Ch.95Ep.95 The Enemy Was Close

It would be a lie to say I never doubted.

Radios had always wondered what Azathoth’s true intentions were.

After all, he already had the experience of serving a god only to be thoroughly ignored and betrayed.

Though he never expressed it, he thought Azathoth might betray him too.

That’s why he had planned to drain everything he could and cut ties before Azathoth could betray him first.

But what the hell was this situation now?

Veichel, her eyes stained red, had thrust Gungnir into her own heart.

And Azathoth, as if he’d been waiting for this moment, terminated their apostle contract.

But it didn’t end there.

The two Divine Fragments he had carefully kept—Replication and Infinity—floated up toward the sky.

Smoke billowed from within them, forming the shape of a man.

It was Azathoth—the Blind Idiot God, the second deity Radios had served.

The one who had once again carved the word “betrayal” into his heart.

“That was quite entertaining. I didn’t expect you’d handle those interfering pests yourself, even though my body had already recovered long ago.”

“Aza… thoooooth!!”

“Shouting won’t help you. I’ll be taking your system now too.”

“Aaaaargh!”

Radios tried to use God-Slaying Light Sword in his rage, but the skill wouldn’t activate.

‘What? Why not…!’

Though his body was in tatters, he still had mana left. He should have enough to use God-Slaying Light Sword.

Azathoth burst into laughter at the sight of Radios struggling, finding it ridiculous.

“You fool! How can you use skills that you made your own through the power of Replication when that power has been withdrawn?”

“..!”

“I suppose the original skill was that Flashing Heaven Sword or whatever? But all the skills incorporated into God-Slaying Light Sword were replicated using my fragment’s power.”

How could you use God-Slaying Light Sword when that fragment has withdrawn its blessing from you?

Radios bit his lip, forgetting his pain at Azathoth’s mocking words.

Thinking about it, he had been acting under Azathoth’s palm from the beginning of this life.

Without the Divine Fragment: Replication, he wouldn’t have even attempted to steal Astrape.

Without Astrape, the God-Killing Bullet skill would never have been created.

‘Wait, if that’s the case…’

God-Killing Bullet wasn’t a skill created using Replication’s power, but one made solely with his own power.

If he could use that skill to snipe Azathoth’s head—

Slash.

“Aaaaargh!”

“Sorry, but your intentions were too obvious.”

Had Chaos, who had taken over Veichel’s body, figured out Radios’s plan to use God-Killing Bullet?

She slashed his wrist with her spear.

‘But I…?! What! Why isn’t it healing?!’

“Relying on some skill like Goblin Mask or whatever… you’re not even worth fighting.”

The reason was Chaos’s Ascended Order: Void.

No matter how excellent a goblin’s regeneration might be, it couldn’t compare to the Ascended Order of Void.

Moreover, with his heart destroyed, there was nothing Radios could do now.

“Cough! Cough! Were you two… on the same side from the beginning?!”

“Yes. Chaos creating Olympus and disappearing, me being the leader of the Outer God forces—it was all for this. Though I was betrayed in the middle which made things a bit troublesome… wasn’t it fun?”

“Fun?! Ugh! Cough! Cough!”

Radios couldn’t hold back anymore and kept coughing up blood.

The only reason he was still alive despite being stabbed in the heart was thanks to his Divine Order, Judgment.

It was desperately controlling the space around his heart to keep blood flowing throughout his body.

But his heart, pierced by Gungnir, showed no signs of recovery.

Azathoth smiled with ecstasy at the sight of Radios.

How could he not be pleased seeing someone who once worked so well for him now writhing at his feet?

“I’ll take this as my win. The throne of the next world is mine.”

“So be it.”

“Next… world?”

“Ah, I suppose it’s time to tell you the truth about the world.”

Radios couldn’t focus on the conversation between Azathoth and Chaos.

What did they mean by “next world”?

And what was this “throne” they mentioned?

Questions consumed his mind faster than the pain.

The mere thought of being betrayed had made normal thinking impossible for Radios.

“Whenever Chaos and I get bored, we create worlds and make wagers. The winner becomes king, and the loser retreats as a non-existent being.”

“What… does that…”

“Don’t understand? Let me explain simply. This world was born from a wager between Chaos and me.”

“..!”

What was he saying?

This universe where countless life forms exist was merely the result of a wager between two beings?

Radios’s pupils shook as if experiencing an earthquake upon hearing this absurd truth.

“The winner erases the world and creates one to their liking. The loser creates one thing they want in that world and observes the winner’s world.”

“What the hell are you talking about?!”

“And when the loser wishes, they challenge the winner to another wager to determine the world’s continuation.”

“I’m asking what the hell you’re talking about!!”

An enraged Radios used Flashing Heaven Sword to lunge at Azathoth.

But Azathoth blocked his strike with just one finger.

“Still don’t understand? The world is a playground for Chaos and me. Nothing more, nothing less.”

“..!”

“So the sand in the playground should disappear now. This world will soon end.”

“Azathooooooth!!!!!”

Radios poured all his Divine Orders protecting his body into Flashing Heaven Sword and swung at him.

Clang!

“Do you think a mere grain of sand like you can hurt a creator?”

“Damn… it…”

Chaos, who had taken over Veichel’s body holding Gungnir, annihilated Radios’s Flashing Heaven Sword.

With his final strike failed, Radios’s physical condition began to deteriorate rapidly.

“Bleegh! Cough!”

His heart couldn’t function properly, and as the blood circulation slowed, his blood pressure dropped dramatically.

In the brief moment of consciousness, Radios used his Divine Order of Judgment to circulate his blood, but…

“Urrrgh..!”

Even that was reaching its limit.

Azathoth turned his gaze away from the dying Radios and spoke with Chaos.

“The witch will prepare the intervention. I think it’s better to keep him alive for the next world.”

“A guy who wandered around so much and even learned the truth of the world… interesting.”

“The Outer Universe is a mess. Shall we go clean it up?”

“Yes. I was thinking of doing that anyway.”

After finishing their conversation, Chaos used her Ascended Order to create a small jewel.

She called it Divine Fragment: Iron Blood and handed it to Azathoth.

Then Radios recalled something Azathoth had once mentioned casually.

-I see… is he also preparing to rise?

Come to think of it, Azathoth hadn’t actively intervened with Radios after saying those words.

Perhaps he had been preparing his betrayal since then.

“Damn… it!”

He felt powerless.

Just like when Serena stabbed him in the back, and he prayed to Hades who would never listen.

Why do people become so meaningless when they approach death?

If he died here, it would be complete annihilation.

For beings with Divine Orders, death meant the annihilation of even the soul.

“Stay still and don’t move. That way, you’ll die less painfully.”

“I won’t… let you… go…”

“Shhh. If you continue, I’ll eliminate your companions first.”

“..!”

“If you want to save them, don’t move even an inch. Consider it the final mercy from the god you served.”

“Azathooooooth!”

Azathoth left with an unpleasant laugh.

Chaos, no longer needing Veichel’s body, turned into black powder and left her body.

Veichel, freed from the force controlling her, collapsed unconscious.

“I won’t… end like this..!”

Radios crawled toward Veichel.

Grab.

Checking her pulse, she was still alive. Her energy was circulating properly.

Though she was weakened, perhaps because the Spirit Command skill had disappeared, he could still draw mana from her.

“Aaaaargh!!”

[Master! You crazy bastard! What are you doing?!]

[Boss! You need to stabilize! Forget about requesting support and focus on recovering your body!]

“I have to tell them! If we continue like this..! Everyone will die!”

The absurd truth that the world was born from a wager between two beings.

He had to tell everyone.

Until then, he couldn’t die even if he wanted to.

Namgung Ihyun didn’t know what to do in the face of Radios’s determination to sacrifice even his own life.

But Serena sighed as if she had made a decision.

[Namgung Ihyun.]

[What!]

[I leave the rest to you.]

[What are you suddenly—ugh!]

Flash!

Light began to emanate from Serena’s body, as if she had bid farewell.

A bright light that didn’t seem to belong to an undead.

[Boss. You know what? I actually remembered everything all along but was just pretending.]

“..!”

What nonsense is this?

Radios couldn’t contain his bewilderment, but Serena didn’t give him a chance to speak.

[It was nice to recall old memories like this. I finally understand exactly what my Order’s role is.]

The Order of Betrayal.

She didn’t know why it had such a name, but now she understood.

She became this Order because she was a betrayer.

But paradoxically, this power could have a better effect on those who had been betrayed.

[With this power… I hope I can heal the hearts of those who have been betrayed, even a little.]

“What are you saying right now..!”

[Please win, Boss. This is… my own form of atonement.]

With Serena’s final faint smile.

Radios’s heart was completely restored.

And not long after, his consciousness faded completely.