Chapter 106

“Flauros? That’s right.”

“The destruction of the Necropolis as well?”

“The Tomb of Eternity? I did that too.”

A wave of tension washed over the faces of the Special Unit members.

Those who were currently training in the Necropolis had already seen how utterly that city had been devastated. Not to mention the countless tentacles that had occupied the surface.

Ha Yeri inquired about my intentions with a look of extreme caution.

“I saw earlier that you handle tentacles quite well. If you happen to be displeased by us attacking your tentacles…”

“That place is like a playground for them, so I don’t care.”

Whew—.

A sigh of relief.

I immediately tightened the string of tension that had loosened slightly. There wasn’t much time left before the Thirteen Palaces of the Void departed from the Korean Peninsula; this was no time for idle chatter.

“But how long are you going to keep making small talk? Didn’t you want something from me?”

“Since time is short right now, our Bureau would like to officially invite the Apostle of the Outer God at a later date. If you could tell us a way to contact you…”

“That won’t work. Our eye levels don’t match.”

“Pardon?”

An Apostle of the Outer God was not a being that sat around leisurely drinking tea with Ha Yeri.

Currently, I had no enemies and no allies. It was evident just by looking at how Alexei was being attacked by all sorts of demons simply because I, in the guise of Patel, mentioned a relationship with him.

The moment I declared or even hinted that I was on their side, Seoul would become the primary target of the Council.

“You come to where I am.”

“Do you have a separate residence?”

“No.”

“Then how…?”

“If you keep hunting Archdukes like this, won’t we run into each other?”

Hunting.

How many people here could hear that word and not tremble at the destructive power it implied? I placed my hand on the throne, which was beginning to vibrate slowly, and spoke.

“This place was just a shell with no legacy left by an Archduke. But if we meet in a similar place someday, I’ll at least hear what you have to say.”

It was an indirect way of saying that if they wanted to talk to me as equals, they had to at least be capable of taking down an Archduke. Ha Yeri found herself unable to even nod in response.

I believe I did enough to seize control of the conversation. Just as a winged bird cannot keep up with the speed of an airplane, she simply lacked the power.

The trembling of the space grew more violent. It was a precursor to the Thirteen Palaces of the Void moving to another location. If this Seed of Calamity crossed over to Japan or across the Pacific, the raid team would no longer be able to keep up. If that happened, the stolen gravity would never be returned.

I gently nudged Mala-nim, who had somehow burrowed into my armpit and started rubbing against me, back into my sleeve. Then, resting my chin on one hand, I addressed everyone in the audience chamber.

“It would be a bit heartless to part ways just like this, wouldn’t it? Especially since you worked so hard to get here.”

“What?”

“If you manage to land even a single attack, I’ll step down from this chair. The time limit… let’s say, until the Gate you came through closes.”

It was too early to give up. They didn’t even need to kill the King. If they succeeded in just one attack, they could at least save Seoul. Even the fluttering of a frail bird’s wings can bring down a plane if it gets sucked into the engine.

Upon hearing my words, the morale of the raid members soared instantly.

“You’re still not coming at me? Then I’ll keep my counterattacks to a minimum. It’s no fun if it ends too quickly…”

“DIIIIEEEE!!!”

Triggered by Alexei’s roar, everyone still capable of moving swarmed me from all sides. Magic, swords, supernatural abilities—a barrage of attacks rained down upon my head.

The remnants of the Black Shadow Society who followed Karzos also activated the transmission magic they had prepared, attempting to make the entire throne disappear.

Before the combined assault of numerous Awakened that shook the very foundation of the earth, I quietly clasped my hands together and murmured.

“Extreme Magic — Endless Outer Path.”

Space expanded, and the blades swung by the swordsmen sliced through empty air. The sword strikes of those who had lost their balance scattered like waves in every direction, causing the walls and ceiling to begin to crumble.

Magic cast from afar lost its coordinates, wandering until it vanished or collided with itself, creating even larger explosions.

I couldn’t use Extreme Magic - Singularity. I didn’t bother bringing out my single-digit ranked tentacles since wasting Star Scars felt unnecessary. Yet, the scene created by just a single spell was this.

Even if an Archduke had been in this spot, nothing would have changed.

I looked up at the sky with a somewhat complicated feeling. A beautiful cluster of stars was visible through the hole in the ceiling. It was just as it was when the Sword Immortal sliced through space.

The spell that granted infinite distance to attacks directed at me also applied to the gaze of the Outer Gods. Since I was making a mess in the backyard they created, I suppose they were concerned.

I turned my attention away from the Outer God of Salvation watching from the heavens and instead asked those lying on the ground:

“Is that it?”

“Cough, cough!”

“This is impossible… I’ve never even heard of magic like that.”

The dust cloud settled, and only a few remained standing on their feet.

Among them were Alexei, Ha Yeri, and the Sword Immortal.

I wasn’t so sure about the first two, but the Sword Immortal had successfully broken through my Extreme Magic — Endless Outer Path once before at Mount Cheonsan. If so, it was safe to assume he hadn’t put his full weight behind his attacks a moment ago.

To think he’d come all the way to Ground Zero to make such a request. I was glad to see he finally seemed ready to exchange blows with me in earnest.

“Is this truly a realm that a human can achieve…? What an awe-inspiring sight. I truly wish to try and cut through it.”

“Elder Sword Immortal?”

“Yeri, would you mind buying me a little time? It’s been a while since I’ve needed to fill this scabbard with blood.”

“Understood.”

Wait, no?

I was signaling for a friendly pro-wrestling match, but this old-timer was clearly preparing for a full-contact UFC fight.

While I was lost in thought for a second, Ha Yeri and Alexei split to the left and right as if they had pre-arranged it and charged toward me. The mages who still had mana left also unleashed a barrage of spells to draw even a fraction of my attention.

Nullifying their attacks once more, I immediately pulled out the 14th tentacle from behind my back: Deluge. Having eaten and grown well in the Necropolis, the tentacle looked bewildered at being summoned so suddenly. However, upon seeing Alexei and Ha Yeri rushing toward it, it let out a monstrous shriek.

“Kieeeeeek!!!”

“Hwaaaaaat!!”

“Pure Water.”

There was Alexei, advancing by crushing through the mass of giant tentacles with his dull axes, and Ha Yeri, closing the distance by slicing through skin as silently as a tea leaf floating on water.

While the two bought time, the Sword Immortal completed his quick-draw stance. I felt the sensation of a transparent thread tightening around my neck. His spirit was even sharper than when he first met me after coming down from Mount Cheonsan. Back then, he was driven by curiosity to test the skills of a strange child; this time, I felt a competitive thirst to truly slice me in two.

Conversely, it meant he was confident that I wouldn’t die even from a strike delivered with his full power.

『Are you ready, child?』

『Whoa, you startled me.』

I heard his voice inside my head. It was Telepathy, a martial arts technique similar to a Channel.

『Do you really have to go this far?』

『Let us see your limits this time.』

『…….』

『If you wish to be considerate of an old man’s stamina—one who finds it difficult to swing this heavy sword twice—I trust you won’t bother dodging.』

Next time, Outer God or not, I am never doing this old man a favor again.

Sighing, I pulled out the Black Goat’s Horn I had tucked away. I had kept it to coax Velada later when she tried to regain her strength. I didn’t actually need to use a single-digit ranked tentacle to block a desperate strike from a Transcendent-level Awakened.

However, there was a specific reason I chose to manifest a Star Scar now.

“It’s coming!”

“Don’t stand behind him! You’ll get cut too!”

Mana fluctuated throughout the Sword Immortal’s entire body. Cracks began to form on the throne as the trajectory his sword pointed toward crossed an infinite distance to reach me. Even before he drew the blade, Beomram-i’s body was sliced horizontally, and what remained of the audience chamber walls—and even the horizon beyond—seemed to tilt at an angle.

It wasn’t a simple physical attack. It was a strike that pushed Sharpness to the absolute extreme, cutting through anything and everything in the sword’s path. There was a reason he’d warned me not to dodge. He was openly intending to test my durability.

『FEAR NOT!』

“Are you enjoying this? So am I.”

I flashed a smile at Mala-nim, who was flailing about as if the approaching death were trivial, and reached one arm up toward the sky. Then, with a crack, I bit off the tip of Velada’s horn and swallowed it.

My hand, which had been reaching up as if to grab the stars, suddenly caught onto something. I felt a sticky, unpleasant, and stinging sensation through the tentacle connected to my nerves. I gripped it tightly so as not to lose it and spoke to the Sword Immortal.

“You asked me earlier, didn’t you? If those things truly looked like beings that deserved to float above our heads.”

“Hmm?”

“This was my answer back then.”

The murmur he hadn’t quite heard when he first showed me the presence of the Outer Gods floating in the sky.

“It’s annoying.”

That those fly-like bugs keep staring at us.

The things that turned tail and fled from the Demon Realm so long ago. Even though we’ve climbed this high, they are still looking down on us from above.

As the sole believer serving Mala-nim, and as an Apostle of an Outer God, I had zero intention of letting the other Outer Gods observe us at all times as if they were watching TV in their living rooms.

“Fifth Tentacle.”

The Sword Immortal’s blade flew from his waist. His strike severed all the fingers on his opposite hand that had been holding the scabbard. Spreading out in a fan shape, it turned everything it touched into a brilliant white void of death, like a high-temperature laser.

But just before that attack reached me as I stood up from the throne.

Something suddenly fell from the sky and blocked the path.

It was the benefactor that had helped humanity slay demons ever since they invaded Earth. It was a kind of Law, an ideology that sought only to fulfill its own reason for existence regardless of good or evil.

And it was one of the four gods who had killed my Outer God in the Demon Realm long ago.

“Abyssal Tentacle.”

The being I had dragged down from the heavens to block the Sword Immortal’s attack.

It was the Outer God of Salvation itself.