Chapter 124
Chapter 124
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 124
Chapter Title: The Five Divine Seeds
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The Five Divine Seeds.
Owners of the Black Ticket, on par with Lee Si-woo, and 9-star talents.
Incomprehensible beings, called the seeds of five gods.
As soon as he confirmed the quest to survive the Five Divine Seeds, Lee Si-woo immediately understood the situation.
‘I must have drawn their attention by using the Faceless One's power. They've noticed Barathrum's existence.’
However, no particular worry or concern appeared on Lee Si-woo's face.
According to the Faceless One, the only person who could clean up this mess was Jin.
And though it might have been an unfounded belief, he was sure that Jin would never abandon him like this.
Sure enough, just as Lee Si-woo had expected, Jin, who had been unreachable, appeared with a white mist.
“Hyung. You’ve been through a lot.”
Seeing Jin’s bright smile, Lee Si-woo felt a pang in his chest.
In truth, he had planned to unleash a torrent of curses and questions the moment he saw him.
But why?
Facing Jin's flawlessly clear expression, he couldn't bring himself to speak.
Whether he knew Lee Si-woo's feelings or not, Jin smiled brightly and said,
“You know what? Ha-yun is in this world too.”
At Jin’s unexpected bombshell, Lee Si-woo's stoic expression crumbled.
“…What?”
“That woman. She’s still as ugly as ever. So much so that I can’t understand why you fell for her.”
“Jin… you… what are you plotting? Why did you bring Yun to this world?”
“I couldn't help it. I couldn't just leave Yun behind when I was calling for you. You two are an inseparable pair, aren't you? Right?”
Jin confessed that he was the one who had brought Lee Si-woo here, but Lee Si-woo’s attention had already drifted away from Jin and the truth.
“Where is Yun? Is she somewhere safe? Is she unhurt? She’s not in any danger, is she?”
Lee Si-woo poured out his words as if enchanted by the single name, Yun.
Seeing Lee Si-woo acting as if he had forgotten about the Five Divine Seeds that would drive him to his death, and even about Jin who had brought him to this world and orchestrated this whole situation, Jin suddenly burst into laughter.
With a laugh somehow tinged with sorrow, Jin spoke.
“Ah, hyung, you really haven’t changed, even after being reborn. Truly… you’re no different from back then. Yes, it’s infuriatingly the same.”
“Jin. I asked you. Where is Yun?”
“The Central Continent. And the Demon Country. If you go there, you should be able to find traces of Yun. Well, I was actually going to tell you her exact location… but I’ve changed my mind. I’m feeling a little spiteful.”
At Jin's refusal to give the exact location, Lee Si-woo called his name with a stern expression.
“Jin.”
A gust of dusty wind made Jin’s long hair flutter like a flag.
Like a white flag being stained, his pure white hair mixed with the dust, taking on a strange hue.
Much like his heart.
“You know what, hyung? I really tried not to make any mistakes this time. Unlike the past, I wanted to undo all my errors and for you to be happy. But… what can I do? I still hate that woman. Maybe… maybe I still think this is all her fault….”
Jin gritted his teeth and continued.
“Is that why? The more you obsess over her, the more you get lost in her, the more irritated I get. Well, still… don’t worry. This time, I won’t have the chance to interfere with you or betray you. Unlike back then, the Yellow Eyes has forgotten you too… Maybe, you might get the ending you want.”
“…The Yellow Eyes has forgotten about me? Don’t tell me, in the past… no, in my past life, did the three of us know each other?”
“The past? Nothing much. The Yellow Eyes and I betrayed you and took everything you had. In the first place, the Yellow Eyes… the reason she could become a god was because she stole the Faceless One’s divinity. But what’s funny is… that woman. She’s so selfish, isn’t she? She irresponsibly pushed everything onto me. The memories, the responsibility… the choice. Heh, I guess she wanted the power but didn't want to feel the guilt.”
His voice trailing off, Jin’s white eyes flashed open as he continued.
“Everything was my choice. Betraying you, and bringing you back to life. It was all to set everything that had become twisted back to its rightful place. Don’t worry. I won’t make a mistake this time. So this time, feel free to paint the future you desire. Well, the Yellow Eyes… I don’t know if she’ll just stand by and watch… but who knows. Since she has no memory, she might just be a bystander.”
“Are you telling me to be wary of the Yellow Eyes?”
“Yes. I was the one who acted… but she was the catalyst.”
Jin slowly closed his eyes.
Suddenly, the past unfolded before his eyes.
Once, Jin was with his hyung, and as long as they had each other, they needed nothing else.
They leaned on each other, and they found comfort in each other.
To Jin, his hyung was everything, his reason for living.
But his hyung was not the same.
His hyung had other reasons to live besides him.
That was probably why.
His wayward heart turned elsewhere.
He ended up loving the Yellow Eyes more than his hyung, and because of that, everything fell apart.
Jin spoke in a dry voice.
“Leave. They are coming. Don’t worry about what’s behind you. Everything that stands in your way… I will bear it all.”
“Jin…!”
“There’s an identity prepared for you in the Graves Family. Using that identity will make whatever you plan to do much easier. But, remember. The time I can buy you is only three years. During those three years… don’t worry about whether Barathrum is exposed or not, just grow as much as you can. Don’t forget. Then and now, in the Main Dimension, only the powerful can live the life they desire.”
Jin gestured, and a wraith of white mist, Umbra, appeared.
“Umbra. Take my hyung. And from now on, pledge your loyalty to him.”
“Understood.”
The white mist enveloped Lee Si-woo’s body. He tried to resist, but perhaps because the Faceless One's power had already left his body, he couldn’t fight back against a being from the Central Continent like Umbra.
Umbra embraced Lee Si-woo’s body and said,
“From now on, I will serve you. Let us go.”
As Umbra disappeared at high speed with Lee Si-woo, Jin lifted his head and gazed into the distance.
Beyond the plains' horizon, a black horse the size of a great mountain was galloping upside down, its hooves treading upon the sky.
Each time the black horse stepped on the blue sky, the day retreated, and night filled the space beneath its hooves.
Seeing the black horse galloping across a carpet woven from stars and darkness, Jin’s eyes trembled.
‘The one who brings the night. Destrier.’
Jin’s gaze then shifted directly above him, to the sky.
A giant eye appeared in the center of the sun, looking down on Jin with arrogance.
‘The Sun with an open eye. Horus.’
The sinkhole Lee Si-woo had left behind.
From within the giant, bottomless hole, a sound like the wind of the abyss stretching rose up.
Jin knew it was the breath of some colossal being, the presence of the one who supported the continents of the infinite world on its back.
‘The infinite serpent, Ouroboros.’
Shhh.
An uninvited guest appeared right next to Jin.
Twelve black wings, golden hair, silver eyelashes, and mismatched black and white eyes.
Mysterious marble-colored skin and pale pink lips.
Jin stared at the fallen angel of such beautiful appearance that it was impossible to discern if they were male or female.
‘The fallen morning star, Lucifer.’
Thud!
With a heavy presence, a dragon landed near Jin.
Scales as red as blood.
Vast wings that could partially cover the sky.
A sleek, lizard-like body with claws sharp enough to tear the earth.
At the appearance of the dragon boasting a massive presence, Jin twisted his lips into a smirk.
‘The first dragon, Tiamat.’
Scanning the faces of the Five Divine Seeds who had manifested here in search of the Faceless One’s traces, Jin spoke inwardly.
‘Yellow Eyes. I will state my second wish.’
-Wait. I can guess what you want, but it’s impossible. Even if you use both of your remaining chances, the value of your life is not enough to do anything to the Five Divine Seeds.
‘Don’t worry. I’m not asking you to kill them or defeat them. Just… sleep. Make them fall into a very deep sleep for three years. To them, three years is like three days to a human, so it shouldn’t be too difficult, right?’
-Sleep… That much should be barely possible. However, exerting influence on those who possess divinity, however faint, is not an easy task even for me. Therefore, I will have to add one more condition.
‘…A condition? What condition?’
-I find it insolent that you dare use me to play tricks on the Divine Seeds. I will seal your power so you cannot escape from this place.
Realizing that if his power was sealed here, he would fall into the clutches of the Black Night even if he put the Five Divine Seeds to sleep, Jin gave a bitter smile.
Though she had no memory, she was still a woman like a serpent, then and now.
Perhaps, even after becoming a god, that nature of hers could not be changed.
Just because you pour water into oil doesn't mean the water becomes oil.
‘Do as you please….’
-Everything shall be done as you wish.
‘If I succeed in putting the Five Divine Seeds, who are the greatest threat to hyung right now, to sleep for three years… hyung will be able to grow freely for at least three years. After that… he’ll manage on his own….’
Jin closed his eyes.
A thick darkness settled over his eyelids.
As if foreshadowing the future he would face.
Soon, an immense wave of energy erupted from Jin and swept over the Five Divine Seeds.
* * *
As Umbra crossed Granada at high speed while holding Lee Si-woo, he glanced back and said,
“We have a tail.”
“…What about Jin? What happened to Jin?”
“This is not the time to worry about Lord Jin. It seems a tracker from the Black Night is following us.”
As soon as Umbra finished speaking, a fallen angel with two black wings elegantly spread flew in from the far side of the sky.
At the appearance of a muscular fallen angel with the hideous appearance and horns of a goat, Lee Si-woo activated his scouter to check the opponent's abilities.
「Azazel」 ★★★★★★★
Level: 711
Race: Fallen Angel
Strength: A | Agility: S- | Stamina: S- | Mana: S-
Talent: [1] Dignity [2] Return [3] Fire and Frost Immunity [4] Physical Resistance [5] Voice that Charms Women [6] Soul Plunder [7] Fallen Grace
Technique: Ring of Grigori.
Unique Ability: False Divinity.
After confirming the opponent's stats, which were on par with the Spider Matriarch, Lee Si-woo asked,
“Do you know about Azazel?”
“I know him as a loyal servant of Lucifer, one of the Five Divine Seeds… but, are you saying it’s *him*?”
“Yes. I’m certain.”
“If it is him, then he is not an opponent I can handle… but do not worry. According to Lord Jin, the Five Divine Seeds weren’t the only ones who felt the Faceless One’s energy.”
“Not just the Five Divine Seeds… could it be reinforcements?”
“Yes. As Lord Jin said, reinforcements from Dawn will arrive. And… a Solo Number at that.”
Before Umbra could finish, Azazel was hot on their heels.
Although Umbra, as a wraith of white mist, boasted considerable mobility, his opponent was a fallen angel.
Escaping was impossible from the start.
Just then, a silver spear flew through the air, violently tearing it apart.
Caught by the sudden attack, Azazel grimaced with his hideous face and deflected the spear with his muscular arm.
The impact, strong enough to make his S-rank stamina arm tingle, caused Azazel to narrow his eyes and turn his head toward where the spear had come from.
Dududu──!
The outskirts of Granada.
A woman riding a black puma was galloping across the red clay earth, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Steel armor covered in scratches like a history of battles.
A bastard sword so large it seemed to weigh down her shoulders.
A tower shield that covered half of her not-so-small frame.
Red hair that shimmered like silk woven from the sunset.
Sapphire-blue eyes and pink lips.
The woman, whose beauty was perfect except for the freckles on the bridge of her nose, spat out the cigarette she held in her mouth.
“Bagheera. Are you sure it's him?”
The black puma wagged its tail and said,
“That’s right. I can smell the scent of the Faceless One from the human male being held by that mist wraith. And it’s stronger than any I’ve ever smelled before.”
“And the fallen angel chasing them?”
“That’s Azazel.”
“Good. A perfect opponent for a warm-up.”
Engraved on the woman’s breastplate was the emblem of a faceless mask.
On the emblem’s forehead, the number 5 shone brightly.
The vanguard of Dawn, who represented the organization and thus wore no mask.
It was the appearance of the Knight.