─Inevitable destruction is approaching.

The Exile was fully aware of this fact.

Among the beings in the Void World, he might be the one closest to the hidden truth of the world.

‘…That would be the case if not for The Beginning Wizard.’

However, that man wouldn't have experienced the ‘Outside' either. The Exile gripped his grotesquely transformed right arm tightly with his left hand. So tightly that the flesh was crushed, and the muscles and blood vessels screamed in agony.

Despite this, there was no pain. Not even a sensation.

‘The reason I, not the Beginning Wizard, experienced the outside.'

There must be a reason for such a difference.

Then what is it?

The role assigned to me, the role that only I can fulfill─

‘…Preparation?’

Hahaha!

A conclusion that almost made him burst into laughter.

Is preparation my role? Can it even be stopped by doing so?

Even if he mobilized all the means he had, it’s clear that he wouldn’t even make destruction hesitate. It would be more realistic to stop a storm with a blade of grass……!

Ha……. Ha…….

Just thinking about it made his entire body stiffen, and his mind was consumed by fear. An overwhelming pressure that he hadn't felt even when facing the Four Knights, a gap that words like ‘different dimension’ couldn’t fully express.

…The Beginning Wizard,

Was someone whose thoughts were always inscrutable. Even when standing together and conversing, there were times when an inexplicable sense of distance was felt.

Now he understood the reason.

The landscapes they saw were always different. Although their methods might differ, he too was aware of the destruction and was making his own preparations to counter it.

While he didn’t know the details of those plans, it was clear that he was struggling desperately.

…Even though he might not have directly witnessed the destruction, he must have felt its fear indirectly.

And yet, he doesn’t give up.

Instead of merely trembling with a stiff body and mind, he is making definite preparations, however slight they may be.

Those actions gave the Exile courage. They became the driving force that allowed him to momentarily forget his fear.

I can do it too. I must.

There is something I must do.

Remember, remember, remember.

…He lived on with only that thought.

At some moment.

The Exile realized a new aspect of the power within his ‘Occultic Hand.’ It was so natural that it felt rather artificial. As if someone had intentionally been blocking the power until now and was only releasing it at this moment─

…He doesn’t think deeply about it.

The Exile instinctively understood what he needed to do with this power, where he needed to go now.

─It was the King’s Castle.

There, on the throne he had seen only once.

The faint residual presence left in the seat where the Void King had sat was astonishingly similar to the auras of the destructions he had seen ‘Outside’.

In other words, an unidentified presence,

Like the destructions outside.

‘Poison against poison’.

An unidentified presence against an unidentified presence.

What had been an absurd, half-baked gamble became the only breakthrough at some point.

He declared that he would struggle. There would be no laziness in making preparations.

But even up to this moment, the Exile couldn’t envision himself directly fighting against the destruction. He had already lost the will to fight at some point.

…If one were to witness the destruction firsthand, everyone would end up the same.

The other Twelve Void Lords, The Beginning Wizard, the Four Knights, even that Ruler.

It might be an excuse.

It might be just an attempt to disguise shirking responsibility.

So the Exile decided that if he were going to be a coward anyway, he would be the most thorough, the perfect coward.

I will do it…….

I will carry out the most perfect evasion of responsibility that the world has ever seen.

*

The water was so shallow that it couldn't fully submerge even his feet.

─Northern region of the Void World. The Exile stood there, looking in a certain direction.

…….

The corpse of a giant was submerged in the water. Only part of the upper body, the right arm, and the left shoulder were exposed.

Even that was enough to fill his field of vision. It was so massive that one might mistake it for a mountain.

He knew whose corpse this was.

And now, the being claiming ownership of it as well.

“What, is happening, here.”

A stuttering voice was heard.

It was a different, awkward pronunciation compared to the Exile.

The owner of that voice was sitting on top of the corpse. His hair fluttered. Of course, it wasn't because of the wind. It was due to the aura emanating from them.

One of the Twelve Void Lords, God’s Envoy.

“Exile. Have you come, to be eaten, by me?”

I've come… to propose something…….

God’s Envoy's eyebrows rose even higher.

“What, proposal.”

Give me the corpse… of the god…….

Some of the Void Lords considered this to be merely the corpse of an absolute being, once called a god in some universe. The Exile thought the same, but now he saw it differently.

Once the power of the ‘Occultic Hand’ awakened, the scenery he saw changed.

…From this corpse, he felt the same aura as from the throne of the Void King.

What he obtained from the throne was intangible. To put it in words, it was the soul. That alone had no meaning.

He needed a body to house that soul.

To be precise… I need 10kg each of the skull and vertebrae… at least a handful of brain cells… and muscles, fats, and tendons with minimal decay…….

─Grrrr.

A fierce energy emanated from God’s Envoy's body.

This was not a suggestion born out of ignorance.

The Exile was spouting such nonsense even while knowing what the corpse meant to God’s Envoy.

In other words, this man's rudeness had crossed the line.

“If you want, to die, just say, so.”

Do I… seem like I'm… talking nonsense……?

“Is that, a question. You're asking, me.”

But what if this is… a reasonable proposal……?

“What did you say?”

Cooperate with me……. You who have devoured a god…….

The Exile extended his hand as he spoke.

Why don't you join me… in creating… a god……?

*

─What’s needed is an individual with overwhelming strength.

Like Lucas later on, he didn't realize it because someone taught him. The Exile realized it on his own.

Perhaps this conclusion, tinged with a sense of madness, was something he could only reach after obsessively seeking solutions following his encounter with destruction ‘Outside.’

Although he might not have realized it himself, the Exile’s quiet yet fanatical obsession led him to the correct answer.

‘Create.’

He must manufacture someone who can fight the destructions he had witnessed, even if alone.

But this was not something he could achieve by himself.

Even with his vast knowledge, diverse experiences, and rare materials, he would hit a limit.

‘I need help.’

He needed the cooperation of those with knowledge beyond his own, with far more extensive experiences, and with the rarest of materials.

It was truly fortunate.

That this world had eleven such beings.

Busy days began.

The Exile originally had a territory. It wasn’t vast, but it wasn’t too small either.

He abandoned it.

Taking only the essential items on his ship, he began to roam the entire Void World.

The Exile’s encounters and persuasions were not limited to the Twelve Void Lords. He persuaded anyone who seemed even slightly helpful or showed any potential, without exception.

Meanwhile, he didn’t neglect the search for materials.

He ventured to unknown places in the Void World, where no one had ever set foot. When he was sufficiently prepared, he even ventured ‘Outside’. That place was filled with substances he had never encountered before.

He nearly died dozens, hundreds of times. When the number of close calls approached a thousand, he stopped counting.

The threats to his life weren’t limited to the Outside. The Void World was just as perilous.

Invading another territory without permission is a clear act of provocation. There were few lords broad-minded enough to let such a thing slide. There were times when it was awkward to state his purpose outright so he held back, and in those cases, fights inevitably broke out.

Though these were days filled with pain, the Exile did not despair.

The thought of wanting to stop or give up never even crossed his mind.

He had already faced the greatest fear. There was nothing left to be afraid of now.

Interesting. So, there still exists an undiscovered ‘Outside.’

The master of future civilization, Futurix.

A Void Lord who claims to be the first self-awareness born without body or soul, and the most complete individual.

An intangible entity, whose mere existence signified rebellion against the gods, showed deep interest in the Exile’s plan.

I am not lying. I am not insane. I have come here with clear evidence.

He was referring to the materials brought from the ‘Outside’.

Your proposal aligns with a plan I have been pursuing for a long time.

A plan……?

The creation of a perfect single entity, an ultimate organism.

The briefly uttered words carried an undeniable weight.

…It was a curious thing.

The final goal of an entity, the root of mechanical civilization and self-consciousness made of data, was the creation of a perfect biological organism.

Of course, the most important thing right now was not such a contradictory aspect.

That means… you will…….

I will cooperate.

The Exile exhaled a breath filled with excitement.

The two most crucial elements of his plan.

The god's corpse and Futurix's scientific prowess were now in his hands.

The extreme technological prowess possessed by this entity would perfectly utilize the supreme materials the Exile had secured. One hundred percent, and beyond.

However.

‘It’s still not enough.’

This alone wouldn't suffice.

Stronger,

More perfect,

More unique.

He wouldn’t hesitate to use any means necessary.

If he couldn’t gain cooperation, he would have to steal what he needed.

Combining the supreme materials obtained from the ‘God’s Envoy’ with the science of ‘Futurix’ and experiencing all possible failures based on the ‘Dumpsite’ of the ‘Corpse Ghost.’

Incorporating the concept of justice held by the ‘Executor,’ the wisdom that comes from the golden eyes of the ‘Golden Eye,’ and the ultimate swordsmanship of the ‘Everlasting Plum Sword,’

The learning ability of the ‘0th Demon,’ the endurance of ‘The Sinking One,’ the dispersal ability of the ‘Death Worm,’ the ferocity of the ‘Beast’.

And when he grafted the Occultic Hand of the ‘Exile,’

That being would─

***

It seemed like an absurdly unrealistic sight.

The Four Knights.

Residue, while parasitizing Lukas’s mind, observed them carefully. There was no way he wasn't interested.

The Rulers of the Three Thousand Worlds, the Four Knights of the Void World.

Their origins and natures were different, but their strength was equal.

Because of this, there was something he could understand.

In the end, separate from Lukas understanding Pale, Residue had completed his own analysis of the Four Knights.

They called themselves knights, but their pride was on par with that of the Rulers. Their self-formed identities were loftier and more arrogant than anything else.

What Lukas gained was Pale’s heart, which was different from loyalty.

The same applied to Diablo, who was called the master of the Black Knight.

…But if that was the case.

How should the scene unfolding before his eyes be explained?

The bodies of the two knights who appeared first tilted.

As if they had entered Extreme Time Zone, slowly─

The Black Knight of Death and the Red Knight of War knelt down.

“…….”

“…….”

A heavy silence descended upon the audience.

For a moment, Residue noticed that fewer Void Lords were surprised or shocked than expected.

“Some of you may be seeing this for the first time. I warn you in advance. Everyone, kneel.”

Saying this, the Exile willingly lowered his own body first.

The moment Residue's eyebrow twitched, several Void Lords who had risen from their seats joined the procession.

“This person is the only one who can save us from despair, the perfect being who can stand alone against the five destructions.”

The one who had gained the loyalty of half the knights,

And the obedience of half the Void Lords.

“She is the Half King.”

****

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