C514
I hate liars.
I hate those who deceive and manipulate others, regardless of their intentions.
"I'm fine."
"It's okay."
If someone asks me when I realized it, I'll respond:
From the beginning.
I always knew that they, who repeated like a mantra that they were fine and that they loved me with a kind expression, actually didn't mean it at all.
I denied it for a long time.
I acted as if I didn't see the fear and resignation hidden in their words of love.
...Were they whispering words of love just because they didn't want to die?
There was a time when death visited me every night.
When I opened my eyes between dreams, I saw my mother's face stabbing me with a kitchen knife. Sometimes it transformed into the figure of my father strangling me.
I thought they were horrible nightmares, but they weren't.
I realized it was reality.
After facing all those scenes and understanding the truth,
I simply closed my eyes.
They probably tried to kill me for an unimaginable amount of time.
However, their failures were in vain. I didn't die. My body was already immortal.
So, the only thing they could do was accept reality.
"I love you."
"I love you."
They murmured those words.
Pretending a kind expression and imitating a warm voice, that's how they spoke.
At the moment just before dying,
Maybe they felt happy.
There was definitely relief in their gestures when they called me.
─Ah.
They really were cowards.
Even after revealing the whole truth, they acted like loving parents until the moment of death because they didn't have the courage to be hated by me. And they tried to atone for their sins by feeding me.
[Hahaha...]
I let out a laugh like a gust of wind.
I hate liars.
I really hate them. I can't forgive them.
And you deceived me in the end too.
Our relationship was plagued with deceit from the beginning.
[Hahaha, hahahaha...]
I burst into laughter as I drew my sword. It was lucky to have the helmet.
I didn't want to show my face to anyone at this moment.
--------------
Omniscience.
The scope of the application of this great power by Lucas was only within a radius of 1 kilometer.
However, that alone was enough to almost break his mind.
In the midst of pain as if his brain was melting and his head was splitting,
'A higher level of vision.'
Lucas felt overwhelmed by the sight unfolding before him.
And he realized one thing.
If it weren't for him witnessing this spectacle, anyone would go mad.
[Ignore it]
The voice of the Lightning God reached Lucas through all that pain.
[Don't look at it completely. It's a sight you must approach with squinted eyes.]
It's not like what he was saying was out of place.
After all, this was a sight that not even a mortal, not even an absolute being, could endure.
Lucas was now witnessing "all the times that existed in that space".
The image of the first explosion in a universe and the formation of space-time up to these coordinates passed through his mind like a panorama… A view too grand and majestic to be captured by the sight of a single person.
Such a spectacle awakened an astonishing truth in Lucas.
'Is time also... just a coordinate...?'
[…]
'Lightning God... did you know this...?'
[You're mistaken.]
Lightning God denied it.
[If time is just a coordinate, then the birth and destruction of this universe would have been predetermined from the beginning. In that case, a place like the Void World couldn't exist... This is different from what you think. Didn't I tell you? The future is fluid.]
'...'
[That's why the burden you'll feel is much greater... If the future were predetermined, you could bear it. But in an instant, countless branches fork. It's like limiting space to nearly infinite number of possibilities. Therefore, you must accept all the information, but you must not try to process it all. No one can bear it.]
It wasn't a fallacy.
At this moment, Lucas was only absorbing the scope of the "past", and that almost made him lose consciousness.
It was more than enough.
No matter how vast, the "past" is already set.
The "future" with countless branches to be absorbed from now on. And the "present" containing the greatest possibilities.
If he were to try to process all of that, Lucas's self-awareness would be swallowed by the avalanche of information without a trace.
Therefore, the information must be processed. It must be filtered to some extent.
But... is that an acceptable compromise?
[Stop]
Realizing Lucas's hesitation, Lightning God warned him again sternly.
[I'm not underestimating your processing capability, but now is the time to know your limits.]
'...I can't.'
['You can't?]
'Yes. I can't.'
He had already adapted a bit.
Lucas reluctantly ignored the stabbing pain and continued speaking.
'I need to know everything. Getting half-baked information is meaningless.'
[You must understand that this is not a situation to be stubborn.]
'As you said, the most efficient way would be to filter incoming information to some extent. With that alone, I could win this battle. But... it's not enough. I can't just win.'
Lucas spoke again.
'I need to know about Pale.'
[…]
'I need to know what feelings she aims at me with her sword. If I don't, it's pointless.'
[...You're not angry at the Blue Knight, are you?]
Lightning God spoke incredulously.
[Iris Phisfounder, the woman who protected you to the end, was killed by the Blue Knight, but you're not resentful toward her. It's yourself you're resentful towards─]
'It's a cliché phrase, but it's myself.'
Lucas smiled bitterly.
'Because I had the possibility to avoid all this tragedy.'
[…Fine. I already said I would help you. I don't care about your past, I won't retract my words. Do as you please.]
The moment he nodded, his consciousness accelerated. The view, thousands of times wider than before, entered his eyes again.
'Ugh...!'
Once he let it in, there was no turning back.
He only had two paths left. Endure it and let his consciousness break, or endure it all.
Even in that state, Lucas,
'I see it...!'
He was carefully observing Pale's movements.
Her figure, which was completely invisible before, was now clearly captured by his eyes!
Thud!
Lucas spat out blood and was sent flying far away.
Lightning God smirked mockingly and explained the situation to him.
[You dodged the sword, but not the kick. Looks like you need to broaden your range of consciousness a bit more.]
“...Ugh.”
[Guess you couldn't predict the kick?]
“Of course I could.”
Lucas spat out a piece of broken tooth and then nodded.
"That's why it was just a scratch."
Blood was gushing from his head.
[…Right. Compared to the attacks of the Blue Knight, that would be nothing more than a scratch. So, how do you plan to fight? Omniscience is a formidable power, but it's just an additional skill, it can't be considered the main means of combat.]
That was true.
Even an omniscient ant couldn't beat an elephant.
[Void? Or perhaps Magic?]
"No. I can't use either of them."
[Hm?]
"I don't have enough brain capacity."
Lightning God looked for a moment into Lucas's head and then nodded.
[…Indeed, it seems like you're at your limit just processing incoming information. If that state continues, the Blue Knight won't be able to land a fatal blow on you, but… the same goes for you. And if you waste time, you're the one who'll lose in the end.]
"That's why I'm asking you for a favor."
[What?]
"I'll hand over control of my body to you."
[…]
Even the Great Lightning God was speechless at these words.
However, he could clearly understand Lucas's intention.
[You want me to control your body?]
"Shouldn't it be possible? 'Thunder' is already inside my body. Although I have to use it to activate power, I have half of the free energy."
[Interesting. You want to fight with that leftover energy…?]
Lightning God said with a hint of amusement.
[But your sense of danger seems to be diminishing. There's a possibility that I might devour your body, which you cherish so much─]
"No."
Lucas replied firmly.
"I didn't see 'that future' even once."
And he knew the reason too.
The Lightning God proclaimed it.
He would assist him.
'He's an amazing guy.'
That was probably the first time Lucas felt genuine admiration for this particular Ruler.
Just one word,
That single word created an unchangeable event in a future with almost infinite possibilities.
In the battle against Pale, the possibility of the Lightning God betraying Lucas had completely disappeared. Now that he had the power of Omniscience, he could understand how incredible that was.
Lucas also confirmed one fact.
That, despite his frivolous behavior, the Lightning God never lied. That he always kept his word.
[Shut up.]
Lightning God snapped with an irritated voice.
[This Lightning God is not in a position to receive praise. Focus on the matter, Lucas Traumen.]
Had he read my thoughts?
Even though he had been found out, instead of feeling upset, I laughed.
"Haha. Okay."
Lucas stood up.
"Then I'll leave it to you, Lightning God. I hope this division of roles yields a good result."
[I won't make mistakes. You just have to do your part.]
The arrogant words of the Lightning God reassured him for now, and Lucas smiled.
-----------
Lucas, unable to use magic or Void...
Lightning God clenched his fists tightly after taking control of Lucas's body.
Bang!
Blue lightning spread in all directions. With eyes filled with electricity, Lightning God smirked mockingly and looked at Pale, who stood in front of him.
"Show me. Show me your 'hunger'."
He saw the pale blade brandishing.
He saw thousands, tens of thousands of possible sword trajectories at once.
But all those possibilities were fading away one by one. 'Lucas' had begun to calculate.
"Haha, hahaha!"
Lightning God threw a punch as he roared madly.
The pale blade and the fist clashed. Pale's sword, which had cut through everything so far, couldn't even scratch Lucas's fist.
The 'Thunder' used by Lightning God was incomparably stronger than when Lucas used it. Of course, the output power hadn't actually increased. It was simply a matter of usage method and affinity.
What followed was a terrifying close-quarters battle.
Lightning God and Pale fought at close range in compressed time, maybe even beyond microseconds.
"This is fun!"
Lightning God shouted with joy. In his long and boring life, this was the first time he experienced such an exciting battle. It was the first time he fought alongside someone.
Yes...
Lightning God wasn't fighting alone at this moment. Thanks to Lucas showing him every move Pale would make next, he could confront the Blue Knight with this level of Thunder.
The method adopted by Lucas was a shortcut, a trick, but it was also the closest option to the right answer.
And.
[...]
Pale was experiencing something new.
Until now, she had never fought for her life against someone with power equal to hers.
All her battles had been one-sided. To be honest, she didn't even know how much power she had herself.
But at this moment, Pale felt it.
'I must risk my life in this battle too.'
It was the first time she felt the pressure of life, something that should have bewildered her.
─Of course, the Blue Knight Pale wasn't like that.
"…!"
For an instant, the 'next move of Pale' reflected in Lightning God's sight split into two. Lightning God froze for a moment shorter than an instant and then stepped back, but the result of that hesitation was not small.
Ssss!
His arm was cut off.
Of course, this was a crucial loss.
At this moment, Lucas was using all the Void as a calculation power, so he didn't have the ability to regenerate the cut arm.
Having lost a limb, Lightning God laughed bitterly.
"Ha-ha! You're a truly absurd existence. For the first time fighting against someone with similar power, not only are you not scared, but you're learning and growing..."
Lucas was listening to Lightning God's voice with minimal consciousness possible.
"...I'm sorry. I couldn't read the future correctly."
"Hm. I already expected you'd make some mistakes."
The words were kind, but there was no way to refute them.
And he looked at Pale once again.
…Honestly, just looking at her directly gave him chills.
The current Lucas could guarantee victory even against 3 enemies with power similar to Lucas before awakening Omniscience, in other words, the Lucas using Void.
In other words, he could lead the battle equally or even superiorly against 3 monsters on the level of the Twelve Void Lords. If the goal was just to resist, even 4 would be the same.
However, his opponent was an existence that transcended common sense.
…'The future of victory,' of course, he saw it.
But that margin was even narrower than the eye of a needle, and the path to it was fraught with variables and obstacles.
'One by one, one by one. I have to eliminate the possibilities of defeat.'
The signal of victory was in his hands. The rest depended on Lucas. Not even the slightest error would be tolerated.
'Lightning God.'
"What?"
'I won't make mistakes anymore.'
"As you wish."
The fierce battle began once again.
Lucas kept his word. There were no more mistakes. Just with that, the situation began to gradually change.
The body of Lightning God was no longer wounded, but Pale's armor began to crack gradually.
Slowly but surely, the flow of the battle was changing.
"This kind of fighting style isn't my style."
'It's a job that requires patience and perseverance.'
"Hm. It's boring."
In the next instant, Lightning God's body lunged forward.
Pale responded immediately, but the pale blade only cut through empty air.
[…!]
It was the first time it happened in a battle that wasn't short.
And...
Clang!
Pale's helmet flew off with a clear sound.
"But... yeah."
Lightning God smirked mockingly as he watched the flowing blue hair and the gushing blood.
"Excellent job, Lucas Traumen."
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)