Wizard: Start with Biological Transformation to Grind Experience - Chapter 853 - 31: Who Is the Truth?
Chapter 853: Chapter 31: Who Is the Truth?
The air in the underground space is as thick as liquid, with overwhelming energy pulsations and the faint echoes of countless souls’ wails weaving into a mind-bending background sound. Dark purple crystals pulse slowly like living things, with dark red “veins” drooping down, continuously channeling the refined faith and soul energy into the twisted figure on the stone throne.
Lynch’s gaze pierced through the disturbing glow, locking firmly onto Erodion. The Erodion before him was entirely different from the dignified and stern figure of the Shadow Tower’s chief Judge remembered from memory, his body grotesquely swollen and mutated, skin covered with dark red lines and crystal-like calluses.
It was as if a Monster forcibly amalgamated by faith, ambition, and forbidden experiments. Only his eyes, though turbulent with the fervor and agony of billions, still retained a trace of the cold and sharp rationality belonging to a top Wizard.
Erodion slowly raised his head, his twisted mouth pulling into what could be described as a horrifying smile, and his hoarse voice, laced with a strange magnetism, echoed through the space, as if striking directly at the soul:
“Little apprentice… heh, we meet again.”
His tone bore an air of condescending familiarity, as if greeting a junior unseen for a long time, yet the underlying meaning was cold and piercing.
Lynch’s face was impassive, his gray eyes calm and unruffled, responding directly and firmly: “I don’t particularly want to see you.” His voice clearly cut through the noise of energy pulsations, devoid of any emotional fluctuation.
“Oh?” Erodion seemed amused, his head tilting slightly, causing the energy conduits connected to his back to writhe, “If you don’t want to, then you… shouldn’t have appeared here, should you?”
Lynch shrugged, his movements casual, but his gaze sharp as a knife: “I had no choice. What you’ve done has severely violated the most basic rules of the Wizard World, thoroughly disrupting the fundamental order that maintains the Plane’s existence. I cannot stand idly by.”
“Hahahaha—!”
Erodion let out a low, hoarse laugh full of blatant mockery and arrogance, causing the entire underground space to tremble slightly, “Rules? Order? Lynch, my dear apprentice, you are still so… naive!”
He abruptly stopped laughing, his fervent eyes fixed fiercely on Lynch, his voice suddenly rising, sharp as if tearing through all false masks: “Tell me! What is order? What are rules?!”
“Aren’t they just the game rules forcibly delineated by those high and mighty old fellows who style themselves as the Guardians of Truth, solely beneficial to them for maintaining their own interests and domination!”
“They monopolize knowledge, control resources, delineate territories, and the so-called ’order’ is but the shackles they use to bind the newcomers and ensure they eternally remain at the top of the pyramid!”
Lynch listened quietly, unmoved by these fierce words, only calmly refuting once he finished: “Perhaps. What you accuse of is not entirely untrue. The current system does indeed possess injustices and rigidities.”
“However, Erodion, you cannot deny that at least under this ’game rule’, the whole world maintains a basic cycle and stability. The vast majority can survive and propagate within it, following the natural law of birth, aging, illness, and death.”
“Some, even, by effort or chance, can live… quite well.”
“Quite well?”
Erodion sneered, the sarcasm in his tone even thicker, “Those you say live ’quite well’ are always just a negligible handful at the pinnacle of the pyramid!”
“They feed on the flesh and hopes of billions of living beings at the bottom, enjoying the best resources, the longest lifespans, and the greatest power! And the others? Those ’majority’ mortals you speak of, even including countless Low-level Wizards!”
“What are they? They are merely pawns in this eternal game, ready to be sacrificed, replaced, and forgotten at any time! Their existence is to highlight the brilliance of the pyramid’s top, to supply those ’big figures’ to amuse, to gamble, and to practice their so-called ’Truth’ consumables!”
His voice grew more passionate, the dark red lines around him glowing bright, as if venting grievances and resentment accumulated over centuries: “Since the essence of this game is so cruel, since the fate of the pawns is already decided!”
“Then why can’t these pawns be used by me?! Why can’t I use them, stepping on the pile of their corpses, to break free from this damnable game and leap to become the player, to become a part of that pinnacle?”
Facing Erodion’s near-maniacal roar, Lynch remained calm, merely stepping half a step forward, posing a seemingly simple, yet core-reaching question:
“And then?”
Erodion’s overwhelming momentum slightly paused.
Lynch continued probing, his voice clear and steady: “When you’ve achieved your desire, stepping on the corpses of these ’pawns’ you mention, reaching what you consider the pinnacle, becoming the new ’player’, then what? Don’t you still have to continue this ’game’ filled with injustice and cruelty you speak of?”
“You’ve established a new order, divided new hierarchies, what you do, how is it essentially different from those ’old fellows’ you detest?”
“It merely changes who sits at the top of the tower, repeating the same cycle as before. What you pursue, is it truly transcendence, or… is it just to replace the original vested interests, and then sit there yourself?”
Erodion fell silent.
The twisted figure on the stone throne seemed to freeze momentarily, only the energy conduits around relentlessly conveying their glow. The fervor in his eyes seemed to have dimmed a bit, replaced by a deeper, more indescribable complex emotion.”
Perhaps it was being exposed to the most unbearable depths of his heart, perhaps a moment of wavering on his own path, or perhaps, it was a certain more resolute, undeniable determination.
After a long pause, he slowly spoke, his voice returned to its previous hoarse and deep tone, yet less agitated, more icily indifferent:
“Saying these… is already meaningless.”
He raised his calloused arm, pointing at Lynch, as if also pointing towards some predetermined fate: “You came here, I think, not to argue these rights and wrongs with me, not to explore some ethereal Truth, right?”
Lynch nodded, candidly admitting: “Indeed.”
As those words fell, Lynch stepped forward resolutely!
This very step seemed to break a certain stagnant balance!
Buzz—!
A vast, invisible force, seemingly transcending the “Rule Exclusion Matrix” of this place, erupted centered around Lynch!
First unfolded was the Time Rule!
Not altering the outside world, but affecting the flow of time within himself and the surrounding narrow area! The light around him began to distort slightly, his actions seemingly accelerated countless times yet able to freeze in an instant, giving an eerie sense of his real speed being elusive. This was the Time Special Zone he forcibly carved out to combat the rigid rules of the place!
Following that, a gray, desolate force field spread — Decaying Domain!
This did not rely on external energy but originated from Lynch’s own understanding and embodiment of the Law of End and Deterioration. As the domain passed, even the dark purple energy glow permeating the air seemed to dim, as if corroded and aged by an unseen force. This was the sharp tool against the “life-filled” Power of Faith!
Lastly, the Space Domain!
Though heavily suppressed by the matrices here, unable to arbitrarily alter Space Rules like outside, Lynch still forcibly expanded a space barrier belonging to himself, twisting the spatial structure around him, causing those invisible forces trying to lock and bind him to be deflected and weakened. This provided him the last mobility and defense barrier!
These three formidable forces were not driven by external rules but purely erupted from Lynch’s own accumulation, understanding, and Body of Rules, forcibly tearing open a small section within Erodion’s solidified Divine Domain where he could adhere to his own rules!
Lynch held the Flame Demon Great Sword, its dark red glow interweaving with the power of the three domains, he stared at Erodion on the stone throne, his voice calm yet unyieldingly decisive, echoing in this ultimate place:
“Since words cannot discern, and ideals cannot resonate…”
“Then, Erodion, let us follow the most primitive and direct rule…”
“Use strength to establish what is… the true Truth!”
