Clack! Yeon-woo felt the last of the Giant Godâs legend filling his soul. His body suddenly felt like it had become bigger. No, to be exact, he was simply regaining the power he temporarily lost.
However, although it had only been a few hours, the time Yeon-woo spent without his power felt like an eternity. It was probably because the words of the Giant God still echoed in his earsâthat he was still human. Those words were deeply engraved in his heart.
âBut I feel lucid.â Yeon-wooâs mind was more awake than ever, like someone had splashed him with cold water. It was as if he was suddenly released from tight binds that bound him.
âYes. I was human.â Yeon-woo once again became certain of his identity. Although many things had happened and he had gained divinity, even if he had gone through many obstacles to get here, he realized he was human in the end. Always left wanting and longing for family and friends, Yeon-woo was human.
âWhat a cute little mess youâve caused.â
Yeon-woo turned around to see the being who chilled the heated air with his sudden appearance. Yeon-wooâs injured body was done recovering, and magic power gathered as aura at his fingertips.
The Death King was looking at Yeon-woo with a face of disbelief. He had come as soon as possible after the Hoarder summoned him, but all that greeted him was boiling magma. The twisting turns of the antâs nest were all blown away as well. He couldnât even begin to imagine how large an explosion it had been. The caves here mustâve been durable enough to hold up no matter how much divine beings beat at it.
The Death King wasnât a fool, and he knew Yeon-woo was the one behind this. The fact surprised him even more. When he first saw Yeon-woo, who seemed to be just a little rat, he never knew heâd grow to swallow the others in that short time.
âI see.â The Death King thought it was impossible, but he soon realized how. âAre you our origin?â Annoyance laced his voice. âBut all of us were missing something⊠How come I donât see that in you?â
The Death King was furious. He and the other legends were fighting because they wanted to. If only they had complete memories and identities, they wouldnât have tried to kill the other legends to fill what they lacked.
In the past when they were in the Tower, they hadnât fought like this although they were divided into hundreds of separate beings. Rather, they had cleared through the stage much easier than others. Because they knew precisely who they were, they were quick at making their decision. However, they werenât able to do that here, so they had to find themselves until the end. If only they knew their own namesâŠthey wouldnât have had to go through this.
The Death King couldnât help but feel angry that Yeon-woo had a complete memory and identity just because he was their origin. He was jealous of him, an envy that came from not being able to have what he wanted.
âNo. Sorry, but thereâs no such thing as an origin.â But Yeon-woo just shook his head.
The Death Kingâs face crumpled. âWhat kind of bullâŠ!â
âThe legend of being human. I think that was mine.â
ââŠ?â The Death King frowned in confusion, but Yeon-woo just looked at him with eyes void of emotion as if he had no reason to respond. The Death King didnât like Yeon-wooâs lax attitude, but he swept his hair to the side as he tried to maintain composure. âFine, whatever. Since things ended up like this, everything will be solved after someone becomes the final victor. SoâŠ!â
The Death King suddenly broke off mid-sentence because Yeon-woo began to explode the aura at the tips of his fingers. Crash! It was a strike that couldnât be ignored. Pow pow pow! Now that Yeon-woo had swallowed the Giant God, who possessed the domain of fight, he wasnât an easy opponent.
The Death King extended his shadow to deflect the attacks and shouted angrily, âYou dare interrupt me when Iâm talking?!â
âIf youâre trying to offer an alliance, I refuse. I never work with people who have a history of stabbing others in the back.â Yeon-woo soon approached the Death King and attempted to slice his neck with aura. The Death King had a disbelieving expression, but he prepared to attack upon realizing Yeon-woo couldnât be persuaded.
Just when shadow and aura were about to clash, the two stiffened.
[The legend of the âGiant Demonic Divine Dragonâ has been deleted!]
[The legend of the âSupreme God of Olympusâ has been deleted!]
ââŠ!â
ââŠ!â
âWhat? Whoâs died? The king of gods was acceptable, but the Giant Demonic Divine Dragon, who has been among the strongest, has diedâŠ?â Questions ran through the minds of Yeon-woo and the Death King, and they reached the same conclusion. They knew the last legend had appeared!
[The âAlternative Ego of the Black Kingâ appears!]
Darkness began to stain the ground following the system message. It was a thick abysmal blackness. Yeon-woo and the Death King quickly flew up upon seeing the darkness that wouldnât allow anyone who touched it to escape.
Keekeekeek.
Itâs food. Something to eat.
Hurry and come here. Play with me. Come inside my stomach and play.
The evil intent and thoughts exuded from the darkness made them dizzy simply from looking at it.
âDamn it! I was wondering why I didnât see him yet!â Yeon-woo realized that was how he wouldâve looked after he had finished his destiny as an executor. The legend looked exactly like the many egos of the Black King had seen in the abyss, the Demonisms. Only greedy instinct remained after they lost themselves when they became a tool for the Black King to use.
The being in front of Yeon-woo and the Death King was like that too. Just as the being had swallowed the Giant Demonic Divine Dragon, he seemed to plan on swallowing Yeon-woo and the Death King as well.
âI thought the Giant Demonic Divine Dragon would provide some resistance. I suppose it was too much.â Yeon-woo clicked his tongue. He guessed the dragon mustâve had his limits without the motivation to do anything.
âWhat in the worldâŠ!â On the other hand, the Death King was shocked by the Alternative Ego of the Black King. Gods and demons alike exuded their energies. Even âemperorsâ emitted some sort of aura, but nothing could be felt from the creature in front of him. Moreover, the creature was different from the other Demonisms he knew. The ego felt like a great wall⊠No, like a swamp that couldnât be resisted.
The Death King was so shocked he couldnât defend himself when Yeon-wooâs aura came exploding from behind, swallowing him like the Giant God. As it swept through the Death King, the aura reached the Black Kingâs alternate ego.
Crash, crash, crash! Krrrrr, rumble!
Ticklish.
Youâre tickling me!
Stop and come inside my stomach. You can get along with your other friends!
Of course, the attack didnât affect the Black Kingâs alternate ego in the slightest, just itching a ticklish spot. Rather, the creature acted more ferociously, as if he was enjoying Yeon-wooâs resistance.
However, Yeon-woo didnât think he could defeat the creature with his current state. He had to absorb any remaining legend and needed the time to combine the fragments!
[You have retrieved the legend of the âThrone of Death!â]
[You have successfully retrieved the âThird Piece!â]
âŠ
[All fragments have been retrieved!]
[You have completed the quest!]
âŠ
[You are being rewarded with âLiâs Light.â]
Fwoosh! Yeon-woo could feel a golden light shining from himself. The light was a different power than anything he had.
âThis isâŠthe Heavenly Demon.â Yeon-wooâs eyes widened. âThe Heavenly Demonâs powerâŠ!â The light of truth that overcame all darkness and created the universe warmly embraced his soul.
Play. Play with me!
At that moment, the Black Kingâs alternate ego dashed up and ate Yeon-woo. Gulp. The sound of something being swallowed rang out in the air.
* * *
Keekeekeek!
I ate it. I ate it! I ate it all! Now Iâm the real ###!
But.
What is this? Why is nothing coming up?
Why donât I know my name yet?!
As countless thoughts buzzed like a cluster of flies, the Black Kingâs alternate ego was flustered. He had swallowed the last remaining legend, Yeon-woo, but nothing was coming up. Because the creature only had instinct left behind, he couldnât help but have the greatest desire for an identity. The ego was frustrated because he still didnât know anything.
âHeâs gone mad with anger.â Yeon-woo slowly opened his eyes inside of the Black Kingâs alternate ego. All he could see around him was a thick darkness. But it was familiar to him. He felt like he was meeting an old friend. This was where he had fought countless Demonisms and won in the end.
The creature mustâve thought he could melt Yeon-woo in the abyss after swallowing him, but the being was now faced with an unexpected standstill.
âI didnât even need this.â Yeon-woo laughed in disbelief as he looked at the golden light still surrounding him.
[Liâs Light]
[Rank: Immeasurable]
[Description: The Fire of Origin. This is the first spark that was created when the universe was born. It will shine the light on your path whenever and wherever.]
Yeon-woo understood why this light was given to him. Even if he was surrounded by many legends, as long as he didnât lose his identity, heâd have the chance to counterattack. At the same time, he understood why divine beings had balked from this light so much. Like the Giant God had said, gods were beings who walked alone. They needed to create their own paths.
But Liâs Light illuminated their paths for the gods. From then, they wouldnât be worthy as divine beings. A god who couldnât walk his own path and was guided by others was no longer a god. It was why the divine beings had instinctively avoided retrieving the fragments, and mortals had wanted them to be shown their paths.
On the other hand, it was useless to Yeon-woo, who had only wanted the power the fragments would give him. It was just a tool to clear this quest. âWell, since I think Iâm starting to understand what Li is, I guess itâs not meaningless.â
The power that was opposite from his power of the Black King was a bit strange. Feeling the odd sensation, Yeon-woo spread apart his hand.
[The skill âHadesâ Spirit Eating Swordâ has been created!]
Then, dark lumps appeared along Yeon-wooâs palm and sharp canines were revealed. It was time to go back out.
âDevour.â Yeon-woo rammed Hadesâ Spirit Eating Sword into the abyss.