Chapter 268
Chapter 268
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 268
Chapter Title: Usurper
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Far-off Cosmic Devourer, the Evil God Ialdagols!
Park Chan-woo couldn't help tilting his head at the message that his divinity had dwelled in the "Tree of the Inexplicable" and revived him.
He had placed the stigmata of Ialdagols, obtained while climbing the Tower of the Gods, in this place called the "Land of Valhalla."
However, the situation didn't match the description written on the "Stigmata of the Evil God Ialdagols."
'It said his influence had greatly weakened because his universe had perished.'
Not annihilated.
Merely weakened.
The stigmata even came with an option that its influence would grow in the place where it was installed, drawing occasional visits from followers.
It wasn't just the divinity reviving by taking root.
The very existence of "Ialdagols" itself had been brought over.
His soul, his stature—everything.
It was the result of the Easter Egg (001)'s luck activating.
And that was why.
'A sanctuary...!'
His heart began to race.
In the Abyss, even "sanctuaries" were treated as something special.
In fact, one needed the actual presence of a "god" to be recognized as a sanctuary, along with fulfilling countless requirements, so there were only a scant few places officially called sanctuaries.
And most of those were owned by demon kings or higher devils.
'In a sanctuary, followers are strengthened, and you can create related creative abysses.'
It meant he could now officially create an abyss for the Evil God Ialdagols.
And that was not all.
Ialdagols's followers would go berserk to protect the sanctuary.
There were countless other effects and benefits besides.
But there was something even more important than it becoming a sanctuary.
【...What is this? Why have I become a tree?】
The Tree of the Inexplicable.
A god's voice echoed from there!
【How did you capture me? Why is my existence...?】
Even the Evil God Ialdagols, who had reigned as the Cosmic Devourer, seemed bewildered by the current situation.
Who wouldn't be flustered?
He had suddenly opened his eyes to find himself turned into a tree.
A colossal tree that summoned "inexplicable phenomena."
'I was dormant, clutching my weakened divinity.'
Ialdagols recalled.
His universe had perished.
The worlds he ruled had vanished all at once, and his divinity had plummeted to rock bottom.
His followers had moved to other universes, but Ialdagols alone had to remain in his destroyed universe.
He was too weakened to even move.
So he slumbered for a long time.
For eons too vast to count.
And when he finally awoke...
...his existence had abruptly been relocated.
At first, he thought his followers had fully revived him.
After all, he had scattered them across other universes for that very purpose.
【I am the Devourer Ialdagols. A god who dominated vast abysses. To turn me into a mere tree without my permission—you must be out of your mind.】
"Isn't becoming a tree better than annihilation?"
【Are you serious? And how did a non-follower like you even move me?】
It was hard to explain.
Honestly, it was a result far from his intentions.
He had wanted to revive the World Tree, but what actually revived was the Evil God Ialdagols.
Literally "inexplicable."
Not something reachable through normal means.
"...What about this tree? Is it safe?"
That was when.
Adora, who had flown in swiftly, landed beside Park Chan-woo and looked up at the Tree of the Inexplicable as she asked.
A tree of unknown origin that had suddenly sprouted at the center of the land.
Even to her, a witch and creator, it felt ominously foreboding.
Park Chan-woo shrugged.
"It's a tree containing the Evil God Ialdagols, guardian of this land."
"......Divinity is palpable, but an 'evil god'?"
The tree clearly held the same divinity she had sensed from the leader of the witches, the "Black Witch."
An invincible, terrifying existence dwelled within.
Yet she couldn't help but hesitate at Park Chan-woo's explanation.
An evil god was a monster on a whole different level from evil spirits.
They were called evil gods because merely touching them corrupted worlds.
Unlike outer gods that sought to destroy the Abyss, they ruled over corrupted worlds and countless abysses, amassing followers beneath them.
To place such an evil god in the Land of Valhalla?
"Don't worry. As an evil god, he can't use his powers here."
Park Chan-woo was well aware of Adora's concerns.
At best, he had become a peculiar tree.
His once immense presence was weakened and confined within.
Meaning he couldn't perform any acts to corrupt the Abyss.
【Why should I guard this land? Release me at once!】
"You have two paths. The first is to make this place a sanctuary with your followers and properly revive afterward."
【What is the second?】
"Annihilation."
【You dare annihilate me, the Evil God Ialdagols? A worm like you...!】
Boom! Boom! Boom!
It was at that instant.
"Great One! Are you alright?!"
The black dragon Ataraxia came rushing in frantically.
Following her, Primal God Arcana and a large group of Sloth Dragonkin appeared, moving to protect Park Chan-woo's safety.
And not just them.
"Father!"
The divine beast Cygnus, and...
Pokssil! Pokssilong!
Radiant Anubis and Pokssili joined in.
【You... What are you?】
Ialdagols's attitude toward Park Chan-woo had clearly changed.
For so many dragonkin to follow him.
They even called him "Great One."
On top of that, he commanded divine beasts, and even Anubis with divinity followed him.
No being in the Abyss would have such a mismatched entourage trailing them.
【Could you be a Primordial Dragon?】
The first dragonkin. Unless it was a "Primordial Dragon," it was impossible.
"...If I may be so bold, Great One. What in the world is this tree?"
Ataraxia glared at the tree with heavy wariness.
The fact that she had flown over in transformed state proved just how threatening Ialdagols's presence felt.
Park Chan-woo repeated the explanation he had given Adora.
"It's the Tree of the Inexplicable with the Evil God Ialdagols dwelling within."
"......An evil god, you say?"
Ataraxia's reaction was overtly hostile.
Evil gods were enemies to all races.
Even demons shunned them as freaks.
Evil gods were dubious as true gods to begin with.
They devoured existing gods and usurped their thrones.
False gods, indeed.
Yet the Great One claimed to have suddenly imprisoned an evil god inside a tree.
【Answer me. Are you a Primordial Dragon? What is your relation to Sepiro?】
Ataraxia stepped forward and replied.
"Does an evil god wear eyes for decoration? Or did becoming a tree blind you? This one is the Dragon God himself."
【Dragon God Sepiro in a human body...?】
At Ialdagols's incredulous tone...
"......"
"......"
Ataraxia and the dragonkin offered no response.
Silent affirmation.
They couldn't bring themselves to utter the word "lark."
Understanding the meaning of that silence, Ialdagols thought.
'Is it really Sepiro?'
Dragon God Sepiro.
That monster was a terror across the universe.
His atrocities had reached even Ialdagols's distant universe.
Needless to say, he was no different from a true evil god influencing the entire Abyss beyond a single universe.
Naturally, such bizarre acts as imprisoning an evil god in an unknown tree could somewhat be explained if it was Sepiro.
'Sepiro mentioned my revival. At least that much must be true.'
Though Sepiro committed all sorts of atrocities and eccentricities, he was still called the Dragon God.
He would keep his word, one way or another.
His followers had no way to fully revive him anyway.
In that case, reviving through a deal with Sepiro might not be a bad choice.
The issue was why he was doing this in a human body.
'...Sepiro's lark.'
He had heard dragons sometimes transformed into other races for "larks."
As a universal terror, Sepiro would become everyone's target the moment he moved in his true form, so he might have taken over a human body that no one would notice.
"What will you do?"
At that moment, Park Chan-woo drove the wedge in.
Right now, while Ialdagols was confused by the reactions around him.
If he could make this misunderstanding sincere, the Land of Valhalla could function as a complete sanctuary.
【...You must keep that promise of properly reviving me.】
That was the moment the Evil God Ialdagols became the guardian deity of the land.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The world shook.
The "followers" scattered across countless abysses felt it simultaneously.
"Our master has awakened."
"To the sanctuary."
"To the place where our god resides."
"To the eternal land!"
Their master, the Devourer Ialdagols, had revived.
And that he was calling them.
Aaah!
Finally, the moment they had awaited so long had come.
All the followers shed tears and began heading to the sanctuary en masse.
Bringing everything they had amassed over that vast span of time.
Adora spoke as she gazed at the "followers" who had arrived via warp.
"These are... the followers of the Evil God Ialdagols?"
"......"
Even Park Chan-woo was momentarily speechless.
The followers of the evil god.
He had expected monsters like the massive shadows he met in the Tower of the Gods.
But reality was... somewhat different.