Raided The God’S Warehouse [EN]: Chapter 564

‘What is it?’

The Great Demon of Negation, Ten, collapsed before Se-un’s eyes, vomiting blood.

To receive help from a Great Demon in a life-or-death crisis.

“Cough. I, I… negate.”

Ten coughed up blood, struggling to rise while his arms trembled.

In human terms, it was beyond having a hole in his heart; his chest was completely pierced.

He had already suffered irreparable damage, but Ten stood up.

His power, which even negated his own death, overlaid something made of incantations onto the hole in his heart.

“I negate my defeat.”

Although he had escaped death, Ten was no longer normal.

Reason had vanished, and only the last will he had at the moment of death controlled his body.

Ten’s final desire until the moment of his death.

That was.

“I negate you.”

To bring down the Great Demon of the 1st Rank.

Originally, until the 1st Rank appeared in the Asura Realm [a realm of constant conflict and suffering in some mythologies], he had reigned as the ‘king’ of the Asura Realm.

However, from the moment that 1st Rank appeared until now, he had been forced to live as the 2nd Rank.

His last negation was directed at that 1st Rank.

To negate the current 1st Rank, return to being the 1st Rank, and regain his former glory.

Swoosh-

The Great Demon of the 1st Rank.

The aura of death gathered around him.

There were no swords or spears.

Ten’s power merely negated the opponent’s existence by uttering those words, stealing their power.

The aftereffects were considerable due to this selfishly powerful ability, but his capability was outstanding enough to endure them.

However…….

“Who are you to negate me?”

The aura of death that had been gathering towards the 1st Rank scattered like dust as soon as he took a step.

A confident stride.

Ten continued to shout negations, but the power of negation no longer manifested.

“I am not someone you can judge.”

“I, you…….”

Crack.

Ten’s head exploded.

The power of negation could no longer sustain its master’s life.

“H-Hik!”

The Great Demon Pendeale, who had been curling up like a hedgehog with its spines raised behind him.

As soon as he confirmed that the 1st Rank had killed Ten, he hurriedly moved his body.

So flustered, he didn’t even retract the spines on his body properly, and his spines caught on the ground as he waddled away with his plump body.

Even though it was a speed he could easily catch up to, the 1st Rank did not chase after Pendeale.

Instead, he stepped over Ten’s corpse and shifted his gaze to Se-un, who was holding a weapon and on guard in front of it.

“What are you plotting?”

Although he was holding a sword, Se-un’s immediate goal was escape, not combat.

This guy had defeated the Great Demon of Negation, who possessed troublesome abilities, without any emotion.

He didn’t think he could win in his current state, which wasn’t perfect.

“At first, it was vigilance.”

“Vigilance?”

“The scent of the Seven Archdemons emanating from you. And vigilance towards the scent of the Seventy-Two Demon Kings.”

An unexpected answer came from the Great Demon.

The Seven Archdemons and the Seventy-Two Demon Kings.

Suddenly, talk about the Constellations [powerful, often godlike beings who observe and influence events].

He wondered if there would be any reaction from the Archdemons, but no messages appeared.

‘Come to think of it…….’

Se-un realized that the Archdemons’ messages hadn’t been appearing for some time.

Even Beelzebub, if no one else, should have reacted.

Besides, Se-un had devoured several Great Demons with the Authority of Gluttony until now, hadn’t he?

Considering Beelzebub’s tendency to react immediately when swallowing even a boss monster, it was very strange.

‘Arioch. The messages stopped appearing after that guy showed up.’

The point when the Great Demon appeared.

It was exactly from that moment.

As if reading Se-un’s thoughts, who was busily racking his brain, the Great Demon’s explanation continued.

“I have already blocked all interference from the Constellations.”

“You?”

“I may only have a handful of divinity left now, but I was once a Constellation myself. If I squeeze out the remaining power, I can at least block their gaze.”

In other words, only Se-un and the Great Demon of the 1st Rank were here now.

The barrier that the already dead Great Demons had set up had disappeared, but perhaps because of the 1st Rank’s aura, the demons of the Asura Realm couldn’t even approach.

Besides.

‘He was once a Constellation?’

Constellation. In other words, someone who was once a god.

Perhaps the disparity and imbalance of power that Se-un felt when he saw that Great Demon was because of that.

Having the lofty status of a Constellation, but coming down to the Tower, that status would have fallen infinitely. Of course, he would have received penalties to his power, but even so, it was nothing compared to the fallen status.

Then, what was the reason that Great Demon approached Se-un?

Se-un voiced the first deduction that came to mind.

“Do you have a grudge against the Archdemons?”

“A grudge…… If negligence is a sin, then you could say I have a grudge against the Archdemons.”

“That means you had problems with the Demon Kings, not the Archdemons.”

“Indeed, so you’re a human being watched by the Archdemons. You catch on quickly.”

Numerous thoughts flashed through his mind.

Se-un was currently maintaining his stamina using the Authority of Sloth.

Although the duration was quite long if he didn’t use power, what if the Authority ran out of power and a battle with that Great Demon broke out?

He would be helpless and defenseless.

Since he knew about the Archdemons, there was even a possibility that the Great Demon was stalling for time, knowing that Se-un would soon run out of power.

“I roughly understand the situation, but why did you seek me out?”

He had to start unraveling the story in earnest.

He had to make a decision before the Authority of Sloth ended and the aftereffects came.

“I may have connections with the Demon Kings, but it doesn’t seem like finding me would solve the problem?”

“That’s right. Whether my goal is revenge or the restoration of my position, there’s nothing I can do in the Tower. That’s why I’ve been conserving my strength in the Asura Realm until now.”

“Then why?”

“When you appeared, I could feel it. The lingering scent of contracts on your body.”

“……I think you’re mistaken. I have never made a contract with a Demon King.”

“I’m not talking about a contract with a Demon King. A totality of contracts intertwined with contracts. Solomon’s Key, which has now lost all its power and become a small key.”

What on earth was he talking about?

A contract with a Demon King.

It was an incomprehensible sound, but Se-un instinctively knew that it meant the small key.

‘Small key.’

The key received as a reward in the tutorial.

Made of orichalcum [a mythical metal], and shining in rainbow colors, it was a master key that could open any door.

And Se-un recalled the mysterious reaction Mamon had shown when he received this key.

‘– The Constellation, ‘The Crow Who Bows Its Head,’ recognizes the identity of the key and widens its eyes.

– The Constellation, ‘The Crow Who Bows Its Head,’ is greatly puzzled by the fact that this key is a reward from the tutorial.’

Even after that, whenever he took out this key, the Archdemons would often show unexpected reactions.

Because of this, he had questions, but all the Archdemons, even Leviathan, didn’t answer, so it was a question he had erased from his mind.

‘This is Solomon’s Key?’

Solomon’s Key.

In the first place, even though the name was Key, Solomon’s Key was not a key but a grimoire [a textbook of magic, typically including instructions for creating magical objects or performing spells].

Why was it in the form of this key, and as a reward from the tutorial?

To this, the Great Demon of the 1st Rank began to explain.

“To be precise, it is the first chapter of the grimoire, ‘Ars Goetia’ [a section of the Lesser Key of Solomon, detailing the summoning of demons]. Originally, it was a grimoire that imprisoned the Demon Kings, but due to a slight accident, its power disappeared and the Demon Kings escaped.”

“Is that the current Seventy-Two Demon Kings?”

“That’s right. At the same time as the Demon Kings escaped, Ars Goetia lost its power and was lost. I don’t know how it happened, but it has now returned to your hands.”

“Then, with this key, I can…….”

“No, as I said, that key has lost its power. Unless it regains its power, it will only be able to function as a ‘key.’”

“Is there a way to restore its power?”

“No. Ars Goetia completely lost its power at the point when the Demon Kings were released. But.”

The Great Demon of the 1st Rank bent down and met Se-un’s face.

Indeed, as if the words that he was once a Constellation were not a lie, a solemn dignity was felt in his red eyes.

“What if the one who remembers the contract returns to the key?”

“……Are you talking about the Seventy-Two Demon Kings?”

“If it’s the traces of the contract remaining in their bodies, it might awaken the key’s contract. At least, I am certain of it.”

“That’s nonsense. The Seventy-Two Demon Kings would never sacrifice themselves to awaken the contract.”

“Of course.”

Se-un shook his head at the absurd words, but the Great Demon smiled slightly instead.

“But, what if the Demon King with traces of the contract is not all of the Seventy-Two Demon Kings?”

“What does that…….”

“In the first place, the number of Demon Kings contracted to Solomon’s Key was not just seventy-two.”

“That can’t be. I also know about Solomon’s Key.”

Although it wasn’t deep knowledge, the fact about Solomon’s Key, which didn’t even exist in Mamon’s vault, was written in the Great Library of El Arv. That is, the contract with the Seventy-Two Demon Kings.

But there was another Demon King there?

There was no way such an important fact wouldn’t be recorded anywhere?

“There is evidence.”

The Great Demon of the 1st Rank raised his body.

At the same time, Se-un tensed the muscles of his entire body along with his purple wings.

There was a limit to maintaining the Authority of Sloth now.

If it wasn’t proper evidence, or if he was trying to stall for more time, or if he felt even a little bit of impure movement, he was going to run away immediately.

Leaving a single strike to use as propulsion.

‘Even if it’s the Great Demon of the 1st Rank, it should be possible to tie him down for a moment.’

After that, he could hide his body with the Authority of Greed and endure until the end of the 80th floor’s trial.

Fortunately, the remaining time on the 80th floor wasn’t that long.

“Before the evidence, I should introduce myself.”

The Great Demon spread his wings.

Wings of a completely different shape from the red bat wings that ordinary demons possessed.

It was like an angel’s wing, and also like a demon’s wing, but it wasn’t the feeling of corruption that Lucifer possessed.

“I am one born between a Fallen Angel and a human.”

The divinity he had been hiding in his body gradually flowed out. Each time, the key in Se-un’s hand vibrated and reacted slightly.

“One who is not welcomed by angels, demons, or humans.”

Soon, the small key began to emit its light even though Se-un hadn’t used it.