The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years Book 2: Chapter 555

Book 2: Chapter 555

Lucas had been outside the tower, as part of the Baltak's experiment. There, he saw the floors and the top that had been eroded by darkness.
That reminded him, there was still something he hadn't tried yet.
What if he were to destroy the tower from the outside, or fly up to the top floor as it is and infiltrate the Beginning Wizard's room?
What would happen to the darkness?
…Of course, it's not like the Baltak hadn't realized this possibility. It's just that these two experiments were too risky to carry out.
Lukas recalled the appearance of the Magic Tower again.
It was just peaceful. It hadn't changed at all from the first time he saw it, which was why it was such a bizarre sight.
He knew about the distortions that Apocalypse brought. In the face of that, the architectural structures that reach the sky, or the computational magic that could densely fill the surface of a planet, were meaningless.
[Maybe those wizard bastards lied.]
Residue said in a cynical voice.
[In reality, you've never directly witnessed the ‘deepest darkness'. Those bastards might have exaggerated without properly assessing the situation. After all, fear can make even a puppy into a wolf.]
‘…It’s not a lie, but a misconception.'
Lukas corrected Residue’s words and thought.
Certainly, both possibilities were plausible.
Lies and misconceptions.
Lukas chuckled. That's why he had to come into contact with the darkness. He needed to understand what it was.
He went back down to the first floor.
The beautiful garden was no longer recognizable. Instead of floral fragrances, there was the smell of burning, and the soft ground was now crusty. The table that used to emit the aroma of black tea was smashed and overturned.
There was a corpse there.
Torun.
The body of the old man dressed in a suit was already cold.
Lukas temporarily lowered the temperature around the body to prevent it from decomposing. He considered cremating the body and holding a modest funeral, but the man’s son was upstairs. It wasn't Lukas's role to intervene.
“This tower… might never collapse.”
It had withstood the darkness.
That alone had proven its durability.
The Beginning Wizard… why did he build the Magic Tower in the first place? Suddenly, he had a feeling that he could guess the reason.
It felt like walking through a fog with nothing in sight and then suddenly seeing a shape that resembled something.
Then, the thing that Lukas had to do was…..
[What are you doing?]
“Second insurance.”
[What?]
He didn’t explain any further.
From the first floor up to the 27th floor, which he was allowed to access, Lukas observed each floor as he ascended. Each time, the mana that had been full began to decrease.
[Replenishing mana has become difficult too.]
“Because nature is completely ruined.”
[…….]
Residue did not say anything more.
After all the work was done, Lukas returned to the 26th floor.
[Where did the woman go?]
“I've sent her back to the original world for now. I need to deliver the Hope Herb, and I need to explain what will happen next.”
[Your disciples will find out that you’re alive.]
“Well, I wonder about that.”
Lukas muttered and then said.
‘Residue, what will you do if I die from coming in contact with the darkness?’
[I’d die too. Are you actually asking that?]
Residue replied indifferently, and then added.
[Why are you asking such stupid questions? You’ve already denied such a possibility.]
‘It’s not denial, but it's a slim chance. And as you know, there are no absolutes in this world.’
[You speak of death so lightly. Is what The Beginning Wizard said bothering you?]
‘Right.’
Lukas easily agreed with Residue's words.
‘You heard it too. The Beginning Wizard is one of the beings that understands me the deepest in this world. Such a person mentioned my death.’
[So?]
Hearing his prickly voice made him laugh.
Before he knew it, Residue had begun to disdain the idea of Lukas's death.
[You're going to meekly accept his death sentence? I can't believe it. Are you really the Lucas Trowman I knew?]
‘That’s not it. You know, don’t you? I still have much to do. And regrets.’
Just as he had told the Beginning Wizard, if Lucas' death was necessary to prevent destruction, he would do so, but until that time comes, he won't give up. He will live his life to the fullest.
However, the conversation with The Beginning Wizard made Lukas feel a lot.
‘The impact I’ve had on others isn’t necessarily positive. I’ve saved many lives and even the universe, but I’ve also shed blood equivalent to that. I know. Life and death,'
[Such nonsense…]
‘I know. It might not mean much to you. But as someone born human, I can't be completely free from it. Especially after my emotions came back.’
The same goes for Min Ha-rin.
If Lukas had encountered her before regaining his humanity at the Dumpsite, he would not have felt as much torment as he does now.
He wanted to live.
But as much as that, he also craved death.
Humans and Gods,
Mortals and the Absolute.
Lukas had become a being full of contradictions.
‘Residue, I have a favor to ask.’
Lukas said with a smile and spoke of the [Last Insurance].
* * *
The ‘Waterfall of Apocalypse' seen up close resembled a waterfall of oil. Or perhaps as if the space itself had liquefied and was flowing. Of course, it was a space devoid of any stars.
Of course, such a view could only be appreciated after overcoming fear.
[How will you make contact?]
“I feel like separating a few drops, but that’s impossible. There’s nothing that could contain it.”
[That means…]
“I have no choice but to make direct contact.”
Lukas flexed his left hand. The chances were high that his fingers would melt first. He was not afraid of the ensuing pain. What mattered was the potential influence this liquid might have on Lukas's mind.
“Residue, if my mind completely freezes, and I'm just blankly standing there, unable to pull out or cut off my hand, please help me out a bit.”
[You're asking for a lot.]
Residue accepted the request with his usual grumbling voice.
Lukas smiled brightly again, then dipped his hand into the Waterfall of Apocalypse.
Plunk.
──And then his vision went completely dark.
* * *
A sphere came into view.
Though called a sphere, it might actually be much larger or incredibly small. It was hard to accurately guess its size since there was nothing nearby to compare it with.
That was the nature of this space.
Whether it was brightly lit or dark was also uncertain. It definitely existed beyond the realm of usual perception.
That's why the presence of the sphere, placed there all alone, stood out even more.
Upon closer observation, the sphere was fascinating. It seemed still at first glance but was moving more violently than anything ever seen before.
Because of what existed inside it.
There, at this very moment, countless events were occurring, progressing, and ending.
It contained everything.
‘───Ah.’
Suddenly, he realized.
That sphere was everything, the entirety, the whole.
Three Thousand Worlds,
The sphere contained an immeasurable number of universes.
It was a shocking sight and truth.
To think that all the worlds he knew existed inside this sphere?
Did God know? The Ruler?
No, more than that, where exactly is this place?
How can I observe that from the ‘outside of the world'?
…What am I?
[■■■ ■■ ■■■]
A strange sound was heard.
It was something that could hardly be called a sound.
The mumblings of a madman, thunder and lightning, explosions, the wind blowing across a meadow, metallic sounds, screams. These disparate sounds merged messily, then seemed to be injected directly into the brain, not through the eardrums.
[■■ ■■ ■]
[■■■■ ■■ ■■■■]
[■■■]
The voices were not from a single source.
There were more presences around.
All I could know was that there were ‘four' of them.
[■■ ■■ ■■]
Something absurd happened.
I, too, had made a similar sound.
It couldn’t really be called a conversation, but some form of communication was definitely taking place.
That's when it happened.
Crack-
The sphere began to crack. Something like sand dust leaked out and gradually dispersed into the surrounding space.
Mixed with the dust, a very feeble entity revealed itself.
Even if observed from the far reaches of space, it wouldn’t seem smaller than this.
But the moment I recognized this entity, I could fully perceive its overall form.
It looked like a reptile of some sort, but it was unique in that it stood on two legs. Its skin was pale, its eyes, and it wore armor of a unique style.
I decided to call this entity a ‘bug'.
The bug looked around vacantly, seemingly on guard, but unfortunately, it was completely unaware of our presence.
I felt pity leaving it alone, just as I was about to speak to it.
[■■ ■■ ■]
One of the presences spoke. The bug jolted and then raised its head, making an expression I had never seen before.
A mix of fear and astonishment, life and death, resignation and desperation that could only emerge together.
Following that, the bug's eyes flipped back.
[Uh, ah, aaaaaaaaaaaaaa─!]
Then a small scream was heard.
The bug frantically flailed its arms, swinging its right arm and starting to fire something in all directions. I didn’t like the noise it was making, and the right arm, the source of the trouble, was annoying.
Bulge-
At that moment, the bug’s right arm swelled significantly. Even in its dazed state, it looked at its arm in disbelief.
That’s enough.
I didn’t want to see that bug anymore.
Woosh-
The moment I thought that, the bug disappeared. It had returned to where it originally was.
I was pleased with the silence that finally arrived.
Now onto the next task─
‘…….’
Something was strange.
The ‘bug’s’ appearance I had just seen felt familiar. I had seen it somewhere. Where had I seen it?
‘…Exile?’
Yes.
That was the Exile.
One of the Twelve Void Lords I had met in the world of Void.
Something else seemed about to come back to me. I had to remember. Something of utmost importance.
─Aren't you curious…… ■■■ ■■■■…….
The bug was speaking to me.
─I, who was abandoned by both worlds…… where I had been…… what I had seen there……
─I have witnessed… ‘Apocalypse’… I am qualified… I will tell you… The forms of Apocalypse I saw… were five……
Five kinds of Apocalypse.
[Lu─ka─s─!]
Thunder struck in my head.
* * *
I snapped to consciousness.
My face was damp, my body numb, and my mind foggy.
I slowly felt my face. A sticky wetness was present. A mixture of blood and saliva was flowing down like mucus.
“■■ ■■ ■■…….”
[What… did you say?]
“…Residue?”
The moment I uttered a word, I became Lukas once again.
“What happened…….”
[That’s what I’d like to know.]
“…….”
[…It seems your memory is cut off. Right after you touched the waterfalls, you lost consciousness.]
Residue spoke in an angry tone.
[Look at the state of you!]
Lukas looked down at his own body.
What was there could hardly be called a body.
The entire left upper half of his body was completely gone. Grotesque ribs and intestines were exposed. The remaining torso wasn't in good shape either. It was wrinkled like the skin of an old man plagued with disease, and there were growths like dark mushrooms sprouting from it.
Moreover, his entire body was charred black, and there was a smell of burnt flesh.
[Your mind wasn't coming back, so I used a bit of Thunder. I know how much you cherish Thunder, but there was no other choice.]
“…I see.”
Lukas, forcing himself to ignore the throbbing headache, used the Void. His battered body was restored to its original state.
However, his shattered psyche was not as easily healed.
[Answer me. What exactly did you see?]
“…Apocalypse.”
[You saw the Apocalypse?]
“No. I…”
He choked on his words.
Lukas couldn't easily explain what he had experienced.
What did I just see?
Did I get a glimpse of the memory of the Apocalypse, or did I experience it from its perspective?
It wasn't that.
It was a unity that couldn't be explained by such trivial things.
…I was.
“The Exile said there were five types of Apocalypse. When I thought I wanted to see the Void King, I saw darkness.”
Lukas was muttering in a dazed voice before he knew it.
[That's right. So what.]
“……”
He looked again at the Waterfall of Apocalypse.
He reached out his hand and waved it.
Kwaaaa-
An astonishing thing happened.
The flow of the waterfall, which had never changed its course before, altered its path.
It started flowing in the direction Lukas had waved.
[……]
Seeing that, Residue was at a loss for words.
Lukas felt the astonishment Residue was feeling, but continued speaking anyway.
“It was me.”
[What did you say?]
To Residue's questioning, Lucas spoke in a desolate voice.
“I was one of the five Apocalypses.”
*****
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