Chapter 266
Chapter 266
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 266
Chapter Title: King of Madness (5)
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The very bottom of the Outerica dimension.
A dimensional dumpster where the refuse of an entire world gathered and stagnated.
The Abyss.
It was a place that permitted not only living beings but anything with form or identity.
A realm of pure chaos where time, space, and even abstract concepts and phenomena swirled together indistinguishably.
But as with all things, exceptions existed.
Even in that horrific space, one entity refused to lose itself, stubbornly asserting its presence to the end.
Wriggle—
Buried deep within the Abyss, it thrashed irritably.
Even half-assimilated into its surroundings, its unyielding glow warped the flows around it, sending the entire space into violent tremors.
But such disturbances were everyday occurrences in the Abyss, so it couldn't affect the outside world in the slightest.
Just as it always had.
The entity's thrashing gradually subsided after a while.
It had reflexively reacted to its failure, but after eons of existence, it was far beyond getting worked up over a single setback.
Rumble—
Ceasing all movement, it sank back into silence.
Though its carefully laid plans had failed, leading to an impulsive intervention that allowed significant erosion, that didn't mean everything was over.
Frustration was just another routine for it.
With ample time still ahead, opportunities would keep coming.
All it had to do was seize them properly when they arose.
And so, it quietly waited once more.
For the day that would soon arrive.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The crimson-black vortex that had blanketed the northwest of Tar拉克 City slowly dispersed.
To be precise, the currents of madness permeating the world remained unchanged, but their intensity and density had diminished to the point where they were no longer visible to the naked eye, returning to their usual state.
'Even if it takes a bit longer to fully manifest the madness, this is the safer approach.'
Otherwise, the monsters enthralled by those currents would turn the continent into a mess again.
Truth be told, the situation wasn't great even now.
From the Revolutionist's awakening attempt to its resolution, barely ten minutes had passed.
They'd handled it reasonably quickly, so most monsters had likely returned to their territories, but some would keep moving due to inertia, or their habitats' boundaries had blurred irreversibly.
And the resulting damage would doubtless fall squarely on nearby residents.
'...Well, ending it at this level is fortunate enough.'
Considering the recent alert levels across regions, this much unrest could be contained before escalating further.
He could confidently say he'd done his utmost.
"Urgh— Oof, my stomach's all queasy. And my body's aching all over!"
As the storm finally cleared and silence returned, Harley—back to his original size—leaned against the giant's corpse, which was crumbling into dust, and stretched his overloaded body like he was loosening up.
His eyes fixed on the system window floating right in front of him.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ The entity has met the conditions and grown. Acquired special skill 「Seed of Madness」. The power he'd seized had received the system's certification and taken root as a skill.
However, since it was still an incomplete core, it fell far short of the Immortal King's level—not particularly remarkable, in fact.
At best, it could freely draw upon the world's madness and serve as a massive energy source?
'No, that's impressive enough on its own. Plus, Harley's base power seems to have risen considerably.'
His Ultimate Evolving Lifeform skill was even now evolving his body nonstop to properly contain that power.
He'd have to test it later, but the maximum size in giant form had likely increased dramatically.
And hadn't he just witnessed how strong Harley could become with abundant energy backing him?
It was tantamount to gaining a massive energy tank.
Not to mention how the seed might evolve once fully sprouted.
'More importantly... as expected, no sign of that authority he mentioned.'
That was a slight disappointment.
He'd hoped this chance might yield clues about the mysterious senses possessed by Diana and the Revolutionist.
'Can't steal it this way, huh? Well, it seemed tied to a sealed god, so that's no surprise. A shame, but... with the Revolutionist dead, no need to worry about it anymore.'
Recalling the entity Hans had sensed intervening during his boundary clash with the Revolutionist in the Abyss, he shook his head lightly.
Of course freeing a god sealed in the Abyss wouldn't be easy.
But they'd utterly crushed that long-prepared master plan, so as long as he remained in this world, he'd probably never cross paths with that so-called god again.
"Saint! Any injuries?"
"Ah, I'm fine. Thanks to the Saintess's support."
"It's been a while, Mr. Harley. Things were hectic earlier, so I couldn't greet you properly. You fought at the forefront—are you alright?"
"Hahaha! This body's always tough as nails! Who'd have thought I'd run into a creep like that just visiting friends after so long? Kahahat!"
As he savored the afterglow of the incident's peaceful resolution, others began gathering, having sensed its conclusion.
"Hmmm~ You told me to fall back with the kids, High Lord. Looks like you had all the fun alone."
"Hm. Everyone seems unscathed, fortunately."
"Well, they're all True Bloods at least. A couple showing signs got a few whacks and straightened right out. Hehe."
That explained why a few looked especially worn out.
Still, no major losses was welcome news.
Come to think of it... the giant had been tough mainly due to its overwhelming size, durability, and regeneration—not enough to trouble five transcendent powerhouses, including the three avatars, the Saintess, and Briky.
They'd held the advantage throughout, after all.
Thud thud thud—
Clop clop clop
And those gathering weren't just the hero party and hybrid vampires who'd fought together.
From the direction of Talia City behind them, lines of people on horseback and in carriages approached.
Glancing that way, Heinrich's eyes widened slightly as he stroked his chin.
'Master-level knights and an elite order... from the Tulke royal family? And that's... Cardinal Donovan from the Picaol Cathedrals in person? With paladins and archbishops?'
They were reinforcements who'd rushed over upon hearing of the incident.
Not only the kingdom's elite units—masters of this land—but also powerhouses from the Picaol Cathedrals overseeing western Ion Continent.
Even Cardinal Donovan, whom he'd met during the holy sword trials and who oversaw the cathedrals, had come himself.
He'd heard the cardinal was a former paladin, but to think he'd take the field personally.
'Definitely forces that could've helped if they'd arrived sooner.'
Of course, with the situation already over, it was belated, but he'd dispatched his avatar promptly—hardly their delay.
Harley's finale had ended things quicker than expected, too.
'Still useful now, though.'
And in a way, perfectly timed.
Because the incident wasn't fully over yet.
Rumble— Boom—!
Neigh— Whinny— Snort!
"Whoa! Whoa! What the—?!"
"Huh? Over there!"
"This is... no way...!"
Those drawing near for greetings tensed and gripped their reins.
Horses panicking at something, handlers struggling to calm them.
All eyes turned to the anomaly.
Rumble— Crackle—!
No need to search for the source.
The deafening roar like tearing space and its visual spectacle made ignoring it impossible.
A short distance from where the giant fell.
The empty air cracked like shattered glass.
Dark clouds surged in, blanketing the sky.
Thunder boomed as black lightning struck.
Eerie winds swept the area, unnatural frost settling despite the weather.
"Dismount! Form ranks!"
"Holy Knights forward!"
"We beseech the Main God. Grant your grace to your children..."
The nearby troops readied for battle, morale surging.
Even those relaxed after the giant fight reacted similarly.
At the center of the sudden anomaly.
Midst the space fractured like broken glass.
Crackle— Shatter—!
It burst spectacularly.
Thick black magic enveloped everything.
And from within, he emerged.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kukukuk, it's been a while. Knight of Light, Heinrich Saint Landgard.] An absolute evil incomparable to the fallen giant below—a true black curtain seeking this world's ruin.
The continent's terror, humanity's despair: death incarnate crawled from the Abyss.
"...Immortal King, Hannibal Strauss...!"
The Immortal King had descended upon this place.
Trailing countless undead radiating murderous auras.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The founder and leader of the Oath of Reverse Heaven: the Revolutionist.
A black curtain lurking in Outerica's shadows, manipulating the world; a heretic dreaming of reviving an evil god sealed in the Abyss; a colossal giant who'd displayed immense might against numerous powerhouses.
Setting aside Hans—the mere villain actor as the Immortal King—he was practically this world's final boss...
'Well, easy resolutions are a good thing.'
Yet his end was absurdly anticlimactic.
The giant had seemed poised for something ominous at the last moment.
But before unveiling it, Harley smashed its skull.
It was robbed of the Seed of Madness and departed in futility.
And that was that.
From the perspective of someone still scripting scenarios, that sloppy wrap-up was infuriating.
You lay foreshadowing? Recover it. Show something portentous? Deliver accordingly!
It smacked of unprofessionalism.
'These days' villains just lack grit.'
Of course, he was joking.
But setting aside that lame exit, the guy was compelling material.
The host of the madness that ravaged this world, a monster who'd boldly faced the hero and multiple transcendents?
Too wasteful to let him fade anticlimactically.
So he'd prepared.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ahh— Quite the showing. And this was a gift I prepared with such care.] The final show to perfectly cast that poor giant.
"So it was your doing after all, Immortal King!"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I've received, so I must return the favor, no? A pity. I thought it could've wiped out a kingdom or so.] The role assigned to the giant: a secret weapon dispatched by the Immortal King.
A mid-boss, if you will.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Hero, Knight of Light. I still haven't forgotten. That moment in the south when you plunged that cursed holy sword into this body's heart.] "Planning to call it revenge, then?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Kuhuhu— As if. I'm simply delighted. That my nemesis could entertain me so.] From there flowed this encounter scenario.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [But hero, do you know? Nearly a year has passed since that day.] "...What are you getting at?"
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [Ahh— Nothing much. Just...] The opening to the finale of 'Home Theater: Demon King vs. Hero'.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ [I've grown a bit bored of waiting longer.] To enrich the tale a little more.