Chapter 628: Second Since Antiquity
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 628: Second Since Antiquity
"Hiss... my head hurts."
Muen opened his eyes. The first thing he saw was still Mela’s youthful and flawless face.
From the corner of his eye, he saw that the terrifying sky-light and scars had already vanished. All that remained were the fragrant tulip petals drifting in the wind. The phantoms of the past were gone; he had returned to the real flower sea.
"Awake?"
Mela looked down at Muen. Her white hair fell forward, brushing against his face and making him feel a slight itch.
"Can I ask a question?"
"Ask."
"Right now... there shouldn't be any more of those magical beasts named Tak popping up, right?" Muen slowly turned his neck, fully savoring the exquisite sensation of the back of his head rubbing against the loli’s thighs. Even the stinging pain in his mind lessened quite a bit.
"..."
Mela’s brow twitched. Surprisingly, she didn't push Muen’s head away immediately. Instead, she suddenly smirked.
"You’ve grown quite bold all of a sudden, kid."
"Not that bold. Just consider it compensation for almost getting me killed, how about that?"
"Is that your excuse for harassing your teacher?"
"What do you mean 'harassing'? This is a sincere plea for my teacher’s tender care."
"Is that so?"
Mela leaned closer to Muen, an indescribable glimmer flickering deep within her crimson eyes. "Since things really did almost get out of hand just now, I suppose I’ll give you some proper 'care.'"
She brushed aside her hanging hair and pressed her slender fingers against Muen’s temples.
Before he could fully appreciate the soft, delicate touch, Muen felt a surge of scorching heat flow from Mela’s fingertips into his brain.
In an instant, the aftereffects of staring directly at an existence one should never look upon began to dissipate rapidly within that heat. In his daze, Muen truly felt as if he were being held in a warm embrace, carefully nurtured.
"Can I ask another question?" Muen asked after letting out a long, relieved breath.
"Ask."
"That Demon God... does He also possess Temporal Authority?"
"Oh?"
Mela tilted her head, a half-smile playing on her lips. "Asking that... are you afraid the Demon God will cross a thousand years of time just to kill you?"
"I'm a little afraid... of something like that."
Muen reached out, chasing a petal and catching it in his palm.
Up until now, he had faced quite a few Evil Gods. He had even stood face-to-face with the true body of the Withered King. But...
He had never felt such lingering fear as he did this time.
The terror of that Demon God far exceeded his imagination. Even a distant glimpse across a thousand years and infinite distance had nearly crushed his soul with endless dread and tremors.
He had been utterly defenseless—more powerless than an ant.
The First Evil God...
For the first time, Muen understood what the "First Evil God" truly meant. He could finally imagine what kind of existence that terrifying Evil God was—the one who had shattered an entire era, a wound from which the world had yet to recover.
He was Doomsday itself.
"Don't worry, the Demon God doesn't have Temporal Authority."
Mela continued to massage Muen’s temples, her tone patronizing as if she were coaxing a child.
"I told you before, didn't I? Only the authorities of Time and Space are held by no deity. Naturally, He cannot possess Time. Besides, if He truly had Temporal Authority, who could possibly seal Him? If an Evil God’s body were to fuel something as unrestrainable as Time, this world would have been destroyed long ago. Would you still be here enjoying my lap pillow?"
"Then why was He able to..."
"It’s simple. He is too strong."
Mela said softly, "The Demon God is strong enough to shake the very foundations of the world. That is why He can, to a certain extent, forcibly break through the constraints of the laws and cast His gaze from a thousand years ago... but it was only a gaze. Even for Him, doing anything more is impossible."
"I see..."
Muen breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, his gaze involuntarily drifted to the baby-fat on Mela’s profile. He remembered that although this old loli looked like a total brat right now, she was one of the people who had faced the Demon God a thousand years ago and successfully dismembered and sealed Him.
"As expected of the strongest Grand Magister in history."
"Are you praising me?"
"Is there a third person here?"
"Hmm... You’re actually quite cute when you’re not being a smart-ass, kid."
Mela rubbed her chin, accepting the praise candidly. But then her tone shifted, and the corners of her mouth curled into a strangely profound arc.
"However... while I am indeed the strongest Grand Magister of the current era, I’m afraid you’re wrong. I am not the strongest in history."
"What?" Muen was stunned.
"If we’re talking about all of history... to put it modestly, I should be ranked second."
"No, calling yourself 'second since antiquity' is the exact opposite of being modest."
Muen’s lip twitched as he deadpanned.
"Is it? But it’s the truth."
Mela shook her head. "Even someone as humble as I must admit to this fact."
"That’s only for now, right? Once you fully complete the artificial authority of the Eternal Clock, surely you’ll be..."
After all, it was something on the level of an artificial divine authority...
"Still no."
"Huh?"
"Even if you count the creation of the Eternal Clock, I can only... be called second."
Mela suddenly looked up, gazing at the artificial sky dome with an extremely complex expression.
Muen followed her gaze and quickly realized she wasn't looking at the ceiling of the flower sea, but at something much higher.
But what else was there in the high heavens besides the boundless void?
"Even the Eternal Clock only places you at second? Then who is the first..."
"That sort of thing, you’ll find out later."
Mela gave Muen’s temple a sharp twist, cutting him off with a wince of pain. "It’s not good to know too much right now."
"Sounds like another one of those massive secrets involving the destruction of the world and the survival of humanity—the kind where you get targeted by some terrifying entity just for knowing it."
"Something like that."
"Then can I ask one more question?"
"You’re awfully talkative today. Is this like a kitten’s stress response after being scared? How pathetic," Mela said, curling her lip in disdain.
"I’d prefer if you called it 'cute.'"
"Please don't use a word like 'cute' to describe yourself, Mr. Muen—you’re six feet tall and have pectoral muscles that rival a gorilla’s."
Mela slapped Muen’s forehead, signaling for him to stop playing dumb and rubbing against her thighs to steal a feel.
"Speak."
"Did you really make me see that thing just to 'train my spiritual power'?"
Muen stared into Mela’s eyes.
"I admit the method is effective, but for you, there must have been better ways. There was no need to make me risk my life staring at that thing."
Getting slapped in the face is an effective way to toughen your skin, but no sane person would use that method.
Not to mention, the danger of this situation was far beyond a few slaps.
One wrong move and your entire soul would be blown away.
"How sharp. Men who are too suspicious aren't popular with girls, you know." Mela lowered her eyelids slightly.
"That’s fine. I feel like I have more than enough 'peach blossom tribulations' as it is."
"...Hah."
Mela sighed softly again.
"Actually, it’s not as complicated as you think. I had you look at Him... simply as a rehearsal for the future."
"A rehearsal?"
Muen’s brow rose as he realized. "So you really don't trust the seal on the Demon God’s remains? You think I’ll actually face the Demon God one day?"
"Who knows?"
Mela remained ambiguous.
"But it’s better to be prepared. In fact, besides us, there are many people in this world preparing for that possible moment. Even me telling you about the Demon Race was to prepare you for your next move."
"No one wants to just sit and wait for death... Wait, what do you mean 'next move'?"
Muen caught the keyword and jolted.
"What does that mean? Am I going to have some kind of run-in with the Demon Race soon?"
"Who knows?"
"Tell me clearly, you damn old loli! Are you going to keep me in the dark about something this important again—"
"Sigh, it’s not that I won't tell you, it’s just that there’s nothing to say. You’ll find out when the time comes."
Mela gave a mischievous grin and flicked her finger.
Before Muen could finish his sentence, he was sent tumbling like a human whirlwind toward the exit of the flower sea.
"Alright, alright. Since you look mostly recovered, get lost. Take this chance to enjoy your hard-won academy life. Don't worry about those troublesome things for now—thinking about them won't stop them from coming."
Mela waved her hand in a gentle farewell. "As for your teacher, I have very important business to attend to. Bye-bye."
"You bastard! You... glug glug glug..."
Muen cursed in a rage, but he was powerless to stop his momentum. He could only swallow his indignation and make another mental note in his little black book.
Just you wait, you dead loli. One day I’ll get my revenge and spank that damn loli ass until it—
"Glug glug glug..."
*
"Hiss... my poor back."
After emerging from the flower sea, Muen stumbled along, clutching his waist.
The sun was setting, and the surroundings were quiet. Muen found a nearby bench and sat down, his mind drifting back to what had just happened.
"That damn old loli... who knows how many things she’s still hiding."
Muen looked up at the crimson sky.
"Then again, I’m in no position to judge her. After all... I hid something too."
Regarding that Demon God.
In truth, when the Demon God had attempted to cast His gaze from a thousand years ago, what Muen felt wasn't just fear and trembling.
Amidst the sea of despair that threatened to drown him, he had faintly sensed something else.
That ethereal shadow... felt familiar.
It was an utterly absurd feeling. Whether in his past life or this one, Muen could never have had the opportunity or the status to come into contact with that Demon God.
Perhaps, as Mela said, he was just being overly sensitive.
But...
Muen closed his eyes.
"Black Book."
Deep within his consciousness space, following a flicker of eerie light, the black book drifted out once more.