The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

A hot wind blew.

It was a natural phenomenon that did not exist in the Void World. The wind wasn’t refreshing but rather gave an unpleasant feeling. However, the Half King didn’t even flinch as she felt it.

Just as the wind died down, a voice was heard.

“The karma created by the disappearance of half of the Three Thousand Worlds.”

Residue lightly tapped his mask.

“An unknown substance that can only be encountered ‘outside’, like this mask, combined with materials obtained from the Void World and data from the strongest beings… Based on these, the final, ultimate, strongest weapon was born.”

Although the tone seemed to disregard her as a human, the Half King smiled faintly.

“You really know well. I’m surprised, since nothing about me should have been revealed to the Beginning Wizard… Are these words you just uttered your own speculations?”

Of course, they were.

The reason such a simple guess could be so close to the truth was that he could almost grasp what method he would use to create the Half King if he himself were the ‘creator’.

In the past, Residue had pondered this issue longer and deeper than anyone else. At that time, he had to stop due to a lack of materials and talent…

What a shame. If Residue had come up with this plan at the same point in time as now, he might have created a weapon on the level of the Half King, or maybe even beyond.

“A being called the Half King created in such a manner… Yeah. Maybe you, if it’s you, could prevent Destruction.”

That was the highest praise Residue could express, but the Half King’s expression showed no particular sign of pleasure on her face.

It wasn’t because she lacked emotions.

It was because hearing something so obvious didn’t evoke any feeling in her.

“But the circumstances have changed. The Destruction has weakened, and it will appear simultaneously in separate instances. The threat posed by the enemy has shifted from quality to quantity. No matter how great you are, it’s impossible to stop them all by yourself.”

“You’re saying that one hand cannot fend off ten?”

“The hands that will swarm you won’t be just ten.”

“So? Are you suggesting we engage in a three-way battle as you say? Huh! That’s an utterly irresponsible statement.”

The Half King momentarily averted her gaze.

She muttered as she took in the vast desert stretching out before her.

“Conversation is good. It allows one to clearly feel the other’s perspective.”

“Are you saying you’ve figured me out?”

“Your viewpoint is far too lofty.”

Even an idiot could tell that this wasn’t meant as a compliment.

“You probably think like this: ‘Since the fate of the universe is at stake, everyone in the universe has a responsibility,’ ‘So find a way to save yourself,’ ‘Endlessly struggle, and only those who survive will have the right to face it…’”

Transparent eyes turned towards Residue.

“That may not be entirely wrong. But that’s too harsh. The ignorant cannot comprehend the true meaning of annihilation or Destruction. It’s like trying to explain the heat of flames to a moth.”

“…”

“You might really be stronger than the other Twelve Void Lords.”

“How can you know that without even fighting?”

“Just by listening to your insight, I can tell. The stronger someone is, the longer they think about the future. Do you know? The weaker someone is, the more they have no choice but to focus on the present. Their greatest trials aren’t death or annihilation, but worrying about their next meal.”

Residue remained silent.

“The victims of the great battle you’re trying to start will mostly be such people.”

It wasn’t a wrong statement.

Weaklings clearly existed in both the Void World and the Three Thousand Worlds.

No, the number of weaklings was far greater, to a point where comparison was impossible. The world had always been that way.

“…What are you trying to say?”

“That for them, hell is a present reality. They fear the terror of the wars occurring everywhere much more than Destruction. And before my eyes, there is the embodiment of evil, who insists on further inciting those wars.”

There was a slight hint of laughter in her final words.

Residue coldly curled up the corner of his mouth.

“Because the ignorant are the majority, so we should think from their perspective?”

“Ahaha. Of course not. I was merely summarizing the situation. From the most objective standpoint, that is.”

Residue disliked the word “objective”. He believed it was an impossible term as long as it came from a human’s mouth.

Just as the Half King had sensed Residue’s perspective through their conversation,

Residue also realized the Half King’s perspective through their conversation.

“I understand what you desire. We no longer need any further conversation.”

As he muttered this and turned his back, a voice called out.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

“To prove that I am right. To borrow your words, it would be to become the instigator of war.”

“Haha. Do you think I’ll just let you go?”

“And if you don’t?”

Residue looked back at the Half King.

“Do you plan to stop me by force?”

“Hmm. Indeed.”

Just before the voice finished, Residue took five steps back. Whoosh! He sensed something invisible sweep past where he had just been standing.

…What did she attack with?

He couldn’t tell what form the attack that had just brushed by him took.

“…Weren’t you supposed to refrain from laying hands on the Twelve Void Lords?”

“Such tedious restrictions don’t apply to me. A true king must be able to choose everything for themselves, don’t you think?”

“Heh. Choice. Do you really believe that? What a pitiful king you are.”

Residue spread both hands.

Crackle, lightning formed at the tips of his fingers.

“I’m not your subject, but it seems you need a cold splash of water to cool you down.”

  *

It felt as if he had been struck by a massive meteor.

Boom!

Of course, even being hit by an actual meteor wouldn’t send a body flying so helplessly.

So, the destructive power in that punch must far exceed that of a meteor.

Boom! Boom! The attacks continued relentlessly. Residue’s body wavered like a scarecrow caught in a typhoon.

“What’s the matter? I heard that you’re nearly invincible in one-on-one combat, but has the information I received been distorted?”

It wasn’t that he hadn’t thought of counterattacking.

But before he could even launch any attacks, they were read and intercepted.

From the start, the fundamental purpose of this super-being’s creation was combat.

Another individual created to oppose the strongest individual.

Even if it was Mark Trowman, who possessed near-invincible power under the conditions of one-on-one combat, he would not be able to gain the upper hand against the Half King.

“How long do you plan to stay down? If this is a probing battle, it’s already over. Any further effective hits could be dangerous.”

“……”

“Look at the King’s Castle, Beginning Wizard.”

The King’s Castle?

Indeed. At some point, their battlefield had shifted from the roof of the King’s Castle to the desert. This was because, after enduring a few of the Half King’s attacks, his body had been blasted away like a cannonball.

“The Void Lords and Knights are watching, but their role is that of spectators. They have no right to interfere in this battle.”

“……”

“This is your last chance. Give it your all.”

With those calm words, the attack continued.

More wounds appeared on his body.

He bled. His insides twisted. He spat out shards of broken teeth.

…None of which are truly his.

The overwhelming violence continued for several minutes.

Residue’s, no.

Lukas’ body was being thoroughly destroyed.

It was only then that the true nature of the Half King’s power began to reveal itself.

The scale is different. In this case, perhaps it’s more accurate to say the level is different.

From an ordinary person’s perspective, the Half King is an existence with potential that encapsulates possibilities as vast as an incomprehensible magnitude.

Residue knows.

He understands the potential that comes from condensing an existence.

After all, wasn’t it Lukas who demonstrated this? At the Dumpsite, as he devoured countless ‘Lukas-es’.

But in the Half King’s case, it’s somewhat different.

Completely individual existences,

With different species, characteristics, habits, personalities, and even fundamentally different natures were mixed together.

There must have been countless explosions during the creation process. Mentally, physically, positively, and negatively.

And thus, the completed body.

The power contained within it is as primal as it is simple.

‘Strong, fast, and smart.’

But is there anything more important in a fight than that?

The gap between the Half King and Residue was wide enough to break one’s spirit.

“……”

The attacks stopped.

It was at the point where Residue had fallen to his knees.

The Half King looked at him indifferently and spoke.

“I see. It’s not that you aren’t counterattacking; you simply can’t.”

“……”

“You couldn’t even properly perceive my attacks. No wonder you couldn’t resist. …Honestly, it’s disappointing. I didn’t expect the Beginning Wizard’s power to be this pathetic.”

She was right.

“Now, there’s only one thing I don’t understand. You knew you couldn’t win. So why did you fight?”

“Wasn’t it you who started the fight?”

“I may have lit the fuse. But you were the one who intended for this situation to happen.”

Residue looked down at himself.

He looked down at the pitiful state of a man who had boldly initiated the fight, yet had been relentlessly beaten without landing a single effective hit.

“…You are strong.”

“……”

“Everything about me must have been a mystery to you. And yet, you fought without any fear or hesitation. Truly, your performance is worthy of the title ‘ultimate weapon.’”

“I must have told you countless times. I can end everything by myself.”

“Heheheh. Yes… alone….”

Residue laughed, blood dripping from his mouth.

“But can you really be called an individual?”

“…What?”

“I don’t know the extent of what the Exile knows. But it seems he’s grasped something about the Destruction. That’s why he decided not to mass-produce beings like you, choosing to create only a single entity.”

“……”

“But you’re not an individual. You can’t even be called one.”

“…Do you think the number of karmic burdens I bear is the issue? Isn’t it common for people to fight with the hopes of many on their shoulders?”

“You’re talking about unpaid laborers that can be labeled as ‘heroes.’ Unfortunately, your approach is flawed.”

“Then is it the vast array of materials that make up my body that’s the issue? Or are you worried about the combat data of the Twelve Void Lords that the Exile stealthily stole? Do you think that would cause a split in my personality?”

Not at all.

You’re quite mistaken.

The woman before him was smart but not wise. The lack of experience is something that inherited knowledge or information cannot compensate for.

“What I’m talking about is, cough, intent.”

“In…tent…?”

The Half King blinked her eyes.

As if she were pondering whether the word had a different meaning from what she knew.

“…Being an individual isn’t just about numbers.”

“Is this a discussion on a conceptual level?”

Huuuuu…

Residue exhaled deeply. He roughly wiped away the flowing blood and stood up.

“It’s similar but different, so please listen carefully, Your Highness.”

This mocking tone was something even the Half King couldn’t take lightly. Her forehead furrowed slightly.

“You’re becoming more displeasing by the moment. If you have something to say, speak clearly.”

“You lack a sense of self. You’re a conglomeration of external forces, a mass of impurities. ─In other words, you’re severely lacking in purity.”

“What?”

“You have no foundation, no history. You’re undoubtedly strong, but that’s all there is to you.”

“Your reasoning is weak. For me, being strong is everything – that’s more of a compliment.”

“…The Destructions you’ll have to fight from now on—the being that controls and commands them is an embodiment of thoroughness. The weaknesses of yours that even I can perceive will be as clear as day to him, like seeing something spread out on his palm.”

“You speak amusingly. However, I have no weaknesses. Because that’s how I was made.”

“Is that the only way you can assert your strength? ‘I was made strong, therefore I am strong?’ Hehehe. Even a snot-nosed brat could make a more convincing argument.”

The Half King’s expression changed again.

She smoothed her furrowed brow, her face becoming expressionless as she spoke.

“Is your goal to anger me?”

“What do you think I felt when I saw you? When you made knights submit, overwhelmed Void Lords, and killed Destructions?”

“……”

“I felt anticipation, relief, and disillusionment all at once. I thought that maybe, just maybe, this one could truly eliminate all the Destructions. That anticipation led to relief. It was like a sweet poison. It even dulled this body’s once-in-a-lifetime resolution.”

The Half King’s very existence stifles the growth of those around her.

But he knew. Even someone as strong as the Half King cannot stop the oncoming Destructions alone.

And that is why.

“I cannot accept your existence.”

“If you can’t accept it, what will you do?”

“Then we fight. It’s the only way.”

“You won’t win.”

“No. You’ll taste defeat in this battle.”

The Half King remained silent for a moment before speaking.

“…Indeed, it seems convincing you is difficult. Since time is short, if I succeed in subduing you, I’ll have to imprison you.”

The conversation was over.

As Residue watched the Half King slowly approach, he had a premonition.

‘Today,’

in this place, I will be defeated—utterly and miserably.

****

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