Ch.230The Empress (1)

“The Empress… You mean that Empress who was said to be the head of the Shapeshifters?”

Llewellyn nodded.

Melody couldn’t see Llewellyn’s nod, but all her other senses read his head movement.

She had indeed lost her eyes, but she could see better now than before losing them.

Llewellyn nodded and then seemed to realize his mistake and stiffened, but Melody had no time to worry about such things.

“Is this the same person who urged you to eat a god?”

“I’m not sure if ‘person’ is the right word…”

“And when you went to meet the god as she suggested, you saw ‘that,’ didn’t you?”

Melody’s expression was serious. It was the reaction Llewellyn had expected, but he found it difficult to respond.

“Can she be trusted? No, when is she even coming? Why? Why so suddenly? How did you arrange this meeting?”

Melody’s questions multiplied. She couldn’t understand the situation. Llewellyn waited until Melody calmed down.

Only after she had exhausted her barrage of questions did Llewellyn answer.

“To be honest, I can’t say she can be trusted. As for when she’s coming, she said today, probably soon… I think it’s sudden too, but I’ve been thinking we’d have to meet her eventually. It’s just as well.”

“…Why do you want to meet her?”

“Because the Empress should be able to answer.”

Llewellyn harbored countless questions.

What exactly was this planet, Netel, that the Transcendents were so obsessed with?

And why were they still fixated on it even after the gods had ascended and been killed?

Why was Llewellyn here, and why was his sister here?

What was the game illustration “Darker”?

She could answer at least some of these. The Empress that Llewellyn knew could and would certainly provide answers.

And Llewellyn didn’t prefer going in circles to find solutions. Unlike his usual self, he had pondered and struggled for a long time.

In the end, only simple methods came to mind. The simplest and most straightforward solution among them was too self-destructive to be appealing.

For Llewellyn to ascend, be consumed by the Star, and for the Star to save the world.

A laughable ending. If the game ended that way, Llewellyn would definitely leave a negative review.

‘Though getting possessed afterward would be the standard trope.’

If that were the case, it would be simple because there would clearly be a “bad ending” that just needed to be subverted. The difficult part was concluding a story that had no ending or hadn’t reached its conclusion yet.

Llewellyn’s knowledge and experience alone weren’t enough. Fortunately, Llewellyn knew his limitations well.

He was still no different from Yoon Sejin, the boy who had lost his sister and become desolate, losing his purpose in life along with her.

After being imprisoned for a year as a blood bag, jumping off to become a monster, and going through various journeys to reach this point.

His fundamental nature hadn’t changed.

“The world is going to end. The Empress said so, and I believe that part. The Blazing Arch said something similar, and I think if we do nothing, it will end.”

He had fought the God of Night. More precisely, a Transcendent who had consumed the God of Night.

It was a giant with enormous, invisible arms. Whether only the arms were transparent, the entire body was transparent, or only parts were visible, he couldn’t tell.

It was extremely powerful. Just by consuming the Providence, it could freely manipulate it.

It grabbed the rising east and the blue-tinted sky as if they were shutters, pulling them down to close them and create night, then turned the night sky into a blade and swung it.

If Llewellyn hadn’t possessed a similar ability to twist logic, a certain knack, he would have been defeated.

Similarly, his sister’s Star-killing contained the grand principle of “murder,” and the Sword Saint’s principle enabled struggle in any situation, which led to victory.

‘…Unique Technique.’

His thoughts deepened anew. The power to twist logic possessed by humans, a skill anyone could master if they reached the extreme.

That alone gave him an uncanny feeling, but there was no need to dwell on it now. The Empress would provide answers when asked.

“Are you going to meet her…?!”

“No, she said she’s coming to us. We just need to meet her.”

But even with just conjecture, a vague outline was forming.

The power possessed by humans, the subtle nuances in the story told by the God of Dreams.

It was as if humans could become gods. It seemed that gods weren’t just born as gods to rule.

It appeared that humans who reached the extreme, built great fame, and touched an appropriate divine position could become gods.

Perhaps Unique Techniques were traces of this. If the Providence that Transcendents so deliciously enjoyed remained as a possibility for humans.

Perhaps the Transcendents came to devour all humans and the world. It was just a guess, but it seemed plausible.

Llewellyn deduced the answer through his own senses, not through intuition gained from divinity.

Llewellyn had simply shortened the process by choosing the wrong race. The intuition gained from divinity whispered to him.

That it was possible because he was in a pure state without impurities. Llewellyn let out a hollow laugh.

‘Is death that impurity? That’s a terribly impure ideology.’

As he chuckled at his own wordplay, he felt Melody take his hand.

Llewellyn was not alone. No one could live alone.

When his sister was still around, he knew he couldn’t live without her.

And after she disappeared, he learned that she wasn’t his only helper.

He distributed flyers searching for his sister with the help of friends.

Originally, he would have been out on the streets unable to pay rent, but the landlady didn’t collect rent for several months.

She gave him food so he wouldn’t starve, occasionally brought side dishes, and even introduced him to jobs.

Though it wasn’t enough and he had to work multiple jobs, he managed to survive.

It was the same after he became Llewellyn. He knew this well.

If Isla hadn’t picked him up, he might have been eternally devoured by cannibals, or his throat might have been slit while unconscious.

Without Melody’s help, he would have wasted time not knowing which way to go until the world’s end, and without Lorian’s help, he wouldn’t have overcome countless battles.

Without his sister, he wouldn’t have found a reason to live, a reason to continue this journey.

Without Ortemilia’s small assistance, most of what he had achieved would have been impossible.

The same went for Ajae, Lie Hejedia, Valterok, and Arvado. Although Llewellyn’s knowledge was insufficient to say exactly how much they had helped, their assistance surely made certain things possible.

People cannot live alone. Llewellyn knew this well. From his hungry childhood to the time when his sister left and he had to face the world.

Llewellyn had lived through endless experiences of this.

So seeking answers from the Empress wasn’t difficult.

Melody, as if understanding Llewellyn’s inner thoughts, sighed deeply.

“…So when is she coming?”

“When do you think?”

The answer came immediately after the question. A completely different voice. So faint that even Melody’s senses couldn’t detect it until the moment of speaking.

Yet on the other hand, a presence that hit strongly the moment it appeared. A powerful presence that sent shivers down the spine, barely suppressible.

“Empress.”

Llewellyn spoke as if such a presence didn’t affect him.

Standing quietly with hands behind her back was a being that no one from the Temple of All Gods had met privately except Llewellyn.

Melody could barely manage her overwhelming breath, and the Empress glanced at her and smiled.

“Does it feel like being crushed to death?”

“Let’s tone it down, Grandma.”

Llewellyn casually spoke nonsense to the Empress. Melody wanted to rebuke him for it.

But even mustering that strength was difficult. Melody had never felt such a powerful presence.

Though qualitatively different, it reminded her of the “God of Night” they had fought just days ago.

A vast being that twisted logic. Despite having the speed and stealth to reach the grassy area at the entrance of the Temple of All Gods without effort.

Melody intuitively knew that if this Empress wished, she could cause destruction beyond that of Lucilla in an instant.

Even though the method might be vastly different. Just the possibility was terrifying.

Even the most powerful magic of the Destruction School couldn’t achieve such a thing. As Melody was barely exhaling.

“If you torment Melody, there’s no negotiation or anything. I’ll just tell you to get lost and shout that there’s a pervert here.”

“What if I’m not tormenting her? What if just my standing here crushes her like an insect?”

“Then tone down your intimidation. All those years and no tact.”

For Melody, it was more bewildering than gratifying.

The difference in capability was palpable, and as someone who wasn’t a frontline fighter, Melody would inevitably lose due to compatibility if she confronted such an opponent.

Yet he provoked her to such an extent. While Melody could barely breathe properly, Llewellyn was different.

He was genuinely annoyed. He was quite boldly telling such a powerful opponent, knowing the difference in capability, that he would call for help.

What if those words twisted her mood?

People might come to repel her, but by then it would be too late if the Empress killed Melody and Llewellyn and fled. Those coming to help would find only the scattered raw meat of two humans.

So Melody tried to stop Llewellyn.

“I like your boldness. Very well.”

Melody felt the oppressive aura lifting and tried to calm her pounding heart.

Yet her heart still beat violently. Melody squeezed Llewellyn’s hand to release the trembling in her body and wondered.

Why Llewellyn had brought Melody here.

Melody was a duelist scholar. Fighting with words and swords was her role, and negotiation was her specialty.

Through the noise of her rapidly beating heart, Melody tried to picture the Empress using her touch and hearing, and thought.

The Empress couldn’t harm Llewellyn. If she wasn’t pleased with such disrespectful attitude, she must want something from Llewellyn badly enough to overlook such disrespect.

When Melody noticed this and firmly gripped Llewellyn’s hand, he smiled slightly.

“Now that you seem ready to talk, shall we get to the point, Grandma?”

As the Empress directed her multi-colored pupils from behind her veil toward Llewellyn, he met her gaze and said:

“Explain about the Transcendent you serve.”

The corners of the Empress’s mouth curved up so much that it was visible even through her veil.