Chapter 557: From the End of Failure (4)
“I was finishing my patrol of Ramahal District and about to return, when Kaiser called and asked me to handle one more task,” Krod said, rubbing his brow tiredly.
“He asked me to deliver a message by noon, so I shamelessly snatched a bit of sleep here. I certainly wasn’t trying to ignore you.”
Lennok, listening to Krod’s muttering excuses, quietly asked.
“Did Kaiser not explain anything about me?”
“Hmm? Well. He did tell me to be careful about something, but about you… weren’t you just one of the collaborators for this operation?”
“…Never mind. Continue.”
As Krod tilted his head, his mixed black and white hair flowed over his shoulders.
This appearance was quite contrary to the Purity Lennok knew, who had completely white hair and wore a pure white traditional robe.
“Well, that’s not important. First, I’ll deliver Kaiser’s message.”
Krod straightened his posture and handed Lennok a bright yellow paper from his pocket.
“What is this?”
“I don’t know either.”
“……”
Krod replied defensively to Lennok’s cold gaze.
“I was only told to deliver this to you. It wasn’t even scheduled, so I didn’t have time to hear an explanation.”
“He just told you to deliver it?”
Considering Kaiser’s attitude and actions so far, he’s not someone to suddenly throw out a riddle without any basis.
The shape of the talisman. Nothing drawn on it. Considering the color of the characters that should originally be drawn on it…
‘Mana?’
Considering what kind of mana Kaiser possesses, the answer is probably fixed.
As Lennok thought so, holding the talisman upside down, the moment he infused mana in reverse from the back, character arrays that had once been erased began to emerge on the bright yellow paper, as if Time Reversal was occurring.
[The Spacetime Anchoring Device restoration work will be completed 4 hours and 38 minutes from the moment this message is delivered.]
“……”
[They’ll borrow Gileon’s power to Spatial Delamination, and enter the stabilization phase with Olivera’s mystic eye.]
Had he identified the connection point immediately, realizing that there wasn’t much message that could be conveyed through the firewall?
Considering Kaiser’s Defying Heaven magic, he must have written all the characters in reverse from the end to deliver this message.
[Parden McQueen is investing all his remaining resources in Particle Power Plant security, but he’s reached his limit. Significant disruptions to Particle Power Plant security will occur starting 2 hours ago.]
The characters, restoring in reverse, began to overlay on top of already written characters, becoming increasingly difficult to decipher. Only one phrase was still legible on the talisman, which was densely covered in characters.
[You only have one chance to meet again. I trust you understand what that means.]
Fwoosh!!
As soon as the entire message on the talisman was restored, the layered characters all brightly glowed simultaneously, forming complex magical script.
Kaiser had made it so that at the end of the message playback, the overlaid characters would transform into a magical script used for talismans, cleanly erasing the remaining traces and turning it into a genuine talisman.
Krod, watching from across, added.
“That’s the talisman used to disable the Particle Power Plant’s control room. I saw Kaiser use it when he occupied the powerplant facilities.”
“……”
Krod nodded towards the silent Lennok.
“It seems he’s requested reinforcements to fill the security personnel.”
Why did Kaiser use Krod from the past as a messenger to deliver the message and key to Lennok?
It must be because Krod at this point in time is the only one among the other superhumans of the past who doesn’t know whether Lennok is an enemy or an ally.
But if Krod returns to the Particle Power Plant, it’s natural he’ll learn the truth.
Given how things have unfolded, does Kaiser believe it no longer matters if his intentions are revealed?
In other words, it meant that the conclusion of this incident, as Kaiser envisioned it, was near.
Krod, who had been looking strangely at the silent Lennok, eventually picked up his spear and stood up.
“Well, I’ll be going now. I need to catch a bit of sleep before the research is finished…”
“Before you go, there’s something I’d like to advise you.”
“Hmm?”
Krod turned his back at Lennok’s sudden words.
Lennok smiled sharply at Krod.
“Though it’s a very remote possibility, a monster mimicking your appearance might try to kill you.”
“……”
“It’s just an illusion, so absolutely do not fight it. Flee to the Particle Power Plant. In your tired state, it will be difficult to face it. Do you understand?”
Krod listened to Lennok’s words, then quietly replied.
“That’s quite strange.”
“What do you mean?”
“No, before I came here, Kaiser also told me something similar… The nuance of being careful was exactly like that.”
“……”
Krod, seeing Lennok’s cold expression, cautiously asked.
“Is something happening in this district right now that shouldn’t be happening?”
“Yes.”
Lennok answered unhesitatingly.
“Kaiser will explain when you return to the Particle Power Plant.”
“…Understood.”
Krod nodded, then motioned as he left the cathedral first.
“Take care of yourself. You too.”
“……”
Thump!!
As soon as the door closed, Krod’s presence rapidly moved away beyond the cathedral.
A movement so fast that even Lennok found it difficult to gauge its speed.
Although he wasn’t aware of the full situation, Krod Azlan at this point in time was a sufficiently experienced and seasoned warrior.
If both Kaiser and the recipient of his message say the same thing, he would know there’s a good reason for it.
After confirming Krod’s departure, Lennok slowly turned his back and muttered.
“It’s too late to pursue and hunt him now.”
A dull silence.
But Lennok, unfazed, continued.
“It seems your wish won’t be granted for now.”
At that moment, a pure white flash glinted in the corner of Lennok’s vision.
Shhhhwiiing!!
A single strike that transcended even the gap for a human to perceive and react to external stimuli.
But Lennok didn’t bother to perceive, judge, or react to that flash.
The moment something moved beyond its limit speed within his mana detection sensory field, a spatial shift spell was automatically constructed.
Lennok’s body shifted one step to the side, narrowly evading the attack.
The flash, having grazed his neck, shattered the cathedral’s ceiling and erupted into a massive ring of light.
KWAANG!!
The white flash spread out in a conical shape, scattering the mist and revealing a clear sky.
A momentary manifestation of power that completely vaporized the upper part of the cathedral building.
But instead of being surprised by that fact, Lennok looked back at the dispersing magical energy and said.
“You said you’d teach me how to move my body with my mind.”
Suddenly, someone stood at the spot where the white flash had erupted.
His pure white hair was disheveled, and he wore a tattered, worn-out robe. The spear shaft in his hand was terribly twisted and bent halfway.
“But even if your mind doesn’t reach, if you perceive it beforehand, you can somehow react. That’s the privilege given to superhumans who use mana.”
Lennok chuckled, looking at the man.
“That evasion just now. Was it satisfactory in your opinion?”
“…It was excellent enough.”
Purity, raising his head, smiled grimly.
“So excellent, I wished to kill you right here and now.”
“……”
“Knowing my greatest desire, yet choosing to ruin it right before my eyes… Do you know how much pain that brings me?”
Purity staggered forward, muttering.
“I was enduring, thinking, ‘Just a little more, just a little more and I can hold on’… Now it’s all over.”
Clank!!
Purity, re-gripping his slightly bent spear, was suddenly right in front of Lennok’s nose.
The white eyes hidden within his pure white hair were now stained with an unconcealable madness.
“I can’t bear it anymore.”
“Van!!”
Felix, who had rushed in at the explosion from the cathedral, stared wide-eyed as he saw Purity confronting Lennok.
“M-Master Azlan…!! What on earth have you been doing all this time?!”
It was Lennok, not Purity, who answered.
“He was biding his time, looking for an opportunity to hunt his past self.”
“H-hunt? No, more importantly, Master Azlan, were you also involved in that operation back then?!!”
Felix stammered.
“Why didn’t you tell us beforehand…!!”
“It’s obvious. If you knew that fact, you could easily guess Purity’s own objective.”
Lennok explained without avoiding Purity’s eyes.
“How could anyone explain to others that a protector of Turyeonmun and a war hero, an 8-level Completer, would actually try to steal his own body to cure his madness?”
“……”
“He knew that this space, while infinitely close to the actual past, was not truly real, nor was it merely an illusion or a fragment of memory. That’s why Purity…”
Lennok stated with conviction.
“Intended to steal and replace his past self’s body parts.”
At Lennok’s shocking revelation, the ruined cathedral fell silent.
Felix looked at Purity with an incredulous expression, while Ilya seemed calm.
Even Purity’s lowered head.
“Considering that Purity himself has difficulty controlling basic impulses and excitement, he was probably targeting the pituitary gland, which is responsible for endocrine hormones.”
Lennok’s voice alone broke the silence.
“It’s located deep inside the brain, but it’s relatively small, so someone of Purity’s skill could remove it without significant damage. Since it’s his own body, there’s no need to worry about side effects or repercussions. No, in fact…”
For Purity, who had reached the Peak of Extremes, it was virtually the only solution. A body that had transcended Hierarchy and become complete would not accept any variable or foreignness that wasn’t itself.
“Stealing a perfectly healthy body part from his past self and replacing it…”
Felix, understanding what Lennok was saying, tightly gripped his Hammer.
“Is that truly possible?”
“Purity probably knew what was happening in this sealed zone. He would also have known that replacing body parts in this way wouldn’t cause problems.”
Lennok continued to explain.
“That’s because this space, while infinitely close to the real past, is not merely an illusion or a fragment of memory.”
“……”
“This Dissociated Space, mixed with Kaiser’s power, is a part of a spacetime Domain that is infinitely close to the real thing. Decades ago, he truly succeeded in capturing and fixing a specific Timeline of the world within this zone.”
Ilya, who had been silently watching Purity, bit her lip slightly and said.
“In fact, on the way to the Particle Power Plant, I personally saw Master Azlan from the past.”
“……”
“At the same time, I could guess why Master Azlan accepted this mission. But I never imagined such a secret was hidden…”
Thinking about it, unlike Felix, Ilya seemed not to expect much help from Purity from the beginning of Lennok’s explanation.
She had thought there was a change of heart, but perhaps it was because she had directly witnessed whom Purity was targeting.
“Why was the Central Council so desperate to hide and conceal this fact?”
“Rather, isn’t it understandable precisely because it’s such a miracle?”
“Excuse me?”
“Kaiser was an unprecedented genius, and there were hardly any researchers of comparable level even in that era. The same is true even now, decades later.”
Lennok smiled at Ilya’s surprised expression.
“They couldn’t continue the research, nor could they develop it in other directions. All they could do was preserve it in this place.”
The regressive mana that could rewind time. His Defying Heaven magic. The powerful and capable companions who were by his side. Amidst the massive storm of war where the city’s monsters moved with passion and zeal for a single project. Even the entity calling itself Alkaid, who commanded the project alongside Kaiser.
It was a fragment of a miracle created by the convergence of talent and intellect that would normally not easily come together. From the city government’s perspective, wasn’t it natural to try and maintain the original, rather than rashly tampering with it and risking damage or loss?
Unless a researcher with genius talent surpassing Kaiser appeared.
‘I see. Perhaps the Elder Council’s direct inspection of events like the expo was…’
It might have been an attempt to find the talent capable of handling the secrets left behind in the sealed zone. That was something he needed to confirm by joining the Central Council Technology Advisory Committee under the identity of Evan Vylun.
“After the Prohibition Edict was lifted, I spent a long time searching for the strong individuals remaining in my memories,” Purity said, his voice deep and calm after a long silence. “I believed that to quell the surging thrill, I had to confront them directly and have a showdown. But it wasn’t so.”
“……”
“No matter what I do, the craving for battle and blood within me only grows stronger, corrupting and overwriting my very foundation. My reason is being invaded, driving me to madness.”
A trembling, unstable tone, hard to believe coming from a martial artist who had accompanied them into the sealed zone.
Had he been forcibly concealing this level of mental and physical fracture and feigning composure?
Purity Krod Azlan had known for a long time that there was a problem with his mind.
And to solve that problem, he continued external activities as soon as the edict was lifted, even fighting strong individuals like Maiya Lonsdale.
But realizing that even that wasn’t the answer, he intended to head to the sealed zone as a last resort. To steal his healthy past self’s body and take it to return to normal.
“What do you want?” Purity asked. “As you can see, I have no remaining capacity to continue the operation. Nor do I intend to.”
“……”
“I apologize for dragging you into this, but if you escape now, you might still manage to preserve your lives.”
He quietly gestured, gripping the bent spear shaft.
“Go. Don’t look back a second time. Before I go completely mad and extend my killing intent towards you.”
“No, there’s a way.”
Lennok met Purity’s gaze.
“Help us get back into the Particle Power Plant.”
“…What did you say?”
“If your past self, whom you just missed, properly followed my advice and Kaiser’s warning, he will never leave the vicinity of the Particle Power Plant. Do you not yet understand what that means?”
Lennok continued, looking at the silent Purity.
“It means that your past self, whom you’ve been searching for even abandoning the operation, will for the first time have his location pinpointed in this zone.”
“……”
“Nothing has changed. You just need to help us get into the Particle Power Plant to meet Kaiser again.”
“From the beginning…”
Purity muttered painfully.
“From the very beginning, you intended to use me like this?”
Lennok, by making the past Purity escape, prevented the current Purity from achieving his immediate goal and set the stage so that he would have no choice but to head to the Particle Power Plant.
Purity was asking if the advice he gave to his past self at the end was spoken with all of this in mind.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who was it who abandoned his role in commanding the operation and only pursued his own objective?”
Lennok let out a cold sneer.
“I’m not going to reprimand you for that here. I’m merely proposing a compromise that will benefit all of us.”
“……”
“Just help us get inside the Particle Power Plant. After that, whether you go looking for your replacement or not is up to you.”
“…Who do I have to face?”
Lennok smiled, instinctively realizing that the answer was a form of affirmation.
“You’ll have to face Madrich Onnion. Can you do that?”