Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Evil Spirit King
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Spirit.
Born from the natural world, they were usually composed of the five elements.
They were like janitors contributing to the ecosystem, with nature as their home.
However, there were occasionally spirits born from unnatural states.
Spirits that manifested from powerful curses or desires were such examples.
For instance, the yin demonic power generated when hundreds or even tens of millions of lives perished unjustly.
The spirit that emerged by devouring all of that power was not called a spirit, but an "evil spirit."
Evil spirits were like black holes, inevitably cursing and destroying everything around them simply by existing.
Their malice did not diminish over time—it only grew stronger.
Thus, when an evil spirit appeared, it had to be exorcised as swiftly as possible.
"A fallen ancient evil spirit...?"
The brows of those in Ataraxia furrowed all at once.
An evil spirit appearing out of nowhere.
The emergence of an evil spirit was always sure to send massive ripples through the Abyss.
Holy beings who served the gods and wrought blessings, or races who lived in harmony with nature, would unite their powers to exorcise it.
Even demon lords did not welcome evil spirits.
If an evil spirit formed a contract with a more powerful being and lingered in the mortal realm, nothing remained but its instinct for destruction, turning everything around it to scorched earth.
Fortunately, nearly all evil spirits that appeared in the Abyss vanished alongside countless sacrifices.
...But.
There were evil spirits that failed to be exorcised.
Beings known as ancient evil spirits.
Among them, the strongest ones, said to have "fallen"!
Those who had not appeared for ages, long forgotten in everyone's memories, were now revealing themselves here in Aheta's laboratory.
Five spirits burst forth, shattering the "Gate."
They bore no resemblance to ordinary spirits.
—...So you're evil spirits.
Lil immediately recognized them as such.
Even that they were "fallen ancient evil spirits," a breed apart from the rest.
The question was why these ancient evil spirits had appeared here.
—Begone. If you don't return on your own, I'll force you back.
Lil swung her hand.
At once, ropes of light generated from her fingertips and bound the evil spirits tight.
「Kehkeh.」
「Heeheehee!」
But the evil spirits bared their teeth in mockery.
「This feels too good.」
「Such an ecstatic "curse"!」
「Won't you contract with me?」
They ignored Lil's magic entirely, openly showering affection on Park Chan-woo instead.
...They had egos.
All those negative emotions and demonic power had mingled over endless time, granting them the ability to think for themselves.
That was why they had been able to hide for so long.
Unlike other evil spirits that retained only destructive instinct, they were different without a doubt.
—...Looks like words alone won't cut it.
But an evil spirit was still an evil spirit.
Destroyers that had no place in the natural order.
For Lil, who drew power from mana, they were utterly intolerable.
Thus, Lil unleashed her magic in earnest.
Thousands of rune formulas inscribed with equations floated in the air, soon coalescing into a staff of light in her hand.
「Staff of Judgment?」
「A transcendent one!」
「Even so, handling all of us alone will be tough, right?」
「Don't push yourself.」
「You're dying anyway, aren't you?」
The evil spirits instantly assessed Lil's condition.
Her weakened power, and the fact that she didn't have much time left.
In truth, facing five fallen ancient evil spirits at once was no easy task for her current self.
'Even Spirit Kings can't touch them lightly.'
Now she understood why not all spirits could step in.
Just their movement would have put the entire spirit realm on high alert.
All the high spirits and the Spirit Kings themselves had likely intervened to contain them.
Clashing head-on would only spell doom for the spirit realm.
...However, they had to be forced back regardless.
'A contract with an evil spirit is absolutely forbidden.'
She couldn't just stand by and watch Park Chan-woo contract with one.
The fate of anyone who contracted an evil spirit was death alone.
Accepting an evil spirit in the first place was impossible.
No mortal could contain such an aberrant existence born from immense yin energy.
Their mind would be corrupted, they'd rampage, and self-destruct.
They wouldn't even properly inherit her magic.
It might even twist the magic instead.
—Last warning. Go back.
Whooooosh!
A blue light radiated from the staff.
Soon, a divine deer made of blue light was summoned atop it.
「Deer of Judgment!」
「12th-tier light magic!」
「Not bad, huh?」
「Two or three of us might vanish...」
The evil spirits chattered on.
Yet a hint of tension laced their tones.
They recognized Lil as a threat.
Lil's expression hardened slightly.
'Even if at least two will be exorcised, they won't retreat?'
The Deer of Judgment was one of the highest-tier light magics.
Especially lethal to evil spirits.
Evil spirits, faithful to their destructive instincts, were equally devoted to self-preservation.
They should have fled at first sight.
...Yet they didn't.
'...Does a mere mortal like Park Chan-woo appeal to them that much?'
It made no sense.
How potent a curse did he bear for fallen ancient evil spirits to covet him so?
If anyone could judge curses better than Lil, it was the evil spirits.
They were born from curses, after all.
"Why do you want to contract with me?"
Suddenly, Park Chan-woo stepped forward.
Positioning himself right between the evil spirits and Lil.
He was curious too.
He'd heard evil spirits were things even spirit mages fled from in terror.
「Your curse!」
「It looks delicious.」
「It'll make us even stronger.」
Curse. A curse.
"What curse are you talking about?"
Could it be referring to his status ailment, "Limited Lifespan"?
If so, contracting recklessly was out of the question.
Messing with it might forcibly shorten his remaining time.
If even the Eternal Outer God had failed, could these fallen ancient evil spirits succeed?
「You yourself are a lump of curse!」
「Exactly!」
「We can feel it. The traces of countless beings who died because of you!」
「Compared to you, we're nothing.」
「You're the real evil spirit!」
...What nonsense was this?
Park Chan-woo furrowed his brow for a moment.
'I'm the real evil spirit?'
A lump of curse, one who had slain more lives than the evil spirits.
That was supposedly Park Chan-woo.
But was that even plausible?
Sure, he hadn't lived a saintly life, but compared to evil spirits, he hadn't massacred that many...
「At least tens of billions! You killed them!」
「The scale is entirely different from ours!」
「Evil Spirit King!」
「And it's not just direct kills.」
「The number who died because of you might be even greater. Truly admirable.」
...In that instant, a phrase flashed through his mind.
【Perish, humans.】
Dragon God Sepiro.
He had wiped out humanity.
He was the cause.
Provoking Sepiro had led him to eradicate humanity.
Was that what they meant?
Indirectly slaughtering tens of billions of humans mercilessly?
—Don't spout nonsense. Get lost.
Lil snapped, her tone laced with anger.
She thought the evil spirits were spinning absurd tales.
But.
"...I'll contract."
Park Chan-woo's thoughts were different.
There was some logic to their words.
Lil hurriedly moved to block him upon hearing that.
—Evil spirits destroy their contractors. Do you know that?
"Didn't you hear? They called me the Evil Spirit King."
—Does that sound like they're swearing fealty to you as their king?
"Yes."
Park Chan-woo nodded sincerely.
From the moment the evil spirits appeared, they had shown him fervent goodwill.
He hadn't known the reason, but now that he did, it didn't sound bad.
"Evil spirits are spirits too, aren't they?"
—In the broad sense, yes, but...
Lil sighed deeply.
The names differed, but broadly speaking, evil spirits were indeed spirits.
If she could control them, there'd be no issue inheriting her magic.
They might even prove more helpful.
Evil spirits' power dwarfed ordinary spirits', and no one understood the Abyss's curses better.
'He's already made up his mind.'
Seeing the resolve in Park Chan-woo's eyes, Lil shook her head and unsummoned her staff.
The Deer of Judgment vanished as well.
She decided to respect his will.
He wouldn't listen to dissuasion anyway.
—You can't contract with all five.
"Then?"
—One. Choose for yourself.
"Got it."
The first contract had to be with a single spirit, naturally.
Especially against "fallen ancient evil spirits."
Greed would backfire.
"... "
"... "
The evil spirits fell silent.
They waited tensely for his choice.
No, not quite.
They were testing him.
How discerning was he?
Just as they had seen through Park Chan-woo, could he see through them?
Did he have what it took to command them as Evil Spirit King?
'Ah.'
Soon, Park Chan-woo realized.
"It's not five."
Five evil spirits had emerged through the "Gate."
Lil thought so too.
—There are more hiding?
"Close, but not quite."
—Then what do you mean it's not five?
"One."
—...One?
Park Chan-woo nodded.
And gazed at the black smoke enveloping the evil spirits.
The smoke was all connected as one.
Moreover, not all of it had leaked out yet.
'Mana fluctuations.'
...He could feel it.
Even though the Gate was shattered, something hadn't fully emerged.
There was another peculiar mana fluctuation.
But only Park Chan-woo could sense the mana fluctuations.
Not even Lil could pinpoint them clearly.
Thus, the answer was—
"The real evil spirit is inside that 'Gate.' These five in front of me are decoys. Fakes."
Clap clap clap clap!
It was then.
From within the shattered "Gate."
「Well done.」
A man's voice echoed forth.