Chapter 1096 – Brother’s Resolution

000

Orpheus.

A poet who returned from the world of the dead in mythology.

He chased after his dead wife, drank her poison and went down to the underworld, but ultimately failed to save his wife.

Nevertheless, it is said that when he returned from the world of the dead, he acquired a voice that evoked a singing voice that resonated with the human soul, something that ordinary humans did not have.

In today’s continent, the term ‘returner’ refers to a terrorist organization targeting relics.

Before they appeared, the term ‘returner’ on the continent was a word used to describe people who came back from death.

A man who claimed to be the son of God and a self-proclaimed savior, the founding king who founded a nation by lifting land that had been sleeping under the sea with a single spear.

They all had a tradition that they were people who had died once and were brought back to life and returned to this world.

The story is that when a person dies and comes back to life, he or she becomes a different person than before.

It was not simply a story about character, but also a story about ability.

All the people mentioned above as examples had new abilities after returning from death, or there was talk of their original abilities being strengthened.

It was by no means a simple story of a person growing by simply ‘overcoming death’.

What have scholars in the past studied and talked about this phenomenon?

It was a phenomenon called ‘quenching of the soul.’

The soul that escapes from the human body returns to the ‘spirit vein’, which can be said to be the source of all magical power flowing in the world.

The soul that returns to the spirit vein gradually weakens its ego in the torrent of magical power and eventually disappears.

It is a law of nature that cannot be broken.

Someday, when a new life is born, the magic that flows out of this land will inhabit the new life with magic and soul, which can be said to be the general flow of ‘reincarnation’.

But, if.

What if a soul with a clear sense of self could enter the spirit vein and come out again?

The soul becomes caught up in too many souls for one human being to handle.

It becomes one with something other than itself, attaches, falls, blends, and blurs.

If you can clearly maintain your own existence within it, your soul will not be a mass of egoless magical power that eventually dissipates into particles.

In that state, if you can escape the spirit vein and return to your original body.

This explains both the fact that the soul is in a different form from its original form and the fact that it has powerful powers that the person did not have.

The soul enters and exits the spirit vein directly, and the soul is literally quenched.

In order to reproduce this phenomenon without death, some magicians attempted to invade the spirit vein in the state of the soul through lyrical experience.

Even though all those attempts ended in failure.

“All miracles related to the resurrection are either the product of coincidence or secrets known only to those who were actually resurrected. Adam reaches into that secret and plans to create his own powerful vessel by repeating death and resurrection over and over again.”

After explaining the mission that Adam had entrusted to the returnees, William looked at his group while saying that.

Unlike others with surprised expressions, Lila took a deep breath with her hand on her forehead.

＂Oh oh, oh so much. Absolutely enormous. It’s a reckless plan. That…!”

As if she couldn’t bear it anymore, Lila would talk like she was venting.

“Yes. I think so too.”

William also smiled slightly and responded to Lila.

“If, through her mother’s research, we find a way for the lion to be resurrected. Mother will first resurrect ‘her older brother’. And Adam will also be able to obtain a powerful body without having to go through the Holy Sword Selection Ceremony.”

As William says that, he moves his index and middle fingers to say more.

“… And of course, you can resurrect your own limbs that have died so far and use them as your army. Based on that miracle, people will recognize themselves as ‘gods’.”

The power to resurrect the dead is an attractive temptation to anyone.

If there is a being that can help humans escape from the fear they cannot overcome, we cannot help but call it God.

“But… Is such an absurd thing possible? The resurrection of a lion is difficult to recreate even with magic. With science and technology, something like that can happen.”

When Amelia asked her question, looking a little incredulous, William turned to look at her.

“I think it’s a little embarrassing to say this, but… Mother is probably the person who knows the most about ‘life’ in the world. This is because the research that a scholar without ‘ethical consciousness’ can do has been conducted over 700 years.”

And behind that, the returnees’ enormous financial power and the influx of technological power through the excavation of ancient artifacts.

An environment that any scholar on the path to seeking knowledge would envy.

If the person behind it wasn’t a crazy, self-proclaimed god and crazy machine trying to take over the world, even Lila or Attis would have wanted to study in that environment.

＂Then… Even if you obtain your own body through the selection holy sword ritual, you won’t abandon the returner’s plan. The technology to resurrect the dead. And on the day when it came true, Adam…”

“Adam will truly become the god of this world.”

The group nodded to Kuon and Sasha’s words.

Then, Artis, who had been quiet until then, must have slowly opened his mouth.

Scratching his head, without looking too embarrassed or worried.

“What. If this is the result of hearing a lot of long stories… Ultimately, there is no change in what we have to do.”

As Artis says, he will cross his arms.

“Because I had planned to kill Darwin from the beginning. Now that he knows his purpose, he’s probably more motivated. I’m sorry to you, but you will never be reunited with your brother.”

“As for that, don’t worry.”

William was not offended by Artis’ words and just smiled slightly.

“I just feel helpless that I have no choice but to ask you to stop her mother. I, who have become a body that does not die but regenerates, is being used as a bodyguard to protect my mother, except for one tentacle.”

＂In other words… To kill your mother.＂

“Yes. You may need to take my life.”

Even Artis would have kept his mouth shut once again in response to a request that was heavier than expected.

But soon, he nodded and accepted William’s words.

William, who seemed relieved, turns around.

“But of course, the reason I told you about the past at such length was not just for the sake of explanation. If you understand up to this point, you will see the means to completely ‘defeat’ her mother.”

When William said that, the group would tilt their heads as if wondering what that meant.

Among them, the first to understand William’s intentions would have been Quartz, who was the eldest and had been dealing with people for a long time.

“… William. “No way.”

“Let’s go. To Maxwell’s room.”

001

When the group arrived at Maxwell’s room, following William who climbed the stairs first, Lila was able to see the mummy she had seen for the first time neatly emerging from the hidden space under the altar.

William looked at the mummy, who seemed to be sleeping with some dignity even though she was dry and twisted, with pitiful eyes.

“My older brother George… Was a kind and trustworthy person to me, and he was also a teacher who scolded me harshly when I did something wrong. The age difference wasn’t that big, but… In a home without a father, the responsibility that the eldest man must have was something that came naturally from a young age.”

As he says that, he approaches his brother’s body with unstoppable steps.

What is there is not simply his corpse – but for his mother to one day revive him and face him once again.

A precious vessel left in this world that can be said to be a link to the other world.

William placed his hand on the rough face of the bowl.

Slowly lower your hand and bring your hand to the area around his chest that is covered by the cloth.

And.

Schrödinger’s sharp fingernails spread out all the fingers of his growing hand, formed a capital, and cut open the top of his chest.

＂!＂

＂What…!＂

Seeing that scene, even Melusine let out a voice in surprise.

Perhaps it was because she understood her feelings about her oldest brother.

Everyone couldn’t help but react in surprise at her sudden act of hurting the body.

However, despite the group’s surprise, the brothers’ bodies already had no trace of blood left.

The hand that William put in was pulling something out from inside while making a ‘clack’ sound.

It was a white rib, curved like the ivory of an animal.

Even though it was inside the discolored skin and muscles, it still maintained the color of the original human bones.

After the sudden extraction, William looks at the bone for a moment, closes his eyes, and then opens them.

What he just said was probably his own apology and another expression of condolences to his brother.

And after completing that brief ritual, he stabbed the sharp end of his ribs into the back of Schrödinger’s neck.

The surface of the tentacle, which could be said to be its own body stuck there, was stabbed quite deeply.

＂Huh!?!＂

At that moment, a rather foolish voice came out of Schrödinger’s mouth.

＂What the hell!? I was exploring Darwin’s room a while ago…! That’s right! A tentacle was sticking out of a strange pipe!”

Just the opposite of the somewhat calm expression from a moment ago, when his usual flustered expression returned, I could tell without saying anything that the presence of ‘William’ had disappeared.

And as she looked around, she saw the ‘mummy’ with her breasts slit before her eyes, and her ribs in her hands.

＂Aaaaah! What!? Could it be that, while I was losing my memory, I had a crazy taste for murdering people, sucking their blood, and turning them into mummies?!”

＂Calm down, calm down!＂

It was at that moment that Lila took a step towards the rampaging Schrödinger and tried to stop shaking the bone she was holding in her hand.

Sigh. And when Schrödinger’s movements stopped, her expression returned to the calm look it had before.

“Ah. It stopped.”

“Sorry. The pain… Briefly, but her control stopped.”

＂Ah, ah… Yes.＂

Lila could tell that the voice speaking like that was William, not Schrödinger.

Because of the difference in temperature between William’s control and Schrödinger’s normal temperature, the viewer felt like he was catching a cold.

Anyway, William, who took over Schrödinger’s body again, said that and showed the rib he was holding in his hand to Lila who came close.

And, the suspiciously shiny blue liquid flowing on its surface is-

Considering that its source is flowing from William’s tentacles, it would be better to think of it as his blood.

＂I will leave this to you.＂

＂This…?＂

When Lila said that, she tried to lift the bloody ribs using her magic to avoid getting blood on her hands.

If you looked at those ribs with the gaze of something strange, William would have smiled bitterly.

Then, Quartz looks at it and speaks.

“It’s a type of course that’s a bit old. It’s a little different from magic.”

As the eyes of her group focused on her, Quartz went on to explain.

“The use of body parts, blood, etc. Of people related by blood is based on ‘contagion’, which is the basic concept of curses. However, if such an object is directly stabbed into the other person…”

“It will definitely leave a big scar on my mother’s soul.”

If William, like no one else, came to such a conclusion, the party members would break into a cold sweat at the determination of not knowing his end.

“Now then, finally… I’ll show you the way down to the basement. That will be the last support I can give you right now.”

As William said that, he was about to take his steps again.

＂Wait a minute.＂

Lila will call William and stop him.

“This mummy… Your brother’s corpse. If we’re going to push Darwin out, wouldn’t it be better to leave him here and now?”

Lila talking with a fire in her hand

＂Wait… Lila?!＂

Kuon, who had been quietly listening to Lila’s words, raises his voice as if surprised, but William is not embarrassed at all.

Rather, she seemed to agree with Lila’s thoughts by nodding her head.

“Indeed. But if that’s the case, I have a slightly more reliable method.”

And at William’s next words, Kuon couldn’t help but look even more cold-hearted than the embarrassment she had shown to Lila.

002

There was a sound as if something was being clicked.

When you press a switch between the dishes on the fireplace that you can’t find unless you squint your eyes.

Coo goo. A sound is heard, and the fireplace opens.

And what appeared beyond that was the ‘elevator’ door that can be seen in the ruins of the original world.

＂You can go down with this. I will be by my mother’s side and await your arrival.”

William, who told me about the switch, seemed to leave the rest to his companions.

With those words, it fell from the back of Schrödinger’s neck and disappeared, moving along the ceiling.

＂Ugh, what are these bones!＂

And then, Schrödinger, who came to his senses, repeated the situation just before he was manipulated by William and waved his arms wildly.

＂Huh? Where did you go? “Where am I?”

And, it made a strange sound as if time had stopped and returned to its original state.

With Schrödinger like that.

Tiing-!

As a sound was heard, the elevator door in front of the group opened.

It is probably also used to transport experimental equipment, etc.

Lila, who confirmed that there was enough space for the entire group, was the first to take action.

＂Okay, okay. Thank you for your hard work.”

When Lila gets into the elevator, patting the confused Schrödinger on the shoulder, the others will follow her in the elevator.

“If I go down to the basement with this, I will finally face the enemies in earnest…!”

Sasha was nervous, and Melusine, who walked in behind him, had darkened expressions of worry.

“Do I have to fight the enemies with a body like this?”

However, Melusine’s worries were a bit extravagant to some.

＂Melusine, you can still fight using your tentacles in that state, but…＂

“The only thing we can do with this body is run around, scratch, and bite!”

This is true for the half-gwis who have become like puppies, waddling in from behind.

“You have worked hard in many ways to get here. After this, I think it’s okay to leave it to me and take a little rest.”

Quartz only comforted such anti-ghosts.

“But in the end. There was no information about the blueprint that the elder left behind.”

Finally, Kshat and Fleur speak as they get on the elevator.

I asked William about the word “Kadmon,” Whose meaning I didn’t know, but he answered that he didn’t know either.

“Yeah… But I think I’ll freeze if I meet my grandfather.”

“… Yes. I think so too.”

Once everyone got on, Artis pressed the button and the elevator door closed.

Shoo… When everyone felt the altitude of the box they were riding on move, a tense silence enveloped the group.

The elevator, which was moving at a fairly fast speed, stopped after less than a minute.

Ding! When you hear a cheerful sound and the door slowly opens.

What Amelia and Kshat, who were standing at the front as if protecting the group, felt was the strong smell of blood.

＂This is…＂

And they will see.

‘Unusual beings’ standing so long as to fill the entire hallway of the floor they landed on.

They have a disgusting appearance that is a mixture of machinery and life.

＂Haaa!＂

A short-legged, white-haired girl running among them and moving her legs.

Each time he swings his leg like a whip with his light footwork, Lee Hyeong’s body parts fly away.

＂Tch…!＂

A girl with double legs and black hair who clicks her tongue and waves her hands while standing still.

Every time she swung her hand, her black thunderbolt fell, turning the figure in front of her into ashes.

And.

A warrior swinging a black and white sword in both hands, moving as if dancing in a slightly dark space where even the lighting is stained with blood.

＂Cleon!＂

There was no way Amelia wouldn’t recognize her, so she called his name.