Chapter 1318: The Grand General’s Mausoleum (16)
Rumble rumble!!!!
As the Grand General of Brilliance awakened, the entire Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors shook and slowly began to crumble.
Everything that had gained power from his True Blood and grown, nourished by death, began to die.
He pulverized the entire facility, which was once the Ars Nova Imperial National Mausoleum, returning it to nothingness with his own hands.
The Grand General’s incomprehensible actions seemed to be an attempt to collapse and erase the entire space where he had been interred.
He had offered Lennok the Mausoleum’s grave goods and promised to open the path to Ars Nova.
“……”
But Lennok, even as he watched the Grand General turn away, holding The Crusher, couldn’t voice his thoughts rashly.
At this moment, a Transcendent who had surpassed all limits was heading directly to the farthest reaches of danger for Lennok.
‘It’s different from then. But…’
The Grand General of Brilliance’s reasons for showing Lennok favor, and their respective positions, were different from the events in Kundara.
Unlike Maleon Gnosis, who had intended to stay with Lennok until the very end in the Ninth Tribulation to help him participate in the Ascension Ritual.
The Grand General, while considering Lennok an enemy of The Empire, was helping him because he saw a past Ascendant in Lennok.
A difference that felt insignificant at this moment, yet could never be ignored, made Lennok hesitate.
If the Grand General of Brilliance himself desired something from someone in the past, not Lennok.
If he was guiding Lennok to the very end of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors for that person.
“Grand General.”
Absurdly, Lennok felt his mind sinking into an infinite calm at this moment.
Perhaps it was because Lennok’s judgment had reached that point, instinctively drawing a conclusion.
At the edge of the temple, where cold weapons and artifacts wrapped in mysterious light were piled up like a mountain, forming a colossal hill.
Lennok, seeing the Grand General’s hollow presence as he turned away with The Crusher, quietly averted his gaze.
“I understand what you mean, but there’s something I must deal with first.”
“……”
“Until now, I left it alone because I didn’t know your purpose, but if that statement is true, there’s no need to leave any leeway.”
“Your words are correct.”
At that moment, the Grand General’s hollow eyes pierced through the lower part of the temple wall.
It was as if he understood Lennok’s words the moment he heard them and had discerned the truth beyond the direction of his gaze.
“As the master of this Mausoleum, I cannot overlook the remnants defiling this resting place.”
Crack.
The Grand General slowly tilted his neck and took a step with an indifferent expression.
“I will handle everything before the time allotted to This General runs out.”
There was no answer.
The moment the Grand General pressed his foot down on the ground where Lennok stood.
The entire ground where Lennok and Aileen stood crumbled, beginning to descend tens of meters underground.
BOOOOOOM!!!!!
“……!!!!”
A power that, with pure leg strength, caused cracks in the bedrock beneath the temple, creating a crater tens of meters wide.
The moment the Grand General’s body, having shattered through the thick ceiling and floor, reached the lowest level of the temple at immense speed.
Another hidden space, concealed beneath the mountain of grave goods piled up to the lower underground levels, revealed itself.
BOOOOOOM!!!!
An old garden where dozens, if not hundreds, of open coffins stood. A strange space where unidentifiable records and documents fluttered everywhere, and ancient texts spewed dust.
Lennok, even as he fell, inadvertently turned his gaze at the fact that such a space was hidden beneath the river.
The Grand General reached out, seized something fleeing from one side of the garden, and slammed it forcefully onto the ground.
CRASH!!!
“Gah…!!!”
“Yaksha?!”
Arthur Mason, grabbed by the neck by the corrupted Grand General’s hand, was pinned to the ground, utterly motionless.
Aileen, confirming the presence of the Yaksha that still remained within the Mausoleum, possessing Arthur’s body, flinched in surprise.
“It had hidden itself nearby, refusing to retreat even after being struck by you.”
The Grand General, pressing down on the convulsing Yaksha’s neck, spoke calmly.
“As an extraterrestrial entity, it seems it was attempting to prolong its life by borrowing divine power. It appears to have arrived here before us.”
“……C-c-c-c-ck…!!!”
“A survivor of an extraterrestrial civilization that contributed to the Mausoleum’s corruption… if it is a being that is well-versed in the environment and terrain of the Demonic Realm.”
As the Grand General tilted his head with a hollow face, Arthur’s neck was half-crushed.
“There seems no reason to overlook this entity before This General fulfills his duty.”
“Evan… Mar… tinez…”
The Yaksha residing in Arthur’s body, drooling, spoke in a voice on the verge of breaking.
The Yaksha’s black-dyed eyes, reversed, curved faintly as they stared at Lennok.
“Excellent… you… finally… awakened… the Grand General…”
“……”
“A noble… honored… by the Empire’s… Conqueror…”
The Yaksha struggled to smile.
“Interesting… you… are…”
CRACK!!
Before it could finish speaking, the Grand General twisted the Yaksha’s neck with one hand.
An astonishing grip that overtly broke the neck of an 8-level superhuman resisting with all their might.
The Grand General lifted the limp Yaksha by the neck, then simply released his hand, letting it drop to the ground.
“Child of Yuwinas. Bind this one outside the Mausoleum.”
“……Grand General.”
Aileen, hesitating, cautiously asked.
“What do you mean by ‘bind him’…?”
“The evil spirit residing in this body coexists within a single body, relying on this one’s Root Mindscape.”
The Grand General spoke in a blunt tone.
“If the human is killed here, the evil spirit will be unleashed. A living prison will be necessary.”
“……”
Suddenly, Aileen understood what the Grand General was saying.
The Yaksha’s Spiritual Presence, residing in Arthur’s body, would be released the moment Arthur died.
In that case, it would be better to keep Arthur alive and imprison the Yaksha so it couldn’t escape the body.
But, more than that, the meaning behind the Grand General’s message to Aileen—
“……I understand. If the Grand General wishes, I will leave this place.”
Aileen, lifting Arthur by the collar, spoke calmly.
“When should I return?”
“That is not for This General to decide.”
The Grand General took a step.
His hollow eyes momentarily brushed past Aileen’s face.
“When the time comes, you will be told directly.”
“……”
With the Grand General walking silently into the quiet garden behind them, Lennok and Aileen’s gazes crossed wordlessly.
Lennok’s identity, whom the Grand General of Brilliance personally honored. Lennok’s status, presumed to be connected to the Imperial Palace of Ars Nova.
At this moment, she had to retreat alone without any explanation for any of it.
Perhaps she deserved to hear a detailed explanation, having explored the Demonic Realm together until now.
Perhaps she had remained here precisely because she wanted to know right away.
But Aileen asked nothing further about it and slowly retreated.
The conquest of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors and the awakening of the Grand General to stop the ritual would have been impossible without Lennok.
Therefore, it was right that Lennok should bear both the reward and the responsibility for it himself.
“This mercenary bastard, I’ll keep a close eye on him, so let’s talk about the details later.”
Aileen pretended to grumble, gripping Arthur’s collar.
“Don’t say anything if I get so angry I sever all the tendons in this guy’s arms and legs.”
“The judgment of a distinguished Ranger is always trustworthy.”
Lennok smiled.
“I have faith in the capabilities of the Detection Agency. Do as you please.”
“……”
For a moment, Aileen hesitated as if she had heard something unexpected.
Her lips parted, then she shrugged and turned her gaze away.
“So there was a reason your reputation was good in the Central City. I thought you were a cold-blooded monster with no compassion, but you can even say such empty words?”
“It seems my words have a slight edge.”
“……Never mind.”
Aileen turned away with a bitter smile.
“I’ll be waiting outside, so signal me immediately if anything happens. You know what to do, right?”
“Yes. I’ll finish it quickly.”
Lennok replied quietly.
“It won’t take long.”
“……”
Aileen stared at Lennok’s face for a moment, then grabbed Arthur by the collar and turned away.
Lennok watched Aileen receding, then slowly began to walk.
A vast garden lined with coffins everywhere.
A space so quiet and desolate, it was hard to believe it was located at the very bottom of the corrupted Mausoleum.
At the end of that garden, the Grand General of Brilliance stood tall, his back turned, waiting for Lennok.
“You deliberately avoided speaking with Aileen.”
Lennok, slowly walking to stand beside the Grand General, was the first to speak.
“Did you wish to avoid entanglement with someone from the Central City?”
“This General is merely a defeated commander whose body has long since rotted away.”
The Grand General spoke in a dull voice devoid of emotion.
“A dead corpse has no right to act as a general, and there is no need for the Empire’s subjects to be bound by past glory, is there?”
“……Is that so.”
Lennok asked, not looking at the Grand General.
“I heard you suffered from madness your entire life, but to me, you seem very much like a soldier. Were you freed from mental illness only after death?”
“……”
The Grand General did not answer.
He merely stared with hollow eyes at the darkness beyond, then quietly opened his mouth to convey other words.
“You truly are not the person I once knew.”
“……”
“There is no true freedom in this world. Everything becomes intertwined and entangled, drawn in, and only distorts together until the very end.”
“……”
“To gain one thing, you must abandon another; to escape that simple addition and subtraction, a Transcendent answer is needed.”
The Grand General’s eyes turned to Lennok.
“It was you, of all people, who taught This General that.”
“……I don’t know.”
Lennok replied, walking through the old garden lined with tombstones, not looking at the Grand General.
“I know that a past me pursued that and strived for it. I also know that to achieve it, I once abandoned everything I had.”
“……”
“But can I, standing here again after abandoning everything, be called the same person as my past self?”
Lennok slowly turned to face the Grand General and asked.
“When, in fact, what I desire… has long since changed from what it was then.”
“……”
“I don’t even know if my past self is the same as my current self, or if my current self is the result my past self desired. Because my former self was such an extreme and mad existence—”
Lennok lifted his gaze.
“You still remember the Seeker, Ban-gung, don’t you?”
“……”
The clash between the Order Alliance and the Guido Cult. The reappearance of the Grand General of Brilliance. The failure of the ritual that nearly saw an Outer God descend.
The events within this Mausoleum today were complex enough for Lennok to struggle to grasp, but still, Lennok knew why this formidable, long-dead Transcendent treated him with such deference.
Because the strongest Ascendant in history, Ban-gung, was from Ars Nova.
And because the Grand General of Brilliance already saw Ban-gung in Lennok.
Ban-gung, whose fate was Demise. Lennok, who had become the Demise of Fate.
Could Lennok now accept Ban-gung, who had abandoned everything and embraced the role of a vessel, as himself?
It was an important question.
Especially now that Lennok had set his sights on the Imperial Palace of Ars Nova.
And even more so at this moment, having met a Transcendent who remembered Ban-gung himself during his lifetime.
He had thought he would have to answer that question someday, but he couldn’t deny that the time had come sooner than expected.
However, Lennok also didn’t want to miss this exchange, so he simply poured out his feelings to this man without reservation.
How long had it been since he had spoken so honestly about the origins and secrets he held within himself?
Perhaps he could do so because he knew the opponent was a dead man, an Ascendant who had given up on revival.
But—
“What you have said is not wrong.”
The silent Grand General slowly took a step.
“The fate of this world is already determined, and we are all mere components. The end might simply be to be toyed with and broken like toys until the very end.”
“……”
“But because there were those who struggled to do their best even in this crumbling world… because I learned from you that there is meaning in fulfilling one’s role.”
The Grand General, holding The Crusher upside down, slowly knelt on one knee.
“This General, too, will strive to fulfill the role given to him until the very end.”
CRACK!!
As he plunged the blade of The Crusher into the center of the old garden, he slowly rotated it like a key.
At the same time, the black oil flowing from the Grand General’s body ran down The Crusher and spread beneath the garden.
CRACK…!!
A phantom of black veins covering the Grand General’s body pulsating like blood vessels, spreading across the garden.
The entire garden, which had been dormant for a long time, seemed to pulse as if awakening, with the Grand General of Brilliance as its heart.
Along with that, the ground trembled violently, and the entire riverbed where the temple stood split and fractured.
ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAR!!!!!!
The black-polluted ground and mounds of earth rose up, flipping the entire earth on its axis.
As the crust opened, new contents surged from within, pushing everything buried underground upwards.
The shock of all stimuli and information pouring in through the five senses, changing to their limits, violently churning and overturning.
Everything split and crushed around the colossal river that ran through the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors.
He knew without seeing.
At this moment, the terrain and environment of the entire Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors were dramatically changing around the temple—
A new gate leading to the other side of the Demonic Realm was opening.
“This is…”
CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH CRASH!!!!!
A majestic gateway unfolded, newly formed from the earth’s crust that erupted as the river split.
Its form was that of a colossal ramp, starting deep underground and extending to the horizon.
Endless walls stood on either side of the ramp, blackened and steeped in demonic energy.
“With this, all of This General’s roles within the Mausoleum are complete.”
While Lennok watched, the Grand General put down The Crusher, which he had been holding upside down.
“From now on, it is entirely up to you.”
“……Indeed.”
Geological upheaval, starting from the edge of the Demonic Realm, with the Grand General’s will and the presence of The Crusher as a key.
Only after overturning the entire terrain of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors did the gate to the other side reveal itself.
Beyond the endlessly unfolding gate, at the horizon’s edge, a different hell came into view, unlike the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors.
CRASH!!!
A colossal silver fortress, distorted as if the entire world were frozen white.
Grotesquely swollen mushroom spores covering the horizon.
An endlessly towering spire, covered in bloodshot eyeballs.
A distorted infernal landscape intertwined across the entire Central Front. The essence of eternal corruption created by the destruction of each central institution of the Imperial Palace.
How many more hells would he have to cross to reach the Imperial Palace along this path?
How many more monsters like the Grand General would he encounter to arrive at the world’s center?
But Lennok suppressed such complex emotions and slowly turned his head.
“I… should express my gratitude.”
At the very least, it was undeniable that the Grand General of Brilliance had tried his best to help Lennok until the end.
“Surely… this was the best you could do within the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors. You, bound to the Mausoleum, would not be able to interfere with other Demonic Realms.”
“……”
“As you said, from here on, I won’t be able to receive anyone’s help. Perhaps even more preparation will be needed than now.”
Lennok gazed down the path with a沉静 expression.
“So, if you have anything you want from me, you should speak now, Grand General of Brilliance.”
“……”
“If you were able to guide me to the end of this Demonic Realm because you knew who I was, then you must have a wish for me.”
“……It is ironic.”
The Grand General lowered his gaze past his tangled black hair.
“This General is a corpse whose causality was severed long ago, unable to connect with anything. From the beginning, this body should not help anyone or become meaningful.”
“……”
“Yet, that was possible not because of This General’s power or origin, but because you are here with me.”
The Grand General slowly took a step and murmured.
“Therefore, This General, too, can make one final request of you.”
THUD…!!
The Grand General, his entire body covered in black veins, slowly took a step.
Standing before the path created by splitting the entire river of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, he slowly turned his body.
Holding the cracked Crusher upside down, he stared at Lennok with hollow, unfocused eyes.
The moment Lennok faintly hardened his expression at this unusual movement.
“Contrary to what it seems, this gate is not fully open; to proceed to the Imperial Palace, the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors must be completely annihilated.”
The Grand General stated calmly.
“For that, you, yourself, must kill This General, who controls this Demonic Realm.”
“……What?”
“It will not be difficult, sir.”
CLANG!!
The Grand General placed The Crusher down and looked down at Lennok with hollow eyes.
“Simply, with that Demise that only you are capable of… if you bring an end to This General, that will be enough.”
“……”
“Just as you, in a past time, always took on that role.”