Chapter 98 – Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord

Swoosh.

The Heavenly Demon Medallion slipped out from his pocket on its own, floating in the air as it began to emit a brilliant starlight.

Seeing this, Jang Wei’s eyes widened, and he knelt on one knee, paying his respects.

“Heavenly Demon Descends, Ten Thousand Demons Bow!”

The grade of the starlight emanating from the Heavenly Demon Medallion rose endlessly, without any sign of stopping.

The overwhelming grade of the Black Knight, which had been at 10-Star, paled in comparison as the expanded grade dominated the surroundings.

Thud thud thud thud thud!

The starlight that had been pouring out soon transformed into a human figure.

A face that no one living on Earth could fail to recognize.

The form of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord, Dokgowol, which he had seen once as a stone statue at the Crossroads of the Scales, now stood before him.

However, the aura he exuded was incomparable to that of a mere 4-Star Stone Golem.

—It’s a projection at the level of a True God.

It seemed to be the same type of projection that Mirinae had occasionally manifested.

But its grade had reached the 11th Star.

‘This is the Apostle of a 12-Star, one of only two on Earth…!’

Lee Hanseong exerted all his effort to stiffly raise his head, which was instinctively bowing under the pressure of the True God’s grade.

As someone born with the same Great Vessel, he didn’t want to submit.

Even if he showed respect to the other party, it had to be by his own will, not because he was forced to yield to their grade.

The Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord’s gaze pierced through space, looking down at Lee Hanseong through the projection.

[You have proven your qualification to become the master of the Heavenly Demon Medallion through Hundred-Man Slaughter.]

The projection of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord spoke with an intrigued tone, as if he had grasped the entire situation with just a glance.

It seemed that the trial of the Heavenly Demon Medallion, which was originally supposed to last a full month, had ended early due to his success in Hundred-Man Slaughter.

“Does that mean… I am now the master of the Heavenly Demon Medallion?”

He forced himself to speak toward the projection, whose presence was so overwhelming that it could erase the existence of everyone else present from one’s mind.

Even uttering a word would have been impossible if the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord hadn’t allowed it.

That was how vast the gap between the projection and Lee Hanseong was.

[Indeed. Speak your wish as the master of the Heavenly Demon Medallion.]

The Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord mentioned the wish granted to the master of the Heavenly Demon Medallion.

However, it wasn’t that any wish would be granted.

Wishes like asking for infinite wishes or wishes impossible even for the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord were naturally out of the question.

Even if it was a wish the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord could grant, if not stated precisely, it could be fulfilled in an unintended way, like the cautionary tale of the “monkey’s paw.”

What wish he made could be considered the final trial of the Heavenly Demon Medallion.

“I…”

Staring intently at the projection of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord, who awaited his answer, he requested what he, or rather, Mirinae, needed most at that moment.

“I wish to obtain the Myth-grade ‘Fragment’ that has recently begun appearing in the Underground.”

The <Fragment of ■■>, which he had also obtained as a reward at the Crossroads of the Scales.

With that alone, Mirinae’s recovery would accelerate even further.

However, upon hearing Lee Hanseong’s request, the projection of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord made a troubled expression.

[Hmm. That’s a bit difficult.]

“Do you not have the Fragment in your possession?”

[It’s not that I don’t have it, but it’s not something This Throne can handle alone.]

“What do you mean…?”

[Because the Fragment you desire has already been set as the prize for the Heavenly Palace Tournament.]

Since the Heavenly Palace Tournament was a global festival jointly hosted by the Heaven-Slaying Guild and the Solar Guild, it was impossible for the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord to unilaterally divert the prize.

The Sun Star King wouldn’t stand idly by.

Well, even if the Sun Star King tried to stop him, it wasn’t impossible for the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord to force it through if he wanted.

But he saw no need to take on such a burden.

After all, how far the wish contained in the Heavenly Demon Medallion would be granted was ultimately up to the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord.

However, Lee Hanseong had no intention of changing his wish just because of the situation.

He judged there was still room for negotiation.

“Then, give it to me in advance. I will win the Heavenly Palace Tournament.”

[You seem to be misunderstanding something. The Fragment is given as the prize for the overall division, not the promising candidate division.]

“It doesn’t matter. Do you think winning the overall division of the Heavenly Palace Tournament is harder than succeeding in Hundred-Man Slaughter?”

Even if it was the overall division of the Heavenly Palace Tournament, at most, only High-Rank Awakeners would appear.

Transcendent Awakeners wouldn’t even bother showing up… Wait.

[This Heavenly Palace Tournament will likely be different.]

At the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord’s assertion, Lee Hanseong realized something he hadn’t considered.

In previous Heavenly Palace Tournaments, there was little motivation for Transcendent Awakeners to come out and fight.

But if a Fragment was offered as the prize, the story would change.

The Fragment was a treasure even Jin Taeseong, a Transcendent Awakener, coveted.

“Could it be that Transcendent Awakeners have decided to participate?”

[That’s not all. Even the Guild Masters of the Twelve Guilds, who are Transcendent Awakeners, will appear.]

“Ah…”

The Guild Masters of the Ten Great Guilds, excluding the Heaven-Slaying Guild and the Solar Guild from the Twelve Guilds, were all Transcendent Awakeners who had safely surpassed 10-Star by contracting with 11-Star True Gods.

If the <Fragment of ■■> could grant them a Promotion Effect, it wouldn’t be impossible for the True Gods they contracted with to seize the position of a 12-Star Main God.

They had ample reason to step forward.

And if they truly stepped forward, winning would be as good as impossible.

[So, what do you plan to do? As I said, do you still wish to receive the Fragment with winning as collateral?]

“…….”

The Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord asked with a faint smile, as if curious about what choice Lee Hanseong would make.

He briefly calculated the changed situation.

If the circumstances of the Heavenly Palace Tournament had changed, wouldn’t Unchain’s planned terrorist attack on the tournament also be affected?

‘Besides, even though I told others otherwise, the master the Black Knight mentioned was clearly Mirinae.’

The Black Knight’s gaze had undoubtedly pierced through Mirinae, who had descended into Lee Hanseong.

Moreover, shortly after meeting him, Mirinae’s grade had become slightly more distinct.

Unbeknownst to him, the Black Knight’s star had already fallen under Mirinae’s influence.

‘Mirinae. Is there really some connection between you and Unchain?’

—Heretics are those who have broken away from the Heavenly Palace and regressed to ancient cultivation methods. And those ancient cultivation methods involve drawing power not from the Twelve Constellations, but from the Axis of ■■, which is this one’s origin. Strictly speaking, it cannot be said there is no connection.

‘……!’

As expected of her Constellation.

The fact Mirinae revealed was shocking.

If her words were true, it meant that all heretics were originally her devotees.

Ultimately, the denial of any connection with Unchain, which she had maintained until now, turned out to be a lie.

But that wasn’t the important part.

‘Then Mirinae’s Divine Fall must have affected them as well, right?’

Just as the Hounds of Void began appearing after Mirinae’s Divine Fall, something that didn’t exist before the regression.

It must have affected Unchain, who belonged to the heretics.

Because the Axis of ■■, the source of their power, was essentially blocked due to the Constellation’s Divine Fall.

—They’ve likely weakened compared to before the regression. Even those who became Apostles through the Authority of Primordial Chaos can only exert power up to the 11th Star.

At the mention of becoming Apostles through the Authority of Primordial Chaos, he suddenly recalled the descriptions written beneath the stone statues of the Earth-side Apostles he saw at the Crossroads of the Scales.

The Apostles of the four Constellations that appeared after the Sun Star King and the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord were all those summoned by ■■.

With Mirinae, the master of ■■, gone, they too could not remain intact.

‘Then might the terrorist attack not happen?’

Unchain’s combat power had decreased, while the combat power of those participating in the Heavenly Palace Tournament had increased.

He judged that the likelihood of Unchain carrying out a terrorist attack like before the regression had decreased.

—That doesn’t seem to be the case.

Mirinae seemed to think differently.

‘Why not?’

—When I saw that child, the Black Knight, I read something.

Unlike him, who had only read Appraisals with his Insightful Eye, Mirinae seemed to have peered deeper.

—Unchain’s goal is to prevent the Great War. If that’s difficult, they aim to delay its timing.

‘By Great War, you mean the collision with the Otherworld, right?’

—Yes. As the Steward noticed at the Crossroads of the Scales, the Constellations remaining in the origin world are waiting for the weight of blood belonging to Earth to grow as much as they desire.

‘Could it be… that the purpose of the tragedies Unchain caused before the regression was also…?’

—To prevent Earth’s potential from rising to a level similar to that of the origin world.

‘Hmm…’

Lee Hanseong swallowed hard at Unchain’s goal, which he had never imagined.

He had thought the terrorist attacks were senseless massacres, but there was such a hidden agenda.

However, having a reason didn’t mean he condoned the massacres.

While the goal of preventing the Great War was noble, the end couldn’t justify the means.

‘If the terrorist attack fails this time, how much will the Great War be accelerated?’

—Based on what I read from the Black Knight, roughly half a year remains.

‘That soon?’

—Those who have grown due to this one’s Fragment have become variables.

Half a year.

It overlapped with the time when the Hollow Specter would return.

‘Ha, it’s like adding insult to injury.’

—Anyway, Unchain is highly likely to carry out the terrorist attack as planned, if only because of this one’s Fragment.

Taking Mirinae’s assurance as fact, he treated Unchain’s terrorist attack as a constant in his calculations.

And he made a decision.

If obtaining the Fragment immediately was difficult, he would choose the next best option.

“I’ll give up on the Fragment. Instead, I wish for something else.”

[What do you desire?]

“Give me one Myth-grade piece of equipment. Preferably a sword.”

[A divine weapon in the form of a sword… That would be good.]

The projection of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord, who had been pondering for a moment at the wish for a Myth weapon, nodded softly and spoke.

[Your wish has been granted.]

Pop.

With those words, the projection of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord vanished in an instant.

‘What does he mean granted…?’

Just as he was about to express his confusion at the unchanged situation—

Creeeak.

The sky above the Black Market split open like an eyelid.

The gaze of a Constellation directly fixed upon this place.

A sign that the Constellation was attempting to exert direct influence on reality by consuming Causality.

[The Heavenly Slaughter Constellation bestows the Divine Artifact <Heavenly Demon Divine Sword>.]

Screech!

Before he could even finish reading the System Message.

A sword, both ominous and mesmerizing, a pitch-black longsword, flew through the opened sky.

Hum,

The Divine Artifact <Heavenly Demon Divine Sword> stopped precisely in front of Lee Hanseong, hovering in the air.

It was the sword used by the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord during the dawn of the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, when he was known by the epithet “Heavenly Demon.”

Seeing the way the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword flew to him, Lee Hanseong realized a misconception he had held.

‘…The Heavenly Slaughter Constellation is the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord.’

Until now, he had thought of the 12-Star Apostle and the Constellation as separate.

But that wasn’t the case.

A Constellation was the collective of all the stars within it, but ultimately, it was represented by the 12-Star Apostle.

The will of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord was the will of the Heavenly Slaughter Constellation.

All the Blessings and messages from the Heavenly Slaughter Constellation he had received until now were all sent by the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord.

‘Then the Apostles must have already known about the Historical Alteration.’

Perhaps they even knew about his intention to continuously promote Hans and eventually usurp the position of Apostle.

They were merely watching because Hans’s promotion contributed to the growth of the entire Heavenly Slaughter Constellation.

Whether they would remain idle even if he truly became a threat to the Apostle’s position was unknown.

—You don’t need to worry too much about that. The relationship between an Apostle and a Constellation is bidirectional. If the Apostle’s will moves the Constellation, conversely, the name and history of the Constellation constrain the Apostle’s nature.

He felt somewhat relieved by Mirinae’s explanation.

If her words were true, it meant the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord couldn’t act in a way unbecoming of the Heavenly Slaughter Constellation.

As evident from the rules of Hundred-Man Slaughter, the Heavenly Slaughter Constellation encouraged the weak to challenge the strong.

Thus, the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord wouldn’t preemptively cut off Hans’s challenge.

Tap.

Once the shock from the newly realized fact subsided, Lee Hanseong grasped the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword floating before him.

Crackle.

A rejection reaction occurred.

It seemed the sword still retained traces of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord and refused to acknowledge him as its master.

Annoyed by its finicky reaction, Lee Hanseong forcibly channeled Primordial Chaos Gang Qi into the blade, gradually overwriting the traces of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord with his own.

“I am your new master.”

Hum.

By raising the Synchronization Rate with the characteristics of Primordial Chaos Gang Qi, the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword could no longer refuse him.

The unlocked Skills of the Heavenly Demon Divine Sword flowed into his mind.

The Myth Skill <Heavenly Demon Divine Art>.

It was the second divine art he obtained after Yang Will Divine Art.

And the moment he obtained the Heavenly Demon Divine Art.

He could also perceive the true nature of the Heavenly Demon Medallion.

Hum.

“The Heavenly Demon Medallion was also a Legendary Equipment?”

The Heavenly Demon Medallion contained the Legendary Skill <Heavenly Demon Descent>.

With the restriction that only the holder of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art could use it.

‘The projection of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Lord emerged from the Heavenly Demon Medallion because of this Skill.’

In addition to the Divine Artifact, a Legendary Equipment as well.

The reward was substantial, commensurate with the difficult path he had chosen.

Afterward, Lee Hanseong returned to reality under the escort of Lee Hyeonseong, along with the Transcendent Awakeners.

The next day.

Regardless of Shade or light, the entire world was abuzz with news of Lee Hanseong’s success in Hundred-Man Slaughter and the elimination of Choi Sangguk.