Chapter 257: Secret Research (3)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 257: Secret Research (3)
I silenced the sound.
Instinct dredged up the memory. The face that had so often haunted my nightmares overlapped with the woman standing before me… Dorothy…
…The one who had lost her life alongside the Floating Island.
I hadn’t been able to protect her.
I realized instinctively that this woman was the Dorothy I had first met.
[Hello, Benefactor.]
This has to be a hallucination.
“Dorothy…”
Dorothy Gale walked toward me across the Icy Lake. With every step, ripples fanned out across the still waters—waters so cold that not even the biting wind could freeze them.
Her flowing white dress remained immaculate, untouched by the rain of blood. The starlight magic radiating from her skin repelled the crimson droplets.
She looked noble, almost sacred.
I used to call Dorothy a goddess as a joke, but the woman before me truly embodied the concept.
Dorothy stopped in front of me. Though she looked older, her beauty was unchanged. Her lips were a vivid crimson, as if painted with lipstick, and her eyes held mysterious nebulae where new stars were being born.
[I hope this message reaches you someday.]
“…?”
[This isn't a conversation, so even if you speak, I can only say what I must. As long as the Evil God lives, this is all I can transmit to your world. I apologize for being unable to help you properly.]
Of course… I expected as much.
In the book Dorothy Gale had written, she mentioned being “on the verge of losing her mind.” Therefore, the Dorothy before me had to be a version of her from the past.
It seemed one of the reasons she told me to find Aria was to deliver this message to me.
There was no way the entities in the Nether hadn't noticed Aria’s audacious research into the truth. Dorothy must have exploited the rift Aria created in the Nether.
I recalled the passage on page five of that mysterious book. It stated that if any god intervened in this world, the Evil God’s “victory” would be guaranteed. I hadn't understood what it meant then, but that explained why she had to leave a message instead of acting directly.
I silently faced Dorothy.
[I do not remember who you are. But I know you tried to save me. I know you saw me as a woman, and that you loved me. So, I dressed up a little. How do I look…?]
Dorothy toyed with her hair, looking bashful.
How does she look? She looks breathtakingly adorable.
[Ahem, putting that aside…]
Dorothy cleared her throat and looked to the side.
[This is the Icy Lake. The end of all places. The very bottom of all places. It is somewhere far, far away from where you are.]
The Icy Lake was choked with icebergs. A colossal hole gaped in the sky above, filled with nothing but pitch-black void.
The lake emitted a radiant mana, making the area as bright as high noon.
The rain of blood couldn't taint the Icy Lake; the water remained as clear as a summer sky, and every drop that hit the surface simply sank into the depths.
The juxtaposition of the macabre sky and the ethereal lake was hauntingly beautiful, evoking a sense of mystery and awe.
[Anyway, let us get to the main point.]
Dorothy looked at me again, her expression turning serious.
[It is sad to say, but if things continue like this, you will be unable to defeat the Evil God.]
What?
[You must be confused… Let me explain this first. High-ranking demons are born with innate abilities. The Evil God is no exception.]
In the game Magic Knight of Märchen, the Evil God’s specific abilities were never disclosed. It was simply presented as overwhelmingly powerful, and its unique traits remained a mystery throughout the boss battles.
What kind of power would the pinnacle of all demons possess?
[The power the Evil God possesses is the ‘Authority of Godslaying.’ If a god sets foot in your world, the Evil God can instantly take their life, absorb them, and grow even stronger. All gods are at a disadvantage against the Evil God. That is why no one can offer you direct aid.]
“…”
What kind of broken ability is that?
It sounded absurd, yet it made sense. In the game’s subjugation battles, the gods never intervened. Only the Lord, the Heavenly God, and the Evil God were ever mentioned, and even the Lord was mostly a religious figure. There had never been an opportunity for the Evil God’s ability to manifest.
Hearing that, I finally understood why divine beings remained idle while the world perished, and why the Evil God’s victory was certain if a god intervened.
[If the Evil God revives, everything will be over. Someone has to defeat it, and that someone must not be a god. That is why you were chosen—though I do not know the criteria for your selection.]
Dorothy extended her right index finger. Above it, a cluster of stars formed a vivid, tiny figure of the Evil God, looking like a small doll.
[But in the countless futures the gods peered into, there was no path to victory. Your initial defeat was inevitable. So, the gods devised a plan.]
Dorothy extended her left index finger, forming another cluster of stars.
The starlight sculpted a second figure of the Evil God. She then clenched her right fist, crushing the first figure she had created.
[To reverse time entirely and find a way to avert that certain doom.]
Reverse time?
[They say a being exists here with the power to control time. It is currently sealed by the Evil God and unable to move, but when the Evil God destroyed everything, the seal was broken. I heard it has already reversed time once.]
A being that can reverse time.
I remembered the system window I saw during the Trial of Sandstone. It had told me to survive until the "reset."
The being that made that possible was now here, in the Icy Lake.
[There was a massive risk that you would be defeated by the Evil God and somehow have to survive, but fortunately, things turned out well.]
First attempt, second attempt.
Those terms were just a way for me to process what was happening.
Even the act of reversing time was a calculated step toward the Evil God's defeat. It wasn't a "retry"; it was a continuation.
I couldn't grasp every detail, but Dorothy’s explanation cleared many of my doubts.
[The reversal of time doesn't affect someone like me. I think I have become something… extraordinary after my death. Though, calling myself a ‘person’ doesn't feel right anymore.]
Dorothy gave a forced laugh.
Even if everyone else’s time had gone back, hers hadn't.
Recalling the abilities I’d seen her use, it wasn't hard to deduce what she had become. One of the requirements for reaching transcendence is death.
By using [Last Light of a Dying Star], she had lost her life. Dorothy had become a being similar to the Candy House Witch from the story Gretel loved.
[I remember meeting someone after I died. Everything I am telling you now—including your circumstances—was explained to me by them. But no matter how hard I try, I cannot remember who it was…]
It had to be “Higgs.” The developers of Magic Knight of Märchen. Who else could it be?
I couldn't understand why Dorothy couldn't recall her conversation partner. Did Higgs deliberately make her forget? Or did she simply lose the memory? If it was the former, what was the reason?
[Anyway, I promised to help you. And when I woke up, the time in your world had already been reversed once.]
Dorothy placed her hand over her heart.
[I was the one who sent the Primordial Magic Beast from the Icy Lake to assist you. It was a free entity, unbound by anything. I believed it could become your strength, and it chose to serve you as its master of its own accord.]
In the first timeline, the Floating Island was never conquered.
However, in this second life, thanks to the Primordial Beast of Ice, Daikan, serving as my familiar, I was able to subjugate the Floating Island.
How was that possible?
Dorothy was telling me that she was the answer.
I, who had tried to save Dorothy, was instead being saved by the Dorothy standing before me—all so I could defeat an unbeatable enemy.
[Did you manage to save me?]
Dorothy was just a character in a game.
[Actually, if you don’t mind… there is one thing I really want to know.]
Dorothy had lost everything.
[Are the two of you in love now?]
Yet she still asked me with a sly, playful smile.
My fists clenched, and a lump formed in my throat. Her question felt like a sharp awl piercing my chest.
[Nihihi. Unfortunately, I cannot hear your answer anyway…]
Dorothy stepped closer. Her expression suddenly turned grave.
[But even with the Primordial Magic Beast, you will still face defeat at the hands of the Evil God. No matter how many strong comrades you gather, no matter how powerful the Child of Light becomes. While the situation improves the stronger you get, it is still not enough to defeat the Evil God as you are.]
So, in the end, it was Higgs who transmigrated me into this world and told her that?
“Then what am I supposed to do?”
If I can’t defeat the Evil God even after sacrificing the Dorothy in front of me and going through hell, what is the point?
In Magic Knight of Märchen, Ian defeated the Evil God. Did they just nerf the difficulty for the game, or what?
A surge of frustration boiled within me.
[I am not saying there is no hope. I am telling you that there are two ways to increase your chances of winning. These are the methods I have heard of. It is my mission to convey them to you.]
Dorothy lowered her eyes.
[This is… something that could not be recorded in a book.]
If it were in a book, someone might see it. She was about to discuss something so vital or so cruel that even the slightest risk of exposure had to be eliminated.
After a brief pause, Dorothy spoke.
[The first method is the most realistic. If successful, your chances of winning will increase significantly. It is also the reason I gave you the power to save another version of me.]
I had a terrible feeling about this.
[You must strike the Evil God with [Last Light of a Dying Star].]
“Absolutely not.”
I rejected it instantly.
The condition for casting that 9-star starlight spell was Dorothy’s life.
Sacrifice the Dorothy I had finally managed to save in the final battle? Was the power of the Primordial Magic Beast given to me just to create the option of sacrificing her?
I couldn't accept it. I would never accept it.
[…You probably will not agree.]
Dorothy seemed to have already guessed my reaction. Even if she didn't remember who I was, she remembered that I loved her.
[But the second method is nearly impossible.]
“Tell me.”
Since the first method involved sacrificing Dorothy, it was out of the question. The second method was my only choice.
[The second method is for you to come to the Icy Lake.]
“This place?”
[To come here while still alive and obtain the ultimate ice magic.]
Dorothy continued.
Take your living body, defy the laws of truth, and descend into the Nether.
Everything in the Nether will hunt you.
Even the Nether King will stand in your way.
You must throw yourself into hell.
Defeat the gatekeeper, the Primordial Ice Sovereign Veronica Aslius, and reach the Icy Lake.
There, you will meet the Transcendent Being sealed by the Evil God and master the ultimate ice magic.
That is the only way to increase your chances of victory without sacrificing anyone.
The second method.
[That is all I wanted to say. I hope this message reaches you.]
Dorothy stepped back and stared at me silently for a long moment.
She seemed lost in thought. Since this was a hallucination, no status window appeared; I simply gazed back into her mysterious eyes.
[Well then.]
Finally, Dorothy waved a hand in farewell, turned around, and began walking toward a small house.
I watched her back, my mind racing.
Suddenly, Dorothy stopped and let out a small, “Ah.”
[Let me emphasize one thing.]
She turned back to look at me.
[Never trust her—the one who helps you in the most intuitive manner.]
“What?”
As I expected, there was no reply.
Dorothy hurried her steps. As she walked away, the vision of the Icy Lake receded and dissolved into shadow.
Soon, my vision was filled with pitch-black darkness.
“…Isaac!”
Then, a familiar voice called out.
“Isaac!”
“…!!”
I snapped my eyes open.
The first thing I saw was Aria Lilias, her face etched with worry as she looked down at me.