Chapter 213

Chapter 212 – Reception – 1

“……Really?”

Lize pulled my head into her chest, tilting her neck back. My view was upside down. Lize was looking down at me intently with her head lowered.

I felt the gaze filled with shock all around. Everyone here, except for me, had the same reaction. Meeting a god was no trivial matter worth discussing.

“You think I’d lie about something like this? I might get cursed by the gods for doing that.”

“That’s true, but…”

Lize trailed off. The reason the popes were so persistently demanding me was beyond comprehension, almost concerning.

If this method doesn’t work, they would try anything to take me to their kingdom.

“How on earth did you meet? Start with that.”

Aurora, who was clinging to my right arm, suddenly leaned in. Another face appeared next to Lize’s.

“Well…”

I plunged the wingless nightmare into the neck of the root demon. The blade that entered the right side tore through its insides, poking out the left side.

A wave of recovery washed over me as I kicked its body away and pulled out the sword. The root demon fell back, crumbled from the impact. The remnants of what was once a root seeped down into the ground.

For now, that thing was the last one. I turned my body. The wingless nightmare was still ablaze with black flames.

Lucifer continued to gaze at me with his singular eye.

Time was short for a one-on-one. Another enemy would pop up soon. I had to do everything I could while I had the chance.

Even as I slightly bent my knees to prepare to dash forward, Lucifer did not move. I didn’t know why, but it was beneficial for me.

‘……?’

Just as I was about to stomp the ground, I felt something watching me again. Instinctively, I paused. For some reason, it felt like something I shouldn’t ignore.

Lucifer was still standing in place. It seemed he had no intention of attacking me at all. The only attacks I had endured were a few spear thrusts.

‘Now that I think about it, I think he had been like this since I first felt something in the sky.’

Did the creature that devours the world order him not to kill me?

‘……What is that?’

A huge red silhouette appeared in the sky. The surrounding colors darkened, and as the colors intensified, scales began to form something in the air.

A vertical pupil.

It was a familiar eye, one I could never forget or allow myself to forget. It was impossible not to recognize it after confirming it right in front of me.

Before long, a shape resembling just one piece of the dragon’s eye was completed, hovering nearby in the air. The clearly defined pupil was gazing at me.

‘What is this……?’

While I was filled with shock, Lucifer suddenly prostrated on the ground, bowing his head as if in prayer. I was completely disregarded.

It was clear the uneasiness I felt earlier was because that thing was watching me.

Now the question remained: why was it doing this? When I met in the imperial palace, it came flying directly; why now?

The eye that appeared in the sky looked significantly larger than the imperial palace at a glance. If that was the true size of the creature that devours the world, what was it I encountered before?

Fortunately, despite the confusion, my mind was still calm. More than fear of this situation, I began to think about how to deal with it.

Of course, no method came to mind. How could I kill something with one eye looking larger than the imperial palace? My sword would be little more than a toothpick.

‘……’

The standoff lasted a considerable amount of time.

The red eye floating in the sky only stared down, taking no significant action, while my mind was tangled with all sorts of thoughts, and Lucifer stayed frozen with his head bowed.

How much time passed in this state? The first to act was the creature that devours the world. The red vertical pupil embedded among the scales got closer to the ground.

Then, a thought struck my mind.

ㅡThat human……..

Simply the thought resonating within me stirred up a much fiercer surge of blood, and the red hue of the sky grew unbearably intense. The colors of the sky and the river merged indistinguishably.

I thought of blocking my ears but quickly remembered that it would be pointless, so I lowered my arms. I was fine earlier, so I’d probably be fine again. Surely my head wouldn’t explode.

ㅡThe reason for the goddess’s intervention……… I understand………

I decided to let that creature talk to itself. No matter how much I asked, it wouldn’t reveal anything.

Fortunately, this monologue was somewhat short. After blabbering selfishly, the creature suddenly spoke again.

ㅡHuman…… make a suggestion……

I responded in confusion.

“A suggestion?”

ㅡThat belief of yours…… direct it towards me……

“……What do you want me to do?”

ㅡSoon…… the god will perish…… it is a meaningless belief……

“What do you mean by perish-”

Before I could wrap my head around the situation, a powerful divine power erupted, coloring everything around me white. It was divine power, so my eyes weren’t blinded at all. Thanks to that, I could take in my surroundings.

The river of blood that had been boiling like lava evaporated completely. The sky that had been blood-red turned as clear as the blue sky’s daylight, like a starry night. Day and night began to coexist in the sky.

The barren land, once stark dry, transformed into lush nature.

Grasses drenched in dew sprouted, and in the place where the river of blood flowed, clear and transparent streams flowed like glass. Trees grew densely, forming a thick forest.

A breeze carrying the mixed scent of earth and grass blew through. I could hear the tweet of birds. Hell had suddenly transformed into nature.

It was clear who had done this. The master of this amazing divine power that had appeared before me.

‘……Is this the god of the holy kingdom?’

I’d never seen the pope in full force, but no matter how powerful the popes are, it would be extraordinarily difficult for them to transform a space created directly by Lucifer in an instant.

Then, there was only one choice left.

I tried to get a closer look inside. But the light mass made it hard to do so. The light didn’t blind me; it was as if the light itself was physically enveloping my body.

ㅡYou’ve come this far…… that human…… was your inverse……..

“Shut your mouth.”

ㅡIs this the last struggle of a wretched loser?……

“I said shut your mouth!”

A roar burst out. My voice trembled with anger, differing enough in tone yet unmistakably familiar.

It was undoubtedly the voice that had said it wasn’t time yet in the holy kingdom.

The light spread, crashing space into space. Something was chaotically intertwining, causing destruction that surpassed human cognition. Even though I was watching it with my eyes, it made no sense.

ㅡThe fury of the powerless…… is meaningless……

This time, emotions were conveyed along with the thought. It wasn’t just that the tone could be inferred; the very feelings that the creature had just experienced were directly delivered within the thought itself.

The incoming emotions were mockery and derision.

Even though the light mass quivered, that was all there was to it. Despite the clear feelings of mockery and derision contained within, it merely fell without a sound, unable to offer even a slight rebuttal. It clearly indicated the gap in power.

ㅡListen…… human……

The voice of the creature that devours the world turned to me again.

ㅡYour existence…… is interesting…… I am intrigued…… a special human needed by the goddess……

“You mustn’t listen to that.”

With those words, I received the confirmation of what the light mass actually was. The light mass urgently tried to deny that statement.

ㅡSo…… serve me……

Lucifer was soon to extend another recruitment proposal.

ㅡA mere human…… infinitely small…… a meaningless struggle…… cannot change anything……

“You can change many things. Just ignore them.”

The goddess’s voice grew more desperate.

ㅡIf you serve me…… you will need nothing…… only…… waiting…… that is all……

“While that is not false, it is also not the truth. Of course, it’s fine to wait. Because the world will perish.”

I already knew. Lucifer had told me. He said the so-called “salvation” was about devouring the world and destroying it.

“I need you. Absolutely. But that is merely talk for curiosity’s sake. I am different from you.”

I had no intention of accepting the proposal from the beginning, but I was curious why it so desperately wanted to draw me in. I glanced at the vertical pupil floating in the sky.

It was a movement no bigger than a grain of sand compared to its size, yet the creature that devours the world seemed to comprehend it and extended its thought.

ㅡThe last struggle of the goddess…… completely trampling that…… would be… very interesting…… and satisfying……

“Look at that. Going down there, the future seems pretty set, doesn’t it? Don’t be deceived. It’ll only lead to your death.”

ㅡEven being beneath you…… it will be so…… insignificant…… weak being……

The gap between the creature that devours the world and the goddess was overwhelmingly large. Despite it constantly mocking me, it could muster up no rebuttal at all.

I kept my mouth shut until the end. Taking my silence as a rejection, the eye floating in the sky began to dim.

ㅡTime…… is running out…… once the absorption of the other worlds is complete…… only one shall remain……

Before long, the pupil completely disappeared. The blood-stained sky was colored with both day and night, reaching the horizon’s end. The creature’s last thought resonated.

ㅡGrasping at destruction…… is a meaningless act…… engrave that in your mind……

Then, as the thought faded, a horrifying scream echoed. Lucifer, who had been bowing his head on the ground, began rolling on the floor, screaming.

Of course, the king of demons couldn’t withstand the divine power directly emitted by the god of the holy kingdom.

The light mass approached me, seemingly indifferent to Lucifer’s suffering. It looked as though it wanted to let me burn slowly in the divine power as it drew near, but I still couldn’t see its form.

“I’m sure you have many things you want to say and many questions you want to ask. I fully understand that feeling.”

“Yes. Quite a lot. You know very well. First, let me ask this. Are you the god of the holy kingdom?”

“If not, what would I be?”

“Then are you part of the sun or the moon?”

Based on color, it looked like the sun, but seeing the night sky along with the moon made it a bit ambiguous.

The light mass hesitated for a moment before giving a completely unexpected answer.

“You may think whatever you like. That’s not what’s important right now.”

Golden and silver light enveloped my hands.

“First, the information I can provide is limited.”

“…Why?”

“Because your physical body cannot sustain it. Why do you think the pope possesses such powerful abilities? It is to enable you to accept my voice without harm.”

“What about the conversation we are having now?”

“Is this not the process of reaching the truth of the world?”

The light mass seemed to have smiled gently. The truth of the world, huh? Was the question that serious?

“Currently, the questions you can endure with your physical body are limited. I will only answer that.”

Hearing that made me feel quite strange. Adding on “I don’t want to lose you” made it even more peculiar.

Regardless, feeling strange was one thing; I still had to ask what I needed. I turned back towards the light mass.

“What about?”

“About the cute little witch next to you.”