Chapter 29 – A New Beginning

&R;eaｄ ​​o‍​ｎ​ K​ａt​R​e‌ａɗĩ​ｎg̈Ｃa​f‍&e;

I slowly rose from the cold metal bed.  The surrounding area was filled with the gloomy sound of machinery and the smell of cold metal. The laboratory walls were engraved with complex patterns and circuits, and a giant tube sat in the center. Inside, a faint red light pulsed.

And in one corner of the laboratory, Noah’s figure emerged from the shadows. He stood calmly, his hands clasped behind his back. His expression held no embarrassment or anger. Rather, a faint smile played on his lips.

“Truly remarkable.” Noah said in a calm voice. “To shatter my illusion so quickly. Among the countless experimental subjects I’ve studied, I’ve never seen a variable like you.”

Ignoring him, I looked around. My eyes darted, searching for an escape route, but this place seemed to be a completely closed space. All entrances were sealed with thick metal, and there was no way out without passing him.

“Now tell me, Noah.” I looked directly at him and spoke. “What are you trying to do? Why did you make this world like this?”

Noah chuckled softly. “Why? Because this world was wrongly designed from the beginning. The plans of the higher beings are full of flaws. And variables like you are exacerbating those flaws.”

He moved slowly, continuing his words. “The higher beings created the concept of heroes and saints to maintain their control, and tried to balance the world with their power. But they overlooked how easily that ‘balance’ could be broken.”

“So you erased the concept of heroes?” I gritted my teeth and asked. “You believed that eliminating it would make this world better?”

His expression darkened for a moment. “Yes. The concept of heroes was nothing more than a tool for the higher beings. By erasing it, this world could have a chance at true freedom. But a variable like you is hindering that plan.”

I scoffed at his words. “Under the pretext of gaining freedom, what you’re doing is simple destruction. You say you’ll create a new world, but you’re just manipulating this world to satisfy your desires.”

Noah slowly nodded at my words. “You might think so. But whether my plan is wrong will soon be proven.”

He raised his hand and pointed to the red-lit tube in the center. “See what’s in there? That’s the ‘Core.’ A perfect energy body I created by extracting a portion of the higher beings’ power. Through this, I can establish a new order.”

I frowned at his words. “You intend to establish a new order alone? What’s the difference between that and the higher beings?”

Noah sighed softly and shook his head. “You don’t understand that either. Beings like you cling only to the results. But this isn’t simply a matter of destruction and creation. This is evolution.”

“Evolution?” I asked mockingly. “The evolution you speak of is simply changing everything to your liking.”

Noah’s expression hardened. “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand. Your role will end here anyway.”

He waved his hand, activating the red light in the tube. The entire laboratory began to shake violently, and the energy emanating from the tube began to envelop me.  A suffocating pressure and intense pain surged through my body.

“Damn…” I gritted my teeth and huddled. The sacred power and the hero’s power within me reacted, surging explosively. The two forces seemed to resist this pain, boiling up within me.

“Is this your plan?” I shouted through the pain. “To suppress me?”

Noah laughed coldly. “It’s not suppression. I’m trying to absorb your power into my plan. You will become my tool.”

But I didn’t give up. The power boiling within me grew stronger, beginning to resist the red energy.  The sacred power and the hero’s power began to shine, achieving perfect harmony.

“I… will never be defeated by the likes of you!” I shouted, gathering all the remaining strength in my hands.

And at that moment, a brilliant light exploded from my body, tearing apart the red energy.

“This…!” Noah exclaimed in a surprised voice.

I looked straight at him and said, “Your plan ends here, Noah. This world will not be controlled by someone like you.”

I gripped my sword and slowly walked towards him.

.

.

.

Noah smiled coldly at me. His cold gaze contained not surprise, but an arrogance as if testing me. As his hand drew delicate movements in the air, the red Core in the center of the laboratory emitted even more intense energy.

“The end?” he said quietly. “It hasn’t even begun.”

The red energy emanating from the Core instantly enveloped the entire laboratory, forming a giant barrier.  The barrier seemed to push away everything except me and Noah. Space warped with intense vibrations, and the red light approached me with the sharp momentum of a living creature.

“Elysia.” Noah said, moving slowly. “You’re the most interesting variable I’ve studied.  The fact that you escaped the control of the higher beings while accepting their power is especially so. But…” His voice lowered, becoming even colder. “That power doesn’t deserve to be in your hands.”

“You have no right to judge that, Noah.” I gripped my sword tighter, staring directly at him. “Even if you deny this world, if the resulting world is filled with your control, the same thing will simply repeat itself.”

Noah tilted his head and smiled. “Then, what are you going to do?  Are you going to save this world all by yourself? You seem to be struggling, unable to accept that you’re just a tool.”

I remained unmoved by his scorn. The holy power and the hero’s power within me harmonized, emitting an increasingly intense light. That light confronted the red energy, slowly pushing back Noah’s barrier.

“Whether I’m a tool or not doesn’t matter.” I said softly. “I believe in myself, and I believe in this world. No matter how much you deny everything, I won’t move as you wish.”

Noah’s expression hardened. His gestures became increasingly rough, and the Core’s energy erupted explosively. “Then let’s test how long your beliefs can last.”

Red energy poured down towards me. I raised my sword and met the energy head-on. The two powers within me perfectly harmonized, concentrating on the sword, and its light clashed violently with the Core’s red energy in midair.

“Aaaaaah!” I pushed back the energy with all my might. Noah’s attack was powerful, but his energy was inherently unstable. The power imbued with his desires and distorted intentions gradually crumbled before the sacred power within me and the hero’s will.

“Impossible…” Noah muttered. “My Core… is being pushed back?”

“Let’s finish this, Noah!” I concentrated all the remaining strength in my sword. The heat of courage and the sacred light within me erupted explosively, and a powerful wave of energy flew toward the Core.

The Core shone intensely for a moment, and then the red energy instantly disappeared. The laboratory seemed to collapse with the vibrations, and Noah knelt, his head bowed.

“You… would win…” His voice was weak. “But… this won’t be the end. Even if it’s not me… this world will eventually collapse.”

I slowly approached him. His expression held defeat, yet also a hint of relief. I looked at him and quietly said, “I’ll prove you wrong. This world can protect itself without someone like you.”

Noah chuckled softly. “Then… go ahead. See if you can…”

His body was enveloped in red light and then disappeared. With the disappearance of the laboratory’s red Core, the space fell into complete silence.

.

.

.

The laboratory was quiet.  Once the red Core’s energy dissipated, the cold mechanical sounds running along the metal walls also stopped. I leaned my sword on the ground and took a deep breath. Noah was gone, and his plan was thwarted. But I knew this wasn’t the end.

“Now…” I muttered softly. “The real fight begins.”

Noah’s last words echoed in my mind.  “This world will eventually collapse.” It wasn’t a simple threat. He anticipated his failure and might have planned something more. His last laugh hinted at something far greater that I couldn’t see.

I looked around. The laboratory was still on the verge of collapse. The space distorted by the red energy was slowly regaining its shape, but it wasn’t structurally stable. A small entrance appeared on one wall. It was like an exit made for me.

“Was this… left behind by Noah?” I approached the entrance cautiously.

Beyond the entrance was a long, narrow passage. Cold air brushed against my face. I couldn’t tell where this passage led, but I had no other choice. I gripped my sword tightly and took a step forward.

.

.

.

As I walked down the passage, my mind was a whirlwind. Why did Noah do such a thing? How much truth was there in his words? Everything was shaking—the higher beings, the world’s control, the roles of heroes and saints.

As I walked, I saw a faint light at the end of the passage. I slowly approached the light, and what awaited me there was a huge hall. Ancient patterns were carved into the walls, and a translucent sphere floated in the center. The sphere emitted a soft light, as if speaking to me.

“You have reached here, Elysia.”

I stopped. The voice echoing from the sphere was neither male nor female, a neutral tone. It resembled the strangeness I felt when talking about the higher beings.

“Who are you?” I asked, pointing my sword.

“We are the ones who watch over the origins of this world. You are an unexpected variable, a being beyond our control.”

I laughed coldly at those words. “That control is ultimately about manipulating this world.  You’re the higher beings Noah spoke of, aren’t you?”

The sphere was silent for a moment before answering. “He was part of us. But he betrayed us to distort our will and create his own order.”

I was confused by his words. Noah, a traitor?  Did that mean he wasn’t a tool of the higher beings, but someone who tried to oppose them?

“Then, what do you want me to do?” I asked coldly.

“We want the balance of this world. Your role was to stabilize the world within our control. But…” The sphere hesitated slightly. “You have become a being beyond our expectations. Like Noah.”

“So?” I said, gripping my sword tightly. “Are you going to eliminate me? Or make me another tool?”

“We will give you a choice.” the sphere said. “Either follow our will and restore the balance of this world, or choose the dangerous path of changing this world in your own way.”

Hearing that, I burst into loud laughter. “The dangerous path… You are truly self-centered to the end. But you’re mistaken if you think I’ll trust you.”

The sphere softly glowed, asking, “Then, what is your choice?”

I raised my sword towards the sphere. The sacred power and the hero’s power within me surged again. The two powers now perfectly harmonized, concentrated at my fingertips.

“My choice is only one.” I said firmly. “I don’t need beings like you.”

And I concentrated my strength and swung my sword towards the sphere.

.

.

.

The light bursting from the sword struck the sphere. The sphere began to crack with an intense light. But at that moment, countless images flashed through my mind. It was the birth of this world, the origins of heroes and saints, and the plans of the higher beings.

“You…” the sphere said in a weakened voice. “Will ultimately create a new order. Even if you don’t want to…”

I completely destroyed the sphere with those words. The hall shook with a massive explosion, and I barely maintained my balance as I exited the door.

Now, my path was clear.  This world had to be created by the people who lived here, not by the higher beings or someone like Noah.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Thank you for reading!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
As of now, the story on Novelpia is put on a delay, which means that we have caught up to the latest chapter! 

Is this a blessing or a reward? Possibly both!

Either way, one thing is true…

I’m free…

for now…

Placeholders