The Great Mage Returns after 4000 Years – Chapter 206 – Hell (3)
Translator: Seven
Editors: Ana_Banana, Yahiko
“I’m human, I can’t go to Hell.”
“You don’t have to be so stiff around me.”
When Frey didn’t respond, Lucifer shrugged.
“You don’t really think that, do you? Are you afraid that you wouldn’t be able to perform the dimensional leap?”
Lucifer’s movements were exaggerated, and he had a strange way of speaking. Nevertheless, his gaze was sharp.
That was the reason why Frey was unable to relax.
Dimensional leap.
He’d never tried it for himself, but in his heart, Frey agreed with Lucifer’s words.
He knew that his soul had already transcended human standards. Even the turbulence that he would encounter during a dimensional leap would affect him.
Just like he’d been able to send Apep to the Slaughter Hell in the past, it was also possible for the current Frey.
But that didn’t mean that all of the problems had been solved.
“Even if my soul can withstand it, my body can’t. My body would be torn apart like a piece of paper.”
“That’s not a problem either.”
“What do you mean?”
Lucifer burst out into laughter.
“Are you sure you don’t know? Great Mage, I’m sure you can feel the changes occurring in your soul.”
“You talk as though you know me well.”
“It’s not from observation. I don’t have that much free time.”
“…”
“Can you tell who told me?”
Frey’s eyes shook.
He didn’t answer that question either. But the image of a purple-haired woman subconsciously appeared in his mind.
Frey sighed deeply.
“Transcendent.”
“Huhu!”
Lucifer laughed happily and nodded.
The Demigods’ true self. It was easy to understand if one thought about Agni, who had a body made of fire.
The boundary between body and soul was not present. Even if their organs exploded or their limbs were torn off, their bodies could be constantly and quickly regenerated as long as they still had mental power.
For transcendent bodies, normal physical attacks were pointless. Magic, and even divine power, was the same.
To deal a proper blow to a transcendent, one had to use a high level technique to reach their ‘core’.
“You can also become transcendent.”
Frey knew that.
He put his hand on his chest.
At some point, he’d begun feeling that his body was unnecessary. It felt cumbersome, like it was holding him back.
He also knew that he could throw away this body if he wanted. He could get a ‘freedom’ that he’d never felt before in his life. He could feel a sense of fullness that the feeling he had now would never be able to compare to.
Frey knew that he could be like that at some point.
“You have already surpassed the class of humans. So why are you still clinging to your body?”
Lucifer asked this question with genuine curiosity.
Frey’s mouth twisted.
In all honesty, it was because he wasn’t confident. He didn’t know what changes he would experience after truly becoming a transcendent being.
It was possible that he’d become completely different to how he was now. Even his way of thinking might change.
He was scared. He wasn’t sure if he’d still consider himself a human at that time, or how he would feel towards them.
Frey loved humans, but at the same time, he hated them.
He knew of their extremely contradictory nature better than anyone else. He knew that there were just as many bad people as there were good.
What if he only focused on the former after becoming a transcendent being? What if he could no longer see the bright side of man?
When he became transcendent, Frey believed that his vision would be much higher than it was now. It would be almost impossible for him to see the humans below him. Even if he bent his back as much as he could, he would never be able to see their expressions. And no matter how he stretched his ears, their desperate cries would never reach him.
He would become a new level of existence.
Would he even be himself anymore?
“Hmmm.”
Lucifer’s expression changed for the first time.
The relaxed expression that he had up to that point disappeared, replaced by a bit of surprise and frustration.
“Foolish. It has already been determined. You are destined to abandon humanity in the end.”
“…”
Frey took Lucifer’s words to mean two things.
He would abandon his humanity. Or abandon the human race.
Both were obviously things that he never wanted to happen. Nevertheless, the moment he heard it, his heart became heavy.
He felt that those words were like a prophecy that couldn’t be denied.
“Chrysalis. That’s the best word to describe your current state. You’re already ready to spread your wings. So why aren’t you flying? Why are you still focused on the days when you crawled across the ground? Do you think you can go back to being a caterpillar? No. You can’t!”
Lucifer’s voice was filled with a strange emotion.
“Evolution or destruction. You have to pick between them. The cocoon will eventually rot, and your body will rot with it. That’s not the end you want, is it?”
He would die as a human.
Lucifer didn’t want to say such terrible words. Instead, he looked at Frey with eyes filled with anticipation. There was even a faint hint of affection in his gaze.
He couldn’t help it.
He had been alive for a frightening amount of time. Except for God, there was no one else in the universe who’d been alive as long as he had. He was the oldest creation.
Lucifer also knew more about the structure of the world than anyone else. In other words, he knew the laws and order.
The core of these laws was ‘class’.
All living beings were placed in a class from birth. It could be called a brand.
Frey was a human. Even though he had power that far surpassed humans, he was still classified as a human.
It was the same even when he was the Great Mage, Lukas Trowman. Even though he reached 9 stars, he was still mortal.
He was still inferior to the Rulers of Hell and the Demigods.
In a sense, that was the limit of a human.
But Frey had raised his class. He far surpassed the limit of power that humans could possess.
He broke the limit.
In truth, this result came from a series of coincidences. But Lucifer didn’t care about the process. The only thing he paid attention to was the result.
This human in front of him had accomplished something that was unprecedented in thousands, no, tens of thousands of years.
Lucifer greatly admired Frey’s feat and praised him sincerely. It even made him uncharacteristically excited.
The ‘possibility’ that Frey’s existence revealed was simply astonishing.
It was natural for him to have a lot of curiosity towards him.
He was curious about this human who managed to break the ‘law’. And just what thoughts he had in his mind.
But right after he finally met this person and talked for a brief moment, he was overwhelmed by disappointment.
‘Lingering affection.’
Frey was still deeply attached to the human race.
He shouldn’t have been. Such personal affection was not a virtue that a transcendent being needed to have.
“Become transcendent, Lukas.”
Lucifer spoke with a serious expression.
“I know you have an aversion towards transcendent beings. It’s only natural since you’ve only experienced the Demigods’ behaviour.”
“…”
“However, you should have realised. They don’t have the dignity worthy of their long lives. They are just pathetic. The Demigods have wasted their near infinite time, and they are now paying the price for it. Look! The fall of those arrogant beings who claimed to be the masters of the continent is at hand!”
Lucifer clenched his fist.
“You won’t be like that. The path you’ve taken so far proves that.”
“All of a sudden.”
Frey finally opened his mouth.
Lucifer looked at him in anticipation. But his expression became hard when he heard the words Frey said next.
“My friend’s advice comes to mind.”
“What is that?”
“They said that you should be especially careful when a demon starts wagging its tongue at you enthusiastically.”
“…”
The expression of Lucifer, which had been alight as he was talking passionately, quickly cooled down. The emotion disappeared from his face.
The change was so sudden that it would cause anyone to feel chills, but Frey didn’t shrink back.
Instead, he continued in a cold voice.
“What do you want?.”
Frey’s expression was as cold as his voice.
He didn’t trust Lucifer at all.
This would have been the case even if he hadn’t heard the truth from God.
“As you said, I will transcend humanity. Sooner or later… Perhaps it will be as you said. Perhaps.”
“Hoh.”
“However, in the end, that is my choice. Do you understand? It is a judgement that I will make for myself after careful consideration. Your words have no effect on my choice.”
Lucifer smiled coldly.
This smile was very different from the one he’d given before. However, Frey felt that this smile revealed his true intentions.
“I understand perfectly. Right. Every choice deserves respect. However, you should understand the reason why I want you to become transcendent as soon as possible. We have a common enemy. I just thought that you would like to increase our odds.”
“You mean Lord. He certainly is a common enemy between the Continent and Hell. But in my opinion, you and Lord are the same.”
He didn’t know what he was up to.
“Demons cannot exert their full strength here on the continent. We are of no threat to you.”
“I don’t know that.”
The Demigods had been able to avoid the law’s punishment by using a metal called Illuminium.
It was one of the laws that also restricted the demons when they entered the Mortal World. So he couldn’t say for sure whether they had a way to bypass it or not.
“Then let’s change the method of this negotiation a little.”
“Do you intend to threaten me?”
“You might see it that way.”
Lucifer’s lips spread to form a large, sinister smile.
“…”
Frey’s expression became hard when he heard his words.
* * *
[I’m sorry, Nozdog. You must have been busy, but I called you here.]
Nozdog shook his head at Lord’s words.
{It’s fine at the moment. The battle has entered a lull.}
[It’s only a matter of time.]
{Right.}
Nozdog nodded heavily.
Lord looked at his empty eye sockets and opened his mouth.
[I heard Ananta went into hibernation.]
{…It’s probable that his Apostle in Hitume Ikar was attacked. We were worried, but we didn’t expect it to happen so fast.}
[Right. It’s certainly a shame.]
Nozdog couldn’t help but feel a bit strange after hearing Lord’s voice.
‘Since when?’
Lord was accepting the death of his own people calmly.
He wasn’t like this before. He would be furious at the death of every single one of his people. As if he carried the anger of every single Demigod.
This was why the majority of Demigods felt a strong bond to Lord.
[Of the five of my people that I was closest with. You are the only one left, Nozdog.]
Nozdog felt two discrepancies in those words.
‘The ones he was closest to?’
Lord loved every Demigod equally. He never used a tone which seemed to favor one over the other. Even if he thought it, he would never say it directly.
And there was another thing.
{Lord, Ananta is still alive. He is just hibernating.}
[…ah. Right.]
Nozdog felt a strange sense of anxiety.
He couldn’t help but fall silent for a moment.
[Right. That’s true.]
Nozdog’s body was a skeleton. This meant he had no heart. But if he did, he was certain that it would practically jump out of his chest with how hard it would be beating at that moment.
[Head over to Hitume Ikar.]
{I don’t mind doing that, but… Will it be fine over here?}
If both Nozdog and Ananta were away, the power of the Demigods’ side would fall by at least half.
Lord was acting on his own, so he wouldn’t be able to help.
With just the others, even if only two Archdukes made a move, they would have a hard time.
[It’s fine. I have a plan.]
{…understood.}
Nozdog forcibly suppressed his anxiety.
Even when Lord absorbed Leyrin, his belief did not waver. Regardless of the consequences, he would listen to Lord’s will.
{What should I do after I get there?}
[There should be a being with a Dragon Heart there. Take him down. But don’t kill him.]
{…understood. Then I will brief the others and come back.}
Nozdog left after saying those words.
Lord’s gaze was elsewhere. It was like he was looking beyond Hell.
He was looking at the one who was probably his biggest obstacle.
[It must have been fun. Everything was going according to your plans.]
A smile appeared on his face.
[But it will be different from now on.]