Chapter 153

A long time since I’ve been surrounded like this.

Objectively speaking, it’s a pretty dire situation. Likely the most dangerous one since I entered this world.

But it’s strange.

My heart is pounding, yet my mind remains calm.

As I focus on the lances rushing toward me, my thoughts drift back to the past.

To the day I truly held a sword.

I remember realizing the importance of ‘acquisition’ to strengthen the skeletons, and impulsively seeking out mercenaries affiliated with the Wizard’s Tower.

“The secret to exceling in close combat? Hmm, aren’t you a magician? You’ll just be supporting from the back anyway, so you don’t need to bother learning from someone as insignificant as me, right?”

“Understood. Understood. Alright, I’ll teach you.”

“Absolutely, never close your eyes. You lose if you’re afraid.”

As long as your eyes are open, you have a seventy percent chance of survival.

That was an unnamed mercenary’s advice, and I didn’t dismiss it lightly.

Reflecting on those days, I open my eyes wide once more.

Right ahead are still the trio of High Priests.

In the sky, the chainsaws created by Ice Shift slash chaotically, and the elite priests beside me spray poison.

Front, back, left, and right.

I am completely surrounded, but within my clear line of sight, there it is.

The priest sweating profusely, frozen in fear, in that right-side alley.

That’s the way out.

A swift kick sends him exploding before he can even say “No,” and I rush into the alley, lunging straight into the enemy.

Geomho-ryu Quick Swordsmanship

Streak of Light, Piercing

Natural momentum shifts it into a throw.

The demon thrown from my hand impales all the enemies in front of me.

No time to rest. Let’s keep moving.

Immediately after pulling the demon back, I leap into the sky. A magic circle appears beneath my feet, and with it, I ascend onto the rooftop to continue my run.

When I think about it, this was also something I learned.

Running.

“What is the first virtue of a knight? Swordsmanship? No. Chivalry? Haha, it is important, but no.”

“The first virtue of a knight is stamina.”

“The moment a knight stops moving while wearing this heavy armor, the armor becomes his coffin.”

A stopped knight is a dead knight.

I learned this while I was deeply into battle techniques and chasing knights around.

He was a retired royal palace knight. Looking back now, he was quite strong.

By the way, this gentleman also said that to feel nature’s mana, feeling it with bare skin is best. Thanks to him, I wandered around n*ked for years, earning the nickname “Pervert” before I became known as the Demon Lord and monster.

Run.

Faster. Further.

Until my breath reaches its limit.

I charge straight, carving a path through the enemies.

If there’s an enemy,

Slash.

Smash.

Crush.

Until the cries of “Stop him!” turn into desperate screams of “We can’t stop him!!” I continue to eliminate enemies while moving forward.

“Barroom fighting. I’m the expert in barroom fighting. Now listen. The most important thing in barroom fighting is targeting the weakest one first. Oh, the fancy term for this is… Oh yeah. Bullying the weak. Bullying the weak!”

“Take them down one by one, starting with the weakest. Once you eliminate the weakest, the next weakest becomes the weakest one. Keep going up like steps, and eventually, even the head becomes the weakest.”

“Fear is the best weapon.”

“…”

The image of the Mercenary King grinning with yellow teeth comes to mind. He was a bit mentally impaired but genuinely kind-hearted.

So, let’s use fear.

While continuing to move, I gather information. The skeletons’ information points out the weakest targets.

Finally, I wave my cloak ‘Comrade.’

The moment the swirling cloak covers my body,

My vision flashes as I appear in the sky.

Among those currently attacking me, the weakest and most useless ones. Time to deal with the Archangels first.

As if clinging to the Archangel’s back—

Switching my demon to a dagger upon climbing onto his back, I press the blade to his neck.

And the moment the blade touches his neck, nearby Archangels’ backs become the summoning grounds for skeletons mimicking my actions, daggers in hand.

Geomho-ryu Flash Swordsmanship

Guillotine

Puushssssik—

A unit of Archangels lost their heads and plummeted.

Let’s stir up more chaos.

Since I have more than enough sacrifices, I gather all the screaming entities from the alternate dimension and drop one hell of a big thing.

The magic circle detaches from my hand, rising above the clouds.

Moments later…

A meteor pierces through the clouds and crashes down.

Meteor (Modified)

Although smaller than traditional Meteors, its destructive power is nothing lacking.

Kwaaaaaaaaah-!!

An explosion engulfs the area, turning one side of the city into ruins. That towering structure over there, was that Tokyo Tower? Anyway, the tower collapses helplessly like a melting ice cream.

During that time, I ride on a skeleton and descend back to the ground, continuing to run. Cutting through the thick smoke, I casually harvest the heads of confused enemies.

Then, sensing danger from behind.

Kneeling down, I roll to the side.

Kuuuung-!!

The spot where I was just standing sinks deeply. Then, through the cloud of dust, a woman charges forward.

High Priestess Johanna.

“Infidel!”

After evading her here and there, I’ve finally been caught by this annoying one.

Of course, compared to the Barbarians, she doesn’t even qualify as annoying. They’re the real fools I’ve ever encountered.

“Master Demon Lord, if you thrust your chin forward—”

“Your shoulder will protrude.”

“If your left leg tilts at 4 degrees—”

“Your right leg is exposed.”

“When you strike downward with your sword after 0.3 seconds—”

“Your neck stiffens.”

“Haha. Fighting is always right. Winning or losing is not important.”

“When the opponent gets irritated, it’s always thrilling.”

The Barbarian Twins, gifted with divine bodies.

Contrary to common belief, Barbarians are not foolish.

These two, more intelligent than they appear.

Using the superior senses derived from their superior physique, they analyze and dissect their enemies.

Sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell… What? Don’t ask how to use the sense of taste. It’s creepy just imagining it.

Compared to the Barbarian Twins, this High Priestess is nothing more than a mediocre individual holding a good weapon.

“d*e!”

Her mace strikes down.

Knowing I’ll get hit but allowing it. When humans attack, they’re at their most vulnerable.

‘The twins would’ve deduced the trajectory…’

I simply kicked her elbow with my foot.

Grunting as her mace swings away, I threw a punch through the gap.

A perfect counter.

This punch will definitely hit.

Unless… there’s outside interference.

“Sister!”

Naturally, the voice comes.

Time twists and bends.

And I’ve been waiting for this moment.

“Ah… Demon Lord, where do you keep your manners? What time is it to suddenly come and fight me…”

“The simplest way to counter reality manipulation is to observe reality. After all, even manipulated reality is reality.”

“Wait a moment. Why am I explaining this to you?! Ugh… I’ve been had. Every day without fail.”

The expression of the Saintess grumbling in frustration comes to mind. She once joked about exacting revenge sometime in this life, but it’s not likely she could.

Nonetheless, having pierced through reality manipulation, I can certainly handle time manipulation.

Observing from a detached distance.

Like a ghost watching myself, I approach reality from a third-person perspective.

The High Priestess’s time accelerates.

Facing my punch, she smirks slightly, her time flowing rapidly.

I sneak aboard that flow, grabbing a dagger and plunging it into the neck of the fully armored High Priestess.

Phuuk!

“Cuuhk?!”

“Sister!”

The leading High Priestess collapses, upsetting the equilibrium quickly.

They must recognize this since they immediately attempt to provide healing.

Though I’ve pierced her neck completely, one cannot predict what a fanatic might do. Better to eliminate her while I can.

I pick up the demon, and predictably, holy flames descend. Every single one a flame born from the sacrifice of life.

Its destructive power is top-tier.

But so what if it’s that strong? It’s monotonous.

Honestly, it’s the truth. The three were troublesome together, but individually, they’re surprisingly weak.

Giant summoning.

The shadow beneath me reveals the upper torso of a giant.

As the giant holds a sword formed from Apocalypse, the enemy trembles in an epileptic-like fit and cries out.

“Brother Amith!”

Time manipulation unfolds again.

Since they can’t manipulate me directly, they’ve applied the time manipulation to the space between me and them.

Are they stupid?

Even though it’s already been broken, they can’t let it go.

Perhaps they truly believe this to be the power of the gods. That they’re trying their prayers with a faint hope.

In which case…

“On the battlefield, if you have ‘maybe,’ your endeavor is already a failure. It’s because you lacked certainty.”

“Lack of certainty leads to d*ath. The battlefield is such a place.”

Words of the teacher.

Thereby, your deaths are justified.

“You’re not the only one who can touch the world, fool.”

“!!”

Though unable to manipulate time itself, I can restore twisted manipulations.

Reversing time manipulation.

If they proceed in the order of A, B, C, D… then I counter by reversing the sequence to Z, Y, X, W…

The enemy’s pupils quake, cold sweat streams down their face, and their lips mumble incantations.

“A-Arch Angel-sama.”

Hmm, as suspected, it’s a prayer.

At this moment, the enemy’s fate is sealed.

“Farewell.”

The giant’s sword, previously slowed by the spatial obstruction, regains its speed, and the enemy looks to their god in disbelief before collapsing.

Additionally, the one pierced through the neck alongside.

Kuuuung-!

“…”

It’s eerily silent. Just watching the greatsword stab silently as red bl**d flows down, all I can think is, ‘They’ve died.’

“Y-Y-Y-You!!”

“You’re not running?”

The High Priest’s body quivers.

“You! You’ve ruined everything! With just a little more time, I could have completed the cleansing! If I had done so, this land could have been truly redeemed…”

“Cut the cr*p. You see human lives as less than fly lives—what kind of redemption is that?”

“You monster…”

“Be quiet. You’re wasting energy.”

Just d*e already.

The giant’s greatsword descends.

The High Priest, regaining their senses, evades as holy flames fire, but I wasn’t planning to k*ll them with that.

“Even your corpse is wasted.”

“!!”

Black Magic Summoning

Void Abyss Worm

The space behind where the enemy dodged splits open as sinister tentacles writhe out.

“Ghghggh! The tentacles seize the Priest.

As the priest tries to use the holy flame, a magic missile from me severs their fingers.

“Ghaaah!!”

The severed finger rolls along with the ring, signaling the end of their most powerful tool.

They thrash about trying to escape, but the tentacles do not let go.

“Long time no see. Doing well?”

The tentacles wave.

It’s somewhat of a gesture, eliciting laughter from me.

“You’re a bit damaged, but still good enough to eat.”

“Eat,” with a single word, the Void Abyss Worm, resembling a playful puppy, takes the High Priest and disappears into the void world.

Kiieeeeek.

“Aaaaaaaaah-!!”

As the space closes, thus the High Priest’s fate is sealed.

Now the only one left is that cowardly guy, right?

While flicking my fingers, I say,

“I know you’re watching. Come out, cowardly wretch.”

At that moment, a dazzling light bursts forth, revealing a radiant figure.

Porcelain-like skin, snowy white hair, clad entirely in white…

“No matter how I look at it, that’s not human, right?”

If my eyes aren’t deceiving me, that’s not human.

Due to curiosity, I peer intently as the Archangel begins to speak.

“Human, you are remarkable. You truly have the qualification to serve me.”

It starts with nonsense. That if I serve, I’ll become the firstborn and enjoy all the wealth and glory…

“Hmm, surely that’s dog talk.”

Why are you spouting nonsense?

Actually, there was something else that had been catching my curiosity since earlier.

“Let me ask you one question.”

“Permitted. You qualify.”

“Qualifications are not determined by you. What’s your connection to Gigant?”

“…”

Though they shut their mouth, their eyes subtly tremble.

That’s fear. A primal kind of fear.

“Alright. No need to speak. Asking Gigant will suffice.”

“Insolent…”

The Archangel erupts with anger. The halo shines brilliantly, encasing the surroundings, as the Guardians and Archangels unfurl their wings and surround the figure.

“A self-proclaimed guardian hiding behind minions.”

“Human, even now…”

“Shut up. I’m losing momentum.”

It makes one look bad. I feel self-loathing for even trying to capture such a trivial opponent.

I shouldn’t have even bothered speaking. Let’s finish quickly.

Kaaang-! Kicking my foot hard against the ground, the clouds hovering in the sky darken, obstructing the sky…

Moments later.

Plunk— Plunk— Plunk-plunk-plunk—

Red, sticky, and disgusting droplets cascade down.

Not water. It’s bl**d.

bl**d is raining down.

That is not a cloud, but a prison containing my sacrifices.

Groans of the dead fill the air, dominating the space as they desperately cry out to be killed.

The preparations are complete.

Since the Captain cheated, I’ll summon my side as well.

“Come forth, children.”

Breaking through the space, my ‘bodies’ appear.

Right Arm

Baphomet

Manifestation

“Master, these ones again?”

Left Arm

Asura

Manifestation

“…Offering… many… Processing…”

Right Leg

Chimera

Manifestation

“I’m hungry. I’m hungry. I’ll k*ll. I’ll k*ll.”

Left Leg

Fenrir

Manifestation

“Heh heh.”

My bodies align beside me.

Behind them, the skeletons stand with the Dragon Armor ‘Comrade’ billowing. Finally, the actual body of the Giant appears, observing from above.

“Trample.”

It’s time for the slaughter.

*

On the side, amidst the collapse of Tokyo due to the fight between two transcendent beings,

An elderly man walks through a forest at some distance away.

However, something is odd.

As he walks past the trees, the old man begins to change.

His slightly hunched back straightens up, the silver hair turns black, and the porcelain-white skin transforms into the yellowish hue common to the people of this land.

This transformation proceeds steadily as he walks, culminating in the final appearance of an utterly ordinary young man, about twenty years of age.

Having completed his transformation, the young man gazes toward Tokyo from a certain point in the forest.

Amidst the chaos, monsters spewed out late from the Red Gate arrive, and flames sh**t up.

“Beyond calculation. How could a human shatter a divine rank?”

That’s correct.

The identity of this existence is the Pope of Celutis.

And simultaneously, the first War Armor of Gigant.

Alpha.

“Establishing Omega was a brilliant decision.”

The wary Alpha always prepared a substitute, and that was none other than his doppelgänger ‘Omega.’

“Profit and loss calculation.”

Electronic circuits furiously rotate.

The d*ath of more than half the High Priests is a loss.

Gaining divine rank for half of them is a gain.

Overall evaluation.

“Profit.”

The average amount of divine rank obtainable from human lives alone makes this event sufficiently profitable.

“Reestablish Celutis, and that’s all there is to it. Evaluation period. Seventy years.”

A duration that doesn’t require artificially extending lifespan with obtained divine ranks. Alpha smirks and turns around.

Just then.

Triiiiiiiim—

The ringing of a bell.

Surprised, Alpha.

Suspended motionless for a long stretch.

Then,

Triiiiiiiim—

The bell rings again.

Alpha looks down at his chest. The sound originates from the exact center of his chest, the area around the sternum.

There lies Alpha’s core.

Alpha presses his chest.

Tiriririm, the winding sound of an old telephone mechanism resonates, and communication connects.

– …What is this, so slow? Hey, you hear me?

“Who is this?”

– Who’s this, you ask? The one who broke your puppet.

“Park Ki-hyuk?”

– That’s me. How do you just leave without even saying goodbye? Hmm?

Alpha asks, tense.

“How did you access my system?”

– That’s easy. To be honest, it turned out that I already knew about you.

Park Ki-hyuk offers a smug laugh and then drops the conclusive word.

– Al. Pha. The one who ran away from Gigant. That’s you, right?

“…”

– Wow, I heard you’re alive from Gigant but didn’t expect Celutis to be your creation. You’re talented.

“On the contrary, I’m amazed that you’ve uncovered my true identity.”

– That’s praise, I suppose. Thank you.

But.

“Nothing changes. I will disappear now. You won’t catch me, and I’ll survive much longer than my allotted lifespan.”

– Oh? That’s disappointing.

“Enough with the wordplay. Farewell, human.”

Alpha cuts the communication.

His body trembles despite nearly erasing all human emotions. Just a moment ago, he felt a hint of fear.

Almost like meeting his creator, Gigant. Though impossible, the sensation was genuine.

The plan must be adjusted. It might be better to lay low as long as Park Ki-hyuk lives…

“I acknowledge, Park Ki-hyuk. You are a very dangerous human.”

At that moment, a voice comes from behind.

“Tsk, tsk.”

“!!!”

Turning around, there stands a skeleton. A skeleton cloaked in black smoke.

As the flesh begins to grow,

The muscles enliven,

Organs settle in place,

And all becomes complete.

What stands there in the end is Park Ki-hyuk. Park Ki-hyuk grinning broadly.

“Caught him?”

The giant’s hand seizes Alpha.

And everything ends.

The Tokyo situation.

Celutis.

Alpha’s freedom.