Book 2: Chapter 570
Side Story Chapter 6
[The current phenomenon is not part of their plan.]
At Diablo's words, Corpse Ghost narrowed his eyes.
“By ‘they' you mean……”
[…….]
“…you mean the Rulers.”
[Yes.]
The jaw of the skeletal figure nodded.
It was a chilling sight. The one with a skeletal body was draped in something like black cloth, and within the dark eye sockets, ghost flames flickered.
The flickering ghost flames contained a power that could drive people to madness, but Corpse Ghost's demeanor remained calm.
From the beginning, Corpse Ghost was far more grotesque than the lich before him in appearance alone.
“Right. They said they would start a game in this Void world. So ignorant.”
[Preparations for that were steadily progressing.]
Corpse Ghost knew.
He knew about the ‘puppets' sent to the Void world by the Rulers.
But he didn't know exactly where they were. It wasn't a matter of much interest to him.
To the Twelve Void Lords, the Rulers were such beings. They knew they were strong, but they didn't evoke much emotion.
No matter what chaos they caused, they believed that the ‘barrier between worlds' that had lasted for a very long time could not be crossed.
As evidence, hadn't the ‘Seven Fanged Dragon God' been defeated by the ‘Beast'?
“But the Four Knights are different.”
[……]
“The resentment and hatred they hold for the Rulers are beyond imagination. That includes even the Black Knight you command, doesn't it?”
[If you're talking about Lucid, he has no grievances against the Rulers.]
“Why is that… Is it because it hasn't been long since he became one of the Four Knights?”
Corpse Ghost quietly continued to mumble.
“…From what I've heard so far, the Black Knight might be a different kind of existence from the other Four Knights.”
[Is that so.]
“The fusion of the Three Thousand Worlds and the Void world……. I don't know what kind of world we will face once the fusion is complete.”
[…….]
“But even in that, my Dumpsite will still be an independent space.”
When Corpse Ghost calmly predicted one fact, Diablo's ghost flames burned more intensely. It didn't suit a dead man, but he seemed to be burning with some kind of desire.
“The Rulers probably won't bow. They'll see this fusion as an opportunity and will forcibly try to host the game.”
[Yes.]
“Such coercion might turn the fused world into the most horrible hell.”
[That's correct.]
“…Diablo Kairak.”
This time, Diablo did not answer.
Corpse Ghost looked at him with dull eyes and spoke.
“Are you still aiming for the Void King?”
[That is my reason for living.]
“I see. Hmm.”
Corpse Ghost closed his eyes slightly and mumbled.
“…I have existed for a long time. Truly, for a time that no one can fathom…….”
The sorrow in his voice was not something even Diablo could understand.
Corpse Ghost was among the weaker of the Twelve Void Lords, but he had existed far longer than any other Void Lord.
Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands.
Those units couldn't even represent a fraction of the life he had lived.
“A new wind may be needed.”
[What do you mean by that?]
“Head to the castle……. With the Black Knight.”
Corpse Ghost spoke with a faint smile.
“As my proxy, not as the master of the Black Knight.”
*
The White Knight, Agolet, looked at the ground.
─A gray land that could also be called the land of the dead. …The gray hue symbolized desolation and evoked a sense of melancholy.
There was nothing where Agolet stood. Only himself and the endlessly sprawling land.
That's why he liked this place. From the beginning, the reason he made a deal with the Exile was because of this. As far as Agolet knew, only Exile could find and guide him to such a place in the Void world.
Agolet desired solitude. He wanted to live here without any connections to anyone and die here. And he wished for no one to remember him.
All three were impossible.
“Do you still aim to life of irrelevance?”
“…….”
It was an unexpected visitor after a very long time.
A unique hair color mixed exactly half and half with black and white. Clothes that seemed to be woven from the brightest light and patterned with sunlight. The wings spread behind him were those of both an angel and a demon.
One of the Twelve Void Lords, the Enforcer of the Law, had come in person.
Agolet removed his helmet. He felt that level of courtesy was due to this being.
“Yes, I still do, and I will continue to live that way.”
“You must change.”
The Enforcer's voice was calm, but it carried a clear power.
A strange power, just like his appearance.
But.
“I cannot change. I can only suppress it at best.”
“…….”
“I know why you have come here. Your primary purpose is to propose my participation in the meeting, and you also wish to borrow my power.”
Agolet slowly shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but both are impossible. I will not leave this place. I am confident that it will be much more beneficial for others as well.”
“Are you still unable to control your inner desire for conquest?”
“That is a secondary issue. The disease that drives me mad is much more fundamental.”
After a brief silence, the Enforcer spoke.
“…Perfect One. Is it the karma of your species?”
Agolet chuckled softly.
“Not long ago, a remarkable guest came to visit. He was a human from the Three Thousand Worlds, with tremendous potential. He might become an equal or even surpass the Four Knights in the near future.”
“…….”
“And I almost violated, trampled, and devoured him on the spot. I barely restrained myself, but honestly, if we meet again… well. Who knows what will happen next time.”
Agolet could not afford to be careless.
Now, such beings might appear in the Void world.
Those who surpass the Four Knights.
“…Conquest and absorption are the traits of a Perfect One. The pleasure we gain the moment we defeat a being stronger than ourselves far exceeds the bounds of any other race.”
So, he must not encounter anyone stronger than himself. The moment he does, Agolet's mind would shatter. He would then be reborn as a terrible monster obsessed with killing and stealing the power of his opponent.
Perhaps even the self now known as ‘Agolet' might disappear.
“Will you then live alone here, until the very end?”
“Yes.”
“…I see.”
The Enforcer did not get angry. Without any sign of being fed up, he merely turned away with a sad expression. Did he realize he couldn't persuade him? Or perhaps, he was having some other thought─
“…….”
Agolet was alone once again.
Suddenly feeling suffocated, he looked up at the sky.
If someday,
A being who could control someone like him appeared, then……
“Hoo.”
Agolet shook his head.
He didn't even expect it, as it was something even the previous Void King couldn't achieve.
The White Knight would not leave the gray land.
The White Armor would never shine brilliantly again.
*
─There wouldn't be a single one.
Anyone who really thinks you're dead.
Residue walked down the dark corridor.
Amidst the silence, the sound of footsteps echoed regularly, and after a brief moment of silence, he muttered to himself.
“But isn't this a bit different?”
No answer came back.
Residue felt a huge emptiness at that fact, but continued to speak as if it didn't matter.
“It’s not just your name that I have to carry. What the hell is this cumbersome position?”
The Beginning Wizard.
Even the Rulers could not take this name lightly, and it weighed heavily on his shoulders. The problem was that he couldn’t just cast it off like shedding old skin. The position was still necessary for now.
So Residue clicked his tongue and voiced his complaint.
“I didn't know you had this side to you……”
Or maybe he simply didn’t think this far ahead? On second thought, that seemed more plausible. He was a man with an outstanding mind but far from cunning.
Rather, he was straightforward. He didn't match the word flexibility at all.
And now, that would become a trait that Residue had to embody.
“…It won’t be easy. Damn it.”
Name, body, memory.
It wasn't just about inheriting those things. If it were just that, he wouldn’t have made such a grand fuss.
Residue had to become Lukas himself.
He had to act so that everyone who knew him would see him as ‘Lukas Trowman’.
It would undoubtedly be exhausting, difficult, and unpleasant task.
Yeah.
That's why he entrusted him with this role.
It's a strange feeling.
How short was the time spent with Lukas? For Residue, who held the memories as the Lightning God, it was a fleeting moment.
But it was intense.
Far more vivid than a spark in the pitch black.
Recalling the footsteps Lukas had taken and the memories they shared made him chuckle.
─Then suddenly.
─Have you ever smiled while recalling the past, even once?
It felt like he heard Lukas’s voice.
─Do you know what a memory is? No. You wouldn’t. You can't even understand it.
…Is that so.
Had he, before he knew it, become able to reminisce about the past?
“…….”
Residue closed his eyes for a moment and stood still, as if savoring the lingering feeling he was experiencing.
Then.
“…Hmph.”
He let out a snort and opened his eyes again.
He looked ahead.
There was a massive door.
Opening this door was the true beginning.
─He gripped the ‘Old Staff' in his hand. He draped himself in the ‘Dung Beetle Robe.'
And Residue put on the ‘Old Man's Mask’ to cover his face. It felt like being trapped in a pitch-black box, an alienation from the world.
“Kekeke.”
Laughter spilled out.
He couldn’t tell if it was amusement or self-mockery.
An interesting thing.
Even the face hidden behind the mask wasn’t real. The essence of Residue was buried much deeper.
No one must discover this.
Fully aware of that fact─
He opened the door.
“…….”
“…….”
─Step.
Residue stepped inside.
Seated at the round table were eleven absolute beings who ruled the Void world, or their representatives.
There were some familiar faces and some he was seeing for the first time.
What was certain was that Residue was the latest to arrive.
“…….”
“…….”
He could feel their gazes converging on him. Various emotions flickered in their eyes, and he sensed a prickling pressure.
To feel this much just from their attention alone. Residue smirked subtly beneath his mask. In his current state, he couldn't guarantee a victory against any of these youngsters.
─Step.
So he straightened his back even more.
He put strength into his steps.
At this moment, he had to temporarily forget his original identity.
Not as Residue, the lingering remnant of the Lightning God,
But as the Beginning Wizard,
As an equal member of the Twelve Void Lords.
Residue took the seat at the center and then─
“─Then, let’s begin.”
He spoke.
“The Twelve Void Lords’ conference.”
End of Side Stories
*****
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