The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR) Vol 1 Chapter 236

[U-, uaack-!]

The first instinct of this transcendent being who had been alive for tens of thousands of years was to charge forward. A mad dash with no skill or finesse.

Even so, his figure was not easy to keep up with.

While Lord's mind was extremely unstable, his physical strength was still astonishing. His power was enough to shake the small island violently as he moved.

Boom!

But he still wasn't able to reach Lukas. In fact, Lord realised that he was the one who had been the most affected by his charge.

[Uwa!]

Lord roared as he swung his fists recklessly. But it seemed impossible for him to break the invisible walls surrounding Lukas.

It was incredibly humiliating for him as Lukas just kept looking at him with an indifferent gaze.

And at the same time, Lord realised.

He was now experiencing the same thing he'd put Ivan through moments earlier.

[This can't be happening!]

Lord shouted with bloodshot eyes.

Even though he knew he couldn't reach him, he didn't stop swinging his fists. He couldn't even think properly anymore.

Lukas felt bad just looking at him.

[I-, I can't be trash! Do you know how long I've been waiting for this moment? How much I sacrificed?]

“You weren't the one to make the sacrifices; it was the Demigods.”

[I am a Demigod!]

Lord's mind was already on the verge of collapse.

He knew that everything Lukas had said was true. He knew it, but he couldn't accept it.

His pride couldn't' tolerate it.

He couldn't tolerate the fact that the real 'Lord' was currently in the vomit he spat out while he was just the trash that remained in the body.

“As I said before, you are no longer…”

[Shut up!]

Lord interrupted Lukas.

Lukas looked at him with a solemn gaze.

Up until that point, Lord had believed everything was in the palm of his hand. He hadn't realised that that was not the case, that he had lost everything instead.

His identity as a Demigod.

The people who trusted him and followed him blindly.

And the name Lord.

It was strange that he hadn't gone crazy considering the obsession he had with the Demigod race in the past. In fact, he would have preferred to go crazy. But the strong mental power that came as a result of his transcendent body was hindering him.

[Kuaah!-!]

Lord's fists shoot violently. Blood was coming out of his fists, but he didn't seem to realise.

To Lukas, it looked like he was struggling with his own body.

“I won't be sympathetic. You brought this upon yourself. You are no longer the being called Lord.”

[I said shut up-!]

His punches were no different from the tantrum of a child.

So Lukas waited.

It was easy to kill him, but he decided to wait first. Lukas could already see Lord's end.

A terrible and miserable end, unbefitting of the power he had, awaited him.

[Uw, ahh..]

Lord's movements gradually began to slow down.

It didn't feel like a lot of time had passed, but it did.

His burning emotions had cooled over time. Especially his anger.

Even when he swung his fists, Lord did not stop thinking. No. It would be more accurate to say that he couldn't stop.

He constantly agonised over why this was happening to him. And eventually, he had no choice but to accept the conclusion he had been avoiding.

Thump.

Lord collapsed.

He stared into the sky with a blank gaze, as though he'd lost his soul.

[…I didn't want this to happen.]

His cracked voice showed none of the power he'd just displayed.

[…what the hell have I done? Tell me, Great Mage.]

“You betrayed those who believed in you.”

[And?]

“You threw them aside when they were struggling in pain.”

[And?]

“…you cursed the people who died for you.”

[Hu-, huhuhu…]

Lord let out a crazy laugh.

For a while, the sound of his deflated laugh resonated across the island.

Then, Lord turned around in a hurry. It was like he was looking for something.

Then, he finally spotted the vomit that he himself had spat out.

[, ahh…]

Lord crawled towards the vomit. He grabbed the black liquid with both hands and pulled it closer to himself.

He looked at his own people who he'd abandoned.

[I'm sorry… I'm so sorry… H-, huk…]

[I didn't mean to do this… I… I just…]

Where did it go wrong?

Lord's head was filled with questions.

Not so long ago, the Demigods were Lord's everything. He would have done anything for them to the point of even sacrificing himself.

However, at some point, his beliefs had changed. He no longer looked at the Demigods equally. He began to distinguish between the superior and inferior Demigods.

It all started from that small crack.

Useful and useless Demigods. Strong and weak Demigods.

He shouldn't have evaluated and separated his people into groups like that. Differentiation resulted in discrimination, and discrimination became contempt.

And at some point, contempt became hatred.

-Because

Lord himself was the best. He was stronger than all of the other Demigods combined.

As he kept separating the Demigods in such a way, he eventually reached the extreme conclusion that every Demigod apart from him was useless. He felt that it was more 'efficient' to just absorb them.

He should have loved every Demigod equally. And should have regarded them as his precious kin.

That was the way Lord had been for tens of thousands of years. He'd carried out his responsibilities with great success.

But at the most important moment, he'd failed to do so.

[…the Demigods faced an unprecedented crisis.]

This era was a crisis for the Demigods.

A Demigod would die every thousand years or so, and the forces who rebelled against them were unexpectedly powerful.

And at the center of this crisis was a single man.

[We couldn't overcome it in the end, and so we eventually fell. Lukas, what do you think was the reason?]

“The Demigods followed the wrong leader.”

Lord pursed his lips slightly.

[So you think it's my fault.]

“Your fault is the biggest. But I can't say that the Demigods who died were completely innocent.”

[Why? They are only guilty of following an incompetent leader.]

“That's their fault. There can never be a perfect leader. Everyone makes mistakes, and at times, we make the wrong decisions. Can you really call it loyalty if they nod their heads even at those times? Sometimes, it's necessary to point out your leader's faults.”

Lukas looked down at Lord and said.

“But someone did do that.”

Lord shook for a moment before lowering his head.

[…huhu. And I killed him with my own hands.]

Lord's face, which was smiling despondently, suddenly distorted.

[Urk… urk!]

Then, he started retching once again.

Lukas' eyebrows furrowed as he realised what he was going to do.

[Uwek!]

Lord vomited again. But this time, it wasn't black liquid.

Tuk…tuk.

Instead, it was fresh blood that soaked the ground in front of him.

[Uwek… uwek!]

There was nothing wrong with his body because Lukas didn't do anything to him. Instead, Lord was willingly vomiting blood at that moment.

What was it that he was trying to spit out?

The answer to this question was revealed in the next moment.

[Uwek!]

Clink…

Two shiny gems, covered in blood, rolled across the ground to Lukas' feet.

They were Satan's core.

…And Michael's core.

“Do you know what you've done?”

[…I spit out all the cores.]

“That's no different from ripping out your own heart. Why are you giving up your own life?”

Lord turned to look at the black liquid once again.

Then he picked it up and started stuffing it in his own mouth. He was trying to put the vomit back into his stomach. (TL: I know this was supposed to be a touching moment… but I literally gagged…)

Seeing this, Lukas spoke in a soft tone.

“Stop. You should know how foolish that is. The moment you spat them out, they already died. The bubbles are nothing more than a simple phenomenon… Nothing will change even if you swallow them again after spitting out the cores. It's no use crying over spilled milk.”

[…I know that. But I still want to.]

“Are you saying that you want to die as a Demigod?”

Lord paused.

Because this could be considered a classic phrase. He recalled what Lukas Trowman had said at that time.

'If you take away my divine power, I can die as a human.'

He hadn't understood what he meant at that time. He was going to die anyway, so what was the point of dying as a human?

Lord's question was understandable.

After all, he was a transcendent, an absolute. He'd never thought deeply about death.

It was only now while Lord was dying when he understood Lukas' feelings at that time.

'Is this what he meant? It should be.'

How would he die?

This question was so important that it was comparable to his near eternity of a life.

Lord slowly put down the liquid in his hands.

[…I don't deserve to. As you said, I am trash who betrayed the trust of my people.]

[Would it have been different if we were like the humans? You all have always been the one facing the crises, and you've shown great unity for a long time. At the same time, individuals with extraordinary talent would often appear among you as if they had been guided by fate…. Would we have had a different end if we were the same?]

Lukas never expected to hear Lord praise the humans at the end. There was even a hint of genuine envy in his voice.

That's why Lukas gave him an honest answer.

“Not every human is like that.”

“But maybe you would have had a less miserable end.”

[It's not about the species. It's about character. What a great answer.]

Lord could tell that Lukas had discarded his bias. He had also indirectly answered that the Demigods could have been a better race.

[Haha.]

Suddenly, a laugh came from his throat, like wind leaking out of a balloon.

It was hard not to laugh.

The two beings here. The strongest Human and the strongest Demigod could only understand each other after their essences had changed.

[Where did it go wrong…]

Lord lowered his head.

He had already vomited all of the Demigods and the balance cores.

Now, death was the only thing that remained for this being without organs or blood.

Lukas looked down at Lord, realising he was already dead.

Psss-

The glow, which had been ever-present, gradually faded, and before long, Lord's entire body was bleached gray.

It was similar to Riki's death. Like ashes, his body broke apart before scattering into the wind.

Suddenly.

Everything stopped.

Thud.

Lukas realised that it wasn't just the items he could see that had frozen, but even time and space had.

Originally, not even Lukas would have realised that time had stopped. Regardless of his new state as a transcendent being.

Because the only being who could stop time and space was the only true absolute existence in this world.

[I knew we'd meet again.]

God laughed as he said those words.

Chapter end