Ch.153Shadow Duel Is Dangerous (3)

“No, I mean, *sniff*. I told you it was necessary….”

“Well, I can’t really trust you since you already have a criminal record.”

Serejia, who had already been thoroughly wrecked by my punishment once, finally confessed everything without hiding anything.

The conclusion was simple.

Though it was something she had done out of some resentment, it was also a necessary element for dimensional travel.

“Why would dimensional travel need something like that?”

“This was my first time doing it, so there were many trials and errors. Besides, almost all of your power was contained in your soul rather than your body, which made coordinate setting ambiguous.”

That’s why, rather than moving the body and soul together as a set, she first sent a dummy body she had created and then shot the soul into it with pinpoint accuracy.

“If it weren’t for that, your body and soul might have misaligned, turning you into something like a three-stage chimera. Though this is all theoretical probability, of course.”

“But why this form? You could have just made me look exactly like my original self.”

“Well, that’s… As you know, given my divine nature, I’m quite skilled in that area, and as I mentioned, it was partly out of a bit of petty spite…”

“So in the end, it’s really because of you. That’s the truth.”

SMACK!

Having understood everything, I struck Serejia’s head hard once more.

Whatever her initial intentions were, the result was that she had acted out of personal feelings.

Being a demigod and taking such ridiculous revenge was honestly so petty it made me sigh.

Looking at Serejia, who was cowering, I immediately gave an order.

“Then there’s nothing stopping you now. Change me back quickly.”

“No, well. That’s not possible…”

“What nonsense are you talking? Do you really want to die?”

She keeps changing her story. I raised my fist again in rising irritation.

“It’s true! Right now, the boundary between your body and soul has disappeared, making it impossible to separate them!”

At those bizarre words, I blinked and asked again.

“What does that mean? What’s different?”

I should know my own condition best. I had thought it was just an effect of regaining my power, achieving enlightenment, and growing to the next level.

“Well, it’s not about whether it’s good or bad. Besides, from what I know… it has a somewhat special meaning for you?”

“What meaning?”

“I only know this theoretically so I’m not certain, but in our realm, we call that state ‘achieving one’s caliber.'”

“Achieving caliber?”

What an ambiguous expression.

Even I often talk about necromancy reaching a certain caliber, and it’s a measure used across various fields.

“It means you’re in a prepared state.”

“Prepared for what?”

“Prepared to obtain divine status.”

“You’re talking nonsense again.”

SMACK!

With my irritated strike, Serejia made an aggrieved expression.

“W-why this time…?”

“How is this special? I’ve seen similar things many times.”

Even Volkenus, who serves under me, has a similar type of soul, and so did the giant king I saw at the last massive gate.

However, Serejia persisted and continued.

“I told you. It’s just preparation. Does food cook itself just because the ingredients are ready? It’s simply a matter of whether the ingredients are prepared or not.”

“But you said it had special meaning?”

Pausing briefly, Serejia looked at me with an expression of disbelief, as if she couldn’t believe I didn’t understand.

“…The special part is that despite being so powerful, you hadn’t achieved your caliber until now.”

Hearing it put that way, I could somewhat understand what she was trying to say.

“So you’re saying I’m amazing?”

“That’s true, but it feels a bit strange to hear it like that.”

“So you can’t change my body back.”

“About that, if you could show some leniency…”

I sighed deeply at Serejia, who had become dejected again.

“Fine. Honestly, what does it matter?”

I’ve long grown accustomed to this body, and it doesn’t particularly hinder my daily life or combat situations.

There was the disadvantage of lacking a certain dignity, but it had its advantages too.

‘Like when gaming wrapped in blankets in the middle of winter.’

Having let go of some regrets, I gestured for Serejia to get up and revealed my main business.

“So, the fact that you’re being so leisurely means you’ve found it, right?”

“Yes. Though it doesn’t seem like they’re trying to hide at all.”

“Which means they’re likely preparing a trap.”

But that’s not my concern. A trap only works if you fall for it—it’s meaningless against someone who can’t be trapped, isn’t it?

“We’ll leave tomorrow afternoon. Make the preparations.”

“Do you have other plans in the morning?”

“No, it’s just tiring to wake up early.”

“What kind of…”

At my level, I could actually go without proper sleep for an entire month and still be fine.

It was just a matter of preference.

So the next day, I set out accompanied by Henesia, Astride, and Serejia.

“…Where exactly is it?”

“Egypt. According to the coordinates, it seems to be in the center of the Sahara Desert.”

“How annoying to be stuck in a place like that.”

Grumbling at Henesia’s words, I applied various spells to my body to maintain comfort.

Whoosh.

Crackle.

Henesia opened a transfer portal near our target, and we all gathered to enter it.

What unfolded before us was a yellow space filled with sand storms and sunlight.

“If we move about 5km north, we’ll reach our destination. They haven’t moved an inch since we detected them last night.”

“What a strange one. Are they that confident?”

We walked toward our destination, chatting casually without any tension.

Waiting for us there was a middle-aged, robust-looking Western man.

“…You’ve come. I’ve been waiting.”

Looking at his face, I frowned at an inexplicable sense of familiarity.

“I feel like I’ve seen him somewhere before.”

The one who responded to my words was none other than the painted fire person inside the Book of Death.

[…It’s Hudson. The former head of the American Association and the one who orchestrated my death.]

Now I remembered. He was clearly the culprit behind the painted fire person incident, whose whereabouts had been unknown since retirement.

“So you were the puppet master?”

“Everyone says that with surprise. But in the end, they all met their death.”

After uttering these cryptic words, Hudson raised his hand and declared to us with his characteristic arrogance:

“All of you will be buried here today.”

Rumble.

Drrrrrrr!

What was revealed with Hudson’s gesture was an underground cavity with a massive gate.

And Hudson burst into maniacal laughter as he spoke at the entrance.

“If you dare, follow me.”

Whoosh.

After Hudson disappeared, the three people who had been watching asked me:

“What should we do?”

“Obviously, we follow. Let’s go see what this is all about.”

However, both Serejia and Henesia seemed to have some concerns.

“What’s wrong?”

“Is there a possibility that a high-ranking god behind this situation is inside?”

It was certainly a valid concern, but I firmly shook my head.

“No, that’s impossible.”

This was a kind of rule.

Although Earth’s energy had reached a saturation point by now, it still wasn’t enough for the mastermind to cross over.

This was something I had confirmed through my conversation with Shin Doyun.

“…Then there’s no reason to run away.”

With our concerns resolved, we stepped into the gate that Hudson had prepared without hesitation.

The scene inside was, in a word, an underwater dragon palace.

“…Ugh.”

And simultaneously, a tingling energy permeated the surroundings.

Feeling it, Serejia looked at me with a tearful expression.

“B-but you said they couldn’t cross over!”

“……”

Wait, didn’t I say they couldn’t cross over?

But as Serejia said, this presence was clearly not that of an ordinary being.

In fact, it was quite similar to the solemnity I had felt from Shin Doyun before.

And at the entrance of the palace, someone accompanied by Hudson gradually revealed themselves.

“…Greetings, strangers.”

The man had a human upper body but a fish-like lower body, and his hair spread and fluttered in the waves like a dragon’s whiskers.

I tried to quickly assess him, but it was difficult to gauge his power.

“My name is Tindalus, Sea God. My followers call me the ruler of the planet Plydon.”

And then.

“I am the one who will put you to eternal rest.”

As he finished speaking, a massive tidal wave mercilessly engulfed us.