Chapter 220
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 220
Chapter Title: Recognizing the Catastrophe
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As the spirit language partially unraveled, half of Jun's hair turned stark white, as if blanketed by fresh snow.
At the same time, he poured the gathered mana into two skills.
Unyielding Will
Steadfast Heart
Two skills that protected his mental strength. On top of that, he activated the World Tree's essence.
[Senior?]
[What's going on?]
[Captain, what the hell are you doing now?!]
The World Tree's essence also had the ability to share mental strength with his party members, so his comrades outside reacted to Jun's perilously wavering mind.
But Jun had no time to respond.
'This is...'
An otherworldly being.
The God of Death.
It was staring straight down at Jun.
With the gaze of a child who had just spotted an intriguing bug.
Even though all he could see were pitch-black eyes, Jun could clearly read its emotions.
'It's coming...!'
That interest spurred it into action.
A colossal death approached.
The moment he sensed it, a dreamlike energy yanked Jun's body away in an instant.
As mentioned before, it was trying to forcibly sever his connection to the ancient spirit.
Jun's vision stretched out, everything around him elongating.
"...!"
However, the colossal death had no intention of letting him go easily.
Dozens, hundreds of black hands materialized in an instant, chasing after him.
'Fast...!'
He considered casting a spell, but even faster, a black hand reached for his wrist.
In the end, he abandoned spellcasting and led with something else.
'Predator!'
Shhuuwaaaaaaaa!!!
The Predator surged forward just in time, blocking the black hands.
At that moment, the hands infused with death's energy recoiled.
As if sensing something unsettling.
But perhaps curiosity once ignited was hard to abandon. Some of the black hands swung wide to the left, aiming for his flank.
The speed was so blinding that before Jun could even move the Predator, a black hand seized his wrist.
"...!!!"
For a split second, he nearly lost consciousness.
Just the touch alone conveyed an overwhelming sense of death.
A far more potent aura than the [Cycle of the Forest] the Fairy Queen had unleashed in the Black Forest long ago.
Countless deaths flashed before Jun's eyes.
Shhuuwaaaaaaaa!!
In that instant, the Predator absorbed the energy from the black hand, and Jun's vision cut to black.
"Hahk, hahk, hahk...!!"
"Senior!!"
"Leader!"
"Captain!"
Aiden, Maya, and Eleanor's voices rang out simultaneously.
Looking around, the horde of black hands had vanished entirely. In their place stood the torch-lit cave, the stele, and several people.
"Wh-what happened? Someone from the outer guard rushed in, so I thought something terrible had gone down..."
Kailler's question followed, but Jun had no spare breath to answer their reactions.
The mental damage was severe.
'Was that the power of an outer god? And just a tiny fraction of it. A mere twitch born of curiosity...'
He knew full well he was still weak compared to his true enemies.
That's why even the reincarnator had given him 'time.'
Honestly, he had some confidence.
He had survived countless brushes with death so far, seizing opportunities for growth each time—leaps no one else could match.
But compared to what he had just faced, it all felt like mere dust.
'I might have to face something like that someday.'
In the game, there were no stories of battling outer gods directly.
Or more precisely, the main storyline was stopping their invasion.
But this was reality, where Jun existed, and situations could shift at any moment.
And the reincarnator had said:
'You must shatter the endlessly repeating world.'
What exactly did that mean?
He had a rough idea.
'It's not just about stopping them. Someday, I might have to fight monsters like that too.'
Could he handle it?
'...I can.'
Arrogant as it was, the thought surfaced.
If he could witness the 'end of magic' the reincarnator desired, maybe he could.
"Hoo..."
He gazed at his wrist, where death had touched.
It had been purely mental damage, yet a vivid handprint marred his skin.
"Captain... What the hell did you just see...?"
The high priestess Eleanor sensed divinity emanating from Jun's wrist.
To be precise, it was mere remnants of divinity. No longer capable of any effect on Jun, just a trace of its former presence.
But the horrific aura it carried dredged up memories of when an outer god had possessed her own body.
"For now... I just want to rest a bit."
"Ah! Of course. This way, please. Do you need a dedicated healer?"
"No, that's fine."
"Good to hear."
Kailler suppressed her curiosity as best she could, arranging a place for Jun to rest.
Half a day passed like that.
"So, Captain. What exactly did you see back there?"
"The God of Death. Probably."
"You saw a god...?"
It was the kind of statement that would make priests faint, but no one here took it positively.
The word before 'god' felt far too ominous for that.
God of Death, of all things.
The last name anyone wanted to hear.
"The god who sealed the ancient spirit in that stele. It took an interest when I connected with that spirit."
"G-Good lord..."
Jun gently stroked the Predator.
'Thanks.'
Thanks to this guy, he had survived.
But absorbing that divinity had clearly taken a toll; it showed no reaction.
Still, divinity must have been a feast like no other for it.
'For how dangerous it was, I gained quite a bit.'
And at the same time, he eyed his dimensional bracelet.
Something inside was asserting its presence.
It was the pocket watch the ancient spirit had handed over.
"Fortunately, the translation was a success."
"I-Is that true?"
Kailler stared at Jun in utter shock, never expecting success in just one day.
"However... it's a bit far from the holy relic Captain Kailler hoped for."
"...What do you mean by that?"
"That stele heralds the start of some catastrophe."
"The start of a catastrophe...?"
"Yes. The moment it appears, a massive disaster begins not long after."
"..."
Kailler looked at Jun as if she couldn't believe it.
Such a reaction was only natural.
If true, it meant she and her adventurer band had dragged a catastrophe straight to this territory.
"Th-that can't be..."
"Hear me out to the end. It's not all bad news."
"...Yes, go on."
"When that catastrophe begins, a certain monster appears. Defeat it, and you can obtain the holy relic you seek."
This was true.
The relic Kailler wanted was a common item in the game.
Survive the unfolding great catastrophe, slay the boss monster, and you'd get an item that temporarily summons the souls of the dead.
'Back then, I kept it thinking it might be a material for some hidden quest.'
No real use for it, so it always ended up in storage.
"Haa..."
Even so, Kailler's expression didn't brighten.
If anyone else had said this, even a wise woman like her wouldn't have believed it easily.
She'd suspect their motives.
But...
'I was the one who told Brother to trust the White Whale Mercenary Corps.'
Kailler had gathered heaps of info on the White Whale Mercenary Corps.
No traces of the members' pasts before joining, but post-mercenary records were obtainable.
All of them hard to believe.
Especially blocking Dimension Reverse twice—an astonishing feat.
Even Kailler hadn't achieved that.
'They have a knack for resolving escalating crises.'
And more: collaborating with the Imperial Family to avert disaster on Slayer Coast Island.
Rumor had it that sparked pro-White Whale sentiment among emperor faction nobles, even drawing favor from noble faction ones.
All in just two years.
How could she ignore the man himself warning of a 'great catastrophe'?
Dismissing it would mean nightmares every night.
"But, but..."
Could she really pass this info to her brother as is?
Tell the man already agonizing over the lost seal that their greed might doom the territory?
'...He won't believe it.'
Then maybe destroy the problematic stele from the start?
"Regrettably, destroying the stele... isn't possible right now."
"What does that mean?"
"It requires divinity. Not from this world's gods—from another."
"...The power of gods in Blackout?"
"Yes."
Acquiring such a thing was no easy task to begin with.
No telling how long it'd take to hunt for it now...
'We'd need Imperial Family or church help just to get it.'
The problem: they wouldn't yield it easily.
No one knew what consequences wielding such power might bring.
'They might even prefer letting the catastrophe happen.'
Past precedents showed irreversible results from using foreign divinity.
"Haa..."
It was just about reclaiming the family seal.
Why had it snowballed like this?
Her head throbbed.
"Then, at least... do we know when this catastrophe hits?"
"There's one way."
"...! What is it?"
Sorry as he felt for the desperate Kailler, Jun had no plans to reveal the pocket watch.
It was essential for the coming catastrophe.
But he wasn't hoarding info either.
Jun lied without batting an eye.
"In my brief talk with the ancient spirit, I sensed a flow of mana. A horrific mana that grew even as we spoke."
"...And that's the sign the catastrophe starts?"
"Yes. Once it reaches a certain power level, I expect the problem we fear will unfold."
Jun continued.
"We need to calculate its growth rate and tipping point. It'll take some time."
"That long...? How much progress have you made? I can help personally—anything you need, just say."
"About four days, I'd say."
"Four days..."
Indeed.
It looked daunting, yet he planned to crack it in four days.
Her mind eased a bit.
This man had worked with the Imperial Family and lived.
Only issue: they desperately needed this mage's help.
'But for handling something like this... what reward could we offer...?'
The territory's finances were already strained; she couldn't fathom what to give Jun for such a task.
And Jun felt the same.
'Gotta squeeze every last bit out of this opportunity. Tsk... but the territory's in rough shape too.'
How much to ask for?
This wasn't a matter of one or two lives, with a catastrophe looming.
Humanely, helping was right, but...
'If we don't profit, we won't survive either.'
Helping was helping; securing gains in the process was smart.
But both judged this issue couldn't be settled immediately.
The territory lord, Ron Camillo, hadn't even imagined this mess... and Kailler alone couldn't handle compensation.
"We'll figure rewards later. Solving this comes first."
"...Thank you for understanding."
"No problem. Thanks to you, Maya grew a lot too."
"Haa... Anyway, tell me if you need anything. I'll help however I can."
"Yes. Thank you."
Afterward, Kailler left the tent with a heavier expression than ever and promptly ordered a withdrawal.
From her view, this journey had cost far more than it gained.