Chapter 194
Tree roots descended from the sky to the ground in a dome-like space. Even the light that seeped from the tiny openings between the dense roots was black. An elven army numbering roughly five thousand was in formation inside this bizarre, dark, and damp space; the expression of each elf was filled with disgust for this space.
Someone said from the front of the army, “I do not understand you, Hod.”
It was a middle-aged female elf with brown hair and eyes.
The male elf with gold hair, eyes, and a golden sheen on his skin replied, “Binah. If even you cannot understand me, no one among the Sefirah could.” Hod raised his hand, gesturing to his surroundings, and continued, “Do you find... nothing abnormal about this place?”
The hellish sight, illuminated by dark light, was so horrid that it made one grimace at the sight.
“Urghhh...”
“Ahhh!”
“Mother... Tree...”
The dome-like space was filled with lament and screams. The roots descending from the sky tied the elves’ limbs, and their rootlets, resembling a beard, were embedded in the elves’ hearts. The rootlets were for absorbing the restrained elves’ power. The space was filled with countless trapped elves as if they were stuck in a spider web.
“They are criminals of Sefirot. They are paying for their sins,” Binah answered.
“And what sins have they committed? Finding out the truth about Sefirot?”
“The sin of trying to overthrow the system.”
“The system that benefits only the high elves.”
“Hod...” Binah’s brown eyes sank. She warned, “This system is the only way we elves, an intermediate race, can rival the superior races. How do you think Master Keter and the former Hod were able to reach the level they are at?”
“They are... the greatest masterpieces of Sefirot, born from the nutrients sucked out from the fertilizer. However... Why must these people be their fertilizer?”
“The former Hod... must have indoctrinated you.”
“My great-great-grandfather has always said that true glory will no longer exist in Sefirot.” Hod stared at Binah and said, “I was... happiest when I was Irura, not Hod.”
Nostalgic memories flashed past his mind.
“What shall we do today, Master Irura?”
“Radix, I told you not to call me Master! We’re friends!”
“B-but you are my master...”
Binah rebuked, “Do not evade your responsibilities. You are a Sefirah, one of the ten pillars that support Sefirot! Don’t you understand that the lords of the superior bloodlines under you are always watching for an opportunity to take your place?”
Hod remained silent.
Binah turned around to face the elven army and commanded, “Resume the search! The Tortoise Emperor could not have gone far! We cannot allow him to cause any more disorder!”
They were in Domen, the manure that acted as fertilizer for the trees above.
***
[00:00:01]
[00:00:00]
[Terminating conversion.]
[Kinetic Force enters dormancy for 120 hours.]
...
Seong-Hwi withdrew the thirteen Wings of Evolution and thought, Rankers renowned throughout the Mirror World are all gathered here.
He had broken through the clash between enormous calibers, mana, and bloodlust. He stared at the man he was supporting. The man was in a grimace, and his face was covered in streaks of dry tears; he was Wang Chen.
If he’s brave enough to charge toward his death under that storm of power, he might be able to survive.
Seong-Hwi believed that anyone should be given at least a final chance, just like how the Destiny Stone had given him one. Hence, he always gave those who needed it a chance, but it was limited to those who were willing to take it. He would not have saved Wang Chen if it hadn’t been for his final words.
Wait a second... Is that really the reason why I helped him? Seong-Hwi wondered.
His sense of reason and emotions began to clash.
I shouldn’t have interfered. The cost outweighed the benefit.
Why am I pretending to be sentimental all of a sudden? After all those people that I’ve turned a blind eye to?
But this was the right thing to do. This could be why the Destiny Stone brought me back.
I can use him. I already had a plan in mind from our first meeting, didn’t I?
Lina once told me that I’m a romantic pragmatist, but what about now?
Seong-Hwi clenched his temples to suppress the various thoughts and took deep breaths.
He thought, Now... I can’t even tell what my original thoughts are. What was... my psyche?
He had borrowed eight destinies. Just because he no longer had lucid dreams thanks to Bulgasal did not mean his psyche was not being corrupted. He had already spent a year in the Mirror World; he might not be his former self anymore.
As his thoughts began to jumble, Seong-Hwi pulled out a card from the Tarot Deck of Destiny.
[Activating Unique Skill: Symbol Embodiment.]
[Brooch of Moderation, one of the symbols of No.14 Temperance]
The card, No.14 Temperance, symbolized calm, moderation, and harmony. The brooch of a triangle inside a square appeared on Seong-Hwi’s chest. The thoughts boiling inside his head gradually died down.
“Huuu... It appears I need justification or a reason to help people now. How far has my humanity fallen, I wonder?” Seong-Hwi shook his head at the contradiction and self-hate.
I must stay balanced. Stay doubtful. I am Cheon Seong-Hwi, a human... with a goal I must achieve, no matter what.
As Seong-Hwi brainwashed himself, Saleana appeared with a flicker of flames.
She shouted, “There you are! Come this way! The spirit monarchs are waiting!”
***
Sallion, Ellaim, Gnoass, and Sylphid, each in terrible condition, were treating their injuries suffered from Insectum.
“Gurgh...”
“Huff, huff.”
“Damn you... Insectum!”
“There are... only a few days left!”
Fire, water, earth, and wind spirits gathered to be absorbed by the spirit monarchs, who gradually returned to their original appearance.
“They’re quite powerful,” Leo mumbled as he stared at the four spirit monarchs.
They emitted unbelievably powerful auras. He had never encountered a World Ranker face-to-face, but imagined this would be what it was like.
“Not even they could stop him? Just how much of a monster... is the Tenth Fiend?” Leo said to himself.
He began to worry about Seong-Hwi, who had asked him to follow Saleana and protect the fairies in his place, before accompanying Wang Chen somewhere.
You wouldn’t do anything reckless, right, Seong-Hwi? Leo thought, then shook his head.
Seong-Hwi sometimes did things Leo couldn’t understand, but his decisions had never been incorrect.
Just then, Sallion, with hair like a lion’s mane, said, “Urgh... We must complete Elementum as soon as possible!”
Gnoass agreed. “You are right. We must return to the Spirit Land.”
“Wait a second. We haven’t gotten in contact with the Vindicta Resistance yet,” Ellaim said as she stared at the fairies hiding behind Leo.
“Urgh...”
“Sir Second Knight...”
“Please come back quickly!”
Sylphid shook her head as she stared at the terrified fairies and said, “It’s too late. We need a fairy who can use at least Ranker-level Harmony Force. They won’t do. Even if they get in contact with the Vindicta Resistance, the Spirit Land will be long since destroyed by then.”
The monarchs’ expressions hardened. They knew there was only one option left.
“We have no choice...”
“But to gamble on...”
“The chance of a lifetime.”
Ellaim remained silent. Just then, they heard footsteps, and the monarchs all turned to the source of the sound.
“Master Sallion!” Saleana shouted as she flew toward Sallion and into his chest.
Flames flickered from his red eyes, and everything Saleana had experienced was transferred to him.
“Cheon... Seong-Hwi?” Sallion said.
A human with black hair and eyes walked toward the monarchs from where Saleana had flown, supporting another human.
“Yes, I am Cheon Seong-Hwi. It is an honor to meet you all, spirit monarchs.”
“Seong-Hwi!” Leo shouted as he ran to Seong-Hwi and grabbed Wang Chen from him.
The hundred fairies’ expressions brightened as they flew toward Seong-Hwi.
“Sir Second Knight!”
“You’re safe!”
“We were so worried!”
Seeing that, the spirit monarchs expressed confusion.
“Fairies are usually highly cautious, so why are they so relaxed around that human?”
“Second Knight? What are they talking about?”
“That human is powerful.”
“Cheon Seong-Hwi. Cheon Seong-Hwi, huh?”
Gnoass and Ellaim were shocked by the fairies’ behavior and words, while Sylphid expressed interest in Seong-Hwi after sensing the mana he was suppressing. Sallion stared at Seong-Hwi as he organized the information he received from Saleana.
“I happened to hear your interesting conversation. I happen to know a little something about gambling.” Seong-Hwi put on a business smile as he spoke amicably to the spirit monarchs. “Could you let me in on that gamble? Of course, I will match the stakes.”
***
Animismus was the fairies’ home dimension. In the beginning, Animismus was nothing until a sphere was created out of nowhere one day. The sphere was the Spirit Stone, the spirits’ Race Stone.
It was the crystallization of all the possibilities that could be unfurled in Animismus. Inside the beautifully shining stone were phenomena such as fire, water, earth, wind, light, darkness, lightning, rainbow, forest, and more. Emotions such as joy, sorrow, indolence, compassion, envy, rage, conviction, hope, courage, and more flowed around it like a panorama.
One day, cracks began to form on the Spirit Stone, and it was split into hundreds of pieces. The spirits who were born from those pieces, such as Sallion, Ellaim, Gnoass, Sylphid, Shinea, Archane, Lioner, Iris, Dryad, Delil, Sao, Lioth, Pathiz, Zielogan, Fury, Siape, Erised, Raker, and more, were known as the spirit monarchs.
Each spirit monarch began to decorate the empty Animismus, and it soon became vibrant with color. The monarchs also divided their power to create subjects who would live there. They were the regular spirits like the Salamanders and Saleana, who had always been one with the spirit monarchs.
Much time passed, and everyone believed Animismus would stay peaceful. However, misfortune arrived as suddenly as the birth of the Spirit Stone. The Void became jealous of the beautiful and peaceful Animismus. It was what had filled and also emptied Animismus before the birth of the Spirit Stone; it was an absolute phenomenon.
The Void began to suck the world that the spirit monarchs made, returning it to nothing. The spirit monarchs came together to figure out how to eliminate the Void, but it was pointless. Nothing could mend the holes in the world made by the Void because the Void was more natural than the spirits.
As Animismus was returning to nothing with each passing day, someone proposed a plan. No one remembered who had suggested it, but all they remembered was the main point that the only thing that could oppose the primordial Void was the primordial sphere; in other words, the Spirit Stone, which had been born from the Void of Animismus. The fragments of the Spirit Stone existed in each spirit monarch.
The first to go were Elifea, the spirit monarch of life, and Esimed, the spirit monarch of death, who had not created a single subject. They joined hands and returned to one, creating a small fragment the size of a fingertip. The Spirit Stone was being recreated.
The power of the remaining spirit monarchs grew from their sacrifice, slowing the progress of the Void. The spirit monarchs became certain that they had found a solution. After that, spirit monarchs sacrificed themselves one after another, and the Spirit Stone began to regain its original form.
However, the spirit monarchs who were absorbed into the Spirit Stone could never return to their original form. No, it was more accurate to say that they had returned to their original form. Their personalities vanished, becoming part of a collective in the form of energy.
The spirit monarchs disappeared one after another to stop the Void. The remaining spirit monarchs grew stronger, but the fall of Animismus only approached. Once their obliteration was imminent, the Lost phenomenon began. The spirit monarchs who arrived in the Mirror World were initially overjoyed, thinking they did not need to worry anymore and would no longer be forced to be separated from anyone.
However, that was an incredible misunderstanding. The Mirror World was a fierce survival arena, and the spirits were an inferior race. The spirit monarchs rushed to complete the Spirit Stone for a different reason; they wanted to become one for the spirits’ survival.
The sacrifices resumed, and the remaining spirit monarchs rose through the ranks. Their strength granted them a place in Forestis. Only four spirit monarchs remained: Sallion, Ellaim, Gnoass, and Sylphid.
***
“That is how we’ve survived until now. We used the sacrifices of our brothers and sisters as steps to climb higher. This place is our final fortress, filled with our nostalgic memories,” Sallion explained calmly.
Seong-Hwi, Leo, and the fairies were left in awe at the Spirit Land before them. Spaces filled with flames, boiling and twisting water, stones, and gust storms existed in one place.
“Is this place so important to you? If you give it up, you won’t have to face Insectum, right?” asked Seong-Hwi, who had listened to the history of the spirits from Sallion while on the move.
Ellaim answered, “It’s not that we don’t want to, but we can’t.”
“We spirits are the only race that does not have territory in the Mirror World from our home dimension,” Gnoass added.
Leo asked, “Are you saying the land from your home dimension wasn’t copied?”
Los Angeles, Yeouido, Da Nang, and every city on Earth were copied to the Mirror World.
“Correct. Our home dimension, Animismus, has always been nothing. We spirit monarchs built the environment in that emptiness.”
I see. Copying nothing gives you nothing, Seong-Hwi thought as he looked around the Spirit Land. Despite that, they created a space filled with the four elements.
“The Sēmen acknowledges cities from dimensions as the property of the race that came from that dimension. However, the spirits had nothing, so we were wanderers,” Sallion remarked.
Sylphid continued, “We went through countless wars to secure this territory, and it took decades to mold it into an environment resembling Animismus.”
“I see,” Seong-Hwi mumbled.
The Spirit Land was the spirits’ only sanctuary—a land of memories and hope, created from sacrifice. It was only natural that they couldn’t give it up.
“We will face the invaders head-on. We will fight, and that is what we need Elementum for!” Sallion shouted as he burned white, startling the fairies who quickly flew behind Seong-Hwi. “Is what you said true, human? Can you truly... use High Ranker-level Harmony Force?”
The spirit monarchs did not know how a human could use a fairy’s secondary force, but if it were possible, the chances of their plan to give rise to Elementum would skyrocket.
Seong-Hwi smiled as the four spirit monarchs were focused solely on him. He remarked, “Before that, allow me to ask something. You have had no issues without Harmony Force so far. Why do you need it this time?”
Sallion shook his head and answered, “No issues? Nothing of the sort. Returning to one entity was no smooth process. It became harder and harder. Archane sacrificed himself recently but almost failed.” He pointed at Seong-Hwi’s Archane Hoodie and continued, “Seeing traces of Archane in that form is proof of his incomplete fusion.”
“Then what will happen... if the fusion fails?” Seong-Hwi asked.
Ellaim said sorrowfully and quietly, “The spirits will be no more. We don’t know how we will become extinct, but we’re certain there will no longer be an entity known as a spirit.”
Seong-Hwi, Leo, the fairies, and the other three spirit monarchs remained silent.
Ellaim stared at Seong-Hwi and continued, “That is why you are so important, and the reason why we brought you here. You said it yourself... that you can use special Harmony Force.”
Seong-Hwi nodded and replied, “I did not lie.”
He thought, My wings hold the power of the Harmony Stone. It’s nothing like regular Harmony Force!
It even allowed him to absorb the genes of other races. Quantity aside, the quality was overwhelmingly exceptional.
“I hope you are telling the truth. Regardless, this is our final gamble,” Sallion remarked.
“Haha, we have nowhere to go if this place is taken from us anyway,” Gnoass added forlornly.
“I will not run. Even if we become extinct, I will fight to the end!” Sylphid shouted, mustering her resolve.
“I... I was against this. Don’t blame me for whatever happens,” Ellaim said in resignation.
Seong-Hwi smiled inwardly and thought, You’ll succeed. Elementum possessed fearsome power in my past life.
He felt like he had obtained a lottery ticket that was bound to win. He could give them what they wanted, and they could do the same. There was no better condition. Not only that, but the deal was being made while Elementum was still underestimated; he would never get a better chance than this.
I must help give rise to Elementum, whatever it takes, and bring them to the Underground Confederation!
He would gain a trustworthy ally; an immensely powerful one, no less. Humanity would become even safer.