Chapter 240 : Awakening of Divinity (3)
Chapter 240: Awakening of Divinity (3)
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A silence fell upon the mental image space.
Kylos, who had remained quiet for a moment, burst into a hearty laugh and continued speaking.
“To seek divinity while wearing the shackles of humanity. Arrogant and amusing.”
“Not all gods would have been gods from the very beginning.”
Carl gauged Kylos—and the beings called gods in this world—based on his own intuition.
“Of course, there must have been those who were close to being gods since the beginning. But those whose names are widely known in the world are likely beings who achieved the impossible and built up their class to reach the heavens.”
The reason Carl had continuously delved into the history of this world called Artenia.
It was partly to search for ancient heroes or others who, like him, came from the Central Plains, but more than anything, he was intrigued by the beings known as gods in this world.
“Countless tales of heroes, myths, and legends.”
The Central Plains, too, had similar stories everywhere.
But what was meant by “god” in that place was slightly different in meaning from here.
It wasn’t about building up class or completing great tasks, but rather a process of breaking through one’s inner barriers and transcending realms—a form of cracking open one's own shell and moving forward.
That’s why it held potential.
“Which is why I, too, must be qualified to attempt the path toward divinity. The path has already opened.”
He could feel that his temperament had changed significantly due to absorbing a fragment of the demigod Kylos.
It didn’t end with merely elevating his realm or martial arts level.
His soul—and something even more fundamental than that—had changed.
Starting from the so-called “shackles of humanity” Kylos mentioned, the bindings that surrounded him were now being undone.
-…….
Kylos, seemingly aware of it as well, raised his head and looked in Carl’s direction.
“That place is the reference point.”
“Reference point?”
“The boundary between human and something beyond. If you take even one more step forward, you will no longer be able to return to what you once were. Your alien existence will become anchored in this world.”
“……”
An alien existence.
Carl realized that Kylos had vaguely grasped his secret and stiffened his expression.
‘So he really is a demigod.’
Was this the extent of the power a complete demigod possessed?
Even though Kylos was just a fragment with memories from the past, he had perfectly perceived Carl, who was ascending the flow through the Soul-Seizing Technique.
It was a harmony that would have been absolutely impossible for a human, and Carl let out a low sigh of admiration.
“But it's not that I can't understand that longing. I too once felt the same.”
“Oh?”
“Ragnarok has been going on for much longer than you think. I, too, have become a part of that cycle and have continued meaningless battles.”
“A cycle of Ragnarok?”
Did that mean the war of the gods had been repeating itself continuously?
As Carl narrowed his eyes at the unexpected story, Kylos continued.
“Roughly every thousand years, a tectonic upheaval occurs. From a human perspective, it would be a long time, but for those who have transcended, it's nothing more than a fleeting moment. Even so, the fact that it occurs periodically means...”
“The structure is imperfect.”
Carl pierced through the core of it in one stroke.
“There’s quite a bit recorded in ancient texts about Ragnarok. The fierce struggle of those vying for the position of Chief God. If that conflict is being repeated in an incomplete form...”
A pair of eyes imbued with the energy of the Primordial Unity Divine Art pierced through Kylos.
“It must mean that either a Chief God has never been chosen for all that time, or they’ve been continuously replaced.”
If it was the former, everything fell into place.
But if it was the latter...
‘Things could get complicated.’
Even if things went well and Carl managed to gather all the fragments of Kylos' demigod divinity to become a complete being.
Even if he won in Ragnarok, it meant that the flow of events wasn’t absolute.
Kylos, as if seeing right through Carl’s inner thoughts, let out a smirk of mockery.
“I see what you’re worried about. You haven't even reached transcendence, and yet you're already looking that far ahead? Truly arrogant.”
“…Your answer?”
“It’s not what you’re worried about. But there’s something more pressing you should be concerned with right now.”
Ssszzzzz—!
The divinity residing in Carl’s body suddenly lashed out in resistance, placing strain across his entire body.
Even though it was just a complete demigod from a past memory, it was now influencing Carl.
“Thank you for gathering the sealed fragments. Thanks to you, I now have time to prepare for Ragnarok.”
“Who said I was giving them willingly?”
Thud.
Carl pushed the Primordial Unity Divine Art to its limit.
The opponent might only be a memory of the past, but he was still a demigod—something transcendent.
From the start, he had never intended to take him lightly.
Fwoooosh.
He formed the Heavenly Thunder Sword with his Intent Thought.
Even though this was a space of mental imagery connected through spirit and mind, that made his desire to strike even sharper.
“You dare perform such petty tricks.”
Carl, who had forged his will by intertwining his mental image into something resembling the Heart Sword, made Kylos smirk.
“Very well. Let’s test it. Let’s see if you, a mortal who hasn’t even cast off his shackles, are qualified to participate in the holy war called Ragnarok.”
Kylos’ hand moved slowly.
He was attempting to alter his actions, not just perceive and converse from a memory of the past.
Crack-crack.
Naturally, immense resistance and backlash followed as a matter of course.
But Kylos, with a scoff, shook his hand and extended it toward Carl, who was slashing with the mental sword.
“Take it. And prove it. If you survive, we shall meet again.”
Thwack.
Carl instinctively swung his sword but was struck with an overwhelming impact and thrown backward.
“...Kuh!”
He bounced off the altar and rolled across the ground.
Even though he had swung his sword with full strength and shielded himself with Protective Aura, the shockwave pummeled his entire body.
As he tumbled and barely regained consciousness, his hand instinctively touched his chest, where a burning heat was seared like a brand.
Frantically undoing his front robe and looking inward, he discovered an unknown sigil etched upon his skin.
“What is this?”
Lifting his gaze, he looked at the fragment of Kylos atop the altar.
She now appeared far more pale, barely sitting upright while leaning on her staff.
As Carl slowly rose to his feet, Kylos trembled as she spoke.
“How… how can that be possible?”
“What is?”
“How can you stand before a demigod and still maintain your self?”
Carl twisted his lips and slowly walked toward her.
“If it were a complete god, perhaps. But I had no intention of faltering before something that’s only a demigod. If I had, I wouldn’t have dared to gather fragments of divinity.”
Soon he reached the spot where Kylos sat slumped and stood facing her.
She hesitated briefly, then sighed and nodded.
“That brand etched on your chest is a vessel for consolidating divinity.”
“A vessel?”
“Yes. You may not realize it, but the fragments of me you absorbed are scattered randomly in an unconscious, inexplicable space. The more fragments you absorb, the more it will gradually take shape, but your body is likely to be damaged before then. That’s why I…”
Green magic shimmered in Kylos’ eyes as she gestured toward Carl’s chest.
“I intentionally created a mold that can consolidate it. Gradually, my fragments will gather and fuse around that center. Then you’ll be able to wield my power more clearly than before.”
“Hm.”
Carl stroked his chest.
So that was the function behind this sigil?
“Hard to believe it was done out of goodwill.”
Kylos had told him to prove himself before pushing him away.
And said they’d meet again if he survived.
That must mean that inscribing this sigil came with considerable resistance or backlash.
‘It felt like my chest was being pierced.’
Even his Protective Aura, countless blessings, and enhanced physical body had nearly collapsed from the danger.
At Carl’s remark, Kylos nodded as if it were obvious.
“It’s a foundation for accepting divine power. Your whole body is becoming no different than a grand temple. Most would go insane or die long before it’s complete…”
Kylos exhaled sharply and hung her head.
“I don’t know what he’s thinking, but if he showed it to me here, it must mean I’m to follow. Fine, then.”
“Follow what?”
“I’ll help you consolidate the scattered divinity within you. But…”
A pair of green-glowing eyes fixed on Carl.
“This is not goodwill or charity. Though I am now but a fragmented shard, our spirit has touched the heavens. Whether a mere human can withstand it is another matter, but go ahead and try to endure. Perhaps you’ll at least retain your self between the fragments.”
Having poured out her words in a rush, Kylos then transformed into a single stream of Spiritual Form and was absorbed into Carl’s body.
Feeling the divine power within him grow even denser, Carl also sensed an incomprehensible force coalescing in his chest.
“…This is…”
Something indefinable surged from deep within his body to his head.
Perhaps as a result of that, the crown of his head—the Crown Point—had fully opened.
With both his feet and head unsealed, the flow of heaven and earth began to storm through him.
This phenomenon had nothing to do with Kylos’ divinity.
Because her divinity had dwelled in him, his spirit touched the heavens and even affected his martial arts.
‘A stroke of fortune.’
Carl immediately crossed his legs and sat down to circulate his energy.
There wasn’t much time, but it was a priceless opportunity worth giving up a few lectures for.
Tzzzzzt.
Carl’s body floated on its own, sitting cross-legged mid-air as if levitating.
At the same time, countless energies burst forth from his entire body like a waterfall.
Crackle-crack.
On his left, the energy of the Bright Heaven Divine Art froze everything around him.
Fwoooosh.
On the other side, the Heavenly Demon Divine Art scorched everything on the altar, erupting in a terrifying inferno.
Rumble rumble rumble.
As if an earthquake had struck, the ground shook violently, and the doors of the Great Hall, which had been tightly closed, swung open as the Queen and Black Label agents stormed in.
“Master!”
They had been strictly ordered not to enter.
But the wave surging from within was unlike anything they had ever felt before.
That’s why the Queen had taken the risk of disobeying orders and entered the chamber to protect Carl.
“…Ah.”
But all the members of NOX who followed her stopped in their tracks.
An overwhelming power, difficult to even open their eyes against, swirled through the chamber, while a radiant light bloomed above Carl’s head.
Flash!
A golden stream surged above the shape of a giant tree.
The energy of the Bright Heaven Divine Art and the Heavenly Demon Divine Art spewed outward and began to circulate through it, striving endlessly for union.
The completed force of the Primordial Unity Divine Art extended behind Carl.
It drew continuous lines in the air, as though sketching something, and the Queen noticed it was forming a massive circle.
“Ah.”
A short voice escaped.
At the same time, all the energy pouring into the chamber was drawn into the circle formed by the Primordial Unity Divine Art, completing its perfect form.