Chapter 396

Chapter 396
Chapter 396: I Became a God

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“The atmosphere of the central mainland is certainly distinct compared to the southern regions.”

“The breeze is refreshing, devoid of even a grain of grime. The azure firmament and the glowing sun are truly sights to behold.”

“On another note, they referred to this place as the Golden City. It doesn’t appear as though the whole settlement is crafted from precious metal, does it?”

Beasts of absolute darkness scanned their environment.

Each creature was monstrously large, savage, and possessed a level of power that made ordinary predators seem insignificant.

Furthermore, in contrast to the beasts’ casual observations, the territory around them was already enduring a horrific downfall.

Fwoosh!

“He-help me!”

“Aaargh!”

It appeared as if a tide of black ink was drowning the land.

The obsidian monsters were crushing a civilization of men.

Arcana, a location once celebrated as the ‘Golden City’ and a beacon of global longing.

It was a metropolis that served as a vital transit point, linked to an immense network of cities and warp gates, having thrived immensely because of it. However…

Fwooooosh!

“Aaargh!”

“Someone, please rescue me!”

“Flee…!”

…They stood no chance against the onslaught of the dark creatures.

For a solitary urban center, Arcana maintained the most formidable private military force, numbering nearly 10,000 soldiers. Yet, when measured against the invading shadow beasts, they were drastically outmatched in both skill and sheer numbers.

It was, quite literally, a slaughter.

The image of endless towers toppling and the world being consumed by flames was staggering.

The architect behind this entire nightmare.

The Black King merely observed the panorama of ruin.

“Exquisite.”

It was truly stunning.

In his eyes, total annihilation was the ultimate form of creative expression.

Most importantly… those obsidian beasts were the masterpieces the Black King himself had forged.

Following a tireless process of trial and error, he had at last reached perfection.

By utilizing the remains of Raktusha and the Ant King Permon, combined with the vitality of a ‘High Elf’, he had birthed an entirely unique species of life.

The Black King.

He had evolved into a genuine progenitor.

He had stepped into the territory of the divine and emerged successful.

“Witness this, Despair.”

Positioned behind him was a mountain-sized, gargantuan titan.

One of the ancient disasters formerly known as the Four Perils from the age of antiquity.

The entity whispered to be the most horrifying among those four legends.

…Despair.

The genetic essence of Despair had also been integrated into those black beasts.

Because of this, every flaw that had once limited the Ant King Permon was rectified.

He could confidently label them as flawless lifeforms.

“Is this not an intoxicating vision?”

Mankind could never hope to halt the Black King’s army.

They were destined only to be torn apart at his whim.

‘I have ascended to godhood.’

A god of creation.

Only the organisms he breathed life into would be permitted to walk and inhabit this realm.

Swoosh.

Shortly after, dark elves materialized around the Black King, as silent and pervasive as shadows.

“We have completed the seizure of the warp gates.”

“Every gate has been secured and sealed.”

“If you give the word, we can initiate the infiltration of the ‘labyrinth’ immediately.”

The report confirmed they had taken control of every warp point in Arcana.

It had been a lightning-fast ambush; the defenders hadn’t even been granted the opportunity to deactivate the gates.

Consequently… it was now possible to transition into any city linked to Arcana.

Labyrinth City was among those destinations.

The bridge between the Golden City of Arcana and Labyrinth City was well-established.

By utilizing Arcana’s gate, they could teleport straight into the core of Labyrinth City.

To capture the vital center in a single movement.

However, the Black King, inspecting the warp coordinates, scowled slightly.

“…They have already rerouted the warp’s destination.”

The endpoint had been shifted away from the heart of Labyrinth City, moved instead toward the outer threshold.

It was an intriguing development.

Was it possible they had sensed the strike on Arcana before it landed?

Even though the aerial assault had been executed in total secrecy.

The only parties aware of this offensive were the Death God Cult and the Black King himself.

“Should we advance?”

“Hmm.”

The Black King rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

He did not place full confidence in the Death God Cult.

He was aware they directed the Balrog Order and dictated terms to various other factions, but they could not dictate terms to the Black King.

‘This already deviates from the arrangement they presented.’

They had explicitly promised him direct access to the labyrinth’s inner sanctum.

Yet, upon verifying the gate’s destination, it led only to the entrance, not the center.

This implied he would have to fight his way through the labyrinth from the very first floor.

It suggested either the ruler of Labyrinth City had altered the gates in anticipation, or the Death God Cult had fed him a fabrication.

He found neither possibility acceptable.

The first scenario meant his “surprise” was no surprise at all, and the second meant he had to be constantly vigilant for a knife in his back.

Naturally, he did not fear the prospect of conquering the labyrinth.

He was certain of his eventual victory.

The concern was the aftermath of the occupation.

What if the Death God Cult chose that moment to betray him?

What if they intended to ambush him while he was occupied?

‘My target is the White King—that wretch’s skull.’

If he took over Labyrinth City, which was the domain of the fifth Juyeok, the White King would be forced to act.

In fact, he might already be in motion.

The Black King’s primary objective was the execution of the White King.

That man was guaranteed to show himself, whether or not the Black King bothered to conquer the labyrinth.

The Black King understood the White King’s temperament all too well.

“Where is the infiltration path of the Death God Cult?”

“About that… my apologies. We have lost their trail.”

“…You lost them?”

The Black King tilted his head in disbelief.

The concealment talents of the dark elves were impressive enough to gain even his respect.

It was nonsensical for them to lose track of a massive mobilization by the Death God Cult.

The dark elf messenger replied with his gaze fixed on the ground.

“They vanished into the abyss without warning, so… I am deeply disgraced.”

The abyss. He speaks of the void.

Had they collectively lost their minds?

However, thinking on it, the Empire was the entity that possessed the most extensive records regarding the abyss.

Under the leadership of Lyca, who had subdued the abyss and spearheaded the Empire’s territorial growth.

The Death God Cult would likely possess similar data.

And from what the Black King understood.

“…A corridor exists within the abyss.”

The abyss was interconnected, much like the world of Pangenia.

They might have located a hidden path leading into the labyrinth from those depths.

The labyrinth itself was a structure that had emerged from the abyss to begin with.

If that were the case….

‘Did they plan to slip in through the back while I drew the labyrinth’s ire with my frontal assault?’

The pieces were falling into place.

A strategy where the Death God Cult would claim an easy victory while the Black King and his army served as the noisy distraction.

“Tsk, disrespectful pests.”

He had no desire to be a puppet in their games.

Yet, it was also true that he was too intrigued by the internal state of the labyrinth to withdraw now.

“If you failed in your tracking, you must compensate for the error.”

The Black King stared at the dark elves.

At those words, the dark elves broke into a cold sweat.

They understood exactly what ‘compensate’ implied in this context.

“…Understood. We will scout the labyrinth and return with intelligence.”

“It truly offers a view of everything.”

Abelove, the vice-captain of the Round Table, remarked.

“Wow, this is incredible.”

The lancer Valte was equally struck by the sight.

“…Hypnos. Is this the capability of that deity?”

The White King shared their sentiment.

The massive orb situated before them was the source.

The deity of dreams, Hypnos, had bestowed upon them an ‘eye’ charged with his divine influence.

Hypnos had once functioned as the eye of ‘Ruin’ in ancient times.

Monitoring a single Labyrinth City was child’s play for such a power.

Because of it, they could track every occurrence within the labyrinth as it happened.

“The dark elves have made their move.”

“Just as we suspected, they utilized the Arcana route.”

Hudson expanded on Isaac’s observations.

The Empire was aware that Hudson was the functional administrator of the labyrinth.

Given Hudson’s deep ties to Arcana, he had anticipated they would target that city for a surprise invasion.

The variable had been ‘who’ would lead the charge.

“Since the dark elves are mobilizing… it must be the Black King.”

Priest Andrew finally spoke up.

If they had transitioned through the gates, Arcana would be facing total devastation by now.

He had tried to organize an early withdrawal, but Arcana’s governing council had ignored Hudson’s warnings.

“Priest Andrew. Are you holding up?”

When Hudson asked with genuine concern, Priest Andrew gave a stiff nod.

“…Yes. I am alright.”

Priest Andrew had journeyed to the elven groves to find his spouse, ‘Elder Auril’.

However, he had been intercepted by dark elves, and many elves—including high elves—had been taken captive.

Identifying the Black King as the mastermind wasn’t difficult.

The White King himself had confirmed it.

And among the prisoners was his wife, Elder Auril.

“……”

He claimed to be fine, but how could he be?

Everyone in the room could see that Priest Andrew was being consumed by internal grief.

Hudson pivoted the conversation.

“The Death God Cult and the Balrog Order are all making their way into the labyrinth.”

The sphere didn’t just show the surface gates.

Deep beneath the labyrinth.

There were figures navigating the tunnels of the abyss.

The Death God Cult and the Balrog Order.

They likely believed they were operating in total secrecy, but.

“It isn’t a problem. The Golden Goblins and the Golden Goblin Lord have already obstructed all routes.”

Everything was under observation.

The Golden Goblins had sealed the tunnels well in advance.

Specifically, the Golden Goblin Lord, ‘Greed’, was obsessed with protecting the labyrinth’s riches from intruders.

He had worked tirelessly to shut down every possible crawlspace, ensuring their clandestine plans would fail.

If they wanted entry, they would be forced to use the front door like everyone else.

“Executors, please prepare to welcome our guests.”

“…As you wish.”

Phantom’s manifestations were beginning to gather at the labyrinth’s perimeter.

At this, the Thunder Lion nodded and began to move out alongside the Executors.

‘The Death God Cult, the Balrog Order, the Black King. That seems to be the main roster for now.’

Hudson pondered the situation.

The scale of the opposition was finally becoming clear.

As predicted, the Empire had not launched a full-scale military intervention.

Still, it would be foolish to underestimate the latent power of the Death God Cult.

However… the champions assembled here were legendary in their own right.

The advantage of knowing the enemy’s every move through Hypnos’s orb was also a massive strategic edge.

“In that case……”

…It was winnable.

They would undoubtedly emerge victorious in this conflict.

And to ensure that.

“…Let us commence the counteroffensive.”

Hudson allowed a small smile to form.

“…The path is shut?”

The Golden Mask scowled.

The strategy to infiltrate the labyrinth via the abyss had hit a wall.

Labyrinth City had originally ascended from these depths and was once the territory of the ‘Hexagonal Hero, Riley’.

He had managed to locate a forgotten passage to the labyrinth within the archives of the old Empire.

Yet, the way was barred.

‘There is no way they could have anticipated this and blocked it….’

Was it mere luck?

Or was the ancient text wrong, and the path had always been sealed?

“What is the status of the alternate routes?”

“They… they are all obstructed, sir.”

Ha.

Every single one.

How was such a thing even possible?

“…We are retreating.”

Regardless of the reason, they were currently deep within the abyss.

No one could endure the atmosphere of the abyss for an extended period.

The forces of the Death God Cult immediately turned around and began retracing their steps toward the entry point.

After some time had passed…

“Aaargh!”

“A m-monster!”

Shrieks of terror began to erupt from the vanguard.

Something was standing in the way of their exit.

Beasts of colossal proportions.

The Golden Mask, witnessing their arrival, was gripped by sudden panic.

“…Star Guardians?”

Why on earth were they being targeted by them?

Furthermore, the Guardians were specifically blockading the exit from the abyss.

“It can’t be……”

Had the Star Guardians mobilized because of the threat to the labyrinth, and more importantly, had they tracked every single movement of the Death God Cult?

That seemed impossible.

Their operation had been completely covert.

Even the dark elves had failed to maintain a tail.

Unless a traitor had surfaced from within, or a high-ranking executive of the Death God Cult had sold them out, this scenario was unthinkable.

Therefore….

“…Who sold us out?”

The Golden Mask’s eyes, as he scanned the Orthodox Guardians, became as cold and dark as the abyss itself.