I Reincarnated into a Single-celled Organism! - Chapter 252

The teleportation array’s explosion wasn’t so simple. It had been loaded with a great deal of energy thanks to Blanche’s generous donation. Although I kept back what I could, I still used quite a few more of the kilojoules than I would have liked to overload the system. However, his predictions had been accurate, and as soon as the teleportation triggered and sent everyone else away, the energy collapsed, creating a massive shockwave.

The prison was already exceptionally old, and the lower parts had been eaten away by the mycelium complex for countless years. The madmen were also racing through the prison, attacking each other and acting without reservation. The shockwave seemed to be the final nail in the coffin. The floors gave way one after another. A thunderous cascade of collapsing rock and groaning metal filled the isolated underground space.

The entire Antecedent compound began to collapse into its own underground space one level at a time, making it appear as if the entire building was being swallowed by the earth. I took a bit more damage, but I finally managed to use the mycelium to extricate myself from the destruction.

Immediately, I began working on recovering my lost cells and using mitosis to replace the damage caused by the Sage King. With the final collapse, a plume of dust rose into the sky like a small mushroom cloud, and all that was left of the Antecedent prison was a massive smoldering crater within the underground world.

For a time, the dust settled, and no noise could be heard. Even the sage beasts that occupied this space had gone completely silent, hiding from this level of destruction that must have seemed apocalyptic compared to their years of unchanging peace. As for the madmen, they had all been rampaging underground, and their reckless, insane actions left them all buried. Few would have had the evolution level to survive such a massive cave-in, and those that did would soon die from their numerous injuries. In short, the prison had become a grave, although perhaps the men driven insane by brain parasites were finally given rest.

From the center of the devastation, a rock shifted, and then a clawed hand burst from the rubble. A form climbed out from the devastation. Besides having already been close to the surface, this was none other than the Sage King, still in the form of an old man. He wouldn’t be killed off by such a small thing. However, his eyes were burning bright with fury, and he even let out a furious curse that shook the air, sending every sage beast that poked its head out back into hiding.

“That… insolent boy! That foolish girl! I will flay their flesh from their bones and wear their skin as a trophy!” He stopped and took a breath, trying to steady himself. “No matter, I have what I need.”

He lifted his free hand, revealing the familiar green glow of the Gibbs’ Lantern. He had obtained it far faster than I had intended, and now they were united together.

“At last,” he mumbled as he looked into the flame with adoration. “Their interference is but a minor setback. Once I finish absorbing the remaining energy, I will reach the level of a Sage Emperor. Breaking out of this realm and forcing my way back to the surface will be child’s play.”

“So, we can break our way back to the surface. That’s good to know.”

“Who?” The Sage King spun around, his head snapping toward the sound with impossible speed. “Who are you? Show yourself?”

From behind a massive fungal stalk, I took a step out. My body was put back together without a single blemish. Only the mask I had been wearing before had been dismissed. The Sage King’s red eyes widened in shock, and even his jaw slackened slightly.

“I was worried when I destroyed the transport that returning might be difficult,” I admitted.

“I-I killed you.” He didn’t look angry, more curious. “I tore your body into pieces.”

I let out a soft chuckle. “You’ll have to try harder than that to kill me. Although I could say the same about you.”

I allowed my facial features to melt away and return to their original form. I now resembled the Spirit Mara and everyone else was familiar with. Of course, the Sage King didn’t recognize me from anything. He was more taken aback that my form could change so easily.

“Y-you’re… a sage beast as well? Why would you waste your time traveling alongside those Cro-Magnon scum?”

He had used the word Cro-Magnon many times. It was a term from my old world, too, a reference to early modern humans. They were said to have developed some forty thousand years ago and were first discovered in Europe. It was believed that they bred with Neanderthals, eventually leading to the modern Homo sapien. I suspected that the Sage King used this term as a derogatory term for anyone who evolved human. In fact, when he identified me as a sage beast, his hostility seemed to diminish ever so slightly. I decided not to correct him.

“I must admit, I was also surprised to find that you were a sage beast. What was the name you gave me, Dr. Mengele?”

The Sage Beast looked taken aback for a second, but then a flicker of pride appeared on his face. “Why can I not be Dr. Mengele? Perhaps, in your era of the paragon, most sage beasts are little better than animals, but in the Antecedent times, we evolved far more intelligent than humans. In fact, I was a famous scientist, a pioneer in fields your kind cannot even comprehend.”

“Oh?” My eyes brightened with genuine interest. “I’ve always had an interest in science. I’m definitely curious about your research.”

Although this person was dangerous, I was more interested in getting information out of him. It wasn’t every day that one could meet a living fossil. Although I decided to be a bit more flattering than that. Thankfully, he seemed to resemble the scientists from my world. They liked nothing more than to talk about their research.

His anger seemed to melt away for an almost smug sense of superiority. “If you are curious, ask your questions. I shall grant you the privilege of understanding a fraction of my genius before I end you.”

“What was the time of the Antecedent like? Were you all sage beasts?” I asked.

He was a bit surprised by my question, but he answered without hesitation. “Not at all. Both humans and lesser creatures could walk the Antecedent pathway. However, there were far fewer humans in those days. Some say that it was the population boom of humans that caused the energy in the world to drop so drastically in the first place. They moved to an area, pumped out tons of children, and then stripped the area of all energy. This created a great deal of animosity between sage beasts that aligned themselves with nature, and humans that wanted to strip it clean for their own benefit.”

“A story as old as time…” I couldn’t help but sigh as I heard similar themes on human behavior, even in this world so different from my previous one.

“Then, the humans found the paragon pathway, and they managed to grow stronger with far less energy consumption. Although any given Antecedent is far superior to a paragon of the same level, we couldn’t outcompete their speed. A paragon human could achieve in a hundred years what used to take sage beasts thousands. Paragons began to rise, and we antecedents were outcompeted.”

‘So, the stories are accurate,” I mused. “I take it you were one of the antecedents they captured?”

“Nearing the end, I began to research methods to preserve the antecedent way of life. We needed to be able to collect energy faster than humans. The paragons feared my research, and so they imprisoned me here.”

So, the prison wasn’t necessarily as old as we thought. It was ultimately a prison built by paragons for the last few antecedents.

“Wait, that Gibbs’ Lantern?”

He nodded, a manic gleam in his eyes. “The lantern was the culmination of my life’s work.  A device to convert the very essence of existence—death itself—into usable evolutionary energy. I connected it directly to my soul. At first, the powerful barriers of this prison prevented me from accessing it. But as the eons passed and the restrictions decayed, I was able to use the lantern’s connection to slowly absorb the life force of every living thing trapped in here. Eventually, seeing no other means of escape, I transferred my will into this weaker antecedent closer to the surface,” he gestured to his current form, “It was a pale imitation of my former glory, but I gave all of my power to the lantern, and now I’ve recovered all of that power, returning to the state of a Sage King. This is only the beginning, though. The lantern also absorbed all of the other antecedents. Although no single one was stronger than me, altogether, I will have enough energy to break through to the Emperor level.”

“A Sage Emperor?”

“Tell me, boy…” His eyes glanced at me with intensity. “What is the highest evolution level a paragon has achieved on the surface?”

“The highest level I’ve heard of is a Lord,” I answered honestly, as he didn’t ask about myself.

Dr. Mengele threw his head back and laughed, a booming, triumphant sound that echoed across the crater.

“A Lord? A mere Lord! I will conquer them all! I will grind their cities to dust and make every Paragon my slave, to avenge what they did to my kind!”

“Is that so?” I tilted my head, my expression just as calm as before.

His eyes snapped to me, and a cruel smile formed. “I think I’ll start with you!”