named angel (5)

Once upon a time, Friedrich Nietzsche said this.

If I look into the abyss, the abyss also looks into me.

It means that if you look too deeply into something, you too will be tainted by it.

It is like this when a detective chasing a murderer becomes so absorbed in the investigation that he himself is driven into the same madness.

That’s why it’s dangerous to look inside something.

Because I have to be wary of myself being stained by looking too deeply.

“Don’t turn your head. Walk forward. If that’s too difficult, close your eyes.”

“yes···.”

The trail leading ahead.

On both sides of it there is nothing but darkness, and the vast, endless darkness fills all sides.

It’s not just darkness.

It is like a wave of swaying emotions and thoughts.

hostility to humans.

worship of the emperor.

Those emotions were condensed and mixed and waved.

─Kill it.

-Slaughter.

-Kill humans.

-Swallow the stars.

—Worship the great emperor.

This kind of thought continues to touch the mind.

If you look at the darkness without any defense, it is a wave that will be swept away in an instant and you will lose yourself.

As soon as ordinary people entered such a place, their minds were polluted and became honorary beasts.

“Protect me.”

-Yes, Ancia.

Ensia wrapped herself in the spirit’s power.

The white light surrounded Encia, blocking the waves of thoughts that crashed into her.

I don’t know how deep the Spirit of Consciousness can go, but at least it seems to be able to withstand it even if it descends deep inside.

‘I didn’t follow blindly.’

To be honest, I thought I followed without any countermeasures, but did I have any means to take care of myself?

Well, if you think about it, Encia was well versed in spiritism even before she learned the great magic math.

The first place I met her was in the middle of a winter forest full of spirits.

‘It’s good that you gave me one thing to worry about.’

If I can protect my own body, my range of motion will increase that much.

Even if you don’t, it’s time to get to the bottom of your inner world.

It’s hard for me to interpret the sympathetic nervous system while protecting her, so it was a good story for me if I had the means to protect myself.

“How far can the spirit of that ritual last?”

“Hey? Uh… Mental protection was said to be twice as much as it is now.”

“good night.”

That’s all I need to worry about.

Without delay, I raised the mana in my body.

‘The interpretation begins.’

At this depth, it would be in contact with the basis of the ‘ghost tribe’ that makes up Baltazar.

It is the best place to interpret the sympathetic nervous system.

I focused my consciousness on my heart and became conscious of the circle that rotated there.

ugh-

I can feel the 7 rings rotating fiercely.

The magic of time and space was added to the magic that pulsated there.

Currently, I am outside holding a revolver, so it is possible to access the magic of space and time.

With a clattering sound, the pair of rings surrounding the revolver were connected to the circle of the heart.

Woo woo woo woo–

“Uh… what are you talking about?”

“It’s the sound of his awakening.”

The circle’s mana alone is already moving a huge amount.

In terms of quantity, it is close to Skadi’s total magical power.

Since that amount of mana flowed into his inner self, it was only natural for his consciousness to be wary.

-Stop.

Suddenly, a voice resounded through the air.

It was the voice of thought so huge that it resonated throughout the conscious world.

─The Death God preparing. Do you dare to erode the inside of this place?

It was clearly an angry voice.

A voice expressing hostility to my actions and trying to stop them.

The darkness trembled, and a huge figure rose above the horizon.

Covering the expansive world of consciousness was a large shadow shining red eyes.

——Are you trying to swallow the power beyond the fountain? That’s stupid.

“The one who was sealed is noisy.”

The trail was stained with a sword, and the darkness spread out on both sides began to boil like thick tar.

Waves of darkness rolled in, and innumerable hands rose from there and began to climb ashore.

Those burning gray-white eyes were ghosts resembling the figures of the dead.

“I knew it would be like this.”

“School, Professor…!”

“Stay behind me.”

As long as I can maintain the most troublesome rituals, I can handle these things.

Fortunately, the spirit world.

At least when it comes to mental abilities, I don’t yield to anyone.

“Retreat”

A strong wave pushed the ghosts away and created a small area.

Originally, it could be made on a scale that would cover the entire inner surface, but for now, we need to focus on interpreting the sympathetic nervous system.

This was the limit of my ability to devote to defense.

Kiyiyin-

The place where the heart and the circle of the revolver interlocked, I raised holy power and blew it.

7 rings interlocked in parallel.

I started painting a new ring over it.

As if a ring was drawn along the planet’s orbit, huge magical power created by holy power was blown along the rotation.

7th up, 8th up.

And paint the ninth.

The meaning of the circle is the total amount of mana possessed by that person.

Having 9 of them doesn’t mean that their magical abilities are equal to Skadi’s, but at least the total amount of magical power is equal to Skadi’s.

No, if you add the magic of time and space, it will be much more than that.

And for me now, a large amount of mana was enough.

“”corrosion””

Faaa!

Red cracks ran in all directions centered on me.

The cracks that spread out as if encroaching on the surroundings began to swallow up the surface of the inner world as well as the swarming dead.

The floor vibrates and the sky screams.

The world was struggling.

“Why, why are you doing this!?”

“It’s because he’s in pain.”

Although it was disguised as an interpretation of the sympathetic nervous system, this is closer to erosion than interpretation.

It was spread by adding the ‘contagion’ attribute to the mind control that had the function of interpretation, and even if I did not bother to interpret it, it would spread on its own and interpret the nervous system.

The process is similar to the process of digesting what you ate rather than acquiring information.

It breaks it down into small pieces and absorbs each piece of information.

The original was lost, it had to come deep inside the other person, and it took up a lot of mana, but if it was possible, there was no such method.

Even if I stay still, the mental control takes care of everything.

——Do you dare to challenge the authority of the emperor?

The man’s voice had a deep murderous intent.

“It is the power of the emperor.”

Perhaps it refers to the power that created Baltazar.

It seems he doesn’t want me ripping through Balthazar’s sympathetic nervous system.

“Why are you talking like that?”

“If you finish the analysis with my method, Balthazar will no longer be able to use his sympathetic nervous system.”

A torn and fragmented nervous system cannot be put back together.

As a Witchbeast, it would be like losing a legion commander forever, and Baltazar would lose the authority to lead his army.

“It seems that he has more attachment to his subordinates than he thought.”

“Yes? Bukhara? That’s…”

“That’s not Balthazar.”

I look up and see the shadow.

A huge body that filled the vast darkness, and ‘red’ eyes that glowed there.

The Baltazar I knew didn’t have eyes like that.

“Deep in the inner world, the conscious mind can’t accurately distinguish the other person. The unconscious mind can’t intend. But, it’s perfectly aware of us.”

It is different from the person himself, and rationally recognizes the existence of the outside regardless of unconsciousness.

And finally, we’ve already encountered Kaya’s consciousness as we entered this place.

If she was really her true self sleeping inside Balthazar, there should be nothing here.

Because having two selves in one body is impossible unless you are a person with the blood of a monster.

“Then that’s…”

“It’s a story that someone else intentionally planted a consciousness.”

And, we’ve already heard what it is.

“Isn’t it? Emperor.”

─·······.

It’s a simple story.

The one who created Baltazar early on, and instilled in him infinite enmity towards humanity.

A being that imprisons Kaya’s spirit in the world of the unconscious and creates the instincts of the ‘Shadow King’ in the abyss even deeper than that.

There is only one person in all dimensions who can do that.

—You knew I wasn’t Baltazar.

“You don’t know too much about your subordinates. In the first place, Balthazar is the one who puts an honorary title after the Emperor.”

─That’s right. It makes sense.

The guy laughed at what was funny.

Even in the midst of being eroded everywhere, he did not show any sign of nervousness.

‘Is losing Balthazar not such a big loss?’

It wouldn’t mean that you could create a new corps commander.

If that was possible, he would have made a new dragon king at the time he lost Diablo.

Baltazar would not be much different from him, but I couldn’t understand the emperor’s intentions.

-I’ll correct one thing.

“Well···?”

——I am not the “Emperor.”

cooong-

In an instant, the trail shook and the darkness shuddered in all directions.

Then, the wavelength of the area I created rapidly faded and the range began to decrease.

It was a tremendous pressure indeed.

“Gyo, professor!”

“Stay still.”

Erosion is still in effect.

Its power did not touch the mind control.

It must mean that interpreting Balthazar’s sympathetic nervous system is unstoppable.

He was thinking of defeating us himself.

‘It’s not the way the emperor would take it.’

If it were him, he wouldn’t have been ignorant and press down with force, but would have tried to turn people inside out with nonsensical words and break through the spell I created head-on.

Because, that’s my way.

‘Unless the emperor.’

Ouroboros? Are you Arachne?

no.

Although their strength was strong, it was not enough to play with the spirit of the corps commander.

Then who?

“·······.”

In an instant, Estelle’s words flashed through her mind.

– The singularity is suspicious.

One day, she told me that there was some kind of connection between the Emperor and the Singularity.

At the moment, it was impossible to investigate because there was no physical evidence, but now I have come up with such a possibility in my head.

“Singularity.”

I said, acting ‘certainly’ in an unwavering voice.

“Is it you?”

And, his movement stopped.

─·······.

The shadow’s eyes narrowed.

His eyes were inquiring as if he had just said something.

“I knew there was some kind of connection with the emperor, but was it acting like this?”

─··········.

I didn’t say that with certainty.

All I’m saying is just deferring certainty.

Or you can’t help it, and it’s good if it’s right.

I threw a bluff that I had nothing to lose.

But looking at the reaction, it seems that I hit the point.

—You should die here.

“You’re affirming, you idiot.”

Do you react like that to something that you threw once?

I thought I would at least deny it, but I was dumbfounded when he reacted like that.

‘Why is the singularity here?’

Probably not the body.

It must be a kind of evil thought that the emperor mixed in when he created Baltazar.

The question is, why is the Singularity and the Emperor connected?

‘Wasn’t he the one who creates the constellation?’

Originally, they should have been on the opposite side.

No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t understand their purpose.

thump- thump-

It’s pressing down on my territory with force, and outside of that, ghosts are scratching the walls.

To make matters worse, the light in the realm is dim as if it would go out at any moment.

The situation was not good.

“professor···.”

Ensia grabbed my collar from behind.

I thought he was scared.

“Don’t worry. We’ve prepared all the ways out for you.”

“Yeah?”

He put his hand on her head.

“I told you. It’s a teacher’s duty to protect his disciples.”

It is a kind of automatic ejection system.

As I entered this place, I connected a pass that connects Ensia’s spirit and the present world.

It was like a kind of lifeline that could pull her spirit outward in case of emergency.

“So, what about the professor?”

“That’s none of your concern.”

who cares about who

I dry my body.

There are many experiences of escaping from more difficult situations.

You will be able to get past this level without difficulty.

In that sense, I tried to let her go first, but Ensia took a step back and avoided my hand.

“I can’t let you go if it moves.”

“···no.”

And, for some reason, the voice I heard sounded watery.

His shoulders trembled slightly at the side of his lowered head.

Before long, tears welled up in Ensia’s eyes as she raised her head.

“I do not like it.”