The Flame That Remembers
Alsh Unak shouted with both arms and wings spread wide. Behind him, at the center of the chamber, a black and crimson flame blazed. Though its size was smaller than the one we had seen moments ago, that detail was utterly irrelevant. This flame could never be compared to any imitation.
It was the true flame of Urshus. A divine flame that touched upon one facet of the god’s consciousness.
“Granbipra!”
I squeezed out every ounce of strength to call his name. The fact that the opponent knew my identity was no longer the issue. Faced with a divine will that threatened to burrow into my soul at any moment, I didn’t have even a fingernail’s worth of composure left.
—There is no need to shout so loudly. I have been right beside you all along.
The space beside me warped at once, and Granbipra revealed himself. So he really had followed after all. If only he had given me some kind of signal earlier, I would have felt far more at ease.
Yet even with Granbipra’s appearance, Alsh Unak’s expression remained perfectly calm.
“Granbipra. Guardian of the Eternal Forest. The great Urshus has long known of your existence. He welcomes your visit. Otherwise, not even you would have been permitted to set foot inside El Nergavil.”
To remain so composed even after knowing about Granbipra… It was hardly a good situation for me, since I had no other cards to play. But right now, I didn’t have the luxury of worrying about that.
From the moment the door opened, an overwhelming will had been flowing in alongside that burning flame. Resisting a power that felt ready to climb straight into my soul was already taking everything I had. If I carelessly summoned any of my contracted beings, the connection would only let that will dig even deeper.
Should I run?
Yes. That was an option. Right now, escaping to the study with Granbipra was still possible. I could regroup, come up with another plan…
—There is no need for concern.
At that exact moment, a white haze shimmered around Granbipra’s body. The energy that burst forth for a single instant swept away the oppressive presence that had been pouring into the room.
—Even if it is one facet of Urshus, severing such a feeble connection is a simple matter.
“……”
For a moment, I couldn’t speak. To disperse that overwhelming presence so effortlessly… I had watched his hatching process up close and heard he was at the level of a Demon Commander, but this was on another scale entirely.
It seemed that even though my mind understood it, my body had forgotten just how awe-inspiring the power of a Demon Commander truly was after years of peace.
“…I see.”
Only then did I realize how badly I had been panicking. The sudden surge of Urshus’s will had driven me into a corner so quickly that I had lost my cool without noticing. And yet I had still believed I was thinking rationally while considering escape. How pathetic.
“Thank you, Granbipra.”
That’s right. The Demon Commanders of the past had possessed power great enough to change maps with a single strike. If even the Demon King had judged Granbipra to be above that level, just how strong was he? Such a being stood beside me now. Even without Rowell, there was no reason to be afraid.
Besides, hadn’t I already experienced it during the battle with Nyx? No matter how powerful a god might be, manifesting directly in the material world required a suitable vessel.
Even Nyx’s vessel—created by gathering years of despair and corruption that had flooded half the world and funneling it all into the Tower of Destruction—had been incomplete.
That was the great will of the Cycle that bound the gods. Only fragments of their consciousness or shards of their power could appear in piecemeal fashion. The gods themselves could never fully manifest in this material realm.
The flame burning in this chamber right now was Urshus’s current vessel. No matter how connected it was to one facet of his consciousness, the power contained within the vessel itself could not be that strong.
“I nearly made a fool of myself.”
Whatever the opponent was still hiding, there was no need to be frightened from the start.
I reached out my hand. Black runes rose into the air along its path. Even with Granbipra beside me, I couldn’t simply stand by and watch.
But then the silent Alsh Unak suddenly raised one hand.
The confidence in both his tone and his gaze was so absolute that it actually irritated me.
His gesture looked exactly like that of a generous host inviting guests into his home. I glanced at Granbipra. Obeying those words outright wasn’t wise, but forcing a battle when the other side was acting this way didn’t feel right either.
Granbipra gave a reassuring nod.
—It is fine. There are no traps or ambushes waiting inside.
Granbipra stepped forward first, as if thinking of me. I could feel his power pushing back Urshus’s presence, and thanks to that, I was freed from its influence.
Even so, the atmosphere inside the chamber was completely different. Urshus’s flame alone was enough to weigh down the hearts of anyone who entered, filling the space with solemn gravity.
“…You said you were waiting for us. May I ask why?”
It was a question meant to seize the initiative in the conversation, but in truth, it was the very core of the current situation. He already knew who I was. So why had he brought me all the way to El Nergavil?
Alsh Unak’s eyes flashed as he spoke. His body was instantly enveloped in dark-crimson energy, and his voice transformed into something deep and heavy, as if echoing up from an abyssal depth.
“……!”
It was Urshus’s voice. Yes. I had heard this voice before.
Even within Granbipra’s protective aura, I felt as if my consciousness was drifting into the distance. Just like that time.
“…It has been a long time, Demon God Urshus.”
I had seen him once before. During the Soul Link Ritual, I had gazed upon one facet of his being. I had faced that colossal flame whose mere sight threatened to incinerate the soul.
What was speaking through Alsh Unak’s body right now was Urshus’s own consciousness. Though the power itself was nowhere near what I had felt then, the trembling of my soul was exactly the same.
—Calm yourself.
Granbipra reached out and stopped me. Without realizing it, I had taken a step toward Alsh Unak. At his action, Alsh Unak—no, Urshus—turned his gaze toward him.
At Urshus’s words, the energy flowing from Granbipra began to surge violently. Though he appeared to show no reaction, his power roared like a savage beast, openly displaying its fury.
A low growl reverberated through the chamber from Granbipra. The human form he had been maintaining gradually blurred, and the shape of a giant serpent slowly overlapped it. He was enraged. I could feel his emotion as clearly as if he were about to destroy both Alsh Unak and the entire temple.
But at that moment, the energy flowing from Alsh Unak grew even denser.
Urshus looked at me as he spoke. That’s right. The reason I had come here in the first place was to rescue Kainaknus. Setting everything else aside, I still hadn’t heard anything about him.
“Where is Kainaknus?”
You?
There was something about that wording that bothered me, but I had to keep the conversation going. Despite having nothing to gain from this, Urshus was far too relaxed. And no matter how much of a god he was, that composure was not simply the arrogance of an absolute being. There was still something left for them.
“What exactly is your goal? Why are you trying to create Dark Priests who follow you again at this point? And what is your relationship with those clones of Ryban?”
The moment his gaze touched me, it felt as if my entire body was burning. Those eyes, and the will contained within the consciousness of Urshus that lay beyond them. Yes. He had not changed at all.
Yes. This was precisely what set Urshus apart from Nyx. While Nyx had sought to destroy the Intermediate Realm, Urshus sought to rule it. He wanted every being in the realm to worship him. A pure, undying desire for domination. That was the very essence of the god of dark-crimson flames, Urshus.
“But why now? Even if the world is unstable and filled with chaos after the Great War, Rowell and the rest of us are still here. No matter how many Dark Priests you gather, how could you possibly rule the Intermediate Realm?”
“Are you talking about Ryban’s clones? That doesn’t sound like the great Urshus. No matter how strong those clones of the Demon Army Commander Ryban may be, do you truly believe they can defeat Rowell and us? The Hero of Light who sent the goddess Nyx into a long slumber, even if imperfectly?”
It was nonsense. Even if Ryban’s clones were stronger than I had anticipated, they couldn’t possibly be stronger than the Demon King. Even considering battle compatibility, could they really compare to Nyx?
Besides, if the forces I had seen and confirmed were everything they had, I was confident that Granbipra and I alone could conquer even this El Nergavil. So how could conquering the entire Intermediate Realm be possible?
“And what is that?”
Of course, I didn’t expect him to answer just because I asked. No matter how absolute his confidence as a god, he had already failed once in the past. He had also witnessed Nyx’s failure. He wouldn’t make the mistake of casually revealing his plans. I had only asked in hopes of drawing out as much information as possible.
But then—