The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2 Chapter 633

The death of the Giant.

The foretold death of the Dragon.

The moment he heard the fate of the two Rulers, Residue found it difficult to be sure whether wearing the mask had been the right decision.

Because he couldn’t even guess what kind of expression he was making.

Clack-

So he simply took off the mask.

Along with a sense of relief, he could no longer understand why he had kept wearing it until now.

In the first place, hiding his identity didn’t suit him, nor did he want to do it. Therefore, Residue decided to regard his previous choice as merely a whim.

As he fumbled and touched his face, he realized that his expression was subtly stiff. But even that wasn’t enough to know for sure.

Residue looked around in search of a mirror, but in this shabby room, there wasn’t even one. With no other option, he spoke to the only other person in the room.

“What kind of expression is this body making right now?”

“What?”

“I mean my expression, my expression. What kind of face am I making now?”

Gamzard was flustered by the sudden question, but soon replied.

“It’s a bit stiff.”

“Be more specific.”

“…The corners of your mouth are twitching slightly, and your eyebrows are drawn together. Your eyelids seem to be trembling a bit too.”

“Puhaha.”

Residue couldn’t hold back and burst into a hearty laugh.

“In other words, I’m making a moronic face.”

“…You. I remember that face.”

Gamzard’s gaze changed.

“Absolute Lukas Trowman. From what I heard, you hadn’t served any Ruler for a very long time. So what changed to make you the Lightning God’s subordinate?”

There was a deep sense of disappointment in his voice. That, too, was an unpleasant misunderstanding. To expect on one’s own, to misunderstand on one’s own, and to be disappointed on one’s own? Ꞧà𝐍ȏ𐌱Ɛʂ

Of course, he was not Lukas Trowman, but even if Lukas were really standing here, there would be no reason to receive disappointment from an Absolute he didn’t even know.

Ah. Perhaps not a complete stranger? Anyway.

“What this body is about shouldn’t matter. Or what. Is it such a problem that I supposedly follow the Lightning God now? So much so that you can’t accept me as a new member of this city?”

Gamzard remained silent.

Was this a late-blooming conflict? That, too, was a changed aspect. Come to think of it, it had always been so. Gamzard was an Absolute with a rough disposition. He represented the radical faction, so it was natural. However, ever since meeting Residue, this guy had continuously shown more agitation than necessary.

Even now.

In the eyes watching Residue, a sense of caution could be glimpsed.

At a glance, one might think Gamzard had become more difficult to handle, but Residue smiled, revealing his thoughts.

There’s no one easier to read than someone trying clumsily to be cautious.

“Then shall this body speak first?”

“Speak about what.”

“This body also confirmed the death of the Sun God.”

Residue stood up.

And while glancing at Gamzard, who only followed him with his eyes, he paced about the cramped room.

“There was a corpse at the place where Destruction appeared. A coincidence, perhaps. I say ‘coincidence’ because this body had been suspicious of the Giant’s death from the beginning.”

That had been the case even before he came to Sin City.

“Of course, the Giant has a passionate and fierce side. Most Absolutes seem to regard him as the most moderate Ruler or something like that, but he’s actually a guy more than worthy of his name.”

“……”

“But even such a Sun God would have had no choice but to become cautious in front of Destruction.”

The Ruler who would welcome Destruction the most, no matter what anyone said, would have been the Lightning God. Yet even that Lightning God did not respond aggressively to Destruction’s appearance.

In other words, it means he didn’t rush in to fight immediately.

“So, from there, two assumptions can be made. One is that the Giant had a reason he couldn’t avoid fighting Destruction… That’s why he didn’t stop to witness the precious opportunity of two Destructions fighting each other, and threw himself into their battle.”

In other words, it could be called resignation.

Residue extended another finger.

“The other possibility is, the Giant was not actually killed by Destruction.”

Residue and Gamzard’s gazes intertwined in midair.

“And here’s one more coincidence. Before this body came here, I encountered Absolutes who harbored the ambitious aspiration of killing a Ruler.”

“……”

Gamzard,

Said nothing.

There wasn’t even a change in his expression.

At this moment, even Residue couldn’t easily tell what he was thinking.

An impenetrable silence passed, and then Gamzard spoke first.

“The Sun God was different from other Rulers.”

It was a snort-worthy remark.

Because those words could be applied to every other Ruler as well.

The Lightning God is different from other Rulers, the Demon God is different from other Rulers. The same goes for the Dragon.

“Do you know what the Sun God most desired?”

“Who knows.”

Rulers had an astonishing lack of interest in one another. Naturally, they knew nothing about the long-cherished wishes each one held deep in their hearts.

In fact, until the Dragon revealed his will, the other Rulers hadn’t given much thought to the “Void World” and likely didn’t know that the Lightning God was manufacturing powerful beings.

It wasn’t so much that it was hidden, but rather that they simply had no interest, so it never entered their view.

Rulers seemed to resemble one another on the surface, but at their core, they were completely different beings. Sometimes, it was to the extent that their overwhelming strength was the only common trait to be found.

“Do you know about the Giant’s origin?”

“A member of the giant race, born from a planetary womb. Some call them the Titans.”

“That’s right. Even in the Three Thousand Worlds, they were extremely rare, a race born inherently within the domain of Absolutes. Across the entire universe, there may not be another race stronger than them, and the Giant was a mutant even among that mighty race.”

“So what.”

“He was not like the other Rulers.”

It didn’t mean he wasn’t powerful.

Residue narrowed his eyes.

“The Dragon, the Demon God, the Lightning God. They are independent entities that cannot be grouped by race.”

That much is true.

Residue still didn’t know what Gamzard was scheming, but he admitted that he was at least somewhat drawn into his words.

This was also evidence that Residue had changed. Originally, if something didn’t pique his interest, even if it were somewhat related to himself, he would’ve let it go in one ear and out the other. But now, it was different.

Residue had come to take interest in even past relationships.

“Would you believe it if I said the Giant harbored loneliness?”

“…What?”

“That mighty and absolute Ruler always carried loneliness in a corner of his heart. There was guilt and regret too. Because the universe melted away with his birth, and his own kin could not escape death.”

“……”

Kin.

Amidst all these shocking statements, for some reason that word etched itself most powerfully into Residue’s mind.

“It was a wish he could never achieve. Do you know? The Titans the Giant had killed, those whose traces didn’t even remain in the Three Thousand Worlds. The ones the Sun God spent his life searching for still existed in our opposite world.”

“The Void World.”

Gamzard nodded.

“But ‘kin’ is not a one-sided concept. Even if the Giant considered them kin, if they rejected him, then it could never be realized. Though he finally found the Titans, they could not accept the mutant who far exceeded their potential.”

“……”

“You seem to suspect that we killed the Giant, so let me be clear. The moment the Giant died was then.”

The Sun God.

Though grouped together under the label of Ruler, looking back, Residue realized he didn’t know much about him. Was he even qualified to call him a brother?

Residue could not understand the sense of loss the Giant must have felt the moment he was rejected by his kin. He couldn’t understand it, but he also couldn’t mock it, because he too had experienced hell in his own way. He knew that things so painful you’d want to die do, in fact, exist in this world.

A Ruler is not a perfect being. There is no such thing as a perfect being under the sky.

That’s why Residue wasn’t completely surprised by the Sun God’s vulnerable side.

“After that, the Giant suddenly looked down upon the ones below. Perhaps it was the first time he truly faced the Absolutes.”

“……”

“There were those who had been called gods, demons, or monsters in their respective worlds. Those who could never return home, never see their families or kin again, countless ‘little giants’ were there.”

Residue examined Gamzard’s expression.

Within his calmness, there was a trace of excitement, a hint of exhilaration.

“The conclusion is.”

“His heart was already dead, and only his flesh remained alive. And the Giant carved out his own heart to create the brightest sun. He wished that the ‘Absolutes’, the ‘drifters of the universe’, the ‘little giants’, at least would have a home, would have kin. And he decided to become their symbol.”

He suddenly looked up. Only the ceiling was visible, but Residue’s gaze was undoubtedly reaching the sun beyond it.

Yes. That wasn’t something clumsy or hastily made that you could call an artificial sun.

Unexpectedly, the Giant had already performed the role Residue had hoped he would fulfill.

At the cost of his own death.

“What a beautiful story.”

He voiced his honest thoughts.

He had heard surprising facts and learned truths he hadn’t known before.

But he felt that this story was merely the prologue.

“Do you believe everything I said?”

Gamzard asked, wearing a curious expression instead.

“Of course. With such clear evidence, why bother doubting?”

“…Convincing the Absolutes who’ve set foot in the Top Universe is no easy task. Especially about this. They can’t easily accept the fact that Rulers have a weak side.”

“……”

“But, I see. Lukas Trowman. You’re one of the very few Absolutes who genuinely targeted the Rulers. Since you didn’t view them as divine beings to be revered in the first place, it makes sense that you can accept what I’m saying without difficulty.”

Convenient interpretation.

Residue didn’t bother correcting Gamzard’s amusing misunderstanding this time either. He had faced many annoying situations from being mistaken for Lukas, but this time was an exception.

“Then shall we move on to the next story?”

“Let’s. The reason the Dragon must die is-”

“No. Before that.”

Residue slowly walked over and plopped down beside Gamzard. Then, as Gamzard looked at him questioningly, he suddenly covered his mouth.

Crackle.

At the moment Gamzard’s eyes widened, the current of lightning flowing from Residue passed through his palm and invaded Gamzard’s throat.

“…! ……!”

The lightning current poured in like a waterfall, circulating through Gamzard’s entire body like blood. It all happened in an instant, without a single commotion.

As Residue lifted his hand away, Gamzard gasped for breath.

“Huff, huff…!”

“Now. With just a flick of this body’s fingers, I can erase you.”

“W-what did you do…?”

“There was one thing I was most curious about. From the moment this body laid eyes on this city, I felt discomfort. Even while walking its streets, I was so irritated I thought I’d go mad.”

He had learned the truth about the sun.

If that alone were the entirety of the hidden truth, there’d be no reason for Residue to feel discomfort.

But Residue did feel it. He was irritated and annoyed.

Even though he wore a smiling face, the heat boiling within was hard to contain.

Residue asked the one question that had most troubled him.

“So under the sun made from the Giant’s heart, what exactly are you people doing?”

*****

For more chapters visit - https://www.patreon.com/tgmalpha