Chapter 235: The Path to Supreme Godhood (3)
"Since we're an educational institution, we need to carefully monitor the moral character of our students. If you have to reach Sephiroth 4 to become a full-fledged mage in the tower, how do we manage the apprenticeship phase before formal enrollment?"
"On the one hand, we'll send official mages to supervise, and on the other hand, we'll also set up monitoring functions among magical beings to observe the character of each child."
"This screening must be done. We don't accept those who are just chasing fame and fortune!"
"Magical life will become our signature, and its structure must be carefully considered..."
With the shared goal of building the Spiral Tower, the great wizards' interest was piqued. Countless brilliant ideas emerged during the discussions, colliding with each other's wisdom and growing stronger. They first established the foundation of Sephiroth 1, a "glimmer of light" within everyone's reach. While using a beam of light to defeat a powerful enemy might be too demanding, using it to heal the wounded is a positive force.
Lavaeva, a master of light magic, designed a charming luminescent figurine. This figurine can be crafted from wood, stone, or even mud. This figurine harnesses the power of the elements to animate life upon contact, soothing pain and healing wounds with light. In emergencies, the high concentration of light can even sustain the severely injured, aiding warriors in their final stand.
"As long as there's sunlight in the area, this creature, and the people it treats, will continue to thrive," Lavaeva said excitedly. "It can be a ray of light in every small village."
The proposal of the glowing man was unanimously approved, and then came the reverse shadow of Seismic Point 2. At this time, everyone looked at Vansalar, the most powerful shadow mage.
Vansalar whistled, and several abstract "dogs" with sharp teeth, claws and thorns jumped out from his shadow.
"In fact, I was just about to tell you about my recent research," he said proudly. "This little thing is very fast. It can move in the shadows and can detect every living thing nearby through energy vision and emotional perception. If any hostile creature dares to approach..."
He threw out a tin can, and the shadow dog instantly emerged from the shadow behind the can and tore it into pieces with one claw.
"It can take precautions immediately," Vansalar concluded. "It is the best scout and the best sentinel."
"A remarkable design," Karlsode praised. "But I don't know if you've noticed a problem. Shadow is different from light. It's negative, aggressive, changeable, and restless. The very nature of the element means it won't be so obedient... just like it is now."
Several shadow dogs had nothing to do and started tearing at the table.
A great wizard frowned and said, "That won't do, Vansalar. It's vicious by nature and could easily cause accidental harm."
"I've conducted dozens of experiments on my own little Dust Island. I know they always bite each other, and of course I have a way." Vansalar snapped his fingers, and the three shadow dogs stood up straight, wagging their non-existent tails.
"All of these little things are directly connected to me. My mind is the ultimate defense." He smiled confidently. "As long as I am still alive, they will never harm innocent people."
"With you guarding the line, I feel relieved." Karlsode smiled. "But you're bound to be seriously injured or unconscious at some point. If you're caught in an illusion, that's a potential danger. How about each of the four of us add an extra layer of protection? What do you think?"
"You're quite cautious, Glasses Boy." Vansalar scratched his chin. "Okay! This way, unless we all go crazy, this little thing will be absolutely safe."
Karlsode relaxed. "It seems the design of this little thing is perfect. What's its name?"
"Considering that it will be used part-time as a guard and serve as our signature..." Vansalar pondered, "I'm going to call it Shadow Dog."
"That's too ugly! No!!" Karlsode screamed.
"What's wrong with being approachable?"
"No, no, no, absolutely not. Our Mage Tower cannot become a joke!" Karlsode shook his head vigorously. "Someone come up with a catchy name for it."
"Shadow Hound." "No difference!" "Shadow Beast." "Too villainous!" "Woof woof woof." "Shut up Vansalar."
"Kill the evil spirits." "If you keep doing this, I'll throw you out." "Kill the evil spirits."
"This name..." Karlsode thought for a moment, "It's quite cool."
"Come on, our lovely guard dog is going to call a ghost."
"There's nothing wrong in letting the children be more careful. Getting along with ghosts helps to hone their courage." Fansalar grinned.
"Then it's settled. The magical life form of Sephiroth 2 is called Ghost Slayer." Karlsod laughed. "Hey, Archmage, you have a new nickname. From today on, we will call you 'Lord of Ghost Slayer'!"
·
The number of ghost killers grew faster than he had imagined. He thought he'd have thousands of perspectives, but just one year later, he had 357,000. Letters of thanks poured in, with countless families thanking him, recounting how the shadow dogs had saved their entire families.
Vansalar hadn't read any of them, for he had a personal perspective on every ghost-killing operation, personally participating in every rescue. A few people had written in, complaining about the creature's terrifying appearance, leaving them unable to sleep. Vansalar carefully reviewed every protest letter, making targeted improvements based on their suggestions.
"I'm pretty sure your ghost-slayers look even scarier now," Karthod said. "Years ago, they didn't have so much... glass shards on them."
"Yes, yes. I did it on purpose. Many parents complained that their children had nightmares after watching it."
"Why don't you change for the better?"
"Children, you need to be more ambitious, my friend. There are more disasters in this world than the hairs on your head and mine. If even the guard dog is afraid, how can you live in the future?" Vansalar said, "Once they get used to this, they will look down on outsiders. This is the courage cultivated from a young age."
"That makes sense." Karlsode leaned over and teased the two-headed dog. "Alright, your dog has the final say. Black Moon has been making unusual moves recently, so I'm going to the front lines for a while."
"Go quickly, savior. The Shendong Realm is waiting for you."
"screw you."
Karlsode transformed into a rainbow and soared into the sky. Vansalar lowered his head and said to the two-headed dog, "While the offensive nature of its appearance needs to be further enhanced, I'm temporarily suspending the development of the hunting-type demon killer."
"Ouch?" Waklo said. He was the only one who could understand the creature's words.
"Yes, because of you." Vansalar sighed, "You're a perfect negative example, little one. After all this training, you come out and tell me that life is meaningless. This won't do. If we keep going like this, we'll fall into the abyss of meaning."
"Ah, ah, ah," said Waklo, or maybe it was Rockwa who could not tell the guy's two heads apart.
This two-headed ghost-killer was the only completed product of the experiment on Xiaochen Island, and it also marked the moment when he realized the true nature of the ghost-killer. The power of shadows was dangerous; they loved fighting so much that they could become mobile weapons if not handled with care. He was considering teaching the little thing to draw, a form of quality education to cultivate his character.
Then a new warning sounded in his mind: the Ghost Slayer had encountered something he couldn't handle. Vansalar screamed; his lesson notes were not ready yet.
"I'm almost a superhero." He pinched Waklo's ear hard. "Open your mouth wider, little thing."
He jumped into Waklo's mouth and emerged from the mouth of another slayer on a distant dust island. He smelled the fishy smell of the sea breeze. This was a peaceful harbor town, with no casualties so far, but the slayer was shaking wildly and howling at nothing.
Vansalar pulled a chain from the air and laughed.
"It's you... Long time no see, big jellyfish."
The great demon stood in the shadow of a palm tree, his childlike face expressionless.
"Oh, you're already at mass point five." Olek frowned. "You are...that..."
"Vansalar."
"That's the name." Olek seemed to remember only Karlsode. "You are developing rapidly, but you shouldn't cross the line. This is my game."
"I was surprised to learn your true identity. I was mainly surprised that a person of your high status would make fun of the fate of a small thing like a piece of trash." Vansalar snapped his fingers and put on a pair of sunglasses.
"You're still young, so you don't understand. Over time, memories and meaning will fade. You must learn to find joy for yourself." Olek narrowed his eyes. "If you want to stop me, go ahead. I don't mind teaching young people a lesson to pass the time."
"I can't fight you. You've done me a favor." Vansalar smiled. "But, let me tell you... playing games alone is really boring. It's too dull. It takes at least two people to be considered a game."
"You're just looking for an excuse to reduce casualties."
"You can support villains, bad people, and heretics; I will support those kind-hearted and righteous people, or the ordinary people who don't want to die." Vansalar danced with joy. "Let's see whether it is misfortune or courage that wins in the end!"
"I'm not interested."
"Ah~ Misfortune has given up! It seems that God really does favor the brave!"
Olek looked at him intently.
"Okay, let's play a game. If you lose this round, I will kill you."
"I can't wait... Come on, let the game begin."
And so, from that day on, they began a long, long game. In countless rounds, the demon and the wizard argued and laughed. They traveled across a thousand dust islands, stopping at one, playing hundreds of games in a single day, and completing one round of the game in a single year.
Vansal always sides with justice. He cheats, uses dreams, flips tables, and does whatever he can to interfere with the outcome of games. He always breaks the rules because he must win.
He wins every time.
·
"Lord Vansalar, the Imperial Research Institute has sent a warning letter." Waklo opened the envelope for him with scissors. "The warning is divided into 126 items. The second one is that we have observed excessive interaction between you and the Doom Demon..."
"Can't those giants see that I'm feeding the tiger with my own body?" Vansalar said weakly, "Just for this reason, I'll make an avatar to play chess with him."
"Honestly, I think you had a great time."
"Is there?"
"Obviously."
"I admit it's an interesting creature," Vansalar scratched his chin. "But this can't be considered a serious sin. The old trees in the city-state have some secret relationship with the devil. Why didn't they warn the city-state?"
Waklo shook his ears: "My dear sir, the city-state does have a righteous god after all~"
"Look, they're not treating everyone equally this time." Vansalar smacked his lips. "What's their first warning?"
"The risk of magical creatures getting out of control," Waklo said. "The scholars felt that our apprentice would have difficulty controlling this enormous power. He wrote in his letter that this was 'a sign of the abyss.'"
"I heard him exaggerate. Four archmages and one supreme mage have five layers of insurance! Even if an apprentice is contaminated by the Dark Moon, it's impossible..."
Vansalar suddenly sat up, and a scene that made him shudder flashed through millions of perspectives.
"Waklo." "Yes, sir."
They disappeared into the shadows, and a small figure emerged. It was the shadow of a young apprentice, carrying a longbow like a hunter. He screamed and jumped up, hiding one hand behind his back.
"Oh my God, Archmage Vansalar!" The apprentice was surprised and delighted. Beside him lay the corpses of a group of wild beasts. "Why are you here? I just finished dealing with a few strange beasts..."
"Take your hands away." Vansalar growled, "What have you done!"
The apprentice reluctantly reached out, and his right arm completely transformed into a shadow, with amorphous sharp spikes growing all over the limb. Those were the claws of the demon-killer.
"Master, I used my own body parts and emotional fragments to create a demon-slayer," he said, as if to claim credit. "It's very useful, much more powerful than the shadow trick..."
Vansalar felt dizzy. Using himself as material to create a magical creature. Partial elementalization. Daring to explore elementalization with only 2 particles. He slapped the apprentice hard.
"You think you're so clever?" Vansalar roared angrily, "That's a shadow! It's restrained destruction and impulse! How dare you attempt such an act? Your consciousness will be swallowed up by your emotions!"
"I'm not afraid, Grand Master!" the apprentice stood up and shouted. There seemed to be fire burning in his eyes. "I can defeat it. I have the courage!"
For the first time since he came of age, Vansalar felt fear.
·
"Karsod, I want to have a serious talk with you." Vansalar's face turned pale. "Whatever you are doing, stop it. This is-"
"I was just hoping to talk to you," Karlsrud said. "Please pour me a cup of tea."
The Supreme Mage sat before the astronomical instrument, looking extremely exhausted and haggard, like a living corpse. Vansalar frowned; he had never seen his friend like this before.
"Oh my God, what happened to you? Who beat you like this?"
"What?" Karlsod said blankly. Then he realized. "No, no, I didn't lose. I just played a little too much."
"How many games did you play?"
Karlsrud smiled. "Every second," he said. "Every second."
Fansalar was stunned. "How is that possible? Two righteous gods, plus you and the emperor..."
He suddenly fell silent, and Karlsode raised his eyes, and a huge stream of information turned into light and poured out.
He saw that when night fell, the fallen fell like rain on the Dust Island; he saw that when the tide rose, tens of thousands of demons set foot on the land; he saw the fog surround the helpless people, saw the tentacles of the demons piercing the minds of children, and saw the weak people dominated by black blood wielding swords at their own people.
This is a second in the world of Shendong.
It is every second that passes in the dark sea.
"How is it possible..." Fansalar repeated unconsciously.
This is not the Senluo Secret Realm, nor is it the Dust Island he had been to. The world he knew was not like this.
This is the truth of the world beyond the protection of the righteous gods.
"The power of the abyss far exceeds your and my imagination," Karsod said softly. "I saw the Good Samaritan with my own eyes this time. He is even more powerful than I am."
"But you are already a god! How could it..." Fansalar was stunned by his own conjecture, "No way, Carl."
"I haven't reached their level yet, so I dare not speak rashly." Karsod shook his head, "But I know that there is a cradle of oblivion beyond the deep space. Behind the Undertaker is eternity. As for what lies at the bottom of the Sea of Illusions, it is a secret that even Zhulong has never known."
"I shouldn't blame the Emperor for his actions. He never resorted to excessive military expansion. We were naive." Karsod closed his eyes. "Times are different, my friend. While you and I are talking, for some Dust Islanders, it's been months, even years. We live in different timelines. Countless tragedies are happening right now, and by the time I finish this sentence, those stories will have already ended."
Only in deep space can you see the whole picture. I watched as thousands of dust islands were swallowed by the abyss... and I was entangled in the gravity of the dark moon, powerless to stop..."
"Stop, Carl. You're doing the best you can."
"I could have tried harder," Karlsode said wearily. The tea was served, but he didn't take a sip. He stubbornly looked up at the dark moon in the night sky.
Even in the Senluo Secret Realm, night is always the most terrifying time. The power of the Candle Dragon can only protect half the time. At night, the black moon hangs high in the sky, and at any moment, black blood will fall, transforming into minions of the abyss. That gravity will trigger the ocean tides, and demons will ride the waves to the island.
Karlsode stared blankly for a moment, then suddenly said, "The world shouldn't be like this. People should live in a safe place, not so easily...encountering heretics."
"The world is just like this." Vansalar smiled bitterly. "What good ideas do you have?"
"There should be a barrier," Karlsode muttered to himself. "There should be something between the earth and deep space... something that can block the moonlight, something that can isolate gravity... It's like... it's like..."
"Sky...sky?" said Vansalar.
"What a wonderful word!" Karlsode said excitedly, "There should be a sky in the world! I want to create something like this. When I become a true god—"
His tone dropped. After all, he wasn't yet a true god. He had the desire to rule the world, but lacked the power to match it. The two old friends sat in silence for a while. Vansalar remembered his purpose, but couldn't speak.
He turned and said, "Karl, what did you want to say?"
"Ah." Karlsode seemed to have just woken up from his dream. "Sorry, I got carried away. I can't control my thoughts lately..."
He took a sip of his tea, which had long since gone cold. "Friend, we're short on manpower on the front lines. The Empire's research and development is stuck at a technological singularity, and they can't mass-produce low-quality soldiers. But we desperately need more combat power."
"I want to... create another batch of ghost killers."
Fansalar drank the tea in one gulp and laughed heartily.
"Just leave it to me," he said.
(End of this chapter)
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