Chapter 437

Chapter 437
## Chapter 437

Assembly (1)

An impoverished settlement packed with ramshackle shelters constructed from discarded rubble that, upon initial inspection, seemed indistinguishable from a scrap yard.

“Take care, Rami, I am heading out now.”

“Cough, cough! Watch your back, big brother…”

A disheveled young man stepped out of one of these shanties, bidding farewell to a delicate young girl who appeared desperately unwell, before embarking on his daily journey.

The dawn was early, with the sky only just beginning to illuminate, but for an individual surviving on a day-to-day basis, it was only practical to get moving the moment a faint glimmer of light appeared.

Such periods when the surroundings were visible to the unaided eye never lasted for very long.

‘We cannot afford the luxury of lamp fuel when keeping food on the table is already a struggle.’

Lian cast a brief look toward the heavens as he walked heavily along, a massive storage pack fastened securely to his back.

A drab, leaden expanse fractured by long fissures, shattered across various sections with large fragments completely missing.

Past those openings loomed a churning vortex of absolute blackness, causing him to swiftly turn his vision back down to the ground.

“Whew, I must stay alert. If a mishap occurs to me, nobody will be around to provide for Rami.”

The individuals who lost their minds to that dark vortex spoke of nothing but demise.

The older generation claimed that the heavens used to be a spotless, brilliant blue, but to Lian, who had witnessed nothing but that fractured landscape since the day he was born, such tales sounded like pure myth.

‘There were illustrations depicting that in genuine storybooks.’

He gave a slight nod, remembering an old picture book he had fortunately come across quite a long time ago.

His younger sister had adored it immensely, carrying it with her everywhere she went without exception.

He had ultimately bartered it away for sustenance, so it was long departed by now.

‘We lacked any alternatives during that period—our provisions were entirely depleted. I could not bring myself to part with the keepsake necklace left by Mother and Father… Even so, it would be wonderful to find another storybook during this run.’

Rami’s vitality had been declining as of late.

They lacked the funds to hire a medical practitioner, and if her condition deteriorated further in this place, things could become truly perilous.

A small token to brighten her spirits might help her regain some of her old energy…

Spurred on by that particular aspiration, Lian traveled a greater distance than he normally did and commenced his gathering work.

“A massive find!”

Searching through the remnants of a fallen metropolis, he quickly uncovered an authentic storybook.

Not merely a single volume, but an entire colorful collection—immaculate, incredibly so for an item buried beneath debris for a long duration.

Furthermore, that was not the extent of it.

Fortune favored him on this day; uncommon discoveries emerged in large numbers all around the spot.

‘This is an excellent location! I can keep harvesting right here for several days.’

Following a meticulous search of the immediate area, he crammed his storage pack full in just a matter of hours.

A couple more collections like this one, and they would be able to live without anxiety for several months.

They might even manage to pay for a medical practitioner to look at Rami…

‘What an incredibly fortunate day. Yes, let us treat ourselves to rat meat for dinner tonight. A bit of protein will surely restore her vitality.’

He obscured the path he took using broken bricks, placed a distinctive indicator only he would understand, and leaped up with renewed energy.

The sunset was still quite distant, and his storage pack was entirely full—he intended to make an early return home.

‘I must arrive back while the light remains so I can read the pages to her. I truly hope she enjoys it.’

Delighted by his modest bit of good fortune, Lian took a wide stride forward.

Crackle—

He halted completely at the terrifying noise.

It was not overly loud, yet it sounded unnaturally sharp—a tearing separation.

The sound did not originate from nearby.

His intuition instantly identified the direction, and he raised his eyes despite his better judgment.

“What?”

The strength left his arms.

Thud—

His packed storage pack crashed against the earth.

The container filled to the brim with the modest blessings of his afternoon.

Yet he paid it no mind, sprinting forward at maximum velocity.

“Rami—!!”

Directly toward the shelter where his sibling waited for his return alone.

Crackle—crack! Rumble—!

The surroundings sank into a premature gloom, far ahead of the natural nightfall.

This was not isolated to this specific zone—the introductory sounds of annihilation resonated across the entire planet.

And with that.

The sky collapsed entirely.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

By Earth’s calendar: years in the past, this particular world—Kosias—had been classified as a ‘closed dimension.’

Following the demise of the champions who had assembled from various realms to repel a grand disaster several decades prior, the reality plunged toward total destruction with every passing moment. Now, the final act concluded.

“The end has arrived at last.”

With the ‘Last Messiah’ who had battled desperately to preserve the structural integrity of the world broken, no one was left to stand against his path.

The Heaven-Defying Lord gave a satisfied nod, studying his own palm—by virtue of that victory, he had shattered the realm’s defenses to make his entry once more.

Absolute power flowed without limit through his form.

How could he fail to delight in gathering the fruits he had so meticulously cultivated?

[…Dimensional Devourer. You have truly…]

He shifted his gaze upward toward the entity addressing him, focusing on the shape positioned before him.

A being possessing shimmering gold locks and eyes, radiant as though generating its own internal illumination.

In the midst of an absolute gloom completely empty of any light, it resisted all natural restrictions, making its presence unmistakably clear.

“Heh, a pity indeed. You waged a commendable struggle, but this marks the conclusion. Well, you gave it your all— you harbor no self-reproach, correct?”

[You villain…!]

Rage blazed forth from the entity in response to the Lord’s derisive commentary.

This was not a simple release of force.

Every individual component making up this reality—both physical matter and conceptual ideas—bristled with raw antagonism, sharpening themselves against the intruder to force him out.

“Futile.”

[Kugh!]

However, the intense retaliation proved short-lived.

With a negligent sweep of his arm, the Lord distorted and warped the fabric of reality, compressing it and locking it down firmly.

Having claimed more than half of the realm’s authority and secured control over causal laws, no defensive measures remained viable.

Unbound by any regulations, he exercised total dominance—a deity in the truest sense.

Even when facing a manifested divinity worshiped by the inhabitants of this realm.

Or rather, precisely because the opponent was a divine entity…

“Time to bring this to a close. My schedule is full. I must move quickly to make up for my recent setbacks.”

[Unacceptable! I shall not permit you to destroy it in this—!]

It was nothing more than a rich feast.

[Gahk!]

“A degraded state of divinity has rendered you far more mortal. Considerably more appetizing now.”

Unemotionally driving his open palm into the chest of the manifested form, the Lord gradually pulled something outward.

A shimmering golden crystal representing core divinity.

The entire essence of the being that had been revered as the solitary deity of Kosias for countless ages.

“Magnificent. This will serve my purposes perfectly…”

Surrounded by the disintegrating reality.

Utilizing the gripped core of divinity as a channel, he took a deep breath, rapidly absorbing the residual karma dispersed throughout the realm.

Following that, casting a mocking glare toward the supervisor’s watching eyes, he twisted his features into a smirk.

The overseer, referred to as the Main God across certain realities, functioning similarly to a dimension-preservation mechanism.

With causal control properly established by him, it possessed no methods to cross his path—whether regarding the slaying of a god or the annihilation of a world.

The match had concluded the moment the ‘Last Messiah,’ its ultimate backup plan, was broken.

‘Everything is concluded here.’

Kosias was finished.

Shortly, it would dissolve entirely, all existence reverting back to a state of void.

Detecting his scattered acolytes through his godlike awareness spanning the globe, he turned around.

With a unburdened stride, he departed the dimension.

“Mm.”

His field of vision trembled; the absolute power that had saturated him disappeared in an instant.

The relaxed laws of causality tightened around him forcefully, a multitude of restrictions piled back on, and his near-omniscience became clouded.

It felt akin to observing his surroundings through blurred eyes while confined in restrictive garments.

Quite accustomed to this by now, the Heaven-Defying Lord acknowledged it as a matter of routine and proceeded to manage his delayed tasks.

Returning to Earth after a significant absence, he intended to review the occurrences that took place while he was away and distribute fresh instructions…

“What?”

The fulfillment of his successful collection soured across his face.

Even the verification from his oracle was completely ridiculous.

“Not only has the Southeast Asia branch been entirely eliminated… but the Executioner as well?”

-Please accept my apologies, Lord.

The oracle offered its regrets immediately, a tone of disgrace evident in its transmission.

Narrowing his eyes, he analyzed the data deliberately.

‘…Our expansion in market share has ground to a halt.’

When all was said and done, Earth remained his primary base of operations.

Infiltrating alternative realms to seize divinity and raw power was simply a tool to achieve his main objective.

Lately, disruptive elements had impeded his advancement, yet he had maintained confidence in their historical performance—never anticipating a failure of this magnitude.

‘Masquerade, is it… ‘

A powerful adversary putting up a challenge against the long-standing stronghold of the Heaven-Defying Society.

With that group gaining genuine momentum, enforcing strict internal discipline appeared vital to execute effective counteractions.

Consequently, immediately after the entity consumed yet another reality.

The leadership members of the Heaven-Defying Society stationed across various points of Earth were immediately called together.

◇◇◇◆◇◇◇

Subsequent to Harley making an unannounced strike on the hidden base of the Poison Blade Sect.

The investigative division of the Guardians, narrowing down the field through a relentless hunt, arrived on the scene shortly after.

Regulatory limitations rendered their operations somewhat less than optimal, but even taking that into consideration, the Guardians proved to be exceptionally skilled.

Even the minor talents gathered and adapted from individuals who survived destroyed dimensions could not be dismissed lightly.

Connected directly to the Returner Association which advocated for the entitlements of all returned individuals, their available pool of specialized operatives and external alliances defied normal calculations.

‘Oving to their energetic assistance, our newly recruited personnel managed to track down the targets far more swiftly.’

Had it been otherwise, identifying the mastermind behind the scenes so rapidly would have proven a monumental task.

Actually capturing the aforementioned mastermind? That would have been close to impossible.

They were entirely worth the public funding allocated to them.

‘I must arrange for additional financial contributions to be directed to their department.’

As the Guardians and the personnel from the Crime Investigation Division—who had assisted in the inquiry—descended upon the Poison Blade Sect to take Black Night Chariot Kwon Cheol-yong into custody.

Harley, who had reached the location ahead of them, had already made a clean getaway.

Safely transporting the authentic prize: the creature of shadows.

[Kuh, how did you track our coordinates so rapidly? Who on earth are you? Does Phantom possess another high-tier entity besides—?!]

“Kahahat! What is this, time for introductions? I do not mind, but a more straightforward path exists. Just stay quiet a little bit longer.”

The shadow creature hurled inquiries like fluid pressed from an injury as it was carried along like common cargo, but Harley merely chuckled softly, sprinting toward an isolated location.

A swift strike to the skull quieted its persistent efforts to break free.

Having finally arrived at the designated location, he dropped it onto the earth.

[Kuh!]

It immediately dissolved into a dark patch to attempt another flight, however…

“That is quite enough.”

In front of the individual remaining in wait there, such maneuvers were entirely pointless.

[Grrr… Curse it all… Phantom, Heinz…!]

“Quite remarkable. Remaining completely defiant even at the end, precisely what one expects from someone standing on the brink of total downfall.”

Fleeing was an impossibility with those two positioned right there.

Nonetheless, it monitored them with extreme vigilance, its gaze flickering; Heinz 2nd spoke words of quiet appreciation.

He felt pleased they had opted for this specific course of action.

[What have you—!]

“Be still. The process will be concluded momentarily.”

Clamping its windpipe with a single hand, he directed his concentrated Purified Blood Essence toward the tips of his fingers.

[Y-You scoundrel!]

The invading force penetrating its skin caused Black Shadow’s eyes to dilate in sheer panic.

Grasping the underlying intent, it ground its teeth together, staring intently at Heinz.

[Completely useless! My constitution is entirely impervious to all forms of corruption. You might kill me—but no rank 9 vampire high-tier entity can force a mutation on me!]

There was truth to that statement; transforming such a creature was no simple task.

Entities of elevated tiers developed immense internal defenses, supplemented by the specific resistances crafted through assassin training.

‘Naturally, that calculation assumes I am merely a commonplace Sacred Blood vampire.’

Internal defenses? Total immunity?

They held no meaning here.

Short of achieving a state of existence that completely surpassed all standard limitations, such protective traits were entirely useless against his True Blood.

[Ghk! By what means…? This is impossible—!]

It was already far too late; terror rippled through its gaze as the vampiric elements forced their way inside, completely restructuring its fundamental biological makeup.

Its dormant internal forces shifted into the energy of a blood demon; its unyielding determination was instantly bound by the ancient restrictions of the lineage.

‘Creating a vampire on Earth requires ten times the dimensional energy compared to other worlds. In addition to overriding the inherent defense of their developmental tier… ‘

This explained the reasoning behind why he had never mindlessly generated thralls on a massive scale.

Altering an individual’s loyalty was one matter; executing a comprehensive transformation of their very species consumed an immense amount of core essence.

‘Still, a solitary instance like this on occasion? It presents no significant burden.’

The specific traits of the creature appeared quite practical as well.

Furthermore, there were pieces of information he required it to speak aloud.

A brief window of time later—

A fresh vanguard aligned itself with Earth’s Heterosis lineage.

“The Black Dragon Society, is it? This promises to yield some entertainment…”

Accompanied by some highly compelling new pieces of intelligence.