episode_0174

“I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to die! I’m going to die!”

A constant scream echoed inside the head of the Great Demon.

Pinned to the ground by Yerina’s arms, the Great Demon had to endure the crushing force so strong that it couldn’t even flinch.

Even if it spewed out magic, it was useless. And if it tried to cast spells or curses, Yerina would breathe out fire, burning the walls around it.

The moment it showed any sign of attacking, its head would be chopped off without hesitation.

With that premonition, the Great Demon had no choice but to stay put.

“That damn Luna…!”

Meanwhile, inside the dungeon where the undead legion had disappeared, it was eerily quiet.

Just losing a few undead in the bright flash, but to turn around and leave so ruthlessly.

For a moment, there was a question of whether there was a sense of camaraderie. Thinking that in the same situation, one would have abandoned their comrades without hesitation, it seemed somewhat understandable.

“Kyaah! Come back to help me, Luna! Otherwise, I’ll blow up all the secrets!!!”

“Give up. They’ve already given up on you over there. They probably think the information you know is worthless.”

“T-That can’t be…!”

Come to think of it, Luna always had a tendency to move discreetly and secretly.

If he had assumed the betrayal of the Four Kings and deliberately kept information hidden by himself?

If that was the case, it somewhat explained why Luna didn’t show up even when threatening to betray like this.

“That damn son of a…!”

“Shut up! Shut up before I tear out your vocal cords!”

“Hmph…”

“We’re retreating. Hold onto the Great Demon and slowly back away, Reaper.”

“Got it.”

Yerina and Transylvania slowly retreated towards the dungeon entrance, holding onto the Great Demon.

Soon, the two of them completely exited the dungeon.

The stone door closed, and the dungeon was once again filled with darkness.

The Great Demon, dragged out, unexpectedly came face to face with someone.

“Saint?!”

“Phew. It was just barely manageable. I’m glad you got scared and retreated after just two rooms.”

“If it was barely manageable, it wouldn’t be easy to operate deep inside the dungeon. Since the enemy still doesn’t know the limits of the flash magic, we have to take advantage of that…”

“Wha…?!”

The conversation between the Saint, Frost Lord, and Transylvania made the Great Demon’s head spin.

It was hard to keep up with the flow of the conversation.

Was the flash just now only the second one that was used inside the dungeon?

Then the undead legion didn’t have to retreat.

“Luna! The flash from earlier-”

“This isn’t going to work.”

“Ugh?!”

The Great Demon was about to speak up to convey this but before it could finish, Yerina’s grip tightened, and she tore out its throat.

Instead of blood, magic uncontrollably spewed out.

The Great Demon weakened in real-time, using all its strength to stop the bleeding around its torn throat.

Of course, the Great Demon’s anatomy was different from humans, so it couldn’t make a sound with its throat torn, but it had completely lost the courage to make a loud noise.

“Hmm. Hey, we don’t have much time, you know? So how about we have a constructive conversation in private from now on?”

“D-Don’t come any closer!”

“If you cooperate, you won’t get hurt. So don’t worry.”

It was a lie.

Even if the Great Demon obediently spilled everything, Yerina was considering cutting off a limb or two.

It was more convenient to create fear than to create terror.

The great demon trembled in fear and fell to his knees.

Yerina slowly approached him, reaching out her hand.

Suddenly, the fur on Yerina’s ears and tail bristled.

“What’s going on?”

Though she didn’t know what was happening, her animal instincts were warning her of something amiss.

In the distance, a flock of birds cried out as they flew away, and ants scurried out of the ground in a line, fleeing in a certain direction.

“Everyone, get down-”

Just as Yerina urgently shouted, everything went dark.

Before her eyes, only endless darkness spread out.

Whether she closed or opened her eyes, there was no change in her sight.

Even if she screamed with all her might, no sound came out.

The members of Elvengard were stunned by the phenomenon that seemed like the disappearance of light from the world.

“I don’t know what’s going on, but I’m grateful for it!”

Seizing the opportunity, the great demon quickly released his bonds.

While humans were unable to see or make any noise in this darkness, the great demon was different.

The darkness that enveloped this place was none other than Umki.

It was thickly layered in the atmosphere of the spirit world, allowing the great demon to see and hear within it.

Feeling a sense of comfort as if returning home, he was about to retaliate against the Frost Lord and the Assassin when suddenly.

“Oh…?”

The great demon froze.

This massive Umki.

He seemed to know its true nature as his black pupils shook.

“Kyaaaaah!!!”

Soon, mournful cries of spirits echoed from all directions.

It was only then that the great demon realized.

This was not just a simple Umki.

It only appeared as a dense Umki due to the gathering of spirits that made up the spirit world.

“This is…”

The massive Umki was not pouring into the mortal realm.

“It’s the spirit world…!”

The spirit world itself.

The Spirit God, the Time King, had approached the mortal realm.

As the realization dawned on him, the great demon’s body crumbled with a sense of helplessness.

It was somewhat bearable when he didn’t know, but now, the belated sense of oppression washed over him.

Facing the pressure that was incomparable to when he met ‘that person,’ the great demon trembled.

While other humans were blinded by the Spirit King’s presence and confused, the great demon, who could see through the darkness, slowly began to lose his mind as he faced the spirits that covered the mortal realm, the embodiment of the Spirit King.

“No, no!”

Hastily, the great demon began to use all his magic to tear through dimensions.

Anywhere was fine.

As long as he could escape the mortal realm!

Although it would take a considerable amount of time to return to the mortal realm after consuming too much magic, the great demon didn’t care.

He just needed to escape.

“Hiieeeek!!!”

At that moment, a giant claw flew towards the great demon.

A claw made by the gathering of spirits, emitting mournful cries, came towards the great demon.

Without hesitation, the great demon, who was practically powerless and harmless, quickly flew to the other side of the dimension.

“Has one already escaped?”

The dimensional crack closed in an instant, and the claw made of spirits flailed in the empty space.

In the darkness.

The voice of the Spirit King, sounding regretful, echoed.

***

“Speak your name. As long as the forces you have created allow it, I will hold them and pass judgment. If you are not deserving of condemnation, you will not escape punishment.”

“Luna! Sorceress Luna! And Kali! Grand Druid Kali!”

Hyunse’s name never fails to sound unfamiliar no matter how many times you hear it. Still, that’s enough. If there are no namesakes, I can easily find him… Hmm. It seems like someone sneaked in here like a mouse.

“?!?”

The voice of the deity of the afterlife turned cold.

It was only then that I felt a movement inside my clothes.

A creepy sensation as if bugs were crawling on my body.

…No, they were actually crawling.

“…”

As I reached in and pulled out, a baby spider clung to my finger.

At first, I thought it was insignificant.

But the trembling figure with shining eyes, no matter how you looked at it, was Cali.

As I dropped her to the ground, the small girl transformed into a human form in an instant, collapsing.

Scattering her blonde hair, the girl trembled and turned to me.

“My apologies. I failed to notice that you were hiding beside me.”

“M-Miyeong? What’s happening right now? Huh? What’s going on…?”

“What’s happening is that you’re trying to enlighten me.”

“…”

Cali. Grand Druid Cali. It seems like she truly has such a history.

“Ahh!”

At that moment, as if ‘eyes’ were focused on her, Cali grabbed her head in agony.

A heartbreaking scene to witness.

But thinking about what the intruder inside her had done, that feeling quickly faded away.

“Grand Druid Cali. Confess your sins to me.”

“M-Myung? What is this?!”

“Grand Druid Cali. Confess your sins to me.”

“What is going on here? Explain-”

“Grand Druid Cali. Confess your sins to me.”

“Ugh…”

With each repeated phrase, the voice of the deity of the afterlife became increasingly eerie.

Finally, Cali seemed to understand the situation and froze.

Overwhelmed, she stared into the darkness.

“Sin? I have no sins! I lost my memories-”

“Lies in front of the deity of the afterlife. You’ve been caught red-handed, Cali.”

“Myung? What are you talking about? Lies! You confirmed it too. I lost my memories!”

“You did lose them. But not all, right? Except for relatively recent memories, you remember every single thing you’ve done. Don’t you?”

“…”

Crack.

The crystal ball in my hand shattered as I clenched my fist.

I had thought of using the images inside to awaken Cali’s memories, but now it was unnecessary.

Cali had been lying from the beginning.

She hadn’t lost all her memories.

At least, she remembered all the misdeeds she had committed.

For some reason, she had kept it a secret from me.

Perhaps she had sensed that revealing it would lead to trouble.

In any case, it made things easier.

“Memories are a person’s history. Your history is inside that body, Cali. And your history proves your misdeeds. Stop making excuses and start thinking about how to reduce your sentence.”

“What, what?! I’ve committed misdeeds? What nonsense is this! How are my actions considered misdeeds?”

“Not misdeeds?”

I couldn’t help but furrow my brows slightly.

Preparing myself to face the darkness, I raised my head to meet Cali’s eyes.

She seemed slightly surprised when our eyes met.

“You spread vampirism and killed innocent people.”

That day, Miyeong faced Cali.

Merely because Miyeong picked a flower, Cali spread vampirism in the village.

Except for Miyeong, all the residents were beheaded and burned by the knights.

“Attempting to steal the World Tree and spread a plague across the entire continent.”

The inevitable event that was thought to be, the plague of death.

It was also the work of Kali.

To use the worst weapon that kills indiscriminately, targeting the entire continent.

“Furthermore, engaging in senseless killings and deceptions without any justification or retribution. Is this not an evil deed?”

“Yes! Nature is a world of survival of the fittest! It is natural for the strong to prey on the weak and exploit them! The strong die to become nourishment for the weak, and the weak are then preyed upon by the strong in a continuous cycle of nature! How can my actions be considered evil deeds! Rather, aren’t you humans the ones disrupting that cycle and acting as villains?”

“What…?”

The absurdity of the words left me dumbfounded.

Kali, coming out with a bold statement.

This guy is serious right now.

It’s most surprising to me that he’s spouting such nonsense.

“What drives human civilization? Desire, it’s desire. Human civilization revolves around fulfilling desires and seeking base pleasures. But I have sacrificed my body solely for my beliefs! And I won’t stop! Until I kill all humans and lead nature onto the ‘right path’!”

“…”

I was at a loss for words.

I never thought there would be someone in the world with such thoughts.

My lips trembled in shock.

|Oh. He’s telling an interesting story. There is definitely some logic to it|

“That’s right, Your Majesty? I’m right, aren’t I? If there’s any evil deed, it’s being committed by this guy! He lied about being one of the Four Kings and my lover!”

“…”

|That too is an evil deed|

“Ahaha! I knew you would say that! See, Mijung? No, is Mijung not your real name? Whatever! Your sense of justice doesn’t apply here! Do you think the god of the afterlife would have the same moral values as humans? Absolutely not! The King of the Afterlife has a different sense of justice, seen from the perspective of the natural cycle, unlike your shallow and hypocritical moral values!”

Kali’s imposing presence, poking my chest with his finger.

I felt fear and trembled.

My head naturally lowered, looking at the ground.

‘Does this crazy guy not understand the situation right now?’

It’s not Kali that I fear.

Since earlier, the King of the Afterlife’s demeanor has been strange.

But Kali, still unaware, stood tall with his shoulders raised.

Kali confidently turned around.

Looking into the darkness, he shouted.

“Now, punish this guy, Your Majesty!”

|No. That is not my job|

“What?! What do you mean…”

|Have you ever heard of the god of the afterlife intervening in disputes between parents and children? Or the god judging disputes between friends? I do not involve myself in petty arguments and fights. I only concern myself with those who commit grave sins|

“Th-then, it’s not about me, right? I was just doing what was natural as part of nature…”

|That’s right. You functioned excellently as part of nature|

“Is that so? That’s… right…?”

Finally realizing something was amiss, Kali’s complexion turned subtly strange.

His face growing paler, it seems he has sensed his fate.

|It seems you find greater joy in functioning as part of nature rather than as an intelligent being of civilization. I bestow my grace upon you, allowing you to frolic freely in the flames of evolution as an animal in the afterlife|

“Ah…?!”

“Is it that animals are not to one’s liking? In that case, they would probably be delighted to be sent to a place like the Hell of Endless Cutting, where a blade constantly flies out to cut off the growing stems of plants. Even if you fold your gratitude, it’s fine.”

“Ah! No! No! That’s not what I meant… Ah! No! I messed up! I’m sorry! I’ll admit my fault! I’ll apologize!”

It’s too late to grasp the situation.

Only then did Kali suddenly fall to her knees, wiping her palms and stammering.

“I will reflect on my actions! Due to my reckless beliefs, I have caused the deaths of too many people! Please show mercy and forgive my sins…”

“Don’t worry. Nothing major will happen. Let’s start by having you experience the pain of the innocent people you hurt one by one. Hmm…? Oh dear. Looking back on your history, it seems like it will take thousands of years from the starting phase.”

“No! No!”

“Hahaha! I said it’s fine to skip the gratitude!”

Chilling laughter and engulfing darkness.

At that moment, Nameless seized control of his body, his frightened eyes turning into a dull, sleepy gaze.

Drawing out the crimson soul from his chest, Nameless began shaping it into a round gem in his hand.

Finally, the completed gem, Kali’s soul.

It quickly covered with a dark abyss, then in an instant, it slipped out of Nameless’s hand and was sucked into the distant darkness.

Kali was dragged into the afterlife.

I could only watch, mouth agape, trembling, as I witnessed the scene.