C517
In the Void World...
Having received from God the "power to fight more desperately," Lucas had experienced four lives so far.
...On second thought, it didn't seem like that many to him.
If only considering mental exhaustion, he felt as if he had experienced at least hundreds of regressions.
This life, the fourth life, felt particularly long.
Of course, in terms of real time, the longest moment would have been when he devoured the corpses of the other Lucas at the Dump Site, but the density of life itself was highest this time.
He also came to know several truths he definitely needed to know, and also heard about the secrets of some. He also experienced many astonishing events.
As he slowly sank into darkness, he remembered all those lives.
Lives that were never easy even once.
'...'
And suddenly he realized.
That he wouldn't live again.
Lucas's consciousness simply remained asleep in the darkness. He stayed silent, overwhelmed by this fact.
Is this the end?
Do I no longer have any more chances?
I have lived each life fiercely, but this last one was particularly tragic.
...What awaits me after my death?
Pale will not stop the massacre. It wouldn't be strange if she even completely destroyed the Universe where many of Lucas's acquaintances gather.
Will the Rulers simply watch that scene?
Pale's words were true.
The Lightning God, the Demon God, among others...
They know very well what kind of existence the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are and how strong they are, but they hesitate to fight head-on.
Why?
Aren't the Horsemen the "warriors of equal caliber" and the "beings worthy of challenge" they so desired?
Lucas was puzzled by their contradictory behaviors.
...If it's not the Rulers...
Will 'Lucas Traumen,' who has finally revealed himself, stop Pale? (Note: Lucas is talking about the other 'Lucas')
He doesn't know that either. Though he wanted to analyze it, unfortunately, Lucas didn't have the mental energy to do so just before dying.
'...'
After a while, Lucas came to a conclusion.
What he is experiencing now is not death.
[There were truths that could not be known with just one life.]
Responding to that conclusion, a soft voice resonated.
A voice he hadn't heard in a long time.
He knows who the owner of that voice is.
"Are you really dead?"
[Now I really will be. The voice you are hearing is the last trace I have left.]
"……."
[I told you. I have given you the power to fight with the greatest ferocity. But I didn't say what you should fight against.]
Lucas nodded.
He knows it now.
"...There was a destiny of destruction, wasn't there?"
[…]
God didn't immediately continue the conversation.
An appropriate silence for the dark space took hold of them for a while.
[What do you want to do?]
"That's too broad a question."
[The power you have now is not among the top twenty beings, even combining the Three Thousand Worlds and the Void World.]
"……."
Lucas's expression turned strange.
Twenty stronger beings.
Being among the top twenty of the Three Thousand Worlds and the Void World was something grand. Objectively, it was evident that he had gained tremendous power.
However, he still lacked one step to reach the state Lucas sought.
That wasn't all.
Lucas was also surprised to learn that there were at least a dozen beings stronger than him.
Until now, he only considered the three Rulers and the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse as stronger than him.
What other beings existed?
The Twelve Void Lords he hadn't met? The Void King?
Or maybe...
Lucas shook his head. It made no sense to harbor too many doubts about God's words, as they came from no one less than him.
[You have experienced several lives, but you have only repeated them.]
“Yes. As you say, I have come to know truths that I could never have known with just one life.”
[No. I mean what came after.]
“...After?”
[The most important thing for me was your attitude after learning the truth. Look at the path you have walked.]
Suddenly, Lucas's figure appeared in the dark space. And the lives he had lived so far passed before his eyes like a panorama.
[You were human and supreme being. You communicated with the Rulers and tried to understand the Horsemen of the Apocalypse. Although you were not the strongest being in my universe, you became the one with the least prejudices. And being free from prejudices is very similar to being free.]
“…….”
The freest being.
It was the first time someone had told him such a thing.
Even he himself thought so.
The life Lucas imagined was largely tied to something.
Responsibility, duty, things only he could do...
It was only recently that he had let go of all that.
[If there is one virtue a king needs more than any other, it is that. Understanding a variety of people.]
“...Are you asking me to become the Void King?”
[Didn't I tell you? I told you that if you went to the Royal Castle, you would know everything. The most orthodox method to do it was to become one of the Twelve Void Lords, but... you learned the truth in a completely different way than I had foreseen]
“…”
[Your guesses are all correct. My plan was to make you the Void King, but from now on, it all depends on you. No matter what choice you make, or even if you make no choice at all...]
He felt God's voice becoming fainter and fainter.
[I no longer have the power or the ability to force you to choose.]
“...You.”
And just before disappearing, God said:
[This is the last time, Lucas Traumen. Speaking to me like this... and the Regression...]
Words he could never forget.
[There won't be another]
He could still go back.
This death is not the end either.
Lucas felt relieved and with a slight hope at that fact, but at the same time, he felt a cold sensation in some corner of his heart.
─The last Regression...
There's no turning back now.
If he dies next time, it will truly be the end.
'...As expected.'
Finally, suspicion had become reality.
Lucas realized that the reason he had died at the hands of Pale was also because, in a way, he had relied on the Regression. If it had truly been the end, he wouldn't have gone so obediently towards death.
He felt a sensation akin to consciousness slowly rising towards slumber.
"...There won't be another."
He once again engraved God's final words into his mind.
This is the last time.
There was something God hadn't mentioned.
The exact point in time he would return to.
As mentioned, in the fourth life, too many variables and too many things had occurred.
Among them, what puzzled Lucas the most was undoubtedly the fact that he had exited the Void World.
That was also Lucas's original goal when he first arrived in the Void World.
─ Perhaps life won't start until I step out into the Three Thousand Worlds?
Lucas thought that, but...
"..."
Even before opening his eyes, he could tell to which point in time he had returned.
The familiar sensation of cold sand, which he didn't miss at all. The rough air where not a hint of life's breath could be felt.
Upon opening his eyes, he saw the sky shimmering with varied colors.
A landscape he had seen many times.
"Oh? You're awake."
And the voice he had heard many times.
Pale stood beside him with a radiant smile.
A slightly worn face, tousled hair, and an innocent smile.
"..."
Lucas couldn't think of anything to say.
The woman before him had killed him at least twice, and she had also had a direct or indirect influence on other deaths.
Lucas averted his gaze from Pale and reached his hand toward the sky.
Fwoosh!
The monster hurtling from the sky burned from its mouth and vanished without a trace.
"Wow~"
Pale, who had been silently observing, opened her mouth and then applauded.
Instead of responding this time, Lucas immersed himself in brief thought.
His head was a mess.
Many unresolved thoughts surged and sank repeatedly.
What should he say?
What kind of relationship should he seek to have with her?
The lives Lucas had lived had been a series of failures.
In the previous life, he thought he had made decisions close to the right answer, but he was also wrong. In the end, he had only encountered a different type of failure.
However, his relationship with Pale had progressed more than in any other life.
He still remembered the look and voice he saw just before dying.
"Hello!"
A completely different lively voice from back then,
Pale's eyes now looking at him only held curiosity.
Of course, they did.
At this moment, Pale only wants to observe him. Whether he's a being worthy of being crowned King by her.
...It's not just her.
The relationships he had built in the previous life had also disappeared.
"It seems I can't do it several times."
That was a part he hadn't fully experienced in the previous Regressions. Lucas reluctantly suppressed the bitterness that approached him.
There's no time to get lost in emotion.
As stated, this is the last chance.
"Two things need urgent attention."
The Lightning God in Lee Jong-hak's body, and the Demon God in Sedi's body.
They're potential threats.
"There's much to do."
Not only in the Void World. There are also some things to do and discover in the Three Thousand Worlds.
But he couldn't leave with Pale in tow. Not until he finds a way to control her or a way to get rid of her completely...
It was then...
[...What the hell.]
Lucas shuddered at the voice that suddenly resonated in his head. That was a voice he shouldn't have heard.
"Lightning God?"
[…]
"How are you?"
The voice resonating in his head was definitely that of the Lightning God. There was even an unmistakable touch of perplexity in his tone.
Of course, Lucas's confusion was no less.
"I am the one who should ask that. What kind of harmony is this?"
[…]
"Just a moment ago, we were both in the Three Thousand Worlds. But this is the Void World... And not only that. It's not just a change of place. Is this the power of Regression?"
Could it be that the Lightning God's mind has returned with him?
How could that be possible?
No. It's not time to think about the cause.
The important thing is the outcome.
"The Lightning God has learned about my Regression."
...So what now?
Lucas's expression hardened.
Although they had built a decent relationship in the previous life and had even formed a united front in the end, the Lightning God remained one of Lucas's potential enemies. For such a guy to learn his secret is not something that can be considered a good development, not even remotely.
Being who he is, it's very possible that he will use this truth to manipulate the situation in his favor.
"Is the scope individual... or global...? If my remnant got mixed up in it, then the current 'me'…"
"Lightning God?"
[…I...]
The Lightning God's voice contained an emotion Lucas had never imagined.
Confusion, unease, and fear.
"Are you... really the Lightning God?"
[…]
The voice abruptly cut off.
Lucas called several times more, but there was no response from the Lightning God.
He realized he had plunged into a deep and dark contemplation. Although there were many times when the Lightning God ignored his words, the feeling was completely different.
"Hey, are you okay?"
Pale approached with a radiant smile. Lucas remained silent in the face of the current situation. Although he still didn't fully understand what had happened, one thing was certain.
This life wouldn't be easy either.
Tags:
TGMRA (Novel)