Tomb Raider King : End Line - Chapter 10

========== CHAPTER 10. CATASTROPHE (1) ==========

Ju-heon took ‘Shakespeare’s Childhood Pen’ out of his pocket and stood on the floor.

[Ilya Volkov used one of Solomon’s demon artifacts, one that stops time, to freeze time for the entire world except for the team members.]

This artifact makes whatever is written reality.

As the sentence was carved into the floor, Ilya moved exactly as the sentence dictated.

“Furcas!”

The moment the name rang out, space cracked, and a man holding an ancient golden astronomical instrument appeared. Furcas. Among the 72 demons, the one who rules over astronomy, astrology, and time.

He stroked his long beard and lifted the celestial clock. At its center, planets, constellations, and the clock axis were spinning.

“Do you wish to see a world where time does not flow?”

Furcas muttered that, grabbing the clock axis with his fingertips.

And.

Ttak!

Instant stop. Finally, the world stopped. The flapping wings of a pigeon stopped, a screaming person stopped with their mouth wide open. Passersby also remained frozen where they had fallen.

……Everything had stopped.

But one group.

Only Ju-heon and the team members he led were moving.

[Time Stop activated – World is currently paused.]

[Maximum duration: 30 minutes]

[Warning: When the duration expires, the global curse will forcibly resume.]

Ju-heon exhaled, relieved.

“This should do for now.”

Ilya nodded beside him. But at that moment.

[Amazing! To think you’d stop the disaster this way!♥]

“!”

Did that book not stop?

The book laughed cheerfully.

[There’s no way this body, which is supposed to bring down the disaster, would be affected by a mere artifact, right?♥]

[But since you blocked it, I’ll give this world bonus points!]

[Though, you won’t be able to block the next one.]

At the same time, the book’s pages started turning on their own. And a card appeared as if it had been destined. It was none other than a card with an image of a black pickaxe being shattered to pieces.

[Congratulations to you humans, who became the apex predators of primates simply because you could use tools!]

[Vishvakarma’s Curse. The blockade of tools begins♥]

“!”

At that moment, a second tower soared up as if erupting. This time, not a red tower, but one covered in blue.

And.

“…$&$*%?”

The team members shouted something. It sounded like they were asking what that was. And they soon found out the identity of that tower.

Kwang!

“!”

The first things to start cracking were…

From smartphones, computers, utensils, to weapons—tools invented for humans to use something….

“$#$!”

“$%($*%(!!!!”

It was like the feeling of the entire world returning to the primitive age in an instant.

The book laughed in an ecstatic voice.

[The reason humans were able to evolve differently from beasts is because of two things.]

[First, ‘language’. Second, ‘tools’.]

[Now, I’m going to take both of them away♥]

Sure enough, a status window soared above Ju-heon’s head.

[Vishvakarma’s Curse has been activated.]

[All tools, technology, machines, weapons, and artifacts created by humans are neutralized.]

[The destroyed civilization returns to the beginning. Humans will no longer be able to use tools.]

[All ‘tools’ have stopped.]

[Artifacts attributed to humans are punished and cannot be used.]

Ju-heon furrowed his brows.

‘Vishvakarma’, huh.

That is the god of craftsmen from Indian mythology. The god said to have made all the tools of the gods. In other words, he could be called the being who first created tools.

That means….

“This is… a curse that smashes everything humans made with their ‘hands’.”

But it didn’t matter.

[It is not enough to suppress the Majesty’s power.]

[Consumable artifacts can be used.]

The book, the Rulebook, said.

[I wonder if you can block this curse too?♥]

[Can humans survive without tools? Now, civilization will be destroyed♥]

Ju-heon smirked as if it were pathetic.

‘A way to block the curse of tools.’

Ju-heon used Shakespeare’s pen once again to write a phrase.

“A tool is not a tool only when held in the hand.”

Ju-heon’s fingertips carved the words, cutting through the air.

[Writing is an axe that reproduces thoughts, stories are awls that pierce time, and records are blades that do not die. Artifacts made of language, memory, and stories escape this curse.]

That was the moment.

As if a sealed heart had started beating again, a golden radiance burst forth from the writing.

With that light, the artifacts that had stopped breathed again, riding on the writing and the legends.

Soon, a status window popped up.

[Vishvakarma’s Curse is in effect.]

[However, artifacts made of stories and legends are exceptions.]

[Tools made by humans cannot be used, but artifacts born from memory can be used.]

[Since they were born from ‘narrative’ and not ‘hands’, they are not destroyed.]

“$##&…!”

The team members cheered.

“##&(#$(!!”

I suppose that means the artifacts can be used.

That was when.

“Leader-nim!”

“!”

They can talk?

Just as he was wondering what happened, the restorer Yoo Jae-ha ran out of the house, his face covered in sweat. In his hand, he held a small translation artifact.

It was a bronze earring.

And the restorer Yoo Jae-ha, who instantly replicated it into several, threw them to the team members. The team members who quickly put them on their ears spoke.

“How is it?”

“Good!”

“It worked! We can talk!”

“Oh! Finally!”

Solomon was a king said to be able to understand not only humans but also beasts, birds, and even the language of demons. So, thanks to it being manifested as a translation artifact, their speech became intelligible.

At that moment, the blue tower floating far away vibrated.

Pajik!

Fine, deep cracks appeared on the surface.

That was when.

“Ilya, burn it!”

Ilya, whose language was now intelligible, whispered a spell.

“…Respond, 72 legions of hell. The one who rules the flames, the one who spews jet-black fire….”

As a magic circle was drawn in the air, black-red flames rose up.

“Plegatis! The 48th Demon Lord. Rise from the hellish forge and burn everything!”

Soon, a humanoid demon harboring hellfire appeared. He had a black face with flaming eyes instead of pupils, and flames erupted from his entire body.

Finally, as his fingertips cut through the air, the flames flew toward the book.

Hwareureureuk!

The book coughed, “Pu-hak!”

[…Cough, cough!]

The comical book staggered, fluttering its charred paper.

[A… Amazing. To think you’d dodge the second curse like this!]

However, Ju-heon narrowed his eyes and glared at the book.

‘Ilya’s demon artifact is almost god-tier. And yet, for it to react like that…’

It means it’s a grade above that.

Soon, the book muttered as if exhaling hot breath.

[Fine. I admit it’s amazing. But… can you dodge the remaining two?]

“…What did you say?”

Ju-heon held his breath.

“There are two more?”

Then the book twitched and laughed ominously.

[I will bring down a total of ‘four curses’ on this world♥]

[I wonder how many the Majesty here can block♥]

[If you block them all, this worldline will not collapse.]

“……Collapse of the worldline?”

It wasn’t an unfamiliar term.

It made sense, as hadn’t Majesty Yoo Jae-ha casually let slip words like this?

“I’m envious that this place is still fine. The world over there was ruined by the gods.”

The worldline here was ruined by the gods.

He had passed it off as nothing at the time, but well. Majesty Yoo Jae-ha spoke as if he had experienced it himself.

As proof, when Ju-heon turned his head, Majesty Yoo Jae-ha was already glaring at the book with eyes filled with hatred.

And the next moment.

[As the Majesty said, memory is a tool, and stories are artifacts.]

[That’s why even when tools were blocked, artifacts were alive.]

[But does that mean you lowly people can use the artifacts?]

[You can’t. Because…!]

[Third curse. Nile’s Curse – The blockade of records is activated♥]

Papyri appeared in the sky.

They were records from before writing, the prototypes of covenants and revelations. Papyri from the pyramid era. But those papyri burned up immediately.

“……!”

At that moment, an amazing thing happened.

The letters disappeared from every page of every book in the world, maps faded to white, and even the memories remaining in people’s heads slowly grew faint.

“This… what kind of artifact is this?”

“……Wait, my name… what was it again….”

Sealing of knowledge. Extinction of memory. Deletion of history itself.

Textbooks, documents, war records, maps, books. All records were turning into white drawing paper.

[Nile’s Curse is in effect.]

[It erases records, eliminates memories, and neutralizes history.]

[The birth records of artifacts are deleted, and you will not be able to remember ‘how to use them’.]

“!”

Ju-heon realized too late.

Artifacts are powers born from history, tradition, myths, and legends.

But what if you forget their origins?

They were just monstrous shapes without even knowing their usage.

Sure enough.

Golden towers soared up from everywhere.

The team members tilted their heads while holding the artifacts; some put them in their mouths, some tapped them against the ground. Some tried to roast them in fire.

“This… is this edible?”

Memories were turned off. Knowledge was erased.

Now, all that remained were the remains of myths, with only their forms left.

Seeing that, Majesty Yoo Jae-ha sighed.

“Now, the only ones who remember how to use artifacts are the Majesties.”

His voice was mixed with cynicism, fatigue, and a vague resignation.

Perhaps thinking that Seo Ju-heon would also end here, he slowly continued.

“The top-tier gods of the 4 Great Civilizations… those bastards have been destroying worldlines through that ‘Rulebook’.”

“…The top-tier gods of the 4 Great Civilizations?”

“Yeah. Babel, Vishvakarma, Nile’s Curse. Those curses are the will of those gods. The worlds I knew also fell apart in that order. Humans became stupid… and eventually destroyed themselves.”

The book floating blankly in the air was laughing ecstatically.

[As expected, their design for humanity’s extinction is perfect♥]

However, Ju-heon smirked instead.

That smile was not a provocation, nor was it giving up; it was the expression of someone who had understood the problem.

“…So that’s what it was.”

He organized them one by one.

First disaster. Tower of Babel. Collapse of language. That is the sphere of influence of Babylonian, or Mesopotamian mythology.

‘If it’s the top-tier god there, it’s probably someone like Enlil or Enki.’

Second disaster. Vishvakarma’s Curse. Blockade of tools.

In other words, Indian mythology.

‘Vishvakarma is the god who made the gods’ tools. Naturally, it would be related to Brahma or Vishnu.’

And now.

Third curse. Nile’s Curse. Blockade of records. In other words, Egyptian mythology.

Ju-heon’s lips curled up.

“…You just said ‘Nile’s Curse’, right?”

Majesty Yoo Jae-ha raised his head.

“Yeah. Why.”

“The supreme god there was Ra, wasn’t it? The sun god?”

“That’s true, but…… Wait. Don’t tell me…!”

Ju-heon quietly took something out from his chest.

It was Isis’s Poison Fang.

The thing with dark blue poison swirling around it was the wisdom that once drove even the sun god ‘Ra’ to the brink of death. It was an artifact made from the trick Isis used to find out Ra’s ‘true name’.

“If I extract the sun god’s true name with this, ‘Nile’s Curse’ will also be pulled out by the roots.”

The book recoiled in surprise.

[…That’s a foul!]

But Ju-heon didn’t reply.

Instead, he gripped the fang, which had transformed into the shape of a dagger, and ran at full speed toward the golden tower.

[Stop! What are you doing!]

The book screamed as if to warn him, but Ju-heon shouted.

“What do you mean what am I doing, you son of a bitch!”

Puck!!

Isis’s Poison Fang was embedded deep into the center of the tower. Then, the tower’s patterns rippled greatly, and,

Jjaeng!

The golden tower began to shatter.

[‘Nile’s Curse’ is neutralized.]

[Ra’s true name has been damaged.]

[Ra’s power is scattering.]

[The blockade of records is lifted.]

At that moment, the letters that had disappeared from the air poured down like rain.

The forgotten names returned to the ancient books, and Yoo Jae-ha on this side remembered how to use the artifact in his hand and shouted.

“Yeah! This, this is how you use it!”

Majesty Yoo Jae-ha watched Ju-heon quietly. It was a look that seemed surprised, yet at the same time, filled with extremely complex emotions.

“…You really are….”

“Why, are you going to fall for me?”

Ju-heon turned to him and smirked.

(To be continued in the next episode)