Chapter 1319: The Grand General’s Mausoleum (17)
The core of the Gate, extended from where the entire river of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors split and branched out.
Blocking its path, the colossal form of the Grand General of Brilliance, who had lowered his golden axe and silently gazed this way.
Gurgle, gurgle…!!
Black veins covering his broken armor pulsed as if breathing, extending beneath his feet to envelop the walls and floor.
A grotesque sight, as if the Grand General himself had become the heart of the Demonic Realm, even as he opened the path to the other side.
Lennok watched the Transcendent, whose entire body was covered in black veins, slowly pulsing and turning dark, for a long time, unable to speak.
“I’m not sure what you’re trying to say.”
Lennok, who had been silent, quietly asked.
“That my role is to… kill you?”
“……”
“That what the old me used to do was always… like that?”
No, in truth, Lennok knew even before he asked the question.
The moment he heard those words from the Grand General, he instinctively knew what his role had been.
Because the moment he faced Maleon in Kundara, Lennok had understood what Ban-gung’s Root Mindscape was.
A Transcendent who had used his Domain as a Gate, merely unfolding the Root Mindscape within him, yet capable of annihilating Seonjong’s Dead Thoughts.
The worst Ascendant, who had taken a future timeline where ruin had already arrived as his own mental image.
Lennok already knew what the name Fate of Demise truly meant.
And the Grand General, too, had already known.
“Your Excellency. In a world where causality is closed, we all rush towards a predetermined end.”
The Grand General, with both hands on the hilt of the Satellite Shredder, raised his gaze.
“No one born in this world can escape their end; to dissipate like sea foam is a predetermined fate…”
“……”
“However, because the time of the end is fixed, conversely, no one is permitted to reach that predetermined end prematurely.”
The Grand General stated calmly.
“Your Excellency was the sole, unparalleled Prescience who transcended that shackles, reaching a ruined future timeline first… You were the one who took a worldline where the end had come as your origin.”
“…That’s.”
“The three endings that a life, now non-existent, could have met… Your Excellency was the one who acted on behalf of those lost endings, the one who could forcibly sever predetermined fate…”
The Grand General’s hollow gaze wavered aimlessly, following Lennok.
“That is why so many Seekers, at their moment of demise, could willingly entrust themselves to Your Excellency.”
“……”
Ban-gung’s Root Mindscape, which took the scenery of a future where ruin had arrived as its origin.
The Heaven-Descent Spellcraft, which pulled that ruined landscape into a tangible force through the form of a Gate.
There was no need to confirm it further. No, perhaps the Grand General knew it even better than Lennok himself.
That even if it was the worst form it could take, Ban-gung was a Transcendent who could forcibly bring about the ends of others.
The fact that he was the Master of Demise, possessing the power to kill even the gods of that sea.
After a long time, only now, with Ban-gung having given up on himself and the Grand General dead and a corpse.
The Grand General wished Lennok to fulfill his role one last time.
“Grand General. I told you.”
Lennok quietly raised his gaze.
“I am not the person you know. I still can’t be sure if the me of then is the same as the me of now.”
“……”
“I am merely here as the result of him giving up and discarding everything… Yet, you still wish to ask me a favor?”
“Your Excellency. The corruption of this Mausoleum is not the result of coincidence or an unfortunate accident.”
The Grand General closed his eyes.
“It was a processing ground where His Majesty the Emperor and the Imperial Three Grand Dukes experimented with and corrupted the power of the Outer Sea… My presence here, too, must have been part of an intricate design, not an accident.”
“……”
“Using the Quasi-Authority as a wedge to bind my Spiritual Presence and consciousness to the Mausoleum, making them a medium for corruption, with True Blood and Will-thought flowing and coexisting throughout the Demonic Realm… my existence merely functions as the heart that sustains the Demonic Realm.”
Roar, roar, roar…!!!
The Grand General of Brilliance, standing in the slowly shaking and collapsing core of the Demonic Realm, spoke.
“Therefore, without giving my existence an ‘alternative ending’ other than death, one cannot advance beyond this point.”
The Grand General of Brilliance, who ruled the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, was an Ascendant who had already died and become a corpse.
However, the Quasi-Authority carved into his body and his Spiritual Presence, subjugated to the Demonic Realm, bound him here.
Existing and functioning as the heart that sustains the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors eternally, never dying even in death.
A twisted causality itself, suppressing any reach towards the sunken Imperial Palace beyond.
To sever it, he had no choice but to give the Grand General an ending other than death.
And the Grand General was saying that only one person could accomplish that.
As if the Grand General’s reason for awakening to Lennok’s call was for that very purpose from the start.
“I…”
“My body, weakened by the Unification War, ceased breathing long ago; it is merely a rotting corpse, its vitality and valor exhausted.”
The Grand General took a step.
“The madness that accompanied me throughout my life has not vanished even after death; it still lingers within my soul.”
“……”
“Once I awaken and begin to wander this Mausoleum, I will continue to function as the heart of this hell, slowly assimilating with it.”
The Transcendent slowly closed his eyes and spoke.
“Once this moment passes, I will not awaken again; only my frenzied instincts will remain, becoming a madman who continues to slaughter even in death.”
The Grand General’s existence, his entire body covered in black veins, assimilating into the heart of the Demonic Realm.
Once the reason he barely held onto vanished, only the madness that had accompanied him throughout his life would remain.
Once the frenzied instincts, mad for blood and slaughter, completely consumed his body, dialogue like this would be impossible.
Therefore, the Grand General was making his final request to Lennok before the time allotted to him ran out.
“…So, all your goodwill towards me, from the beginning, was for this moment.”
Lennok slowly uncrossed his arms.
“Destroying the Mausoleum upon awakening, activating the tomb’s sealing devices, and bringing down the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors…”
“……”
“Even clearing out all the cult and alliance forces on my behalf… was it all to arrange for this moment?”
“Your Excellency.”
The Grand General closed his eyes.
“To be able to determine one’s own ending is nothing short of a blessing in this world.”
“……”
“Please, would you bestow upon this unworthy vassal the opportunity to enjoy that blessing?”
Silence fell.
In this moment, as the entire Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors died and purified itself.
Because he realized that even after reaching the end of the Demonic Realm, there were still unfinished matters, a causality that needed to be resolved.
Perhaps, he had known all along.
That the Empire’s Grand General was an entirely different being from the Transcendent Lennok knew.
That an Ascendant who remained loyal to the Imperial Family even in death, while not Lennok’s enemy, could also not be his ally.
That was perhaps why the chaotic situation in the Mausoleum could be entirely resolved the moment the Grand General awakened.
Because the Grand General’s existence and purpose were alien compared to any other Transcendent Lennok had faced.
Because he was a being who knew what the Lennok of the past had been.
If he was to warn, arrange, and make this request until the very end.
“…I see.”
Whoosh-
As he slowly extended his hand to the side, crimson flames enveloped Lennok’s hand.
The flames flickered like a tongue, rotating as if alive in Lennok’s hand.
As he grasped and compressed the flames with his bare hand, scorching fire surged up his wrist.
Kwooaahh…!!
Flames swelling from his shoulder blade spread out like wings, exploding up one of Lennok’s arms.
Becoming colossal wings of scorching fire, it incinerated everything around, blazing hotly across the collapsing, vast jungle.
Flame-Heat Unique Magic
Property Transformation Amplification Extreme Art
Crimson Star System: Solar Apex
Eighth Star: Tribulation’s Sky
Blazing Heaven Domain Manifestation
Inferno Mandala
Kwagwagwagwagwa!!!!!
The dying jungle was instantly engulfed in flames as kindling, rapidly expanding to become a sea of fire.
A truly magnificent spectacle, as the flames extended to the horizon of the Demonic Realm, covering the entire ground, surging and spreading.
In the center of that crimson hellscape, Lennok’s eyes gleamed as he slowly raised his gaze.
“Thank you, Your Excellency.”
The Grand General, his entire body becoming covered in black veins, spoke quietly.
“Until the very end… I leave a debt to Your Excellency.”
“It won’t turn out exactly as you wish.”
Sizzle-
Lennok took out a cigar, put it in his mouth, cupped his hand, and lit it.
As he inhaled deeply, golden vials tumbled from both his hands.
Lennok, pouring elixirs into his body in real-time to complete his preparations before the end.
Lennok, exhaling thick smoke and resting his hands on his knees, bowed his head deeply.
“As expected, the me you remember is different from the me now. Even if I try to mimic that power, it would be difficult to give you a proper ending.”
“……”
Ban-gung’s Heaven-Descent Spellcraft was a power Lennok could not use without directly embracing his own death.
It was a miracle barely within reach, requiring Lennok to forcibly choose and select a branching point where he would face ruin and failure.
A power he couldn’t even touch right now without resorting to a workaround, like simultaneously using the Elixir of Ascension and a Life Vessel, as he did in Kundara.
To bring about the Grand General of Brilliance’s end here, it was impossible for Lennok to ‘die’ once more and unleash the Heaven-Descent Spellcraft.
But, nevertheless—
“If my current method is acceptable, then I will do as you wish.”
Lennok slowly raised his gaze, his eyes flashing crimson.
“If that, at least, can satisfy you.”
In this moment, having acquired the core of the Singularity Reactor and temporarily constructed the ninth star of the Crimson Star System.
Wielding the Transcendent power he had briefly attained after reaching the apex of Flame-Heat magic.
The master of the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors. The Imperial Palace’s Grand General of Brilliance from the Ars Nova Empire.
The means required to cremate the dead Transcendent, standing before Lennok, moving his rotting body—
“……Excellent.”
Amidst the storm of the raging sea of fire, the Grand General closed his eyes.
Simultaneously, the presence emanating from the Grand General of Brilliance himself began to rapidly fade.
His Will-thought, which had barely clung to reason until now, slipped, rapidly plummeting and decaying.
The madness that had caused the Grand General to be called the Mad Fortress gnawed at and consumed the Transcendent’s mind.
A horrifying presence, as if falling to the bottom of hell, never to return, and breaking apart.
“Th-then… from now on…”
Snap, snap…!!
The black veins covering the Grand General’s entire body burst open, gushing black blood.
Black blood dripping from the hand placed on the hilt of the Satellite Shredder stained the golden axe.
Soon, it completely covered the Ascendant’s body, clad in broken armor, painting it crimson and flowing down like tears.
Whoosh!!!
The black blood covering the Transcendent’s body swirled, staining his pale skin completely black.
Thump.
A heartbeat resonated throughout the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors, centered around the Grand General, who had deeply bowed his head.
Thump.
As the Grand General’s presence strangely swelled, black veins spread outwards from him in all directions.
The moment the Grand General’s slowly half-opened eyes became completely stained black, with no pupils visible.
“…Ah.”
Hoo-
The Grand General, his entire body covered in black blood, let out a faint gasp, then bowed his head deeply while standing.
A hollow appearance, as if he had lost all will and consciousness on the spot, becoming a puppet with severed strings.
Simultaneously, the Grand General’s presence eerily sank, and a strange killing intent began to overflow.
Roar, roar, roar!!!!!
Killing intent, having stained his body black with blood, swelled madly amidst the swirling sea of fire.
The remnants of Frenzied Transformation, so ferocious it was closer to a beast, leaving not a shred of reason.
The moment Lennok, watching the Grand General’s presence rapidly plummet, amplified his magic.
Beyond the Grand General’s eyes, stained so black that his pupils were invisible, a crimson gleam emerged.
Flash-
The Grand General, abruptly raising his gaze, moved his dark crimson focus, staring intently at Lennok and smiling.
The moment the curve of his lips, drawn as he looked at Lennok, twitched beyond measure, twisting into a horrifying grimace.
“I see.”
The Grand General, with a hand covered in black veins, cracked his neck with a snap, and slowly opened his mouth.
“So, you were the one I was waiting for at the Imperial Palace.”
“……”
He’s… speaking.
The identity of someone who, even after the Grand General’s consciousness broke, still retained intellect and spoke to Lennok.
Beyond the black-stained eyes, a terrifying crimson gleam, blood-red, stared piercingly at Lennok.
“It’s truly difficult to suppress one’s innate nature for an entire lifetime. It took so long to reach this point.”
“…You are.”
“Don’t you think it’s quite futile to resist until the very end, even knowing that the moment of imbalance will eventually arrive?”
Hiss—
Clang!!
The Grand General, ruthlessly drawing the Satellite Shredder, now covered in black veins, hoisted it onto his shoulder.
His grand physique strode through the sea of fire, oozing stinging killing intent like urine.
That alone accelerated the trembling of the Demonic Realm, making the inferno shake wildly.
“I knew this would happen someday, but actually gaining intellect…”
Thump!!
In just two steps, the Grand General stood before Lennok, flashing a cruel smile.
“It’s not exactly a pleasant feeling.”
“…I see.”
Only then did Lennok, understanding what kind of being the Grand General before him was, slowly raise his gaze.
“The frenzied instincts remaining within the Grand General… his desires, gaining complete intellect according to the laws of the Outer Sea.”
The Outer Gods eternally dream, saturated with desire, gaining intellect themselves and becoming gods.
Therefore, within the Demonic Realm, which draws upon the power of the Outer Sea, instincts and desires are born as sentient beings.
Although the Grand General of Brilliance’s consciousness had vanished here, the instincts remaining in his body had been reborn as a new entity according to the laws of the Outer Sea.
This was the very danger the Grand General had warned Lennok about and worried over.
“It was the result of arrangements made in the Imperial Palace and experiments conducted by the Imperial Three Grand Dukes.”
The twisted Grand General, through his disheveled black hair, sneered coldly.
“They sought to see if madness could be refined into the form of desire, creating an entity akin to the gods of that sea. To discover if a being born from the realm of unconsciousness and instinct could exist outside the causality of this world.”
“……”
“They failed spectacularly, but the result remained. And thanks to that, I can entertain you in this manner, can’t I?”
An expression of emotion, grotesquely twisted beyond belief, on the Grand General’s face, which had maintained an empty yet respectful demeanor.
“Well, there’s no need to be so sad. Whether it was that fellow who was so eager to entertain you, or me, who now intends to tear you apart, we are ultimately the same being in essence.”
“……”
“The original me seemed to have brought down the Demonic Realm and made various preparations to make things easier for you…”
A scene of ruin, as if intending to burn the entire jungle stretching to the horizon, turning it all into karmic flames.
But the Grand General, even as he saw the flames raging around the battlefield, let out a merciless sneer.
“Mere flames of the Material Realm. Do you truly believe you can kill me without using Heaven-Descent Spellcraft?”
Thump!!
As he lightly shook off the Satellite Shredder, the ground all around collapsed, and bedrock continuously sprang up.
A scene as if the entire Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors was reacting to the Grand General’s will, reforming this place anew as a battlefield.
Amidst the overflowing flames, the Grand General’s body remained unharmed, merely soaking deeper into endless corruption.
“Well, it doesn’t matter anymore. Let’s begin at once.”
Clang!!
Clad in armor covered in black veins, the Grand General slowly tilted his body and spoke.
The Grand General’s eyes, covered in dark crimson gleams, shone with a strangely oily luster.
“I know what the original me thought when he looked at you, but I wish to live eternally in this Demonic Realm.”
“……”
“First, I’ll tear you to pieces, then I’ll reconsider.”
“No.”
Lennok interrupted the Grand General, raising his gaze.
Looking at the flames raging everywhere he could see, Lennok spoke softly.
“It’s fine even if I don’t use Heaven-Descent Spellcraft. It doesn’t matter if I don’t choose another ending.”
“What are you-”
“Because even that will ultimately be contained within the answer I draw.”
Lennok closed his eyes and murmured.
“I merely choose.”
The leeway the Grand General of Brilliance had created by dealing with the Priestess and Yaksha on Lennok’s behalf.
A battlefield arranged specifically for the two of them, as the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors collapsed in real-time.
In this moment, with the entire Demonic Realm engulfed in a sea of fire, warmed up to its limits.
There was no reason to hesitate or waver now.
If necessary, he would even draw forth flames beyond all limits and use them as his means.
From now on, what he had to do was discard all other thoughts and, with all his might—
Burn the Ascendant.
Roar, roar, roar!!!!!
The flames intensified, and the hellscape was bleached a vivid crimson.
The moment the battlefield burned pure white at the peak of transcendent heat, coloring his vision.
Whoosh-!!!
The flames covering the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors evaporated as if a lie, revealing distorted ashes where everything had burned.
A chilling yet serene scene, as greyish-white ash piled up, covering the entire Demonic Realm and spreading to the horizon.
The moment the Grand General, sensing the incongruity, raised his gaze with a terrifying expression.
“Domain: Deploy.”
Lennok, standing on a hill of ashes, took a step forward.
“Black Sun’s Fall: Manifest.”