Chapter 216

Genesis

Anyway, the beginning was genesis.

“Sis? Sis! What’s wrong all of a sudden? Pull yourself together! What’s happening?”

Small hands shook Yuria. She finally managed to focus her eyes. The white-haired girl, Beatrice, looked tearful as she gripped Yuria’s sleeve.

“Ah… oh, Tris?”

“Ah! Are you conscious? What happened? Did you get cursed by an Outer God or something? How does someone who was perfectly fine just a moment ago become so haggard they look half-dead in less than 5 seconds?”

5 seconds?

That was only 5 seconds?

“Ugh! Sis, you have a nosebleed! What kind of curse turns an 8th Circle Grand Wizard into this…!”

Tris quickly raised her sleeve to wipe under Yuria’s nose. Bright red blood spread across Beatrice’s sleeve.

Yuria stared blankly at the sight before turning her gaze behind her. She could see <Samantha> glowing brilliant white. From her lips, mana characters flowed like a river, scattering throughout the world. She was in the middle of singing the song of genesis. Within that, Baek Jun-woo would also be struggling desperately.

‘Every time… every time he uses simulation, he’s been in that dark world? Repeating endlessly, countless times, with no promise of when it might end… trapped in there?’

Yuria felt a headache. Even now, information continued flowing backward through the Akashic Records.

To let information that should have ended as a mere ‘experiment’ flow backward into reality… just how many simulations did Jun-woo repeat? Just accepting one glimpse of it was this difficult…

“Sis!”

Yuria gently patted Beatrice’s tearful head. She was fine. It wasn’t an Outer God’s curse but a different kind of problem, she reassured her while stroking the girl’s hair. Her white hair. The same as Baek Jun-woo’s. Evidence that Beatrice harbored a god’s fragment.

“Where’s Gaia?”

At Yuria’s question, Beatrice made an uncomfortable expression.

“She’s quiet for now.”

Earlier, Gaia had stolen Beatrice’s body without permission. Then she spouted nonsense about accepting the Outer God.

“No matter how much she calls herself the Great Goddess, Terra Madre… how dare she treat a mage as nothing more than…!”

Deep anger flared on Tris’s face. It wasn’t just wounded pride as Ragnarok’s saint. It was anger welling up from the memories of previous lives, from 20,000 years of memories of struggling to prevent the world’s destruction long before Ragnarok was even founded.

Yuria smiled softly and hugged Tris’s small shoulders. She whispered in the girl’s ear.

“Angry?”

“Yeah. If I could, I’d beat her up.”

“Then let’s beat her up.”

“Huh? The soul is hidden deep inside, you know? Descending to the dimensional faults is only possible for the Divine Wizard, isn’t it?”

“We can do it. I just learned how.”

Yuria’s eyes curved into crescents. She pointed at the World Tree with her finger. The ultimate weapon created by Artisan Hephaestus. It lived up to its reputation, but actually, the World Tree alone couldn’t completely block the chaos the Outer God poured out. Hephaestus hadn’t known that the Outer God had been consumed by chaos.

Then what was the secret that allowed the World Tree to barely hold on, though precariously?

The memorial tablets inside it. The essence formed by gathering the shattered soul fragments of gods. The power flowing from those tablets sustained the World Tree.

“We can borrow the power of the tablets inside.”

“Borrow?”

“Then we can give both the Outer God and Gaia a good beating.”

“We can… subdue the Outer God?”

At Beatrice’s question, Yuria’s expression darkened slightly. She held back tears—or maybe it was something else… An ambiguous bitter smile hung on her lips.

“Well… Jun-woo doesn’t seem interested in fighting the Outer God right now.”

Beatrice’s eyes grew wide.

“Then?”

Huff… Yuria sighed.

“It seems like he’s planning to devour it.”

“What? The Outer God?”

“We’ll have to be really tense too… if we’re not careful, the world might collapse.”

“Whaaaat?”

“I’ll explain gradually. For now, let’s help Jun-woo. Right now, Jun-woo is in some danger.”

* * *

Good. Now it’s done. I’ve definitely conveyed it to her.

Exhaustion washed over my entire body.

Ah, this won’t do… it’s not over yet. I’ve only taken one step. This isn’t the end…

Tsssss—

The Philosopher’s Stone evaporates. No… well, should this even be called evaporation? I don’t know how much is left anymore, or if there’s even anything left at all.

Due to excessive [Simulation] repeats, I had become tattered rags, and now I drifted aimlessly inside <Samantha>. Now I really couldn’t feel anything. At this rate, I might just disappear… but my eyes kept closing. No… I don’t even have eyes anymore, but even my barely remaining consciousness…

Whoooosh—

Then something cool poured into <Samantha>’s body. A liquid glowing with five colors. Well-refined Philosopher’s Stone.

“Baek Jun-woo! Are you still conscious? For now, take this emergency supply and gather your strength! I’ll open a path right away!”

Yuriaa’s voice woke me up.

The endlessly pouring Philosopher’s Stone breathed vitality back into my body, which had shriveled like a mummy.

My mind snapped clear.

‘Ah. I almost died just now.’

This is insane. I only took one step, and I was already about to give up?

I forcibly awakened my consciousness. I consumed the pouring Philosopher’s Stone to restore my vanished body.

After barely gathering my strength, I could feel Yuria holding the memorial tablet.

‘Her execution is outstanding.’

While I was actually about to faint, my sister had steadily advanced what I had told her. She even exceeded my expectations.

For instance, from the tablet she held, five types of magical power—red, blue, green, black, and white—poured out, and she managed to weave all those magical power types together to successfully fire <Saíl>. Right. That arrow, shot with the souls of the ancient gods, was stronger than I had expected.

“I shall shoot the sun!”

With her clear cry, a silver arrow stretched forward. It was different from usual. Though it was silver, the five colors of magical power flowing from the tablet mixed in, creating a strange silver that was both darker and brighter.

It was like the recreation of an ancient miracle.

Gaia had said,

‘<Saíl> was originally a miracle used by the ‘Guardian, Yi,’ to resist the invasion of another ancient Outer God and chaos. Even Yi, the strongest among us, had to sacrifice his own life when the final chaos struck. What exactly do you think you can do?’

So, that god Yi who died in the distant past had also been scattered into this world. Now I know. I inherited his fragments, and Yuria also inherited them. Where I was, she was always there too, so when I absorbed Yi’s magical power, she also absorbed part of it. That’s why no matter how much others researched, they couldn’t use <Saíl>… it was a spell that only mages who had inherited part of Yi could use from the beginning.

I had a sudden thought.

‘When we die, will we scatter into this world like Yi did? Like that… will we be able to become strength for someone in the future?’

Like that, the brilliant arrow flew while stirring my sentiments, crossing the dimensional boundary to pierce the Outer God.

[Kkaaahhh—!]

The Outer God screamed. Before <Saíl>, which tore through even chaos, the monster shrieked. A hole was blown through the terrible pus-mass that covered the entire dimensional boundary, and in its center, the figure of a small boy flickered.

He resembled his first apostle.

He looked human and had countless tentacles draped like wings behind his back. But he was small. In our years, maybe 14 years old? That tiny boy was the Outer God’s main body.

[Ahhhh! Don’t disappear. No! Don’t leave me!]

The small Outer God sobbed and screamed. With one hand he felt around his pierced chest, and with the other he reached for his rotting universe.

A god who had wandered chaos for countless eons. A god who had endured by using his universe as a shield until he finally went mad. I raised my body toward him.

[Father?]

<Samantha>, who had been singing, felt something wrong and called to me.

‘Don’t worry and continue the genesis. There’s nothing to be concerned about. I won’t let it hurt.’

[What do you mean… what are you trying to do now…!]

I’m sorry, but I don’t have the luxury of listening to the end. I stretched my barely restored body long. I extended it outside <Samantha>’s body and crossed the dimensional boundary to shove my body into the wound of the struggling small Outer God. <Samantha> and the Outer God were connected through me.

In that moment, I felt it.

‘This is manageable.’

Right. Outer God or whatever, it’s just a god after all. A being made of magical power. His current state—consumed by chaos and driven mad—is actually quite similar to the dead gods.

Of course, compared to truly dead gods, he has much stronger remaining will and cohesion… but still, it means I can steal the initiative if I get some help and give up a few small things.

[What, what are you thinking! Stop! I said stop!]

<Samantha> screamed at me. But even while screaming, she didn’t stop the genesis, so she couldn’t block me. I was grateful for her sense of duty.

‘I have no choice. To drive back chaos, I need to collide with another world. The massive Primordial Fire generated then is necessary. But I can’t accept this crazy Outer God bastard, can I? So the only option left is… to devour it.’

[Don’t do it! If you do that, I won’t be able to concentrate! I’ll have to stop the genesis!]

‘Don’t worry. I’ll take all the pain. You just keep doing what you’re doing.’

[No, no! If you do that, Father will… Father will!]

‘I’m not your father.’

After throwing out those harsh words, I said,

‘Now, let’s ignite.’

Crunch!

I bit into the Outer God’s body. I swallowed it down. It felt tingly, like poison flowing through my veins instead of blood.

Through me, the Outer God’s magical power—and the universe he carried—flowed into <Samantha>. The moment they touched,

Boom!

Sparks flew in all directions like flint striking steel, then settled. The Primordial Fire began to kindle.

‘Alright, one more bite.’

Crunch crunch!

Right. Come to me, magical power. I am the Divine Wizard. The true administrator who creates gods and completes genesis. Aren’t I more god-like than some mad Outer God?

My lifelong mastery of word-magic interfered with the Outer God’s magical power. It gradually dissolved and devoured the god’s magical power.

Boom! Boom boom! Boom boom!

It sparked. The Primordial Fire ignited faster and faster, like an internal combustion engine starting up.

Tsssss—

Of course, at this rate, I would burn up completely before the Primordial Fire could fully ignite… but I still had one more ace up my sleeve.

[Can you hear me? Do you remember the sound of those meaningless waves that struck your ears the moment you were born? You remember that primordial shore you reached after drifting through eternity, don’t you? Though both you and I crumbled into sand on that shore… it won’t be the end. Life sprouted even on the sand we became… we’re no different. Come, all of you. Melt your bodies in the hot flames. Become new light, take new forms, and become vessels to hold the world.]

Beatrice’s voice. Raising green mana, she looked straight at me.

‘You subdued her.’

Gaia’s final arrangement for me. ‘Evolution.’

But Gaia ultimately didn’t act. She couldn’t reach a conclusion until the end, just wavering back and forth.

In the end, she too was helplessly a ‘dead god.’ Though she seemed to converse normally, she was ultimately just a ghost repeating the wishes she held before death. Her final will to save the world couldn’t find a compromise between the rational judgment that the Outer God must be accepted and her opposition to me, the actual savior, so it slipped away.

Beatrice, with Yuria’s help and the tablet’s assistance, simply ended that confusion. Using her influence on her own soul, she guided Gaia’s wavering will in one direction. After all, magical power follows when a mage controls it with stronger will.

[Transcend. With a new soul.]

That was the result.

Whooom!

Magical power swirled wildly.

It wasn’t simple magical power. Among magical power, it was the purest magical power—the souls of gods—that rushed toward me. The fragments that had become the source of ‘gifts’ left their resting places and poured toward me.

First, Beatrice’s white hair turned brown.

Yuria’s sky-blue hair darkened to blue-black.

Hwi Someong’s platinum hair became deep golden.

Centered on me, the light went out like extinguished flames—all hair with even a hint of white turned dark.

The five-colored magical power flowing from the tablets also surged toward me like waves.

‘Ahhh…’

My soul swelled. It grew endlessly.

‘Now!’

Just when I thought I might explode at this rate, I redirected the flow of pouring souls. I made them circulate between <Samantha> and the Outer God’s mana, binding all of us as one.

However, there were no fragments of Gaia in that flow. Like Cheonmun had, Gaia also chose the path of eternal extinction with her final spell.

Instead, her final spell created pressure that evolved all of us by mixing us into new beings.

The mad Outer God couldn’t properly resist that force.

[Kyahhhhh!]

The Outer God screamed as he was forcibly absorbed, and

[Father! Father!]

<Samantha> called my name instead of screaming.

She wasn’t in pain. Even in the swirl of mana and souls, I had placed <Samantha> at the eye of the storm.

She was the center. Everything would ultimately be absorbed by <Samantha>, and I would take all the backlash from that process as lubricant and coolant.

Crack!

The whole world brightened. It didn’t flash like before. It was continuously brilliant, as if we had entered the heart of a galaxy.

Illuminating the collapsing Tower of Covenant,

the chaotic Star Continent,

everything with white light.

The chaos lurking throughout the world screamed and scattered.

Rumble—

As the Primordial Fire ignited, genesis accelerated automatically.

[Ugh! The reaction is too fast…!]

<Samantha> screamed as she blocked heaven and earth from writhing uncontrollably. Unable to keep up with the pace of change, she struggled and couldn’t pay attention to me anymore.

A few continents that <Samantha> missed wobbled and flew away like leaves in the wind.

‘I expected this, but… whether this is supposed to be genesis or destruction, I have no idea…’

I wanted to smile bitterly, but I already couldn’t remember what my lips looked like. Even my last remaining consciousness was being sucked into my role as lubricant and coolant.

‘Right. What business does lubricant and coolant have feeling sentimental?’

With that as my last thought, I completely fell into my role.

The world that ended up broken from reckless genesis… Yuria would protect it well.

I’ve done enough. I don’t have the energy to worry about anything else anymore.

And everything passed by like a dream… in an instant.