ALL NOVEL
Chapter 475: Star, Identity Establishment (13)
“...The one who put the <Mark> on you—no, us... is Machina?” Chang-Sun stuttered.
“You really didn’t know, huh.”
“It’s not <Supreme Light>?”
“Yes, he was the one who appointed me as the lighthouse keeper, but remember who’s responsible for maintaining the balance of Eros and Nyx and order in the Great Universe,” Perkwunos reminded Chang-Sun.
“...”
“In the end, <Deus Ex Machina> is the one we have to defeat,” Perkwunos said, suppressing his anger with great difficulty.
Chang-Sun could not forget how Perkwunos had acted as he mentioned <Deus Ex Machina>. Perkwunos had certainly admitted his failure to fulfill his duty as the lighthouse keeper, but his anger toward <Deus Ex Machina> was a different issue. <Deus Ex Machina> had put Perkwunos through the endless suffering of <Extinction>.
“...I’m going to go crazy.” Chang-Sun sighed, covering his face with his hands. He had not felt this abysmal even during the Rollback loop, but the atmosphere was truly suffocating right now.
‘What should I think of everything I know about <Deus Ex Machina>? Was he deceiving me, or is there something I’m still not aware of?’
The wish of <Deus Ex Machina> to save Cha Ye-Eun was genuine. Of course, Chang-Sun could be wrong, but he believed—no, wished to believe so. Otherwise, all his beliefs in everything would be forced to crumble.
“Phew...!” Chang-Sun exhaled for a long time to regain his composure. No matter how much he agonized here, he would get no answers, because his Channeling to <Deus Ex Machina> was disconnected at the moment.
‘Still... There is a way to find out the truth.’ Chang-Sun recalled Perkwunos’ last remark.
“From what I know, <Supreme Light> has been away for a long time, just like <Dull Darkness> who lies in deep slumber, so the son of <Supreme Light> is filling in for his father,” Perkwunos explained.
“...Who did I meet then?”
“It was probably his son.”
Chang-Sun’s eyes widened.
“I’ve seen him through your eyes, and he was a different person. There’s no way I wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.”
Mephistopheles had already told Chang-Sun that <Dull Darkness> was away right now, but it turned out that <Supreme Light> was also not present. After hearing about how he could have met the son of <Supreme Light>, an idea came to Chang-Sun’s mind for some reason.
‘I still haven’t found out who started the Rollback loop.’
Even <Deus Ex Machina> did not know who the culprit behind the Rollback loop was, so there was a high chance that it was either <Dull Darkness> or <Supreme Light>. Which one was the culprit?
‘Judging from Mephistopheles’ reaction, I think it’s <Dull Darkness>... I have to meet him, by any means necessary.’
Whoever the culprit was, ending <Extinction> was Chang-Sun’s priority right now. If that was impossible, he had to make sure that he could delay it, and in order to do so...
Squeak!
With his [Gnostic Eye] blazing, Chang-Sun stood up from his chair and looked out the window, where he had a full view of Seoul. Above the city, he could see a clear blue sky.
『Have you made a decision?』
When he heard Perkwunos’ voice, Chang-Sun nodded calmly.
『Then let’s get started without further delay.』
Rummmble―!
Darkness suddenly covered the sky, and an enormous lightning bolt struck down in Chang-Sun’s direction. The bolt was much hotter and more intense than the blazefall from before.
[A Rád?us bolt has been fired.]
Perkwunos called his primordial lightning essence Rád?us. A lightning bolt made from the power he had obtained from the <Fire of Origin> was flying toward Chang-Sun.
* * *
[The next Scenario Quest (Identity Search Ⅳ) has been created!]
[Identity Search Ⅳ]
· Type: Scenario.
· Description: You have successfully passed all the trials and met the test conductor, who wishes to give you the final trial.
The final trial is acquisition. The test conductor’s Rád?us is a piece of the <Fire of Origin> and is also the original form of lightning energy. At the same time, it is also the test conductor’s [Forbidden Fruit], which he found in his search for omniscience and omnipotence.
Acquire Rád?us from Perkwunos. Once you succeed, you will obtain full control over your soul and become a <Fire of Origin’s Spark> itself, unifying with all your past reincarnations.
· Time limit: Until you learn Rád?us.
· Quest Failure Penalty: Mind Incarceration.
· Quest Reward: Rád?us, <Fire of Origin’s Spark>.
Rád?us was the power that Perkwunos had tried to obtain, but which had cost him, forcing him to bear the <Mark> of his <Crime> in return and becoming the root of his resentment. Facing the attack of that very same Rád?us, Chang-Sun held up the [Twilight Spear], clenching his teeth.
Rustle!
He heard the sound of pages quickly turning.
[The last volume of ‘Prelati’s Spellbook’ has been opened.]
[The first chapter ‘Sero Diéi’ has been applied!]
Blending supreme sacred light and <Darkness>, Chang-Sun fired a ray of sunset-colored light using the spear to parry away the Rád?us bolt upward, but it left a powerful impact on him. It was as if he had been hit by a monster truck, and he actually almost lost consciousness.
By the time he came to his senses, Chang-Sun was in the air. Of course, Seoul was already reduced to ashes. Since everything here was an illusion, Perkwunos could always restore it, so he blew it up without hesitation.
‘It’s... coming again!’ Chang-Sun quickly stood up straighter, noticing how the sky flashed again and another Rád?us bolt flew toward him.
A rain of lightning bolts cut the world in half, approaching like a laser cutter; it made Chang-Sun look utterly insignificant.
Rummmble!
‘I’ll use my full power this time.’ Chang-Sun thrust the [Twilight Spear] once again, still clenching his teeth.
The four slayer swords and other weapons from the [Omni-Weapon Chest] flew out from the chest and transformed the [Twilight Spear] into [Gungnir], which released <Duskfall> sparks that were redder than ever. At the same time, Chang-Sun applied his verse of [Bestla’s Poem].
<...The king rose in fury, swinging his sword to deliver an attack that was strong enough to kill one thousand enemies...>
Boooom!
Two attacks collided. Chang-Sun kept swinging his sunset-colored spear to tear apart the white lightning pillar, but he could not even leave a scratch, nor could he move it. Veins bulged out from his face as he continued to push at the white pillar.
‘This is... the power of a cosmic-level being...!’ Chang-Sun thought. He had been feeling a little cocky after getting closer to the level of a Nine Heaven and Celestial King, but he could feel his pride vanishing.
Odin had been right about how even he could not tell how high he needed to go, because there was another sky above the sky they were in. Perkwunos was in that higher sky—no, it was not just Perkwunos. It was the same for Hsan, Ubbo-Sathla, Mephistopheles, <Deus Ex Machina>, and the person who was probably the son of <Supreme Light>. It was no wonder that Chang-Sun was having trouble fighting back right now. Odin knew about that fact, so he had been preparing for a long time to rise higher. So...
‘I should overcome at least this much.’ Chang-Sun gnashed his teeth, thrusting [Gungnir] harder and further.
Nevertheless, the white lightning pillar did not budge one bit, so Chang-Sun’s grip on the spear trembled. Just then, however, he saw an illusion of a hand overlapping on his. Wondering what was going on, he looked to the side and saw the red lightning guard grinning at him, as if teasing him for having a hard time with such a trivial thing.
A different hand overlapped Chang-Sun’s hand; it was the blue lightning guard this time. He also nodded at Chang-Sun. Tanis, Balor... A total of 662 past reincarnations showed up to help. Thanks to their help, [Gungnir] felt lighter to Chang-Sun.
Chang-Sun chuckled dumbfoundedly, but thought it was not a bad thing. All the past reincarnations were him, and he was here to complete himself. There was no reason to refuse their help.
Wooooosh!
The Inferno Sight in Chang-Sun’s [Gnostic Eye] blazed more fiercely than ever.
Rummmble―!
The moment Chang-Sun thrust [Gungnir], the pool of light from the white lightning pillar swallowed the world.
* * *
Pzzz―!
As he observed the Rád?us pillar particles scattering from high in the sky with his arms crossed, Perkwunos exclaimed, “...He succeeded in soul unity earlier than I thought. Everyone except me, Odin, and Tomte decided to help him. That’s not bad, considering it’s his first try.”
Mastering Rád?us needed every drop of one’s potential, so Chang-Sun needed to make all the past reincarnations’ potential and accomplishments his own to be qualified to even learn the power.
However, Chang-Sun had managed to learn the power on his first try. The past reincarnations had to have changed their minds after witnessing Chang-Sun’s overwhelming combat prowess and fighting spirit in the past trials, getting started on the right foot.
“Thanks to them, he managed to block the second one too... Considering many of his predecessors failed to block the first one...” Instead of saying his compliments about Chang-Sun aloud, Perkwunos only chuckled, muttering to himself, “...he’s definitely worth putting my hopes in.”
Perkwunos’ eyes shone with lightning energy as he continued, “Let’s keep on testing.”
* * *
The part that Chang-Sun liked about his subconscious realm was that, as long as he maintained his ego, he could freely resurrect in it. After crossing his subconscious ocean, Chang-Sun’s resolve was undoubtedly firm. In addition to that, his discovery of the whole truth about the <Brand> gave him a goal that he could never give up on, so...
Rummmmble―!
[You have dodged three Rád?us attacks!]
Boom, boom, boom!
[You have dodged five Rád?us attacks!]
Boom, boom, rumble―!
[You have successfully counterattacked eight times!]
.
.
.
...Chang-Sun quickly analyzed Rád?us as he continued his challenge. After understanding the mechanism, he systematized and modified it to suit him better, so he could begin to use the power little by little. His goal was very simple, which was to turn his <Duskfall> into Rád?us.
‘<Duskfall> is my Signature, so the best choice is to turn it into Rád?us, rather than learning the power from scratch. I can use it to make <Duskfall> stronger and more destructive.’ Chang-Sun believed in the potential of <Duskfall>.
<Duskfall> was the energy made by mixing supreme sacred light and <Darkness>, so it was even more primordial than the <Fire of Origin>. Perhaps that meant he would be able to surpass the limit that even Perkwunos could not overcome. Besides...
‘...there is a way to make <Duskfall> stronger right now,’ Chang-Sun thought.
Perkwunos had said that he received his <Mark> for coveting the <Fire of Origin>, the forbidden truth. The Eden serpent depicted in the metal gate’s fable was Perkwunos, and the [Forbidden Fruit] that the serpent pursued was the <Fire of Origin>. It did not matter if the fable was a symbolic image or a realistic one, because it meant that the [Forbidden Fruit] was the <Fire of Origin>. And Chang-Sun was very familiar with the [Forbidden Fruit].
“Open the <Store> window,” Chang-Sun said.
[Listing the categories in the ‘Store’ window!]
[Over 100,000,000 Hounds items.]
―Heavenly Sword (130,000,000 Hounds)
―Lightning Deity Seal (290,000,000 Hounds)
...
Chang-Sun had disregarded this entire category of items for their preposterous price, but the item he was looking for right now was at the very end of the list.
―Forbidden Fruit (100,000,000,000,000 Hounds)
‘Got it,’ Chang-Sun thought.
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