Chapter 523
In the space dominated by endless darkness, a heavy silence descended around the Round Table.
On the white marble Round Table, nine golden candles burned, but even their light seemed insufficient to push back the surrounding thick darkness.
The nine alchemists gathered around the Round Table were each engaged in their own actions.
One was endlessly observing a girl through shapes created by sand.
Another was gazing at the city of humans unfolding beyond the veil.
But what all the alchemists had in common was their concern for the intense battle unfolding beyond the veil.
Beyond the veil, the gray Reaper and the Mini Reapers were fighting the massive Black Giant, yet the situation was far from optimistic.
The Blue Girl wore a confident smile, almost like a painting, on her face.
But deep within her eyes, there was a faint trace of unease.
Her master, the alchemist, could vaguely see the anxiety hidden behind that smile.
Having watched his disciple for a long time, he could sense the unease.
He knew well the limits of the Blue Girl’s foresight.
Her foresight was like an incomplete map.
The starting and ending points were clear, but the journey in between was blurred.
It could show what actions would lead to what outcomes, but it couldn’t confirm if the actions were carried out correctly.
For small, simple things, her foresight was more than enough.
But for larger, more complex matters, it was somewhat unreliable. Such foresight often led to a different conclusion due to small errors.
Moreover, her somewhat carefree nature amplified the limitations of her foresight.
Sometimes, due to missing seemingly trivial but important details, her predictions would completely falter.
Yet, only she and her master were aware of this anxiety and limitation.
Perhaps because of this, the other members of the Round Table seemed to have been completely deceived by the Blue Girl’s confident expression.
The alchemist looked at his disciple with a worried gaze.
Had she perhaps missed something this time?
Had she strayed from the path that foresight had shown of victory?
But now, it was too late for such worries.
Everything had already begun to move, and they could only watch the results unfold.
In the midst of this atmosphere, breaking the heavy silence, the King of Alchemists spoke.
His voice carried the weight of many years.
“Now that all nine of the Contracted Ones have awakened…”
He slowly surveyed the room as he spoke.
“It seems it is time to discuss our true purpose.”
At his words, the alchemists who had been gazing beyond the black veil turned their heads one by one.
The two alchemists who had been watching the images in the sand also withdrew their gazes and turned toward the King.
The space was filled with tense anticipation.
“There must be a reason we’ve summoned this Round Table, originally intended for cases of complete failure, at this very moment.”
The King’s gaze fixed on the Blue Girl.
“I want to hear that reason, final alchemist.”
All eyes were on the Blue Girl.
She slowly rose from her seat.
Instead of her usual playful smile, her face was now serious.
She extended her hand into the air, and glowing alchemical symbols began to bloom.
Intricate patterns danced in the air, moving as though they were alive.
But upon closer inspection, the alchemical symbols were imperfect.
There were gaps here and there, and some circuits were broken.
“Let’s create alchemy, for the last time.”
The Blue Girl’s voice echoed.
“The final traces of our destroyed world, the ultimate alchemy… and the alchemy that allows an imperfect artificial god to ascend to the place of the true god.”
She slowly scanned the room, meeting the eyes of each alchemist.
Each alchemist looked back at her with eyes full of various emotions.
“Truly the greatest alchemists of all time, the nine gathered here, creating the greatest alchemy!”
The nameless alchemical formula floating in the air seemed to shine even brighter in response to her words.
The Halo of Death emerged in my mind.
The power to carve through everything my gaze touched, binding it to the Mini Reaper garden.
It was undoubtedly my strongest weapon.
Yet, even with that, the Halo of Death failed to land a decisive blow on the Black Giant.
Could it be because the Black Giant’s rank was too immense?
Or was it because the Black Giant’s imperfect Halo shared similar power with my Halo of Death?
The grotesque figure of the Black Giant was truly formidable.
It didn’t merely change shape like the black Reapers but altered its nature and hid within the space itself.
The First Sword’s slash melted into black liquid, and the orange Reaper’s probability manipulation was torn apart.
The ghostly form of the golden horn Reapers lost their immaterial nature as soon as they approached the Black Giant.
It was the sheer irrationality of breaking all abilities with two clenched fists.
There was no visible way to win, but I gritted my teeth and poured everything I could into the battle.
In this unfavorable battlefield, the massive Blue Reaper, pierced through the heart, looked back at me.
They were the ones with the least evasion abilities, so it was expected.
“Mom, hang in there!”
Even though they must have been in excruciating pain, they left those words for me.
While melting away, they handed over the wood and Halo they had left and tried to smile bravely.
Heehee.
It was a smile that, though completely out of place with the Blue Reaper, was strangely memorable, twisted and battered as their face was.
“I’m sorry, Mom, for being weak.”
As I sent my will, I covered my head with the Halo left by the Blue Reaper.
Both the Halo of Death and the Halo of Command now shone brilliantly above me.
The remaining Mini Reapers melted into the Black Giant’s hands.
The red Reapers who had shouted for revolution.
The orange Reapers who flew around with grumpy faces.
The yellow Reapers and Mingming, who fought using their Halos.
The sprout Reapers who distorted time at will.
The purple Reapers who became the last massive Mini Reapers.
The First Sword fusion and the anglerfish fusion.
Even the Hug Reaper, who feared the Black Giant but still fought in the battlefield.
The bleached Reaper who fought alongside me in fusion.
Every single Mini Reaper melted away.
As the wood and Halo were left behind, I murmured my apologies and bore their burdens.
One by one, the Halos were placed above my head.
As they passed two, it felt like my whole body was about to shatter, but I clenched my teeth.
The Mini Reapers must have been in even more pain.
One, two, three, four.
As the number of Halos grew, the pain intensified, but strangely, I could endure it.
Perhaps it was because of the will left by the Mini Reapers at the end.
I couldn’t say for sure.
In the crimson vision that clouded my mind, I continuously launched attacks at the Black Giant.
Halo of Death, space slicing, Command.
And when the last purple Reaper fell, and the Halo of Space was placed above my head, everything inside me burned away.
The empty gray body ceased to move.
The Black Giant slowly approached me.
“Ah, is this the end? If I had known, I would’ve played more with the kids.”
I moved my immobile gaze toward the sky and let my will flow.
“Yerin, I’m sorry.”
At that moment, a sharp sound cutting through the space echoed.
Click.
It was as though a long-missing cogwheel had finally clicked into place.
Then, a sensation like electricity coursing through my body flooded over me, and the Halo above my head began to spin with fierce momentum.
Was it because of the Halo of Death that carved through and bound everything to the Mini Reaper garden?
Or was there another reason?
The Halos shining above my head began to turn into brilliant golden light.
Like the setting sun dyeing the clouds, the light grew more vivid.
The wood that the Halos had absorbed began to pour back into my body.
And one sensation passed through me.
“This… is the true power of the Halo that the Mini Reapers felt.”
But the power of the Halo I was releasing was far beyond what the Mini Reapers could wield.
It was only natural.
No matter how much the Mini Reapers gathered, the amount of wood they could use had its limits.
A savage grin spread across my face as I faced the Black Giant.
“It’s my turn for Phase 2.”
My will echoed through the space, and the golden Halos above me shone even more brightly.
