Chapter 119: The Power to Erase the World, The Power to Sustain the World (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 119: The Power to Erase the World, The Power to Sustain the World (3)
Jin was the last to realize that Klam had descended.
The others had already been waiting for him to wake up for about five minutes, the situation having been settled long ago.
Was everything I just saw an illusion?
It was staggering. The sensation of the shard piercing his chest and the vividness of coughing up handfuls of blood as he collapsed had felt so real. In fact, standing here now, perfectly fine, felt more like a lie.
Then did I lose consciousness the moment Priestess Laosa began to walk on her own?
He was right. Jin had sustained a fatal wound and lost consciousness at that very moment. Now, however, all his injuries—including the mana backflow—had vanished without a trace.
His body felt light, as if it had been washed clean. Reflexively, he pinched his cheek. He felt the sting of pain.
Seeing this, Siris let out a small laugh.
"Just a second ago, you were acting like a man prepared for his final moments. I guess you do value your life after all?"
"You were trying to save me too, Lady Siris. When I collapsed…"
"What are you talking about? I never did that. Besides, the moment you fell, that god descended and ended everything."
Jin gave an awkward smile.
It seems this god, Klam, only showed me a vision of what would have happened if things went wrong.
The others hadn't experienced that ‘possibility’ as he had. Still, Jin felt grateful, believing that even if it had been reality rather than a vision, Siris would have acted the same way.
"Hmm. Honestly, I was wondering what that Runcandel brat was relying on to be so reckless. To think he’d actually summon a god… Daughter, your boyfriend is quite the schemer for his age, isn't he?"
Talaris mistakenly believed that Klam’s descent had been part of Jin’s calculations. Siris thought the same, and both were inwardly impressed.
Sensing the mood, Jin felt a little embarrassed, but there was a mountain of things to confirm before he could correct them.
"Murakan! What about Murakan!?"
"I'm fine, you damn, miserable brat! I thought you were going to die!"
Murakan, his face contorted with anger as he spat out curses, was still clutching his chest in relief even though Jin was now perfectly fine.
It truly had been a close call.
If the ancient god, Klam, had not descended, their journey would have ended today.
After berating Jin for a while, Murakan whipped his head around to glare at Klam.
"So, who might you be? Judging by the authority you're wielding, you're no minor god from some forgotten corner. Yet, your energy is completely absent from my memories."
Murakan was not particularly well-disposed toward Klam.
Having encountered numerous gods during his prime with Solderet, he believed that when a god caused an anomaly, it was usually to set the stage for their own gain.
"Hah, look at that wrecked flagship over there. All those Zipple geniuses are unconscious on the ground… If you had this much power, there must be a reason you only showed up now. Tell me, what do you want from the kid?"
Everywhere Murakan pointed, mages could be seen unconscious from mana backflow. The six Red Dragons that had accompanied them were also passed out, unable to withstand the surge.
Klam had used his authority to trigger the backflow. Instead of answering, he pulled a small mirror from his robes.
The mirror!?
In Jin’s past life, that mirror was the holy object that had fallen into Zipple’s hands, allowing them to mass-produce countless 7-star mages.
[I have been waiting for the one who would receive this. The Thousand-Year Contractor Solderet spoke of—that boy.]
As Klam looked toward Jin, everyone’s gaze shifted to him. The people of Colon, who had been bowing their heads to one side, also stole glances at Jin.
[I was once the god who governed all the mana in the world. However, when I reached a point where I could no longer withstand my own power and nearly destroyed the world, I used Solderet’s help to seal myself within this mirror.]
"I've never heard such a story from Solderet. Nor have I ever heard that there was a separate God of Magic."
[I shall show you a piece of evidence you cannot doubt, Black Dragon.]
As soon as Klam finished speaking, the surface of the mirror began to darken.
Something then seemed to squirm, trying to escape from within, but the black power gathering on the surface forcibly suppressed it.
That black energy was none other than Spirit Energy. Moreover, it was so dense and powerful that even Murakan in his prime would not have been able to handle it.
"Solderet’s seal…?"
Murakan had personally witnessed Solderet sealing many powerful beings in the past, but he had never seen a seal this potent.
Wiping the look of bewilderment from his face, Murakan nodded.
"It seems your claim about nearly destroying the world wasn't a lie… I think I get the gist of it. The seal is gradually weakening, isn't it? That's why you were waiting for someone who could maintain it."
[Correct. What this seal holds back is the source of infinite mana—which is me. And that endlessly expanding mana could erase this entire world at any moment…]
Klam gave a bitter smile.
If mana became more abundant than air, no living creature in the world would be able to breathe.
[Thus, I asked Solderet to imprison me within this mirror. I then gave the mission of protecting it to the people of Colon, who served me at the time.]
"Why on earth did you entrust such a heavy task to such weaklings? Do you have any idea how much those people have suffered over the last few hundred years?"
[…At that time, which was near the beginning of the world, those people were quite dominant. By the standards of that era, they were among the strongest tribes of humanity.]
Surprisingly, the distant, ancient ancestors of the Colon people had been the overlords of a primitive age.
[Furthermore, since I was sealed, I could not provide them with proper guidance. I couldn't advise them to develop technology or build a better civilization to remain powerful.]
While even the Colon people were left speechless, Klam spoke again.
[But in the end, my choice was correct. For the Thousand-Year Contractor Solderet spoke of has finally found me.]
Klam stepped toward Jin.
[Take it, Jin Runcandel.]
As Jin took the mirror, the Spirit Energy swirling on its surface quickly settled.
He felt it instantly—the moment he touched it, the massive Spirit Energy used for the seal and the infinite mana trying to escape it began to flow through his body like an electric current.
Just by touching it.
Two immense powers, far too great to handle, were rampaging through his entire body.
[What you are holding is the power that sustains the world: Solderet’s seal.]
The information Jin had obtained about the 'mirror' in his past life had not included this. He had only heard that it was a broken artifact that boosted mana just by looking at it.
This is more a disaster than an artifact.
Mana was surging through his fingertips with insane intensity. It felt as though he could obtain 7-star mana just by holding it for a few days.
But every time the mana rises, the seal loosens ever so slightly.
It was a sensation that could never be felt by anyone who didn't use Spirit Energy.
If I use this thoughtlessly and the seal breaks, that will be the end of everything.
That was what the Zipple of his past life had done.
While they were creating thousands of mass-produced mages, the seal must have been continuously loosening. By the time they had created tens of thousands, a problem would have surely arisen.
"Am I to protect this now, instead of the people of Colon?"
[To be precise, the people of Colon were merely keeping safe something that no one but you could protect.]
"It is an excessively heavy duty. I have watched those who served you suffer for a long time without any reward. And I have no intention of doing the same."
At that, Klam nodded.
[You are right. As a god, I have done nothing for the humans who served me. That was unavoidable since I was sealed, but your case is different.]
"How is it different?"
[Solderet’s seal. It is not a mere seal; it is also a gift Solderet prepared for you.]
"This seal is?"
[That seal is a masterpiece Solderet created by pouring all his authority into it when his power was at its absolute peak. It is not merely dense Spirit Energy; it is, in a sense, a part of Solderet himself.]
"…The reward I was originally supposed to receive was for Priestess Laosa to summon Solderet once."
That child said that because she does not know you are living your second life. Nor does she know how you were able to enjoy two lives.
Klam swallowed those words and met Jin’s eyes.
[It seems she overreached to gain your help. How could that child summon a being that even the Black Dragon beside you cannot call upon?]
Jin’s connection with Solderet had been severed just before his death in his previous life.
Murakan’s connection had been severed immediately after his defeat by Temar a thousand years ago. Unlike other common contractors or guardian dragons, the two of them were currently receiving no divine protection or care.
[In that sense, your fate and that of the Colon people share some similarities. Perhaps that is why you cared so much for them.]
Klam bowed his head once toward Jin.
Seeing this, Talaris looked utterly stunned. None of the gods she had met in person had ever bowed to a human.
[I offer my deepest gratitude to you for saving those who served me in my stead. Now, they shall be liberated from their mission…]
Before Jin could respond, Klam’s body began to turn transparent, like salt dissolving in a flowing river.
The manifestation was coming to an end, which meant Laosa’s body was also disappearing.
"Klam! Priestess Laosa!"
Jin tried to grab Laosa’s fading body, but her form vanished completely before his hand could reach her.
The only reason Klam, whose every power was sealed, could manifest even for a moment was because Laosa had offered herself as a sacrifice.
"…Hmm, I see. So you were Solderet’s contractor. I’ve certainly overheard some very interesting things. I’ve also seen a god bow to a human for the first time."
Jin flinched and looked at Talaris.
Though the situation had been unavoidable, it was true that the Secret Palace had learned several of his secrets through this incident.
"Lady Talaris."
"Shall we get out of here for now? Those mages look like they’ll wake up within a few hours. And I think that thing is about to crash."
Her finger pointed toward the sky, where the half-destroyed Kozec was slowly sinking toward the ground.