#638 Advent of the Floating Adeptus

This Lifeless King is remarkably different from those I have encountered so far.

The ones I knew were immortalized beings whose lifeless bodies turned into mummies or skeletons, easily evoking the image of death.

However, the dead king in front of us completely differs from those impressions.

He has a flawless visage.

At the very least, his face is no different from that of a living person like us.

Actually, it’s so well-developed that one could almost call him a handsome man. He has the unblemished, innocent face of a man in his youth.

...No, wait.

If you look closely, he still looks different.

His face is too well-refined to be a living person.

It’s like a statue made by a first-class sculptor.

Looking again, his face’s texture is also different from that of living skin.

It’s like plaster...or maybe well-polished timber?

I thought so, and then I saw that Sage’s faint smile on his seemingly expressionless face looked like a Buddha statue’s archaic smile.

A bodhisattva statue?!

It’s as if the statue of the Bodhisattva of Compassion is clothed in rags, moving on its own with the texture of stone or wood.

The Lifeless King Sage gave off such an impression. 

In other words, his appearance is different from ordinary Lifeless Kings.

Compared to ordinary Lifeless Kings in the world... well, Lifeless Kings themselves were never ordinary, to begin with.

Anyway, he’s the epitome of difference.

Gently, the Lifeless King Sage, floating in the sky, descends to the ground.

Although he came down from such a high altitude, you don’t feel the momentum of his descent one bit.

In fact, it was as if he had really just moved from the top to the bottom, without the “gentle” vibe.

Everyone gasped and didn’t utter a word.

This holds true when it comes to the ultimate Lifeless King, whose presence is synonymous with death if you ever encounter one.

The fact that he’s reminiscent of a Buddha statue makes it even more so, foreshadowing the coming of something even more ominous than death itself.

“...?!”

“......Urk!”

“...T-To think I, Veil, am also feeling overwhelmed...!”

The presence of such pure stillness overwhelmed and silenced everyone present.

It’s as if the tranquility is so suffocating that even the sound of my heartbeat is so loud that I want to shut it off.

If an average creature were to encounter the Sage, it would probably blend in with the silence, muffle its heartbeat, and die on its own.

What a terrifying existence.

Just as I was beginning to think that it would be awful if this silent staring contest went on for another second... 

“Sageee! Long time no see, meow!!!”

A cat jumps on the head of the statue of the Bodhisattva of Death.

“Uwahaaaaaaa!!!”

“As taciturn as ever! Wouldn’t hurt to loosen up a little and make a sound or two! No music, no life, meooooooow!”

Phew...

Thanks to the Professor meowing like crazy, the avalanching silence vanished.

As expected of another Lifeless King, he’s got guts of steel to ignore the overwhelming atmosphere in the air.

“No cat, no life, meoooooow!”

Then, the cat atop the Bodhisattva statue began to lick the head with its tongue.

Wait, cat!

Don’t groom human hair!

“...”

The Sage is incredible!

What’s incredible, you ask? He remains unfazed despite a cat frolicking around him. 

If a cat uses its whole body to play with him like that, any stern man would give in and let out a little chuckle, right?!

Yet he won’t even break into a smile!

His expression remains blank as a sheet.

Is it true that a mind completely enlightened cannot be swayed, even by the cuteness of a cat?!

The Professor and the Sage, the ultimate Wise Lifeless Kings.

Their prowess... is evenly matched?

“...Professor, master of skills that none surpass.”

“Hm?”

What was that voice?

Did he speak?

The Sage spooooooke?!

“Thoughts drift aimlessly, not bound by crowds, Mt. Eternity’s moon, my love enshrouds. Radiant and serene, its light shines loud, my poem of rapture sings, passion endowed.”

?

?

???????

“You don’t have to force yourself to understand him. The Sage has a unique way of talking. Just know that he says he’s glad to see me again, meow.”

I understood in an instant.

The Sage is a difficult person to interact with...!

If I compare him with someone similar in terms of language, it’d be the former Mermaid King Nagus, who expresses all his emotions with ahems.

But I’ve given up on King Nagus because I don’t understand a lick of what he says. On the contrary, the Sage in front of me speaks recognizable words, which makes it more troublesome!

I feel like I could understand him if I reaaaaally tried, but at the same time, I don’t think I could!

That’s another thing that makes it hard to interact with him!

“Um...Are you and the Sage, um...?”

“Best of friends! I’ve known the Sage for 30,000 years now! Or was it 2,000 years, meow?”

So, you’re like, super close with each other!

If that’s the case, having the Professor accompanying us was a perfect idea!

I’ll ask him to be our interpreter, just like Queen Mahi, King Nagus’ wife, did for us!

“I must say, Sage, you appeared quite early this time, didn’t you? Theoretically speaking, we’d have to break through Stone Sentinel Maze first before you come out, meow.”

“Behold the dragon clouds soaring high, through parted skies, they pierce and defy. I gaze upon the sun, held in the sky, as destiny reveals, before my very eye.”

I don’t get crap.

I’m going to follow the Professor’s advice and pretend I understand.

That’s the least taxing option for my brain.

“The Sage has lived on Mt. Eternity since his human days and has prepared it as the most sacred mountain in the world! In a sense, he is Mt. Eternity’s founder. As it is a sacred site established by a Lifeless King, who tends to be portrayed as a villain, one can say it’s an ‘evil’ sacred site, meow!!!”

Keep it down!!!

“Mana tends to gather in the naturally large mountains. By taking in that mana as energy and circulating it within the body, one can naturally become a Lifeless King. However, this process fundamentally differs from the typical taboo of achieving immortality, which results in a different outcome like mine, meow.”

“I think your outcome is plenty eccentric in itself.”

“I hear other worlds call such beings ‘earthly immortals,’ but since that concept doesn’t exist in this world, we call them Lifeless Kings. Originally, they were different entities. Thinking about it now, Sensei is perhaps the most orthodox and strongest of them all, meow.”

Adeptus.

That was certainly the impression I had of the Sage when we met.

Even if he surpassed the same death, he is fundamentally different from zombies and the like. He confronted “death” head-on in its truest form and emerged victorious.

By eliminating all artifice and personal feelings, he has rendered time itself meaningless, becoming an immortal existence.

That is the Adeptus Lifeless King Sage.

“Guoooooooooooh! I’m so moved to meet such a persooooooooon!”

For some reason, Golden Bat is sympathizing with him.

“To become the ultimate being through loving the mountains is exactly my ideaaaaaaaaaal! Please, bestow your wisdom on meeeeee!!!”

This overbearing bastard, I swear...

It seems the presence of the Sage, who has taken the mountain’s sanctity to the extreme, has significantly impacted Golden Bat, especially given his overflowing love for mountains.

If only he were this submissive toward the Adventurer’s Guild too.

“A friend of the same heart who surpasses the seven treasures.”

“I’m absolutely in awe!”

Well, someone seems to be getting along with the Sage.

“Yet still, I yearn for my deep-seated desire, knocking on fate’s door with fierce fire. I shall run a thousand miles when it opens wide to meet the one for whom I’ve long pined.”

Hm?

The Sage suddenly kneels down.

An Adeptus who has lived for thousands of years bows his head?! Who could be the person receiving such a gesture of respect?!

Me?

No!

He knelt before Junior!

“Stars shimmering, descending to the ground, a heavenly fate in them found. Like a devoted follower, I shall obey and wait for destiny to have its say.”

“Hm... I don’t know what to make of this, but it seems the Sage has taken a liking to Junior. That’s why he came to meet him or something? Sensei is quite fond of Junior, too; I’m sure he’ll become a great person in the future, meow.”

Stop it!

You Three Wise Lifeless Kings shouldn’t be acknowledging my Junior! 

You’re increasing his likelihood of growing up to become something unfathomable!

All I want for my boy is to have a peaceful life!!!