226 episodes
56 Fairy Forest (6)
Fresh breeze, a mint tea specialty store located right near the ‘Cradle of the World Tree’ .
Some fairies, including Diena, rented the whole building and sat on the second floor, waiting for Zion, who had gone into the ban, to come out again.
“ Is there something you are looking for… … .”
A low murmur escaped from Diana’s mouth, taking a sip of the finest mint coffee in front of her.
“ What the hell are you looking for in the cradle?”
After Shion went inside, I kept thinking about him, but nothing came to mind.
The reason the cradle was forbidden was because the world tree existed in it, and there was no contact point between Zion and the world tree.
No, as far as she knew, this was the first time that Shion had visited the Fairy Forest.
‘ Are you trying to get the branches and leaves of the World Tree? Then you don’t have to go in directly, you can just make a request… … Something else to bring… … for a moment.’
An object suddenly popped into Diena’s mind as she thought about it.
‘ The proof of the Eternal Age!’
A ring left behind as a proof that the Eternal Eternals ruled the fairy forest.
If it was Zion, the successor of the Eternal Age, he could have tried to obtain the ring.
‘ The question is, suddenly, at this time, for what reason are you aiming for a token… … .’
Since it is simply an item of the eons, there would be no way to get it.
‘ Ha, it’s difficult.’
Even though she had guessed what she was looking for, Diana let out a small sigh at the thought of being blocked again.
If Zion was the problem, then Diena could assert that it was the first time in her life that she had never faced such an unresolved problem.
‘ No, it’s not that it’s not solved, it’s the expression that I don’t know at all.’
Diana, who shook her head slightly with that thought, turned to Liusina, who was drinking mint tea at the opposite table and was happy.
“ I want to ask you one thing.”
Her mouth immediately opened.
“ What? I’m in a good mood right now, so I’ll answer anything you need!”
At the words of the cheerful witch, Diena immediately brought up the topic.
“ How much do you know about Zion?”
In fact, waiting for Zion to appear was actually an excuse, and that was the real purpose of Diena’s presence here.
This blood mage named Rina is an aide who has been by Zion’s side right after she changed, so she should know more about Zion than anyone else.
So, she was going to get information about Zion from here.
However, Liusina’s subsequent answer was not very satisfactory.
“ I don’t know either. The owner never talked about himself.”
“ Ah… … .”
As disappointment appeared on Diena’s face, Riusina’s words continued.
“ But if there is one thing you know, is it that you are incredibly strong? And that the power I’m showing now isn’t everything. I said two?”
“ Is that not all?”
Diena’s eyes fluttered as she remembered the overwhelming power that Shion showed when she faced the Blood Dragon yesterday.
Even that alone was a force that was comparable to all the beings she already knew, even if it could fit within three fingers.
But that doesn’t mean it’s completely out of power.
“ Then what is the original strength?”
“ Huh? Don’t you already know?”
“ What… … .”
“ You killed one of the archdukes at the border last time. In fact, it was done by the owner alone. It was known in the world that everyone joined forces.”
“… … !”
Diana’s shaky eyes begin to widen to the point where it can’t grow any longer.
“ How is that possible… … .”
Soon after, a trembling voice was about to come out of her mouth.
“!!!!!!”
Diana’s eyes suddenly stopped talking, and her gaze turned quickly.
No, not only her, but the heads of the people there all start to turn to one place.
Their gaze was directed toward the entrance of the cradle into which Zion had just entered.
From there, beyond the overwhelming one, a transcendent presence hardened to the point where they could not even recognize it properly.
It felt like a giant snake wrapped around the whole body.
at that time,
“ Dee, His Majesty Deena!”
A fairy knight ran up to the second floor with an urgent cry.
“ Hey, it’s an attack! now… … !”
It was the moment when the next words were about to continue from the mouth of such a knight.
“ Did you have fun?”
With the eerie smile drawn on Riusina’s lips,
Whoa ah ah ah ah!
A ray of light that started from the back of the knight blew away the entire building, making people’s sights glowing.
* * *
Zion knew what this phenomenon meant.
Because I’ve already experienced it once, no, many times before.
‘ When a god or a being comparable to it descends into the world.’
In fact, the owner of the voice that appeared before Zion’s eyes was worthy of it.
A beautiful woman with green hair and eyes reminiscent of nature itself.
Zion could easily guess the existence of such a woman.
‘ Archenidia.’
God of nature and spirits.
Considering the appearance, the aura that was felt, and the place, there was no way he was a different deity.
‘ Seeing that I was a contractor, it seems that I am one of the gods who made a contract with me in the past.’
When Sion thought so as she looked at Achenidia walking towards this side with a smile as fresh as her voice,
“ I really wanted to see you again.”
The goddess’ mouth opened once more.
His voice was full of joy, as if it were true.
“ It’s pretty nice. Have you ever had a relationship with me in the past?”
When Shion asked, puzzled by the kind of favor he had never seen in Luminous or Loki he had met before, Achenidia answered with a more serious smile.
“ Okay. You may not remember, but you have helped me a lot in the past.”
Although it was unintentionally stung while subjugating the demon, the goddess did not forget her help.
Without that help, Achenidia herself would not have been able to exert influence in this world any longer.
Even though he had already gotten close enough, Shion opened his mouth to avoid the goddess approaching.
“ Is it because you came here to repay him?”
“ No, I paid enough back then.”
“ Then what is the dragon?”
In general, a tremendous causality was consumed for the divine deity to descend to the lower world.
Having endured such exhaustion and appearing in front of me like this, there must be a need that is just as important.
However, Achenidia’s subsequent answer was beyond Zion’s expectations.
“ There is nothing like that. Like I said, I just wanted to see you.”
With those words, the goddess who slowly approached Zion opened her mouth with a subtle tone.
“ And the business is forever more than me, so I guess you are there?”
“… … I?”
“ You may have already noticed because of the first words I said, but I’m also one of the gods I signed with you. And I have a little extra causality left.”
Zion’s eyes lit up with a strange light, realizing the hidden meaning of those words.
Information about the old Luminous and the contract that I hadn’t heard of when I met Loki.
No, to be precise, it seemed as if he could hear the information about why he proposed to the gods to make such a contract with the deity in front of him.
It seems that Archenidia still feels great gratitude to Zion herself, and created this position to repay it.
“ If you say so, let me ask you. What was the contract I made with you in the past?”
At those words, the goddess began to slowly open her mouth, muttering, ‘Going straight to the point hasn’t changed at all.’
“ Hmm… … I will tell you as much as possible according to the causal ratio that is available now. First of all, do you know that you came to this age because of the contract you made with us, and that you were the one who proposed the contract?”
Shion nodded at him.
“ You made that offer because of the ‘power’ you have.”
“ If it’s that power, are you talking about the Heukseongha?”
“That ’s right. The power to return everything to nothingness, and a power that shouldn’t exist here… … .”
Achenidia, who looked at the six black stars shining in Zion’s eyes with a tired look for a moment, continued.
“ You know what? the stars you have. That the stars are actually fetters and keys.”
“ Shackles and keys?”
“ Yes. Have you ever thought about it? Why in this world, or in this universe, only you can use that power.”
Shion nodded once more.
I’ve been thinking about it countless times since then, but I’ve never been able to get a proper answer.
Because there was no one to ask, and there was no such case.
“ The reason is simple. That power and you are the same thing. So it’s not the concept that you have power, it’s the power itself that you are.”
At that moment, Shion’s eyebrows twitched.
It wasn’t because I was surprised to hear it for the first time.
Because he knew what Achenidia had just said about shackles and keys.
“… … That the very word of acquiring power itself is wrong.”
“That ’s right. The power of negativity you possess. It was completed from scratch. There were only restrictions.”
And the shackles that put such restrictions and the key to unlock them were black.
In other words, it was not the concept of building up the power to grow black from the beginning, but rather the role of releasing the constraints of the original power one by one.
“ You in the past knew that. Because you were the one who told me about it in the first place.”
After looking at Achenidia for a moment as she said that, Zion asked her again.
“ Then why are these restrictions placed on me?”
“ I don’t know about that, but… … I just have a guess.”
With those words, the goddess closed her eyes for a moment as if thinking of something, then opened her mouth and continued.
“ In the past, I overheard gods above me talking about you. Then they … … Said to be from So it might have something to do with it.”
A noise heard in the middle of Arkenidia’s words.
When he talked to Loki in the past, he had already experienced it once, so Shion knew that the phenomenon was a lock-in due to causality.
‘ If that’s the case, then it’s the same thing as back then… … .’
Sion intuitively felt that the word locked was related to the word ‘outside’, which he had heard from Kwangryong in the wealthy city in the past.
‘ Perhaps the worries I was doing at that time are also highly likely to be related to this.’
After thinking about him for a moment, Sion looked at Achenidia again and opened his mouth.
“ Then the reason I made such an offer to you must be because of restrictions.”
If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it now.
“That ’s right, I understand you too.”
The goddess snapped her finger at him.
“ Actually, you weren’t the type to explain the reason, so I don’t know for sure, but I can only guess.”
“… … .”
Zion thought that his guess was probably right.
The Heukseongha he achieved was 8 stars.
The former self couldn’t find a reason to go higher than that, but after that, he may have changed his mind.
‘ Then it means that in the end, he couldn’t stand up and made a contract with the gods.’
How strong was the last restraint that even the past self could not break through?
Or maybe it wasn’t due to restrictions in the first place, or there could be other reasons.
There was only one way to guess it.
After thinking up to that point, Zion looked at Archhenidia again.
“ I have one last question.”
“ Yes, you can.”
“ What did I in the past demand in return for a contract with the gods?”
One of the most essential questions and a question that may be the answer to Zion’s many questions now.
“ That… … .”
At that question, the goddess’ mouth began to slowly open.