Chapter 136: Even the Absolute Being Is a First-Time Dad
Even the Absolute One is New to Fatherhood Episode 136
As Kang-jun made his entrance, the banquet hall fell silent...
"Is it alright if I take this empty seat?"
Without hesitation, Kang-jun plopped down into one of the vacant chairs.
"My friend..."
It happened to be the table where the high-ranking deities of the Asgard Star Cluster were seated, right next to Thor—the only one who could be considered remotely friendly among them.
"By the way, which one's Odin?"
At his question, a one-eyed old man with long white hair and an equally long beard burst into hearty laughter before answering in a low voice.
"I am Odin."
He then extended his hand for a handshake.
"Honored '■■■,' benefactor of Asgard. Though you've traveled far to be here, I cannot begin to imagine how peaceful your journey must have been."
His words carried an unmistakable hint of flattery, likely referring to the time he had temporarily lent Kang-jun his legendary steed, Sleipnir...
"Well, thanks to that," Kang-jun replied, gripping Odin's hand firmly before adding,
"Your horse was badass."
Most of the deities witnessing this exchange couldn't help but stir in shock.
"The ruler of the entire Asgard Star Cluster is using honorifics...?"
"Does he have ties to the unfathomable King of Wisdom...?"
Though ■■■ had only recently ascended to godhood, barely qualifying as a deity...
Paradoxically, there wasn't a single god at the banquet who didn't know of him.
How many deities had recently crossed ■■■ only to meet a gruesome end?
"First, he humiliated me, then tore out the tongue of my only son Susanoo and killed him... and now he dares to bring an Outer God..."
This muttered complaint came from Izanami, a deity of the Takamagahara Star Cluster and one of the Seven Gods of Fortune, who bore the epithet "Underworld."
Her daughter Amaterasu, known as the sun goddess of Takamagahara, nodded in quiet agreement.
"Now I understand why Susanoo couldn't resist... even a little."
Wasn't it the "Outer Entities" that even the most formidable deities of the Abyss feared?
"Among Takamagahara's deities, Susanoo was second to none in martial prowess... yet he was helpless. It puzzled me..."
Shockingly, the being ■■■ had captured alive—Nug-Yeb—was considered one of the most dangerous among the Outer Gods...
A Great Old One.
Though not as threatening as an Outer God, it was still no easy foe for the deities of the Abyss to subdue.
The blasphemous Nug-Yeb.
Its body was pierced through by countless black spears, leaving it in a wretched state...
Its mangled form was tightly bound by black chains, unable to move an inch.
「 To think this body—one of the 'Ancient Ones'—would suffer such humiliation... 」
「 Just kill me... 」
「 If word of this spreads, all the 'Outer Entities' will rage and tear you apart— 」
Every time it struggled, the chains binding it clanged noisily, producing chaotic metallic echoes...
From a distance, several deities instinctively stepped back, shouting at Kang-jun.
"Wh-what are you doing keeping that thing here?!"
"How dare you bring an Outer God into this sacred place?!"
"What if those bindings break?!"
Deities from various star clusters, unusually united for once, hurled a barrage of protests at Kang-jun.
Though most of them seemed uniformly terrified that Nug-Yeb might break free...
Kang-jun found their reactions amusing, letting out a soft chuckle before acting like the owner of a large, unruly dog.
"Don't worry, I've got a tight grip on him."
"But—!"
"Look, he's well-behaved. Won't even bite."
Kang-jun glanced at Nug-Yeb.
"Hey, say something."
「 You bastard! 」
"See? Told you he wouldn't bite."
Then, Kang-jun's authority activated once more.
[ Authority 'Myth-Weaving' (EX-Rank) has been activated. ]
[ The Creator God begins recording your myth. ]
A narrative echoed through the banquet hall where all the deities had gathered.
『 ■■■ had indeed brought a Great Old One—alive and bound—to the Banquet of Stars, where deities from all star clusters had gathered. 』
『 Countless deities trembled in fear at the sight of the captured Great Old One... 』
『 They could neither contain their shock at ■■■'s actions nor help but feel awe and terror toward him. 』
Of course, not every deity reacted with sheer terror and trembling before Kang-jun.
Some found his antics fascinating, reacting in various ways and murmuring among themselves.
"That epithet of his is even more tempting now..."
Surtr, the "Flame Giant Who Craves Destruction" from the Asgard Star Cluster, muttered under his breath...
Loki, who had both eyes gouged out by Kang-jun and could no longer see, asked again:
"Su-Surtr... Are you saying he really captured an Outer God alive and brought it here?"
Surtr answered quietly, "Yes," before glaring murderously at Kang-jun in the distance and continuing:
"It must be the power of his ■■■ epithet. If only I could get my hands on it somehow... I could become the greatest deity..."
He wasn't the only one nurturing such ambitions in secret.
"A power that can oppose the Outer Entities..."
"Interesting..."
"If only we could obtain the ■■■ epithet..."
Some deities from the massive Olympian Star Cluster also began eyeing Kang-jun's title...
Then.
A muscular deity with sculpted features and long black hair spoke up.
"Hard to say."
This was a god who had previously spoken directly with Kang-jun during the "Five Great Kings" conference...
"Misguided ambition only invites ruin."
These quiet words came from Hades, a high-ranking Olympian deity often referred to by the epithet "Formless Death."
"At the very least, I have no intention of making an enemy of '■■■' or standing against him."
Others like Hades also subtly expressed goodwill toward Kang-jun.
"Damn. How the hell did he pull that off?"
The deity known as the "Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain" scratched his head as he asked.
"Fascinating guy, no matter how you look at it."
He then turned slightly to glance at the massively muscular deity seated beside him, who sported two large horns.
"Think we could capture an Outer God alive too?"
The horned deity tilted his head thoughtfully before answering in a low voice.
"Probably impossible."
"Then that guy..."
"Might be stronger than us."
The self-proclaimed Monkey King of Flower-Fruit Mountain chuckled like a mischievous boy and muttered:
"I kinda wanna fight him."
Just as the attention of every deity in the hall converged entirely on Kang-jun...
"It seems everyone has finally arrived."
The boy who had been tightly gripping Nug-Yeb's chains spoke softly.
He then handed the chains back to Kang-jun and awkwardly made a request.
"Mind holding onto this for me now?"
"Huh?"
"I've got to host the banquet."
Kang-jun raised an eyebrow.
"You're the only manager here?"
"Yeah, as you can see."
"Rough gig."
As Kang-jun took the chains and gripped them firmly, the "Manager" immediately ascended the podium...
Ahem, ahem.
After testing the standing microphone on stage, he continued without delay.
As mentioned in the prior notice, this gathering celebrates the successful convergence of this world's narrative to 'Gi'(Origin).
The hall fell silent at those words.
"Taking this opportunity, I would like to request all divine beings across the star clusters to persevere until the day we reach the next word..."
The boy who had been speaking so eloquently paused briefly, as if to catch his breath.
"I have several important announcements to make. First, I must inform you that the 'Star Cluster Rankings' have undergone some changes..."
A soft "Ding!" echoed through the hall as a massive status window appeared above the boy's head.
[Star Cluster Rankings]
1st - Numerous deities from the Great Star Cluster Cthulhu, including ■■■■.
2nd - Numerous deities from the Great Star Cluster Olympus, including Zeus.
3rd - Numerous deities from the Great Star Cluster Asgard, including Odin.
Just as all eyes were drawn to the status window—
"While there have been no changes in the upper ranks, there have been significant shifts in the rankings below."
Then, as if scrolling through a document on a monitor, the lower portion of the rankings was revealed.
4th. Unaffiliated, ■■■.
The moment the next rank was disclosed, murmurs—both loud and hushed—began to ripple through the hall.
"How did he rise to 4th place when he only just obtained divinity...?"
"A single divine being's rank overwhelming entire star clusters...?"
"What kind of narrative could he possibly have amassed in such a short time...?"
Thor, as if personally delighted by the news, slung a thick arm over Kang-jun's shoulder and showered him with congratulations.
"This is truly fantastic!"
"Is it really that good?"
"Of course it is!"
Then, he added:
"The value and power of the 'narratives' you've built up can now be considered to surpass the combined might of entire great star clusters..."
Thor trailed off vaguely before suddenly clearing his throat. "Ahem, hmm."
"Though, of course, you'll need to work even harder if you want to surpass us in Asgard."
Kang-jun, seemingly indifferent, merely nodded a few times in response.
"The full rankings will be sent to you all via official notice later, so you may check your own positions then."
The boy, having concluded his smooth speech, turned his head slightly and glanced at Kang-jun.
"As you've all seen, the unaffiliated divine being '■■■' has achieved a truly unprecedented rise in rank."
He then continued his explanation.
"For those who may find this puzzling, allow me to briefly clarify..."
The boy began elaborating in detail on the reasons behind Kang-jun's meteoric rise to 4th place.
"After defeating Jörmungandr, a deity of Asgard, he authored the myth of 'The Master of the World's Strongest Serpent'..."
"Following that, he secured a new myth—'The Spring of Niflheim'—by defeating Hela, another deity of Asgard..."
"Then, at the Great Demon Kings' Assembly, he rewrote the myth of 'The Supreme Among Demon Kings'..."
"Subsequently, he authored the myth of 'Vengeance and Dimensional Guardian' by defeating Susanoo, the war god of Takamagahara..."
"Not only has he authored multiple myths in such a short time, but he also ranked 1st in additional evaluation criteria, securing his position at 4th place."
The boy finished and asked:
"Does anyone have any objections?"
At that moment, a deity seated in a corner of the banquet hall raised their hand.
"If I may, for the sake of fairness, I believe you must explain what these 'additional evaluation criteria' entail."
"Fairness?"
"While it's true he has amassed an impressive volume of myths and narratives in a short time, this level of ranking shift is still hard to accept..."
The boy nodded, then responded in a tone that bordered on condescending—almost insulting.
"I fully anticipated that some of you, still clinging to such pitifully narrow-minded thoughts, might raise this issue..."
"Very well."
"Since it won't take long, I shall take a moment to explain the additional evaluation criteria."
Another status window appeared.
[Rankings by Temples and Followers]
1st - Unaffiliated, ■■■.
The hall buzzed once more.
"The most heavily weighted of the additional criteria—Temples and Followers—where he ranks 1st."
"Remarkably, every being in an entire dimension still remembers him, offering prayers day and night and visiting his temples."
"They've even designated a 'Fasting Prayer Period' in honor of his appointed day, which they strictly observe..."
"The number of temples built solely to worship him alone numbers in the thousands."
The boy then posed a question.
"Is there even a single one among you who still commands such a vast number of devoted followers and temples?"
"And I'm not just speaking of quantity. The quality of their faith matters just as much."
Kang-jun blinked in bewilderment.
"Huh...?"
A memory surfaced—something Iriel had once told him.
"They all still long for you, my lord."
If what the boy said was true, and Kang-jun truly had countless fervent followers with thousands of temples dedicated to him...
"The people...?"
It could only be the work of Anux's people.
There were no temples or worshippers of his on Earth.
Just then, the boy turned to Kang-jun and spoke abruptly.
"I'd like to hear a few words from you, if you don't mind."
"Words?" Kang-jun murmured before nodding and rising from his seat.
"Though not exactly a speech, there is something I must say to everyone here."
With that, Kang-jun yanked Nuguyev—bound head to toe in black chains—toward him with all his might.
"You bastard—!"
Nuguyev snarled as he was dragged forward, his countless eyes glaring murderously at Kang-jun.
"Watch closely from now on."
Kang-jun's reason for attending the banquet of stars had always been to deliver a warning—efficiently—to every divine being of the Abyss.
"Mind if I borrow this for a second?"
Kang-jun's gaze fell on Mjölnir in Thor's hand. Thor stammered in response.
"My friend, lending Mjölnir is no great matter, but wielding it requires the gauntlet I'm wearing—Járngreipr—without it, even I cannot..."
Before he could finish, Kang-jun reached out and snatched Mjölnir from Thor's grip with a sharp "Hup!"
"Relax, I'll give it right back."
The deities of Asgard could barely contain their shock.
"H-He... He just took Mjölnir barehanded...!"
"How...?"
"Even Thor cannot do that...!"
Kang-jun's eyes swept across the gathered deities as he spoke.
"Listen well."
His low voice resonated.
"To those who covet my Title—"
Veins bulged in the hand gripping Mjölnir.
"To those who dare set foot in my dimension—"
Sparks crackled violently from the hammer.
"To those who mention my family—"
Kang-jun raised Mjölnir high.
"And to those foolish enough to defy me—"
The next moment—
"You can't possibly mean to kill an Outer God!"
"Cthulhu will hunt you for this!"
"This is sheer madness!"
The Asgardian deities desperately tried to dissuade him as Kang-jun swung Mjölnir down—
KR-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-R-RUMBLE!
Without the slightest hesitation, Kang-jun brought the hammer crashing onto Nuguyev's skull, shattering it completely.
"You'd best be prepared to have your heads smashed in."
As stunned silence gripped the hall—
"■■■■, grant me vengeance...!"
Nuguyev dissolved into polygonal fragments, scattering into nothingness.
Only deafening silence remained.