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Chapter 345: Hero (1)
"Where I came from? The White Wasteland, of course."
Ketal spoke as if it was obvious, wondering why such a question was even asked.
Kalosia didn’t reply but remained silent.
More accurately,he wasn’t in the mental state to answer.
"K-Kalosia?"
Ketal’s voice, tinged with curiosity, brought Kalosia back to her senses.
[Are you... a being of the White Wasteland? Truly one of its barbarians?]
"...Ah, so that's what you're asking."
Ketal realized the meaning behind Kalosia’s question.
A god-level entity entering my being—of course, they’d notice.
Even the Abomination had noticed it; there was no reason why a god wouldn’t.
After a brief moment of thought, Ketal opened his mouth.
"What do you think?"
He didn’t deny it.
Kalosia quietly swallowed her breath.
Her gaze rested upon him, steady and contemplative.
For a moment, her mind became a whirlwind of thoughts.
But she quickly made her judgment.
[No. That’s not important. You’re still on our side, right?]
"Why are you asking such a thing now? If I weren’t on your side, we wouldn’t even be having this conversation."
Ketal spoke lightly.
His response cleared Kalosia’s thoughts.
[Then that’s enough.]
No problems.
No abnormalities.
Everything was resolved without issue.
Kalosia came to that conclusion on his own.
[You’ll be able to bear all the powers of the Pantheon without any problem. I’ll speak with the gods. There will be resistance, but they’ll eventually accept it.]
"I’ll wait,"
Ketal replied cheerfully.
Kalosia departed from the surface.
Ketal, now alone, gazed up at the sky and waited leisurely.
[To bear the powers of the young gods within you... doesn’t sit well with me.]
The Abomination muttered, sounding displeased.
Ketal joked back.
"Are you throwing a tantrum because you got in first?"
[Don’t be ridiculous. It’s just unpleasant to be lumped in with them. But it’s as I expected. The powers of the young gods—those won’t fill your being.]
"You seem to know me very well."
Ketal, curious about the Abomination’s words, wondered how his insides appeared to beings like this one or the gods.
To Ketal himself, his body was just an ordinary vessel.
He could observe himself all he wanted, but that wouldn’t change the fact.
The Abomination responded dismissively.
[To you, perhaps. But to us, your insides are a peculiar place. Not a god, not a magician, nor one of us. Alien. That one seems intent on pretending he saw nothing. A wise choice.]
With those words, the Abomination muttered softly.
[Well... I can’t say I have no idea, though.]
"You have an idea?"
[How long do you think I've been inside you?]
The Abomination had been inside Ketal since not long after he had entered the white snowfield.
That time was a considerably long time, even for the creature who had lived since the birth of the universe.
During that time, it hadn't been able to do anything but blankly think, let alone have a conversation or even make its presence known to anyone.
As such, it had thought a lot about Ketal’s identity and the reason it was trapped inside him.
"Oh ho. Then can I hear about it?"
Ketal asked, intrigued.
How would they perceive him?
Why couldn’t he sense anything despite harboring this Abomination?
He was curious.
He had suspicions but never dwelled on them deeply.
[Do you think I’m some convenient device that gives answers when asked? I’m the Monstrosity—the being that once killed the most in the world, you know.]
"Yeah, yeah. I know that."
[Doesn’t seem like you do.]
The Abomination grumbled but opened up, seemingly eager to talk.
[Before I explain, let me outline the order of this world. Gods and demons cannot easily intervene on the surface.]
For them to descend, a significant number of sacrifices was required.
Furthermore, entities that managed to descend were nearly impossible to kill on the surface.
[And demons that descend can only be dealt with using divinity.]
Though one could use arcane arts to banish them, if a demon had established dominion, even that became impossible.
Only the celestial power of divinity could vanquish a demon.
[Mortals have never opposed gods, so they wouldn’t know—but killing a god who descends with their true form also requires demonic energy.]
Mortal beings could hardly affect celestial or infernal entities.
[Why do you think that is?]
"Because they’re higher beings,"
Ketal answered.
Celestial and infernal entities were beings superior to mortals.
That was why they required sacrifices to descend and why mortals couldn’t defeat them.
Ketal understood this much.
[Correct. But it’s not just an issue for heaven, hell, and the surface. The same applies to us.]
The oldest beings hold superiority over the three realms.
For example, even though the marine apex creatures couldn’t hold their own in the White Wasteland, they were powerful enough to ruin worlds.
[We already exist on the surface, so there’s no need for sacrifices to descend. But if we didn’t, a tremendous number of sacrifices would be required. And mortals wouldn’t be able to kill us.]
"Sounds like a hierarchy."
Ketal murmured as he listened.
The oldest beings at the top.
Heaven and hell next.
And the surface at the bottom.
From the explanation alone, that was how it seemed.
The Abomination didn’t deny it.
[You could say that.]
The oldest beings were above heaven and hell.
Heaven and hell were above the surface.
That was one of the universal orders.
[As for why there’s such a disparity—I don’t know. But I have my guesses.]
"And what might they be?"
[It might have to do with the time of creation.]
"Ah, that kind of thing."
Ketal grasped the meaning behind the Abomination’s words.
The oldest beings were born at the inception of the universe.
Heaven and hell emerged after order was established.
And mortals appeared only after order was fully formed.
The difference in the timing of their creation was clear.
That perspective made it understandable.
[It’s just my speculation. Possible, but not certain.]
"It sounds plausible enough. So that’s the kind of concept it is."
Ketal enjoyed the conversation, likening it to reading a lorebook with hidden details.
"But the Demon King seems stronger than the oldest beings."
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[That’s because he inherited nearly everything from his domain. In contrast, the oldest beings didn’t. Even if one is a superior entity, there’s no absolute advantage. Just look at how demons lose to mortals sometimes.]
The Abomination’s voice grew livelier, perhaps from the excitement of speaking after so long.
Ketal stroked his chin.
"Still, the gap is quite large. Why exactly did you lose?"
The Demon King was stronger than the Elders.
But not by much.
It was to the point where it was impossible to predict which side would win.
And the Elders weren’t just one—they were three.
No matter how much the gods and demons joined forces, there seemed to be no chance of victory.
[As I said, we didn’t get along very well.]
The Abomination explained in a low voice.
[Even when the younger ones united to try and oust us, we didn’t band together. Instead, we saw it as an opportunity to kill off the ones we couldn’t stand. The Elders were the same. Rather than dealing with the gods and demons, they fought even more fiercely to kill one another.]
At the end of that battle, weakened beyond measure, they were ultimately sealed by both gods and demons.
Ketal chuckled.
"Foolish."
[In hindsight, unbelievably so. But even if we were to return to that time, the Elders still wouldn’t unite. They cannot tolerate one another.]
The Abomination finished its explanation and then posed a question.
[Now, let me ask you something. You can contain gods, demons, even the oldest beings, without any issue. Why is that?]
“……”
Ketal’s expression turned peculiar.
The Abomination continued.
[It’s simple. It means you are a being above them.]
A being greater than the earth, the underworld, the heavens—even the oldest entities that had existed since the birth of the universe.
That was the Abomination’s judgment of Ketal.
[I don’t know what you are, but you’re far above us. Divine powers or demonic authorities are like mere illustrations within you.]
“Hm.”
[That fact itself isn’t surprising. We never considered ourselves the ultimate existence.]
The Abomination felt no particular awe in this realization.
It understood better than anyone that there is always something greater.
What puzzled it lay elsewhere.
[But why would such a being come to this place?]
Why was Ketal here?
[Why did you end up with such a frail and feeble body?]
And—
[What exactly did you sacrifice in the process of descending to this place?]
When a higher being descends to a lower realm, a sacrifice is required—a massive and extraordinary one.
What, then, had Ketal sacrificed to arrive here?
To this, Ketal simply shrugged.
"Even if you ask me, I don’t know."
All he had done was pray.
Please, please.
Take me to a fantasy world.
Take me out of this hell, devoid of wonder or mystery.
At the end of that prayer, he had arrived here.
“Perhaps someone granted my wish.”
[Who would that be?]
“Who knows.”
Ketal didn’t know who it was.
When he first came to this world, he thought it might be a god or demon king.
But after venturing beyond, he realized it wasn’t.
They were too weak to have summoned him.
More than that, they couldn’t even properly grasp what he was.
So, who was it that granted his wish?
No—that wasn’t the question.
‘Was it truly someone else?’
A quest came to mind.
The quest that helped him escape the outside world.
It only appeared when matters were connected to the Forbidden Lands and instructed him to act.
Even when evil ravaged the earth or when the Demon King descended, it wouldn’t appear unless the Forbidden Lands was involved.
As if declaring that such events were not its concern.
‘Authority, is it?’
Ketal’s eyes turned cold.
The Abomination remained silent.
After a moment of stillness, Ketal stretched.
"Let’s think about it slowly. Time is the one thing we have in abundance."
[Unfortunately, that’s true. Damn it. How much longer must I stay inside you?]
The Abomination lamented.
Ketal listened to its grumbles as he headed to find the Tower Master.
He needed to inform the world of what he had discussed with Kalosia.
After hearing Ketal’s story, the Tower Master was silent for a long time before finally speaking.
[That’s possible—so you’re saying.]
Ketal could withstand even the combined power of the pantheon.
The Tower Master couldn’t hide his awe and muttered with genuine curiosity.
[How is it that someone like you can exist in this world?]
Ketal avoided the question with a grin.
“The gods haven’t responded yet, but it seems like they’ll agree. Take it easy until I’m back.”
[Understood. …Truly, you are a hero.]
Not a fake hero—a true one.
The Tower Master, gazing at Ketal for a moment, bowed respectfully.
[Ketal, as an outsider, thank you sincerely for standing up for this world.]
“Then teach me magic later. That’s all I need.”
[Don’t worry. I’ll teach you my most secretive spells.]
“Ooh, I’ll hold you to that.”
Ketal laughed in delight.
A few hours later, Kalosia came to Ketal once more.
[The response has arrived.]
* * *
“How did it go?”
[There were opposing gods, but ultimately, they accepted. One god, however, resisted until the very end but eventually relented.]
“Who… No, I think I know. Federica, right?”
[Correct.]
Federica had once tried to exclude Ketal, only to fail.
Naturally, she was reluctant to grant him any authority.
[But for the greater good, she agreed. No one cares for the world more than she does. She couldn’t let it be defiled by the Demon King.]
“So what now? Do I go to the heavens?”
Ketal’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.
But Kalosia dashed his hopes.
[Unfortunately, there’s no time. The Demon King’s seal will soon break. We must act before then.]
“I see… So, what do I do?”
[We will connect a path to this place.]
“Hm?”
Before Ketal could grasp the meaning, Kalosia murmured softly.
[Come forth, path. Gate to the lofty heights.]
Wooooong.
The divine power manifested, distorting the world and space itself.
The distant Tower Master and Helia sprang to their feet instinctively.
[Open the way to this place.]
With the quiet command, a path to the heavens was opened.
A road in the sky.
The gate beyond it.
And that gate was open.
From beyond, countless gazes could be felt.
Ketal couldn’t discern their owners.
The Pantheon.
All the gods seated there.
They were now gazing down at Ketal.
“Magnificent.”
Ketal grinned.
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