#371
Qualification of the Savior
Inside the ruins of the Broken World.
Due to the skill used by the Messiah, Ragnarok’s Extinction Type 1 Fimbulvetr, a space of absolute zero spread out, freezing all activities and creating a cold, still world.
Thud.
Kim Deok-Sung’s body, struck by the Messiah’s attack, fell to the ground.
His body, covered in wounds, instantly froze solid.
The blood flowing from his wounds froze into a solid state, transforming his figure into that of a mummy, visible to the heroines.
But they could not move.
They could not scream, nor could they struggle.
This was because the space of absolute zero created by the Messiah bound them.
Like prisoners trapped in a physical jail, they could only watch as Kim Deok-Sung plummeted.
In a world where time seemed to stand still, a man began to move.
A handsome figure with black hair and black eyes, wearing a gentle expression.
The Messiah, holding Revanet in one hand, slowly made his way towards the center of the ruins with the spirit Surt at his back.
“Ah…”
The Messiah’s hand trembled.
Joy sparkled in his eyes.
Bzzz…
At the center of the ruined Broken World stood a massive sphere, from which overwhelming and intangible magical power flowed.
Near the Source of the Meridian, the density of magical power was so intense it tingled on the Messiah’s skin, permeating the air.
There lay a space so overwhelming that even the Messiah’s projection could not invade.
“Magic, what a filthy and ugly yet beautiful power it is…”
The Messiah spoke in a trembling voice.
Magic.
The beginning of this world, a supernatural and transcendent energy intertwined with human history.
At the same time, it was the source that tainted the pure world where only humans should have existed, giving birth to heroes, gods who arbitrarily judges human fate, and demons from other realms.
The existence of magic birthed a select few with extraordinary abilities, who loomed over human civilization and history, draining countless ordinary people’s lifeblood, dominating civilization and history, and sacrificing many for their own gain.
The history of humanity was one of struggle between the few gifted and many powerless; a history of oppression of the powerless.
Magic’s existence led to the opening of gates across the globe, allowing otherworldly beings to invade Earth.
The root of all tragedies that exist in this world.
The source of the transcendent energy that tainted this world and created this false utopia was now brilliantly ignited and pulsing before the Messiah’s eyes.
“Finally, I have arrived here.”
The Messiah’s cheek twitched.
The false adversary, Kim Deok-Sung, had fallen.
The true adversary, Kurosawa Yuji, had not yet even awakened his projection.
His own projection had already extended beyond Tokyo, reaching out towards the world.
So now was the time to use this filthy energy that had corrupted the world to put an end to this false and tainted utopia.
The Messiah reached out with his empty left hand and touched the sphere, the Source of the Meridian.
Szzzt!
With a fearsome spark, an overwhelming backlash of magical power enveloped the Messiah.
The air twisted around the Messiah.
“Ugh!”
He bit his lip.
Buzz.
The Philosopher’s Stone embedded in his full-body armor absorbed and refined the magic power pouring from the Source of the Meridian.
For an ordinary person, or even an EX-rank hero, this overwhelming and violent amount of magic would have turned them to ash in an instant.
Though it was the Source of the Meridian supplying magic to all the world’s magic veins, the Philosopher’s Stone, with its infinite possibilities and storage, contained and refined all the magic produced by the Source.
“Ahhhhh…”
A shining radiance lit up in the Messiah’s eyes.
Literally infinite magic was refined through the Philosopher’s Stone and stored in his body.
He felt as if he were a god, overwhelmed by a sense of omnipotence wrapping around him.
The Messiah closed his eyes.
In his mind, the vision of the ideal world he had glimpsed long ago resurfaced.
A world where neither gods nor demons existed, only humanity.
A beautiful world composed solely of pure physical laws, free of magic, otherworldly beings, heroes, hunters, or even superpowers.
A world where all humanity could decide their own fate and future.
A world where gods and demons did not play dice.
While envisioning a world described in a novel that recorded the past, present, and future of that world, the Messiah recited an incantation.
“Golden Magic──”
Buzz.
As he recited the incantation, high-density magic wrapped around his body and shot towards the sky.
Kaboom!
The ceiling of the ruins shattered, and a pillar of rainbow-colored magic pierced the atmosphere.
Simultaneously, a massive black magic circle appeared, etched into the split sky.
Flash.
The Messiah opened his eyes.
Using all the infinite magic embedded within him, he completed the spell.
“World Gate──!!”
Flash.
A dark gleam sparkled in the Messiah’s eyes.
A halo floated behind his head, shining brilliantly.
As the massive magic circle in the sky became the center of a crack.
A small fissure appeared, as if space itself had shattered.
The crack rapidly spread, creating a gigantic hole.
A hole that pierced through the sky.
Beyond it was the universe.
In the terrifyingly dark and eerily quiet universe, there was a blue star.
An impressive star with white clouds floating above the five oceans and six continents.
That was Earth.
A parallel world that was not this one.
A world devoid of magic, gates, superpowers, otherworldly beings, hunters, or heroes.
A parallel Earth built solely on the power of pure humanity, without magic, sorcery, superhumans, or lost technology, appeared in the sky of this world.
“Ahhhhh…”
Thud.
The Messiah knelt down.
Levantain pierced right in front of him.
Tears streamed down from his eyes.
Beyond the gaping hole in the ceiling of the ruins, the Earth of his longed-for ideal world came into view.
The world he had envisioned and worshiped his entire life was now right before his eyes.
The two worlds had finally connected as one.
Pachut! Pachut-tut-tut!
In the world covered by the Messiah’s vision, bizarre phenomena began to occur everywhere.
“Yikes!”
“What’s going on? Spaghetti’s suddenly hitting me in the back of my head!”
“What the hell is happening?!”
“Where is this? I was just working in my office!”
“Eek! Is this some kind of movie shoot?”
In cities, countryside, fields, farms, forests, and seas.
Suddenly, cracks appeared in the air, causing bizarre phenomena that transferred objects and people between the two worlds.
The Messiah also sensed these anomalies through his expanded senses, but he paid little attention.
For him, opening the World Gate and linking the two worlds was merely a process, not a goal.
“Finally, as the two worlds are connected, it’s time to end this false old world and guide everyone to the New World; the time of redemption has come!”
The Messiah said with a trembling voice while still kneeling.
Now was the time to destroy the two worlds and fuse them into a new one.
The land of promise where all humanity can decide their own destiny, without gods or demons, exists only for humans.
The New World!
“I will save everyone, all of humanity, this world! Golden Magic—”
Messiah began chanting the incantation of creation.
Kukwakwakwakwakwa—!!
Brilliant magic erupted from Messiah’s body.
Once more, a magic formation appeared at the edge of the gigantic gate connecting two worlds.
Creation (Genesis)
The great spell that would destroy both worlds, merge them, and create a new one unfolded from Messiah’s body.
Ggegegegegegegegege.
As the incantation of creation echoed, the two Earths shuddered as if an earthquake had struck.
Phenomena of people and objects moving back and forth began to occur more frequently.
Gooooooo.
As the gate in the sky expanded its reach, the Earth of the parallel world drew ever closer to this Earth.
Merge.
The process of the two worlds fusing, the forewarning of their destruction unfolded before Messiah’s eyes.
“The moment the two become one, the door to the New World shall open.”
As Messiah spoke these words in a prayer-like gesture, with eyes closed and tears flowing.
[The Savior Who Carries the World]
【Save the World】
A voice of someone’s invocation rang in Messiah’s ears.
He flinched.
Messiah’s body trembled.
He already knew the identity of the one behind the invocation through shared memories with Kim Deok-Sung.
“Son of the Sword Master…!”
Son of the Sword Master.
The owner of the colorless.
Kurosawa Yuji.
Destined to be his rival in the original history.
But in this altered history, deprived of the chance to grow, he never reached EX rank.
Now, ironically, he had just reached EX rank and was displaying his will.
Jjeojeojjeojeojje!
The moment Kurosawa Yuji’s will unfolded, the consciousness of creation came to a halt.
Merging, phenomena, the path to the New World, all halted in place.
Kurosawa Yuji.
His will was obstructing Messiah’s salvation.
“…Kurosawa Yuji, is it a fact that a rival is indeed a rival?”
Messiah rose from his position.
If he left Kurosawa Yuji as is, he wouldn’t be able to create the New World.
He wiped away his tears.
“If this is my last trial as the Savior! The final struggle of this ugly old world! Very well. I shall overcome it as much as needed. For the salvation of this world and all humanity! Kurosawa Yuji, I will crush you head-on!”
Messiah declared as he drew Levantein.
He didn’t expect that Kurosawa Yuji would reach EX rank at the last moment.
However, unlike the original history, Kurosawa Yuji who recently hit EX rank wasn’t strong enough to defeat Messiah yet.
If Yuji, still inexperienced and fresh at EX rank, might have a chance to lose against him, unlike the original history.
The opportunity to seize Kurosawa Yuji, a talent that grows unreasonably per second, is now or never.
Messiah was fully aware of this fact.
[It’s useless. Messiah.]
Kurosawa Yuji’s voice echoed in Messiah’s ears.
Messiah wasn’t the only one to hear it.
From the League battling against the Soviet army, the Self-Defense Forces, and heroic powers in Tokyo, to the people across Japan, Asia, Eurasia, and the entire world, everyone was hearing Kurosawa Yuji’s voice.
In the skies above Tokyo.
The man who halted the descent of Dokta Shinahel’s purgatory and prevented Messiah’s inevitable utopia was standing with his eyes closed.
Behind him, Kusunagi appeared semi-translucent, hovering as if to envelop him.
“I can feel it.”
Kurosawa Yuji had his eyes closed, yet all the scenery of this world unfolded before him.
He could hear the voices of countless people in his ears.
Kurosawa Yuji’s will, the ability of the savior who carries the world.
The Power of Will.
It was the ultimate visualization that bound the hearts and minds of all people in this world around himself through a kind of grid computing process, overlaying the collective consciousness of humanity onto the world.
The only indomitable ultimate visualization recognized by the original creator that could stop Messiah’s New World.
The will of all humanity was united around Yuji.
Thump.
Yuji’s heart raced.
The colorless magical power emanating from his body painted the world.
The collective consciousness of all humanity became interconnected, enveloping the entire Earth.
The landscape of the Earth did not change.
The world envisioned by the collective will of humanity was the very reality they lived in.
Therefore, the scenery of the conceptual world was no different from reality.
The combined force of all humanity’s will was preventing the unification, the creation of heaven and earth, Messiah’s infinite magic, and the coming of the New World.
Soooouuuup!
A backlash occurred from the World Gate opened in the sky.
The World Gate, and Messiah’s unfolding of his visualization, was being shrunk by the power of Kurosawa Yuji.
Messiah grimaced.
“Are you really trying to stop me, this Messiah, with just the collective will of humanity? Son of the Sword Master! That is a great misunderstanding. The belief of salvation I carry, the will of the Savior, the path to the New World—!”
Messiah spread his arms wide.
With his eyes drenched in madness, he declared.
“A mere sum of 7.7 billion human wills cannot hope to stop me!”
Kwahhhhhhh!
As Messiah’s declaration rang out, a black magic surged from his body, coloring the sky.
The once-receding visualization of Messiah reasserted control over space, and the size of the opened gate in the sky began to grow again.
The belief of just one person, Messiah, transcended the combined will of 7.7 billion humans in an instant.
Yuji was flustered.
To be precise, he was overwhelmed with confusion and despair from the emotions of the world’s people, who were stunned by Messiah’s ability to surpass humanity’s collective will.
In normal circumstances, a regular person would have been swept away by the torrent of emotions created by 7.7 billion people and would have been left in despair.
However, Kurosawa Yuji remained unfazed.
He maintained his composure.
“No. Messiah. You’re wrong.”
Yuji smiled.
“It’s not humanity’s collective will that will stop you. Your nemesis is not me!”
Kurosawa Yuji’s words rang out across the globe.
Messiah.
To Yuji, he was the sworn enemy of his clan, the vile murderer of his father.
A target for certain vengeance.
That’s why he had trained until now.
For the day of revenge against Messiah.
Yet, in his final moments, Kurosawa Yuji realized something.
The one who would stand against Messiah was not himself.
Only one person was qualified to face him.
A man who knew the future, prepared for everything from the start, would lead him, and declared that he would take responsibility for all love, the future, and this world.
The hero of all heroes in this world, and his closest friend.
“The hero who can match you, the man truly qualified to be the savior of the world, is none other than the Black Beast, Kim Deok-Sung! So—”
Kurosawa Yuji’s eyes widened.
“—get up right now! Kim! No, Deok-Sung! We promised I would officiate your wedding with Kusunagi after this fight!”
Kurosawa Yuji cried out.
“Eeeek! Master! I’m embarrassed!”
Kusunagi blushed and hid behind Yuji.
At the same time, Yuji appealed to the collective will of all humanity directed towards him.
“Everyone listening! Cheer for Kim Deok-Sung, the true savior of this world! Lend him your strength!”
Kurosawa Yuji’s words resonated around the world, reaching all of humanity.
In that moment.
The immense power created by humanity’s collective will surged toward the fallen Kim Deok-Sung, who lay frozen.
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