“Why does Apocalypse exist in five forms? What is the reason for that?”
A dazed voice continued.
“You must have experienced [Outside the Sphere]. Where that place is, what I was at that time, how much more there is—'the current me' cannot know. That's because everything I experienced, felt, and noticed disappear like a fog the moment I return here.”
Lukas recalled the words of the Exile. He too couldn't accurately describe what he had gone through.
“So the words I'm about to say now will be from the perspective of the Beginning Wizard, as a member of the material world.”
As if the distinction was very important, there was strength in the voice of the Beginning Wizard.
“The form of destruction was originally just one. At the same time, it was also creation.”
“…What does that mean?”
“I guess I have to use a somewhat childish expression. You know about the existence called a ‘god,' right? You've seen one directly and even had a conversation. How was it?”
The intention behind the question wasn't clear, so he asked back.“What about it.”
“Your impression of having seen it directly. Did you not think it was incompetent? Perhaps you thought it was a being unworthy of the title of a monotheistic god. In fact, he was dragged into the world of Void and executed. A rather miserable end for a creator.”
“……”
“That was a being neither omnipotent nor omniscient. It thought its death could change something, but it did not. The only achievement it made was bringing you into the world of Void and creating the Ruler.”
The Beginning Wizard chuckled.
“You might have vaguely thought so. That this being might not be a god.”
“…I didn’t think that.”
“You did. Even if it was unconsciously. I can guarantee that.”
It was a strange moment.
Someone else was certain about what he had thought. However, due to the peculiar relationship with the Beginning Wizard, he couldn’t completely deny those words.
“First off, congratulations are in order. That conjecture is true.”
“What?”
“At the beginning of time, there existed ‘the only one' in a universe when there was nothing yet. This being was omnipotent within the sphere of the universe. Whether this being also came from ‘outside' or whether the effects of this being reached ‘outside'… I do not know that much. I can only tell what I know.”
Only then did Lukas realize what the Beginning Wizard had referred to as ‘the childish expression'.
The primordial god? Bringing up such a being now?
It might have been fortunate that he had no face. If he had facial skin, he might not have been able to contain his sarcasm at this moment.
“The primordial god had a will. A vast one at that. It did not actively create something like the gods you know. Yet, the world was created. It was a very natural phenomenon. Just as living beings exhale carbon dioxide while breathing, its mere existence could have a massive impact around it. —That was the very first creation.”
Of course, that’s the story of the world inside the sphere.
The Beginning Wizard added with a laugh, then suddenly became serious. He noticed that his joke was neither funny nor appropriate.
“After an unimaginably long time, this being suddenly realized its role and fate. Creation and Destruction, within a vast category, weren't much different, and it had to perform both roles. Yes. It had to erase what was born from itself.”
After a slight pause, the voice continued.
“The First Destruction was the moment it became aware of its role.”
“……”
“But the primordial god made arrangements before becoming the Destruction. The first intentional creation, which resulted in the birth of two beings you know as the god and the Void King.”
“So, the god and the Void King are…….”
“In human terms, you might call them brothers.”
Lukas remained silent. He knew, having glimpsed it through the Spring of Wisdom.
What the Void King had become.
Then, the god who had suddenly disappeared…
“When the First Destruction struck, both the god and the Void King fought against it. What do you think happened?”
“…Did they win?”
Since the world had not yet perished, which was decisive evidence of some sort, Lukas asked this question.
“No. They were defeated. Miserably. But they managed to get a reprieve, despite the dreadful event.”
“A dreadful event?”
“Keep this in mind. When the crucial moment comes, there’s only one who can face the core Destruction. Therefore, the existence of one with the power of 100 is far more important than millions with the power of 99. That’s the law, and because of that, the god created a vast system… The beings that the people of the Three Thousand Worlds often perceive as the absolute ones are merely by-products of this system.”
A hint of laughter was mixed into the Beginning Wizard’s voice.
“The Rulers? Surely strong, but not enough. They might have been sufficient if they were still one entity, but now that it's divided into four, it's far from enough.”
This statement, too significant to ignore, just slipped out.
“The Rulers were one entity?”
“Oh. You didn’t know that yet? No matter. There’s nothing left to hide from you now.”
“…How is that possible? I might not know about the other Rulers, but in the case of the Seven Fanged Dragon God─”
“That It was created by the merging of the seven Absolutes? No. It was originally one being that split into seven. What the Dragon inherited was that characteristic.”
“……”
“There’s no need to delve deeper into this. At most, you might use it to comfort the pitiful remnant residing within you.”
It was fortunate that Residue’s consciousness wasn’t here. This insult had crossed the line even from Lukas’s perspective.
The Beginning Wizard redirected the conversation.
“Therefore, although the god and the Void King joined forces to prevent the destruction, in the end, only the Void King was able to hold out at the ‘decisive moment.' And the Void King was defeated. What happened after the defeat?”
The fate of the Void King,
It wasn’t hard to predict the outcome from his current state.
“…Apocalypse transformation.”
It may not have been an appropriate expression, but Lukas said it, and the Beginning Wizard agreed.
“That’s right. The Void King became the Second Destruction. Although a brief reprieve was gained, the difficult task of stopping one Destruction now doubled in difficulty. I've contemplated this issue for a very long time, but I still haven’t reached a clear conclusion on whether things turned out well or not.”
“…Then the reason the Four Knights hate the god is.”
“There are several reasons, but the fundamental one is because they misunderstood that the god killed the Void King.”
“……”
“Of course, the Four Knights also knew that the god was hiding something, but that being kept the truth hidden until just before its demise. I agree with that thinking. The truth about the destruction should be kept as secretive as possible. The more who know, the greater the chaos.”
So that's why he was executed without any resistance.
In that ownerless castle.
“…The god you remember was probably a remnant, from the very first moment you met.”
Lukas couldn't argue against that.
Because from their first meeting, the god was neither omniscient nor omnipotent.
“…So the god.”
“Is already dead, and became the Third Destruction.”
The white mask of a middle-aged man floating next to the Beginning Wizard entered his sight.
“…One person, all the arrangements the god made during his lifetime were to create one absolute being. And Lukas Trowman, you were the most suitable candidate for the god’s plan. The reason your life has been full of trials is simple. The being that made the Three Thousand Worlds wanted it that way.”
It was the truth he hadn’t wanted to know.
Lukas felt not so much surprise as anger, and not so much anger as a sense of emptiness.
Even then, his mind did not stop thinking.
A single absolute being.
—Just one.
“…Self-righteousness.”
Lukas recalled the word that the Beginning Wizard had continuously emphasized.
“What I do know is that during the miraculous time when the beings known as Destruction possessed a sense of self, they all desperately took the same action. To prepare a contingency for themselves becoming the Destruction. Like the primordial god birthed brothers, the god created the Ruler and built the system of absolute beings… and the Void King spawned the Four Knights and the Twelve Void Lords.”
“What does that mean……”
“We call such desperate, meaningless actions flailing.”
The Beginning Wizard's mask transparently looked at Lukas.
“Strange. Are you trying to find the meaning of their flailing? You've done similar things yourself.”
It felt like a cold wind was brushing against his skin.
“Insurance, was it? The arrangements you made before coming into contact with the destruction are not much different.”
“…I only prepared for after my death. I realized I might become the destruction only after coming into contact with the waterfall.”
“You must have felt more than just death.”
Creak, squeak.
Dissonance.
Suddenly, his head throbbed.
“It must have been something beyond instinct or premonition. It's not strange. You just did what a being destined to become the destruction ought to do.”
Yet, the Beginning Wizard did not stop speaking.
“My question is more fundamental. Why did we become the destruction? Perhaps we were never meant to be the destruction from the start? So, we think we are relying on our own will and flailing, but if that too is just a situation set up by an ‘outside' entity, and even ‘my' self is defined by those outsiders, and all of this is merely a pastime of some grand entity……”
Such questions would be endless.
Thus, Lukas remained silent.
“…What are the five beings outside [the Sphere]? Are there really five? What is their purpose? I have no clues about that, but I probably already know. Perhaps when I completely lose my self and finally become the Fourth Destruction, I will understand……”
His voice gradually faded.
“You will eventually awaken as the destruction one day, but not yet. It's not time for you to come here. Because you, of all people, are the contingency plan that the god and I have prepared with the highest chance of success.”
“……”
Lukas remained silent.
He considered himself not at all dull-witted, but it was difficult to fully understand the cascade of information.
Yet, he felt a peculiar dissonance in the Beginning Wizard's explanation.
What was it.
“This time… obtained… leave this place─”
Crackle, click.
“Four Knights… Twelve Void Lords and… …Ruler…….”
Chi-jik, chik.
Strong noise began to mix into the Beginning Wizard's voice.
The old man's mask suddenly fell and hit the ground.
As Lukas blankly watched this scene.
“—Lukas Trowman.”
A voice sounded.
A different voice from the Beginning Wizard's. A voice he recognized.
He turned his head and looked at the mask.
The expressionless mask of a middle-aged man.
According to the Beginning Wizard, the Third Destruction.
Another name, the god.
An entity that had already lost its sense of self, called out Lukas's name.
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