Chapter 636: How to Kill a God (2)

At those words, the lake fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone realized what Hermes hoped to achieve with such an act, and how dangerous that idea was.

“He’s insane…”

Even as their minds blurred from the overwhelming flood of information constantly pouring in, someone desperately shouted.

“Do you truly believe a sane soul would remain at the end of a vanished world, Hermes…!! What do you intend to do by summoning one who has already seen the end?!”

“That’s a contradiction, isn’t it? Haven’t you also sacrificed ordinary humans for the sake of Old World knowledge?”

Standing before the widely open, colossal gate of light, Hermes shook his head.

“You deluded yourselves, claiming you only took their memories, not their lives, but did those stripped of their memories truly lead normal lives?”

“…”

“You’ve never even cared, have you? I understand.”

Hermes, sneering at the silent Meisters, shoved Harvest’s neck through the gate.

“Aaaah!!!”

Harvest frantically shook his head and shrieked, as if sensing something terrible.

Hermes gently stroked Harvest’s cheek, as if comforting him.

“We are already accustomed to sacrificing something to gain benefits from beyond the gate. We’ve accepted unreasonable exchange rates and even agreed to pay higher prices.”

“No, no…”

The sight of the blood-splattered, silver-haired young man stroking the older man’s cheek was grotesque, yet in a way, almost sacred.

“Now, if we don’t pay a far higher price, the Machine City can’t move forward. Do you understand?”

“How much have I dedicated to this city!! I still, still have so much more…!!!”

Hermes didn’t watch Harvest’s struggles for long.

Instead, he gripped the handle of the folding blade embedded in his own neck with his other hand and slowly pulled it out.

Fwoosh!

As the wound gaped open and blood spurted, the crimson spray splattered all over Harvest’s face.

The moment Harvest’s mouth hung open in a daze, stunned by Hermes’s actions, which were not just grotesque but utterly unfathomable.

The folding blade, dropping vertically, pierced precisely into the crown of Harvest’s head.

Thunk!

“Guh…!”

With a single shriek, Harvest’s eyes rolled back, and thick drool seeped from his mouth.

Hermes, without a moment’s hesitation, threw Harvest’s instantly lifeless corpse through the gate.

Splash!

As it passed through the gate, the ceaseless light burst forth, gradually diminishing, accompanied by a strange sound, like water splashing.

As everyone watched, unable to properly breathe, Harvest’s corpse vanished, as if ground away beyond the spatial rift.

“…What do you intend to do now?”

As the light subsided and the incomprehensible information flooding their minds vanished, the Meisters one by one regained their breath.

Meister Oason, glaring at Hermes without hiding his hostility, asked.

“Are you going to kill us all, throw us into that gate, and observe the outcome?”

“…”

But Hermes, with an impassive face, offered no reply to Oason’s words.

Instead, he simply gazed beyond the gate, as if time had run out.

“It’s coming up.”

“Coming up? What on earth… H-huh?!”

The other artisans, following Hermes’s gaze, widened their eyes in shock.

Kiiing…!!

Because the form of the colossal gate, which had been glowing pure white, suddenly began to be drenched in a brilliant crimson light.

The ring of light, which had emitted a pure and noble glow, became covered in a sticky, dark crimson radiance, shining brilliantly.

Gurgle, gurgle…!!

As if vomiting viscous blood, the gate ceaselessly spewed an unknown liquid from beyond.

Thwack!

Harvest’s corpse, emerging from beyond the dark crimson fluid, bounced onto the surface of the lake and lay sprawled.

Simultaneously, the fluid that had erupted onto the lake’s surface seemed to be sucked into every opening on Harvest’s body, disappearing.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…!!!

Harvest’s corpse, sprawled with twisted limbs, began to twitch and convulse like a worm as it absorbed the fluid.

“H-Hegh…!”

The moment the other Meisters recoiled in horror, Hermes, in contrast, smiled brightly and spread his arms wide.

“Behold. Even though we merely summoned the memories of a soul, look at this overwhelming presence… If a method to kill a god existed in the Old World, we would surely have!!!”

At that moment, Harvest’s waist snapped violently backward, and in that posture, he slowly stood, supporting himself on both feet.

“Ugh, a-aaargh.”

His entire body was dyed dark crimson from gorging on the viscous fluid, his hair was disheveled and spread out in all directions, making him look like a ghost.

His bloodshot eyes rolled back, and black tears of blood streamed down his face, making him look less like a human and more like a fiend possessed by a ghost.

Simultaneously, an overwhelming storm of magical power erupted from his body.

Goooooooh…!!!!

Everyone kept their distance from him, yet couldn’t tear their eyes away from his horrific appearance.

Because, according to Hermes, Harvest’s current state was precisely the result of the trial and error he had been seeking.

The soul and memories of the Old World, which had already met their end and vanished.

To trade a human life as the price for bringing back something whose very existence beyond the gate was uncertain.

It was proof that Hermes had actually attempted and succeeded in something so difficult that even conceiving of it, let alone trying, was hard.

“Ah…”

The incessant groaning from Harvest’s throat abruptly ceased.

Hermes, watching the scene with his hands behind his back, asked.

“Great Transcendent. Can you hear me?”

“…”

“I’ve already conveyed my intentions several times from beyond the gate, but I wish to make a trade. Respond if you can hear me.”

Instead of answering, Harvest raised a hand and pulled the blade from the crown of his head.

Fwip!

Blood and other viscous fluids oozed out, but Harvest ignored the wound that had split his head in half and stared at the blade.

Hermes, whose neck was half-severed and dangling, also watched the sight.

“To show interest in a blade right after emerging… If my memory serves, you never relied on equipment like this…”

Thrust!

Hermes’s words, as he stroked his chin, abruptly ceased.

Because Harvest, gripping the folding blade, had just stabbed it directly into Hermes’s chest.

There was no time to react or evade.

The moment he grasped the blade, it seemed to leap, giving the illusion that time itself had shifted, piercing directly through the solar plexus.

Paaahng!!!

Immediately after, a dark crimson wave erupted behind Hermes, reverberating throughout the entire lake.

“…Cough!!”

The moment Hermes, unable to speak, coughed weakly, dark crimson blood mixed with phlegm spurted out.

Even before Hermes’s limp form, unable to resist the blade plunged into his heart, could be fully imprinted on everyone’s minds.

Slice!

Harvest twisted the blade impaled in his solar plexus, shattering Hermes’s collarbone and cleanly severing his neck.

A wondrous sword technique that beheaded while the blade was still embedded in the heart.

But more than this profound swordsmanship, the Meisters’ gazes were fixed elsewhere.

Hermes’s head, severed with absurd ease, falling and rolling across the floor.

Everyone struggled to regain their composure, shocked by the profound unsettling feeling of his brilliantly shining silver hair being cleanly cut along with his head.

“He’s, he’s dead…!!”

“What do we do? How do we…!!”

Even Meisters who had lived long lives were losing their composure, bewildered by the events unfolding before their eyes.

But something even more astonishing happened next.

“It’s a little different from what I expected. Hmm, I didn’t anticipate such an uncooperative attitude…”

Hermes’s severed head, lying upside down, began to move its lips.

“Whether the price was insufficient, or the output was lacking. Either way, I can only conclude there was a miscalculation.”

“A-Aaaargh!!”

A scream erupted from somewhere at the sight of Hermes, continuing to speak perfectly normally even with his head separated from his body.

Unable to bear the realization that Hermes was also no ordinary human, the Meisters lost their composure and began to flee on the spot.

The Meisters realized belatedly that Hermes, with his head severed, couldn’t stop them from escaping.

Other Meisters, realizing this late, also glanced nervously at Hermes and Harvest before quickly turning their backs and running.

“Oh, are you leaving?”

Hermes watched the Meisters with an indifferent air, then let out a chuckle.

“However, it seems this one has no intention of letting you go easily.”

“…”

Harvest’s corpse, which had stood motionless, as if dead, immediately after severing Hermes’s neck.

The unknown entity newly inhabiting it slowly turned its gaze toward the fleeing Meisters.

Lennok also watched, hidden, lost in thought.

‘Now is the only time to intervene. But…’

Harvest, who had been staring blankly at the backs of the Meisters with turbid eyes, casually dropped the folding blade he was holding.

Immediately after, a gush of blood erupted from his wrist, engulfing his entire body and coating him in an armor of dark crimson blood.

Clank!

The figure of a Blood Knight, covered from head to toe in viscous blood armor.

The moment he raised his hand, hardened like the sharp talons of a fiend, the blood that had been streaming around him surged up like waves, completely engulfing the lake’s surroundings and beginning to rotate.

Kwah-aaaaah…!!

“Ah, aaaaah…!!!”

The unbelievable manifestation of transcendent magical power. The monster’s Will-thought, crushing the very space of the area.

Despair etched itself onto the faces of the Meisters as they realized that its will was filled only with murderous intent, a wave of pure desire to tear apart all living things.

Just as the Blood Knight clenched its fist, about to tear apart human flesh.

The water of the lake beneath its feet surged up, froze solid, and transformed into a pristine white mirror of ice.

Paaahng!!

The blood-colored wave, brimming with magical power, directly struck the surface of the risen ice mirror.

It twisted its trajectory, struck the ceiling above the lake, and unleashed a powerful roar.

Shatter!

With that impact, the ice mirror shattered completely, scattering hundreds of ice fragments over the lake like snow.

The moment the Blood Knight reacted with a start and belatedly turned its gaze toward the source of the magic.

A massive shockwave crushed the Blood Knight’s face as if grinding it, pushing it backward.

Kwaaang!!

A manifestation of repulsive force, as if a multi-ton truck had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and pushed it from close range.

The Blood Knight reacted instantly, but couldn’t withstand the force and fell backward.

Splash!

Harvest’s corpse, unable to withstand the impact, sank beneath the lake’s surface.

Although some measure had originally been taken in this space to allow walking on the lake’s surface, such a powerful pressure forced the Blood Knight straight to the bottom of the lake, overcoming it.

Hermes’s head, which had been blankly looking up at the scene upside down, shifted its gaze.

Amidst the stinging wind, where ice fragments reflected the lake’s light, sparkling dazzlingly in all directions.

Lennok stood stoically amidst the falling ice shards.

Wearing an iron mask that completely concealed his face, he gazed down at Hermes.

Seeing this, Hermes finally smiled with a sense of relief.

“An excellent response. It was the best possible method among what could be done immediately.”

“…”

“However, that alone won’t be enough to fully suppress the spiritual essence. If it’s a flame that has maintained its power even beyond the gate, it won’t be extinguished by a mere friction or two.”

Despite having no inkling of Lennok’s presence moments before, Hermes showed no surprise at his sudden appearance.

Instead, he began offering various pieces of advice to Lennok, who had stopped the Blood Knight’s rampage in his stead.

“I apologize to be asking this of someone I’ve just met, but would you perhaps assist me until I can converse with that individual?”

Hermes’s eyes glowed with a transparent light.

Even facing him so closely, his gaze, despite his severed neck, shone stark white, making it impossible to discern his true intentions.

“I wish to confirm if that individual truly is a Transcendent who killed a god in the Old World. If they are a madman capable of achieving a feat that challenges Ascension.”

“Oh?”

Lennok calmly ignored Hermes’s words and approached the majestic form of the gate.

An immense amount of light, mixed with vast information, still leaked through the open gap in the gate, but Lennok paid it no mind.

He was quite accustomed to phenomena like this, where overwhelming amounts of information pressed down on him.

Anyway, he simply let the incomprehensible information flow unfiltered through his mind, not attempting to process it.

But Hermes seemed even more intrigued by Lennok’s demeanor.

“It doesn’t seem like he’s using any specific memory-erasing or oblivion spells, yet he faces the gate’s light directly… What incredible mental fortitude.”

“…”

“I know who you are. The thick iron mask, your bizarre and unique abilities. I heard about it some time ago.”

Lennok’s hand, carefully touching the gate’s handle, paused.

Hermes spoke slowly, as if not wanting to miss any of Lennok’s reactions.

“The individual who, during the attempted assassination of Narcissa Solmer, dealt with the Sidesquad assassin first and then escaped from the Enforcers. You were still in this city.”

It seemed he wanted to turn Lennok’s interest towards himself by revealing he knew Lennok’s identity.

But Lennok, instead of being surprised, remained silent and focused on observing the gate.

Judging by the circumstances observed so far, Hermes was a committee member of Ex Machina. A powerful figure holding a considerably high rank within Ex Machina.

He probably heard about what Lennok did back then through the Enforcer’s internal information network.

Hermes, as if giving a renewed warning to Lennok who showed no interest in him, said.

“You won’t gain anything by observing the gate for long. It will close again soon, and only I have the authority to open it.”

“The corpse containing the Old World soul from beyond the gate didn’t die even when injured.”

“…Pardon?”

Lennok slowly shifted his gaze from observing the gate to Hermes’s head.

“You, too, are still alive and babbling, even with your head cut off.”

“…”

“Hermes. The reason you sought the Old World soul so desperately… isn’t it because you are also a being like that?”

At Lennok’s words, which instantly cut to the core, Hermes was momentarily speechless.

The corpse that had gained the Old World soul from beyond the gate moved perfectly fine, even with injuries.

Lennok’s words were a question, implying that Hermes, who hadn’t lost his life despite his severed neck, was also a similar being.

Seeing Hermes not answer, Lennok nodded lightly.

“If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine. I didn’t make a move just to ask that.”

Lennok intervened at this critical moment, just before everything spiraled into catastrophe, for no other reason.

While he had no interest in the Meisters’ lives or deaths, he knew that keeping them alive best served his own objectives.

Lennok lightly nodded toward the colossal ring of light floating above his head.

“I’ll be taking that.”