Chapter 52
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 52
Chapter Title: Reward War
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The metal cylinder attached to Bergoglio's elbow.
It had been obscured by the bombardment and dust, but Gonghyeok realized it.
That was a weapon of the Machine God Race that shouldn't exist here.
"GM."
[Warning! Warning! S-Class or higher mana reaction detected from target Bergoglio!]
[Photon mana fission reaction confirmed! Emergency evasion recommended!]
A cross-shaped beam of light erupted from the cylinder—no, the muzzle—on the creature's arm.
The moment Gonghyeok felt an ominous premonition, he threw himself to the ground.
The beam of light extending from Bergoglio's arm swallowed the spot where Gonghyeok had been floating and raced hundreds of kilometers away.
"Arrrgh!"
"Attack from over there!"
The hundred demons who had been struggling against Poseidon at the edge of the world were engulfed by the beam and burst into flames.
Though not Celestial Knights, they were demons with combat prowess worthy of the name.
[Database search complete. Identified as Machine God Race combat weapon: Photon Magic Cannon.]
[Model estimated to be a modified late-production mana cannon 'Falling Star' from the Machine God Race Dominium Cluster...]
Before GM's report could finish, Bergoglio charged.
Gonghyeok parried the signature twin swords entirely with the mace in his left hand and thrust the magic sword in his right into the creature's jaws.
Craaaaaunch!
Bergoglio's dozens of layers of teeth chewed and halted Gonghyeok's magic sword.
Then, dozens of mantis forelimbs burst from his entire body, enveloping Gonghyeok.
[Ignition Booster (D) activated]
[Target areas: both feet and Bergoglio's face]
KABOOM!
Explosions erupted, and the two bodies separated dramatically.
A stinging pain—Gonghyeok glanced at his right forearm.
There, a scratch from the sickle-wind mantis's forelimb was etched.
"Haha..."
It was the first time.
Receiving a wound from an enemy's attack mid-battle.
It wasn't that he had never been injured in this life since regressing.
His arm had once broken after taking an Ignition Booster hit, and his spine had cracked when countering the Temple Guardian's stone strike head-on.
But those were all injuries Gonghyeok had intentionally inflicted on himself.
"Hahaha..."
Blood began beading from the scratch on his forearm.
This 'scratch' was the first completely unexpected injury in this life.
Clunk, clunk.
As distance opened, Bergoglio pulled out the Photon Magic Cannon from his elbow again, but when it wouldn't activate, panic crossed his face.
He probably didn't even remember how to use it himself.
"Pfft, pfuhuhu."
For such a moronic bastard to inflict his first wound in this life.
It was a situation that inevitably drew a chuckle from Gonghyeok.
"Hey. Bergoglio. Can you hear me?"
Bergoglio looked up from fiddling with the mana cannon at Gonghyeok's call.
"You dumb fuck. With your mana barely D-rank, you think you can use that? It looks rechargeable or missile-loaded at a glance."
"Ah......"
Gonghyeok pulled a cigarette from his inventory and lit it.
Amid the raging sandstorm beach, his chuckle and smoke swirled and scattered together.
It was an idiotic situation—smoking a cigarette right after shattering heaven and earth in battle—but Gonghyeok smoked anyway.
He always smoked when mocking someone.
"Sorry. Looks like I've been fighting too sloppily until now."
Bergoglio stowed the mana cannon wordlessly and raised his twin swords.
"So from now on, I'm gonna use my cheat skills? A bit more seriously..."
Bergoglio's body, bloated to ogre size from ogre liver, closed in right before Gonghyeok.
Gonghyeok flicked the half-smoked cigarette butt.
"I'll carve you up."
[Sephirot Stage 2 Yesod fully unlocked for 120 seconds]
[All stats increase by 50! Special barrier 'Flame of the Holy Spirit' applied!]
[6870 purple coins used to apply mid-tier buff 'Enlightened Warrior'!]
[Trait 'Unrealistic Martial Arts Initiate (B)' evolves to 'Unrealistic Martial Arts Master (A)']
[Agility, strength, will +25 points, technique +100 points]
[Ignition Booster, continuous reload]
Ju Gonghyeok's legs fiercely stomped the sand beach.
Ox God Method: Shaking Leg—Earth Shatter.
Boom!
Exactly 3 meters ahead.
The ground flipped upward as if upheaved.
Even Bergoglio, with Ignition Booster exploding at his feet, was no exception.
Gonghyeok's hands immediately seized his limbs midair.
Ape God Method: Joint Lock—Toad Limb Twist.
Bergoglio's body spun dozens of times in the air, joints twisting grotesquely like wrung laundry.
Kwang!
Finally, Ignition Boosters detonated in the opposite direction of each joint.
Mangled joints spewed unidentified metal shards and bone fragments.
Gonghyeok unfurled four wings and soared into the sky.
Then, reversing high-speed flight, he plummeted like a meteor toward the ground.
Target: Bergoglio's body spinning like a top in midair.
Horse God Method: Iron Leg—One-Strike Gate-Breaker Kick.
Booster exploded at the toe. Heel arcing with flames slammed into the creature's chest.
Craaaaaack!
The downward strike, like shattering castle gates, pulverized the rock-hardened skin of the full-body rock crocodile.
Bergoglio cratered into the exposed sandy beach.
Gonghyeok's body, having stomped with his heel, moved swiftly.
Tiger God Method: Linked Slashes—Seven Cuts Fierce Grip.
A 2m 28cm odachi boasting a massive blade emerged from inventory, wreathed in flames.
A roar echoed as Bergoglio's grotesquely twisted joints were severed.
Twisted bones and metal flew, limbs scattering everywhere.
The odachi gifted by Lilianne had its hilt warped from booster impacts.
At that point, Ju Gonghyeok's fingers were mangled too.
But with his left hand—still two intact fingers—he drew the 'Magic Sword Cloaked in Red Mist (A)'.
Chicken God Method: Absolute Art—Head-Cleaving Rooster Crow.
The sword sliced cleanly through air, embedding in Bergoglio's neck.
Tungsten steel would part like tofu under that martial art and magic sword, but it jammed in the neck bones.
Their eyes met as Bergoglio tried to scream something.
"Hey. If you don't die here, it'd be kinda funny, so just croak."
Compensating for his weakened right hand with a left-foot kick, the severed head rocketed like a soccer ball.
"Huuu..."
Six seconds since tossing the cigarette.
Victory was decided.
A mosaic of monster organs and modifications—Mosaic Arms—might have unknown functions.
'Killing's straightforward from the textbook: decapitate, dismember, separate. But sometimes they rise headless like ghouls and backstab.'
That's why he'd broken and severed the limbs.
No slime functions visible, so no further regeneration or molting possible.
"Ah, damn. No intact fingers left. Heh."
He reflexively reached for a smoke, but all fingers were shattered.
His body, which had unleashed a storm of blows on Bergoglio, was wrecked too.
All ten fingers fractured, three compound with torn muscles.
Right leg's ACL torn from the downward strike, knee swollen; left leg from the shaking step in bad shape.
Plus, wrist bones from twisting joints...
[Master. Damage report: Silver Iron Odachi hilt broken, rebar greaves lost, steel skull mace...]
"Ah, enough. I know better than anyone."
Gonghyeok chewed a Flesh Mending Flower with his mouth and flew on wings to Bergoglio's head.
There, Bergoglio's mouth gaped, eyes rolling wildly.
"Yeah. Friend. Remember anything now?"
"N...... M......"
"What? Can't hear with just a head left."
Gonghyeok read Tower common tongue from his lips.
'I will kill you, kill the Demon King, save humanity.'
Eyes bloodshot with realization, he spewed infinite malice and conviction at Gonghyeok.
"Hey. You act all mysterious and creepy."
Gonghyeok grimaced, hoisting the head.
"Can't tell friend from foe by biting, you'll lose all your teeth?"
Bergoglio's head quietly burst into flame.
[Unidentified achievement: '@@@ Assassination' accomplished]
[Reward: 1 purple coin granted]
A purple coin rolled before Gonghyeok.
"GM. Analyze quest log. Let's see what crumpled scrap this is from."
[Understood. Quest log analysis, target traceback initiated. Progress: 1%]
Watching GM access Babel's system, Gonghyeok picked up the purple coin.
'Those guys after all.'
He had some suspicions.
Bergoglio's body clearly born from Mosaic tech.
Far superior and more natural than America's current Mosaic tech.
Plus, monster materials used on him unobtainable on Earth.
Gonghyeok recalled what irked him most.
'The Scraped Together Ones.'
They were born by Ju Gonghyeok.
Denied existence itself by his repeated regressions.
The higher the floors, the more they haunted him like ghosts.
Powerless, unable to influence anything, merely ghosts orbiting.
But as far as Gonghyeok knew, only they could traverse time even by a fingernail's breadth.
Keeeeeee—
While Gonghyeok gathered Bergoglio's corpse for spirit crafting, Poseidon's final scream echoed from afar.
Twenty Celestial Knights skewered and hauled Poseidon's parts one by one.
Lilianne, having briskly handed off to other Celestial Knights and demons, flapped over.
Glancing warily at the eighty thousand gathered demons, she lightly knelt.
"Greetings, Lord Ju Gonghyeok. First, I apologize for our demons' negligence turning Floor 3 into a mess."
"Hm."
Flutter.
Three Archangels appeared behind Ju Gonghyeok.
Archangel Remiel, overseeing selection and judgment.
Archangel Azazel, overseeing armaments and war.
Archangel Sandalphon, overseeing Babel's fair operations.
Originally, Babel management was demons' sole domain.
Demons invaded dimensions angels protected/managed, forcing rules on angels via Babel's system.
Thus, unfairly supporting humans was angels' fault; demons bore responsibility for system errors or game mishaps.
Even with 'Traitors' turning Floor 3 to chaos, angels had hung back for that reason.
And now they appeared because...
"Tch!"
"Hey, angel lords. What do you take us for? Think you can sneakily kill remaining humans and sweep rewards?"
"Any issue, demon legions? We merely appeared here. If your conscience is clear, no problem, right?"
Remiel deftly countered the demons' familiar bravado.
Confrontation between three Archangels and eighty thousand demons ensued, with a lone succubus continuing stiffly amid them.
"First, we'll process the hidden quest in progress, 'Tyrannosaurus Breeding' rewards. After strict causality calculator..."
She floated a window in air.
"If proceeded as is, the 1,429 survivors would have been wiped by Ju Gonghyeok's Tyrannosaurus.
His lair hid an S-rank pirate ship too—likely to hunt personal arks disguised as 'X' fleeing to Floor 4..."
"Umm..."
Including Azazel, small groans from angels' side.
Sandalphon, who'd lent Gonghyeok power multiple times, stayed silent, but Remiel glared at Azazel.
Asking if that was truly a human with Spirit Summoning Scroll's doing.
"Thus, recognizing 87% achievement rate, granting promised rewards."
[Amazing achievement! 'Tyrannosaurus Breeding' accomplished!]
[Achievement rate 87%! Rewards: 1 blue coin, 150 indigo coins, 'Dark Priest' skillbook, S-rank accessory 'Eye of the Wilderness'!]
[Angels and Demons Reward Competition!
- 50 additional indigo coins granted.
- S-rank accessory 'Eye of the Wilderness' upgraded to S++-rank accessory 'Horn of Genigal']
"Yeah, killed plenty, but this is Floor 3? No joke... what the hell?"
"Shh."
Even after cleaning up humans thoroughly, they were still Babel clearers.
As one Celestial Knight moved to rage at excessive rewards, earlier knight Nerter covered his mouth.
'That guy's got a provisional contract despite looks. Two demon wings too.'
'What? Cluesti's dead set. For Four Kings war?'
'Dunno details. Seems legal. Touch him after Floor 40.'
Fuming Celestial Knights clicked tongues and retreated.
Gonghyeok checked the inventory-bound Horn of Genigal, meeting eyes with kneeling Lilianne.
He gently grasped her politely folded hand, kissing its back.
"I told you, right? You'd say, 'I apologize to the great Lord Ju Gonghyeok and offer all rewards.'"
"Uh......"
"That's the kinda guy I am. Got it?"
- Showboating...
With angels' arrival auto-breaking composure, Nathaniel narrowed eyes, sneering.
- Remiel senior. Never seen a bottom-tier slave angel talk before?
"Nathaniel..."
- Know what? You hated me as a brat. Me too, usually...
Remiel sighed deeply, raising soundproofing authority around.
"Told God, vacated an Archangel spot this time."
- I've always deeply respected you, Remiel senior, aspiring to be a model angel like you, sleepless nights.
I, Nathaniel, swear despite trials and humiliations to perform this noble, grave duty perfectly above all, promising to reform this lowly human scum into a proper one by any means!
"Good. Thank Azazel. She pushed hard."
Nathaniel gazed at Azazel with sparklier-than-ever eyes.
Azazel quietly thumbs-upped her.
Shared suffering—no, battlefield camaraderie in that eye exchange.
"Ow!"
Azazel, pinched by Remiel, coughed awkwardly and approached Gonghyeok.
[Amazing achievement! 'Great Ark Crafting' accomplished!]
[Many deaths reflected in achievement]
[Achievement rate 42%, rewards: 1 blue coin, 71 indigo coins]
Then Azazel slyly eyed Remiel behind.
Remiel twitched brow, questioning; she just coughed, waving hand again.
[Azazel's quest 'Tyrannosaurus? Catch if you can!' accomplished]
[Rewards: 'Punisher Knight Skill Coinbook (A)', SS-rank weapon 'Demon-Shatter Hammer Hontar' acquired]
"Moooooooaaar!?"
Eighty thousand demons' shock roared across half-ruined Floor 3.
Banshee knight exhaled frost, yelling.
"No way, that's beyond unfair! SS weapon? Even rushing, Floor 20 you'd save/kill all for maybe one! Wanna throw down? Let that human climb and kill us quick?"
Craaaaaunch.
Countless steel soldiers and cannons rose across Floor 3's lands; earth near Azazel swelled into a massive fortress.
Her power, 'Battlefield' authority.
"You. Challenging me now?"
Banshee sucked in frost, sweating steam.
"Ah, no. Not that. Just, too much, right? Just saying, why..."
"41 humans died pointlessly in your blunder. Floor 3's a mess too. Lucky not fully destroyed... Discuss at next demon-angel meeting."
"......"
Guilty, Celestial Knights retreated quietly under pressure.
Azazel patted Gonghyeok's shoulder as he rebuilt pirate ship wreckage into an ark on the beach.
"Worm. Thought long. You have talent, potential. Clear from this. You..."
"Only came excited 'cause I dragged it out, wrecked Floor 3, swept rewards.
Skip the act, one verse and go. Bro's in a bad mood today."
Azazel's smiling face froze stone-like.
- You! Too harsh! Azazel at least...
"In a bit, just us two on the ark, know?"
- ......
With Nathaniel's silence ending, Azazel awkwardly shuffled back between Archangels.
[3-person personal ark completed]
Before boarding, Gonghyeok bid farewell to eighty thousand demons and three Archangels.
"Good work, all. Heading out first."
Unknown violence stirred in all hearts at his words, but Gonghyeok boarded quietly.
Demons merely watched the ark's tail rising toward Floor 4.
"Cluesti side... too flashy."
Of course, some demons eyed the tail with other thoughts.
＊＊＊
Gonghyeok muttered, maneuvering the ark's helm.
"Nathaniel. Come out."
- ......No.
"Not bullying. Come out."
- ...Really? Why call?
Nathaniel peeked from Gonghyeok's inner pocket.
"Sleep."
Smaaaack!
A solid flick to forehead staggered her, then she slumped limp.
GM appeared beside as he stuffed unconscious Nathaniel in his bosom.
[Master. Quest log analysis complete.]
Gonghyeok drew a pipe from his bosom.
"So, what scrap's that guy from?"
[14-year-old boy from 600 years in the future. Genetic info shows mix of many stored hunter DNAs.]
"Yeah?"
Gonghyeok quietly lit the pipe.
Hooo...
"GM."
[Yes, Master.]
"Not getting it. Say again. What?"
[Yes, Master. Bergoglio Yushus is a boy born 592 years from now, descendant of current-era hunters per genetic info.]
"Not getting it. One word?"
[Bergoglio is from the future.]
Creeeak, clank—
Metal rolling sound; alert window popped.
Fu
[Unidentified achievement: 'Future Hu man Assassination' accomplished]
tu
Static—
Window glitched away.
[Search and quest logs erased.]
"Ah, good work."
Gonghyeok tapped pipe on wooden helm, sorting thoughts.
Earth awakeners fade after time—born no more, powers gone.
Unless direct hunter offspring.
Babel hunters' kids?
Gonghyeok gazed skyward, muttering.
"Ha, future Mr. Ju Gonghyeok. Can't handle shit better? Decided to kill all hunters, do it right. What happened? Eh? That's why 13 regressions and this mess."
Kekekeke—mad cackle eerily drifted over ark.
In that instant, countless thoughts flashed through Ju Gonghyeok's mind.
'No future folk ever till now?'
'At least 200 years later—did that me save the future?'
'Or did my head snap, hallucinating future folk?'
'Then where's reality end, delusion begin?'
'Wait, from which 'regression' did I start dreaming...'
Craaack.
Gonghyeok unwittingly crushed the helm grip.
"Pfft. Kwehk."
Who cares?
Ju Gonghyeok.
When were you ever sane to fuss now? Amateur.
"Haha, puhahaha! Yahahaha—!"
Even insane multiple times, one thing straight: kill all demons dooming humanity.
Kill all hunters dooming humanity.
Crack.
He crushed the pipe in hand.
Shoved remnants in mouth.
Who cares.
Keep doing what I was.
Current me won't repeat future me's mistakes.
Leave not one possibility.
Funny punks from future or wherever...
Smash 'em all, done.
No more bullshit then.
I protect this world.
And... meet regression's end.
That's my real goal.
Forget all else.
Or... humans I killed as necessary look stupid?
"Ha ha ha haha hahaha ha ha ha ha"
Laughter echoed.
The lone survivor’s laugh resounded in the ark.