Chapter 271

Chapter 271
## Ancient Demon

I had encountered this specific sensation once before.

‘It was when I granted absolution to Priest Andrew.’

That event took place at Count Weiser’s property. I had traveled there with Hudson to facilitate a meeting with Serengeti. After a teleportation error triggered a spatial tear and allowed Flesh Hybrids to invade, Priest Andrew violated a sacred restriction to shield the local inhabitants. The Prayer of Adoration was a rite reserved strictly for the exaltation of the Goddess. Nevertheless, he directed it toward me, toward Randolph.

In the aftermath, I pardoned the transgression of Priest Andrew, who had been stripped of his divinity and aged decades in an instant. My goal was to restore his spirit through the use of an indulgence.

‘In that moment, I distinctly perceived the presence and the intent of the Goddess.’

Yet, the sister deities were gone. Rhea perished during the cataclysm, and Fina surrendered her life to ensure my safety. I questioned if only their physical forms had dissolved while their consciousness endured. Ultimately, Priest Andrew’s spiritual capacity intensified, and he was redeemed, was he not?

The current situation mirrored that past event. The holy boons utilized by the Goddess Cult’s Paladins and the initiation of the Sanctuary posed no obstacle to me. It felt as though I was in the company of the Goddess. This remained true even though I was currently in my original form, Park Hyunmyeong, rather than the body of Randolph.

‘The divine guardianship of the Goddess persists within this realm.’

The legacy they left behind was persisting. If it weren’t, the continued existence of the Goddess Cult would be illogical. Still, I was curious. Were they truly aware of the ‘Death of the Goddess’? Naturally, if anyone knew, it would be the Pope, who held a direct line to the deity. He might simply be maintaining a facade to stave off widespread panic.

Regardless, the passing of the two goddesses had clearly caused the Goddess Cult to lose its momentum.

‘Even if the Pope remains silent, others must be feeling the seeds of skepticism. It is unlikely that children blessed by the Goddess are still being born.’

Figures like Saintesses, Saints, or high-tier ministers would cease to emerge. I interpreted Cardinal Johansson’s decision to send his son into the Empire as a move born from this reality.

‘The Goddess Cult is hunting for a means of endurance…….’

They had also recently faced a setback in their conflict with the Balrog Cult. Though it wasn’t characterized as a total war, the loss must have been a heavy blow for an organization that considered itself invincible. To my mind, Aaron was a tool designed to smooth over the friction with the Empire, where resentment had reached a boiling point. He was a peace offering, essentially.

‘He likely hasn’t realized it, but Aaron was dropped into a deathtrap from the beginning.’

Even if his accompanying Paladins were formidable, they were no match for the Evil God Cult or the Eight Excellence Knights. Aaron’s own personal strength was mediocre. He was far too weak to have been sent for the purpose of achieving a military victory.

‘Aaron, the scion of Cardinal Johansson, is nothing more than a decoy.’

From the start, Aaron must have been designated as the ‘token of sincerity’ the Cult offered the Empire. Conversely, if the Empire were to strike Aaron down, the Cult might have used his death as leverage for diplomacy. It would be catastrophic if the Empire also mobilized against them while they were occupied with the Balrog Cult.

They labeled him a gift, but he was effectively live bait. A lure cast out with the desperate prayer that a fish would strike. For his part, Aaron likely joined the campaign with a sense of duty to honor the Goddess Cult, but through my eyes—knowing the goddesses were dead—he was a textbook ‘sacrificial lamb.’

Perhaps Aaron was an embarrassment to Cardinal Johansson. Based on his conduct, he was a man who didn’t fit the mold of the Goddess Cult. He lacked the grace expected of a Cardinal’s son.

‘Aaron came here to bring glory to the Goddess Cult and his father, but in reality, they sent him here hoping for his demise…… What a tragedy.’

It was possible my assessment was flawed. However, I felt it was almost certainly accurate. Otherwise, even considering Lyca’s oath, the motivation for the Cult to officially deploy Aaron made no sense. That was precisely why I had intended to end his life. Falling by my hand would be a more merciful end than being slaughtered by the Empire.

“I grant you absolution for your transgressions, Aaron.”

But I had a change of heart. I chose to let the man live. If there was even a shadow of a chance for him to change, providing a second opportunity wasn’t a bad idea. Right now, there were more pressing matters—

‘Roughly 200 individuals. That will suffice.’

Clearing the opposition in front of me was the priority. From the 11th floor to the 15th. The challenge of this spire, billed as an Equal Struggle, functioned as a ‘culling.’ The intent was to prune as many ‘potential victors’ as possible while everyone was on a level playing field. Withdrawal was no longer an option. From the moment the attributes were assigned, the ability to quit had been revoked. The fact that such ‘snares’ were in place……

‘War God Karas. Is this truly what you desire?’

He wanted a cycle of killing until only a solitary, supreme winner remained. It was like a Kodoku jar. He sought a sacrifice identical to the one the children experienced in that dimension Sonora and Isabella had endured. ……It appeared War God Karas was operating under a misconception. He seemed strangely pressed for time. I needed to ascend and uncover the cause.

《‘Heavenly Demon Descent’ is activated.》
《Duration: 42 seconds》
《Mana cost for all techniques is halved.》
《Skills of 3-stars or below within the ‘Descent Area’ are suppressed.》
《All ‘hostiles’ within the ‘Descent Area’ suffer a severe debuff: mana decreases by 1 point per second.》
《Opponents with a mana gap of 100 or more enter a ‘Combat Disabled’ state.》
《This effect cannot be resisted.》

Fwhiriririk!

In a flash, pinions of obsidian flame erupted from my shoulders. They were so vast they appeared to touch the very top of the chamber. This was the manifestation of the Evil God. It was the authentic shape of the ‘Heavenly Demon’ that he possessed in the ancient era before his imprisonment. At that moment—

“Ah……!”
“Wh-What is that monstrosity……!”

Shweeeeeeek!

A solitary black ‘Halo’ manifested behind me. The crowd shivered before this aura, which seemed to carry the weight of all the world’s tragedies. They were paralyzed. They didn’t dare resist.

—Heavenly Demon Reappearance.
—Submission of Ten Thousand Demons.

When the Heavenly Demon returns to the world, every dark path must bow. This applied even to those without faith. However, for those rare few who refused to yield—

Gu-ooooooo—!

They found only their end.

—

“H-Holy power is functioning!”
“Aaron-nim! Your physical form is mending!”
“The lost limbs are……!”

The Paladins’ expressions lit up. Until this moment, Aaron’s severed parts refused to reconnect no matter how much divine energy was applied. But suddenly, the holy power began to take hold, and his body began to fuse and mend itself.

“It’s a miracle!”
“Ah!”

The Paladins exhaled in collective relief. He had finally stepped back from the brink of the grave. However, their cries didn’t register with Aaron.

—I grant you absolution for your transgressions, Aaron.

Aaron understood that this sequence of miracles began the second those words were spoken. From the moment his sins were pardoned. The dormant holy energy began to pulse through his veins once more. Within his failing body, fresh skin grew over the scarred tissue and was made whole. The favor and safety of the Goddess were rescuing him.

But that wasn’t the most shocking part.

‘Indulgence…….’

An Indulgence had actually been bestowed. A rite that only a select few within the hierarchy could perform—and only three times in a lifetime—had been granted to him. Yet, by any metric, the man responsible was not a follower. It was impossible to see him as a clergyman.

‘That individual exists beyond the scope of the Goddess’s affection.’

Now he understood with absolute certainty. It wasn’t just a vague feeling; he knew how to define that man. He was the messenger of the Goddess’s intent. No, to be more precise—

“…That man is the manifestation of the Goddess herself.”

Gu-ooooooo—!

A lone halo, rising like an eclipsed sun, swept across the floor. Everyone in its path was erased from existence.

“A-Are you claiming that…… that terrifying form is truly the Goddess’s will?”
“But the Goddess represents mercy and plenty. That is clearly…….”
“Calamity, Ruins…… does ‘Total Annihilation’ not fit the description better?”

Naturally, they argued about how someone wielding such dark power could be the ‘Will of the Goddess.’ It didn’t align with concepts of mercy or abundance at all. However, Aaron simply shook his head.

“Can you really not perceive it?”

Aaron looked toward the space above the man’s head. But the Paladins could only look on in confusion.

“Perceive what, exactly?”
“I don’t see anything.”

Aaron gave a faint smile.

“Look. The two Goddesses are smiling.”

Aaron, the son of Cardinal Johansson, had been transformed into a zealot.

—

《Welcome to the 15th Floor of the tower.》
《Currently, 560 participants have reached the 15th floor.》
《Once 60 participants are removed, the gateway to the 16th floor will be revealed.》
《Get ready. The ‘Equal Struggle’ commences in 30 minutes.》

Tower of the War God, 15th floor. The atmosphere here was worlds apart from the previous levels.

“…….”
“…….”

No one huddled to strategize, and no one considered forming alliances. Their brains were redlining, struggling to process who to target or how to stay alive. Everyone was stuck in a loop, replaying what they had seen on the 14th floor. That singular display of force that had disintegrated nearly two hundred people in a heartbeat.

‘An Equal Struggle, they called it?’
‘Where is the equality in this?’
‘What is that creature? Is he even a human being?’

Only now did the participants recognize the inherent bias of this contest. It was never equal to begin with. They had tried to gain an advantage in their own ways, but they realized it was all for nothing.

Hyun of Adrium. He was a different breed. He was on a trajectory separate from theirs, and perhaps separate from anyone else in existence. The clues had been there. From the way he assimilated the Mirror of Life and Death manual the moment he laid eyes on it. Had he not deciphered hidden scripts, perfected impossible skills, and won the respect of Lyca? He was a prodigy who perceived a different reality than everyone else.

However, the people here were also considered ‘geniuses’ in their own right. If that were the case, did that make Hyun of Adrium a genius among geniuses?

‘A monster.’

He was an anomaly. A walking catastrophe that defied linguistic description, as the label of genius fell woefully short.

‘……He is unbeatable.’
‘He is a force of nature because no human can stand against him.’
‘That man is the disaster itself.’

The collective will to fight evaporated.

《The ‘Equal Struggle’ has commenced.》

The announcement rang out, but no one moved to fight. They simply scrambled to put as much distance between themselves and ‘him’ as possible. With the exception of one individual.

“A lowly follower bows before the Exalted One.”

It was Aaron, now a complete fanatic. His demeanor was the polar opposite of how he had acted on the 11th floor. He trailed the Disaster with an air of profound reverence. His body was fully healed, and his holy power felt purer than ever before.

‘……This is exhausting.’

Aaron, who was bowing low, only dared to peek upward. The intensity in his eyes was incredibly overwhelming. The shift in his personality was so drastic I questioned if he was the same person. Still, it wasn’t all bad. I was currently in a weakened state anyway.

《The duration of ‘Heavenly Demon Descent’ has expired; you are in a ‘Combat Disabled’ state for 24 hours.》
《‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art – Record of Life and Death’ triggers and harvests mana.》
《Mana has risen by 10.》
《‘True Supreme Wisdom Sword’ has tasted blood and advanced by one tier.》
《It has evolved into the ‘Exquisite Supreme Wisdom Sword.’》
《The Hidden Class ‘Destroyer’ has been synthesized via ‘Great Transmission.’》
《Do you wish to accept the ‘Destroyer’ Hidden Class?》

Notification windows continued to pop up. I sat with my back against the stone wall and read through them. Even in this state, I was evolving. But it wasn’t enough. Not if I wanted to reach the summit.

“Strike him down!”
“Stand your ground!”

Finally, the echoes of skirmishes began to drift in from the surrounding area. I slowly shut my eyes. I lost track of how much time passed in that silence.

《The 15th floor trial has ended.》
《The surviving 500 participants are being transferred to the 16th floor.》
《Attributes have been reset.》
《16th Floor, the battle against the ‘Ancient Demon Sansha’ begins.》
《Fight and claim your victory!》

……

……

《The presence of ‘Randolph’ is detected.》
《The identity of ‘Park Hyunmyeong’ is slipping away.》