Arknightcraft Modpack
Chapter 474: You're Not Seriously Planning to Do This, Are You?
"Do you even understand what you're saying?"
Kal'tsit stared at Steven in disbelief. "You're talking about killing a god."
Any lingering drowsiness vanished from her eyes the moment Steven finished speaking.
Steven wandering around Ursus for so long—and teleporting back and forth from time to time—meant that crossing paths with that cunning Black Snake was well within Kal'tsit's expectations.
But that didn't mean she could have imagined what was actually going through his head.
Trying to figure out how to kill a god?
And not just any god, but one whose very name openly declared its nature?
A god—that was a title only the absolute pinnacle of existence in this world dared to claim.
Whether Gods or Feranmut, even for Kal'tsit, these were beings she avoided as much as possible—entities she preferred never to communicate with, let alone come into conflict with.
"Do you even know what the word god truly means?"
"Do you understand what the name Deathless represents?"
Kal'tsit took a deep breath.
If it were just one of those self-proclaimed "gods"—the ones also classified as Feranmut—then fine. This land had records of such beings being defeated, even exterminated.
But the Black Snake was different.
Its nature set it apart from the rest.
Rather than a concrete, singular existence, it was closer to a conglomeration of will—an aggregation of intent that influenced others. It wasn't so much a thing as it was an idea given form.
And precisely because of that, this type of god was the hardest to deal with.
No matter how powerful a creature was, it would eventually grow weary.
But something like the Black Snake?
As long as even a single believer remained within Ursus—someone who acknowledged it, who accepted its ideology—it could never truly be destroyed.
That was the meaning behind its so-called Deathless.
And now Steven was casually talking about killing it?
That wasn't just unrealistic, it was pure fantasy.
"I've got no idea what all that meaning is supposed to be," Steven shrugged indifferently. "And honestly, I don't really care. You just tell me whether there's a way to deal with it or not. If there isn't, I'll just go ask Nian instead. Same difference."
To him, what the Black Snake represented was irrelevant. He wasn't here to admire how grand or terrifying it was—he was here to solve the problem.
"It is the embodiment of Ursus's ancient will," Kal'tsit said slowly, fixing him with a heavy gaze. "It's nothing like the Seaborn or Collapsals you've dealt with before—those at least possess tangible forms. In terms of raw power, it might not even surpass them."
She paused, then delivered the conclusion with a hint of helplessness.
"But if you want to truly erase it?"
"Then the only real possibility would be for you to wipe out all of Ursus first."
Seeing Steven's utterly unconcerned expression, Kal'tsit didn't even know how to begin lecturing him anymore. Killing a god single-handedly—was this man still half-asleep?
"So… the will of Ursus turned into that thing?" Steven's lips twitched.
He knew Ursus wasn't exactly a model nation, but it was still a major military power on this land. Its vast territory alone wasn't something that could be built overnight.
If an entire nation's will had truly degenerated into something as insidious and treacherous as the Black Snake, then that country should never have made it this far in the first place.
"…Of course not," Kal'tsit said, shaking her head. "The Black Snake is only one part of Ursus's ancient will. It is a fragment of the malice released by the land upon which the Ursus people live."
"In that sense, it can indeed be called a newly born evil god. After all, from the moment it appeared until now, only a few hundred years have passed."
Ursus was certainly not plagued by the Black Snake alone—if it were, the country would have collapsed long ago. Even so, the method she had mentioned earlier was, in practice, almost impossible to carry out.
"So what you're saying is… it's basically like a faith-based god?" Steven stroked his chin thoughtfully. "As long as the people of Ursus continue to agree with its ideals, it can't truly die?"
The setting reminded him strongly of the belief-gods from the novels he used to enjoy—beings that could never be erased as long as their faith endured. Annoying. Extremely annoying.
"I don't know what kind of 'faith-god' you're talking about," Kal'tsit replied, nodding slightly, "but your description is very close to its actual state."
"In other words, you should stop thinking about permanently destroying the Deathless Black Snake," she continued. "I don't know what kind of conflict you ran into with it on the tundra, but surely you're not planning to annihilate an entire nation just to deal with this thing, are you?"
She reached out and patted Steven on the shoulder. From her perspective, his attitude looked more like someone who had suffered a grievance at the Black Snake's hands and had come looking for a way to get even.
"Temporarily eliminating its host is enough," Kal'tsit went on. "Gods like this have a weakness—while they are difficult to destroy, they also find it extremely hard to form a physical body. To appear before the world, they must rely on a believer's body."
"And once they have a physical form," she added calmly, "dealing with them shouldn't be particularly difficult for you, should it?"
She lifted her cup and took a small sip of water before offering that alternative solution. Completely erasing the Black Snake was impossible in her eyes, but eliminating its proxy would be enough to prevent it from recovering for a very long time.
Yet after she finished speaking, Steven didn't respond.
A moment passed. Then another.
Kal'tsit frowned and looked at him—only to find his expression oddly conflicted, lips moving as he muttered words like "wipe out a nation" under his breath.
"…What do you mean by that?" she demanded. "I only mentioned a theoretical possibility. Where exactly did your thoughts wander off to?"
Only then did Kal'tsit realize the seriousness of the situation.
This idiot—no, this madman—seemed to have taken her hypothetical method seriously.
Wiping out all of Ursus was not something to joke about.
And the worst part?
Given Steven's personality, he might actually do it.
Kal'tsit had no absolute confidence in whether he could succeed. Her rational mind told her that individual strength meant little in the face of a nation. But her instincts screamed at her not to underestimate the boy standing in front of her.
"Huh?" Steven looked up, blinking. "I was just thinking about the feasibility for a moment. It sounds like a pain in the ass. If possible, let's go with another option instead."
Steven scratched his head.
He really had seriously considered what Kal'tsit said. But once he realized that not everyone in Ursus deserved to bear that kind of punishment—and that separating the innocent from the guilty would be a massive pain in the ass—he ultimately set the idea aside, at least for now.
He'd go see if Nian had any other insights.
In the end, Kal'tsit was just a girl who happened to have lived long enough. For some matters, asking an actual god would obviously yield clearer answers.
"..."
After hearing Steven's response, Kal'tsit was left completely speechless.
So he really had thought about it seriously?
Did this man not worry at all about the consequences if he failed?
And more importantly—was "destroying a nation" to him merely a pain in the ass? Did Steven truly believe he had reached the point where he could challenge an entire country on his own?
"…Let's hope so," Kal'tsit finally said.
After a long silence, she chose not to voice the torrent of complaints swirling in her mind. Steven's way of thinking was simply too shocking; she needed time just to process it all.
"Still," she continued, her tone turning serious, "even if you ever do decide to do something like that, I want you to use a false identity."
She fixed him with a sharp look.
"Don't forget, you're a major shareholder of Rhodes Island. If you start a war under your real name, you'll drag the entire organization into it."
Once Rhodes Island was involved, Kal'tsit immediately regained her composure. She spoke with unmistakable gravity, clearly laying out the organization's stance.
Steven might be a shareholder, but the moment he caused a massive incident outside, that status and all related agreements would become meaningless. The trouble he created would be his alone to deal with.
Rhodes Island housed countless patients and operators. Kal'tsit bore responsibility for every single one of them.
"Of course," Steven replied casually. "Even if you hadn't said anything, I wouldn't be stupid enough to walk around using my real identity."
"Worst case, I'll just say I'm a failed art student. Stick a fake mustache under my nose, slick my hair straight back—boom. Perfect disguise. Ursus's very own Fuhrer."
Cracking jokes she didn't understand in the slightest, Steven headed straight for the door. Since Kal'tsit didn't have any better solutions, his only option left was to consult Nian.
And while he was at it, maybe he could also pick up whatever item he'd commissioned her to make.
Two birds with one stone. Absolute win.
Having made up his mind, Steven casually waved back at Kal'tsit as a simple farewell.
This round of questioning hadn't been a complete waste.
At the very least, he now knew the absolute worst-case solution—and had gained a clearer understanding of what kind of bizarre existence the Black Snake truly was.
No wonder people said, "Having an elder at home is like having a treasure."
Turns out that saying wasn't a lie after all.
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Note: Character Illustration is in this Google Drive:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1iuyfwNVFHzIi9H4rWNT_lAm7jTSiah_M
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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=condensed
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/156361807?collection=55713
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/156361807?collection=55713
[4] https://www.patreon.com/collection/55713?view=condensed