Chapter 1114: Lingering Afterglow (2)
It was the fifth day since the Outer Tribulation City, Kundara, had crashed into the Central Front’s border zone.
Lennok, who had been focusing on his treatment in the Blood-Veil Palace, was only able to rise from his sickbed on the fourth day with the Fearsome Blood King’s help.
It wasn’t that his condition had improved; rather, it was merely a measure to allow him minimal movement, with the Fearsome Blood King assisting his internal blood circulation.
Nevertheless, Lennok still had things to do to fully conclude the affairs of the Ninth Tribulation.
Before moving in earnest, he toured the shattered facilities and districts of the Outer Tribulation City.
The eight Tribulations that once composed Kundara were now fractured layer by layer, scattered across various parts of the border zone.
Yet, even amidst the chaos, the Long-lived Beings were working to rebuild the city, moving between the separated facilities and districts.
CRASH!!
Long-lived Beings, revealing their massive true forms, were moving building materials and packages from all directions.
Newly issued newspapers and large posters fluttered throughout the streets.
An ancient crane coughed dryly while reading a newspaper, and a turtle blinked, listening intently to the radio.
[Outer Tribulation City Kundara’s Advance to the Central Front. Why are Long-lived Beings on the Front Line?]
[It is known that residential areas in the vicinity of the Western Front’s border zone have fragmented and scattered—]
[Fierce reactions from various regions regarding the colossal city that crashed into the Central Front……]
[Currently, both the Cult and the Alliance are preparing official statements—]
[Concerns about shifts in the power structure due to the Long-lived Beings’ advance into the Central Front……]
On screens erected in the streets, various Long-lived Beings gathered to listen to the news being broadcast.
“I never knew the Short-lived Beings of the mundane world held such an interest in us.”
“We must understand. From now on, they are companions with whom we must coexist.”
“Coexist, you say. I hear even Short-lived Beings among themselves don’t get along well.”
A plump lizard. A deer sitting elegantly with its legs folded. A toad with a grumpy expression.
Long-lived Beings, boasting colossal physiques, sat side-by-side, watching the news.
“What is coexistence, truly? They live and die in mere decades. If we tolerate and wait for that much time, it’s no different from coexistence.”
“You, it seems, should be working for the Eight Great Dragon Kings, not the Elder Council.”
“If even the Eight Great Dragon Kings and the Elder Council can’t get along, there’s no reason to consider Short-lived Beings as a united whole.”
The old crane preened its wings and spoke.
“Though it was an unavoidable circumstance, we have encroached upon their land. It would be best to interact with an open mind.”
“Hmm, I am not entirely uninterested in the habits and behaviors of Short-lived Beings, but……”
“Since things have come to this, perhaps I could get a Short-lived Being as a pet? I’m confident I could cherish it until it dies of old age.”
“……”
The Long-lived Beings’ conversation seemed subtly off-kilter.
Lennok, listening to their words from behind, offered a bitter smile and turned away.
While there are many Long-lived Beings with gentle dispositions, there are also many who are profoundly ignorant about Short-lived Beings.
Interest and fervor poured in from across the continent towards the Outer Tribulation City that had crashed into the Central Front.
Even though they had been abruptly pulled out from beyond the Veil, many maintained a dignified composure.
Yet, the Long-lived Beings’ interest in Short-lived Beings included quite a few peculiar types, even to Lennok.
“……That way, then.”
The plains of the Central Front’s border zone stretched out beyond the Fifth Tribulation’s staircase.
Even as he walked, leaning on his staff, the scenery beyond the horizon remained unchanged.
The overwhelming expanse of the Central Front’s border zone showed little difference between the Eastern and Western Continents.
Just as Lennok was lost in thought, gazing at the surrounding scenery.
A colossal, fire-engulfed beast plummeted from above Lennok’s head.
WHOOM!!!
A giant salamander, wreathed in intense flames, flicked its tongue, staring at Lennok.
The salamander, after intently observing Lennok, slowly opened its mouth towards him.
“Teacher.”
With its voice, the light-shrouded salamander transformed on the spot into a red-haired boy.
The boy, who had been silently watching Lennok, then bowed his head respectfully.
“I’ve been waiting.”
“Angron.”
The chieftain of the Fire Salamander clan, and a high-ranking Long-lived Being who had learned Obaekro from Lennok.
Lennok, recalling the unusually fiery salamander, smiled with a pale face.
“You must have heard from the Elder Council about what happened to this city.”
“……”
“And yet you still wish to call me ‘Teacher’?”
“……I know that today’s incident was brought about by the Silver Star.”
Angron looked at Lennok with a complex expression before replying calmly.
“I also heard that you didn’t instigate the Silver Star, but rather tried to stop him.”
“……”
“All orders to hunt you in this city have been rescinded. No one will resent you anymore.”
“Resentment, you say.”
Lennok asked.
Because Angron’s reply contained the implication that while the target of the emotion had shifted, the emotion itself remained.
“Do you resent Maleon?”
“……I don’t know.”
Angron’s voice trailed off.
Unlike the boy who was always hasty and quick to anger, his answer was utterly quiet.
“I know the Silver Star did not act for selfish gain, but the outcome is utterly disastrous.”
“……”
“Even if the intentions were good, if the result is bad, can it truly be called right?”
Angron lifted his gaze.
“Either way, the Silver Star’s name will no longer be spoken with honor in Kundara. That is what I find regrettable.”
“……I see.”
Lennok closed his mouth, unable to reply.
Even amidst unforeseen hardship, Maleon did his best until the very end.
He never abandoned Lennok, and even after his body was taken, he helped Lennok.
In the end, he entrusted even his own demise to Lennok and departed.
In a situation where he could no longer maintain his ego, he still strove to be himself until the very end.
But how could he explain to Angron that Maleon had tried so hard?
How much he had striven to pick up the pieces of his failure until the last moment.
How could he tell Angron that those efforts were by no means futile?
“Please follow me.”
Seeing Lennok’s silence, Angron turned and walked.
“I will guide you to the epicenter where the Ninth Tribulation fell.”
“Has anything approached the Ninth Tribulation over the past few days?”
“My children have blockaded the area within a 5km radius of the epicenter, preventing external access.”
Angron replied, walking ahead.
“The surrounding environment is so harsh that no one, including myself, has been able to enter. Rest assured.”
“……”
“Over there.”
Lennok, following Angron’s gaze, finally understood the meaning of his words.
ROOAARR……!!!
Above the half-destroyed, shattered colossal glass structure, flames ceaselessly roared and burned.
Black lightning, intertwined with the flames, continuously supplied fuel to prevent the fire from dying out, intensifying the heat.
The flames, engulfing the remnants of the Ninth Tribulation, incinerated the plains’ vegetation and desertified the surrounding area.
“Flames and lightning are intertwined, incinerating space itself.”
“……”
“Investigation teams were dispatched multiple times, but they couldn’t even approach the outer wall, let alone survey the interior facilities.”
Angron glanced at the silent Lennok.
“Unless you are the one who created that hellscape, entry will not be permitted.”
“I see.”
Lennok said, and continued walking.
Lennok, gazing at the fiercely burning remnants of the Ninth Tribulation in the distance, glanced back at Angron.
“I wish to be alone. Can you withdraw your people?”
“I received a message from Regnus, instructing me to respect your wishes as much as possible.”
Angron bowed his head respectfully.
“My children and I will all return to the Fifth Tribulation district.”
RUMBLE……!!
At the same time, the surrounding ground slowly heaved and trembled.
A sense of unease, as if dozens of heavy presences hidden beneath the earth had all begun to move simultaneously.
Were these heavy presences, pressing down on the surroundings, the Fire Salamander Long-lived Beings Angron spoke of?
As he turned his gaze, Angron’s presence also cleanly vanished.
Lennok silently walked towards the fiercely burning remnants of the Ninth Tribulation.
WHOOSH!!!
Flames and lightning, engulfing the Ninth Tribulation, gnawed at everything that approached.
But the moment Lennok approached, the black lightning slowly began to subside.
Even though its power had already left Lennok, the black lightning itself seemed to obey his will.
CRACKLE, CRACKLE……!!!
As the fragments of black lightning vanished, the heat of the flames also weakened enough for him to endure it with a shield.
Only then did Lennok step into the interior of the collapsed Ninth Tribulation’s remnants.
CRUNCH!!
He walked through a corridor strewn with glass shards and ash.
Despite crashing to the ground from thousands of kilometers above, its form dimly remained.
This was likely because the Ninth Tribulation’s facilities were robust enough to withstand the Outer Sea, and because ‘something left behind’ within was sustaining the structure.
For that reason, Lennok was able to reach the entrance of the Tenth Coffer simply by clearing the debris that had collapsed into the corridor.
“……”
A basin shattered into many pieces. Tubes shriveled and dried, unable to withstand the heat.
And before it, the Tenth Coffer, its interior exposed and utterly destroyed.
RUMBLE!!!
Within the endless flames, a tilted throne came into view.
Upon that throne sat the remains of Kaiser Bajour.
Despite the crash and pulverization of the Ninth Tribulation, and the space-incinerating heat, the remains had maintained their original form.
“……”
For some reason, he knew why.
That throne was an object created by Hwadeokjingun of Machina, borrowing the principles of the Ascension Gate.
It was a coffin itself, designed to preserve Kaiser’s death even beyond worlds.
If it borrowed the abilities of the Ascension Gate, which connected to the First World, then that corpse was effectively a registered entity in the second world as well.
Thus, Kaiser’s death would not be defiled by physical damage or impact from this world.
Seonjong knew this as well, which was why he had ignored the aftermath of the battle, intending to kill Lennok and then claim the body.
That was why Lennok also knew that Kaiser would remain here, even after all the fighting had ended.
And that Lennok himself would have to take care of Kaiser Bajour’s death, left here.
CLICK!!
Lennok, making his way through the flames, touched the control panel behind the throne with familiar movements.
Having familiarized himself with and memorized the blueprints and principles of the Ascension Gate in the Machine City, Machina.
He knew how to operate the throne.
And how Lennok should send him off.
“Kaiser.”
CLICK, CLICK!!
With each manipulation of the control panel, components connected to the throne detached one by one.
Each time, a function of the throne was lost, and the surrounding flames closed in.
As the throne’s functions, borrowed from the Ascension Gate’s principles, were deactivated one by one, the flames encroached upon the epicenter.
WHOOSH!!!
The flames engulfing the throne slowly began to incinerate Kaiser Bajour’s body.
Lennok leaned against the burning throne, manipulating the control panel until the very end.
CLICK!!
Lennok, having completely shut down the throne’s functions, stood up and spoke.
“There’s no reason now to cling to leaving your death as a physical remnant.”
ROOAARR……!!!
The flames intensified.
Flames, engulfing the Spacetime of the Ninth Tribulation, melted glass and bulkheads, softly wrapping around the throne.
“I will continue to pursue the conclusion of the Project.”
Lennok closed his eyes, watching Kaiser’s remains slowly burn within.
“If I find the one who laid hands on your death…… I will be able to unravel the full extent of this affair until the very end.”
The conclusion Kaiser met at the end of the Ninth Tribulation was in a way Lennok had not at all expected.
But precisely because of that, Lennok was convinced it would be an unparalleled and powerful clue.
Someone who knew Kaiser Bajour’s neck had been severed, and his head was gone.
Someone who could ascend to the Ninth Tribulation, reach the end of the Tenth Coffer, and confront Kaiser’s corpse.
Someone who could ignore the abilities of the throne, designed by borrowing the principles of the Ascension Gate, and ‘sever’ his head.
Transcendent individuals who met all those conditions were fewer than five in this entire world.
Surely, that individual would have grasped all the conclusions and failures of the Project and would be waiting.
The meaning of the name Alkaid.
The reason the Pontiff and the Director were entangled in the Project.
The reason Kaiser Bajour failed and died.
He had traveled through three cities and finally arrived here.
That was why Lennok was able to decide how to send off Kaiser’s remaining corpse.
WHOOSH!!!!
Within the flames, Kaiser’s corpse was engulfed and vanished.
At the same time, the facilities of the Ninth Tribulation, which had maintained their form, one by one melted, collapsed, and fell.
As the flame-engulfed remnants of the Ninth Tribulation collapsed, intense vibrations erupted through the ground.
BOOMBOOMBOOMBOOM!!!!
A deafening roar, as if to burst eardrums, continued endlessly.
The colossal graveyard built from the deaths of Long-lived Beings, the outpost that had floated beyond the Outer Sea, burned away.
Lennok slowly walked, treading on ash-covered bulkheads and enduring falling debris.
Leaving the rapidly collapsing facilities behind, the moment he walked out of the Ninth Tribulation’s remnants.
Lennok encountered a woman clad in a flamboyant ceremonial robe and stopped.
“……Olivera.”
[……]
Olivera did not reply.
She simply raised her gaze quietly, observing the Ninth Tribulation burning and collapsing behind Lennok.
Beyond the veil, her Mystic Eye, flashing, no longer revealed her emotions.
She watched the burning remnants of the Ninth Tribulation until the very end.
She stood there for a long time, as if watching Kaiser Bajour, cremated along with it.
[……I see.]
Even though he had burned down the Ninth Tribulation at will, she showed no anger.
She neither questioned his decision nor interrogated him.
She merely asked, as if acknowledging and accepting the moment.
[Have you decided to send him off?]
“Leaving Kaiser’s corpse here would only lead other Transcendent individuals to exploit it.”
Lennok replied.
“But that doesn’t mean I intend to use or research Kaiser’s body. Human experimentation is not the path I desire.”
[……]
“If it’s remembered, that’s enough.”
Lennok murmured, slowly walking past Olivera.
“All that’s left is to confirm if I was truly right.”
[……]
CRACKLE, CRACKLE……!!
The flames incinerating the Ninth Tribulation soared skyward, transforming into a colossal pillar of fire.
Scattering embers poured from the sky like red rain, casting an ominous glow on the surroundings.
Olivera, who had stared at the spectacle for a long time, spoke.
[I knew you met Kaiser himself in the restricted zone in the past.]
“……”
[I noticed you inherited the profound wish Kaiser dreamed of before he changed.]
She slowly turned, looking at Lennok’s back as she spoke.
[Therefore, it is right for you to decide his conclusion. That must have been the way Kaiser wished it.]
“……”
[But you must be mindful until the very end.]
Olivera said quietly.
[That Kaiser ultimately failed. Even if you see yourself reflected in him, you must not follow his methods.]
Olivera knew that Lennok had inherited Kaiser’s wish and sympathized with him in the past restricted zone.
Because the path Kaiser had walked might be the path Lennok himself would walk.
Because the failures he experienced might be another conclusion Lennok would face.
Olivera had noticed that Lennok empathized with Kaiser’s journey and profound wish, seeing himself reflected in them.
“Even without you saying so, I will not bother trying to become someone else.”
Lennok smiled.
“I don’t possess the same Heaven-Defying Talent as him. I have no ability to revisit all the world’s failures.”
[……]
Lennok was always given only a single chance.
Therefore, Lennok sought to illuminate infinite possibilities by taking the very opportunity to choose as his answer.
If, separate from sympathizing with Kaiser’s profound wish, encompassing that wish itself was the path of salvation Lennok pursued.
“Seonjong’s will-thought spoke to me.”
Lennok turned to Olivera and said.
“He said he intended to combine his abilities of Recursion and Serenity with Kaiser’s Regressive Magic to seize ‘infinite opportunities’.”
[……]
“To seize eternal opportunities that even he, though dead, never possessed, and challenge the conclusion of this world.”
Lennok closed his eyes.
“I knew without being told.”
Recursion, which returned things to their original state.
Serenity, which corrected wrongs into rights.
Regressive Magic, which defied providence and reversed laws.
The single miracle achieved by making those three abilities a trinity of profound mystery.
Seonjong hadn’t explained, and Lennok hadn’t replied, but he understood.
What those ‘infinite opportunities’ obtained by combining those three talents truly were.
“The ability of Regression (回歸), which could even reverse and rewind the world’s timeline.”
Lennok asked her, as she remained silent.
“Was that how Kaiser Bajour uncovered all the world’s failures without exception?”