Volume 3 Chapter 66: The Created Divine Child

The interior of the Great Sacred Sphere was even more intricate than its exterior suggested.

Transparent tubular pathways stretched like a spider’s web, connecting numerous spherical rooms. These rooms, densely packed within the Sacred Sphere, were all uniformly white, and their interiors could not be seen from the outside. From the central sphere, a single tube extended directly downward, seemingly leading to the foundation of the Floating City Pharmament.

Tesea had shown me several of these spherical rooms, but they were all rather plain and undecorated—bare and utilitarian.

“Could this place… be unfinished?”

The thought came to me as I took in the stark, lifeless design. For something referred to as a “city,” it was oddly lacking. It felt almost like someone had put together a rough outline on a whim, without giving much thought to the finer details. Navigation was cumbersome, and it hardly seemed like the result of careful planning. Somehow, its slapdash nature resonated with me, as someone known for cutting corners myself.

As I muttered to myself while walking through one of the tubular pathways, Tesea, who was leading the way, turned her head and laughed.

“Ahaha, unfinished, huh? Yeah, you’re not wrong. It’s unfinished. This city was created just for fun. That’s why it’s so haphazard. It wasn’t designed for people to live in at all. But—”

Stopping in front of the central chamber of the Sacred Sphere, Tesea turned around, raising a finger as she continued with a knowing smile.

“In the end, the Creator had no choice but to live here.”

“Tesea, why are you so—”

“—knowledgeable about this?”

Tesea tilted her head playfully and posed the question herself before I could finish. I nodded silently in response.

She knew far too much about the Floating City. Despite living here, her knowledge was uncanny, as if she had heard everything directly from the Creator, Lumelherc. Moreover, she spoke of them not as a deity, but as if they were just an ordinary person.

Smiling softly, Tesea activated her Analyze ability, her eyes shimmering faintly. As she manipulated the orb beside the door, she began explaining.

“You remember what I said about Analyze, right? It can read the information of whatever I see.”

“Wait, so that means…”

“Exactly. It’s not limited to people. For example, this orb I’m handling right now—if you draw three circles with your finger, it unlocks the door. You should remember that. Most doors and mechanisms in the Sacred Sphere operate similarly.”

I was starting to understand why Tesea was called the Divine Child in the Floating City.

As the door opened, Tesea stepped inside the spherical room. I followed her in. This room was slightly different from the others. At its center stood what I’d begun to think of as a key orb, similar to the ones we’d encountered before.

With practiced ease, Tesea operated the key orb.

Slowly, the platform beneath us began to descend. It seemed we were now traveling through the tube I had noticed earlier. If we continued this way, we would eventually reach the foundation of the Floating City.

“This will take a while. So, while we’re at it, let me explain—about the Sacred Kingdom of Lumelherc, the Divine Child, and… that bastard.”

Deactivating her Analyze ability, Tesea’s tone turned venomous, as she spat out uncharacteristically harsh words laced with hatred.

◇

The Floating City: A Tale of Madness and Reverence

When the existence of the Floating City Pharmament was confirmed to the world, every nation sought to claim it. However, its elusive and transient nature made it nearly impossible to locate, let alone seize. Over time, it faded into legend as a phantom city.

Yet amidst this fervor, one man—driven to near madness by his obsession—finally reached the Floating City. This man was neither part of a government survey team nor a member of the Miner’s Guild, but merely an individual captivated by the allure of the godly city soaring through the skies.

Upon setting foot in the Floating City, the man was overwhelmed by elation—and profound disappointment in himself.

The city he had spent decades trying to reach did not welcome him. Or perhaps it did. The fact that he managed to enter the city, which was nearly impossible to locate, might have been a sign that the city itself had accepted him.

But the man understood nothing.

He couldn’t decipher how to open the doors to the city’s core. He couldn’t comprehend the purpose of its many structures.

At first, simply being in the presence of the city—a creation of gods—filled him with awe. Its majesty, beauty, and air of otherworldliness were intoxicating.

But human desires know no bounds.

The man wanted more. He wanted to see beyond the doors, to understand the meaning of every structure, to uncover the entire truth of the Floating City.

But he was powerless to do so. He had already pushed his capabilities to their limits just to reach the city.

Faced with his limitations, the man reached a conclusion:

If I can’t do it alone… I’ll make others do it for me.

And so, his descent into madness began.

The man began abducting people from the surface, seeking those who could manifest abilities to unravel the Floating City’s secrets.

Those who couldn’t manifest such powers were discarded like garbage, with no guilt or hesitation on his part.

Over time, among the abductees, some began to share the man’s reverence for the Floating City. Whether out of fear for their lives or genuine awe of the divine, it was unclear. These individuals were spared and allowed to live alongside the man in the Floating City.

Thus, the foundation of what would later be known as the Sacred Kingdom of Lumelherc was laid.

When the number of residents in the Floating City reached several dozen, the man finally encountered the being he had been seeking.

Among the abductees was a girl, barely old enough to be called such, who manifested Analyze.

The Divine Child had been born.

The first Divine Child was not treated as a human.

She was constantly restrained, deprived of freedom. While the city’s residents—led by the man—hailed her as the Divine Child-sama, they subjected her to horrific pain whenever she disobeyed.

Had she been free to move, she might have been able to use the city’s functions to resist. But such freedom was never granted.

Though they stopped short of killing her, they stripped her of her limbs through torture. She became little more than a tool to wield Analyze.

Through her power, the mechanisms to operate the doors and traps of the Great Sacred Sphere were uncovered.

The man was ecstatic, dragging the Divine Child through the Great Sacred Sphere as he uncovered its secrets. Among the treasures he found were several Sacred Relics.

However, her power alone could not reveal all the city’s mysteries.

Realizing her limitations, the man immediately began preparing for the next generation of Divine Children.

In other words, he impregnated the Divine Child.

The manifestation of Magis Gear depends heavily on personal aptitude and talent. However, a blood connection greatly increases the likelihood of inheriting the same Magis Gear.

When the first Divine Child reached childbearing age, the man wasted no time. To enhance her abilities, he abducted individuals with exceptional talent to be her partners.

The Divine Child bore three children before her body gave out. No longer useful, she was discarded.

Now, it was just a matter of waiting for her offspring to grow and manifest Analyze. For the man, the most efficient way would have been to keep forcing the Divine Child to bear more children. However, her body could no longer handle childbirth.

The only remaining issue was the man’s own lifespan.

By the time the first Divine Child bore her third child, the man was already elderly, with little time left.

Yet, he felt no despair.

For among the Sacred Relics the Divine Child uncovered was the Soul Transfer Pearl, a relic capable of transferring one’s soul into another vessel. According to the Divine Child, its use required compatibility, and failure could lead to disastrous consequences for the soul. But the man was confident.

After all, the gods—Lumelherc-sama—would never forsake him.

The man, undeterred by the risk of failure, used a Sacred Relic known as the Soul Shatter Pearl, capable of destroying souls, on a young abductee. He then transferred his own soul using the Soul Transfer Pearl. These relics, part of the legendary Orb Series created by the god the man worshipped, directly affected the soul itself.

Dangerous beyond measure, these relics were, to the man, gifts from the divine. What was there to fear?

Thus, committing the ultimate taboo, the man succeeded in what could only be described as reincarnation.

He reveled in ecstasy, convinced of the gods’—Lumelherc-sama’s—favor. Filled with joy that shook him to his core, he awaited the growth of the Divine Child’s offspring.

Years passed, and one of the children manifested Analyze. The man erupted in celebration, disposing of the other two children and confining the new Divine Child for worship and use.

The second Divine Child, as the man had hoped, surpassed the first in ability. Through her powers, it was discovered that the Floating City had a function to summon things related to its Creator. The man wept tears of joy.

However, the second generation Divine Child could reveal no further secrets of the city.

The man knew what he must do.

He repeated the same vile, unspeakable atrocities he had committed with the first Divine Child.

The second Divine Child bore two children before her body gave out. At the same time, the man transferred his soul into a younger, more capable body. Meanwhile, the number of followers in the Floating City continued to grow.

The two children born of the second generation were a boy and a girl. When the girl manifested Analyze, the man formed a hypothesis:

Analyze is a Magis Gear that cannot manifest in men.

Looking back, the second generation Divine Child had also been female. The man lamented that it would have been easier if men could become Divine Children, but since that was not the case, he decided to treat the current Divine Child more carefully to ensure the birth of a female successor.

Despite his efforts, the third generation Divine Child’s abilities were only slightly better than the second’s. Frustrated but patient, the man waited for her to mature before impregnating her himself.

The thought of his own child becoming the key to unraveling the godly intentions of the Floating City filled him with indescribable excitement.

The third generation bore three children. When the first two were boys, the man, furious, disposed of them in front of the screaming Divine Child, declaring, “This is what happens if you fail to produce a girl.”

The third child, however, was brimming with extraordinary talent.

The fourth generation Divine Child grew to surpass all her predecessors, unraveling mysteries of the Floating City that had long remained hidden. Overcome with gratitude to the gods, the man transferred his soul into another younger body, declared the fourth Divine Child his wife, and openly proclaimed the establishment of the Sacred Kingdom of Lumelherc.

However, a deep regret lingered:

The fourth generation Divine Child was infertile.

No matter how many times he tried, she could not conceive.

After much deliberation, the man made a desperate decision: he transferred her soul into another body.

Magis Gear is tied to the soul. As long as the soul remains the same, the vessel’s capabilities are what matters.

The fourth generation Divine Child successfully conceived in her new body. However, this caused her mind to deteriorate.

She bore twin daughters.

One of them was brimming with unparalleled natural talent, even as a newborn. It was obvious—this child was the true Divine Child of the fifth generation.

Ecstatic, the man decided to raise the other twin, deemed unnecessary, as a servant to his followers. He convinced himself it was a noble act, believing the child would take pride in serving the devout.

When he informed the fourth generation Divine Child of this, he learned for the first time that she had gone mad.

The fourth Divine Child stole several Sacred Relics and fled the Floating City with the fifth-generation Divine Child.

The man could not comprehend such betrayal—abandoning the divine city and turning her back on him, whom she claimed to love.

Though the fourth Divine Child was swiftly found and dealt with, the infant Divine Child and one of the Sacred Relics remained missing.

The man could not understand what had driven her to commit such a heinous act.

Fortunately, the remaining twin possessed abilities comparable to the fourth generation. She was more than capable of serving as the fifth Divine Child.

Even so, the man couldn’t help but feel bitter regret.

If only the other twin had remained—if she had manifested Analyze—the dream of uncovering all the secrets of the Floating City might have been realized.

But no matter. There was always a next time.

Once the fifth generation grew to maturity, he would create a perfect child with her. To ensure this, he would transfer his soul into another superior body.

The founder of the Sacred Kingdom of Lumelherc, Aizon Sgehargen, gently patted the head of the young fifth-generation Divine Child, a serene smile gracing his face.