Chapter 173
Chapter 173
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 173
Chapter Title: The Third Night (24)
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'Crazy bastard.'
A being had appeared amid black flames.
Blood-red pupils and the mark of the moon etched on its forehead.
As Park Chan-woo gazed at the Moon's Lord Aheta, that was his thought.
This guy had finally lost his mind.
For a creator to manifest directly in their own creation Abyss was the ultimate taboo.
It was akin to a novelist inserting themselves into their own story.
A divine being swooping in out of nowhere to resolve every conflict—a deus ex machina.
Such a manifestation would send the creation Abyss's reputation and value plummeting to the depths, rightfully drawing the scorn of all creators.
And that wasn't all.
The coins required for manifestation were beyond imagination.
The more powerful the lord, the greater the gap between them and their Abyss, the worse it got.
The real-time coin drain was enough to make one's mind go blank.
Krurrk!
Kraaaaaah!
Anubis clutched its head and screamed.
Aheta's proximity had amplified its domination.
'...What now?'
Honestly, he hadn't expected Aheta—who prized his reputation so highly—to go this far.
If word got out, he'd lose not just his authority as the 'Night Manager' but any respect as a proper creator.
This was the Abyss of Night, where the 'Third Night' was unfolding, no less.
A far cry from some sniping Abyss tailored for taking out one player.
Yet he was utterly different from when they'd clashed with the demon lord in Kim Byung-han's sniping Abyss.
Serene, utterly unfazed.
"Must've been quite urgent for you."
He shrugged and spoke.
Then.
Even the beating of his heart grew calm.
Facing a demon lord no longer filled him with fear.
Not even if defeat was certain, if it loomed like an insurmountable wall.
"Moon's Lord Aheta. Your end will be utterly pathetic."
He even smiled.
His dream of becoming a demon king, a demon god—it would never come true.
A creator who manifested in his own space just to kill a single human.
By now, a message related to this would have popped up for all the creators watching the Third Night.
No one would invest in Aheta anymore.
—...I'll end you with my own hands.
Aheta knew it too.
From this moment, life as a creator would grow grueling.
But if he didn't erase the 'Archmage' here, bankruptcy was inevitable.
The bastard had appeared here out of nowhere; he could vanish just as suddenly.
They'd tried to catch him countless times and failed every one.
'You won't escape this time.'
Aheta intended to see it through here.
Kill him, and survive.
Survival mattered more than honor or reputation.
—Let's see if you can pull off another miracle. If you can.
Krooooaaaaah!
Anubis finally snapped all restraint.
Behind it, Aheta smiled faintly.
Thanks to the Immortal Scroll, he'd confirmed the Archmage had no backing.
Not an avatar of anyone, so no qualms about killing him.
The humiliations he'd endured were beyond measure.
He'd toy with him thoroughly before finishing it.
"—O Sword."
Park Chan-woo opened his mouth.
In that instant.
Whiiiiiing!
A radiant sword materialized in his hand amid brilliant light.
The Sword of Eternal Ages, forged from the essences of all the kings in the temple.
Its hidden trait had finally revealed its true form.
Poxly then bloomed the Flower of Life upon the Sword of Eternal Ages.
Preparations to strike the colossal evil were complete.
—Wish? You bastard, you can wield Wish?!
Aheta spoke in genuine surprise.
The pinnacle of magic.
The realm where magic moved on its own for the user.
Yet this Archmage had shaped Wish into a sword.
He'd half-expected it, but not that it'd manifest right before his eyes.
A sword of Wish could indeed harm Anubis—and him.
However.
'Still not enough.'
Park Chan-woo shook his head inwardly.
One sword couldn't handle both Anubis and Aheta.
The time limit was too short besides.
To settle it within that window, he needed more preparation.
He deployed the domain.
A blizzard raged as the unique domain swiftly engulfed the surroundings.
At the same time.
—This domain... No way...!
Aheta's eyes trembled faintly as he recognized its master.
He who had sealed the Outer God of Eternity.
Of course he knew the other outer gods that had burst from the great rift.
Especially this 'unique domain'—impossible to mistake.
The overwhelmingly massive outer god, higher even than the Outer God of Eternity, who had massacred countless demons and lords.
Its mere existence had sent shivers through the Abyss.
—Baekkyung...!
He was definitely called Baekkyung.
But Baekkyung's form wasn't visible.
Instead.
Kuoooooooong—!!
Park Chan-woo unleashed all the divine power gathered in the 'Sword of Eternal Ages' at once.
Kurrrung!
Kurrrrrr!
In the distance, a colossal pillar of light shot into the sky.
Everyone froze at the sight of it obliterating everything it touched.
Even the Legion of Death halted, staring blankly toward the temple.
"W-What the hell is that?"
"Isn't that the direction of the temple?"
Gasps erupted from all around.
Lee Hyuk-soo was no exception.
'That light...'
It felt familiar somehow.
He'd seen that vast unleashing of divine power before.
'It's the power the Prophet used in the Second Night!'
If he wasn't mistaken, no doubt about it.
The force that, alongside Conqueror Khan, had obliterated Khan's palace entirely.
In other words.
'The Prophet is facing Anubis.'
Aaah.
Clearing the Legendary Quest, achieving the sole accomplishment—it all meant 'Prophet'.
Lee Hyuk-soo trembled faintly.
The Prophet had been with them from start to finish.
Carving new paths once more, working miracles.
The power that erased Khan would overwhelm even mighty Anubis.
'Did it take out Anubis and Moon's Lord Aheta together?'
The problem was Aheta.
He'd clearly seen the message: a creator manifesting directly in the Abyss.
Yet defeat for the Prophet? The thought never crossed his mind.
The Prophet who always turned the impossible around with a single blow, no matter the odds.
This time would be no different.
That divine power was the natural bane of demons; they couldn't withstand it.
...But.
'Why isn't any message appearing?'
The pillar of light had shaken the entire territory of the Third Night, yet no death notices for Anubis or Aheta.
Strange.
Anubis was the last boss of the 'Third Night,' Aheta its creator—deaths should trigger messages.
Especially.
Clatter!
Clatter!
"Ciaaang...!"
"Th-They're moving again!"
"Everyone, get it together!"
The Legion of Death stirred once more.
Lee Hyuk-soo scowled.
Their movement meant their supreme commander Anubis still lived.
In short.
'The Prophet's attack failed.'
Damn it.
Lee Hyuk-soo's heart raced.
He couldn't stay here; he needed to head to the temple.
But holding off the surging Legion of Death was challenge enough.
If the Prophet had failed, if he died...
'...Wipeout.'
This war was unwinnable.
For the first time, shadows fell over Lee Hyuk-soo's eyes.
—Is that all you've got?
Aheta.
He sneered.
For an attack from the pest who'd thwarted him endlessly, it had been tolerable enough.
Any lesser demon would have vanished in one hit, but he was the 'Moon's Lord'.
Even with Baekkyung's divine power loaded into a Wish-forged Sword of Eternal Ages, it couldn't touch him.
An unbridgeable chasm separated that Archmage from him.
Unless Baekkyung's true body had attacked, no human vessel could contain its full might.
"Hoo...!"
Park Chan-woo gasped raggedly.
His surestrike had failed.
The one chance to target Anubis and Aheta, and it had come to naught.
'Need... more time.'
His level still couldn't compare to the lords'.
Exploits had their limits.
Especially against someone like the Moon's Lord—raw power was essential.
A little more time.
A year. No, half a year later, and the story would've been different.
But facing Moon's Lord Aheta directly in the mere 'Third Night' was too much.
...He'd pushed Aheta too hard.
Whipped him into a frenzy where reason fled, driving him to manifest personally. No wonder there was no answer.
—That was quite the entertaining strike, human. To nearly reach me in such short order—fail to kill you now, and you'll be a real threat.
Park Chan-woo's time was up.
Now it was Aheta's.
Kraaaaaak!
Anubis bared its fangs and charged.
Poxly hurriedly bloomed the Flower of Life, erecting barriers to block.
Kwachik!
Insufficient.
The barrier shattered at its touch.
Park Chan-woo bit his lip.
'...I'm dead.'
An inescapable death.
The same trick that felled the Outer God of Eternity wouldn't work on Aheta.
Just as Anubis lunged to devour Park Chan-woo.
Thud!
Anubis's body froze.
Craaaaaack!
The Abyss sky tore open once more.
—An intruder in my manifested Abyss? How...?
Aheta tilted his head.
But his surprise soon turned to shock.
—Wait. This presence? Why is a demon god...!