Limit Breaking Genius Mage Chapter 480

Episode 480 Libereas (2)

Disconnection of space.

The Ark had blocked out external elements through large-scale spatial distortions in several layers, and Libereas in front of him had created a similar phenomenon with the power of the Great Demon's authority.

The principle is different.

But the fundamental idea is the same.

'……why?'

Verden, who couldn't take his eyes off Libereas, furrowed his brow for a moment.

It's confusing.

I couldn't help but feel like the questions were flooding my mind one after another.

'Oldark, what are you?'

The similarity in the structure of the Great Demon's Refuge and the Ark's Sky Island can never be dismissed as a coincidence.

Because their similarities are so obvious.

Sky Island may have influenced Libereas, or Libereas may have influenced Sky Island.

Or maybe they were both created at the same time.

'There's no way the first Demon King could be a great evil… … Yes, this is too much speculation.'

Verden shook his head inwardly.

I can say this with certainty.

The very existence of the Administrator and Alpha, who are the clones of the Demon King, proves that they were not influenced by the devil's heteromorphic species.

'If there was even the slightest, slightest connection, I should have noticed it long ago.'

The idea that there is something hidden from Alpha that cannot be discerned by the insight of a transcendent being is not even worth considering.

If you keep forcibly creating clues like that, there's no end to it.

Golem Research Institute, Ark, Great Forest──Verden's conclusion is that the traces of the Demon King and the demons discovered so far are completely unrelated.

'Except for Libereas here.'

So that was the problem.

'It's not something to be taken lightly.'

I am aware that there is something between the World Tree and the first Demon King, and I can accept it even if I don't know the clear clues.

At least there is a common denominator between the two: magic.

But what about the devil?

What kind of intersection do a heteromorph who is afraid of light and the Demon King have?

'The Demon King and the World Tree… … If other elements are added to this, the background will inevitably become uncontrollable.'

In order to rationalize why the devil got involved, we would inevitably have to bring in other concepts related to the concept of the devil to explain it.

This will be on a scale far beyond what an individual can imagine───

"……house owner?"

At Isabella's call, Verden was immediately brought out of his thoughts.

“What’s wrong? What’s wrong?”

“No, nothing.”

Verden moved forward, hiding his dizzy feelings.

I stood at the edge of the rock I was standing on and turned my gaze towards Libereas once again.

'I guess I'll have to learn about the devil from now on.'

It is no longer just Leila who must gather information related to the devil.

There's nothing I can do.

Even if we ignore it and move on, the tangled thread won't naturally unravel.

There is one more unresolved issue ahead.

Phew.

Verden summoned [Einver]'s hood to hide his appearance and used <Veil> to block unnecessary external perception.

Isabella also pulled down her robes and covered her face with a mask-shaped magical item that the Society had prepared in advance.

He followed Cayman's advice that if he wandered around Liberia in the other world in the guise of a normal human, all kinds of noise would be created.

Of course, Alpha was still the same.

Cayman said.

[I will check the accommodations you will be staying in once more. In the meantime, a demon will be dispatched to guide Libereas.]

Cayman wanted to introduce the Demon City, but he was not a suitable guide as he had only been to Liberias once.

“…….”

Verden narrowed his eyes.

Cayman, who didn't notice the faint gaze, looked around.

[It'll be here soon… … .]

As soon as the words left my mouth, I heard soft footsteps coming from afar.

Someone was walking alone on the rocky path.

A neat tuxedo.

The nose appeared to have been cut off, with only a scar remaining, and the eyes and mouth were tightly shut and sewn shut.

A large eye was firmly set in the center of the neck.

High Demon, Geras.

[We have another distinguished guest at Libereas.]

A voice coming from inside my head.

The demon with his mouth blocked was speaking through his mind.

[Welcome to the other side of the world. Sincerely.]

Geras bows slightly, giving a slightly exaggerated example.

A strange light appeared in the eyes of the tree facing Verden.

* * *

The society that makes up Liberia is largely divided.

To put it simply, high-level demons are the class that runs the city, while other demons belong to the citizen class.

[The only owner of Liberias is Noxas. We just manage and survive.]

In place of the absent Cayman, Geras took the lead and walked through the center of Libereas.

In a space where objects can be identified clearly even without a single ray of light… …the world of demons that escaped from the continent filled the field of vision.

Verden slowly raised his gaze.

'The appearances are diverse.'

Thump… … Thump… … Thump… … .

A demon as big as a small building passes right by.

A group of little devils, whose heads barely reach Berden's knees, run around and play among themselves.

Their body structures are as diverse as their sizes.

While there were some demons that were almost humanoid, it was also common for them to have multiple eyes, limbs, or no limbs at all.

'The deviation is large, but… … it's not that strange. Most people are born with different appearances.'

So, there's no need to panic when you see an octopus-faced demon striding along with two tentacles sprouting from its temples.

hmm.

Berden, who had been carefully looking at the series of scenes, soon made a decision.

'It's too ordinary.'

Apart from the haphazardly constructed structures and the demonic members, it is virtually no different from any other city built on the continent.

As Cayman said, it was within the realm of common sense… … and no monsters that behaved like demons were seen at all.

It was during that time.

[But aside from the transcendent being next to you, this is the first time I've seen a being as purely human as you. It doesn't seem to be a mimic. Are you a parasite?]

Geras turned around slightly.

The demon's consciousness, which had been explaining Libereas in a fluid manner through a voice through his mind, while maintaining a moderate pace, turned towards Isabella.

Her eyes twitched at the question of whether she was a parasite.

“……This is my body.”

Isabella denied it briefly.

There were many things I could say in rebuttal, but I tried hard not to say them.

[Is that so? Excuse me. I never imagined that there would be a heteromorphic species born with the exact same appearance as humans. How strange. Isn't the world really a strange place?]

“Isn’t that something a demon with eyes stuck in his neck should say?”

[Is that so?]

When you ask me that, I have nothing to say.

Isabella glared at Geras for a moment and then changed the subject.

“By the way, I thought it would be really noisy and smelly because there were so many demons running around… but it’s really quiet. The streets are clean too.”

Devil worshippers practice human sacrifice, and devils eat living creatures, including humans.

It is to be offered as a sacrifice.

However, there was no sign of human or animal meat here, and there was no sign of a store selling anything.

“I guess it’s like eating souls…….”

[soul?]

“There is a view that demons take human souls and eat them. Well, I don’t know if the soul really exists.”

The scriptures of the Luas Church, while specifying the human soul, define the devil as a being that defiles the human soul.

Considering the devil's appetite and brutality, the story of it feeding on souls was quite believable.

… … oh my.

Geras stopped walking.

At the same time, the guy who had turned around approached Isabella and thrust his face in.

[We don't eat souls.]

"……uh?"

[So please don't say such harsh words. Never again… … !!]

The devil's eyes flashed and countless veins appeared.

Just as Geras was struggling to suppress something boiling inside him, Verden stepped in and intervened.

"stop."

Geras instantly regained his composure at the intimidating voice.

A tranquil silence falls.

Isabella, whose embarrassment had subsided, stared at Geras.

“I don’t know what part I touched, but… Okay. I won’t talk about that. Then what on earth do demons eat?”

There was nothing that could be considered food in sight for the demons of Libereas.

So then, what sustains life?

[It's power.]

"strength?"

[It's like magic and life force that you all know or vaguely understand. Demons don't have a set lifespan, but if they don't consume them, they will starve to death.]

Isabella put her hand on her chin.

“So, do demons indiscriminately eat humans and other creatures? Do demon worshippers perform rituals?”

[The sacrificial rituals associated with demons are intended to increase the demon's power. They are completely separate from life support.]

The knowledge that the high-ranking demon spoke of was information that could not be accessed in the world.

That's probably true.

There's no need to lie about it.

Alpha, who had been listening to the conversation from the nape of Verden's neck, suddenly appeared.

Then he opened his eyes wide.

[Question. I want to know how the devil's reinforcements are made.]

[Devils do not increase their numbers through reproduction. They simply appear. Therefore, demons who do not offer sacrifices and only maintain their lives do not change. Just as small demons remain small, they live on as they were born.]

This time, Verden asked.

“What are demons born from?”

But Geras took a step back.

[well.]

* * *

After taking a good look around Libereas, we arrived at the residence Cayman had prepared for us.

A deformed building located on the outskirts.

Verden and his party climbed the twisted stairs to the 8th floor and began a belated meal. Since they had stored the food in the subspace, there was no need for the devil to prepare anything separately.

After a quick meal, Verden leaned against the strangely warm window.

In the distance, a gigantic temple could be seen occupying the center of Libereas. It was the place where Noxias was recovering his strength.

'I can't feel its presence because my senses are blocked by something… … .'

Even for Verden, it didn't feel real that the great demon described in the Book of Light was right nearby.

At that moment, Isabella came and sat next to Verden.

“Gaju, I was thinking about it… Don’t you think something is strange here?”

“What part is not like that?”

“So, um, this is just my personal opinion…….”

She touched her lips.

“Honestly… I don’t know what the difference is between the demons and humans here?”

Of course, I did not mean to deny all the harm the devil has done to humanity so far, or to equate it with humans.

It's just that this is the way the demons in Libereas live.

'Because I'm human.'

Verden nodded.

“Alpha, stay with Isabella for a moment.”

[check.]

Alpha climbed onto Isabelle's shoulder.

Immediately afterwards, Verden took his eyes off the temple of Noxias and started walking.

“Huh? Where are you going all of a sudden?”

“Let’s have a chat.”

* * *

[I heard you called.]

Verden called Geras, not Cayman Vermont.

Less than two minutes after the words were delivered, the high-ranking demon arrived.

Hwaaaaah!

Verden blocked the surrounding area.

Now the conversation here doesn't leak out.

Geras waited quietly for Verden's voice.

“Let me get straight to the point. Does the soul exist?”

[It exists.]

Geras answered immediately.

“So what price did Cayman Vermont pay for using the power of the demon he contracted with?”

Likewise, Geras answered without hesitation.

[It's a soul.]

“Was it a lie that you didn’t eat souls?”

[The soul was not made for that purpose.]

Geras blinked his large eyes on his neck twice.

[A contract with a devil is centered around the soul, and the world sees the devil's contract holder as a puppet who has made a deal with the devil.]

“…….”

[But it's different. In reality, the more a human uses the power of the devil they contracted with, the more their soul ownership is taken away. Only when their soul is completely taken away and controlled in this way can they become puppets.]

“How much of Cayman’s soul was taken away?”

[This is the last time. The moment you guys move to the Great Hall of Black Hour, Cayman loses his soul.]

Verden lowered his gaze.

“Does anyone else know?”

[Cayman did not want this fact to be known. So he demanded a lie. He hoped to deceive Melad Tastyen, who had come to him. His intention was granted. Her suspicions persisted, but after a dozen years, they too began to fade.]

Cayman becomes the devil's puppet.

Verden was troubled.

How should one interfere with this matter?

That was when.

[Shall I release Cayman's soul restriction?]

"what?"

[I am not the demon who made a contract with Cayman, but I can release Cayman's soul as much as you want. I can lend you my power without any price. If you want. So just say the word.]

The devil's favor overflows.

Oddly pure.