Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: 4th Throne, Lord Who Eats Death - Gamigin (4)
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83 limited special authorities unleashed their powers, all firing toward Gamigin as he charged at me.
And it was right then that I sensed something instinctively off and ominous.
The moment the spear left my hand, the murderous intent and rage vanished. At the same time, Gamigin—who had been hurtling toward me—halted in midair and fixed his gaze on Longinus.
【Kuhuhu. This is why you pathetic, lowly vermin are so...】
Gamigin extended his hand toward Longinus with arrogant certainty of victory, not even entertaining the thought of defeat.
I panicked. I felt it.
'He's blocking it?!'
No, that couldn't be. No way a weakened, exhausted body like his could block Longinus at over 83% activation!
On top of that, I grimaced again, feeling the power granted by the God-Slayer title surging within me.
No matter how I thought about it, there was no way. Even if he'd prepared a mountain of disasters! Once Longinus locked on, nothing could stop it.
Longinus cleaved through the sky, trailing a beautiful streak of light as it surged toward the black entity.
All eyes turned to the heavens. And Gamigin, who had casually and calmly reached out toward Longinus...!!!
Couldn't even mount a proper defense before being pierced clean through. No variables. A massive hole tore open in his chest, and as Longinus embedded itself, his body began to disintegrate amid a blaze of holy flames.
Yes, that nagging unease and anxiety had been unavoidable when facing a god.
Cheers erupted. The frail mortals of the lower realms had slain a demon king of the heart realm!!!
A great and glorious feat!
Once his body fully disintegrated and Longinus safely returned, the tension drained from me, and I collapsed onto the spot. Only now did the tightness in my chest finally ease.
A profound satisfaction settled into my buff-stacked body. Yes, with this power and Longinus, trash like that demon king was no match anytime...
My expression hardened in an instant. Instinctively, I leaped to my feet, drew the All-Destroying Demon Sword, activated the Chaos Armor skill, equipped the Myriad Changes shoes, and took to the skies with the Wings of Pride.
'The buffs aren't fading.'
Gamigin was dead. I'd witnessed his soul and body both annihilate with my own eyes.
"Then why hasn't the God-Slayer title buff disappeared?"
That's when I realized the source of that lingering unease. There was only one reason the title's buff hadn't faded.
Sensing danger on instinct, I shouted toward the battlefield.
"Everyone, get out of there!!!!"
Kwaaaaaang!!!!
With a massive explosion, a being emerged from the underground prison where no life should have remained.
【Hahahahaha!】
It was the master of the 4th Throne—the Lord Who Eats Death, Gamigin. But at the same time, it wasn't Gamigin's body.
【Foolish, foolish vermin. Despair. Collapse. Rage. For the Lord of Death has truly descended.】
I recognized that face and body. Everyone had seen them once before. People retched at the sight of Gamigin's form.
A chimera. It wouldn't be wrong to call it that.
The base was the puppet of Cardinal Aoir. Grafted onto it were parts from three disasters. The monster thus created—Gamigin's other body.
【Surprised? I am the Lord who rules death and devours it. None dare impose death upon me. How do you think my apostle crafted such a splendid puppet? It was all my power! That made it possible!】
What I'd just killed was definitely Gamigin. But at the same time, it wasn't.
The puppet. He'd transferred his soul from his main body to the puppet, swapping bodies, then sacrificed the husk and power of his original form to block Longinus.
【Now...】
His gaze turned to me. No, it pierced through me. That gaze held countless emotions, all coalescing to swiftly dissect everything about me.
【It's time to pay the price. For daring to steal the power left by our god. I'll plunge you into the eternal hell of agony, drowning you in a swamp of torment to grant you endless despair.】
The Eye of Chaos manifested. And I realized—even as he postured so leisurely and arrogantly...
'He's weak.'
It meant he'd had to expend and sacrifice a great deal as well. Of course. A demon king's body would be immensely valuable.
Objectively speaking, Gamigin's power was so diminished it paled in comparison to the puppet I'd slain with Longinus.
'That said, he's still beyond specs.'
Off the charts. If there was a rank right above SSS+, that's exactly it. But even so. An opponent I couldn't possibly defeat.
Even if the Pope were here and could fight, victory wasn't guaranteed—no, we'd likely lose nine times out of ten.
"Hoo... Damn it."
I clicked my tongue, glaring at Gamigin as he locked eyes with me from above and sneered.
Atop his hand floated something like a black orb. The Eye of Chaos immediately identified it for me.
"Life Vessel."
【Oh ho! You recognize it? Did you think a mere lich like me, who devours and rules death, wouldn't possess a Life Vessel? My life and soul reside not in flesh, but here. What you slew with that accursed spear was my most cherished body, bait containing 49% of my soul.】
In the end, he'd taken a loss. But by boldly sacrificing them, he'd seized victory.
【To think lowly, fragile worms of the lower realms forced me to expend my near-perfect body and half my soul. And on top of that, you stole a fragment of the god that was the great goal of our grand plan. What do you think I'll do to you?】
Gamigin's hand turned toward me. Black demonic energy erupted like a wave, seeking to devour everything.
Instinctively, I activated the Solar Sanctuary of the Solar Divine Art and invoked the power of Demonic Energy Dominion.
Kwagwagwa... Stop!
The pouring deathly demonic energy halted dead in the air. At the same time, blood gushed from all seven orifices, and a splitting headache hammered my skull.
Beyond limits. The price of dominating more demonic energy than I could handle.
【Impressive. I noticed it when you interfered with my apostle's soul and stole it. But how did you do it? How could you inherit a demon god's power so perfectly?】
Gamigin closed in on me in an instant, seizing my throat and glaring with eyes brimming with chilling madness.
Jealousy. Envy. Rage. Eyes filled with emotions different from before, crashing over me like waves.
"Fuck off. You think... I'm gonna... tell you...?"
【Kuhuhu. Yes, even a puny worm needs some spirit. Don't worry. As long as there's proof you can inherit divine power, the grand plan succeeds. I don't even need the power myself. No, this is even better. No risk of being discarded after serving your purpose. We've secured such a fine test subject, the plan succeeds, and we can demand compensation for our losses. And we've gained plenty here too!】
Gamigin's demonic energy surged at me again. Resistance was futile. My body was already under control, and one wrong move meant death by the hand squeezing my neck.
My vision blackened. The screams from below and Belial's approaching figure were the last things I saw before consciousness faded.
'Damn it.'
Amid the sinking consciousness, fury boiled. I'd been cautious. I hadn't expected Belial to use the puppet technique, or for him to sacrifice his original body as the price.
But the result was my defeat.
'Am I losing just like this?'
No. No way. I had no intention of dying so pathetically and easily. I forcibly roused my fading consciousness.
I pushed back the awareness being dragged into the mental realm. My wills within the mental realm aided me.
"Self... victory... makes one... strong."
The strongest card I could play!
I had to struggle, even feebly. Dying like this was too unjust, too infuriating.
System messages pierced the unseeing vision and deafened ears.
Strength began flowing back into my body. Fortune, exhausted, couldn't help.
In its place appeared...
Misfortune. It had poured everything into ensuring my death.
Power drained away in reverse. For the first time, my past self began to project.
Growing weaker and weaker and weaker. Until I became the me right after regression, utterly feeble.
Misfortune mocked me relentlessly at the sight, taunting without end.
Was even this last chance slipping away?
The voice piercing through the demonic energy was surely mocking me too. Gamigin would dismiss my final struggle as pathetically futile.
But in that situation. I could finally smile.
'Done? You damn thing?'
Yes, I hadn't lost from the start. What I'd aimed for was exactly this—for Misfortune to exhaust all its power aiding my ruin!
"Rune manifest."
My final preparation. You bastards.
"Time Regression."
Even regressing wouldn't restore the power Misfortune or Fortune had expended. I was the agent of regression, and they were authorities, after all.
I ignored the frantic messages from Misfortune. I'd won this time too.
The world froze. Everything halted, and the forces suppressing me lifted. Simultaneously, strength began refilling my body.
The demonic energy pinning me receded.
A colossal, unstoppable hourglass flipped. Savagely meeting the horrified demon king's eyes, rewinding time took hold of my body.
In the end, all the sand in the hourglass fell. The world began flowing again.
I was activating Longinus again, and the demon king's rampage echoed from underground.
"Hoo..."
I knew it all now. All that remained was to overwhelmingly shatter that hand.
'Life Vessel.'
In the end, killing the puppet called a "body" meant nothing. The Life Vessel. Destroy that, where his vitality and soul resided.
Longinus roared fiercely.
"Straight to it!"
Without hesitation, I spread the Wings of Pride and soared, finishing my spear-throw preparation. No time to waste.
The Eye of Chaos manifested, revealing the underground prison crystal clear in my vision.
"You damn bastard. Just die already."
About ten minutes later, the prison doors shattered, revealing the hidden interior.
I locked eyes not on the puppet before me, but on the Life Vessel held in the hand of Gamigin's second body, smugly watching from the rear.
"Shatter it. Longinus."
I hurled Longinus straight at it.