Chapter 214
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 214
Chapter Title: Even Thirteen Regressions is Total Bullshit
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If it doesn't become a subordinate.
‘Kill it or freeze it solid and stash it away somewhere in Babel.’
Gio had opposed freezing, so the choice was subordinate.
Nathaniel plopped her butt down on his shoulder and chimed in.
“You did great. She's still just a kid, so don't act like a creep and take good care of her.”
“…….”
After joining the beastkin, Ju Gonghyeok had started acting more gentlemanly than before.
It wasn't that he'd become merciful.
Humans change easily for the worse, but not so easily for the better.
‘Killing the guardian divine beast and devouring Gio like in the old days would be cleaner.’
But not only had he failed to devour Gio—he'd even made him into an avatar.
That way, he could draw out 100% of the Twelve Divine Laws and guardian divine arms, and controlling the guardian divine beast became easier too.
And above all...
‘I only made Gio an avatar expecting there might be future folk around.’
Under the assumption that there were future folk in the south clan, Ju Gonghyeok had acted accordingly.
Getting ambushed and surrounded in the middle of a beastkin city would mean a high chance of death.
So he'd secured beastkin status and legitimacy, choosing the ‘socially’ advantageous path.
‘Turns out there were no future folk after all. But it's too late to devour Gio now.’
There were plenty of ways to use a god-level avatar as a sacrifice.
He could extract traits and stats with the 「Mistilteinn Demon Sword」 or use it as a ‘hidden card’ like Guard Sand.
‘But I can't do that.’
Gio was already a comrade.
It wasn't about loyalty or friendship.
It was a matter of trust.
He could already picture Jeocheon Daeseong's reaction after devouring Gio.
= Hey, you really went and devoured that guy?
= Indeed. I see the quality of your leadership well enough.
Even Ra-Djehuty's gaze turning icy.
The moment he betrayed an avatar in his grasp, the trust with all other avatars would shatter.
They'd no longer be comrades fighting together, but mere tools to be used and discarded.
The instant they saw him that way, every avatar would turn their backs.
‘If I can solidly make the guardian divine beast my subordinate, it's not a bad outcome.’
Ju Gonghyeok was satisfied with this much.
He figured he'd rack up some points with Nathaniel too.
“Hm? What're you looking at?”
The angel tilted her head at Gonghyeok's gaze.
“Nothing.”
When he tried to stroke his chin with a finger, she bit the tip hard.
There had been a promise made when accepting the hybrid Gio.
Nathaniel liked that promise.
It was far from pacifist and coercive, but it was still a guarantee not to harm any beastkin.
Gio's illusion gripped Solbaragi's hand tightly.
= This child and I will slowly repay the favor.
It went without saying—it was the grace of the wolf clan.
Kisua asked from outside the door.
“You done talking?”
“Finished ages ago. Time to head out.”
Kisua saw him off as he wrapped up his business and left.
“Wolf Head.”
“What, Wolf Shaman.”
“Starting tomorrow, dealing with the aftermath and reorganizing the clan will give me a headache, so get some good rest.”
“The headache's yours, Shaman. I just stand there looking imposing and it's done—what's there to worry about?”
Kisua crossed her arms and smirked.
“You've had your share of hardships and grief. Thanks to you coming, I managed to hold on.”
As a sign of affection, Kisua gave the nape of his neck a light lick.
“Take care of me going forward too, guardian divine beast of the south clan.”
“A request from the south clan's top beauty? Gladly accepted.”
She saw Gonghyeok off with a smile.
Gonghyeok slowly walked back to his quarters.
He'd blended into the south clan just as planned.
With the guardian divine beast's status and the clan's chaotic internal affairs, becoming the south clan's overall commander wouldn't be hard.
“Then I'll handle the archangel's gateway too, if possible.”
= Oh, right, that thing. You're going through the beastkin slot?
“Meeting Azazel feels awkward after she backstabbed me on floor 39.”
= Wow! Listen to this guy. Lying without even wetting his lips with spit. Can't shake that human trash nature of yours, huh?! Sorry! Tap! Tap!
Nathaniel, subjected to hellish corkscrew punishment, hurriedly surrendered.
The archangel's gateway allowed two per race.
For beastkin, one from the north clan and one from the south clan earned the qualification.
Becoming the ‘head’ of the south clan's fleshly laws meant one spot was as good as his.
“Once I clear the gateway, the mogaji on Vine Cliff is half-done.”
= Why bring up random necks all of a sudden?
“Got one. Guy with a death reservation.”
= ……Might as well ask if there's anyone WITHOUT a reservation?
“Bound to be someone.”
Having jotted down Four Heavenly King Vine Cliff in his death god notebook, Gonghyeok bantered with the angel as he vanished into the night.
* * *
Babel basement level 3.
A woman floated on the surface of the well holding Babel's secrets.
Sky-blue skin, long straight hair tied back—the woman sat in lotus position, meditating.
Four Heavenly King, Foresight's Hildegaard.
A fearsome title preceded her name.
Flutter—
Her eyebrows twitched mid-meditation.
“Who's there.”
The sound of several wings flapping came.
“First time meeting you. Lady Hildegaard.”
“How did you find this place? Even most angels and demons don't know of it.”
“It's in the ‘records.’ Lady Hilda.”
“Records?”
Hildegaard opened her eyes.
The shadow folded its wings and paid her respects.
“I've come to tell you of the final war.”
* * *
Grrrk, grrrrk—
Heinrich drew a magic circle in Makina's neural world with his qi.
Wooong—
The magic circle's runes glowed, roots extending into the machine god tribe's circuits.
The greedily encroaching roots soon hit a wall somewhere, unable to advance further and encircling the area instead.
There were several spots in the neural world Heinrich's roots couldn't reach.
“Hmm. This machine golem doesn't easily reveal its innards.”
Heinrich had tried remodeling Makina with his qi, but the security simply wouldn't crack.
Just as machine gods were vulnerable to magic from beyond their dimension, Heinrich couldn't properly grasp their programs or OS.
“Tech from a completely different lineage than magic. It bends to my will somewhat, though.”
From Heinrich's perspective, there was no rush.
Progress was slow, but the machine god tribe's codes and security were steadily unraveling.
Several classified areas were already in his hands.
“How many years did I scheme for the demon king's throne? No need to hurry. Nice and slow~ nice and slow.”
A race this powerful doesn't fall into your lap easily.
With Speed's Cluesti—demon king's loyal vanguard and thorn in his side—dead, this was the perfect opportunity.
‘Heh heh, chances like this don't come twice.’
Zzzt—
Noise crackled behind Heinrich, who couldn't hold back his laughter.
- Unknown entity detected. Neural world intrusion.
- Hologram generation.
Heinrich glanced back casually.
“What is it. You again?”
The hologram bowed politely.
“Human Alpard greets Demon King Heinrich.”
“Kekeke, greetings done. What do you want?”
Heinrich tapped his staff as he asked.
This wasn't their first meeting.
Alpard was the one who'd negotiated the machine god-human alliance with Heinrich.
Of course, Heinrich hadn't agreed empty-handed.
“Kekeke, last time you brought Cluesti's corpse? What'd you bring this time? I'll pay well.”
“What I've brought is...”
Alpard bowed his waist and said,
“The head of Demon King Bel Marduk.”
“…….”
Heinrich wiggled his wrinkled fingers.
“You insolent human. Mocking me?”
“No.”
“I'll give you a chance. If this is a ridiculous affront to my person, I'll seal your soul in eternal hellfire.”
Alpard nodded and pulled out a USB.
The USB's contents materialized as documents in the neural world and transmitted to Heinrich.
“This is...?”
“I await the completion of your work.”
The documents Alpard handed over were packed with info on a thousand machine gods and Qi Gal Makina.
As if the machine god tribe had written it themselves.
Heinrich nodded.
“Indeed, useful intel.”
The documents even included info on the OS and security that had been plaguing Heinrich.
“I'll overlook your slip of the tongue, specially.”
“Not yet.”
“What?”
“I have a gift for the machine god tribe.”
Keeing—
An ornate scroll appeared in the neural world.
It wasn't a hologram—it was the real thing.
“What's that?”
“A new alliance.”
“Alliance?”
Heinrich puzzledly grasped the scroll.
Alpard said it like it was no big deal.
“Hildegaard has declared neutrality. The scroll is proof.”
Heinrich's hand trembled as he held the scroll.
It bore Four Heavenly King Hildegaard's seal, stating she would absolutely not interfere and remain a bystander even if Heinrich rebelled.
“……It's real.”
“Yes. Four Heavenly King Cluesti is dead, and Hildegaard won't intervene.”
If a god or demon breaks a promise with their name and seal, they lose their divinity.
Hildegaard had staked half her power on this vow.
Heinrich eyed Alpard suspiciously.
“Human. How did you obtain this? Humans can't go below floor 5?”
“We have a comrade who can.”
Alpard smiled.
“I'll give you everything you desire, Heinrich. Just hear us out.”
“Us?”
“That's right.”
More holograms popped up near Alpard's.
“We'll create the perfect timing for you to kill Demon King Bel Marduk.”
Those laying the board.
Weren't just Ju Gonghyeok.
* * *
Floor by floor, humans grew stronger.
Combat weapons ‘Titans’ made by absorbing machine god tech.
‘Mosaic surgery’ enhancing combat power by transplanting monster organs.
Babel science's pinnacles bore fruit one by one.
Seeing the Titan on floor 46, Gonghyeok thought,
‘Progressing faster than expected.’
No doubt accelerated by those future folk.
Beastkin had absorbed spirit energy by killing humans and taken in dimension refugees skilled in machines to absorb machine god weapons.
Some warriors, drunk on power, grafted machine god weapons onto their flesh and swung demon powers rampant on the battlefield.
And the machine god tribe...
Surprisingly did nothing.
Troops unchanged, strategy unchanged.
They had plenty of ways to bolster forces—like lethal bioweapons against lifeforms or mass-producing gene-modded soldiers from dead beastkin corpses.
But the machine god tribe acted like they had no spare capacity, ignoring it all.
They just endlessly produced something with the three factory planets in their grasp.
= ……Thank you for keeping your promise.
Ra-Djehuty turned away, not wanting to show weakness, and spoke.
Babel floor 48, dimension star realm's 9th planet Otulp.
Planet Otulp was hollow inside, divided into an underworld of 10 dungeons.
In Anubis's underworld among them, Ju Gonghyeok had housed Ra-Djehuty's people.
[Naglfar boarding complete – 67 dimension refugees]
The people, finally meeting their long-awaited god, were sucked into Gonghyeok's sword.
Crack—crunch, crack crunch—
Their bones and nails became part of the sword, reconstructing it.
The sword Gonghyeok wielded was the Bone-Engraving Demon Sword Naglfar.
An U.SSS-grade weapon from the Death King's city, Niflheim.
「Bone-Engraving Demon Sword Naglfar Urven (U.SSS)」
[Hell's queen Hel, when Ragnarok nears, loads warriors hostile to gods onto Naglfar and heads to the final battlefield.]
- Trait 「Demon Sword Boarding」 Naglfar's power grows with boarded entities.
- Trait 「Legion Deployment」 Unleashes all demons stored in Naglfar at once. Limited to 3 uses; Naglfar shatters after all are used.
- Added Trait 「Death God Urven's Remains」 Naglfar has absorbed Death God Urven's remains. User can use Death God Urven's magic and summon a death god-rank lich temporarily.
Ju Gonghyeok's items had changed quite a bit.
The 「Thunderlight Bowler (SSS)」 and 「Pursuit Tailcoat (SSS)」 from killing Cluesti had their orbs fully released and reforged by Vulcanus.
What Gonghyeok now wore was the 「Cloak Made from Killing Cluesti (SSS)」.
Cluesti had unknowingly relied on his items.
The reason he adjusted his bowler each time he used his ability: the bowler had electronic control trait, the tailcoat electronic acceleration.
Though grade dropped, the 「Cloak Made from Killing Cluesti (SSS)」 held both traits at once.
The remaining cloth became 「Panties Made from Killing Cluesti (SSS)」, given to Lilianne.
Nathaniel had looked at Gonghyeok like trash, but Lilianne jumped for joy and changed right there.
Lilianne had become a near-archduke demon leading her own faction, strutting proudly.
She seemed to be using well the power absorbed from the demons Gonghyeok had captured, Cluesti included.