Chapter 337
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 337
Chapter Title: Claiming Ownership
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Huh? Why that look on your face?
Sensing that Jeong Hoon's expression was off, Tenebris asked cautiously.
"Why can you control the power in my dantian?"
Oh, that's what was bothering you?
"Why ask something so obvious?"
If the bastard could control it, that meant the power could rampage out of Jeong Hoon's control at any moment, regardless of his will.
He had already experienced it twice, so he needed to settle this right here and now.
Alright, how would it play this?
Under Jeong Hoon's menacing glare, Tenebris signaled surrender.
Nothing like what you're thinking will happen, so don't worry.
"Nothing?"
Yeah. The moment I break free from this seal, I planned to hand that power over to you completely.
"So I should take that to mean you won't be able to interfere anymore?"
Of course.
Jeong Hoon's lips twitched.
"Then I guess I can't undo the seal for you."
What...?
"Why should I trust you enough to release the seal? Even sealed up like this, you can interfere to this extent. You expect me to believe you now?"
Tenebris's power.
The fact that it had enabled his regression and allowed him to surpass lord-level remained unchanged.
The problem was that this regression had been repeated by Tenebris in an attempt to break the seal.
In the end, once the seal was undone, it was obvious what stance the bastard would take.
Damn... So you're saying you'll take them on in that state? Talk sense!
"Better than handing my body over to you."
What?
"Won't you try to use me as a vessel once the seal is broken?"
What nonsense is that? I told you, once the seal is undone, I'll hand over my power completely.
"Hand it over now."
What?
"I said hand it over now. If you can control it yourself, that means it hasn't become mine yet."
Now he understood why he hadn't been able to wield it.
Simply taking the power didn't make one its master.
Even the rampage at the point of death that triggered regression had all been set up that way by Tenebris.
'In other words, he can hand the power over to me even without breaking the seal.'
Hitting the nail on the head, Tenebris fell silent for a long while.
"Speak quickly. Before I head back."
You... This is my insurance. If I hand it over here, you might not release my seal.
"Is there another way? Be honestdo you think anyone else could make it this far besides me?"
...
The process of undoing Tenebris's seal was incredibly arduous.
One needed power on the level to avert annihilation, accumulate the strength of named beings along the way, follow the ritual to release the seal, and withstand the backlash during the process to complete it.
The only one who could endure all that was the current Jeong Hoon.
"Choose. Hand over ownership, or stay trapped forever."
You little...
Jeong Hoon grinned.
He was the one holding the knife, not Tenebris.
"Last chance."
...Promise me.
"Fine. If you hand over ownership, I'll release your seal."
Ha... Damn it. Can't I build trust some other way?
It had no choice but to hesitate.
Handing over full ownership would leave it with zero insurance.
'But it has no choice.'
Jeong Hoon was certain it would comply.
Miss this chance, and who knew when another opportunity to break the seal would come.
In that case, why not push a little more?
"Oh, and I overheard something... They said you tried to wipe out all the Transcendents and got sealed by the named ones."
Ha? Who spouted that bullshit?!
It was something Lord Baal had said.
Seeing Tenebris fume, it didn't seem to be the truth.
"You saying it's a false accusation?"
Of course! Why the hell would I do something like that?
"Hmm."
"I'll believe you, so hand over ownership. Then I'll even release the seal."
Truthfully, Jeong Hoon didn't care whether it had tried to eliminate the Transcendents or not.
He had brought up the info Baal shared just to shorten its deliberation time.
Now that they were this far, Tenebris had only one choice.
Trust.
Hand full ownership to Jeong Hoon while proclaiming its innocence.
...Fine, got it. But keep your promise.
Done deliberating, Tenebris gave its answer.
At that moment, the energy heading toward his head lost direction and halted in place.
Jeong Hoon slowly directed that power toward his head.
'It moves!'
The power he hadn't been able to wield now followed his will as if it had been his from the start.
Ownership had indeed been severed.
"So how do I recall the ritual here?"
It's set up so it'll naturally come to mind when it reaches your head.
"I see."
As Tenebris said, once the power reached his head, the ritual symbols began surfacing one by one.
Even a rough glance showed they were complex and arcane.
'This'll be tricky.'
As expected, having the power alone wasn't enough to break the seal.
In the worst case, the power could rampage mid-ritual, crippling his body or costing his life.
Of course, with Block, Jeong Hoon didn't have to worry much, but that just went to show how finicky the unsealing process was.
He could see why Tenebris had wanted insurance.
...You're not just going to leave now, are you?
Having handed over ownership, Tenebris now had only faith left.
Faith that Jeong Hoon would unseal it.
"Why? Afraid I'll just bail?"
Truthfully, now that he could wield the power, he didn't even need to unseal it.
But a promise was a promise.
Jeong Hoon stepped to the center.
The floor there was covered in hieroglyphsthe ritual keeping Tenebris trapped.
Don't try it recklessly! Even a tiny mistake could be disastrous.
Jeong Hoon nodded and pulled out his decryption lens.
But even with it, the complex hieroglyphs refused to decrypt.
He needed to decrypt them to find the starting point.
"Where do I begin?"
Start with the character in the center that means 'rhythm.'
"Rhythm?"
Jeong Hoon pointed at the symbols one by one with his finger.
No, that's 'long.' That's 'disaster'... Yeah, that's the onerhythm.
"Okay."
Matching hieroglyphs to characters wasn't hard.
He spent a good while mapping them out and unraveling the ritual.
Since the barrier and the pattern matched, it unraveled steadily despite the slow pace.
'Time to start, then?'
Fully prepared.
Now to release Tenebris's seal.
Please.
With its pleading voice, Jeong Hoon placed his hand on the hieroglyph for 'rhythm.'
He channeled Tenebris's power from his dantian through his fingertips.
Sparks erupted fiercely from the symbol, and it began emitting light.
'Can't pull away now.'
If he removed his hand while the power flowed in, it would rampage immediately.
Jeong Hoon shifted to the adjacent symbol for 'wealth' without releasing.
Sparks exploded even more violently, engulfing his entire body.
Pour in more power!
All Tenebris could do was cheer.
'Need to focus... Shut up.'
Of course, the cheering was no help to Jeong Hoon.
Without letting his concentration slip, he swiftly moved to the next symbol.
As they connected, sparks filled the entire space, but Jeong Hoon pressed on, deploying Ultimate Aura and a barrier of light.
Once all the ritual's symbols were unraveled, two massive hieroglyphs emerged.
'Release.'
The word for release.
Jeong Hoon slammed his fist into the ground in that state.
Boom
Everything but the glowing symbols lost power and sank into the earth.
It's done! It's done!
A voice brimming with ecstasy, and the ground began to quake.
Boom
Like an earthquake, it was hard to keep his footing.
'Master! Look below!'
At Mukho's words, Jeong Hoon's gaze dropped.
'...What the?'
Below, gleaming red eyes stared straight up at him.
Thank you.
With that grateful greeting, the massive eyes curved like a crescent moon.
At the same time, red thorn-like spikes shot from the pupils, aiming straight for Jeong Hoon's chest.
'Master!'
Mukho shouted urgently, but Jeong Hoon didn't dodge.
There wasn't a trace of killing intent in the thorns.
As if signaling no hostility, they halted before his chest, and energy flowed from their tips into his body.
You have acquired 0.1 of Divine Energy.
You have acquired 0.2 of Divine Energy.
You have acquired 0.22 of Divine Energy.
'D-Divine Energy is accumulating?'
Tenebris.
Was this what it planned to give once the seal broke?
Take it. I've lost most of my power, so it won't be much.
Tenebris said that and kept transferring all its energy.
Only after a long while did the acquisition messages end.
The total gathered: 37.54.
He never dreamed he'd fill nearly 40 here.
And another change occurred.
Ho, this feels pretty cozy now that I'm in.
Like Baal, it had entered Jeong Hoon's body to parasitize.
The massive red eyes had taken the form of a man in his late twenties, standing before Jeong Hoon.
Purple hair cascading to his waist.
Serpentine, slitted eyes.
Red irises gleaming between.
Jeong Hoon stared at him in disbelief and asked.
"Why the hell did you come into my body?"
I told you, I have no power left. So I'm parasitizing you to get my revenge.
"I don't recall that being mentioned."
Is now the time to nitpick? Don't you want to take on those bastards and end this damn game?
"That's one thing, and this is another."
So petty... How about I tell you the story I couldn't before, and you agree to it?
Tenebris began explaining in detail why he had been able to contact James Marcus and Jeong Hoon from here.
"So basically, you could move through space?"
Something like that. You might think you approached me unconsciously, but I lured you here. Your previous self too.
Come to think of it, he'd entered Tenebris's sealed place as if it were natural, compelled by the need for a reward.
He hadn't questioned it once until nowwho would've thought the bastard had tempted him.
"You evaded everyone's tracking because you still had some power left?"
Exactly. And this ability is still active.
"Meaning...?"
Yeah. Because I'm with you, those above can't track you properly anymore.
Ho.
This was very much to his liking.
Jeong Hoon knew those above were watching him.
Escannon advancing the schedule was because Jeong Hoon's actions were a thorn in their side.
'But if Tenebris entering me has perfectly hidden my presence...?'
He could rampage even more freely now.
This makes it worth traveling together, right?
"...Looking forward to working with you."