The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Season 2 Chapter 582

The creature moved on all fours.

Its body, made of bones, muscles, and skin, resembled a human, but its movements were like those of an insect. An insect with at least four legs.

“Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff.”

Judging by the hideous sniffling sound, it seemed to be sniffing something out. It looked as if it was searching for someone.

“Gek, gek, kuk, kak.”

…It was a grotesque creature.

It wasn't wearing anything that could be called clothing.

The exposed skin was rough and dark as if afflicted by a plague, and its belly was unusually bloated. Like a malnourished person who had drunk a whole bucket of water.

Its arms and legs were abnormally long. They were about three times the length of an average human's, and on closer inspection, there were two joints in each limb. That might explain its bizarre movements.

With its red swollen neck and choking voice,

It looked as if it had just been hanged.

“……”

Facing such a creature, Residue stopped in his tracks.

It wasn't because he was overwhelmed by its grotesqueness.

He had encountered countless more bizarre beings in his life.

Why, so soon, at this moment, what's its purpose, does it have self-awareness, how strong is it?

Countless thoughts flashed through his mind in an instant. The elapsed time was extremely short, of course.

The creature, which had been looking around, seemed to turn its head towards Residue for a moment. …On closer inspection, there was something strange.

Above the neck,

The area covered by the cloth seemed small. If the skull were intact, it wouldn't look like that. It was as if the cloth was covering a partially severed face.

Presumably, it was cut off above the bridge of the nose.

If so, the original color of that cloth wasn't red─

─the creature disappeared.

Residue belatedly enveloped his entire body in lightning. It was a simple but the quickest defensive measure he could deploy.

However, the monster's target wasn't Residue.

Bang!

“Ugh.”

[Guh.]

A groan came from behind.

Turning around, he saw the faces of Death Worm and Diablo smashed against the table. The monster had moved behind them in an instant and struck the back of their heads before they could react.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The savage action was repeated.

Simply grabbing their heads and smashing them into the table, yet they couldn't put up any significant resistance.

‘That's some abnormal grip strength.'

The elongated fingers, as long as its limbs, were deeply fixed into the back of their heads as if they had taken root.

How much strength is contained in those fingers that look like they're only skin?

Zap!

Condensed lightning shot towards the monster.

The monster didn't release its grip. It lightly jumped up in place and stretched out both soles of its feet towards the lightning bolt.

That ridiculous yet novel defense blocked the lightning.

Destruction.

For an instant, that word flashed through his mind again.

If so, why had it arrived so quickly?

The situation was getting complicated.

The uninvited guests that appeared at what was thought to be a simple Twelve Void Lords meeting weren't just one.

Annoyance and irritation surged simultaneously.

At any moment, such unexpected sudden situations are so bothersome.

“Gak, guk, gak, gak.”

The monster made another unpleasant sound, tightening its grip. Cracks formed in Diablo's skull, and Death Worm's head was crushed, bleeding.

At that moment, two figures emerged through the dust.

Yang In-hyun and the Executor.

The sharpened sword and spear plunged in without a shred of mercy for the intruder. Just before stabbing and slashing, the owners of the two blades understood that the opponent did not have a single decisive weak point.

The upper part of the head, where the skull should be, was absent.

The opponent had no brain.

Thunk!

The spear pierced through the neck, and the sword went through the armpit, bursting the heart.

The two Void Lords felt through their senses that their attack had succeeded.

“Stay still in that state.”

However, Residue thought that wasn't enough.

Piercing the cervical spine and bursting the heart wasn't sufficient. After all, it was a creature that looked human but couldn't be considered one.

If it was to be brought down, it had to be done without a shred of mercy, so it couldn't even maintain its shape.

Whoosh…!

A gentle breeze stirred in the palm of his hand, and in the blink of an eye, a blade of wind began to swirl. It was the power of a demigod who controlled the wind. But even this wouldn't be enough.

‘This blade of wind must [cut] the opponent.'

As he imprinted this almost like a suggestion into his mind, he felt a sharp pain in one corner of his head. He forcibly swallowed the blood that surged up, but he couldn't stop the nosebleed.

…Using two powers simultaneously was a difficult task.

Especially the power possessed by the demigod of the sword. The attribute of ‘cutting anything' wouldn't have been difficult to manifest in the universe he used to belong to.

But now it was different.

As the world expanded, the things that could be cut also increased.

To cut anything, one must first be able to consider anything. Just that alone caused a storm in his head.

Fortunately, Residue's bleeding wasn't in vain.

Sshk─

The creature's body fell apart, turning into chunks of flesh. There wasn't even any blood. The cut surfaces showed nothing… No, on closer inspection, something was wriggling.

Residue wanted to observe it more closely, but his vision was still blurry due to internal injuries.

[…What in the world is this.]

At that moment, Diablo, who had been slammed into the table, stood up. In contrast, Death Worm lay collapsed with its eyes rolled back. It seemed to have exhausted all its life sent to the meeting.

“It's obvious.”

A leisurely voice echoed.

“The creature that ignorantly intruded into this King's Castle has a form I've never seen before… It's almost laughably obvious.”

As the dust settled a bit, the Half King remained seated with an unchanged demeanor.

“That thing is Destruction.”

‘And', the Half King added with a smirk.

“It's not over yet.”

Splatter!

The pieces of the shattered creature's flesh flew into the air. They wriggled in their fleshy forms and quickly reassembled into their pre-shattered state. In other words, the body was restored without a single injury, but now there were dozens of them.

“Gik.”

“Gigik, gik…”

What principle is this?

How can each individual's strength be the same as before even though they've split into dozens? And those flesh chunks growing to such a size—is that even physically possible?

Residue attempted to analyze Destruction. Others hesitated to move recklessly.

The Half King was different.

She got off her invisible chair. Her smile remained, but her eyes narrowed.

At the moment her small hand clenched.

Pop, pop, pop!

The bodies of all the creatures exploded.

Almost without error, as if it all happened simultaneously.

“……”

Residue's expression changed. He understood what had happened.

‘She entered the minimal time zone.'

No. Did she really?

If the Half King had entered that time frame, Residue should have been able to realize it too. He was also qualified after all. But he didn't feel anything.

Then let's change the perspective.

Is it possible to deal with those Destructions simultaneously without entering a minimal time zone?

Not only Residue but also other Void Kings hadn't realized it?

‘The Half King still has more secrets. It’s better to assume so.'

He once again realized an obvious fact.

The remnants of Destruction around them disappeared without a trace, unlike when they had been cut by Residue’s blade wind.

“So this is Destruction? It’s more trivial than I thought.”

The Half King said, shaking off the blood on her hand as if it was nothing.

The Exile spoke up belatedly.

“Your Highness, your body…”

“There’s nothing wrong. It wasn’t a threat from the beginning. Was Destruction supposed to grow stronger through stages? Or is this just a mere prelude?”

Her voice, which seemed like she was talking to herself, carried a sense of doubt, and Residue realized the question was directed at him.

“I told you before. Destruction will come separated.”

“You’re repeating yourself.”

“Because it’s the truth.”

“There’s no evidence to support it.”

Residue remained silent.

The Half King glanced at him for a moment, then suddenly looked up. Soon, her body floated up and she flew towards the hole where Destruction had invaded.

For some reason, Residue felt the Half King was calling for him alone, so he followed her.

The Half King sat on the roof of the King’s Castle, looking up at the sky.

“Look at that.”

“……”

It was a massive hole.

A huge, dark hole had been torn in the sky. …No. Is it really a hole? It looked like an unimaginably huge tornado or storm, or an inverted mushroom cloud.

Residue understood the nature of that hole.

The harbinger of Destruction he had seen at Tower 77,

It had materialized into a more distinct form.

But that wasn’t all.

“Ha.”

Residue could hardly suppress a hollow laugh.

It was absurd, but seeing this scene with his own eyes, the situation became clear.

Truly, the destruction has begun.

‘I didn’t realize time was this short.’

He thought there would be at least a month, or a few weeks at the least. He never imagined it would come before the meeting even ended.

It's too fast, even for being fast.

‘Is it because it’s been divided?’

Is it because the one who advanced to the [Outside] started the separation of Destruction as he had declared?

Because of that, the power of Destruction that should have been accumulated until the end of the world had been fragmented and poured out earlier than expected?

“What a magnificent sight.”

The Half King murmured purely in admiration. Residue felt a sense of incongruity at her attitude.

Admiring that sight.

Anyone with a normal sense of values wouldn’t have such an impression. Even Residue, who had a twisted sense of values, couldn’t understand it.

The Half King even sat down with her legs crossed.

“—Well then.”

And with her characteristic look of resting her chin, she spoke.

“What kind of conversation did you want to have with me?”

She wants to continue the conversation here.

She certainly doesn’t seem sane, but… Residue had no reason to avoid this flow either.

“It's about means.”

“Means.”

“Yes. How will you fight?”

“……?”

At this, the Half King tilted her head. It seemed to be a habitual gesture of hers.

“Are you perhaps blind?”

“No.”

“Hmm. Judging by how you answered correctly, there's no problem with your hearing either……”

The Half King tapped her cheek with the fingers resting on her chin.

“You’re asking such a question with the two most important senses intact? Didn’t you learn anything from seeing my fight just now?”

“It wasn't even at the level that could be called a fight. Even a fly would have had a better chance against a beast than that.”

Not just the fight with the Void Lord.

Even in the ensuing fight with Destruction, the Half King had splendidly demonstrated her combat prowess.

One thing was clear: even if all the Twelve Void Lords joined forces to fight the Half King simultaneously, they wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Then you should have roughly grasped how much power I possess.”

“You're a being that can't be defeated even with a mountain of Twelve Void Lords.”

“Indeed. That’s how I was made.”

“But that’s only a disparity evident in a fight against the Void Lords.”

“……”

Residue continued in a nonchalant tone.

“You are indeed strong. I don’t deny it. But the fact that an all-out attack from the Twelve Void Lords couldn’t even scratch your skin is unrealistic.”

“Your assessment of me seems a bit lacking.”

“Does it seem that way? If you find the truth to be lacking, it’s because you are lacking. You should strive harder.”

“……”

At these words, the Half King blinked, seemingly a bit surprised.

For the first time, her face seemed to match her age.

“ If you find the truth to be lacking, it’s because you are lacking… Hmm. Good words. They resonate with me.”

“……”

“It feels like I’ve received proper teaching for the first time, Beginning Wizard. My conversations with you are becoming increasingly enjoyable.”

Residue smiled back at the voice filled with a hint of laughter.

Then, he removed his mask.

“Oh?”

“Why are you surprised?”

“I didn’t expect you to take off your mask so easily.”

“It’s not a face worth hiding.”

“You seem reluctant to show it to others, though.”

“You’re different from those guys.”

“Hmm. Don't tell me this is special treatment?”

Though the remark was somewhat off, Residue didn’t mind and asked.

“So, how is it? This face.”

“You’re not handsome.”

“I agree with that, but I wasn’t asking about my appearance.”

Residue tapped his face lightly as if it were a mask.

“Haven’t you seen this face somewhere before?”

“No.”

She declared without hesitation.

Well, she hadn’t been around for long since she was created. And as per Residue’s understanding, she was crafted with such perfection that errors like forgetfulness or omission wouldn’t occur.

Residue put his mask back on.

“You are an infinitely compressed being.”

“……”

“Compressed knowledge, compressed history, compressed life, compressed world. Above all.”

Briefly, Residue declared.

“Compressed strength.”

“……”

“Sure, even the Everlasting Plum Sword that can destroy a world couldn’t pierce your skin. The number of worlds wrapped around that one layer of skin must not be just a few dozen.”

“I’d like to hear more. Your perspective.”

“It’s not much of a perspective. I’m curious about one thing. Where did you get such material?”

“Hmm.”

The Half King leaned back comfortably.

It looked as if an invisible cushion of air supported her back.

“There might be some inaccuracy in saying that I enveloped even life itself. What I've shouldered is their karma. It's nothing more than recycling what was broken and about to disappear.”

Broken and about to disappear.

Could it be?

“Just before Destruction manifested, half of the Three Thousand Worlds were annihilated. The remaining debris disappeared to the ‘Outside.’ It was my loyal servant, Exile, who persistently transported them.”

“How many times?”

“1.28 billion times. About that much, excluding trivial numbers.”

“……”

“Do you understand, the current Beginning Wizard? Why I am called the Half King.”

With a faint smile, the Half King placed her hand on her chest.

“All the karma derived from the vanished universes, that is ‘me.’”

In that moment, a part of the veil surrounding the Half King’s identity was lifted.

“……”

At this moment.

It was at this precise moment that Residue,

the lingering consciousness of the Lightning God,

the current Beginning Wizard,

the successor to Lukas Trowman’s will,

realized what he ‘had to do.’

****

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