The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years

Book 2 Chapter 638

"I."

Yang In-hyun opened his mouth.

"Don’t mind me."

What nonsense.

"An amusing opinion. How could we possibly not mind it when a member of the Twelve Void Lords is present here?"

"……."

Despite Residue’s somewhat aggressive tone, Yang In-hyun did not say a word.

Upon seeing Yang In-hyun again, he looked a little tired and, more than that, in a shabby state.

He always appeared neat and showed perfectionist tendencies, but now it seemed he didn’t care how he looked.

Yang In-hyun turned his head away entirely. It was an attitude that said he didn’t want to engage in troublesome questioning. Residue had no choice but to turn to Michael.

"Why is that man in the Underground City?"

[He came here a little over a month ago.]

…A little over a month ago?

Wasn’t that right after the Twelve Void Lords’ conference ended?

"Ah."

Residue let out a small exclamation as he recalled that time.

Come to think of it, that day, Residue wasn’t the only one injured by the Half King.

"I remember now. You got thoroughly beaten up by the Half King, didn’t you?"

"……."

"Didn’t your Everlasting Plum Sword, which you’ve honed all your life, fail to pierce even a single layer of the Half King's skin? Honestly, it makes sense that you'd be halfway broken."

Even as Residue spoke mockingly, there was no entertaining reaction.

Yang In-hyun wore an indifferent face and even lightly closed his eyes. His posture and demeanor suggested that he was entering serious meditation.

Residue considered provoking him more, but after glancing at the iron ball bound to his feet, he changed his tone.

"This is actually perfect timing. I lost consciousness and was curious how things have turned out. How did the Twelve Void Lords’ conference wrap up?"

"……."

He didn’t seem inclined to respond readily. More than that, it seemed he didn’t even consider Residue a conversation partner. Residue clicked his tongue at that lifeless expression. Ȑåȏ𝐛Ɛș

"Well now. It seems that one defeat has turned you into a loser to your very bones."

It was a thoughtless mutter, yet unexpectedly, Yang In-hyun opened his eyes and spoke slowly.

"Who’s a loser? I haven’t been completely defeated yet."

"Hmm?"

"I acknowledge the Half King’s strength. She’s a powerhouse on a level I’ve never encountered before. Honestly, her very existence borders on the unreasonable."

"……."

"Even so, she is a fabricated being. That means her experience is shallow, and she lacks a history built by her own hands. If there’s a weak spot to exploit, that would be it."

Looking again, a blazing fire surged beneath Yang In-hyun’s subdued eyes. It seemed he wasn’t a broken man, but someone who had simply let everything go to immerse himself in training.

Residue felt all his initial disappointment vanish.

"After the conference ended, did you set everything aside to focus solely on training? That’s certainly in line with the Everlasting Plum Sword. But it seems you haven’t achieved any meaningful results yet."

"A month is not a long time."

Once again, the interest vanished from Yang In-hyun’s face. Residue didn’t want to waste the attention he had finally drawn, so he smiled and said,

"It’s not a matter of time. I’m talking about completing the final form of the Everlasting Plum Sword."

"What?"

Yang In-hyun whipped his head around. It was the most intense reaction he’d shown so far.

A pressure that felt like it pierced the skin, much rougher than before, but all the stronger for it.

Residue smiled faintly.

That the Everlasting Plum Sword was incomplete, this was a fact even Lukas did not know.

But Residue knew. In Lukas’ ‘fourth life’, he had witnessed the duel between the Demon God and Yang In-hyun as the Thunderous Lightning God.

The ultimate form of the Everlasting Plum Sword that was shown then.

It was surely a clue to the next stage, something that the Yang In-hyun of ‘this timeline’ could never uncover even if he died and came back.

"How do you know about the Everlasting Plum Sword?"

"There are ways to know everything. Anyway, Michael. I’d like to hear about what’s happened in the meantime……."

"Look at me."

There was now an edge in the voice.

"Our conversation isn’t finished, is it?"

"You were acting so indifferent that I figured you weren’t interested in talking."

"……."

It was a blunt approach, but it successfully drew out Yang In-hyun’s interest or rather, his wariness. Risky, but far better than being ignored.

Residue let out a low chuckle and spread his arms.

"Well. Now the conditions for a conversation are in place. Seems we each have a few questions we want answered. If it’s alright, how about we prepare a place to resolve these doubts? What do you folks think?"

***

And so, the three of them gathered in one place.

Michael, Lord of the Underground City.

One of the Twelve Void Lords, Yang In-hyun.

And likewise one of the Twelve Void Lords, the Beginning Wizard─

"I'm not one of the Twelve Void Lords right now, am I?"

Or am I still?

Residue himself wasn’t sure. As he felt a sudden confusion about his identity, Yang In-hyun nodded calmly.

"That seems to be the case. I’ve heard that they’re holding another selection for the next Beginning Wizard in the Magic Planet."

"You’re aware of the situation in the Magic Planet?"

"Regrettably, that’s all I know. It’s such a closed-off place, after all."

"…Hmm."

The wizards in the Magic Planet.

They are extremely elite forces. Thanks to Mark Trowman’s foresight, they have been honing Self-righteousness since ancient times, and so they possess an indomitable spirit that does not succumb to the fear of Destruction.

If they could be utilized, they would be of great help in the fight against Destruction.

"I thought you had been killed by the Half King."

"Seems the Half King’s side said nothing about my fate."

"True. But the atmosphere around you seems to have changed."

Yang In-hyun remarked belatedly, and Michael nodded in agreement.

[There have been changes in the texture of your soul as well. What happened to you during this time?]

"Hmm."

Residue hesitated before speaking.

Do I really have to explain everything to these guys? Who I am, what happened, and what I’m currently aiming for.

Yang In-hyun probably doesn’t like the Lightning God. No, he would even despise him.

He’s a man who’s somewhat involved in the creation of ‘Residue’ in the first place. In the world of Void, the Lee Jong-hak this guy held captive, within him resided the remnant of the Lightning God. That remnant is the very origin of Residue.

To start with that, he would inevitably have to speak of his relationship with Lukas, and from there, he’d have no choice but to talk about Destruction and Mark Trowman…

Damn. This is bad. He already felt deathly bothered just thinking about it.

"If the story is going to be long, you don’t have to tell it."

While he was hesitating, Yang In-hyun was the first to say so.

Residue promptly nodded.

"Let’s do that for now. Then let’s get straight to the point. First, Michael. What happened in the Underground City right after the Great Fusion?"

Michael’s gaze slid down toward Residue’s ankle.

[Seeing those shackles and iron ball, it seems you've already had conflicts with the Absolutes of the 'Top Universe'.]

"That’s right."

[We were the same. After the worlds merged, we felt a powerful presence above the city. The Top Universe had settled in. They must have sensed our presence here too, as they immediately sent Absolutes and acted somewhat coercively.]

"Specifically?"

[They demanded absolute obedience.]

"……."

[It was a proposal we couldn’t easily follow, so we resisted, but we were no match.]

"So you were subdued like that."

Michael nodded.

The forces of the Underground City weren’t subpar, but the Top Universe is one of the most massive organizations that rule the current world. It had to be said that they faced a bad opponent.

[We could only hold out even a little thanks to the Everlasting Plum Sword’s help.]

"Oh."

That was unexpected.

"You helped Michael?"

Yang In-hyun replied expressionlessly.

"Didn’t I make a deal with you on that condition?"

Come to think of it, Lukas and Yang In-hyun did make such a deal.

"The condition was not to be hostile. I don’t recall ever asking for your help."

"To me, that wasn’t such a big difference."

…Does he actually have a bit of flexibility? Though oddly, his tone only made his rigid nature stand out even more.

"I see. So you learned of the Underground City’s crisis and came to help, which is good, but the Top Universe’s forces turned out to be stronger than expected, resulting in you ending up trapped here, is that it?"

"It wasn't the Top Universe that was tough. More precisely…"

Residue smiled sharply.

"The Red Knight."

"……."

"Yes. It seems we now share a common enemy."

"That wound on your chest."

Yang In-hyun’s gaze slowly drifted to Residue’s chest. Though covered by his robe, a scar of that magnitude always leaves marks that are hard to conceal. The man before him wasn’t someone who’d miss that.

"You were struck by the Red Knight."

"That’s right."

Yang In-hyun, deep in thought, muttered in a puzzled voice.

"…How strange."

"What is? I’m still weaker than the Four Knights."

"I know that."

"……."

That’s irritating.

Though he had brought it up first.

"Don’t you have the Blue Knight? She seemed to serve you almost like a king. Would she silently tolerate the Red Knight’s attack?"

"…Hmm. The Blue Knight no longer serves me as her king."

"What do you mean?"

"To explain that, I’d have to go into all the things I skipped earlier. It would take a long time."

"……."

This silence was longer than before.

After a while, Yang In-hyun spoke again.

"Then are you currently in a hostile relationship with the Blue Knight?"

Sharp.

It wasn’t just a broken relationship, it had deteriorated. And if the one in question was the Blue Knight, it was something that had to be addressed.

Residue spoke with a smile.

"Yes. I’m treated almost like a mortal enemy. If our eyes meet, she’ll try to kill me on the spot without hesitation."

"Hmm. Is the Lightning God perhaps involved in the reason it came to that?"

A naturally derived assumption.

The one the Blue Knight would resent the most is the Ruler, and Yang In-hyun is the one who witnessed Lukas making contact with Residue through Lee Jong-hak.

It wasn’t something particularly worth hiding, so he nodded.

"You could say that."

"Seems you don’t want to speak about it clearly."

"I told you- it’s a long story. And right now, what matters isn’t the Blue Knight. If you really want to know all the details, I have no reason not to tell you, so you decide."

As Residue replied with a rather obstinate tone, Yang In-hyun’s brow furrowed deeply. He seemed to be in mental conflict.

Residue left him to his thoughts and turned again to Michael.

"What happened to the residents of the Underground City? I could hardly sense any signs of life."

[More than half have died.]

"Hmm……."

Residue spoke as if he felt it proper to ask out of courtesy.

"Lesha?"

[She is unharmed.]

He didn’t see her at the cathedral.

Well. The Underground City isn’t exactly small, so it wouldn’t be strange if she were elsewhere.

"Did the residents die at the hands of the Absolutes?"

[That too, but a much greater portion got caught up in the aftermath of the Great Fusion.]

"Hmm. Then why are the Absolutes leaving the Underground City alone instead of erasing it?"

[…First of all.]

Michael spoke in a calm tone.

[They didn’t show any intent to kill us. They tried to subdue the Underground City with minimal damage.]

"……."

Residue frowned, feeling a strange sense of discord.

They showed mercy? That doesn't fit with the Absolutes.

[Another reason is that, at some point, they seemed to recall the usefulness of this Underground City.]

"You mean as a prison?"

Residue asked, looking at the clinking iron ball.

[Not only that. This place is also a test site.]

"…Test site?"

[Did you see the most fiercely burning sun?]

"……."

[I've heard about the Top Universe's wish too. The small happiness the Absolutes desire, the one and only sun and the day that never sets...... They felt that alone was insufficient. They want a symbol that opposes the sun.]

Residue’s eyes narrowed.

[In no world can happiness exist alone. All things need balance, an opposing point. Without creation, there is no destruction; without a beginning, there is no end.]

Opposition.

"…Day and night."

It naturally brought to mind the opposite of the sun.

"They want ‘night’. Their aim was to draw night into the sin city, into the Top Universe itself."

[That's right.]

"…If the giant’s heart became the sun, then a medium to create night would be needed as well. A medium of equal magnitude."

─The giant is dead.

─And the dragon will soon die as well.

Now he understood what Gamzard’s words meant.

"Is there a ‘dragon’ somewhere in this Underground City?"

Michael stood up.

[Follow me.]

*****

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