◆
"Now then, what should I do about this?"
After slipping out of the castle, I attempted several methods to undo my fusion with Beal.
First—Meditation.
I thought that by focusing my consciousness and seizing control of every scrap of mana within me, I might find a way... but it was a total failure.
Our connection was more than just a link; it was complete assimilation. Trying to extract my consciousness from this body was like trying to separate raw egg yolks from a finished pudding. As Beal had warned, undoing a fusion appeared to be quite the daunting task.
Next—Destruction.
Determined to find a solution, I decided to subject my body to extreme physical trauma.
This was a form of grueling training used by martial artists to push their bodies to the absolute limit. It was typically effective for mages as well, but this also proved fruitless.
Since this Magic Body was an entity formed by the fusion of high-ranking demons like Beal, it didn't matter if I smashed into rocks at full tilt, dove into the depths of the ocean, or subjected myself to scorching heat or freezing cold. I felt no strain whatsoever.
Finally—Sealing.
I tried casting sealing magic on myself, but my mana was so overwhelming that the Sealing Spell Formula simply couldn't activate.
Magic is built with various limiters; if you attempt to pour in mana that exceeds those constraints, the formula itself shatters.
Simple spells with loose restrictions might work, but for something high-level, I would have to go through the trouble of designing an original formula from scratch. While that sounded entertaining in its own right, it would take an eternity. Thus, this too was a dead end.
"Man, I'm stumped. I don't have the slightest clue how to change back."
I muttered to myself as I looked out over the traces of immense destruction I’d left behind.
"I told you that you could never separate again... So why do you look like you’re having so much fun!?" Beal shouted from within.
"Well, when you tell me it's impossible, it just fires me up."
I couldn't help it; I loved this kind of trial and error. Still, I was currently at an impasse.
I had tried every magical approach I could think of, but none had worked.
I had been conducting these experiments on a massive, uninhabited iceberg about an hour's flight from Saloom. The surrounding landscape was now shattered into jagged fragments.
Good grief, I really made a mess of things.
"Master Lloyd, the sea monsters that got caught in the crossfire are floating all over the place," Grimo noted.
"It seems they fell off the ice. They are looking at us with quite the accusatory gaze," Jiriel added.
"Oops, my bad... Hang on a second."
Moving my fingertips slightly, I caused the continental-sized iceberg to drift into the air.
After using magic to fuse the pieces back together and restore its original shape, I lowered it back into the sea.
With a massive splash, a great wave swallowed the sea monsters, and the resulting tsunami drenched a nearby island.
"...I’m past the point of being surprised that you can crack a whole continent, but sticking a mass of ice that big back together like it's clay... You couldn't do stuff like that before, could you?" Grimo asked, sounding thoroughly drained.
"The torrent of mana is explosive, and he still seems to have plenty to spare. Well, since Master Lloyd fused with the Demon King himself, I suppose this level of power is only to be expected," Jiriel remarked.
Grimo and Jiriel were looking at me with expressions of pure disbelief.
As they said, even to me, this body felt abnormal.
Without even using a specific spell, I could lift a literal continent through the mere release of raw mana—and I had barely used any energy to do it.
Even with my original power, I wouldn't have been able to pull off such a feat without resorting to Large-scale Magic.
However, as I mentioned before, my mana was currently so excessive that I couldn't use advanced magic as it was; it was simply too much to handle. As someone who wanted to master every form of magic, I couldn't blindly celebrate this state of affairs.
Besides, I didn't think Ren and the others could keep up the charade at the palace forever. I didn't have much time to idle about.
"Hmm... There is no known way to undo the fusion. ...Wait, now that I think about it, there was a legend of a Demon King from several generations ago who traveled to the Celestial Realm," Beal began, as if a memory had suddenly surfaced.
"—Glatony, the Demon King of Gluttony. By using fusion to consume every form of life, he was hailed as the strongest Demon King in history. He began as a mere monster, but by devouring other monsters, Majin, and demons, he eventually rose to become the greatest and strongest of them all."
"I-I've heard of him too!" Grimo chimed in. "They say he was incredibly cautious. He’d do exhaustive research before a fight, and the moment he realized an opponent was stronger than him, he’d flee immediately... He supposedly never fought a battle he couldn't win."
Well, the ultimate way to never lose was simply to never fight.
By adhering to that principle, he became the Demon King. It was a very logical approach.
"But why would someone like that risk invading the Celestial Realm? That doesn't seem to fit his character."
Based on what I’d heard, he was cautious to the point of cowardice. I couldn't imagine him venturing into such a dangerous place of his own free will.
"As the strongest being in the Demon World, Glatony caught the eye of God. The Angelic Army descended upon the Demon World day after day until, finally sensing his life was in danger, he chose to invade the heavens."
"A preemptive strike, then. So, what happened?"
"Indeed. They say that for three days and three nights after he ascended to the Celestial Realm, countless monsters, Majin, and demons rained down from the sky. Apparently, those whom Glatony had previously absorbed were among them. After that fierce battle, silence returned to the heavens, and it is said that Glatony never returned."
"So even the strongest Demon King was no match for God."
Beal had been defeated by the Holy King as well. As the source of Holy Magic, divine power was clearly extremely effective against demonic beings.
"Wait... Does that mean the Celestial Realm has a way to undo fusions!?"
"I can only speculate, but it seems likely," Beal nodded. I had tried everything I could think of earlier, and this fusion seemed like it wouldn't undo itself even if I died.
Despite that, the fact that the Demon King of Gluttony's fusions were undone suggested that the Celestial Realm held the key to returning me to normal.
"Come to think of it, I have heard rumors," Jiriel added. "In the presence of the Sole God, who stands above the Sixty-four Gods of the Celestial Realm, no being can maintain a false form—perhaps that extends even to those changed by fusion."
"Does that mean if we meet this God fellow, Master Lloyd can get his old body back?" Grimo asked.
"...It’s settled, then."
I would go to the Celestial Realm, find God, and have the fusion undone.
While I was at it, I would observe the process to analyze fusion further, so I could perform it at will in the future.
Yeah, I was starting to get excited.
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"And with that, let's get going. Jiriel, go to the Celestial Realm first and open a Path."
"At once!"
To reach the Celestial Realm, one had to cross the Dimensional Wall.
However, that place was a void of absolute darkness; you couldn't travel through it without a landmark at your destination to guide you.
For that reason, I tried to send Jiriel, a resident of the heavens, ahead of us—but...
"W-Wait, Master Lloyd!" Jiriel cried out, his voice laced with panic. I wondered what was wrong.
"T-T-This is terrible! The dimensional gates are closed! We can't go to the Celestial Realm like this!"
"Whoa, did you finally get exiled from heaven, you Shitty Angel?" Grimo mocked.
"There's no way that's it, you stupid Majin! ...Probably. I mean, there's no way... right...?"
Jiriel snapped back, but he sounded deeply uncertain.
Hmm, was it some kind of emergency? Or was it a side effect of him staying on this side for so long?
"I don't really get it... but I don't think it'll be a problem."
"...Eh?"
Grimo and Jiriel both blinked in surprise.
Ignoring their confusion, I activated a Spatial Transfer Spell Formula.
"We'll just have to break through."
"N-No way, Master Lloyd! Crossing the Dimensional Wall without a Path is too reckless! It’s like trying to find a single grain of sand at the bottom of the deep sea!" Grimo screamed.
"He's right! If you get lost in the Dimensional Rift, you'll lose all sense of direction and never be able to get out! Even for you, Master Lloyd, this is far too dangerous!"
"Well, it'll work out somehow."
Paying them no mind, I triggered the Spatial Transfer and plunged into the Dimensional Wall.
My vision turned pitch black, sound vanished, and all sense of orientation disappeared.
"Gyaaah! It's dark! It's scary! It's heavy! I'm gonna die, I'm gonna die! I'm dyiiiiing!"
"Ah, to think I'll never hear Saria-tan or Isha-tan's voices again... Nooo! I don't want to diiiie!"
"You two are being noisy."
Grimo and Jiriel let out shrieks of absolute despair.
There was no need to be that terrified. I mean, we were already there.
"Gyaaah! Nooo!"
"Hieee! Help meee!"
The darkness gave way, and we arrived above a sea of clouds, but Grimo and Jiriel were still thrashing around in a panic.
"We're here."
"Y-You've got to be kidding...?"
"F-For real, this is actually the Celestial Realm...!"
With looks of pure shock, the two of them looked around at their surroundings.
See? I told you it wouldn't be a problem.
"Hmm, you breached the Dimensional Wall through sheer velocity alone. That is brute force in its purest form... though for the current you, I suppose such a feat was not particularly difficult," Beal remarked.
Just as he said, I had charged into the Dimensional Wall at ultra-high speed and transferred in a straight line.
Until now, the distance I could move at once was dozens of kilometers at most, and long-distance transfers were impossible without a Path. But now, my mana capacity had increased to the point where I could move from one end of the world to the other and consume less than ten percent of my total reserve.
The point was, you only got lost because you stopped. It was only logical that if you charged straight through, you could even break through the Dimensional Wall.
It was the same as how you might get lost while wandering through a forest, but you wouldn't lose your way if you simply sprinted through it in a straight line at high speed.
...Though I suppose that jump just now used about twenty percent of my total mana. That wall was quite thick.