Chapter 242: The Divine Sword (1)
The end is approaching.
It had reached a point where it could no longer be hidden with lies.
The sky was gradually turning purple.
And the ‘colossal thing’ wriggling in space began to reveal its form.
“It’s coming!”
The dimensional entity, Draken, was descending upon the mortal realm.
Its appearance was like a tiny planet being approached by a black tentacle several hundred times its size.
The people still on the ground would only feel that the sky was strange, but looking up at the universe from high up in the airship, it felt like my breath was being taken away.
“Can you cut that······?”
Jill said, her mouth agape, looking at me.
Can I cut that?
To put it bluntly, it’s possible.
I now have a body that can wield the Divine Sword freely.
Of course, I’m facing an enemy of an overwhelming dimensional scale.
It’s amazing, but I can’t find any sense of powerlessness that I can’t cut it.
If I try to cut it, there’s nothing I can’t cut.
The light of the Divine Sword permeates everything without being blocked and can cut anything.
But if there’s something that gets in the way······.
“A sword that cuts through the essence. That’s what I named it. I can’t figure out the essence of that guy no matter how much I look at it. So I won’t cut it.”
“······.”
I named it, this Divine Sword is a sword that cuts through the essence.
It’s a sword that digs beneath the representation of things and cuts and destroys their essence.
Of course, even if I don’t understand its essence, it doesn’t hinder me from cutting it······.
I have no intention of cutting something whose essence I can’t see.
Just as a surgeon doesn’t wield a scalpel without knowing what he’s cutting.
Wielding the Divine Sword without knowing its essence is a denial of the path I’ve walked so far.
And above all, I have a hunch that the answer I’ve been searching for all this time is within Draken’s essence.
It’s a very strong hunch.
It’s already certain that the system and Draken are related.
In that case, isn’t the reason I’m regressing also within it?
The doubt that started with such a question has already become solid.
Before I knew it, it had changed and settled in me like a conviction.
The moment I cut it, I lose everything.
The reason I had to regress repeatedly.
The path I’ve walked while wielding my sword.
······And my wives, whom I reunited with after facing the crisis of annihilation.
“It’s a stupid reason.”
“Uh, no. I’ve never thought of Eugene as stupid. And I never will.”
“I’ll definitely come back.”
“Really······. You only have to say such ominous things once······.”
Jill, who seemed to have remembered an old memory, approached me, sobbing.
Jill’s hand held a dagger that contained our memories.
With a stab, the tip of the blade plunged into my chest.
“This dagger contains the history of the saintess. Not just mine, but the history of countless saintesses who have passed through this dagger. It has never been used before, so its history remains intact, but I think it’s time to use it now.”
“······.”
“On the ground, all the believers are praying for you, Eugene. Their will, their faith, will all be with you.”
“I don’t believe in that religion, but is that okay?”
“What does it matter whether you believe or not? It’s a divine power that helps even those who don’t believe. Close your eyes, Eugene.”
“I have them closed.”
“May the saintess’s protection watch over you······.”
Jill, who made the sign of the cross and blessed the dagger stuck in my chest.
Then, a bright light began to emanate from the dagger.
At one point, it became a halo and permeated into my chest.
Thud!
I could feel the dagger stuck in me.
I closed my eyes and the scene of a snowy field unfolded.
In the middle of it, the dagger was stuck.
It’s not just that the blade has entered the ground a little.
It’s as solid as if it had taken root below.
It feels like there’s a resolute will that it won’t be pulled out no matter what happens.
“It’s here.”
At that moment, below, the hull of the airship emerged through the dark clouds.
The airship was rising at an almost vertical angle.
From the rear, a huge engine was shooting out flames, and it was gaining altitude at an incredible speed.
“Is the remodeling finished?”
-Uh, uh······! Ju, just now! Fi, finished! Ta, taking off and going!
“Good work.”A hint of pride creeps into Julia’s voice over the communicator.
It’s been less than three days since the time was given.
In that short time, the airship was remodeled to be able to reach space.
“How did you solve the problem?”
What kind of magic did you use?
I heard that you were having trouble cooling the flame engine on the airship because there was no proper way to cool it down.
-Hyo, the most efficient cooling device was right there, nearby······.
-So, I, the King of Palana and the Frost Lord, am acting as the engine cooler!
Yerina’s voice, mixed with irritation, burst into laughter.
Well, no matter what method is used, it’s a basic engineering mindset to solve the immediate problem.
It doesn’t matter because this won’t be mass-produced, and it’s only going to be used once.
In that sense, using Yerina as a cooler was the best choice.
Among the human-sized coolers, Yerina would have the best efficiency.
“I’ll go and come back.”
“······Yes.”
I kissed her lips lightly and grabbed Miso’s hand and jumped out of the airship.
The magic of telekinesis controlled the falling speed.
We were able to land softly on the rising, remodeled airship and board it.
“We, we made it in time! Somehow!”
“I heard there were a lot of defects, but you managed to solve them all.”
“Yes, yes! I solved the cooling problem by using the Frost Lord!”
“You’re talking about people like objects, you mad scientist!”
“I didn’t have enough space to install a jet that would shoot compressed air to solve the steering problem, so I used a wind mage to solve it!”
Come to think of it, I wondered why Alicia was on board.
It seems that she was the part(?) in charge of steering the airship.
Even if it’s a makeshift, and it’s only going to be used once, isn’t this a bit too much? I thought, but I decided not to spit it out.
If Julia had judged this to be the best, it meant that there was no better choice.
“But why was she brought here?”
“Hwaaang! I couldn’t finish it!!!”
The one who was working in the corner with soot on her face was someone I knew.
It was none other than Kern’s daughter.
It seems that she was not able to complete the spring machine with the specifications that were requested on time.
The output devices such as arms, legs, eyes, and vocal cords are not yet present.
Only the main board is being manufactured, but it is still incomplete.
Why are there so many problems from the beginning?······?
“I won’t disturb you, so keep working.”
“Yes, yes! Euhheuk······.”
I make up my mind.
Even though it’s a chaotic plan, I will believe that it will succeed and go through with it to the end.
I believe.
I believe in Jill, Julia, Yerina, Alicia, Kern, and his daughter.
Is that all?
“I, I will modify the course using the data obtained from the prophecy of the World Tree······.”
I heard that Mia and the World Tree were making a lot of prophecies.
As a result of using all of the future spirits to make prophecies, it is said that the outline of the future has become somewhat visible.
The optimal route that was chosen is the one we are heading towards now.
“Mumei. W, w······ That 9th-tier magic. What was it?”
“Spirit Redemption. I’ve completed the casting. The quality of the magic stone is so good that it seems like it will be able to be maintained permanently.”
The 9th-tier magic is placed on the magic stone that Teiga has processed.
It is considered impossible to maintain it semi-permanently from the 8th tier because it is complex and unstable.
However, Tei’s magic stone did it.
It’s not even semi-permanent, it’s permanent as long as the magic stone doesn’t break.
“Hoo······. So, you’re telling me to take that huge dimensional body and mold it into this tiny machine?”
“You understand correctly.”
“Haaah······.”
Mumei, who came up next to me and asked, closed his eyes tightly and sighed as if he wanted the hull to disappear.
He didn’t seem to like it when he first heard about the operation.
It seems that he is now realizing how ridiculous this operation is, as he is witnessing the true nature of Draken.
My hands are trembling.
But when I clench my fists, the trembling quickly stops.
Mumei seems to have made up his mind as well.
“I never knew why I was born into this world until now. I thought that someone like me was just a bug that was born due to an error in the world······. Now I see. I was born for today.”
“······.”Suddenly, what Temulen said came to mind.
Obscurity is a being created by my will by infusing meaning into meaningless waste.
Perhaps my will at that time unconsciously assumed today and awakened this ability.
While stroking the head of Unknown, who smiles confidently.
The airship accelerated further and was about to get closer to Draken.
“What! It may seem absurd, but I’ll give it a try anyway-“
-Hyaaagh!!!!!!!-
A feeling of intimacy accompanied by powerful shock waves.
As a result, in an instant, the faces of all the crew members, including Mu-myeong, turned pale.
My body becomes stiff.
In an instant, the airship lost its balance, stumbled, and became unmanageable.
“Ahhh······?!”
“This is a transformation.”
Even though not even 1% of his true body his his has descended yet, this level of intimidation?
I didn’t expect this.
Cold sweat began to flow.