Kaums was the primordial Wenetus.
At the very beginning of the ancient times, six chiefs faced the influence of the powers erupting from the top of the volcano most directly.
They possessed the trait of infinite mana, but individual abilities varied slightly.
Among them, Kaums’ abilities were unparalleled.
“Did you hear? The chief of the Kaums tribe has changed again.”
“It hasn’t changed; it’s still the same guy. He can keep moving his body, you know. You should be careful too. You never know when you might get blindsided and have your body taken away.”
Being able to hold mana in his soul, Kaums changed into usable bodies every time.
If the chief of that tribe was strong, he’d take his body. If a newly born young child had talent, he’d take his body.
Long-lived species grow stronger the longer they live, but Kaums is an existence that can hold mana in the soul.
To him, the body was merely a shell to make the soul even stronger.
Kaums switched bodies like changing clothes, and his tribe became more powerful than any other tribe.
Even if other tribes teamed up to invade, it was no problem.
“Get out of that body!”
“How foolish. Can’t even attack because of a friend’s face.”
He changed into their family, friends, or lovers, exerting nearly immortal powers and violating them.
By the time the Kaums tribe stood above all Wenetus…
“The Blue Ones…?”
“Red Color?”
They faced a new race.
■
They were beings unlike anything he’d seen before.
Just looking at them felt alien.
The island wasn’t small, so he thought he’d have encountered them at least once while wandering around… but he had lived for so long without seeing them even once.
They seemed like a race that popped out of the sky.
An instinctive repulsion arose, but at the same time, curiosity was piqued.
“I wonder how useful that body is.”
For now, he watched, wanting to verify how strong they were.
However, as time went on, he realized they were not impressive at all, and under the pretext of fear domination, he personally killed one Rutilus.
Kaums’ body theft was only possible from the ‘Dead Ones.’
Stealing the body of a living person was impossible, no matter how primordial the Wenetus was.
Thus, Kaums intended to test the bodies he could take, but…
“…This isn’t going to work.”
For some reason, he couldn’t steal Rutilus’ body.
Wondering if it was a special individual, he tried to kill others, but he failed every time.
He couldn’t even succeed with a newborn baby, who turned into a cold corpse.
Oh, even a newborn baby couldn’t succeed and turned into a cold corpse.
Kaums was furious.
It was fine that they were weak.
What would inferior species know about anything?
It’s a laughable story that those born and raised on ancient islands only had such abilities, but Kaums, being the ruling class, didn’t have much to say about it.
The problem was.
“Can’t even snatch away the body of such an inferior being?”
Even the gigantic beasts that once ruled the forest gave up their bodies.
Are you saying a mere inferior species refuses to be taken?
It couldn’t be accepted.
It shouldn’t be accepted.
From that moment on, Rutilus’s rule became harsher.
Retributive rule continued, and Wenetus plundered Rutilus even more.
In his rage, he even killed a few more.
He would have liked to exterminate them all, but doing so felt like admitting defeat, so he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Someday, I’ll be able to.”
This inferior species will eventually succumb.
Thinking like that, he continued with the experiments and the ongoing killings.
Bang!
“Those bastard dogs…!”
And that’s when the incident happened.
■
Kaums wandered among many well-preserved corpses and heard a strange sound.
A rebellion, they said.
An inferior species, Rutilus’s rebellion.
Kaums saw Wenetus who came to report and urged him to speak properly.
“Th-that bastard Akron has taken down all the Grim Reapers!”
It was nonsense.
How could someone who runs out of mana after a few uses defeat Grim Reapers?
Kaums, who firmly believed they were an inferior species, changed his mind after witnessing its essence firsthand.
“That’s not an inferior species.”
He realized.
The reason the ancient fragments were made of blue and red.
Why it took so long to recognize each other.
They were divided because they possessed equal strength.
Wenetus’s front line was advancing rapidly.
No matter how much they attacked or struggled, victory was impossible.
They couldn’t snatch bodies like they did when attacking other tribes.
No disturbances, no plundering of power. Nothing could be done.
Finally, just like that day they first recognized each other, the island split in two.
They declared independence.
It’s a ridiculous story.
Those who were once inferior species declaring independence.
Wenetus, filled with a sense of superiority, was thrown into chaos, but their leader Kaums quietly contemplated.
I quietly thought.
“I crave more.”
I thought they were an inferior species, but they were on par with me. Or perhaps even a superior race.
If I could just take that body, I would become an existence akin to a god.
No one would be able to stop me or even oppose me.
“Chief. What should we do…”
“Send a letter.”
“What?”
“Tell the leader of the inferior… no, the red ones, Liz, that I will grant her wishes.”
“That’s nonsense! They’re declaring independence!”
“There is no retracting.”
The Wenetus protested, but their leader was Kaums.
Having suffered defeat after defeat, division would lead to the worst outcome, so eventually, they succeeded in their independence as per Kaums’s wishes.
Thus, for five years, peaceful days continued without invading each other’s territories under tension.
On that fateful day, exactly five years later, Kaums invited Liz to his territory.
“Though we cannot undo our grudges, we can at least greet each other as neighboring residents, can’t we?”
Come visit.
Rutilus, filled with malice, vehemently opposed, but Liz decided to trust him one last time and made her way to the land of the Wenetus with a small escort and Akron.
Contrary to expectations of attacks or criticisms, Kaums welcomed them with hospitality and prepared a dinner with words of apology.
As the dinner prolonged, the tension between Akron and Liz gradually eased.
“Akron, how much do you know about the Ancient God?”
“…I don’t know. Not really interested.”
“Really? That doesn’t seem to be the case.”
“……I said I don’t know. And I want to kill you, you know? Don’t act friendly.”
If it weren’t for Liz, you all would have been massacred.
As Akron growled and declared this to the Wenetus present, their expressions twisted.
It was incomprehensible that someone who had been a slave merely five years ago was casually exchanging words with their leader.
Though it was utterly baffling, Kaums only chuckled in response.
“Is that so.”
“Yeah. And this place is uncomfortable, so I’ll be leaving. Let’s go, Liz.”
“Uh, wait? I still want to talk to this person…”
“Damn it, what are you talking to the inferiors for? I can’t stand it any longer.”
“Then you go alone.”
“Fine. If Akron’s uncomfortable, wait a moment…”
“How can I trust you all?”
Akron pulled Liz along, and she bowed repeatedly as they left.
Ron took care of Liz as if to pull her along, and Liz kept bowing her head as she left her seat.
Kaums stared at it intently and waved his hand.
The woman who had been talking with Liz approached him and knelt down on one knee.
“Did you figure it out roughly?”
“It seems to be related to the Ancient God. The condition is faith.”
“Faith, huh…”
To believe in a God that’s invisible.
“What a ridiculous story.”
—
“That was quite a sight.”
After that, things took a wild turn.
He uncovered the secrets of power and awakened his own abilities.
Then he immediately summoned Liz and killed her in one blow, seizing the chaos to launch a surprise attack on their base.
Acron, whose reason had snapped, became enraged, and soon they were locked in a war of mutual slaughter.
Acron killed more than Kaums had, and among them were young children.
“I wish I could have gotten my hands on that guy’s body…”
He’s truly a monstrous creature.
Even having awakened the same power, he couldn’t take him down even when dozens charged at him.
In a frenzy of bloodshed, he only stopped after killing most of Wenetus.
Those who survived were just a handful, along with the ‘spare’ he had prepared.
“Failing to erase the color. Failed to achieve complete annihilation. The seal ended up being pretty meaningless.”
He tried to borrow external power but ultimately failed.
Now just one thing remains.
The middle-aged Kaums, who had the body of a warrior, looked up at something.
What caught his gaze was a woman trapped in a red and blue stone.
A short-haired woman with hair that looked slightly eroded by the red and blue colors quietly closed her eyes.
It had been a body he had researched for a really long time.
He had suffered many failures, and the spare he accumulated had nearly run out.
What little was left had just been pushed in for this.
The likelihood of success was at most 10%.
Even if he succeeded, it’s uncertain whether he could awaken both powers at the same time…
“Well, it can’t be helped. Those crazy things are coming on both sides.”
He had no choice but to take control of this body right now.
To him, it would be worse than hell.
And…
“I’ll capture you too and put you to study.”
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