Chapter 50: About Death (6)
The Black Knight, Talos, began to relentlessly smash rocks of the same material as himself with his greatsword.
Un. Good. Good. As expected, hunting is auto-hunting. Mining is also auto-mining.
Although I had come down by digging holes with my bare hands, it was bothersome.
In that sense, Talos was a golem created at just the right time.
Well, Talos, who is expanding the space by smashing rocks with the greatsword I made for him, seemed to be cursing me with his eyes for some reason. But what can I do?
I created Talos. I am your master!
Anyway, as Talos smashed the black rocks and pushed the fragments behind him, I started to plan the afterlife by moving the fragments outside with my magic.
Let's see. How many gates do we need to start with? Would about 7 be enough?
Since the first gate, Talos, is ready, I should secure the remaining 6.
After passing the last, the 7th gate, if something like a god ruling the underworld appears.... Hmm. Good. I like this.
Now, let's think about what kind of gatekeepers to prepare.
Well, one of them was already decided.
If it's a gatekeeper of the underworld, of course, it has to be that.
A guardian dog or wolf to prevent the souls of the underworld from escaping.
In Greek mythology, there was Cerberus, and in Norse mythology, there was Garmr. So, there has to be a wolf or dog to guard the souls.
Ah, and I would also like to have that. The ferryman. Was it Charon?
But for the ferryman to row the boat, a river is needed.... But here, there's nothing but black rocks, which is problematic.
Well, if there isn't one, I'll just have to create it.
As for the other gatekeepers.... Hmm.... I'll think about it later.
For now, just this much, and I can expand and increase it gradually.
So, then. What form should the afterlife I create take? Should I gather the dead in heaven or hell? Or should I reincarnate souls into a cycle of rebirth?
Well, the direction my heart was leaning towards was already decided.Nnêw n0vel chapters are published at novelhall.com
I was thinking of creating a form of afterlife that mixes both ways.
If both have their pros and cons, what if I combine them? That was the decision that came from such a thought.... It might be a bit of a lazy decision.
But still, it would be nice if only the advantages of both were combined.
Reality is harsh. Usually, the disadvantages of both are also combined....
But still, I wanted to create a combined afterlife.
First, the appearance of the afterlife I envisioned is as follows.
First of all, the dark spirits. In the future, they will be called messengers of death, gathering the souls of the dead from all over the world and bringing them here.
Then, from the entrance of the underworld, slowly descending, showing the souls the appearance of the underworld to make them regret their sins.
Well, it doesn't matter if they don't regret it. But it's better if they do. Un.
If they regret it, their sins will be slightly lessened at the final judgment.
Souls heading deep into the underworld past various terrifying gatekeepers. Souls without bodies will not be able to think of escaping or avoiding the gatekeepers.
Ah! I must not forget to show the souls the suffering souls during their descent into the underworld. Various forms of torture are needed. Just watching such scenes should be enough to make them regret their sins.
Anyway, by witnessing terrible sights, it makes it easier for souls to confess their sins, and then their names, causes of death, and sins committed are meticulously recorded.
And then, finally, the sins of the soul are judged.
Ah! That's right! It was the voice of the child I had appointed as Dragon Lord before!
It took me a while to recall because it had been a long time since I heard the voice and it was a bit vague.
I lightly jumped up and flew in the direction from where the voice came through Godtalk.
[O Creator Dragon God!!!!]
"Why do you call out to me like that?"
A giant dragon with golden scales. The Dragon Lord was calling out to me desperately.
[Oh... O Creator Dragon God... You were in such a remote place. We need your help...]
"Help? My help?"
I asked with a puzzled face, and the Dragon Lord did not deny it but nodded.
[There has been an incident that we cannot handle on our own. Please, we ask for your assistance!]
An incident the dragons cannot handle? Although they are quiet because they hardly engage in external activities, what could it be that dragons cannot handle?
"I thought there was nothing you all couldn't accomplish. To think that you would come looking for me... It actually piques my curiosity."
I suppose nothing is impossible for dragons.
Though they live quietly out of fear of me, they are dragons after all...
[I am truly sorry. But we could not resolve it on our own. Then, allow me to guide you.]
With that, the Dragon Lord began to lead the way, flying ahead, and I followed behind.
And the place we arrived at was.
"This is..."
[The place where the bodies of the foolish are buried.]
It was the very place where the dragons had turned into spirits in search of the dark spirits.
"What happened here?"
[Nothing else, but an anomaly occurred here, and one of our dragons was investigating it.]
An anomaly?
Could it be...
[The anomaly was that all the dark spirits that had been staying here disappeared.]
Am I the cause!
No, that's not an anomaly! It's because I had work for them, so they all scattered!
[While investigating this anomaly, a black dragon, like my younger sister, was suddenly engulfed by a sinister and bizarre energy that surged from the ground... and it seeped into the child's body.]
Sinister and bizarre energy? What's that?
I just had the dark spirits do some work, why is such a strange energy suddenly surging?
Could it be? Erebus, is it you again?!
[This way, please.]
Following the Dragon Lord's guidance, I entered a nearby cave.
[Ughhh...]
Inside that cave, I saw a black dragon in a state hard to believe it was alive.