The Academy’s Weapon Replicator - Chapter 538

Episode 538

Chapter 146 Hell

Frontier ran for a long time.

I realized that the cave was deeper than I thought. I was already so deep that I couldn’t even see the entrance. There was no light from outside, but there were torches installed at regular intervals on the cave walls. They were installed by Hector and his knights.

‘I met Elodie near the cave entrance, with Levett and Hector lying next to her.’

Judging from the situation, it is natural to assume that Elodie knocked out Levette and Hector, who came out to greet Frondia.

That is, Elodie did not see the inside of the cave.

‘Elodie stopped me not because she saw inside the cave, but because she judged me to be dangerous.’

How to know what’s inside a cave without seeing it

‘Did you hear any information from one of the five gods?’

It was probably Rudra. He said that he was closest to Elodie. Of course, he couldn’t be sure, but it was a good thing whoever it was. Anyway, Elodie believed him.

‘So the place I’m heading to now is a place that the gods already know.’

Frondier felt something was pulling him here.

In the past, as the palace knight Pascal said, a certain wind is blowing towards him. Is it the fate that is commonly referred to here? What kind of ordeal has come upon Frondier, who does not believe in fate?

That is, even before Elodie could stop him, Frondia already knew that he was going where he shouldn’t go.

Even though he knew that, he couldn’t stop. Atji’s death had broken the brakes. He had to somehow handle the situation and turn it around.

How far did you run?

Frondier slowed down his steps when he heard an unfamiliar sound.

‘The sound of water?’

I can hear the sound of water flowing somewhere. Although I can’t see it, the water flows as if it were flowing through a narrow water vein.

Even inside the cave where Frondia was walking, the sound of water drops falling could be heard.

As they went further, the cave became wider, and Frontier could see the source of the sound of flowing water.

‘···It’s Sam·’

The water flows from a place slightly lower than where he is standing. The water flows in one direction, as if all the springs flowing inside the cave are gathered here.

Frondia naturally followed the direction in which the water flowed. The spring gradually became deeper and deeper until it could be called a river, and the path Frondia walked gradually became wider and easier to walk on. In other words, the entire cave was expanding.

‘There are traces of maintenance work, but so much time has passed that it has almost disappeared.’

The road he is walking on, and the river as well, have traces of human footsteps.

Thump·

As he was walking around, something caught his foot on the ground. Frondier looked down.

‘···bone·’

There was a bone lying at his feet. Frondier had no knowledge of what animal it was, so he did not know.

I had a hunch.

Frondier created a wisp and sent it ahead, scanning the ground from under his feet.

‘skeleton·’

And then soon a human skull was discovered.

I hoped it wasn’t true, but in those cases, the wrong answer always comes out right.

Frondier’s eyes furrowed at this tiresome rule.

‘It’s not one or two people. What happened here?’

It is difficult to know how many people died from the bones. Even if several are found, it is impossible to know whether they are from one person or several people.

But skulls are different. Frontier had already seen more skulls than he could count with his fingers, and the more he went, the more they increased. Now, they can be seen only by the occasional torch. The only consolation is that there is no smell.

Heart pounding

At that moment, Frondier flinched at the feeling of being cold and trembled.

It’s the work of the sixth sense. It was different from usual.

My sixth sense for detecting the supernatural has discovered something in this place.

And my intuition also pointed me in the direction that Frondia was going, and beyond.

Thump, thump

Everything Frondi had was pulling him in the same direction. Feeling a strange sense of discomfort, Frondi moved forward.

Soon, Frontier entered the cave, which had become noticeably wider.

“···What is this·”

There is a pillar in it.

The river that flowed beside the frontier circled the pillar, and there was no other way to flow, as if this was the final destination.

Frondier saw the pillar. His intuition pointed to this pillar.

When I lightly stretched out my hand, I could see a little more clearly what my sixth sense was telling me.

‘Something is being sucked into this pillar.’

What is this pillar? What is it sucking up?

His sixth sense detects things that his eyes or other senses cannot detect.

Frondier, as a test, shot Eclexis and blasted it towards the pillar.

“her·”

His eclectus was gone, no, sucked away.

This pillar is absorbing Eclectis. It is so slow, yet so clear that even Frondia’s intuition can tell only after coming this far.

“What is this pillar?”

[That’s not a pillar.]

A voice responding to Frondier’s monologue.

For a moment I thought Elodie had arrived.

But it was a man’s voice.

And it was a voice that Frondia knew.

[It’s been a while, Frontier. Is this the second time we’ve met face to face?]

When he saw that face, Frondier’s eyes were filled with life.

“You bastard, how are you here?”

Frontier prepares for battle against the man behind him.

Black angel wings, a gentlemanly yet rude smile.

Satan·

He stands in front of the frontier.

‘Did someone summon me like they did in the palace? No, that can’t be happening.’

[Don’t be so nervous.]

Satan interrupted Frondier’s thoughts and spoke. He spoke more lightly than when they first met. He seemed to be talking to a friend. This made Frondier even more uncomfortable.

[Because this is the place where you can meet me]

“This place?”

[Yeah, that’s what you said earlier, ‘pillar’]

Satan pointed his finger at the pillar that Frondia had seen.

[That’s not a pillar, it’s a tree.]

tree?

Then Frondi took another close look at the pillar.

Without branches or roots, it just stretches from the floor to the ceiling of the cave.

However, if you look closely, the grain of the pillar is not simply smooth, but has a unique grain.

So is this really a tree?

[Called Yggdrasil]

“what?”

Yggdrasil, the world tree in Norse mythology

The nine worlds in Norse mythology all hang like fruits on Yggdrasil. And through Yggdrasil, you can travel between these nine worlds.

[Yggdrasil exists in all worlds in this form.]

According to Satan, Yggdrasil is not limited to just Norse mythology.

[So, in this space, even if we are in different worlds, we can meet and talk, even if we can’t physically touch.]

Shhh!

Immediately after Satan finished speaking, Frondia shot a black sky and pierced Satan’s body.

But Black Heaven returned to its original place without any gains, and Satan was still there.

“···I see·”

[Haha. I like that habit of checking things yourself. Or did you just want to attack me?]

Of course, both sides

[It’s a good thing. If it weren’t for this kind of place, I probably wouldn’t be able to talk to you in my entire life.]

That’s true.

The moment Frondier meets Satan, he will try to kill him.

“Conversation. Do you want to talk to me?”

[Of course, you might need it too?]

Satan held out both hands and shrugged his shoulders.

[I want to save Atjie]

“···How do you know that, you punk?”

It was Palma who opened the gate in the Demon World. If it was the Palind Continent, and the Empire at that, Satan wouldn’t be able to observe it.

But Satan just smiles.

[That’s not important. What’s important to you now is the method.]

As Satan said that, someone else appeared from behind the pillar.

[Was this your plan, Satan?]

It wasn’t just one person.

Three women appeared side by side, behind a pillar.

Although it was the first time they had seen each other, Satan greeted them with a happy face.

[Oh, Moirai, I’m surprised that all three of you came to see me.]

Satan is babbling and three women are frowning at him.

Moirai, the three goddesses of fate

They glanced at Frondeer, but soon turned back to Satan.

The one on the left of the three women said:

[Send this fool here, to remove a thorn in the eye of both the devil and the god. Is this the deal you proposed?]

[If you are a god, you can handle at least one Frontier, right?]

Satan said so and winked at Frondier, as if he was making Frondier a very good offer.

The middle of the three women said,

[Then, was it expected that Thanatos would fail to kill Atzi?]

[It was half and half for you. If you killed, you killed. If you failed, you failed. Because the path that Frontier will take is set.]

Satan spoke calmly in front of Frondier.

A fire rose in Frondier’s eyes.

“···Satan, you are the one who ordered me to kill Atjie?”

[Frontier, that’s not the point, is it?]

Satan shook his head as if it was nothing.

[It’s a method, a method. From now on, I’ll teach you how to save Atjie.]

If Atjie is revived, then there will be no problem. Satan was saying that with that meaning in mind.

Satan saw three women.

[Therefore, I will now tell Frontier the method. Please allow me.]

The one on the right of the three women said:

[···Huh· You don’t need our permission, right?]

[Of course, yes.]

Satan smiled broadly and nodded.

He said to Frondier:

[Frondia, Atji’s soul is now heading to Tartarus.]

“Tartarus?”

This is Hell in Greek mythology. When gods who committed mortal sins or humans who rebelled die, they flow here.

[It’s Thanatos’ ability. His Eclectis. The target’s soul and body are forcibly separated and sent to Tartarus. It’s an ability worthy of Thanatos, the god of death.]

When Frondia saw Atjie, he couldn’t touch her, but she definitely looked dead. Was it because her soul had left her?

Satan continued to say:

[In fact, at that point, it’s no different from being dead. That’s the ability for that. But as you know, Eclectus doesn’t have the ability to give ‘death’ itself. Even if Thanatos is close to that.]

Yes, Frontier knew that too.

So, when I saw Atjie’s body, I realized that Thanatos had somehow tried to kill Atjie through combat.

In the end, he came here knowing that his eclecticism was different from pure death.

[If Atjie’s soul reaches Tartarus, it’s over. I have to finish this before that.]

“What should I do?”

Satan smiled at Frondier’s question and pointed down with his finger.

In the place he pointed, there is a river that flows around Yggdrasil.

[Drink]

“···what?”

[You probably guessed it too. Right now, the only way to save Atjie is to cross the world. But that’s impossible with a human body.]

“···Then, the water of this river······”

[Yeah, if you drink it you’ll die.]

Satan said as if it was a given.

[When you die, your soul will travel through this Yggdrasil. There, you will catch Atjie’s soul heading to Tartarus.]

“What should I do if I catch him?”

[How to do it? He has to be returned to the human world. Atzi’s body and soul were separated, but he didn’t die. This is the weakness of Thanatos’ power. The cause and result of death are reversed. First, the ‘result’ of the body and soul being separated is revealed, and only after entering Tartarus does he face the ‘process’ of complete death. So if he skips that process, he can come back to life.]

Frontier opened his eyes dimly at Satan’s words.

How much can you believe Satan’s words? That depends on Frondier’s heart.

But even if you 100% believe this story now, there are still problems.

“···If I do that and return Atjie, I·”

[You are going with the flow.]

As expected

That is, death.

[I told you, if you drink this water, you will die, this is not an illusion like the power of Thanatos, asking to be revived after dying yourself, isn’t that a bit too childish?]

In other words, instead of getting a chance to save Atjie, Frondia is certain to die.

“This was a negotiation.”

[Yes, the devil and the god, who have a common enemy called Frondia, joined hands for the first time to kill a human. Congratulations, Frondia. You are the only human in the long history who would do such a thing.]

Clap, clap, clap·

Satan’s applause rang dryly.

This plan was carried out by Satan using Thanatos to separate Atji’s soul from Moirai.

This is a strategy that can only be used to kill Frondier.

It cannot be used against normal people.

‘Giving up one’s life in exchange for the chance to save others is not something a normal person would choose.’

Satan has been watching Frondia since his plans in the palace collapsed.

Not only that day, but Satan’s plan was foiled every time Frondia came forward.

At first I thought it was because of Frontier’s strength beyond its standards.

Then I thought it was thanks to the strength of my colleagues around me.

And now·

Finally Satan knew

‘Frondior cares not for his own life, more than the devil.’

Frontier, who always escaped Satan’s expectations

The reason is that Frondia does not think like a normal human being.

‘It’s a little different from the ‘courage’ that overcomes the fear of death. I didn’t see that kind of nobility in Frontier.’

I have seen many heroes with courage. They also surprise Satan, but Frondia is different.

‘Frondier doesn’t think about death.’

A sense that even Satan cannot understand, but Frondia does not consider death as a subject.

Not only death· Frondier acts as if he is half a step away from all fear and pain·

I don’t know how that is possible, but if you know that the way of thinking is like that, you can use it even if you don’t understand it.

Satan said one more thing:

[Well, just in case you become a god, why don’t you try it?]

When a human being achieves great feats and receives praise from people, he can be elevated to the status of a god.

The name ‘Zodiac’, originally 12 people in the empire, was created with such a wish in mind.

But the odds are very slim.

Moreover, if you are a person who is far from ‘praise’ like Frontier, the probability converges to zero.

‘Even if you don’t say this, Frontier will choose death anyway.’

But more definitely·

A human named Frontier would not do anything to hurt someone precious to him even if there was a 1% chance of it happening.

I wouldn’t care if there was a 99.9% chance that I would die.

“······”

Frontier knows what Satan wants.

I was predicting his actions.

But just as Satan predicted, Frondia has no choice but to move now.

‘If you drink this water·’

Die·

However, there is a very slim chance that he will be promoted to a god.

Neither is good for Frondia. Throwing away his life for a single chance to save Atjie.

···however·

Atjie is not his real brother.

It’s a game character.

Should I risk my life for a character?

I don’t like dog death.

I don’t want to die

It’s just a game

Just a character in a game.

There will be different strategies for this game.

Swish—

With that thought in his head, Frondier knelt down on one knee in front of the river.

The three women opened their eyes slightly wide and looked at the sight.

‘Satan’s words were true. Frontier is not normal.’

At first, when I heard of Satan’s plan, I thought it would not succeed.

There are often people who sacrifice their lives to save someone.

No human being would die for a dim chance that may or may not be saved.

That’s why I guessed it would fail, but I followed it because there was no harm in doing so. Frondia’s death is what many gods and the Moirai themselves wish for.

It’s so easy to kill Frontier.

Chalbak—

Frontier’s hand went into the water.

‘town!’

I felt it then, the smell of death filling the water, I just put my hand in and it felt like my whole body was rotting

It is not that death is mixed in the water, but that death is imitating water.

‘I see. I’m definitely going to die.’

Frontier put both hands together and filled them with water.

After drinking this water, enter Yggdrasil and head to Tartarus to save Atjie’s soul.

Next is·

···Let’s think about it later·

We need to save Atjie.

When I slowly raised both hands with that simple thought,

[ah·························]

···greatly·

I heard a sound of all the strength leaving my body.

[Oh, can you hear me?]

Neither Satan nor Moirai

Someone who did not reveal his appearance was only conveying his voice.

But I’m sure I’ve heard that voice somewhere before.

“who···?”

[Okay, I see you can hear me. It’s been so long since I’ve done this that I was confused.]

And then the voice spoke still leisurely:

[Hey, Frontier. That won’t do. You shouldn’t be fooled by such an obvious lie. It’s so disappointing. I didn’t teach you that.]

I heard a little longer speech.

That leisurely voice that seems to know the frontier.

A shameless tone that seems to grate on people’s nerves.

Frondi blinked, then opened his eyes wide.

“···hemp cloth,”

[Belphegor!]

Satan must have known right away, his relaxed expression changed.

[How could you! You burned Yggdrasil in Nastrond! It would take hundreds of years for it to grow again…!]

[Oh, right. It burned down just like you said and only ashes remained. Anyway, you’re being so thorough for no reason. Don’t you know what bothersomeness is?]

Belphegor yawned between his words. That alone was enough to upset Satan.

[So instead of Yggdrasil, I used a different method. To be honest, I was planning to use this method from the beginning.]

[what···?]

[I drew a magic circle. It’s really good. With this, I can contact Frondia when she comes to Yggdrasil.]

Satan’s eyes furrowed at Belphegor’s words.

Frondier barely understood what Belphegor was saying.

Satan spoke in a confused voice:

[No, no way! But that magic circle won’t be the sustainable kind. If Frondia didn’t know about it in advance, it wouldn’t be possible! It won’t last more than a few minutes after it’s cast!]

[Haha, you’re talking weird. If Satan and Frondia didn’t know in advance, all you had to do was repeat the chant until they came.]

Belphegor said as if it was obvious.

Satan’s mouth opened

[Until the frontier comes here, repeat the chant infinitely···?]

[Satan, don’t you know who I am?]

There is laughter in Belphegor’s voice.

[Although I have descended to the position of one of the Seven Deadly Sins, I am the Demon of Sloth, Belphegor.]

At that moment, Satan saw the figure of Belphegor.

Not only that, the three Moirai goddesses and Frondia also appeared in the same form.

That is clearly nothing more than an illusion, but

Belphegor sat on his chair, one leg crossed, leaning forward as if he were about to fall asleep.

[This body enjoys being lazy.]