Possessing Nothing

TL: xLordFifthPR: Yul, Gort

*****

Weiss captured the incident.

The owner of Weiss, without having to see directly or be present at the scene, could know what was happening or had happened in the world through Weiss.

However, this was only possible when a significant portion of one’s lifespan had been sacrificed.

Just as Abel had, Lloyd, the golden owner of the magic tower, was not particularly attached to his lifespan.

The foundation of Lloyd’s magic was what he had learned from Envirus.

Yet, at present, Lloyd was significantly influenced by Abel, with whom he had spent far less time than with his mentor, Envirus.

Lloyd, who became Weiss’s owner following Abel, had been utilizing Weiss’s magic, continuously spending his lifespan since acquiring Weiss.

“It’ll be no later than tomorrow night.”

Lloyd spoke, caressing Weiss, which he had laid on his lap. Weiss hummed and emitted light.

“The Queen of Spirits will descend into this forest tomorrow night.”

“It’s fortunate, though. We can aim for the moment of her descent.”

Scarlett muttered as she looked down at her glove. As Rubia said, Spirit Kings, or those above them, like the Queen, are weakest immediately after their descent.

No matter how powerful they may be, the strength of a sovereign ruling over spirits is determined by the congregation of their sylphs.

If it were right after their descent, there wouldn’t be many spirits under their control, rendering them unable to exert their full power.

“It would be more interesting if they were in full form.”

“Stop spewing nonsense.”

The Spear King grumbled, and the Black Dragon scolded him with a look of displeasure. Then, Spear King glared and roared back at the Black Dragon.

“When else would you have a chance to fight against the Queen of Spirits?”

“How about dying and fighting the King of the Underworld instead?”

“Eventually, when one dies, they could fight King Yama. But as long as I’m alive, I ought to fight the Queen of Spirits.”

Of course, Lee Sungmin had no intention of indulging Spear King’s absurdity. Indeed, everyone felt the same.

Lee Sungmin felt slightly disappointed that Yana had yet to return.

Yana’s power would have been significantly helpful in the fight against the Queen of Spirits, but she had yet to return from the Demonic Spirit Pavillion.

[Can’t be helped.]

Heoju murmured.

Ten days had passed since Yana had left. After the ceremony in Demonic Spirit Pavillion was concluded, they were supposed to receive a signal through the bracelet and then City of the Endless Night would go and fetch Yana.

Despite ten days passing, the bracelet had yet to send a signal. Indeed, it wasn’t that Yana was delayed.

From the beginning, she had mentioned it might take about fifteen days for her to return after the affairs in Demonic Spirit Pavillion were concluded.

The situation had simply changed.

That’s all there was to it. The day of the Queen of the Spirits’s descent had arrived. Yana had gone to the Demonic Spirit Pavillion for the ceremony.

The whereabouts of the Predators’ group, led by Geniella, were mysterious. However, for Lee Sungmin, it was a relief.

Their lack of presence meant that Geniella, after losing Aine, wasn’t causing trouble publicly.

As Lee Sungmin had hoped, they had managed to buy some time.

[Is it all right not to worry about the forest?]

‘We have no choice but to trust in Lady Teresa and Lady Osla.’

Teresa and Aine were left behind at the Forest of the Fairies. Aine would go into fits and rampage at the slightest provocation, requiring Osla’s constant suppression of her powers.

Teresa had voluntarily stayed in the forest. Upon learning that the Forest of the Fairies would become the battleground against Geniella, Teresa spent days roaming the forest’s outskirts, creating barriers.

“Reverse summoning isn’t an option.”

Lloyd warned.

“Reverse summoning the Queen of Spirits back to the spirit world would only buy time. As long as she intends to destroy this world, she will descend again to summon doomsday.”

Being reverse summoned wouldn’t penalize the queen. Instead, she would come more prepared for her next descent.

In fact, this was the first and last opportunity. Wijihoyeon had single-handedly invaded the spirit world, and in haste, the queen attempted to descend, disrupting her original plans.

Consequently, she couldn’t bring her subordinate spirits along, and while the rest of the spirit kings were reverse summoned, the Fire Spirit King had been extinguished.

“The Spirit Kings themselves cannot directly descend into this world. If the Queen disappears… there will be no danger from the spirit world.”

Rubia, nestled within Lee Sungmin’s arms, hummed and made a noise. The problem was how. A method not of reverse summoning but of destruction.

The first thing that came to mind for Lee Sungmin was consumption. Just as Aine had devoured the Fire Spirit King whole, Lee Sungmin too considered consuming the Queen of Spirits.

“That’s too dangerous.”

Scarlett warned.

“That crazy little one and you are fundamentally different in bodily composition. In the first place, that little one’s body can hardly even be called a body.”

It was a conclusion reached after Scarlett and Lloyd had examined the fallen Aine.

“Consuming an existence like the Queen of Spirits might just make your body explode. If you’re aiming for such a spectacular suicide, I won’t stop you.”

It was merely considered as one of many options. Lee Sungmin caressed the spear beside him.

There were other things he wanted to try as well. The last technique of the Nine Heavenly Spear Techniques: Martial End.

The technique had decided the battle with the Blood Demon. The powerful vampire had been unable to heal the wounds inflicted by Martial End. Even the Blood Demon had been surprised by its inability to regenerate.

‘Like me, the Queen of Spirits is an Ascendent.’ [Yul: Ascendents are above Transcendents (imagine like Denir (the Time Trial god) or the other mountain god)]

Lee Sungmin recalled the words spoken by Osla before arriving here.

‘Killing an Ascendent physically is… impossible. By becoming Ascendents, we acquire an immortality that is nearly complete.’

In anticipation of the Queen of Spirits’ descent, Osla had shared these words with a bitter smile to everyone heading to the Sleeping Forest.

‘Your attacks may destroy an Ascendent’s body, but not their existence. That’s why we can resurrect endlessly. Especially Sarahenne. She is both an Ascendent and the Queen of Spirits. All spirits are fundamentally tied to the Spirit Realm. In the worst case, Sarahenne could escape to the Spirit Realm.’

However, immortality is not absolute.

‘Our immortality is nearly complete but not perfect. Repeated resurrections drain our power. Moreover, resurrection becomes impossible for us if our very existence is erased. Aside from that… sealing is an option. If weakened sufficiently, even a Transcendent could be sealed without fail.’

Multiple methods were prepared. Among the group were Lloyd and Scarlett. Though their fields of expertise varied, both were close to the pinnacle of magic.

Even judging by Lee Sungmin’s judgment and the rumors, they were among the most skilled active magicians.

With the support of the two, there was no shortage of magical strength. That was, assuming they could create a sufficiently weakened state.

This was the best preparation Lee Sungmin could muster for now. The magical force was composed of Scarlett and Lloyd.

They would primarily utilize long-range magic and, if the situation allowed, seal the Queen of Spirits.

Truthfully, sealing was not a completely safe method, but tying her to this world with a seal was better than allowing her to be summoned back to the Spirit Realm.

And Lee Sungmin, along with the Black Dragon, Spear King, and Baek Sogo, would directly engage the Queen of Spirits in battle.

The attack must not be too severe to trigger a counter-summon. The goal was sealing and, if possible, aiming for annihilation.

‘Martial End might just make it possible.’

The Blood Demon couldn’t regenerate from Martial End’s wounds. Perhaps the spearpoint could penetrate even the Queen of Spirits.

Maybe the spear technique of the Spear King, which had successfully replicated the technique of the Lord of the Sama Order for a moment, could also contribute to finishing off the Queen of Spirits.

Uncertainty prevailed.

Yes, Lee Sungmin had no certainty about the outcome. There was no assurance that everything prepared would suffice.

Perhaps, the strikes might not land and end in a disastrous defeat.

What would follow? Death, likely. Even if he managed to escape without dying… honestly, it was uncertain.

If attacking the Queen right after her descent with such preparations still failed, defeating a continually strengthening Queen over time would be impossible.

Amidst anxiety, Lee Sungmin closed his eyes. He calmed his trembling heart and reiterated the thought that it was possible.

No, just thinking ‘it’s possible’ was insufficient. It was imperative. If the Queen of Spirits was not stopped here, the story could not progress.

Losing here would mean the end of the world. The Queen of Spirits or Geniella would completely shatter the world.

The Martial God… What was the Martial God doing? What exactly was the deity using the Martial God as a pawn aiming for? (TN: Martial God=Musin/Mushin)

Could the Demonic Spirits be trusted? Uncertain doubts. The desperation of my struggle, the anxiety. The fear of the incalculable. Still, running away was not an option.

What might Wijihoyeon be doing now?

In this forest, across from this space lies another dimension—a domain utterly inaccessible from this side. Within that space, Wijihoyeon is fighting alone.

She’s been cleaning up, killing the monsters sealed in this forest, and trying to reach the most deeply concealed monster named ‘Tam’ before it awakens.

Ten days have passed since Wijihoyeon was isolated in that space. Despite several visits to this forest, a meeting with Wijihoyeon did not materialize.

With the help of Scarlett and Lloyd, attempts to locate her and intervene from this side were made, but all in vain.

I believe in Wijihoyeon. She couldn’t possibly be dead. She must be alive, fighting back with everything she’s got.

I remember Wijihoyeon, not a superhuman, with her drooping shoulders, and the trembling voice muttering about what needed to be done yet remained unaccomplished.

What was Wijihoyeon looking at when she turned around, trying not to show her face?

What could be writhing in the thick darkness unseen from this side? The myriad of monsters, the gaze felt upon entering the forest…

What expression was Wijihoyeon wearing when she turned her back, not showing her face?

What could she have been feeling? After spending ten years wandering alone, fending off the end by herself.

“It’s for you,” she said.

Lee Sungmin pressed his chest with his hand. That was all. Wijihoyeon did this for Lee Sungmin.

“Please believe me.”

In your stead, I can do it.

“It seems faster than anticipated,” Lloyd muttered.

Dawn was breaking. Lee Sungmin quietly got up. Lloyd, grabbing Weiss in one hand, levitated himself backward.

Scarlett, donning her gauntlets, jerked her neck side to side. Baek Sogo, who was watching over Lee Sungmin with his eyes closed, looked at Lee Sungmin’s shoulder with a bittersweet expression.

She wanted to reach out and pat it. No, she wanted to embrace him. But she couldn’t.

“Why… I wonder.”

He felt that it shouldn’t be done.

Despite not liking the situation much, the Spear King did not further insist.

No matter how stubborn he was, he understood this situation. Of course, there was a desire to fight proudly if possible.

But he knew what was most important.

“Don’t make a fuss for nothing.”

“I won’t, you son of a bitch.”

The Black Dragon glanced at the Spear King while warning him, and the Spear King scowled and snapped back.

“It’s… hard… to even say ‘hang in there’…”

Rubia sighed and murmured. Although she became Scarlett’s familiar and completely betrayed the Spirit Queen, the Queen was Rubia’s creator.

Therefore, Rubia couldn’t bring herself to root for Lee Sungmin and his companions.

“Just stay still.”

Lee Sungmin murmured such and looked up at the sky.

[Here you are.]

Crackle.

A black fissure tore the dawn sky. The gap creaked open.

Bright light poured through the opening. Suddenly, the light swelled and converged into a single point.

The Spirit Queen stood still, gazing downward. The aftermath of a reckless descent was not the issue.

It wasn’t out of severe exhaustion. Though she barely found the entrance after navigating through the complex maze of spaces and gaps, the Queen felt not tiredness from the ordeal but irritation from having expended energy on such a frivolous endeavor.

“…Who are you?”

The Queen of Spirits asked.

Without answering, Lee Sungmin took action.

Hi guys! xLordFifth here!

PN has less than 100 chapters left before ending. With that in mind, Yul, Gort, and I will try to release those chapters to you as soon as possible.

Additionally, I have been let go from my current organization, and I will end working for them by the end of March, I would like to ask for financial assistance for the following month while I look for a new job. I would be grateful for any amount of help.

You can send your donations here: https://paypal.me/lordfifth?country.x=PH&locale.x=en_US