Chapter 174
Chapter 174
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 174
Chapter Title: The Third Night (25)
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The Abyss of Creation had a few ironclad rules.
Creators were forbidden from directly intervening, and no other Creator could ever lay a hand on another's creation. Those were the most fundamental requirements.
But right now, both of those rules had been shattered.
Aheta had stepped directly into his own creation, 'The Third Night,' and another Creator had forcibly torn down the walls of the Abyss to enter.
'This is absurd...'
But the reason Aheta was recoiling in horror wasn't just that.
It went beyond some other Creator ignoring the rules and barging into his Abyss. The most influential being in the entire Abyss—the Demon God—had intervened.
Demon God!
Among the countless demons, they stood at the absolute pinnacle.
The 72 Demon Gods were the administrators who oversaw the entire Abyss.
Ordinary Abyss rules didn't apply to them.
Who would dare punish them if they broke the rules in the first place?
Of course, above the Demon Gods loomed the great Nine Lords, but they paid little attention to the affairs of the Abyss.
In reality, the true rulers of the Abyss were those 72 Demon Gods.
'Why would a Demon God suddenly...!'
This was a forced intrusion.
Something unimaginable if it had been any other Creator.
He could have easily erased the fool who dared enter his domain.
But the opponent was unmistakably a Demon God.
There was no chance of winning a fight.
Even if war broke out, Aheta's odds of victory were zero.
Not just close to zero—there was literally no future where he triumphed.
...It felt like his thoughts had ground to a halt.
'Demon Gods don't intervene unless the entire Abyss is shaking.'
No matter how much authority they held as administrators, they almost never stepped forward personally.
The Abyss was so vast and expansive that even major rule violations were often overlooked. At most, they'd send a subordinate to issue a warning.
They only acted directly when it involved the 'Twelve Races' on a grand scale or when a 'Faction War' erupted.
So why now?
And from her, of all Demon Gods—the one infamous for being the most detached.
—...Gremory of Lamentation. What brings you to this humble 'Night'?
...To enter a mere 'Third Night' aimed at a handful of humans.
Aheta asked calmly.
Gremory of Lamentation.
The most 'enigmatic' among the 72 Demon Gods.
She held the rank of Demon God but had never appeared on the official stage. With no notable ties to the other Lords, she was even called the 'Recluse.'
Aheta managed only the 'Legion of Death,' but the number of legions under her command exceeded thirty.
And their strength was incomparable to the Legion of Death.
She tilted her head slightly.
Wearing a lopsided golden crown, her entire body shrouded in white lace, she gazed quietly at Aheta.
Her eyes seemed gentle at first glance.
But anyone foolish enough to be deceived by that appearance and act rashly would be erased in the most horrific way imaginable.
Down to the last wisp of soul, thoroughly toyed with.
'Getting close to Gremory of Lamentation leads to a gruesome end.'
That was why the Lords of the Abyss kept their distance from Gremory of Lamentation.
There was no reason to seek closeness when everyone who approached her met a terrible fate.
Even the legions she commanded were said to be stationed outside her castle.
...For the one who never appeared to show up—how could there not be questions?
'Maybe she's not here to punish me for breaking the rules.'
A faint spark of hope flickered simultaneously.
As he kept his distance and inquired, Gremory of Lamentation replied.
...Crossed the line?
Well, yes, he had.
He had manifested in his created Abyss and scammed the other Creators.
But.
—Gremory. What line have I crossed?
He played innocent.
She had already appeared openly, but admitting it outright was as good as begging to be killed.
Besides, this was his Abyss.
Even if it had been taken, as long as the 'Super Blue Moon' hung in the sky, it was still his domain.
Not even Demon God Gremory could punish him rashly...
...Human?
Suddenly defending a human?
But the only human here, even if you searched with wide-open eyes, was the 'Archmage.'
The other humans couldn't even approach the temple while fending off the Legion of Death.
'Could Gremory have some connection to the Archmage?'
Ha!
Absurd.
How could the recluse, who never left her castle, have any link to the Archmage?
Moreover, for her—a Demon God—to speak of 'honor' was even stranger.
To her, humans were less than specks of dust.
Insignificant lives that vanished like dust in the wind.
The situation made no sense, offered no understanding.
—This scum used exploits to disrupt my domain. Why would a Demon God defend a mere human?
Aheta pressed his case with maximum indignation.
Implying that countering cheats with cheats was hardly wrong.
And pointing out that it was illogical for a Demon God to reveal herself just to save one human.
Shouldn't she side with a fellow demon instead?
Yet Gremory merely shook her head.
Gremory already knew everything.
Aheta had blown the whole affair out of proportion.
Especially swindling the Creators by encouraging investments—that was unforgivable.
But that wasn't Aheta's greatest sin.
If it had only been that, Gremory wouldn't have needed to appear personally.
The reason she had ripped through Aheta's domain was simply to honor her promise to Park Chan-woo.
And so, Gremory declared.
Rumble!
It was at that moment.
The blood-red sky of the Abyss turned pitch black.
Neither the 'Super Blue Moon' nor the 'real sky' was visible anymore.
Only then did Aheta realize.
His authority had been stripped away.
Beyond being completely severed from the territory of this 'Third Night'—he had lost the 'Night' itself!
In the first place, the rights to the 'Night' had only been temporarily entrusted to him by the Demon Gods.
Naturally, they held the right to reclaim what they'd lent.
—Wh-why?! Please, give me a chance! I can't be less honorable than that human!
Aheta ranted desperately.
He never dreamed they'd revoke his authority so swiftly.
Was that damned human's honor really that important?
What honorable deeds had he even done!
...No, perhaps it was just an excuse.
There might be another reason Gremory was defending the Archmage.
Hiding the true motive while nitpicking over trivialities.
—C-could it be that scum is Your incarnation, Gremory? Attacking another Creator in person for a mere incarnation is the ultimate taboo...
Riiip!
Like a zipper sealing shut, Aheta's mouth clamped closed.
Overwhelmed by irresistible magical power, his body twitched uncontrollably.
Just one word.
That single word was enough.
'She's on... a whole different level.'
Shiver!
Aheta trembled like a leaf in the wind.
This was why all the Lords of the Abyss revered the Demon Gods.
Their influence was immense beyond measure.
No matter power, ability, vessel, or authority—Aheta couldn't surpass her in anything.
To the demons living in the Abyss, Demon Gods were no different from gods.
Soon, countless messages began floating before Aheta's eyes.
Ding!
'N-no...!!'
Aheta screamed.
It wasn't just the loss of Night authority.
Forced settlement had begun.
Gremory had no intention of giving Aheta even the slightest chance to defend himself.
Preparing a 'punitive compensation plan' under Demon God authority meant exactly that.
To console the other Lords he'd deceived and ensure he went bankrupt without a scrap left.
—Gr...Grr...Gre...mo...ry...!!!
He squeezed out a scream.
Please. Just one chance at forgiveness!
But it didn't stop.
The problem was that the true settlement hadn't even properly started yet.
Aaah.
...Bankrupt.
A word he'd never seen before.
He, who possessed countless treasures, could never go bankrupt.
But the settlement executed under Demon God authority missed not even the tiniest calculation.
In an instant, it took everything.
The process proceeded swiftly.
In the blink of an eye, Aheta's body, soul, Creator status—everything was collateralized.
Cases like this happened occasionally.
If a Creator lacked assets, their body might be taken.
But if the shortfall was immense, they were auctioned off wholesale.
Awarded to the highest bidder among the Lords, with the winning Coins used to settle remaining payouts.
'Just kill me! Kill me cleanly!'
For a Creator, this was the ultimate humiliation and disgrace.
Worse than death—a fate of endless torment.
If sold rather than unsold, everything he owned would be forfeit.
He'd probably fetch a price.
Swallowed whole, becoming nourishment for the winning Lord.
Yet there was hope.
Even without Night authority, he was still the Lord of the Moon.
His base value was high; few would bid recklessly.
'Ah...!'
It tore.
His flesh, his soul.
Ripped to shreds and transferred to the 'Demon King of Karmic Flames.'
A wretched turn of events.
He couldn't comprehend how it had come to this so quickly.
He was the owner of the moon, manager of the Night, destined to ascend to Demon God status.
'Archmage! If only you— if only you didn't exist!'
Everything had been going smoothly.
If not for that one Archmage, it all would have gone as planned.
He should never have engaged him.
Never wagered everything on a showdown!
The price of touching what shouldn't be touched.
He never should have even glanced his way from the start.
...But regrets came too late, no matter how many.
—Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!
Before long, his body, soul, and everything else began compressing.
Aheta writhed in agony, his screams fading away.
In an instant, refined into an orb.
Gulp!
...Swallowed into the maw of the 'Demon King of Karmic Flames.'
And so, the 'Night' ended.