The Return of the Iron-blood Sword Hound
chapter-498

Side Story Chapter 3

Both Camuses passed through an empty void.

Behind them, Vikir could be seen, his face expressionless.

The abyss of magic.

Gases, dust, and clusters of stars drifted far behind them in the vast, empty void.

Camus from over there spoke.

"It seems that the Mana Wheel functions like a ship's helm in this place."

"Indeed. Mana is like the fuel, and we can emit it through the Mana Wheel."

The Camus from here responded.

The two genius archmages were in perfect sync, as if they were one person.

And naturally so—they were practically the same being.

Vikir asked.

"…Can one naturally gain insights just by traveling through this space? I feel like I’m learning nothing."

But there was no answer from the two Camus.

"Is that so? I see. The mysteries of magic I’ve been pondering for so long… they’re all gathered here. The formulas, the solutions, and even the detailed processes—this is… truly incredible!"

"Yes, exactly! Time flows differently depending on the motion of objects! Because both spatial and temporal Mana coexist within all beings, analyzing both at once reduces the margin of error in spells!"

"The magic circle was also subject to both space and time. When the balance between these two forces breaks, even slight errors occur between identical magic circles, which is why the resurrection spell always fails. We had overlooked the relativity of space and time."

"This place is paradise! It's a sea of knowledge! Even the tiniest speck of dust floating around is a piece of the truth that all mages have longed for their entire lives!"

The two were absorbed in analyzing the countless particles drifting in the magical abyss, their bodies fully immersed in the pursuit of truth.

Mastering truth.

It was something only the most eccentric of the eccentrics, those utterly obsessed with the magic abyss, could achieve, so it was natural that Vikir didn’t understand.

"…I don’t know what’s going on."

When you don’t know something, it's best to quietly follow someone who does.

At least then, you'll get halfway there.

So, Vikir decided to follow behind the two Camus silently.

The two Camus, advancing in their astral forms, continued their conversation.

"The 'Abyss of Magic' is similar to the 'Cycle of Reincarnation.' In the end, they’re just abstract names that point to the ultimate ideal."

"If we combine the insights we've gathered from our journey here, completing the 'The Ritual of Complete Resurrection!' is no longer a dream."

"Indeed. And with that, I could finally face my master again."

"You keep mentioning the master. Why are you so devoted to following Snake? Wasn’t he the one who contracted with Sere?"

"In the world I came from, that wasn’t the case. He sacrificed his life for me. We’re here now because of his research."

"…Is that so? Snake did that? I find it hard to believe."

"Then who do you think made the contract with Sere in the world I came from? Just so you know, it was someone from the Morg Clan."

"Hah. Is there really someone else in the Morg Clan dumb enough to make such a foolish contract? I don’t believe it."

The two Camus were gradually coming to understand each other through their conversation.

Whenever their arguments grew too heated, Vikir, trailing behind, would step in to mediate, preventing any major trouble.

Soon, they began to pass deeper into the magical abyss.

An endless journey of paradoxes.

They reached the midpoint between the starting point and the endpoint.

Then, they reached the new midpoint between that midpoint and the endpoint.

Then again, they reached yet another midpoint between that midpoint and the endpoint.

And then again, and again, and again…

An infinite hell filled only with futility and emptiness.

Trapped in the countless fleeting moments between points.

Yet, despite everything, they remained hopeful.

"We've thought a lot about what kind of infinity results when you add a finite number endlessly, haven’t we?"

"Yes, we discussed dividing observable and unobservable domains."

"Right. Infinity has its own hierarchy. Though I’m not sure how clearly we can define it."

At Camus's words, Vikir nodded.

And then…

As they continued their journey, they came across something peculiar.

It was the shattered remains of a demon’s body.

The demon’s head, floating in the cold void, suddenly opened its eyes.

[...I didn’t expect to see anyone else reach this place. Descendants of ‘him,’ are you?]

“You’re Baal, aren’t you?” asked Camus.

The Camus from here and Vikir instinctively prepared for battle the moment they laid eyes on Baal.

Even though Baal was known as the mother of demons, it had a primarily male look. It was mostly because demons had no gender or concept of biological sex. He was called as “Mother” as he was the strongest among them.

The entity known as Baal spoke in a voice filled with melancholy.

[You know my name?]

“Of course. Your subordinates started a war that nearly killed me,” Camus from over there responded.

[What I left behind there was merely a shell, an illusion. The real me has been trapped here for a long time, lost in thought.]

Baal reminisced. His thoughts wandered back to a distant memory, from so long ago he could no longer remember the exact moment.

‘And when the end of your life comes, come to this place.’

As soon as ‘his’ voice echoed in Baal’s mind, he realized something.

[...I see. A milestone. So that was my role.]

Baal laughed, a hollow sound filled with resignation.

And, with a tone of finality, he addressed Vikir and the Camus before him.

[Just by traveling through this place, you will gain what you seek.]

“……”

[But even after you’ve obtained what you desire, you’ll be forced to return here.]

“……”

[Because that is what ‘he’ wants.]

Those were Baal’s final words.

“Demons must die.”

Then, Vikir drew nine fangs into the air.

At the same time, Camus from over there spun nine Mana Wheels, weaving scorching flames.

…Boom!

Baal was annihilated.

The demon, who had never ascended to the rank of Demon God (10th Stage) but remained a mere Demon Sage (9th Stage), finally dissolved into red dust, drifting through the emptiness.

“What did he mean by ‘milestone’?” Camus from over there asked.

“...It doesn’t matter now. He’s gone. Let’s move on,” Vikir replied.

They continued forward.

And then, for the first time, they encountered a crisis.

Zzzztzzz...

The Mana Wheels gradually shrank, and the amount of Mana they emitted began to dwindle.

“Hmph. In my current state, I can’t increase the number of Mana Wheels. My training was insufficient,” the Camus from here said, clenching her fists in frustration.

At that moment—

Tap.

A hand rested on her shoulder.

The Camus from here looked up, her gaze filled with complex emotions.

And then she spoke.

“Since the fall of humanity, I’ve lived without trusting anyone.”

The sincerity of her words seeped into the air, palpable to the touch.

“But right now, I have no choice but to trust someone. It’s ironic, even laughable, how I’ve ended up relying on someone else...”

At that moment, the Camus from here placed her hand on her counterpart’s shoulder in return.

“You’re not relying on someone else.”

“...”

“I am you, and you are me.”

“...”

“And together, we are us.”

Camus looked at herself and smiled broadly.

“We can do this.”

And then, the Camus from here smiled back, her expression softening.

“Who said otherwise? No disagreement here.”

“Of course. How could there be a difference in opinion?”

“But it seems we had a slight difference in judgment on this matter. Perhaps it’s due to the environments we grew up in.”

“...?”

As the Camus from over there (Our Camus) stood in confusion—

Wham!

Camus from here extended her hands, pushing both her counterpart and Vikir forward with unexpected force.

At the same time—

Fwoosh!

She began gathering all of her Mana.

The Camus from over there quickly realized what was happening.

“Hey! What are you doing!?”

“If you’re really me, then you know exactly what I’m doing,” Camus from here said, a smirk forming on her lips.

“...”

“If you know, don’t bother resisting. Just take it. I hate wasting energy.”

With that, she channeled all her remaining power into the Camus and Vikir, sending them hurtling forward. She, on the other hand, began to drift backward, like a spent booster falling away after completing its task.

Boosted once more, the Camus and Vikir shot forward at an even greater speed.

As they sped away, Camus from here, now shrinking into the distance, called out one last time.

“If you can't figure out the spell of full resurrection, don’t even think about coming back!”

“...”

Tears welled up in the Camus’s eyes but didn’t fall. Her resolve hardened by the parting words.

“And Vikir,” Camus from here called out again.

“...”

“If you’re ever in danger, feel free to return. To me.”

She winked at Vikir.

Seeing this, the Camus’ face turned red with fury.

“How dare you flirt with my husband!?”

“I am you, you are me, we are us! So technically, doesn’t that make him our husband? Hahaha~” Camus from here laughed, the kind of laugh she hadn’t indulged in for years—perhaps decades. Whether she was joking or serious, it was hard to tell.

And with that, she disappeared into the abyss, her laughter echoing in the emptiness.

Now, only Vikir and the Camus remained, the vast void stretching out around them.

Some time passed.

“...Shall we go?”

“...Yeah.”

The two pressed onward, journeying beyond the far reaches of time and perception.

Eventually, something came into view through the darkness.

“So, this is the scenery you get in the Abyss of Magic,” Vikir muttered.

“Wow, it’s incredible,” Camus replied in awe.

They had arrived at the Magical Abyss Reservoir.

It was a massive cloud, containing an amount of water 140 trillion times greater than all the water on Earth combined.

Splash—

A gigantic fish, large enough to swallow stars, leapt from the cloud, creating ripples on its surface. It had countless offspring swimming along the edges of its fins.

Vikir and Camus continued to press forward, diving deeper into the clouds.

Eventually, they encountered a massive black hole, thousands of times larger than the sun.

It was the core of gravity, devouring everything around it with insatiable greed.

“...Is this the heart of the Abyss of Magic?” Vikir asked.

“It looks like it. It’s certainly enormous,” Camus replied.

But both of them were skeptical.

“Hmm. There’s no way the heart of the Abyss would be this small,” Vikir mused.

“You’re probably right. It’s big, but compared to what I imagined, it’s too small. It might be a trap,” Camus added.

Deciding not to risk it, they bypassed the giant hole.

Even a small detour took an immeasurable amount of time.

They passed by wandering stars, floating aimlessly in the void. Some of these stars had eyes, noses, and mouths, and they groaned in pain.

“They might have been like us once—travelers in this place,” Vikir commented.

“If we hesitate, we might end up like them. Let’s keep moving,” Camus urged.

With that, they continued to spin their aura, driving themselves deeper into the abyss.

Fwoosh!

As their vision brightened, no, it didn't just brighten—it became scorching.

A massive trail of fire was headed their way. However, it wasn’t large enough to be a major threat, so Vikir and Camus easily dodged it.

"That must have once been a long serpent," Vikir remarked.

"It probably shrank with age and grew shorter," Camus replied.

The two continued moving forward.

Eventually, a disc-shaped celestial body, condensed with pitch-black darkness, appeared before them.

Cold lumps of lead floated around it.

Thud- Thud- Thud-

The solidified lead chunks seemed to be drawn by gravity as they gravitated toward Vikir and Camus.

Vikir drew his sword and began deflecting the incoming lead. Camus, too, conjured fire and a skewer, blocking the approaching lead.

As the storm of lead passed, Vikir and Camus gazed at what lay before them.

Massive pillars, towering like the fingers of a creator, stood there.

"All things are born from the Abyss of Magic and return to it. When the day comes that the stars move by fate, a new plane will open, and all things will meet their inevitable end."

As Vikir and Camus read the inscription, they were struck as if by lightning.

A flood of letters arranged themselves in their minds.

Black letters converged on a blank canvas, forming a massive library.

"…I get it now! The Ritual of Complete Resurrection! I've found what my master and I were missing! Now, I can bring everyone back to life!" Camus exclaimed.

She began tracing a magic circle in the air, her hands moving furiously. Meanwhile, Vikir poured all his energy into eliminating the surrounding lead chunks.

Then.

Flash—

Brilliant light burst from Vikir and Camus's bodies.

They had obtained the insight they sought in the Abyss of Magic.

Their objective was achieved.

* * *

"…"

Vikir opened his eyes.

The first thing he saw was—

"What, you're already back?" It was Camus from here.

Vikir asked her, "How much time has passed?"

"I don't know. I just woke up too. Didn't we wake up at the same time?"

Vikir stayed silent.

He was sure an enormous amount of time had passed since he parted ways with this side's Camus. Yet, if that vast stretch of time barely registered in reality as a fleeting moment…

At that moment.

"We've only been back from the Abyss of Magic for about 11 minutes. Precisely, 666 seconds."

It was our Camus who spoke up.

She was looking at the pocket watch she had synchronized before deploying the Complete Resurrection spell.

"The relativity of time felt this extreme. It's truly the Abyss of Magic."

"But I wouldn’t go again."

"Really? I feel like I could go as many times as I want."

Vikir and Camus exchanged a knowing smile.

Right then.

"What’s this place? The Dark Realm? Why am I here…?"

A familiar voice sounded from behind a pillar.

Vikir and Camus immediately raised their heads.

Tears welled up in the eyes of the Camus.

"Ah…"

The one slowly getting to their feet was none other than Morg Snake, Camus’s master.

"I clearly rejected the demon’s temptation and… the mana rampaged… but how am I still… alive… huh!?"

“Masterrr!!!”

Snake was bewildered, but suddenly found himself tightly embraced from behind by Camus, who couldn't hold back her tears.

"Master? How did you…?"

"This is no time for that!"

Camus decided to set aside the emotional reunion with Snake for later.

Quickly turning to Vikir, she shouted, "Husband! Let's head outside, now!"

The resurrection of Morg Snake confirmed that the Resurrection spell had succeeded.

"…"

Vikir, too, nodded in agreement, his face showing an unusual expression of excitement.

And then—

…Bang!

The door to the Dark Realm swung open wide.

Vikir and Camus stepped out into the blinding sunlight of the surface.

And there it was—Creation.

The scene before the two was nothing short of brand new.