Chapter 68
Chapter 68
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 68
Chapter Title: Hidden Stage - Divine Throne: The Atoning Fallen Lamb, Azazel's Fragment
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The old man's body burned up and vanished, as if it had served its purpose. The grand wizard who had wished for eternal life met a truly gruesome end.
"Why was Azazel able to revive?"
Leaving the still bewildered woman behind, I coldly assessed the headache-inducing situation at hand.
First, I scrolled through the system messages that had popped up and checked the conditions of the final hidden scenario.
Divine Throne: The Atoning Fallen Lamb, Azazel's Fragment
Grade: Myth
Rank: E+
Description: The fallen angel Azazel, who once met his end at the hands of another Divine Throne, has torn through his servant's body in a final gambit and revived. Though merely a fragment and unable to wield his full power, even this shard alone will crush you like an insect. Slay him.
Objective: Defeat Divine Throne: The Atoning Fallen Lamb, Azazel (0/1)
Restrictions: Defense impossible. One attack per turn.
Success: ???
Failure: Annihilation
"Win against a god?"
I'd never seen such a lunatic. That damned Misfortune had crossed the line. Crazy bastard.
It tossed this at me as a trial, daring me to overcome it. And honestly? It seemed... doable?
'So this is how it turns out.'
I burst into mad laughter inwardly and dismissed the system message.
By now, the fallen angel called Azazel had fully revealed himself, cackling wildly as he savored the thrill of revival.
Nine pairs of black-and-white wings. A pair of ram's horns sprouting from his head. A colossal body that looked at least five meters tall.
His mere presence unleashed an overwhelming pressure and dignity that crushed down on me, but I didn't break.
Misfortune had dipped out, but the rest kept my crumbling mind anchored to my body.
"Urgh!"
I hurriedly pulled the groaning, head-clutching woman into my inventory and sent her to the estate, then braced myself.
[Hm?]
That was when Azazel turned his gaze on me. It was just a glance, but the pressure surging toward me spiked to another level entirely.
"Guh...!"
I was barely holding on. Facing a god's fragment, it was near impossible for a mere insect like me to keep my sanity in the first place.
Without those authorities and Supreme Soul, it would've been impossible. Azazel approached, clearly amused and intrigued by such a specimen.
Step. Thud. Step. Thud.
With each step closer, the agony of impending death intensified. When he finally loomed before me, looking down...
I could do nothing but drop to my knees and collapse.
"Cough! Ack."
Win against this? What an utterly absurd trial.
[Insect. How are you still alive? What have you done?]
I couldn't even speak. My mouth wouldn't open. All I could manage was spitting the blood drooling from my lips and keeping my head off the ground.
The gap in our dignities. The pressure from that disparity battered not just my body, but my soul as well.
Thankfully, my abilities fully shielded my soul, though that left my body more vulnerable to the intensified pressure.
[Impressive. You're harboring three seeds? Are you truly an insect? Or a fallen Divine Throne reduced to the dregs? No, no. Your soul's too small and pathetic for that.]
Azazel circled me quietly, appraising me like merchandise.
[Still, impressive. For an insect to endure against a god's fragment, even a mere shard of my true self. Well done.]
His voice brimmed with genuine admiration and curiosity.
[Insect. Become my incarnation.]
And so he proposed: the role of incarnation.
A Divine Throne's incarnation—an exalted position, needless to say.
Not some nameless lay believer, not even an apostle serving up close. A being who literally shares everything with a god.
No entity on Earth had ever claimed such a seat. Not in the present, nor in the future before my regression.
I'd only witnessed one. Among the countless invaders who ravaged Earth in that future, there was an incarnation of a lesser god.
The day that incarnation appeared, Earth lost half its SS-rank Hunters, and two SSS-ranks perished.
Its existence was pure cheat territory. And the way to obtain that ridiculous power? Become a Divine Throne's incarnation.
Azazel was offering me that very seat.
[Do you crave revenge? Do you wish to punish those who betrayed and murdered your parents? To make those who mocked and insulted them pay? Become my incarnation. Then I'll grant you the power and authority to achieve everything you desire!]
It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted. A fallen angel indeed—tempting me like the devil himself.
"Scram... I have to... do it with my own power."
Azazel scoffed at my words and stepped back slightly. The pressure eased in tandem.
"Cough! Cough! Urk! Damn it all, that nearly killed me."
I caught my breath and forcibly steadied my trembling body. He couldn't attack me yet. Not for now.
The system's constraints, no doubt. It had promised a fight where we each got one strike per turn, no defenses allowed.
Normally I'd curse the idiotic setup, but from the system's perspective, it was probably better than instant death without a chance to retaliate.
Azazel had to abide by his own constraints. Frankly, even attempting revival like this should've gotten him expelled from a stage-0 zone outright.
But he didn't want expulsion. That would hurl him straight to the gods' domain. Ages had passed, yet plenty still harbored grudges against him. A mere fragment like himself stood no chance against them all.
So he'd meekly accepted the constraints. After all, no insect could possibly kill him.
Or rather—what if he claimed this insect harboring three vast seeds? Beyond reassembling his fragments into wholeness, he could even advance further.
[Looks like I need to show this pathetic, frail insect what happens when sheer willpower steps up. Go on, then. Channel that will and try whatever you like. I won't budge from this spot. Inflict even a scratch, and I'll let you live.]
Azazel declared with haughty majesty.
And that was the opening I'd been waiting for.
The demonic barrier around Azazel's body vanished, and his form froze—as if inviting me to strike.
His lips curled in a sneer, as if beholding a foolish insect who knew not its doom.
Seeing that, I couldn't help but smirk myself. To strut with such arrogance, oblivious to his own fate.
"Go ahead. Laugh it up."
It'd be your last.
I rose to my feet and faced Azazel, opening my inventory.
The weapon I'd bought from Goldring just yesterday for a whopping 10,001 black coins. The ultimate armament, brushing the limits of mythic dignity.
"Let's see how far that will of yours goes."
A mythic-grade item materialized in my hand. The moment the spear appeared, Azazel's face hardened in horror.
He alternated stunned glances between me and the spear, then shouted urgently.
[W-Wait!!]
"Too late. Let's see how strong your will really is."
I gripped the spear and assumed a javelin stance, activating it.
Holy Spear of God-Slaying: Longinus [Myth-EX+] startup sequence initiated!
0%... 0.0001%... 0.007%... 0.009%...
The legendary spear said to have slain a god. A true god-killer item.
My ace in the hole, prepared for a moment just like this.
"Who'd have thought I'd use it in a single day."
The catch? Its effects were tricky. To kill a real god, the spear needed at least 80% startup.
With my current dignity and abilities, even 0.1% per second was a struggle. And the gains slowed exponentially as it ramped up.
Still, even that made it stronger than any weapon I owned.
The issue was buying time against a strong foe. But now the board was set.
The system hadn't designed the constraints for this, but one thing was certain: this single strike would end him.
The startup climbed. Past 1%, 3%... 5%.
[Impossible! How can an insect like you possess such a great holy relic?! That spear was the one that slew the supreme lord of the heavens, only to be exiled beyond the Abyss! How?! A mere insect unable to break the archangels' seals—how do you have that spear?!]
"Oh? So this is its sealed state right now?"
Valuable intel. Once an angel, he knew his stuff.
'No wonder Goldring whined about it being ruthless, sucking him dry, taking everything when he sold it.'
I flashed a blatant sneer. The startup rate plummeted past 5%, as if that were the limit of my dignity.
But it didn't matter. Even if it took months, the spear would activate eventually, and he'd die.
Ignoring his shrieking protests, I poured everything into the startup.
[Ha... hahaha! I get it! This whole thing's an illusion! I haven't revived yet. Of course! Haha! You damn system! Think showing me this fantasy will make me give up revival? Dream on!]
About half a day later, as startup crossed 20%, he began denying reality outright, laughing maniacally and ranting about waking from the illusion.
More time passed. At 40%...
[Fuck! Fuck! FUCK!!! Why are you doing this to me?! What did I do wrong?! I'm a god! A great god! You think a puny insect like you can kill me? Ha! You dare challenge me just because you hold a holy relic, you filthy worm?!]
He ramped up his dignity, hurling curses at me.
Days more, past 60%...
[Stop! Please, stop! Fine, I get it. It's all my fault. I'll do anything, really. Just put that damned spear away. W-What do you want? Name it—I'll give you everything! Except actually dying, anything. Trust me. I'm not like those other demon scum or devil bastards, I swear?!]
"Bullshit. You never planned to let me go even if I succeeded."
[Wha...? W-What are you talking about? No way!]
"Bullshit. You said you'd let me go, not that you'd do it willingly. Knew it."
Having felt the slave contract's bullshit to my bones, cheap tricks like that didn't fly.
Even if I'd wounded him, he'd have pretended to release me, then demanded I become his kin with death as leverage.
[Hahahaha! What are you saying? I'd never. Even if I did, why would I lie now?! It's real—don't you want revenge? Absorb just one of my fragments, and you can do whatever! Earth? It's full of worms like them!]
He tried negotiating. I ignored him, continuing the startup.
At 80%...
[...Fucking world. What am I supposed to do about being born this way? I'm not your goddamn scapegoat for all your sins. What a shit world. Pointless.]
Snapped, huh? Whatever.
Finally, after over two weeks, Longinus reached 100% startup.
"Hm. Deliberately pushing it to 100%..."
Is this okay? I swallowed hard at the insane presence emanating from the spear.
Truth be told, 60% would've sufficed against a mere fragment like Azazel.
But I'd tested it to the limit, just to see. The result?
[Fuck. Kill me. If I revive with other fragments, I'll hunt you down and rip you apart.]
"Yeah? See you later."
Longinus left my hand. And everything before me was erased from existence.