Chapter 468
Chapter 468
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 468
>Chapter Title: Two Become One
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
Deep within the Sanctuary, in a certain stone chamber.
“Ugh, urgh. Ahh…….”
The Fourth Elder groaned in agony, curled up.
[Give up.]
[You’re taking part in a great undertaking.]
[Think about our position. For you all, it’s like fulfilling that long-cherished wish.]
[Who knows? We might even lend a hand to your wish once our goal is achieved.]
The Fourth Elder wanted to scream at the buzzing voices in his head. He knew it was nonsense, but those voices that shook his soul tempted his heart.
“How dare you... do you even know who I am...!”
The Fourth Elder shouted in a fit, surging with energy. Black magic power overflowed from his core, dominating the surroundings. At the same time, his spirit sharpened acutely.
But the sun and moon occupying a corner of the Fourth Elder’s body merely sneered.
[Who are you, indeed! A fool who sold his soul under the guise of a false god!]
[A pathetic piece of trash deluded into thinking he lives by his own free will while playing puppet master!]
[Uhahaha! You think guys like you were rare in my era?! Pathetic, you fool!]
[Fine, bring it on! Try holding out longer! You’re the only one suffering—think we care?!]
The Fourth Elder felt a skull-splitting pain from the thunderous voices.
As time passed, the wills of the two mysteries grew clearer.
What started as simple intentions and crude wills now wielded them freely.
‘This won’t... do.’
The Fourth Elder, who had manipulated countless people like puppets, knew exactly how dire the situation was.
The only reason he could maintain his reason like this was thanks to his experience handling puppets.
But......
‘......It’s the limit. The limit’s coming soon.’
If they clashed directly over control, he might find a way to turn the tables, but the two mysteries only seized control when truly needed, otherwise retreating like seasoned hunters, watching silently until his strength waned.
Just like now.
“Haa, huuuugh......”
The Fourth Elder clutched his head, gasping in pain. His mind held only one thought.
He had to endure.
Endure.
......For the wish.
[Yes, enduring’s not bad!]
[Good boy!]
The sun and moon encouraged the writhing Fourth Elder as if he were commendable.
Utterly relaxed.
But.
[......This isn’t good, not good at all.]
[Faster than expected, faster.]
When speaking where the Fourth Elder couldn’t hear, the sun and moon’s voices were steeped in worry.
They had awakened abruptly sensing the Reverse Heaven’s energy, but its master had arrived far sooner than anticipated.
In their haste, they had seized this body......
[Our opponent is the Reverse Heaven. It’s unsettling.]
[The avatar’s almost complete...... Just a hundred more years......]
[It’s all those stupid hermits’ fault.]
[They don’t even know the sacrifices we’ve made to destroy that cursed Reverse Heaven. All they care about is their own rest.]
[The foolish Indurance was the biggest problem. They couldn’t join our grand cause and ended up causing this mess.]
If not for him, the avatar would have been complete long ago.
He delayed the avatar’s completion, and now he was handing fragments to the Reverse Heaven’s master and leaking useless information.
This body was decent enough, but the unease was unavoidable.
But.
[In the end, the great undertaking will succeed.]
[The Reverse Heaven will vanish.]
The two knew it. The fragments the Reverse Heaven’s master currently held were few, and those few were nearly depleted of power.
The only one to watch was the fragment just obtained.
And after destroying the Reverse Heaven......
[We will be free.]
[We will be free.]
Their voices overlapped as one, resounding.
That was when it happened.
[They’re moving.]
The ‘Hands’ dominating the Sanctuary were pushed back by the grand magicians’ spells. Truly astonishing.
Magic shouldn’t harm the ‘Hands’ at all.
But.
[They’ve figured out the avatar’s weakness.]
[Even this is useful information.]
In any case, the chance of the grand magicians pushing back the ‘Hands’ and reaching the deep control room of the magic circle was slim.
It seemed effective, but it was just a trick.
Yet, for some reason.
[......Hm?]
[What?]
The sun and moon tilted their heads at the odd movements of the grand magicians. To disable the ‘Hands’’ magic immunity, they naturally had to head deeper.
But the grand magicians were heading in the exact opposite direction from the stairs to the depths.
The sun and moon couldn’t understand.
[What are they doing now......]
[What?! No way?]
At the moon’s cry, the sun asked.
[What is it? Do you know?]
[Heh heh, looks like they’re up to something stupid. Don’t you get it?]
[What......]
[The direction they’re heading.]
Hearing that, the sun exclaimed ‘Ah!’ It understood what the moon meant.
The place the grand magicians headed—if it was toward the depths—was the control room of the ‘White Magic Circle’.
In other words, they were heading upward from the White Magic Circle control room.
[Trying to collapse the floor?]
[Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous.]
Clever, but utterly futile.
The upper levels might be different, but the deep structures were indestructible. Collapsing the upper floor to drop into the depths was impossible from the start.
But it wasn’t incomprehensible.
[Can’t blame them.]
[Tsk tsk. Yeah, it’s the obvious choice.]
Grand magicians.
Those who had reached transcendence.
A realm no one in the sun and moon’s lifetime had dreamed of, and even now, worthy of being called absolutes.
True transcendents.
They believed they could bend even nature to their will......
[Trash like this architecture.]
[They probably think it’s no big deal.]
The sun and moon closed their eyes, sharing the ‘Hands’’ vision. They savored the view, anticipating the grand magicians’ twisted faces.
Yet, for some reason.
Having cleared the path to the designated spot, the grand magicians withdrew.
Leaving just one behind.
And who was that one?
[......The Reverse Heaven’s master?]
[Hmm, trying to collapse the floor with the fragment’s power?]
As they thought that far.
Roar—!
The sun and moon tilted their heads at the flames the Reverse Heaven’s master ignited.
[The fragment’s power is there, but......]
[......It’s not that impressive?]
The fragment’s power in the flames was faint. Barely the minimum, really.
Of course, faint or not, as fragment power, it would show might beyond normal magic, but still......
That was when it happened.
Boom—!
[......What?!]
[......!]
The sun and moon couldn’t hide their bewilderment at the monstrous explosion. Judging by the shock transmitted to the Fourth Elder’s body, this wasn’t from the upper levels—it was from the depths.
The sun and moon hurriedly checked the upper levels through a ‘Hand’’s vision. Just in case the floor had been breached.
......But no.
The upper levels, where the Reverse Heaven’s master stood, looked exactly the same as before. The only difference was......
The magic.
Yes, the magic that had bloomed in his hand had vanished.
Meanwhile, in the depths......
[......The White Magic Circle control room’s been destroyed.]
[Th-this......]
It was enough to make ghosts wail.
The White Magic Circle control room suddenly destroyed?
The sun and moon fell silent for a moment before accepting the situation.
An incomprehensible phenomenon.
But then, perhaps it was only natural.
Their opponent was none other than the Reverse Heaven’s master.
Against the master of a grimoire that defied the natural order, this was hardly special.
[Heh heh, can’t just watch leisurely anymore.]
[We need to hurry.]
With the White Magic Circle destroyed, the ‘Hands’’ swarm was shredded helplessly by the grand magicians’ spells.
Three stages of the magic circles remained, so magic immunity wasn’t fully gone, but the grand magicians were grand magicians.
Those who found ways to dismantle the ‘Hands’ even at peak immunity—how much easier now with weakened immunity.
As expected.
Kagagagak—!
The ‘Hands’ were shredded by wind, burned by fire, clearing a path helplessly for the grand magicians.
Their destination was......
The depths.
The sun and moon gazed at the approaching grand magicians, then turned to the Fourth Elder, who was sharpening his mind while curled up.
[You’ve held out plenty.]
[Time to disappear now.]
“N-No, no......!”
The Fourth Elder screamed at the encroaching touch of the sun and moon. But the Fourth Elder’s soul was merely ordinary.
Even as a gold horse master with a tougher soul than commoners, it couldn’t compare to the two reborn as mysteries.
And so.
‘Ah, aah...... aaahhhh!’
Zzzzt, zzzzzzt—!
The Fourth Elder’s soul was mercilessly torn apart by the sun and moon’s touch.
In a way, a peaceful end.
Utterly peaceful compared to the atrocities he inflicted on the souls of those he turned into puppets.
And so.
“Looks like we’ll need some time to adjust.”
“Indeed.”
The Fourth Elder’s voice split into two. How human vocal cords could do this was unknown.
A truly bizarre sight.
Not just that.
The Fourth Elder’s two eyes scanned in different directions, as if each held a separate will.
For a moment......
“Hm, it’s, hard.”
“Been, a while.”
Stagger, stagger.
The creaking Fourth Elder, standing in place, stumbled a few times before standing straight and balancing.
Hop, hop.
A few jumps in place.
Squeeze.
A few clenches of the fist.
Soon......
“Got it.”
“Let’s go.”
The sun and moon, now as the Fourth Elder, staggered forward.
The depths dominated by the ‘Hands’.
With their unsteady steps, the ‘Hands’ parted like waves, opening a path.
The sun and moon crossed the corridor, stumbling and rising repeatedly. Where the united two headed was none other than.
The Sanctuary’s core.
There, fragments awaited.
Two Reverse Heaven fragments.
“Ah, this body’s pretty good.”
“Hope it can withstand the fragments too.”
“It’ll be enough. And this was the best body available.”
“True enough.”
Higher realms meant tougher bodies but spirits too strong to seize. Lower realms meant weaker bodies but spirits easy to take.
The Fourth Elder was the highest level body they could seize.
No better choice existed.
“An avatar would’ve been better.”
“After catching the Reverse Heaven’s master, we’ll have plenty of time.”
“Sleeping for a century sounds nice.”
“Freedom will outlast the years of oppression.”
The two dreamed of a vast blue sky.
A wide, blue sky where they could flap their wings freely.
And so.
“......It’s been a while.”
“......Yeah.”
The two grasped the Reverse Heaven fragments.
Higher realms meant tougher bodies but spirits too strong to seize. Lower realms meant weaker bodies but spirits easy to take.
The Fourth Elder was the highest level body they could seize.
No better choice existed.
“An avatar would’ve been better.”
“After catching the Reverse Heaven’s master, we’ll have plenty of time.”
“Sleeping for a century sounds nice.”
“Freedom will outlast the years of oppression.”
The two dreamed of a vast blue sky.
A wide, blue sky where they could flap their wings freely.
And so.
“......It’s been a while.”
“......Yeah.”
The two grasped the Reverse Heaven fragments.