Chapter 186 – Nightmares of Arpelgia (2)

Meanwhile, around the time Rough was dealing with Shud Muel.

Blundell, who had been entrusted with handling Shub Niggurath, was unleashing the Stigma of Void Poison Zone, annihilating the horde of Dark Young.

Fssssss…

The Dark Young touched by the Void Poison, which was practically the power of Annihilation, vanished without even putting up much resistance. Yet, even as they disappeared, the horde of Dark Young did not diminish.

Squirm, squirm, squirm, squirm—

As Dark Young entering the Domain of the Void Poison Zone vanished, Shub Niggurath was giving birth to new Dark Young to replace them.

‘This will go on forever at this rate….’

Scattering Void Poison toward the mother entity, Shub Niggurath, was useless.

Only the Dark Young overflowing on Shub Niggurath’s surface were sacrificed, while the Void Poison never actually reached Shub Niggurath herself.

‘How is something like this even possible?’

The consciousness of Lee Hanseong dwelling within Blundell couldn’t comprehend the situation before him.

Blundell’s Void Poison possessed the property of seeping into the very origin of records, dyeing them with the Abyss, much like the Void Lord’s Starlight Absorption.

At first, he thought Shub Niggurath’s ability to revive Dark Young was similar to Henrietta’s Clay Earth Reincarnation.

But he soon dismissed that speculation.

Normally, if something was annihilated by Void Poison, even Henrietta’s Clay Earth Reincarnation shouldn’t be able to revive it.

Yet, Dark Young kept being replenished…

‘…Does that mean the vanished Dark Young and the new Dark Young are separate entities?’

He had mistaken all Dark Young for being identical.

Upon realizing his mistake, he noticed something new about Shub Niggurath.

‘The number of Dark Young is being maintained exactly at one thousand?’

As a test, he deactivated the Void Poison Zone, halting the annihilation of Dark Young.

Slurp.

To maintain exactly one thousand—no more, no less—he could see the 1001st Dark Young being absorbed back into Shub Niggurath’s body the moment it was born.

At that moment, Shub Niggurath’s epithet flowed into Blundell’s mind.

‘The Black Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Young.’

The myth derived from that epithet was regulating the number of Dark Young.

Of course, if it were just a single myth, it wouldn’t have been able to block the Void Poison.

But Shub Niggurath’s Innate Authority was [Life].

A myth imbued with the Authority of Life was sufficient to block the Void Poison.

‘If I can’t reduce the number of Dark Young… then I can use that to my advantage instead.’

Having uncovered the secret of the Dark Young, Blundell changed his attack method.

Whoooosh!

He unleashed the Stigma of Void Seal, not to kill but to isolate the Dark Young in Void Spaces, gradually reducing their numbers.

It was an attack method that exploited the fact that they maintained one thousand.

—!$!#$^&#$!

Squirm, squirm, squirm, squirm—

The moment Shub Niggurath let out a bizarre shriek, the reduced number of Dark Young increased again.

The Dark Young trapped in the Void Seal had committed suicide by their mother’s Order, creating vacancies for new Dark Young to be born.

‘So sealing doesn’t work either.’

No, the sealing itself was effective.

The problem was that Shub Niggurath’s subsequent suicide Order was transmitted even inside the Void Spaces.

He just needed to block the Orders.

Blundell already had the ability to do so.

‘Void Shatter.’

Sssssss…

Blundell’s body, which had achieved the Void Return Constitution, merged with the Void Spaces sealed by Void Seal through the Stigma of Void Shatter, further reinforcing the seals.

If the previous Void Seal was a prison without a guard, now Blundell had become the guard, making the prison’s security even stricter.

Originally, Tartarus’s Identity was also strongly associated with that of a prison, so sealing was a method that suited Blundell well.

Whoooosh!

It didn’t take long for all one thousand Dark Young to be sealed.

However, unlike Shud Muel, who could become a True God because he was the ruler of the Chthonians, Shub Niggurath did not weaken even without her Dark Young.

Kwararararak!

Shub Niggurath’s tentacles writhed, pouring out the twisted Authority of [Life].

Nightmares were born from the Dream Threads touched by the tentacles, and countless materials sprang from space, transforming into grotesque lifeforms.

If he hadn’t been merged with the Void Space through Void Shatter, this life force could have even corrupted Blundell’s body, which had achieved the Void Return Constitution.

Drrrrrrrrr!

A massive life force battered against the boundaries of the Void Seal.

A storm of life force, attempting to give birth to life even from the boundaries of the non-material Void Space, swirled around Shub Niggurath.

If this continued, the moment it tried to affect the outside of the Void Space, he would conversely be affected by the opponent’s life force.

—When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss also gazes into you.

Rather, this was an opportunity.

If he could reverse-exploit the life force trying to affect the Void Space, Blundell could also affect the opponent.

Kreeeak—

He opened the Gate of the Abyss.

The moment Shub Niggurath’s tentacles plunged into the Abyss, darker than pitch black.

—Polarity Reversal, 《Void Gluttony》.

By reversing Void Shatter, it manifested as a gluttony-type ability that absorbed the opponent into the Void Space merged with himself.

He intended to use Shub Niggurath’s life force as a resource for his Promotion.

Fwaaat!

And as calculated, Blundell’s Species Transcendence began.

The Seven-Star Transcendent Species of the Darkness Constellation were demons, devils.

Blundell, who possessed abilities related to the Void, could be called a Void Demon.

The problem was that Shub Niggurath’s life force was an amount that couldn’t be digested by a single Species Transcendence.

Fwaaat! Bulge, bulge—

Multiple demon horns sprouted, and his species evolved again into an 8-Star Demon Lord, Demon Lord.

Even so, the undigested life force affected Blundell’s Stigma, causing Polarity Reversal to manifest in an unintended form.

Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwa!!!

《Void Flood》, the reversal of Void Seal.

Beyond the Void Space Blundell had merged with through Void Shatter, even the Void from other realms began to overflow through the Gate of the Abyss.

—…What?!

Lee Hanseong’s consciousness dwelling within Blundell could detect traces of an Outer God within the backflowing Void.

Slurp— Thud!

A terminal of an Outer God that had secretly infiltrated burrowed into Shub Niggurath, turning her into a Void God.

The life force she had been emitting was degenerating into Void, acting as a contaminant of the Outer God.

It was a crisis where not only the stars of the Wind Constellation, which included Shub Niggurath, but all the stars of the Twelve Constellations could be contaminated by the Outer God.

Perhaps that would have happened if Blundell weren’t the one facing Shub Niggurath.

—Polarity Reversal 《Void Prohibition》.

The Polarity Reversal he had envisioned since first obtaining the Void Poison Zone unfolded around Shub Niggurath, blocking the flood of Void.

The Void itself was purified and restored to the life force Shub Niggurath had been emitting before becoming a Void God.

Fwaaat!

And swallowing that life force again, Blundell, who had finally evolved into a 9-Star Arch Demon, Arch Demon, immediately activated the newly emerged Polarity Reversal.

—Gate of the Abyss Reversal, 《Gate of Truth》!

The Gate of the Abyss connecting the Void Prohibition imprisoning Shub Niggurath and the Void Space was dyed not with the darkness of the Abyss but with the light of Truth, flipping into the Gate of Truth.

Hwaaaak!

Shub Niggurath’s records touched by the light of Truth were inscribed with the Radiance of Truth, and the records that had been stolen by the Outer God were returning to their original state.

She was restored from a Void God back to the True God of the Wind Constellation.

However, Shub Niggurath wasn’t the only one affected by the light of Truth.

—Of all times, Existence Reversal?

Having reversed four Stigmas, Blundell met the minimum requirement for Existence Reversal, and his species was also reversed, flipping from an Arch Demon to an Arch Angel, Arch Angel.

His Void attribute was also reversed into Providence, rendering most of his Void-related Stigmas useless.

The only usable one was the Polarity Reversal of the Dark Age.

—Dark Age Reversal, 《Golden Age》.

Uuuung!

A Divine Domain sharing the same orbit as Lee Hanseong’s Golden Divine Realm unfolded.

Unlike the Dark Age, which creates the unknown through oblivion, the Golden Age realizes forgotten and lost things through enlightenment, recreating a golden age.

While typically an ability effective only for those who have experienced Divine Fall, it wasn’t without its uses for Blundell.

Chwararak!

The Transcendent Divine Artifact <Formless Sword Demon Armor>, which Lee Hanseong had bestowed as a Medium for past Historical Alteration, was also included among the things that could be recreated through the Golden Age.

Clack.

Blundell, wearing the Formless Sword Demon Armor, took a Half-Step and unleashed the [Formless Sword].

If the record of Sword Demon Gobhan, who possesses through the armor, also passes through the Golden Age, then for a single strike, he could be elevated to Apostle Rank.

It also meant he could use the Constellation Authority [Darkness].

And among the Authorities he could borrow using the Darkness Authority, the gluttony series, which he had some prior experience using through Void Gluttony, would be most suitable for Blundell.

—I’ll slash.

Schwick!

Borrowing [Gluttony: Gula] through the Authority of Darkness, the [Darkness Formless Sword], imbued with Fenrir’s [Twilight Orb] in the Authority of the Formless Sword, slashed Shub Niggurath.

Swoooosh!

The slash, combined with the God Slayer attribute of the Twilight Orb and Gula’s pure Gluttony, devoured Shub Niggurath’s Divinity.

As if swallowed by a black hole, with her being sucked into the pitch-black slash, Shub Niggurath could no longer be seen.

Since that single strike itself was practically an Apostle’s strike, Shub Niggurath, a True God, could neither resist nor evade it.

‘It’ll be useful until I become an Apostle.’

As Blundell inwardly nodded at the utility of the Golden Age.

The Feat of defeating a True God was settled, completing the Existence Reversal.

His species, which had been an Arch Angel, reverted to an Arch Demon—no, one step higher, to a Great Demon King, Arch Demon Lord.

Clack.

Taking one step further, as the discrepancy with Blundell’s record of becoming a future True God completely disappeared, he became the 11-Star True God Tartarus.

That was when Rough, who had slain Shud Muel, returned.

“As expected, you were victorious. Thank you. Thanks to you, I could focus on the underground.”

Nod.

In response to Rough’s words of gratitude, as if he had believed in him all along, Blundell silently nodded.

“It seems things are wrapping up above as well.”

The fight between Mirkala and Cthugha taking place in the sky above was also nearing its conclusion.

A moment ago, the Golden Age Blundell had unleashed tipped the scales of the battle.

From the start, the two True Gods had clashed with their full solar-system Authorities, and their consumption had been extremely rapid.

But when Mirkala, being an ally, was affected by the Golden Age and instantly recovered to her prime—that is, her full power—the battle rapidly tilted in her favor.

—Ah, that’s a good way to use the Golden Age.

Realizing this belatedly, Blundell understood the true utility of the Golden Age.

Temporarily manifesting higher-Grade power like just now was only possible for those who had experienced Divine Fall and was merely an exception and a shortcut.

The general usage of the Golden Age was in maintaining a prime state indefinitely.

No matter how injured or depleted, always remaining in a state of full power—Immutable.

Unless facing an opponent who could do something about the Golden Age itself, Blundell was invincible.

* * *

“Sigh— Haa, this girl has finally taken one step closer to the sun.”

A short while later, as Mirkala finished absorbing Cthugha’s Divine Blood after draining him, the battle in the Dream Fantasy World concluded.

By devouring the Divinity of the same kind, she could faintly glimpse the Sun Divine Domain.

It was no exaggeration to call her a Half-Step 12-Star.

“At this point, I think even if I fought Prometheus, I wouldn’t lose easily.”

“That’s not the case. You’re still not at a level to fight him yet.”

Rough, who knew that even a Half-Step 12-Star couldn’t defeat a full 12-Star Apostle, stated firmly.

“Then, just how long are you planning to hide in the dream?”

“Right now.”

“Huh? But you said it’s still too early to fight Prometheus.”

“Right now, there should be no problem going out.”

Saying so, Rough then withdrew the Dream Fantasy World and set foot back into the reality of the Arpelgia Continent.

The three True Gods revealed themselves on the outskirts of Prometheus’s ancient castle boundary.

It wasn’t Prometheus who greeted them as they emerged from the Dream Fantasy World.

“…He’s not here? I thought he’d come rushing the moment we appeared.”

The one who answered the puzzled Mirkala was Non, who had been waiting for them outside the Dream Fantasy World.

“If it’s Prometheus, there’s no need to worry. I’ve trapped him with the Sealed Heavenly Tribulation, so he won’t be able to leave his ancient castle for at least several decades.”

The moment the battle inside the Dream Fantasy World ended, Yog-Sothoth, Cthulhu, and Dagon, who had been blocking Non and Utangka’s entry on the outskirts of the continent, left as if they no longer had a reason to fight.

Thanks to that, Non immediately flew to Prometheus’s ancient castle and unleashed Utangka’s Great Void Heavenly Tribulation with spacetime attributes.

Confirming that the entire area around the ancient castle was sealed, Rough had withdrawn the Dream Fantasy World.