Chapter 102 - Episode 14. The Naked God (2)
Chapter 102: Episode 14. The Naked God (2)
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A short while later.
With the man laid neatly on the shore beside the pond, Runald and Andersen began arguing.
[There is no doubt about it. I am telling you, he is a god!]
"That cannot be true."
[No, he is a god. Even if he is not, he is at least something close to a god. You need to have a little more faith in your god.]
Listening to that sophistry, Runald glanced at the man.
The man had an incredibly well-built body. His muscles were firmly developed, but more than that, they were remarkably balanced.
He had a beautiful soul, but...
Within the 《Tree of Illusion》, in places such as 《Chaos》 and the 《Abyss》, one could not improve their physique simply by exercising. Bodies here were based not on matter, but on the soul.
In other words, to have such a balanced body here, one had to devote just as much effort to refining their soul.
"Either way, this man cannot possibly be a 「God」. There cannot be a 「God」 with a soul form."
There were no gods with soul forms. Everyone in the 《Abyss》 knew that.
"All gods exist as ‘concepts’ and only become ‘beings’ through their Vicegerents. It is the most fundamental principle of the 《Abyss》."
Andersen looked slightly flustered by Runald's sudden philosophical argument.
[...Runald, are you showing off to me right now?]
"You taught me that yourself, God-nim."
It sounded complicated, but it was not difficult to understand. In the end, it was only a fancy way of saying that no god could use their power without a Vicegerent. In fact, every resident of the 《Abyss》 knew what Runald had said.
[Hmm, did I?]
"You told me as soon as I arrived in the 《Abyss》."
Gods existed through Vicegerents, and Vicegerents lived through gods.
They possessed the strongest miracles, yet could never exist alone.
That was the paradoxical nature of gods, as Runald understood them.
"Anyway, this man can never be a 「God」. He might be another god's Vicegerent or Follower, though. Especially since I can sense World Force from him..."
Runald trailed off, his expression stiffening. Andersen asked in an oddly delighted voice,
[It seems you have noticed something, Runald.]
"What in the world is this person?"
[You just said he could be a Vicegerent or Follower.]
"No, now that I think about it, that cannot be right. This man came from 《Chaos》, did he not? As far as I know, there are no gods in 《Chaos》."
As far as Runald knew, the 《Abyss》 was the only place where gods existed. Yet this man had come from 《Chaos》. It was impossible for him to be a god's Vicegerent or Follower. Naturally, where there were no gods, there could be no Followers or Vicegerents.
Andersen saw things a little differently.
It was not that there were no gods in 《Chaos》.
There was one truly terrifying god there. Perhaps one even more terrifying than the highest-ranking gods of the 《Abyss》.
Andersen did not bother telling Runald about that god. There was no way that god could have made a Vicegerent.
"Are you sure this soul came from 《Chaos》?"
[I swear it on my dignity.]
"And are you sure he is a god?"
[If he is neither a Follower nor a Vicegerent, then he must be the god himself.]
"...Just because something is not a rat does not mean it is a cat."
Runald looked doubtful.
"God-nim, please tell me already. You must have some idea why you looked at this man and immediately said, ‘He is a god!’"
Gods were not gods for nothing. They drifted through knowledge and vast information that humans could never hope to reach.
If a god spoke with certainty, there had to be a reason.
[Runald, have you ever heard the story of the strong rat?]
"...What?"
Andersen began telling a story as if reciting a fairy tale.
[Long ago, there was a rat. It was quite an unusual rat. As the title of the story says, it was a ‘strong rat.’ It did not eat scraps discarded by others. It hunted its own food. After hunting and hunting, the rat became incredibly strong. It had the body of a rat, but rejected the identity of a rat, eventually becoming something beyond a rat.]
Without realizing it, Runald became absorbed in Andersen's story.
[When it came to its senses, the rat realized it could fight even cats, the higher predators. Not only that, it realized that other rats feared it. You could say the height of its gaze had changed. The ones who could now look at that rat as equals were no longer fellow rats, but cats. At that moment, the rat realized something.]
"What?"
[Ah. I am no longer a rat.]
"...You just made that story up, did you not?"
Andersen did not answer.
Then, in the next moment, Runald realized something, as though he had become the rat in that story.
"God-nim, that story just now..."
[I call rats like that ‘Awakened Ones.’]
Awakened Ones.
The moment Runald heard that word, his body trembled.
He had heard plenty about Awakened Ones. Was 「Rupture」, the legendary terrorist organization that opposed the Lords of the 《Great Realm》, not also a group of Awakened Ones?
[Beings who transcend the limits of their species and reach the status of gods. Deformed rats who create their own worlds, while also becoming the Vicegerents of those worlds themselves. Heretics of the System, who can hunt even cats, the higher predators, through their own efforts alone.]
Beings who retained soul forms while possessing divinity.
Only Awakened Ones could exist like that in this world.
"T-then, is this man an Awakened One?"
[I cannot be certain, but it is possible. Especially if he came from 《Chaos》...]
Andersen recalled what she had heard through 《Little Brother》 not long ago. There had recently been reports of those rare Awakened Ones appearing in 《Chaos》.
Runald asked in a slightly fearful voice,
"Could he be from 「Rupture」?"
[No. Those Rupture bastards would not be this careless.]
The appearance of an unaffiliated Awakened One.
Runald, who was still only a novice Vicegerent, could not fully grasp what kind of upheaval this could bring to the 《Abyss》.
"So what are you going to do with him?"
[I have been thinking about that. Our choice may change depending on whether this man is a proper god or not.]
"Change? How?"
[He could become a Companion, or...]
Runald began to feel a strange urge.
It was an overwhelming hunger.
After living with Andersen for so long, Runald now understood this sudden synesthesia.
A Vicegerent was the being who understood their god best in this world. They understood so deeply that they could even be affected by their god's emotions.
"God-nim?"
When Runald asked in an oddly miserable voice, his god replied.
[Runald, there is a way to find out for certain whether this man can become our Companion.]
Why was it that Runald did not want to know what that method was?
Of course, his god showed no mercy.
[Let us try eating that.]
* * *
Ten minutes later.
The shirtless young Runald was spewing every curse he knew while pressing his hand against the thick man's chest. Anyone who saw the scene might have misunderstood.
Still, there was no other way.
This was the only way his god, ‘Naked Andersen,’ could ‘devour’ the man.
Will this be all right?
Runald understood very well why Andersen had chosen such a troublesome method, at least from Runald's perspective.
Obtaining Followers was not the only way for a god to grow their world. Gods with overwhelmingly superior 「Settings」 or 「Parts」 sometimes used violent methods against other gods.
They devoured other gods.
Of course, many Sites frowned on or prohibited this kind of cannibalism, but it could often be found on illegal Sites. In fact, Vicegerents roaming the lawless reaches of 〈Caspion〉 in search of this kind of ‘god-devouring’ were not uncommon.
Looking at the man's face, Runald muttered quietly,
"I hope you are not a god."
The moment Andersen detected signs of a god in this man, she would begin eating his soul form. There was no better prey than the lingering thoughts of an unconscious god.
Still, Runald did not want to lose this rare chance to gain a Companion.
"If you are human, you will become a new 「Follower」. No... you would become a 「Vicegerent」 after all."
Any god, not just Andersen, would want a soul overflowing with this much World Force as their Vicegerent. If the man became one, Runald himself would naturally be demoted to an ordinary Follower.
"Would God-nim like him better..."
Perhaps he felt awkward talking to a man who would not answer, because Runald gave a sheepish smile.
He sensed something was wrong in the next moment.
"Eh?"
It felt as though a firm bond had snapped. Runald immediately knew what that sensation meant.
"God-nim?"
His link with Andersen had been cut off.
No matter how excited she was, how could she suddenly sever her link with him?
A temporarily severed link meant Andersen had found a new 「Vicegerent」. As expected, Andersen had decided to make this man her new Vicegerent.
But a moment later...
"God-nim?"
Something felt wrong.
The link had not simply been cut off.
"Uh, uhh..."
He could not feel Andersen's presence at all.
As though she had been devoured by something.
"God-nim!"
Yet at that moment, Runald did not know that a problem more serious than his god's safety was approaching.
Since when had writhing black darkness begun spreading around the Fishing Spot?
* * *
Put simply, he had terrible luck.
That was the only way Jaehwan could describe his current situation.
Defeating the Lords and entering the passage to the 《Abyss》 with Catastrophe's help had gone well enough. Cheongheo, Karlton, and Sirwen coming along was not bad either. Two were trustworthy, and one was useful. It was a little unfortunate that he could not bring Cayman, but that could not be helped.
Jaehwan himself had left Cayman in 《Chaos》.
Someone had to remain in 《Chaos》 and rally the people, and Jaehwan believed Cayman was the most suitable person for the task. Cayman faithfully carried out his final order.
So far, everything had been fine. 《Chaos》's problems had been resolved, and the entrance to the 《Abyss》 had opened.
His soul was battered beyond recognition, but Cheongheo was here. They would find a way to deal with that too.
All that remained was to leave for the 《Abyss》.
[Follow the passage. Then you will reach the 《Abyss》 you seek.]
Catastrophe's voice echoed from afar. Looking at the gate of light that was beginning to come into view, Jaehwan tensed every muscle in his body.
It was said to be the dwelling place of gods feared even by Generals. If he let his guard down, even he might not emerge unscathed.
Then, just as he neared the entrance to the 《Abyss》, a voice called out from somewhere.
"Stop right there."
He had heard that voice before.
Jaehwan recognized its owner as the woman with the chain scythe who had taken part in the tournament.
He now knew who she was. Cheongheo had told him before.
"「Rupture」."
At Jaehwan's words, the chain-scythe woman smiled faintly. The chain scythe at her waist gleamed ominously.
"Hmm. How did you know? Did master tell you?"
Cheongheo, who had remained silent beside him, stepped forward.
"...Seolha, why have you come here?"
Yu Seolha, the Second Commander of 「Rupture」. That was her name. In the 《Great Realm》, she was better known by the alias ‘Dawn That Comes Early.’
Sirwen, who knew her infamous reputation well, whispered to Jaehwan,
"That woman is at least General-class."
The commanders of 「Rupture」, a group of Awakened Ones, each possessed power beyond that of Generals.
They could not compare to the current Great Lords of the twelve zones, but no one knew how the balance of power might change as more time passed.
"I did not come to speak with master today, so sorry, but you will have to step aside."
At the same time, a young boy's voice sounded from behind Yu Seolha.
"Commander! The interference barrier is in place!"
Since when had the boy been there? He wore headphones pulled low over his head and a black hoodie marked with a moon. As he fiddled with the small device in his hand, Catastrophe's voice suddenly vanished. Even the Allies standing right beside Jaehwan disappeared from sight. Some kind of barrier had trapped him.
"Commander, you know this will not last long! The opponent is the Sole King..."
"I know. It will be over soon, so do not worry."
Yu Seolha waved the boy away as though he were a nuisance, then spoke to Jaehwan again.
"I have been watching what you have done. I wondered what you were trying to accomplish in 《Chaos》 by causing all that trouble, but wow. I was truly impressed."
"..."
"I thought nothing of it when you subdued the Ten Halls of Chaos and the four great fortresses, but I never expected you to bring down the 《Palace of Rebirth》 and confront the Lords head-on. I have a whole new opinion of you."
"Only say what you need to say."
"And when you slaughtered the Lords right in front of us... We never even considered that while fighting the Lords. Bringing Catastrophe into it. How did you even think of that?"
"...I believe I told you to only say what you need to say."
Jaehwan sensed that Yu Seolha had not come with friendly intentions. If she had, she would not have created such a coercive space.
"You are impatient. I have not finished speaking, so why not listen a little longer?"
"What if I refuse?"
"Then listen just a little more anyway. Up until then, it was all fine. I even thought it would be all right to leave you alone. It goes against Rupture's principles, but your goal did not seem all that different from our direction. As you know, this world is utterly rotten."
Jaehwan did not respond.
"Then I saw the technique you used at the end, and I changed my mind a little."
Jaehwan thought about the final technique he had used.
But...
"Where did you learn 「Soul Erasure」?"
"Soul Erasure?"
"The technique that severs the Pineal Thread. Within 「Rupture」, only commanders and those above them, including the Rupture Master, can use it."
Jaehwan was surprised.
Not because his technique had a proper name, Soul Erasure, but because someone besides himself could use it.
"That technique is too dangerous. It can cause soul extinction. No Awakened One outside 「Rupture」 should use it."
"I created this technique. It is not as though techniques have copyrights."
"I am serious. Do I look like I am joking?"
Yu Seolha's presence changed completely.
Jaehwan realized that his opponent was unfolding a Unique World. The power of Creation. The woman before him was an Awakened One who had reached the same realm as him, or perhaps an even higher one.
"Now you understand why I came here, right?"
"You intend to kill me."
At those words, the corner of Yu Seolha's lips rose slightly.
"That would be one way. But 「Rupture」 values talent greatly."
Only then did Jaehwan understand why this woman had suddenly interrupted the passage to the 《Abyss》.
"You. Join 「Rupture」."
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