Chapter 656:

Chapter 656:

"That's…"

As Jiang Shang's eyes widened at the sight,

"Oh my. What a pretty flower. But are you planning to execute me on top of it? The flower seems too small for that."

Urd sneered as she looked at the blue lotus.

The blue lotus appeared somewhat normal from the outside.

But when Seong Jihan carefully placed it on the ground.

Swish swish swish…

As the blue lotus unfolded, the color of the ground began to change.

"…What are you doing?"

As the realm of defiled mixed world was created in the world that had been engulfed in pure white light, Urd lost her composure and looked at it with wary eyes.And for good reason.

Blue and black energy was spreading, pushing back the light of the transcendent being.

'What on earth is that… pushing back the transcendent being's light?'

While she was showing caution,

"So this is why you suddenly acted like you didn't mind dying. I see now."

Seong Jihan smirked as he touched under Urd's chin with his hand.

Then,

Zing…

A golden stream of light appeared from there like a thin thread and began to extend outside the realm of defiled mixed world.

And that light soon, reached the place where Jiang Shang had been struggling earlier before being saved by the golden clock.

"The reason you suddenly said you didn't mind dying was because of that."

"Yes. Proving her ability was just an excuse, and this seems to have been her real purpose."

A subtle connection with the clock that couldn't be discovered until defiled mixed world was unfolded.

Even if Urd had been killed in the earlier situation, she probably would have tried to survive somehow through that.

'She's quite persistent, this one too.'

Thwack!

As Seong Jihan struck it with his hand,

Zing…

The golden clock that had appeared in front of Jiang Shang was pulled into this place and disappeared.

"…"

Biting her lip as she saw this, Urd said,

"Think carefully."

She pointed to the ground with her finger.

"The phenomenon created by your flower is impressive, but how long can it last? The boundary of the realm isn't solid and is shaking, isn't it?"

The realm of defiled mixed world, mixed with blue and black light.

The central area where the blue lotus bloomed was definitely blocking the light, but the boundary was shaking as it touched the light of the transcendent being.

Certainly, as Urd pointed out, at this rate, defiled mixed world couldn't be maintained indefinitely.

To solve this, Seong Jihan needed to figure out how to unfold this before the realm of defiled mixed world collapsed.

"If I cooperate with you, I can weaken the light. Then this realm will last longer too."

"Hmm."

"Do you know why my authority works on the transcendent being?"

As Seong Jihan paused for a moment, Urd moved her mouth eagerly, as if this was her chance.

"I wonder."

"Isn't it strange? That the great transcendent being is blocked by me and can't move? Me, who was so easily defeated by you."

"Hmm… Why is that?"

"Father intentionally set it so that 'time reversal' wouldn't be subject to nullification."

Was she saying Mitra allowed only 'time reversal' to work?

"…Why on earth?"

"Why do you think?"

Urd smiled deeply at Seong Jihan's question.

"It's so that only Father could be revived when the transcendent being was completed."

* * *

To think Mitra specially modified 'time reversal' to revive himself…

'Why are these new humans trying to kill all the normal humans and save only themselves?'

Even the highest levels of government were like that.

Was even Mitra, who created the light body system, plotting such a plan?

Seong Jihan organized his thoughts for a moment.

"From what I heard, Mitra sacrificed himself to the light body system. That's why he's revered as an unparalleled great man by the new humans."

"New humans… Is that what you call us? Yes. That's the story known to the world."

"But. You're saying he tried to revive himself through time reversal?"

"Yes."

As she said this, Urd floated a golden clock.

"Create the light body system, ultimately gather all of humanity to create the transcendent being… And then, only he would return through time reversal and make this power his own. That was the plan of the great Father."

"Hmm. I think I heard a similar story related to Yggdrasil."

"Yggdrasil… Ah. You mean the list written on that steel tree?"

She mentioned this with a sneer.

"Do you really think they'll save only the people whose names were written?"

"They won't save them?"

"Of course not. Why would the transcendent being save such people? They were just used too."

"I see."

If the list on Yggdrasil was just a beautiful illusion, he felt a bit sorry for Id, who firmly believed in it.

As Seong Jihan was thinking this, Urd continued speaking.

"Use me, use my authority. Block the transcendent being with it, and further, utilize it. If you and I join hands, it's entirely possible."

"You mean we should use the time reversal that Mitra intentionally allowed?"

"That's right. Only I can utilize this authority."

Urd desperately tried to appeal her usefulness to stay alive.

Seong Jihan smiled at this sight.

"But you know,"

As he said this, he brought his hand to his neck.

Flash…!

There, pure white light began to shine.

"I have the time reversal authority too, you know?"

"…Eh?"

"Yes… If I float a clock like you, this can effectively block the transcendent being's light, right?"

Of course, he had only obtained it and didn't know how to use it yet.

'It's better for me to figure out how to use it somehow than to use Urd.'

Urd was like a time bomb.

Rather than using her, it was better for Seong Jihan to learn and block the transcendent being's light himself.

"Thanks for the good information."

Just as Seong Jihan was about to annihilate her with those final words,

"…You. How are you operating multiple light authorities simultaneously? Ah. Could it be… Is it possible in this land? Like how you blocked the transcendent being's light… Can you exist here even with more than two light authorities?"

Urd muttered to herself, more surprised by Seong Jihan operating two characteristics simultaneously than by him possessing time reversal.

Then.

"Then… if that's the case…!"

Even though Seong Jihan didn't do anything,

Boom boom boom!

Urd's body began to explode on its own.

'…Why is she suddenly doing this again?'

Was this her final struggle?

As Seong Jihan was paying attention to Urd's exploding body,

Zing…

There, a golden clock revealed itself.

It looked similar to the ones blocking the path inside the Ark, but bhis clock, which had a more definite form than those,

Whoosh…!

Rose into the air as if escaping from Seong Jihan.

"Where…!"

Seeing this, Jiang Shang immediately tried to throw the Infinite sword, but

"Ah. It's alright. Let's watch what she's doing for a moment."

Seong Jihan raised his hand to stop him.

"How can you be so relaxed when we don't know what that evil woman might do?"

"She's still within the realm of defiled mixed world. We can deal with her at any time."

The defiled mixed world created by unfolding Ashoka's blue lotus, not only blocked the transcendent being's light,

But also had absolute dominion within its realm.

No matter how much Urd struggled, it was just futile resistance.

If he decided to, he could eliminate her immediately.

Yet there was a separate reason for leaving Urd, who had turned into a clock, alone for now.

'The authority of time reversal… This is perfect for learning how to use it.'

Urd, transformed into a golden clock, was currently using her authority to its extreme.

Seong Jihan was indirectly reading her movements, learning how to operate 'time reversal', which he hadn't known how to use until now.

'Hmm… So that's how it moves? At my current level, it would be difficult to create even one clock.'

While Seong Jihan was analyzing Urd's authority,

Flash. Flash…!

The golden clock was shining, desperately trying to exert its power outside the realm of defiled mixed world.

However,

Zing…

The golden light was only flashing intensely inside.

It showed no signs of being able to extend outside the realm.

Then,

[Just once, just once…!]

Urd's voice was heard from the golden clock, begging for one chance.

"What are you trying to do?"

[Just once, just once…!]

Urd kept shouting "just once" without answering Seong Jihan's question.

Had she gone mad after becoming a clock?

As Seong Jihan was looking at her incredulously,

"Hmm…? Look at that. Something's flying this way. Hmm… It looks like people."

Jiang Shang pointed his finger while staring into the distance.

* * *

"People?"

As Seong Jihan turned his gaze to where Jiang Shang was pointing, the isolates who had been collapsed in the prison of time, were floating unconsciously, flying towards them.

'Weren't they dead?'

The isolates who had been submerged in light, with clocks attached to them.

When Seong Jihan had checked earlier, they weren't even breathing, so he thought they had all died trapped in the prison of time.

But now, those flying towards them each had one part of their body shining brightly and were trying to enter the realm of defiled mixed world.

"Should we annihilate them?"

"Hmm… Let's let just one person in."

As Seong Jihan said this, he allowed only one person into the realm of defiled mixed world.

Thud.

The man whose left upper arm was shining, with his arm completely detached from his body, floated up and flew towards Urd's clock.

Crack. Crack…!

The forearm deeply embedded into the golden clock, making an eerie sound.

Zing…

On the clock's surface, with only the man's upper forearm attached, it spun round and round.

'She forcibly merged the authority of the opponent she subdued.'

So that was why the isolates were submerged in light.

Was it to absorb the isolates' authorities like this later?

As Seong Jihan was looking at the clock spinning with the forearm attached,

[It really works…]

[I can merge without fusing with the transcendent being!]

[By gathering the authorities of the isolates, I can… the transcendent being…!]

Urd, who had been begging for just one chance earlier, was now filled with joy.

Combining all the authorities of the isolates and taking them for herself, was this her original goal?

Seong Jihan watched the clock of light spinning with the forearm attached, as Urd rejoiced alone.

"I see. I've seen enough."

Clap.

He clapped once.

Then,

Thud…!

The forearm fell powerlessly from Urd's clock.

[My, my authority…!]

Urd, who hadn't shown much pain even when her neck was stabbed, screamed as she saw the forearm falling off the clock, but.

"Now that I know how it moves, let's say goodbye."

Without batting an eye, Seong Jihan turned his gaze towards Jiang Shang.

"Emperor. Would you like to strike?"

"Oh… Are you really giving me this opportunity? You've done all the work this time."

"Compared to the grudge the Emperor holds, mine is not so great."

Compared to Jiang Shang, whose actual world had been destroyed, his grudge was still at a trivial level.

'Of course, it would be one method for me to handle her and absorb her authority…'

Like when Ashoka had extracted only the protection authority from Id and dealt with him as a 'normal person',

Seong Jihan could also similarly deal with Urd.

But,

'If I don't handle it cleanly, I might give her a chance to survive again.'

In Id's case, it was possible because he cooperated to become one with the transcendent being.

Urd might try to survive by any means necessary.

Rather than seeing that, it was better to clean things up neatly here.

Thinking this, Seong Jihan added one more thing.

"However, if you're going to do it, do it thoroughly. Please make sure not a trace of her remains."

"That's exactly what I want."

Jiang Shang gladly let go of the Infinite sword from his hand.

Whoosh!

The sword flew by itself and pierced the center of the clock of light.

Crackle…!

Then, sparks flashed from the clock of light.

[I had finally found the answer…]

Urd's despairing voice was heard from there, but.

"As my son-in-law said, I won't leave a trace."

Swish…

As a Taiji symbol rose from the clock and began to spin backwards,

[I was so close…]

Urd's voice grew fainter and fainter.

And as the reversing taiji symbol sped up,

Crack. Crack…!

Cracks appeared all over the clock of light at once.

It was rapidly sucked into the taiji symbol.

[No… don't…]

The clock of light flashed several times as if it couldn't die like this, but.

Whoosh…!

Each time, the Taiji symbol spun fiercely, swallowing even the desperately flashing light.

And after the Taiji symbol had spun tens, hundreds of times, the once solid clock had vanished without a trace.

"Have you finished?"

"No. I need to handle it more thoroughly."

Although the clock was already completely shattered and had entered the Taiji symbol, Jiang Shang continued to move the Taiji symbol, saying he wouldn't leave any future troubles.

And how much time had passed after that?

Swish…

The speed of the reversing Taiji symbol slowed down.

"Now, I think it's done."

Stroking his beard while looking at this, Jiang Shang reached out towards the Taiji symbol.

Then, as the form of the Taiji symbol disappeared,

Whoosh…!

The Infinite sword returned to his hand.

Jiang Shang looked at it with complex eyes, then

"…Thank you, truly. For giving me the chance for revenge."

He bowed his head briefly towards Seong Jihan, making a fist-and-palm salute.

This was the first courtesy the Emperor had shown to another person since unifying the world.

"I… will definitely repay you."