Chapter 265: The Call. (End)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 265: The Call. (End)
Of course, that didn’t mean I was going to take that hand.
“Is it a no?”
“Yes, it’s a no.”
The god before me seemed to have expected my answer, as she wore a bittersweet smile.
To undo the contract and return to being an ordinary person meant I would no longer be able to recover my Innate True Qi.
That would inevitably mean I couldn’t use the Touch of the Devil or Reinforcement, essentially sealing away almost all of my primary skills.
I can’t do that yet. Definitely not. I’m only in the second semester of my freshman year.
Only two Demon Kings have retired, and I haven’t properly dealt with a single Calamity-class threat.
Even though she helped me this time, if Seo-ha finds out I’ve lost my power, there’s no telling what she might do out of anxiety.
“You don’t seem very surprised.”
“I suppose you could say I expected it. It’s only natural, isn’t it?”
Yes, come to think of it, it was only natural.
It was a fortuitous encounter I took to put out an immediate fire; if anything, it was more accurate to say the side effects had been slow to arrive.
“There’s no way a convenient power that infinitely recovers Innate True Qi without any side effects could exist, right?”
“There is, though?”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah, of course, it’s an incredibly rare thing, and I’m not saying I can just give it to you. It’s also a mystery whether a human could even handle it. I just happened to interject because you seemed so certain it didn’t exist.”
…Uh, well. No. If you suddenly say that, what I was about to say becomes a bit embarrassing.
“Anyway, there’s no way I could obtain something like that so easily. So, I was actually prepared for some level of side effects.”
“Child, did you properly understand what I said? I am giving you a chance. I am telling you that from now on, even if you are incredibly lucky, you will die. If you are unlucky, you won’t even be able to maintain your sense of self.”
“Yes, I understood perfectly.”
“If you were a child obsessed with power, I would condemn you as a fool. If you were a brat who believed you were different from others and could endure it, I would at least try to reason with you.”
The lips of the god borrowing the Saintess’s body curved into a smile.
“You are neither. I wonder what it is that still allows you to see hope. I wonder how you haven’t broken yet.”
For a very brief moment, a cold glint of greed flickered in her eyes.
“I’m tempted.”
“Excuse me?”
“One moment I think you’re a soul broken by despair, yet you sparkle like this. How could the gods not hold you dear?”
Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what she was talking about.
“Still, there is professional courtesy even among gods, so I shouldn’t take you for myself.”
She watched me, alternating between laughing as if amused and looking at me with pity as if observing something tragic.
“May I ask you one thing?”
“As many as you like.”
“Have you not considered that if you leave now without undoing the contract, you will eventually make the very sacrifice you so loathe? Do you truly believe your precious ones, living in a peace built upon your blood and your shattered mind, will be happy?”
“No, I don’t think that, and I have no intention of sacrificing myself.”
“…Hm?”
“I’ll have to find a way. I’m not just going to endure blindly. I’ll put in every effort. You just told me there’s a way to increase Innate True Qi without side effects, so it’s not time to give up yet.”
“Are you not afraid?”
“How could I not be? Of course I’m afraid. But I know something much scarier than that. So, I have no choice.”
“I see. It truly is a well-made masterpiece, regardless of whose work it is.”
Hm?
“I’d love to make you my apostle right now and bestow my grace upon you, but please understand that the situation doesn’t allow for it.”
“No, it’s fine. Then, is what you wanted to confirm…”
“However, I think it would be fine to grant you a small blessing.”
“Pardon?”
“It is partly my child’s fault, after all. I’ll ensure the trials that await you don’t torment you too much.”
The moment she reached out and stroked my head.
The energies inside my body began to move of their own accord.
“Normally, they would clash and explode, but I shall make it so you can hold both Demonic Energy and Divine Power within you. And I’ll make the Authority clinging to your heart, eating away at you, torment you a little less.”
The things that had been haphazardly mixed without clear boundaries began to settle within my body as if distinct borders had been drawn.
“It would be good to help the immature Dragon’s Shadow grow better as well.”
“Ugh…!”
“Lastly, I was going to adjust your bloodways, but your body and bloodways are already so clean they could be considered the peak of human potential. I’ll just give them another cleaning.”
At the mention of bloodways, a memory from the past flashed through my mind.
It really hurt when Sun Wukong pierced my bloodways at the Spring of Mana.
Why am I remembering that day now?
Before I could even shout for her to wait, the radiance spreading from her fingertips rummaged through the inside of my body.
“…Mmph!?!?”
Vivid pain washed over me.
“It might feel a bit unfamiliar at first, but it will be much more comfortable once you get used to it.”
By the time the pain and the strange sensations subsided, I wasn’t sure what exactly was happening inside me.
From beyond my fading consciousness.
“In place of the two gods who can no longer bless you, I can at least pray for your well-being.”
Two gods who can no longer bless me?
I wanted to ask what that meant, but unfortunately, I didn’t think I could stay conscious any longer.
* * *
“…Are you alright?”
When I regained consciousness, it wasn’t a god waiting for me, but the Saintess.
“Right, it’s standard procedure to leave without answering things like that.”
“Distinguished Guest? What on earth do you mean…?”
The Saintess seemed flustered seeing me wake up and talk nonsense, but unfortunately, I wasn’t in a state to worry about others right now.
I thought she might kindly wait until I woke up, but I suppose being a god means you aren’t that idle.
It’s bothering me.
Gods who can no longer bless me? Who are they, and there are two of them?
“Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere? Sometimes those who aren’t used to divinity experience a rejection response…”
Many thoughts crossed my mind, but I couldn’t just stay sprawled on the floor.
The moment I slowly pushed myself up, I felt a bit different than usual.
How should I put it? For the first time in a long while, my body felt light.
“Distinguished Guest…?”
“Ah, no. I’m fine. I was just dazed for a moment.”
“I see. That’s a relief. Your companions are waiting outside, so let us go.”
Well, in any case, I guess the list of things I need to solve has grown again.
* * *
The Divine Realm.
In a place where countless gods lived within their independent systems, one god was looking down at the mortal world with a smile.
He was a child many gods were interested in, but meeting him in person felt entirely different.
As expected of a child who had experienced two of the greatest blessings permitted to humans.
“Why did you do that?”
“Hm?”
While she was looking down at the mortal world, an angel had approached her side.
It was the child who had formed a contract with the boy she had been watching just moments ago.
“What do you mean?”
“The contract. I thought you would forcibly nullify it.”
“A contract, once formed, isn’t something one side can just cancel on a whim, can they?”
“That’s only for contracts formed normally.”
“So you know the contract you formed with him isn’t normal?”
“That… I didn’t make that artifact thinking someone would actually find it. I made it back when I was still closer to being human…”
“Is that so? And what about leaving a mark on that child’s soul without permission? Thanks to that, he’s becoming unstable much faster.”
“I’m sorry…”
She was a foolish girl who hadn’t even realized what mistake she had made until today, but seeing her cute face clouded with sorrow made the god feel a bit sorry for her.
In truth, it couldn’t be blamed entirely on this child.
It only ended like this because it was her; if angels with fewer than three pairs of wings had gained the chance to contract with that boy, they might have been so enchanted they would have fallen.
“I simply respected that child’s choice. I gave him the opportunity, and since he made the choice, the price is also something he must bear.”
“Are you saying gods shouldn’t interfere too much in human affairs?”
“Yes, you know well, don’t you? How much a human’s life is ruined the more a god interferes. That child is a unique case.”
The cute blonde angel pondered deeply for a moment, then nodded as if she had made a decision.
“Still, I’m not a god, so I’ll stay by his side and help him a lot from now on.”
A smile naturally formed at the heartwarming sight.
Even when she was human, she was the kind of child who looked after others before herself. Although the god couldn’t protect her from a tragic end, the memory of holding her in her arms was still vivid.
“Coincidentally, that iron lump who was my biggest rival is broken, and our contract has deepened. Once he realizes the greatness of Divine Power, he won’t even spare a glance at something like Demonic Energy, right?”
“…Child? What do you mean…?”
“Yes, since the problem started because of me, it’s only right that I fix it. He’ll need my help. Hehe, just wait and see who’s the most helpful. I claimed him first, so who do those latecomers think they’re looking down on?”
…Come to think of it, she was a kind child, but she did have a bit of a persistent streak when she was human, didn’t she?
“No matter what anyone says, he’s the new Saint candidate I chose. Yes, it’s only right that I look after him.”
“Ah, um. I see.”
The god smiled brightly and stroked her angel’s head, while secretly hoping.
Hoping that the boy would avoid using Divine Power as much as possible.
Ah, come to think of it. I should have warned him not to use that power either.
The conversation was so enjoyable that I completely forgot.
“…It’ll be fine, right?”
For some reason, the boy seemed to misunderstand that power as something that drains life force.
Given his personality, he wouldn’t abuse it as long as the misunderstanding persisted.
If I’m really worried, I can just tell him the next time I’m able to descend to the human world.
“Shall I consider it an excuse to call him again later?”
“Pardon? Um, yes!”
It was a peaceful moment in the Divine Realm.
* * *
And before the story shifts back to Kang So-hyun’s perspective, let’s take a brief look.
Inside his body, one of the artifacts occupying a corner was currently feeling very unpleasant.
That’s right.
It was none other than Black Shadow.
Black Shadow, which had taken up residence in his body quite early on, had been in a foul mood lately as more and more things took up space in his body without permission. Today, that feeling finally reached its peak.
Of course, it had settled there because it liked his arm, and it had planned to slowly expand its territory.
But it had been busy enough fighting for space with the things that barged in, and now, boundaries had been forcibly drawn.
It would need more space to grow sufficiently.
To begin with, the master was to blame.
If he had given it more food, it would have grown long ago.
He didn’t give it food often, and in battle, he always favored the iron lump!
Wasn’t it only used for making ambushes or traps, unless he was wearing the mask to go out and play?
This was discrimination.
It had been enduring because the food he gave occasionally was very delicious and highly nutritious, but it wasn’t going to take it anymore!
Black Shadow made a firm resolution.
It would show the master, and the other artifacts, just how great it was!
Since the iron lump was gone, this was the perfect opportunity.
* * *
Lucifer, one of the seven monarchs of the Demon Realm, was currently very angry.
It was because her connection with him through the Touch of the Devil had been severed. Judging by the intense Divine Power felt just before the disconnection, the culprits were undoubtedly those from the Divine Realm.
The Will of the Saint didn’t have the ability to block her, so it must have been a higher being. Perhaps even the god the Will of the Saint believed in.
Of course, the connection was now smooth again, but to create secrets from her and talk to the contractor on their own…
This was practically a declaration of war.
Yes. Perhaps she had let her guard down too much lately, thinking the contract with him was expanding smoothly.
Since Ruyi, which had vied with her for the position of his best artifact, had disappeared from the registry, she thought it was only natural for her to become his greatest.
But lately, both Black Shadow and the Will of the Saint had been showing noticeable defiance, as if they weren’t afraid of her even if they feared Ruyi.
In particular, Black Shadow had even subtly interfered when she was expanding the contract.
If it hadn’t been for that Black Shadow, one of his arms would have already been entirely hers.
“Fine, if that’s what you want, I’m more than willing to play along.”
Since Ruyi is gone, let’s see who truly is his best artifact.