Author: Xerenity

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189. Collateral Damage ¹

After shuddering for awhile, Karupedan let out a primal scream and charged at Barub.

It was rage for putting herself on the seat of godhood, and for erasing her own memories and forgetting her past.

On top of that, learning everything Barub had done had her extremely worked up.

Her form of a child turned into a blue ball of flame in a split moment, and similar to how a predator charged their prey, she charged Barub with fierce talons to continue her attack.

Looking at the intensity behind her attack, Min-Cheol couldn’t help but subconsciously swallow a marble and cast shields around himself.

“AHH!”

However, Barub dodged the attacks with ease, almost as if mocking her.

The Unrivaled Goddess. And an existence that was beyond that.

Two powers that I couldn’t even dare get in between were facing each other.

It was an one sided attack from Karupedan aimed at Barub, but no one could guarantee that how long Barub would continue to allow this transgression to pass without retaliation.

Barub, who had avoided her attacks without much difficulty, spoke.

“Karupedan. Why are you doing this. I merely did as you desired…”

“AHH!”

“The past you wanted power. So I bestowed upon you power without equal.”

“Die! You devil!”

Karupedan’s past memories passed through her mind quickly.

No worries or concerns bothered her in her childhood.

Back to the days when she was happy from a piece of bread that Gera, who she trusted and followed, gave to her.

Her head was filled with memories from then until when she understood the weight and sadness behind that very same piece of bread.

Nightmares that would be difficult to face without going insane had been put into her mind all of a sudden.

It was a situation where Karupedan losing her rationality and displaying such rage wasn’t strange.

Every night, Gera had to suffer in the arms of a rugged man who smelled rotten to his core.

The only thing she obtained from enduring through this humiliation was a piece of bread the size of a fist.

It did not give off any sweet scents, nor did it have a magnificent shape, but instead was an insignificant piece made from heating a chunk of coarse wheat.

Karupedan had witnessed the cruel situation of her own growth moving at the same speed as Gera’s approaching death.

In her reality that was like death, Karupedan had prayed continuously.

That if there was a god, to end this current hellish situation. She continued to deny, saying that there wasn’t any reason for why they should suffer.

She wanted power for Gera and her to escape the filthy clutches of that man, and wanted happiness.

But to think that the hand that a so called god offered would serve as a far deadlier poison.

“I had brought Gera, who was like a mother to you, next to you so that the two of you could spend eternity together. Am I wrong!”

“….. I won’t grant you an easy death. I will rip you apart again and again until you are ground to dust.”

“How amusing. Did you already forget that you are the same as me?”

“……”

“Look at that human. The reason why an insignificant creature that is a human arrived all the way to celestial plane. And the reason why all the other gods besides yourself had met their deaths…. Have you forgotten that everything is your fault!”

“That’s……”

“To you, who harbored the fiercest resentments and the most desperate of pleas in the world, I granted you a favor. However, you show hatred for the very same? Despite not having any differences between you and I, that is.”

“……”

“I shall speak with confidence. No matter who rises to the seat that you possess, the results will be the same. No matter how much they claim that they are the best, none will be able to save everyone! Do you understand? Stop struggling already and accept your fate, Karupedan.”

“Shut up….. That’s none of my concern. For the young lady who struggled for those long years in pain, I will kill you. As if you never existed in the first place! I will get rid of you.”

“Poor little thing. Despite it being your fault…..”

“YAAA!”

In an instant, Barub’s eyes were on Min-Cheol.

In the eyes of Min-Cheol, who had made good distance ahead of time and was frozen still to where he stood, there was a rage present instead of fear.

He could sense it from frequent battles he went through.

That these existences weren’t something he could approach with the powers that he currently possessed.

He did talk big to Barub before, but it seemed that he wouldn’t be able to do so any longer after seeing this situation.

It was expected of a normal human.

Barub spoke while continuing to defend against Karupedan.

“Human.”

“…..”

“Do you still feel pity for her?”

“Huh……”

A single sentence from Barub and Min-Cheol could also see Karupedan’s past.

Karupedan’s pain and Gera’s wounds to boot. Almost as if he had experienced them himself, these memories came that vividly.

Panting out of breath, Min-Cheol looked at Barub. And he then waited for Barub’s words.

It wasn’t anything like what a normal human would act like.

“This is the true nature of you humans. You must’ve thought that you were different. Looking at Karupedan, who had risen to the seat of godhood, as if looking at a psychopath, you must’ve condemned her.”

“……”

“Do you think that if I gave you the chance opportunity, things would be different?”

“It would probably be the same.”

“Kuha. As expected, you really aren’t a normal human. However, do you remember what you said when you sought me out?”

“I told you to stop.”

“That’s right. However, I couldn’t figure out what you meant I should stop. Answer me. Just what do you humans want from a god?”

“The suffering you created. Most probably seek to be freed from that. Gera and Karupedan. It is probably the same for other humans in the present.”

“Suffering? KUHAHAHA! Have you concluded that I was the one who created that!”

“……”

“I have never done so. Humans and any other creations for that matter, I did not bestow anything even akin to suffering. You all were the ones to create that. Disease, war, famine, murder. Despite being all human, you take sides and divide by social status. All of you.”

“I acknowledge that. But you know, warranty is offered even for products. We’re talking about life here. But you’re just going to leave it be? I’m saying that turning all the blame onto us is wrong. Do you understand?”

“Whew….. You speak words that do not match with your personal feelings. To say something like that, despite not being able to even consider fighting against me. Sure. What will you do? Like what you said to me before, do you plan to fight against me?”

“So in conclusion, you will turn a rare breed of crazy into your enemy?”

“Human. Leave this place. I will kill her. I do not wish for you to get involved as well.”

I could hear Karupedan’s curt but loud voice.

“Kuhaha! Amusing. So very amusing! Has an enemy of yesterday become my ally today?”

“This is between you and I. I was the one who had that gotten that human involved. He has nothing to do with this. So let him go.”

“The door is always open. If you go through that door to the human realm, then you will be able live on with only the memory of this place erased as a price.”

“…..”

“Do you worry about what will happen after Karupedan dies? There is no need. I do not wish the destroy the world that I have created, after all. Do your best to survive in it. Who knows? Maybe you’ll be the next one to take the seat of godhood. Kuhahah!”

“It is always open….. So that means that I don’t have to leave right away, right?”

“That depends on what you want to do.”

“Since I don’t know when I’ll be able to see a spectacle like this, I’ll just watch quietly from a corner. That’s fine, right?”

“Kuhu. You really are someone I can’t get a read on.”

With those words, Barub’s eyes that were on Min-Cheol moved away.

Karupedan’s goodwill towards Min-Cheol out of feeling bad after all she made him go through didn’t last long.

That was because a much more intense emotion of rage was consuming her.

Min-Cheol naturally made greater distance between them. The fight between Karupedan and Barub was beginning proper.

Barub, who had only been on the defensive, began to let out their killing intent, as if ready to fight with all their might.

From Karupedan’s form radiated a wave of heat like the sun.

Transparent blue flames covered her form, and the area around her seemed to have its light stolen, with the heat intense enough to bend the air around her.

Contrasting that, Barub’s form was coated in intense frost.

It was powerful enough to freeze the very atmosphere itself.

It seemed like Awakened magicians of two polar opposite elements were facing each other, but the power they were displaying were on another level.

Powers that were contrary to one another. The first one to attack first was Karupedan.

Thousands of flames poured out from Karupedan’s body, heading towards Barub.

The flames that landed on Barub’s body were connected to Karupedan’s body, similar to straws being placed into a cup.

“Do you really think that you have a chance at victory, Karupedan.”

The pillars of fires that reached Barub’s body began to wane before disappearing.

While keeping the blue glow, the flames had become frozen.

To think that flames had become frozen. Something that didn’t make any logical sense and was beyond comprehension was happening right before me.

The more flames that were frozen, the greater power did Karupedan let out in the hopes that her attacks would reach them.

It was then.

“Ugh!”

“You are but one of my toys.”

The flames that were used to attack Barub had become like poison to come back towards Karupedan.

In the blink of an eye, the frost had traced the flames back to its original owner.

Letting out a frighteningly destructive sound, the frost traveled fiercely, reaching Karupedan’s body and leaving a dark wound.

From Karupedan’s mouth came a quiet grunt of pain.

From the start, the chance for Karupedan to win was incredibly low.

Her title may be Unrivaled Goddess, but the power was created by Barub, and that title was nothing more than being seated by Barub into that position.

A transcendent existence that created the peerless existence. To fight against that power was impossible to begin with.

It was already amazing that they could trade attacks back and forth like this already.

One might think that Barub would be able to take back the power they bestowed upon Karupedan with ease, but that wasn’t possible.

Since they had given a portion of their powers to Karupedan, just like how Min-Cheol had obtained the power of the other gods, they could only recover their power back from her by killing her and stealing it back.

However, the continued attacks showed the massive difference in power.

It was an indication that it wouldn’t be that difficult for them to reobtain their power back from her.

Karupedan charged forward at speeds which Min-Cheol couldn’t even fully register with his eyes.

Power compressed in both her hands connected with Barub, but they were easily stopped without much effort.

Her hands that were caught in Barub’s grasp cooled before being crushed in a horrifying manner and being pushed aside.

Her body recovered her form in no time, but I could easily notice that her fighting spirit had been cut down by a lot.

At this rate, it seemed that the victor would be decided before long.

It was then.

As if Karupedan had decided on something, she was compressing power with a determined expression.

“Fool….. If you didn’t learn the truth and lived on, you would’ve been able to keep your life at the least.”

“…..”

---

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188. The God’s Last?

“Did you have a place in mind already?”

“Just follow me. Since you’re leaving for good, at least taking a stroll is fine, right?”

“I’ve been here far longer than you think. No matter where I go, it’s the same.”

“I guess so. Other than the place that I completely destroyed, this place is beautiful. It would be difficult to imagine this place even with all of humanity’s creativity combined. It’s revolting.”

“Yeah. So enough of this walking about, and let’s…. end this now.”

“Hey you. Are you doing this because you really want to die?”

“Pfft! What? I’m not sure what you’re seeing that’s making you misinterpret so much, but I’m being serious.”

“……”

“I want to end this tiresome eternal life.”

“Any last wishes?”

“Did you forget? I’m the equivalent of your archnemesis. Did you already forget how insufferable I was to humans?”

“That might be precisely why I don’t want to kill you. I guess I don’t want to end your tiresome eternal life that you hate so much? Don’t you think it’s a pretty good method?”

“What the heck. You’re rather vicious than you let on.”

“Let’s just go a bit further. There is something I want to confirm…..”

What I wanted to confirm was the identity of the guide through time and space, Barub.

The place I was walking continuously to was the door that led to the space time tunnel.

Believing that Barub was a peerless existence, I gave them a warning that really wasn’t one.

I had full conviction behind my suspicion at this point, and I had asked Barub to stop causing additional chaos in a somewhat arrogant manner.

However, Barub ignored my words as if it was nothing.

Before Karupedan disappeared, I had asked them to appear before killing her, but Barub was nowhere to be seen.

Was I wrong?

Or was there more fighting to be had?

To confirm that, I was trying to visit them.

Karupedan cut off what I was saying and spoke.

“There is something that I do want.”

“Hm?”

“…..”

“Is it something to do with Gera?”

“…..”
“Don’t you, an Unrivaled God, know that better than me that it isn’t possible? All the gods I have killed, I couldn’t summon their souls even using the authority of the God of Death. The only explanation that makes sense is that they have been completely obliterated.”

“I know. But still, just in case……”

“…..”

“Somehow, if it is possible….. Will you give me the chance to acknowledge my mistake and repent bitterly? Well, I guess me asking this now can seem like hypocrisy or a false front I’m putting up. That can’t be helped. I fully understand. But still…..”

“I promise. If I can do so, then I will. But you know, aren’t memories only beautiful when they remain as memories? If two people meet again after saying their goodbyes, then even that beautiful memory dulls away. I don’t think it’s so bad to hold that good memory with you instead.”

“It’s fine. You can consider that as one of the punishments that I will receive. I beseech you.”

“I guess you’re not the type to think deeply. I understand. Anything else?”

“Hehe. That’s enough. I’ve already received a huge gift from you that went beyond my expectations. It only lasted a day, and it was kind of a letdown with how you finished the task in a day, but you let me feel happiness and excitement that I haven’t been able to feel while I lived as a god all this time. Since you’ve done as I wished for already, I won’t be greedy and ask for more.”

“This will be one of the things you’ll come to regret in your next life, so don’t be so happy about it.”

“Pfft. Is that so? I guess the only thing left is to receive my punishment? Hehe.”

“I wanted to say this from the start, but stop smiling with such an innocent expression. I feel like I’ve developed multiple personality disorder and get shaken to my roots from time to time.”

“Heh.”

In human time, it wasn’t even a full single day, and it was a timespan both short and long.

Both time in the human realm and demonic realm was frozen though.

I came here looking for a new goal to achieve.

Not having anything else I could achieve or strive for was having a profound impact on me.

Money? Power? I had obtained enough of those to overflow, and they were things that I could obtain as much as I wanted going forward if I wanted to.

What I really wanted was something that could get me moving, a goal.

Of course, the most important reason was to stop the demise of humanity.

However, unlike what I had thought, I met with something far bigger in the celestial plane than the emptiness I felt inside.

Gera and Karupedan.

It could simply be that I felt sympathy and pity.

However, this was one of the many emotions that I carried, for I was a human.

Despite my size and power not being that of a human, but reaching the territory of a god, it was true that my mind was that of a human.

It was a mystery even to me why I didn’t want a cruel end for this goddess.

After that, Karupedan and I continued to walk in silence.

Finally arriving at the door that led to the tunnel of time and space, we saw Barub standing in front of it.

Similar to Gera, their body was covered in cloth.

And even though they were wearing a different wear than what they had before in the tunnel, I could immediately tell.

This was the first time that the three of us met together in the same place.

The one to break the silence was Karupedan.

“Huh? Is it…. Barub?”

“Great goddess.”

“Huh? How are you able to enter into the celestial plane? ….What is this? Barub. Did you tell the human that you wanted to see me die? Is that why you’re here?”

“How could a mere guide through time and space think like so, goddess?”

“Then how did you get in here…. And more importantly, why are you here?”

Karupedan seemed somewhat surprised, but not thinking too much about it, she hurried me for explanations instead.

Looking at her, I answered.

“It’s here. This is where you will die. The place that I’ve been looking for is here.”

“It’s nothing special though. Dragging me all the way here. Then let’s get this…”

“No. Just give me a bit more time, last time I ask.”

“Again? Why are you keep dragging this out…..”

“Barub.”

“Speak, human.”

“I asked you. No. Warned. The moment that my suspicion is confirmed….. You will meet a madman at a level you’ve not ever seen or heard of in your entire life.”

“Has your suspicion not cleared even now?”

“No, I’ve confirmed it. And the fact that you’ve come into the celestial plane, didn’t you do so to reveal the full truth? To Karupedan and I.”

“…..”

“You know, the words that you say so often. ‘I am only a guide through time and space.’ Right? But a guide like that enters another dimension like it’s nothing, the celestial plane to boot?”

“Kuhuhu. I see. Wandering without thinking and I ended up here. The place where everything began for all of you.”

“Huh? Now that I think about it….. Barub, how did you come here? I thought that you couldn’t leave the passageway?”

It was only then did Karupedan realize that it was impossible for Barub to be here.

Following that, I began to explain to her Barub’s existence.

“Karupedan. You said it yourself, right? You didn’t know when you became the Unrivaled Goddess. Despite creating everything, you only have a vague memory of it. On top of that, you have no memory of the past.”

“…..”

“You never considered that someone put you in that position?”

“What do you mean…..”

“The one you see before you. That’s the one that stands above the Unrivaled Goddess title…. An existence like that.”

“What? No way. Did you get hit in the head while fighting against Galima? You know as well. That is Barub, the guide through time and space.”

“Yep. I know. The fact that I know it so well is what makes that much worse.”

“……”

“It’s the equivalent of releasing a bunch of ferocious beasts inside a pen and enjoying them rip each other apart. They have done something far worse than what you have done, Karupedan.”

“Barub, answer me. Is it true what the human says?”

Instead of answering Karupedan’s question, Barub tossed aside the cloth that was covering their face.

When Barub did so, the celestial plane filled with radiant light was covered in darkness.

Darkness? No. To be exact, it would be more accurate to say that everything was swallowed up by nothingness.

The light, rapid waterfall, the beautiful melody seemingly coming out of nowhere, the flowers and trees, and even the ground that we were standing upon disappeared.

However, the outlines of the three of us were as clear as day.

Barub, Karupedan, and I were in a glass box in pitch black darkness. Only three of us existed.

Barub’s face that was finally revealed did not have a solid form.

Similar to how smoke or mist rising, there was only a distortion.

It wasn’t letting out a magnificent light or strong aura, but I could sense it for sure.

This was an existence that I had never met before.

Someone with an aura that I didn’t sense even from Karupedan, who was above that peerlessness — an absolute.

Due to the sudden change in the situation, Karupedan was waiting for Barub’s words with a serious expression.

After all, this was probably a situation that was hard for her to comprehend.

It was then that Barub spoke.

“Karupedan.”

“…..”

“How is it to rise to the seat of a god that you wanted so desperately? Did you finally obtain what you wanted?”

“What…. What are you saying?”

“Was that too difficult of a question to ask someone who has lost their memory? Then let me change the question. Did you enjoy the life of a goddess? Did you become hated by anyone? Did you grant the wishes of anyone? Or did you ignore their pleas?”

“Barub…. No. Who are you? Just who are you to ask those questions?”

“The one who has created you. The one who has made everything in this world and blew life into it. The one who also took away your memories and gave you a chance.”

“Just what are you saying….”

“It might be difficult, but it’s the truth. That existence right there is the true absolute one. The absolute existence that stands above you, Karupedan. The one who has put you in your current position.”

“Don’t….. Don’t joke around. Saying impossible things like that…..”

“Karupedan. You probably expected this already, but you were once human in the past.”

“…..”

“Just from your current appearance alone, one could probably come to that conclusion. However, you said that you wanted to die? Even if it means borrowing the power of a human, you want to end your eternal life? What could be the reason? I had done as you asked. You wanted the power of a god, so I gave it to you, and I let you live an eternal life with the one you wanted to live with. But what was lacking? And just what did you not like about this arrangement? If you want, I could return you your memories. If you’re able to handle it, that is. It won’t be too late to face your end after doing so.”

“What do you want to do?”

“…..”

“You choose.”

“I thought up to death…… If I’m going to receive this punishment anyways, then it doesn’t matter if I get it now or later, right? Barub…. I’m not sure what to call you now. As with your offer, I shall receive my memories back. The memories of when I was a human.”

“This is beyond my expectations. Good. I shall do just that. It is what you chose. You will also have to take responsibility for this choice as rightfully so.”

“Of course.”

Barub waved one of their hands through thin air.

With the flutter of cloth on their sleeves, Karupedan’s body shuddered weakly and rapidly.

It seemed that they had returned Karupedan’s memory.

After a brief moment of silence and a lack of movement, Karupedan’s shoulder shuddered.

The memory of when she was a human. Since she regained the emotions of a human, it must be that she felt something.

My guess was that her emotions were swelling up inside of her.

It was then.

“AHHHH!”

---

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187. Standing Above the Head of a God

“Die, you! Die!”

Quite the rugged projectile flew towards me, but I was able to withstand it.

No. As if I had collided head on with a fly, it would be more accurate to say that I didn’t feel a thing.

Abilities of polar opposite elements had collided with one another.

However, it was obvious that I would take the high ground here.

If a regular Iceberg and Meteor Call met with one another, then both cancelling each other out should be the expected result.

Both would receive massive amounts of damage and fall out.

In this case, however, you could say that this was a fight between a regular Iceberg and a transcendent Meteor Call.

There was that much of a difference in terms of raw power.

Even with Galima’s fierce attacks, the water continued to evaporate.

The lava that was coming out from my body that had changed its appearance to that of a magma golem was causing the water to evaporate at an incredible rate.

The visual effect was strong enough to prevent me from seeing the area around me.

Giving up on my sight, I focused only on getting rid of the water around me.

While I did so, I continued to keep in mind the oxygen inside of the mana balloon and consuming the King’s Marbles.

“You little! Argh!”

In the middle of all that noise, I could hear Galima’s yelling clearly.

It seemed that they were quite furious that their attacks weren’t working on me.

It wouldn’t take long before they would appear before me.

Water was Galima’s strength and life.

Their strength was disappearing before their eyes so easily, so how could they just stay hidden.

Even if they did appear before me though, I wouldn’t be able to see them, since the situation around me was too complicated.

It was then.

A growl.

‘What, human, no. Did they give up being a god?’

It was hard to believe that this howling was something that they could let out, as I could hear the sound of their fierce Fear.

Since Galima had the appearance of a normal human, the sound they were making right now didn’t fit them at all.

Since I couldn’t open my mouth or breathe at this moment, I quietly thought to myself these thoughts.

However, since the Fear continued on for quite a long time, I couldn’t help but check.

But it wasn’t as if I could afford to slack off on getting rid of the water in the limited time I have left.

Desperately hoping that I could see their form, I casted Eye of Insight.

After confirming their appearance, I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of air.

That was the sight that came into view was something that I couldn’t hold back my surprise of.

With a massive body size that was hard to describe, four legs befitting that size, and wings on their back, it was a Chimera.

‘That’s insane. It can’t be. Why is something like that here?’

“Chimera! Destroy that human. Take that human’s soul and fill your belly.”

“KUWUHUNG!”

“Kuhaha! It seems that you’ve just confirmed the presence of the Chimera. Can you handle them?”

“…..”

“Unlike the one you’ve slain in the demonic realm, this one won’t die so easily. That one was only a copy that Karupedan tried to mimic! Demon King? Demon king’s Chimera? They aren’t worth anything. Go! Destroy him!”

“KUWUHH!”

All sorts of profanities were at the tip of my tongue.

This situation felt far more hopeless than the time I faced the Chimera for the first time in the Demonic Realm.

If what they said was true, this Chimera was far superior and stronger than the one from the demonic realm.

I had defeated the Chimera in the demonic realm with Eternal Rest, which I had obtained via chance.

Exactly as I had said, all I had done was use that one skill against them.

Chimera’s destructive capabilities, defensive capabilities, and how strong they were didn’t matter at that time. That Chimera was annihilated into oblivion on the spot.

Eternal Rest was a skill beyond ranking that could only be used once.

It had taken up one of the 5 slots of the skills beyond ranking I could ever obtain, and continued to take that place even after its use.

At the time, it was a skill that was absolute and important, but now, it was useless.

If I was able to use that skill continuously, it wouldn’t have taken even an hour to clear things up in the celestial plane.

However, I couldn’t use Eternal Rest even after obtaining mastery over mana.

It was true that after I’ve obtained complete control of mana, cooldowns didn’t matter to me, but that didn’t cover this spell.

It really was a one time use skill.

Thus, this meant that I had to use my strength, not Eternal Rest, to defeat the Chimera.

The one good thing was that I had grown a lot stronger since the demonic realm.

When I had conquered the demonic realm, I had obtained the power of mana, magical energy, and the King’s Marbles.

Right now, however, I had the ability and powers of 5 gods.

And right now, Galima’s attacks weren’t working on me.

There was the factor of being polar opposites in elements, but there also was the difference in strength between me and them.

And while this being the case, they summoned a creature?

I should be able to defeat the summoned without much difficulty.

After all, there wouldn’t be any summoned creatures that would serve a master weaker than themselves.

Ah. There is the Chimera that could be summoned using the Demon King’s Authority, but since it wasn’t a contract of absolute dominance, it didn’t count.

The Chimera charged me quickly in an attempt to body slam me.

A creature this big doing an attack like this would cause a massive shock.

However, right now, my form was far larger than that Chimera.

That was because I had copied the form of Dehaka, so it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that a mountain had been moved here.

That was why there wasn’t any shock or damage to me.

Almost as if mocking me for worrying, it was a pathetic attack.

The Chimera saw that I didn’t even budge and made some distance between us once more.

Then it tried to do the same attack again.

“KUWUH! KUWEH!”

‘Let me give you a snug hug.’

“W…. What! Chimera! Hurry up and get away from him! Now!”

‘I really want to tell them that it’s too late.’

After crashing into me with massive force again, it attacked with its front legs.

At its fierce spirit, a bit of the lava fell off from my body into the water, cooling and hardening away.

However, this was just the tip of the iceberg.

It was the equivalent of removing a fistful of sand from a sandy beachfront.

Ignoring that attack, I swallowed the Chimera whole.

Similar to how you covered the stuffing with flour when making dumplings, I had completely swallowed it whole.

I could perfectly sense the Chimera’s screams and resistance as it struggled to get free.

It was no different from being eaten alive, so it was expected that its struggles to survive would be intense.

I focused a massive amount of strength to the area that had swallowed it whole to compress the Chimera.

It was to speedily and to increase the guarantee a bit further on getting rid of it successfully.

“Kuweh…..”

“Ah… No way…. This can’t be……”

“…..”

The Chimera’s resistance didn’t continue for long.

The body that flailed around slowed down, and the strength behind its Fear was reduced.

Even while this was happening, I wasn’t slacking off on the task of evaporating the water around me.

Galima’s groaning continued, and I replied with putting more strength into the task.

****

“Whew. Caught you, you little shit! I was so frustrated that I was going to die from it.”

“Kuhu… You little…..”

“It’s awful that you’ve held on for this long with this ugly form. Eating so many marbles made me extremely full too.”

“Why is it that none of my attacks are working against you! Dehaka was definitely a much weaker existence than I…. And even the Chimera as well…..”

“Dunno? Why don’t you think about it while I beat you up?”

I had evaporated all the thick and sticky water that Galima had made.

It was a massive amount, but my body did not cool, still leaking lava and boiling nonstop.

I could already see the ground of the area they had created, which had become a prairie.

This meant that the area where we were had no water left anymore.

In turn, Galima’s power and lifeforce had been completely drained.

Also, the Chimera that was trapped inside my body and had struggled was no more.

Melting away completely, it had turned into a tiny leftover that the lava had finished digesting.

After getting rid of their ability, their real form was revealed.

The radiant figure was nowhere to be found, and instead was replaced with a pathetic appearance instead.

The armor and weapons had lost their light and were covered in fractures, and the fair hair that had come down to their waist had become disheveled.

It seemed that with this attack, Galima had used up everything that they could.

Canceling Dehaka’s magma golem ability, I returned back to my original form.

My body was still red hot, and the floor around me was beyond dry, searing into a crisp.

The mana balloon that was floating above my head like a speech bubble had completely deflated.

I had nearly used up all of the oxygen and King’s Marbles.

If this went on a bit longer, then this situation would have turned for the worst.

I walked over to them, who was hunched over and barely holding on.

“This…. It’s a dream. This is something that cannot be…..”

“What a nonsensical fellow, aren’t you? Do you even sleep? Do you even dream?”

“Karupedan!”

“Folks like you seem to search for her when you’re about to die.”

“Give me one more chance! I will share allegiance to you! Karupedan!”

-crack.

“Kuhh!”

“Time for expressing your opinions is over.”

“Kuwuh.”

“Since we’re on the topic of dreams, the seat of the Unrivaled God that you wanted so badly. I shall be the one to fulfill your ambitions and dreams in your stead. Your power will probably be a huge asset to making that dream come true, so I’ll show a bit of thanks as well.”

Grabbing on to their throat made them writhe in pain.

Since they couldn’t breathe in the first place, their groans weren’t because they were struggling for air.

It was because the force behind my grasp was strong enough to twist their neck, and the pain made them groan so.

Having lost their fighting spirit and combat capabilities, they couldn’t put up any resistance and were drowning in pain.

I held their throat in one hand, while I materialized the blue flames of Full Fire on the other.

It seems to burn faintly at first glance, but the heat from this skill was the equivalent of Meteor or magma.

This was an attack skill that wasn’t from being an Awakened, but something that you could make with mana.

A flaming sphere was created near Galima and I.

This was the worst punishment I could give.

Killing the God of Water by burning them with fire.

Was there any other method as painful and cruel as this?

“You are already aware of your sins. The punishment is becoming cooked fish. Any objections?”

“Kuhuk!”

“I’ll take that as no. One, two, three. Case closed.”

“Huhuh…..”

Despite their legs slowly burning into a crisp from the flames, Galima did not move.

Their bodies shook as they stared at a single spot with fixed eyes.

Their body did not shrivel up and there was no smoke.

Emitting a bright light, their body was slowly dissipating.

Galima’s rigid shoulder went limp.

It looked as though they either lost their consciousness or their life.

At the same time, I tossed them to the floor.

“Whew…. Just when did you become this cruel? Oh my…..”

“Oh?”

The place that Galima stared at until the end.

I wasn’t able to see with my own eyes, but that was where Karupedan was.

It seemed that they begged for Karupedan to save their lives at their last moments.

From over there came Karupedan.

Extinguishing the trail of flames and standing near me, she made an awkward smile as she spoke.

“Guess it really is over?”

“Yep.”

“You went through a lot. Even though it was difficult, you did well.”

“Serious expressions and talks are awkward for me.”

“Kehe. It’s because it is complicated. Complicated.”

“That’s why I said you’ll regret this.”

“I don’t regret it. Now. Shall we end it around here?”

“Hm….. I can never end the Unrivaled Goddess at a place as shabby as this.”

“Hm?”

“This time, I’ll lead you. Follow me.”

“Kehe. You really are an amusing person.”

---

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186. It Is the End!

Galima’s fishnet-like attacks continued.

These attacks came from all directions, and they weren’t something I could avoid just by moving quickly.

Fleeing to higher ground and hiding my presence with stealth didn’t work either.

Like a heat seeking missile, the attacks chased me relentlessly.

And each time the attacks struck, the King’s Marble’s effects would chipped away, and I would continue to suffer minor injuries that were mounting up.

The frequency of using the marbles and Status Negation had increased severely.

The continued attacks triggered Gera’s attack reflecting ability, but perhaps due to their attacks being the same affinity as their form, instead of dealing damage, their body just absorbed it.

And wasn’t as if the powers of light and darkness added into the reflected attack had any effect on them either.

I felt that I should be able to finish this with just a single proper attack, but it was much easier said than done.

The God of Life Wheatgrass’s ability to revive was useless in this situation, so the only thing left I could trust in was the God of Earth Dehaka’s ability.

Dehaka’s ability was amazing.

Not only did it seal away the ability of the opponent, but it was powerful enough that they wouldn’t be able to ignore it with their powerful defensive capabilities.

I believed that adding mana and magical energy onto Dehaka’s power would bring me results.

It seemed that I would have to pour in every bit of power I could use at my disposal against them.

“Hm? Is this Dehaka’s?”

“……”

I used Dehaka’s ability that sealed away abilities.

Countless fist sized orbs spun around my body.

If I was able to hit one of their attacks with this, then they would become powerless as well.

I could 100% hit the fishnet-like attack that tracked me, and their spear and shield were also targets of consideration.

“It was one of the abilities that I wanted most. However, will you be able to hit me with it?”

“I wonder? I’m about to try now.”

“Kuha! A situation befitting of a loser, being without a plan and all.”

“I also am pretty good at swinging in thin air, you know? If you think you can avoid it, go ahead and try.”

“Hm?”

Even while allowing their attacks to connect with me, I fired the sealing orbs.

And I didn’t hurl them at Galima’s field of view, but similar to how Wheatgrass pulled the trigger of their pistol, I had fired it at thin air.

If they swung their spear in random frenzy to torture me, then I should repay the favor in the same manner.

The moment that the sealing orbs left my hand, they disappeared from view.

Just as Wheatgrass did, these orbs will continue hiding from view and fly in when I want them to.

“It looks like this is going to be a fight where we trade blows till mutual destruction is guaranteed….. But even I’m out of options. If I just defeat you, then this short but shitty life in the celestial plane is over. Let’s eat these marbles until my belly pops!”

“Kuhu…. It shouldn’t have been long since you’ve obtained the powers of the gods…..”

“To be precise, not a day hasn’t passed. I’m pretty smart I guess.”

“Your actions are in vain! The God of Water cannot kneel before a human! Come!”

I felt that I cannot simply just hurl orbs at them, so I materialized a sword and charged at them.

It didn’t matter how much damage I took.

My real intention was to draw their attention and break their focus.

I was trying to create an opening where I could hit them with the sealing orb.

Both my cheeks were puffed up from the amount of marbles in my mouth, and I was continuing to think of ways to ambush them with the sealing orb while using Status Negation to keep up with the injuries.

Putting myself under a complete trance, I focused only on sealing their abilities.

Due to all the combat I’ve experienced, my body would move on its own.

If it was a dangerous attack, my body would avoid it, and if they showed a weak spot, my body wouldn’t miss that chance.

With such a capability, it wouldn’t be an understatement to say that my body was already completely used to combat.

After I swung my sword, the area around us was filled with the sound of a sonic boom, and I saw their shield before me.

The attack definitely struck.

It was an attack with a 100% success rate and ignored resistances after all.

However, Galima’s shield was not penetrated.

No. To be precise, the part that was destroyed from the sword’s incredible destructive force had returned back to its original form in the blink of an eye.

That was right. Since the shield wasn’t a part of their body, I couldn’t stop it from restoring itself.

Using the immense amount of water around us, they had repaired their shield.

I didn’t actually expect this attack to deal any damage to them, but I didn’t imagine in the slightest that it would be so easily blocked.

Despite having the power of five gods in my body, this was all the strength that I could display in a single attack.

This also proved that they were that much stronger.

It was then.

As expected, their fishnet attack came towards me.

The moment that the attack connected with my body, I threw my sealing orb at it.

I could hear the sound of a massive explosion follow.

This sound meant that the sealing orb had done its job.

The net and the orb that made contact with each other were engulfed in a huge explosion, and the countless cuts that I should have been struck with following the net didn’t come, disappearing in a strangely quiet manner.

One of their abilities had been successfully sealed.

“The fishnet is gone. Now what should I aim for next?”

“Kuhu…. You little…..”

“Wheatgrass showed me two abilities, you know? Since you’re much stronger…. How many more do you have left?”

“Do not anger me further! You will regret doing so!”

“Since I’ve already poked the hornet’s nest, shouldn’t I see to it till the end?”

“As I said before, I’ve overheard everything you and Karupedan spoke about.”

“Unbefitting of a god…. Despite being one, you’ve eavesdropped on us?”

“Kuha. Do you know why I, a God of Water, is ranked 1st above all?”

“That’s because you are the strongest out of the six gods.”

“That is the biggest reason. However, for a human like you who is trying to challenge the realm of the gods, you will be fearing my existence more.”

“Hm? Are you planning to drown me underwater?”

“You’ll find out soon enough…..”

“But what about this? I’ve already tested it all before coming in here. I don’t need to breathe. This means that I can fight underwater no problem.”

“Now, let’s put that to the test.”

“Such a fruitless effort…..”

With a battle roar, Galima sunk into the floor.

Almost as if becoming foam in a split moment, they had disappeared all of a sudden.

After they disappeared, the situation for me, a human, became especially cruel.

“Ugh!”

“Die. Perish slowly while struggling and flailing in pain!”

Almost as if by magic, my body was underwater.

I blinked just for a second.

However, the area around me changed and the environment had changed even further.

This is similar to what happened after Karupedan snapped her fingers.

That wasn’t the only thing that changed.

Suddenly, my body that was moving fine before suddenly felt dehydrated.

“Kuhaha! While trying to have fun, you’ve lost an ability instead. Well, with the other abilities you have, this is worth the trade. Now, what happened to you telling me that you didn’t need to breathe?”

“Ugh!”

Like a regular human, I wanted air.

This situation didn’t make any sense.

Before entering this place, noticing how strange what Karupedan said sounded like, I had prepared myself a bit ahead of time.

Since I was facing the God of Water, I had prepared myself for an underwater fight.

I definitely did not need air outside.

Since I was far beyond the realm of what was considered a human, I thought it was normal for it to be the case.

However, I desired for air right now.

And it was as if I had held my breath as much as possible and desperately wanted to breathe.

I felt as though my eyes would roll over and I would lose consciousness any second.

Only a single thing came to mind.

A balloon made from mana. The air inside of it.

“Pfft! That’s the balloon filled with Karupedan’s mockery. I wonder how long you can last with that.”

“Huff! Whew.”

Since they had eavesdropped on the conversation between me and Karupedan, they knew about the balloon’s existence.

They were speaking as if they were ridiculing me for that.

The idea of saving face wasn’t even on my mind.

Putting my head into the balloon, I drank in as much air as possible.

The thought of even trying to understand the sudden change in situation didn’t even come.

The only thing on my mind was that I needed to drink in this air so that I could survive.

Only after that did my body and mind find calm and began to assess the situation.

The balloons that I brought were 2.

They were quite large mana pouches, but it was obvious that I wouldn’t last 30 minutes.

I decided not to bother thinking about why I suddenly needed air.

The situation was dire enough that my brain using air to think about it felt wasteful.

I pondered for but a brief moment. I moved my body as fast as I could to escape the water.

However, the depth was too great for me to even see the end of it.

Despite taking in air and swimming up for awhile, I couldn’t see a speck of light.

It didn’t take long before I came to a decision.

I had come to the conclusion that I needed to defeat them as soon as possible.

Other than that method, I couldn’t think of any other solutions.

While all this was going on, I could hear their sarcastic remarks.

“The amount of time you have left on your hands isn’t much. But what can you do. You cannot even find the location of my form. It seems that all you can do is watch your supply run out and meet your death.”

“……”

“If you are scared of that remaining time, drink the water. That way you can die a quick and painless death at the least. Just a single sip is all that will take. No matter how strong your body is….. No matter what kind of an existence you are, a single gulp is all that’s needed. Kuhaha! Then enjoy this pain.”

“……”

I could hear Galima’s voice, but despite keeping both my eyes peeled, I could not see their form.

It wasn’t because of the complete darkness that didn’t have a speck of light.

Despite emitting light to brighten up the area around me or use the Eye of Insight to find them, it wasn’t enough.

Attacking them right now still might not spare me enough time, yet I couldn’t even guess their location.

Time that kept on ticking past without remorse felt cruel.

“Huff! Whew.”

I didn’t have a choice.

I cast forth Dehaka’s ability.

Red magma poured out from my body, and when it came into contact with the water, a violent reaction occurred, evaporating the water.

If it was just Dehaka’s ability alone, it would have cooled easily before Galima’s power, but the situation was different now.

After all, I had poured all of my power into Dehaka’s ability instead.

‘Draining the entire reservoir to catch fish? It wouldn’t be even worth the cost of the manpower.’

“You little! Do you think I’d leave you alone to do so!”

Noticing my intentions, Galima attempted an attack.

Spear shaped pillars of water came at me from all directions.

However, Dehaka and Galima. Was it because of how their elements were polar opposites? I wasn’t receiving any damage.

There was the contrast of elements to consider, but I was reminded of just how high Dehaka’s defensive ability was again.

How much time had passed?

I had already put my head into the mana balloon countless times.

I could see a very small amount of light coming through above my head.

‘It’s almost done. Just a bit more!’

“Die! Die! Give up your powers!”

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185. Let Us Try Fighting First

“Woah!”

The moment that I stepped into the darkness, I was sucked in without being able to resist at all, almost as if being picked up by a strong gust of wind.

As if a toilet had been flushed, I was helpless as I was pulled in.

Despite struggling with all my might, it wasn’t possible.

Letting the currents take me, I could only try to make sense of my current situation.

It felt longer than 5 minutes, but probably only 10 seconds had passed?

From the moment of entering the tunnel to being carried away by a whirlpool, all this had taken place before the 1 minute effect of the King’s Marble had worn off.

The swirling blurry scenery cleared from view, and ironically enough, a clear sky came to view, while both my feet were on dry ground.

Despite being positive that I was sucked downwards, I had ended up on the highest point in the celestial plane, where the waterfall began.

I couldn’t make sense of this current situation.

“What is this….. It’s almost as if I died…..”

“It won’t take long before that becomes the case, so don’t rush to conclusions.”

“Hm?”

“Welcome to my palace and your to be grave, human.”

“Are you the so called Garuma or Galima?”

“I am the God of Water, Galima. You, who started as a human, actually managed to come this far. I commend you for that.”

“When I heard that I was going to face the God of Water, I expected a mermaid or a kraken, but you look far more normal than I thought you’d be? It doesn’t suit your title. I’m complimenting you. Be thankful.”

“Pfft! As I thought, you are extremely insolent.”

Galima’s form was that of a human, similar to the other gods.

They had a flawless appearance and a solid muscular body.

On top of that, their hair that went down to their waist was smooth like silk, and the half transparent armor made of glass they wore displayed the peak of magnificence.

Emerald light came from their eyes, and their exposed skin reflected light as if they were made with pearls, letting out a soft glow.

My admiration for their outward appearance didn’t last long.

Galima spoke up once more.

“I shall show you my thanks.”

“Hm? Is it because I was frugal with how I used water usually?”

“Ahahaha!”

“Looks like you have a similar sense of humor with Jong Ho-hyung.”

“I am thanking you for killing the other gods. As you know, gods cannot kill other gods. That was why I could not get rid of them, despite being far stronger than any of them.”

“…..”

“Obviously, you have already risen halfway to godhood at this point, but you still aren’t fully a god yet. The reason why you were able to kill them was that you are a demigod, right?”

“I guess you could say that.”

“That would also mean that I…. could kill you, who isn’t fully a god. Kuhuhu.”

“Hm…. So you plan to steal everything I worked hard for in one go?”

“There is no other way, is there? You have to kill me. If you don’t, you will obtain the wrath of the Unrivaled Goddess. I will kill you and rule over the celestial plane. This is a fight we both want to happen, right?”

“That’s true. But Karupedan is a goddess as well. Even if you kill me and obtain the power of the other five gods, you still can’t kill her. After all, it’ll be the fight between gods.”

“Aren’t you dim witted. There is a huge flaw in your statement.”

“What?”

“Water exists everywhere. Do you think that I wouldn’t know of the contract you made with Karupedan? Think about it carefully. The Unrivaled Goddess that will meet her end at by your hand. How will you kill her?”

“It’s obvious that I’ll be using my Awakened powers and the demon king’s Authority…..”

“Now do you understand? Think about how you obtained the power of the demon king. You obtained it by killing your opponent. The Awakened power that Gera created wouldn’t transfer over to me, but it is different from the demon king’s power. With your death, I will be able to obtain a method to face off against the Unrivaled Goddess.”

“This also means that Karupedan would obtain the condition to kill you. Even though you’re smart, you only see one way and not consider the other. Think about it carefully, okay? Don’t make this harder than it needs to be and die peacefully by my hands. The sins you have committed until now are already more than enough, but how much further are you planning to push?”

“Pfft! Do you really think that Karupedan is trying to just hand her life over to you?”

“……”

“If she really did want to die… she wouldn’t have cared who would have taken her life. She would only be searching for anyone capable of doing so. That is why such a thing as her putting her throat to your knife won’t happen. As you said, if she really wanted to die that is. Do you understand?”

At Galima’s words, my mind went blank for a brief moment.

It made me think that I had failed to consider a very important truth all this time.

Karupedan hated humans without a reason all this time.

To be precise, it wasn’t that she didn’t have a reason, but didn’t know what the reason was.

But her giving up her life to the subject of her hatred didn’t add up.

After defeating Galima in front of me, the worst case that could happen after this was as follows.

Karupedan didn’t want to lose her life to me from the start.

It was just that she saw the other gods with disgust and wanted them gone.

Since she couldn’t do it herself, she had used me to do so.

Then, if Galima also dies, and all the gods have been butchered?

It was true that her knife could come for me.

However, that wouldn’t happen to me.

It was just a guess, but a near guarantee.

I didn’t know why, but I saw emptiness and loneliness in her, and I could sense that she wasn’t lying. And it was very clear to boot.

On top of that, even if Karupedan had other plans, what could I do about it?

Right now, I couldn’t help but follow her words.

It was true that she was a peerless existence that I could not overcome.

The most surefire way to change the situation even a little bit was to defeat Galima and increase my power.

I wanted to know the truth even a moment sooner.

Swallowing a King’s Marble and staring at them at the same time, I spoke.

“Let’s drop the nitpicking conversation here. Shouldn’t we get this started?”

“Pfft. Of course. I wonder who will obtain the condition required to face off against the Unrivaled Goddess….. Most curious.”

“We’ll find out very quickly.”

“Heh. An expression that shows you’ve already confirmed your victory. Good. Kuahh!”

With a fighting roar, a water spear and shield formed in their hands, wiggling like jelly.

Despite being 2m in size, the weapons that formed were even larger than that by far.

They didn’t resemble sturdy metal, but the dangerous aura I could sense from these weapons were incredible.

The emerald light that they glowed with changed to a deep brown as they began their attack.

With the spear they held, they began to swing in an x pattern in thin air.

Due to the insane speed at which they cut through the air, the after image stayed there for quite awhile.

Finishing this odd movement that I could not figure out why they did so, they charged me.

Arriving close to me, they took cover behind their shield while thrusting the spear towards me.

Their attack easily ignored my Mana Shield and struck my body that had changed greatly in appearance thanks to the King’s Marbles.

An incredibly loud sound of friction filled the air round me, and as if something far stronger than my body had scratched past me, there was a dent.

I didn’t take any damage, but I could see that the destructive force behind that attack was incredibly strong.

As if the primer had been peeled off of a wall, I could see that the spot that the spear struck had returned back to its normal color.

It was obvious that if I was struck again on that same spot, I would receive a massive amount of damage.

I had more than enough of King’s Marbles leftover.

And since it was my final opponent, I didn’t hold back on the consumption.

After receiving their round of attack, I readied my stance to return a counter attack.

However, they noticed my intentions and bashed me with their shield to make distance.

Their movements were that of someone skilled with the spear and shield.

However, it wasn’t as if I was limited to melee attacks. Just because they made distance doesn’t mean that I become powerless.

Putting away my sword, I used all my power combined to create Meteor.

Nine giant orbs towered above in the celestial plane’s sky, consuming all the air nearby to fuel its flames.

At my command, the Meteors rained down towards Galima.

“Hm?”

“Did all the gods before me melt down before such a pathetic attack like this?”

“Guess you’re pretty tough?”

“I have greater surprises in store, so you should look forward to it.”

I acted as if it wasn’t anything worth being surprised over, but in reality, I was surprised by their defensive capabilities.

In an instant, the shield that Galima raised had grown massively in both size and thickness.

Meeting the Meteors that fell down at the same time, it released steam, and the Meteors lost their power and dissipated just like that.

So far, other than the Goddess of Death, Gera, no other god had been able to withstand the damage of Meteor with their bodies.

Considering that Gera’s body was immune to all attack skills, just what kind of a monster was this god.

‘Was it because of the contrasting element of my attack?’

It was true that the flame elemental type Meteor was the polar opposite with that god’s ability.

Still, I never expected that they would be able to block my attack so easily.

However, I had already considered situations like this countless times.

My decision was simple.

It didn’t matter what happened.

One hit. I just needed to connect one hit.

Like that, it happened while I was thinking of follow up attacks.

“Ugh!”

“I told you that there are more tricks up my sleeve that you would be surprised by.”

“Argh…. Is this why you swung through thin air before?”

“Kuhahah. Props to you for finding it out even now.”

After blocking my Meteor, they did not move at all.

However, countless attacks came down from above.

An attack pattern similar to a net rained down for a long while, leaving no room to escape.

I came to the conclusion that they had swung around their spear through thin air for this outcome.

I continued to swallow marble after marble, but I couldn’t come out completely unscathed.

‘Invincibility. It said invincibility. Piece of trash! Damn it……’

I genuinely cursed at the marble’s ability.

Invincibility meant that it did not allow any attacks to get through.

I felt like I somewhat finally understood customers who fell for fake exaggerated advertisements.

Despite using mana, magical energy, and all variations of powers I held to the max in order to put up a defense, fresh blood flowed out on my arms and back.

However, as if to say that even being flustered was a waste of time, I quickly recovered from my wounds from using Status Negation and prepared to attack.

Putting my hand deep into the pouch filled with King’s Marbles, I grabbed a fistful and shoved them into my mouth.

I couldn’t even begin to fathom just how many more marbles I had to swallow going forward.

Their attacks ignored my defences and came in with ferocity.

I couldn’t avoid it or block it.

“This has become distasteful.”

“Kuha. It seems that I’ll be the one to take rights to fight against the Unrivaled Goddess.”

“……”

“If it’s your attacks, I’ll take as many as needed. But know that even a single hit means you’re finished! Oraa!”

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184. Towards the End

Other than the 6 gods of the celestial plane, Karupedan, and the guide through time and space Barub, I hadn’t met anyone.

However, after defeating Wheatgrass, I could see things that I could see before.

They weren’t people, monsters, or other things from other dimensions.

They were forms that let out a brilliant yet dark and heavy light.

All of those forms were staring at a single fixed point, moving towards that spot.

Like salmon returning back to the river they were born during mating season, all of them were going to the same spot.

‘Is this one Wheatgrass’s abilities…..’

I was interrupted in the middle of that train of thought.

Karupedan spoke while smiling.

“You can see them too now, right?”

“What are those… What is that light?”

“It’s as you think it is. This is Wheatgrass’s true ability.”

“Does it allow me to see the souls of those who lost their lives?”

“Yep. Simply put, I guess you can call them souls. I guess you still can’t see each of their appearances and how they lived until they met their deaths, right?”

“…..”

“But this will only last for a brief moment. After a short while, you will learn even without wanting to. Just from looking at them, their entire lives will come through like a tornado in your head and pass. All in a single moment.”

“What happens then…”

“That’s up for you to decide. Since you’re a human, you’ll probably try to judge over their crimes and wrongdoings, right? You all like to do so. Punish the wicked, reward those who have lived honest lives, right? Even though it’s so dull.”

“Do they go into new bodies and be reborn by my power?”

“That’s right. No matter what the dimension, or whatever the creation may be. If you don’t like someone, you could make them disappear like they’ve never existed in the first place, and if you like someone, you could grant them eternal life. How about it? Isn’t it amazing?”

“Makes me think of a double edged sword.”

“Even those folks you cannot live without will eventually die, because they are human. But now, you no longer need to fear or worry about them dying. After all, you can resurrect them with their memories intact at any given time.”

“Eternal life….. Lots of folks dream of such a thing, I’m sure. But will there be meaning behind a life like that?”

“You should decide that on your own. Even if I tell you what to do….. You’re not someone who will listen, right?”

“Pfft. That’s true.”

The only one left was the God of Water.

I have taken down Light and Darkness, Life and Death, and finally, the God of Earth.

The order of gods that the Unrivaled Goddess Karupedan had guided me to meet was from weakest to strongest.

This meant that the last remaining god, the God of Water, was far stronger than the gods that I had met so far.

I didn’t know what ability they carried, and I had no idea how to deal with them.

No one would inform me, and I had never fought with them before.

I could make an educated guess, but I wouldn’t know for sure until I actually fought with them.

Karupedan and I walked towards the center of the celestial plane.

It was the place where a waterfall was coming down from a place far above, beyond my field of view.

No matter where I was in the celestial plane, I could hear the refreshing sound of water that was like a beautiful melody without equal.

That magnificence was in stark contrast to the cruelty hidden by it, but I suppose that the God of Water would be in a place like that.

“As expected of a God of Water, we’re heading for the waterfall?”

“Yep! They’re not able to leave there.”

“Are they a bound spirit or something? Despite this, they’re the strongest out of the six gods?”

“Yep. Well, they are under restriction of being unable to leave the place they reside at. However, the God of Water definitely is far stronger than the rest of the gods.”

“I’m surprised, you know? It would’ve made more sense to me if you said that the God of Life and Death was the strongest.”

“You’ll know when you meet them in person.”

“As expected, a vague answer.”

“Kehe. But you have already taken down five gods, so why would you be scared? Isn’t that so?”

“…..”

“Since you were born a human, the God of Water should be the strongest against you, right? Pfft.”

“Hm? It sounds like there’s a hidden meaning behind your words…. Is it just my hunch?”

“Dunno? Show me an interesting fight as before.”

“Poseidon? Samdasoo? ² Evian? ³ At least you should tell me their name. Unlike usual…..”

“Ah. Their name is Galima.”

“Guess you’re nervous with the thought of your death approaching? Making a mistake you haven’t before and all.”

“Is that so? Pfft. There’s still the biggest mountain left. We don’t know for sure.”

“Who was the one to say….. I have defeated five already, so what is one more.”

“Pfft. You won’t let me win once. Hurry and go. You just need to go over there.”

“Whew….. So be it.”

I noticed a small cave below the massive waterfall.

Karupedan had pointed there and told me that Galima was there.

With the water level coming up to my ankles, I felt cool.

It was a similar feeling to stepping into a river stream on a summer day, I suppose?

The scenery was beautiful enough to call it absolutely stunning.

It wouldn’t take long before it would turn into a cruel battlefield though.

While walking slowly towards the cave, I thought to myself.

I was thinking about how Galima would be the toughest god for me to face, since I am human, according to Karupedan.

So if it wasn’t a human facing against them, would they not be considered to be on the seat of number 1?

The first thing that came to mind was oxygen. Respiration, to be exact.

When fighting with the God of Water, the battlefield would probably be underwater.

And since humans absolutely needed to breathe, I couldn’t help but have that be the first thing that came to mind.

That was why I stood still in front of the entrance and took a deep breath.

“Huff.”

“Kehe. What are you doing? Are the gears in your head spinning?”

I could hear Karupedan mocking me from behind, but I easily ignored it.

Since my life was on the line in this situation, brushing off some ridiculing was a piece of cake.

As told repeatedly before, I was an existence far beyond the realm of humans.

That was why I couldn’t think in the field of norms like the rest.

“Kuha! It’s so embarrassing that I’m scared if someone will see this. Did you come to get drunk?”

“……”

It had been 10 minutes since I held my breath.

Stretching out my arms to my shoulder height and running around, I did everything I could to make my body need oxygen.

However, even if I did so, I did not feel any shortness of breath or my body slow down.

This meant that I was able to fight without any problems, even if I didn’t breathe.

I could only explain the breathing I’ve done so far as a force of habit.

For I was not fully human, demon, or a god, yet this came as a surprise.

With this, the most pressing worry had been resolved.

However, I continued to prepare myself for the possibility of something out of my expectations occurring.

“Huh? Aren’t you past the age of playing with balloons? How amusing.”

“Then why not give a proper hint. Or just stay put. Do one or the other.”

“Hup!”

With a smug expression, the Unrivaled Goddess pretended to block her mouth with her soft little hands.

Looking at that made me so angry that I wanted to flick her on the head.

But what she said wasn’t wrong.

I had made what was essentially a giant balloon.

Just like how I was carrying all those King’s Marbles with a sack made from mana, I had made a mana balloon filled with a lot of air from the celestial plane.

It was the last enemy and the strongest.

It was obvious that I had to give it my all to fight against Galima.

Other than this, I also tried to think of any other preparational measures I could take.

Unlike how I had been trading attacks and defending against my opponents to find out a way to defeat them before, I was trying to think ahead of time this time around.

This really was going to be the last after all.

Just like that, a lot of time passed while I was standing at the entrance.

Karupedan must have been annoyed by this already, as she was skipping stones on the water while sitting down in a hunched manner.

Looking at that, I couldn’t help but think that she was only but a small child.

Turning around, I walked towards where Karupedan was.

“Hm? Why? Are you still not ready yet?”

“Well, I guess you can say that.”

“There’s still a lot of time left anyways. You don’t have to rush. You can think of it as a brief respite.”

“Yep.”

“Hm….. What is that expression? It’s not fear. A little bit of curiosity and useless pity is what I think I see. Why? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“It’s nothing much. That place is underwater, right?”

“Eh? Did you ask, wanting an answer?”

“Well, I didn’t expect an answer, but I did hope for a mistake in wording at least.”

“You’re too honest…. That’s right. That place is underwater. That’s why you held your breath and also prepared a balloon, right? What you thought was correct.”

“Then what about the temperature of the water?”

“What? That’s…. You can go in and find out for yourself!”

“I guess you also can’t lie very well?”

“W…. What. I’m the Unrivaled Goddess! Have you forgotten?”

“Of course. I know so very well. This much is enough.”

“I don’t like it! Hurry up and get in there!”

“Sure, oh great Unrivaled Goddess.”

****

Taking a deep breath, I entered the cave.

Not only did I swallow a King’s Marble, but my mouth was filled with them.

My Mana Shield was also covering my entire body.

Similar to how I entered the portals back on Earth, the space around me shifted.

Since it felt similar to riding Warp or going through a Gate, I didn’t feel too unsettled.

Things were going as expected so far.

Galima’s territory that I entered was filled with water.

Below and above, the depths continued far beyond what I could see.

Since there was not a speck of light, the entire place was covered in pitch black darkness.

Using the power of the light that I had obtained from Lai Yanta to light up the area around me, I could see that the tunnel was connected to the rock face located around the center.

“Hm…. This has a lot of resistance to it to consider it as just water.”

There wouldn’t be this much resistance if this water was akin to what most people thought of when thinking about underwater movement.

It was true that movement would be slowed somewhat underwater, but it would be easy to overcome that with just the strength of being an Awakened.

However, it seemed that the water in this area was far thicker than the regular water.

To put it simply, it was similar to hair gel or cold soup that thickened?

Still, if I just moved my body with all my force, it wouldn’t be too much of a problem.

“Is that it?”

Condensing the power of light in my body, I emitted a strong light at once.

When I did so, the area was completely lit with light, similar to how a dark night sky had turned into high noon.

But despite all that, there was one spot that refused to be bathed in the light and kept its darkness.

It wasn’t as if that spot was the bottom of the depths or a crevice.

It was similar to a black dot on a white piece of paper.

I sensed that that was where Galima was.

“You won’t come out to greet me? Then I guess I’ll have to go find you.”

Since that spot was in my field of view, instead of using Flash or diving there, I simply used Warp to arrive there.

It was the perfect combination of light and darkness.

One more step forward was the darkness, and the light was present on the place I was standing.

Even though I was continuously emitting light, the spot right in front of me did not clear away and held onto the darkness.

Without a single moment of hesitation, I stepped into that area.

“Woah!”

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