-2373- [ Gate ]
"————"
Suddenly, Rozen felt his vision blur, as if his entire being had been pulled into a different realm—a space beyond comprehension.
It was an expanse as vast and boundless as the universe.
But within this space, there were no stars, no galaxies—only swirling nebulae, each like a vortex, rotating slowly in all directions around him.
These vortex-like nebulae were endless.
Yet, as Rozen looked upon them, an uncanny sense of familiarity washed over him.
He recognized this feeling.
It was the sensation of perceiving the records of the world itself—of knowing all that was, is, and will be.
This was...
"The Root...?"
Rozen was shocked.
Truly shocked.
He never imagined that the power of Miracle would allow him to perceive the existence of the Root.
Of course, not all of these presences were exactly the Root in the strictest sense—some were similar but different, seemingly unrelated, yet ultimately converging in essence. In that moment, Rozen understood.
"They are existences akin to the Root in different worlds."
This had been spoken of in the past.
The countless worlds—all different—each had its own origin. Even if they weren't called the Root, they were still analogous existences.
They were the sources of all things within their respective worlds—the highest and most supreme existences therein.
Rozen's perfected Mind's Eye could directly perceive such supreme existences, access their records, and glean all knowledge of the world: past, present, and future.
But this time, Rozen wasn't perceiving them through the Mind's Eye.
Otherwise, his brain would've exploded from the overload.
Right now, Rozen had directly opened a passage to those very existences.
Yes.
Rozen had opened a direct pathway to those beings.
No—more precisely, Miracle had opened them.
In this moment, Rozen finally understood.
He understood the true power of Miracle.
In fact, this power had already been hinted at before.
Its purpose was to open gates to other worlds.
However, those Gates weren't limited to simply other worlds—they could also open to other places.
For example, Rozen's Absolute Contract was made possible because Miracle had opened a Gate between his soul and his Beast Vassals, allowing them to be recorded into his soul.
By the same logic, if Miracle opened a Gate to another place, the outcome would change accordingly.
To give an example—if Rozen opened a Gate between the World's Source and his own magic circuits, what would happen?
The answer was simple.
Like a river breaching a dam, power would flow freely. If Rozen opened such a Gate, the World's Source would pour into his circuits, filling his body entirely.
In other words, the result would be this: Rozen would gain access to infinite mana—mana that would never run dry, endlessly replenished—a truly inexhaustible supply.
And that was just one basic application.
Consider that in different worlds, based on different worldviews, some realms granted extraordinary power merely by being reached.
Take for example the Swirl of the Root, the beginning and end of all things. Reaching it granted the power of magic itself, transforming one into a Magus—that's one such example.
And with Miracle, Rozen could open a Gate to the Swirl of the Root and achieve that very goal.
Similar cases existed in countless worlds.
If Rozen could freely open Gates to these hidden realms and obtain powers others could only dream of, then how great would the result be?
Too vast to count!
That is exactly what Miracle could do!
In other words, the true power of this ring known as Miracle was to provide Rozen with endless choices—to turn the impossible into possible, and gather the powers of myriad worlds into one vessel: Rozen himself.
He would become a true transcendent—capable of interfering freely with any world, any secret realm, any existence, any concept.
Just by opening a Gate to the earth's core, he could launch a direct attack and destroy an entire planet.
Open a Gate to the sun, and he could summon its flames to incinerate everything.
Open a Gate to the ocean, and he could sink the land beneath the waves.
He could even open a Gate to his enemy's body and seize their power as his own.
Even further, Rozen could open a Gate to someone's mental domain and share their memories and knowledge.
That is the true power of Miracle—a force that opens the path to all possibilities.
Back when Rozen named it Miracle, it truly was the perfect name.
Now, through the power of Miracle, the Gates to the supreme existences of the countless worlds had all been opened.
Not one or two, not ten or a hundred, but millions—countless actual existing world Gates had been thrown open.
Even the worlds Rozen had previously visited were among them, yet now they were drowned in the sea of multitudes, appearing utterly insignificant.
Rozen had reason to believe that what he now saw was the origin of all existing worlds.
"BOOM!"
Suddenly, a thunderous boom exploded in Rozen's head.
Within that thunder, endless knowledge poured into his mind.
These were records from all those worlds.
"This...!?"
Rozen was terrified.
Truly terrified.
Not for any other reason—but because this knowledge was simply too immense. Even with Virtual Ether enhancement, and with his abilities of Thought Acceleration and Thought Partitioning, Rozen was sure his brain couldn't possibly endure such overwhelming information.
If he tried, there would be only one outcome.
His brain would be utterly burned out. Instant death.
But just as Rozen thought that—Miracle lit up again on his finger.
And then, Rozen discovered that this vast sea of knowledge wasn't being etched into his mind or stored in his brain. Instead, it was merging with all the magical knowledge he already possessed.
Miracle had opened a Gate between them, allowing them to blend, verify, and harmonize with each other. Like equations aligning, like simplifications coming together—they all fused into one form, centered around a single spell.
The spell that had triggered Miracle's reaction—Cleansing.
At that, Rozen finally understood everything.
And then, a wave of intense emotion surged through his chest.