Bab 170. Malam Ketiga (21)
Dewa Luar Eternitas.
Kelasnya tinggi, otoritasnya bahkan lebih sempurna. Di bawah nama “permohonan”, ia memenuhi beribu-ribu keinginan. Ia pernah memberi keabadian kepada seorang kaisar, menjadikannya seorang “Tak Terkalahkan”, atau bahkan mengembalikan saudara kandung yang telah meninggal. Tidak ada batasan pada apa pun yang dapat dilayani.
Lebih lanjut, harga yang dibutuhkan untuk memenuhi sebuah permohonan bukanlah sesuatu yang istimewa. Cukup siapkan bahan-bahan yang diperlukan sendiri. Misalnya, untuk memberi kehidupan kekal kepada satu orang, diperlukan sepuluh juta jiwa. Untuk mengembalikan yang telah meninggal, harus membunuh seluruh garis keluarga yang terhubung dengan orang yang telah meninggal, lalu mengumpulkan semua jantung mereka dan menawarkannya. Ini bukanlah pekerjaan yang mudah, namun jika berhasil diselesaikan, Dewa Luar Eternitas pasti akan memenuhi permohonan itu.
“Si Raja Bulan Aheta menginginkan penciptaan makhluk hidup terkuat di antara semua ras.”
Itulah sebabnya Kuil Eternitas diganti namanya menjadi Kuil Kematian. Awalnya, kuil ini bukan milik Aheta, tetapi milik Dewa Luar Eternitas. Namun, untuk memenuhi permohonan Aheta, baik nama maupun tujuan kuil pun berubah.
― “Ciptakan untukku spesies terkuat yang melampaui Dua Belas Ras.”
― “Untuk menciptakan spesies terkuat, bahan-bahan yang diperlukan adalah spesimen dari semua ras yang terhubung dengan Abyss. Dan butuh seratus juta jiwa.”
Setelah itu, Aheta waged perang melintasi berbagai dunia untuk mengumpulkan jiwa. Ketika jiwa-jiwa yang terkumpul dibawa ke Kuil Kematian, Dewa Luar menggunakannya langsung untuk menciptakan “spesies terkuat.”
Untuk memberi keabadian, mengembalikan yang telah meninggal, bahkan menciptakan makhluk baru, otoritasnya layak dibandingkan dengan seorang pencipta. Kekuatan mutlak yang tidak ada seorang pun yang berani mendekat!
“Tentu saja, memenuhi sebuah permohonan tidak berarti kebahagiaan akan menyertainya.”
Kaisar itu memperoleh keabadian, namun imperinya pun hancur. Ia menjadi musuh dunia dan terjebak selamanya. Dan saudara kakak yang mengembalikan saudaranya yang lebih muda?
Setelah mengumpulkan jantung dari setiap kerabat kandung, bahkan mengorbankan dirinya sendiri untuk menyelesaikan permohonan itu, saudara kakak yang dihidupkan kembali justru menyimpang hati terhadap kakaknya yang telah membunuh seluruh keluarganya, lalu bunuh diri.
Permohonan Aheta pun tak berbeda. Meskipun spesies terkuat berhasil diciptakan, penguasa dari spesies itu bukanlah Aheta, melainkan Dewa Luar itu sendiri.
Permohonan terpenuhi. Namun, tak pernah berakhir dengan kebahagiaan. Justru berakhir dengan cara terburuk. Karena bahan-bahan yang diperlukan untuk memenuhi sebuah permohonan, justru adalah hal-hal yang akan membawa kebencian terbesar kepada mereka yang memohon.
Ini adalah bentuk 'pertukaran setara'. Tidak ada permohonan yang tidak bisa dipenuhi, namun semakin besar permohonan, semakin besar biayanya. Jika seseorang memohon kebahagiaan, justru akan ditimpa kesialan.
“Tiga kali tanpa perlu persiapan. Permohonan bisa langsung dipenuhi.”
Namun, 'biaya' tidak selalu diperlukan. Dewa Luar Eternitas bisa memenuhi permohonan tanpa syarat, namun hanya sebanyak tiga kali saja.
Itu adalah kekuatan tertingginya. Ia bahkan bisa menentukan biaya secara sewenang-wenangnya. Jadi, ia akan menghapus status ailmen 'kondisi terminal', mengambil jiwa dari satu orang dan bola pengikat yang berisi Putih Paus Charpham.
Lalu, menggunakan tubuh dari 'spesies terkuat', ia akan memandu Abyss menuju kehancuran.
“Meskipun ini adalah penggunaan ketiga dan terakhir, masih merupakan perdagangan yang menguntungkan.”
Terutama jika ia bisa mengendalikan 'Dimensional Encountered One, White Whale Charpham', itu saja sudah cukup untuk menghabiskan ketiga permohonan itu. Karena tersegel, sepertinya ingatannya tidak lengkap, namun Putih Paus Charpham adalah makhluk yang membuat orang gemetar bahkan di dalam Gua Besar.
Tubuhnya yang begitu besar bisa menelan seluruh dunia. Ia memiliki kemampuan untuk dengan bebas berpindah dimensi, dan terpenting, 'Domain Absolut'nya bisa membekukan semua dunia di sekitarnya hanya dengan diterapkannya saja. Namun, itu bukanlah apa yang membuat Putih Paus paling menakutkan.
“God Eater!”
Seorang dewa yang memakan dewa. Putih Paus adalah salah satu dari makhluk yang paling ditakuti. Dan pertanyaan pun muncul. Bagaimana Putih Paus berhasil disegel? Apakah benar ada wadah pengikat yang mampu memikulnya?
“Jika aku menghapus status ailmenu, aku akan menemukannya.”
Itu hanyalah sebuah status ailment, sebuah kondisi terminal. Sepertinya ditentukan untuk mati saat waktu tertentu telah berlalu.
“Serangan sihir, mungkin?”
Itu sepertinya paling mungkin. untuk berpikir seseorang datang kepadanya hanya karena mereka tidak bisa menghilangkan kutukan sepele. Namun, jika Putih Paus tidak bisa memakan sesuatu itu, maka itu harus kutukan yang sangat maju.
Tapi tak ada gunanya. Tidak ada permohonan yang otoritasnya tidak bisa dipenuhi.
Namun...
“...Tidak terhapus?”
Permohonan itu tidak dipenuhi. Meskipun ia telah menggunakan kekuatan akhirnya, seharusnya tidak ada batasan pada jenis permohonan yang bisa dipenuhi. Jika hanya 'diganggu', ia tidak akan terlalu terkejut. Otoritasnya jelas telah aktif, namun ia menghilang tanpa memenuhi permohonan itu.
Hal ini belum pernah terjadi sebelumnya.
“'Reaper of Death'…?”
Lebih mengerikan lagi, kemunculan 'Reaper' di atas manusia itu tidak bisa dipahami. Ia dengan jelas memperkenalkan dirinya sebagai Kematian. Tapi tidak ada hal seperti 'Reaper of Death'.
Istilah 'reaper' sendiri sudah menggambarkan dewa kematian. Tidak perlu menyebutkan kematian lagi. Selain itu, reaper ditujukan untuk menyeimbangkan Abyss. Mereka lebih seperti hukum, makhluk tanpa keinginan individu, kecuali untuk beberapa yang berada di peringkat tinggi. Di atas segalanya, tidak mungkin ada seorang reaper yang bisa dengan sewenang-wenangnya mengungkapkan 'kematian' tanpa terikat aturan!
【Laugable sekali. Apakah kamu pikir trik sepele bisa menghilangkan punyaku?】
Laughable?
Bahkan memiliki kesadaran, namun juga emosi.
Pernahkah ada reaper dengan kelas seperti ini?
Chapter 170. The Third Night (21)
The Outer God of Eternity.
His class was supreme, and his authority was even more immaculate. He fulfilled countless desires under the name of “wishes.” He once granted an emperor immortality, turning him into an “Undying,” or resurrected a dead younger brother exactly as requested. There was no limit to the wishes he could grant.
Moreover, the price required to fulfill a wish wasn’t anything special. One only had to prepare the necessary materials personally. For example, to gain ‘eternal life’ for one person, ten million lives were needed. To resurrect the dead, one had to kill all of the bloodline connected to that dead person, then gather their hearts and offer them. A task not easily done, but if completed, the Outer God of Eternity would surely grant the wish.
‘The Moon Lord Aheta desired the creation of the strongest living being.’
That was why the Temple of Eternity was renamed to the Temple of Death. Originally, the temple did not belong to Aheta, but to the Outer God of Eternity. However, in order to grant Aheta’s wish, both the name and the purpose of the temple were changed.
― “Create for me the strongest species, one that surpasses the Twelve Races.”
― “To create the strongest species, the necessary materials are specimens from all races connected to the Abyss. And one hundred million souls are needed.”
After that, Aheta waged wars across countless worlds to collect souls. When the collected souls were brought to the Temple of Death, the Outer God used them directly to craft the ‘strongest species.’
To grant immortality, revive the dead, and even create new beings, his authority could rightly be compared to that of a creator. An absolute power no one could dare to approach!
‘Of course, fulfilling a wish doesn’t mean happiness will follow.’
The emperor obtained immortality, but his empire was destroyed. He became the enemy of the world and was sealed away forever. And the older brother who resurrected his younger sibling?
After gathering the hearts of every blood relative and even dying himself to complete the wish, the resurrected younger brother resented the older one who had massacred all their kin, and took his own life.
Aheta’s wish was no different. Though the strongest species was created, the master of that species was not Aheta, but the Outer God.
Wishes are granted. But they never lead to a happy ending. Rather, they end in the worst possible way. Because the materials required to fulfill a wish are, in fact, the very things that bring the greatest misfortune to the one making the wish.
It was a kind of ‘equivalent exchange.’ There was no wish that could not be fulfilled, but the greater the wish, the greater the cost. If one wished for happiness, they would instead be met with misfortune.
‘Three times without needing any preparation. The wish can be granted instantly.’
However, a ‘price’ wasn’t always necessary. The Outer God of Eternity could grant wishes without conditions, but only three times in total.
That was his ultimate power. He could even arbitrarily set the cost. So, he would erase the status ailment ‘terminal condition,’ seize the soul of that one and the sealing sphere containing White Whale Charpham.
And then, using the body of the ‘strongest species,’ he would lead the Abyss to ruin.
‘Though it’s the third and final use, it’s still a profitable trade.’
Especially if he could control the ‘Dimensional Encountered One, White Whale Charpham’, that alone was worth spending all three wishes. Due to being sealed, it seemed his memory wasn’t complete, but White Whale Charpham was a being who brought shivers even within the Great Rift.
A body so immense it could devour an entire world. He possessed the mystique to freely cross dimensions, and most of all, his ‘Absolute Domain’ could freeze all nearby worlds just by being deployed. However, that wasn’t what made White Whale most terrifying.
‘God Eater!’
A god who devours gods. White Whale was one of the beings they feared the most. And so, a question lingered. How had White Whale been sealed? Did a sealing vessel capable of containing him truly exist?
‘If I erase the status ailment, I’ll find out.’
It was just a status ailment, after all. A terminal condition. Apparently set to die once a certain time passed.
‘A curse, perhaps?’
That seemed most likely. To think someone would come to him simply because they couldn’t remove a petty curse. Still, if White Whale hadn’t been able to devour it, it must’ve been a highly advanced curse.
Not that it mattered much. There was no wish his authority couldn’t fulfill.
However…
‘…It wasn’t erased?’
The wish was not granted. Even though he had used his final power, there should’ve been no limitation on the type of wish that could be fulfilled. If it had merely been ‘nullified,’ he wouldn’t have been this dumbfounded. The ‘authority’ had clearly been activated, and yet, it vanished without granting the wish.
This had never happened before.
“‘Reaper of Death’…?”
Moreover, the appearance of the ‘Reaper’ above the human defied comprehension. He had clearly introduced himself as Death. But there is no such thing as a ‘Reaper of Death.’
The term ‘reaper’ already signifies the god of death. There would be no need to redundantly mention death. Besides, reapers were meant to exist to mediate the balance of the Abyss. They were more like laws, beings without individual will, except for a few high-ranking ones. Above all, there could not exist a reaper who arbitrarily speaks of ‘death’ without being bound by rules!
【How laughable. Did you think such a petty trick could erase me?】
Laughable?
Not only did it possess self-awareness, but even emotions.
Was there ever a reaper of this class?
“…Why is a reaper like you residing in a mere human’s body?”
The status ailment ‘terminal condition’, its true form was that very reaper.
The Outer God tensed.
Even he could not comprehend what was happening. A reaper of unfathomable hierarchy was residing in a human just to kill them. Even going so far as to nullify a ‘wish.’
But it made no sense. The concept of death should not apply to a wish. A wish yet to be granted, one that had no substance, could not be killed.
And yet, it died. It was completely annihilated.
【Because this human’s death must be guaranteed.】
What was that supposed to mean? Guarantee a human’s death? Would something catastrophic happen if he didn’t die?
What kind of human could seal White Whale Charpham and have such a reaper attached?
【But your soul is not radiant. It looks tasteless.】
That moment—
Rumble!
The world collapsed.
‘Where…?’
He looked around. Before he knew it, the Outer God of Eternity was beyond the threshold. The ‘door’ in front of him was covered in countless teeth, licking its lips hungrily.
The Outer God instinctively frowned. He immediately realized what that door signified.
‘You’ve brought me death?’
He was immortal. He existed as a being of rank, not of life. Naturally, he should not be able to die. And yet that reaper had brought death to an undying being.
Now he understood.
‘I’ve touched something I should never have touched…!’
Just how foolish his choice had been. That wasn’t a mere embodiment of death, but death itself. The true death that brings an end to everything.
Still, one thing remained puzzling. Why would such a powerful reaper lie in wait just to kill a single human?
If it wanted, it could kill him instantly or could it not? Was it waiting because it couldn’t? Because that human’s class surpassed even that of the ‘Reaper of Death’?
‘Absurd!’
That was impossible.
No such existence could exist. Yet, everything about this human, from beginning to end, was anything but normal.
The ‘door’ beyond the threshold crept closer, moment by moment.
He couldn’t move. His whole body had frozen from experiencing the concept of ‘death’ for the first time. The ‘wish’ he had made was reversing upon him. He tried to erase death, only to receive death in return.
“Ah…!”
A thought flashed through his mind like a life flashing before his eyes.
He understood. He perceived it. What that reaper was. Why it sought to kill him. Because he tried to erase the terminal condition and save the human, it was now killing him. That absolute death existed solely for the death of that human. In other words—
“Just who are you? Who implanted a reaper of your caliber into a human’s body? Who wished for this human’s absolute death…!”
Someone had made a wish and implanted it. And the total value of that wish far surpassed any that the ‘Outer God of Eternity’ could grant. Its purpose was to obliterate anything that interfered with the human’s death, or tried to erase the ‘terminal condition,’ through the very concept of ‘death.’
…But who? Who had wished for such an ‘ultimate wish’ for the death of a single human?
Just imagining the value they must’ve offered to achieve it was unthinkable.
And then, Death spoke.
【It was ‘Truth.’】
That was the end.
Gulp!
【Hmm, as expected, tasteless.】
* * *
Ding!
『The ‘Outer God of Eternity’ has been annihilated.』
『The ‘Temple of Eternity’ and its domain within the creative Abyss ‘The Third Night’ are now reclaimed.』
『A ‘Unique Achievement’ has been unlocked!』
『All participants receive a ‘Death Box.’』
『This is a blessing sent by the ‘Unique Achievement Holder.’ By bowing your head with gratitude, participants may receive an additional ‘Death Box.’』
『Furthermore, based on the number of participants who bow in gratitude, the ‘Unique Achievement Holder’ will also receive additional ‘Death Boxes.’』
『You have acquired the ‘Essence of the Outer God.’』
『The ‘Essence of the Outer God’ purifies all of the temple.』
『You gain 3 Class Level Points.』
『The ‘Essence of the Outer God’ has completed the class hidden trait ‘Eternal Blade’!』
『You have obtained the ‘Death God Box.’』
『You have earned the title ‘Slayer of the Outer God.’』
『The remaining time on the status ailment ‘Terminal Condition’ has decreased.』
『You will die within 400 days.』
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