Chapter 229
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 229
"We have found the most likely location."
The crow delivered the welcome news.
"There are no entities in the forest capable of summoning you, and no living creature can survive in the false world above any longer. After searching every corner of this shrinking land, we concluded that only one place remains possible—your grave."
"My grave?"
"The place known as the Grave of the Evil God. It is my understanding that you once resided there."
"Ah..."
Gio was dumbfounded.
Why on earth would they be there?
He had expected them to be hiding in the unexplored parts of the Black Forest or in the false world above. Either of those locations would have been far safer and more comfortable than the 'home' where Arjio once lived.
"Are you certain they are there?"
"We determined that it would be impossible to summon you from any other location."
"I see."
If that was the case, they were likely not there of their own free will.
"Thank you for your answer, Valp."
"...It is an honor."
"You couldn’t go there yourself?"
Valp answered cautiously.
"It is not a place that lowly creatures such as ourselves dare to enter. We could make an attempt, if you wish, but it would be a futile effort. Though it may displease you, I had to prioritize the safety of my flock."
"So you ran?"
Wise.
If it doesn’t work, you run.
Arjio smirked.
"You did well."
"...I apologize for bringing back a result that may not be entirely to your liking."
"I’m not going to eat you for it. There’s no need to be so afraid. You brought back a good result, so I shall give you a gift in return. What do you desire?"
"By your mercy, may I dare ask a question?"
"By all means, my friend."
"..."
The crow remained silent for a moment as if organizing his thoughts, then finally spoke.
"Do you love this world?"
"A peculiar question."
Gio stroked his chin.
"This is my homeland. How could I not? I love this place. I have loved it for a very long time, and that will not change, even after an eternity. Is that a sufficient answer?"
"Then, will you become the god of this place once more?"
"My beast friends are certainly fearless."
Despite viewing him as an 'Evil God,' they handed their fates over to him so easily. The Wolf Tribe, perhaps, because they believed in someone completely once they chose to. The Fox Tribe, out of desperation, like someone prostrating themselves at the edge of a cliff.
But the crow’s choice was still unexpected.
"Why did you make such a choice?"
"My answer is the same as that of Gargal, the wolf chief."
"To entrust your future to me? Without even knowing how I’ll handle it?"
"...You..."
The crow trailed off before confessing his view.
"You have shown a side of yourself that is vastly different from the 'Wrath' of history."
"It could be an act."
"All living things put on an act to survive."
To the crow, it didn’t matter whether the mercy and affection Gio had shown were sincere or an act. What mattered was whether that tolerance was real or an illusion.
And the crows had concluded that the Evil God’s mercy and affection were, in fact, real. He was already too different from the Wrath of history. They saw hope in the very fact that he was capable of such a 'pretense.'
"Of all the beasts remaining in the Black Forest, I remember the longest history. I also know the most about the 'Erased Wrath.' In the histories, you were an ominous evil spirit driven mad by hatred, a monster with hundreds of arms, a catastrophe that devoured the world with ten thousand giant mouths."
But the Evil God he saw in person was completely different.
"You are not an evil spirit; you are a living being. The hundreds of arms forged from hatred are nowhere to be seen. And while you may find cruel amusement with a mouth as small as a human’s, you do not brutally tear others apart and devour them alive."
"Hey, no offense, but you’d probably taste terrible. What’s there to eat on a scrawny body covered in dense feathers?"
"Making jokes like this is also different from the historical records. I do not know if it is a shred of mercy you show to a lowly creature, but it seems you wish for me to feel a sense of closeness to you."
"..."
Gio thought to himself.
...My beast friends are quite skilled at nagging...
It felt like he was looking at Ju-hyeon and Yoo Seong-un, who used to laugh off his words as if they were nonsense. The feeling was both welcoming and strange.
Was it that they were growing to resemble each other, or had I been shaping them into that image all along?
Regardless of Gio’s relaxed thoughts, the crow continued.
"You have shown that you are an existence capable of mercy and affection, and that this capacity is real. Therefore, we have unanimously agreed that this alone is enough for us. We have seen and heard with our own eyes that such a thing is possible."
As long as he was not merely an Evil God of endless death, pain, and wrath, it was enough. That alone promised a future far brighter than the one they currently faced.
"So please, rule over us. Return to this barren, twisted land. Though you may have returned to your homeland for someone whose name I cannot even recall, we now beg for your mercy."
"You are truly brave. And clever."
He was so endearing that Gio wanted to stroke his fluffy feathers. He was much larger and had fluffier plumage than the crows on Earth.
But I shouldn’t do that. Control yourself. Your opponent is a 114-year-old chief.
Perhaps because he couldn’t help but see them as 'his children,' Arjio was filled with the desire to dote on them, regardless of age or rank. With miraculous patience, he restrained himself to preserve their mutual dignity.
"...You wish for an Evil God, rejected and sealed by this dimension, to become your primary god. This is an interesting story indeed. My love for my homeland is profound, so you have nothing to fear."
"Then, will you be our god?"
"I already am. For you were all born from 'my' death."
"..."
The crow chief, Valp, blinked.
"...We were born from your death, and not your footsteps?"
"Yes."
"You truly were human."
"I was."
"Their sin... is great indeed."
From that single sentence, Valp seemed to understand what the humans had done. He then bowed his head.
"I greet you, Father."
"Yes, my son."
How admirable.
"Regard me as you wish. If you want a friend, I will be one. If you want a parent, I will be one. And if you want a god to reshape the world, I will be that too."
This was the versatility Ju-hyeon had praised and Yoo Seong-un had applauded. Since Gio could handle everything from A to Z himself, his image shifted depending on the observer.
So it would be for them as well.
"See me as you wish."
"I shall do so."
The crow saw the greed that lurked behind the Evil God’s amusement. What a greedy, multifaceted being he was. The crow chief, Valp, did not doubt the Evil God’s omnipotence.
"What should I call you?"
"I am Gio."
"...'Gio'?"
The crow tilted his head.
"You refer to yourself as a beast."
"Did you know? I have no name."
He had discarded the name he was born with, and no one had given Arjio a 'name' since. He had lived his entire life as a cruel beast, and Gio was quite satisfied with that.
"So, whatever you call me will become my name."
It was the pinnacle of convenience. This uniqueness, found nowhere else in the world, brought Gio a great deal of joy. He loved his own versatility—the ability to become anything.
"Isn’t it convenient?"
"How can a living being have no name?"
"No. It means that anything in the world can become my name."
"I see. It is in the same vein as what you said earlier."
"You are indeed a very clever crow."
"Thank you, Father."
"That works too."
Gio let his imagination run wild.
"Yes, if things go like this..."
"..."
"...Good."
Then he smiled.
"I like it."
Now he had a sense of what to do.
In truth, he had formulated a plan for this a long time ago. It was just that his homeland had changed in unexpected ways, and it had taken some time to adapt and apply the new variables.
"Would it be alright if I turned this world upside down as I see fit?"
"I believe it will be for the better."
"You don’t believe it; you know it. And I approve of that rationality of yours."
"May I ask what you plan to do?"
"I will do what I do best."
It was a simple matter.
"I will paint, and I will gather wrath."
Gio planned to turn this place into a dungeon and become its Demon King.
"By the way, do you like amusement parks?"
* * *
"Meow."
When he returned to Arjio’s 'home,' Dana was waiting for him at the entrance.
"Meow."
"Yes, good job."
At his daughter’s insistence, he cupped her face and gently stroked her cheeks.
"How many lost souls did you find?"
"Mreeeeeeeeng..."
"There are certainly a lot of them. It must be because the world has ended."
What to do with these lost souls had now become Gio’s responsibility. The remaining creatures of this narrow, barren land had placed their faith in him, and he had to live up to their expectations.
Before that, though, I need to see the face of the one who called me.
Even now that he was standing on this land, the voice that had first called to him was silent. He wondered if, as Ju-hyeon had suggested, they had died in the interim. But then again... he doubted someone who knew the name 'Arjio' would die so easily.
He would have to see for himself.
"Dana, go on home. There are far more lost souls inside than you think, and many of them won’t be to your liking. No need to tire yourself out."
"Mng-mang-mang..."
"I know. We’ll have a delicious meal when I get back."
Gio grabbed the hem of his Black Cloak and opened a path of shadow, and Dana slipped right inside. She would likely return to her father, act cute, and then enjoy a delicious meal once Gio prepared it.
How cute.
Proving that cuteness was proportional to size, Dana, now as large as a wolf from Earth, was a joy to hug. Burying his face in her fur—which had become incredibly fluffy thanks to the care of the Sun God-infused Teddy Bear—was an ecstasy beyond words.
Feeling a sense of pride in his daughter’s fur, Gio called Honey.
"Honey, I’m going to need you."
"Gurgle."
As if on cue, Honey popped out of his hood and perched on his shoulder. Struck once again by its majestic posture, Gio stepped inside the 'home.'
"...It really has been a long time. It’s amazing this place is still standing after the end of the world, especially since it was never maintained. I don’t think I ever did any major work on it..."
This place, now called the Grave of the Evil God, had become the most dangerous location in this dimension, filled with all kinds of curses, poisons, and traps. Yet, Gio felt a wave of nostalgia washing over him.
It was because of the memories embedded within its walls.
"Nice."
He was happy.
When I was driven mad by wrath, even my home didn’t feel like home.
A wicked divinity, forged from the pain of countless saints and the wrath and screams of the people. That was the 'Arjio' known to the world.
It sometimes took human form, but more often it appeared as a monster or a demon. And just like its ominous appearance, it contained only wrath and hatred, with no trace of reason.
Thus, it was only natural for Arjio—who had reclaimed everything that was his and overcome everything that was not—to find joy in this newfound nostalgia.
"..."
The 'home' was silent.
"...?"
And it was in a much worse state than he remembered.
"What the...? Why is my house in this state?"
"Ggung-ggung-ggung..."
"What wicked scoundrel did this? Was there a crustal shift here, too?"
Why on earth had his sweet home transformed into a devil’s den?