Ch.272272. Mountain Lord and Deus

Creeeeak.

The door, which had appeared in countless places across the continent through numerous spaces, naturally emitted an aged, worn sound.

Why?

Even this ordinary creaking somehow felt like a ghost’s scream, perhaps due to the presence of the man inside.

Thud.

The sound of his shoe stepping outside reverberated throughout the land, as if the continent itself was burdened by his existence.

The man who stepped through the doorway had skin so pale it could rightfully be called ghastly white, but his long hair, reaching down to his shoulders, was a stark black that contrasted with his skin.

A dust-covered black coat, a prosthetic right hand, and cold, beautiful features.

He was the one who guided the dead to their rest.

His entire life had been a requiem for them.

And ultimately, he became the comforter who accepted all the deceased.

It was Deus Verdi.

“M-Master…!”

The door vanished, and Deus stood tall.

The moment she saw him, emotions surged violently in Findenai’s chest.

He had finally returned.

The man she thought dead, the only man she had ever loved, had returned.

Findenai had planned to curse at him the moment he returned, but now that he was actually here, she couldn’t even make the slightest sound.

She could only think of saying thank you, but…

“De, ius…”

Just one word flowed from Deus Verdi’s lips.

Crack.

Findenai’s fist clenched with fierce strength. She was so angry that her hand trembled, and if she hadn’t been wearing gloves, her nails would have dug into her palm, causing blood to drip.

“Again…!”

After what happened with the great demon Magan, she felt an emotion similar yet different to when the real Deus Verdi had appeared instead of Shinwoo Kim.

“F… uck!”

Findenai immediately realized that the being in that body was not Shinwoo Kim.

The hair on her body stood on end as an excessive murderous intent surged through her.

If it had been the original Deus Verdi appearing like last time, she might have been able to accept it.

But he had already been devoured and destroyed by Magan.

So then.

Who was the being occupying that body now?

“You bastaaaard!”

Findenai couldn’t hold back anymore. If the Deus Verdi before her was a different entity, then where was the original one? It was becoming a mystery again.

Findenai charged forward.

Her heavy Baekseol scattered coldness behind her like smoke from a cigarette, intensifying the atmosphere.

The man on the opposite side was the same.

Lanhart, who was gradually mastering the power of the ancient dragon.

If this was what he could do with just a guardian deity’s power, how immense would Deus Verdi’s power be with millions of souls in his possession?

The answer to that question was right in front of him.

Though he had never seen Deus Verdi before, he instinctively recognized that the man before him was indeed Deus.

No, if the man before him wasn’t Deus, then there was no such being as Deus in this world—that sentiment naturally flowed through him.

The space around him rippled, indicating that many souls were with him.

“I’ll take that neck of yours.”

Though a beat slower than Findenai, Lanhart also immediately charged toward Deus.

Two powerful individuals rushing in from both sides.

Ironically, the two who had been pointing spears and axes at each other just moments ago had now become allies of sorts against the same enemy.

“…”

Yet Deus, who was receiving their murderous intent, showed no reaction whatsoever.

No, he couldn’t even sense their killing intent.

Because it couldn’t reach him, blocked by the numerous souls surrounding him.

“F-fuck!”

“…!”

The two who had been charging forward were suddenly lifted into the air and pushed back simultaneously.

No, “pushed back” is too mild a description.

They were thrown completely out of the battlefield, and Deus Verdi soon appeared as just a small dot in their vision.

“Damn it…!”

Findenai flew over the Norsweden soldiers and hunters who were fighting.

She desperately activated her Warshoes to resist, but an invisible, massive force of mana was pushing her away.

It wasn’t even converted into any specific magic—just crude, thickly clumped masses of mana.

‘The souls… are helping?’

Was this some kind of necromancy?

The souls were helping whatever entity had taken over Deus Verdi’s body.

“Findenai!”

Darius shouted roughly as he saw Findenai flying away while fighting the automaton Unyeop.

His expression showed he couldn’t understand what was suddenly happening.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t escape the aftermath either.

“Huh?”

“W-wait a minute!”

“M-my feet are floating!”

A massive wave swept in.

An invisible wave of souls, immeasurable to human eyes, swept across the battlefield, engulfing everyone.

This was no longer a battlefield.

With just one man’s appearance, it had become a disaster site.

The soldiers were pushed away.

Their bodies floated up like dandelion seeds, beginning to drift away.

People clumped together, tangling and overlapping, creating a bizarre scene.

Findenai, who had been thrown the farthest, found herself halfway up a mountain range and was bewildered.

‘What is this all about?’

At first, she thought he was just trying to subdue them with the overwhelming weight of his mana. But as the situation continued, she couldn’t help but make a subtle expression.

Was the greatness of the power containing millions of souls never-ending?

Eventually, Findenai was flying all the way toward Norsweden, beyond the middle of the mountain.

‘What on earth…’

What could be the intention?

What was the one who had taken over Deus Verdi’s body thinking by doing this?

She couldn’t help but wonder.

Following behind Findenai were the Norsweden soldiers, Darius, and even the hunters.

They were all heading toward Norsweden, circling around the mountain range as if riding a current.

When she saw how carefully they were being set down,

Findenai had reached the point where she gave up trying to understand.

“What the hell is going on?!”

She scratched her head vigorously as she watched people following the same path she had flown.

Though many were terrified of floating in the air, no one seemed to be injured.

Her head throbbed with pain.

The situation was too sudden to comprehend properly, so she placed Baekseol on her shoulder, planning to arrest the hunters as soon as they landed.

Findenai waited, looking up at the Norsweden mountain range.

Then three people caught her eye.

Three people who seemed to have sensed something ominous in the Norsweden mountains and were hurriedly coming down, occasionally visible through the trees.

‘Deia?’

Deia Verdi coming down with a shotgun in hand.

‘There’s a little girl?’

A young girl from who knows where.

‘…Hmm?’

And a man protecting the two from behind as they descended.

He was definitely a stranger.

Findenai didn’t have the best memory, but for some reason, this man had something that struck her heart.

He didn’t look like he was from the Griffin Kingdom, but rather seemed to be from the Han Empire or Valestan Duchy, like the hunters.

But.

“Hmm?”

Findenai’s blood-red eyes fiercely tracked the man. Though he was too far to see clearly, she carefully observed his every movement as he descended the mountain.

“…”

Though clearly different,

He was remarkably similar to the man she knew. The way he helped Deia and the girl navigate the mountain path, cautioning them to be careful, and how he silently checked behind them, remaining vigilant.

A person’s habits,

Their mannerisms don’t change easily.

But very few people could notice such things.

However, Findenai was a woman with an animal-like instinct that was difficult to explain in words.

Therefore,

Forgetting even her intention to arrest the hunters,

She was now rushing toward him.

* * *

While the soldiers and hunters were being transported to Norsweden, circling around the mountain range,

Deia, Shinwoo Kim, and Soho were retreating once, following the Mountain Spirit’s advice.

The weight of the being that had suddenly arrived in this land was enough to make even the Mountain Spirit tense.

All three agreed with the Mountain Spirit’s judgment that they shouldn’t approach carelessly.

What could be the intention of that being who had become Deus Verdi?

Millions of souls.

A power that nearly destroyed the continent by its mere existence.

It wasn’t that the souls handled some tremendous magic. Literally, their existence alone was almost too much for the continent to bear.

And Deus Verdi had taken that into his own body.

[Is that even possible?]

The Mountain Spirit had several curious questions.

The reason why Deus Verdi, a human body, could withstand a power that even the continent couldn’t accept.

Also,

After Deus Verdi had accepted all that collective power into his body, how could he come out to this continent?

[He took the souls to another dimension to save the continent.]

But if Deus Verdi had come back out,

Then the threat of the continent’s destruction hadn’t disappeared after all?

The Mountain Spirit had many questions, but now was the time to stop thinking.

Step, step.

The sound of someone walking along the mountain path was heard.

It was a pair of expensive shoes not quite suited for mountain climbing, but their owner didn’t seem to mind as he continued upward.

Suddenly, the Mountain Spirit recalled Deus Verdi who had once sought him out.

He had lent his power to stop Findenai and the junk dealer.

And now he had grown to become a being holding the fate of the continent in his hands.

At the peak of the Norsweden mountain,

The mountain’s owner impassively stared at the uninvited guest who had invaded his land.

[You are magnificent.]

Ordinary humans wouldn’t have seen it, but in the Mountain Spirit’s eyes, countless souls were surrounding Deus, trying to protect him.

That was the condensation of the immense power that had nearly destroyed the continent by its mere existence.

The being who had become its master, with unclear intentions.

The Mountain Spirit let out a low growl and asked Deus with caution:

[What do you want, coming to this land and disturbing the continent?]

The Mountain Spirit had never imagined he would feel intimidated in the land he protected.

Even if the mountain burned or disappeared, causing him to lose power,

That he, at full strength, would be gripped by fear.

In response to the Mountain Spirit’s question, Deus Verdi slowly raised his head and answered impassively:

“I just want to know.”

Know what?

That question couldn’t be asked.

Suddenly, countless souls began rushing toward the Mountain Spirit.