Chapter 261
Chapter 261
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 261
Chapter Title: Hide-and-Seek (3)
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On the day the Saint and the Saintess returned in haste.
Pope Hattianus II mingled with so many people that it was hard to believe he was the same man who had secluded himself away for so long.
He caught up on lost time with Riesta, whom he hadn't seen in ages, shared quiet conversations with those he had ties to, and even offered heartfelt blessings to his younger disciples, whom he rarely had the chance to meet.
Thanks to him, many naturally began frequenting the Pope's residence, filling the air with a lively buzz after such a long silence.
And that evening.
In front of a select few high-ranking officials, including the Saintess, he lay upon his bed, claiming fatigue...
"Hehehe, then I'll go on ahead. Take your time coming after me, everyone."
With those brief words, he slipped into eternal rest as quietly as if falling asleep.
A soft smile lingered on his lips.
But even with such a monumental event, the sorrow that spread through the grand cathedral wasn't all that profound.
The same went for Saintess Riesta, who had spent the entire day subdued.
She wiped away a few tears for a moment but soon regained her composure and took the lead in blessing the Pope's new journey.
'Well, it's the continent's largest religion, and every high-ranking member is practically a fanatic, so it's only natural.'
For those with such deep faith, death wasn't an eternal end but merely the beginning of their journey toward the Main God.
Even if they grieved the immediate parting, they held the firm belief that they would meet again in the Main God's embrace someday.
Amid that serene atmosphere, as the funeral rites proceeded, Heinrich recalled the Pope's secret message.
The kindly voice that had been conveyed solely into his mind, inaudible even to Riesta standing right beside him.
'...Well, it wasn't anything all that profound. Just a single word, after all.'
One lone word.
[I permit it.]
That was the divine word spoken by the Pope on the verge of his ascension.
'What the hell am I supposed to do with just that...'
A deep sigh escaped him unwittingly.
Of course, he could roughly guess why it was so vague.
What they called the "word of God" was merely a convenient label; more precisely, it was an arbitrary human interpretation of a sliver from some vast, complex will, simplified for mortal comprehension.
And even that had only been possible because the Pope's soul was gradually freeing itself from its mortal shell.
For example, wasn't he himself—a Saint of the Main God—still barely sensing any significant difference from the beginning?
'No point dwelling on it now. Whatever it permits, it can't be anything bad.'
He didn't know if it was permission for wreaking continent-wide havoc, peddling the Main God's name everywhere, or his prolonged stay in Outerica.
In a way, it was like a green light saying there was no need to watch his step anymore, so it was welcome news for him.
Now, it was time to get moving—
Another massive event was right around the corner.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ [Keh heh heh—this is ridiculous. No wonder I couldn't find it no matter how thoroughly I searched.]
A sinister hollow laugh echoed from Immortal King Hans as the surrounding atmosphere churned violently.
He stood atop one of the soaring spires of the Immortal Citadel.
It was the altar prepared for the tracking ritual using the medium.
[To think it was hiding at the abyssal boundary. No living being could endure that place.]
That realm—where even his undead legions had slumbered—was utterly devoid of air or warmth, a chaotic domain where time and space themselves twisted together.
In truth, it was a world so harsh that even the undead could scarcely think or move of their own volition.
'I knew it wasn't ordinary, but this exceeds even my expectations.'
Admiration was admiration, but this necessitated changes to his plans.
He had gathered and prepared all his undead army's executives specifically to ensure the target was thoroughly eliminated...
'Unless they can handle the abyss like I can, they'll just be baggage. Better if I go alone.'
Hans descended from the spire, flying through the sky, his blazing eyes alight.
In truth, he could handle it solo without issue.
His failure to deal with the revolutionary so far stemmed from not locating its hiding spot, not from any lack of power.
No matter how strong the thing was, could it surpass the Immortal King himself?
The reason he had prepared so meticulously was simple overkill from his desire for certainty.
After all, it was a heavyweight who had incited world-shaking calamities multiple times.
'No point delaying further; it'll just be wasted time.'
After a brief deliberation, Hans made his decision and acted without hesitation.
[Prepare for battle and stand by.]
He would prepare for contingencies but venture into the abyssal boundary alone for now.
Even so, he didn't forget to stow the Abyssal Revenants—crafted from Earth awakeners' corpses following Salma—in his subspace.
'These things infused with abyss might come in handy. Even if useless inside, they'll help if it flees outside.'
Preparations complete, he headed straight for the nearby abyssal scar.
With his mind made up, there was no reason to hesitate.
'Found it.'
A faint trace of the rift, detected by Hans's keen senses.
Though long dormant and sealed tight, reopening it was trivial for one who wielded abyssal power.
Jet-black energy coiled from his fingertips, stretching out to take form.
Soon, honed abyssal power rent the air.
Zzzzzzt—
The rift tore open in an instant, its maw gaping wide.
An ominous darkness roiled turbulently within, visibly foreboding.
[Kekeke, how intriguing. Very well, shall we go exterminate the pest that's been such a nuisance?]
After observing it calmly, Hans hurled himself inside without a second thought.
Squelch, squelch—
The rift writhed from the intrusion's aftershocks.
But mere seconds later, it began twisting erratically before rapidly sealing shut, vanishing from the air once more.
As if nothing had ever happened.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ There were several reasons Hans could plunge into the unknown realm of the rift without hesitation.
For one, his direct control over abyssal power assured him there'd be no major issues. Above all, if anything went wrong, he could simply dismiss the summons.
[Hmm, this?]
He had expected to invest considerable time searching for the thing inside...
But he realized he had overlooked something.
'Twisted spacetime. Everywhere and nowhere. Without the abyss, this would've been a real hassle.'
Hans shrouded himself in abyssal energy to anchor his presence firmly, then surveyed his surroundings.
A bizarre space where even standing still caused ceaseless shifts in position and phase.
Finding someone here was frankly impossible.
[Oh-ho—this could be useful.]
Without a clear marker pointing to his target,
This environment was an endless ocean of uncertainty, but with a solid beacon, no place was more convenient.
Hans pulled out a faintly vibrating metal fragment and gazed at it steadily.
Then, taking a slow step forward—
He arrived instantly at his desired location.
The exact spot indicated by the medium.
Right where the revolutionary lurked.
'Perfect, checkmate... Huh?'
[What?]
But immediately after.
What met his eyes was an unexpected sight.
'Not the wrong place... That has to be the seed of madness, no doubt.'
Krunch—krunch—!
A savage sound reached his ears as he calmly assessed the situation.
Directly before him, a massive, snow-white something was busily working its jaws through a frenzied meal.
'Yep, definitely a white giant. This is unexpected.'
Both the eater and the eaten.
They were unmistakably the same breed.
He had wondered why the invasions had quieted down lately, but here they were, engaging in fratricide.
'Wait, that size...?'
Mid-thought, he noticed something off and tilted his head.
He first attributed it to the warped perspective of the space, but even activating [Eye of the Abyss] multiple times confirmed it.
The predator was about 1.5 times larger than its prey.
'...The one being eaten doesn't look small either. Normal giants are around 30 meters...'
Roughly 45 meters.
The equivalent of a 15-story building.
Unlike the standard giants with their ordinary builds, this one boasted a warrior's honed physique. Its colossal muscles exuded overwhelming pressure simply by existing, synergizing with its immense size.
And that wasn't the only thing grating on his nerves.
Not only the staggering amount of "madness" dwelling within its body, but also...
"Pfbt, to think you'd really come all the way here... Yes, it was you after all, Immortal King."
The face of the creature Hans was scrutinizing turned toward him.
A giant smirked at him with pitch-black eyes brimming like bottomless pits, mocking openly.
No seals marred its eyes, nose, mouth, or ears.
[Are you that revolutionary mongrel? Quite the unexpected form. Did you use the seed of madness to don a giant's flesh?]
"Fuheheh— What do you think, Immortal King? Isn't it magnificent? This body is the perfect human meticulously crafted by the human god, the new deity of this world! "
[Human god...?]
The unfamiliar term sparked doubt in Hans just as—
A remnant from the mental assault of the white giant long ago, sunk into the depths of his consciousness, began reacting to the abyss saturating this space.
And as those fragments he hadn't fully contained—shattered at the time—intertwined into a single piece of information,
He finally understood.
Why this giant, the self-proclaimed revolutionary, had caused such chaos until now.
[Ha! This is absurd. A fallen god imprisoned in the abyss, and its spawn?]
"Pffkkeh— Indeed, you couldn't comprehend. A mere outsider who stumbled into this world! How could I stand idle while our Creator and Father suffers at the frigid abyss's depths? As his child, how could I? Ahh— O God! Forgive this worthless creation! "
Rumble—!
The giant's sudden fervent bellow distorted the surrounding space mid-ramble.
The monstrous energy within then radiated outward, encroaching on the area.
'Hmm.'
Yet Hans merely tilted his head calmly before that momentum.
Pondering how to respond to the creature's ravings, which confidently pegged him as an otherworlder.
But that deliberation didn't last long.
'...Does it even matter? I'm just going to erase it here anyway.'
He realized whatever it spouted was meaningless.
So, he prodded it openly, relaxed.
[Oh-ho—so you're saying I'm the otherworlder here?]
"Ah? Trying to hide it? Pointless; I already know everything. This space maximizes His power. How could I not recognize you right in front of me! "
'Power.'
Another piece of intel gleaned.
He didn't know what exactly yet, but the thing clearly possessed some special ability.
As he organized his thoughts,
The giant... the revolutionary sneered lowly, curling its lip.
"Keh heh heh— So arrogant, Immortal King. Distracted by mere words, giving me time! "
Crunch—
Its muscles swelled with a thunderous sound.
Just as it claimed, its aura and very flesh now stabilized far beyond moments ago.
He had wondered at the casual info dumps; turns out it was buying time to digest its giant meal.
[You're under one delusion.]
"Hm?"
But.
Hans hadn't ignored it unknowingly.
He had simply judged extracting info more valuable than instant elimination right then.
Because...
[It changes nothing in the end.]
He and that giant were never equals.
Granting it a bit more time wouldn't alter the outcome.
Of course, the energy it harbored was far from negligible—
'But that depends on the opponent.'
The despair incarnate that descended upon the continent, the terror of the living, the avatar ruling death.
[Behold the gulf in our realms, mongrel.]
The undisputed strongest in Outerica, acknowledged by all.
Fwoosh—!
Death erupted from Immortal King Hans's body.
Engulfing the chaos-tainted world, it devoured the encroaching domain in one fell swoop.