Chapter 244: High-Ranking Deity (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 244: High-Ranking Deity (1)
A pillar of red light fell from the heavens.
[The limited ability 'Soul-Body Unity' has been activated!]
Rumble, rumble!
A thick, dark energy surged through Nirasha's body.
Shiva, the God of Destruction.
As a deity on par with the chief gods of India, he was indisputably one of the strongest deities when it came to sheer destructive power.
"Fufu..."
Nirasha trembled slightly at the overflowing power.
Although the power of Shiva dwelling within her was only a fraction of his true might...
The pressure was not something players or residents could easily withstand.
"Do not forget, Duke. From now on, ten percent of all profits generated by the Empire belong to our Gandhara Guild. And you must keep that 'promise' as well."
"O-Of course. If only this matter is resolved successfully, what does that matter? I will personally ensure you receive even more. I will also make sure to clearly convey your contributions to the Murim side."
Beinstern nodded hastily.
At a time when everyone was turning their backs on him, the only ones he could rely on now were Nirasha and the rankers of Gandhara she led.
"If you say so..."
Nirasha smiled brightly and stepped forward.
Crack...
Crumble!
The ground crumbled with every step she took.
"I've heard so much about you that my ears are practically bleeding. I've really wanted to meet you at least once."
The press, media, online communities, ViewTube, the Hall of Fame.
For the past year, everything had been plastered with the name Kang Jinhyuk.
It was inevitable, really.
His numerous achievements and dazzling exploits had been peerless among players.
And that was exactly why she was frustrated.
She was this strong too.
She possessed talent superior to anyone else's.
So why did that man get to monopolize all the spotlight?
It simply infuriated her.
"But that ends here. We are more than enough to climb the Tower."
The corners of Nirasha's mouth curled upward.
Because she knew there was an insurmountable gap between a player who possessed the power of a deity and one who did not.
And because she knew that among all existing players, no one could communicate as freely with a deity as she could.
Nirasha was certain of her victory.
But at that very moment.
A gentle breeze swept through the interior of the tomb.
[An entity from the upper floors responds to your call!]
Within the slowed time and the space painted in monochrome, someone appeared before Jinhyuk.
It was a handsome man with thick silver hair and golden eyes.
"Hooh?"
His playful expression was brimming with interest and curiosity.
But that was only for a brief moment.
"You don't seem very surprised even after sensing my mana."
The man, staring intently at Jinhyuk, tilted his head in surprise.
"I knew you would come. After all, there's only one deity who holds goodwill toward me and would be willing to lend me their strength."
"Hooh. I heard you were closer to those Egyptian fellows?"
"I've managed to get acquainted with them, but I wouldn't go so far as to call us close."
Even putting Horus or Osiris aside, considering Anubis's twisted personality, there was absolutely no way he would lend his strength.
However, there was a deity who had set the condition of making Cheon Yu-seong wear a maid outfit.
Though it seemed like a joke at first glance, a deity with enough power to interfere with the system must have gone to great lengths to make his presence known.
"Holding goodwill... Well, I suppose you could interpret it that way. It is true that I find you interesting."
It was a positive response.
While most deities usually lost interest quickly or broke their promises, this guy at least had the will to keep the conversation going.
"As you can see, I'm in a bit of a tight spot. I'd appreciate it if you could help me out just this once."
"A vessel containing the power of... Shiva. It is certainly a force too overwhelming for a player to handle. Of course, if I step in, it would be a different story."
"Does that mean you'll help?"
"No."
The man shook his head.
"You speak as if you know me inside out, but everything you've said so far is nothing more than guesswork."
Probing someone with fragmented information was a trick only a novice would pull.
"If you want my help, speak my True Name. Only then will I assist you."
I see.
So that's how he wants to play it.
He meant that a player who relied on lucky guesses wasn't worth helping.
"By acquiring the 'Filth-Devouring Jar'—one of the sacred relics of the Demon World—in the psychiatric ward, a connection was established between us."
Though calling it a "connection" was a generous term, as it was closer to a one-way mirror through which he could unilaterally peer at me.
Regardless, thanks to that, I was able to create an opportunity to summon him here using the 'Heaven's Selection Stone'.
The deity who held the alias 'Rotting Heart' and had proposed that I become his Black Apostle and join him.
The entity who had once tried to kill me with a curse but failed, only to become even more intrigued as a result.
The Demon King, 'Veliel.'
"That is your True Name."
Jinhyuk spoke slowly.
At his words, a satisfied smile spread across the playful man's lips.
"Excellent. You truly are a player worthy of my attention."
Veliel's figure gradually faded away.
At the same time, the frozen constraints of time and space began to unravel.
* * *
Nirasha, who had been marching forward relentlessly, suddenly stiffened.
A chilling, cold, and sticky sensation crept up her spine, reaching all the way to her spinal cord.
Just now...
something had changed.
"No way..."
Nirasha's voice trembled faintly.
There was no way.
For deities so notoriously fastidious and arrogant to respond to a mere summons through the 'Heaven's Selection Stone'...
Even for her, whose roots lay in India, receiving the blessing of an Indian deity had required an immense amount of time and effort.
Yet he had accomplished it so easily...?
It was utterly absurd.
However, no matter how much she denied it, reality remained unchanged.
"...What a monster. He isn't just talented."
Nirasha froze in place, her face tense with anxiety.
"T-To think there was another player like Lady Nirasha."
"No, even Lady Nirasha couldn't gain a deity's recognition on her very first attempt."
"How can such a person even exist?"
"I... I can't believe it."
The watching players of the Gandhara Guild forgot to even breathe.
The nobles and knights of the Empire were equally bewildered.
"To think I would live to see the day... the Heaven's Selection Stone reacts."
"He is truly worthy of being the companion of the one recognized by the First Emperor. I can't help but... marvel at this."
"Were we really about to make an enemy out of someone like that?"
Their admiration turned into awe, and that emotion soon resulted in passive bystanderism.
It was only natural.
Faced with something so absurd, humans could do nothing but watch.
Right then.
Rumble, rumble!
[Type: Limited Ability 'Soul-Body Unity' has been activated!]
Another beam of light descended from the heavens.
An energy thicker and denser than Nirasha's began to encroach upon the space.
"What's wrong? You stepped forward so confidently, and now you're suddenly tucking your tail?"
"Who... is tucking their tail? Besides, no matter what kind of deity you summoned, their status will be far inferior to mine."
Nirasha drew her trademark Vajra from her bosom.
A golden mist slowly expanded in size around it.
At the same time,
Crackle!
Jinhyuk also unleashed an ability fitting for the Demon King's blessing.
As 'Moon-Veiling Claws' manifested, black claws extended from Jinhyuk's hands.
They were ominous claws, reminiscent of a wild beast.
'A prolonged battle is out of the question for both of us.'
Since this was a proxy war between high-ranking deities, they were bound to face system restrictions.
Exchanging a few blows at most would be their limit.
In that case...
-Pour everything into every single strike.
-Kill them with this single blow.
The two thoughts merged into one.
What followed was a clash that transcended the human domain.
BOOOOOOM!
As the Vajra and the claws crossed, a massive shockwave erupted.
The stone slabs and marble lining the floor were completely upturned, and the pillars supporting the ceiling snapped like dry twigs.
"A-Activate your shields!"
"Get out of the way!"
Those watching from afar desperately tried to raise their shields, but even the aftershocks were nearly impossible to withstand.
It was a miracle that the barriers supporting the tomb's interior held up. Otherwise, everyone present would have been buried alive.
"T-This isn't a fight between humans. We need to get further back. If we get caught in that, not even our bones will remain."
"To think a 7th-circle shield is taking this much of a beating."
"It feels like taking a high-circle offensive spell head-on."
Groans of pain echoed from all sides.
They couldn't believe they had to risk their lives just to watch.
"Still, we're lucky."
"We're about to die, what do you mean lucky?"
"Compared to the ones inside that storm... we might as well be in heaven."
If it was like this out here, what on earth was the situation like inside?
Everyone's eyes converged on a single spot.
Amidst the thick smoke, the two monsters were still moving with terrifying momentum, intent on taking each other's lives.
"Well... that's true."
"You've got a point. You've got a point."
* * *
Screeech!
The black claws scraped along the side of the Vajra and lunged toward Nirasha.
However, just before the claws could sink into her soft flesh,
Hummmmm!
a golden barrier expanded around Nirasha's body.
'Mandala.' And a top-tier unique ability at that.
"Tch!"
Jinhyuk hastily altered his trajectory.
Getting caught in that would be dangerous.
If it were just Nirasha, it might be fine, but not now when she was empowered by 'Soul-Body Unity'.
[Stop spamming Gandhara like a coward and fight me properly. Otherwise, your alias 'Anger Management Issues' is going to cry, don't you think?]
Veliel clicked his tongue.
[I thought I smelled the filthy stench of the Demon World, and of course, it's you, Veliel! Who dare you call 'Anger Management Issues'! My alias is 'Blue-necked Thunder'!]
[Pfft, "blue tree" my foot for a guy who smashes everything in sight. The only thing blue about you is the color of your philtrum.]
[W-What? How vulgar! I should have wiped out all of your demons in the war a thousand years ago.]
[Why didn't you, then? And besides, even if I drank tons of alcohol the night before, do you really think I'd lose to the likes of you?]
Veliel spat out words like a machine gun.
He might not be winning in terms of raw power, but he was utterly destroying him in a battle of words.
This guy... was supposed to be a fairly dignified Demon King.
But ever since he started observing me through the 'Filth-Devouring Jar', his personality seemed to have changed a bit.
However, the words he was spitting out now weren't just meaningless banter.
It was a provocation designed to disrupt the opponent's concentration.
[Unfortunately, with our current level of connection, we cannot break that authority.]
"I know."
Something like that was obvious from the very beginning.
Even so, the reason he stood against Nirasha and Shiva...
...was because he had the confidence to surpass it.
Watch closely.
What it truly means to have seen the summit of the Tower.
[The 'Third Privilege for the First to Conquer the Tower' is unlocked!]
Since he had already gained Reinhardt's absolute trust, he had obtained two rewards.
The first was being able to copy 'Diplomacy', one of Reinhardt's skills.
And the second was this very 'Third Privilege for the First to Conquer the Tower'.
'I already checked its contents before the fight started.'
All that was left was to wait.
To gauge each other's strength through the continuous clash, and wait for the exact moment they foolishly drew a line, assuming their current level was their limit.
[Would you like to unlock......?]
A status window appeared.
"Yes."
Jinhyuk nodded.