Book 2: Chapter 561
The viscosity of the river was gradually getting stronger. They clung to his entire body persistently like the seaweed of the Dead Sea, causing his body and mind to become exhausted as if he had walked for three days and nights with each step.
…At the decisive moment, there is only one person who can fight against destruction.
The story told by God came to his mind once again.
It was connected to the absurdity of the world that Lucas felt.
Because in this world, the power of an individual was overwhelmingly huge. It had been so even when Lukas was once a mere mortal wizard.
The number of lives that a single being can influence is too many. Yet, it's not as if the value of life becomes any lighter.
Even if it wasn't the god who created the Three Thousand Worlds, the one who cultivated that space afterwards was definitely him.
Then, this must be exactly what he wished for.
The power of an individual exceeding the normal bounds.
“Huff, huff…”
Lukas gasped for breath.
It was truly the first fatigue he had felt in a long time. Perhaps in this place, even Void couldn't be used. Or could it be due to some kind of change happening in his body?
Who knows.
He don't want to think deeply about it. His focus of thought has shifted to something else.
‘…I won't be able to see it.'
Lukas realized a bit too late that he would not be able to witness the fight between the Beginning Wizard and Destruction.
As mentioned before, there is only one person who can fight Destruction. Then, it's right to say that there is also only one person who can “face Destruction”.
In other words, if the fight between the Beginning Wizard and Destruction hasn't ended, Lucas wouldn't have even been able to enter this space.
“Hmph…”
Going against the river current, he reached out towards the eye holes of the mask.
The surface of the mask gave off a strange and unpleasant feeling as if it wasn't made of any material from this world, but Lukas didn’t care and thrust his body into that vast eye hole.
Splash!
With a short fall, his body plunged into a puddle.
Inside the hole, or rather beyond it, water was pooled again but the color was more reddish than the one flowing outside… However, the water level was low, and it lacked viscosity.
Lukas easily stood up and looked forward.
“……”
There, in the middle of the space, was the being he was searching for.
The Beginning Wizard looked as if he was being punished.
Tied to a cross, limbs restrained, hanging in mid-air, it really looked just like that.
From his Adam's apple to his navel was split open, and from there, a reddish-black liquid gushed out like a waterfall. That scene of excision was far more gruesome than the most barbaric offering Lucas knew of.
It wasn’t simply about pulling out blood and guts. Lukas understood at this moment.
The lotus flower.
The fragment of memory that shone brilliantly even on the pitch-black river water was actually from The Beginning Wizard, and it was one of the essential elements that constituted his being.
…But such things were merely nuisances in the process of Destruction.
Destruction, assuming that fellow had a will, was beginning the excision knowing that.
It was gouging out all elements of The Beginning Wizard as if drawing blood.
Even the cruelest word Lukas knew could not describe the horror of this scene. Realizing that the being that was The Beginning Wizard was gradually fading even now, he couldn’t easily open his mouth.
“You've finally come here, my younger brother.”
And from the distance, a voice was heard first.
“The way here must not have been easy. …Well, it's not something for me to worry about.”
“Did you lose?”
Lukas spoke and then regretted it.
It wasn’t the right first thing to say. There could have been something better to say.
“I probably lost. That's why I ended up like this.”
A different gentle tone than before and a faint laugh could be heard.
It's surprising that The Beginning Wizard still has the energy to laugh. What could he be thinking right now?
“Please understand that I can't explain it clearly. I can't help it because I can't recall it well. All I remember is that it was truly terrifying, and it wasn’t a fight worthy of being called one because it wasn’t equal fight.”
“……”
The fight with Destruction might have occurred ‘outside the sphere'. That's why he might not fully remember the fight itself.
“…Is this the end you wished for?”
Lukas perhaps said what he should have said at the beginning.
“Why would you go to such lengths for me?”
“……”
“Just as you glimpsed at me through the spring, I too saw your memories while I ascended the river. That you were saved because of me? No, that's not it. Even after that, your life was a series of pain. You are, you’ve……”
As if spitting out the most agonizing thing, Lucas spoke with difficulty.
“…You've never been happy, have you?”
A brief silence descended.
Gulugulug, only the sound of something being extracted and flowing from The Beginning Wizard's body echoed for a while.
“It doesn't seem like you saw my memories correctly.”
When a laughter-mixed answer came out, Lukas thought he had heard it wrong.
“I’m not that tough a guy. If I hadn't been happy, I would have given up halfway.”
“……”
“Does it look like I'm lying? No. Every moment after meeting you was a miracle.”
“You are……”
“I told you once. This world, which might be a dumpsite to someone, was a miracle to me. It’s not an empty word. Because outside, there wasn't a single future where you and I met.”
“……”
“Because it's called the Void world, a dumpsite where all discarded possibilities gather, that’s why I could meet you. I'm thankful for that. Although life before was miserable, the extra time that continued from here was a happy time for me.”
The Beginning Wizard said with a faint smile.
“The side story of my life wasn't so bad.”
The process of deciding to sacrifice for someone else and taking steps to prepare for it was enjoyable. From altruistic to voluntary sacrifice, only that had changed, but it changed the way he saw the world.
The position of the Beginning Wizard, though a temporary role he took on, was pleasing to him.
Cultivating the Magic Planet was also enjoyable. Perhaps he himself had never been to the Three Thousand Worlds, so he wanted to make the Magic Planet a similar place. That was a personal desire surprising even to himself.
Yes.
The moment he decided to sacrifice, the Beginning Wizard was finally able to indulge his own whims.
Because he would die for his younger brother someday, it's okay to be a little selfish.
“…Truth Seekers are those who can follow my, our teachings. Although I haven’t fully understood it, they are far more confident than the fools who feast and live well outside. I like them. I consider them all my precious disciples.”
He could have such thoughts because he had gained peace of mind.
The Beginning Wizard coughed loudly.
“…….”
Lukas looked at his face and swallowed his words.
The black liquid that had been coming out only from his split chest began to flow from his eyes, nose, and mouth as well.
“There isn’t much time left. …Let's end the boring talk here. Listen carefully from now on, Lukas. You have always spoken of human will, but you have never applied it to yourself.”
Lucas still loves humans and considers them more dazzling than any other being.
The will of humans, the will that is passed on, is more beautiful than any piece of art.
…But Lukas does not belong there.
He always talked about succession, but he didn't believe there was a being who could inherit his legacy. He couldn't believe it.
That was the reason why he didn't take disciples for a long time, and it was the same even after taking disciples. He talked about belief, but he never truly practiced it.
…He committed an unforgivable act towards Min Ha-rin. That child was deceived by Lucas' hollow words and lost her life.
“In the end, we couldn't rely on others at the decisive moment.”
Everything The Beginning Wizard said was true.
They were pitiful beings who didn’t know what it was to depend on others and could only trust themselves.
“There’s nothing we can do about it. If that's our self-righteousness, annoying as it may be, we just have to live with it. I realized that after coming to the Magic Planet. And I think you will come to a similar conclusion.”
“…Do you want me to become The Beginning Wizard?”
“It was your place, to begin with. Now things are flowing as they should.”
“……”
“I am aware of your current state. First, you must abandon the name Lukas Trowman. My mask will help you. For a while, it will help suppress Destruction.”
Long ago, he heard that going to the Magic Planet would mean the death of Lukas Trowman.
…Maybe it was something he had been planning for a long time,
He wanted Lukas Trowman to abandon his own name and take over the position of The Beginning Wizard.
“I said I would tell you how to defeat Destruction… I did put ‘memories' in the mask in my room, but I think it's better to say it directly. Listen carefully. The keys are the ‘4 Knights' and the ‘Rulers.'”
After coughing a few times, the Beginning Wizard spoke.
“You’ve now gained the absolute loyalty of the Blue Knight, Pale, and you also possess the remnant of a Ruler. So, for now, use the power of the friendly Blue Knight to hunt all the Rulers. It won’t be hard. The ‘Dragon' is weakened, and you might hear the ‘Lightning God's' weakness from the remnant. ‘Sun God' is collaborating with the Red Knight so leave that for last, and the most troublesome will undoubtedly be the ‘Demon God.'”
It felt as if something had changed.
Lukas looked at The Beginning Wizard with a puzzled face.
“What are you talking about?”
“Even if other Rulers die, they won’t feel any sense of crisis or cooperate. That’s how they are made. So, all fights will be one-on-one. With the help of the Blue Knight, you could easily win, but I still hope you fight a Ruler alone at least once. It would be a good experience before your final confrontation with Destruction. Next, take their power.”
He was at a loss for words. He couldn’t keep up with the flood of words coming from The Beginning Wizard.
Use Pale to hunt all the Rulers and take their power?
Is that even possible? Exactly how?
No. More importantly, why?
“[My Memory] must have told you. The Rulers were originally one being. ‘Initially’ is more appropriate than ‘originally,’ but ‘primordial’ would be even more fitting.”
It sounded like wordplay, but it wasn’t. The Beginning Wizard didn’t even have time to joke.
Primordial.
…Primordial God.
Lukas's expression changed, and The Beginning Wizard nodded.
“The Rulers were a weapons of the Primordial God. Weapons that he himself had refined to fight Destruction. And the power contained in that sword was the four fundamental forces that make up the Three Thousand Worlds.”
“…That means.”
“Originally, the Rulers were merely a single weapon without even a sense of self.”
“……”
The power possessed by the Rulers has a strong independent tendency, just like their master.
Rather than harmonizing and mixing with other powers, they tend to consume and dominate. There are countless powers in the world with tyrannical characteristics, but the power of the Rulers far exceeds the normal extent.
Lukas, who has experienced the ‘Thunder' of the Lightning God, knows this well.
…And the power of the other Rulers is equal to that Thunder.
All of them were once one in the beginning.
And now Lukas must make them one again.
“That's why I said it. You will need time.”
“……”
“It might be a bit harder afterward, but you don't need to worry too much about that. The preparations are perfectly in place.”
“…You mean there's more to do.”
“I told you. The key is the Rulers and the Four Knights.”
The overwhelming feeling in his chest had subsided. The changed atmosphere also cooled Lukas's head.
He looked at the face of the Beginning Wizard, who was tied up.
He had the same face, the same voice as in the beginning, but Lukas was receiving a completely different feeling from him.
“Kill all Four Knights.”
“What……?”
“And take the power they possess.”
“You, what are you saying─.”
In a calm voice,
“Unlike the Rulers, there’s a possibility that the Knights might cooperate. Depending on the situation, even combining the power of The Beginning Wizard with that of the Rulers might not be enough. If it seems like the power is lacking, consume the Truth Seekers of the Magic Planet.”
Gently,
As if he had prepared a secret gift for his younger brother,
“If you make your intentions clear, they won’t resist at all.”
The Beginning Wizard said with an excited voice.
“Because I raised them for that purpose.”
In that moment, a single word came to Lukas’s mind, along with the image of someone
─Self-righteousness.
And Lord.
In that moment, he realized. Maybe he had sensed the identity of this discordance long ago.
In the world of the Beginning Wizard, there were two beings.
*****