The great mage who transcends by returning, Chapter 224,
took a step forward.
Then something buried inside the cave wriggled.
It was like a giant caterpillar, or something like a terrible plant.
I soon realized
“…It wasn’t just darkness.”
It wasn’t that the cave was deep and dark under the moonlight.
All those black things were ‘curse’.
A terrible curse that covers Dragonia as well as Apophis.
As I took a step further, they wriggled and tried to reach out to me.
but.
“stop!”
Before that, Kyrian intervened.
As she pushed forward the wand in her hand, the light began to slowly push them away.
No, it seemed to push.
Kwajik!
“…?!”
However, the curse inside the cave was not so easy.
It might have gotten stronger in that short period of time, but instead of shrinking, it became sharper and more threatening.
It was quite similar to the slime seen in Seliord’s ritual.
what would be natural
In the first place, that is the source of the curse that binds Dragonia.
more horrifying and ominous.
“Ber already this much….”
She trembled in disbelief as her hand holding the wand.
The curse began to approach her, eroding the light barrier that rose from her staff.
can’t stand still
He intervened right before the curse reached her. The life force of the World Tree permeates Kyrian’s barrier and reinforces its power.
Fire!
The pure white light under the moonlight drove away the curse.
It would be correct to say that I put back what was meant to come out of the cave.
“Ahhh….”
The fact that the curse had deteriorated to this extent must have been a shock, but her complexion was pure white.
“The curse is like this….”
“Didn’t Apophis himself say that this was the last chance?”
“It was. but….”
She looked into the cave with a complicated look on her face.
“…Seeing it in person like this is a completely different feeling.”
“Well, it is.”
Saying that, I looked around.
Maybe because of the scene I just saw, the atmosphere of the forest feels even more bleak.
It was night, so the natural darkness felt a little different.
Should I say it’s like being buried in the middle of a terrible curse?
“Anyway, that means Apophis is inside this cave.”
“But you probably won’t be able to answer right away. Because you are already bearing too many curses… ….”
“I guess so.”
It is a curse that fills that wide cave.
Even the venom has become too strong because of the passage of a long time.
“Wait first, Savior. There is still time until Apophis comes to his senses… ….”
“There is no time for that.”
I answered firmly and moved toward the cave.
Kyrian was startled by my actions and shouted.
“Old savior is in danger….”
“Either way, I don’t have much time. When Apophis says ‘last chance’, he really means it.”
I never underestimate the existence of an ‘apostle’.
Right now, I know that Set is, in essence, a being that far transcends humans.
For such a transcendent being, ‘endurance’ meant enduring an unimaginable amount of time.
Saying that such a existence is difficult means that it has become ‘inevitable’ that you can no longer endure.
Before heading into the cave completely, I handed the restless girl something in my arms.
“Take it.”
“…This?”
What I handed to her was a small ornament.
Of course, it was not a simple ornament, but a magic tool that was made in advance.
“If you go deep into this, you will be completely cut off from the outside world. This is a communication magic tool prepared in case that happens.”
“You mean you may need outside help in some cases.”
she said with a determined expression.
But I shook my head.
“No, the opposite.”
“…yes?”
“Perhaps after I enter, there will be a situation where I need help. That’s when you use it.”
As if he didn’t understand, Kyrian tilted his head.
However, he soon hardened his expression and nodded his head.
“All right. I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Curses are never resolved in an instant. Keep in mind that there can be variables at any time.”
I said that and turned to the cave.
I felt like something useless was sticking to me, but… ….
well that’s fine
“That old savior…!”
Then I turned my head again at the voice I heard from behind.
She was looking at me with a desperate expression.
“It will be fine, right?”
At that, I thought for a moment.
I don’t always move with certainty.
You think you must succeed, but that doesn’t mean you’re sure of success.
I just struggle.
In order not to see the same result as before, it is desperately moving in a place where others are not looking.
But yes.
No matter how I struggle.
It doesn’t matter right now whether you’re afraid of an uncertain outcome.
That’s it anyway, I’ll handle it.
After all, what is the ‘hero’ to do here?
“Of course not.”
In the end it will be like this
I answered her words with a smile that seemed to have no worries.
* * *
[…] …Haha I didn’t want to see this again. Really.]
I walked in the dark, unable to see an inch ahead.
I didn’t know the exact direction, but it didn’t matter too much.
As long as it doesn’t get eroded, it will guide me to my destination in some way.
[Thanks to the power of the storm, it’s fortunate that I didn’t get caught up in the curse.]
“If the erosion couldn’t be stopped in the first place, I wouldn’t have come in like this.”
I looked to the side.
A wind that blocks curses from the source is blowing around me in a radius of about 1m.
And outside, there are ‘curses’ wriggling that exist only with the instinct to eat me.
hundreds of thousands of hands.
As if telling me to come here, they kept trying to grab me.
Of course, all of them were blocked by the storm.
that’s it
The ‘curses’ muttering such incomprehensible words.
It was very unpleasant to look at, so I just kept looking ahead.
On the one hand, there is admiration.
Just how strong was Apophis’ mental power that he was able to persevere under such a thick curse.
I imagined for a moment.
A dragon that continued its painful battle with itself without end while bearing the curse of its clan alone.
That alone can be said to be worthy of respect.
When I thought so, my body moved.
[…] …What are you going to do?]
“Analysis. It’s a little boring to just walk around, and I need to check how this curse has become.”
Anyway, isn’t solving the curse the key to this task?
To put an end to the curse, you need to know about it for sure.
The more terrible the curse, the stronger the emotion or memory.
At my words, Set asked with a puzzled expression.
[That’s possible… …?]
“Of course, it wouldn’t have been possible if I hadn’t looked into Seliord’s consciousness before coming here. But you saw it.”
[No, isn’t it difficult though?]
“I can do it.”
In other words, the curse itself that he faced in the ceremony of Seliord was a teaching material.
There’s nothing wrong with it.
As I walked forward, I slowly began to work through the magic formula step by step.
“< analysis > < clarification > < replay >.”
Fusing magic to peek into the memories inherent in the curse is by no means an easy task, but it is not impossible.
Ugh.
In a space filled only with darkness, white light rose from the fingertips.
And the light that blooms like that slowly spreads around… ….
Fire!
Literally made a ‘shadow’.
A shadow containing memories inherent in the curse.
Memories begin to play around like a shadow play.
[…] …Huh, really?]
Set examined them curiously. Then, along with the silhouette, a voice is heard.
【…second …I have to.]
The visible silhouette is, of course, a dragon.
There were countless dragons talking, which is hard to imagine now.
【…Darkness has finally begun to cover the world.]
【There will surely be a lot of blood. Those in the forefront will be forced to make great sacrifices.]
【His will is firm, but… ….]
【Isn’t the meaning of darkness clear?】
Several voices continue.
Occasionally, some voices were interrupted by noise, making it difficult to hear them properly.
for example….
【His purpose is not only ■■. Why do we go out… ….]
Things like that.
The dragons’ argument gradually intensified as they walked.
Someone cried out for duty.
Others protested that we didn’t have to.
But in the end, the end is decided.
【That shouldn’t be like that… …!】
【We’ve already made up our mind.】
Everyone delivered the decision in a firm voice, leaving behind a dragon that cried out desperately.
【We will observe everything as a high order and bystander.】
As if driving a nail, without incident.
[Let it be entirely up to mankind.]
The dragon of the distant mythical age has solidified its position as a bystander.
“…hmm.”
A few more scenes followed.
But the most important thing is the conclusion that the dragons made in the end.
“Be a bystander.”
[It was a stupid decision.]
At this point, did he decide that there was no point in hiding it?
Set spoke up.
[I’m saying this now that you’ve seen everything, but duty is an important law. If there are things you enjoy, there are things you have to protect.]
“That’s right.”
[But they didn’t. Ah, inflexible Apophis. Still, the greatest dragon Apophis, who was the brightest among the clan… ….]
No small amount of bitterness lingered in Set’s voice when he said that.
[…] …It would have been better if I could have turned a blind eye to the family’s sins.
]
Putting together the information I’ve heard so far, I’ve come to a rough conclusion.
For some reason, I don’t know.
Apophis decided to pay the price for the sins of the clan alone.
The result is this situation now.
I quietly prepared the next magic.
[…] …What else are you going to do?]
“Record.”
Wouldn’t it be a waste to just let things flow like this?
On the spot, I recorded the things I saw separately and put them in the magic tools.
maybe you don’t know
Will this be useful again?
Anyway, as I progressed like that, the end started to come into view before I knew it.
The curses that stretched out their hands towards me drooped one by one.
That means you’re close enough to its source to be able to control the curse.
And soon… ….
“Here.”
We were able to get out of the long passage and reach a huge cavity.
And saw.
“Um….」
The huge dragon was breathing hard while crouching down.
Unlike the runaway form seen in the village, his scales showed a beautiful golden color in places.
Most of it was covered with blackish ooze, but the occasional golden scales were shining very brightly.
I said as I approached it.
“Apopis.”
“…Ah.」
My words opened Apophis’s eyes with difficulty.
His pupils were the same brilliant golden light as the scales.
“Come. at las….”
A tired but slightly excited voice.
“A savior has come,”
said Apophis, the Apostle of the Tomb.
* * *
“Welcome, challenger.”
The state of Apophis was not a state that could be said to be good even with empty words.
He struggled to speak to me without even moving properly.
“It ended up like this. No one knows whether the end of this case will be despair or hope.”
“It must be hope.”
“…I hope so.”
There was a faint smile in his voice.
He didn’t even ask me about my identity, to see if the dragon’s distinctive vertigo was a lie.
It was just an atmosphere that if it was just those two titles, challenger and savior, that was it.
“Did you see it?”
“Yes, I saw it. It was devastating.”
You must be talking about the ‘memories’ that I looked for while coming here. Did you think you would have done that?
“It was a time when the arrogance of the clan exceeded the limit. That’s why Asar was preparing for the battle with the demon.”
“….”
“The clan has declared that it will not participate. It’s not even funny, but the fear of death and arrogance of the clan took it for granted.” “
So ‘Asar’ cursed all the dragons?”
“Yes,”
he nodded calmly.
I confided to him the information I had gathered on the way here.
“The curse deprives all dragons of their power and knowledge. As a result, all dragons except you were killed, and eventually their descendants took an incomplete form called Dragonia… ….”
It was then.
“No, no,”
Apophis shook his head.
“If it had been such a disastrous ending, I wouldn’t have made the choice to shoulder all the sins. For us, this ‘curse’ is terrible, but at the same time, it’s a clue that can be a bit of salvation.” [
What do you mean by that?]
Set tilted his head.
[Apopis, you must have paid for some kind of sin….]
「Ah, Set,」
said Apophis with a big smile.
「You know. Asar never punishes for no reason. Especially for the opponent who had no punishment to pay… ….」
[What is that… …?]
Set tilted his head with a confused expression.
But soon, as if he realized something, his eyes widened.
[Wait, no way.]
“You’re right.”
Apophis nodded.
“The curse that was placed on the clan was both a curse and the last lifeline. The name of the curse that Asar placed on our clan was….”
“…hmm.”
Something was starting to catch on.
I told him my guess before Apophis spoke.
“Reincarnation.”
[…] …!]
I said, looking straight at him.
“Is it the curse of reincarnation?”
“…Haha.”
Apophis laughed weakly.
That meant positively.
