Chapter 188 – The Moment the Last Human of Arpelgia Disappeared

The one who newly set foot in Dreamland was Gobhan.

And not just any Gobhan, but the Black Ogre Lord Gobhan from the fixed history of Henrietta, at the moment he would meet his death at the hands of Azathoth.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!

Gobhan, who had been swept into the ‘Boiling Vortex of Chaos’ that was restraining Azathoth and died immediately upon entering Dreamland.

For a moment, he was taken aback by the sight, but soon understood the situation.

Before Non and Mirkala set foot in Dreamland, it was a time when Gobhan hadn’t even been born yet, so why had Gobhan already appeared?

The reason was simple.

Time flowed differently inside Dreamland and outside.

And the vortex of chaos caused by Azathoth must have further widened that time difference.

Outside, Henrietta’s era, which should have been separated from Rough’s era by over a decade, must have arrived.

‘No wonder my unconscious mind, having experienced infinity once, instinctively wanted to deal with the Seed of Void outside Dreamland first.’

It seemed his subconscious had foreseen this time difference.

While he was grasping the situation, time outside Dreamland flowed on, reaching the point where Henrietta’s fixed history ended.

Naturally, Lee Hanseong’s consciousness also split and inhabited Henrietta, who was outside conquering the continent with her monster legion.

‘Hmm… the time difference is fluid.’

Being simultaneously conscious of both inside and outside Dreamland, he could understand how the time discrepancy worked.

Originally, time inside Dreamland flowed faster than outside.

A few seconds outside corresponded to several hours inside, something like that ratio.

But this time, only a few seconds had passed inside, while over a decade had passed outside.

It seemed some other factor was at play.

And what that factor was, was obvious.

‘That Boiling Vortex of Chaos is the problem.’

The now calmed and subsided ‘Boiling Chaos Vortex’ that had swallowed Gobhan had reversed and greatly amplified the time difference between inside and outside Dreamland.

Originally, Gobhan, who should have been behind Non and Mirkala, should have crossed over from the boundary of Dreamland, but he appeared directly in the center of the vortex because the Boiling Chaos Vortex had distorted space.

This distortion of Dreamland could only be Azathoth’s will.

After all, Dreamland was ultimately inside Azathoth’s dream.

Meaning, the Boiling Chaos Vortex could reappear at any time.

Blink.

Sure enough, Azathoth’s eyeball blinked again, and the Authority of Dream Creation activated.

From the moment Atlach-Nacha’s web was touched, Azathoth’s eyeball had been watching this side.

But just because this was the opponent’s dream didn’t mean it was only disadvantageous.

“In this place, the Boiling Vortex of Chaos shall not exist.”

Clank!

After all, Rough’s Authority held an Attribute Advantage over Azathoth’s nightmare.

Swoosh.

By establishing a new Law through Order Establishment, the emergence of the newly appearing Boiling Chaos Vortex vanished as if it had never existed from the beginning.

This prevented the time difference with the outside from widening like before.

Moreover, since he had roughly discerned the precursor to Dream Creation, it seemed he could prevent the occurrence of any phenomenon other than the Boiling Chaos Vortex, as long as it was within the range of Rough’s ability.

―!@#@$%&$!

The problem was True Gods like Atlach-Nacha.

With Rough’s [All-Purpose Restraining Rope], the limit was blocking Azathoth’s Dream Creation, and even that wasn’t perfect.

Koo-goo-goo-goo-goo-goo!

From deep within Dreamland, True Gods of the Wind Constellation were swarming.

Not only Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, and Dagon, whom he had fought before, but even Shud Muel, Shub Niggurath, and Cthugha, whom he had already killed, had resurrected and appeared.

“……?!”

Ripple―

However, upon entering the range of the All-Purpose Restraining Rope, unlike the True Gods who had returned alive, the figures of the already dead True Gods appeared slightly blurred.

‘They were fakes manifested through Dream Creation.’

If that was the case, dealing with them was easy.

“Corpses, return to where you belong.”

Squelch.

Blundell’s [Boundless Hell Path] opened a chasm-like rift like a mouth and swallowed the fake True Gods.

Being mere Illusory Forms that could only exist in dreams after death, they couldn’t resist the Abyss’s gravitational pull.

Still, Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, and Dagon remained and were approaching.

Leaving Atlach-Nacha, who was continuously spewing webs to bind this side, to Mirkala, he next deployed Non’s [Limitless Unfathomable].

“What confidence brings you forth, having fled before.”

Having fought them once before, he had already figured out how to counter their Authorities.

Kwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa-gwa!

Divine Artifacts with Attribute Advantage over Yog-Sothoth’s bubbles, Cthulhu’s tentacles, and Dagon’s scales were Refined and poured down like a torrential rain.

Since he had previously overlapped with Utangka, the attack was designed anticipating the addition of the Great Void Heavenly Tribulation from the [Primordial Heavenly Tribulation] as well.

Drip-drip-drip-drip-drip!

Cthulhu and Dagon melted like ice cream as they were tainted by the Great Void.

Only Yog-Sothoth barely managed to pull its body towards Atlach-Nacha using its spacetime Authority, but it wasn’t unscathed either.

It only retained about 30% of the bubbles constituting its True Body.

―!@$%@%&%@%$!

But the moment Yog-Sothoth joined Atlach-Nacha.

Chwa-ra-ra-ra-rak!

The Authorities of [Binding] and [Spacetime] linked to form a kind of barrier.

It was a barrier blocking entry and exit from Dreamland.

It seemed they intended to bind Non and Mirkala within Dreamland.

“Time in dream and reality shall flow the same.”

Since it was a barrier based on spacetime Authority, there was a possibility of messing with time again.

So he immediately used the All-Purpose Restraining Rope to establish a new Order linking the time of Dreamland and the Arpelgia Continent, but.

Oo-oo-oo-ong!

It was insufficient to completely block the Authority of Yog-Sothoth, who specialized in spacetime.

However, it wasn’t a situation where the opponent’s Authority could block this side’s Authority either.

Tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu-tsu!

Under the conflicting Orders of two Authorities with equal qualifications, Dreamland was momentarily bounced out of the record.

Without external intervention, events could no longer progress.

* * *

With the viewpoint now reduced back to just Henrietta, Lee Hanseong focused on her history.

Thanks to Mirkala having dealt with not only vampires above Nosferatu but also Mythological-Grade monsters entrenched across the continent, there was nothing to immediately stop Henrietta’s legion.

Although the highest Star Rank monster within the legion was still only 6-Star.

A legion of monsters infinitely resurrected through Clay Earth Reincarnation and continuously evolving through Adaptive Evolution could kill even Transcendent Species.

Moreover, with the record of Henrietta, who had become a True God, inhabiting it and even gaining the Stigma of the Mythological Genealogy Tree.

Now her legion could transcend its original limits and be reborn not only as Transcendent Species of 7-Star and above but even as Mythological Species of 9-Star.

The start of that evolution was, of course, her first child, Gobhan, and the first wolf she tamed, Alpha.

‘Thanks to seeing the records of the parallel world, I already know the evolution route.’

Since Sword Demon and Fenrir became Apostles in the parallel world thanks to Henrietta.

Recreating that here wasn’t difficult.

“Gobhan, Alpha. It’s time for you to be reborn anew.”

“Yes, Mother.”

“Woof. Understood.”

Gloop—

Knowing the answer, he immediately activated Clay Earth Reincarnation. The black slime of Clay Earth enveloped Gobhan and Alpha, forming cocoons.

“The remaining children, go gather the Achievements needed for evolution.”

Meanwhile, the monsters continued to spread across the Arpelgia Continent without pause.

It was to gather the Achievements needed for reincarnation into Mythological Species.

The land where the Clay Earth legion passed was covered in black clay, and the creatures there were also reborn as members of the legion from the Cradle of All Life.

Squelch-squelch.

First, Alpha’s cocoon opened.

Alpha, who had evolved from a 2-Star Alpha Dire Wolf to a 6-Star Lycanthrope Lord, was reborn through this Clay Earth Reincarnation as a 7-Star Hati, an 8-Star ‘Moon-Swallowing Hati’, and then beyond the 9-Star Skoll to a 10-Star ‘Sun-Swallowing Skoll’.

By pouring in not only Achievements but also the reverence of the Swarm belonging to Clay Earth, he completed his Divinity in one go.

Flash.

―Awooooooo!

Alpha, opening his eyes in his new body, looked up at the sky and howled.

It was a roar that swallowed the sun.

With the sun being swallowed by Alpha on a continent already darkened by Clay Earth’s erosion, the Arpelgia Continent was now truly no different from a demonic realm.

Natural creatures could no longer be born, and only Henrietta’s Clay Earth legion increased in number.

Only the Domain hidden by the Path of the Fairies remained free from Clay Earth’s erosion, but even that place could no longer be an exception.

“…It’s still not enough. More Achievements are needed for Gobhan to awaken.”

Gobhan, who had been a 6-Star Lesser Demon, had completed within his cocoon the bodies of a 7-Star Demon, 8-Star Demon Lord, 9-Star Arch Demon, and 10-Star Arch Demon Lord, but still hadn’t awakened.

It seemed he intended to complete the Synthesis of Opposites within the cocoon and be reborn as a True God.

As the Achievements needed for Gobhan’s new body became insufficient, Henrietta deliberately included the Path of the Fairies, which she had left untouched, as a target for erosion.

She hadn’t touched it until now because she didn’t want to bestow the Blessing of accepting into her Clay Earth Cloud Boundary the humans who had rejected her in the past.

But for Gobhan’s sake, she could endure that level of displeasure.

Of course, whether those eroded by Clay Earth would feel it as a Blessing was another matter.

“The black wave is coming! We’ll all become monsters!”

“P-please, save… gurgle.”

Under the wave-like surge of Clay Earth’s expansion, the human villages located within the Path of the Fairies were eroded one by one.

At first, there was only terror.

But as humans who had been reborn as legion members through Clay Earth Reincarnation, retaining their previous personalities and Identities, appeared, the atmosphere changed.

“Huh… it’s better than I thought?”

“My, my arm… it grew back!”

“My body doesn’t hurt anymore.”

People with missing body parts had them Regenerated.

People suffering from diseases Adapted to the diseases through Adaptive Evolution and recovered.

Moreover, upon learning through the Swarm consciousness the system of Clay Earth Reincarnation that allowed resurrection even after death, more and more opinions arose that being part of the legion now was better than before.

“Let’s let others feel this Blessing of eternal life too!”

“Let’s do it!”

Humans eroded by Clay Earth spontaneously headed to other villages to spread the erosion without Henrietta even having to give orders.

Thanks to this, it didn’t take long for most of the humans existing in the Path of the Fairies to become part of the legion.

The reason it was most, not all, was because not everyone willingly joined the legion.

“I will never become a monster!”

Among the few humans who luckily avoided the flooding wave of Clay Earth, some remained unyielding even to the persuasion of humans who had already become legion members and didn’t stop fleeing.

Of course, most of those people also encountered the Clay Earth legion while fleeing and were forcibly incorporated into the legion.

But an extremely small number reached the center of the Path of the Fairies and could avoid Clay Earth’s erosion.

This was because Henrietta, wary of Azathoth in Dreamland, had forbidden the Clay Earth legion from approaching the center of the Path of the Fairies, which bordered Dreamland.

Still, if Gobhan’s Achievements had been insufficient, she would have expanded the erosion to the center of the Path of the Fairies even at the cost of touching Dreamland, but it wasn’t necessary.

Fortunately for the fleeing humans, Gobhan had awakened from his cocoon.

Squelch.

Gobhan, who had become 11-Star with the Identity of Demiurge, an Identity he had once borrowed, precisely split the cocoon enveloping him in half and emerged.

It was a cut utilizing the Heart Sword.

Clank— Clank—

Gobhan, clad in full-body armor forged by condensing, crystallizing, and refining Demonic Qi, looked exactly like the Sword Demon Lee Hanseong had seen in his dream.

“Please call me Sword Demon from now on, Mother.”

“Understood. Gobhan… no, Sword Demon.”

After Gobhan’s reincarnation, peace came to the Arpelgia Continent.

Except for the sealed ancient city of Prometheus and the center of the Path of the Fairies where Azathoth slept, everywhere else was eroded by Clay Earth.

Flora and fauna with low or no Star Rank were born from the Cradle of All Life to replace the existing ecosystem.

High Star Rank monsters of the legion accumulated Achievements through various life activities like hunting, combat, crafting, and construction.

Part of the Achievements accumulated by the legion spread across the entire Arpelgia Continent gathered back to Henrietta, coiling around her in the form of Clay Earth.

Gloop-gloop—

As the surplus Achievements increased, the coiled Clay Earth gradually grew taller and wider, eventually swallowing Henrietta’s lower body.

She looked like a being with a human upper body and a serpent lower body.

However, Henrietta was still 6-Star.

‘If Henrietta, the center of Clay Earth Reincarnation, begins Clay Earth Reincarnation to transcend her species, the control over the Clay Earth legion covering the continent will inevitably be temporarily disrupted.’

She intended to gather enough Achievements for a single Clay Earth Reincarnation to reach 11-Star at once like Gobhan and digest the Identity of Gaia that her future self had attained.

Pre-promoting Gobhan and Alpha was also in preparation for that defenseless moment.

And one day, after time passed.

Henrietta, judging she had accumulated sufficient Clay Earth, entered Clay Earth Reincarnation.

Splash—

Immediately after, Henrietta’s control over the Clay Earth covering the continent wavered, and the halted erosion resumed.

“In the end, it’s come to this…!”

The moment even the last human of Arpelgia, who had flowed into the center of the Path of the Fairies, was swallowed by Clay Earth.

Squelch.

From the spot where the last human disappeared, a being who looked like an ordinary human but absolutely couldn’t be one appeared, nonchalantly trampling the rampaging Clay Earth.

The Apostle of the Clay Constellation, Adam Kadmon, had Manifested.