Banished from the herd, I was actually a member of a very rare species. ~With the unique skills that only I can use, I can grow and evolve quickly. I will become an unrivaled monster~ - Episode 135: The Soul of the Star

Chapter 5

Episode 135: The Soul of the Star

(Note: Special for this chapter the MC’s dialogue is written in ‘…..’. Star God’s dialogue in <….>. Since the Star God’s voice is described “mechanical”, I use the same bracket as for Mecha God)

“What is this!? This has never happened before…!”  

<Indeed. It is unprecedented for me to bestow a revelation>  

The flustered Sage was met with another mechanical voice. Displayed on the screen was an endless expanse of white space, with a young human… or something resembling one, floating there. The figure had an androgynous face, dressed in plain clothing. Its expression was emotionless, flat, devoid of any feeling… but its body was in a horrifying state.  

Its right arm from the shoulder down, the right leg from the knee down, as well as the right side of the torso and the left thigh. It all looked as though they had been viciously torn off, exposing gruesome wounds.  

One of its ears was missing too.  

But the most striking thing wasn’t the injuries. It was something more fundamental, something that made you instinctively realize that despite its human likeness, it was decisively different in some way. That unsettling, alien atmosphere commanded attention.  

‘Who… are you? Are those wounds okay? Wait, can you even hear me through [Telepathy]?’  

<Worry not. My senses are the star itself. I am aware of your every movement. What you see is merely an avatar created to suit your perception, a projection of my image. There is no risk of me dying from these injuries>  

The figure didn’t directly answer the question of what it was. Maybe I asked wrong.  

However, the answer to my concerns came from beside me.  

“Could it be… you are the Star God?”  

<Indeed. This artifact connects to my will>  

‘???’  

Seeing the confusion on my face, the Sage explained further.  

“First of all, this device is an artifact designed to observe the soul of the star… it’s a receiver. You’re aware my real laboratory is underground, correct?”  

‘Yeah, the place we were at before we fought the Earth Dragon, right?’  

“I didn’t choose that location solely for security and secrecy. It was also to bring us closer to the star’s core.”  

‘So, you’re saying the star’s core has a soul… That’s hard to believe.’  

I always thought stars were just big chunks of rock. To think they had consciousness—it’s a shocking idea.  

Well, then again, in a fantasy world like this, it’s a bit too late to say this now.  

“No, it’s not such an odd concept. You’re aware that |Mana| is generated from souls, aren’t you?”  

‘I learned about that while studying pseudo-magical constructs.’  

Typically, pseudo-magical constructs replenish their |Mana| by absorbing it from the atmosphere. They don’t regenerate it automatically, like living beings do. Simple circuits don’t contain a soul.  

However, with devices like the Sage’s, or Sovereign Tier pseudo-magical constructs, their complex circuits can apparently develop a soul.  

“Now, where do you think the |Mana| in the atmosphere comes from?”  

‘Uh, isn’t it just residual |Mana| leaking from living beings?’  

“No, that wouldn’t balance the equation. The |Mana| that leaks from living beings is minuscule, and the correlation between the number of organisms and |Mana| concentration is weak. To resolve this issue, the Great Sage hypothesized that the source of atmospheric |Mana| is the planet itself.”  

‘So that’s what the star’s soul means!’  

If |Mana| fills the world, then if its source is a soul, it logically follows that the star itself must have a soul.  

“Based on that hypothesis, various studies were conducted. Also, since calling it the ‘soul of the star’ all the time was inconvenient, the term ‘Star God’ was coined. It was a name inspired by the assumption that the Star God, being the world itself, must be omniscient.”  

‘So, this artifact was made to contact the Star God?’  

I muttered as I pieced together the situation.  

But apparently, my guess was slightly off.  

“Half correct. With current technology, we can only catch fragments of the Star God’s thoughts. Communication hasn’t been achieved. Normally, this artifact picks up chaotic noise, and we analyze that to extract useful information…”  

<This time, however, I initiated direct communication of my own will>  

Hmm.  

So normally, they just eavesdrop on the Star God’s murmurs. But this time it’s an actual conversation, which is why the voice is so clear?  

‘Alright, I get who you are. So, why did you decide to contact us?’  

<I have come to bestow a divine revelation upon you, being from another world>  

‘You’ve mentioned that before—’being from another world’… wait, could you mean—’  

<Indeed. I mean you> 

‘Wha—so you’re the one who reincarnated me!?’

<Correct. It was I who called your 〔Soul Arche〕 to this world as it was dissolving into the       〔Void〕 when you met your death>  

The dying Star God on the display nodded slightly.  

There were a few unfamiliar terms, but thanks to the telepathy, I could grasp the gist of it.  

In short, this god had saved me.  

‘Seriously!? Thank you so much! I thought I was done for when I got hit by that car, but you saved my life!’  

I expressed my gratitude with all my heart.  

If this was true, no amount of thanks would be enough.  

…Although, part of me was also hoping this god might know how to get me back to Earth.
  

After the initial shock, a question popped into my mind, and I decided to ask. 

‘But why did you save me? Was it just out of kindness? Are there others like me, reincarnated?’  

<No, you are the only one I have reincarnated. And the reason I did so is… to entrust you with my wish—the eradication of “The Cursed Plague of the World”, 〔Spirit of Chaos〕, which is devouring this〔Star Realm Gaia〕>  

(Note: 

The change I made that’s different from the Raw are these:
〔Karkinos〕→ 〔Spirit of Chaos〕

     Chaos         →   Karkinos

The reason for that:

• • • • • • • • The name for the leader of the Chaos Beast in the Raw is called “Chaos”. It may have work for japanese readers since the “Chaos Beast” is in japanese (in kanji) while “Chaos” is an english borrowed word (in katakana). But it sounds weird for english readers (at the very least for me).

• • • • • • • • In the Raw, the word “Karkinos” itself is in the 〔….〕  bracket same as 〔Void〕and 〔Star Realm〕. So I think it might refer to the creature type itself of these ‘abomination’ who invades other planets. 

As such, I will be referring to those creature types as 〔Spirit of Chaos〕, while “Karkinos” will be the name of the leader of the Chaos Beast.

I hope you guys don’t mind this change in the name. Thank you for your understanding

)

There were more unfamiliar terms, but thanks to the [Telepathy] translation, I could more or less understand.  

“〔Star Realm Gaia〕” referred to the world, and “〔Spirit of Chaos〕” was the enemy destroying it.  

Since the request was to eliminate it, 〔Spirit of Chaos〕 must be some kind of living creature.  

‘I don’t quite get it, but why do I need to kill 〔Spirit of Chaos〕? Even if it’s a request from the god who saved my life, I can’t just go killing something without a reason.’  

<〔Spirit of Chaos〕 is a creature that will bring destruction to the world. A magical beast that has strayed from the laws of the universe, it endlessly devours soul fragments and experience. Eventually, it will consume all living beings, and even take my life. Is this not reason enough?>  

‘Yeah, that’s reason enough for me.’  

If it’s such a dangerous beast, I had no objections. I’d take it down as quickly as I could.  

‘Do you know where it is? I’ll go deal with it right away.’  

<That would be reckless. Although you would not lose in your current state, victory would be impossible. 〔Spirit of Chaos〕 is an ancient calamity that even devoured part of my body>  

‘Wait… so those injuries…’  

<Yes. They are the result of its power>  

I had wondered why a god, powerful enough to reincarnate someone, would need to ask for help.  

The answer was simple: the enemy was so strong that even the Star God had been overwhelmed.  

Reincarnating someone and fighting were probably completely different abilities. But still, it was hard to imagine a god being weak.  

<Its power is more than just wounds; it corrodes and spreads. If you were to face it now, you would not be able to gain the upper hand as you have before>  

‘So… what exactly is this 〔Spirit of Chaos〕?’  

<It is not an unfamiliar entity. You have already encountered its minions twice, and both times you emerged victorious>  

Before I could even process what that meant, the god answered my unspoken question.

<This 〔Spirit of Chaos〕 is the king of the Chaos Beasts, who sows seeds of destruction from the eastern reaches and gathers <Soul Fragments> from magical beasts. It is the ruler of chaos>  

‘Wha—’  

The unexpected word that came from the Star God left me speechless.