Chapter 354: The King of Ruins in the Wilderness.
Chapter 354: The King of Ruins in the Wilderness.
I push him.
I push him.
I push him.
That single thought is the only thing racing through my mind.
I don’t even know exactly what state I’m in right now.
At some point, the boundary between myself and the world began to feel like it was collapsing.
The more I seize control of this Night of Oil, the duller the concept of "self" becomes, and the narrower the range of my thoughts grows.
From a certain moment, it was no longer a matter of swinging the hand that held the Pry Bar and having force and impact follow.
The very concept of "swinging a hand" vanished; instead, I simply felt power manifest and impact strike wherever I desired.
Like Spatial Severance magic.
However, while magic involves a relationship of cause and effect—the flow of mana, incantations, or Magic Circles—right now, I feel as though an attack imbued with power simply strikes the moment I think of it.
My attacks have become that much faster, more delicate, and more efficient.
Yet, with every action, I feel as though something composing "me" is being stripped away.
The elements that support and maintain me as a human being.
As the concept of swinging a hand vanishes from my existence, the concept of moving my body disappears with it.
When I question the existence of things that aren't being used, doubt begins to bloom regarding the existence of my hands.
Then the existence of my muscles, my flesh, my nerves.
One by one, they are peeled away.
Whether I want it to happen or not.
By doing so, I become stronger. I become faster.
It started with my hands, but the scope of my perception expands.
My torso and legs.
And even my senses and my head.
I can’t tell if my hands or body have truly disappeared.
I don’t even feel like checking, and I’ve come to think that their existence doesn't hold much meaning anyway.
The important thing is that, despite this, I have no problem influencing the outside world.
An attack strikes. An enemy is seen. I reach that spot along with the impact.
Already, the Self-proclaimed Savior is being overwhelmed on all fronts.
He is crushed; he is pummeled.
To block a single attack, he must sacrifice massive amounts of oil and his own terminals.
That is the sheer difference in power that exists here. Even so, why hasn't The Enemy been destroyed yet?
Is it because he is sturdy?
Is that what a "God" is?
Like the Saintess, I do not believe in the existence of gods.
Omnipotence, or at least something close to it.
However, Sentient Beings similar to that must exist.
Beings that reign at the pinnacle of a world and can rewrite its rules.
In our terms, the O-Rank Otherworldly beings that naturally exist in their respective worlds.
Since Otherworld Erosion exists to forcibly overwrite the rules of a world, there must also be beings that modify or interfere with those rules through proper procedures.
The difference would be whether that being is an enemy or an ally of the world.
So, how strong would such a being be?
The only one I’ve seen is The Queen of the Magic Kingdom.
But she was an incomparable existence.
To the me of that time, she was someone I could barely perceive as the outskirts of a massive mountain shrouded in mist.
And now, I hold a fragment of that.
The manifestation of an abstract concept.
The existence of power.
The moment I took it into my hands and wielded it, I came to understand The Queen’s power a little better.
I realized that even thinking I had seen the outskirts of that massive mountain was a joke.
When I reached that place and pushed through the mist, I saw it.
What I had mistaken for the mountain was merely a signpost.
A signpost, larger than any mountain I had ever seen, indicating that the mountain started from here.
The fact that such a gap still exists is the difference between them and me.
The more I see of the fragments and move forward, the more the height of the place where they reside becomes unimaginably distant.
Therefore, there is no point in comparing a god to such beings.
A god is strong.
They are strong simply because they are strong entities.
To think a physical body could withstand that much power.
It is common knowledge that the bodies of Mutants, who use techniques as weapons because they possess intelligence, are usually hundreds or thousands of times weaker than monsters that fight with raw power and flesh.
But this Messiah, who is currently taking my attacks, has already surpassed that realm.
A humanoid body with a frame slightly weaker than the Gray Eater.
I can’t say for sure since this Messiah is the only one I’ve seen existing as the god of a world, but I can at least tell that they are distantly stronger than my usual state.
It’s just that I’ve become stronger than that.
The moment I cast off all restraints and grasped a fragment of The End—no larger than a grain of gold dust dissolved in a river—I simply became stronger than the god of a world.
I can climb even higher.
If I cast off everything that holds me back, I can go faster and higher, into that sky.
Yet, something is still catching my ankle.
What is it?
What is pulling me down?
Since an irreversible gap in power has already been created, I turned my focus away from the battle for a moment.
Introspection.
I became able to view myself with an objective gaze, more so than ever before.
The numerous entanglements within me began to be perceived as something that actually exists.
Emotions, the source of my power.
Memories, which keep me as myself.
The soul of the former Human Male that exists within me.
And the massive root of the Magical Girl that transcends it.
Countless other concepts were revolving like planets around my soul and root.
But something else caught my eye.
Numerous relationships that surrounded and connected my existence like a net.
Friendship, hostility, longing, faith, motivation, envy, interest.
They were connected to me as lines, each with its own color.
The power and density of existence held by these relationships were incomparable to the spheres I possessed myself.
However, something as thin as a spiderweb was spread out endlessly, occupying a massive volume.
If the things that made up the majority of my mass were the size of a fingernail, then these fragile, spiderweb-like relationships, which possessed no meaningful mass, were maintaining my entire body.
A mass nearly approaching 100% occupied a body less than a fraction of an inch.
And over 99% of the space was occupied by the meaningless existence called "relationships."
Is it because of this?
Is this what's hindering my ascent?
Perhaps not.
If I were to erase them, perhaps only that tiny speck of mass would remain.
But there was no need to worry.
They were unnecessary things anyway.
It might be a bit of a shame to see them go, but no problems would arise.
Thinking so, I reached out toward the spiderweb.
I reached out toward my own body.
And the moment I tried to sweep away the dirty webs like I was using a broom—
Slap.
“…?”
Something struck my cheek.
It wasn't that it actually affected me.
To the current me, that level of impact was like the air settling down.
But while the Self-proclaimed Savior was busy getting thrashed by me, who could possibly touch my cheek?
In this Night of Oil where nothing else existed.
Therefore, I stopped my contemplation and looked around.
With the gaze of the sun perched in the sky.
And there, on my indescribable black shoulder, I saw something perched.
Something white and purple.
Beings with color, which I hadn't seen in this black world.
They were shouting something at me.
“■■■■■!”
“■■■■…!”
Doubt bloomed.
Why is there something there?
Why are they alive?
This place is already in the middle of a raging torrent of power.
Whether human or otherwise, anything that stepped in here should have been turned to dust in an instant, leaving not even a scrap of flesh behind.
Therefore, nothing should exist here except for The Savior, who is enduring the attacks, and me.
White and purple. They existed on my shoulder.
They were slapping my cheek and shouting.
As massive questions arose and I focused on them, I was able to perceive their existence a bit more clearly.
A single purple tentacle whose very survival was a mystery, considering it was weak enough to turn to dust from just the wind whipping through this place.
And a White Fur Ball that was using massive amounts of power to cast a Protective Barrier, taking the full brunt of the force to protect that tentacle, its existence fading as its flesh was stripped away in real-time.
…I feel like they had names, but I can’t remember.
They were likely beings that existed during the time I had discarded.
Nevertheless, seeing a faint feeling of advocacy bloom within me, they must have been people close to me.
Those beings were shouting something at me.
They are unnecessary existences.
Therefore, I tried to strike down with my power, as if swatting an annoying bug.
But something inside me stopped me.
Let’s listen to them a bit more.
Isn't that something you can easily do while fighting The Savior?
At those thoughts, everything felt meaningless, but I followed that voice.
I lowered my gaze a bit more and looked at those whispering on my shoulder.
“Pa■■■…!”
“■■! ■■■! ■■!”
I couldn't hear them properly.
I pondered for a moment.
Soon, I realized what was missing.
The things I had thrown into the trash can called the abyss.
The existence of language.
With great effort, I dredged it up.
“End! Corruption! Mind! World destruction! Happiness! No!”
I could hear the clumsy words of one being, composed of simple terms.
“Get a grip! Ha-ram! That’s a path you must not take! Are you planning to kill Yeon and destroy the world too?!”
And the words of another, whose sentences were filled with stupidity and painful emotion.
They were words weaker than anything else.
Words more meaningless than a single gust of wind blowing through this place.
But the moment I accepted them, a massive storm raged inside me.
Countless thoughts bloomed.
I, who had only been aware of becoming stronger and killing The Savior, immediately understood why I was moving and who I was.
Something rapidly withered away inside me.
Like falling to the ground from the fleeting heavens.
Enlightenment and power vanished.
After that momentary lapse—
“…?”
I stared blankly at my hand.
My right hand, holding a Pry Bar that emitted a faint red light.
For a moment, I wondered how it even existed, and I tried to wiggle my fingers.
“…How did I move my fingers again?”
A question so stupid and fundamental emerged as a voice.
“Ah! You’re back to your senses… I thought I was going to die from the pain. By the way, what does ‘Woong-uh-woo-uh-moo-uh-uhng?’ mean?”
At that moment, Un-ho’s stupid voice reached my ears.
“….”
Apparently, my mouth had gone out of commission too.
“A-B-C-D-E-F-G.”
“Ah-muh-doo-pah-bah?”
Dammit.
Wait, The Savior is right there; I don’t have time for this, do I?
Thinking so, I turned my head, which kept tilting in a strange direction.
There stood The Savior, coughing up blood and gasping for breath, his entire body mangled.
He was still standing, but he looked like he’d drop dead if I so much as poked him.
I can leave him alone for a bit.
When did he get wrecked like that?
Thinking so, I refined my voice a bit more.
“Un-ho, how did you get here?”
“What did I do?”
This is going to take a while.
How many more times did we repeat that stupid comedy routine?
After a short while—
“Un-ho, why did you come here?”
“I came to catch a Public Enemy. But when I got here, something that looked like Lee Ha-ram was going on a crazy rampage. I was in the middle of stopping you because I thought you’d kill Yeon and destroy the Earth the moment the Otherworld Erosion was lifted.”
…Aha.
In that moment, I realized what I had been doing.
Obsessed with becoming stronger and beating down the Self-proclaimed Savior, I had erased from my mind why I was catching The Savior and why I was obsessed with strength.
Right now, I’m inside this bizarre space thanks to The Savior’s power.
But the moment I killed The Savior, the Night of Oil would end, and I would descend upon the Earth. What would have happened then?
…Uh. A one-second Earth-shattering, celebratory World Destruction Ending?
Wow, that was a close call.
There’s no way I’d go berserk without thinking of that; I must have been influenced by The Enemy or something.
As I felt a bit awkward and scratched my chin—
“Recovery! Glad! Yeon! Bad!”
The tentacle babbled something. Feeling curious, I tilted my head and spoke.
“Why can I hear what this guy is saying?”
“Huh? You can hear him? I’m not sure about that either. But more importantly, Ha-ram! Grab The Hammer! The Hammer! Hurry!”
“Why?”
I haven't caught The Savior yet.
He’s weakened from the beating, but I can still feel a distant realm that ordinary power can’t match.
As I weakened, The Savior’s power slipped as well.
But the stage I’m at now isn't that broken stage where The Scales were destroyed as I climbed so hard.
It’s a realm where I’ve returned to balanced power.
Of course, I’m fine and The Savior is broken, so I’ll win.
But given The Enemy’s nature, the Pry Bar that absorbs power would be more advanta—
“The others are coming! Do you want to get caught?!”
“No, you should have said that sooner!”
I cut off my thoughts at Un-ho’s words and immediately threw the Pry Bar aside. Then, I grabbed The Hammer.
The moment the Black Particles vanished and yellow particles scattered in their place—
Skreeeeee.
Along with a sound like glass shattering or space cracking—
“Now, where are we this time?”
I heard a familiar voice talking to itself.
“…Why did he come?”
I let out a dumbfounded voice at the arrival of the most unexpected person.
Perhaps reacting to my voice—
“Hmm? Crimson★Hammer! You’re alive! How unfortunate! Then, is that black fellow over there The Savior who captured us?!”
It was Magic Weaver, making a racket as he adjusted his glasses—which were now a single monocle since the frames were broken and the other lens was gone.
The idiot’s clothes were all burnt, leaving only rags that barely covered his body.
In this chaotic situation, while I was momentarily paralyzed by a sense of profound absurdity—
“How… no, why did you come here?”
The Self-proclaimed Messiah asked in a voice that sounded like he was about to die.
Presumably, the question was directed at Magic Weaver.
“I forced my way through with Spatial Magic. And ‘why’? That’s quite a strange question. What exactly are you referring to?”
Magic Weaver replied nonchalantly.
“…My clones should have gone to everyone. There should have been eternal happiness there. The world you desired should have been there. Why didn't you immerse yourself in happiness?”
“Ah, you mean the world where Crimson★Hammer was moved by my passionate lectures, became my disciple, and converted to being a magician? It was quite entertaining.”
…What? What kind of world is that?
No, more importantly, were the others not in this oily mess?
Was it just me?
While I was flustered by the shocking sentence—
“A world where every wish comes true, and everything goes perfectly and cleanly as desired. It was quite beautiful.”
“…I see.”
The conversation continued.
“However, I’m not sure if that’s what happiness is. I do not wish for my desires to simply be granted. I believe in reaching a wall and I desire the happiness of leaping over it.”
“…There would have been such walls there too.”
“Ah, true. The world did feel like a normal daily life. However, there was one problem, which made me realize it wasn't my world.”
“…What was it?”
“Isn't it obvious? It was the existence of Crimson★Hammer. There’s no way that natural disaster would ever listen to me. The moment I realized that and doubted the happiness, you appeared and tried to persuade me… but I have no interest in that kind of happiness. Even if there is only misfortune ahead, I will open the future with my own hands.”
“….”
His sentences are quite long-winded, but that "natural disaster" is right in front of you, you know?
Could you watch your mouth?
Anyway, glad you’re here, Magic Weaver.
“So, do you have any strength left to fight?”
Thinking the conversation between the enemies was over, I approached him and gave him a light nudge as a greeting.
Since there are two of us, I believed we could win, unlike when I was alone.
It had been a 100-vs-100 battle that never seemed to end.
But now, that balance has crumbled.
Un-ho is practically dead, so he doesn't count.
But the fairly powerful Magic Weaver has arrived in the Night of Oil.
With this, we can eliminate the Public Enemy and claim victo—
“Take that stupid hand off me!”
Is this crazy Magic Weaver bastard for real?
Does he want to be killed by a natural disaster?