011: The Age of Gods and Humans
This other Library of Alexandria seemed forgotten by time. The ruins had slept in lightless darkness for centuries, unchanged—a testament to the exceptional technology of the Atlas Institute from the Age of Gods.
Now, change had come.
In the deepest layer, the room housing the coffin, the first anomaly was minuscule.
Grains of sand. One, two.
Grains of sand gradually appeared, and then their numbers increased.
Ten, twenty, a hundred, two hundred, a thousand.
Countless grains of sand spread across the room like a desert.
This was likely a fragment of Osiris's residual divine authority. Even as a fragment, its power rivaled the highest-level barrier magecraft.
Though Novia had been standing right before Osiris's body moments ago, he now stood as if before a massive sun setting beyond a desert horizon. Beside it, a majestic river flowed as if embracing the sun.
The boundless sea of sand and the life-giving river coexisted—the very reason ancient civilization sprouted in this land.
In the past, such a harsh land required mighty gods; otherwise, people could not survive the severe environment.
He was revered as the king of gods but was murdered through his brother's treachery. Even so, until the end of the Age of Gods, countless people worshipped him. Though seen as the god of the underworld, he symbolized the hope of eternal glory after death that people believed in.
Thus, his essence remained unchanged. He had always been there.
"Oh....."
The Osiris Divine Body, previously mechanical, suddenly narrowed its eyes at Novia, as if gazing at something unfamiliar.
"You say the Age of Gods has ended? Ah, yes, it has ended. I am indeed dead."
As if recalling these words, under the intense sunlight, amidst the shimmering heat haze, the Osiris Divine Body smiled faintly. Its humanoid form leaned forward abruptly, thrusting a hand into the sand as if to lift Novia up.
"I was killed by my brother Set, sealed in a coffin, cut into fourteen pieces, and thrown into the Nile to drift away. Was I sad? No, on the contrary, I was overjoyed."
"You..."
Novia parried correctly with his longsword, but his shoulder bones screamed in protest. Blocking the blow that seemed to shake space head-on, the pressure released around them nearly made Shirley lose control of her binding equations in the next instant.
At the same time, he was greatly perplexed. According to the story, this Osiris Divine Body was completely devoid of consciousness—merely a gift to Ergo, not even utilizing its abilities. But now, it was speaking?!
And it claimed to be happy about being killed by its brother? This was completely unlike the benevolent figure of legend.
As the Osiris Divine Body spoke, the scene of its murder by kin and Set's actions at the time replayed vividly in Novia's mind.
"Indeed, thanks to you, I have gained consciousness."
The Divine Body acknowledged.
Me? Could it be because of the pigeon? Because of the Ten Plagues? Was that why Osiris's consciousness could return through the Divine Body?
"...I see."
The silver-haired boy muttered, attempting to create distance. Using the wind's divine protection, he could achieve instant movement beyond human reaction speed. Yet the Divine Body closed in with impossible divine swiftness.
Though Novia barely managed to guard in time, his arms were already numb and unfeeling.
"You seem... unafraid of me."
Novia quietly met the Osiris Divine Body's gaze and spoke:
"Why should I be afraid?"
The silver-haired boy lightly touched the fist pointed at his chest.
"A god's remnant, even the god itself—must I fear it?"
"No matter how much you persist, it won't significantly change the final outcome. Rather, it's already over. Kill that human hindering me, and I'll spare you by contract. Rule the world, and you'll be second only to me... If I said that, what would you do?"
The words of the chief deity's Divine Body, the god of the underworld, seeped into Novia's heart, one by one.
Gazing sincerely into those furious eyes, Novia replied.
"A tempting proposal. But the choice is the responsibility of those living in this era, Osiris Divine Body. The age guarded by gods is already a distant past."
Calmly, steadily, as if speaking to a longtime friend.
"To that end, I will do what I can."
If this truly arose because of him, no matter what, he could not leave it for others to resolve.
What needed to be done was clear. So, even if the opponent was a chief deity, even if victory seemed unlikely and things had taken an unexpected turn, he would not fear. He could never fear.
"Heh, after being killed by Set, I realized that humans are not born naked into this world." The Divine Body, the god of the underworld, sneered. "What one sees upon birth through one's own will is one's own fist—a power belonging solely to oneself. But your power contains too many unnecessary things."
The Osiris Divine Body spun around, its feet landing on a rising sand wall.
Not only that, gravity seemed to invert. Countless grains of sand began to cover the sky now revealed above.
"Cast it all away! Discard everything that binds you!"
Howling, roaring.
"Then, use all your strength to atone before me!"
"Come!"
With that cold utterance, a blow embodying intensity itself struck.
But Novia's swordplay was no longer as sharp as before, gradually falling behind in the duel against the bare-handed Osiris Divine Body.
In Shirley's eyes, as she with all her strength used the Atlas Institute's remaining equations to counter the dark miasma, this was undoubtedly a one-sided battle.
The relentless barrage of punches—to her, the Osiris Divine Body's hands seemed to vanish, leaving only trajectories imprinted in the air. In the span of a single breath, their numbers had multiplied beyond count, each strike capable of shattering spines and rupturing organs.
Naturally, Novia parried all the punches with his longsword, using magecraft to protect his body as much as possible. He didn't cry out—perhaps because pain could be endured.
'Shirley.'
'Skip the small talk. Retreat now. You and I are no match for Osiris. According to calculations, if I sacrifice one arm, I can seal the coffin before he fully emerges.'
Communicating via magecraft directly to the mind, sensing the slightly anxious thought, Novia couldn't help but smile.
'Stop hindering the miasma. He's trying to connect to the library's system. Use your equations to guide me in. His physical body is too strong—difficult to breach. By the way, he isn't the real Osiris at all. At most, he's a wraith born from the corpse.'
His combat methods were too immature. Even his innate divine authority was poorly controlled—relying purely on brute force. This was what Novia understood from the fight and his reactions. Moreover, this Osiris Divine Body seemed only capable of rage. If the real Osiris were like this, how could so many have worshipped him after his death?
'I think you've noticed too, next candidate for director of the Atlas Institute.'
'O-of course. I was just about to tell you. I've stopped hindering the miasma. What you do next is up to you. I'll assist you in obtaining this place's permissions.'
Hearing Novia's words, Shirley suppressed her instincts and carefully observed the Osiris Divine Body. The soul was indeed too faint—not like a return from the Reverse Side, more like a recently born soul. She couldn't help but sigh in relief.
'Thank you. Having you here is truly a relief.'
'Wh-what do you mean by that? Let me be clear, I wasn't thinking of running away. The contract doesn't allow for that.'
For some reason, Shirley suddenly became flustered. Since a moment ago, Novia had stopped exchanging words, leaving only a calm warmth lingering in her heart.
At this moment, Novia submerged his consciousness, using his spirit to feel Shirley's equations, tangling with the Osiris Divine Body attempting to seize the library system.
One of the purposes of creating the underwater Library of Alexandria was to turn Alexander IV, who devoured the fragments of three gods, into the ultimate calculation device to find a way to avert the world's destruction.
And now, two thousand years before the plan's start, here, the unforeseen Novia was contesting the library's permissions with the Osiris Divine Body—originally planned to be without will but now born with malice.
One must understand: pain on the soul level far exceeds physical pain.
The two souls fell, fell through the darkness contending for permissions—a process akin to being torn apart.
The roaring wind rushing head-on, the pressure on their limbs comparable to gradually stripping flesh from bone bit by bit.
With each collision, fresh blood splattered in the wind, nerves screamed and wept, even internal bones being scraped away.
Unlike the Osiris Divine Body, which sought all of the Atlas Institute's research on human extinction, Novia paid no heed to such things, focusing solely on attacking the enemy.
"You madman! You're a terrifying human!"
The Osiris Divine Body couldn't help but curse. He regretted not targeting the control system first, leading to this predicament.
Indeed, as Novia surmised, he was not Osiris's own consciousness but merely a partial soul born from the Divine Body, embodying rage towards his brother Set. However, it was encountering the slowly forming foundation of Novia's magecraft that allowed him to properly manifest.
The howling wind fell into the darkness, as if unaware of the fierce battle, remaining calm, cold, almost cruel.
That light illuminated a single figure locked in fierce combat with the Osiris Divine Body.
"Terrifying, huh? Is that how I seem in your eyes?"
Lifting the longsword easily with his right hand, resting the blade on his shoulder, Novia let out a derisive laugh.
He pointed his freed left hand at the Divine Body through the nerve-rending gale—
"Now, everyone on earth is merely fragile humans, not gods. Even those possessing power to rule the earth, convinced they will live forever, cannot change this fact."
Deepening his smile, the silver-haired boy declared, closing the distance between them in an instant.
The Osiris Divine Body tried to escape but was restrained by Shirley's ether threads from outside. Moreover, Novia gave him no chance to withdraw, launching an all-out offensive.
"Don't be absurd—this is insignificant! A mere human, nothing but a human! How could you possibly rival my body! I am Osiris, God of the dead! Chief deity of Egypt! I returned to this world to show Set that I am Egypt's true master!"
Seizing an opening in Novia's attack, the Osiris Divine Body invoked a magecraft. His body emitted a purple glow, instantly filling the surroundings with an aura of death. Eerie beastly cries—the howls of dog-headed men—filled the air. Countless black dog-headed men surrounded Novia, surging toward him like a tsunami.
Facing this, the silver-haired boy showed neither surprise nor impatience.
He merely narrowed his eyes slightly as if understanding, and parted his lips lightly.
"Is that so? I see. But—"
An intense flash erupted—not physical, but vast magical energy capable of scorching space itself.
Darkness is dispersed by light, and radiance ripples all around.
Just as ordained by the laws of nature, wherever the dark space reached, it became filled with surging, scattered light—spreading and rippling, relentlessly devouring everything.
This dazzling power, unmistakably, was born from starlight.
It descended from the greatest foundational magical force coming into being—a strike that should be called destruction. This was not purification, nor forced ascension, but a return of the kobolds to the world from which they originally came.
Proof of this lay before Shirley's eyes. Although the battle for control of the library had not yet reached its final conclusion, Novia and the Divine Body·Osiris had both withdrawn from the mentally damaging battlefield.
And there lay the Divine Body·Osiris, expressionless on the ground, its form crumbling apart.
"The age of the gods has ended. From now on, the human world no longer needs such immense power as that of the Age of Gods."
He smiled proudly.
"But perhaps that's not entirely accurate. In truth, such power was never truly needed. For peace and tranquility, if threats like this still exist, it might occasionally be necessary—just as it is now."
"Come to think of it, I believe it doesn't really matter. As for constraints… since the choice lies with oneself, as long as one doesn't regret or suffer, that's enough."
Novia swung his arms down, red blood dripping from them onto the ground. Watching the continuous flow of blood, had his expression changed?
Shirley couldn't tell, because the silver-haired boy showed no subtle change on his face at all.
He simply continued forward, letting the blood drip along the way.
Just as the dark miasma finally began to fade from view, Novia stood outside the sarcophagus and reached out, completely shattering the crumbling Divine Body.
"Novia!"
Shirley ran up to him.
"The contract is complete… Shirley."
Then, as if all his strength had been exhausted, his knees buckled, and he collapsed unconscious on the spot.
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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