Chapter 211 – Where the Souls Go

As we moved forward, there were many huge pieces of rubble floating in the air. It looked like it belonged to a Gallian building.

Perhaps because of the instability of the world, a large, bottomless rift suddenly appeared in front of me. Floating debris was useful to avoid it.

I looked ahead while jumping onto the largest piece of rubble. Souls flowed across the horizon. The spectacle turned an otherwise bright red world into vivid colors.

When souls came into contact with each other, they seemed to emit a wide variety of lights such as blue, yellow, and green. As they gathered and became denser, they had more opportunities to come into contact with each other, and the colors became stronger and more colorful.

From the other side of the horizon, they mixed together to create a rainbow.

The gigantic rainbow over the crimson world was an impossible spectacle in my world. Perhaps for that reason, it was so fantastic that I couldn’t help but stare into it.

AnimeDaily.Net

[Is this rubble from a previous battle?]

『That’s it. It was stopped when it was about to open, but it swallowed many things.』

[Then, this time?]

『If you open it up, it will take in something other than these. What should be harvested in the first place.』

After sowing the seeds (skills), the grown crops (status) must be harvested. Normally, take it slow, wait for your skills to grow, and accept them when you lose a life. Greed says it’s probably about forcing people to do things that were left to nature.

Even if you’re not dead, your soul would be forcefully brought here.

『Now there are souls that originally gathered in this world. Once this flow is over, it will start to be taken in from the outside,』

[Really?]

『What I have said so far was Mikuriya’s hypothesis. It seems that it was true from the matching of this current situation.』

“Mikuriya?” If I remember correctly…it must have been a female researcher who had a close relationship with Kairos. It was when I dived into her spiritual world to help Myne who was trapped in the past.

At that time, I received the assistance of Kairos. I happened to catch a glimpse of his fragmented memory in the process. Mikuriya seemed to be investigating the Door to His Land.

In Kairos’ memories, it seemed that Mikuriya ended up dying by his hands. However, Mikuriya’s soul was not in the Gluttony skill.

I sharpened my senses again and looked inside the Gluttony skill, but she wasn’t there.

[Where is she now?]

『Mikuriya was not eaten by the Gluttony skill. By taking her own life, she traveled to that land.』

[Her own life?]

『Oh, yes. There seem to be two reasons. Kairos certainly didn’t want her to be taken in by the Gluttony skill. That’s why she thought to end her life herself. But maybe she knew. That this time may come.』

[This light is…]

A color different from other souls came to me. Not only going against the flow, it flew round and round around me.

I heard Kairos’ voice inside me.

(Mikuriya, huh… to meet again in such a form and place)

As if responding to Kairos’ words, the golden soul began to take on the form of a human being while emitting light.

[Gluttony-san. Hello, I’m Mikuriya.]

[Hello…..]

I never thought that the person I was talking to would appear in front of me… Kairos inside me also seemed surprised. While being taken aback, Mikuriya explained with a troubled face.

[I’m sorry, Kairos. There was no choice but to do this. After all, we can’t come here with our bodies. Instead, we came here with only our souls. Thanks to that, I was able to advance various researches.]

[For research!?]

That’s why you died!?

Researchers were often eccentric. My acquaintance Raine was also a person who is willing to do a lot of things for research. There were a lot of things that made me nervous when she was nearby. His father, Mugan, would be worried sick each time.

Mikuriya seems to be more of a genuine researcher than Raine.

[That’s right… I couldn’t help it. But I didn’t know I would go this far.]

[I don’t want to hear you surprised after coming this far…]

[Anyways, I was waiting for you]

[Me?]

[Yes, I have insurance for that. One day you will come…Kairos’ successor. Can you tell me your name?]

[Fate Barbatos]

[I see. That’s how Dean named his son. Fate… it’s a perfect name.]

[Do you know my father?]

It can be inferred that they were close enough to call my father by his first name. An acquaintance of both Dad, who was a Sacred Beastman, and Kairos, who possessed the Mortal Sin skill.

Mikuriya said while looking straight at me.

[Because I am also a sacred beastman. Oh… you’re not surprised. How disappointing/]

[Because I thought that it’s the most likely case already.]

[It makes it easier to explain then. I, who died and became a soul, am not bound by the Sacred Stigmata. It has been proven that what is engraved on my body does not extend to my soul. It is strange to die and be free.]

Even though she was dead, Mikuriya had a somewhat refreshing look on her face. It looks a lot like the face Dad showed when he was released from the Sacred Stigmata.

I wonder if the Sacred Stigmata was such an absolute existence for the Holy Beastmen. That revelation doesn’t manifest itself in me. Perhaps someone else was in charge of it. I inherited the power of a holy beastman. And as a human, it got mixed up with the Gluttony skill.

At this moment as well, I’m sure that another one of the Gluttony Skill were looking for opportunities to replace me.

Mikuriya turned to me with a sad face, completely different from before.

[Fate, if all this was within the framework of pre-established harmony, what would you do?]

[From the battle of Kairos, everything up until now is like that?]

[Yes, that’s what happens.]

[Even talking to you here?]

[I am nothing more than a small resistance. I can never overturn it at this level. Unless I stop the flow where it is blocked, it will overflow again someday. It’s just like buying time.]

Mikuriya said so while looking at the direction in which the souls were flowing.

[Even so, I will fight until the end. Even if I buy time like Kairos, I can connect to the next one. Even if it fails, I will entrust it to the next one.]

Just like how Kairos entrusted me with the Black Sword Greed, I’m sure that time will come someday.

[I made a promise with a certain person. I said that I would definitely come back. I’ll stop Libra, take Roxy and return to the original world. No matter how impossible it seems.]

I thought of Aaron’s face waiting in the Royal Capital. He should still continue to fight to protect the Royal Capital. If the harvest of souls reached the Royal Capital, it would be impossible to return home. Either way, we’ve come this far and there’s no going back.

[You look a lot like Kairos. I’m relieved.]

[Like Kairos?]

We seem to be a completely different type, but when I asked Greed, he gave the same answer.

『He’s a lot like you alright. There’s no such thing as give up in your dictionary.』

[Exactly! Especially when you try to resist in any situation.]

[Umm…is that a compliment?]

[I followed that pattern and waited here. For a long time, until I got tired of waiting.]

Mikuriya slowly raised her hand and placed it on my forehead.

[Use the soul knowledge you’ve gained here to rearrange your soul. Remove your shackles.]

[Shackles?]

[You, who are a human mixed with the Gluttony skill, and another you as a sacred beastman. An irregular who was born a human, carrying both a mortal sin skill, and a sacred beastman blood. By being out of the system, you are unable to demonstrate your true power. I will use my soul to supplement it.]

You can’t stop Mikuriya at this point.

Will I be able to merge with my other self?

I didn’t think I could have a decent conversation with him.