Chapter 260
Chapter 260
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 260
Chapter Title: Hide and Seek (2)
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Oath of Reverse Heaven.
The bad blood between them dated all the way back to the very first day Hans set foot in Outerica.
Of all the rotten luck, the very first village the freshly arrived Hans stumbled into had been their secret base.
And right at that moment, they were in the thick of maturing the 'Fragment of the Immortal King.'
'Of course, for me, that turned out to be a blessing in disguise.'
Even after that first encounter, he kept clashing with the Oath of Reverse Heaven's bunch over one thing after another.
From rescuing the elf Cecily in the northern mountains to the recent Overpo Clan incident in the Republic.
'I've taken care of most of them, but... they're a tightly knit network of organizations, so rooting out every last connected bastard hasn't been easy.'
Hans gently stroked his chin as he gazed at the small metal fragment hovering before his eyes.
This was a tiny clue he'd found at what could be called the biggest incident they'd pulled off: the opening of the Abyss Gate.
A slender chain fragment, presumably part of the necklace's cord.
[Kehh— Right, your name was Terminus Gardias, wasn't it?]
The one who had sacrificed everything to finally tear open the Abyss and become the vessel of madness.
Naturally, the background check on him had been completed long ago.
The moment he'd gotten intel from Great Chieftain Balteon—the mastermind behind the southern operation—he'd mobilized every information network at his disposal.
'His story's tragic, sure...'
Through that, he could roughly guess why he'd opened the Abyss Gate and plotted the continent's destruction.
People who lose something precious in some incident and come to curse the world? Plenty of them out there, kicking around like stones underfoot.
The only difference was that this guy actually had the power to threaten the world—and he'd gone and done it.
'A victim turned perpetrator. Now that I think about it, maybe the tragedy in his life was another scheme cooked up by the Oath of Reverse Heaven.'
Dragging the capable into the pit of despair and corrupting them was the evil faction's signature move, after all.
Of course, at this point, it was all meaningless speculation.
'Anyway, what matters now is—'
He'd become the vessel of madness. The revolutionary had taken that vessel. And Hans could pinpoint its location through the medium.
The hideout of the revolutionary he'd been tracking for ages without even a whiff of his trail.
Woooong—
Hans pocketed the faintly vibrating metal shard and stepped out of the lab.
With all preparations complete, he planned to start the tracking ritual as soon as possible—but meticulously, without rushing into mistakes. He intended to hunt the bastard down for sure.
No telling what tricks that annoying pest might have up his sleeve.
[You have emerged... my King... This maiden, Olivia... humbly seeks audience with the great Immortal King...]
As he exited, Banshee Queen Olivia slithered into view and prostrated herself before him.
He hadn't even summoned her; she'd sensed the Immortal King's presence and come running, dropping everything.
A fine display of initiative from his right-hand woman.
[Perfect timing, Olivia.]
[Command me in anything... This maiden shall offer her soul to fulfill my King's will...]
Come to think of it, it had been a surprisingly long time.
He hadn't expected it to take this long to track the guy down, even with multiple intelligence networks giving him a bird's-eye view of the world's info.
'Gotta give credit where it's due. The slippery bastard's slippery for a reason.'
But no game in the world went on forever.
He was getting bored of it anyway—it was time to wrap things up.
[Assemble all the executives.]
Of course, surrender like 'guess I can't find him' was never in his vocabulary.
This wasn't hide-and-seek. It was a deadly game where one side had to die.
Hans, casually twisting a children's game across dimensions into a deathmatch.
***
At last, an official announcement came from the Azerion Empire's imperial family.
The very thing most people had expected and awaited.
Chancellor Simon Riley was to be instated as crown princess.
"Hmm... yeah, the imperial family's got to make it official now. With the board flipped this far, they can't keep waiting on Prince Simon forever."
"Hahaha! Long live Crown Princess Riley Carte Azerion!"
"Might as well call the succession race over. Surprising? Or right on script?"
The momentum had shifted long ago, so backlash was minimal.
Especially since Simon's biggest ally—and the mastermind behind Riley's assassination attempt—the House of Hermanheart, was too busy fending off her counterattacks.
They'd skirted all-out war, but the shadow games never stopped, leaving them scrambling just to preserve the family.
"Want to send a gift to Viscount—no, Countess—Isea Pristin, but how? She's off on a suicide squad mission... Guess delivering it to her capital estate works?"
"No matter how you slice it, best to go through Countess Pristin to make connections. ...Hmm? Wait, why not have Her Highness approach her lover in the palace ahead of time?"
Oh, and Isea had been promoted from viscount to countess, but the other nobles just shrugged it off.
Truth was, back when Riley had no power, Isea's merits hadn't been enough for more than a viscountcy. Everyone knew she wouldn't stay there forever.
And it probably wouldn't stop at countess.
If she returned alive from the final battle with the Immortal King, her status would outstrip even a marquis. Once Riley ascended the throne, a dukedom was a safe bet.
No wonder the nobles were clamoring to cozy up to her.
Of course, that all hinged on her not returning to Earth.
And so, amid the empire's churning politics.
The Church of the Main God, another colossal power, faced changes even more abrupt.
"...Lady Riesta, are you alright?"
"Ah... uh... yes."
Heinrich called out cautiously to Saintess Riesta, his face etched with worry, but she gave a vague reply, her mind clearly elsewhere.
Her usually vibrant face was deathly pale, her lips and eyes twitching nonstop.
"We'll reach the temple soon. I requested a gate in advance, so we can move right away."
"...But is this really okay? Leaving our posts like this..."
"The remaining areas can handle themselves without us. No giant sightings in a while anyway. If he shows, we head out then, right?"
"Y... yeah... yes..."
An absentminded response, far from her usual sharp wit.
Heinrich glanced back at her as he led the group silently through the city.
Honestly, he'd never seen her this rattled—it felt oddly unfamiliar.
Even tangled up with the Immortal King, she hadn't reacted like this...
'Well, can hardly blame her.'
He nodded, recalling the church's message relayed to them in the field.
Considering its implications, her reaction was perfectly natural.
After all, the news was—
Pope Hatianus II's passing was imminent.
'There'd been signs plenty of times before... Guess His Holiness ordered them not to tell us.'
Worried about troubling those out in the field.
Only now, at the very end, had his bedside aides finally reached out.
"We've been waiting. This way, please."
"Activating the gate now."
To Riesta, everyone at the Grand Temple was family, but coming in as a young adoptee under the current pope, he held an especially dear place in her heart.
He was her first true family, after growing up in an orphanage.
"Welcome. Saintess, Saint. His Holiness awaits."
"Your entourage, this way. We'll show you to your quarters."
Heinrich knew that even during her packed schedule at Roselia Grand Temple, she visited the pope daily.
She'd skip her beloved garden before missing that routine even once.
'Unlike me, who barely checked in occasionally. Come to think of it, it's been ages. Last time was the council, right?'
Sure, he had the hero party excuse for being away, but a twinge of guilt lingered.
"Grandpa!"
"Ho ho ho, what's the big rush? Thought you'd grown up enough to marry, but you're still my little girl."
"Grandpa...!"
Riesta rushed to the pope, who had propped himself up in bed, and threw her arms around him.
Heinrich greeted him and stepped back quietly to wait.
He wanted to give them space, but oddly, the pope himself had asked him to stay.
Only after Riesta calmed down did their serious talk begin.
"Ahem, sorry for the discourtesy while keeping the Saint here."
"No issue. It's an honor to witness the bond you've built over the years."
"Ho ho ho, kind words. Thank you."
He looked so healthy it was hard to believe his time was short, but Heinrich could sense it clearly.
The last embers of his life force burning bright.
Riesta had noticed too—her hand trembled as she gripped his.
"I called for the Saint here because there's something I must convey at the end."
"Something to convey...?"
Heinrich's expression turned grave.
No need to ask who it was about.
The pope nodded heavily and slowly spoke.
***
Thump— Thump—
In the abyss's boundary of chaos and void, a ragged heartbeat echoed.
The sound soon scattered into spatial distortions and faded, but its presence lingered, steadily encroaching on the surroundings.
"Ahh— My Lord."
A faint murmur leaked from the center, as if on the verge of snuffing out.
Twisted and broken beyond human speech, yet brimming with madness and zeal so profound it could drive listeners insane just by hearing it.
'My death approaches.'
The being, ears perked to the world's whispers, sighed softly.
Time was running critically short.
The incomprehensible death that had driven him to his extreme choice was now fully formed, closing in.
'But I can't end it here.'
Even if he crumbled away... he had a duty to sow seeds for the next 'me.'
Just as he'd smoothly advanced thanks to inheriting the previous will as the Lord's apostle.
'Regrettable I couldn't finish it, but no choice. I'll gladly become fertilizer so the next can properly sprout.'
Wriggle— Wriggle—
His body, fused with the seed of madness, twitched repeatedly.
A side effect of the new flesh not yet stabilizing.
Even rushing at death's detection, it was still like this.
'Faster. Properly. Certainly.'
As he struggled to control his body amid the obsession—
Splat—
Something rose from the abyss depths and collided with him.
[———!]
He slowly turned to see:
A humanoid figure, pure white, reaching his chest— one he'd faced many times before.
"Ahh, a bit late this time. I've been waiting."
Brightening, he reached out and grabbed its shoulders.
And—
"Come, under His grace... become one with me."
Crack— Crunch!
His gaping maw swallowed its head whole in an instant.
A horrific scene in the blink of an eye.
But he busily worked his jaws, polishing off the remains cleanly.
By the end,
He'd grown a finger's breadth larger than before, his unstable body now refined closer to completion.
Thump— Thump—
The ragged heartbeat resumed, resounding everywhere.
"...Pity. If only I'd started earlier without the time crunch. If the plans had worked..."
Sighing lightly, he looked down at his writhing flesh.
Unlike the filthy surface dwellers, pristine and smooth pure white— the ultimate human, the new breed itself.
'Almost there...'
Thus, the founder of Oath of Reverse Heaven, the former revolutionary.
The current 'King of Madness' reached the final stages of his birth into the world.