Chapter 828 |
“Chief Song!”
I shouted, but Chief Song’s closed eyes did not open.
Seong Hyunjae landed a little distance away from the flower bed. I set my feet on the ground as well. Some instinct told me we shouldn’t approach carelessly.
In a garden made of sand, stone, and scattered leafless thickets, this was the only place that held any real color. The flowers blooming vividly around Chief Song were undeniably beautiful, but they felt unsettling at the same time.
Then, right beside us, a vine crumbled with a dry rustle, falling apart like grains of sand.
As if…
“…Eclipse?”
At my murmur, Seong Hyunjae gave a small nod.
“So this wasn’t a barren landscape to begin with. It was being eaten.”
– Eclipse has reached his limit. He has been starving for a very long time, yet he overused his power all the same.
A single red butterfly drifted closer as it spoke.
Chrrrk.
Golden chains rose into the air as if coiling around us and pierced the butterfly in an instant. The shattered pieces scattered over the sand.
But there wasn’t only one butterfly.
Before I knew it, a dozen more were fluttering toward us, loose and wavering.
– And yet, he still refuses to swallow.
A burst of electricity leapt out, shredding the butterflies to pieces.
– This is something like a transfusion.
Red fragments fluttered through the air. They swayed dizzily in front of my eyes.
– The seed of Eclipse was created in this garden.
– Of course, ordinary plants were not the only fertilizer.
– Hundreds of World Trees, lovingly raised in my garden.
– I also summoned World Trees who had ascended to the rank of Transcendent…
A bug that had devoured World Tree–type Transcendents long ago.
The Gardener, who even now had stolen their strength and brought his garden down here.
Golden currents kept slicing through the butterflies without pause, but even more butterflies appeared to replace them.
The red butterflies were as beautiful as roses. If they had been an ordinary swarm of butterflies, anyone would have been moved by the sight.
But to me, they were nothing but horrifying.
– Eclipse’s essence is that of a pseudo–Origin. To devour worlds.
– While that essence is identical to the Origin, one part of it differs completely.
– The Origin creates worlds as well.
– In truth, creation may be the very heart of the Origin’s nature.
– It gives birth to all manner of life and nurtures it.
– Among all races, the World Tree species resemble the Origin most closely.
– That is likely one reason Transcendents cherish World Tree–type Transcendents.
– They do not create worlds completely as the Origin does, but they are a root of life that brings abundance.
– I possessed the karma of devouring such World Trees, and White Bird asked me to create the seed of Eclipse.
– Because I was the most suited to the task…
I see.
I had been so distracted by the title “Gardener” that I hadn’t thought about why he had cooperated in creating Eclipse. Even for a Transcendent, laying the foundation for a power meant to devour a pseudo–Origin couldn’t have been easy. Transcendents each had their own essence, and they were especially skilled with abilities related to themselves.
So naturally, a being called the Gardener would have had power similar to Eclipse’s.
– I devoured World Trees and made others devour them, and so created the seed.
– But a seed is only a seed.
– Carrying only the essence of devouring, Eclipse became human.
Could he have become something other than human?
Like Hwang Rim, when seeds were scattered, there was no telling where they would enter or how they would sprout.
But still.
“That’s right. Chief Song is absolutely human. So take your hands off him and get lost!”
Seong Hyunjae pulled me close against him. At the same time, thunder roared.
KWA–RUMBLE!
My vision went white, and a chain of deafening crashes hammered at my ears. In the storm of electricity, the butterfly swarm was swept away all at once. Burnt fragments rained down in a rustling shower.
“Talkative butterflies,” Seong Hyunjae said.
“They’re basically mosquitoes.”
And those butterflies didn’t look like they drank nectar. They looked like they sucked other people’s blood.
Even after wiping out the swarm, neither Seong Hyunjae nor I moved recklessly. The butterflies began increasing again, one by one. They were exactly like disgusting mosquitoes that kept popping out from somewhere no matter how many times you killed them.
– Humans, too, kill plants and animals for food.
– Eclipse likely will not reject absorbing part of the garden either.
“…Wow, how considerate. Should we believe the Gardener? Though seeing as Chief Song still hasn’t woken up after all this commotion, he might have done something to him.”
“In a situation like this, naturally.”
Seong Hyunjae looked closely at Chief Song.
Did he have some kind of method?
“A kiss, I suppose.”
“…Excuse me?”
“To wake a sleeping princess–.”
“Is this really the time for jokes?”
“From ancient times, has a kiss not been an act of exchanging energy?”
Seong Hyunjae dodged my kick and shamelessly said it.
So he was saying we needed to replenish the power Chief Song had used up.
“Then why not just say we should feed him a World Tree–type Transcendent magic stone instead?”
“However, if he swallows too much, his instincts will likely activate.”
Without any detailed explanation, Seong Hyunjae said that much, then curved his eyes at me.
…
When Chief Song revived his instinct, it would be the moment he swallowed Seong Hyunjae.
– There is no need to be so hostile toward me.
The butterfly fluttered and spewed nonsense. My brow furrowed on its own.
“For a bug, you sure bark like a dog.”
– I have not harmed you yet.
“What? What about my brother and Chief Song! And Liette died and came back to life because of that damn piece of wood you sent!”
– The trace of fire could not be revived. I merely granted what he wanted.
My teeth ground together on their own, but he wasn’t wrong.
Yuhyun hadn’t been controlled. He had moved of his own will. The Gardener wanted the pseudo–Origin, but Yuhyun had also wanted to separate the pseudo–Origin from me.
– And your fire is unharmed.
“Say that after you hand him back to me quietly.”
– White Bird said my desire would be fulfilled by the fire she spoke of. Yet even now, with that fire in my grasp, I do not understand.
The red butterfly flew closer to me.
I flinched and tried to avoid it without thinking, only to bump into Seong Hyunjae. Seong Hyunjae’s hand closed around the butterfly. Electricity sparked, and the red wings vanished without a trace.
But soon, a new butterfly appeared.
– Could it have something to do with you? I sense something similar to a World Tree from you as well.
“…Me?”
– A World Tree without the power of creation is closer to a nurturer. And the special nature of your fire is also because of you. Pure fire itself is not rare.
– At the moment the first flame shattered into countless pieces, countless fragments of fire seeped into countless worlds.
– Your fire is one of them. But because of your existence, he must have become the one and only fire White Bird spoke of.
Natural S classes were rare. But even within a single world, three or four were born, and if you added up all the worlds that had existed until now, there would be far more.
Pure fire like Yuhyun must also have appeared several times across that long, long stretch of time.
Even so, if White Bird had singled out Yuhyun alone…
“It’s not me. It would be us brothers, if anything is special. It’s true that Yuhyun was influenced by me, but the same goes for me too. And what does that matter, anyway?”
Even if we were special, what did that have to do with White Bird? With the Origin?
– I do not know that either. That is why I will make you an offer.
– You can no longer leave the garden. Crescent Moon, too, can only watch from above.
– Just like the moon.
– A fitting role for her.
The butterflies swayed as if dancing.
– Even Crescent Moon likely did not anticipate this. She was like the hidden king of the Transcendents.
– The Cradle. The Transcendents born there can be considered hers. Like me and the World Tree–type Transcendents.
“…Then does that mean Rookie is also affected by Crescent Moon?”
– That child merely heard Crescent Moon’s whisper. He was born naturally and devoured his own world by himself.
– The Transcendents of the Cradle are seeds planted by Crescent Moon.
– Beings like the master of the dream world.
– But among them were World Trees as well. That is why I know.
The butterflies made a sound like laughter.
– The old Transcendents fell asleep inside the system.
– And their sword locked itself away in the first world.
– The young moon, left alone, became a merciless king.
– The moment she obtains the full moon, Crescent Moon will awaken her Cradle and eliminate all other Transcendents.
“All other Transcendents? Every single one?”
– There can be only one god.
– If more than one stands at the summit, conflict is inevitable.
– Only once the possibility of new gods has been erased can perfect peace arrive.
“Everything will come to a halt,” Seong Hyunjae assessed coldly.
“The birth of new Transcendents would also be blocked, which means every intelligent being would be given a limit. Is her intention to eliminate all excessive danger that might threaten worlds?”
From the Origin to the Transcendents, all of it.
“…The Origin is definitely our enemy and a dangerous predator to us. If someone got rid of it, we should welcome that. But even so, this doesn’t feel right.”
“The end of being protected piece by piece in that fashion would be living inside a cage, fed by someone else’s hand.”
Being protected wasn’t bad, and there might be people who wanted to live inside such a cage.
But even setting all of that aside.
“I don’t need a god who’s trying to kill me. Because Crescent Moon made such a mess, my future and my brother’s future have been completely ruined.”
Every fork in the future had turned into you die, you will die, oh look, dead again.
Of course, sure, every life ended in death, but in my case, they were all early deaths. Even if I lived a long time, I barely made it into my early thirties, and Yuhyun was in his twenties. His twenties!
“But Transcendents of the Cradle… I’ve heard about the Cradle before, but are they so deeply tied to her that they would obey Crescent Moon unconditionally?”
– Yes. For now, there are still slightly more Transcendents born naturally. If Crescent Moon herself is excluded, the Cradle side is at a disadvantage. Crescent Moon has reserved a significant portion of her power in order to control the full moon.
“…Even in this situation?”
– If she cannot fully obtain it when the full moon is complete, everything will be over. Even if she loses the pseudo–Origin, it would be safer for her to simply begin again. That is why Crescent Moon will not step forward until the very, very end.
– And so it was taken by me.
– She will not have given up.
– If she cannot reclaim the pseudo–Origin from me as things stand, Crescent Moon will continue expanding the Cradle.
– Until she grows her forces enough to eliminate the other Transcendents and destroy the garden. It will take a very long time.
– Therefore, Nurturer, this place is safe.
– I merely wish to keep you and your fire under my authority.
– You have no other choice anyway.
I looked across the dry garden.
Crescent Moon, of course, but also the other Transcendents could not set foot in this garden. As long as we didn’t make an enemy of the Gardener, the garden, and by extension our world under its protection, would be safe.
At the same time, within this world, the Gardener was absolute.
“…Even so, the garden can’t have fully taken root yet. Not when you’re letting the others leave.”
– Correct. I can use some measure of power, but holding S classes here is difficult.
The butterfly, the Gardener, answered honestly.
– But you cannot leave your fire behind. The pseudo–Origin received the Puppeteer’s contract in your place. From the very beginning, the Puppeteer intended this.
– If the pseudo–Origin returns to your world, I will be able to interfere. I need only capture it again. The same goes for Eclipse.
– I have already seized the most important ones, so time is on my side.
– You do not have the power to destroy even this garden, incomplete as it is.
– Now, Nurturer.
A green sprout pushed up through the sand. It grew quickly, then bore fruit. A branch heavy with red fruit bent down in front of me.
– If you belong to me, I will return your fire. The fire spirit is already beside his contractor.
– I will also leave part of the dream world intact. From time to time, I will allow you to return to your world.
– Your world will be safe, and you too will be able to live in peace. The garden is abundant and secure.
A sweet scent reached my nose.
Flowers bloomed near my feet. Tiny fruits, like little raspberries, formed among them.
Beyond the tree, I could see Chief Song lying asleep. Yuhyun was also in the Gardener’s grasp.
There truly was no way to destroy the garden.
“Is there anything I can do?”
– No. Nothing.
I looked back at Seong Hyunjae.
Golden eyes looked straight into mine.
“…What are you going to do, Seong Hyunjae–ssi?”
“Didn’t I tell you to trust me and follow?”
“You’d turn around the moment things went sideways.”
I let out a short sigh and scratched my head.
“Nothing, my ass. There’s something I’ve always done.”
The butterflies.
For now, he still couldn’t exert power on the level of an S class.
I quickly checked our surroundings. The vines had almost entirely disappeared. Aside from the plant newly grown in front of me, everything had withered.
In other words.
“Chief Song is done charging!”
A spear appeared in my hand.
Black–red flame bloomed along the spearhead, and at the same time, Seong Hyunjae charged forward. It was far weaker than Yuhyun’s fire, but the powerful black flame still swept through the red butterflies.
“Kicking the easy road out from under myself is a hobby of mine! Thanks for the intel!”
I poured mana into the spear with everything I had. The fire spread, burning not only the butterflies, but even the sand and stone. Meanwhile, Seong Hyunjae picked up Chief Song in his arms.
– Nurturer.
– It is useless.
– You can do nothing.
– A futile struggle.
Inside the flames, the butterflies kept babbling.
Seong Hyunjae spread his wings.
I put the spear back into my inventory, shifted into fluid Delroux form, and leapt onto Seong Hyunjae’s shoulder. Seong Hyunjae took flight, and below us, I saw the garden swallowed in fire.
But the flames could spread no farther. Little by little, their force began to fade.
– Let’s fall back for now and wake Chief Song.
At least we had confirmed that the Gardener wouldn’t harm Yuhyun. He was so confident that he wouldn’t go that far…
Grrrk.
Vines wrapped around the black wings.
Seong Hyunjae staggered, losing his balance in midair. Chief Song still had not woken.
But from his body—
– Seong Hyunjae–ssi!
The flowers and blades of grass clinging to Chief Song grew into vines at a terrifying speed. Amid the overwhelming smell of crushed greenery and masses of flowers bursting into full bloom, we fell.
–TL Notes–
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