“Uh, uh?”
A magic that seals the power and authority of the target.
The ‘Cage of the Many-colored Bird’ shone brightly, completely blocking the earth’s power.
The force that seemed like it would shake the world subsided.
[Wow]
[Shaking in fear]
[Thought there was an earthquake lol]
[Yeah, no~]
[Direct seal lol]
[Whoa]
[This is Lilige]
[Seems like there’s even more than before?]
“What, what’s going on? My power…”
“It’s been sealed. You won’t be able to use your power until the magic is broken.”
“Ha, really? This flimsy array is just…!”
Grrr!
“What are you doing?”
“Just wait!”
Huff! Huff! The earth clenched its fists and was trying with all its might.
But the ground nearby didn’t tremble, and even the white bird in the cage just tilted its head in confusion.
[Is he taking a dump?]
[lol]
[He’ll end up dizzy at this rate]
Hoo… hoo…
Eventually, after straining several times, the earth just sat down as if it had lost all strength.
By the way, beside it was Minja, who looked just as drained.
“…What kind of formation is this? What have you done to me?”
“It’s not a formation; it’s a magic called the Cage of the Many-colored Bird. It’s a magic that uses forty-seven Holy Magic Circles to organically complement each other. Even if one is broken, the remaining forty-six will simultaneously go through ‘preservation,’ ‘repair,’ ‘connect,’ and ‘amplify,’ so unless you break them all at once or cut all the ‘links’ simultaneously, it’s impossible to dismantle.”
“Wha, what?”
“Of course, even if you try to break it all at once, there’s ‘self-repair’ involved… Would you like me to explain again?”
I kindly explained the structure and intricate process of the Cage of the Many-colored Bird that I mastered.
I don’t have demon blood flowing through me, so I’m not particularly adept at magic, but I at least possess the knowledge of the ‘Intermediate’ Demon’s magic.
‘In the magic department, Lasty is even better than I am.’
Of course, unlike ‘Holy Magic,’ the magic of the Demon Race is all unique, so I know almost nothing about the magic used through magic power.
In other words, no matter how much of an Intermediate Demon or even a Lower Demon you are, recognizing or breaking a magic right away isn’t easy.
That’s why I had quite a hard time facing Lasty back then.
Especially with her blood god return, which heals even physical and spiritual wounds, was like a disaster, forcing me to fight dozens of times without a moment to counteract.
In such cases, there are two methods.
One is to keep getting hit by the magic or getting caught up in it to figure out its structure.
[???]
[Lil Professor, could you explain it a bit easier…]
[Lil is ON]
[What the heck are you saying lol]
[The 47 magic circles etch the shape like they hang a ring on a central part through activation and teleportation…]
[Ugh]
[What does that even mean]
[lol]
[Professor, you’re going too fast]
[So Yena ends up using that later, right?]
[Anyway, it’s just incredibly strong, so there’s no solution, right?]
“Well, if it’s really tough, you can just smash it with brute force.”
In the end, whether it’s magic or power, it’s all a matter of brute strength.
If you can’t figure out the conditions of the rule, just break it with overwhelming force.
When facing countless demons in the past, I didn’t bother unraveling their magic; I just smashed everything with strength.
Defeating magic is something you do when demon races fight amongst themselves; it’s almost impossible to win against a demon using magic unless you’re out of your mind.
“Considering the level of magic, lower demons are on par with upper celestial beings.”
Of course, no matter how rampaging a demon gets, if an upper celestial being just gives a light smack, they disappear instantly.
The opposite case is the same.
“Do you understand?”
“……”
“Then I’ll take it that you do. I’ll let you know about a few questions and the ‘methods’ you’ll need going forward.”
“…Methods?”
“Yes, methods. It wouldn’t do for you to cause chaos like earlier just because you’ve awakened, right?”
In the end, despite all sorts of worries, the earth was ready to destroy the world the moment it opened its eyes.
Since it displayed such behavior in front of the ‘benefactor’, there’s no guarantee other pieces won’t do the same.
It would be wise to prepare measures since it seems like more pieces will be unsealed in the future.
“Do you remember anything from before you came here?”
“Before I came?”
“The pieces. The past before you all fell into this world. If you have any memories from living as the Children of God, please share them.”
Just hearing those memories should give me a better idea of their identities.
The earth pondered with an expression that seemed like it was about to recall something.
Then it shook its head.
“…Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
“The beginning of ‘our’ memory started the moment we opened our eyes here. I have a vague feeling that something existed before that, but I can’t see it because it’s obscured by something.”
“……”
[Not a lie?]
[Let’s give it a shot then]
[Hmm]
[Maybe a smack to the head will jog the memory, lol]
[HAHAHAHAHA]
Is it intentional? Or just an unavoidable restriction?
I guess I’ll need to gather more pieces.
It seems like it’s going to take quite a while to investigate their origins.
“Then please tell me about your subordinates. Especially that ‘priest’…”
“Priest! Those bastards!”
The earth suddenly stood up and shouted loudly.
If it hadn’t sealed its strength, a disturbance akin to earlier would have erupted.
Realizing it was sealed, the earth felt a bit awkward in the thick silence and sat back down.
“Calm down and tell me. I know the priest and his subordinates did something wrong.”
“I… killed them.”
“Excuse me?”
At my questioning, the earth turned away, its playful expression gone and replaced with an unusually gloomy look.
With a gloomy expression, he turned his head.
“I heard you said I don’t listen, so you killed Jina. So, I just returned the favor.”
The cost was the complete destruction of the Western Continent.
■
The truth was this.
The ‘Earth’ was raised in one of the several factions that held power at the time, just like the other siblings.
During this process, Earth was grown to be a ‘weapon’ of the group called the ‘Altar of Earth,’ and he fell in love with a girl his age.
The love between the boy and the girl lasted nearly ten years, and while it wasn’t a destined relationship, the group didn’t particularly stop it either.
The more the ‘weapon’ became attached to this place, the less likely they were to escape from them.
The girl lived on the outskirts of the ‘Altar of Earth,’ and inevitably, this would lead him to protect her.
As time passed, the boy was drafted into a war to seize territory from another faction.
To take something that belongs to someone else, one must be prepared to lose their own.
While the boy was away, another Child of God attacked the territory where the girl lived, aiming to obliterate the ‘Altar of Earth.’
As the girl struggled against the threat of death, the boy, Earth, without hesitation, returned to defend her, abandoning what he was supposed to do.
At that moment, the priests were greatly flustered.
No matter how much they valued the girl, who would abandon their ‘mission’ to rush back?
This wasn’t merely a matter of care; he prioritized her above everything else.
Many were taken aback by the boy’s serious weakness, as he was meant to be raised as a formidable weapon, but they thought they could just keep the girl safe.
But that was a miscalculation.
“A miscalculation?”
“Other guys started targeting Jina.”
Once other factions learned of Earth’s ‘weakness,’ they continuously aimed for the girl’s location, forcing Earth to abandon his mission to protect her time and time again.
From the perspective of the ‘Altar of Earth,’ they wanted to do something about this girl, but ‘Earth’ existed everywhere in the world.
As long as the girl and the ‘Earth’ were connected, her safety would constantly be communicated to the boy.
No matter how much they tried to hide it, unless they expelled her to some outer area, he would continually be dragged around.
Ultimately, the faction leaders, the priests and Jongsa, made a decision.
“It was a rainy day. I left to confront the ‘Water’ brother, but strangely, that day, Jina’s condition was quiet.”
Was it because they had entered another brother’s territory?
The boy felt suspicion but, receiving no signal, swiftly completed his mission and returned home.
And then, he heard a chillingly frantic ‘signal.’
“She’s dead. There were signs of death at the hands of another brother.”
The girl was dead.
Rage surged within him.
After the memory of creation, the entire continent felt a sinking sensation from an intense rage that had never been experienced before.
Many priests were greatly flustered, begging, “Please stop your anger,” and especially the priest shed tears, earnestly pleading for understanding.
Thus, just before everyone was about to die, the boy, filled with rage, set off to find the one who killed the girl.
“But I could go find that guy and hear it straight from him. Actually, the ones who killed the girl were the ‘priests and the priest,’ and that power was a mark left by the thoughtless reverse monster.”
It was hard to believe, but the older brother said that only someone with the power of the earth could intentionally sever the ‘signal of the land.’
Most importantly, the day before the incident, there had been a huge quarrel between the priest and the girl over her ‘residence’ issue.
One of those who harbored the most resentment towards Jin-ah makes it quite plausible.
“…I couldn’t believe it. Neither the brother nor the priest.”
So, he decided to go back and ask again.
Whether or not they really used that reverse monster to kill the girl.
If they said no, he would be willing to believe a little.
No matter how much quarrel they had, they were like ‘family’ to one another.
But the priest and the priests, fearing the boy’s revenge, had long since left their positions.
Thus, the continent fell into ruin.
“…They are the ones who need to die. Huh? They are scum that deserve to be crushed into dough… don’t you think so too?”
“……”
“Huh? Say something─!”
“How does that relate to killing innocent people?”
“…Huh?”
In the end, he lost his lover and committed a massacre out of that rage.
‘Such a common story.’
Stories he had often encountered while wandering battlefields, so common that they stuck to his feet, especially most of the ancient beasts.
The most representative case is the Pharaoh who lost his empire and Serrek.
“Don’t be mistaken. While the priests might be one thing, the moment you kill an innocent person, you’ve become the same.”
“…Watch your mouth.”
“Among those victims might have been your lover’s family. Is it okay for only the lover to be precious while those around them are used as targets for your wrath?”
“……”
In the end, neither the earth nor the priest were much different.
It was just a matter of who started it all.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.
