Chapter 568: Vestiges of Memory (1)
The mega-city of Vulcan.
A small cathedral located at the very edge of Sector 3 in the central district.
The cathedral, completely devoid of visitors, bore an astonishing resemblance to the place in the Ramahal District where Lennok had encountered Purity in the past.
The only difference was the small statue of the goddess placed in the center of the chapel.
In front of the ancient, dust-covered goddess statue, two old men quietly played a board game.
Black and white stones moved across the board, changing colors and overturning the flow of the game.
As they expertly played the game, known to have been created and spread by Ascendant Jindun Zaygis Eterno, the old man holding the black stones spoke first.
“The ‘record’ of District 25 has concluded.”
“……”
“It took longer than expected. Kaiser said it was just a preliminary draft, a trial run, and he thought it would vanish quickly.”
The other old man, holding the pristine white stones, pondered for a long time before placing a white stone and replying.
“District 25… where exactly is that?”
“Ramahal.”
The old man with the black stones answered immediately.
“It was once the holy ground and graveyard of the rebels.”
“Ah, yes… hearing that, I understand now…”
The white-robed elder nodded, responding in a leisurely tone.
“It’s become quite difficult to distinguish the districts after the development plans finished… It was better when they had names…”
“Because names hold power.”
The black-robed elder moved another stone without hesitation.
Unlike the seemingly slow white-robed elder, the black-robed elder appeared less hesitant.
“That’s why they reorganized the districts and gave them numbers, to erase the names that lingered in this land, wasn’t it?”
“Yes… I still remember… You don’t need to remind me of that…”
The white-robed elder chuckled, stroking his lush beard, and picked up another stone.
“By the way, what exactly were we betting on just now?”
“……”
The black-robed elder seemed unable to hide his bewilderment at that question, his wrinkled hand pausing for a moment.
Then, he moved a stone again as if nothing had happened, and said,
“Outside the continent, there are still those who do not use the common tongue.”
“Hmm.”
“Ascendant Jinwa intends to open the seas for them. He plans to embrace even those who don’t learn his language, accumulating even higher standing.”
“That’s already beyond human comprehension…”
To transcend by solely perfecting oneself, rather than building upon the beliefs and aspirations of others.
That was no longer an altar built for those who challenged ascension, but for those called gods.
And in this world, those who seized the name of ‘god’ were merely swimming towards the apocalypse beyond the dark sea.
The black-robed elder moved a stone and said,
“I intend to grant Jinwa’s request.”
“Why?”
“Normally, at this point, we shouldn’t add any more uncontrollable variables, but…”
The board was almost entirely overturned to black, barely leaving a few white stones.
The white-robed elder seemed to have little will to continue the game, merely toying with the white stones and asking questions.
But the black-robed elder continued to answer diligently nonetheless.
“Evan Vylun will release anti-gravity technology, allowing all skies on the continent to be opened, at least initially. By granting Jinwa’s request, we’ll have an option to filter them out.”
“I see…”
“This game of Obaekro we’re playing now was a gamble over whether to transfer the authority to open the southern continent’s waterways.”
“……”
Leaving the silent white-robed elder, the black-robed elder continued.
“We will connect the traces left by Kebaek’s rampage with the southern continent’s waterways to supply water to the jungles. At the same time, it will become a great canal that can bring in life from outside the continent.”
“…Was this also part of the plan?”
“Of course.”
The black-robed elder said.
“It’s a legacy of Scenario 25, which was discarded during the project’s initial planning. The Great Canal scenario, which aimed to sequentially open all waterways on the continent to connect the world’s waters into one.”
“……”
“Do you know why I’m explaining the details of this bet to you again now?”
The black-robed elder said that, slowly picking up a black stone.
“You might remember, but this was one of the games we used to play whenever we faced a major decision, a very long time ago.”
With each passing gesture, the board filled with black stones.
The black-robed elder, on the verge of victory, spoke in a calm voice.
“Something like… a childish display of pride, asking if it’s even reasonable to try to control the fate of the world when you can’t even win a game of Obaekro.”
“So it was.”
“If Krod Azlan had fixed the broken parts of himself from the past, we might have known if your terrible forgetfulness could also be cured, but…”
It didn’t matter now that he had won Obaekro.
The black-robed elder was waiting for his opponent to throw down a stone, at that very moment.
“Drawing the big picture was always your specialty, Senior.”
The white-robed elder spoke.
“But that’s precisely why you make mistakes in the small details. You haven’t fixed it even decades after Kaiser’s death.”
“…What?”
Instead of replying, the white-robed elder picked up a white stone and placed it on the board.
At that moment, the few remaining white stones on the board connected around that pivotal point, forming a massive structure.
And all the black stones that had filled the board flipped over to white.
Clatter!
A miraculous reversal, difficult to believe even when witnessing it firsthand.
While the black-robed elder was speechless, the white-robed elder leisurely said,
“Military City will not follow your will, esteemed Senator.”
“……”
“While not all of Kaiser’s legacy is righteous, Jinwa is no longer worth observing.”
The white-robed elder, whose focus had returned, calmly arranged the stones in his hand and said,
“If you truly respect the time we worked together, please abide by my decision.”
“…I see.”
The black-robed elder, who had been silently staring at the board, then chuckled as if nothing had happened and began tidying up the game pieces with him.
“Since you’re in such good shape for once, how about we talk a bit more about how the world is turning?”
Without waiting for an answer, the black-robed elder spoke again.
“Lately, the Nether King’s actions have become increasingly dangerous. He travels the continent, wreaking destruction in various cities, and the scale is going completely wild.”
“……”
“Are you aware that the internal military discipline of the Headro Warlords is in jeopardy? They say the relationship between the four generals serving their lord is cracking. Something major might happen soon.”
The black-robed elder laughed hollowly, as if recalling old memories.
“Long ago, we used to drink all night, chattering loudly over such stories as our appetizers… Sometimes I miss that construction site, before there was even a parliament building.”
“…That was decades ago.”
“Indeed.”
At the white-robed elder’s words, the black-robed elder agreed.
“So, on the verge of retirement, I shouldn’t be obsessed with such trivial bets anymore.”
“……”
“The game is over. The plan will continue.”
From the beginning, the black-robed elder had no intention of leaving his decision to the outcome of the Obaekro game.
“Then there’s nothing for it. I shall follow the laws you’ve set, Senior.”
The white-robed elder’s gaze, which had been fixed on the market, slowly began to blur again.
“Even a game of Obaekro, where the world is played as pieces, needs a review… I wish to ponder it further…”
“……”
The white-robed elder closed his eyes and became quiet, as if falling asleep. His form vanished like a ghost, as if he had never been there in the first place.
A state where one freely controls the separation and departure of matter and body through a leap of will-thought.
It was another possibility that could be reached by transcending the path of Military Spirit Sorcery.
The black-robed elder watched him, then picked up the last white stone he had placed and left.
A brief breeze swept through, leaving only the silent goddess statue in the cathedral.
Whoosh!
The wind howled through the landscape of the dilapidated power plant.
Felix slowly opened his eyes, feeling the faint breeze caress the tip of his beak.
“You’re awake.”
A young man was tinkering with something, his back to Felix. A faint pocket watch chain dangled from the cuff of the young man’s coat.
Felix stared blankly at him for a long time before muttering,
“Van…?”
Lennok, his back still turned, poured an unknown liquid from his hand directly onto the tip of Felix’s beak.
“Drink it all. It’s going to taste pretty bad.”
“What? Ugh?!”
Felix’s eyes, previously mumbling in confusion, snapped wide open. His massive, feathered body twitched violently on the spot.
“Uuuggghh…!! Cough, cough!! SCREEEECH!!”
Felix clutched his burning throat, letting out cries truly like a bird’s.
Lennok lightly shook out the empty glass bottle and said,
“Your body sustained severe damage from drawing on Dorye’s magic, so I took immediate measures.”
“…!!”
“I concocted this potion without a workbench, so I couldn’t care about the taste. You’ll have to endure it. Who told you to overuse an Ascendant’s magic, anyway?”
“Ughhh…!!”
Now Felix could no longer even scream, clutching his beak with both hands and writhing on the ground.
But it was unavoidable to quickly expel the remnants of Dorye’s magic from his body.
Though he had lost his war hammer to Croken, the magic of the deceased Ascendant ‘Dorye’ still lingered in Felix’s body.
Felix had directly drawn upon Dorye’s magic, disregarding his own well-being, to ensure the success of this operation.
Lennok watched Felix, who was dripping saliva from his beak, and sat down on a ruined stone wall nearby.
“If you keep using the magic of a dead Ascendant, you’ll be consumed by it yourself. You must know how dangerous that is.”
“Cough…!! That’s true…”
Felix wiped his mouth with difficulty and stood up, saying,
“It was a close call again this time. If you hadn’t helped, I would have been laid up in a hospital for a while.”
Just as a corpse remains after a person dies, the will and magic of a mighty transcendent linger in this world even after their demise.
Furthermore, for an Ascendant who has reached Level 9, it is a state of engraving their very existence onto the world.
Regardless of what kind of super-human Ascendant Dorye was, no one knew how dense and dangerous the emotions contained within the magic he left behind after his death were.
“What would happen if someone bound their own death with a Geas and left their remains in the world?”
Lennok asked.
“Hundreds of years have passed since Dorye died and vanished, but his magic still remains in this world. If the Ascendant himself set conditions and left his remains, it certainly wasn’t out of goodwill.”
“……”
Lennok smiled faintly at the silent Felix.
“No, perhaps that’s not necessarily the case…”
The Hanghasa Labyrinth.
Ascendant Jindun Zaygis Eterno accepted death at the hands of Pandemonium’s Director in his final moments.
Absurd as it was, it was only possible because Jindun himself believed that his death and its outcome would be of greater benefit to the world.
Considering that, Dorye might not have left his magic in the world solely out of evil or malevolent obsession.
But it was certainly clear that the magic gnawing at Felix’s body was not a benevolent force.
“Van, you might have the luxury, but I don’t have time to dwell on the good or evil of power.”
Felix said so, struggling to stand up.
The bird-headed giant dusted off the rubble and dirt, then grabbed the hammer handle sticking out nearby and lifted it.
Rumble!
Felix pulled his Hammer of Advent out from amidst the collapsed rubble and hoisted it onto his shoulder, cracking his neck left and right as he replied,
“I simply do what needs to be done at the necessary moment. Means and methods stopped mattering a long time ago. If I keep walking, step by step, won’t someone eventually take my place?”
“……”
Lennok recalled hearing similar words from someone who had just vanished, carrying the burden of past responsibilities.
Even Lennok, who usually didn’t harbor deep emotions for others, found it difficult to forget the moments he had just passed through today.
Lennok was lost in thought, feeling the texture of the pocket watch stored in his coat pocket.
Felix, looking bewildered, grabbed Lennok’s shoulder and shook him.
“Van?”
“…It’s nothing. What’s wrong?”
“Where are Ilya and Lord Azlan? I sensed their presence before I lost consciousness, but now I don’t feel them at all.”
Felix said, looking around, then suddenly his eyes widened as if realizing something.
“W-wait a minute…!! Come to think of it, Kaiser and the others…!!!”
“The fact that you’re only thinking of it now seems reason enough not to use Dorye’s magic.”
Lennok chuckled and briefly explained what had happened.
“It’s all over. You probably won’t be trapped in the past timeline again.”
“Th-that can’t be…”
Felix’s expression, upon hearing about Kaiser’s final moments, was a mix of shock and admiration, then it slowly fell into gloom.
“In the end, I couldn’t even witness how things were resolved… This time, all I could do was face the enemy in front of me.”
“We each did what we had to do. Don’t take it to heart too much.”
Lennok understood how valuable it was for a warrior of Felix’s caliber to help maintain numbers and tactical positions.
To never miss a beat in doing what he needed to do in such a chaotic battlefield was a remarkable talent in itself.
If anything, hadn’t Lennok also simply helped Kaiser deploy his Domain?
“Where are the others?”
Instead of answering, Lennok pointed at Felix’s feet.
Felix’s face turned pale as he spotted a pair of thin legs sticking out from under the pile of rubble that had accumulated when he pulled out his hammer.
“Q-quickly, you should have told me…!!”
“I figured she wouldn’t regain consciousness before I gave her the potion, so I left her be.”
As Felix frantically pulled out the unconscious Ilya’s body and laid her down, Lennok poured the second completed potion to Ilya’s lips.
“…!!!”
Ilya’s eyes snapped open, and violent sparks began to erupt between her pupils. Her cyborg body, equipped with mechanical parts, was experiencing an overload of such intense effects.
Ilya shot up as if she had been slapped, looking blankly at the two men.
“…Van? Felix?”
“A perfectly calibrated reaction.”
“Kaiser… what happened to the others?”
“……”
Felix cleared his throat at Ilya’s sharp question.
Lennok immediately gave her a brief explanation of what had just happened.
“I see… Surely, Kaiser himself…”
Ilya hesitated, unable to speak for a while, then slowly nodded.
“He truly was an amazing person. To know he was a being of the past, yet to not hesitate at all…”
“It was the magnanimity befitting the man who once held Vulcan’s underworld in his grasp. I agree.”
“That’s enough reflection on this matter. Let’s get moving.”
Felix asked, seeing Lennok turn to leave,
“Aren’t you going to investigate the situation in the Sealed Zone further, just heading back?”
“No, there’s one more thing we need to resolve first, isn’t there?”
“Something to resolve…?”
Ilya tilted her head, saying so, then followed Lennok’s gaze and spotted a collapsed figure in the distance, her face hardening.
A white robe, torn and tattered, its form a mess. Pure white hair, pulled and cut, now disheveled.
Even in his utterly exhausted state, he slowly regained consciousness, perceiving their presence.
Krod Azlan’s sharp gaze shone as he looked at them.
Lennok looked at Purity and gently tugged on his pocket watch chain.
“Well then… shall we first check if Touin’s guardian remembers his own name?”