Episode 423. A Clever Move.
“I will not choose either.”
My answer was concise.
Hana, who could only live by becoming a Dragon God.
Basara, who wanted to become a Dragon God more than anyone else.
Choosing between the two was not the answer I had in mind.
-······?
-You will not choose?
-Are you saying you do not need the qualifications of a Dragon God?
The Absolute Ones reacted as if they could not understand.
“······Why would you make that choice······?”
Question marks also appeared in Basara’s eyes.
It was only natural.
If I chose no one, nothing would change.
Was I going to stand by and watch Hana die like this?
However, the beginning was wrong in the first place.
I was not the one who had to choose.
They were not the ones who could give me options.
They were greatly mistaken.
I was the one who.
“Choose.”
Gave options.
I had no intention of begging for the qualifications of a Dragon God.
Nor did I intend to dance to their tune, or even accept their deal.
-······Are you telling us to choose?
-Which one of the two mutations will become a Dragon God?
At my statement, they showed discomfort.
Turning a mutation into a Dragon God itself was impossible.
And for them to choose one of the two themselves was even more impossible.
However, this, too, was different from my intention.
The “choice” I mentioned had nothing to do with asking them to choose between Hana and Basara.
I slowly threw them a choice between two options.
“Accepting me into the Dragon God Society, or going to war with me.”
When I said this with a broad smile, the Absolute Ones’ reactions were quite a sight.
-······.
-What does that······?
-One who is not even a dragon entering the Dragon God Society?
Only Dragon Gods could join the Dragon God Society.
Only supreme dragons who possessed the qualifications and duty of a Dragon God could belong there.
But that very point was the blind spot.
“I am the being revered by a Dragon God. I can be said to be an even more supreme Dragon God.”
I had a special “karma.”
The karma of “Dragon God-Follower,” which had appeared because of Hana!
It stated that Blade Dragon God Hana revered me, and it was the condition of “Invincible” that allowed me to be harmed only when I was attacked.
And this karma was the direct cause of Hana going berserk.
Because Blade Dragon God Hana and I were connected deep in our souls.
Therefore.
‘If I am granted qualifications, it is the same as Hana being granted qualifications.’
This was the reason I did not choose.
The same logic applied to why I did not choose Basara.
Of course, unlike Hana, I was not connected to Basara.
‘If I become an Absolute One of the Dragon God Society, I can grant Dragon God qualifications.’
I only needed to obtain the title of that “Absolute One.”
Then I would be able to personally grant Basara the “qualifications of a Dragon God”!
I boldly provoked them.
“Choose right now. Whether you will accept me, or go to war with me!”
And I added one more thing.
“Of course, if you choose the latter, the two of you in front of me will definitely die.”
-······.
“Did you think I wouldn’t know? One guy pretending to be many by playing multiple roles alone, and one guy just watching quietly. I’m talking about you two.”
There were definitely at least five Absolute Ones speaking.
I saw through at once that this was an act.
They had pretended to be many to create confusion.
But in the end, there were two.
And only one of them had been continuing the conversation.
The other was merely staying quietly in the back.
In that instant.
-How astonishing.
The voices merged.
Dragon Gods.
Absolute beings who handled commandments.
-You should not have been able to see or feel us. How did you recognize it?
“I can see you.”
-······.
The Absolute One seemed to have lost his words.
But saying that I could see them was not a lie.
······Because I really could see them.
Their forms were clear through the “Eye of Truth.”
-One who handles the power of Ruin cannot become a Dragon God. Absolutely not.
The Absolute One spoke with force.
A Dragon God who protects worlds and Ruin are incompatible beings.
One cannot become one just because they want to.
It was then.
“···However, if he wishes to enter the Dragon God Society rather than become a mere Dragon God, there is not no way.”
Step, step.
Someone began walking out from the darkness.
A being with the form of a human.
She was incomparably beautiful, as if sculpted.
When a mysterious woman with emerald hair appeared.
“L-Lady Asha, I greet you.”
Dragon God Einhasar hurriedly lowered his body.
Who was she?
To make Einhasar, who had not hesitated to express his opinion, this flustered.
That question arose only briefly.
-Lady “Asha”······!
The Absolute One in the back cried out in panic.
This mysterious woman was one of the two.
The Absolute One who had been quietly watching from the back was none other than this woman.
Soon after, a man nearly three meters tall rushed out from behind.
‘What an incredible amount of Golden Rule.’
They had gathered and hidden it, but I could feel it.
The rings of mana circulating inside their bodies.
They circulated infinitely.
Root mana that could become anything and do anything!
They were beings who possessed enormous “Golden Rule.”
Soon, the woman called Asha spoke.
“From what I hear, you seem to be aiming higher than receiving the qualifications of a ‘Dragon God.’ You mean the karma of an ‘Absolute One.’”
“Lady Asha. That is even more impossible. The qualifications of an Absolute One can only barely be attempted with the recommendation of the ‘Primordial Dragon Gods’!”
The man who followed her shouted in desperate opposition.
That statement vaguely revealed the hierarchy of the Dragon God Society.
So it seemed that the ranks increased in the order of ordinary Dragon God, Absolute One, and Primordial Dragon God.
Below that were mutations and others whom they could not treat as Dragon Gods.
Asha, who had been examining me, soon shook her head.
“Ruin. He has already received the recommendation of a Primordial Dragon God.”
“······What do you mean by that?”
“This armor.”
Then Asha reached out and placed her hand on my body.
It was a sudden action, but I felt no hostility, so I stared blankly at her.
Honestly, I was a little surprised.
Because what Asha had touched just now was not my body, but the “Primordial Armor” protecting my body.
“I do not understand at all······.”
On the other hand, the Absolute One called “Ruin” frowned.
The Primordial Armor could not be seen.
It could change into any form desired, and could even be made transparent.
However, she clearly recognized it.
And going one step further.
“I can feel the trace of ‘Yung,’ the Primordial Dragon God, from this armor. The wooden stick to which the ‘Primordial Fire’ was attached······ am I right?”
“······The trace of Lord Yung, the Primordial Dragon God······?!”
The Absolute One Ruin’s eyes shook violently.
As if he could not believe it, as if it was impossible to believe.
But her words were correct.
“You recognized it well.”
When I nodded, Asha showed a faint smile.
“······As expected. Does Lord ‘Yung’ still exist?”
She did not ask whether he was alive, but whether he existed.
It was a strange question, but I affirmed this as well.
Because I had become certain who the being they called “Yung” was.
“He was trapped in a warehouse.”
The Primordial Dragon God’s treasure vault.
I had once conversed with the “soul of the Primordial Dragon God” there.
“···It seems he still could not let go of the ‘prototypes.’”
With bitter eyes, Asha continued speaking.
“He always emphasized the value of ‘prototypes’ to us. He said that what protects the world and makes it stronger is not new and stronger weapons, but ‘things as they are.’”
The first prototypes.
Through them, I had been able to create armor of the “Primordial” grade.
I naturally voiced the question that arose.
“Why was Yung there instead of in the Dragon God Society?”
“He left the Dragon God Society on his own. He said the weapon to oppose ‘Heavenly’ was not something like that······ and clashed in opinion with the other Primordial Dragon Gods.”
So that was how it was.
However, the words of “Yung,” the Primordial Dragon God, had not been wrong.
Primordial-grade was a power that worked even against Ruin.
Had the Primordial Fire not even held Devastation in place?
But it seemed the Dragon God Society thought differently.
“In any case, the fact that he handed you his most cherished wooden stick and fire means he personally confirmed your qualifications.”
“Lady Asha······!”
Strictly speaking, he had not handed them over.
Because I had found them myself.
Ruin tried to stop Asha, but it had no effect.
“With my authority, I can resolve this matter and a few other minor matters. However, there remains one gateway that even I cannot do anything about.”
She seemed to possess considerable status even within the Dragon God Society.
Judging by how confident she was.
However, I was quite curious about what this final gateway was, something even she could not do anything about.
“What is that gateway?”
“Confirming what kind of ‘commandment’ you possess.”
“Commandment? The power of words?”
“Yes. Words are power, and they accumulate in the soul. Dragon Gods manifest commandments through ‘Wish Orbs,’ and Absolute Ones manifest specific types of commandments through their own ‘mouths.’”
“It seems each one manifests a different field.”
“That is correct. For example, ‘Ruin’ possesses the most vicious commandment among the Absolute Ones. If he speaks of ‘death,’ even a Dragon God would dare have no choice but to die. Instead, he is quite weak in other commandments. What he said earlier, ‘kneel,’ was quite weak.”
“L-Lady Asha······.”
When she openly said he was weak, Ruin was flustered.
In any case, this seemed to be the difference between a Dragon God and an Absolute One.
In other words, whether they possessed powerful Dragon Speech or not.
This meant that an Absolute One’s Dragon Speech stood above even the “Wish Orb” possessed by a Dragon God.
Asha continued speaking.
“If you do not possess the power of commandment, you cannot become an Absolute One. So··· confirmation is necessary.”
“Then we just need to confirm it.”
“I like how straightforward you are.”
Asha smiled.
Then she turned around and walked as she spoke.
“Follow me.”
*
Words are power, and they accumulate in the soul.
A being whose soul’s class is weak cannot manifest commandment.
And even if that class is tremendously powerful, to awaken proper commandment, one must meet the “God of Wishes.”
Only those who passed the trial of the God of Wishes and awakened the power of the soul, the abilities of commandment and wishes, were Absolute Ones.
‘He is a being who killed Devastation and forcibly closed the Gate of Truth.’
Asha thought.
He was a monster who possessed “End,” another Ruin.
Bringing him into the Dragon God Society as an Absolute One would cause considerable controversy, but he could become a symbolic existence representing the transformation of the Dragon God Society.
Furthermore, he was someone recognized by “Yung,” the Primordial Dragon God.
-··· If “Phantom” sets his mind to it, the Dragon God Society will be turned into a mess.
Those words of Dragon God Einhasar also bothered her.
If he was that dangerous a being, it would be better to become allies than to kill each other.
And he was more capable of conversation than expected.
‘Can he pass the trial of the God of Commandment?’
However, the problem was whether he possessed commandment.
The reason Dragon Gods used “Wish Orbs” was that they had failed to pass that trial.
Because they could not handle proper commandment.
Asha looked straight ahead.
Three minutes had passed since Phantom entered the enormous “Wish Orb” in front of her.
If he failed to pass the trial, she would receive considerable reprimand for showing him to the “God of Wishes” at her own discretion.
‘Even if it takes a few days······.’
Asha prayed.
Usually, it took Absolute Ones around five days to pass the God of Commandment’s trial.
If it was within that range, even the sluggish Primordial Dragon Gods would not notice.
But if it took longer than that, she would be found out.
“Lady Asha. Will this truly be··· all right?”
Ruin asked with a worried look.
If she was found out, Asha’s position would also become dangerous.
Honestly, he did not know whether this choice had been the right one.
But the water had already been spilled.
How many more minutes had passed like that?
Step.
Steeeep.
Someone was coming out from inside with slow footsteps.
Only about five minutes had passed since he entered.
‘He failed.’
Asha was inwardly disappointed.
“······ It seems he did not pass. To think he would come out this quickly.”
Ruin was the same.
Well, if the God of Wishes awakened power in just anyone, the number of Absolute Ones would have overflowed.
Coming out this quickly meant there was no need to look any further.
It probably meant that although he was a powerful being, he was lacking when it came to manifesting the power of commandment.
Step!
In that instant, “Phantom” revealed himself.
And Asha and Ruin, who had been looking at him with slight disappointment,
“······.”
“Y-you passed the God of Wishes’ trial in five minutes······?!”
Had no choice but to cry out in shock.
The small X mark engraved beside his cheek.
··· That meant he had been acknowledged by the God of Wishes.
He was the first to pass the God of Wishes’ trial in five minutes.
Moreover.
“The m-mark······ there isn’t······ just one?”
No comments yet. Be the first to leave a review!