Chapter 189
Chapter 189
Translation: godtl
The Desert on the Scales (3)
The Obsidian Tablet.
Or perhaps, like the Emerald Tablet.
A stone slab where yellow and gray blended harmoniously.
To be precise, it was a book composed of stone slabs that rotated above Si-mun's finger.
The gaze of the colossal beast, too vast to fully comprehend, was—
Grrrl.
—piercing into Si-mun, who held the stone-like book, as if nailed in place.
Grooooooan.
The mere act of being stared at by the beast was enough to evoke an overwhelming pressure.
In reality—
"Hah, hahk!"
Even though Leoni, who had retreated backward, had deployed her shield-shaped aura—
She couldn't even breathe properly, her entire body trembling violently.
One.
[You are receiving the highest level of favor from Death.]
[Resisting the presence of Ammit the Beast of Duat.]
Meanwhile, Si-mun, the very cause of the beast's appearance, merely gazed up at Ammit with eyes filled with admiration as messages floated before him.
"Incredible."
'When I saw it in broadcasts in my past life, it didn't leave much of an impression. But seeing it in person is no joke.'
Ammit the Beast of Duat.
A monstrous being with a head resembling a mix of a lion, hippopotamus, and crocodile—it was, in truth, a divine entity.
'Well, despite appearances, it's one of the goddesses of Duat.'
Tap.
Si-mun stepped toward Leoni, who had collapsed behind him.
As he moved—
Krrrrg.
A minor tremor shook the ground.
It was the effect of Ammit's gaze, firmly fixed on Si-mun, shifting ever so slightly.
Si-mun brought the rotating stone slab above his hand toward Leoni.
Then—
"Pwah!"
Like a patient suffering from respiratory distress—
Leoni, who had been gasping for air with veins bulging, finally managed to exhale.
But that was all.
"K-Kim Si-mun... Wh-what the hell is that...?!"
Perhaps it was the shock of facing a divine being without any means of resistance—
The image of the valiant warrior she had shown until now was nowhere to be seen.
Si-mun handed a potion to Leoni, who was shaking like a leaf.
"Drink this. You'll feel better."
"Th-thank... y-you..."
Leoni couldn't even properly express her gratitude.
Si-mun gave her a gentle smile before turning back toward Ammit.
As if the earlier tremor had been a lie—
Ammit the Beast stood like a stone statue, staring fixedly at Si-mun.
In response, Si-mun gazed with satisfaction at the rotating stone book in his hand.
'As expected, it's the Book of the Dead. The effect is undeniable.'
He looked at the Book of the Dead.
Then, before his eyes—
[The Constellation Osiris smiles awkwardly, 'I never thought I'd be the one to encounter this man before Him.']
Osiris's reaction appeared.
Followed by—
[The Constellation Heavenly Demon curls the corner of his lips, 'So what? If he's the King of Duat, his rank is roughly appropriate.']
[The Constellation Zeus nods, 'The former god-king of the Ennead is certainly qualified.']
[The Constellation Odin waves cheerfully, 'Long time no see, Osiris!']
One after another, the Constellations belonging to the Pick of Kings responded.
Most of the reactions were favorable.
And rightfully so.
'Osiris is a high-ranking Constellation among the death-related ones.'
The master of Naglfar, which he had crafted last time.
Wasn't he a death-related Constellation ranked even higher than the Constellation Hel?
Given that he was comparable in rank to Hades—
It was only natural that Si-mun's Constellations would react favorably.
Except for one.
[The Constellation Black Goat looks at Osiris with a peculiar gaze, 'Hmm, Osiris, huh?']
All except the Black Goat.
[The Constellation Black Goat sends a teasing look, 'Hey, Osiris. You want in on this too?']
[The Constellation Osiris forces an awkward smile, 'I'd like to, but... you know how it is, right?']
[The Constellation Black Goat bursts into mad laughter, 'Ohohohoh!! Of course. That crazy split-personality freak would never allow anyone to step in before him.']
Along with the Black Goat's reaction—
[The Constellation? sends an extremely displeased glare.]
An unidentified Constellation's response appeared.
[The Constellation Black Goat smirks, 'Speak of the devil.']
[The unidentified Constellation glares at Black Goat with displeased eyes.]
[Constellation Black Goat sticks out his tongue and taunts,"What, you jealous? Shouldn't have handed over the Book of the Dead then."]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon chuckles."Hoho. Obviously he passed it on because managing Duat was too bothersome."]
[Constellation Baal nods with a smug smile."Mmm."]
Si-mun's Constellations took turns teasing the mysterious entity.
[The unidentified Constellation trembles violently.]
The anger radiating from it was palpable.
[The unidentified Constellation fixes you with a scorching glare.]
That piercing gaze immediately shifted toward Si-mun.
This was no ordinary message.
Krr, krrrr!
Ammit the Beast of Duat, who had been frozen like a statue, let out a wary growl.
Gugugugug—
The entire monochrome desert and darkened sky trembled violently.
And within that sky—
Zzzeeok.
As if void and black hole had intertwined—
An enormous violet-black rift tore open.
Through Odin's Eye, Si-mun instantly understood.
That was neither void nor black hole.
'An eye?'
An eye so colossal it made even the monstrous Ammit seem small.
Its sheer presence alone was overwhelming—
"Kuh-huk!"
Behind him, Leoni coughed up blood and collapsed onto the sand.
"Le-Leoni!"
Startled, Si-mun rushed toward her.
[Constellation Black Goat shrieks furiously,"Cut it out, you bastard! If she dies, our kid's mission goes up in flames!"]
[Constellation Heavenly Demon tsks."Tsk tsk! Still such a brat, openly interfering like this."]
Si-mun's Constellations collectively rebuked the unknown entity.
But they weren't the only ones.
[The Galaxy Arena does not permit causeless interference from Constellations.]
[We kindly request your participation through proper causal procedures.]
Messages floated in the air.
Even the Galaxy Arena issued a polite but firm warning to the unidentified Constellation.
Yet, as if to prove the earlier taunts true—
Despite the Constellations' and Galaxy Arena's attempts to dissuade it—
Gugugugug!!
The violet-black eye hovering in the sky expanded to an even more menacing size.
Ammit the Beast of Duat, despite being a divine entity—
Krr, krrring...
Whimpered pitifully, its massive frame trembling enough to blanket the desert.
Si-mun stared helplessly at Leoni, gasping weakly in his arms.
"Kkh—kuhlk!"
'She's in critical condition.'
Leoni was now vomiting blood.
Considering she'd just taken a supreme-grade recovery potion—
She'd be lucky to survive this.
Si-mun rapidly assessed the situation.
'Unlike Leoni, I don't feel any overwhelming pressure.'
Which meant—
This unidentified Constellation held considerable favor toward him.
Moreover—
'Judging by the other Constellations' reactions...'
This unknown entity likely wanted to establish some connection with him—
Just like the other five Constellations of the Pick of Kings.
And the nature of that connection was obvious.
"I'll definitely craft related artifacts later. For now, please calm down."
Addressing the eye that threatened to swallow the desert whole—
Si-mun spoke firmly.
As if everything until now had been a lie—
Thud.
The seething world fell silent.
Then—
[The unidentified Constellation declares,"You've made a promise. (Just try breaking it. I'll obliterate your entire dimension.)" Its gaze bores into you.]
The response materialized.
"Of course."
Si-mun nodded toward the rift.
At that—
[The unidentified Constellation smiles with immense satisfaction.]
Sssuuuu—
The enormous violet-black eye gradually shrank.
As if confirming its complete withdrawal—
[Constellation Zeus clicks his tongue."Tch. For a primordial deity, how utterly lacking in decorum..."]
[Constellation Odin pouts."You all better stop calling me a brat now."]
[Constellation Baal sighs and shakes his head."Mmm..."]
Kim Si-mun's Constellations responded with looks of utter disbelief.
[Constellation Osiris cautiously ventures,"Um... Great-great-grandfather, may I continue watching...?"]
[Constellation? grabs Osiris by the scruff and hurls him away. ("Get lost!")]
'What in the world...'
Osiris suddenly gets forcibly ejected.
Si-mun is momentarily stunned, but that's all.
'Well, they seem to be of higher rank than Osiris. Probably not an issue.'
With that, Si-mun easily shakes off his confusion.
Thud.
"Ugh..."
He transmutes the surrounding sand into a makeshift bed and lays the groaning Leoni down upon it.
Then.
"Ammit."
Turning around, Si-mun calls out to the monstrous Ammit.
For some unknown reason—
Grr, grrrrl!
Unlike her initial appearance,
Ammit flinches, eyeing Si-mun warily while glancing repeatedly at the sky where those violet eyes had kept appearing.
Si-mun extends the Book of the Dead spinning on his palm.
"You know what this is without me explaining, don't you?"
Grrrl.
Ammit gives a small nod.
"By this, I swear. It's true I've committed ten murders, but there was just cause for each,"
Si-mun continues, meeting Ammit's gaze.
"Judging by the accumulating karma, no sin is supposed to be committed in this place, correct?"
Grrrl.
Another nod from Ammit.
"Yet due to someone's scheme, I was forced to commit ten unwanted sins. I hereby declare my grievance."
Si-mun stares into Ammit's eyes with a look of profound injustice.
'Lies won't work on Ammit.'
Like all divine beings,
once directly confronted, deceiving her becomes nearly impossible.
As expected—
Haaa.
Ammit's eyes glow darkly as she scrutinizes Si-mun.
Determining the truth.
Without the slightest tremble, Si-mun meets her gaze with unwavering composure.
Then—
Sssuuu.
The glow in Ammit's eyes fades.
She's confirmed the truth.
'It worked.'
A faint smile touches Si-mun's lips.
'It couldn't have been a lie. From the start, I only targeted high-value targets, not those worthless scraps.'
From the moment he was matched to the Scale's Desert,
Si-mun had faithfully adhered to his strategy of exclusively hunting strong opponents.
Naturally, it couldn't have been a lie,
and now with his grievance proven—
"Since you've acknowledged my grievance, shouldn't the true culprit behind this heinous act be punished?"
Now was the time to wield this justification.
Grrrl!
With the Book of the Dead as his firm justification,
and even the mysterious Constellation's gaze that had shaken Ammit herself,
Ammit had no choice but to yield to Si-mun's words.
"I don't know who orchestrated this scheme, but it's certain to be one team in this desert."
Even if Si-mun embellished his words further—
"Wouldn't you agree that 'those who stood by and did nothing' are... equally guilty?"
There was no reason it wouldn't work.
"Therefore, I ask you to punish everyone here."
And so—
KRRRAAAAAAAHHHH!!
The enraged judge began to move.
A bestial roar shakes the monochrome desert.
"What the hell is going on?!"
Despite being born as upper-level dragonkin,
Kruna trembles in fear, her pride rendered meaningless.
"Why was Ammit just standing there, then suddenly going berserk? And what were those eyes earlier?!"
"I—I don't know either."
Berunkel, also born an upper-level dragonkin, is no different.
"Wasn't Ammit summoned because that Kim Si-mun guy got ten kills?"
"Most likely."
"Then why is she rampaging in the wrong damn direction?!"
Kruna points toward the distant horizon.
There—
KOOOAAAAAHHHH!!
A colossal fist, rivaling a mountain, comes crashing down.
As if a massive meteor had crashed down.
The desert heaved like waves under the violent tremors.
Crack.
Kruna immediately manifested her true form, lifting herself into the air.
"Get on, quick!"
She extended her wings—fused with her arms—toward Berunkel.
To which—
"A-alright!"
A reptilian head atop a muscular, hulking frame.
Berunkel, now in his true form as Drak, hastily climbed onto her back.
Flap.
Wings larger than those of a small aircraft beat the air.
Though they had ascended to the safety of the skies,
Kruna and Berunkel's expressions only darkened further.
The reason was clear.
"Insane!"
"Ugh..."
Centered around the fist Ammit had slammed down,
the desert now resembled a wasteland swept by a sandstorm, its ashen hue stretching endlessly.
The sheer scale of the devastation painted the entire desert.
This meant that with just one strike from Ammit, the entire desert on the Scales had been affected.
But the bigger problem was—
KRRRRAAAAAAH!
This wasn't the end.
Grrrk—
With a savage roar, Ammit raised her mountain-sized fist once more.
Then—
KWAH—!
She brought it crashing down in a different location.
As the desert quaked again, Kruna's pupils trembled with unease.
"Why won't Ammit stop?! Don't tell me—Kim Si-mun is still alive?!"
"Highly likely. He's probably evading her with spatial abilities."
"That's impossible! At 10 stacks, all stats are reduced by 100%!"
He shouldn't even be able to walk properly, let alone teleport!
Kruna's voice was thick with disbelief.
Berunkel, seemingly sharing her sentiment,
"You know this, don't you? Ammit doesn't stop until she punishes the sinner with 10 stacks."
His uneasy gaze fixed on where Ammit's fist had landed.
"He must be using some artifact or something to escape. That's the only explanation. No—it has to be that."
"But Berunkel... What if it's not—"
"It has to be!!"
This time, Berunkel was the one who roared in denial.
He bit down hard on his stone-like lower lip.
"If it's not... then we—!"
He didn't finish,
but Kruna seemed to hear the unspoken words anyway.
Her flapping wings faltered slightly.
And as always—
"Figures. It was you."
Her ominous premonitions were never wrong.
"Honestly, who else but dragonkin would pull this kind of stunt on me?"
A voice suddenly rang out.
"W-who's there?!"
Flap.
Kruna immediately turned toward the source of the voice.
There—
"'Who'?"
Fluttering golden wings at his ankles,
"The guy you've been so desperate to screw over."
—stood a young man with an infuriating smirk.
Kruna and Berunkel's eyes widened.
"Kim Si-mun!"
"You bastard! How are you still—?!"
Si-mun didn't even bother answering.
"Ammit! Over here~! These two are the masterminds behind all this!"
Cupping his hands together,
he shouted toward Ammit, who was retracting her fist.
GRRRR—
Ammit's gaze, brimming with fury, locked onto them.
"Y-you lunatic!"
"How are you talking to Ammit?!"
The two dragonkin were aghast.
Then—
"Kruna!"
At Berunkel's urgent cry,
"I know!"
Flap.
Kruna immediately beat her wings, trying to flee.
But—
"Tsk tsk. Where do you think you're going?"
Si-mun fluttered his golden wings, blocking their path.
"I even went out of my way to pause the broadcast for you. Shouldn't you confess why you pulled this stunt before leaving?"
However—
"Shut your damn mouth!"
Berunkel bellowed, hurling a massive spear.
"If you're so curious, why not find out inside my stomach?!"
Kruna bared her fangs, eyes gleaming with killing intent.
The combined assault of two manifested upper-level dragonkin.
Whoosh.
Factoring in the Dragon Power imbued in the spear and fangs, it was a formidable offensive.
But—
"You two seem to be under some misconception."
Si-mun's infuriating smirk never wavered.
"This isn't a request."
His left eye—
"It's an order."
—split open vertically.
Simultaneously—
"That's—!"
"Th-the King's—!"
The two dragonkin's furious charge came to an abrupt halt.
Then—
"Ah, the Second Dragon Emperor? So that's why the subjugation was moved up by half a year. Wow. You really went all out."
Si-mun let out a dry chuckle, exhaling softly.
"Thanks for the info. Well then."
Above the frozen dragonkin—
"Goodbye."
KWAH—!
The calamity of Duat descended upon them.