Chapter 163
Chapter 163
Ch. 163 .｡.:✧ The Trap (3) ✧:.｡.
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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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Kali tugged on my sleeve and whispered as we watched the approaching carriages.
“Who are they?”
“Reinforcements.”
“What kind of reinforcements…? We need to enter the dungeon and meet with Luna as soon as possible. And what was that cold air about?”
“It’s complicated. We can’t go in yet. But I’ll make sure you meet with Luna.”
I wasn’t lying. She would meet with Luna, probably very soon.
“I see… you must have a plan… I no longer doubt that you’re a Heavenly King, considering you know the structure of Luna’s unique dungeon in such detail…”
Kali fell silent, seemingly abandoning her questions. It was understandable. There was nothing she could do in her weakened state but wait.
Wait for judgment, wait for her punishment, even though she didn’t know it yet.
“They’re here.”
The carriages stopped, and the coachmen opened the doors. A white-haired fox beastman emerged.
|[You…]|
“Long time no see.”
She looked different, but I recognized her immediately. It was Guiho, in her human form.
The crowd gasped, awed by her otherworldly appearance. A small child in a training uniform followed her, then quickly hid behind Guiho after glancing at me.
Sogong…
|[I came as soon as I heard you needed help, interrupting my meditation. Sogong was about to reach the final stage of formation magic… what did you need help with?]|
“I need a skilled curse user. And with the most talented curse user and your knowledgeable self, I believe we can succeed.”
|[Hmm. You have a way with words… Very well. I’ll help you.]|
“Why is Sogong here as a clone?”
“…?!”
Sogong’s face paled.
Did she really think she wouldn’t be noticed? This wasn’t the first time.
|[Haa… Deceiving you is harder than reaching for the stars. Her main body is still training far away. This is just a clone. But don’t worry, I’ve infused it with 70% of her main body’s power. She’s already more powerful than any curse user in the world in this state! That’s how talented she is!]|
It seemed to be true.
Sogong’s body was a clone, with no discernible weak points, and the demonic energy she possessed was far greater than I remembered.
She had definitely grown stronger through training.
“Thank you both for coming, despite your busy schedules.”
|[It’s a surprise to hear you express gratitude.]|
“Do I look like an ungrateful bastard to you?”
|[Precisely.]|
Guiho’s gaze shifted to Kali behind me. I tensed, thinking she had recognized her as the Great Druid, but she quickly lost interest and looked away, sighing as if saying, ‘Of course.’
Why wasn’t she asking me about Kali? She was looking at me as if Kali’s presence was perfectly normal, even though they had never met.
|[Your tastes haven’t changed… It’s good to be consistent. People die when they change too quickly.]|
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
|[You don’t need to.]|
People die when they change too quickly… perhaps my time was running out. I had a premonition, a deep, unsettling feeling that this might be where I died.
It wasn’t that I had lost my will to live, it was just… a feeling.
“You seem different.”
“Really? My body changed a few days ago. I suddenly felt hot and passed out… and when I woke up, I felt… stronger.”
The cataclysm.
It seemed Sogong had been affected too. While it had weakened most monsters, it had a different effect on her.
“It felt like something that was holding back my talent was gone.”
“Then use that talent and tell your main body to focus on training. That’ll make your clone stronger too.”
“I can’t contact my main body…”
“I was just kidding.”
We left the now deserted square and headed towards the headquarters. Kali, still clueless about the situation, kept glancing at me nervously.
I stopped her at the entrance.
“Could you wait outside for a moment?”
“Huh? Me?”
“Yes. We have some adult business to discuss.”
“Oh… okay… I’ll wait…”
Kali was known as an orphan I had picked up. It was natural not to bring a child to an important meeting.
She smiled awkwardly and stepped back. But my real reason for sending her away was different.
A barrier enveloped the headquarters, leaving only me, Undecided, Mia, Guiho, and Sogong inside.
Silence filled the room.
I spoke.
“Now that everyone’s here, let me explain. That girl outside is the Great Druid Kali, the spider monster who tried to take over the World Tree and destroyed Cologne.”
Mia, Guiho, and Sogong’s eyes widened.
I felt a little bad for not telling Mia sooner, but I had to maintain secrecy to avoid causing panic.
Before they could react, I continued.
“And I’m going to kill her again. The method is simple. Her soul can currently be transformed into a mana stone. So, we just have to turn her back into a stone and destroy it. But that wouldn’t be a proper punishment.”
|[What do you mean?]|
“I want her to receive a just punishment. But it would be ridiculous for a mere human like me to talk about judgment and justice. So, I’m going to leave the judgment to a higher power.”
|[A higher power? What are you talking about? The god of this world is long dead.]|
She was right.
The god of this world had died long ago, in the mythical age. Its corpse was the source of mana, and all living beings lived and died, cycling through life, sustained by the god’s remains.
“Yes, the god is dead. In this world.”
|[You… don’t tell me…?!]|
“Yes. We’re going to connect our world to the underworld. And we’re going to meet the God of the Underworld and send Kali there to be judged.”
The underworld.
Hell.
If I could summon the God of the Underworld, I could not only judge Kali’s soul, but also send Luna, who existed as a spirit, there as well.
Perhaps even Belphegor.
|[Th-This is… a bit much… Can we… reconsider…?]|
“No. This is why I called you and Sogong.”
Sogong, clueless about the gravity of the situation, looked confused.
Guiho trembled, her face pale. This was the only way. This was how I would eliminate all the Heavenly Kings.
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Kali paced outside the headquarters, trying to peek through the curtained windows and eavesdrop at the door. She gave up and slumped against the wall.
“This is strange…”
This wasn’t what she had expected. She had imagined reuniting with Luna and Belphegor when she arrived at Elvenguard, but Yoo-jin was talking about a dungeon raid.
Of course, it was a pretense.
He was deceiving the elves and mercenaries, pretending to help them clear the dungeon. He had even used his cold magic to make them believe he couldn’t enter.
But Kali had been suspicious of Mijung, the Heavenly King, lately.
It was a vague suspicion, a feeling that something was off about his identity, his relationship with her, everything.
His explanations were flawless. He was undoubtedly a Heavenly King, a devout apostle working towards ‘His’ arrival. But there was something strange about his attitude towards her.
He would sometimes look at her with intense emotions. At first, she had thought it was affection, but lately, she had begun to suspect it was something else, definitely not pure love.
Perhaps a mixture of love and hate, or perhaps pure rage.
‘He’s planning something big… but I don’t know what…’
She was confused.
What was so special about this dungeon that he was delaying the raid? And who were these newcomers? She didn’t recognize them.
‘I’ll have to ask him today…’
She had to know.
Kali made up her mind.
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