Chapter 36

[Look at this! The analysis of the ancient iron plate that began 350 years ago has finally been completed today! By combining magic power memory restoration technology with magical engineering, we have been able to glimpse the ancient secrets contained within this small piece of iron!]

[Now, just bring the restoration device close like this…]

Restoration Result –

<St■ar, white sugar, cit■ic acid, synthetic sweet■ner, le■on juice concentrate 4%>

“It tastes bad.”

I casually tossed the empty can aside.

No one’s going to recycle it anyway.

Noah looked a bit hurt, but bad taste is bad taste.

Who expects canned food flavor in a drink?

It’s too sour to even finish.

Anyway, enough chit-chat. Time to get to work.

I asked Noah to observe the Dimension.

While killing Dimension Beastmen, I noticed something.

Unlike other lifeforms, absorbing Beastmen causes abilities related to Dimension Power to grow.

The amount of Dimension Power I could absorb also showed a clear change.

It feels like a new path has opened.

I realized hunting Dimension Beasts is far more helpful than hunting regular lifeforms.

[How… should I tell you the direction?]

Noah cautiously asked.

After a moment of thought, I raised my hand and pointed.

“This is east.”

In this world, the sun doesn’t rise.

Strictly speaking, there’s no sun.

Day and night exist only as concepts.

At some point, a light source appears, the light goes out, darkness comes, and the darkness disperses—a repeating cycle.

So, directions don’t exist either.

At least, not until now.

“And behind me is west.”

As if agreeing with my words, the sky twitched.

With a crack, the distant clouds split, forming a cross.

…Why is it splitting?

“To the sides are north and south, and this is called the four cardinal directions. Use this as a reference to tell me the location…”

Grooooooo-

I looked up.

From the split sky, something was descending as if to crush the entire world.

I felt a bit dazed.

…What the hell.

Yeah, I kind of expected this.

Belva once said that part of the Watcher’s role is to hide primitive Dimensions where civilizations haven’t yet formed.

A kind of benefit for Dimensions that can’t yet protect themselves.

And Noah, the new Watcher, is clumsy in many ways.

Nowhere near as capable as Belva.

She couldn’t even take care of herself properly, so there’s no way she could manage a Dimension correctly.

Of course, I didn’t expect her to perform her role well.

That’s why I was prepared.

Finishing my judgment, I shouted.

“Close it, quick!”

The barrier of weakened power that Belva had set up shattered like glass.

Beyond it, a massive pillar of light descended.

Though far away, the heat it generated reached us here.

Shaking off the burning sensation, I gathered all my strength and stomped the ground.

I had to stop it.

I didn’t know what would come down that pillar, but judging by the energy and the momentum, a direct confrontation would be reckless.

I pulled a spear from the Void Space.

Flying at near-sonic speed, I calculated the timing.

The power from the light pillar was growing stronger.

The closer I got, the harder it was to keep my eyes open against the scorching wind.

I closed them and spread my Dimension Power.

The spread Dimension Power strangely bent and slid past the light pillar as it approached.

[It’s closed…!]

The next moment.

A red eye symbol flashed in the sky, and the connection between the outside and the light pillar was severed.

Too late.

The power from the pillar showed no signs of diminishing and continued to grow.

Something was descending from within it.

Carrying an immeasurable amount of power.

Completely unguarded.

My calculations were done.

Taking a deep breath, I threw the spear with all my might.

Kwaaaaang!

The spear, reddened from friction, flew at a terrifying speed, piercing the descending entity and landing far away.

“Is it dead?!”

Belva, who had fluttered her wings and approached, asked.

“No. It’s tougher than I thought.”

The light pillar was gone, but the light remained.

Crackling currents of energy could be felt from afar.

The astonishing thing is, even that immense power is merely a spiritual entity that crossed Dimensions.

Just like what I did, it’s a spiritual entity imbued with power.

Yet it overwhelms everything in this world.

Having done something similar, I could somewhat gauge its level.

That thing is worthy of being called a God.

Or maybe it really is a God from some Dimension.

[■■■■ ■■! ■■■ ■■■■■!]

It’s a language I can’t understand.

Ignoring it, I drew my sword.

The next moment, a sharp sensation made me tilt my head.

A thin, razor-sharp lightning bolt pierced through where my head had been, extending endlessly like a thorn.

Seeing and reacting…

This is too much.

Let’s assume there’s no range limit to the attack either.

Then, the stance I should take is psychological warfare and close combat.

First, I need to charge into that.

As the tip of the lightning bolt that shot out again split slightly, I caused an explosion behind me.

I seized the timing of the spreading lightning and charged in.

My vision went dark for a moment, but it wasn’t a fatal wound.

It was manageable with my recovery ability.

My body accelerated and flew forward.

The sword in my hand.

I compared the energy contained in the lightning with the total amount of strength I could muster.

At the same time, I judged.

I will win.

Kwoong-

The blade, poured with all my Magic Power, collided with the lightning, causing a massive explosion.

Simultaneously, I adjusted my body’s angle, floating into the air instead of being pushed back.

Then, calculating the timing to land again, I coated the shattered sword with a long aura.

Perhaps my brain was shaken by the impact, as the aura’s durability weakened, creating a long tail of fire as it was shaved off during the fall.

It doesn’t matter.

After all, it was a technique that showed sufficient power even with a minimal amount of aura.

By the time it had shrunk to the size of a Dagger, I saw the figure fixed on the spear I had thrown.

It seemed that the crackling current had compressed and compressed, eventually forming a single shape.

The spear had Dimension Power condensed to its limit.

If the creature had come as a spirit, I thought it would be vulnerable to others’ Dimension Power, so I tried this attack.

It produced a much better result than expected.

But the terrifying thing was that it not only withstood the Dimension Power swirling along the spear’s blade but was gradually pushing it back.

So, it was firing lightning wildly in that state.

It was an astonishingly strong enemy.

Feeling gratitude for the sudden coincidence, I thrust the aura sword into the creature’s heart.

Pook.

[■■■■──── ──!!!]

The creature had no eyes, but somehow I could feel its gaze.

Surprise. Anger. Confusion. Chaos.

It was revealing its emotions to me without filter.

Immediately after, the current that came through the sword began to numb all my senses, but it was already too late.

[Attribute Unification]

As I whispered, my body gradually transformed into pure lightning.

In that state, I grabbed both the spear and the sword.

Through the creature’s body, Dimension Power and aura slowly fused.

Since it was merely a spirit without a physical form, a massive energy core began to form at its center.

In that situation, its action was simple.

With astonishing control, it forcibly stopped the collapsing energy within itself.

I didn’t think it was possible.

But before the confusion, my brain commanded action.

I reached out toward the halted core.

Two types of lightning intertwined, causing a clash of power.

The side pushing and the side entering.

Both were desperate.

If I’m pushed back here, it’s over.

I no longer have the strength to resist the power it’s spreading.

I squeezed out all my strength and kept pushing.

Perhaps because it was entangled, all sorts of voices swirling within it came to me as one.

Just as it could see me, I could see it.

In the process, I could see how great and magnificent the lightning before me was.

But what does it matter?

Death is fair to everyone.

But it’s not equal.

The day my piano teacher, who taught me as a child, died.

That day, a traffic accident occurred in front of the school, killing a newlywed couple in their 30s.

The two are not fundamentally different.

But the children talked and thought about the dead newlywed couple.

Probably no one thought about the piano teacher who died after a battle with cancer.

And to me, the teacher’s death felt incomparably sadder and more important than the couple’s.

This is fundamentally different.

It’s not equal.

The world is basically first-person.

Then, the value of death will also change based on me.

Within that standard.

I am more important than anything.

My life is absolute.

My single life holds much greater value than all the lives in all dimensions combined.

Saying so, I chuckled.

Defiantly.

[Do you understand?]

[You─ dare─! A lowly primitive life like you, belittling me─!]

Crack!

Finally, I crushed the small core I had grasped in my hand.

Then, the creature almost convulsed, letting out a thunderous roar.

[I, the great divine punishment, will never forgive you─]

Guwoong-

And soon, a chilling wave spread silently, silencing all noise.