The Return of The Mythical Archmage [EN]: Chapter 434

The Goddess of Time, Mora, stood before me, smiling gently as she spoke.

‘Shin Ha-yul. Half of the Human God, disciple of Ray Bell Bytenner. I have been waiting for the day I would meet you. Finally, we meet.’

I was surprised.

I hadn’t even properly introduced myself yet.

She knew my name, my teacher’s name, and even my relationship with him.

‘Do you know me?’

‘Of course.’

How could she know about me?

‘I know all the history of this world, from its birth to its destruction. There’s no way I wouldn’t know about a pivotal figure like you in the grand scheme of things.’

Mora spoke as if there was no need to be surprised.

‘All of history…?’

But it was a surprising thing to say.

‘So, you mean you know everything that has happened in the past, present, and even the future of this world? Everything that has happened in all time periods?’

‘Yes. I know everything. I am the Goddess of Time, after all.’

The Goddess of Time, Mora.

She gazed at me intently.

Her eyes, like light, were filled with goodwill.

‘Just like I knew you would come to find me like this.’

It was an astonishing statement.

She even knew I would come.

‘If you know everything, do you also know about the things that will happen in the future?’

‘Are you curious about the outcome of the battle between you and Veil?’

‘Yes.’

It was a pure question.

What would happen to me and Veil?

Would I win, or would Veil win?

I was genuinely curious about that.

‘Unfortunately, even I do not know that.’

Mora shook her head slightly.

‘The future is not yet set in stone. What I know are only the events that will definitely happen among the many possible futures. Like our meeting today.’

‘Events that will definitely happen…?’

What did she mean?

‘I would say, events that will definitely happen no matter what variables occur in the future.’

Mora finished her thought briefly and looked back into my eyes.

‘A prime example would be your acquisition of the Book of Idred.’

‘…The Book of Idred.’

The Book of Idred.

The magic book that led me to learn the Bytenner style.

‘In one timeline, you purchased the Book of Idred from a suspicious individual. In another timeline, your father, Shin In-hyuk, happened to obtain the book and sent it to you. And in yet another timeline, Adela Stert happened to get her hands on the book and passed it on to you.’

After hearing those examples, I felt like I understood what she meant.

‘In this way, there are events that will definitely occur no matter what changes happen in the past and present. I call these events ‘fate’.’ [Fate here refers to events that are predetermined to happen regardless of other circumstances.]

Fate.

Events that will definitely happen regardless of the numerous variables in the past and present.

‘Your meeting with me is also fate. In one timeline, you found me in the depths of a dungeon, and in another timeline, you succeeded in finding me isolated in a gap in space-time.’

Mora smiled brightly again.

‘And in this timeline… in the confirmed present timeline… you found me like this in the massive labyrinth called the Black Star. As guided by fate.’

‘I understand.’

I completely understood what she meant.

‘So, you knew in advance that we would meet like this because it’s a confirmed fate, but you can’t know the future of me and Veil because it’s not a confirmed fate yet. Is that what you’re saying?’

‘Exactly. Nothing is set in stone for your future with Veil. The outcome will change depending on what happens in the future. You might win, or you might lose.’

‘An unknown. I see.’

There was no predetermined future for me and Veil.

Just hearing this put my mind at ease.

‘Well, did that answer your question?’

‘Yes. It’s enough.’

I roughly understood how Mora knew about the past, present, and future. How she saw them.

That was enough.

‘Good. Then, let’s get straight to the point.’

I hadn’t even brought anything up yet, but she was already talking about getting to the point.

That meant Mora already knew what questions I was going to ask her.

‘Is it also a predetermined fate that I would find you, Mora, and ask about the Human God and the End God?’

‘That’s right. In every timeline, you asked me about the Human God and the End God.’

I knew it.

‘And the answers to those questions were different in each timeline.’

‘…What?’

The answers were different in each timeline?

‘Does that mean the past of the Human God and the End God is not set in stone?’

There was no reason for the answers to differ in each timeline if the past was set in stone.

The fact that the answers differed meant that the past was not set in stone.

‘Could it be that the End God is changing the past?’

If so, could it be that the End God interfered with the past and changed it?

If that were the case, then it would make sense that the past was not set in stone.

‘No. That’s not possible. No one can interfere with the past. Not even the End God can reverse time, no matter how powerful they are. And neither can I.’

‘Ah, that’s not it then.’

It seemed my guess was wrong.

‘Then why…?’

If the End God wasn’t interfering with the past to change it, then why was the past changing?

‘Hmm. I think I chose the wrong words. Let me clear up the misunderstanding first. I didn’t mean that the stories I told changed because the past changed. That’s not why I said, ‘the explanations were different in each timeline’.’

Mora added quietly, ‘I misspoke.’

‘The reason I said the explanations were different in each timeline was because the information you had was different in each timeline.’

The information I had was different?

‘In one timeline, you didn’t know anything about the Human God. So I had to explain everything from start to finish. In another timeline, you knew everything about the birth of the Human God and the death of the End God. So the explanation was very short.’

‘Ah… so that’s why the explanations were different in each timeline…’

‘Yes. That’s what I meant.’

That’s what she meant.

I understood.

‘Then, the explanation will be long this time.’

I didn’t really know anything.

I only knew about the names of the Human God and the End God.

I didn’t know any of the details.

‘No?’

Mora replied with a look that seemed to say, ‘What are you talking about?’

‘In this timeline, where you and I have met like this, this is the future with the shortest explanation among the countless timelines I’ve seen.’

‘…Short?’

‘Yes.’

How could the explanation be short?

‘I don’t know anything right now?’

‘There’s no way you don’t know anything. You know everything.’

Mora laughed as if she found it amusing.

‘You heard it all from the Shadow Goddess, Umbra, didn’t you?’

At that moment, Umbra’s name popped out of Mora’s mouth.

‘I did hear a rather plausible hypothesis…’

I had formed a hypothesis based on the information I had gathered so far and Umbra’s knowledge and experience.

‘I’m telling you that hypothesis is the correct answer.’

‘…What?’

I was momentarily stunned.

‘Umbra’s hypothesis is all correct?’

‘Not all of it. But almost all of it.’

‘…’

I thought it was a rather plausible hypothesis.

But I never imagined it would be the correct answer.

‘The birth of the Human God. The conflict with the End God. And the death of the End God. It’s all as Umbra said.’

The divine power that the End God failed to absorb flowed into the human realm, and the Human God was born.

Inevitably, the Human God and the End God came into conflict.

And the End God was defeated.

‘And all the other details are correct too…’

Everything Umbra said that day was true.

Mora said.

‘Lastly, it’s also correct that the End God cursed the Human God.’

Mora continued, looking a little surprised.

‘I’m surprised. From there, you formed the hypothesis that the End God would have cursed them, and you even accurately guessed the content of the curse…’

‘You mean the content of the curse is also accurate…’

‘Yes. The curse the End God placed on the Human God is a curse that steals the target’s body and divine power.’

In other words, it was a curse placed for resurrection.

‘Since it’s difficult to steal the complete body and divine power of the Human God, they also placed a curse of mental division to split them in two.’

This was also what Umbra had said.

‘Most of it went as Umbra said.’

Mora added quietly, ‘So there’s nothing to explain.’

‘I see…’

So that’s why she said the explanation would be short.

‘There’s only one thing I can tell you right now. Just move as you’re thinking right now. That’s the right answer.’

‘If I move as I’m thinking, that means killing Veil… Is that okay?’

‘Yes. That’s how it should be. If you kill Veil, the End God will not be able to resurrect. Because there will be no body or divine power to steal.’

Veil’s death is the End God’s death.

I had obtained the information I needed.

‘So, all I have to do is kill Veil.’

Then there was no more reason to hesitate. I would gather strength as quickly as possible and deal with Veil.

That was all I had to do.

‘Thank you. Thanks to you…’

Finally, I felt relieved.

I was about to offer my thanks when it happened.

Kugugugu…

Suddenly, the space began to shake.

‘…Vibration?’

It felt like something, a holy relic, was shaking…

‘It seems there’s a battle going on outside.’

Mora said something significant as if it were nothing.

‘I can sense the presence of two black mages. It seems your friends are fighting them.’

‘Why are black mages here…’

Why were black mages inside the Black Star?

‘Veil must have ordered them to find me. They could use my divine power to recover their strength in a short amount of time.’

Mora stared into the air with a distant look.

‘By the way, Veil’s subordinates have shown themselves here. This has become troublesome.’

Then, she muttered to herself with a strange expression.

Something about the atmosphere felt ominous.

‘I’m sorry, but let’s stop here for now, and I’ll come back later. Could you please send me outside?’

But right now, I couldn’t afford to care about the atmosphere or anything else.

A battle had broken out outside.

I had to go provide support.

‘It’s fine to send you outside, but…’

Mora focused her gaze back on me.

‘Are you sure you want to do that?’

Was I really not going to regret it?

Was it okay to leave like this?

Mora’s eyes seemed to be asking that.

‘If we part now, you will never be able to meet me again. I have already exhausted my power to the limit. I’ve been digested quite a bit inside the monster’s stomach, and the holy relic itself is about to be destroyed. If I send you outside now, I will use up all my power and disappear.’

In short, there would be no more opportunities to talk to Mora.

‘And…’

Mora’s eyes flashed sharply.

‘Once I disappear, you will be defeated by Veil.’

‘…Defeated?’

‘Yes.’

That was an unexpected statement.

That I would be defeated.

‘Didn’t you say that the future of me and Veil was not set in stone…?’

‘Yes, I did. Actually, when I said that earlier, nothing was set in stone.’

Until just now?

‘But it’s different now. The two black mages who are fighting your friends outside. Veil’s subordinates who lived in the Four Nations Era. From the moment they finished their resurrection and entered the Black Star, the future was set.’

Several important keywords popped out.

‘Their attack is a turning point. Whether this attack happens or not determines the future to some extent.’

‘…And that set future is my defeat?’

‘Yes. There are many futures with their attack as a turning point. But all of those futures end with your defeat and death. If things continue as they are, you will die. Veil will devour you and be reborn on this land as the complete End God.’

‘…’

‘If you’re okay with that, I’ll send you outside now.’

It was a statement that made me think a lot.

‘…If the result is already set, then it doesn’t matter whether I go out or not, does it?’

‘Yes. It doesn’t. At this point, your defeat is set.’

‘Then…’

What was the point of going out or not? I was about to say that when Mora interrupted me.

‘That’s how it would be normally.’

Mora condensed divine power in her palm.

‘The only reason you will be defeated is because you don’t have enough time. The foundation has already been laid, but there is an overwhelming lack of time to complete the building on top of that foundation. That’s why you will be defeated.’

It was a divine power that seemed to condense time, befitting the divine power of the Goddess of Time, Mora.

‘But I have the power to solve that lack of time for you.’

Mora held out a mass of divine power to me.

‘I have the power to change your future. If you stay here and give me your time, then surely, the future will change.’

The mass of divine power slowly changed its shape, forming the shape of a clock.

‘So, stay here. Even if your friends die outside. Don’t move, just stay here. Stay here with me.’

Abandon your comrades.

Sacrifice a few for the sake of saving more.

‘That’s the only option left for you.’

Mora was saying that.