C538
Lucas's doubts about the existence of the Void King are twofold.
The most fundamental question is what the Void King really is, leading to countless inquiries.
What role does the being called the King play in the Void World? Why did the Four Knights swear allegiance to him? What significance does the Royal Castle hold in the midst of the desert? If I were to become the Void King, what responsibilities would I have to assume?
...Lucas hadn't understood anything from his current perspective.
And the second doubt.
At this moment, is the throne of the Void King truly vacant?
Sssaaa!
The light faded. The waves gradually ceased. And suddenly, the surface of the water began to tint black.
" ...!".
As a phenomenon he had never experienced before, Lucas was about to instinctively withdraw his hand.
[Stop]
If Residue hadn't stopped him, he probably would have. The darkness spreading rapidly soon engulfed Lucas's palm.
It was sinister.
Although the spring was not deep and only lightly submerged his hand, he could no longer see his own hand. Most living beings have an instinctual fear of darkness, but Lucas could even control his own instincts. If this were just normal darkness, there would be no reason to feel uneasy.
"...What the hell is this?".
He realized too late. The darkness was not spreading or contaminating the spring itself.
This darkness was just the scenery seen through the "Fountain of Wisdom." Of course, compared to seeing it in person, the difference was as great as between a real tiger and a paper one. When he saw the Red Knight or the avatar of the Sun God in this way, he couldn't fully feel the energy they emanated.
But this darkness... was different. Even with a filtered image, his body trembled with fear. His mind began to cloud. He was afraid, terrified, his body shaking.
─I want to escape.
Ugh.
Lucas gritted his teeth.
I can't.
I can't let this darkness consume me.
Squeezing his eyes shut, he focused his attention to the maximum.
Is this "darkness" all there is to it?
H77
Was the true nature of the Void King such an impenetrable and sinister darkness itself, and that was the scenery the Fountain of Wisdom wanted to show him?
'It can't just be this...!'
His breathing quickened. Now he even felt a strong headache. Lucas's eyes were bloodshot, and his nose was bleeding.
In that state, he clung to consciousness with all his might. In his blurred vision, he desperately searched for clues.
And Lucas found it.
In the darkness surrounding him, there was something vaguely visible.
" ...!".
The moment he caught it in his field of vision, something much more intense than when he saw the darkness struck his mind. It was a type of impact that Lucas had never experienced before.
" Ugh...!"
His consciousness blurred in an instant. He felt his mind collapsing and his body and mind weakening unusually, even in the Void World. It was not a phenomenon that could occur simply by observing it.
Ignoring the pain invading him, Lucas concentrated the last of his strength on his eyes.
And just before losing consciousness, he could see.
It was,
A terribly expressionless face...
--------------------------------
The sunlight filtering through my eyelids is truly an unusual sensation after so long.
And it's been a long time since I woke up in a world where the sun doesn't exist, and where my body doesn't need sleep.
"...Was I unconscious?"
A hoarse voice escaped.
I never thought I would lose consciousness so easily.
...Although I felt the same way when it was Pale's turn, could it be that my mental resilience is subtly diminishing? Or is it evidence that the events I've experienced are extraordinary?
Lucas sighed.
Although feeling like I've slept well made his mind feel a bit clearer, sometimes he seriously wonders if he should faint on purpose.
"How long have I been unconscious?"
The answer came quickly.
[About a day.]
"...I've been unconscious for a considerable amount of time. Was it such a strong blow?"
Lucas stood up. And he looked at the water nearby with complicated eyes. At that moment, he thought of 'darkness' and 'a white face,' and his hands trembled.
"Heh."
He laughed bitterly.
Hasn't he overcome that yet?
[It's hard to believe.]
Residue spoke softly.
[Even I felt fear.]
He just realized it, but even his voice was trembling slightly.
"...That darkness. It's probably much weaker compared to the 'real' one."
[Probably. Because you saw it indirectly through the Fountain of Wisdom.]
"However, my mind and body are still frightened. If I had really kept seeing that darkness... I might have lost my mind."
The most solid thing Lucas Traumen possessed was his mental strength, no matter what others said. After enduring countless sufferings, he was sure that his polished mental strength shone like no other in all worlds.
But this darkness could devour that mental strength at once, exerting an influence that made him faint.
[Was the darkness itself the Void King?]
"No. That seems to be simply scattered energy, and the man I saw at the end seems to be the Void King."
[The man you saw at the end?]
"The being I saw just before losing consciousness. A middle-aged man with a white face...."
[What are you saying?]
Residue asked with a perplexed voice.
"What... are you saying?"
Lucas's voice also abruptly stopped.
He asked cautiously.
"Didn't you... see it?"
[...It seems you saw something.]
Residue also lowered his tone, feeling strong discomfort.
[You said you saw a 'white face,' right? When exactly did you see it? I only witnessed the darkness all this time.]
"Could it be that you fainted before me?"
[Indeed, it was the opposite. I was conscious even after you fainted. Your senses blocked just after you fainted.]
Only then did Lucas's expression stiffen.
"Then..."
[That's correct. We were sharing the same view until just before you fainted, but I didn't see the 'white face' you mentioned.]
He felt chills. They were so connected that they shared all their senses; they could even clearly feel each other's emotions. But Residue hadn't seen the man Lucas had seen. It was the first time a discrepancy in the information they should have received identically had arisen.
"...What exactly is the Void King? Was what I saw its past, present, or future?"
[I couldn't determine at what point it was. We couldn't get any clues about the Void King in the environment he was in.]
Perhaps it was natural, given that everything around him was engulfed in darkness.
[However, this spring, the 'Beginning Wizard,' probably has dealt with this spring countless times.]
Residue murmured as he seemed to be pondering something.
[He would know. And could explain exactly what you saw.]
Lucas nodded.
Suddenly, the meeting with the Beginning Wizard became urgent that he even forgot about the spring for a moment.
----------------------------
He felt chills. They were so connected that they shared all their senses; they could even clearly feel each other's emotions. But Residue hadn't seen the man Lucas had seen. It was the first time a discrepancy in the information they should have received identically had arisen.
"...What exactly is the Void King? Was what I saw its past, present, or future?"
[I couldn't determine at what point it was. We couldn't get any clues about the Void King in the environment he was in.]
Perhaps it was natural, given that everything around him was engulfed in darkness.
[However, this spring, the 'Beginning Wizard,' probably has dealt with this spring countless times.]
Residue murmured as he seemed to be pondering something.
[He would know. And could explain exactly what you saw.]
Lucas nodded.
Suddenly, the meeting with the Beginning Wizard became urgent that he even forgot about the spring for a moment.
When the surface of the water stirred, Lucas tensed. The darkness he had seen yesterday resurfaced. Fortunately, the spring didn't turn completely black as it had on that occasion, but it showed a familiar landscape.
The first place Lucas saw was a snowy plain. However, instead of the Red Knight or the Sun God, there were entirely different entities.
A blurry Dragon.
"Blurry form" was a somewhat vague description, but Lucas couldn't find a better one. Just as the term implied, the Dragon's figure seemed plagued with noise, as if it were about to fade away like mist.
Her body scales were shedding and cracked, leaking transparent blood. It was an image of complete devastation.
...It was the first time he saw it so clearly.
This creature was the ultimate Ruler, the "Seven Fanged Dragon God."
Facing the Dragon was a being that defied all description.
He looked like a colossal monster, with a quadrupedal stance. His legs were as thick as those of an elephant, and his torso was covered in overlapping red scales. His back had a structure similar to a tortoise's shell, and from it emerged three tails. Each of these tails ended in a head resembling that of a snake.
His face vaguely resembled that of a lion, but with the peculiarity of having ten horns, giving him the appearance of wearing a crown.
A transparent liquid dripped from the corners of the monster's mouth.
It wasn't saliva, but the Dragon's blood.
"...The Fourth Beast (4th Beast)." (Note: 4th Beast of Daniel from the Bible)
One of the Twelve Void Lords, known for having killed the Seven Fanged Dragon God.
Actually, the name "Sixty-Sixth Beast" would have been more appropriate.
─You've lost your reason... Is there no way to suppress your instincts? Do you not understand the significance of your confinement in this place?
The voice, surprisingly clear, came from the Seven Fanged Dragon God. Despite the sadness tinged in it, she conveyed a sense of purification upon hearing it.
However, the "Beast" didn't respond; it only stared at her with empty eyes.
─...I understand. There is no other way. It's inevitable.
The Dragon opened her jaws wide.
Lucas squinted.
Although she was called 'Seven' Fanged Dragon God, she only had three left.
Flash!
A beam of light erupted from her mouth, splitting into three directions (Note: Like the Dr4gón's Esf3ras haha). As the light dissipated, the Seven Fanged Dragon God, petrified like a statue, began to crumble from head to toe.
And the vision came to an end.
...
Lucas remained silent.
Residue's words echoed in his mind. He had said that by observing the actions of the Seven Fanged Dragon God, he could gain important clues. However, after seeing the complete vision of the Fountain of Wisdom, he wasn't convinced of it.
The only information he had obtained was that the "Beast" hadn't killed or defeated the Dragon in a conventional battle.
[I see. That's how it happened.]
"Did you discover something?" a voice asked.
[Yes. It was a rather significant vision. It seems the Dragon was weakened enough to be 'visible' at that moment.]
""Weakened enough to be visible?""
[The Seven Fanged Dragon God has a strong light-absorbing ability. When she is in full form, her scales even absorb light. Therefore, she cannot be observed by ordinary means.]
Lucas continued with Residue's words.
"...The Dragon was already injured from the beginning. Even before fighting the Beast?"
[Do you remember the Great Games?]
"Vaguely."
[There, you competed to find the "most special statue." There were a total of 4 statues in that world, and each of them had one of the Seven Fanged Dragon God's fangs hidden inside. Including the "Priestess" with its own consciousness.]
...4.
Several ideas connected in his mind.
"The lights that scattered in the sky a moment ago were 3."
Lucas hypothesized and frowned.
"Did the Dragon voluntarily remove her fangs before going to the Void World? And then did she give them to the Rulers?"
[You're quick to grasp it.]
"But... the Seven Fanged Dragon God seemed to be hostile towards you all."
[Her fangs not only contain power or strength. There are also some gaps in her memory. When you try to fill the memory gaps, sometimes you end up distrusting even the Rulers.]
"...Then why didn't you return the fangs to the Dragon? You could have cleared up the misunderstanding."
[Haha. That kind of misunderstanding isn't worth clarifying. From the moment it came into my hands, it's mine. How I use it is my business. Besides, the Seven Fanged Dragon God probably foresaw it.]
If he hadn't met Residue, he would have thought this guy was a lunatic, but now he could understand his logic.
Even if they returned all her fangs to her, they would only be 4, not enough for the Ruler to fully regain her power.
"With only 3 fangs, victory against one of the Twelve Void Lords cannot be guaranteed."
[True. But the important thing here is that the Dragon's goal was originally just acknowledgment. She voluntarily entered that world to find clues to overcome Destruction... Obviously, she was aware of the risks and made sure to have a means to escape if necessary.]
"But for some reason, the Dragon didn't escape. On the contrary, she committed the heinous act of spreading her remaining fangs throughout the Void World."
[That's right... You have a new task, Lucas.]
Lucas nodded. The fangs scattered somewhere in the Void World,
If he got them, he could glimpse the memories of the Seven Fanged Dragon God.
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)