Yes, it's emptiness.
I've wondered for a long time...
Yes, a long time...
And I'm sure it's been long, even though I'm barely a thousand years old…
I wondered about the void... I wondered about nihilism...
And I discovered only one thing: they're two sides of the same coin...
But at the same time, they're opposites—completely unlike each other.
So why?
Why do I feel this emptiness...
Even though despair leads to Nihilism… to nonexistence…
What I feel now is emptiness! For the second time!!
Do you know that voice you hear when you talk to yourself using only thoughts?
Yes, that's the voice I hear now.
⁂__
⊕Black Wish⊕
Update...
⟦Virtue of Despair⟧
I learned despair, I felt it, and I was close to being devoured by it.
But I surrendered to despair in a way contrary to its nature.
A path leading to emptiness or nothingness—that was my excuse.
Completion: 45%
Warning…!!
The second piece of the ⬛⬛⬛ has been discovered!
⁂__
That pain...
That emptiness... again...
"Did you say… Russel is your older sister?"
"Yes~ and we have a secret that only the two of us know."
With a strike of my hand, I shattered the table in front of us…
Was it anger? Or something else?
"You… You were the one spying on me!"
Using despair as an excuse…
I strangled her with these hands.
" M–Master… y–you're wro–ng…"
In the face of death… is she still lying?
I dropped her to the ground and let her explain herself.
To stop her from speaking any more lies, I sealed her movements with the intent to kill.
"M–Master, please let me explain… Russel and I share a secret skill called 〔Soul Link〕 which allows us to share the most powerful moments of joy or sorrow…"
Another secret skill…
She explained that she had seen my joyful memories—those I was part of—and her own painful memories before her death.
"If you know who killed Russel, then why do you want to destroy your father..?"
Am I mistaken?
Wasn't she the one spying on me?
"That bastard… It was all his plan! He planned to sacrifice Russel from the beginning just to reach Sovereignty!!"
I understand now…
Yes… now I understand everything.
Even without hearing the rest of her words, I understood what she meant.
That's why the Emperor didn't sense a path and was easily drawn to mine.
Was it a secret skill or a forbidden one?
Without a doubt—it was forbidden.
That Emperor… he's dangerous!!
The Saints are the only humans who possess Holy Mana before reaching Sovereignty…
And I've personally experienced what it's like to have the seal cut my link to the mana source…
Turning helpless mortals into Chimeras and using them against the Saints…
Converting the Saints' mana into a mana generator using a forbidden skill to reach Sovereignty…
At that point, even Holy Mana won't be able to reject him…
It's truly an evil plan!!
"I'm sure! The real Tower Master hid himself from the world, but he participated in my father's plan by turning one of his arms into a Chimera arm! I saw it in her memories!"
"When you say Tower Master, do you mean the one from the Continent of Joy?"
"Of course not! I mean the Central Tower Master—the one from the Dark Continent. That Tower Master is the supreme leader of all towers. There's no one above him in rank—he's the master of every tower in the world."
I see now...
Now I know where I must go.
"One last question… Why do you two look so different if you're sisters?"
"Russel is the First Princess, daughter of the Empress. I'm the daughter of the second wife…"
Looks like her madness isn't inherited, at least.
I stopped my killing intent and walked toward the exit…
"M–Master? Where are you going??"
I thought about my desire to fly…
Then floated gently into the air…
"Tell Kugssa to leave the Empire and go to the place I told her about…"
Just as I was about to leave, I turned back and walked toward Maria.
"My dear~ Follow Kugssa… I don't want to lose my precious student ."
"Master Tel!!"
Kugssa?
"Please don't go! Please!!" she screamed, trying to pull me back down.
"Kugssa… step back!"
Her intentions are pure, but what I'm about to do would be cruel to her.
So I pushed her away, then left the palace—floating toward the farthest place I could reach.
...…
The sky grew darker, with gray clouds covering it bit by bit…
I landed near a small lake surrounded by towering trees.
I looked at my reflection in the water and saw it…
The traces of devouring…
The blackness had spread across my chest and shoulders. It wouldn't take long to reach my face…
It's no longer possible to contain it after losing the Holy Mana…
This curse feeds on despair to spread faster through my body…
And despair feeds on the curse to strip away the little control I still have…
The rain finally fell…
Its calm sound and scent reminded me of days filled with innocence and foolishness, adventure and friendship, sacrifice and triumph…
But what good are those now?
Now they're just memories I look back on… and mock.
Sigh…
Should I do it?
But…
Will I even be able to return? After betraying Pride, surely the path back won't work...
[I'm back~]
Does this mana… really have a mind of its own??
And the way it talks to me… pisses me off!!
"Lunar…"
"Yes, my Lord!"
Looks like I really have to gamble this time.
"Lunar… Use half your power. Convert it into pure mana and send it to me."
"But my Lord… it's devouring you! And your link to the mana source is cut—it's impossible!"
I tore my clothes and raised my bony hand toward him.
"I know what I want to do. Just do what I say."
"As you command, my Lord!"
Lunar's intangible form grew massive, then split into two halves…
The first half shrank back to normal, while the other half transformed into extremely concentrated mana!
The concentrated mana gathered and floated toward me.
"It is done, my Lord. I will enter deep slumber to regain my strength—but I shall always answer your call!"
Then Lunar vanished.
I guided the mana to my hand and created a temporary mana source—which could explode at any moment...
But the mana Lunar provided was enough to match half the power I lost from the broken link to my original source.
"Good. Now I can at least use one legendary skill."
I opened my spatial storage and retrieved armor and clothes inherited from my father.
I went to bathe in the lake, even though the rain hadn't stopped.
I washed thoroughly, as if hoping to cleanse myself of the curse that refused to be purified…
As if trying to erase dried ink from a page using a single drop of water.
When I finished, I dressed in the clothes and armor, then left the lake.
...
Somewhere inside the imperial palace…
Screaming echoed from the throne room…
Inside, the Emperor was shouting at the nobles and knights present.
"How the hell did she escape!!"
"We apologize, Your Majesty… but when we went to the Fourth Princess's palace, she was nowhere to be found. We searched the entire capital and couldn't find a trace."
The knights knelt on the floor, begging for mercy…
While fear showed clearly on the faces of the nobles in the hall.
"How the hell did she know I would search for her today!! All my plans to make her stronger under the Imperial Teacher have gone to waste!"
The Emperor slumped on his throne, regret twisting his face.
Shake... shake…*
"What's that sound?"
The Emperor asked the knights, who had no answer.
"Forgive me, Your Majesty… Isn't that an earthquake?"
Shaking… shaking…*
The walls started to tremble, and so did the hall. The lights went out.
"Your Majesty, bad news!!!"
A soldier rushed into the hall.
"What the hell is going on!!" the Emperor shouted in anger.
"N–No time to explain, Your Majesty! Quickly, look outside!!"
The Emperor rushed to the window. When he looked out, he staggered back and collapsed in shock.
"I-It's him…!!" he said in horror.
"I've returned~"
Let the long-awaited revenge begin.