Chapter 363: Ascension to Immortality (19)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 363: Ascension to Immortality (19)
Quite some time had passed since I regained the ability to speak with the Artifacts thanks to Mara’s help, yet I was still listening to Sun Wukong badmouth her.
-I’m telling you, there is absolutely nothing good to be gained from getting close to that thing.
Well, the hazy state had vanished and the pain had come rushing back, but compared to that feeling of being left all alone, I much preferred hearing someone’s voice, even if it hurt. So, I didn’t really mind the slandering.
“I mean, she helped me, so I don’t really think she’s a bad person.”
-No, that’s what I’m saying! She didn’t help you; she’s a god who originally exists to hinder those seeking Enlightenment. It just so happened to be helpful to you by pure coincidence!
How should I put it? Sun Wukong was telling me not to get close or pay her any mind, and while I had no intention of becoming friends with her, it was rare to see her this flustered. It made me want to poke at her a little more.
“Maybe I should join a Mara fan club when I get back?”
-…Are you doing this on purpose right now?
She caught on immediately.
“Well, I’m just so glad to hear you again that I guess I’m feeling a bit mischievous. I’m sure that’s not it, but it almost feels like you’re jealous of this Mara god or something.”
Sun Wukong didn’t say anything at first. Sensing I might be in for a scolding, I tried to get ahead of it, but her response was quite unexpected.
-It’s not ‘almost.’ I am jealous of that Mara creature.
…Excuse me? Sun Wukong? Jealous? Because of me?
-Why that reaction? If the kid I cherish thinks another god is more reliable than me, of course I’d be a little jealous.
Ah, I see. So that’s what he meant.
For a second, because I’ve been so popular lately, I almost made a ridiculous misunderstanding. Unfortunately, it seemed Sun Wukong had no intention of letting this incident slide as a minor happening.
-Hmm, what were you thinking? You let out such a sigh of relief. What kind of thoughts made you stop mid-sentence in such a fluster? Come on, tell me. I won’t know if you keep your mouth shut.
“Oh, seriously. Are you really going to counterattack just because I tried to tease you for a second?”
-Of course. If you dared to joke with a Deity, you should have been prepared for at least this much.
Seeing how much joy I found in such trivial banter, I realized I really must have been lonely during that brief interval.
-You endured well.
“…Pardon?”
Just as a gloomy thought was about to take root, Sun Wukong spoke as if she had been waiting for the right moment.
-Even if you combine all your lives, you haven’t even lived a hundred years yet. Even gods often die or suffer Fallen Divinity if they get caught by the monsters here. For a young brat who hasn’t even hit a hundred to endure that much, you did an incredibly good job.
She was likely trying to comfort me, but the sentiment that I did “relatively well” didn’t mean much to me.
In the end, if it hadn’t been for the help of many others, I would have become a companion to the ghosts in that place.
Chasing only after what was precious, I would have lost sight of who I was and ended up wandering that void.
-What do you mean it doesn’t mean anything? You survived, and you reflected on it. This too shall become your experience and your asset.
“Experience?”
-Yes, experience. How many things in this world are perfect from birth? Everyone fails. If you’re lucky enough to survive, you use that failure as a stepping stone to grow.
“Are you really the one saying that, Sun Wukong? Where’s your conscience?”
-Do you think I’ve never failed? Do you even know who the saying ‘in the palm of the Buddha’s hand’ originated from?
“Well, that’s true.”
-You are doing excessively well. You’ll be able to finish this task safely in the end, too.
“Ah, don’t raise a flag. What if I get ahead of myself and everything goes to ruin?”
-What nonsense. Do you think someone who can’t even put their desires into words can achieve anything? Being unable to boldly state what you want means there’s some underlying anxiety.
…Hearing him say it, it actually sounded quite plausible.
-So, if there is something you want, shout it out loud. Loudly and boldly, so that you yourself can hear it and truly believe you can do it.
“Come to think of it, Mara said something similar earlier.”
-…So what? Are you saying I’m copying her?
“No, it’s not that. It’s just a bit fascinating.”
-Hmph. You find the strangest things fascinating.
…Huh? A “hmph”? He sounds like he’s in a bad mood now. Is he really jealous?
* * *
Meanwhile.
A small quarrel was breaking out in the Divine Realm.
“Mara…! What is the meaning of this!? Don’t you know why so many gods are refraining from reaching out, even though they all want him?”
“I don’t, actually.”
…I should have just gone back to my palace quietly. It was my mistake to join the viewing party out of curiosity about how he was doing.
I didn’t expect them to pick a fight so openly.
Silencing this nameless young god wouldn’t be difficult, but she was merely the one taking the lead; it seemed there were many other gods besides her who were dissatisfied with me.
“Hmm, isn’t that just a rule you all made up on your own? I simply acted in accordance with my own mythos.”
Mara is the god who hinders practice and the obstacle that blocks Enlightenment.
“All children who lust for pleasure and power are my followers, the foolish sentient beings I must love. Why should I need your permission to do what I am meant to do?”
“Don’t spout sophistry, Mara. Oh, that rhyme was actually pretty good.”
“I wonder. Why should I listen to those who aren’t even Chief Gods and don’t even belong to the same mythological system?”
“Right now, everyone is waiting with bated breath, but because a few gods—including you—acted as they pleased, the spectating gods have become quite angry.”
“Is that so? Then tell them to all come at me together. Have I started looking easy because I’ve been staying quietly in my palace lately?”
Just by releasing her aura, many gods began to shrink back.
“Listen, everyone. You seem to have lost your sense of things because I’ve been living quietly, but I am Mara. I am the source of all Demon Kings, the most evil being in the Six Heavens, and the one who rules over desire. Anyone who has not achieved Enlightenment, even if they are a fellow god, is no match for me.”
Hermes, the man who had hidden the trembling young goddess behind him, shook his head.
“I’m sorry, but I’m not saying we intend to fight. On the contrary, I’m of the position that I want him to remain human and show us a human story.”
“Then what is the problem?”
“I’m saying your actions have given a justification to those who were just sitting around sucking their thumbs.”
“…Hmm? Ah, aha. I see. It’s not just me? Then things might get a little dangerous.”
“Evidence has been found that the Jade Emperor, you, the Witch of the Time Flower, and yet another god have given him help. Some gods have raised an issue, calling it excessive interference in human affairs.”
“The gods who want him to stop being human, the gamblers, and those who simply enjoy human suffering are going to join forces to prepare a ‘Trial.’”
“…Annoying pests. I assume they’re prepared to make an enemy of me?”
“Stop it. Even for you, it would be difficult to turn all the other gods into enemies just for simple retaliation.”
“If I cared about things like that, would I have tried to seduce Siddhartha?”
“…I mean that if you step in to block the trial, it will only return as an even greater trial. Since ancient times, being loved by one god meant being hated by others.”
“It’s always the children who get caught in the crossfire of the gods’ moronic squabbles.”
“…Since when did Mara become such a philanthropist? Honestly, I thought you’d just say it’s none of your business and go back.”
“I have always loved foolish children. And most humans are foolish. Is there any philanthropist as great as I? Enlightenment isn’t even that great of a thing, is it? I am simply a god who wishes for humans to live as humans.”
“…Probably because the more people achieve Enlightenment, the more your palace shakes.”
“Of course, that is one of the reasons.”
“…So, what will you do?”
“What else? I have to trust him and watch. He is a child who has already received more than enough blessings, and I’ve done everything a bad god can do for him.”
“Well, I suppose there’s no other way.”
“And what about you?”
“I am a god who loves the tales of Hermes, a guide of heroes. Whether he falls to the trial or overcomes it, there is nothing I can do until the result is out.”
“Haha, my. What a convenient excuse.”
“Since it’s come to this, all we can do is watch from here. Praying for his safety.”
“I wonder who on earth a god is supposed to pray to. Truly, gods are tiresomely incompetent.”
“Yes, it’s enough to make one sick.”
The two gods were looking down at the poor boy who was about to face his trial.
Hoping that he would overcome it well.
However, their faces were soon twisted in shock.
“…They’re calling that guy as a trial just because he got that much help? Don’t make me laugh. Has everyone gone mad?”
“No, this is absurd. The trial originally intended for him was completely different. He was supposed to face someone like a powerhouse of the Naga tribe. Fighting an unreasonable monster like that was never even on the list of candidates for the trial.”
“Then why did that guy, who’s been doing nothing but sleeping ever since he lost to Indra, show up there…!?”
Reflected in their eyes as they looked down at Hell was a single malice facing the boy.
“Why is… Vritra there?”
A fragment of the strongest dragon, once called the King of all Asuras before his defeat by Indra.
The one who governed all the droughts of the world, the Incarnation of Drought, was there.
The Evil Dragon, Vritra.
In addition to the trial he was originally supposed to receive, a disaster had appeared through the intervention of the Authority of the Creator.
In other words, it was a fragment of the evil dragon that governed destruction.
* * *
-Crazy. Those crazy bastards.
Suddenly, a massive black dragon appeared before my eyes.
[Ah, what…? I was sleeping so well. A trial? You want me to impose a trial?]
And it wasn’t just any dragon; it was a dragon that spoke and seemed incredibly angry at having its sleep disturbed.
The dragon turned its head, looked at me, and asked with an air of annoyance.
[What kind of trouble did you cause this time, Sun Wukong? A trial at this late stage? I thought your old personality had died out after you achieved Enlightenment.]
“Sun Wukong?”
[…Hmm? No. You have the Fiery Eyes and Golden Pupils, and your energy is similar, but something is lacking. No, you’re much smaller and weaker. What are you? A human? Are you a human?]
“That…”
-Don’t answer! Get away…!
As if there wasn’t even time to hesitate, Sun Wukong forcibly took over my body using Synchronization and threw me back, consuming Innate True Qi.
And in a straight line from where I had been standing, the landscape completely transformed.
I wouldn’t say the Gap of Hell had been particularly pleasant to look at until now, but at least it hadn’t been this terrifying.
Everything touched by the beam of light that stretched out in a straight line withered instantly, crumbling away like sand. It was a shocking sight.
-Hurry and take the medicine…! He isn’t someone you can withstand in your current state!
“No, what on earth is that thing…!?”
[Oh? You dodged it?]
As if surprised that I had dodged it so casually, the black dragon twisted its body and let out a lazy, drawn-out sound.
[…Please, don’t dodge. I was having such a good dream. If I sleep now, I might be able to pick up where I left off.]
…You’re trying to kill someone for a reason like that?
[Try to see it from my perspective, being dragged out to manage a trial when I was sleeping peacefully. You’d be pissed too, wouldn’t you?]
“So you’re telling me to just die quietly…?”
[Yes. At least you’re a human who can be reasoned with.]
Light gathered in the dragon’s wide-open maw, and I threw myself aside once more.
The sight of a sandstorm rising behind a massive explosion was so far beyond common sense that I couldn’t quite wrap my head around it.
[…Dodging again. Weren’t you going to die obediently?]
“Are you out of your mind?”
[Ah, seriously. Stop being a nuisance. If you keep this up, I’ll have to get serious. I’m a fairly famous Asura myself. I’m not Indra, and I’m not Ananta, but I’m not exactly at the level where I should be giving trials to mere humans.]
-Keep your wits about you. It might not be the best time to say this since your vessel is unstable, but he’s someone you might not be able to withstand even if you give it your all.
[…So you really want to do this? Fine. Then let me introduce myself. I am Vritra. The etymology of my name is ‘the one who encloses’ and ‘the one who obstructs.’ I am the calamity that obstructs the hero’s epic, the evil dragon that governs all the droughts of the world.]
Everything in the vicinity began to wither and shrivel under the aura spread by the black dragon.
[Realize that it would have been happier to simply die. Human. Regret to your heart’s content that you challenged the Trial of the Evil Dragon…!]
No, damn it. What do you mean, a trial…?
The question rose to the back of my throat, but looking at the surging sandstorm, it didn’t seem like I’d be getting a proper answer.