Chapter 346

Read on KatReadingCafe

It started with a small curiosity.

The descendants of the ‘Ancient One’.

The new gods who rule over the monsters.

From the cozy ancient times, the Devil Gods had harbored one question:

Can a new Devil God be born?

They were divine beings born from the corpse parts of the ‘Ancient One’.

False gods born when the remains, torn into 72 pieces by the seasons, each gained its own consciousness.

Hence the doubt.

Even though the process was different, monsters were also creations of the ‘Ancient One’.

Other descendants born from the flesh and blood of a dull and blind father.

Can monsters also become Devil Gods?

Living beings are constantly evolving. The most inferior low rank monster can evolve into a high rank monster through countless battles and experiences. 

There are also cases where high rank monsters evolve into named monsters after grueling trials.

Furthermore, there were monsters that completely transcended the category of ‘monsters’.

Demonic Beasts.

The higher species of monsters.

Monsters that even Devil Gods could not easily dismiss.

If they could achieve another level of sublimation.

Would their strength reach that of a Devil God?

Could the 73rd Devil God be born?

Some Devil Gods viewed this long-standing question positively, while others viewed it negatively.

Monsters grow. Demonic Beasts are proof of potential. A Demonic Beast is the intermediate step before a monster becomes a Devil God. A Demonic Beast is an egg, and the monster that hatches from that egg will finally sublimate into a Devil God. The birth of a new divinity.

However, there are limits to growth. There is an end to the direction a creature can take. No matter how similar the origins, the innate vessels were different. Devil Gods and monsters were born with extreme disparities. Could that gap really be bridged?

“If you’re curious about the answer to an unsolvable riddle, you can find it yourself.”

Belial decided to find the answer to the seemingly eternal conundrum himself. 

The Devil God of Creation. The ruler of creatures. The 68th ranked Devil God created monsters with his authority. He sowed countless seeds and birthed countless monsters. 

The results were mostly disappointing. Growth always hit a limit. Most didn’t even become Demonic Beasts, and only a very few sublimated into Demonic Beasts. But that was the limit. Growth stagnated at some point.

Why does growth stop?

Why can’t they go further?

Lack of talent? He created them with ‘the best talent’.

Lack of time? They are immortal. There should be no shortage of lifespan.

Then what exactly is lacking?

“Desire is the driving force of growth.”

Belial concluded, after observing his creations, that it was due to a lack of will.

Those who are satisfied with the strength they have reached.

Those who give up, blocked by an insurmountable wall.

There is no desire. No will. No motivation. No fighting spirit.

“Harbor obsession.”

Belial created creatures again. They were different from other monsters. From birth, a destiny was engraved upon them. An impossible destiny was imprinted. A reason for living. A duty to be fulfilled without fail. As long as they breathed, they moved forward maniacally. Towards a definite goal.

The Giant of Fire and End.

Surtr was such a creation.

One who was given the arrogant destiny to destroy gods.

Starting as a dying ember.

Burning. Devouring. Killing. Spreading.

A giant of fire who even acquired the epithet of ‘End.’

That strength would surely reach even a Devil God.

“I thought it was a masterpiece, but it’s lacking. Far too lacking. Is it ultimately a failure?”

But Belial’s evaluation was cold.

Perhaps it was natural.

The flame that burned the world was extinguished before the wind.

The giant of fire and ending was defeated by the Giant God of Storms.

The strongest Demonic Beast, Typhon.

The Demonic Beast closest to a Devil God.

He even surpassed Devil Gods in certain fields.

Surtr challenged Typhon and was defeated.

He even tried to burn Typhon and make him his nourishment, but the result was disastrous. 

At first, it was a stalemate. A tense battle where no one could predict the winner. A volcano incinerating all things and a typhoon overturning the earth. 

Their duel resembled a battle between Devil Gods. But the balance slowly began to tilt to one side. 

Little by little, the gap widened, and soon Typhon seized the victory as if collapsing. After that, it was a one-sided massacre. Typhon overwhelmingly defeated Surtr.

“Not only did you lose, but you were spared by the enemy’s mercy… You are utterly insignificant. Know your shame.”

The only reason Surtr survived was that Typhon had shown mercy.

He fought because he was challenged, and he defeated him because he fought.

There was no need to take his life.

It was the ultimate humiliation.

“After all, there is a limit to created talent and obsession. If ‘that kind of thing’ occurs naturally… Perhaps the method was wrong from the start. Karma. That’s something that can’t be created.”

After that day, Belial stopped creating monsters.

He judged that the methods used so far were wrong, so he changed his approach.

Surtr’s defeat was not due to a difference in specifications. Rather, in terms of pure ability, they were equal or slightly superior. Nevertheless, the reason he was so miserably defeated was probably the difference between a genuine and a fake. Purely innate talent and intentionally created talent. That slight difference determined the outcome.

Belial abandoned all his creations and left.

The creator was not so merciful as to care about failures.

He only shares attention to those who have proven their value, as much as that value is worth.

That was the way of the 68th ranked Devil God.

[Why?]

Surtr thought, watching the Devil God leave. He did as he was told, and he had worked so hard to fulfill his engraved destiny. 

You created us, so why do you turn your back on us? What. What on earth? What was lacking in me?

[My father]

[Why?]

Is it because I lost?

If so, I can fight again and win.

One defeat is enough to make up for.

If I defeat Typhon, will you look at me again?

Will you look at me with anticipation as before?

[No]

[It’s meaningless]

Surtr looked down at his cooling body.

His father, who had already lost hope in him, would not turn around even if he defeated Typhon.

Unless he fulfills the destiny given by his father…

[It’s futile]

Surtr gripped his cooling greatsword.

From the beginning, Belial had no expectations for him.

He was just an experimental subject after all. If Belial had expectations, he would not have given him such an absurd destiny as the annihilation of the Devil Gods. He would not have turned away after just one defeat. From the beginning, Surtr was just a disposable pawn.

[Useless]

He was disgusted with himself for being so elated and saddened by the actions of the creator.

It is a constraint that prevents creations from rebelling against the creator.

Surtr understood that fact deep in his heart.

Until now, he had known but ignored it…

There was no reason to do so anymore.

[…I see]

[It is the destiny you have given me]

[I can never escape from this tiresome duty]

The embers that were cooling down regained their heat.

Surtr restored his broken body with flames and raised his mountain-like body.

[Then I will follow it]

[The Twilight of the Gods will come]

[That is the destiny given to me]

[It was your mistake to turn your attention away from me]

Surtr’s lips tore open, revealing dagger-like teeth. His burning eyes stared at the sky. It was the color of the sunset.

[I will destroy all the Devil Gods]

[And I will destroy you too]

[This is the will of God]

[No]

[It is my will]

Surtr was truly reborn as the Giant of the End.

It was the Twilight of the Gods.

◈

‘Yes, tear, burn, and kill.’

Surtr glared at the approaching giant tree. It regenerates endlessly even if it is burned and cut. Since the rate of incineration and the rate of regeneration are equal, Surtr was in a state where he could not move an inch. Flames blazed. Surtr’s sun-like giant eyes stared at the ground as if to pierce it. It’s there. It was right there. 

The Devil God. The Creator.

‘I was going to kill you last… But now that it’s like this, it wouldn’t be bad to change the order.’

My father.

No, my mother.

You have become so small and pathetic.

If it were you in your original form, you would have extinguished my fire first.

Is it now only capable of restraint?

‘I wonder what happened that it degenerated so much.’

Surtr almost laughed at the fall of the noble Devil God. 

If she was weakened, it was an opportunity that could not be better. Surtr had high intelligence, as befitting a Demonic Beast. He had the intellect to analyze the situation objectively. 

The Devil God’s strength surely surpasses him. If it was a complete Devil God, the chances of winning were not high. But if it was a wounded beast, it was a different story.

‘I will burn you and devour you to make you my firewood. To burn me even more…’

The more the flame spreads, the fiercer it becomes.

I might finally reach the strength of a Devil God.

Starting with Belial, I will burn everything in this world. I will burn, destroy, and turn it into ashes, even more. Even more. I will grow the flames of the end. Until the moment I kill all the Devil Gods and complete my destiny. 

It didn’t matter if he died as a result.

‘But…’

Why do I feel like something is wrong?

Surtr frowned like a rock at the subtle sense of incongruity.

‘Is it really weakened?’

The presence is shaking. The pressure I feel is not as great as before. 

Weak. She has become weaker. But something was strange. What is it that makes me feel uneasy? 

Surtr thought. Judgment is important in battle. Even the slightest sense of incongruity should not be ignored. It was a matter of course that he had learned from his battle with Typhon. 

Think, deduce, and conclude. 

Surtr looked at where he was standing. He couldn’t move a step forward. He was still in the same spot.

‘If it was truly weakened, there is no way I couldn’t break this restraint.’

The giant tree steadily binds Surtr. It multiplies endlessly from the moment it first grabbed him. It tied his legs, tied his arms, tied his neck, and tied his greatsword. It seals all movements. 

Thanks to that, Surtr could not move from the place where he descended. Although he quickly cuts it off, another giant tree immediately replaces it, so the result is the same.

‘It’s not complete either.’

If it was Belial.

If it was the mother he knew.

She would use a tactic to flood the surrounding area with water.

Water extinguishes fire. Surtr’s fire does not go out, but it was not impossible if pressed with even greater force. Why doesn’t she do that? Is it because there is no need to do that? Or is it because she can’t even if she wants to? The hot eyes rolled. The flames that rose like a helmet ignited like a sacred fire.

‘It is true that she has weakened. But even if she has weakened, the output has not dropped drastically. Why is she restricting creation?’

It’s not that she can’t create monsters, it’s that she’s not creating them.

Then why?

‘…Could it be that she is protecting something?’

If the surrounding area is flooded with water, the safety of the creatures living in this land cannot be guaranteed. Most of them are likely to die. They will die even if Surtr goes on a rampage. 

He is a Demonic Beast. The Giant of the End. He could turn kilometers into ashes with one sword. 

That’s why she desperately blocks him. She is wasting all her energy on the act of blocking. Even though she has plenty of ways to dodge Surtr’s attacks and counterattack…

‘It’s absurd.’

It was a truly absurd guess.

Surtr let out a snort.

But it was a guess that wouldn’t hurt to try.

Whether it was right or wrong, there was no harm in testing it.

Surtr’s eyes began to burn hotly.

Author Note

A/N (Author’s note):
Today, the author’s word is getting omitted too!

Translator Note

T/N (Translator’s note):
Oi!!!