Chapter 505
Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 505
Chapter Title: Sniping Park Chan-woo (1)
When he returned to his original position.
Park Chan-woo could feel that the air in the Dragon God Temple had changed.
In the time he'd been away, this place was no longer a sanctuary holding Dragon God Sepiro's dusty legacy.
It was pulsating fiercely as the heart of a vast empire.
"You're back."
The one greeting him from the jade throne wasn't Zero in the form of Park Chan-woo himself.
Ash-gray hair and emotionless eyes.
Zero, returned to his original form, was ceaselessly at work.
At his feet floated mountains of reports, glowing like streams of data.
Zero had achieved tremendous results.
They were different from the 'miracles' Park Chan-woo had wrought.
Zero's rule was based purely on logic and efficiency.
He had datafied every race's traits to find the most ideal combinations, reorganizing everything toward the single goal of creating the 'strongest legion' while excluding unnecessary emotions or traditions.
To be honest, he had developed humanity and its allies more efficiently than Park Chan-woo himself.
Where Park Chan-woo had moved people with 'heart' to lay the foundation of the alliance, Zero had turned them into perfect machines with 'systems'.
Park Chan-woo was momentarily speechless before these astonishing achievements.
And soon enough, he had no choice but to admit it.
"......This seat suits you better than me."
Without hesitation, Park Chan-woo decided to hand over all related authority to Zero.
Commanding the legion and running the empire were areas where Zero was simply better suited, frankly speaking.
He himself was content as a symbol, pointing the way forward.
Zero didn't refuse.
His calculations had already confirmed it was the most 'efficient' division of roles.
What had changed while Park Chan-woo was away wasn't just the existing Abyss.
The Transcendents he'd encountered in Amalgam's Transcendent Abyss had kept their promise too.
Thanks to Park Chan-woo elevating the Abyss's limits, they could now wield their full power without being confined to their own Transcendent Abysses.
They had begun preparations to venture into the 'outer universe' beyond the Abyss with their master, Lil, sharing knowledge among themselves in search of their creator father-figure.
Meanwhile, the alliance Park Chan-woo had built was snowballing.
Starting from the five-race alliance forged in the Interracial War, countless races yearning for a new order rushed to join.
In just a few months, humanity and Park Chan-woo's forces had unified nearly half the Abyss.
The problem was the remaining half.
The demons.
They couldn't accept being pushed into the loser's seat.
The seven remaining Archfiends were honing their blades of vengeance in the deepest abyss, sacrificing everything.
They never stopped their localized provocations against the weaker allied races, lying in wait for any opportunity.
But forced unification through all-out war would leave massive scars across the Abyss.
Above all, it might prevent them from bringing their full strength to bear in the impending 'Cosmic War'.
Park Chan-woo wanted to absorb their power peacefully if possible.
But Zero thought differently.
"We must start a war."
It was the first conclusion from Zero, now seated on the jade throne.
There wasn't a shred of emotion or hesitation in his voice.
"Demons will never bend. Their essence is domination and plunder. Your sentimental notion of coexistence is just another word for weakness to them."
Zero's cold gaze turned to Park Chan-woo.
"And most importantly, you don't have much time left."
His words stabbed like a dagger into Park Chan-woo's heart.
"-5 levels. You need six more to be complete. Where do you plan to get that massive experience? Protecting weak races and researching magic systems won't cut it. You need a grand 'battlefield'. A stage where you can burn everything against billions of foes."
Zero stated it flatly.
"We must start the war now. For your survival, if nothing else."
Park Chan-woo's dilemma deepened.
Zero's words were too logical, cruelly precise.
His ideals and survival clashed head-on.
This was also why he hadn't yet 'proclaimed' to all under heaven that he was the true master of the new world, reforged through genesis in the Creator's domain.
His new authority 'Transcendence' could imprint his will on every being in the Abyss, but that was the limit.
The proclamation would be a threat, but he couldn't interfere with their free will.
If he declared himself the 'sole ruler of the new era' now, the backlash would be enormous.
Especially the demons, bundled tight with pride and arrogance—they'd see it not as a demand for submission, but a declaration of war.
They might even seize the moment to launch a final, all-out battle for supremacy in the Abyss.
......War.
It was the scenario Park Chan-woo wanted to avoid most.
The nascent era of coexistence, just sprouting, would be drenched in blood again, and the hard-earned trust between races would turn to distrust and hatred.
Even victory wouldn't erase the wounds—they could lead to fatal defeat in the greater stage ahead, the 'Cosmic War'.
You couldn't lead a shattered world against stronger cosmic foes.
But as Zero said, he had no time.
His own limited life was this world's ticking clock too.
If he died, the massive centripetal force holding the Abyss together would vanish.
The demons would rampage anew, the Transcendents would fall into chaos, and the fragile alliance would collapse.
Everything would revert to the chaos before his arrival—or worse.
In the end, there was only one path.
Gain experience through war, level up, and secure both his survival and the world's stability.
He knew it in his head, but his heart wouldn't follow easily.
It was hard to accept that the dawn of his dreamed new era began with another massive war—a cruel contradiction.
As his mind wavered at this heavy crossroads,
A shadow approached him.
Park Chan-woo smiled.
"Adora. It's been a while."
Adora said softly.
"I've ascended to Witch Sovereign."
Ah.
Meaning the Black Witch had stepped down.
Park Chan-woo smiled genuinely, delighted.
"Congratulations, Adora."
Then Adora silently offered what she held.
Park Chan-woo tilted his head.
"This is......?"
The shield of the ferocious evil god Baal, unable to hide its savage aura even in the darkness.
The very piece the Black Witch had owned.
"A coronation gift."
Adora added.
"Its true master is you, so I give it to you."
He'd been inwardly pondering how to get that shield from the Black Witch.
Force wouldn't work, nor would a deal—it was an awkward situation.
But for it to resolve itself like this? It was as if the world itself was aiding his final completion.
"Thank you, Adora."
In overwhelming gratitude, Park Chan-woo grabbed her hand.
Pure thanks for her growth and this massive boon to his path.
But in that instant, Adora flinched as if burned and yanked her hand away.
"......?"
He was puzzled.
Seeing her face flush unfamiliarly, Park Chan-woo cocked his head but didn't pry.
Now that she was Sovereign with her own world, perhaps a new distance had formed between them—he vaguely thought that might be it.
He took Baal's shield that Adora had brought.
Sword, belt, shoes—and now the final fourth piece.
True completion at last.
As he stowed the shield in his inventory, he hardened his resolve.
War or peace—before choosing, they needed a pause.
Everyone had run too hard, too fiercely for too long.
Park Chan-woo declared.
"Let's hold a festival."
Zero eyed him curiously.
A festival, with demon threats looming?
"We need time to breathe, don't we?"
Park Chan-woo said with a smile.
"The new era has begun, and we've won. We deserve to get to know each other, learn our cultures, and savor this peace, even if just for a moment."
Before preparing for the coming war, they needed time to remember what they fought for—what made this peace so precious.
And so, the festival was announced.
Festival day.
Valhalla Sanctuary's plaza was filled with the most vibrant, colorful scene in history.
Giantkin held strength contests, dragons put on dazzling magic shows, and Duskkin performed shadow plays recounting their history.
Countless races shared food, music, and dances, transcending racial barriers to become one.
The 'coexistence' era Park Chan-woo had dreamed of was unfolding there, if only on a small scale.
'Peaceful.'
Weak or mighty, it didn't matter.
They just needed to enjoy this time.
Pure joy forgotten amid long wars and fears.
The hope of the new era was thus sprouting in everyone's hearts.
"Dragon God! This Darakan dares to be the first to heed Your great will!"
It was then.
Darakan approached, voice nearly breaking with emotion.
"These are ancient records on the origins of magic, slumbering in the Dragon God Temple's forbidden archive. The essence of knowledge our dragonkin have monopolized until now! But as You commanded, we shall no longer hoard it—we share it with humanity and all allied races to usher in a new age of magic! Please accept this humble beginning!"
The gathered races were stunned.
The arrogant dragons declaring they'd share their foundational magic secrets with others.
It was the strongest symbol proving Park Chan-woo's new era was no mere slogan, but reality.
After that, the procession of tributes continued endlessly.
Mighty or meek, every race brought their most precious offerings.
Then came the chief of a tiny, fluffy-furred minor race Park Chan-woo had never seen, trembling before him like a leaf.
"W-We... We have nothing worthy to offer the great god......"
His voice on the verge of tears, he pulled a single small flower from his bosom.
"......Our home was ravaged by demons. All hope was lost. But seeing Your deeds, hearing Your words—we could move again. Thank you."
A mystical dewdrop flower glowing faintly even in darkness.
"This blooms but once every millennium in our territory, the 'Silent Night Forest'—the 'Dawn's Tear'. It's insignificant, but... it holds all our gratitude for this peace, all our faith in You. Please... please accept it."
Park Chan-woo felt deeper emotion than from any grand relic or treasure.
He rose from the jade throne and approached the quaking little chief himself.
"Insignificant? It's the finest gift I've received yet."
He carefully accepted the Dawn's Tear.
A happy time.
One he truly wished could last forever.
But peace, as always, was far too fleeting.
Rumble rumble ruuuumble!
As the festival's fervor peaked, Valhalla's entire ground shook like an earthquake.
Laughter turned to screams, merry music drowned in terrified silence.
Several Sovereigns with keen senses among the plaza's races scowled instantly.
"Those damned demons......!"
The demons had stirred up hell.
And right here, in sacred Valhalla, where countless races gathered to celebrate peace—they dared a frontal assault.
All eyes turned skyward.
A colossal rift, like a black hole devouring all light, yawned open.
"A Creation Abyss?"
"Opening an Abyss here?"
"Are they insane?"
But this was leagues beyond the small-scale Abysses for the Creators' amusement they'd faced before.
It blanketed Valhalla's entire sky.
Only one breed of demon could force a 'Creation Abyss' of such overwhelming scale on a place teeming with this many powerhouses.
The Great Seven Archfiends.
And among them, the one steeped most in madness, most unpredictable.
Ding!
And the opened Creation Abyss was utterly unlike ordinary ones.
It directly named and targeted Park Chan-woo.
......A 'Sniping Abyss'.
In a word.
They had declared war.