Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 349

Chapter 349

Perdeth unwittingly stared at him. Luseph was a god of many heroic tales. Especially famous was the story of how he became the sword of the Celestial God during the Great Celestial-Devil War, opposing the Devil Gods. He was the one who relentlessly pursued and killed all the Demon Kings and Demon Dukes who caused the most damage at the time, and he was also the one who took the lead in advocating for the annihilation of the Demon Realm. Thanks to that, he wandered the Middle Realm for a while, avoiding Kanos. Those who liked to embellish considered it a revolutionary’s escape and revered every anecdote. He seemed to have been quiet lately, but meeting a god he had only heard of in person felt a bit strange. The relationship with the Celestial God, which he had thought would be close to a military-subordinate relationship, was more casual than he expected, which was quite intriguing.

“Not eating?”

“…No. I will eat well.”

Only after receiving the blank stare did Perdeth realize he had been staring for too long and immediately lowered his head. As he bit into the fruit, sweet juice spread throughout his mouth. The firm flesh melted away the moment it touched his tongue. Perdeth’s eyes widened slightly. He felt vitality returning to his previously languid body. Luseph chuckled lightly beside him, amused by his surprise.

“You’re the new recruit, right? Perdeth, the God of Death and the Dead?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“Nice to meet you. I’m Luseph. It’s the first time I’ve had a superior god with the title of the dead. You’ll be in charge of that area from now on, so you won’t have an easy life either. Well, it’s not like you’re in a comfortable situation now. Aren’t you upset to be going through this as soon as you became a god?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Really? I’m annoyed to death. Bringing this much Sungwa, are they crazy? It’s a fruit that blooms maybe once every thousand years! I poured almost all my divine power into it.”

“You must have suffered a lot.”

“Tell me about it. I was caught before I could even run away, so I couldn’t resist. Eluien? That guy, the God of Curse and Punishment, ran away early, right? He’s the only superior god who avoided this crisis. His actions were unusual from the start. How did he sense it? I should have become closer to him usually if I knew this would happen.”

Perdeth remained silent at the rhetoric, unsure of how much was true. Luseph didn’t seem to expect a response and continued to grumble.

“Honestly, isn’t it funny? It’s like humans working overtime while replenishing their blood sugar. Exploiting divine power by feeding us Sungwa.”

“It’s unavoidable since it’s such an important matter.”

“Well, that’s true, but still. Tsk, now that it’s come to this, we have to succeed. I feel like I’ll really cry if we fail after coming this far.”

Perdeth’s expression darkened at the words filled with lamentation. Failure was, after all, the worst-case scenario, but there was no guarantee of success, so the possibility had to be considered. Still, the thought of failure made his head spin. It wasn’t just because he felt wronged by the hardships he had endured, but because of the repercussions that would follow.

“If the Purification Circle fails, we’ll move on to the Annihilation Circle immediately.”

“Hmm, probably.”

“Then what happens to that part…”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about the sacrifices needed for annihilation. I know there are no volunteers yet.”

“Ah, well. That’ll probably… be a forced selection.”

Luseph scratched his cheek with an awkward expression. The topic of sacrifices was inevitably a sensitive one among the superior gods. It wasn’t that there were no cases of gods erasing their divine status because they were tired of their lives, but it was extremely rare for a superior god to make such a choice. Moreover, in this case, it was unknown what would happen to the sacrificing god. With a lack of information, it was natural that no one was willing to step forward.

“You know that the selection method is entrusted to the Clock of Fate, right? Radeka doesn’t have much time left to come out of the Trial Chamber. We’ll be turning the clock backward soon.”

“…I see.”

Perdeth’s face hardened as he understood the meaning. The prophecies indicated by Radeka’s Clock of Fate were abstract and fluid, but turning the clock hands backward would shift the resulting values in a different direction. Fate would begin to flow proactively, ensuring that the prophecy was forcibly completed. In cases like now, where a suitable candidate was being sought, there was no need to forcibly select one. When the time came, the wheel of fate would automatically draw in the right person. The suitable candidate might gain enlightenment on their own or be accidentally caught up in it. It was a method befitting the gods, forced but not perceived as forced.

However, turning the clock backward was not easy for her, the Goddess of Fate, and required extremely painful training. Therefore, Radeka had been in the Trial Chamber, one of the sanctuaries, ever since making the prophecy. The time she was in there was also the last grace period for receiving volunteers.

The flow of fate, once forcibly created, cannot be reversed. Once this period ends, there will be no more opportunities to devise other methods. The deeper his thoughts became, the less Perdeth’s expression relaxed. Luseph chuckled at the sight.

“Well, you don’t have to worry, do you? Even if the other conditions are unknown, you’re not related to the last prophecy. The word ‘parent’ may vary depending on the interpretation. If fate has a conscience, it wouldn’t drag in a god of wind who just became a god.”

“It’s not that I’m worried about becoming one. It’s just that this situation where I don’t know who will be sacrificed is a bit uncomfortable.”

“I think this is better. It’s hard to vote directly, right? Knowing who it will be only makes everyone feel uneasy.”

“That’s true, but…”

“And there’s no need to worry in advance. That reverse value will only be triggered if we end up creating the Devil God’s Annihilation Circle. If the Purification Circle succeeds, that’s all there is to it. That’s why we’re all desperately clinging to it, right?”

The Clock of Fate moved under the premise of ‘finding a suitable sacrifice for the annihilation of the Devil God.’ Even when turned backward, this premise remained the same and was a kind of absolute value. Therefore, if the premise was not established, the prophecy itself would become invalid. Only then did Perdeth’s face relax a little.

“That’s right. Everyone is working so hard, so we’ll definitely get good results.”

“That’s it. Well, I didn’t expect Kanos to take the lead. He urged Shannon to create the Purification Circle and is diligently participating. I wonder what’s gotten into him.”

“It must be because of the awareness of the Devil God. After all, it was his subordinate demons who caused the incident, so he must feel responsible.”

“You don’t know anything. Kanos’s way of taking responsibility is to annihilate the Devil God. He wouldn’t even think of creating a Purification Circle like this. If it were him, he’d tell you to grab anyone and throw them away rather than bother creating a Purification Circle.”

“Isn’t that… are you being too harsh on the Devil God?”

“This is an overestimation. You have no idea how terrifying that guy is.”

“What did I do?”

The low voice that cut into the conversation was the one that interrupted them. Luseph, who had been excitedly chattering, stiffened and let out a strange gasp. Perdeth also tensed up and looked up. A pair of jet-black eyes were looking down at them.

“…Kanos.”

The uttered sound was closer to a groan. Following Luseph, who was awkwardly getting up, Perdeth also rose from his seat. Kanos, who had been quietly watching their frozen faces, smiled faintly.

“Why do you slander me when you’re so surprised? If you look closely, your taste is really bad, Luseph.”

“Slander? I was just stating facts. I was just surprised that you suddenly popped up.”

“Hmm, isn’t talking behind someone’s back against your definition of justice?”

“It depends on the person. My justice is for the weak. Rather, I should actively talk about you to warn the innocent so they don’t suffer unnecessarily.”

“You’re always good at answering.”

“It’s not in my nature to swallow my words by succumbing to force.”

The answer was consistently confident from beginning to end. It was the appearance of a god of justice who did not succumb to the strong. However, whether his gestures reflected that was a different matter. Kanos, who smiled faintly, pointed that out.

“But why are you avoiding my gaze?”

“Because being scared is being scared!”

“…”

A moment of silence descended. It was the moment when Perdeth, who had been watching the situation with an uneasy feeling, regained his usual indifferent expression. Kanos spoke to her, who was silently avoiding his gaze.

“Don’t play with him anymore, Goddess of the Dead. I know you feel close because you’re from the same wind, but unfortunately, he’s a variant. You might get corrupted if you hang out with him.”

“Don’t be ridiculous! Who’s calling who corrupt? There’s no one as corrupt as you here!”

“Look at me straight and say that again.”

“I can’t do that. I distinguish between courage and recklessness.”

“Okay. That’s why I like you.”

“Crazy.”

Luseph, who had crumpled his face, made a disgusted expression. Perdeth nodded inwardly, thinking that the relationship wasn’t as bad as it seemed. Although it seemed like one side was being unilaterally teased. It was a very amicable appearance for a relationship that had openly opposed each other during the Great Celestial-Devil War.

“Since we’re on the topic, let me ask. What are you really thinking? Why are you taking the lead in creating the Purification Circle?”

“Why would you be curious about that? There’s nothing for me to lose by stepping up. Isn’t it beneficial to everyone?”

“Don’t joke around!”

“I don’t have any particular purpose. Everyone is too busy twisting my words like noodles, so what can I do? The benevolent, kind, and great me has no choice but to clean up the mess.”

“…Was that supposed to be a joke?”

“I’m serious?”

Luseph, who would have been upset even if it was a joke, frowned even more at the following answer. Just in time, someone else spoke, and the conversation naturally stopped.

“Kanos, you’re back.”

The one who approached was Shannon. Even though he seemed to be holding up well, he was actually in quite a difficult state, and having eaten the Sungwa, his complexion was much better than before. Luseph, who was pleased to see that, turned to Kanos, who was fine even without eating a single Sungwa, and clicked his tongue. For someone with such monstrous divine power to be that guy, the Main God must have made a big mistake.

“How did it go with your trip to the Spirit Realm? I heard everyone was having fun, but was there a king staying in the Main Realm?”

“Ah, Minerva was there. I delivered all the messages.”

“I see. That’s a relief.”

Unlike Shannon, who was relieved, Luseph’s expression was distorted in the opposite direction. Of the four Spirit Kings, the one who met Kanos happened to be Minerva! Ironically, everyone surrounding Kanos, including himself, Shannon, and Perdeth, were all from Minerva. At this point, he couldn’t help but think that something bad must have happened to Minerva.

“Then I’ll be going now.”

It was when Luseph, who thought he should leave this place quickly, was about to turn around. Just as he was about to teleport, a strong force grabbed the back of his neck. Luseph, who was terrified and turned around, felt a chill when he met Kanos’s face, which was smiling more brightly than ever.

“What, what is it! What are you doing!”

“Wait, I have something to say.”

“What do you have to say?”

“As you heard, the Spirit Kings have all gone down to Arkadon. Now that Minerva has also left her position, it will be difficult to contact them. But this matter is very important to coordinate with the Spirit Kings. We need someone to monitor the situation in Arkadon and act as a liaison between the Divine Realm and the Spirit Kings. It would be better if they were at the center of the incident.”

“What are you telling me to do?”

“There happens to be someone very suitable for that role, and they’re under your command.”

“What does that…”

“The bloodline of Rune is still 남아 있더라? [remaining?]”

Luseph, who had been struggling and showing signs of annoyance, widened his eyes at that moment. As he stopped resisting, Kanos also released his grip on his collar. Luseph’s face was completely frozen.

“What did you just say? Who’s left?”

“The bloodline of Rune. Your precious 천마. [Cheonma, a powerful demonic being]”

“…That can’t be. The blood of 천마 was completely cut off after the Glen brothers died.”

“Really?”

“Yes! What are you pretending not to know! Your damn Devil King killed Glen!”

Thinking back to that time, Luseph was still seething inside. It was an incident that happened in the Middle Realm, and he couldn’t directly retaliate for something a demon had done personally, so he had only sent a letter of protest to the Devil God’s palace and ended it. Of course, Kanos didn’t show any reaction, which made him even angrier. As the angry memories of that day came to mind, Luseph glared at Kanos without realizing it. Kanos, who met his challenging gaze, simply chuckled.

“Well, I regret that incident too. But wasn’t he the one who abandoned the power of Rune himself at that time? It’s difficult to insist that the blood was cut off because of Karyuan.”

“That’s…”

“Besides, isn’t it too much to only talk about the older brother when you’re brothers? Where would the other one live in sorrow?”

“What are you talking about since a while ago!”

Luseph, unable to overcome the rising anger, finally grabbed Kanos by the collar. Shannon and Perdeth, surprised, tried to stop him, but he couldn’t hear anything because he had already lost his reason. Even though he was glaring with fierce eyes, Kanos was just leisurely.

“Judging by your reaction, you really don’t feel anything. Oh dear. It’s going to be a long way.”

“What?”

“I met that younger brother the other day.”

“…!”

“He was in perfect condition. So much so that it’s a shame he’s not even mentioned in this situation.”