The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years-Chapter 612Book 2

It was a place without color, without light or shadow.

It was clear that concepts such as brightness or darkness did not exist in this place.

He could not tell whether he was "seeing" something or merely "feeling" it. Though, to begin with, there was likely no difference between the two—.

Tuk—

……!

The moment he momentarily stopped his thoughts, Lukas let out a silent scream, barely managing to hold onto his consciousness, which was on the verge of fading away.

This was a dangerous place.

The boundary between matter and spirit was nearly nonexistent, so even a brief lapse in focus could lead to losing oneself. Just now, Lukas' consciousness had almost seamlessly blended into the space.

If that happened, everything would be over.

Lukas' existence would become a part of this "Outside", and he would never be able to reclaim himself again… It was one of the worst possible endings he could imagine. He had not come all this way just to become a mere fragment of this place.

Lukas had a purpose, clearer than anyone else's.

*

A clear purpose.

Yes.

Even in such a situation, even when no one else was around, you still remained steadfast.

I can't help but smile bitterly.

As expected, I am...

*

What Lukas felt immediately afterward was an overwhelming sense of powerlessness. At the same time, it was also a feeling of omnipotence. It was contradictory, yet no other expression seemed more fitting.

It felt as if he could do anything.

For instance, with just a single movement of his finger, he could claim this entire space as his dominion. He instinctively felt that he had the right to do so.

And that was only natural. According to The Beginning Wizard, Mark Trowman, Lukas was one of the few beings who could claim to be the ruler of the final Destruction, the "Outside".

However, such overwhelming power only made Lukas hesitate. He did not know his limits. The "Outside" and the "Inside" were intricately connected. If that were not the case, this place would not be called the "Outside" in the first place.

In other words, any power recklessly wielded here could have unforeseen effects on the "Inside", the world that Lukas had called home. He had no knowledge of the relationship between the two.

His immense power had become a shackle instead. Even the simple act of extending a finger required caution.

That was why Lukas was powerless now.

*

One of your greatest weapons might be that composure of yours.

No matter the situation, you calmly assess things, setting priorities for what must be resolved first.

It may seem simple, but that is the hardest thing of all.

I was never able to do that.

Even though my circumstances were far more favorable compared to yours.

…How pathetic.

*

There was one thing he could discern. The time allotted to him was abundant. Was it because the flow of time in the Inside and the Outside differed? He did not know yet.

However, Lukas realized that he had been granted the right to initiate everything.

He held the start button that would commence the onslaught of Destruction.

No matter when, it was a button that had to be pressed.

…To those unaware of the circumstances, Lukas might appear to be the mastermind behind Destruction. Perhaps even his own companions would think so. That thought made him feel a bit melancholic, but he quickly changed his perspective.

At any rate, having no time limit was a good thing. He could begin after completing everything he needed to do in this place. By then, at least the minimum preparations would be in place within the "Inside".

With that thought, Lukas moved his consciousness to explore his surroundings.

It was a peculiar sensation.

It felt as though he was blindly searching for something while submerged deep in the ocean, or as if he was peering into the depths of his own inner self. The only certainty was that it was a feeling that could not be accurately described with common expressions.

How long had he been doing this?

Lukas suddenly encountered a massive presence.

The moment of contact brought realization.

This was one of the "Five Destructions".

It was a strange feeling. Unlike the Exile's description of "a vast existence", it did not feel that way to him. Rather, it felt like an enormous mass of power, devoid of self-awareness.

However, the moment he made contact, he revised that thought slightly.

It was in a deep slumber. Since the concept of sleep did not seem to exist in Destruction, perhaps it would be more appropriate to say that it was waiting for its time.

At any rate, it did not seem intent on moving for now.

Facing it, there was no fear. Rather, a strange sense of kinship welled up inside him. The fact that he now had to dismantle it left him feeling somewhat conflicted.

However, such emotions were not greater than the sense of responsibility Lukas carried.

A finger.

Though he no longer possessed such a physical form, Lukas consciously reached out and attempted to take a piece of Destruction.

It was a minuscule act, like the first task of an ant with ambitions of excavating an entire planet, but that was fine.

As he had said, he had plenty of time.

*

I couldn't help but laugh hollowly at that sight.

Yes. I had expected that you would face no easy task either.

And yet, the world once again demands relentless patience from you alone. You no longer cry out against its injustice. You have become completely indifferent to the sacrifices you make. That is pitiable.

In the past, you shed tears on behalf of the Blue Knight.

But who will shed tears for you?

*

The unexpected happened immediately afterward.

The moment he took a fragment from the massive mass, a great shock overwhelmed Lukas' mind.

-For the first time since arriving in the Outside, he could "see" again.

It was like a hallucination, but so vivid that he could clearly feel the sensation as well.

…Why is this happening…?

…Save me…

…Please, just this child…

Resentment, hatred, and fear surged in waves. These emotions, given form, surrounded Lukas completely, choking him with their sticky hands.

Lukas understood what it was that he was seeing.

Ah…

The fragment of Destruction he had just taken,

It was what would enter the "Inside" and become the executioner of countless lives.

…What have we done wrong…?

…I curse you…

…I will curse you for eternity…

From a broader perspective, the fragment was so small that calling it a part of the whole felt insufficient.

Yet the number of lives it could extinguish was beyond measure.

It was a very long time.

For what felt like an eternity, Lukas was forced to hear the voices of the lives that the fragment of Destruction would kill. He listened to their horrific death cries as they perished.

…Are you telling me to take responsibility?

Everything was a mess, yet that part, at least, he could understand.

Yes. They were not wrong.

Whether for a greater cause, for the world, or for some higher value.

The truth remained unchanged: Lukas, with his own hands, would take countless lives.

These voices were a constant signal to ensure he never forgot the massacres he would commit.

He knew.

Logically, he understood… but it was painful and agonizing. A sense of injustice stirred within him as well.

What kind of resolve had he come here with?

What was he enduring this suffering for?

By the time his thoughts began to blur, Lukas was somewhat exhausted.

And still, before him, the massive mass of power stood unchanged.

-Will you continue?

That, at least, must have been a misheard illusion.

There was no way that thing possessed a will.

Yet Lukas was certain that he had heard such a voice.

Without responding, he moved his hand once more.

To take another fragment.

*

……

*

The cursed voices were corroding Lukas' spirit.

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If one hears the word "murderer" hundreds or thousands of times, even a person who has never so much as stained their hands with blood will start to doubt themselves. Without realizing it, they will begin to feel as if they truly have taken lives.

And the hallucinations and voices that Lukas experienced with each fragment he took numbered far beyond mere thousands.

…I hate you. I will hate you even in death…

…Why are you doing this? Why must you kill me…?

…Calamity, you are a calamity upon us…

…There were so many good people.

There were parents who willingly gave their lives for their children.

Lukas killed the parents in an instant, then chased down the fleeing child and devoured them whole.

There was someone who had resolved to sacrifice himself in place of his one and only friend. Lukas disguised himself as that friend, then revealed his true identity at the moment of his joy and killed him.

There was a young man who had lived his entire life with integrity. He had taken in orphaned children and raised them as his own. Even if he had to endure days of hunger, he was the kind of man who would rather place a single piece of candy in the mouths of those children. Lukas crushed them all, burying them beneath a collapsing building.

And all of this was only a fraction of the tragedies Lukas had witnessed.

…Why do beings like you even exist in this world…?

…What have you done to my one and only friend…?

…Ah, God…

…Destruction did not seem to diminish. At least, that was how it felt.

Whenever he barely managed to endure the hellish aftermath and looked up, the massive Destruction stood firm, unchanged from its original form.

It filled Lukas with both a sense of powerlessness, of having achieved nothing, and an overwhelming uncertainty, as if there was no visible endpoint to this agonizing, monotonous task.

What am I doing right now?

Am I trying to empty an ocean with a bucket?

Am I attempting to transfer the air itself into a balloon?

Is that thing even shrinking? …Did I ever actually take a piece of Destruction, or was that just my imagination? How much of "me" even remains at this point? Reality and illusion were no longer distinguishable.

To begin with, the "Outside" was never a place that could be called reality.

At some point, Lukas began to doubt himself. He was confused about the role he was supposed to fulfill.

Why did I come here?

Was it to save humanity, or.

As they said,

As the voices of those I have killed claim,

Was it to destroy humanity?

-Will you continue?

…The voice spoke once more.

*

…Ah.

*

…At some point, the word "surrender" had taken over his mind. He could not completely erase or ignore it, so it remained lodged in a corner of his thoughts, always present as he moved.

At the same time, Lukas wondered if his resolve had been lacking.

Even reaching this point had not been easy.

So much had happened…

Each time he faced hardship, he fell, he was chipped away, he broke.

Perhaps he had never truly overcome anything.

When he was wounded, he simply bore the wounds. When he was in pain, he simply endured the pain.

He had always walked forward, staggering.

And when the suffering dulled, he thought, just for a moment, that he had grown stronger.

But in the end, he had not.

Yes. Life had always been like this.

It was never easy, filled with endless unpredictability, and just when he thought he could endure, just when he reassured himself that everything was fine, even greater hardships would always come crashing down.

…Isn’t it enough now…?

…Let's just give up…

…You’ve done enough…

Around that time, the nature of the whispers began to change.

Those who had once filled him with resentment and hatred were now urging him to surrender. A sweet temptation.

The idea that merging further with the "Outside" wasn't wrong began to form.

Losing "oneself" was, in a way, a form of salvation. It meant freedom from guilt, from regret, from the weight of all this responsibility.

Perhaps that was what Lukas Trowman truly desired.

-Will you continue?

At that moment, the subtle voice echoed.

Lukas stared blankly up at Destruction and answered.

“Yes.”

-…….

“I will continue.”

-Until when?

Lukas smiled.

“Until I win.”