Chapter 275
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[Translator – Night]
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The old man stood before the ancient tree.
His eyes, which had been examining the state of the tree, trembled noticeably.
“The speed at which its life force is being consumed is too fast.”
The giant frame and thick branches of Barret Namsov remained as imposing as ever.
However, the previous vitality and energy seemed to have left him.
The tree bark was cracked and crumbling feebly, and its color had turned a dark, dingy hue.
It was because he had poured all his life force into maintaining the ‘Five Seal.’
Barret had existed for hundreds of years as an ancient tree, steadily accumulating the mana of nature.
Yet, now it was difficult for him to maintain the seal for even three years.
This made Izaro realize just how absurdly powerful the Five Seal was.
It must have been devised and created by someone with an unusual obsession with the ‘Gate’ within the Namsov lineage.
“…But even that is losing its efficacy.”
Izaro let out a deep sigh.
A dark era was looming right before their eyes.
Step by step, he approached the tree and gently extended his hand to touch it, as if greeting an old friend.
[…You have arrived?]
A human face emerged on the tree trunk.
Barret looked down at Izaro.
“I finished my work and came.”
[You’ve worked hard. I have confirmed that the seal is functioning properly again.]
“Hard work, you say. You’ve had it much harder than I have.”
Izaro hesitated for a moment before continuing with his question.
“How much time do we have left?”
[It can still hold out for about a year.]
“…Humanity owes you a great debt.”
[It’s nothing.]
A childlike smile briefly crossed the face on the ancient tree.
[Have you come to see the hero?]
“…Yes.”
[Come inside.]
With a creaking sound, Barret’s trunk opened, revealing a passage inside.
Izaro walked in, continuing their conversation.
Barret’s voice seemed to resonate directly in his mind.
“How is the hero doing?”
[He still seems to be in a deep sleep. This is the first time he has lost consciousness for so long, so it is a bit concerning.]
“…He must be bringing back significant gains.”
[I hope so.]
The inner space was small but cozy.
A bed was placed there, and as Barret had said, the hero lay peacefully, as if in a deep sleep, to greet them.
Maktania, who had arrived earlier, waved lightly.
“You’re here? You’re late.”
“…I came as soon as I could. You got here quickly.”
“I wanted to see him.”
Izaro and Maktania stood by the bed.
The sound of steady, deep breathing filled the space.
Izaro’s gaze fell on the hero’s closed eyes.
‘…What are you seeing, brother?’
The first year had gone according to plan.
The hero began to experience a virtual reality based on the records of the original doppelganger.
His growth progressed smoothly.
The understanding of those whom the original doppelganger had copied suddenly began to rise.
Some of them were as powerful as modern heroes.
The hero acquired new abilities and insights, integrating them into his original martial arts.
Consequently, a few techniques were added to his unique style, Infinity.
▼
Understanding of the Red Tower Lord, Adeno Snook, has increased.
Understanding of the Silver Moon Group Leader, Annabella Cleve, has increased.
Understanding of the Knight King, Aratz Rus, has increased.
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▼
Technique: Infinity Style, Gate of Annihilation, is now available.
Technique: Infinity Style, Shadow of Eternity, is now available.
Technique: Infinity Style, Time of Sweeping, is now available.
▲
Each of these was a powerful technique.
The progress that had been halted for a while, the ‘Furnace,’ also responded.
▼
New materials were added to the furnace.
The user’s unique ability: ‘Evolving Polymorph,’ has grown.
▲
But just as his growth continued step by step, urgent news arrived.
It was confirmed that the Demon King had managed to open the ‘Gate’ and return to the Demon Realm.
The Demon King’s presence suddenly vanished from the 50th sector of the Demon Realm overnight.
To cross-verify, the Imperial side sent reconnaissance units, and the hero’s party also organized their own search teams.
However, they couldn’t find the Demon King’s massive, unique presence anywhere in the current world.
Thus, they entered into an emergency strategy meeting.
“…The worst situation we feared has occurred.”
“Given the concentration of demonic energy in the Demon Realm, the Demon King will be back to full strength in less than a year. No, he might even come back stronger than before.”
Thus, various countermeasures were proposed.
Suggestions ranged from seeking the help of the Celestial Tribe to pushing through the demonic territories as much as possible within the remaining time.
However, Maktania firmly stated that the Celestial Tribe could not act at the moment, and the other measures were equally ineffective.
It was then that Namsov stepped forward.
[I believe I can buy us some time, but I will need your cooperation.]
This was the moment when the grand magic he had been envisioning for a long time, the ‘Five Seal,’ was revealed.
“Can you really block the dimensional passage? Is that even possible?”
[To be precise, it’s a double seal. It not only blocks the dimensional passage but also creates a sort of filter at the entrance. Small fry demons might find a way through, but beings like the Demon King, who require a significant causal force, will be completely blocked.]
“Causal force, you say. Have you developed magic that can manipulate causality?”
[I’ve already identified the five locations where the seals will be placed. As long as these seals remain intact, the Demon King won’t be able to return to this world.]
The party shivered upon hearing the explanation.
It seemed Barret had surpassed his father, Platooz Namsov, as a magician.
[But not even one of the pillars must be destroyed. If the seals’ power weakens, the Demon King might not be able to descend directly, but he could still exert indirect influence on our world.]
“…We’ll need to coordinate with the Imperial Family.”
The pillars of the seals must be protected.
The party ingrained this principle into their minds.
However, that wasn’t the end of the warnings.
Barret spoke in a grave tone.
[Unfortunately, even the Five Seal is only a temporary measure. It will only buy us a little time.]
It was then that Barret’s gaze fixed on the hero.
[So, during that time, you must take a gamble.]
The content of the gamble that Barret mentioned made all the listeners, who had been nodding until then, suddenly look serious.
[Activate the fragment of the original doppelg?nger. This will accelerate the evolution of your polymorph ability.]
Before the hero could ask further, Barret continued his explanation.
Both polymorph abilities had the same roots, but their efficacy was significantly different.
The hero’s polymorph was bound by the constraint of understanding, requiring a lot of time and effort to replicate the essence of a target.
In contrast, the original’s polymorph could replicate a target without any constraints, and the power it could harness was on a different level.
Sometimes it was several times stronger than the original.
[The fragment of the original doppelg?nger within you, combined with the virtual reality I’ve created, could allow you to imperfectly revive the original within your mental world.]
“And what would you do with his revival?”
[Increased understanding of the original doppelg?nger.]
When the hero accessed Zero’s memories, there was indeed a comment about the increase in understanding of the original doppelg?nger.
This implied that the original could also be replicated.
Facing his essence would cause the understanding to rise rapidly.
It would be much more efficient than just experiencing him through virtual reality.
Barret was suggesting this plan.
“Wait.”
Izaro interrupted then.
“Setting aside the dangers, is this plan really worth the risks involved?”
[What do you mean?]
“He was already defeated by the Demon King once. Isn’t it better to let the hero grow steadily in his way rather than relying on a power that has already failed once?”
Surprisingly, it was the hero who answered Izaro’s question.
“No, the original doppelg?nger lost to the Demon King because the replicated targets were insufficient, not because the ability itself was lacking.”
The humans of the Second Era, who had repeatedly fought, were much stronger than those of the First Era, who had only enjoyed peace.
While magic had regressed, their achievements in martial arts were on a different level.
Barret added.
[That’s correct. If the original doppelg?nger existed in this era and replicated ‘Ted Redymer’ and other heroes, the demons would have been eradicated long ago.]
Larze chuckled.
“Humans would have been eradicated too.”
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Ignoring Larze, Barret continued to look at the hero.
[Therefore, your role and decision are crucial. Are you prepared to face and ‘understand’ the original doppelg?nger in your mental world? If you are uncertain or think this plan is unreasonable, you can refuse. There is an alternative.]
“An alternative?”
[Continuing to grow steadily and trying to hold off the demonic forces until the Demon King returns. However, you will need to take the risk of splitting and push for faster unity among humanity.]
The hero fell into deep thought.
Understanding and replicating the original doppelg?nger to obtain his complete polymorph.
Using that strengthened power to face the Demon King in the final battle.
Barret Namsov was suggesting that this was the best path.
While the hero was silent, the companions began to argue.
From opposition due to the danger to those who thought it was worth a try.
But ultimately, the decision was up to the hero, and all eyes soon turned to him.
Maktania added one last comment.
“Think carefully. If you lose the fight for dominance in your mental world, you could lose your body. Then humanity’s hope would vanish as well.”
The hero looked at her with deep-set eyes.
“I know. But waiting without any changes offers no hope either.”
It would be like waiting for a slow, inevitable death.
Barret’s expression trembled slightly at the hero’s words.
[Does that mean…]
The hero nodded.
“I will do it. I will…”
As he continued to speak, he thought of the man who massacred thousands of humans while laughing maniacally.
The hero sighed briefly.
“I will face him. My original self.”
Maktania let out a deep sigh, almost shaking the ground.
Thus began the strange cohabitation.
* * *
“……”
Floating in the deep sea of his subconscious, the hero was adrift.
Whether his eyes were open or closed, the view did not change.
Countless fragments of images and emotions.
Their faint glow dimly lit the dark blue expanse.
Vwooooong—
In an endlessly vast space, the fragments of light moved erratically, gathering and then pouring over him like a tidal wave.
Laughter, someone’s face, excitement and love, fear and pain—all these passed over the hero in succession.
The last was a cold voice.
[You pathetic fool.]
The hero replied.
“What are you so unhappy about?”
[Unhappy? What am I unhappy about?]
??? growled.
[I’m unhappy that someone with the unprecedented ability of polymorph lives like a pathetic idiot.]
It was verbal abuse.
But the hero did not back down.
“Didn’t seem like you lived that smart either. More like you were foolish and narrow-minded the whole time.”
[…What do you know to speak such words?]
“I could say the same to you.”
Their conversations typically went this way.
??? hated the hero intensely.
It was probably because he had roughly observed the hero’s life path within the subconscious.
A person who believed in humanity’s evil versus one who believed in its good.
It would be strange if they communicated well.
‘…More than anything, I dislike that guy too.’
Having experienced similar pain, he found ??? even more detestable and pathetic.
A brat who hated the entire human race and indiscriminately caused harm just because he was disappointed by a few.
That was the impression the hero had of ???.
‘That’s probably why the understanding comment has been quiet.’
Fortunately, contrary to Maktania’s fears, there had been no incidents of losing control of his body, but despite the passage of time, the hero could not comprehend ???’s motivations or way of thinking.
[You, who wander with nothing but the shell of your abilities, sure have a lot to say.]
The hero’s expression slightly crumpled.
“I can’t agree with that last comment.”
How could his polymorph be just a shell?
Admittedly, before he obtained ‘evolution,’ when he could only replicate appearances, that term might have been apt.
But now, he could replicate abilities as well.
Except for Ted, he could even achieve equal or greater power output than the original with ‘upscale’ now.
The term “shell” was no longer suitable to describe him.
[Haha, the phrase ‘a frog in a well’ seems to have been made just for you.]
But it seemed ??? wasn’t saying it just to mock the hero.
[Want to find a clue to defeat the Demon King? Want to advance your polymorph?]
The content forced the hero to focus despite the mocking tone.
He stopped retorting. ??? seemed satisfied and softened his tone.
[Lucky guy. There is a fundamental difference between my polymorph and yours. Zero must have intentionally ‘removed’ it from you as a safety measure.]
Creak—
At that moment, numerous doors sprang up in front of the hero.
Hinges covered in moss, surfaces worn and crumbling.
The doorknob on the nearest door glowed faintly.
[So, what do you think? Want to give it a try?]
The voice had softened to a gentle, subtle tone.
[A complete polymorph, something you’ve never experienced.]
Clack—
The doorknob turned.
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