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Chapter 356: Observers (6)

Falling.

Endlessly.

As the sensation of speed wrapped around his entire body, the consciousness that had been cut off gradually began to return.

“……”

Oscar barely managed to open his eyes and slowly looked around.

What entered his blurred vision was a beautiful yet enormous nebula.

For a moment, he even wondered if he had drifted away from the moon and become lost in space.

Startled, Oscar widened his eyes, and only then did his surroundings begin to come into focus.

‘Mana?’

What he had thought was a nebula was actually an endlessly spreading flow of mana.

At that moment, Oscar realized where he was.

His extinguished consciousness had sunk deep, falling all the way into his inner world.

‘This is dangerous.’

Entering one’s inner world directly wasn’t particularly rare.

In fact, any mage or knight above a certain level would try it several times to inspect their mana circuits or internal condition.

The problem was that cases like this—where the consciousness sank so deeply—were uncommon.

‘If it’s only submerged up to the ankles, I can pull myself out at any time, but…’

Pulling up a mind submerged to the chin was no easy task.

Even now, he could feel the connection to his physical body growing loose.

In other words, if he delayed even a little longer—

‘I won’t be able to return. Ever.’

Sensing the danger, Oscar hurriedly tried to leave.

But his consciousness wouldn’t budge, as if he were wearing a thick fur coat and submerged in water.

No matter how desperately he paddled, it felt like he was just spinning in place.

After struggling for a long time, Oscar finally realized.

‘This…’

It wasn’t simply that he couldn’t rise because he had sunk too deep.

Something was ‘pulling’ him with a powerful suction force.

His gaze naturally turned toward the mass of mana that formed a vast, nebula-like current.

‘Those are the residual mana from the Dragon Heart.’

Mana that should have returned to nature.

But instead, mana that had been distorted and twisted at some point was being sucked into one place.

The end of the inner world.

A point untouched by light.

KWA-A-A-A-A!

A pitch-black region, so dark it made him wonder if he had always possessed such a side within himself.

That place was devouring mana like a starving beast.

‘What the hell is that…?’

Oscar found his gaze drawn to it.

Even though his instincts screamed danger, he couldn’t look away.

It felt as if the space itself was desperately calling him to come closer.

And the moment he took a step toward it, as if possessed—

-Be careful.

Flash!

A burst of brilliant light erupted throughout the space, annihilating a large portion of the mana being drawn in.

Hearing that familiar voice, Oscar’s eyes widened as he spoke.

“Itaca?”

-It’s been a while. But this is hardly a situation fit for a reunion.

The heavy, mid-low voice of divinity sounded weary.

“So you’re alive after all.”

-There were times I thought it might’ve been better to disappear.

The radiant glow hovering there felt like it was staring straight at him.

“Maybe it’s just my imagination, but it feels like you’re looking at me with reproach.”

-At least you’re quick to catch on. You—just what the hell are you harboring?

The divine voice spoke as if disgusted.

-If I had known something like that was nestled inside you, I wouldn’t have chosen you as a vessel.

“I don’t know either. What is that thing?”

-…Darkness.

Itaca’s gaze turned toward the dark region.

-Even I cannot fathom its depth. A horrifying darkness. Do you have any guesses?

“Not really.”

-It’s your inner world, isn’t it!

“Even if you say that… I genuinely don’t know what it is.”

Of course, he had known something resided within his soul.

The second waveform the Designer had mentioned.

The remnants of the soul the Saintess had spoken of.

And finally, the red moon revealed during World Liberation.

What they all had in common was a familiarity with demonic energy.

‘But so what?’

It wasn’t like his soul was some stray hair he could pluck out just because he didn’t like it.

All he could do was live with the lingering unease tucked somewhere in his mind.

‘But seeing it directly like this…’

He stared at the space so deep and dark that even light failed to reflect from it.

It felt far more real than simply being told that something existed within him.

The unsettling aura sent goosebumps crawling across his entire body.

“So you’ve been busy dealing with that thing this whole time?”

-Yes. I wanted to rest and accumulate strength in peace, but because of that, I couldn’t.

‘You’ve had it rough where I couldn’t see.’

Looking at the darkness, Oscar asked,

“Can’t you completely get rid of it?”

-Who do you think I am? Most negative energies are erased just by me approaching them. But even when I pour out my full power of light, it doesn’t disappear. That alone tells you it’s no ordinary thing.

“……”

It seemed even Itaca couldn’t clearly identify what it was.

After a moment of thought, Oscar spoke.

“Then I’ll have to make contact with it myself.”

-What? That’s far too dangerous!

“I know it’s dangerous. But there’s no other way. It’s pulling me in right now.”

Oscar shrugged.

“If I don’t get rid of this suction, my consciousness won’t return. I might like nature, but I don’t want to end up as a vegetable.”

-Grr…

Itaca let out a short groan, unable to refute him, and simply added,

-Then I recommend taking that one with you.

“That one?”

Turning his gaze, Oscar saw something like a small snowman.

No, since its exterior was made of ice, maybe it was an ice man.

“What is this—wait, don’t tell me this is the power of extreme cold?”

-That’s right. It was pushed aside in my battle with that thing and has been cowering in a corner, watching.

-…….

The cold lowered its head as if dejected.

In another place, it would probably strut around like nobility, but having met the wrong master, it was reduced to this pitiful state.

Oscar lightly picked up the cold and asked,

“But why this guy all of a sudden?”

-With its power, it should at least be able to buy you enough time to escape in a crisis.

“Fair enough.”

Even if it couldn’t defeat that darkness, it could at least manage that much.

As if agreeing, the cold raised both its ice arms high, expressing confidence.

“Alright. Then I’m going.”

[Translator - Night]

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-Good luck. I’ll keep weakening it as much as I can.

He slowly walked toward the region submerged in darkness.

The darkness that had been continuously pulling him trembled as if shuddering when he approached.

“Let’s see.”

Just what kind of thing you are.

The moment Oscar stood in the pitch-black center and stretched out his hand—

The space twisted, and his vision distorted.

“……”

The first thing to react was his sense of smell.

A stench—like rotting flesh.

On top of that, his eyes stung.

It must have been due to the thick gray smog that stabbed at his lungs with every breath.

‘Where is this?’

The surroundings that had clearly been filled with darkness had, at some point, turned into an endless wasteland.

He wanted to look around, but he couldn’t even move freely.

It felt as though he had entered someone else’s body, completely losing control of it.

Step. Step.

An unknown figure walked across the wasteland.

After walking for a long time, ruins appeared, and between the buildings were things piled up like mountains.

“……”

People.

Not all of them were dead.

Some were still barely breathing.

“Kh… kgh.”

“Haa… haa…”

Groans mixed with pain.

Fading breaths.

The unknown figure soon approached a man on the verge of death.

The man, practically a corpse, gathered what little strength he had left and reached out his arm.

“……”

The unknown figure took his hand.

The corpse-like man opened his dry lips.

“Please… our… mission…”

With those final words, the strength drained from his hand.

Holding his hand tightly, the unknown figure spoke in a dry voice.

“It will be fulfilled.”

Perhaps reassured by those words,

the man’s ragged breathing steadied, and he peacefully closed his eyes.

“……”

After holding the now-dead man’s hand for a long while,

the being began to walk again.

He unerringly sought out those on the brink of death.

Each time, they left behind their final words, and the unknown figure nodded.

‘Who is that?’

For a moment, Oscar had to question whether this was his own memory.

After all, he had experienced similar things, walking through ruined villages after battles.

But he had never seen a place this desolate.

It felt like a world dyed in gray smog, as if the end of days had arrived.

“……”

After letting go of another corpse’s hand, the unknown being slowly rose.

At the same time, the shared vision began to drift backward, revealing his form.

‘His face…’

It couldn’t be seen.

Above the neck, it was as if submerged in darkness—nothing could be discerned.

As the viewpoint kept retreating, it suddenly came to a halt.

Then the unknown being slowly turned and looked this way.

‘……’

From the being emanated a demonic energy as cleanly refined as vegetables prepared by a master chef.

Was it just his imagination that their gazes met?

As if to prove it wasn’t, the being spoke in a flat voice.

“If you lack the confidence to bear it, hand it over even now.”

What did that mean?

Who the hell are you?

He wanted to ask, but no voice came out.

Right now, he had no physical body.

Step. Step.

The being approached, reaching out toward him.

He couldn’t avoid it—he had no legs.

A suction force from the being’s grasp pulled him in.

The distance closed in an instant, and the hand was right in front of him.

He would be caught.

‘If I’m caught…’

Everything would be taken.

That thought instinctively flashed through his mind,

and a chilling cold ran up a spine that may not even exist—

Crack—!

A freezing energy burst forth, freezing everything around.

Not just the grasp, but the ruined buildings, the fading breaths of the people—

even time itself.

“……”

From above the being’s darkness-shrouded neck, he could still feel a burning gaze.

‘Now.’

Gritting his teeth, Oscar forcibly raised his consciousness.

Now that the suction that had trapped him was gone,

his consciousness surged upward, ignoring everything around it.

* * *

“Huff, huff!”

The breath he had been holding burst out roughly.

Blood-mixed saliva dripped onto the floor, the sight searing into his vision.

“…can you…?”

“…are you conscious…?”

“…Oscar!”

“Oscar! Can you hear me?”

As time passed, Edna’s voice—once a chaotic noise—became clear.

Barely managing to steady himself, Oscar finally looked around.

The moon’s power chamber.

He had returned to the place where he had consumed the Dragon Heart.

“…How many days has it been?”

His voice was hoarse, as if quite some time had passed.

“Four days. It took much longer than expected. Are you alright?”

At her words, Oscar quickly checked his condition.

There was nothing wrong.

No—if anything, he felt better than ever.

Aside from his hazy mind, his body was in peak condition.

‘What the hell was that?’

The memory that surfaced when he came into contact with the darkness.

It was definitely not his memory.

Nor could it possibly belong to the younger Oscar.

‘More importantly, that demonic energy I felt from that thing…’

Vast and yet pure—a kind of demonic energy unlike anything found in ordinary demons.

Up until now, there had only been four beings in the demon realm who possessed such energy: the Four Great Counts.

And—

‘…the Emperor.’

Oscar’s already complicated expression hardened.

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