Ch.115Ep.115: World of the Transcendents

“What’s with that look? Even after getting beaten so badly, you still haven’t learned any manners?”

“…I’m sorry. I don’t know why I barged in and attacked like that.”

“You’re lucky the Director didn’t see you, otherwise you would’ve been obliterated immediately.”

“…Is this Director person really that strong?”

“Strong is an understatement. Even if everyone in this universe attacked together, they wouldn’t stand a chance against him.”

Radios hung his head low at the Sword God’s words.

Honestly, he still didn’t understand why he had rushed in looking for a fight.

If he had to guess, maybe it was because he came here in an excited state after capturing Azathoth?

But even that doesn’t really explain why he attacked, which was truly strange…

Let’s just move past it since that fight taught him there are many powerful beings in the world.

“You’re the one who created the Self-Destruction Sword, right? Thank you. I put it to good use.”

“I didn’t mean to give it to you specifically… but I’m glad it served you well. So I’ll be taking it back now.”

“Huh? Taking it back?”

As Radios tilted his head in confusion, the Sword God opened his palm.

A pale pink plum blossom in the form of energy flowed out of Radios’s body.

That must have been the gift bestowed by the Sword God.

And strangely, the moment the plum blossom left him, Radios became certain he had lost the Self-Destruction Sword.

Before, he thought he could understand and use all its techniques, but now nothing came to mind.

“So you were the ones who helped me fight Azathoth.”

“That’s right. The Director is currently very busy preventing your world from being destroyed.”

“I see…”

He remembered how Azathoth had looked flustered during their battle—apparently that was the Director’s doing.

Thinking about it, he had received much more help from this place than he realized. And what had he done since arriving here?

‘I destroyed things, charged in recklessly, and fought prepared to die. Am I crazy?’

It was such an impulsive outburst that he could only call it idiotic.

He wasn’t under any spell or influence, so he really couldn’t explain it.

But enough of that line of thought for now.

“Um… I need to go back now. Could you please release me?”

“Go back? You cause all this chaos and calmly ask to leave just like that?”

“…I’m sorry about the mess, but I’m worried about the others.”

“Look at this guy. Don’t you know you were only able to win because of our support?”

“…I’m grateful for that, but my victory wasn’t ‘because’ of your support.”

He acknowledged that the Bureau had helped.

They prevented the collapse of the world and taught him the techniques of the Self-Destruction Sword, allowing him to fight against Azathoth.

But that was it.

What actually allowed him to defeat Azathoth was the complete awakening of his Ascended Order.

From the moment all the Divine Orders of his past lives disappeared and were replaced by the Sword of Judgment’s Ascended Order.

Radios had grown rapidly to the point where he no longer needed others’ help.

The Sword God knew all this, but seeing Radios glaring at him, he nodded.

At least the guy had some pride.

“Do you have any questions about this place?”

“Of course I do. But if I have questions, I can just come back next time.”

“You can’t come back. Your universe is an unobservable world.”

“An… unobservable world?”

“Simply put, it means it’s beyond our management. That’s why the price of our intervention was small.”

Among countless multiverses, there exist various universes.

And the universe containing Kadinant, where Radios lives, is an unobservable world.

In other words, it’s a universe that the Multiverse Management Bureau cannot even see.

“Then how did you intervene…?”

“Just because it’s impossible doesn’t mean it’s completely impossible. We persistently followed and found a gap to exploit. This situation is the result.”

“So to summarize… once I go back, I can’t return. Is that what you’re saying?”

“That’s right. The Director wants to see you too, so wait.”

“The Director?”

He’d only heard about the Director of the Multiverse Management Bureau, but they seemed to be nothing short of a monster.

A monster that couldn’t be challenged even if every being in the universe attacked together.

Why would such a monster want to see him?

Of course, disturbing the Bureau was definitely a crime…

Radios urgently reviewed his actions.

From what he might be held accountable for to what he should say when they meet.

As he was deep in thought, the Sword God spoke again.

“Do you think the Management Bureau should exist, or should it be abolished?”

“Why so suddenly?”

“Answer. Your response will determine what you should discuss with the Director.”

“Hmm…”

As the Sword God narrowed his eyes and asked, Radios fell into contemplation.

Is the Bureau necessary or not?

Radios initially thought the Bureau didn’t seem particularly necessary, but…

After learning that so many transcendent beings were operating the Bureau, he reconsidered.

If these transcendent beings—no, multiverse-level entities—weren’t managing the universe…

What would they do instead?

“You seem to be misunderstanding something. We’re not like Azathoth.”

“I know. You don’t seem like that at all.”

If they were like Azathoth, they would have destroyed the world already.

Though controlling the universe under the pretext of management was another matter entirely.

“I… don’t think the Bureau is particularly necessary.”

“Oh?”

“Isn’t it basically ruling the universe as you please? That’s what management means.”

“Your point has merit, but listen carefully.”

The Sword God crossed his arms, listened to Radios’s words, then changed his posture with a snort.

Almost like a salesperson making a pitch.

“Azathoth and Chaos repeatedly created and destroyed worlds.”

“Right.”

“But you finally broke that cycle by killing Azathoth and Chaos.”

“That’s correct.”

“The key point here is that your universe is an unobservable universe.”

“…What nonsense is this?”

What’s the problem with being unobservable?

He said it just meant they couldn’t see it, and they even managed to poke a small hole through.

But as if sensing Radios’s confusion, the Sword God shook his head and explained.

“Being unobservable means it cannot be controlled.”

“…You don’t mean…?”

“Yes. Without us managing the universe, such vicious cycles could emerge.”

“…”

He hadn’t known this.

What Azathoth and Chaos did was clearly evil compared to the Bureau’s work.

It was garbage behavior that caused countless beings to suffer.

But if the Bureau were absent, would something similar happen?

“That can’t… be right.”

“Indeed. No matter how disconnected we become from the universe as multiverse-level beings, we can’t let that happen, right?”

“That’s true.”

“Just as you were a hero in your universe, we too are those who saved our universes.”

They definitely didn’t establish the Bureau with evil intentions.

Seeing the Sword God’s expression conveying this meaning, Radios reconsidered his thoughts.

“I understand the Bureau is necessary. But…”

“But?”

“Did it have to be created this way?”

“What do you mean?”

“Honestly, there must be other transcendent beings—no, multiverse-level entities—besides the people here.”

“There are.”

Then why operate the Bureau with such a small number of people?

To Radios’s question, the Sword God kindly explained.

“First, our Bureau has three departments.”

The first is the Management Division.

This department is headed by Director Lillia Lastin and the relatively recent addition, Noah Whitlein.

They connect their nervous systems to the entire universe to prevent it from going in the wrong direction.

They also detect evil individuals who reach multiverse level during the universe’s flow.

And when they detect such individuals, there’s a team that eliminates them.

That’s the Bureau’s second department, the Processing Division.

It includes Ain Devileon, who defeated Radios, and the Director’s younger sibling, Luniel Lastin.

Most multiverse-level entities can’t withstand those two.

If someone with such potential emerges, the Director moves preemptively to block them.

Finally, there’s the Surveillance Division.

The Sword God Myeongcheon and Poison Demon Kim Yuhyun are stationed there.

Known as the “Martial Arts Combo,” they are responsible for observing various universes.

“Literally just observation and surveillance. There’s almost no intervention.”

“Didn’t you intervene in our universe?”

“That barely counts as intervention. The universes we truly intervene in are…”

The Sword God trailed off mid-sentence.

There was such a melancholic emotion in his contemplative expression that Radios felt he shouldn’t ask further.

“The universes we intervene in are almost at the brink of destruction.”

“Ah…”

“The Surveillance Division observes universes, witnessing both their birth and extinction.”

All of this is something that can’t be done without affection.

And…

“If you have affection… you can’t help but feel sad when something dies.”

That’s why they couldn’t lose their emotions.