Chapter 346
Chapter 346
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 346
Chapter Title: Separated Baal
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Kuwoong!
Kuoooong.
A dull, massive thud jolted Lee Hyuk-soo awake, his face twisting in a frown.
His last memory was being dragged by Dagon's hand into an unstable dimensional gate.
The violent translocation that followed had left his stomach churning violently.
"Urk!"
He collapsed to the floor and dry-heaved without thinking.
Every muscle and joint in his body screamed from the brutal colosseum battle.
"It'll take some time to adjust. Internal travel inside a Dimensional Converger is on a whole different level from ordinary spatial jumps."
Tap, tap.
Someone gently patted his back.
Turning his head, he saw the demon merchant Dagon's face, still wearing that sly grin.
But the surroundings were nothing like he'd expected.
No dense crystal forest of Valhalla, no opulent Dagon's shop.
Instead, he was in an endlessly vast space enclosed by strangely pulsating translucent walls.
Beyond the walls, hazy glimpses of chaotic Abyss landscapes and warped dimensions flickered by.
The floor beneath his feet seemed to shift subtly, like a living creature, and that earlier 'kuoooong' rumble felt like the heartbeat or breathing of this colossal space itself.
"Where... is this place? Doesn't feel like Valhalla."
Lee Hyuk-soo rasped.
"It's not Valhalla. I can't even guarantee what's happened there by now."
Dagon explained politely.
"This is the interior of my colleague and Outer God, Dimensional Converger Charpham. We're currently en route to safety with Charpham's help."
Charpham's interior. Lee Hyuk-soo tried to piece it together from Dagon's words and the bizarre scene before him.
That's when familiar figures entered his view.
"Back with us, human?"
The cold voice belonged to Adora.
She stood in her black robe, Radiant Anubis Bokssil at her side, gazing down at him.
Behind her were several new faces.
All radiating unnatural auras.
Adora eyed his condition.
"Get yourself together first. Plenty to hear and say."
Lee Hyuk-soo nodded slowly.
"Heal him."
At her curt order, two figures from behind her approached.
One was a sharp-eyed middle-aged man with an imposing presence: Aurum.
The other exuded refined, holy energy—the former saint, Eugene Seo.
"……!"
Lee Hyuk-soo widened his eyes at the pair closing in, despite his dazed state from injuries.
He recognized them.
From the Realm of Night. When the Black Witch's curse struck, they'd fought beside him to protect the unconscious Park Chan-woo.
"You're a mess."
Aurum clicked his tongue, assessing him.
His tone was gruff, but concern flickered in his eyes.
He extended a hand, channeling mystical green energy into Lee Hyuk-soo's body.
A warm spirit force that mended wounded vitality.
"We were so worried. Thank goodness you're safe."
Eugene Seo teared up, clasping her hands in prayer.
Dazzling golden mana flowed from her palms, enveloping his broken bones and torn flesh.
Aurum shook his head at the sight.
"Still the actress. Thinks she's a saint."
"...Shut it, Aurum."
Eugene Seo snapped icily, but Aurum just shrugged.
A brief glimpse of their rocky rapport.
Yet their healing was genuine, and Lee Hyuk-soo's body steadied rapidly.
Soon, he could stand on his own, albeit wobbling.
He bowed briefly to his healers.
"Thanks."
"No big deal."
Aurum grumbled, relief crossing his face.
"Glad you're okay, Hyuk-soo."
Eugene Seo smiled, worry lingering in her eyes.
With clearer senses, Lee Hyuk-soo scanned the group again.
All connected to Park Chan-woo.
Even Charpham, Radiant Anubis Bokssil, and other unknown powerhouses.
"All there now?"
Adora said.
He nodded.
"Thanks to you. So, where exactly are we?"
"Inside Outer God Charpham’s gut."
"...Why here?"
"We're on the run."
"...From who?"
"Dragon God Sepiro."
"……!!!"
Sepiro!
The name from Adora's lips made him swallow hard.
That ominous, overwhelming will beyond Azoth's ruins in the colosseum.
Was that truly Dragon God Sepiro?
But the dragons had called Park Chan-woo 'Sepiro'.
Was Park really an avatar of the Dragon God?
His mind reeled.
Adora asked.
"Human. What did you feel facing Azoth?"
"...Utter despair."
"That's the Dragon God's corrupted self."
"But Azoth was clearly just a shadow of him……."
As Lee Hyuk-soo bit his lip in disbelief, Dagon stepped in.
"Allow me to explain, Lee Hyuk-soo."
He nodded.
Dagon grinned.
"Park Chan-woo was the Dragon God Sepiro's second 'avatar.' He clashed with the first avatar in the Dragon God War and ultimately lost."
"...Lost?"
"Yes. The first body emerged from the great rift first."
Dagon's smile faded.
"Everything changed after that. Everything tied to Park Chan-woo began to fracture and split."
"Azoth too?"
"Exactly. An influence of Park Chan-woo's we couldn't recover in time. Azoth's power shifted to the first body."
Dagon sighed.
The others' faces darkened.
"Anyway... let's continue. The first body—call it 'Sepiro' for short. Sepiro targeted Valhalla first. We had no choice but to flee. Even that was only possible thanks to Charpham."
With Outer God Charpham's aid, they'd barely escaped Valhalla.
Charpham could freely navigate between Abysses.
Creating convoluted warps to evade Sepiro.
"We're fleeing while gathering Park Chan-woo's separated 'influences.' As you see, this is all we've got."
"...Am I one of those 'influences'?"
"Yes. Do you have any of his items?"
Lee Hyuk-soo nodded, pulling glass shards and faint thread-like dust remnants from his pocket.
Dagon's eyes gleamed with greed and astonishment.
"Thank goodness! Truly!"
He exclaimed, unable to hide his excitement.
"This is clear proof that Park Chan-woo is still alive!"
"Do you know where he is?"
Lee Hyuk-soo asked hopefully.
"Vanished inside the rift. That's all we know. Signus sealed it right after becoming Rift King. Honestly, we feared he'd disintegrated completely……."
Dagon continued, eyeing the remnants.
"But with this evidence, it's different. He's still alive!"
Adora voiced doubt.
"Then why only traces on Earth? We checked—the rift where he vanished last, Valhalla—nothing left."
"Perhaps he held humans, this Earth, especially dear?"
Dagon speculated cautiously.
"And you bringing these traces? No coincidence."
Dagon stroked his chin, studying Lee Hyuk-soo.
His gaze held profound meaning beyond respect.
Dagon had long observed Lee Hyuk-soo by Park Chan-woo's side.
The enigmatic Park seemed to favor and guide him oddly.
Dragging him along on solo-solvable tasks, aiding at key moments.
Dagon's conclusion was clear.
"He saw you as his successor. These remnants reaching your hands... maybe his final will."
"Successor...?"
Lee Hyuk-soo was speechless.
The Prophet viewing him that way?
Dagon affirmed.
"Unyielding spirit that never quits. Courage against the unknowable. Relentless drive to surpass walls. All mirror him."
Absurd.
He'd just aspired to emulate him.
Dagon's eyes gleamed meaningfully.
"These remnants in your hands, of all people. His favoritism toward you. It all points one way."
Whoosh!
Adora channeled her icy mana into the remnants.
They didn't react to her, but trembled faintly as Lee Hyuk-soo drew near.
"These remnants... they're responding to you, human."
Adora said, surprise in her voice.
"Your very existence—or what you hold—might be the sole 'key' to his scattered origin."
Lee Hyuk-soo stared alternately at his hands, the remnants, and Adora's reacting mana, stunned.
I'm the key?
Park Chan-woo designating him successor, leaving clues to his final path?
Hard to believe.
"If so... what do I do? If I'm the key, how do I open the path?"
Kuoooong!
A clearer, more majestic voice than before resonated directly in Lee Hyuk-soo's mind.
It was Outer God, Dimensional Converger Charpham.
Dimensional Converger Charpham.
As he spoke, he unfurled an immense warp.
Handing full control to Lee Hyuk-soo.
He didn't hesitate.
Closing his eyes, he focused his mind.
Kurururung…
The colossal Charpham began moving through the Abyss depths.
Chaotic energy storms and bizarre dimensional fragments whipped past the translucent walls.
Lee Hyuk-soo navigated blindly, guided only by the remnants' faint pull, toward an unknown destination.
His stomach still roiled, but his heart burned hotter than ever.
How much time passed?
How far through the endless Abyss chaos had they plunged?
Kuooooooong!!!
Suddenly, Charpham's body shuddered violently, slamming to a halt.
Everyone inside stumbled, losing balance.
Tension gripped them as they stared beyond the walls.
The blurring chaos had frozen.
And in the heart of that still abyss, something emerged.
The pitch-black sky tore open, and from the rift, a massive entity slowly stepped forth.
Its mere presence crushed Charpham's interior space under overwhelming pressure.
Even Charpham instinctively halted, sensing threat.
"My god."
Dagon paled at the sight.
His leisurely smile vanished.
He muttered in a trembling voice.
"That monster……!"
Adora also blanched, recognizing it.
Chill of death emanated from her.
"Fierce God Baal!"