#261
Tag (3)
The day when the saint and the holy maiden returned in a hurry.
Hatyanus II exchanged words with many people, raising doubts if he was indeed the one who had been secluded for so long.
He caught up with Liesta, whom he had not seen for a while, reminisced with those he had connections with, and offered blessings to his students, whom he had rarely met.
As a result, many people naturally began to visit the Pope’s residence, and the long-awaited lively atmosphere returned.
And that evening.
He lay down on his bed, tired in front of a small group of high-ranking officials, including the holy maiden…
“Hoo hoo hoo, then I’ll be here first, so everyone take your time.”
With that brief remark, he quietly fell asleep, as if drifting into eternal rest.
A gentle smile lingered on his lips.
However, despite such a large event, the sorrow that spread within the shrine was not as great.
It was the same for Saint Liesta, who had remained calm throughout the day.
She did wipe away tears for a moment, but quickly regained her composure and stepped forward to bless the Pope’s new journey.
‘Well, it’s only natural since it’s the largest religion on the continent and the high ranks are basically fanatics.’
For the deeply devout, death was not the eternal end; it was merely the beginning of a journey toward the Holy God.
Even if they mourned the immediate separation, there was faith that they would meet again in the embrace of the Holy God later.
As the funeral proceeded in a serene atmosphere, Heinrich recalled the Pope’s secret message.
The kind voice that was conveyed only to him, so that even Liesta beside him could not hear.
‘Well, it wasn’t anything grand. It was just one word.’
Just a single word.
[Permitted.]
That was the divine message from the Pope just before his passing.
‘What am I supposed to do with just that…?’
A deep sigh escaped him unknowingly.
Of course, he could roughly guess why it was so ambiguous.
It was merely dubbed a divine message for convenience, but to speak more accurately, it was likely a subjective interpretation of a complex and vast will so that humans could understand.
Even that was only possible because the Pope’s soul was slowly breaking free from the confines of his body.
For instance, as a saint of the Holy God, didn’t he still feel no significant difference from the beginning?
‘Right now, it wouldn’t matter to be overly concerned. Anyway, permission to permit something isn’t necessarily a bad thing.’
Whether it was in reference to causing disorder on the continent, selling the Holy God’s name everywhere, or even regarding a long stay in Auterica, he was unsure.
In a way, it could even be interpreted as a permission not to care anymore, so it was welcomed on this side.
Now, slowly—.
Another big event was approaching.
*
Kuhuhuh— This is absurd. I was wondering why I couldn’t find it no matter how thoroughly I searched.
With the eerie laugh of Undead King Hans, the surrounding atmosphere shook violently.
He was on one of the spires of the Undying Castle.
It was a site set up for a summit to track down his medium.
No way it was hiding at the boundary of the Abyss. That place is an environment where living beings cannot possibly endure.
That location, where the army of the undead also lay dormant, lacked air or warmth, and was a chaotic realm where time and space were mixed.
In fact, even the undead would struggle to move or think in such a world.
I thought it was an unusual fellow, but this is beyond my expectations.
However, being admirable was one thing, and that meant necessary adjustments to his plans.
He had deliberately gathered all the officers of the undead army to prepare for this. But…
Unless they can manipulate the Abyss like me, having everyone else around would only be a burden. Going alone might be better.
Hans, soaring from the spire, let his glowing eyes blaze.
In fact, even if he went alone, it wouldn’t be a problem.
He had failed to deal with the revolutionary simply because he couldn’t find his hidden location, not due to the fellow’s power.
No matter how strong that fellow was, could anyone possibly match the Undead King?
Yet, the reason he had prepared so thoroughly was merely an ambition for a more assured resolution.
No matter what anyone said, that fellow led numerous calamities that turned the world upside down.
At this point, delaying any longer would be a meaningless waste of time.
After having briefly pondered, Hans made his decision and immediately took action.
Prepare for battle and stand by.
He would ensure readiness for any contingencies, but would initially go alone into the boundary of the Abyss.
However, he did not forget to stockpile the Abyss Revenants made from the bodies of the Awakened on Earth, following Salma.
With these things packed full of the Abyss, maybe there’s hope. Even if they can’t be used inside, they could be quite helpful if that guy runs outside.
Having finished his preparations, he immediately headed for the scar of the Abyss nearby.
Having made his decision, there was no reason to hesitate further.
Found it.
The traces of a crack detected by Hans’ keen senses.
It had been dormant for a long time and was tightly closed, but for Hans, who could handle the power of the Abyss, opening it was not too difficult.
A thick pitch-black energy wafted from his fingertips, stretching out and taking shape.
Then, the sharp Abyss cleaved the air.
Zzzt—
In an instant, the gap tore open wide.
An ominous darkness roiled and churned, looking ever so chaotic inside.
Kuhuk, this is quite interesting. Now, shall I go catch that annoying bug?
As he quietly observed it, Hans without hesitation thrust his body into the void.
Wiggle, wiggle—
The gap writhed incessantly as he entered.
However, within moments, it began twisting here and there before quickly restoring itself, vanishing into thin air.
As if pretending that nothing had ever happened from the start.
*
There were various reasons Hans could throw himself into the unknown realm within the crack without hesitation.
First, he believed there would be no big issues if he could directly manipulate the Abyss, and more importantly, if something abnormal occurred, he could just release the summoning.
Hmm, what is this?
He had thought that he might need to invest considerable time searching for the fellow in here.
But he realized he had overlooked one thing.
Twisting time and space. It’s everywhere and nowhere. If it weren’t for the Abyss, it would have been quite troublesome.
Hans surrounded himself with the Abyss to stabilize his presence and looked around.
In this extraordinary space where coordinates twisted and phases altered even while standing still, it was practically impossible to find someone here.
Oh— this… I can use this.
Had there not been a sure destination, the environment would have felt like an endless ocean when he didn’t know where to go, but with a clear guidepost, there was no easier place to be.
Taking out a finely vibrating metal piece, Hans stared at it quietly.
Then he took a slow step forward—.
To the location he desired.
He arrived in an instant at the very spot where the revolutionary was located.
Alright, this is like a freebie… huh?
Huh?
But just then, an unexpected sight caught his eye.
I hope I’m not somewhere wrong… But that surely looks like the Seed of Madness.
Crack— Crack!
As he calmly assessed the situation, a chilling sound flowed into his ears.
Before him, a huge, white creature was busily munching away during its meal time.
Indeed, it’s the White Giant. This is unexpected.
Both the eater and the eaten.
No matter how he looked at it, they were the same.
He had thought the invasions were quiet for a while, but they were engaging in internecine strife right here.
Wait, that size…?
While that was going on, he noticed something strange and tilted his head slightly.
At first, he thought it was due to the warped perspective of this space, but even after using the Eye of the Abyss multiple times to confirm, it was undeniable.
The size of the eater was about 1.5 times larger than that of the eaten.
… No matter how I look at it, the one being eaten doesn’t seem small. Typically, a Giant is about 30 meters tall…
About 45 meters.
By rough estimates, it was no different from a 15-story building.
Furthermore, unlike the previously ordinary Giants, this one boasted the physique of a trained warrior, and its massive bulk and muscle displayed an overwhelming intimidation simply by existing.
But that wasn’t the end of what gnawed on his nerves.
The enormous amount of ‘madness’ dwelling within him, and from the creature emanated…
“Phew, I never expected you to come here… Indeed, it was you, Undead King.”
The face of the fellow, whom Hans had been observing closely, turned towards him.
With pitch-black eyes reminiscent of the abyss, the giant gazed at him, curling his lips in a grin.
Eyes, nose, mouth, ears.
Not a single seal was visible anywhere.
Are you that revolutionary spawn? Quite an unexpected form you have there. Did you use the Seed of Madness to take on the flesh of a Giant?
“Fuhuhu— How is it, Undead King? Isn’t it beautiful? I am the perfect human meticulously crafted by the god of humans, the new humanity of this world!”
Human god…?
The moment Hans pondered over that unfamiliar term, something that had settled deep in his consciousness after being attacked by the White Giant began responding to the abundant energy of the Abyss surrounding him.
And when the fragments that he hadn’t managed to collect in time intertwined among themselves and transformed into a single piece of information…
He could finally realize.
The giant before him, self-proclaimed revolutionary, had brought about such chaos until now.
Hah! This is absurd. Are they both the god who fell to the Abyss and its progeny?
“Fuhukuh— You wouldn’t understand. Just how did you sneak into this world! Our creator and father is suffering at the bottom of that frigid Abyss, so as children, how can we remain still? Oh— Holy God! Forgive this inept creature!”
Boom—!
As the giant rambled on, his thunderous voice ignited the nearby space, causing it to distort.
Then, the immense energy contained within it began to spread out, consuming the surroundings.
Hmm.
Nonetheless, even before that momentum, Hans simply tilted his head in silence.
He was busy contemplating how to respond to the babbling one who was certain he was from another world.
However, that contemplation didn’t last long.
… Wait, does it even matter? I’m going to wipe it out right here anyway.
Realizing that whatever that guy rambled about held no significant meaning.
So, he decided to just take it easy and openly stab at him.
Oh— That means, am I considered someone from another world?
“Ah? You plan to hide it? There’s no use; I already know everything. This space maximizes their authority. It’s impossible for me not to recognize you standing so close!”
A divine authority.
Thanks to that, he gained another piece of information.
Although he still didn’t know precisely what it was, it was clear the fellow possessed some kind of special ability.
While he sorted out his thoughts, the giant… the revolutionary chuckled derisively, grinning wide.
“Kuhuhuh— How arrogant of you, Undead King. Would you let yourself be distracted by a few words and give me time?!”
Crack—
With a loud noise, the giant’s muscles bulged.
Indeed, as he said, the energy flowing from him and his body had stabilized significantly compared to earlier.
He had been revealing various pieces of information, apparently using that to buy time to digest the consuming giant.
You’re mistaken about one thing.
Hmm?
However.
Hans hadn’t merely left the fellow alone because he hadn’t noticed.
It was simply that— he judged it better to prioritize gathering information rather than exterminating him straight away.
Because…
It changes nothing, anyway.
He and that giant were definitely not equal.
Even if he bought just a little more time, the outcome wouldn’t change.
Of course, the energy he harbored was nothing to scoff at…
But that’s relative to the opponent.
A despair descending upon the continent, the fear of the living, a manifestation of death.
Let me show you the difference in tier, hybrid.
The self-proclaimed strongest of Auterica, the one who rules over death in this world.
Wraaaah—!
The death that exploded out of Undead King Hans.
Covered the chaotic world and swiftly engulfed the encroaching territory of the foe.
