novelraw Chapter 445
Chapter 445
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
Chapter 445
Three figures face one another.
It was, in truth, a rather ridiculous combination.
Leon Cascadia of the ruined, sealed world.
Isna Mielephon, who had carried that will forward from that place into the present world.
And lastly……
“…Huh….”
Leon Cascadia of the present world, who didn’t have even a shred of memory of that sealed world.
It was a strange meeting of three—and for all intents and purposes, their first proper three-way confrontation.
“Looking at the situation, I can roughly get the picture. But how much do you know?”
“I know the general outline. That this is the last time, at least.”
“If that’s the case, then I’ve already given you all the information you need.”
“I’ll ask one thing from my side.”
“What is it?”
“Do you know what your origin is?”
At Leon’s question, Leon answered.
At the bizarre sight, Isna simply frowned and remained silent.
“Origin, huh. I don’t know it precisely. But there is something I know instinctively.”
“When we met before, I think you said you didn’t know what the origin of the Labyrinthos was.”
“That’s right. We made the Hall of the Labyrinthos. But we don’t know about its origin.”
“Seems like I’ve learned more than you.”
When the Leon of the current world smirked, the Leon of the closed world looked at him indifferently.
“Do as you please. I’m nothing more than residual scraps anyway. Even if I learn the truth, there’s nothing I can do.”
Isna couldn’t easily understand the current situation.
“Explain what’s going on.”
“…….”
“…….”
As the two Leons remained silent and twisted her insides with their lack of response, a vein bulged on her forehead.
“Now.”
After that, it was the Leon of the present era who spoke first.
“So. You predicted this situation?”
“I half intended it, but half of it was a gamble. I stored memories in advance within the core of a transcendental being you were most likely to come into contact with first. In the worst case, you might have made contact after Isna had been completely consumed.”
After answering calmly, he turned his gaze to Isna.
“You told me to explain the situation. Want to watch someone go insane?”
“First, let’s correct a few facts.”
Letting out a short sigh, he continued.
“As I said earlier, I have never once clung to Yog.”
“I heard that already.”
“I’ll tell you everything you don’t know, so listen carefully.”
The explanation of the Leon from the closed world continued slowly.
To do that, it was necessary to explain the regression itself.
To execute Yog, whom there was no way to kill—Leon of the closed world used the final opportunity as a means.
And in order to ensure that the final attempt would definitely succeed, he had prepared everything by treating it all as expendable.
Isna was horrified.
“I’m not asking for your forgiveness with this. But I think I should at least apologize to you.”
“You… just what do you think people’s lives are… Haa. No. I don’t have the right to say that to you.”
“There was never a way to save everyone in the first place. Even if it succeeded, at best only a few would survive. In the worst case, it wouldn’t have been strange if everyone except me died. Living beings, this land, even the dimension itself.”
What meaning is there in a world that ends like that?
“The reason you chose me.”
“Because you’re the one I can trust the most. Someone who could work behind the scenes in place of me after my memories were erased. And the most reliable comrade.”
Isna clenched her teeth.
Her fist, gripped so tightly that blood wouldn’t circulate, trembled.
“Then you should’ve told me… You should’ve told me!!”
“At that time, I would have handed over authority to you.”
“So what!”
“That authority is contaminated by the power of an Outer God. Without fully understanding Yog, I couldn’t predict what kind of variables would arise.”
It was a cruel choice, but since it was the last chance, it was better to eliminate variables entirely.
“What if… I had lost my mind and killed that bastard right away?”
“I was certain you wouldn’t.”
Leon Cascadia of the closed world was obsessed with the compulsion that he must succeed no matter what, even if he had to take on all sins and infamy.
Isna had guessed that he had twisted because of Melissa and Arsha.
But if she thought about it carefully, the logic was simple.
Leon Cascadia knew better than anyone that the two of them could never return alive.
Black miasma swirled around Leon.
A Death Lord–class power that had crossed the boundary between life and death.
Because he possessed that power, he was ruthless toward that truth.
“Before deceiving the enemy, I had to deceive my allies as well. Thanks to that, the Outer God remained wary of me but didn’t suspect beyond that. I even succeeded in scattering ashes into him at the final moment.”
Leon spoke as if confirming something.
“The speed of the Outer God’s erosion now should be slower than before.”
“…That’s true. It’s a fact that its movements have been slower than expected.”
The tone of Isna’s voice gradually softened.
Before long, the two Leon Cascadias spoke at the same time.
“Whether you wanted it or not—”
“I wanted you to live.”
“There had to be at least one person who would remember everything. Right?”
Isna ground her teeth.
“Fucking hell! Just one of you talk!!”
Although their tones were slightly different, the fact that the same person was speaking alternately made her insides boil, and Isna finally exploded.
“Khuh.”
“Puhh.”
Seeing them laugh at the same time, Isna wanted to strangle the two of them on the spot.
“I don’t think I ever said it out loud. But you’re talking like you looked right into my mind.”
At the past Leon’s question, the present Leon shrugged.
“You can figure it out just by looking. You’re me, and I’m you. It’s obvious what you’d be thinking. I’ve dug up information in my own way too.”
“Your information-gathering ability is better than expected. It’s never been like this before.”
Watching that, Isna couldn’t suppress the fire rising inside her.
“Apologize right now. Say you’re sorry to me!!”
“I’m sorry to you.”
“I’m sorry to you.”
“Damn it. I want to strangle both of you.”
In the end, her inner thoughts burst out.
In exhaustion, Isna collapsed to the ground.
“I kept thinking. Why you had to go that far. I never once thought you would betray us. And then one day, you did. The pain I felt at that time was…….”
“I told you already.”
“Just shut up!”
Enraged, Isna finally began to cry.
“You can never understand how we felt right after being betrayed.”
“I do.”
“You do? Do you even know what sacrifice is?!”
The Leon of the closed world fell silent.
Then, with a sunken expression, he said,
“Isna. How many times do you think I’ve repeated this damned thing?”
“What?”
“Do you think I just wiped everyone out as I repeated it dozens of times?”
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]
In that process, there had been countless changes.
Naturally, there were many times when he tried to shoulder everything alone.
He spoke lightly, but the chilling weight of the emotions contained within made even Isna unable to open her mouth.
In the end, she raised the white flag first.
“…I’ll apologize for speaking carelessly.”
“Don’t apologize. I’m the only one who should be apologizing here.”
“There’s one thing I want to ask.”
At that moment, the present Leon asked.
“What is it?”
“You clashed with Lucifer, right?”
At that question, the past Leon fell silent.
Then he answered.
“That one’s dangerous. Just looking at him, he’s like the prototype of an archangel. I don’t know what he did, but if the Chief God erased his existence, that says it all.”
“Well, that’s not wrong. But did you ever release his seal even once?”
“Of course I did. He has that much power. I thought if I handled him well, he could become a major force.”
Oh.
So you did release him?
“If I just state the conclusion—I died the moment I released the seal. I don’t even know what method he used. So I grew stronger and tried again. But the result was the same—he went mad and launched attacks.”
The present Leon didn’t bother informing him of the current situation.
It was true that he had received help from him recently, but fundamentally, Lucifer was an extremely chaotic troublemaker.
“I’m not omniscient. Even after repeating it that many times, there are still mountains of things I couldn’t figure out, so I have no choice but to be cautious about every action.”
For example, the Book of Fate.
And Lucifer’s true intentions.
Both of those elements were moving slightly differently in this cycle compared to before.
This place was Isna’s consciousness.
And only the consciousnesses of the two Leon Cascadias existed here.
In essence, no one else could know the conversation taking place here.
“Then can I hear the detailed plan now?”
“I’m certain that the thing inside you will become the key.”
“What’s your basis?”
To that, the past Leon answered without hesitation.
“The process and the result are both unclear. It seems like something that happened by chance during one of the regressions I experienced. But there’s something someone told me that remains strongly in my memory.”
Everything else is cut out, and only the conclusion remains.
As if the surrounding memories had been burned away as the price.
It meant there were too many suspicious aspects to simply brush it off.
Isna frowned.
“What did they say?”
“The Hall of the Martial God. In other words, the thing that has started to move inside that guy right now—that bastard fears it. When I first heard that, I didn’t believe it easily. But during the process of clashing with him, he instinctively seemed to avoid it.”
The Outer God Yog himself didn’t know what it was, nor did he recognize it, yet he avoided it as if acting on instinct, like a beast sensing danger.
At that point, there was only one conclusion.
That was why he vaguely believed the Hall of the Martial God would be the answer.
That was how cornered the past Leon Cascadias had been.
“Then why didn’t you use it?”
Isna’s question was natural.
To that, both Leons answered at the same time.
“Because it had never once been activated until now.”
“Because it had never once been activated until now.”
It was obvious.
As Lucifer had speculated, it required an immense amount of time, which was why repeated regressions were necessary.
If it had only now barely activated, then all previous cycles would have been silent.
No matter how much effort was made, it wouldn’t have moved.
Until then, the Hall of the Martial God would have remained silent even in death.
Isna looked down at her own hand.
“Then… am I no longer useful? Once the erosion has begun, the Outer God will try to consume me again over time. Before that happens, I should end my life.”
“But you came back just fine now.”
Unable to hold back, Isna kicked the past Leon.
However, the past Leon slyly dodged her attack.
“Don’t dodge, you bastard!”
“Nope. You got consumed like an idiot, and you talk big. I’ve endured for over twenty years before.”
“Then you take it all on yourself!!”
“Ugh, you’re so slow.”
Even when the mood was set, Leon was still Leon.
However, everyone here knew.
Even if it looked resolved for now, this was nothing more than a temporary measure.
Yog’s whispers were, quite literally, whispers—not something that merely persuaded with words.
“There’s something I want to confirm.”
At the present Leon’s words, the past Leon raised his hand to stop him.
“Questions later. Let’s put out the urgent fire first. You said earlier to kill yourself before being consumed, right? To get straight to the point, there’s no need. There’s also a way to permanently sever your connection to the Outer God.”
He said,
“Go to Heaven. Using the authority I gave you, you should be able to open the gate to Heaven. The archangels will move in that process, but there should definitely be a way to infiltrate secretly.”
At those words, the present Leon gave up the question he had been about to ask.
It had been about Heaven, and the topic had come up at just the right time.
“Heaven?”
“Yeah. There, the Heavenly Crystal. If you reach its end, that’ll be enough.”
“The Heavenly Crystal?”
“A light that can completely remove the power of the Outer God. And there’s also a means there to bring you to the Extreme in a short time.”
This was a huge gain.
Afterward, Isna’s legs gave out, and she collapsed to the ground.
“It can be solved?”
“Yeah. Did you think I’d hand over authority without considering the aftermath?”
“I almost wish you were just a bad bastard. It would’ve been easier. I could’ve just hated you…….”
Tears began to fall from her eyes.
Complicated explanations.
Complicated plans.
Dangerous actions.
They’re tedious and pretentious.
But—
If one person takes on all the infamy and pushes forward alone?
It’s clean, and easy to understand.
“At the very least, the fact that I killed everyone is true. So it’s right for you to hate me.”
The one who had already died and disappeared spoke with unwavering confidence.
“You were played by my plan. So don’t overthink it. Just remember that I’m the traitor, and the Leon Cascadia of the present is your greatest ally. Simple, right?”
In the end, Isna lowered her head, trembling, and burst into tears.
“Fuck… damn it, you bastard. If you say it like that, then what does that make me…….”
As she sobbed loudly, the past Leon embraced her and patted her back.
“Get a hold of yourself. Don’t forget the oath you made as part of the resistance against the Outer God. Are you really going to waver in your current state?”
The path definitely exists, and opening that path was his role.
And after that, walking that path would be the responsibility of the present Leon Cascadia and Isna.
“So we just need to go to Heaven, right? Nice. I was actually going to ask about that.”
As the present Leon spoke as if things had worked out, the past Leon looked at him.
“A question about Heaven? Aside from what I said, was there really a reason for you to go there?”
To that question, the present Leon Cascadia answered with a fierce expression.
“To smash that idiot Michael’s skull.”
There was no need for tedious, pretentious explanations.
At that answer, the past Leon tilted his head.
“Well, he’s definitely the kind of guy who deserves that… but suddenly?”
Yeah.
It was abrupt, but for the present Leon, it was an important matter.
“That bastard is trying to use my daughter, Elpiria, as a sacrificial pawn.”
“…Ah. A daughter… huh? Wait. You already have a child?”
“She’s a daughter so cute it wouldn’t hurt even if I put her in my eyes.”
At the calm answer, the past Leon fell silent.
Then he said,
“Hah. Someone had to shoulder original sin and make plans, and someone else has it easy. Pisses me off.”
“If you’re dissatisfied, you should’ve smashed Yog before it even got to my turn.”
“Hey. Let’s switch, damn it. I’ll smash Yog, so you take on the original sin—”
“No can do. I have a family. You’re a bachelor.”
He let out a hollow laugh.
“Michael, that damn bastard—his weakness is his armor. At your current level it’ll be difficult, but once you reach the Extreme, you should at least be able to disable it temporarily.”
“I don’t even need the Extreme. I’m going straight to Heaven and clashing with him.”
“What are you talking about? Do you think hierarchy is just decoration? You’re at Grandmaster level right now. At that level, you’ll be completely overwhelmed by Michael.”
“Yeah. Hierarchy restrictions are decoration now.”
At the same time, both the past Leon and the present Leon drew their swords.
No—more precisely, they were wooden sticks scattered on the ground.
Of course, given their level, even those could become strategic weapons of mass destruction—that was the problem.
“Come at me, you bastard. I’m too pissed off to let this go. I’m getting at least one hit in.”
“Try it.”
At the sudden fight between the two Leon Cascadias, Isna frowned.
Then, without hesitation, she crouched and sprang forward, driving a missile dropkick into both of them.
“Don’t kick up dust, you bas—khuh?!”
The moment her fierce dropkick struck the past Leon, a water projectile flying toward him instead hit Isna square in the forehead.
“Oh. Sorry. That was a mistake.”
The present Leon apologized awkwardly.
Snap!
Isna’s reason broke.
“Yeah. Fine. I didn’t like this either. You damn bastard. One of us is rotting inside worrying the world’s going to get wrecked again, and the other is living it up with his wife? Huh?! As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters?!”
She shouted furiously, but Isna felt that the heavy knot in her chest was gradually loosening.
Of course, the three-way battle that was completely demolishing the ruins only grew more intense.
[Translator - Night]
[Proofreader - Gun]