MTLNOVEL Chapter 25
Chapter 25
'No, he was definitely human?'
There are no confirmed facts about the Sin of Arrogance, Super.
So after meeting Super, I conducted a simple analysis.
[Name: Super.
Age: 13.
Species: Human.
Gender: Unknown.
Peculiarity: Eyes.
Something seems to be sealed.
What it is, I do not know.]
I also conducted several cross-verifications and confirmed the components that make up the human body.
He is clearly human.
'But he was a chimera?'
Denying reality, I had clearly witnessed it with my own two eyes.
The scene of him absorbing that black snake.
He even referred to it as his brother.
"......You, were a chimera?"
Lapis asked while slightly lowering her body.
Ready to strike at any time, either to subdue the enemy or sever their head.
It was inevitable.
Chimeras were biological weapons.
Artificial lifeforms created by combining the power of two lives, defying the providence of the gods.
And yet, I didn't sense anything strange from Super.
'Could it be that an alchemist succeeded in human synthesis?'
Even if it's not a taboo, it's one of the prerequisites for a taboo, so the difficulty must be immense?
"......I am not a chimera."
Super shook his head in denial.
Lapis pointed to where the black snake had been.
"Then how did you absorb that?"
"That's...... because they are my brothers."
Lapis frowned.
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
"So, you are a chimera. Judging by your scattered thoughts."
Srrrng!
Arthur drew a silver sword and pointed it at Super's neck.
"Speak. What are you?"
The atmosphere between the two shifted drastically.
It was a tense moment where it wouldn't be strange if someone attacked first.
"......Stop for a moment."
Evan spoke up.
The tense atmosphere reversed with just one voice.
All eyes turned to him instantly.
Unemotional golden pupils stared at them.
"......Evan Alcart."
Arthur swallowed hard.
He never expected him to step in personally.
Was he protecting an experiment?
'But this kid is dangerous.'
Absorbing a chimera?
Whether he's a chimera or not, it's a problem.
If he grows unchecked, who knows what disaster might be born.
Either leash him or kill him here.
They had to choose one.
"No matter who you are, chimeras are dangerous. I understand your desire to use him as research material, but......."
"?"
"This kid is dangerous. You know that too, don't you?"
"......."
Evan missed the timing to say, 'What nonsense are you talking about?'
'It's true that he's dangerous, though.'
Pushing him now would be even more dangerous.
Evan was a transmigrator who knew the future.
He knew what would happen if Sins awakened.
His mouth went dry.
"Everyone has potential."
Evan racked his brain.
He had lived in a modern era where information flooded like a torrent.
Especially during a time when he practically lived buried in videos made purely for dopamine.
From all sorts of trivial dopamine to even famous quotes, everything was stored in his head.
Somehow, he cobbled it together!
"What someone becomes in the future is their own decision. We cannot arbitrarily change that choice."
"But-"
"More importantly."
Evan stared at Super.
"Super is human."
"......!"
It wasn't a question.
A declaration.
A tone that affirmed Super's existence.
Super's eyebrows trembled slightly.
"......How do you know that I am human?"
"The components that make up your body, your voice, your thoughts, your self, your soul. All of it proves you are human. Or do you want to be something else?"
"That's...... not it, but......."
"No matter your status or where you were born, humans are humans, beastfolk are beastfolk, monsters are monsters. That doesn't change."
Even Evan wasn't sure what he was saying, but he made it sound plausible.
"If you were born human and want to be human, then you are human."
"......."
"......."
Super and Arthur fell silent.
Did it work?
"......Evan."
Lapis spoke in a low voice, then suddenly! She lunged at Evan.
"You're so amazing!"
'......Ha, damn. That scared me!'
Why did she suddenly jump at me?
Lapis looked up at Evan with sparkling eyes.
"I've never heard such amazing words before......!"
"......Is that so?"
"Yes! Super! Remember this well! You won't hear such amazing words anywhere else!"
"......."
Super covered one eye with his hand, looking as if he was confused.
A reaction that was hard to believe came from the Sin of Arrogance.
'Still, it seems to have worked well.'
I survived!
"Super. I'll give you some time to sort out the confusion. Would you like to take a short break?"
"......No. It's fine."
Super removed his hand.
"As I go...... I'll think about it slowly."
"As you wish."
Evan respected Super's opinion.
'Well. At such a young age, an identity crisis can arise.'
Could it be that puberty is coming early?
Considering the circumstances, this is still relatively calm.
Super quietly chose silence.
Arthur opened his mouth.
"......Is this also part of your plan?"
"......What do you mean by that?"
Evan looked at Arthur with a gaze as if asking what nonsense he was spouting.
However, neither his gaze nor his expression betrayed any hint of it.
Arthur continued speaking with a serious expression.
"There's no need to hide it from me. You already know the identity of that little one, don't you?"
'How would I know that?'
An alchemist is not omnipotent.
He's just an ordinary Transmigrator.
A tragic man trapped in the body of Evan, the worst Act 2 boss.
How could he know something that doesn't come out even with prior analysis?
His opponent was Sins.
Natural talent or Fate, none of it could compare.
But it seemed Arthur had a deep misunderstanding.
He slowly began to take the lead.
"......So you knew. This foolish me cannot fathom how far ahead you're seeing."
"......."
"Still, if you wish, I will gladly play along. What should I do now?"
"......Let's descend slowly."
I have no idea what kind of misunderstanding he's having.
I need to figure out exactly what the problem is.
For now, let's descend and think about it.
"Lapis, Super. Let's go."
"Yes!"
"......."
Arthur led the way, followed by Evan.
Super was staring at Evan's back with a complicated gaze.
***
The Ancient Dungeon was deep, as its name suggested.
'Isn't this too deep?'
To the point of having such thoughts.
Can't we take a break?
Unlike Eugene, whose stamina was already running out, the other three were still full of energy.
This is all because having a weak body is a sin, truly.
The only fortunate thing was that the descending path wasn't dangerous.
-Kiaaaaaa!
'Ah! That scared me!'
Although my heart was startled, Arthur swiftly appeared and swish! Thud, it was killed.
If it wasn't Shadows, it would be over in one second.
Arthur tapped the unstable form of the Chimera with the tip of his sword and asked Super.
"Is this one also your sibling?"
"......Yes."
"You have quite a lot of siblings. Do you perhaps have multiple parents?"
"?!"
Already, the number of hunted Chimeras exceeded ten.
To the point where one might wonder if such numbers even made sense.
"I have no parents."
Although Arthur's innocent question caused some confusion in the atmosphere, in any case.
"......Stop for a moment. There's something ahead."
How many more hours did they move?
Finally, the end of the dungeon began to come into view.
Evan illuminated the front with a Small Golem holding a torch created through Synthesis.
Fwoosh-
There was no path forward anymore.
A wall blocked their way.
Evan's golem slowly illuminated the wall with the torch.
A wall densely packed with countless drawings.
"......A mural."
It was a diary recorded on the wall, a mural.
Looking at the densely packed drawings on the wall, a subtle sense of intimidation could even be felt.
'Is this the main part?'
A lightning bolt striking down from a cloudy sky.
Monsters screaming below.
The monster resembled a dragon but also looked like a beast.
However, there was something strange.
'Ugh, what is that?'
The monster's back was splitting open, and something was emerging from it.
Surely, such a monster doesn't live here, does it?
That would be far too unpleasant.
Evan frowned inwardly.
"Is this...... depicting mythology? But it's strange."
Arthur frowned.
"For a depiction of a god, it's excessively grotesque. It looks more like a demon than a god."
That which emerged.
It resembled a human but was not human.
Two horns on its head, wings on its back.
It was closer to a demon.
Even absorbing something from what looked like corpses scattered near the monster.
'Certainly, there's a reason it's called an evil god.'
The god worshiped by the Heretics was the Blood God.
An evil god that accepted human blood as offerings.
The more blood, the higher the quality of blood offered as a sacrifice, the stronger the power it granted.
Naturally, from the Empire's perspective, it could only be declared as Heresy.
From the start, accepting humans as offerings was disqualifying.
"With my limited insight, I cannot tell. Lord Evan. Can you discern what this means?"
"......It certainly is strange."
Was there such a mural?
I try to recall, but nothing comes to mind.
How could someone memorize each of these paintings?
Even a genius couldn't do this.
I wonder if there's a similar painting, but again, I can't remember.
Instead, something did come to mind.
A thunderbolt falling from the sky, a life bursting out from its back.
It seems strange when seen separately, but if viewed as one painting—
"The process of something being born."
Super opened his mouth.
"......That depicts the process of a god being conceived and born."
That's it! That answer.
"......The process of a god being conceived and born? What does that mean? Does it suggest that a god is also a living being?"
"Regardless of the truth, there are those who genuinely believe so."
"There's something written below."
Faint lines drawn below the painting.
Countless lines and circles were drawn, resembling an ant's nest.
Phrases written on each one.
[We failed.]
[We cannot create a vessel to summon the god.]
[We lack the power to create life.]
It was a record of failures and successes.
[It is incomplete.]
[There are no longer any Alchemists on the continent capable of 'Human Synthesis.']
[We are changing direction.]
[If we enhance an existing lifeform, it might become a vessel for the god.]
[We modified a peculiar creature with red fur.]
[Success.]
[It is not difficult to alter an existing lifeform.]
[Then, we are changing direction.]
[Failure.]
[Failed again!]
[The Chimeras have escaped the lab. Capture them at all costs!]
......
......
The countless lines drawn below resembled an ant's nest.
At the very end.
At the ultimate, final point.
In a space where there was no room left to draw.
A single phrase was written.
[We succeeded.]
[In creating life.]
[Although it was a modification of what existed, it reached the realm of creation!]
[At last, we have birthed a vessel with our own hands.]
[Not a Chimera, but a true human!]
[He will accept our god and be destined for a grand fate!]
'......This.'
A true human, not a Chimera.
A successful experiment.
Even the phrase "grand fate."
Evan had a hunch.
'Is this about Super?'
All the evidence pointed to Super being the protagonist of this story.
'I never thought such a past existed.'
Super was, in fact, an experimental subject.
It made sense.
It was somewhat absurd to think he was born with such immense power.
This kind of backstory seemed fitting.
'Does Lapis have something like this too?'
Real name Ira.
Sin of Wrath.
In terms of physical abilities alone, Ira was far superior.
Could there be one more hidden secret?
"......Success. Does that mean they created a human?"
"They failed to create humans directly."
Super spoke in a calm voice.
"Instead, they began modifying and altering fetuses at will. Countless mothers died, and many failures—Chimeras—emerged."
His emotionless eyes stared at the mural.
"My poor siblings...... were nothing more than countless prototypes to create me."
"Super."
Super clenched his fist tightly.
"I will destroy this place today."
"I still do not trust you. However, I cannot help but agree with that statement."
Arthur drew upon his Aura.
"This place must be destroyed."
"I am grateful to you, Evan Alcart."
Super looked at Evan.
"I was confused earlier...... but you intended all of this, didn't you?"
"?"
"Bringing in Arthur, the Heretics' demon, and bringing me to face this dungeon...... I don't know what you aim to gain, but I hope you achieve it."
"???"
I didn't do anything?
Evan felt awkward without meaning to.
The atmosphere was too serious to deny it outright.
Well, I'll explain later.
Evan avoided reality.
It was a wise choice.
"Everyone, step back."
Arthur gripped his sword with both hands and struck with force.
[Full Moon Style, First Form – Strike Down]
Boom!
The silver Aura exploded, shattering the mural completely.
Another chamber was revealed.
Even though no torches were lit.
The entire chamber was illuminated in red by the light emanating from a single egg in the center.
[Welcome, Super.]
A voice came from the egg.
[It has been a long time. I never thought you would face this place with companions instead of my bloodline.]
"......You."
Super was visibly shaken.
Whose voice is that?
"Bishop Blake."
The answer came from Arthur.
"Are you alive?"
Bishop Blake?
Ah, I remember now.
The true boss who led the Heretics.
The master of the Green Fortress, possessing power greater than the title of bishop.
Bishop Blake, known to have been defeated by Arthur, survived with only his heart and had been waiting.
Waiting for us to arrive.
Why?
"Are you alive?"
[I was fortunate.]
Thump, thump, thump.
The egg trembled as if it were beating.
Only now did the view become clear enough to see it precisely.
An egg.
To be exact, a heart.
[Please forgive me for appearing in such a pitiful form. I don't have much time left.]
"We're in the same boat."
Arthur's entire body was wrapped in silver light.
"I missed last time, but this time I'll kill you for good."
[That won't be possible.]
Bishop Blake remained calm even as he faced Arthur.
What is he scheming?
Arthur frowned.
[Oh, master of the scheme that led you here. I offer my reverence to you. So, Super.]
The moment Bishop Blake spoke.
In an instant, the air turned cold.
[Kill me.]
"......."
"......."
And.
"......?"
"......??"
Nothing happened.
Bishop Blake fell silent and then let out a bewildered sound.
[......Huh?]