Chapter 294
Chapter 294
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 294
Chapter Title: The Fourth Night (13)
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Long ago, before the framework of the "Racial Great War" had taken shape.
A great war erupted.
All the races of the Abyss, along with the demons, became entangled in a horrific slaughter.
No one knew why the war had broken out or the reason they hated each other so fiercely.
But there was one thing for certain.
At the vanguard stood the "Master of the Giant Evil."
In the era of the "Ten Lords," before the Great Nine Lords, the Master of the Giant Evil was known to have contributed the most to that great war.
Every being slain by the Master was a transcendent monster without exception.
Naturally, his authority and the mana that sent shivers through the entire Abyss had already become an object of worship among the demons, something to be revered.
Though neither the Master of the Giant Evil nor any of the Great Nine Lords had shown much activity in recent times, the tales persisted even now because those events had been passed down like myths.
"That can't be..."
He shook his head.
It had to be a mistake.
Though Aheta, a demon lord who hadn't lived through the "Great War" era, knew full well that any subordinate granted power by the Master of the Giant Evil had no reason to submit to the Black Witch.
No, to begin with, something like the Black Witch couldn't possibly control it.
The Black Witch was a natural predator to demons, but she could never reach the level of the Great Nine Lords.
They existed on entirely different planes.
Therefore.
"You... are an impure monster."
Such things happened from time to time.
Beings that defied conventional understanding would occasionally be born in the Abyss.
That thing was surely one of them.
He didn't know what the Black Witch was after in this "Fourth Night," but now that he'd discovered this impurity, he couldn't just leave it be.
No matter that he'd become a half-demon, defeat at the hands of such a foul creature was utterly inconceivable.
Brrrrrr!
Aheta's entire body began to sprout thick fur.
Soon enough, Aheta's form had become...
"A w-wolf!"
"Where's there ever been a wolf that big?!"
...a wolf.
A mountain of a wolf, resembling the mythical "Fenrir."
"I am Aheta, master of the moon at the edge of night. Begone, impure fake."
It felt like gods clashing.
Colossal beings tore into each other, bargaining with death itself.
'Not descending into Anubis's body like last time.'
Strong.
Park Chan-woo couldn't help feeling a bit tense.
The Primordial Spirit Arcana had been forged from the bones and heart of the despair tribe's chieftain, but Aheta was a demon lord mighty enough to wage war against dragons.
Half-demon, yes—but the other half was his true self.
The power he wielded now dwarfed what he'd shown during his descent on the Third Night.
An even match, neither yielding an inch.
Now he was certain.
'Aheta, the hidden dealer, is the final boss of this Fourth Night.'
On the First Night, the final boss had been the "Dragon God General."
The Second Night's goal was to create and slay the Doppelganger Lord's vessel.
By the Third Night, the "Death Commander Anubis" had appeared.
Every night had its "end."
Beings placed there to guard it.
Designed to be unbeatable by ordinary means—but the Abyss never flowed solely at the creators' whim.
'We can win.'
Ten minutes to endure.
Aheta was attacking the Primordial Spirit Arcana with everything he had.
"...How many minutes left?"
"Five!"
"Still half left?!"
The crowd murmured.
In a straight-up fight, Aheta bore far more wounds.
He was taking every spell Arcana unleashed.
Dodging when he could, yet refusing to.
Proof he sought a swift end.
And so.
"He bit it!"
"Got the scruff of its neck!"
"He's really going for the kill."
Aheta leaped high and clamped down on Arcana's throat.
But.
Kwarrrrr rumble!
An explosion rocked Aheta's entire body.
Fur scorched, one eye lost—yet he didn't release his grip.
As if ready to die together.
"It's f-falling!"
That was when it happened.
Arcana seemed to hold the advantage, only to plummet suddenly toward the ground.
Kuwooooong!
In the thick dust cloud, Arcana's body came to a halt, motionless.
...Realization dawned at the same moment.
'...He was injecting mana.'
Aheta hadn't bitten the throat to sever life—but to channel his mana through his fangs.
A kind of poison.
A toxin that froze mana.
He must have devised it upon recognizing Arcana as a primordial spirit powered solely by mana.
Arcana's movements visibly slowed as its mana solidified.
This was dangerous.
Park Chan-woo murmured softly.
"Rise."
That instant.
Thump!
Thump!
His heart pounded wildly.
He could feel Arcana's core—its heart.
Park Chan-woo spoke again.
"Rise."
-Krraaaaaargh!
In a flash, Arcana let out a roar.
Then, a entirely new form of mana began flowing from its body.
Black, ominously ferocious mana.
An overwhelming total volume incomparable to before.
And with it.
Before Park Chan-woo's eyes.
'...I can see.'
He saw Aheta.
The entire battlefield came into view at a glance.
Before he knew it, Park Chan-woo was Arcana.
Arcana's knowledge flooded his mind.
Assimilating with its memories and psyche, Park Chan-woo became Arcana itself.
'Mana utilization is still inefficient.'
The mana Arcana possessed was vast as the ocean.
Immense like the sea, but trapped in a dead body, it couldn't be wielded properly.
Or more precisely, this "Arcana of Despair" was like a child.
Still in the learning phase.
Far from matching the original Arcana.
The true owner wouldn't have fallen to something like mana poison.
'Elysion.'
Fwaaah!
Light swirled.
The holy spirit magic Elysion purified the mana poison in an instant.
Aheta was a fusion of curses, after all—nothing difficult.
"...You purified my authority?"
Aheta took a step back in shock.
And rightly so.
His trump card had vanished all too easily.
'Arcana. What is your strongest spell?'
Ignoring him, Park Chan-woo asked Arcana's core.
Relevant knowledge soon swept through his mind.
Forgotten ancient magic.
The most powerful among them.
Not yet usable.
But.
'...Now I can cast it.'
The moon hung in the sky.
Thanks to Arcana having stolen Aheta's "moon" authority.
That moon was doubling Arcana's mana.
Now was the time.
For the mightiest spell of despair.
Park Chan-woo opened his mouth.
"Despair. In this time where even death is not permitted, all light will vanish."
⟨ Despair's Temporal Eclipse ⟩
Unlike piercing, stabbing, or slashing incantations.
This was the magic the Arcana of Despair had used to reach the Master of the Giant Evil.
Countless demon lords had blocked its path.
Yet this spell alone had carved the way.
Jrrrrrring!
In that moment, space seemed to freeze.
Even time appeared to halt.
The world soon drowned in darkness.
Within the time of despair.
Swaaaaa!
"M-my mana...!"
Aheta screamed.
All mana around him was forcibly "evaporating."
Especially those with vast mana reserves—it accelerated the evaporation.
Aheta's body shrank, fur shedding.
"How! An impure dragon wielding 15th-circle magic...!!!"
Unbelievable.
Not even ordinary dragons could cast 15th-circle magic.
To wield such spells required at least the level of a "primordial dragon."
Only the ancient dragons, existing since time immemorial, could command them.
True dragons who had survived the Great War, honing their power through countless battles.
'I'm getting the hang of it.'
Park Chan-woo was just as astonished and exhilarated.
The black dragon Ataraxia's strongest spell had been the 13th-circle "Paranormal."
Its power against the twilight tribe had been beyond belief, even seeing it with his own eyes.
Yet Arcana knew magic two tiers higher.
15th circle.
A level Park Chan-woo had never cast himself.
...And only the second time experiencing it.
Aside from Dragon God Sepiro's spell, it was essentially his first.
And now, casting it with his own hands.
Magical knowledge and enlightenment surged in like a tide.
Thud!
Aheta turned and bolted.
His target had changed.
No longer Arcana.
'Lee Hyuk-soo!'
Kill him, and the game ends.
Forced termination, victory to the mercenaries.
Deal with that damned dragon afterward.
A dragon bold enough to invade his domain—the Demon King of Karmic Flames wouldn't let it slide once he learned of the Black Witch's involvement.
Aheta sprinted at full speed.
Charging straight for Lee Hyuk-soo with all his might.
"...Aheta!"
Just then, Lee Hyuk-soo was approaching as well.
Lee Hyuk-soo drew his sword.
The Greatsword of the Lion King.
He knew he couldn't win.
But he wouldn't dodge.
...He wouldn't run.
Soon, shadow and all, Aheta plummeted from the sky onto Lee Hyuk-soo.
"Ah...!"
But he didn't connect.
Something snatched Aheta just before impact.
A shadow.
Rising from Lee Hyuk-soo's own shadow.
"You bastard, Lion King...!"
The ancient being contracted to Lee Hyuk-soo—the Lion King.
Breaking the rules to protect its contractor, halting Aheta's rampage.
And thanks to that brief window.
"Despair."
⟨ Despair's Temporal Eclipse ⟩
Aheta had no choice but to despair.
This was no mere dragon word.
An absolute magic transcending dragon words.
But realization changed nothing.
Soon all mana evaporated, unable even to maintain his half-demon form.
"N-no...!"
His entire body crumbled to dust.