Translator: FenrirTL
Editor: Doodle
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< Chapter 174: Roots (4) >
A place that humans could only reach after accumulating the appropriate level of refinement and attaining enlightenment.
The words "shedding" (脫殼) and "transcendence" (超越) originated precisely from this concept.
Shedding meant casting off human limitations, while transcendence referred to breaking free from the causal laws that bound one, allowing one to be reborn as a true god.
「I never imagined I would see this place with my own eyes.」
At some point, Lodbrok’s spirit appeared beside Theo and ran her hand over the massive iron gate standing tall before them.
“Lodi.”
「Have you come to your senses now?」
Lodbrok’s face, as she turned to Theo, seemed full of irritation.
‘I see... you kept searching for me while I was consumed by the curse.’
In truth, Theo had heard Lodbrok’s efforts to bring him back to his senses, as well as the voices of the Spirit Mausoleum Blade’s ghosts, while he was trapped in the darkness.
However, at the time, his mind was in such disarray that he mistook their voices as attempts to harm him and ignored them, consumed by paranoia.
Now that he had regained clarity, he felt overwhelming guilt for it all.
“I must have caused you a great deal of worry. I’m sorry.”
「Hmph! When I think about how I almost got entangled in that curse because of you...! Hoo!」
Lodbrok didn’t seem to accept Theo’s apology easily.
Indeed, given that their minds were connected through channeling, any mental shock experienced by one of them would inevitably be transmitted to the other.
For Lodbrok, who was currently focused on recovery, such a situation would have been genuinely dangerous.
“One box of mint chocolate ice cream.”
Twitch!
「Hmph! Are you seriously trying to bribe me with something as trivial as food?」
Though Lodbrok shouted, turning her head as if displeased, Theo didn’t miss how her ears perked up for a moment.
‘No way… but she’s seriously fond of mint chocolate.’
If that were the case, there was a way to resolve this.
“Of course not. I merely wish to soothe your heart. How about I add mint chocolate lattes to the mix? Once this war is over and we return to Winterer, I’ll make sure you’re stocked with them for a whole month.”
「Latte?」
“Don’t you know? It’s coffee mixed with mint chocolate. Apparently, it’s quite popular in Winterer these days.”
「Hoho! Humans certainly have some ingenious ideas! To think of something so delightful!」
As someone who preferred pure coffee, Theo was baffled by the idea[a] of drinking what seemed like toothpaste squeezed into coffee.
Still, what could he do? It was a matter of taste.
「Hmph! Very well. Your gesture is admirable, so I’ll forgive you just this once.」
While Lodbrok nodded willingly, the Ghosts of the Mausoleum Blade, who had emerged unnoticed, were looking at Theo with expressions of exasperation.
-There’s probably no one but you who would lure a dragon with such bizarre methods.
-No, more importantly, us! We should get something too!
-Right, do you know how much trouble we went through because of you…
“Instead, aren’t I showing you all something interesting? When else would you have had a chance to visit a place like this?”
-That may be true…
-Ah, here he goes trying to gloss over things again.
-Is it just me, or are you getting more sly as time goes on?
Despite their grumbling, the ghosts followed Theo and turned to face the iron gate.
The entrance to the Pantheon.
It was something they had only ever heard of in myths and legends, and now, seeing it with their own eyes, their faces unmistakably glowed with anticipation.
Could this be like the fabled Peach Blossom Spring, where immortals played Go, or Valhalla, the resting place of great warriors?
-Still, we chose our successor well. Even in death, we get to witness such sights.
-But is that rumor true?
-What rumor?
-The progenitor. There’s a story that he ascended to godhood after death. If it’s true, doesn’t that mean we might get to see him?
-Now that you mention it…
In that instant, the ghosts’ gazes turned toward Lodbrok.
Theo’s gaze followed theirs.
‘That’s right, there was a legend like that.’
There were many differing accounts regarding the end of Sigurd, the progenitor.
One legend said he passed away peacefully before his descendants after establishing a stronghold in the North.
Another claimed he died in battle beyond the Great Wall, slaying monsters from the Demonic Sea.
Others told of him retreating to pursue a higher realm of existence, still watching over Ragnar somewhere in the Winter Mountains.
Yet, the legend most widely believed was that of his “Ascension.”
It was said that he attained enlightenment, gained divine status, and ascended to the Pantheon on a pillar of light descending from the heavens.
As a descendant of Ragnar, Theo couldn’t help but be curious.
Which, if any, of these many legends was true?
However,
「…….」
Lodbrok remained tightly silent, her lips pressed together. An air of unease, as if discouraging further inquiry, hung heavily around her.
“Well then, I’ll open it.”
Theo, assuming there must be a reason, placed his hand on the iron gate.
If Sigurd truly entered the Pantheon, then perhaps he could really see him.
Just as Theo was about to exert force—
Kwarurururung!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar, so loud it felt as if the sky might shatter, erupted from above.
Theo, Lodbrok, and the ghosts all simultaneously looked up.
Suddenly, from the distance, thick black storm clouds began to gather.
They came accompanied by fierce winds, lightning, and torrential rain.
‘No, that’s…!’
However, when the storm clouds approached close enough to be visibly discerned, Theo realized he had been mistaken.
It wasn’t a mere storm cloud.
It was a mass of monsters.
-What, what is that…!
-Are they creatures of the Demonic Sea? But their scale is far too great!
-Is it something akin to the <Nameless Sovereign>?
The “storm cloud” was, in truth, a fusion of countless grotesque monsters.
A horrific amalgamation of hundreds of creatures crammed into a confined space, their limbs jutted out in all directions, and their ruptured muscles dripped endless streams of brain matter and blood.
Eyeballs clung messily to the fleshy mass, rolling aimlessly before locking onto Theo.
Woo-
Wooo- woooo-
As the ghosts had speculated, Theo felt a strong impression that it was similar to the <Nameless Sovereign>, yet fundamentally different.
Its ghastly appearance was indistinguishable from that of a monster.
The aura of dark energy it emanated also bore resemblance to the <Nameless Sovereign>, making it plausible it had emerged from the depths of the Demonic Sea.
But there was something subtly off.
The <Nameless Sovereign> was a shapeless entity, but it carried a sense of wholeness.
At the very least, it possessed its own will and personality.
It was intelligent enough to find Theo “interesting.”
But this was not the same.
When viewed through [Hatchling Synchronization], it became evident that the creature had no coherent pattern of thought.
It was a chaotic clash of countless lives entangled together, with thoughts colliding endlessly, preventing any sort of conclusion.
It was a being incapable of prediction, discernment, or reason—acting purely on impulse like a wild beast.
It was, without a doubt, a monster.
A manifestation of chaos and malevolence.
It was destruction incarnate.
Kiaaaaargh-!
The chaotic entity opened its maw wide and unleashed a horrific screech.
Theo swiftly levitated three swords into the air and drew Drake’s Blade.
-Damn it!
-We have to fight something like that even in death?
-How is it possible that another being like the <Nameless Sovereign> exists?!
The ghosts hurriedly adopted battle stances, prepared to borrow Theo’s power if necessary to activate the Chronograph.
But Lodbrok alone remained calm, her gaze fixed elsewhere.
「No. It seems we won’t need to intervene ourselves.」
There was no need to ask what she meant.
Above the iron gate, hundreds—no, thousands—of meteors streaked across the heavens, descending like a celestial barrage.
At the end of the long trajectories, celestial warriors adorned with radiant golden halos were positioned en masse.
Theo instinctively understood.
Those beings were, without a doubt—
“The gods of the Pantheon…!”
The gods, now visible in person, were so resplendent that Theo doubted they could be the same capricious deities he had only encountered through vague messages.
No, they were overwhelming in every sense.
Each one of them was already a complete, self-contained world, a culmination of ultimate concepts in themselves.
Precisely because of that, Theo couldn’t read anything from them.
They were far too distant, far too unattainable for someone like him.
Perfect and flawless.
That was the only way to describe them.
No doctrine, scripture, or legend—none of the world’s records about the gods could ever capture their majesty.
The chaotic beast had emerged from the shadows.
The perfection of the gods radiated from the light.
Black and white clashed in the middle of the sky, causing the heavens and earth to tremble.
It was as if the world teetered on the edge of annihilation or creation.
And amidst this cataclysm—
「Sigurd!!」
Lodbrok suddenly leaped forward, shouting.
Her voice was a mixture of sorrow and desperation, pain and anger, jealousy and resentment—a storm of emotions intertwined.
It was the first time Theo had seen Lodbrok so overtaken by feeling.
‘The progenitor?’
Theo followed her gaze.
At the forefront of the celestial army stood a man.
Black hair and crimson eyes.
His features unmistakably marked him as a Ragnar, and strangely enough, his face bore a resemblance to Theo’s own.
It was as if this was how Theo might look if he grew to his full potential.
-Then that’s him…?
-So the legend of the Ascension was true…!
The ghosts were filled with awe, their voices trembling.
「Answer me, Sigurd!」
Lodbrok shouted once more.
Her posture seemed ready to transform into her true form and take flight toward the heavens at any moment.
Then, Sigurd’s gaze briefly shifted in their direction, and his lips moved.
‘Lodbrok.’
Theo could read the words from his lips clearly.
‘This is not a place you should come to yet.’
Sigurd then shifted his gaze, locking eyes with Theo.
His lips moved again.
‘So, return, my distant descendant. And—’
With a sweeping motion of his hand, Sigurd gestured powerfully toward Theo.
‘You, blessed by causality.’
Whhoooosh!
In an instant, a fierce wind erupted, pushing Theo and his companions out of the Pantheon.
[You have been forcibly expelled from the Pantheon.]
Theo felt as though he were plummeting toward the ground.
The sense of growing larger had vanished, replaced by an overwhelming feeling of insignificance.
Then, slowly descending downward…
…
…
‥
.
.
.
[You have safely arrived at the 13th floor.]
[Congratulations! You have not only climbed the White Tower but also visited the Pantheon behind it, successfully completing Scenario Quest #7.]
[Evaluation: S+]
[As a reward, you have obtained ownership of the White Tower, an artifact of the Ancient Dragon. Please refer to the Guardian for detailed information.]
[As an additional reward based on your evaluation, you are now free to wield <Nirvana>.]
「To think you would even witness the Outer Gods… This far exceeds my expectations. Now I understand why the other Guardians hold you in such high regard.」
Keratosuchus, who had appeared without warning, glanced to the side.
There, other Guardians, including the Fairy Dragon, were gathered, all bearing serious expressions.
Of course, Magara, still harboring resentment toward Theo, refused to even make eye contact.
“Outer Gods?”
Theo recalled the beings, barely formed or coherent, that he had seen.
The overwhelming presence they displayed, on par with the celestial army of the Pantheon, certainly justified the term.
「Hmm… Honestly, this topic is heavy with implications, which is why I didn’t intend to reveal it until you had assimilated more of the Ancient Dragon’s relics.」
Keratosuchus stroked his chin thoughtfully, a sly smile on his face.
「But now that you’ve seen both the Pantheon and the Outer Gods, there’s no point in hiding it. Besides, having already comprehended Nirvana, it would be inappropriate to view you as just another ordinary Chosen One.」
He continued his explanation.
「The term ‘Outer Gods’ refers to beings that originate from ‘outside’ this world. They are entities free from this world’s laws, monstrous gluttons that devour everything they see.」
“So, the reason the Pantheon was built in that location…”
「Exactly. Its purpose is to block the Outer Gods. That is the very reason for the Pantheon’s existence.」
“...!”
Theo’s eyes widened slightly.
Then, another thought struck him.
The aura of the Outer Gods felt strangely reminiscent of the <Nameless Sovereign>. What could their connection be?
Keratosuchus, as if reading Theo’s thoughts, maintained his amused expression and elaborated further.
「The Deluded God, or what you call the <Nameless Sovereign>, is a fragment of the Outer Gods, a vanguard force thrust into this world. And the ones sent by the Pantheon to counter them are the <Guardians>.」
From the heavens, the Pantheon blocked the Outer Gods.
On the earth, the Guardians fought against the Nameless Sovereign.
And…
‘If the struggle between the Pantheon and the Guardians fails, leading to the world’s destruction… does that result in a Reset?’
Theo felt as if a heavy object had struck his mind.
He was stepping closer to unraveling the secrets of the world and the mysteries of time.
“Wait! Then what is Ragnar, exactly…?”
「A mediator that bridges the gap,」 Keratosuchus replied with a grin.
「And a bloodline burdened with the duty of protecting the world.」
[a]Me too! hahaha