Chapter: 735
Luckily, it seemed there would be no unexpected separation from Jangsaeng.
“Here it is, Master…”
“Thanks.”
Jangsaeng, having understood my silent warning, willingly returned the black orb. I nodded in satisfaction while giving his head a gentle pat.
‘Looks like I’ve avoided a showdown with Jangsaeng.’
The black orb that Risianna produced from within her body was clearly the source of her power and a part of what was once called death—the part of Jangsaeng. If Jangsaeng had grown covetous of this orb, I would have had no choice but to regretfully handle him.
Even though in our children’s hearts, Jangsaeng was the solid 2nd pick, that only held true when he was harmless. If he devoured this orb and went back to his deathly days, there would be no reason to keep him around. My judgment in employing the bitter gods I once thought to kill or seal was based on the idea of safety.
Of course, since Jangsaeng had lost his divinity, absorbing the orb wouldn’t make him return to his dark god days—at most, it might just increase his size, physical strength, or recovery rate.
‘But still… who knows?’
However, safety comes from being fully prepared. Allowing everything due to his loss of divinity could lead to unexpected variables, so it’s right to block Jangsaeng from absorbing unnecessary powers.
This resolution became all the more firm after feeling Risianna’s malice. If Risianna, who possessed Jangsaeng’s shard, awakened into such a monster, how monstrous would the original Jangsaeng be?
So, I quietly patted Jangsaeng as he gazed at the black orb with moist eyes. Thanks to his abandoning of greed, everyone could be happy.
“W-why?”
Except for one person.
“Death! You should take this power, why are you giving it to the Apostle?!”
“Apostle?”
At Risianna’s outcry, Jangsaeng cast a fleeting glance at my face, chuckling softly as he muttered, “I’m not even capable of holding an Apostle, let alone a priest.”
“I-I know that! It’s because of the wicked Enen that Death has fallen to such a pathetic state!”
Such brutally straightforward words made Jangsaeng’s eyes twitch.
‘Pathetic and insignificant…’
Without realizing it, I looked at Jangsaeng with sympathy. No matter how small he had become, those words were a bit harsh.
I’d never said things like that to him, and yet the one who followed death hurled the harshest words.
“That’s why I’m giving this power to you, Death! So you can recover even a little, and regain the glory of death!”
“Stop it. What does it matter to cling to past glory? I’ve lost everything, and Enen has won. That’s all there is to it.”
At Jangsaeng’s indifferent response, Risianna’s face turned blank as tears streamed down.
I was shocked too. Clearly, when he had first been released from the seal, Jangsaeng had talked about challenging the world again, unable to forgive Enen, declaring himself the reigning death above all life. That overflowing ego and fury had lasted for quite a while, and he was one of the most troublesome of the holy spirits.
Yet now, Jangsaeng acknowledged his ruin and Enen’s dominance. Whether it was due to losing his will after returning the shard of power he’d grudgingly gained, or if he felt slighted by Risianna calling him “pathetic and insignificant,” I couldn’t tell. Perhaps, playing with the kids had softened his edge.
But in either case, who cares? The fact that Jangsaeng was becoming gentler was the important part.
“Did you hear that?”
Thanks to this, it was the first time I could genuinely smile since I met Risianna.
“The god you believe in is no more.”
“A-agh…”
“The power’s well received. The terrifying recovery and the corpses covering the land are now tales of old.”
“No, noooo!”
At my confirmation, Risianna began to wail while pounding the ground.
“No, no! Death would never give up! As long as this world exists! As long as life exists! Death is an eternal being! It is the truth!”
“It seems you’re a bit too obsessed.”
“Only death can take care of all souls! Bestowing equal mercy upon all souls and not tossing them into the flames of hell for heresy! Truly noble and impartial!”
By now, Risianna had collapsed on the ground, flailing her arms and legs like a five-year-old throwing a tantrum. It felt oddly amusing, especially given her size was no bigger than a finger.
“Your Eminence.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
Watching that scene, I spoke to the Cardinal. No matter what we said to Risianna now, it would be pointless; we needed to do our part.
“The Four Kings have extricated their essence. Their peculiar recovery will likely be gone by now.”
At that, the Cardinal’s gaze shifted toward Risianna.
“Since the Four Kings was once the former Cardinal of the Sect, how about we let the Sect finish her off? It would feel rude of me, the one who hid the Four Kings, to take her down myself.”
“Thank you for your consideration.”
In response to my proposal, the Cardinal lightly nodded, then approached the still-crying Risianna.
The end of a being that had once shaken the continent 800 years ago and almost plunged it back into crisis was rather anticlimactic.
*
The second meeting was in progress.
“She isn’t dying, huh?”
“Yeah, it’s strange.”
The meeting reason was still that Risianna didn’t die.
‘Unbelievable.’
With her waist sliced by the Cardinal, Risianna was still weeping, still blubbering despite having her chest crushed.
In the face of Risianna’s state, neither Tannian, the Cardinal, nor I could help but let out breathy sighs.
“For now, her recovery is gone. She won’t die, but she also won’t recover.”
“Her spirit… not sure about that. She hid it completely in front of us, hard to say, but I feel no spirit since that orb popped out.”
I nodded silently at the two believers’ testament.
It was clear Risianna’s abilities had drastically diminished. There was no more recovery that let her reform even when shattered to bits, and the spirit that was a part of her identity was also no longer perceptible. Most likely, the abilities to create dungeons, or revive corpses, had disappeared alongside.
What remained was merely her immortality, once befitting the name of the Four Kings.
‘What a pain in the neck.’
Letting out another sigh, I pondered. It would have been better if any other ability remained rather than just her immortality. If immortality remains, there’s nothing but trouble.
No, honestly, I couldn’t even be sure if her other abilities were lost. The chances of her deceiving us aren’t slim either. While we sit back, a ‘Gotcha, Enen’s dogs!’ could mean a sudden dungeon-spawning trap.
“Of course she isn’t dying. Her physical body was dead from the start.”
“Huh?”
“From the moment she embraced death, that existence became something other than life. The body isn’t holding the soul; rather, the soul resides in the body. So what’s the use of tearing the body apart? For the soul, the body is merely clothing.”
The real issue was that this was clothing that couldn’t be removed.
As soon as Jangsaeng added that comment, the mood grew even graver. To summarize, unless we hit her soul directly, or unless she casually tosses her soul away, nothing will change.
“But she just expelled death, didn’t she?”
“That existence has changed its very species. To return to human just because she spat the fragments now would be far-fetched. Can you make refined steel back into iron ore?”
‘So, she’s kinda like a banshee now?’
Listening to the conversation between Tannian and Jangsaeng, I redirected my gaze back to Risianna.
An entity that throws away its body and roams as a soul. So, it seemed Risianna was not someone who could be physically harmed, but rather could torment her opponents at will.
“Is there any soul-exorcism magic among your spells?”
“There’s a blessing that wishes for the peace of the soul, but…”
That was an unfortunate response, and I made an exaggerated brushing motion.
For the time being, Risianna was not truly immortal. She was conditionally immortal, meaning she needed her body wiped out before she could be fully obliterated. Given her current state, we had merely attacked with physical damage.
Yet, what on earth does it mean to kill the soul? The Sect seemed to know nothing in that realm either. Do we even sprinkle salt on her?
“Perhaps sealing her with a spell might be most appropriate?”
“If we stimulate the body with the spell for no reason, what if her spirit escapes? Ideally, the spirit should be sealed along with her, but since there’s no precedent, we can’t be certain.”
“If we buried her physically or tossed her into the sea—”
“What if she dug herself up or swam back to shore?”
Even the future saint and the Cardinal of the Sect couldn’t produce a suitable response.
Experiencing these first-time scenarios was troublesome. It’s impossible to predict what side effects will emerge when one tries to deal with the situation simply.
“Jangsaeng.”
“I’ve never been in this situation before. If all my followers were like this, I wouldn’t have lost to the Dawn Sect.”
He was right—I had nothing to counter that.
Let’s be honest. How many people have absorbed the very essence of a god rather than just borrowing it? And that god in question was the wicked god of death.
‘…Is this really the only way?’
At this point, we had no choice but to resort to the ultimate method.
*
Suddenly, Kal arrived by himself, who usually came with the kids.
He must have had some urgent matters that would be difficult to share with the children, so I discreetly rose.
“What brings you here? You look a bit gloomy.”
“Sir, I apologize for intruding, but I have something important to ask.”
“Why would it be impolite to ask now? Speak comfortably.”
With that, Kal took a deep breath, treading carefully to open his mouth.
“Do you happen to know the way to kill a soul?”
“…Huh?”
That was unexpected, so I narrowed my eyes and looked down at Kal.
“A soul?”
“Yes, um… recently, a being called the Four Kings was resurrected, and to completely eradicate it, we need to deal with the soul—”
“Got it. No need to say more.”
Upon hearing the mention of the Four Kings, everything clicked into place.
So, they already subdued the Four Kings and figured this much out? As expected, there was no need for me to intervene.
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