Ubermensch – Chapter 184

Chapter 184

In the darkness beyond the abyss, sinister and ominous energy began to intertwine. It was malice embodied, chaos with a will. It was chaos that broke down the boundaries of all things and melted away the universe.

Azathoth looked down at Mason and Oztalon.

Despite being in the abyss that covered the entire universe, Oztalon’s radiance did not succumb to the filth at all.

Seeing that, Azathoth distorted his face.

<...What?>

His divine power hadn’t grown stronger. His divinity hadn’t risen.

However, Azathoth’s chaos was unable to penetrate the aura covering Oztalon’s body.

Oztalon had become a completely different being from when he was desperately fleeing this place.

“I am not seduced by you.”

Even if the evil that filled the universe tried to defile him, even if the overflowing chaos tried to swallow him whole, Oztalon had already broken free from seduction and found his answer.

His mind was firm without a single gap.

Solid enough that not a single drop of chaos could seep in.

“I have simply found my answer.”

Azathoth turned his attack towards Mason, not Oztalon. As infinite malice and chaos crept over his body, Mason screamed.

“Help me!”

Looking at him struggling, Oztalon said,

“Don’t be seduced! Believe in yourself!”

Even if evil covered heaven and earth and chaos covered the universe, it could not tempt the heart of one who did not doubt himself.

“I… I…”

However, the problem was that Mason could not rely on himself.

He failed.

Mason’s dream was impossible from the beginning, and by challenging that dream, he had lost everything, including his family.

“I… I can’t…”

Mason could not believe in himself.

At that moment, Oztalon gripped Mason’s hand even tighter.

“You will become the most powerful being in the universe. If you despair, the whole universe will despair, and if you strengthen your will, the whole universe will shine. So be brave. Believe in yourself!”

“It’s impossible…”

How can one be sure of the future?

How can he believe in his future self and love himself when the whole universe is pouring malice upon him and the poisoned chalice of chaos is boiling him alive right now?

To someone who had despaired after failing his entire life?

“I… I can’t believe in myself…”

“Then believe in me!”

Oztalon pulled Mason out of the chaos.

He stretched out both hands and protected Mason’s head from the chaos.

“Look at me, Mason. Look at me, whom you will one day create.”

Oztalon said in a dignified voice.

“If you can’t believe in your future, believe in me. You will become a great god. You will be the hope and refuge of all. So am I. I will grow by relying on you, and I will protect this universe with you.”

“…”

“I am the Guardian Deity, and I am by your side. So rely on me. Until you become the one everyone relies on!”

“Will you… protect me?”

“Yes.”

Oztalon firmly gripped Mason’s trembling hand.

“Then protect me. Guardian Deity!”

Mason gritted his teeth.

“So that I can overcome that chaos!”

And he took courage.

Oztalon’s holy light began to shine from Mason’s body.

An unwavering faith that no darkness or chaos could violate was pushing away everything that threatened Mason.

Azathoth was bewildered.

Oztalon glared at Azathoth.

“It’s not me who’s pushing you back, Azathoth! The moment Mason overcame you, you became nothing but a nightmare the universe dreams!”

Oztalon clenched his fist.

He threw a punch with a thunderous roar that shook the universe.

Crash!

“It’s time to wake up from the dream!”

Nodens was reaching out with his silver prosthetic arm from beyond the broken dimension.

Oztalon said to Mason,

“Take his hand, Mason. Connect the you of the past to the him of the future!”

Mason and Nodens held hands across the dimensions.

“Welcome. My past self. My lost and lonely self. And my savior!”

The moment Mason and Oztalon were taken from the dimension of chaos, Azathoth screamed.

Looking at him turning into a mere dream, a bubble,

The magnificent Nodens smiled.

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

When the First Mason arrived in Dreamland, Nodens stood before him.

Mason looked at Nodens with a bewildered expression.

Except for the fact that one arm was a silver prosthetic, they looked exactly alike.

“Are you… Nodens?”

“Yes.”

“I see. So I become you someday.”

“After a long sleep of 6 billion years.”

Mason carefully asked,

“What kind of god do I become?”

“That’s for you to decide. If you despair, you become Azathoth, and if you hold onto hope, you become me.”

“Even if you suddenly tell me that…”

Mason had a bewildered expression.

He had just barely survived after falling into the abyss of chaos right after failing his space journey, and now he’s being told to become the strongest god in the universe.

Looking around, Mason spotted Oztalon.

“Oztalon… -nim?”

“Call me comfortably, just Oztalon.”

“We… look alike.”

Unlike himself, who had a slender and tall physique, Oztalon was a dignified giant in armor.

Nevertheless, they resembled each other.

“I am you from another world.”

“If I want, can I become a god like you?”

“I suppose so.”

“Then, I’ll sleep. So that when I wake up someday, I can become like you.”

Mason smiled.

“I failed to find my friend, but this journey won’t be a failure…”

Oztalon smiled.

“We will meet again. If you dream of us.”

“I believe you. You, who pulled me out when I was sinking to the bottom of the abyss.”

“Does that mean you’ll become my believer?”

“Yes.”

Oztalon smiled bitterly.

“Our family tree is going to be a mess…”

“You have to take responsibility for saving me.”

“…Hmph.”

Nodens smiled and said,

“Now, sleep. Until the day you become me.”

“Okay.”

Nodens snapped his fingers, and a spaceship appeared.

It was the Explorer.

“Goodbye. My future friends whom I will meet again someday.”

Mason smiled as he entered the spaceship.

“And… my savior, who will always be by my side.”

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

The spaceship carrying the First Mason flew beyond the sky. To arrive here in the distant future.

Mason asked,

“What happens now?”

“He will sleep. And when he wakes up… he’ll be me.”

Nodens looked at Mason and said,

“Thanks to what the Destroyer and you did, history has been altered. You might not have realized it while you were in the chaos.”

“Is it a time paradox?”

“Yes.”

Nodens folded his arms behind his back and looked at the distant sky.

“Azathoth became a being that existed from the beginning. And his madness spread monsters throughout the universe, and those who suffered because of them came to me and formed the Elder God Pantheon.”

“But… that’s what you did.”

“Madness and reason have been separated, so what was done by madness becomes Azathoth’s doing, and what was done by reason becomes my doing.”

“It’s complicated.”

“It is.”

“And… it’s also unfair.”

“Yes.”

Nodens laughed.

“It is unfair.”

Mason fell into thought.

“Can history really be changed like that?”

“Since we are beings that transcend time, if time wants to put itself in order, it has no choice but to compromise with us.”

“Time compromises with us?”

“Yes.”

Mason thought for a moment and said,

“Then, doesn’t the Destroyer’s grudge go to Azathoth instead of you?”

“He’s the culprit of that time paradox. It won’t have any effect. Besides, he’s not driven by a grudge against monsters. He’s driven by hatred for people. By his own madness.”

“That’s a shame.”

“Yes, it is.”

Nodens said with a calm expression,

“I’ll focus on producing fighters for now. My divine power has been halved, so I’ll need to concentrate more to make up for it even a little.”

“Is the war situation still bad?”

“Yes.”

Thanks to rescuing the First Mason, Nodens became the true history. Now Azathoth became a being of illusion.

The battle between the two gods would be in Nodens’ favor.

The problem was that the big picture remained the same.

The Destroyer was still destroying dimensions, waging an endless war of attrition against the Lord of Time.

If Nodens was in charge of sending reinforcements to the Lord of Time…

“…So, in the end, I have to deal with the Destroyer?”

“Yes.”

“It won’t be easy…”

“Yes, it won’t be easy.”

Nodens said with a smile,

“But, I believe you can do it.”

Mason made a wry face.

“You seem to have a wider range of expressions now. Your attitude has softened too…”

“Have you forgotten? I’m your believer. Since 6 billion years ago.”

“…Really?”

“My past has changed, so it’s only natural that I change too.”

Mason smiled bitterly.

“Yes. If people change… the world has to change too.”

๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑๑ஓ๑

The Destroyer had his arms crossed.

“Oztalon again…”

Because the First Mason was stolen, Azathoth became just a hollow god.

“A victory is a victory. But…”

Of course, if you considered the overall victory or defeat, it was a landslide victory for the Destroyer.

He split his strongest enemy, Nodens, in half, and made that half his ally.

What Oztalon achieved was only taking away a small amount of power from that half.

The moment Nodens was split in half, the victory was certain.

“The aftertaste is worse than I thought…”

He thought it was a chance to get rid of the troublesome Oztalon, but instead, he stole the First Mason and ran away.

Instead of a sense of victory, all that remained was a scratchy, unpleasant feeling in his mouth.

“…Well, fine.”

However, it was clear that he had seized the initiative in the grand scheme of things.

“Now all that’s left is… time.”

Time was the biggest battleground. The Lord of Time was holding on with all his might, but now he even had to rely on Nodens’ cooperation.

But even Nodens’ power was halved, so the course of the time war remained unchanged.

It would just take a little longer, but the time war would end in the Destroyer’s victory.

“A little more. Just wait a little longer.”

The Destroyer smiled a twisted smile.

“Until all time and space return to the void!”