Chapter 276
Chapter 276
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 276
Chapter Title: It Won't Go Your Way
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'Definitely, stage three is on another level.'
Crucio let out a small sigh of admiration as he watched Park Chan-woo.
He had just witnessed the man mercilessly slaughtering the half-demons that charged at him one after another.
Already over fifty half-demons from the Beta camp had fallen to his blade.
While ordinary half-demons couldn't employ refined techniques, Park Chan-woo's swordsmanship was impeccably clean.
It was proof of stage three, plain and simple.
At stage three, the line became completely blurred.
They transcended into beings on a whole different trajectory from regular half-demons.
"Why aren't you eating the 'cores'?"
However, Park Chan-woo wasn't consuming the half-demons' 'cores.'
All half-demons grew by devouring other half-demons, making core consumption essential.
"Eat as much as you want."
"...!!! Is that really okay?"
"I won't say it twice."
"Thank you!"
Crucio quickly extracted and swallowed the core from a fallen half-demon.
Whoosh!
The body was then engulfed in black flames and reduced to smoke.
Park Chan-woo watched the scene silently before furrowing his brow.
All the half-demons killed so far were undoubtedly incarnations by birth.
But their numbers were far too many.
Even if they had gathered all sorts of races from various Abysses...
'The Creators won't just sit idly by.'
And some of those Creators had contracts with these incarnations.
If their incarnations suddenly vanished, they'd naturally fly into a rage.
Especially upon learning they'd been kidnapped and used as mere fodder—it would breed intense resentment.
Was the Demon King keeping them at bay?
'No way.'
Even the title of Demon King wasn't invincible.
Assuming the number of half-demons matched the number of Creators, it had already exceeded what the Demon King could handle.
So then...
'Complete concealment. It's possible only if they don't realize their incarnations were kidnapped.'
Make it so they never find out at all.
That was the only way.
But Creators could monitor their contracted incarnations' every move.
They could share vision and even read their thoughts to some extent.
Was there a way to block such functions?
'...It's possible. If I can lure them into a blocking zone.'
He thought of Mount Halla.
A thick fog where not even an inch ahead was visible.
Nothing that happened within that domain could be known from the outside.
If the purple mist blocked even the Creators' vision, all he needed to do was lure the incarnations into Mount Halla of their own accord.
'Han Shin said Halla has the power to draw in incarnations.'
It was a collaboration between Han Shin and the Demon King, in a sense.
Likewise, no other Creators could intervene in this Abyss.
'Hold on.'
A sudden doubt crossed his mind.
"In this Abyss, even reaching stage four doesn't allow using a Creator's power?"
"That's what I heard. But after tomorrow's 'Final War,' all restrictions will be lifted."
Crucio's helpful explanation confirmed it.
This domain was completely isolated from other Creators.
And if one reached stage four here and emerged outside...
'They'd be able to wield a Creator's power in full.'
It was undoubtedly a dangerous experiment.
The very fact that it conceived such an idea showed just how perilous the Demon King of Karmic Flames was.
If the experiment succeeded by some fluke, half-demons wielding Creators' powers would rampage across the entire Abyss.
The mere thought was dizzying.
Park Chan-woo pondered deeply.
Alpha and Beta.
Sparing one side to prepare for the 'fourth night' was certainly one option.
But...
...was that really all there was to it?
Even if he chose which side to save, wouldn't it still play right into the 'Demon King's' intentions?
'Eliminate them all?'
Was that even feasible in time?
He had barely a day left.
The risks were too high.
The Demon King would surely notice his presence, and he'd meet his end.
He shook his head inwardly.
At the same time, another idea surfaced.
'If I can let the other Creators know.'
This was blatant kidnapping.
No Creator would willingly feed their painstakingly raised incarnation into such an absurd experiment.
He knew those bastards better than anyone.
Devil Lords at the pinnacle of selfishness uniting for a joint experiment? Impossible!
Thus, if he could make all Creators aware of the 'kidnapping,' the Demon King of Karmic Flames' experiment would fail, and the 'fourth night' would become precarious for him.
So how?
It was impossible through conventional means.
However...
'Making the impossible possible is my specialty.'
Park Chan-woo was a man who never gave up.
It was at that moment.
"Susan...!"
Crucio panicked at the sight of the new enemy.
Susan.
One of the powerhouses in the Beta camp.
Moreover, a monster among monsters, known as a stage-three hunter.
Susan was thoroughly excited.
His rabbit ears shot up toward the sky.
"You're my tenth. Eat you, and I'll reach stage four."
Though there were slight variations between individuals, generally, devouring ten half-demons of the same stage propelled one to the next.
The human male before him now.
From his appearance, definitely a stage-three half-demon.
His tenth prey.
Swish.
Susan assumed his stance.
His greatest asset at stage three was none other than...
"Can you keep up with my speed?"
Overwhelming swiftness.
Thud!
Susan kicked off the ground.
His form blurred in an instant.
Agility well over 400.
A freakish speed bordering on supersonic, aiming for the opponent's neck...
Clang!
'Clang?'
He was repelled.
Susan's arm bent unnaturally.
After tumbling through the air three times, he finally regained his footing upon landing and scowled.
'Feels like striking steel.'
He forcibly realigned his broken bones while thinking.
Tougher than expected.
His race's trait boosted attack power alongside agility.
Nearly 5,000 attack power, bounced right off.
Meaning he needed even greater force.
Susan drew a sword from his inventory.
"A sword bestowed upon me by great Beta. I'll gladly use it to kill you."
"You 'received' the sword as a transfer?"
"Yes. Beta transferred it to me. Are you scared? Too late now."
Susan smirked faintly at Park Chan-woo's expression.
He had suddenly grimaced and let out a groan.
'Transfers are possible?'
But Park Chan-woo wasn't scared.
He was merely thinking.
Normally, transferring equipment wasn't possible.
Unless a merchant like Dagon was paid for a 'sale.'
Otherwise, one needed transfer powers like his own 'hidden trait.'
Receiving a transfer meant getting it for free, so not a trade.
That left two possibilities.
Either Han Shin had a similar hidden trait enabling transfers.
Or...
'...it wasn't a proper transfer judgment.'
Easy way to confirm.
"Now die."
Swish.
Flash!
Susan charged at invisible speed.
Targeting the neck again.
But...
"Guh...?!"
Susan rolled his eyes in disbelief but could move no more.
...His body had been precisely bisected.
'H-how?'
Unbelievable.
On a whole different level from the stage-three half-demons he'd killed before.
He had turned the attack against him, slicing clean without effort.
Flick.
Park Chan-woo shook off his sword and sheathed it.
'Too predictable.'
The speed was certainly fast.
His past self might have fallen for it.
But compared to the foes he'd faced and overcome, it was too simplistic.
Mere speed alone was something he could handle.
Especially after learning swordsmanship from the Sword Emperor and Heavenly Demon's martial arts following Chiwoo—his 'eyes' had leveled up several times.
Still a long way to go, but he was beyond allowing crude half-demon attacks.
"Eat."
"A stage-three core?"
"I said I won't repeat myself..."
"Th-thank you! You're my benefactor!"
Crucio hastily dug out and devoured the core from Susan's chest.
Shooo!
Susan's body vanished simultaneously.
However...
'The sword didn't disappear.'
As expected.
If it had been Susan's own sword, it would have vanished.
But it hadn't.
"I-it's coming! It's coming!"
Then.
Crucio let out a scream-like cry.
Splatter!
Viscous slime rained down from the sky like a downpour.
The slime enveloped Crucio in an instant.
Sizzle!
Crucio's body melted as if dipped in hydrochloric acid.
The elephantine monster was gone without a trace.
Once all outer layers had dissolved...
"...Ahh."
He had become a sturdy 'tusked race' with an elephant trunk and two horns beside it.
"Thanks. I feel much calmer now."
"A double contract, perhaps?"
"What're you talking about?"
"...Never mind."
Ignoring Crucio's reaction, Park Chan-woo furrowed his brow.
He had pieced it together.
Where this place was, why these phenomena occurred, and why other Creators hadn't noticed their incarnations' disappearance.
He knew it all.
'This isn't the Abyss.'
He had almost been fooled.
Even he, who had traversed countless Creator Abysses, couldn't tell—it was that sophisticated.
'This place is...'
It was absurd.
But not impossible.
Beings surpassing the Demon King's hierarchy pulled off far greater feats routinely.
Park Chan-woo shook his head with a deep sigh.
'Demon King of Karmic Flames. Inside his body.'
To think he'd crafted such a land within his own flesh.
No wonder the Creators couldn't detect it.
Moreover, the slime that fell on Crucio.
It was the Demon King's gastric juices, secretly imprinting a 'double contract' without other Creators knowing.
...Alpha and Beta weren't the issue.
Couldn't even compare to Han Shin or the Queen.
Now it was certain.
Demon King of Karmic Flames.
Among all foes faced so far, he was the most dangerous.
Perhaps...
'...even more dangerous than Dragon God Sepiro.'
But...
Smirk!
'It won't go your way.'
Now that he knew the location, a brilliant way to thwart the bastard's plans came to mind.