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Chapter 216

Every fragment of life was filled with suffering. At the end of each pain, a fair death always awaited. Whispers that wove through the suffering preached the need to become one with the great cycle. Decay and disease were mediators connecting life and death. Becoming part of this cycle would free one from all suffering, making the distinction between self and others meaningless.

They believed true liberation and eternal life came from embracing the endless cycle. Life would no longer be painful, and death would not be feared if one united with the great cycle. These endless visions and preachings suddenly ceased without warning.

It happened just as Ian found himself a boy working in a vineyard, in a world where everything has come to a halt.

What the... No way...

Ian\'s eyes, now as a boy, flickered. Even amidst the flood of memories and consciousness, he remained himself. He didn\'t lose himself completely nor surrender to the temptation of becoming part of the cycle.

Ian merely accepted and re-accepted the countless fragments of memories and pieces of consciousness. It wasn\'t because he had any other intention—there was simply nothing else he could do. This damned event showed no sign of ending, and the chaos power only emitted a faint, throbbing pulse without showing any other reaction.

Anyway, Ian realized that he had gained control over these memories. He no longer felt the gaze that had been observing him all this time. It seemed to have turned its attention away from him for some reason.

"Have you already run out of things to show me?" Ian muttered as he looked up at the purple sky. It was the voice of a child.

—...!

A wave rippled through the sky in an instant. It seemed startled. It had expected Ian to have lost consciousness by now, and it wasn\'t an unreasonable expectation. No matter how strong a human soul was, it would have lost itself after being swept away by thousands of fragments of memories.

Perhaps the continuously throbbing chaos power had kept Ian\'s consciousness intact. But even without that, Ian was confident that his mind wouldn\'t have collapsed. It wasn\'t just because of his high Mental Fortitude—such visions and preachings did not evoke any particular enlightenment or emotion in a modern person like him.

It wasn\'t even particularly frightening. He had experienced more terrifying visions many times before. A faint thought flowed through his mind.

—Do not reject unity... Chaos...

What are you talking about?

Several sarcastic remarks immediately crossed Ian\'s mind, but he couldn\'t speak.

Thump—

The throbbing of the chaos power suddenly became clear. His vision began to turn purple. The chaos power seemed to writhe as if it was about to burst out at any moment. It felt as though it was waiting for his command.

What, are you trying to act obedient now?

Despite his inner smirk, Ian released the pressure he felt throughout his body.

Swoosh—

The chaos power spread out in all directions like a bursting flood.

Ian\'s vision, which had flowed down like paint, soon redrew the complexly extending roots of the cycle, like bundles of nerves. Some of the roots that had been entirely purple were being dyed violet at an incredible speed.

Wow, there were a lot of connections.

Ian realized that the consciousnesses and memories connected were connected to him. He felt the chaos power condensed within the roots and the intertwined consciousnesses of the minions becoming subservient to him. Just as the entity of the void had tried to swallow him, now he was reversing the process, stealing the source of its power.

The quest name flashed through his mind again: Encroachment.

I feel like I’m a cancer cell.

Ian felt his senses expanding endlessly, and his consciousness broadening.

—...!

Naturally, the gaze from beyond became clearer as well. He now realized it wasn’t just one. Centered around the largest and most powerful consciousness, likely the entity of the void, there were a few smaller but distinct consciousnesses directly connected to it.

Those must be the instigators behind the rituals. It’s surprising to see that they’re still sane. Mev would like that.

Nevertheless, it was clear they were all utterly shocked. A jumble of thoughts, barely recognizable as language, echoed chaotically. A jumble of thoughts, barely recognizable as language, echoed chaotically.

In the next moment, the purple roots flickering in Ian\'s mind evaporated as if they had vanished. He immediately understood why. The entity had given up on completing the cycle and had cut off the parts connected to Ian. His certainty came from a simple observation: the purple roots, tainted with his chaos power, were still shining vividly in his mind.

Cutting off the tail, huh? Not very bold for something from the void. ... Or maybe it was quicker to make such decisions precisely because it was from the void.

Regardless, Ian\'s chaos power was steadily spreading. Not all the roots were tainted by his chaos power yet; some parts, now severed, were losing their glow.

However, instead of tainting everything, his chaos power was depleting faster. He barely had enough chaos power to corrupt it all.

So the control of chaos depends on stats, huh...

Ian thought with a faint laugh, recalling the reward text. Those stats seemed to be Mental Fortitude and chaos power. He could only corrupt as many roots as his mind could bear or his chaos power allowed. This time, his chaos power\'s limit came first.

If I were unlucky, I might have had to watch this boring thing even longer.

In the game, it would have only been a few seconds of a cut scene. Of course, it didn\'t really matter. For now, completing the quest was the priority.

To do that...

Ian observed the roots of chaos, now his minions, that had become part of the cycle. He could clearly sense the power within them and the assimilated consciousnesses. Unfortunately, they wouldn\'t last forever. With the cycle broken, they were not immortal and would eventually dissipate.

But not immediately. As Ian studied the tightly intertwined consciousnesses, he soon realized they extended outward as well. It felt like having hundreds of monitors playing chaotically before his eyes, each displaying a different view of the monastery in its own way.

"...?"

Realizing something was off, Ian focused on one of the monitors. It belonged to a minion with a wide view overlooking the monastery from above. As his consciousness merged with it, his vision suddenly expanded. He had shared the consciousness of a flying insect, its compound eyes perceiving a wide area simultaneously. However, Ian wasn\'t particularly surprised by this.

That kid...?

The scene unfolding was far more astonishing. In the middle of the steps, Philip was kneeling on one knee. He held his sword with its tip pointed to the ground, his forehead resting on his hands gripping the hilt. It was a posture commonly taken by knights when making a vow or offering a prayer. In this case, it was likely the latter.

And his prayer had undoubtedly reached Lu Solar. A pillar of light pierced through the dark clouds, illuminating Philip. The pillar of light radiated divine power from Philip\'s entire body, extending outwards in all directions.

The enormous Barrier of Light, an obvious result of this divine power, surrounded the stairs, blocking the poisonous mist and the advancing minions. Although the pillar of light was quickly fading, the barrier of holiness did not lose its brilliance at all.

Philip seemed unaware that he was performing such a miracle. He remained motionless, eyes closed, with only his lips moving slightly.

Is it thanks to that kid that time seems to be paused...?

Though there was no way to confirm it, Ian was sure his guess was correct. A miracle of Lu Solar manifesting before the corrupted stronghold must have drawn attention.

How did that guy...?

Ian’s gaze shifted to the stairs that were obscured by a translucent curtain. There, lying on the ground with her helmet tilted up, was Mev. Charlotte, with a half-dazed expression, was kneeling on Mev’s back. Thesaya, also sitting on Mev’s legs, had her mouth wide open, covered in a nosebleed.

And there was Ian himself, sprawled against the wall next to the sunken door.

Yes... it seems like everyone did their best.

It was easy to guess how the situation had unfolded. Behind them, the arched roof of the monastery, their destination, was unmistakable. Ian could see the mark of the void engraved in the center of the firmly closed door. It was obvious that brute force wouldn\'t open it.

So... Maybe I should help.

Ian’s consciousness returned underground. Observing the roots of chaos, now his minions, he gave the same command to all of them: attack the minions of the cycle.

The response was immediate. And almost as if waiting for this moment, the quest completion window appeared.

A question crossed his mind: What kind of corrupted being\'s exclusive quest was this supposed to be? He soon found an answer, probably a dark mage\'s quest or perhaps that of an ancient priest.

...Well. Who cares? As long as it benefits me, that\'s all that matters.

Ian’s consciousness stretched and soared once again.

***

"Oh, Lu Solar..." Mev whispered.

Still lying on the ground, she couldn’t take her eyes off Philip’s back, wrapped in shimmering holiness. Even though Charlotte had unbound her arms, Mev hadn’t noticed.

Swoosh—

The pillar of light piercing through the clouds had disappeared. However, the massive Barrier of Light surrounding the stairs remained radiant. The poisonous mist and any minions that touched the barrier were burned to ashes. The previously fearless monsters were now hesitating, standing still.

Of course, there were still countless minions of decay swarming below the stairs. The poisonous mist had only slightly thinned.

"Gr...agh...!"

"Worship... the... chaos...!"

At that moment, a commotion spread among the monsters. Raspy shouts and chant-like voices echoed, followed by sounds of tearing and thrashing.

"What is this...?" Thesaya, blinking her eyes, muttered. Receiving Charlotte’s gaze, she observed the insects tumbling and clashing in the air.

"They’re fighting among themselves... and their eyes..."

"Their eyes...?" Charlotte, frowning, finally looked beyond the Barrier of Light.

Between the yellow gleams in their eyes, a violet hue flickered. Different colored glows were intertwined.

"Ian..."

"It’s Ian."

Charlotte and Thesaya spoke almost simultaneously.

Thesaya, staggering as she stood up, added. "It’s clear. Ian did something."

"... Yeah. I did something."

"...!"

Hearing the voice beside them, Thesaya and Charlotte quickly turned their heads.

Ian, who had been slumped against the wall, was slowly raising his upper body.

Thesaya, eyes wide, rushed toward him. "You\'re late, you idiot...! Do you know how much we suffered? And at the last moment—"

Though she ended up pushing him back against the wall, Ian merely frowned slightly.

"... Yeah. It must have been an incredible battle."

He pushed her forehead away with his palm as he stood up. Other than feeling a bit dizzy, his condition wasn’t bad.

Clenching and unclenching his fists, he looked at Charlotte and Mev and added. "You all did well. And..."

Ian nodded toward Charlotte’s knees. "Whatever happened, you can probably let her go now."

"... Ah. Yeah, right." Finally, Charlotte got up, moving her knees off Mev’s back.

Mev sprang to her feet as if waiting for this. Without hesitation, she spun around and punched Charlotte square in the face.