Chapter 1303
“Great Philosopher” is Born
“…Don’t tell me Odin is also…?”
Eivass’s words trailed off.
Great Philosopher—or rather, Mimir—knew what Eivass was implying.
“He will not be corrupted,” he answered plainly. “Because I actually taught Odin nothing. Before that, he knew no spells.”
…What?
Hearing this, it wasn’t just Eivass, the Knight Heavenly Envoy, and Calamity Red who were shocked. Even the Silver Crown Dragon was astonished, completely taken aback.
The new Pillar of Wisdom, Great Philosopher’s substitute… didn’t know how to cast spells?
The God of Mages knew no magic?
What kind of joke was this?
“He is the best vessel, a Brave who completed his trials. I merely told him the world was about to be destroyed and what he should do. Odin also perceives truth, but he is not my replica.”
Mimir’s voice was filled with pride. He had been silent for too long. Now that he could finally speak, he seemed like a chatterbox, as if he wanted to pour out ten thousand years of pent-up words in one go.
“When he learned that Rune Magic was the greatest source of corruption—the first thing he did was to create an entirely new set of runes himself.
‘If old knowledge is wrong, then create new knowledge; if old inheritances are toxic, then rebuild new inheritances. He has the best talent, the greatest curiosity, and the heart of an apprentice… With that, it is enough.
‘What he wants to achieve can only be done by obtaining the Pillar God’s Position—bestowing new mystery through enchantment. I cultivated him for nine thousand years. And only now… when he became Pillar God, did he finally master his first spell. However, at the same time he mastered his first spell, he had already deduced infinitely into the future and mastered his final spell.
‘All knowledge of the old era has now been taken away by me. That Pillar God’s Position is an empty vessel, containing nothing. Only a blank slate… for him to build his own kingdom.
‘After today, the Path of Wisdom will still exist; the Pillar God of the Path of Wisdom will still be Great Philosopher; Great Philosopher will still be the one-eyed tyrant who commands lightning—’ ”
Mimir laughed more and more heartily. No longer old, he appeared so free-spirited and uninhibited.
“However, from now on, no one will know the name Mimir. That name will be buried in the void along with all the knowledge in my mind!”
It was a declaration of death. Not to Calamity Red, his enemy—but a declaration to himself.
—Great Philosopher will die.
And “Great Philosopher” is born—
“…Great Philosopher.”
Eivass murmured. This word could be translated as “Thrice Great Philosopher,” “Great Sage,” or “Holder of Great Magic.” Thus, he could also be called “Great Sage” or “Great Mage.”
However, Eivass had never understood in the past… what was so great about “Great”? As the most powerful Mage, Great Philosopher was the discoverer of the previous civilization and its best successor. This Rune Magic, which was almost as potent as thought manifestation, was indeed powerful, but it didn’t seem “great”—it was the power used by the destroyed previous civilization; what did it have to do with Great Philosopher himself? Was it because his feat of killing the Sky-Devouring Beast was great enough?
And now…
Eivass finally understood.
—The day Great Philosopher opened the Gate of Truth and glimpsed the truth of all things, he had already foreseen this day. One day, he would die along with the corrupted knowledge. And another pure “Great Philosopher” would be born. He meticulously selected his best replacement, carefully ensuring no corruption would taint the other. Even if he himself would eventually reach his end, even if no one would remember him, even if his research remained unknown… even if all he knew was outdated knowledge, even if his lifelong research was based on erroneous principles. Even so, it would not be in vain.
—The inheritance of the wise by the wise is the passing of the torch.
This was the sole truth of the “Wisdom” Path—each generation of Mages passes on their teachings as master and student, a projection from Great Philosopher and Odin.
And now, Odin inherited Great Philosopher’s Position. His newly developed Rune Magic would directly replace and overwrite all existing Rune Magic. This overwrite was so subtle that Mages of the Material Realm, unless sufficiently powerful, might not even notice. It was like an excellent programmer, diligently maintaining spaghetti code while silently refactoring the underlying code into a more perfect structure. When ready, he would overwrite and destroy the old spaghetti code—destroying the old civilization through creation.
Yes, Great Philosopher’s spells were naturally not great enough. However, Odin’s new Rune Magic was sufficiently great. And everything Odin could accomplish came from Great Philosopher’s cultivation. Even the name “Great Philosopher” was chosen for his future successor, Odin.
Miracles come at a price.
—And Mimir, from the very beginning, had regarded himself as fuel for the miracle!
“As Pillar God… merely sacrificing himself as a bridge to the future?”
When Great Philosopher appeared, Eivass had already vaguely foreseen this moment. If the Ring Heavenly Envoy intended to become the vessel of the Void, descending to the Material Realm with the Ouroboros Ring… then what should he do? The first thing to do was to eliminate other vessels, making himself the sole vessel for the Void’s descent.
The vessels in the Material Realm had been cleared. Now, who among those in the Dream Realm were the corrupted? Calamity Red, cut off by the Hourglass (Deity) for being infected by the Void and suppressed by the Silver Crown Dragon, and Great Philosopher, who had opened the Gate of Truth and fallen “silent”… and the Ring Heavenly Envoy himself, who knew all this. Hengwo and the Beast Lord, endlessly dancing in their eternal struggle, were suppressed to their limit, ensuring Hengwo could never stop fighting the Beast Lord. At least they were not corrupted. Amber, the pivot of reincarnation, was also nearing her limit… but was still pure for now.
—Then, all that was needed was to eliminate Calamity Red and Great Philosopher.
Even Calamity Red himself had realized this… and felt suffocated.
A sense of mortal danger surged through him. He vaguely seemed to understand why he had been severed and sealed…
“The Void named Victory, and the Void named Knowledge…”
Mimir spoke slowly, stepping out of the void. “Are both my enemies.”
In his hand, lightning surged, transforming into a spear. It was not a staff, but a spear for hunting giant beasts!
“Proclaim my name!”
From behind him, a giant Winged One with six golden wings declared loudly:
“—I am not Mimir, nor Atlas!”
It was a declaration completely opposite to what he announced when he first appeared.
“I am the Wing Heavenly Envoy! I am the Lord descending from the Sky! I am—Uranus!”
It was an identity long discarded, a True Name long forgotten.
The next moment, the lightning spear was thrown!
As the lightning spear flew, Calamity Red, unable to dodge, was instantly pierced! The spear that crossed the river of fate, like the future glimpsed by Great Philosopher… its hit was already determined the moment it was thrown.
The instant the spear touched Calamity Red, it began to spin madly. It spun with such force that it could drill a hole through the sky! If this blow landed on the Earth, it could even shatter a continent. This strike was no less powerful than the Abyss Heavenly Envoy… rather, this spear was several times stronger than the Abyss Heavenly Envoy brought to the Material Realm!
Calamity Red’s body was crushed and compressed by the terrifying power—his bones and scales shattered. A thin lightning spear, barely thicker than one of his scales, almost completely drilled his body into nothingness through the void! If this scene were to happen to a human, it would be like an embroidery needle piercing the body, but exploding a hole over twenty centimeters in diameter!
The spear that instantly pierced Calamity Red flew on, its aftermath tearing the entire sky of the Dream Realm apart—clouds turned into a deep blue sky, and dark purple cracks seeped into the blue sky, like the world’s appearance during its previous destruction.
Uranus simply waved his hand, and the lightning spear instantly teleported back into his grip.
Watching the slowly recovering Calamity Red, his eyes filled with shock and fear, Uranus smiled. His power was still growing.
“I have returned—”
This was Uranus’s declaration.
—The might of the former Wing Heavenly Envoy had all returned to his body.
Even…
The already unbalanced and uncontainable great power had caused his body to crack. From inside his body, which was like shattered porcelain, a dim yellowish light seeped out. However, Uranus still stood tall, his sharp gaze fixed on the Red Dragon. Just like the hero who hunted the [Sky-Devouring Beast] in the past. He was the anger of the [Sky] itself!
(End of Chapter)
