Chapter 483
“I can’t send you there directly. As I said before, even we cannot interfere with that place.”
The magician opened a space. Through it, a vast universe stretched endlessly.
“So, I’ll open a passage leading near it. You should be able to find your destination without much trouble.”
“What exactly am I supposed to find?”
“The reason Ouroboros devoured the world,” the magician said.
“Find out what broke the mechanism of the cycle. It doesn’t need to be detailed—just a general understanding will do. Discover the reason, and I’ll reward you fittingly.”
“Alright.”
Taesan replied briefly and stepped into the space the magician had opened.
Before his eyes spread the boundless expanse of the universe—a space where no living thing could survive.
Of course, for Taesan, that wasn’t a problem. Even in a gravityless void, he could move freely.
He found Ouroboros immediately.
No—“found” wasn’t the right word. The moment he arrived, it was already there, filling his vision.
[Oh.]
[That’s…]
A voice filled with disbelief and horror murmured faintly.
[Is that… really it?]
There was a serpent in space.
Not a metaphor, not a description—a simple fact. A black, shadowy serpent occupied a portion of the universe.
[I… can’t see the end.]
Even Akasha couldn’t hide her astonishment.
It looked as if the universe itself had walls—the serpent’s body was that vast. It was large enough to devour galaxies, or perhaps even more.
Its body moved slightly—so faintly that even Taesan’s eyes could barely perceive the motion.
[You have discovered Ouroboros.]
‘The Serpent of Cycles.’
The mechanism that governed the rotation of all things.
A being of this scale was fitting for such a role. Even Taesan could only perceive a fraction of its entirety.
[So… we’re supposed to go ‘inside’ that? That’s insane.]
[A being that size should rip apart the universe just by moving.]
While Bardray and Akasha hesitated, the serpent began to move.
Slowly, but with a definite purpose, it twisted its enormous body. Both Bardray and Akasha fell silent.
At that size, even a slight movement should have torn the cosmos apart—but something, some law, prevented any effect from manifesting.
Then the serpent stopped.
Taesan could feel its gaze.
[Ah…]
A soft gasp escaped him. He couldn’t see its head, but he didn’t need to.
The Serpent of Cycles had recognized him—and was looking directly at him.
Taesan instinctively understood: if that being bore hostility toward him, there would be no escape. As long as he existed in the universe, Ouroboros could reach him.
He reflexively prepared to raise the [Boundary Line]. If the serpent made any move, he would respond instantly.
But Ouroboros did nothing more.
It merely observed him for a time, then began moving again. Slowly, its gaze faded away.
[Hah…!]
[Urgh…]
He heard the sound of labored breathing. Bardray forced a faint laugh.
[This… this isn’t right. What the hell ‘is’ that thing?]
Bardray, who had reached incredible heights in life and witnessed countless strong beings beside Taesan, could only tremble.
Before that serpent, such concepts were meaningless. It was a being of such an impossibly high order that all creatures instinctively felt rejection and fear.
[So, what now? Personally, I’d rather go straight back to the labyrinth.]
“It doesn’t have any hostility toward me. No alertness either.”
In fact, its gaze seemed to beckon him closer.
“Then I suppose I should accept the invitation.”
[If that’s your will.]
[As you command, Master.]
Both Bardray and Akasha responded quietly to Taesan’s decision.
He approached Ouroboros. The serpent showed no reaction.
And so, Taesan stood before it.
Its massive, rippling scales filled his sight. Observing closely, Taesan realized something.
‘This isn’t matter.’
From a distance, it seemed physical—but up close, he could tell it wasn’t. It was a form woven from overlapping, incomprehensible concepts.
That meant entry was possible.
A grayish aura rose from Taesan’s hand, wrapping around him like armor—isolating him completely from the world’s laws.
He reached out toward Ouroboros.
Piercing the boundaries of concept and space, he forged a path forward.
There was no resistance.
Taesan entered Ouroboros’s interior.
And what he saw inside… was, unexpectedly, a normal-looking universe.
Amid the pitch-black void, countless stars shone.
[…Looks less impressive than I expected.]
“No.”
Taesan shook his head at Bardray’s mutter. At first glance, it looked ordinary—but upon closer inspection, it was different.
This place had merged with Ouroboros.
Every concept here had melted into part of the serpent itself, ceasing to function properly. It was somewhat like the contamination of the Old Gods, yet different—a fusion by law, not corruption.
“Quite the scale.”
Taesan released the [Boundary Line]. Ouroboros’s influence tried to interfere, but couldn’t penetrate his mind or body.
For now, he could endure it without protection.
[So what now?]
“Time to investigate.”
He needed to see what changes had occurred in this world that had merged with Ouroboros. The best way was to meet its inhabitants directly.
[You have activated Teleportation (Negation).]
The pitch-black space swallowed him whole.
When his vision returned, he was looking down at a beautiful blue planet.
Taesan descended toward it.
—
It seemed that when Ouroboros devoured the universe, this planet had been caught in its grasp. Countless lifeforms still existed here—but all of them had been altered, fused with Ouroboros’s essence.
To understand what had happened, Taesan descended to the planet’s surface. The largest city came into view—a sprawling metropolis crowned by a massive royal castle.
He landed in the central plaza.
“Hahahahaha!”
“Ahahahaha!”
Laughter echoed all around. Not laughter of joy, but of madness.
He heard the sounds of things breaking, shattering, collapsing.
A man grabbed a market stall and hurled it aside. The merchant, likely its owner, clapped and cheered in delight.
A noblewoman laughed manically as she swung a sword wildly. Those struck by the blade fell, bleeding—but no one reacted. Even the fallen smiled foolishly, as if pain no longer mattered.
“What a mess.”
It was like a biblical city of corruption.
Taesan grabbed a man who was laughing uncontrollably.
“I’d like to ask you something.”
“Hahahaha! Hahahaha! Ahahahahaha!”
The man didn’t answer—he only kept laughing.
Taesan watched for a moment, then invoked his divinity. Golden light enveloped the man.
Hummmm—!
“Hahaha! Hahahahaha!”
But nothing changed.
Divinity healed both body and mind, restoring them to their original state. The fact that it had no effect meant one of two things:
Either Ouroboros’s alteration had become something divinity couldn’t reverse—
Or their minds had been in this state for so long that madness itself had become normal.
Perhaps both.
Taesan walked through the city. Despite his strange appearance, no one paid him any attention.
He noticed something else.
Only a few were lost in madness.
Most people simply sat or lay down blankly, doing nothing at all.
Their eyes were devoid of light. They were alive—conscious even—but hollow, like corpses with no soul.
Taesan entered the royal castle.
There were no guards—no one left to protect it.
Walking through the ruined halls, he reached the highest chamber.
He opened the massive door.
A throne stood within.
And upon it sat an old man.
The old man looked utterly exhausted as he gazed at Taesan.
“…An outsider?”
His voice was faint and brittle, as if he barely had the strength to speak.
And that was strange.
Because the man before him was an immortal.
Immortals were called such for a reason—they did not age or wither unless interfered with by an external force. Their bodies and minds remained unbroken.
But the old man before him was clearly decayed and worn down by time.
“…It’s been so long since I last saw that woman. Or… has it only been a few days?”
He mumbled, confused, unable to distinguish past from present—like a senile old man.
Taesan stared silently at him. As the old man rambled on, a faint spark of awareness returned to his eyes.
“…Forgive me. I’ve shown an unsightly sight before a great being.”
“It’s fine.”
“Then… may I ask one more favor?”
“What is it?”
“Nothing grand.”
The old man wiped his face with a trembling hand.
“Would you… kill me?”
—
“I’m tired. I want it to end. Please. Please… free me from this endless cycle.”
His voice was desperate—earnest.
He truly wished for death.
“…My apologies,” the old man whispered.
“I suppose asking you is pointless. No being could grant such a request.”
“What exactly happened here?”
“You’ll see soon enough.”
Taesan turned his gaze to the city outside the window.
It was complete chaos now—nothing left intact.
‘…Wait.’
He realized something odd.
These people were worn down by time, their minds shattered.
That meant an immense span of time had passed.
And yet, the world looked pristine—almost freshly cleaned, as if only a day had gone by.
That was strange.
And soon, he understood why.
Bzzzzzzzt!
A tremendous wave shook the universe. Power erupted from somewhere deep below.
It spread across the cosmos, enveloping everything—even the planet.
Taesan instinctively raised the [Domain of Chaos], protecting his body. Ouroboros’s interference was cut off.
And thus, he saw it clearly.
The dead rose.
Blood scattered across the ground flowed back into its owners. Bodies reassembled like rewinding clockwork.
Broken stalls reattached their parts, returning to their original shapes.
The noblewoman who had been swinging her sword regained her elegant expression.
‘This is…’
The world was rewinding.
And that sensation—Taesan knew it well.
It was the same feeling he’d experienced when he used the Ouroboros’ Stone to turn back his own time.