The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR)

Two, three, four, five…

Lukas was carrying out his role.

Of continuing to count.

“I knew there was a hidden place like this.”

…Ten, twenty, forty.

“And I accept that. Because, in any case, it’s our role to continue to accept challenges without hesitation.”

…One hundred, two hundred, five hundred.

…

…

At some point, he became unable to ignore it any longer.

The Thunder God’s calm voice reached Lukas’ very core and shook it.

“If there is a trap, destroy it. If there is a carefully planned strategy, destroy it completely. Regardless of how unfavourable the situation might be. It doesn’t matter. At no time will we ever speak a word of cowardice.”

“…”

“So I’d like to ask you, Lukas Trowman.”

Lukas had already stopped counting. Counting the number of ‘dead Lukases’ had already become pointless.

“Is this all there is to the trick you prepared?”

And he decided to accept the reality that had unfolded right before his eyes.

-The reality that every ‘Lukas’ other than him had been defeated.

“…”

Lukas made his appearance. From the sky.

Tak, he landed on the dry meadow that had long since lost its original appearance.

When he saw this, the Lightning God smiled.

“Indeed. You are the ‘Lukas’ I know. Not those half baked ones I’ve been fighting till now, the real Lukas.”

“…”

“Your expression is terrible. Did you not expect this result? Hmm… I will say that it was a good plan. It is true that you had a higher chance of victory by making it a battle of minds. The chances were a thousand times higher than a head to head battle.”

As he spoke, the Lightning God was repeatedly throwing and catching his axe like an acrobatics performance.

“However, that’s all.”

Crack! Instead of being caught in his hand, the axe was crushed.

“It was sloppy.”

There was a hint of anger in the Lightning God’s voice.

“Do I know what tiredness feels like? Is that really the question you asked me? Lukas Trowman… how long do you think the being in front of you has existed? In comparison, the time you have experienced could be called fleeting. Even the time of every being I know combined wouldn’t be enough to drive me crazy.”

Of course, except for the Rulers.

The Lightning God let out a laugh as the anger in his words rose.

Listening to everything he said, Lukas thought.

His opponent was a monster. He had no choice but to acknowledge the Lightning God.

He’d observed every fight and analysed the Lightning God’s power. He’d focused his eyes so that he wouldn’t miss even the slightest habit and analysed every pattern.

Just in case it became his turn, just in case, it would allow him to increase his chances even the smallest bit.

It was pointless.

Because the Lightning God continuously showed different fighting styles, different patterns, and different habits in every fight. He either changed endlessly or had an almost infinite amount of fighting styles.

And in a corner of his mind, Lukas felt a chill. It was possible that, in this fight, the Lightning God was also evolving.

“Lightning God.”

“What is it?”

“You’re really talkative.”

Lukas chose to reveal his honest feelings. The Lightning God’s expression changed subtly.

“In my experience, the guys who talk too much can rarely back their words.”

“That’s probably a bias that built up over time. You should be grateful that I’m talkative, otherwise you’d die sooner.”

“-I had two plans.”

“Mm?”

“You talked about my expression. It’s not that I’ve given up hope. I’m just a bit sad.”

The Lightning God suddenly realised that all of the half baked Lukases he’d killed had been smiling.

Why did this thought suddenly come to his mind?

“What are you talking about?”

“I didn’t want it to come to the second plan.”

“…”

The Lightning God realised that Lukas’ words weren’t just a bluff. His expression changed. Then, as he carefully scanned his body, he realised the truth.

“You, no way…! Hahaha!”

The Lightning God suddenly erupted with delight.

* * *

He hadn’t made this plan on his own, nor had he decided it alone.

“Is this really okay?”

Lukas had clearly asked the others for their opinions. But he still hesitated at the last moment.

[How many times are you going to keep asking this?]

[I don’t know why he’s still hesitating.]

The ‘Lukases’ all responded indifferently, but it wasn’t easy for Lukas to accept.

“I don’t know how much influence the Lightning God will have over the imaginary world. Of course, the number of Lukases I consumed is greater than the number of stars, but…”

Subjugating a Ruler through tactics was not an easy picture to draw.

[Of course, you are the only one among us who has faced a Ruler in person.]

[You are the one who has the most objective grasp of the Lightning God’s power.]

[Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be considered a miracle to be able to win against a Ruler?]

“Do you still not understand? I’m not talking about winning right now. If this all goes as planned… even if I win, all of you would be gone.”

Lukas bit his lip.

“All of you would just cease to exist.”

The ‘Lukases’ would fight the Lightning God in the imaginary world. And in that place, defeat meant losing your ego. Lukas had already seen this happen several times before.

[Even if we all disappear, it won’t affect you.]

[Isn’t that what you wanted at first?]

The ‘Lukases’ spoke with pleasant voices. But it was that attitude that made him more angry.

Lukas was annoyed because of their detached attitudes and disregard for their own egos.

“It’s a matter of efficiency. I won’t be able to enter the minimal time zone without you all.”

[That’s not true. All that matters is the first experience. Your senses have already been awakened.]

[Our role was merely to aid your computational ability. You don’t need us anymore.]

“That’s not certain. You all…”

[Not you all. We all.]

[Even if you don’t say it, everyone already knows.]

[Because we are all Lukas.]

They smiled as they said that.

“Why are you smiling? If you disappear, you won’t even know if I fulfil your wishes or not.”

That was the agreement in the first place.

They would give Lukas their strength, and in return, Lukas would fulfil their wishes.

“I can’t. I don’t understand.”

[Don’t be ridiculous, Lukas.]

He heard a cold voice.

[We are all equals. Your opinions are just that of ‘Lukas One’.]

[And we always prefer to use the majority to make conclusions.]

[Every Lukas except you agreed.]

[So if you respect us.]

[If you considered every one of us as ‘a Lukas’.]

[Will you not listen to our voices?]

“…”

There was no place to step back. There was nothing he could say to refute. It was like being pushed to the edge of a cliff.

Lukas clenched his fist… Every Lukas except him had already chosen and agreed.

Even if he were to make a sound now, it would just be the voice of another ‘Lukas’. So Lukas had no right or justification to block their decision.

‘Thank you’, he swallowed those words.

Only a narcissistic bastard or a fool would say thank you to themself.

Lukas was neither.

He would just engrave this deeply.

[We are the losers.]

[None other than our place of birth proves that fact.]

The World of Void.

A world where the losers, the failures, and the abandoned possibilities were thrown like garbage.

Lukas didn’t refute them. He didn’t offer any reckless consolation. They weren’t torturing themselves by saying that now.

[That’s why you, who absorbed us all, is no different from having learnt ‘all of the failures’ that Lukas can make.]

He wouldn’t forget.

He would never forget these guys, his failures.

[And it might be too late to say it, but our wishes have already changed.]

[This can also be considered your achievement.]

[You have united us. Kuku.]

The voices, which had been embracing joy for a while, became serious once again.

[Succeed.]

[Don’t fail anymore.]

[That is our changed wish. Great Mage Lukas.]

Lukas nodded his head.

* * *

The Lightning God had eliminated the half baked Lukases. But it was just their egos that broke, their energy didn’t disappear.

Instead, that power had been absorbed by the Lukas in front of him. He had fully accepted all of them.

“A hundred, a thousand, ten thousand*, no. It’s not a number like that. Hahaha!”

The Lightning God a delighted laugh.

“You madman. How many ‘selves’ did you devour? And yet you still maintained your ego! It wasn’t broken!”

“…”

“Right! So you were using me! You used me to kill a lot of ‘Lukases’ so you could absorb the ownerless power that was drifting around! Kuhaha! You really put me in a good mood!”

Lukas clenched his fists.

“So how does it feel? To absorb ‘all of the Lukases’ inside you and their power. It must feel so good that it feels like your brain will melt… No. You must be feeling a fullness that is so addictive you don’t even know what expression to make! I’m so jealous! That is something that I will never be able to imagine or feel!”

“…I.”

Lukas spat out as if he was chewing the words.

“Don’t feel full at all.”

Of course, it was obvious to him that he currently had power that he’d never had before. Lukas had always been aware of the ‘unmelted power’ inside of him. And he knew that melting it and absorbing it in its entirety was the prerequisite for progressing another step.

It had all melted now. As the Lightning God said, he had used his power against him and was eventually able to absorb it completely.

But Lukas would call this feeling a feeling of loss, instead of a feeling of fullness.

…It was quiet.

Unlike his body, which was filled with vitality, his mind was terribly quiet.

It was clearly different from when they were all united. It wasn’t noisy then, but he could still feel the presence of the other ‘Lukases’.

Not now.

He couldn’t feel their voices, signs or presence. And that fact weighed heavily on his mind. The Lukas who had just left the Dump Site would probably never be able to understand.

The same was true for the Lightning God. He couldn’t understand Lukas. So he didn’t bother to explain.

From now on, what he needed to show was actions, not words.

He had to thoroughly crush the face of this absolute being in front of him who had insulted ‘them’.

One thing that all the Lukases had in common was that they had no tolerance for insults.

“…hoh.”

The Lightning God let out a sound of admiration at his changed attitude. Lukas slowly scanned his entire body. Although he seemed perfectly fine after killing all of the Lukases, he probably wasn’t in perfect condition.

It was possible that he was just bluffing.

“You will probably be the most difficult out of all of the ‘Lukases’ I killed so far.”

This was said with a twisted smile. That judgement was accurate.

“Is this the final fight?”

“Right. So this time, I’ll try something.”

“What’s that?”

“Turn you… upside down.”

The Lightning God’s face became blank for a moment before he burst into laughter.

“…kukuku! Kuhaha!”

As the Lightning God’s laughter burst out, dark clouds began forming in the sky once more.

There was no more conversation.

Boom!

The moment a bolt of lightning struck the ruined meadow, the final fight began.