Chapter 256 - Infinite Mage

He had no eyebrows or eyelids. Only the eyeballs set deep within their sockets moved from side to side. "Heh heh heh, a face specialized for disguise? You're as grotesque as I am." For the first time, the mysterious assassin spoke with his own voice. "Oh, you're seeing me for the first time, aren't you? I've grown tired of seeing your hideous face." Xenoger's expression twisted. It was the same line he had once used on Arius. In psychological warfare, one must remain resolute. But a sudden thought crossed his mind. Theraze's offspring always comes with at least one bodyguard. Yet, he had never seen Woo Rin's bodyguard before. "No, it can't be. My senses didn't detect it? Where on earth was it hiding?" The assassin modulated his voice again and spoke. "What are you talking about? I've always been right behind you." Xenoger's face turned ashen. He knew exactly who the owner of this voice was. It was the unnamed administrator who used to deliver orders under Zion's command. "Damn it! So that's what it was!" Specialized disguise, unique steps, the lines he used on Arius. Considering all the circumstances, it was clear that the assassin sent by Woo Rin was involved. "Stay calm. Anyway, his combat power is inferior to mine. I must not fall for his mind games." Xenoger used his six hands to subdue the areas where the assassin's power was amplifying. There was no way out for the feeble assassin who had burnt even his muscles for the sake of disguise. "From now on, answer my questions. If you lie, I'll tear your limbs apart. Does Woo Rin know where the Spatur clan is hiding?" "...He knows." "Really? Tell me where. Answer quickly! As the direct bodyguard, there's no way you wouldn't know!" "The Wave Mountain Range. The Valley of Truth." Xenoger felt like his heart was shattering. Knowing that Woo Rin was aware of the hideout meant that she had already sent a hunting party. By tomorrow morning, the Spatur clan would be wiped from history. "Give up. Even if you escape from here, there's nowhere that will take you in." "Ugh... Aaaaah! Shut up!" Xenoger refused to give up. If his clan was to be massacred, he had to survive all the more. If it ended like this, where could one find the value in the clan's thousand-year sacrifice of abandoning humanity? "Die, you damned creature!" Xenoger lifted his left central arm, closing his hand into a sharp point. Like a spear, he swiftly thrust it into the assassin's solar plexus, gripping his heart. The assassin's body convulsed as his heart burst. His eyes, wide with shock, trembled greatly. --- Crash! One of El Crouch's porcelain dolls, neatly displayed on a shelf, shattered. The body rolled off the shelf, causing another eruption of breaking sounds. Woo Rin, seated at the table, blinked slowly, as if she hadn't heard it. She then walked over to storage, retrieved a bottle of strong liquor, and returned to the table. Filling the crystal glass halfway and resuming her seat, she crossed her legs, gently swaying her pale calves in thought. "Hmm..." A porcelain doll had broken. This signified the disappearance of yet another life. The crystal glass grazed her cherry-red lips gently, and the transparent liquid flowed, moistening her tongue before retreating once again. "What a dreadfully dull night." --- Xenoger glared at the assassin with terrifying eyes. He had killed countless people before, but this incident was the first that defied comprehension. He had pierced the solar plexus, burst the heart, and even now, he could feel the heart cooling in his hand. So why...? "You’re not dying, are you?" "Died once." Xenoger absorbed the assassin’s words at the juncture between understanding and insight. A fleeting curiosity crossed his mind, but it was a momentary thought. There was nothing a soon-to-be-dead man needed to know. "You’re an assassin." "Humans don't kill; situations do." The assassin swung his sole free left hand. With a flash, a cleaving sound followed, and Xenoger's head was sent flying. "Situations kill." Watching Xenoger's head bounce across the floor, the assassin pulled Xenoger's arm from his own chest. Xenoger's body, fallen on the floor, flared furiously, spewing a fountain of blood from the severed neck. The assassin felt no emotion. Even if there was any, his face could express nothing. El Crouch, the doll maker. Very few knew that he was engrossed in dark magic 200 years ago. When he captivated the public with dolls that had seamless joints, a woman visited him. Unexpectedly, the visitor was Theraze, who ruled the continent. The two shared many conversations, and the day after Theraze left, Crouch died. At least, officially. Hundreds of notable individuals gathered for his funeral. However, while they shed tears, Crouch boarded a small boat headed for a nation in the East. Following Theraze’s orders, he arrived at a family of doll makers. Already possessing profound knowledge of dark magic, he quickly acquired the craft. Infusing a doll with a soul. Creating eternal propulsion devices said to be taught by demons. Installing these devices into the bodies of the deceased, and more. Crouch mastered all these techniques and left the East. When he returned home, 180 years had passed. But having already modified his body into a doll, he could not die, even if he wished to. First, he collected his past creations. Only those dolls imbued with a doll maker's soul could carry a portion of his own life. But most of his works had been sold, and he could only retrieve a few pieces. At that point, Theraze issued his first command: serve her daughter, Woo Rin. Woo Rin took a liking to Crouch, and from that moment on, she began collecting El Crouch’s porcelain dolls. "Woo Rin, it is I." Crouch knocked on Woo Rin's door. For an assassin who could infiltrate anywhere, it was a superfluous act, but today he deemed it necessary to formally announce himself. "Come in." Crouch slowly opened the door and entered. He saw Woo Rin leaning on the back of her chair, sipping her drink. She greeted him with an alluring smile that hadn’t been there before, as if the drink made her more relaxed. “So, what brings you here, finding your way all the way to my room?” Crouch chuckled with delight, but lacking the muscles to show expressions, he couldn't convey that it was a humorous jest. “I have disposed of the Spatur mongrel, Princess Woo Rin. Or rather...” Crouch, as if unsatisfied with a mere bow, knelt and prostrated himself on the ground. “Empress Theraze.” Woo Rin chuckled softly as she glanced out the window. Though the evening was still dark, the first glimmers of dawn began to appear on the horizon. “You’re quite perceptive.” Crouch shook his head, confessing truthfully. “To be honest, I didn’t realize until yesterday. It wasn’t until the wind came that I comprehended. Even though I was at your side every hour of the day, you deceived me. When did you awaken?” “Two years ago.” Crouch clicked his tongue in astonishment. As a doll maker, he had a keen eye for human expressions. Missing even the minutest alteration in facial muscles was surprising enough, but to remain oblivious for two years while Woo Rin awakened was beyond belief. “Considering... you have traversed the eons.” Theraze is the "Mitochondrial Eve." Mitochondria are passed down only from the mother to her offspring. Thus, by tracing lineage, one arrives at the ancestor of all humanity, who is the Mitochondrial Eve. A long time ago, a woman’s mitochondria underwent a strange mutation, resulting in an absolute genetic ability to transmit her memories entirely to her descendants. Theraze’s daughter becomes fully aware of the ancestral memories past the age of ten. Once a mother gives birth, the child, in turn, becomes the mother. Thus, it was akin to a single human soul achieving eternity by merely employing reproductive means. She existed long before she bore the name Theraze. Perhaps it was even when humans were mere primates. Thus, she doesn’t know the moment of her inception. Yet, the history from her inception to the present day remains wholly in her mind. From humanity’s origin to now. Consequently, she is the only human retained with MacClain Guffin's dejà vu. For a long time, Theraze understood. With only the ability to replicate herself, extinction was inevitable. Plagues could afflict her, she could be entangled in wars, or swept away by natural disasters. She dedicated herself to enhancing individual efficiency. After roughly 4,000 years of breeding experiments, she discovered a way to selectively incorporate paternal genes into the embryo. From then on, Theraze became superior in every aspect. Having inherited the traits of aesthetically pleasing men, she became more beautiful, and possessing the blood of the absolute tyrant, she gained tremendous willpower. She adopted the bargaining skills of affluent merchants, the physical prowess of grand champions, and the intelligence of grand wizards—incorporating every trait that would help dominate the world, passing them to the next generation, and reawakening memories to endlessly repeat the cycle. Through this process of self-replication, Theraze grew potent. Her sons did not manifest such traits, so she founded a nation herself, as a woman. Now, she reigns as the emperor of Kashan and the ruler of the Three Sovereigns' Realm. “It’s been a while, Crouch. The once-handsome face has deteriorated quite a bit.” Realizing that it wasn’t the fourteen-year-old Woo Rin speaking, but Theraze who had visited him 200 years ago, Crouch bowed respectfully. “With the Empress’s aid, I obtained immortality. To a doll maker, the face is nothing more than packaging. My pride lies within the mechanisms composing my body.” “Ha, that’s so like you. Indeed... it was the same the first time we met.” While Woo Rin would remember everything, Crouch recalled only fragments. Unable to promptly respond, he broke the awkward silence with a question. “I saw the wind arriving. Surely, the Empress had anticipated it and summoned it here. Did you know Shirone would survive?” Woo Rin approached the window and pulled back the curtain. The garden looked down upon from her apartment remained serenely asleep. “Politics doesn’t mean giving one and taking one. It’s about proposing something where, no matter what the other party chooses, you inevitably win. It would have been good if Shirone survived, but even if not, it wouldn’t have resulted in anything unfavorable.” “I understand.” “But, one could put it this way: he had enough qualification to survive.” “I know you tested him multiple times.” Woo Rin gazed at the ceiling, recollecting the past. “At first, I tested his luck. When the wheel was spun, he won an undeservingly large prize. I thought it could be so.” Crouch tilted his head, puzzled. “Did you know one of my creations would arrive as a gift?” Woo Rin nodded. “The world is like a marble draw machine. Inside the machine, blue events and red events are mixed. From the outside, there’s no way to predict in what pattern the marbles will emerge. That’s humanity. Humans simply stand before the machine, turning the wheel, uncertain of what will emerge. Crouch, do you believe in luck?” “Luck, you say. Reflecting back, it seems I’ve been fortunate.” Woo Rin continued her tale with a smile. “There is no such thing as luck. Nor is there misfortune. Within the box, the sequence of marbles is already established. Feeling fortunate or unfortunate is merely because humans cannot see inside the box. Someone might continually draw blue marbles. Then, perhaps for another, only red marbles will emerge. Of course, more often than not, people alternate between drawing blue and red marbles. And that is what constitutes human life, the journey of life.” The Wheel of Cause and Effect (4) Crouch listened with earnest eyes. “But you know, what should I say... hmm, if you live long enough, you begin to see a glimpse inside the box. To explain it from a human standpoint, you start understanding who will face misfortune and who will find their luck.” “I see.” Theraze had witnessed countless events from the dawn of humanity to the present. Her ability to predict excessive prizes before spinning the wheel was neither an act of supernatural power nor magic. It was an understanding of chaotic patterns acquired after turning the prize machine countless times. “It was merely a thought,” she concluded with a playful gesture, sticking out her tongue, as if the remark was self-aggrandizing. Crouch found her endearing; his admiration for her was an absolute love dedicated to an untouchable being. “I always admire your foresight, Your Majesty. What do you plan to do henceforth?” "Hmm, even someone of Arius's caliber couldn't extract Ataraxia. There must be something unknown to me. I plan to discuss it with Zion. Though I have some suspicions." "What about Shirone then?" It was clear that Woo Rin had summoned the winds, but nothing had been mentioned about Shirone’s treatment. If his capture had a different intent, Crouch would need to act. “I have a feeling Shirone has alternating spells of red and blue marbles. I don’t know yet. I’d like to observe a bit longer. Let him live his life. Just ensure no outside interference, regardless of faction, organization, institution, or nation.” “Understood.” Woo Rin’s command was fitting of the Third Sovereigns' Realm. Maintaining Shirone’s life as if today’s events hadn’t occurred was possible because Theraze’s world far surpassed Shirone’s universe. “And I will inherit Theraze’s legacy. Inform my sisters across the nations to dissolve within two years.” “By your command.” There was no need for approval from Kashan’s ruler. Woo Rin’s judgment was equivalent to Theraze’s. In the early days of the lineage, disputes sometimes arose over who would succeed the predecessor. But over time, Theraze evolved to a stage where she could accept death. The sisters would come to terms with it and end their lives when the opportunity arose. Yet, the successor might be Woo Rin. Why did Woo Rin believe she should continue Theraze’s name? The only difference between her and her sisters was meeting Shirone. “Do you think Shirone... can prevent the final war?” Woo Rin looked out, satisfied with her subordinate's insight. The sun had risen, casting bright rays over the world. "Ha ha, prevent the final war? That's not the reason to take on the name of Theraze." "Then...?" “Heaven, too, is merely conquerable territory. It does not matter if it's not now. I am endowed with eternal time. Someday, I will conquer beyond heaven to the ends of the universe.” Crouch was left speechless. Conquering the universe implied a desire to dethrone Anka Ra, an incarnation of the Akashic Records, and turn oneself into a god. “Ataraxia is the shortcut to hastening that future. If even Arius failed to excavate it, it means no one can. But wouldn’t it be different with me?” “If so...” “Yes.” Woo Rin gazed at Crouch, placing her hands over her heart. Her silhouette against the sunlight, shimmered with a golden glow. “I will become the daughter of Shirone.” *** The following morning, the medical staff of the Kashan Empire transported Shirone to his quarters. Despite all measures being taken, he remained unconscious. Even if he regained consciousness, there was only a fifty-fifty chance of his mind fully recovering. Vincent wept at the words that Shirone might never become a wizard. Olina, sobbing on the floor, was comforted by Amy and Reina. “Don’t worry. They were just discussing the general prognosis. Shirone's mental strength is different from others. He’ll definitely recover perfectly and open his eyes.” Olina, her voice hoarse, nodded repeatedly. Vincent, feeling something, wiped his face with his sleeve and comforted his wife. “Right, let’s wait. The doctors said it’s a fifty-fifty chance. It’s not a hopeless situation yet. More than ever, we must be Shirone’s support.” Encouraged by those words, Olina sprang to her feet. As a mother, she couldn’t simply sob helplessly. Placing a wet cloth on Shirone’s fevered forehead, she clasped her hands in prayer. No one understood the magnitude of Shirone’s shock better than Amy, a mage herself. She knew such temporary remedies were ineffective, but she remained silent, understanding Olina’s maternal heart. Leaving Shirone in Olina’s care, the three others quietly left the room.