Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 389

389

“I see. If it weren’t for the evil god, you could have experienced the human realm as much as you wanted. It’s a shame things turned out this way.”

“It’s alright. It can’t be helped.”

Arehis felt even more bitter at the calm reply. The Underworld was one of the busiest realms, and Perdes, as a high-ranking god, was slated for important responsibilities. Though newly born as a god, abandoning such a significant position to enter the human realm would inevitably cause problems later. Seeing his regretful expression, Perdes chuckled.

“It’s not so bad now either. Because I became a god, there are things I can do to help my friends.”

“Ah, that’s true. You’re creating purification circles. That’s something only a high-ranking god can do.”

*And I have to go make more in the future.*

Thinking that far ahead, Arehis’s expression turned gloomy. The purification circles were consuming the energy of all the high-ranking gods, leaving the Underworld’s administrative work on the verge of paralysis. As the biggest victim of this situation, he felt extremely frustrated that he couldn’t hold onto the capable high-ranking god before him. Noticing his visibly depressed state, Perdes offered a comforting smile.

“It won’t be long now.”

“Haa, I hope that’s true.”

“It really will be. The prediction is that it will be finished in about two days….”

At that moment, Perdes stopped speaking abruptly, her mouth snapping shut. The two gods, facing each other, exchanged a knowing look. A strange energy flowed around them. Something containing a strong will was descending heavily, like a suffocating curtain.

“This is… Lord Radeka’s energy.”

Perdes calmly nodded at Arehis’s words, her face hardening with a newfound resolve. It was rare for a god’s energy to be felt so clearly, dominating even other dimensions. Perdes sensed the end was rapidly approaching.

“The clock of fate is about to move.”

* * *

The massive door opened without a sound. The door, which always remained closed, only opened when someone entered or exited. As thick fog began to spread from the opened gap, those watching wore tense expressions. Perdes and Arehis, who had joined them a little later, also watched the door, unable to hide their anxiety.

Soon, a figure slowly emerged from the hazy space. It was a moment everyone was waiting for, yet simultaneously dreading. The figure becoming clearer was small in stature at first glance. The most noticeable feature was her dark, black skin. In stark contrast, her hair, which richly covered her entire body, was as white as pearls. The beautiful girl, like a well-crafted statue, floated slightly in the air, her eyes closed. It was impossible to tell whether she was asleep or awake.

“Radeka.”

The celestial god Iowen, who was standing at the front, was the first to move. As if responding to his voice, the girl’s eyelids began to flutter open. The gods watching all held their breath as her eyes slowly revealed themselves. Originally, Radeka’s eyes were a golden color that seemed to scatter light. Now, those mysterious golden eyes had turned completely white, as if completely bleached.

“Kugh…!”

The Chamber of Trials was like forging a sword to make it sharper. Inside, the Goddess of Fate had pushed all her power to its limit. The energy felt from her, now that she had opened her eyes, was incomparable to anything before. It was an immense pressure, as if an enormous weight was forcibly pressing down from above. The high-ranking gods managed to endure it with composure, but the situation was not the same for others. Some faltered and stepped back, and a few even collapsed. Even those who endured well had pale complexions. Arehis belonged to the latter group. Seeing him unable to hide the trembling in his hands, Perdes wore a worried expression.

“Arehis, are you alright?”

“Yes, I’m fine….”

Contrary to his intention to answer confidently, Arehis was struggling to even finish his sentence properly. Feeling sorry for him, Perdes reached out to help. However, there was someone who reached Arehis before she could. An arm wrapped in bandages embraced his shoulder as if supporting him.

“……!”

Just as Perdes’s eyes widened in surprise, so did Arehis’s mouth. The suddenly appearing being watched the surprised and stiffened figures of the two gods with an amused expression. He was a man with pale skin and equally faint gray hair braided long. Sharp eyes briefly appeared and disappeared behind glasses that almost completely covered his face.

“Oh, my. This isn’t a place for mid-ranking gods to visit. I wondered which fools came without understanding the situation, but it turns out my son is here.”

“Lord Shannon.”

Startled, Perdes unconsciously spoke his name. Shannon gave her a slight nod before turning his gaze to Arehis.

“What about the Underworld? Why are you here? Are you slacking off? You’ve gotten quite bold lately, haven’t you?”

“Father.”

“Yes. That’s right, I am your father.”

As soon as the leisurely voice returned, Arehis’s complexion cleared up. Perdes instinctively realized that Shannon had done something. Arehis, on the other hand, had a dumbfounded expression, as if he didn’t know what was going on. He clenched and unclenched his hands a few times, as if no longer feeling the pressure, and then gave Shannon a suspicious look.

“Could it be that you did this, Father?”

“Well, who else would help my pathetic son if not me?”

“……Why are you showing such generosity for once?”

“Oh, my. It’s only natural for a father to help his son. I don’t know why you’re calling it generosity. ……Of course, that’s just something I said. It’s embarrassing if the child known as my son is staggering around like this in front of everyone.”

Despite the cold reply, Arehis’s expression, which had been anxiously distorted, became more relaxed. He even sighed in relief, as if truly relieved.

“Haa, you startled me. I almost had to check the Book of the Dead [a record of souls in the Underworld].”

“I don’t understand. Why would you suddenly do that?”

“The guides say that when your name appears in the Book of the Dead, you start doing things you wouldn’t normally do.”

“That’s quite an interesting way of saying that you think I’m about to die, my son.”

Even as he muttered in disbelief, Shannon didn’t seem particularly upset. Rather, he had a satisfied look on his face, and Perdes felt confused for a moment about how to interpret this father-son relationship. As if understanding her feelings, a leisurely voice was heard.

“Don’t mind them. They’re always like that.”

“Ah, I see….”

Perdes nodded unconsciously, then startled and looked up. She hadn’t felt any presence, but a tall man was already standing right next to her. The dark black hair and eyes darker than his hair were striking—the demon god Kanos.

Similarly, a stir spread among the gods who belatedly recognized him. She could feel that the gazes that had been focused entirely on Radeka a moment ago were now concentrated on him. Even in situations where they frequently encountered each other while creating purification circles, this was one thing that never changed. Gods generally found it difficult to approach the supreme gods (celestial gods were often considered more approachable), but in the case of demon gods, the power to dominate the surroundings was completely different. He was a god who always attracted the most attention wherever he appeared. Whether it was due to the charm he possessed or his nearly infinite power was unclear, but he was undeniably noticeable in many ways. He himself was so used to it that he didn’t seem to care at all.

“Yo, Radeka.”

He cheerfully ignored the gazes pouring in from all directions and waved his hand towards Radeka with a lively gesture. Radeka, who was being supported by Iowen and descending to the ground, frowned slightly upon seeing him.

“Seeing your face as soon as I come out makes me feel like my eyes are rotting. It seems my trial hasn’t ended yet.”

Perdes’s eyes widened again at the venomous words that couldn’t be imagined coming from her beautiful face. The other gods were equally startled. Even Shannon and Arehis, who had been engaged in a minor squabble, closed their mouths like clams. In the atmosphere where an uneasy current flowed, only Kanos was smiling brightly.

“Wow, it’s been a whole 2,000 years since I last saw you, and you’re being so expressive. Seeing a handsome god like me should purify your eyes, not rot them. I thought your eye color changed because your divine power got stronger, but now I see your eyesight has gotten worse?”

“Nonsense.”

“I’m saying it because I’m worried, worried. Didn’t you miss me? I missed you quite a bit.”

“Spare me the insincere words. Whether it’s been 2,000 or 3,000 years, the reason we haven’t met during that time is because you’ve been avoiding me. Have you sufficiently repented for stealing my fruit?”

“Radeka, your way of speaking sounds even funnier after hearing it for so long.”

“……Is that mouth of yours for committing suicide?”

As fire ignited in Radeka’s white eyes, Kanos raised both hands slightly as if surrendering. Of course, his face was smiling mischievously, so anyone could tell it was just a playful gesture. Radeka glared at him disapprovingly.

“If you hadn’t stolen my fruit and given it to him, this wouldn’t have happened.”

“Oh, my, was the Chamber of Trials that hard, Radeka? You’re saying things that don’t befit the Goddess of Fate. It’s true that it was the catalyst, but do you really think it wouldn’t have happened?”

“……Of course, it was a seed of discord from the beginning. That’s why we should have been more careful. There was no need to stir up trouble, was there?”

“I thought that much would be okay.”

“You call that a reason….”

“I really did. Your fruit reflects the desire to see, but it also reflects forgotten pasts.”

Radeka’s eyes wavered at the answer in a light tone. It was because she had read Kanos’s inner thoughts, which he had never revealed until now.

“So you had more expectations for the latter?”

“Because he was originally a good child.”

“……You’re quite foolish when I look at you.”

After a slight pause, Radeka let out a long sigh. She had a dumbfounded expression, but the hostility she had at first had almost disappeared. Iowen, who had been watching the situation with an uncomfortable face next to her, also wore a vague expression. Kanos simply smiled mysteriously and didn’t say anything more. Radeka sighed again and then slowly looked around the surroundings.

“Well, I suppose it’s just an unavoidable flow. And because of this, we have suffered great sacrifices. Everyone has to do something they don’t want to do.”

With her one sentence, the atmosphere became heavy in an instant. The gods, realizing that the time they had been turning away from had come, all hardened their faces. Radeka’s silver-white eyes began to emit a strange energy. In that state, Radeka stretched out one hand. Then, with a buzzing vibration, a huge clock appeared before her. The clock hands were stopped at the position where they had last been turned. The surrounding time seemed to have stopped as well. Only a quiet silence flowed in the space, which seemed to have lost even its vitality. Radeka slowly scanned the gods maintaining an uncomfortable silence, especially the high-ranking gods.

“I will soon turn the clock in reverse. Once it is turned, it is impossible to reverse it again. So, I will ask one last time before that. Is there anyone who volunteers?”

“…….”

“…….”

The high-ranking gods looked at each other. Then, someone among them raised their hand. It was Lusef, with a serious expression.

“I have one question I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“You say that we will be sacrificed to eliminate the evil god, but what exactly does that mean?”

“I will answer that.”

Shannon stepped forward, straightening his glasses with his finger. Arehis watched him with an uneasy expression.

“The sacrificing high-ranking god will directly create a circle to eliminate the evil god. The elimination circle itself is a structure that requires one high-ranking god to pour out all their power to create. Once that circle is created, they will naturally have no choice but to disappear.”

“Then what happens to the god who disappears like that?”

“Due to the aftereffects of receiving the evil god’s curse with their whole body, they will be stripped of their qualifications as a god and become an ordinary soul. And that soul will have its memories of being a god erased and be trapped in the cycle of reincarnation, forever walking the human realm.”

“That means….”

“It means they will only belong to the middle realm [the realm of humans]. They will not be able to enter the great dimension [the realm of gods] in any form.”

“‘In any form’… does that mean they won’t even be recovered by the Underworld after death?”

“Yes, that’s right. Reincarnation will automatically occur immediately upon death.”

After all the explanations were finished, an even heavier air flowed than before. It was a structure where they would be sacrificing themselves for everyone, so they should be compensated, but instead, they would be cursed. No matter how strong their sense of duty was, they couldn’t readily agree. The price to pay was not harsh, but it was not light either. There were many gods who wanted to escape from their divine status, but they all wanted a temporary escape, not to be in that state forever. Furthermore, if they couldn’t even return to the Underworld, it meant they would be completely excluded from the flow of the great dimension. They would not be given the opportunity to interact with gods they had known in the past, and it would be difficult for the gods to find them. It was as if their very existence was being erased from the world. Shannon, slowly looking back at the serious high-ranking gods, straightened his glasses again.

“Actually, I just hope Radeka will turn the clock in reverse.”

“Father!”

Arehis’s cry of surprise erupted. Shannon, startled by him, shrugged, glancing at him with only his eyes.

“I think that receiving volunteers under conditions that no one wants to hear can put pressure on them in itself. In comparison, the Clock of Fate is fair. The conditions set by the clock are actually applicable to all high-ranking gods, depending on the point of interpretation. Wouldn’t it be more comfortable for each other not knowing who will end up being chosen?”

“But….”

“Besides, we are currently creating purification circles. Whether the Clock of Fate is activated or a volunteer appears, if the purification circles succeed, everything will be undone anyway. That’s why we are staking our lives on the purification circles right now. We will definitely succeed, so there’s no need to think so seriously about it.”

Only after hearing those words did the overly rigid atmosphere ease a little. Arehis, who had been pale and stiff, was also regaining his composure. In the atmosphere that had become more calm, Shannon looked back at Radeka, and Radeka also nodded. Just as she, having made a decision, was about to reach for the clock hand, a slender female voice echoed in the silent space.

“Please wait a moment.”

Perdes was the one who stepped forward, parting the pouring gazes. Shannon looked at her with a puzzled expression.

“Perdes, do you have something to say?”

“There’s something I want to confirm in advance. Is turning the Clock of Fate something that can only be done now?”

“That’s not true.”

This time, Radeka answered, taking the place of the flustered Shannon.

“We can allow a grace period of about a week.”

“Then that’s good. I heard that the completion of the purification circles is only about two days away. I would like you to postpone turning the clock until after that.”

“What does that mean?”

“Regarding the conditions set by the Clock of Fate, Lord Shannon said that they apply to all high-ranking gods, but there are those who do not meet them. Especially the last condition, ‘father.’ I myself have not been a god for very long, and I have not yet started my divine duties, so I have no disciples or followers. I have never been a parent to anyone.”

“I thought I had never seen your face before. So a new high-ranking god has been born, succeeding Eluien. But if you don’t meet the conditions, isn’t that something to be more pleased about?”

Perdes quietly shook her head at Radeka’s questioning gaze.

“Among those who clearly meet those conditions are the fathers of my friends. If the Clock of Fate leads one of them to destruction, my friends will be very sad. It would be more painful for me to see that. If possible, I would like to postpone that decision until the very end.”

“But if that happens, we will have to decide on a sacrifice here, won’t we?”

An unusual light flickered in Radeka’s eyes as she asked back. She already seemed to have guessed what kind of answer she would give. At the same time, just as Arehis, sensing a bad omen, was about to open his mouth towards her, a firm resolution settled in Perdes’s deep purple eyes.

“I will volunteer for the elimination circle.”