Episode 1079
Chapter 254: The Selves of the Sun God (3)
Another day had passed.
Following Beltian, the Bamel Alliance had successfully restrained Nepdol without incident. Surprisingly, Nepdol adapted to the alliance remarkably quickly.
[Kyu… Bridget was right. Looking at how this world’s turning, if I don’t help you guys, things will go badly.]
It was all thanks to the “Primordial Memories.” As soon as Nepdol weakened, Bridget shared those memories with her without pause, and Ameris and Lucy also lent their support.
Nepdol swiftly recalled the loneliness of her former, whole self. The truth of the multiverse also influenced her decision to aid the Bamel Alliance.
[Good call, subordinate number two.]
[Stop calling me that, Bridget. You’re originally weaker than me in power anyway.]
[But how’s reality looking now? I’m the first self of the Sun God to awaken the Primordial Memories. Show some respect.]
[You sure know how to pick annoying things to say. You’re just going to help power the battle anyway.]
The alliance chose Beltian as the power source for the main hall of the Battle God War.
However, unlike Bridget and Nepdol, Beltian remained hostile to the alliance even while restrained.
[Beltian… if only he had come to his senses like us, he wouldn’t have been bound to the power source. That’s unfortunate.]
Bridget and Nepdol’s role was to suppress Beltian’s “rampage.” Even while restrained, Beltian continuously emitted immense solar energy. If it became strong enough to damage the power source, the two selves would step in to stop it.
“The power development will be completed soon. It could be done within a few days if everything goes smoothly.”
At Jin’s words, the Sun God’s selves nodded. Since the moment Beltian was captured, the most critical part of the power source was essentially finished. What remained was only the development of devices to improve stability—modifications of parts used in the Golden Fleet—so it was bound to be quick.
Everything related to the development of the Battle God War’s airborne fortress was progressing smoothly.
In the two days since the battle with Nepdol, there had been no reports of civilian massacres by Ziphl. Nor had there been any new information about problems arising from dream abilities.
Instead, the alliance sensed another danger.
[It won’t be finished today, no matter how fast, right? Jin.]
“Yes, Nepdol.”
[Kyu, this is bad. Kragos is definitely waking up…]
The Self of Destruction, Kragos.
The Sun God’s selves could feel that he was awakening. However, some immense force was interfering with their senses, preventing them from pinpointing his location.
According to the Sun God’s selves, only one being could wield such power: Malugia.
[Malugia is definitely blocking us from finding Kragos. And he’s probably sharing some of his power with Kragos too.]
Nepdol shivered as if afraid.
[As subordinate number two said, we have to assume Malugia has begun full-scale activity. That means Keliak Ziphl is basically a puppet now. Before Malugia’s power, that mortal is nothing but a beast.]
“Tch, Keliak was already on a leash from Lokia, and now he’s caught by someone even worse. All those threats Lokia made to Keliak are probably meaningless now.”
Murakan shrugged, but Jin shook his head.
“We can’t be sure yet. According to dream abilities, when Keliak tried to separate Malugia from the Demon Stone right in front of him, Malugia showed no reaction. So Malugia’s current activity might not be constant.”
[Kyu, that’s right. Malugia is probably revealing his power intermittently. But even so, he’s already awakened Kragos and hidden him from us. Ugh… what is that guy thinking? It’d be easier if he were as dumb as Beltian.]
Beltian had only ever called for destruction since awakening and was easily subdued, but Malugia was moving with extreme cunning.
From the time he inhabited Elona Ziphl a thousand years ago until now, he had never once revealed himself to his enemies.
“Lady Elona… no, Malugia likely perceived the truth of the multiverse long before the Sun God’s selves surfaced like this. If his goal was simply to destroy this world, he would have had countless chances over the past thousand years.”
Dimension 677—the current world they were in—if Malugia’s goal was to destroy it, he could have done so at any time.
Before the Bamel Alliance had formed their strongest force in history, there was a much longer period in Inse’s history without a single Changseong.
Yet Malugia never acted. Moreover, what Hailin Runkandel told Lucy was significant.
“To destroy all worlds, you need Lokia Ganesto. Mom and Makos will stay here.”
‘Malugia, who dwells within Lady Elona, and Araksion, who dwells within Hailin, have likely been aware of the dimensional divergence since the moment the thousand-year history manipulation began. They are waiting for the right moment to bring about the destruction of all dimensions… It all fits perfectly. And Bridget said Malugia is currently allowing himself to be captured by Ziphl…’
Just as Malugia seemed to be cooperating with Ziphl for some reason, Araksion might be in a similar situation. If so, not only Keliak but also Lokia could be puppets of the Selves of Destruction.
[It’s puzzling why Malugia chose Ziphl, and why Araksion chose Ganesto.]
[Kyu, I agree, Bridget. It would have been better if they had chosen the halves that inherited the most of our power without divine authority.]
“Ziphl is the one who created the dimensional divergence through history manipulation, and Ganesto is the mortal who wields the power of chaos most freely. Those two factors are probably closely tied to the destruction of all dimensions.”
[Ah, that makes sense. History manipulation and chaos… your family has resisted those most strongly for a thousand years.]
[That must be why Solderet chose your Runkandel family—to oppose Malugia and Araksion. If your father finds Solderet’s arrangement in the Black Sea, all the clues will come together.]
“More importantly, Ziphl now serves as a kind of foothold for the Demon Army in this dimension. If I were Malugia, I’d use Ziphl to lure the Demon Army here and destroy them. Or by drawing the Demon Army into this dimension, create an opportunity to directly attack their home base.”
[That’s a good point.]
“If this assumption is true, the power of chaos will likely be used in relation to interdimensional interference. It would be good to confirm this with the witch through Orgal…”
[Tada! Orgal’s here. I heard everything, everything. For that part, I’ll have Marsalun, Sribi, and Karmashu—the three demons—go meet Helluram. Though they might not want to meet.]
Jin didn’t shake his head or complain at Orgal’s sudden appearance this time.
Though Orgal and his third-rate terrorist group Kinzello had committed many vile acts in the past, at least now he could be considered a reliable ally.
‘Orgal and I will both spend our lives seeking atonement. He for the atrocities he committed before learning the truth, and I for the countless lives I destroyed as a Regressor.’
Orgal immediately reached out and ruffled Nepdol’s smooth hair, chuckling.
[Oh, so cute. To think this gentle one became a material for the Demon Stone in another dimension.]
[Hands off!]
“What brings you here this time, Orgal?”
[We have to go catch Kragos now, right? I came to help. That damn Self of Destruction is probably safely planning to smash this world under Malugia’s protection. Jin, but you have to be careful this time.]
“Careful?”
[It’s a given he’s received Malugia’s power. If we don’t fight properly… no, even if we do, we’ll suffer heavy losses. Depending on the situation, quite a few comrades might die.]
Though Orgal spoke cheerfully, there was a hollow sadness beneath his words—the emptiness of someone who had lost countless comrades across many dimensions.
[The feeling of losing comrades, fellow soldiers… even someone like me with so much experience never gets used to it. And Kragos isn’t the only enemy. In the worst case, we might have to face the Tower of Stories, Malugia, and Araksion too.]
Jin nodded slowly.
“Have you fought a Kragos empowered by Malugia’s power in a similar situation in another dimension?”
[Yes. Not exactly the same, but be prepared. No matter who dies, you can’t fall into demonic possession. The most important thing right now is to turn the Battle God War’s main hall into an airborne fortress.]
“We’re focusing all our strength on that, except for search and defense personnel. Speaking of which, I just remembered. Send Bubar Gaston to the shipyard.”
[Ah! Bubar! Yeah, everyone hates that guy, but you have to admit he’s capable. Surprisingly loyal too. Let’s send him along with Chaga. I can’t believe I didn’t think of that.]
Orgal opened the steel door again and looked back at Jin.
[No matter what, you must never die, Jin. I’ll send those two off and come back, then we’ll start searching Kragos.]
“Got it. You don’t die either.”
As Orgal left and the Bamel Alliance began gearing up in earnest for the search, Kragos was just now revealing itself in a key area of the Bamel Alliance.
It was the imperial capital—the land of Dante.