The additional forces of the Great Army were so vast that even the enormous Old Town couldn’t contain them, so the assembly site naturally shifted to the wilderness outside the Old Town.
“It’s a frightening level of power.”
Kwon Jia said this, looking at the allied forces’ camps filling the plains.
Yuhyun nodded, agreeing with her words.
The camps varied in size and type. Their diversity, unstandardized, clearly showed just how many forces were mixed here.
An unimaginably vast army had gathered to oppose Logos, who intended to erase this world. Not only the Great Army but other Sacred Armies were joining in, and even the monarchs who hadn’t previously allied with the League were coming one by one.
Even now, the power of the allied forces was growing in real-time.
“This is the greatest power that’s ever gathered. If war breaks out, even if we face the Great Army, we could crush them in one blow. But that doesn’t mean we can look at this optimistically.”
“Right. Logos’ forces won’t be easy to deal with.”
Logos’ Genesis Foundation boasted an impregnable fortress filled with endless numbers of Elohim and, led by the powerful Twelve Overseers, barred even Divine Spirits from entering.
If that were all, they wouldn’t be this tense.
The important thing was that the enemy’s forces weren’t limited to just that.
“Olympus and Asgard are on their side, too, right?”
“If it were just those two, it would be one thing, but Rigveda, Anunnaki, Hermopolis, and Avesta have joined as well.”
“A complete disaster.”
Olympus, the root of Roman mythology.
Asgard, the root of Norse mythology.
Rigveda, the root of Indian mythology.
Anunnaki, the root of Mesopotamian mythology.
Hermopolis, the root of Egyptian mythology.
Avesta, the root of Persian mythology.
A staggering six Great Armies had sided with Logos.
The common thread among them was that most of the deities leading these Great Armies were usurpers.
There was no need to guess their motives. Having enjoyed authority as usurpers in the previous world, they desired the same in the next.
‘It’s laughable that Logos allowed that.’
Logos and the Great Armies – a deal may have transpired between them.
Though this could be seen as the worst situation, they’d also gained something from it.
And if Logos needed the support of six Great Armies, it proved that even he, as a god, couldn’t wield his power arbitrarily and absolutely.
Even as a creator, he didn’t have the power to restart the universe with a snap of his fingers, which was a relief for the allied forces.
‘Is it because so many adversaries have gathered this time? Logos seems desperate, making deals with the Great Armies over who will be the next usurper.’
Perhaps, on the condition that if they helped Logos wipe out the allied forces, they’d become the central figures of the next universe. Though it couldn’t be confirmed, it was highly likely.
The Great Armies siding with Logos didn’t want to oppose him but chose to face the allied forces, who seemed easier to deal with to protect their current positions.
For Logos, it was a win-win if both sides fought and weakened each other.
If the current usurpers took the lead in the next universe, it wouldn’t be favorable for Logos either. He likely planned to reduce their numbers.
‘And beyond that issue... are the kings of the other stories.’
Lotfiout, the chairman of Celestial Corporation.
Damcheon, the head of the Troupe of Tragic Fate.
Catharsis, the pope of Exodus.
These were the primordial artificial beings born of Logos.
To prepare for the impending harvest season, they had severed all connections with anything related to the Archives and halted the flow of the hybrid realm’s narratives.
It was a form of information blockade, intended to streamline the harvesting process.
However, they hadn’t foreseen one thing: that Yuhyun was the only Teller who held an Archive and had achieved independence.
‘But, did they really not anticipate that?’
Maybe Damcheon and Catharsis didn’t know, but could Lotfiout have truly overlooked this?
‘Did he think I was dead, so he didn’t bother retrieving the Archive? Or did he have another intention?’
But what was done was done. Now that even Satan’s attempts at concealing information had failed, there was no guarantee that the kings of the stories wouldn’t move again.
Yuhyun had encountered Lotfiout’s true form long ago, though he knew little about Damcheon and Catharsis.
Since Celestial Corporation was Lotfiout’s true form, his immense presence and overwhelming narrative equaled that of a first-generation Divine Spirit.
‘It’s complicated in so many ways.’
There was too much to consider. Especially with Satan’s death and the passing of his entire story to Yuhyun, he had to be mindful of making it his own.
Satan’s techniques, his powers, and the tales he had built over the ages.
The will, memories, and faint traces of past memories that intermingled within them.
Ordinarily, the identity of Kang Yuhyun would have vanished, swept away by the powerful story of Satan, but Yuhyun remained entirely intact.
Satan’s story had become his own. Instead of clashing or devouring each other, they coexisted.
“A strange energy surrounds you.”
At that moment, someone approached Yuhyun and Kwon Jia. Kwon Jia seemed startled that she hadn’t sensed his presence before he spoke, and she grew wary, but Yuhyun didn’t.
“Nice to meet you.”
“Do you know who I am?”
“You’re suppressing your power right now, but aren’t you from the Pure Land?”
Yuhyun looked at him and read his entire story with his eyes.
He was a first-generation Divine Spirit from the Pure Land, one who desired to eradicate darkness more than anyone.
His name, he who shines upon all.
Another name for him was Mahavairocana Buddha.
As the representative of the Pure Land, he had come alone to find Yuhyun.
“I’ll make good use of it.”
“Yes. It might not be much help, but even if it’s just that, please... take care of the world.”
Take care... he was speaking as if he might be going somewhere. It seemed even Mahavairocana Buddha wasn’t certain of his survival in the upcoming war.
Leaving those words, Mahavairocana Buddha vanished with a burst of light, returning to where the other Divine Spirits of the Pure Land awaited.
“I was planning to, even without you saying so.”
Yuhyun murmured this quietly to the spot where he had disappeared.
Since he received it, he thought it was best to use it right away.
Absorbing the story of [Wisdom Mudra], Yuhyun turned his head, gazing in a direction where no one was visible.
“Why don’t you come out now? The guest has left.”
“Haha. So you noticed me.”
The space twisted, and Yoo Young-min, who had been hiding and waiting, revealed himself.
Though they had both been present at the meeting hall, the atmosphere then had prevented them from speaking openly.
“It’s been a while, Young-min.”
“Yes, it’s really been a while, hyung.”
“You’ve changed quite a bit since I last saw you.”
Though he had recently shaved, traces of stubble on Yoo Young-min’s face showed that he, too, had gone through five years.
“Thanks for helping me out last time.”
“Oh, it was nothing... In fact, I should’ve done more, but I couldn’t.”
“It was because of Jin Cheong-woon, right? Or more precisely, because of the Fragments.”
“...Yes.”
Young-min was worried that Yuhyun might feel betrayed because he’d gathered Fragments with Jin Cheong-woon.
Even if it was something he had to do for the world, personal feelings couldn’t be ignored.
“You did well.”
“...What?”
“You did well. You worked hard even without me.”
“Hyung.”
Young-min was at a loss for words, as Yuhyun didn’t scold him but rather showed understanding.
To cry in this situation would be embarrassing, so he suppressed the surge of emotion welling up in his chest.
Though his fundamental personality hadn’t changed, much else about him had.
Rather than chatting now that they’d reunited, wasn’t there something more important?
“Here, take this.”
Young-min held out the Fragments he had gathered to Yuhyun.
The reason he had come to see Yuhyun was to hand over the Fragments and return his greatest partner, Maxwell.
He had hidden earlier because of the other guest, but there was no need to anymore.
“I don’t need it. You’re the one who needs it most. For the sake of the world.”
“...Yes. You did well.”
Yuhyun shook hands with Young-min, retrieving the rest of the Fragments from him.
Black characters rose over Yuhyun’s body, and soon Maxwell’s demon form appeared.
[It has been a long time, Master.]
“Yes, Maxwell. It’s been a while.”
[Please forgive my lack of loyalty in not coming to see you last time.]
“There’s nothing to forgive. I’m not angry at all. Welcome back.”
[Thank you for your broad-minded understanding.]
Maxwell bowed his head and merged back into Yuhyun’s body.
Simultaneously, the Demon of Aporia within Yuhyun awoke in its complete form.
Until now, Aporia’s demon had only been a fragmented understanding of the Fragments, but now that he had mastered Awakening and fully comprehended the Fragments, it was different.
With all the Fragments collected by Jin Cheong-woon and Yoo Young-min combined, the Fragment transformed from scattered pieces into a single form.
It was a single golden page.
The core page of the Codex of the Origin.
“So, this... is the Codex.”
Not just any Codex but the Codex of the present universe.
In each universe, pages like this accumulated, and the book formed from them was the true Codex.
At that moment, Yuhyun’s vision turned completely white.
It was as if his consciousness, rather than his body, was being powerfully drawn somewhere.
When the white field of view brightened without a single impurity mixing in, he arrived.
“This place.”
It was the same pure white space he had seen in his dream before.
Standing before him was the massive white figure, arms spread wide like a cross.
[So, it’s you, the little rat who sneaked in here last time.]
As he recognized Yuhyun right away, Yuhyun recognized him in return.
“Logos.”
The master of the Codex of the Origin.
The one who had erased and restarted this world countless times, the root cause of this crisis.
Finally, Yuhyun was face to face with him.