Chapter 453

Chapter 453

**Chapter 453**

**Chapter Title: Otherworld Conquest Chronicle (5)**

Following the conclusion of the conflict, the immense flatland remained barren, completely marked by remnants of ruin.

The heaps of remains and rivers of gore gathered across the landscape shaped an environment resembling the end of days.

Rattle- rattle-

“In the name of the Eternal King of Death…” “Grrruk-! Gruk!” Indeed, given that the lifeless forms, which typically remain motionless, wandered the chaotic battlefield entirely on their own, labeling the situation as simply apocalyptic was an understatement.

It seemed as though the underworld people only whispered about in fables had actually materialized in the physical realm.

A vision capable of striking absolute dread into the heart of any living creature materialized right before their gaze.

‘The strange thing is, I am actually aligned with them.’

McCarthy smiled bitterly as he peered downward from a mostly undamaged elevated observation post situated among the shattered fortifications.

Utilizing the ‘Eye of the Dead’ to examine the warzone from this ideal elevated spot with an unobstructed perspective of the surroundings caused these reflections to weigh even more heavily on him.

‘…Did I unknowingly trigger a catastrophe?’

In reality, the struggle for dominance over this realm was effectively concluded.

With the supreme archdemons entirely vanquished, what kind of hazard could the remaining minor demons truly present?

Those insignificant remnants would undoubtedly be cleared away the moment the massive army of the deceased fanned out across the land.

Furthermore, the destiny of the mankind that had barely managed to survive under the tyranny of demons would inevitably be determined by this outcome.

To be perfectly candid, it would be more accurate to claim he had remained doubtful right up until the absolute final second.

Regardless of their efforts, they lacked the capacity to triumph over the adversary.

This world. That logic held true, because archdemons—specifically the Infinite Archdemon—represented absolute, untouchable emblems of power.

He had avoided striking Great Holy Lord Rapua solely because that particular archdemon happened to be absent.

It had been a desperate endeavor to claim vengeance regardless of the consequences, even if it resulted in complete annihilation alongside his enemy should the campaign fail.

‘…Reflecting on it now, it was completely foolish.’

The credit belonged entirely to the Immortal Sovereign originating from an alternate realm, ‘Hannibal Strauss’.

The outsider from beyond who had materialized at the front of an army of demise and wiped out the ruling fiends of the land in a flash.

For McCarthy, who assumed he was the one responsible for calling forth this entity, it was impossible to avoid feeling a profound sense of foreboding.

‘During that time, I believed that once my vengeance was satisfied, the fate of this realm mattered none to me.’

Was this a reflection of how one’s perspective shifts completely before and after a critical event?

Now that he had obtained every single thing he desired, he was beginning to fret over the consequences.

He worried that the realm he had inhabited alongside her would transform into an even more terrible purgatory than before.

He feared that the tranquil realm she had so intensely yearned for, and the joy of the youths he had struggled to safeguard, would be corrupted by demise.

Naturally, since he had already surrendered everything and transformed into a servant, no options remained for him to take action.

‘All that is left is to trust the outcomes to fate. Though how much faith I can place in fate after it previously permitted this realm to fall to ruin, I cannot say.’

…Or at least, that was his assumption.

Right up until he received the declarations straight from his ‘master’ who requested his presence shortly afterward.

“What? Me, you mean?”

McCarthy’s gaze stretched wide in utter bewilderment as he stared mindlessly.

The statements coming from the other individual were completely unpredicted.

“Mmm, why do you look so startled? You are the contractor who called this physical form into this realm, are you not? This is only fitting.”

The magnificent throne room was saturated with an unsettling presence.

At the terminus of the ultimate monarch’s chilly stare, peering down from the throne of jade positioned atop the grand stairwell.

Undead officers radiating lethal intent stood unmoving on both sides of the room, while McCarthy, who had arrived for an audience—

‘…That is accurate, but even so… that…’

He had reached this demonic citadel—which had appeared without his knowledge of its construction—this completely dark palace abruptly raised at the summit of a renowned holy peak, merely a short while ago.

The shock he experienced at this moment was entirely unmatched compared to when he had initially witnessed this terrifying bastion.

“I… I am merely an uneducated wanderer who knows of nothing besides drifting from place to place. How could an individual such as myself serve as the regional governor governing this realm in place of the monarch?”

Under normal circumstances, he would simply agree with compliance, yet on this occasion, he could not force himself to do so.

What if he assumed a role far exceeding his capabilities and a catastrophe beyond his management manifested?

In what manner would he oversee it?

This concern was particularly relevant now, during a period of transition where the very core structures of the realm had been overturned.

McCarthy, possessing a clear understanding of his personal restrictions, lacked the assurance required to guide the upcoming turbulence.

“McCarthy.” “I am here, Lord of Death.”

“This constitutes a direct command.” “…I shall willingly carry out your instruction.”

Yet he possessed no alternative when faced with the subsequent royal proclamation.

Once the directive was issued, his sole remaining option was to brace himself and make the attempt.

“There is no cause for anxiety. I shall assign followers to manage the administrative duties on your behalf. Your function is merely to preserve equilibrium as the mortal proxy of this realm.”

Naturally, Hans comprehended precisely what was crossing his mind.

He possessed no desire to burden him with every responsibility from the very beginning.

He merely wished to set up fundamental protections, worrying that deceased entities with unusual perspectives might devastate the realm he had so meticulously subdued.

‘I am incapable of supervising this realm indefinitely regardless.’

He already possessed an abundance of matters requiring his attention.

He had broken Devoa’s fiends one after another, collecting distinct rewards, and pulled substantial data by means of the Infinite Archdemon.

Having moved through the area with incredible impact and gathered a massive collection of karma, he no longer had any objectives remaining here.

‘I can assign the remaining tasks to McCarthy. His spirit is bound to me in any case.’

Every action he performed within this realm would return as karma directly to Hans himself.

That had been the arrangement from the very inception.

To put it another way, McCarthy functioned essentially as Hans’s representative within Devoa.

With his countenance turning pale as recollections of the agony from his ocular and limb replacements flooded back, McCarthy quickly spoke up.

He had abandoned all discretion for the sake of retribution, but now that everything was concluded, he possessed no desire for further torment.

Nonetheless, this was insufficient to alter the stance of Hans, who had already finalized his choice.

“No, that cannot be permitted. Control originates from irresistible might. I will not abide my regional governor being dismissed due to a deficiency in capability.”

This did not constitute basic sorcery, but rather the genuine ‘power of the dead’ granted by Hans himself.

Exerting it within a mortal vessel bound the user to incredible agony.

Altering him into a member of the deceased completely would resolve the issue, but he could not bring himself to handle a dedicated follower in that manner.

Providentially for McCarthy, Hans had recently obtained a fresh capability ideally suited for this scenario.

“Do not fret. I have recently secured a novel capability. By employing it, the bodily agony will not be nearly as severe as the previous instance.”

“Ah, I… To think you would show such consideration—it is truly an immense privilege!”

Forcing a grin, McCarthy bowed deeply once more against the ground.

With his monarch extending himself to such lengths, he could not voice another objection.

In truth, he was already navigating an incredibly precarious situation.

‘Ugh, it feels as though my entire form is being punctured by needles…’

The officers of the undead host standing motionless on both flanks of the chamber stared at him with unnatural eyes.

They held themselves back solely because the monarch was currently engaging in a direct discussion.

Under different conditions, he would have already met an incredibly grim consequence.

“Kekeke, there is no purpose in delaying and squandering time.”

Consequently, he merely gestured in agreement from that point onward, failing to capitalize on the opportunity to inquire about the nature of this ‘novel capability’ that was about to be applied to him.

He remained unaware that this marked Hans’s initial utilization of the trait, functioning simultaneously as an evaluation.

Though he lacked any alternative choice, having advanced information would have at least permitted him to prepare himself psychologically.

Approximately twenty-four hours later…

“Oh? Quite impressive—the advancement is rather satisfactory.” “…Tha… nk… you… immensely…”

“Mmm, unfortunately, you did not quite shatter the boundary of transcendence… yet that remains sufficient to avoid being overlooked anywhere. Persist in your advancement.”

Owing to McCarthy offering himself for the process, the trial concluded with complete success, and Hans signaled his approval with a nod.

As a compensation, he offered additional charity: a commitment to come back at a later date for further adjustments to entirely demolish that boundary.

“Ah, aaah…”

He resolved to get past that blocking boundary by any method available before the monarch’s subsequent arrival.

“Kahahahat! A highly amusing diversion.” Having eliminated the final fiend remaining on the land and finalized all other arrangements…

The ruler of demise who had so suddenly entered and brought monumental shifts to Devoa passed through the portal separating realms without fading momentum and left.

Depositing behind only his chosen representative—the mortal who had transformed into one—and a group intended to support him.

“…Sigh, so the genuine task commences now.”

Atop the remnants of a fortification shattered by conflict.

Staring blankly at the sun gradually ascending past the mountain line, McCarthy squeezed his hand into a tight fist.

A domain broken beyond simple mending.

Rebuilding it to its former condition was truly the obligation remaining for the individuals residing in this realm.

They had obtained assistance from an almighty entity from beyond during their rescue, yet a people could not claim ownership of their own destiny by depending entirely on outsiders.

‘Well, in reality, it is solely because of him that we are even capable of envisioning it.’

Shifting his gaze, he observed the lowlands situated underneath the shattered defenses.

An army of the deceased so massive that the term ‘gigantic’ barely captured its scale.

The majority consisted of transformed enemy troops who had perished during the massive engagement.

The very entities that had guided the destruction of the realm were now being redirected to reconstruct it.

‘An achievement impossible without his intervention.’

A dark glimmer flashed within his left eye.

Every single undead entity within his jurisdiction became visible to his perception simultaneously.

Having practiced for decades within a space of isolated temporal acceleration, he directed the capability with absolute mastership.

Whoooosh-

His dark, crystal-like left hand then struck the atmosphere.

His digits shifted with the precision of a musical maestro, guiding the surrounding area in various directions.

“Kieeeek-!” Rattle-thud!

“Advance…!” Instantly, the deceased positioned across the flatland and the ghostly forms hovering in the upper air unleashed bizarre shrieks and spread out in flawless alignment.

Moving under the leadership of the altered fiends now acting as commanding undead units at the front line.

Pivoting around, McCarthy met the arriving glow of daybreak upon his back and peered up at the sky as the gloom dissolved.

Breathing out fully, he made a solemn vow.

He would surely remake this world into the one she dreamed of.

“-My personal conflict.”

The savior of mankind who spearheaded the realm’s freedom from demonic tyranny.

The restorer of society who utilized the labor of the deceased to rebuild the broken land.

The arbiter delivering retribution to wrongdoers who overstepped boundaries, and the chosen representative serving the deity of demise—

The tale of Devoa’s legendary holy figure, ‘McCarthy Hans’, thus commenced.

‘I would not dare dishonor his reputation by associating it with my own.’

That dedication would subsequently popularize the philosophy of ‘Hansism’ across the entirety of Devoa, though that remains a narrative for a much later era.

‘Mmm, this proved to be quite lucrative.’

In comparison to alternate realms he had crossed, his duration within Devoa was incredibly brief, yet the returns were anything but insignificant.

To begin with, an immense accumulation of karma.

By disregarding all alternative matters to concentrate entirely on hunting down fiends, he had surpassed ten million karma points.

Regarding productivity relative to time expended, it represented his finest performance to date.

Add to that the designation of ‘Liberator’ acquired after purging every single fiend from the crust, exceptional materials harvested from high-tier demons, and the massive undead legions raised from the collected casualties of past eras—this journey to Devoa constituted an absolute triumph among triumphs.

‘It does not match the scale of the realms I am personally supervising, but with McCarthy stationed there, I can anticipate a steady influx of karma.’

He had designated highly capable managers, including the retainers belonging to Banshee Queen Olivia, ensuring that administrative tasks would proceed smoothly.

The military assets stationed behind possessed the capability to effortlessly form a sovereign territory.

‘Within a Devoa left diminished by the reign of fiends, even an individual at the peak of transcendence will not face unexpected removal.’

With no remaining transcendent powerhouses left alive, McCarthy stood effectively as the most powerful figure within Devoa.

‘I secured an incredibly practical trait.’

I gestured with a nod of contentment.

The capability claimed by overcoming the Infinite Archdemon, which had advanced McCarthy’s standing in a single moment.

This asset would serve as a crucial countermeasure against the space-altering leader of the Reverse Heaven Oath.

Naturally, adjustments still needed to be made.

McCarthy reaped the benefits of immediate modifications stemming from his position as a follower; my personal mastery had not yet reached the point required for flawless application.

But time will resolve that issue.’

I gave a casual shrug.

Above all else, Hans’s chronicle of planar dominance was by no means concluded with the subduing of Devoa.

He had apprehended a substantial number of transcendent figures from the Reverse Heaven Oath.

Consequently, multiple additional dimensions accessible through their networks still remained to be explored.