Chapter 437
Chapter 437
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 437
Chapter Title: Assembly (1)
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A slum district clustered with ramshackle huts pieced together from scattered debris that, at a glance, looked no different from a junkyard.
"Alright, I'm off then, Rami."
"Cough, cough! Be careful out there, bro..."
A scruffy young man emerged from one such hut, seeing off a frail little girl who looked deathly ill, before setting out on his way.
It was early morning, just barely starting to brighten, but for someone living hand-to-mouth, it was only natural to move whenever there was even a sliver of light.
Such times when he could see well enough with the naked eye didn't last long.
'Can't afford luxuries like fuel when food's already scarce.'
Lian glanced up at the sky as he trudged along with a massive backpack strapped to his shoulders.
A gray expanse riddled with cracks, shattered in places with chunks missing.
Beyond those gaps loomed a rippling abyss of pitch black, and he quickly averted his gaze downward.
"Whew, gotta be careful. If something happens to me, there's no one to look after Rami."
Those driven mad by the abyss spoke only of death.
The elders said the sky used to be a clear, pristine blue, but to Lian, who'd only ever known that fractured vista since birth, it sounded like a fairy tale.
'There were pictures like that in real fairy tale books.'
He nodded, recalling an old picture book he'd lucked into long ago.
His little sister had loved it so much she carried it everywhere without fail.
He'd eventually traded it for food, so it was gone now.
'We had no choice back then—food was all gone. Couldn't give up Mom and Dad's keepsake necklace. ...Still, it'd be nice to snag another fairy tale book this time.'
Rami's energy had been fading lately.
They couldn't afford a healer, and if she worsened here, it could really be dangerous.
A gift to cheer her up might help her recover some pep...
Perhaps fueled by that hope, Lian ventured farther than usual and began his scavenging.
"Jackpot!"
Rummaging through the ruins of a collapsed city, he soon found a genuine fairy tale book.
Not just one or two, but a vibrant set—pristine, unbelievably so for something buried in rubble for ages.
And that wasn't all.
Luck was on his side today; rare finds popped up in droves around it.
'This is a sweet spot! I can stick around here for days.'
After thoroughly combing the area, he filled his bag in just a few hours.
A few more hauls like this, and they could coast worry-free for months.
Maybe even afford a healer for Rami...
'What a lucky day. Yeah, let's celebrate with rat meat tonight. Some protein'll perk her right up.'
He covered his tracks with debris, left a personal mark only he'd recognize, and sprang up with vigor.
Sunset was far off, and his bag was full—he planned an early return.
'Gotta get back while it's light to read her the book. Hope she loves it.'
Elated by his small stroke of fortune, Lian took a big step forward.
Crackle—
He froze solid at the ominous sound.
Not loud, yet unnaturally vivid—a tearing rupture.
It wasn't nearby.
Instinct pinpointed its source, and he looked up despite himself.
"Huh?"
His arms went slack.
Thud—
His heavy backpack hit the ground.
The bag brimming with his day's little miracles.
But he ignored it, bolting forward at full speed.
"Rami—!!"
Toward the home where his sister awaited only him.
Crackle—crack! Rumble—!
The world plunged into premature darkness, far from nightfall.
Not just this region—the overture of destruction echoed across the entire globe.
And so.
The sky came crashing down.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Earth time: years ago, this world—Kosias—had been deemed a 'closed dimension.'
After the heroes who'd gathered from everywhere to fend off a catastrophe decades prior all perished, the dimension hurtled toward extinction moment by moment. Now, the curtain finally fell.
"It's finally over."
With the 'Last Messiah' who'd struggled to hold the world together defeated, none remained to oppose him.
The Heaven-Defying Lord nodded in satisfaction, gazing at his palm—thanks to that, he'd pierced the dimension's resistance to enter once more.
Omnipotence surged endlessly within him.
How could he not rejoice at harvesting the seeds he'd so carefully sown?
[...Dimensional Devourer. You actually...]
He glanced up at the voice calling him, eyeing the figure before him.
A being with glowing golden hair and eyes, shining as if emitting its own light.
Amid utter darkness devoid of any gleam, it defied all laws, asserting its presence vividly.
"Heh, what a shame. You put up a good fight, but this is it. Eh, you've done plenty— no regrets, right?"
[You bastard...!]
Fury erupted from the figure at the Lord's mocking words.
Not mere energy.
Every element composing this world—material and abstract alike—bristled with hostility, sharpening against the invader to expel it.
"Useless."
[Kugh!]
But the fierce backlash didn't last.
With a casual wave, the Lord warped and twisted the world, compressing and locking it solid.
Having seized over half the dimension's influence and secured causality, no countermeasures remained.
Unshackled from constraints, he wielded full power—a god in truth.
Even against a descended deity revered by this world.
Or rather, precisely because it was divine...
"Time to wrap this up. I'm a busy man. Gotta hustle to recover recent losses."
[Unacceptable! I won't let you end it like—!]
Just a hearty meal.
[Gahk!]
"Fallen divinity's made you more human. Much tastier now."
Nonchalantly thrusting his hand-blade into the descent vessel's chest, the Lord slowly extracted something.
A radiant golden crystal of divinity.
The entirety of the entity worshipped as Kosias's sole god for eons.
"Impressive. This'll do nicely..."
Amid the crumbling world.
Using the clutched divinity as a conduit, he inhaled deeply, swiftly drawing in the karma scattered across the dimension.
Then, sneering at the administrator's gaze upon him, he curled his lip.
The overseer, called the Main God in some worlds, akin to the dimension-maintaining system.
With causality rightfully secured, it held no means to intervene—be it deicide or world-ending.
The game had ended the moment the 'Last Messiah,' its final resort, fell.
'All done here.'
Kosias was finished.
Soon, it would vanish entirely, everything returning to nothingness.
Sensing his few remaining followers with godlike perception over the world, he turned.
With a light step, he transcended the dimension.
"Mm."
His vision shook; omnipotence filling him vanished in an instant.
Loosened causality constricted him tightly, myriad constraints piled on, near-omniscience muddled.
Like viewing the world through hazy eyes in a straitjacket.
Familiar by now, the Heaven-Defying Lord accepted it routinely and handled backlog.
Back on Earth after so long, he meant to check events during his absence and issue new orders...
"What?"
Post-harvest satisfaction twisted his features.
Even oracle confirmation was absurd.
"Not just the Southeast Asia branch wiped out... even the Executioner?"
-My apologies, Lord.
The oracle apologized first, shame in its tone.
Squinting, he surveyed slowly.
'...Market share growth stalled.'
Ultimately, Earth was his prime stronghold.
Raiding other dimensions for divinity and energy was mere means to an end.
Recent interferers had slowed progress, but he'd trusted their past performance—never expecting this.
'Masquerade, huh...'
A formidable foe challenging the Heaven-Defying Society's long-built bastion.
With them gaining real traction, reining in discipline seemed necessary for smooth countermeasures.
Thus, right after the monster devoured yet another world.
The Heaven-Defying Society's executives scattered across Earth were summarily assembled.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ After Harley raided the Poison Blade Sect's lair unannounced.
The Guardians' investigation team, tightening the noose through relentless pursuit, soon stormed in.
Constraints made them somewhat inefficient, but even accounting for that, the Guardians were irreplaceably competent.
Even minor abilities synergized from dimension survivors couldn't be ignored.
Affiliated with the Returner Association representing all returnees' rights, their direct talent pool and external cooperation defied imagination.
'Thanks to their proactive help, our new staff caught the tails faster.'
Otherwise, uncovering the puppetmaster so quickly would've been tough.
Capturing said puppetmaster? Near impossible.
Worth every tax penny.
'Gotta donate extra support funds their way.'
As Guardians and Crime Investigation Division agents—who'd aided the probe—descended on the Poison Blade Sect to apprehend Black Night Chariot Kwon Cheol-yong.
Harley, who'd arrived first, had already slipped away.
Securely hauling the real deal: the shadowy fiend.
[Kuh, how'd you sniff us out so fast? Who the hell are you? Phantom had another transcendent besides—?!]
"Kahahat! What, intro time? Fine by me, but there's an easier way. Hang tight a bit longer."
The fiend spat questions like squeezed pus as he was lugged like luggage, but Harley laughed breezily, sprinting to a deserted spot.
A quick rap on the head tamed its persistent escape attempts.
Finally at destination, he tossed it down.
[Kuh!]
It instantly dissolved into shadow for another breakout, but...
"Enough."
Before the one waiting there, it was futile.
[Grrr... Damn it... Phantom, Heinz...!]
"Impressive. Still unyielding to the end, as befits one at the precipice of ruin."
Escape was impossible with them right there.
Yet it scanned warily, eyes gleaming; Heinz 2nd murmured admiration.
Glad they'd chosen this method.
[What have you—!]
"Behave. It'll be over soon."
Grabbing its throat one-handed, he concentrated his Purified Blood Essence at his nail tips.
[Y-You bastard!]
The intruding sensation piercing its neck widened Black Shadow's eyes in horror.
Realizing the ploy, it gnashed teeth, glaring at Heinz.
[Pointless! I'm immune to all toxins. Kill me, maybe—but no level 9 vampire transcendent can corrupt me!]
True enough, turning it wasn't easy.
Higher realms built toxin resistance, plus its assassin-honed immunities.
'Of course, that's assuming I were an ordinary Sacred Blood vampire.'
Resistance? Immunity?
Irrelevant.
Barring transcendence beyond limits, such defenses meant nothing before his True Blood.
[Ghk! How...? This can't—!]
Too late; panic shook its pupils as vampiric factors invaded, uprooting its cellular foundation.
Latent energies morphed to blood demon force; its iron will shackled by bloodline curses.
'Earth vampire creation costs tenfold otherworld energy. Plus neutralizing realm resistance...'
Why he hadn't mass-produced kin recklessly.
Shifting allegiance was one thing; wholesale species change guzzled blood essence.
'Eh, occasional like this? No big deal.'
Its abilities looked handy, too.
And words he needed from its mouth.
Moments later—
A new vampire joined Earth's Heterosis bloodline.
"Black Dragon Society, huh? This could be fun..."
Along with intriguing new intel.