Chapter 338

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Swish.

An eerie slicing sound cut through the air.

An invisible strike.

A blade imperceptible to the naked eye.

Therefore, to react, one had to concentrate on other senses.

Astaroth let out a dry laugh at the menacing blades coming at her every moment.

Arms. Shoulders. Legs. Ankles. Ribs. Throat. Groin. Chest.

Chops rained down on every part of her, as if slicing ingredients on a cutting board.

Blocking was impossible. 

Spatial Slash. A technique that cut through space itself.

This was the troublesome aspect of Murmur. The power to dominate the ‘concept’ of space. Most of the techniques of the child in the white cloud mask were unblockable finishing moves. 

Even if one managed to block, she would shatter the space itself. A bothersome ability that fundamentally blocked the opponent’s guard. 

To counter it, one had to either use a power of the same caliber, possess an extraordinary durability to withstand the collapse of space, or simply give up on blocking and focus on evasion.

Astaroth’s choice was naturally the third option. The power to mimic Murmur’s ability was in an overloaded state. Without Eugene’s supernatural ability, there was neither hardening nor super-regeneration. Consequently, the only remaining option was evasion.

“Are you serious?”

Murmur said, as if dumbfounded.

“Did you get too overconfident after obtaining the body of the Chosen One? Did you lose your mind? Have you lost your ability to judge?”

Swish. Swish. Swish. 

The sound of slicing echoed continuously. Hot blood splattered in all directions. Astaroth narrowly evaded, but significant wounds were etched all over her body.

“Starting a new Devil  God War? I might understand if it were just me, but even with Agares here, you’re trying to fight? You were a crazy bitch… no, a crazy bastard, but I didn’t think you were this stupid.”

For the child in the white cloud mask, this situation was quite unexpected. 

‘Already exhausted from fighting against the God of War, and now you’re trying to fight us?’

She naturally thought she would give up resisting and surrender obediently. Agares, by nature, did not inflict unnecessary sanctions on those who surrendered. 

She would be sealed until the ‘Great Work’ was completed, but at least she wouldn’t die. If that happened, both the ‘Troublemaker’ and the ‘Chosen One’ problems would be solved, a win-win situation, she thought…

“Do you really want to die? Hey, get a grip. This isn’t the Devil God War back then. It’s not about fighting to wear each other down without killing each other. You’ll die. You’ll really be obliterated.”

“Ahahaha, are you worried about me? See, you do like me after all?”

“Bullshit. Just die already.”

“If I die, one Devil God seat will become vacant, right? There are many promising candidates among the monsters these days, aren’t there? The child I took in has good growth potential, too. 

How about raising that child to be the next 29th Devil God? You were curious, weren’t you? 

Whether a being not born as a Devil God could become an equal existence to us. After all, we are all descendants of the same ‘Ancient One’. The only difference between them and us is that we inherited more blood, right?”

The difference between a monster and a Devil God was only one thing.

Flecks of flesh less than dust from the Ancient One and 72 pieces of their body.

In the end, the origin was the same, so depending on growth, a monster could become a Devil God.

Monsters evolved into demonic beasts. Then what if a demonic beast evolved one step further?

In fact, the strongest demonic beast, Typhon, was a demonic beast that almost reached the level of a Devil God.

“Is that even something to say right now…!”

Murmur was about to shout, but bit his lip until it tore. 

‘Don’t get agitated. She’s deliberately provoking me. A trick to grab and shake me.’

She hated Astaroth. She was serious. If she could, she really wanted to kill her.

But Astaroth was a Devil God. The same Devil God. Brothers and sisters born from the same parent. With a few exceptions, Devil Gods had at least a minimum of affection for each other. 

Murmur was the same. It was a love-hate relationship. She hated her, but she couldn’t deny a sense of familiarity. If it was just a matter of beating her up a bit, it would be fine, but if she really tried to kill her, she couldn’t help but be shaken.

The original Murmur would not be swayed by such emotions. If necessary, she would sigh and cut off Astaroth’s head in an instant.

However, the current Murmur was not a Devil God, but a Devil. She was subtly influenced by the possessed body. The hesitation that slowed her hand frustrated her. What was even more frustrating was that Astaroth, having noticed her situation, was subtly provoking her. 

Couldn’t she shut that mouth? Should she just kill her for real? Ah, that’s what she came here to do. But did she really have to kill her? If only the ‘Great Work’ was completed, Astaroth would also…

“Murmur.”

“…Understood.”

At Agares’ quiet word, Murmur sighed. What was the point of her worries when it was the Noble Prince’s order? 

Yeah, well. It was Astaroth’s fault in the first place. If she was going to resent anyone, she should resent her own stupidity. The gaze of Murmur, hidden behind the white cloud mask, sank coldly. 

She forcibly cut off her hesitation. It was a hesitation created by the vessel in the first place. If she had the will, she could cut it off at any time.

“…A family feud, huh? I knew it, but you guys are really messed up.”

Cough. 

Every time he breathed, blood flowed out. Yoo-seong forcibly clung to his consciousness, which seemed to be on the verge of flickering out. He couldn’t muster any strength in his body. 

In all his long years, he could count on one hand the times he had been this powerless. He twisted his lips. Yoo-seong chuckled and said.

“It was just a hypothetical situation… but seeing you save me, it must have been true. Ha, unbelievable.”

The Chosen One remained silent.

If he did, Bael would also remain silent.

It was a promise made by the Chosen One and the King of Devil Gods.

A fragile promise, like glass, that could be broken at any time.

“If I die and become silent forever, was Baal planning to remain silent as well? That bastard has a sense of loyalty, surprising.”

“The previous Chosen One. You were a subject of close attention. Your strength could not be underestimated even by us. It was clear that you would inevitably hinder the Great Work.”

If he was left alive, he would surely become a formidable enemy.

But he couldn’t be killed either.

Then there was only one way to deal with him.

“Space designation. Singularity construction. Phase implementation. It was a pain to meet you, and let’s never see each other again.”

As Murmur flicked her finger, space began to distort. 

His vision blurred. Everything was refracted. Space, even time. Yoo-seong raised his blood-soaked chin. He glared at Agares with a frown. He immediately realized what was happening. 

It was similar to when he fell into the Abyss due to Astaroth’s trap. 

Sealing. To think he would be sealed twice in one day.

“Sleep miserably in nothingness. When you awaken again, everything will have changed.”

“We’ll see. It won’t go the way you want it to.”

Yoo-seong said mockingly. All he could do was to trust the remaining children. It would be alright. There was no way that the Four Seasons would let the world perish, and Eugene was still here. He had lost his body, but that child was still the ‘Chosen One’. 

What mattered was not the body, but the mind and the spirit. If he awakened properly, he was a child who would surpass him. And the captains who had reached the peak… Lucia, the Blessed Saintess, was there. It was okay to think it was vague. It was okay to think it was irresponsible. But Yoo-seong had a firm belief.

“I’m not great. In the end, I’m just one of the parts that keep the world running. Even if I’m gone, another part will replace that spot. Don’t underestimate us, Devil God. Humans aren’t as weak as you think.”

“Thanks for the advice. I’ll keep it in mind.”

Space closed.

Time froze.

In a world that was coming to a standstill, he closed his eyes.

As if sleeping. As if dreaming.

Yoo-seong’s consciousness faded like a bubble.

The previous Chosen One.

The Commander of the Celestial Corps.

The God of War.

It was the moment he completely disappeared from the world.

◈

“Now that we’ve gotten rid of the baggage, shall we get serious?”

Astaroth said, brushing the dust off her body. Dripping blood splattered the floor. The wounds were not shallow. The blood pooling on the floor was forming puddles. 

At this rate, excessive bleeding was certain. But Astaroth was still energetic. Even without super-regeneration, she wasn’t without the regenerative power of a Devil God.

She smiled confidently and gazed ahead. Contrary to her seemingly relaxed appearance, her nerves were on edge. She clearly recognized who she was standing in front of. 

Agares. Even a moment of carelessness was forbidden in front of this man. If she took her eyes off him for even a moment, she would be instantly killed. 

The reason she couldn’t properly evade Murmur’s strike was because she was constantly wary of Agares, which consumed her energy.

‘Offense is the best defense. I’ll strike first.’

Right foot forward.

Lower the blade.

Slightly tilt the upper body.

Eugene’s basic stance.

The experience engraved in her body moved Astaroth.

Astaroth’s mood was slightly elevated by that fact.

It was as if she was fighting alongside her brother.

At the same time, her mood sank. It was too late to catch up to her brother. By now, his soul would have adapted to the body. It was a pity. But these worries should be saved for later. For now, preserving her life was the priority.

“Sun Sword.”

The Scarlet Blade, blazing with crimson flames, shone like a scorching sun.

The radiance, as if grabbing the sun in the sky and dragging it to the ground, dyed the earth.

Rotate and compress. The most basic technique of the Sun Sword. Astaroth swung the blade from left to right.

“Single Slash.”

A red line was drawn.

The flames compressed to the extreme, cleaved through all things.

The power contained in the small line was a blade that divided the world in two.

This alone was terrifying enough, but the true value lay elsewhere.

Releasing the compressed power in an instant.

A large-scale explosion occurred, inflicting additional damage.

It was a simple but sure-fire ultimate technique of Eugene.

If the current Astaroth were to use it, even a Devil God would have to endure considerable damage. It was enough as a deterrent. She had no intention of winning in the first place. 

Her goal was to buy time. She only had to hold out until Agares was banished from the world. Time was on her side. Yes, the passing time was on her…

“I see. Now that we’ve sealed the previous Chosen One, there’s nothing to hold us back. You’re right. Let’s get serious.”

Agares clenched his fist tightly.

“The passing time is on your side. Our time is limited.”

An ominous glint emanated from behind the Blue Rakshasa mask.

“We have little time. We must use it wisely.”

The 2nd ranked Devil God.

His power was unleashed.

“But you should know. While ‘Time’ is on your side, it is also on ‘Our’ side.”

At the same time.

Movement stopped.

Sound stopped.

The red line stopped.

The sun stopped.

Everything stopped.

“First, We must stop the flow of time.”

Time Stop.

The world stopped.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Author’s… note…

End.

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Don’t forget the service, you brat!!

Anyway, the idiot got sealed again, what a noob.