Chapter 165
Chapter 165
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 165
Chapter Title: The Third Night (16)
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Heavenly Demon!
Long ago, he was the one who sought to rule over the Abyss.
With a presence more demonic than demons themselves, he aimed to become the master of all fiends.
His thirst and desire for power were so transcendent that the title of the First Arhan seemed inadequate. He called himself the true Heavenly Demon above the heavens.
It was his vow to stand above the lords of the Abyss and even the Creators.
Yet, no records of him remained.
Almost no one knew of him.
Because...
'The demons erased them all.'
Demons could not tolerate the existence of a greater evil than themselves.
They could not leave even a document attesting to the being who sought to rise above the Abyss.
It was outrageous.
To dare challenge the 'Great Nine Lords'!
So they erased it thoroughly.
His name, Heavenly Demon, and all his feats.
Pandarian King had only glimpsed a little through the 'Jewel of Wisdom'.
'Called Czarpham. That's undoubtedly the shell of an Outer God.'
Without the Jewel of Wisdom and the eyes of a long-time sage, he wouldn't have noticed.
Czarpham was not in its complete form as an Outer God now.
It seemed a vast and enormous entity had been sealed somewhere.
But through this shadow form, it was faintly revealing itself.
If it had fully emerged, the demon lords would have swarmed it long ago.
Demons were bound to kill Outer Gods.
They annihilated everything that emerged from the Great Rift.
That was why demons could pretend to be the masters of the Abyss.
But the Heavenly Demon was different.
Only he could command Outer Gods.
Just like that Arhan.
'I thought it impure, but connecting all the pieces, it may be the purest power of all.'
Pandarian King let out a small sigh.
It made him realize once more how insignificant his knowledge was.
When wielding magic and summoning Azos, he hadn't even considered the Heavenly Demon's lineage.
The magic seemed advanced enough, but overall stats were lacking, and the shadow warrior Azos was merely ominous.
Azos was a monster that perfectly mirrored its summoner's desires.
It had launched extra-grade attacks, inflicting minor wounds, but it didn't feel like a major threat.
Swordsmanship?
Excellent enough not to shame the name of Arhan's warrior.
He had honed all kinds of powers to a similar level.
Something ordinary talent couldn't achieve.
No, it wasn't just about talent.
'The essence is the same. All of it is one swordsmanship, one magic.'
Great Warrior.
Or... Archmage.
That was this Arhan's true identity.
The successor who inherited the First Arhan, the Heavenly Demon.
'I hope... my guess is right.'
He prayed it wasn't a mistake.
If not... he might have to kill this Arhan here.
...Heavenly Demon's successor?
Park Chan-woo tilted his head inwardly at the sudden name.
There had been those who occasionally called him the Heavenly Fiend, but the 'Heavenly Demon' Pandarian King mentioned seemed like a completely different entity.
'He's thoroughly mistaken.'
However, judging by Pandarian King's demeanor, he clearly mistook him for some extraordinary being.
He referred to Czarpham as an 'Outer God' and called him 'Heavenly Demon', then ceased all will to fight.
His eyes and tone were filled with awe and admiration.
Park Chan-woo mulled over Pandarian King's words.
...He said he had been waiting.
For the Heavenly Demon's successor.
'The successor of the Heavenly Demon who hunted Outer Gods. He mistook it after seeing me wield Czarpham.'
He must have also discerned the very existence of Czarpham transformed into a shadow warrior.
He wasn't entirely sure Czarpham was an 'Outer God' from the Great Rift, but as the 'Dimension Wanderer' dwelling in the negative realm, it was certainly no ordinary being.
It wouldn't be strange to think it possessed a rank akin to an Outer God.
The power of 'Czarpham' he wielded now was less than 1% of its original capabilities.
"That's right."
So, he decided to play along.
Czarpham's 'Divine Power Release' was a one-time use.
It was best to save it as much as possible.
If he could win without using it, a little acting was nothing.
More than anything...
'I don't want to fight.'
The king of the race called sages.
He wanted to avoid battling him.
In this 'Temple of Death', everyone else had lost form and reason to become monsters, yet only he had preserved himself through the long ages.
It was astonishing.
He was in awe of his lofty spirit.
Therefore...
"I am the successor of the Heavenly Demon."
He spoke the lie.
To avoid friction as much as possible.
Of course, he was half-doubtful if his deception would hold.
A sage's eyes could pierce through everything.
However...
"As I thought...!"
Pandarian King seemed to truly believe Park Chan-woo's lie.
Or perhaps, he wanted to believe it.
Enduring eons was impossible without hope.
He must have waited endlessly, clinging to a single small hope.
And now that a spark appeared, he had no choice but to believe.
"Finally, allow me one last confirmation. If you are truly the 'Heavenly Demon's successor'... you must possess 'that'."
...That?
A vague statement.
Apparently, some proof of the Heavenly Demon.
'Damn.'
But he wasn't the real successor of the Heavenly Demon.
Naturally, he had no evidence of it.
If the lie was exposed, the battle would resume.
Pandarian King would sincerely try to kill him.
Park Chan-woo stayed still.
Opening his mouth in panic would reveal the deception.
In times like this, he had to feign composure.
He gazed steadily at Pandarian King with unshaken poise.
Pandarian King spoke with a hint of excitement.
"The Heavenly Demon hunted the most powerful Outer God and sealed it away somewhere. As his successor, you must surely possess the 'Sealing Orb' the Heavenly Demon used..."
—Hea... ven... ly... De... mon...!!
It was then.
Suddenly, Czarpham began to react.
To the name Heavenly Demon.
It was expressing intense rage.
Gazing at it, Pandarian King widened his eyes.
"...No way? This Outer God's shell...?"
The most powerful Outer God sealed by the Heavenly Demon?
And this successor had inherited it?
—I curse you. How dare you seal me!
Brrrrr!
Czarpham began rampaging wildly.
However, hearing Czarpham's words, Park Chan-woo realized something.
Previously, Czarpham had spoken of its sealer thus:
【One of the Demon-Sealing God's former masters. That's all I can say!】
The one who sealed it was one of the Demon-Sealing God's old masters.
...That seemed to be the 'Heavenly Demon'.
Who had imprisoned Czarpham in the Demon-Sealing God's chalice.
'Ha.'
He wasn't the Heavenly Demon's successor, but he couldn't say there was no connection at all.
He thought it was just acting, but it fit perfectly in this way.
—You betrayed me. Heavenly Demon! I will destroy you above all!
But there was no time to dwell on thoughts.
Czarpham's rampage.
Czarpham was trying to forcibly release its divine power.
To reverse summon it now would inevitably cause damage.
He might even lose his life.
With a hardened expression, Park Chan-woo said,
"Return, Czarpham."
—What you desired! The world you lived in! I'll erase it all...!
"If you don't return nicely, I'll offer you as a sacrifice."
Tap, tap.
Park Chan-woo lightly tapped his head.
Where the Demon-Sealing God's chalice resided.
If he willed it, offering Czarpham as a sacrifice again was no big deal.
He would seal it permanently and never release it.
—...
Czarpham, ceasing its rage, looked at Park Chan-woo.
'This guy would really seal me.'
From what Czarpham had observed, Park Chan-woo at least didn't spout empty words.
When he said he'd do something, he accomplished even more.
Thus, if it didn't want to return to that negative world, it had no choice but to obey Park Chan-woo, unwillingly.
However, the rage didn't subside easily.
A forgotten memory.
The name Heavenly Demon had madly stirred his fury.
"I am not the Heavenly Demon. As long as you don't harm or betray me, I have no reason to seal you."
—...
But if this continued, it would cause harm.
The mana entanglement would leave permanent damage.
It meant he would have to seal it if it didn't calm down.
But otherwise, he wouldn't seal it.
Czarpham thought.
'...Are you any different?'
An ominously foreboding existence.
Czarpham was the one everyone wished to avoid.
Like that damned Heavenly Demon who saw him as a potential threat and forcibly sealed him, Park Chan-woo would betray him someday.
However...
'...I pray that resolve doesn't change. Or I won't stay quiet either.'
Park Chan-woo's resolve, from observation, was trustworthy.
Park Chan-woo was real.
Not a coward pretending like that Heavenly Demon.
...At least, not yet.
Whoosh.
Czarpham soon vanished in smoke.
"...Incredible."
Watching the scene, Pandarian King exclaimed in admiration.
He had commanded an Outer God.
Not by force, but made it return willingly.
More than that...
'He possesses the Heavenly Demon's Sealing Orb!'
He had mentioned the seal.
The Outer God Czarpham had controlled its rage at the Arhan's words, confirming it.
Now, there was no room for doubt.
This Arhan was the Heavenly Demon's successor!
Pandarian King smiled faintly.
"If you can make an Outer God follow you willingly, I can trust you. You are the one who can confront the Outer God at the end of this 'Eternal Temple', the 'Soul Devourer'."
His eyes trembled with gentle waves of emotion.
...The time had come.
Finally, the moment to end his mission had arrived.
The one worthy to inherit his wisdom and liberate the world from the Abyss's demons had appeared.
Pandarian King reached out.
Crack!
He forcibly tore out the Jewel of Wisdom embedded in his forehead.
"...This jewel is the crystallization of the wisdom demons craved. It will guide you on the right path."
Especially Aheta, who coveted it most.
He judged it necessary to create the strongest lifeform.
Yet Aheta never obtained the 'Jewel of Wisdom'.
As long as Pandarian King maintained his mind, it was impossible.
"..."
Park Chan-woo stared at it in a daze.
The gem's brilliant form was captivating enough on its own.
He never imagined Pandarian King would hand over the 'Jewel of Wisdom' to him.
Countless demons and lords had gone to great lengths for that 'Jewel of Wisdom'.
Yet not one succeeded.
Before they could seize it, Pandarians chose death themselves, dimming the jewel's light.
'This isn't an ordinary Jewel of Wisdom.'
Besides, this was the 'King's Jewel'.
Naturally, he hesitated to touch it.
"If I take this... you'll die."
This jewel was Pandarian King's life and soul.
The moment it was handed over, Pandarian King would dissipate.
"I have no regrets. I believe without doubt that you will lead this Abyss on the right path."
...He was mistaken to the end.
He had no intention of leading the Abyss anywhere.
All he wanted was humanity's safety and future.
"But, if possible... could you grant one small request?"
"Speak."
"In the 'Mountain of Trainees' where the Arhans gather, the last surviving Pandarian awaits. Just relay one message to him."
Park Chan-woo nodded.
Pandarian King continued.
"You were right."
"That's all?"
"It's enough."
Pandarian King smiled without regret.
"...Got it. I'll tell him that."
"Thank you."
Thankful for just that much.
Compared to the value of the Jewel of Wisdom, it was a truly modest request.
Park Chan-woo slowly reached out and grasped the 'Jewel of Wisdom'.
That instant.