Chapter 125 - Fate and Encounters Are With You★ (1)
In the darkness connected to the World Tree.
The prophet was walking towards the center of the World Tree.
The space created by overlapping multiple dimensions seemed endless.
“…”
He suddenly stopped in the middle of the long corridor.
And looked at his hand.
Black scales gleaming even in the darkness are visible.
“…Lizard.”
Black scales had sprouted like a lizard. His nails were protruding sharply like bird talons, and he felt a hardness as if wearing multiple layers of safety gloves.
Brush—
When he touched his head, there was an unfamiliar hard object. Horns protruding from his skull stuck out like a crown.
Along with black wings swaying behind his back…
-I will bet on you.
After [Dragon Crouching in the Abyss] shared the essence of its main body. The changes in his body were dramatic. It was incomparable to when he handled the wolf’s power.
Hiss…
Even now, his arms were slowly being covered in black scales. The sensations from his wings and horns were becoming clearer.
“…”
Like a priest of
If it appeared in the game, it would give the impression of being called something like a hidden final priest. It would be a hidden boss with the difficulty cranked way up.
He chuckled at his own appearance.
‘To think I’d end up looking like some
The type of boss that appears at the very end.
To betray everyone.
“…”
Perhaps this is the most fitting appearance for his choice.
In the end, after crossing that endlessly long-feeling time, what he chose was to receive the power of the enemy that ‘they’ had tried to defeat.
‘Enemies and allies… From the World Tree’s perspective, they were no different from whetstones just wearing each other down.’
Even the distinction between good and evil was a foolish belief.
In the end, even the dragons were those suffering in the face of absurdity.
What truly needed to be defeated and changed was the system moving this world. It took too long to realize that.
To restore this meaningless world.
To save this absurd world.
At this moment, he had to go to the center of the World Tree.
‘It’s easy to put those living in the present into dreams, but to stop everything including past and future… I have to go.’
To stop all time…
He had to turn off the main unit, not just the monitor reflecting the present.
“…”
The prophet took out the glass orb handed to him by [Priest of Illusion] Svafnir from his chest.
A glass orb shining with brilliant radiance.
It was the only reason why Svafnir, who was the weakest boss, was respected as a priest of the dragon tribe.
‘An ultimate technique that can handle the power of illusions and dreams, and make just one person fall into an eternal dream…’
Use this at the center of the World Tree.
Change the order by which this world turns into a dream.
Trap past, present, and future all in the same dream.
And…
“Now, I’ll save you. Ymir.”
Her smile that he could still vividly recall.
Now in just a little while.
He could see that smile again.
Throb—
The prophet clutched his head at the sudden headache.
“Ugh…!”
All the things he had experienced again flashed through his mind like a dream. Every single trivial memory pierced into his head as if fast-forwarding.
“Huurk…!”
Starting from inside his mother’s womb,
Going through numerous growths to finally become an unremarkable office worker.
Starting the mobile game
Dying and meeting new connections across the world.
And 1500 years passing.
“Hah…! Hah…!”
His head hurt from the sudden influx of information.
‘Damn, was it about time for it to come back again.’
1500 years.
Originally, even using hibernation and sealing, it was enough time for the self to collapse, buried in oblivion.
Even if he didn’t forget, his purpose could have changed.
He was such a weak and fragile human.
“…”
So, to not lose himself.
He cast a spell to forcibly preserve his memories.
Anytime, anywhere.
To be able to recall the memories of that day again.
Though headaches always came with the periodic influx of information like this… he never undid the spell.
Not once in 1500 years.
The prophet muttered once more while clutching his head.
Grind—
“I… do not change.”
Because.
I swore to save you.
Like that, the prophet moved his feet again.
Stagger…
Stagger…
He walked a long way, dragging his body that was turning into a black dragon. He advanced, occasionally recalling the memories that came to mind.
Step…
Step…
Slowly the darkness disappeared.
And instead a space full of bright starlight appeared.
It was the center of the World Tree where countless souls and fates twinkled.
And—
He met a pink girl there. She was standing proudly on one of three chairs.
“Hello—☆ You’re late☆ A man who makes a lady wait is disqualified!!”
“…”
…?
“Looking at you like this, you have quite a gloomy impression—☆ Are those long black horns some kind of decoration? Hahaha, how funny. A black plague dragon has appeared—☆ Roar♪”
“…”
…??
The prophet’s mind froze.
‘This is… what…?’
After hesitating for a moment, he had no choice but to utter that name.
“Clara?”
“Ahaha—☆ There was a time when I was called that♪ Isn’t it a pretty name? It also means ‘bright girl’, and above all, the ‘lara’ part at the end sounds like singing, so it feels like you should read it like ‘larara~♪’~☆”
“…”
Spouting nonsense at machine-gun speed.
Every single bit was irrelevant Clara talk.
The prophet couldn’t understand this situation for a moment.
‘Why is Clara here…? I saw her fall into the abyss from outside the World Tree to begin with?’
The path and principles to reach the center of the World Tree shouldn’t have appeared even in the original game.
So why did Clara pop out here?
‘I sealed Hilde’s power, and the three protagonists should be caught by [Dragon Crouching in the Abyss]…’
How on earth…?
The girl in front of him seemed to notice the prophet’s confusion and stood triumphantly. Her pink hair and eyes shone vividly in the space full of starlight.
“Oh my—☆ You thought this world was a game and manipulated it as you pleased… But you’re flustered when something pops up where you didn’t expect~?”
“Did Clara really come here…?”
“Huhu… You must be flustered to keep saying the same thing☆”
Urd erased her triumphant expression and spoke with a bitter smile.
“Of course you’d be flustered. You sealed someone you thought had flowed into this world like yourself, and were able to control this world faster than anyone by picking only advantageous knowledge from the ‘original’… You thought your goal had appeared right before your eyes…”
Urd’s eyes were coldly calm.
“…If suddenly everything gets tangled like fate’s prank. You’d be flustered.”
“…”
When this world you thought you saved was destroyed.
When this world you thought was a game had changed.
When this world you thought you changed remained unchanged.
“We just blame fate and get flustered.”
“…”
Though granted the divinity of being the goddess of the past.
She lost the chance to change this world herself.
The frustration, bewilderment felt then… and the hope that came again.
In the end, she flowed here.
Grip—
‘Now… it’s the last.’
The prophet was still confused.
Making him confused with incoherent talk was also for this moment…!
Urd tried to expel the prophet by [sacrificing] her everything. Emitting brilliant light from her whole body, she created a passage leading from the center of the World Tree to the outside.
Woosh—!
As the surroundings shook, a passage that only beast gods could create formed.
Seeing that sight, the prophet’s eyes widened.
“…!”
A passage created by pouring out sparkling energy.
A ring of light that appeared in midair advanced towards the prophet.
“Now, get out of here!”
Swoosh—
The ring of light quickly passed through the prophet and…
“…”
“…”
And…
Nothing happened.
The ring of light that brushed past the prophet scattered into the starlit space far away. It vanished into the darkness in vain.
It was such a futile sight.
Urd muttered with a dumbfounded expression.
“Wh-why…?”
How could the prophet who didn’t know of her existence be prepared…
Flash—!
Dazzling light burst out from the glass orb the prophet was holding. And the prophet’s figure that had been visible far away disappeared, and was now right in front of Urd.
The prophet and Urd facing each other right in front.
Urd was shocked seeing that sight.
“…?!”
The prophet, holding the glass orb in his hand, muttered with a bitter expression.
“I used the power of illusion from the moment I entered.”
“…”
“Because I already knew Clara would only say strange things when she opened her mouth.”
“That’s… impossible.”
The prophet slowly raised his hand towards Urd and said:
“To think I’d end up doing something truly villainous.”
And the prophet emitted black light from his hand.
“No…!”
He expelled her from this place.
Urd disappeared from this place as if it were a lie.
* * *
I was running. Even in the space full of darkness, there was a place where I could plant my feet and run.
“Huff…! Huff…!”
But sounds reminiscent of arthropod movements kept pursuing.
Tsu tsu tsu tsu—!!
No matter how much I tried to escape by creating distance, it quickly closed the gap, moving numerous legs.
This creepy movement approached at an unrealistic speed.
It was only because I was the fastest in the academy city that I could escape to this extent.
‘This is why I quickly dissolved [Priest of Erosion] back then—!!’
Beating something to death, before it could do anything, with [Pink Lemon Sherbet].
That was the only sure-win strategy to quickly catch Grafvolud, the strongest priest. But this crazy centipede brought new patterns like a gift package.
The centipede old man shouted in a phlegmy voice.
[Huhahaha…! How pitiful, how pitiful! The sight of you fleeing with such thin legs!]
Swoosh—!!
Sticky liquid sprayed from the centipede’s mouth.
And they soon spread like mist in midair and began to steal my ether.
Slurp…
Black erosion sucked up the ether. It felt like an 80-year-old geezer running his lecherous hands down my spine.
“Ugyaah—☆”
This was… really shitty.
“Hiiiek—?!”
Tsu tsu tsu—
The centipede catches up, matching my slightly slowed speed.
Towards me like that, the centipede old man whispered from far away.
[Does my energy feel so good?]
As soon as I heard that.
I felt chills run down my whole body.
“Uwaaaaah—☆”
Ah.
Crazy.
Damn.
Fuck—!!
The attack unleashed by the strongest priest was terrifying.
If it had been just Grafvolud alone, I would have mustered all my strength to unleash a barrage of [Pink Lemon Sherbet]…
Boom—!!
The mantis suddenly attacked from the air right next to me. And it swung its blade-like forelegs to shoot black wind blades.
[Kuhahaha!! The wind of pursuit—!!]
“Oh, damn it!!”
I hurriedly dodged the wind Ofnir was shooting with a jump. But towards me rising in the air, Grafvolud approached.
Tsu tsu tsu tsu—!
The giant centipede body enveloping my vision.
The phlegmy laughter of a lecherous old man.
[Keke…]
I lamented seeing that sight.
‘Ah… Hilde, I’m sorry. I might get a bit dirty…’
But…
You’ll still love me… right?
As I was about to reinterpret my inner sense of chastity.
A dazzling light flashed and rose up beside me.
It was a shining ring-shaped light that seemed to have flown from far away.
Flash—!!
‘A ring of light…?’
And…
“…!”
I faintly felt [Bifrost] connecting to the academy city. And I could feel the hearts of many wanting to help me.
Though it was difficult to get out, if it was calling here…
Feeling that faint connection, I shouted.
“Reach!! [Bifrost]—!!!”
A rainbow spiral wrapped around my body, calling something.
The centipede and mantis rushing towards me like that.
[Kuhahaha! It’s no use—!!]
[Even your resistance is pitiful, keke.]
The terrible mouth and blade-like forelegs slowly approach.
And in the place where the spiral passed…
“Lara—!!”
“[Spiral]!! Are you okay?!”
“Uh, uwaah?! What the hell are those crazy bug bastards?!”
“The Sword Spirit and Lady Urd sent us!!”
“Oh~ Hohoho!! Your juniors are truly worthy heroes!! This lady shall praise them!!”
Boom—!!
With an explosion of five colors.
Help from five friends arrived.