Ch.19062. You Shall Burn the World to Ashes. (3)

And so time flows on and on.

Six long years have passed.

During that time, Elimion led his resistance forces alongside his comrades against Kariel.

And in the year he had just turned twenty, he entered the final battle against him with twelve heroes, including himself.

The one who was thought to be eternally victorious—known as the Blood King, War God, War Demon, and even the Dark King—Kariel was defeated.

In the end, Elimion and his companions, along with all those who had cooperated with them, achieved victory.

Afterward, Elimion was called both the Knight of Radiance and the Warrior of Radiance, becoming a symbol of peace and unity for the continent.

Later, from the Hero Emperor to Alesius, and after Alesius’s death, the child born between Elimion and his wife of imperial bloodline ascended as the new emperor of the empire.

Thus, with the golden bloodline and the radiant bloodline merged, the world praised it as the bloodline of light and gold.

And so the bloodline of the Berk Empire was praised as the most noble and sublime bloodline in the world.

…Afterward, the empire began to flourish as if it would continue to prosper endlessly.

…

……

………

“He’s a completely different person from Your Highness now.”

And.

Unlike Kariel over there, who was more monstrous than monsters from another world.

I, now naive and clumsy, was so dumbfounded by this fact that I could only laugh hollowly for a while.

Was I almost going to become such a dangerous, yet great being?

Based on Elhermina’s death?

-And right here, the previous you who almost became like that died, and the current you was born. Your memories and qualities as well. So, let me ask you. Which one appeals to you more? Now? Or before?

“……”

Is that supposed to be a question?

“Didn’t you say it yourself? My previous self is dead. My current self is a completely different kind.”

-Do you have any regrets?

“……”

I was almost tempted for a moment.

Almost drawn in.

But that is not me.

And that person wouldn’t accept the current me either.

He and I, though we share the same appearance, name, and bloodline.

We were completely separate, opposing beings.

Also.

“It’s worth noting that El, who was Heba, used the name Regyarn when she went over to him.”

“The Kariel over there probably didn’t have much influence on the fire giant tribe.”

The fact that Regyarn used the name Heba might be a twisted result, but ultimately Kariel’s influence was dominant.

And she, not awakened by Kariel, probably lived a different life than before.

That must be why the Kariel of that world can freely wield power unlike Elhermina.

Probably because the conditions or restrictions are different from Elhermina’s.

“……”

And I was content to examine even that only fragmentarily.

Looking at everything might give me understanding, but it could also close my mind.

Preconceptions, whether intended or not, influence us from the moment they’re recognized.

That’s why I only briefly grasped that Elimion from that world eventually defeated Kariel from that world.

Once observed, the situation becomes fixed.

And this is the past of another world, not the future.

Therefore, it becomes definitively fixed.

And that would certainly affect my present and future.

“Assuming the Dark Lord of that era was my daughter from another world, and that I was eventually dealt with by Elimion’s hand there… how should I interpret this?”

I can guess.

But when I deliberately asked, the Dark Lord replied as if it were simple.

-Whether you burn the world or not, that’s a predetermined course in its own way. And in that case too, the purpose of punishment or retribution would be strong.

Punishment for failing to fulfill my role.

Whether I burn the world or not, that was ultimately my destined fate.

If I had lived according to my given destiny and influenced the world.

I would surely die as a sacrificial lamb bearing the cross of sin.

And even if not, I would taste retribution for rejecting my destiny.

The range of that vast net far transcends what humans, who can barely see what’s before and behind them, can comprehend.

That is the net cast by heaven upon the world.

To heaven, this world must be infinitely cramped compared to how a fisherman views the shore.

“The prophecy that Elhermina would die if called as a hostage. Then did the prophet who told this warn in advance because they glimpsed this future?”

-Perhaps? And the Empress’s side must have also glimpsed a future worth considering. For her, it was a definitive future and one that absolutely had to be avoided.

“But if it’s a definitive future, shouldn’t it be impossible to avoid?”

-That’s why heroes and warriors are needed. They can change things, though it’s not easy. That’s why they’re warriors, that’s why they’re heroes.

“…Then why not me? Why must I rely on something like your magic armor?”

-Because you’re not a hero. Not a warrior either. Didn’t I tell you? You killed your former self and transformed your destiny into that of a saint. I’m not saying that’s bad. Rather, in your worldview, nothing could be more noble. However, there is no rest for saints on this earth. As Kariel from that world said, you are a body destined to bear the cross. But you’ve become a lamb that sacrifices itself, dedicates itself, rather than one that is sacrificed, victimized. This difference is significant. You have at least secured the right to follow in Irenis’s footsteps. The others? They’re just sacrificial lambs.

Irenis.

In the Irenis Order, they defined him as the only begotten son, a god, and on the other hand, heaven’s lamb and the Lord’s chosen servant of suffering.

Countless religions have always offered lambs, sacrifices, and scapegoats as offerings, which often solidified into ignorant traditions.

Irenis also always said.

Breaking bread and distributing it to his disciples, saying this is my flesh.

Passing around wine, saying this is my blood.

By drinking the body and blood of the divine person and saint, their sins would be washed away and purified.

-The Kariel from that world saw through the essence well. In a way, it was a staggering misunderstanding, but it wasn’t wrong.

“……”

At this point, the doctrines I’ve been forced to learn since childhood feel different.

“Even in a world based on doctrines that speak of unconditional love, do we truly have no choice?”

-There are no options beyond what the world has set. If you don’t like that, either destroy the world or break the will of the one who made such rules. Neither is possible through normal means.

Some say.

Even if the future is predetermined, they want to decide the process leading there according to their own intentions and will.

…But what if even that was never your true free will? What if it was never allowed at all?

“Then what on earth can we do?”

-Either follow or rebel. The choice is free, and so is the execution. But even that is not a choice you make because you’re free.

“…What a cursed world.”

-If you don’t like it, separate your body and soul and cleanse your soul with endless pain. How about it? So will you be a docile lamb and obey… or will you rebel, get beaten, and then become a docile lamb? You weak, ignorant, foolish beings don’t even have the will, awareness, or ability to properly choose even that.

That’s why I and other dogmatic prophets and monarchs.

-Don’t treat individuals or groups with respect. Rather, ants and bees are more beneficial. At least they don’t engage in useless anguish. They might in their own way, but even that is clearly limited by their instincts. Unlike you. They weren’t even given the option to be aware, anguish, and resist. How about that? Isn’t this more miserable? In a sense, even anguish is a blessing. At least you can know and feel wronged, can’t you?

“……”

Therefore.

Nevertheless.

Because we are foolish and ignorant.

…Variables can be created. Is that the meaning?

-If not for that, why would there be any reason to make you incomplete, imperfect beings?

Listen carefully.

To be omnipotent and omniscient means.

-There’s no more room for growth. From one to ten, ten to a hundred, hundred to a thousand might seem like significant numerical growth.

But adding just 1, 10, 100, 1000, 10000 to infinity.

-Is as good as imperceptible.

“……”

-The 1 second, 1 year, 10 years you feel… in that concept, they are moments, instants, and also eternities.

“I understand your intention, but you’re not assuming I’ll comprehend it anyway, right?”

-As I’ve said repeatedly, there are areas you don’t need to understand. Just get a feel for it. Just a feel. Do you dissect every principle and purpose of your heartbeat? You live just fine without knowing such things, don’t you?

“…Haa.”

At that immeasurably distant place.

At that far distance that human consciousness and mind can never fathom.

Perhaps we might be able to observe both past and future freely.

…This is what Grandeus said.

It still sounds confusing, but I’ve roughly grasped it.

Whether I can use and utilize it according to my intentions and will is a completely different matter.

-I too was once a pitiful soul bound to fate, destiny, and the world I belonged to. Until I reached the stage where I could change my destiny with my will.

And at the point when that became possible.

-I am a threat to the world. Chaos. A variable. It’s only natural that I become your world’s adversary.

Antagonist.

-That’s why, as a Dark Lord, I’ve earned the qualification to break or transcend the world’s barriers. There are those who blindly try to become Dark Lords without knowing this, but whether you reach it knowingly or unknowingly, the result is the same.

“…So you destroy the existing world and become the master of a new one. Is that what this damned game is about?”

-Isn’t it common for the roles of hunter and prey to switch? Don’t creatures left to peace become lazy? Wouldn’t those with intelligence be the same?

For living beings swayed by environment and circumstances, peace and stability cause degeneration and regression.

As is well known from the tale of the great empire Vera, where a military power was conversely defeated by military force.

Had they maintained their former prosperity, how could the Dark Lord’s army have destroyed the empire?

The presence of internal sympathizers and traitors is no excuse at all.

-It’s like a wheel. Only by continuously rolling can you move forward on the path. And as you go, won’t you eventually reach paradise, hell, or a new world? That’s the value and necessary meaning of the world.

“…And that’s for the master of the world rather than for us individuals?”

-Unless you choose to reach the side of the world’s master or become a being that shares his will. If you can become a helper who can assist him… you will be necessary and meaningful in this world, and in a way, you will have saved yourself. If that’s not what you want… you won’t even enter the door anyway. Because He won’t want you? So until the day you surrender, submit, and obey of your own accord, you will die a thousand or ten thousand times. But even that… is a blessing. Why? Because there are countless fools who don’t even get such opportunities.

The Dark Lord laughs briefly.

-Though humans and other intelligent beings, beasts, and even worms seem endlessly numerous in the world. In the very small world invisible to your eyes, there are infinitely many beings whose numbers cannot be compared even to the entire population of your empire.

Now, think about it.

-They don’t even have the qualification to be born, so they can only survive as components that make up the world. They have no ability to think, no self. They’re nothing more than slaves to instinct, living according to it. But you have a soul, though you’re bound to flesh and must hurry through an incomparably clumsy life. They too were once in your position. But they were defeated, and without any room for sympathy or mercy… they must live like that for eternity. Unless something emerges to save them.

…But how can one save a being that cannot even be perceived?

Therefore, this is truly an eternal curse.

-The loser of losers. That is their end. Among them were divine beings, creatures like you, and things more base and noble, greater and shabbier.

“…Don’t you think the conversation is getting off track?”

-Yes. You are arrogant. You can’t help but be arrogant. You should normally feel fear at my words, but it’s your heaven’s, your master’s blessing that makes you forget that.

“…I can imagine it. But even if I comprehend and understand it, what can I, the current me, do about it?”

-At least you can escape the illusion that you’re unhappy. If you’re only immersed in deficiency and keep going downhill… life truly becomes tough. If fate is just being played in someone else’s hands, why live? If you’re going to die anyway, why live? If you’re going to sleep anyway, why wake up? If you’re going to defecate anyway, why eat?

“……”

-Fate and destiny. And the moment you admit that you, a species bound to the will of the world, are a wretched slave deprived of freedom. The moment you consider yourself to be nothing. You truly become nothing.

That’s why I asked.

-Was that gatekeeper giant you faced weak?

“……”

-Even if the world tries to kill you, create your own world. Don’t be intimidated by a world that doesn’t become yours or doesn’t flow according to your will. I’ve been stuck in that swamp for thousands of years, so don’t spout nonsense about such things in front of me. The star formed inside your body and the things you’ve learned are ultimately tools to break through that, but now that you think you know a bit about the wider world, you’re spouting nonsense… aish!

“You need to change your way of admonishing.”

-Right. I should have just rolled you around life and death like before. Your head has grown so big that even that’s not easy now.

“……”

In other words.

Now she can’t kidnap me into dreams as before and throw me into torture disguised as training.

Let alone give me a taste of cruel real experiences under the pretext of practical training.

“Well. That’s true.”

But there is this.

Those words I heard before and those same words I hear now.

Even if they all have the same meaning, now is different.

The weight and depth with which the words are received literally differ in each case.

Also, I had now reached a level where mere agitation would cause everything—my strength, abilities, and all else—to collapse.

If I, who wanted to break fate, become intimidated by that fate…

…Even what I could do would become impossible.

Just as in childhood, one might vaguely think they could conquer the world through delusions.

But as one ages and becomes overwhelmed by reality and the vastness of the world, they naturally compromise, bow their heads, and turn their eyes away.

Some might call that becoming an adult.

But at least I cannot bow down so readily in my position.

I might quickly weaken or, at worst, fall into the swamp of death just by acquiescing.

Once the world recognizes me and becomes hostile to me.

…Now the whole world is my enemy.

Perhaps I’m like a son rebelling against his father.

What I perceive as an enemy and threat might be a loving rod, a forceful embrace suppressing immature resentment—who can know that intention?

Anyway, I, who have set foot in and immersed myself in the world.

Now that I’m not free from that gaze, I must not carelessly show any weakness.

So the Dark Lord, she, stirring me up with difficult words, was a warning not to take this fact lightly.

Conversely, if I don’t digest this, that’s as far as I’ll go.

“If I make a mistake, fate might strike me dead.”

For some, the probability of being struck by lightning might seem miraculous.

But for me, even that would no longer be a miracle.

-That’s because you’ve grown. Do you consider ants that aren’t even kicked by your feet as threats or bothersome?

“Your metaphors are… quite nasty.”

I’m not particularly hurt, but I can’t help but sigh.

Though I’ve been acknowledged by Jephs, Athena, Ahriman, and even Veretragna.

However, the current master of this world is not even a remnant of past defeat or a defeated delusion.

…To that being, am I still nothing?

-The tyrannical Kariel from that world enjoyed a kind of freedom by riding along with his destiny. But… as you know, that’s not freedom. It’s not.

“……”

-I’m not doing this to see you end up like that. So don’t disappoint me. Your path carries his expectations and hopes as well, you know.

“……”

Grandeus.

-Therefore, save yourself. That is the path to continuing his will and somehow fulfilling that foolish expectation. Well… I’m not telling you to do it for that reason. Figure it out yourself. You have a brain, don’t you? Or you could run to Ermina’s arms crying “mommy, mommy” like a child right now.

“You really…”

She could have ended with kind words, but she always has to irritate people at the end… haa!

“Fine. I understand… let’s move on.”

Setting aside the Kariel from the parallel world.

Now it’s my past.

My past that I don’t know.

The past when I was called a genius, before I became who I am now.

And the only being that can tell me about it is this, which I’ve now reached out to.

The World Tree is probably the only one.

…The same goes for the Demon World Tree.