Chapter 245
Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 245
Chapter Title: Part 2 Chapter 18: Savior (2)
Isis doubted her own ears.
'Who?'
Diablo Volpir.
It was a name she'd never heard before, but she instinctively knew it belonged to the one she'd been searching for all this time.
And 66666 years.
The first time she'd encountered that number was over a thousand years ago.
Back when Isis had just come of age.
She had snuck out of her clan into the outside world and, during her travels, stumbled upon a certain stele by chance.
The stele was ancient, fused so completely with the surrounding rock that it was impossible to tell how long it had stood there.
Ancient script was carved into it.
Though faded and merged with the stone, making it hard to read, as the princess of Ran, she had mastered ancient languages from childhood.
It took time, but she deciphered it all—and for the first time in her life, she was struck with overwhelming shock.
[The ancient gods perished, and even the world's final guardian vanished. As the world crumbled under the twelve absolutes, I record this on this stone tablet. Countless races, humans included, will fall into slavery. Their will shall not reach the heavens but plummet to the depths, their current humiliation forgotten by the world. Yet those who inherit the 'Final Prophecy' will leave traces of the last guardian scattered across the world. In a distant future, after worlds have repeated several times, the last guardian shall reappear. In the world 66666 years after the day the last guardian vanished, humanity shall gain another chance to rise. Discoverer of this tablet, press on. Your destination is 'Garmon.' Await the savior there.]
That day marked the true beginning of Isis's journey.
And now.
Before her eyes stood one claiming to be the last guardian—the savior.
She gazed at Jamie.
His image still overlapped with that black-haired man.
Cautiously, she asked,
"...Are you really the last guardian?"
"There was a time when I was called that."
When Diablo Volpir, defeated in the Fourth Great War, reemerged armed with black mana, there were forces that followed him.
But Diablo paid them no mind.
There was no reason to.
Already scarred by the deaths and betrayals of comrades, his faith in bonds had crumbled.
He resolved to slay the 12 Gods alone, without anyone's aid.
Separate from him, his followers dubbed him the last guardian, humanity's final bastion.
To Diablo at the time, it mattered little.
"Hah. Looks like it's true."
Isis's head throbbed.
He was the savior she'd awaited so long, but she never imagined meeting him like this.
And...
'Reincarnated?'
Jamie had said he was born with black mana.
That made his earlier words a lie, and from Isis's perspective, it only made it harder to believe Jamie Welton was truly the savior.
She had never heard of 'reincarnation.'
Yet the black-haired man overlapping with him seemed undeniably real—Diablo Volpir.
Seeing her confusion, Jamie spoke.
"I get it. Suddenly changing my story must be giving you a headache. But I am the real deal. Diablo Volpir, returned from that abyss to kill the 12 Gods."
"...It's not that I don't believe you."
"Your face says otherwise."
"Honestly... yeah. Don't get the wrong idea. It's not that I think you're lying. It's just... there are reasons I can't."
"Related to that 'him' you mentioned?"
"How did you know?"
Isis's eyes widened in surprise, but Jamie replied nonchalantly.
"I saw you mouthing it earlier."
"Oh, lip-reading. I was so shocked I muttered it without thinking."
Isis sighed at her mistake and nodded.
"Right. If you've reincarnated, he couldn't possibly not know."
"Who is this 'he'?"
"..."
Isis didn't answer.
She still couldn't fully trust Jamie.
He understood.
Even he wouldn't believe it easily if the roles were reversed—especially with reasons not to.
"Then I'll just have to convince you."
Jamie extended his hand.
Isis flinched but didn't pull away, sensing no hostility.
He placed his hand on her head and transmitted memories, just as he had with Siegfried.
Isis's eyes grew wider.
A flood of memories poured into her mind.
Countless defeats and victories, then more defeats, despair, sorrow, rage, hatred, vengeance, malice, and finally... emptiness.
An endless vortex of emotions overwhelmed her spirit.
Though she'd lived over a thousand years, these were emotions no single human lifetime should bear, and she struggled to process them.
Tears streamed from her eyes.
When Jamie removed his hand, she collapsed to the ground.
Isis slowly lifted her head to look at him.
The black-haired man no longer overlapped.
"It really is you. Diablo Volpir."
"Jamie Welton now."
Jamie smiled as he spoke, and Isis shook her head helplessly.
Then, with a serene expression, she comforted him.
"You've been through a lot until now."
Jamie simply nodded at the solace from one who had inherited his will.
"Speaking formally doesn't suit me. So drop the honorifics."
"Huh."
Normally, her inner grump would kick in, scolding him for his insolence, but Jamie Welton was only 13.
She had no intention of factoring in his past life's age, so she agreed.
"Keep my secret to yourself."
"Got it."
She could guess the reason, so Isis didn't argue.
The more people who knew Jamie Welton was Diablo Volpir, the easier the secret would leak.
And then the 12 Gods would move to eliminate him.
"So, who is this 'he' exactly?"
Jamie couldn't fathom it.
How could anyone detect another's reincarnation?
Reincarnation involved the soul.
Tracking soul flows might reveal it, but even as a grand necromancer, Jamie could assert it was impossible.
Soul flows weren't something that could be tracked.
Not even by the 12 Gods.
"Hard to explain."
"What is it?"
"He's an astonishing being, just like you. Frontier was founded because of him, and it grew this large only with his help."
"What kind of guy is he...?"
"An ancient god."
Jamie fell silent.
Isis continued.
"No name. He said it was 'taken.' His memories too. But one thing he knew."
She pointed at Jamie.
"Your resurrection."
"..."
"He knew you'd resurrect someday. And that he could sense the moment."
"Where is he?"
"Garmon."
The place mentioned in Gannon's diary.
The very destination Jamie had been seeking—named by Isis.
"Right here."
It was barren land.
The sinner hung in midair, limbs bound.
Why was he bound here?
He didn't know.
More precisely, he couldn't remember.
It was too long ago; he didn't even recall what had happened.
There was no suffering.
The time for torment had passed long ago.
Instead, he felt only a trivial wonder if escaping wouldn't feel awkward.
But one thing the sinner knew.
"When will he revive?"
In the past century, several souls had taken new life.
The most recent was 15 years ago.
A woman's soul, wandering for tens of thousands of years, finally found a new body.
Reincarnation wasn't easy.
Normally, souls dissipated within hours of death.
But powerful souls lingered longer, and the lucky ones boarded the 'Soul Stream.'
Even on the Soul Stream, reincarnation wasn't guaranteed.
Most became part of its vast flow.
Souls escaping to new bodies fell into one category.
"So many desperate ones in the recent century."
The sinner chuckled from his bonds.
Souls more desperate than any.
He didn't know what drove them, but their fervor escaped even the Soul Stream, leading to reincarnation.
At that level, 'desperate' fell short.
Craving. Obsession.
Even those words weren't enough.
Emotions persisting for tens of thousands of years in soul form—unfathomable even to gods.
"Gods?"
The old man cackled at the word.
Then a thought struck him, and he looked up.
"Why hasn't he revived?"
Still alive?
Impossible to survive from primordial darkness to now.
Yet he hadn't sensed the soul departing.
It was time to reemerge.
"But why must he?"
The sinner retained no old memories.
This instinct was etched in him, but not the specifics.
Day by day, memories faded.
Lately, worse—lost every few days.
But he didn't mind.
He was used to it.
"Heh heh heh. Heh heh heh heh."
The sinner—forgotten ancient god by all—laughed merrily at some amusement.
Then space tore open.
"Isis? Is that you, Isis?!"
The sinner cried out joyfully.
The only visitor here was Isis, princess of Ran.
Even he remembered her.
Because of their 'contract.'
Isis stepped through the rift.
She waved at him.
"Hey, old timer~ I'm here."
"Oh! Isis! Why so late?!"
"Forgot already? I said I was going to Lady Kaironseira's."
"Kaironseira? What's that? Food?"
"Fine, forget it. Anyway, I brought a friend I want you to meet. I think you'll like him."
"A friend?"
The sinner tilted his head.
Then Jamie emerged from behind Isis.
The sinner's face hardened at the sight.
"Is that an ancient god?"
"Yeah. Looks rough, but his skills are the real deal."
Unaware of the sinner's expression, Jamie continued.
"Why's he hanging in midair?"
"Dunno. Says he sinned long ago but can't remember what. Anyway, introductions: This is Jamie Welton. And this is the nameless old timer."
As Isis introduced them, Jamie stepped closer to the sinner.
He hadn't expected an ancient god to still exist.
They were thought defeated by the 12 Gods before Diablo Volpir was even born.
Most presumed annihilated, yet here was a survivor.
'Weak enough now that 'god' feels embarrassing...'
Still, if truly ancient, reading soul flows wasn't impossible.
Ancient gods were this planet's former masters.
'Nature gods,' toppled by the 12 Gods' invasion.
Involved in life's birth directly or indirectly, they might read soul flows.
Jamie approached the sinner.
The sinner stared silently.
Though puzzled by the gaze, Jamie greeted him.
"Pleased to meet you. I am..."
"Who are you?"
The sinner cut him off, his voice heavier than before.
"How can you exist?"
"...What do you mean all of a sudden?"
"Old timer?"
Isis rushed over at the abrupt tension.
An ominous air stirred.
"He... still exists in primordial darkness. Why are you here?"
The old man stared piercingly at Jamie, incredulous.
"What are you... standing before me now?"