The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2: Chapter 519

[…a trade?]

“This Underground City should be at war with ‘Flower Mountain’. I can make it stop.”

[Their invasion?]

“No. The Flower Mountain’s war activities in general.”

[…]

Michael fell silent.

Lukas could tell that he was somewhat bewildered, and at the same time, he was having a hard time believing what he’d told him.

[In order to do that, you must have the qualifications to negotiate with the Sect Leader of Flower Mountain. Are you one of the Twelve Void Lords?]

“Does it appear that way?”

[You don’t match the identities of the ones I know, but you never know. ‘The Sinking One’, ‘The Executor’, ‘The Skin’, ‘The Beginning Wizard’… There are several of the Twelve Void Lords that I haven’t identified.](*: The names of the ones that we haven’t seen yet may change when there is more context.)

“Sorry, but you’re wrong. I am not one of the Twelve Void Lords.”

[Then are you an acquaintance of the Everlasting Plum Sword?]

“Not that either.”

[Then how will you convince him? The current Sect Leader of Flower Mountain is said to be the strongest ever. At the same time, his goals and ideals are thoroughly hidden. Do you understand what that means? It means his real goal cannot be grasped accurately.]

Lukas explained in the simplest and most effective way.

“There is probably no deep reason for Yang In-hyun’s war. Even if there is a slight risk, there is a high probability that he will stop immediately.”

[…are you going to take that risk?]

Without a doubt, Michael’s insight was not bad.

“I can’t say that I will succeed no matter what. However, if that method doesn’t work, I will have no choice but to take a more forceful approach. But I don’t think things will get that bad.”

[Why?]

“Because I have something to negotiate with Yang In-hyun.”

[What is that─]

“I cannot answer that.”

No matter what, it was dangerous to reveal the fact that there was a Ruler in his body to the inhabitants of the World of Void. While Michael didn’t seem like the type of person with loose lips, there was nothing wrong with being a little more careful.

[…]

Michael fell silent again.

After a brief but deep contemplation, he spoke again.

[I won’t deny that it is an attractive offer. However, there are still two fundamental problems.]

“What are they?”

[First of all, I still don’t know who you are.]

Indeed. That certainly was a fundamental problem.

Because it was difficult to trust an unidentified person.

Lukas pondered for a moment.

…What Michael wanted was an answer that could satisfy him. He was puzzled and wary of the sudden good deeds being offered by this mysterious being.

‘It’s the justification that matters.’

Should he reveal his origin? And he could say that he just didn’t want those who shared the same fundamental universe to die…

…Well. Although he could use that as an excuse, it was still a bit lacking.

After thinking for a moment, Lukas then gave an answer.

“I… Lukas Trowman.”

[…Trowman? Then…]

“Lesha, who accompanied me, is my younger sister. But she doesn't know who I am.”

Michael should have known that Lukas had saved Lesha. At least he believed that he should know what had happened in the Underground City.

“It seemed that Lesha clashed with members of Flower Mountain, and was seriously injured in the process. If something had gone wrong, she could have died.”

[Indeed. So it’s familial love?]

“Similar.”

[Hmm.]

After thinking for a while, Michael nodded.

Judging from his attitude, it seemed that he had obtained the minimum acceptance.

[Fine. I will trust you.]

“What is the second?”

Michael had said that there were two fundamental problems.

[Since it’s a trade, it means there is something you want, but we might not have the power to satisfy it.]

“It isn’t an immense proposal. I just need you to do me one favour, at some time.”

[…that is a strange thing to say. So you’re not asking me to listen to you, and are just asking for a favour?]

“Right. At that time, you can choose to decline. That freedom is yours.”

Michael’s expression became even more strange.

[Then you would not benefit…]

Because I don’t want to benefit.

Lukas swallowed that response.

In the first place, this was just a bonus.

There was a separate reason why Lukas had chosen to create this position.

It was because he wanted to separate from Pale even if for a moment.

“If you feel uncomfortable, can you do me a favour that is not a big deal?”

[What is it?]

“I’m going to leave for a while. If my companion out there finds out, please cover it up.”

[By companion….]

In an instant, Michael’s awareness turned outward.

Immediately afterward, he flinched as if he fully realised the existence of Pale outside the cathedral.

[…that doesn’t seem like a small favour.]

“Will you refuse?”

[No. As a Lord, I can find a way to do it, so I’ll accept.]

Michael nodded then asked.

[But how will you leave without being noticed by her? There is only one entrance to this place.]

“That’s not difficult.”

Lukas waved his hand, causing space to split open, and a path to appear.

[…to be able to use spatial movement in this world.]

“Please make a good excuse. Even if it might look like she’s smiling, she has sharp senses─”

No. That kind of explanation was probably unnecessary.

Even if Michael didn’t know who Lukas was, he knew who Pale was, so he would act appropriately.

Lukas stepped into the space crack without looking back.

* * *

Lukas stepped into an unfamiliar area.

Beneath a blackened sky, surrounded by strangely shaped rocks.

The place where Lukas was standing was relatively open and empty, with a bizarrely shaped building rooted into the ground.

Of course, now, he could tell what it was at first glance.

It wasn’t a half sunken building, but a spaceship.

Crackle…

A bonfire was quietly burning in a place where there were no other signs of people. After taking a brief look around, Lukas realised that the owner of this space was not around.

“I see.”

He muttered to himself.

The location of this space, which was strange and unfamiliar before, had been completely grasped by him now.

“…this place is the ‘middle.”

Between the ‘World of Void’ and the ‘Three Thousand Worlds’,

This place was the halfway point that separated them.

Perhaps, if he were to stay in this space for a long time, he might see several interesting sights.

But that wasn’t Lukas’ purpose at that moment.

First off, before getting to his main purpose,

“Lightning God.”

[…]

“I know you can hear me. Answer me, Lightning God.”

He still received no answer, but Lukas was not in a position where he could relax and allow things to progress as they were.

Although he had managed to buy some time, he couldn’t afford to waste it.

So he decided to be a bit more proactive.

“What are you so depressed about?”

[…what was that?]

It worked.

A growl came back like rolling thunder.

…As expected,

The current Lightning God was strange.

He was letting out his unresolved feelings. This didn’t fit the image of the beings called Rulers that he had seen so far at all.

[Did you just say depressed? What do you know to talk about?]

“It’s because I don’t know that I’m asking. Why the hell are you like this?”

At first, Lukas had been shocked that the Lightning God had regressed with him.

He thought that if the information about his regression was passed on to the Lightning God, the situation would become troublesome.

However… something was different.

The attitude of the Lightning God who had a hold on this information was too calm.

“What happened to you?”

[…do you still not get it? I… have ‘fallen’.]

Even Lukas was taken aback by the weight of those words.

“…you downfell?”

[Downfall? Ha! It’s far more miserable than that…!]

The Lightning God shouted as if through gritted teeth.

[I got caught up in the power of retrogression that was applied to you! It must have happened because the scale encompassed the entire multiverse instead of just an individual!]

“What….”

[Do you not understand? My remnant thought got caught up in your regression, and in the process, the connection between ‘me’ and the main body was severed…!]

At that moment, Lukas understood what had happened to the Lightning God, no, to this ‘being’.

“…if that’s the case then the current you…”

[…]

The Lightning God fell silent once more.

There was no choice.

Even if it had fallen from the main body, the ‘consciousness’ of this being now was definitely that of the Lightning God. It still recognized itself as the Lightning God, and it also had the accompanying self confidence and arrogance.

In other words, if you were to only take the consciousness into account, this being was actually no different from the Lightning God. It was like his consciousness had been copied without even the slightest difference.

However… This current guy had become a being who could no longer be called the Lightning God. Not only that, but the main body, the Lightning God, was present in this world.

[Do you understand now? What I have become.]

“…”

[The reason I’m giving you this explanation is simple… I don’t want you to talk to me anymore. Understand? Don’t say anything, don’t pay attention to me. Treat me as if I don’t exist.]

…He couldn’t even imagine the confusion this guy had to be going through at that moment. He couldn’t imagine, but still.

His chest was thumping.

Lukas impulsively asked.

“What if I did do that?”

[What?]

“If I did as you wished, what would you do? Will you drift around in my consciousness and slowly sink? Do you want your end to be by being slowly eroded by my consciousness?”

[…you, did you not understand what I said?]

“No. I understood. What you experienced is certainly more miserable than a downfall.”

Lukas grit his teeth.

It was only then that he recognised the emotion surging in his heart.

It was anger.

“So what? Are you giving up after a single failure? Do you really consider yourself the Lightning God?”

[…I don’t know.]

“Right. You don’t know. However, now I know that you are pathetic.”

He waited for a response but didn’t receive one.

Right. He’d become so spineless that such provocations wouldn’t even make him angry.

He was so annoyed he almost erupted.

This was not the Lightning God that Lukas knew and had received from.

Even though there was nothing he liked about him, treated him as a potential enemy, and was annoyed every time he spoke to him.

At the very least, he never thought he was pathetic.

Sharing a mind with the Lightning God, allowed him to learn just how strong that guy’s mind was.

He respected his willpower.

But how dare,

The guy that Lukas respected, be so spineless?

“Of all the beings you look down on, do you think there is even one who didn’t fail at least one time? Look at me. Take a good look at my existence. How many times do you think I’ve failed until now? And how many more times do you think I’ll fail in the future?”

Lukas recalled his past in turn.

“I overthrew them, overcame them. I won’t say those things. Because I am still restrained by my failures. However… I endured them.”

He endured the failure, sadness, and despair.

Sometimes on their own, sometimes together with the others.

“The human before you right now is the human who has failed the most in the world. And you are saying that you are going to collapse after a single failure? The guy who was wandering around looking for a challenge?”

[…]

He didn’t hear the Lightning God’s voice again.

Lukas said one last thing to the silent guy.

“If you don’t know, I can teach you. How to better endure failure.”

[…ha.]

There was a brief jeer.

Lukas was about to say something else before realising that there wasn’t much time left. He looked around, but he could feel no signs of the return of the owner of this place.

…It couldn’t be helped.

He had no choice but to choose a slightly ruder method. He wasn’t in a position to save face either.

‘Occultic Hand’

He recalled the Exile’s special right arm. That guy used that arm to manipulate space.

Crackle-

A weak current wriggled in Lukas’ body.

Was it because the Lightning God’s remnant thought was still in his head? It was possible for him to use a weakened version of that guy’s ‘Thunder’.

Of course, it wasn’t possible for him to know everything about this space as he had in his previous fight against Pale, but it wasn’t difficult to peek at a partial future or analyse the structure. It also consumed less energy.

Analysing his surroundings, Lukas trudged forward before stopping at a certain point.

“Here.”

He stretched out his hand.

Then, as if pulling down a zipper, he slowly drew his hand down.

Chuk-

The space split open.

And without hesitation, he sent himself into the space that he could not see beyond.

Fwoosh!

The surrounding scenery changed.

The rocky terrain filled with all kinds of strange rocks disappeared like smoke, and Lukas found himself standing on grey earth.

“…”

He didn’t know exactly where this was, but this space seemed to be quite special. There was probably no way to get here other than the Exile’s abode, the ‘middle’.

Lukas’ gaze turned to someone who was standing on the lifeless ground.

They had also just noticed Lukas’ presence.

[Who are you?]

The White Knight of Conquest asked in a quiet voice.

Lukas didn’t reply. Because he didn’t come here to talk.

‘I want an estimation.’

He wanted an estimation on how other beings would judge the current him.

And the White Knight of Conquest was the most suitable being for that purpose. Among the Four Knights, he was the one with the most peaceful and rational thoughts.

When they met the last time, the White Knight told Lukas that he didn’t deserve to be the Void King.

Such an answer would be fine too. After all, even an answer like that would be a meaningful indicator for the current Lukas.

In addition to that, he also had a minor question.

Rumble-

Void raged around Lukas.

Clink-

The White Knight in the distance lifted his loosely hanging shield.

“I’m also curious.”

Without using omniscience,

How far would be able to go in a fight with one of the Four Knights in full condition?

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