Chapter 275
Chapter 275
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 274
Chapter Title: Fairy Queen
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Han Shin was nearby.
More precisely...
'Beyond this Abyss.'
At first, it was baffling.
No matter that 'demi-demons' were an evolved form of incarnations, there was no way so many could exist in one space.
Especially since they weren't all just 'demi-demons'.
'Demi-demons aren't something you whip up easily.'
Becoming a demi-demon took time.
The Creator's mind had to be corrupted, forced to abandon their very sense of self, before a demi-demon could truly take form.
...Something had drawn in these incarnations and forcibly mutated them. That had to be the reasonable conclusion.
'Belial's Shame.'
The 'Belial's Shame' that Han Shin possessed could be the cause.
Or perhaps Han Shin himself was the issue.
Either way, they couldn't just let the current situation fester.
And if, by some chance...
'Han Shin has become a true demon...'
......Then he had to be eliminated, no question.
A true demon stood at the pinnacle of all incarnations, fully merged with its Creator.
Back when they'd faced Balzac, some sliver of his consciousness had remained, allowing victory. But if Han Shin had truly demonized, they couldn't count on that same stroke of luck.
It meant losing one key piece for the racial war, but the harm a true demon could wreak on humanity was beyond imagination.
Still, one thing nagged at him.
'Han Shin was the incarnation of the Moon's Lord, Aheta.'
With Aheta bankrupt and vanished, the incarnation contract would have been voided.
So had Han Shin formed a new pact with the Demon King of Karmic Flames?
Park Chan-woo slowly approached the entrance to the Creation Abyss.
He couldn't enter.
And it didn't even tell him what the relevant 'conditions' were.
'If just anyone can't get in, that means there's some intent behind it.'
Such Creation Abysses did pop up from time to time.
Creators set them up to allow only those they chose to enter.
Usually to nurture cherished incarnations or conduct some kind of experiment.
'Not for nurturing incarnations.'
No way would anyone set up a massive Creation Abyss like this—one so vast it affected all of Hallasan just by existing—for something as simple as raising incarnations.
It was an experiment.
And one of...
'Extremely poor quality.'
......What to do?
Just wiping out all the demi-demons on Hallasan wouldn't solve it.
This Abyss would keep pulling in more incarnations.
He stood there for a while, staring straight into the entrance.
After a long wait...
Kruk.
Krurruk.
One demi-demon began ambling toward the entrance.
It was on a whole other level from ordinary demi-demons—a near-perfect specimen.
A monster where any trace of humanity was nearly impossible to find approached the Abyss entrance.
Shuuuk!
......And its form vanished.
It had entered the Abyss.
Only after witnessing that did he roughly grasp it.
'Looks like fully mutated demi-demons can enter.'
If the entry condition was being a demi-demon, then of course he couldn't get in.
Not the normal way, anyway.
There were a few ways to enter.
The surest was to borrow Adora's or Ataraxia's power to rip through the barrier by force.
He'd draw the Creator's aggression in the process, but entry itself would be possible.
But far too risky.
There was one way to slip in without that danger.
He pulled the severed 'finger' from his inventory.
The Black Witch's index finger.
Handed over from Ataraxia for just such an emergency.
'The Black Witch's flesh can grant false qualifications.'
Adora had become a 'Creator' thanks to the Black Witch's body.
Ataraxia had entered the 'Second Night' as a human for the same reason.
No major changes.
It only granted 'qualification' from the start.
But far safer than brute-forcing the barrier.
He could explore the Abyss's interior without raising any suspicion.
Park Chan-woo approached the Creation Abyss entrance once more.
And then...
Shuuuk!
Kieeeek!
Kyaaaaack!
Stepping past the entrance turned the area ahead into a battlefield.
Half-demon corpses littered the ground everywhere.
And even now, the demi-demons were slaughtering and devouring each other.
'Nothing like the demi-demons on Hallasan.'
Compared to the monsters here, the ones on Hallasan were mere newborns, barely out of the cradle.
Innumerable fully mature demi-demons tangled in savage combat.
And that wasn't all.
'Demi-demons from other races are mixed in too.'
Demi-demons spawned from non-human races were blended among them.
He frowned slightly.
He'd never seen so many gathered in one place before.
Let alone waging war among themselves in such numbers.
'Alpha, Beta.'
He recalled the Abyss's name.
The first and second—alpha and beta.
No idea what order they were meant to signify, but...
"For Alpha!"
"For Beta!"
...It seemed they were names after all.
A closer look revealed the monsters divided into two factions, locked in war.
That was when it happened.
"What are you? Where'd a guy like you pop out from?"
A hulking monster, elephantine in bulk, approached and spoke.
Park Chan-woo was puzzled inwardly.
......Had Non-Existence been dispelled somehow?
'Granting false qualification must've temporarily released Non-Existence.'
He wasn't human Park Chan-woo right now.
He was a demi-demon.
Recognized as such upon entry, his Non-Existence had apparently lifted for the moment.
"No answer? Where's your 'mark'?"
The monster spoke with clear hostility.
Mark?
"Looking that close to human form, you must be at 'Stage 3'... You didn't just enter, did you?"
"......Yeah."
"Entered at Stage 3? Huh, impressive. And untouched by 'Alpha' or 'Beta' influence? You're a 'rare breed,' alright."
Park Chan-woo said nothing.
He knew well that staying silent was far better than forcing words while the situation was still unclear.
"Count yourself lucky. If 'that one' caught you, it'd gobble you up on sight. Come on, let's go to Her Majesty the Queen."
"The Queen?"
"Alpha! The one at the pinnacle of demonhood. The sole being who'll lead us to victory over Beta."
The elephant monster's 'queen' meant 'Alpha' herself.
Alpha and the one called Beta were warring here.
"Her Majesty respects our will. Beta, on the other hand, won't leave a free-willed one like you alone."
The elephant monster didn't seem to be lying.
There were limits to piecing together info just by observing solo.
Better to approach those at the Abyss's heart and uncover the Creator's intent.
And the queen was definitely not Han Shin, at least.
"Lead the way."
Park Chan-woo nodded.
The elephant monster took the lead.
"Wise choice."
The queen, 'Alpha(α)', was a demi-demon with fairy wings.
True to her looks, she was of the fairy race.
Not greatly mutated, but the density of her mana was staggeringly intense.
Her escorts were all powerful half-demons too.
"Crusio. This one's reached Stage 3 as a 'half-demon'?"
The queen's eyes turned to Park Chan-woo.
Her eyes gleamed golden like amber—a fairy trait.
Stunningly beautiful, yet utterly devoid of emotion.
At the same time, the elephant monster called Crusio nodded.
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"Untouched by me or Beta upon entry... Definitely not ordinary."
"Seems like a 'rare breed'."
"A rare breed..."
The queen wore an expression as if pondering.
Normally, every demi-demon entering this Abyss fell strongly under either 'Alpha' or 'Beta' influence.
Naturally becoming subservient to one or the other.
But this man was different.
No influence from Alpha or Beta.
And that form... It didn't look unmutated at all.
Stage 3, as Crusio said.
At Stage 3, one regained their original form.
Stage 1 was full mutation into a half-demon; Stage 2 granted unique powers.
Stage 3 reverted to the original race's form, living on as an entirely new existence.
Each stage brought explosive growth and freedom even from the Creator's sway.
'The war's nearing its end.'
A Stage 3 half-demon appearing out of nowhere at this juncture.
Every bit of force was precious, but this was a rare breed untouched by her influence.
Using it rashly could backfire spectacularly.
Like the previous 'Beta,' devoured after trusting a rare breed.
However...
'Can't hand it over to Beta.'
This land was hers originally.
A powerful Beta existed, but they hadn't encroached on each other's domains.
Until 'that one' appeared recently, devoured the old Beta, and took its place.
Then it madly swelled its forces, building power.
The war's prelude.
And that war would end soon.
One more day, and the stronger side would claim victory.
Thus, this half-demon before her had to be brought to her side.
If it refused...
Then devour it whole.
"Will you join me in killing 'Beta'?"
"Who's 'Beta'?"
"...One of your kind. Human."
"Han Shin?"
In that instant.
Creeeak!
The air froze solid.
The queen Alpha soon spoke in a voice thick with fury.
"......How do you know that name?"