Chapter 1042 – Guardian-a

000

Wherever you look at the sudden appearance of the woman, she appears to be out of touch with those living in the present.

Even beyond the illusion, I could see that not only the visor-shaped machine on her face, but also the hammer in her hand was made of an unknown material, not the usual iron and wood. 〉

But more than anything, what puzzles Lila is the strong divine magical energy that can be felt from her, even though it is clearly an illusion.

Even if what was in front of her now was not a human but an ‘angel’, Lila could still believe it.

However, no one in her presence, including Lila, knew how much she was able to respond to the sight of her rising from nothing.

In particular, as soon as her Attis saw her, her eyes widened as if her brain had stopped, and she seemed more agitated than ever before.

＂Suho… Now…＂

And, she, who was barely able to move her mouth and make a voice, deduced her identity and put it into her mouth.

Even Lila could understand what she said.

Guardians are the ultimate defense devices designed not to be defeated by anyone within their own laws.

However, in most cases, such laws unilaterally limit one’s actions or are incapacitated in certain situations.

According to Attis, the Guardian is a being that can be neutralized and defeated only under certain conditions.

To put it in simple terms, it was also a story about a being that loses its power the moment it satisfies that condition.

Because of ‘such restrictions’, he was able to have so much magical power that it was beyond the scope of common sense.

Lyla, now able to sense the cause of her magical power, carefully moved her own arm and tried to hold her wand in her hand.

But at that moment.

Sigh! When you think you heard the sound, golden shackles were tied to Lila’s wrists, and a chain of light of the same color protruding from the ground was tied, blocking her movements.

＂Ugh…!＂

In response to her sudden restraint, Lila tried to shake off the restraint by raising her magic power, but the restraint created by her divine magic power did not try to be easily released even by Lila’s magic power, and instead, it only absorbed the magic power.

Seeing that, Sasha also became wary and took out her bow, but…

＂Wait!＂

There was someone who stopped it.

It was Artis, who had crashed into an invisible wall just a moment ago and fallen to the ground.

“… Hey Guardian. What are you doing by suddenly appearing? We were just about to get over the mountain you guard.

What they are standing on now is the border between Cheonryongsan Mountain and Inryongsan Mountain.

If we went a little further, we would have been able to escape from her territory – Mt. Heavenly Dragon.

[Yes. So, I have appeared here now.]

Then she, called ‘Guardian’ by Attis, raises her hammer and stands in the way of the expedition.

And the voice that came out of her mouth was a voice full of good authority, enough to make the listener feel guilty that her words were justice and that anything that went against her will was ‘evil’.

[Stop walking. Those who live in this era. Your journey is a quest for unauthorized knowledge.]

She clearly spoke as if she did not want the expedition to go to Inryong Mountain.

Then, Artis will shake his head and respond immediately to her words.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t do that. Our purpose is to explore the ruins that lie beneath the Four Dragon Mountains. And…”

Attis paused for a moment, and then, as if making a declaration, she put the following words into her mouth:

“Unauthorized knowledge does not exist in this world. All knowledge depends on how the user uses it.”

Even Laila is impressed by Attis’ confident words.

It was a clear fact that conveying one’s thoughts without being swayed by the guardian’s spirit was not something that was possible with ordinary mental power.

However, despite Attis’ response, the guardian in front of her seemed to have no intention of backing down, and spoke calmly to her as she grabbed the handle of her hammer with both hands.

[In the past, while telling the same story as you, you probably know very well the outcome that mankind reached while digging into the truth of the world. Excessive development and endless greed for knowledge ultimately lead to the destruction of not only species but even the stars.]

As her words ended, what appeared before the eyes of the companions.

It was another fantasy of giant machines marching across the earth and burning everything.

Thump, thump, fortress-like machines that shake the ground every time they step reduce cities and villages where the people living beneath them remained intact, while other machines that follow turn the ruins into plains, causing merciless slaughter and destruction. It was repetition.

Even knowledgeable beings like Laila and Artis could know that no matter what weapons or magic existed in the Succession World, there was no human technology that could so easily turn the world into ashes.

[This is both a warning and advice. Are you sure that the knowledge you discovered will not spark this situation?]

After seeing that scene with their own eyes, they wonder if the ancient ruins they are trying to excavate could become the seeds of a great disaster.

It may have been a normal human being to show even the slightest worry.

However-

“No, is that my fault?”

She could speak confidently.

[…

“I told you, right? Knowledge depends on writing. Do you plan to be like those who want to ban fires because they are afraid of starting fires, or like those who want to stop people from riding horse-drawn carriages because they are afraid of getting run over?”

[Knowledge that is too powerful is that dangerous…]

“Then we should blame the people who use it dangerously, not the scholars who developed or discovered it. Instead of blaming the blacksmith who made the knife used by the murderer, blame the murderer.”

No matter what the guardians try to persuade them with, Artis responds with invincible logic.

“Professor, you always hear that kind of thing in many places, so you’re used to that kind of talk.”

＂So…＂

And her disciples nearby were whispering among themselves as they watched Attis’ reaction, as if this was not the first time this had happened.

[Joe, please listen to this side of the story. Leviathan is truly dangerous. Considering that even in the primordial world, she had no way to deal with it in the end, so she buried it like this, you get the answer, right?]

“Well, the problem is that the old guys made things they couldn’t afford and used them in the wrong places. And we and those guys are humans separated by thousands of years. It would be a big mistake to think that we are all the same human race.”

Even the guardian stammered at her confident attitude, so no matter what Attis said, he could clearly see how he was feeling when he came here.

“Do you want to say anything more? If not, I’d like you to get out of the way. We have to go to Jade Dragon Mountain like this. There is a long way to go.”

As Attis said that, she waved her hands in annoyance.

“Yes, and let me go too!”

Lila raises her voice from behind, as if to bury Artis.

Looking at those two people, the guardian closed his mouth for a moment and tried to sigh without anyone hearing.

[Jade Dragon Mountain… This is the place guarded by Guardian-L. The further you go into this mountain, the more rugged it becomes, and it will be full of dangerous beings. Jade Dragon Mountain is the most dangerous mountain among them all… As such, you can only be a small being in front of the majesty of this mountain.]

And when she snapped her fingers, the chains and shackles that bound her were broken.

[Great. If you are willing to move forward with your own feet and firm will, I will no longer stop you.]

She shakes her head and swings her hammer.

Then, the barrier of her magic that was spread out behind her, blocking Attis’ front and colliding with her, disappeared as if broken.

“Are you sending it to me? “Without fighting?”

When Attis asked, the Guardian nodded her head.

[I have no intention of fighting with you. … I have no intention of fighting with anyone. If we did that, modern humans wouldn’t be able to withstand our output. My role is to block those who try to go deeper here.]

After saying that, she adds.

[Otherwise. You will definitely meet a cruel death. That is such a sad thing.]

Her expression darkens as she speaks of her death, as if it were a confirmed situation.

[I do not want such meaningless death or sacrifice. However, so far, not a single person has stopped me when I say this. You modern humans come to this mountain because each of you has something you want to find. I think that is sometimes more important than your own life.]

A guardian mumbling as if he couldn’t understand.

Meanwhile, Attis jumped over the river she had originally intended to cross.

“Well, I thought there would be something when I passed over, but there was nothing more than I thought.”

[There may be nothing right now. … Well, you’ll find out soon enough.]

A guardian who speaks to Attis as if warning him.

[If you are targeting Leviathan, we will have to meet again anyway.]

Her words and actions promise a future date, as if she will tell the story later that she can’t tell now.

When others pass by her and try to cross her river.

Lila, standing close to her, asks her.

＂The face hidden in that visor… I will predict it. Is that underneath it the face of ‘Amelia’?”

Since the person in charge was not here, Lila asks questions as if she were wondering.

The Guardian answered her question to the extent that you could tell that his eyes under the visor were frowning.

[… Amelia… I don’t know who you’re talking about, but I am a different entity than anything you know.]

＂…No, no! But I almost understood it for a moment!”

As I heard earlier, her persuasion was imbued with a strange magical power, and unless she had the strength of will to back down like Attis, she would easily have believed what she said.

“That hair! And… The way you talk with that hammer! Even your voice! Her body is a bit big, but… If you look at the way Amelia usually transforms during battle, it’s similar. Right, Sasha?!”

Lila asks for help from outside herself to give herself confidence.

The target chosen was Sasha, who was staring at the guardian with Layla right next to her.

She flinched her shoulders as if startled by the sudden call of her name. She looked at Lila, then at her guardian…

“Uh, ma, that’s right. The information I see… Physical characteristics and even magical power are similar to Amelia’s.”

“Yes?! Look! That’s right Amelia! “Take off that visor!”

As Layla came out, her doubts turning into confidence in an instant, with just one word from Sasha, her guardian also seemed to be taken aback, stepping behind her and covering her visor with her hand.

[Stop it. It’s no use reaching in and trying to take off my visor like that. Is this an illusion?]

＂Only the end! “I’ll just look at the end!”

[Where is the tip of the eye! Don’t talk like a man who makes promises he can’t keep! Having said that, it is the man who ultimately does everything until the end, and it is entered into my database!]

I could see that the Guardian had extremely biased information.

“Now, wait a minute! Laila!”

At that time, when Sasha, who had made a comment to support Laila, raised her voice again, Laila naturally looked at her.

“Boo, it’s definitely similar to Amelia, but it’s not exactly the same! Besides…”

In her eyes, the hunter’s imprint was shining, analyzing and accepting all the information about the being standing in front of her.

＂Well, she is probably… A separate life form with a structure that is somewhat different from ours. “I’m not human.”

＂Aren’t you human…? Well, that’s it… Even if it was created at the end of the original world, it has already lived for thousands of years.”

[…

The guardian didn’t say anything for a moment after hearing Sasha’s words, but for some reason it seemed like one of her fists was gaining strength.

But soon, she took a deep breath, perhaps to regain her composure.

When you look at him like that, he seems like an infallible human being.

[Those eyes… The imprint of the hunting horse’s eyes… You are Sigma’s…]

Soon, words that cannot be understood are spoken.

“Yes. Should I call Amelia? She will know best if she looks like her.”

When Lila said that, the Guardian sighed.

[Is it really that important that your acquaintance looks like me? The probability of someone similar to you being born in this world is not that low.]

“No! It’s important. I don’t know if it’s just that they look alike. Things like atmosphere and magic. The resemblance to that point would be a big hint when exploring the ruins or understanding the guardian. Why is it that the features of Amelia of modern humans are present in the defense equipment of ruins made thousands of years ago? Perhaps they are our ancestors!?”

Lila speaks in a slightly exaggerated voice, and then lets out a small laugh as if she is mocking her own words.

“It can’t be like that. It is said that Amelia’s race came to the Succession World and was created in that crystal canyon.”

[…

“That makes me even more curious about your identity. Mr. Guardian. What on earth are you? How was it possible to protect the ruins of this mountain without the will and spirit weathering for thousands of years?”

[Unfortunately, I cannot answer that question. … If you go into the ruins and explore them, you might be able to find the answer.]

As she said that, she was slowly making the illusion of herself disappear.

Lila was watching her disappear as she blended into the background, with her hands on her waist.

[Of course… I don’t even know if you can reach Jade Dragon Mountain. You will have to trust yourself to countless miracles. Guardian-A (Alpha) will be watching to see if you are worthy of it.]

＂Hmm…＂

The guardian’s illusion finally disappeared.

＂It was truly a person whose identity was unknown…＂

When Sasha said that, Lila also started moving her steps to follow her artis.

＂Really?＂

But Lila smiles and looks back at Sasha.

“But I don’t think so? Those guardians… They might be safer than Artis’ guard. The humor also works.”

＂Humor…＂

Sasha thinks for a moment about Lila’s words.

Was there such a thing?

“… Are you saying that because you said you would only include ‘the end part’?”

“I never said I would put it in!? It’s not even hanging!”

Layla lightly criticizes Sasha’s words and hits her on the head.

Wow, regretting her harshness, she follows Laila and leads her expedition team across the river.

[Styx.]

Guardian A in the dark cave, who was quietly watching the scene, spoke the name of the river they were crossing.

It is the border that divides the world of the living and the dead.

A river that once you cross it, you will never be able to return to the world of the living.

They will feel it painfully.

The true danger of the Sarong Mountain Range begins when you cross this river.

The guardian who protects Mt. Inryong-K is so soft that he cannot be compared to himself.

It will definitely suffocate them.

By the time they realize that, they will realize that they have already come down a path from which there is no escape.

All that was possible for Guardian-A now was to pray that their deaths would be as painless and despairless as possible.

Even if they have no intention of facing that kind of ending.