NOVEL WEB Chapter 80
80. The Oldest And Strongest Being
Tap, tap, my footsteps echoed through the stone corridor.
Before I knew it, I was inside an ancient temple.
How many times have I been here now?
This is probably my inner space.
And this temple is said to be the core of my heart.
“Huh? But this temple looks different from the last one…”
The stone walls and corridors were cracked and seemed on the verge of collapse.
I wrinkled my nose at the musty smell and moved forward.
Something lay ahead──.
I had to see it.
I had to know it.
I realized this almost instinctively.
Eventually, I reached the innermost part of the corridor.
Light overflowed from the other side.
“Ugh…”
I squinted at the brightness.
As my eyes adjusted, I realized it was a massive dome-shaped room.
“What is this…!?”
The surrounding walls flickered, and a huge tank stood in the center.
Inside the tank floated a monstrous silhouette.
A golden dragon with seven heads.
“Its name is Sin Emperor Dragon, Greed.”
A voice echoed.
A young, innocent-looking girl appeared, seemingly seeping from the space itself.
It was the goddess who had bestowed power upon me──Ilfaria.
“Once the oldest and strongest being, possessing the power to slay gods and demons alike──an ancient dragon.”
Ilfaria solemnly declared.
“This isn’t the usual temple, is it?”
“No, that temple is the core of your heart──but this is different. It’s an actual ruin in your world called the ‘Temple of the Ancient Dragon.'”
The goddess explained.
“The Temple of the Ancient Dragon…?”
“It’s probably a vision resonating with someone who possesses divine power. You and she──your skills are interfering with each other…”
Could it be the influence of Electra?
“Divine power, demonic power, dragon power──you must encounter them here. For further growth in power.”
“Growth…”
“If that is what you desire.”
The goddess stated.
“Through battles and encounters with companions, and resonances with other skill holders, I see signs of further growth in you, Haruto. You are approaching the ultimate power──the ‘One Who Opens the Door’.”
Signs of growth…?
The One Who Opens the Door…?
Suddenly, numerous images flashed before me.
A distorted space.
A flickering rainbow glow.
A broken sword.
A shattered shield.
They were instantly repaired──.
“This is the sixth power──and the path beyond…”
The goddess’s voice faded.
Not just her voice, but her form as well.
Everything was vanishing.
Wait, I still have questions.
“She can see the future. She knows all our moves, how can I possibly stop her──”
“The skill I granted you is [Absolutely No Damage]. As you develop this power, it may reverse causality and make you invulnerable to all attacks. But for now, it’s too powerful for you. Even if you could use it, only once a day──”
Her voice grew fainter.
“Reverse causality…?”
“Even divine power is wielded by human will… Its potency, effects, and success depend on the strength of the holder’s heart…”
“The strength of the heart──”
I repeated the goddess’s words.
“The sixth power… How do I use it…”
A sweet breath whispered in my ear.
“But for now… it’s too powerful. You can use it only once a day…”
The goddess murmured.
The way to use this new power.
“After that, it all depends on your will. With a strong enough heart, you’ll eventually master it completely…”
With these final words, the goddess’s form faded and completely vanished.
“Using the grown skill… is my will…”
“No, your skill cannot grow any further.”
As Ilfaria completely disappeared, another figure emerged.
A beautiful girl with black hair dressed in an eastern shrine maiden outfit.
Electra.
“Hmm, this seems to be a vision of the future. Perhaps our skills resonated. It appears that the power to see fate is affecting you too…”
She murmured, looking around.
“A vision of the future…?”
“Precisely one week from now, on the night of the new moon, at the ancient temple ruins in Elios City. You will visit there.”
Electra declared, almost singing.
“It’s just one possible future──”
Seeing the future──that was originally her skill.
Is it that our skills somehow influenced each other, allowing me to see this vision too?
“Then can you see it too? The fate we are heading towards──”
As Electra spoke, the scenery before me vanished.
The view shifted, and two figures emerged.
“This is──”
One was a figure wrapped in a rainbow glow──too bright to see clearly, but probably me activating my skill.
The other figure was Electra.
Her form melted into the light and disappeared.
“A vision of me fighting and losing. But I won’t just disappear quietly.”
Electra stared at me.
Her eyes burning with strong determination.
“So I’ll change it. The future of defeat and destruction.”
“Change… the future…”
I murmured.
“My skill is to see fate. By taking corresponding actions, the future will change──that is my power and privilege.”
“…I don’t want to fight. When the enemy attacked the royal capital, I cooperated with another skill holder to repel them. With other holders──even with Electra, I want to join forces if possible.”
I retorted.
I couldn’t accept the premise that skill holders must fight each other.
There must be another way.
“I became an adventurer thinking that the skill I received from the goddess could do things no one else could──that it might be a power to protect many people.”
“Hmph.”
Electra snorted.
She stared at me coldly.
“Quite the admirable attitude.”
“I met girls who were striving to protect people… I wanted to be like that too.”
“But no matter what you wish or think──I’ve already seen the future. Not just you. Other holders were also fighting. They clashed their powers, and the weaker one was obliterated…”
“That… can’t be…”
I bit my lip.
My clenched fists trembled.
I couldn’t deny the possibility.
After all, I did fight Gregorio.
“I believe in the fate I saw. And I will change it. As the first step──”
The determination in Electra’s eyes turned to hostility──and then to murderous intent.
“I will defeat you.”