forming a part of the Evil God wailed like beasts. Thanks to that, Tesillid could comfortably continue speaking.
“Though pursuing destruction is a noble act, you wouldn’t want to remain in a form that merely writhes with instinct, like a worm, would you? You are a god, after all.”
“…”
“What you need now is a high level of will and spirit. I believe I can help you with that by synchronizing with you again.”
There was no need to explain as if coaxing it.
The Chaos Evil God instinctively knew it needed Reed.
The owner of a will and spirit comparable to divinity. The soul of a regressor, tempered through long years of divine abuse, was the most certain fit for that condition.
Moreover, Tesillid Argent, who stood before it, was an older being than the 100th iteration. The 117th iteration of him, who had even been to the abyss, was exceedingly desirable.
That was why it had been glaring with greed from earlier.
Like a headless monster coveting the head of a living being, the Chaos Evil God recognized Reed as an absolutely essential organ for itself.
Tesillid pierced directly into that desperate desire.
“I will become the facilitator of your destruction. Will you join me?”
<Uwo-oh-oh…>
A roar of joy echoed like a banshee’s wail. It signaled the most certain establishment of a contract.
As if floodgates had opened, darkness fiercely poured in from all directions around Tesillid, imitating a fluid.
He was instantly submerged up to his head, but unlike in water, breathing was allowed.
The floor he had been standing on had vanished. His body slowly sank towards a distant bottom.
As he was interred in the deep sea, a synchronization of consciousness occurred with the Chaos Evil God, who had become a deity.
Slowly, the brand of the corrupted bloomed on his left wrist, gradually spreading in area.
As the black pattern covered the left side of his body, his brow furrowed and a low groan escaped his lips.
Then, at some point.
“…”
A weighty voice, announcing that the synchronization was complete. It awakened his consciousness, which had momentarily been drifting into a daze.
<Now, let us go forth to bestow the most hideous destruction upon the world.>
“…”
The Evil God’s exultation was clearly conveyed through the darkness that enveloped him.
However, despite the high synchronization rate, Tesillid’s face showed not a shred of shared enjoyment.
“Our will? It seems you’ve misunderstood something.”
His calm, even tone flustered the Evil God.
“My contract condition is to facilitate your destruction. Not the world’s destruction.”
<…!>
It’s common for attitudes to change once a contract is over. The most beautiful swindler in the world revealed his true colors.
“Let us sleep together, Chaos Evil God.”
He had no intention of releasing the Chaos Evil God into the human world. He even used his authority to retrieve the parts of its body that had already escaped back to their original place.
Because he could not unleash something so hideous, evil, and ugly upon the world where Aillet resided.
Because the world where she was, had to be as beautiful and clean as the green of her eyes.
Therefore, the Chaos Evil God would sink into the abyss, held in his embrace.
Though he himself was corrupted by darkness, he only wished for this will to remain deep blue.
<No…!>
This place, the Tomb of Chaos Gods, truly became a tomb for the Evil God’s eternal slumber.
A powerful will to imprison himself along with the Chaos Evil God was realized through authority. Accordingly, physical changes occurred in the amorphous world.
Darkness entangled and fixed his limbs. Immediately after being roughly embalmed against an invisible wall, up and down, left and right, were inverted.
Thorn bushes grew over his instantly recumbent body, isolating the space, and walls rose from all sides, blocking his view.
And finally…
Bang!
A lid covered his head.
It was the moment his coffin for eternal slumber was fashioned.
Only one regret remained.
‘Aillet Rodelain.’
The person who gave him a reason to save the world again.
Would she be hurt again by his unilateral decision?
It would be good if he could embrace even that wound and sink, but alas, he, in his foolishness, had no such skill.
So he simply yearned with all his heart.
Rather than remember him painfully forever, he wished she would forget and be happy instead.
That she would be happy in the beautiful world, even for his share.✠
The Demonization caused by Har-Magedon spread rapidly across the entire Serentra Continent, starting from Pan-El.
I hastily broke the Spatial Teleportation Stone before Mount Eltio fell within the range of Demonization. Thanks to it, I could quickly move to the Pontifical Palace, riding the winds of space and time.
A horrifying spectacle unfolding in the sky caught my eye first, more so than the ruined ground.
“My goodness.”
[‘Eye that Oversees All Chaos’ averts its gaze in disgust.]
The lid of hell was on the ceiling, not the floor. The sky above the Pontifical Palace was occupied by a Gate like the eye of a typhoon.
Some black darkness had escaped from the gigantic Gate of Destruction, which had an enormous diameter.
<Destruction… destruction…>
<As we will it, the most hideous destruction upon the world…>
Voices of all ages and genders roared in a chaotic mix, writhing to reach the creatures on the ground.
That sight stimulated both fundamental fear and disgust.
And, of course, immense intimidation.
“Ha…”
I hid my slightly trembling fingertips by clenching my fist tightly.
“Voice-Spirit that Constructs the World, what on earth should I do about that?”
It was then, when I sought guidance from my god with a sense of helplessness, that the Chaos Evil God’s momentum suddenly subsided.
<No… It is not the world’s destruction…>
As if time itself were rewinding, the Chaos Evil God, which had been struggling to squeeze through the narrow opening, retreated back inside.
It was an unbelievable phenomenon.
[‘Voice-Spirit that Constructs the World’ voluntarily confesses that it was not its doing.]
‘But suddenly?’
Why? How? Ignorance fueled confusion.
<Aillet, it seems the Evil God is retreating back into the Gate?>
“Indeed.”
My voice, even to my own ears, sounded subdued as I replied.
Contrary to the improved situation, I felt an ominous premonition. And from experience, such feelings were never wrong.
Something was going strangely.
The moment I was certain, my feet hastily pushed off from the ruins.
<Ah, Aillet?!>
Privilege for Possessors