Book 2: Chapter 573
He had been expecting a battle, but its timing was much earlier than expected.
Residue had to accept the fact that he was somewhat nervous.
One of the Twelve Void Lord, Death Worm.
There was almost no information about this ent.i.ty in the doc.u.ments. Even with the Beginning Wizard’s intelligence and meticulousness, the information he could obtain was just a few lines.
In other words, the Death Worm is a Void Lord with a strong tendency towards secrecy.
Since Lukas had never encountered it, it was also a completely new experience for Residue.
‘[The owner of an impossible wish]…’
The most important aspect of the Death Worm, its wish. The doc.u.ments didn’t state what it was. In such cases, there’s only one reason.
That wish is of a type so dangerous that even recording and leaving traces of it is hazardous.
It almost made him want to laugh.
Residue didn’t hide his smile and spoke in a deliberately serious voice.
“What business do you have with me? Did you come to congratulate me on my inauguration in advance?”
Would such sarcasm be fitting?
It should be fine for now. Residue thought casually as he looked at the worms.
[It is very rare for the Beginning Wizard to change.]
[And I judged that the current Beginning Wizard would hold that position for a long time.]
The ‘current Beginning Wizard’ the Death Worm referred to wasn’t Residue.
Mark Trowman.
“And why is that?”
[Because he was immensely powerful.]
Residue chuckled and said,
“You know well. If you know that much, what’s the problem?”
[What are you talking about?]
“You know better than the new guy like me, don’t you? Under what circ.u.mstances successions usually occur.”
Residue pointed to himself.
“I am stronger than my predecessor, hence the succession took place. Isn’t it so simple to draw such a conclusion?”
Even as he said this, he understood why the Death Worm was displaying such an att.i.tude.
This guy had clashed with Mark Trowman multiple times. So, he knew just how strong he was.
It simply could not comprehend it. That someone as strong as Mark Trowman is dead.
That appearance was quite amusing.
“Is it because you’re a worm? You seem to have quite a low intelligence.”
It might not be the right choice to provoke it. There was no time to waste either.
He knew that. But Residue couldn’t resist the itching in his body.
In a way, this meeting felt almost destined.
One of the Twelve Void Lord, Death Worm?
Before the meeting, wasn’t it the perfect opponent to gauge his own level?
At that moment, the worms moved once again.
[You desire a fight.]
[Your aggressiveness is clearly conveyed.]
[This is also different from the previous Beginning Wizard.]
“Right. That’s my current desire. What about you?”
Residue smirked as he spoke.
“It seems you came to see the new Beginning Wizard’s face… I’m curious as to who told you this information. Though I doubt you’ll tell me.”
[…]
“It doesn’t matter. The danger of those who move by creeping around is obvious. What I’m more curious about is your intention. If you only came to check on me, why now? Isn’t the meeting about to begin?”
[I have no intention of partic.i.p.ating in the meeting. I was just going to send a representative.]
“Why?”
[Because I have nothing to discuss with those people.]
It’s unfortunate that these words were composed of worms. He couldn’t feel the emotion behind them.
Still, it was clear that the Death Worm didn’t consider most of the Twelve Void Lords favorably. Perhaps this fact might become an important clue.
“That’s an odd statement. If you’re a Void Lord, you’d at least have the basic situational awareness… Did the agenda of this meeting seem so trivial to you?”
Rustle… Rustle…
The insects made an unpleasant sound for a while. It was the most disgusting symphony in the world, created by the friction of unpleasant sh.e.l.ls.
[Whether heavy or light, it has nothing to do with me.]
[The important thing to me is always one.]
[I’ve learned what kind of being the current Beginning Wizard is. Maybe, you won’t interfere with my work.]
The insects began to disperse as if they had no more business.
Are they leaving just like that?
Despite the provocations from this side, they didn"t respond until the end, which was unexpected.
“Wait.”
Regardless, Residue didn’t want to let the Death Worm leave so easily.
“I’m curious about what your important work is.”
[Why do you care?]
“Let"s just say it"s personal curiosity. And…”
Hoping his smile was conveyed, Residue continued.
“I might be able to help, you know?”
There was no response for a while.
However, Residue was satisfied with the fact that the insects stopped moving and remained in front of him. It was evidence that the Death Worm was hesitating, at least.
In the meantime, he glanced outside the Apple.
The two subordinates Residue had flung away were looking up at him after landing on the ground.
Were they following his orders for now? Or are they just pretending to observe? It doesn’t matter.
What’s important is that they at least nominally followed his words. Residue still wondered whether subordinates needed autonomy or individuality.
‘My judgment is the most perfect."
The orders that come from that perfect judgment.
Those who question or doubt them aren"t even worth using words on.
Around that time, the insects made filthy sounds again. They weren’t forming words. It was much more chaotic.
It felt like they were agitated.
‘Of course."
The reason the Death Worm sought him out was probably twofold.
First, to spy on what kind of being the new Beginning Wizard was.
Second, due to some bad blood. The Death Worm had a wish the previous Beginning Wizard termed a ‘misguided wish.’ Judging by the words in the doc.u.ment, it seems there were many instances where the Beginning Wizard thwarted the Death Worm’s plans, so hostility was natural.
Upon hearing that the Beginning Wizard had changed, it would naturally want to see what kind of person the new one was. It would also want to confirm how much of the predecessor’s duties were inherited.
Secondly, realizing what kind of being the current Beginning Wizard was, it would consider the possibility of negotiations if it found the new one reasonable.
This was understood through their conversation. The Death Worm didn’t respond to Residue’s provocative taunts and avoided a fight. This showed it had the patience to endure insults for practical benefits, regardless of whether they were enemies.
[─Indeed.]
The insect formed words.
[You are different from the previous Beginning Wizard.]
[Yet you still don’t understand me.]
[My wish is not something other species can understand.]
Species?
What does that have to do with its wish?
“Why?”
[I know what kind of disposition wizards have.]
“Then you can tell me. I’m a bit different from an ordinary wizard.”
Screeech─!
At that moment, the insects screamed simultaneously. The horrendous and distressing sound sc.r.a.ped all around, as if wanting to tear eardrums apart.
[You"re persistent.]
The atmosphere changed.
The insects that had been wriggling and cl.u.s.tering together until just now stopped their movement and all turned this way at once.
The sight of tens of thousands of those inorganic insect eyes focusing this way was definitely chilling.
[If you’re so confident, prove it. Prove that you are different from other wizards.]
“How?”
The insects no longer formed words. Instead, they emitted a menacing killing intent.
Finding that delightful, Residue smiled silently.
*
The next moment, the insects vanished all at once.
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of insects that had been swarming disappeared from sight as if they had evaporated.
Rustle, rustle, rustle—
But the sound was still there.
Did they burrow into the interior of Apple? …It wouldn"t be such a simple issue.
Initiating an attack when both sides" strengths were unknown required a considerable amount of confidence. While admiring their boldness, Residue thought about the alias ‘Death Worm".
Aliases, or names, carry inseparable information about the essence of an existence.
This was true for the Ruler and the Four Knights. The same applied to the Twelve Void Lords.
‘… [Death Worm].’
He knew quite a bit about ent.i.ties that dealt with death.
But undoubtedly, most of them were fools who deluded themselves into thinking they controlled death.
Those who handled the dead, dealt with corpses, or manipulated souls… Most of those called necromancers would either die or go insane the moment they truly encountered death.
How many truly handled death in its real sense?
The Black Horned Demon G.o.d and the Black Knight. Besides them, perhaps only Diablo, who realized the true meaning of death.
He began to feel a subtle antic.i.p.ation.
This ent.i.ty before him, arrogantly bearing the name of death.
What interpretation would it have of death?
Shhh!
Residue"s vision turned black. It wasn’t that he suddenly lost his sight. A pitch-black curtain had fallen over most of his vision without any warning.
Of course, Residue understood that these were the insects that had hidden their appearance and were now simultaneously revealing themselves.
Though it was still unclear how they had concealed themselves,
Pssht-
Sparks flew from Residue"s hands, bleaching the world around him. The light was strong enough to cause temporary blindness, followed by lightning several times more intense that spread out in all directions. The unfolded lightning netted together densely, intercepting the incoming swarm of insects like a wave.
The unpleasant smell of burning insects and their shrill screams pierced his ears. Residue didn"t blink. Even as fragments of charred insect sh.e.l.ls and repulsive bodily fluids splattered on his eyes, he remained unflinching.
The enemy’s initial attack, his own countermeasure, and the resulting phenomena.
The direction of the subsequent battle would depend on who gathered more information at this moment.
‘…Impressive.’
Residue thought as he took a couple of steps back.
The lightning he had just unleashed was not a trivial skill. It was one of the powers left by Lukas that suited Residue"s apt.i.tude the most and was something he should use as his main force. Naturally, he hadn"t held back in its execution.
Yet, with that power, he hadn’t managed to kill even one of the millions of insects.
The defensive capability of these mere minions was astounding… or was it that he himself had become so weak?
‘That can"t be.’
Don"t underestimate yourself.
The current me has weakened. I"ll admit that.
But not to the extent of being unable to face even one the Twelve Void Lords.
There must be some secret.
‘…This might make my defense a bit lax.’
Should I change my approach?
Residue extended his fingers.
He aimed at one of the insects among the millions, the one that had taken the most damage from the previous attack.
The concentrated lightning was tens of times thinner than a strand of hair. Although its range was greatly reduced, its speed would be dozens of times faster than before. Its penetration power would be hundreds of times stronger.
Pew—
The fired lightning beam pierced through the body of a small insect. But in that instant, Residue saw it.
The insect’s sh.e.l.l wasn’t instantly penetrated.
Briefly, but clearly, it withstood Residue"s lethal strike.
“…Indeed.”
Finally, the puzzle seemed to be unraveling.
At least at this point, the alias of ‘death" was not what needed attention.
“You really are like a bug.”
Residue voiced his honest impression without any derogatory meaning.
“I thought those insects were your minions, but it seems I was wrong.”
The insects moved again, forming words.
[As you said.]
[Every individual you see before you is the ‘Death Worm", and is ‘me".]
“Truly a moving colony, huh.”
Probably, the pure strength of the Death Worm ranked among the lowest of the Twelve Void Lords. But in terms of nuisance, it would definitely be in the top three.
These insects, their power transition is incredibly natural. They are connected in such a deep and organic form that calling them a colony is an understatement.
They are truly one and many, many and one.
‘It"s not just strength.’
If he were to launch a lethal attack on the entire swarm, it would distribute that power among the millions. No matter how powerful the attack, if divided among millions, its effectiveness would diminish significantly.
Like with the lightning strike, focusing power on a single point could penetrate, but that would drastically reduce the range. At best, it would kill one or two, and the fight would drag on.
The insects, seemingly mocking, formed words again.
[I have experienced countless deaths so far, current Beginning Wizard…]
[How interesting.]
[How many deaths can you show me?]
A sinister black wave surged.
The Death Worm was hostile to the Beginning Wizard and the Magic Planet.
─How many wizards had it killed so far?
How many Truth Seekers had it devoured?
It remembers all the faces of those it had encountered. Even the gaze of the previous Beginning Wizard as he looked at it is still vivid.
“…Kukukuk.”
And so, it took a moment to comprehend.
Laughter was not something that should be heard at a moment like this.
Had it misheard?
“Hahaha…”
No. It wasn"t.
He hadn"t misheard.
To begin with, this wasn"t simple laughter.
“Haha, kuhahaha─!”
It was maniacal laughter.
The kind of mad laughter it had never heard before caused the Death Worm to shrink back unconsciously.
And thus, the fight resumed once again.
*****
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