Chapter 1425: Lord of Hell (8)
RUUUUUMBLE!!!!
The flickering darkness beyond the horizon rotated counter-clockwise, drawing a spiral.
The coastline of the black sea vibrated, shaking violently as if it would shatter.
For a brief moment, with a crumbling black hole at its back, the shadow of a majestic tree was cast.
A man was walking alone on the sea.
Fwoosh!!!!
Every time Myeong’s fingertips brushed a Black Coffin, its form dissolved into darkness and scattered.
The soul slumbering within also vanished with the coffin, transforming into a brilliant light.
The scattered souls soared into the black sky, illuminating the sea like a rain of light rising in reverse.
Fshhhhhh……!!
Particles of light overflowing from all directions gently caressed Myeong’s surroundings.
As if bidding farewell to the black wizard who had guarded this place for so long before their final parting.
Myeong closed his eyes, leaning his soul against that hollow touch, and briefly bowed his head.
[I’m sorry]
The faint whisper of a soul echoed.
[I am sorry]
[I’m sorry]
[I am sorry]
[It is our fault]
The message of the souls, endlessly whispering their apologies to Myeong even as they vanished.
But Lennok felt he understood the meaning of their farewell without needing to ask why.
Surely, this was the greatest punishment and price the Emperor had exacted upon the House of the Black Edict.
To the youngest child who survived from the family, the Emperor had bestowed a punishment harsher than any other.
To be eternally bound to this hell, forced to continue the Gabihaeng and annihilate the souls of his own kin—
Surviving longer than others in this world was no blessing or grace.
“Don’t worry, Van.”
While Lennok was silent, at a loss for words, Myeong, surrounded by particles of light, spoke.
“I’m only now doing what should have been finished long ago… I should have given them this rest sooner.”
“……No.”
“Because of my foolish attachment, I’ve kept them here until now. I couldn’t even tell if annihilating their souls was a punishment or a form of rest.”
Myeong’s expression blurred as he sent off the souls of his kin with his own hands.
“Perhaps I was afraid of being left alone here after sending them away.”
“That’s not it. I… you…”
“But it’s alright now.”
What did he mean by “alright”?
There was no time to deeply contemplate the meaning of Myeong’s words.
The moment Myeong personally annihilated the souls left in hell and eliminated all the remaining Black Coffins.
The black hole that had risen beyond the horizon shattered to pieces, and from the other side, an Outer God began to descend.
Crack, craaackle!!!
GROOOOAAAAAN!!!!!!
He could feel something, a concept so powerful and transcendent it could not be controlled, manifesting.
A fragment of pan-cosmic power, its scale impossible to fathom even when viewed through Lennok’s spiritual sense.
The incarnation of contradiction, embracing both ruin and growth, extending its authority and concept to the ends of the galaxy and growing ceaselessly.
“With this, the souls of the Black Edict bound to hell have vanished, and the other souls have all been returned to reality.”
Myeong spoke from within the shaking hell.
“Now that the causality of the Extinction Tree borrowed by the Black Edict has been fully returned… if it read that flow, it would descend even from the other side of the galaxy.”
“—That is.”
“The giant tree of destruction that devours civilizations and embodies disaster, its branches said to reach the ends of the sky.”
Myeong raised his gaze.
“Acrottrinier descends into this other dimension.”
Snap!!
At that moment, the shattered crack at the edge of the black sea’s horizon collapsed downward.
It broke through the wall of the other dimension like glass, approaching from the far side of the unfathomable cosmos at a speed beyond light.
The crack, which had been small enough to be a flaw at the edge of his vision, instantly expanded beyond the dimension.
From beyond the darkness rotating around Myeong, a withered black branch shot up and manifested.
CRASH!!!!
Screeeech—
Craaaaaackle……!!!
The noise of shattering glass. The rupture of twisting space-time. The roar of a collapsing dimension overlapped and echoed.
The blare of car horns. The sound of a tape rewinding and breaking. The rustle of crumbling leaves, the decay of trees, the collapse of buildings.
An overwhelming cacophony of all existing order and matter unraveling and collapsing, unable to endure, layered to a dizzying degree.
All those melodies rang out like a distorted symphony, becoming incomprehensible lyrics that then exploded.
KWAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH-!!!!!!!
“Ugh…!!!”
A horrifying sensation, as if his perception of time was twisting, warping, and shattering just by looking at it.
Though his eyes were wide open, the scenery he perceived was fragmenting and rupturing.
A transcendent great evil that imposes “Ruin” upon an entire dimension merely by manifesting at a specific coordinate.
Extinction Tree Acrottrinier.
The end from the Outer Sea, whose name Lennok had only heard for a long time.
An Outer God that extends its branches wherever civilization exists, feeding on destruction to grow.
A disaster bordering on a pan-cosmic scale, a level reached by only a select few among the gods of that sea, manifested in hell, leading all to ruin.
Craaaaaackle……!!!
KWAAAAAARRRGGGHH!!!!
The waves that had been churning in all directions grew calm, and the moisture-laden fog dried up and vanished.
The black waves that had overflowed along the coastline instantly evaporated, revealing the seabed.
As if growing by drinking the sea that stretched to the horizon, the dry branch that descended from the darkness extended toward Lennok and Myeong.
Ooooooh……!!!
The tree branches growing in the darkness possessed no specific intellect or ego.
The black branches had no purpose or will, only a hollow reaction akin to instinct.
“A tree that grows by piercing through dimensions…!!”
But with every moment a branch extended toward them, it felt as if his soul were withering and his life being stolen.
The branch of the Extinction Tree drew near, and Lennok felt a dizzying sensation, as if his very existence was approaching ruin.
“Van. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
Just as Lennok raised his gaze with a pale face, Myeong grabbed his shoulder.
“According to the records of our ancestors, Acrottrinier is a giant tree of destruction that grows through the galaxy… It was a World Tree that devoured the civilization of its birth star and became an Outer God.”
“A World Tree… that became an Outer God?”
“Since it was not originally a sentient being, its way of thinking is different from humans, and they say its ego became faint as it devoured countless civilizations and grew to the end of the galaxy.”
Myeong looked up, staring directly at the approaching Extinction Tree.
“The reason the House of the Black Edict used the power of the Extinction Tree was simple. Even if we used its power in our black magic research or clashed with it and chipped it away, that Outer God didn’t even care.”
Myeong turned, grabbed Lennok’s shoulders, and met his gaze directly.
“So, Van. When you face the gods of the sea from now on, you must remember this.”
“……Myeong.”
“To cosmic gods who have transcended the universe, the order of cause and effect is meaningless. They are beings beyond the fetters of good and evil, moving solely by their own desires and origins.”
“……”
“If you truly wish to move forward, it is not enough to surpass them or become their equal. You must confront them, attune to them, understand them, and finally… use them.”
Myeong smiled at the speechless Lennok.
“I will now show you that it is possible.”
Craaaackle!!!!
Before he knew it, the branch of the Extinction Tree that grew from the darkness had come right before him.
The giant tree of disaster, which withered every landscape in hell and grew by devouring destruction.
But Myeong, even seeing the branch right beside him, reached out his hand without hesitation.
The branch that touched Myeong’s fingertips instantly entwined his arm like a black vein.
Snap!!
It then spread throughout his entire body as if piercing his very soul, leaving behind irreversible damage.
“Myeong…!!”
“The blood of the Black Edict… its end… was decided… long ago….”
Myeong smiled with difficulty as his soul shattered and dissipated.
“I have sinned for a long time… and now I am only paying the price.”
“……No.”
“I… offer my fate to the Extinction Tree, and change the decided ending….”
With a trembling hand, Myeong pointed at Lennok and muttered in a fading voice.
“Receive it, Van… You are the…”
Craaaaackle-
Myeong’s soul, pierced by the black branch, shattered and disintegrated into particles of light.
The Outer God, having consumed his soul and fate through the tip of its branch, responded to Myeong’s will for the first and last time.
“…true master… of the Gabihaeng.”
Crack!!
KWAAAAAARRRRRGGGHH!!!!!
At that moment, the black branch that had invaded from beyond the galaxy split into thousands of pieces and burrowed into the space-time of hell.
The power of the Extinction Tree, differentiated into an innumerable amount, began to grow anew upon the sea of hell.
The branches imbued with the Extinction Tree’s power grew repeatedly in all directions, instantly altering the landscape of hell.
By annihilating all the souls of the Black Edict to return the Extinction Tree’s power, and by offering his own fate directly to the Outer God.
Myeong had perfectly transferred the ownership of the hell he had spent his entire life creating to Lennok.
Chrrrrrrrrk!!!!!
The space-time of the other dimension folded and distorted infinitely, converging toward the two Penteracts floating in the air.
The artifact made of fifth-dimensional matter absorbed and fused with the space-time of hell, transforming into the shape of a black tetrahedron.
The destination of the Gabihaeng. The key to hell.
The tetrahedron created by the fusion of the two Penteracts landed on Lennok’s palm, and at the same time.
Myeong’s soul completely turned to light and scattered beyond the sky of the crumbling other dimension.
Fwoooooosh…!!!
Beyond the collapsing black hole on the horizon, Myeong’s soul passed through the gate and headed into an endless darkness.
As if belatedly following the souls he had sent off, Myeong, enveloped in a distant halo of light, slowly faded away—
Lennok, who had been watching him, unable to speak for a long time, quietly muttered.
“It wasn’t your fault alone from the beginning. I already knew that…”
But Lennok couldn’t stop Myeong’s final act of offering up his fate to pass on hell.
For he had keenly felt throughout this journey that the life Myeong had lived was akin to agony.
Because he understood that Myeong considered the massacre he committed a sin and wanted to pay the price.
Nevertheless, he believes there is a process that precedes the result, so he will do his best to move forward.
From the very beginning, Myeong had been waiting for the moment to twist the fate the Emperor had set for him.
He had remained until the end only to pass on what came next to Lennok.
“……”
Lennok, who had been bowing his head in thought of Myeong for a long while, arduously raised his gaze.
The branch of the Extinction Tree was still manifest at the edge of hell, looking down at him.
Even after responding to Myeong’s will and transferring ownership of hell to Lennok, it remained, not disappearing.
Craackle…!!
“……Acrottrinier.”
Now, he felt he understood why Myeong had summoned the power of the Extinction Tree only after coming this far and had passed hell on to Lennok.
This giant tree of disaster, existing on a pan-cosmic scale, was an incarnation of ruin that devoured civilization merely by manifesting.
If he had summoned it in reality instead of the hell Myeong had created, it would have brought about a truly irreversible catastrophe.
“Do you intend to stay here, without leaving?”
Click, cliiick….
…….
The Extinction Tree, which had annihilated Myeong’s soul with a mere touch, did not leave even after reorganizing hell according to his final wish.
Instead, it twisted its branches on the spot, simply looking down at Lennok without any will.
Could it be a delusion, to feel some sort of purpose from a fragment of an Outer God that should have no ego or intellect?
For some reason, this strange sense of dissonance, as if the Outer God that descended from beyond the dark sea recognized Lennok.
As if… it was only after facing Lennok that it was recalling a memory it had forgotten itself—
“……”
…….
In the endless darkness, Lennok looked into the Outer God.
Within the endless hell, the Outer God also looked into Lennok.
As if recalling a forgotten memory, the branch of the Extinction Tree naturally touched Lennok’s hand—
And whispered.
The Third…
He simply felt an endless power from beyond the Extinction Tree where their fingertips met.
The incarnation of the end, which had crossed the galaxy, grinding civilizations to dust and delivering finality to countless worlds.
The power that the giant tree of disaster had absorbed and condensed as it grew to an immeasurable size was there.
You are…
…the last…
It sent its will.
The great evil of destruction, said to have a faint ego and intellect, was sensing Lennok’s existence and speaking to him.
You are…
“……No.”
…perfect…
“……”
It felt as if he could reach it if he just extended his hand a little deeper.
He knew, without it being said, that the Extinction Tree would not stop him.
As if this was how it was meant to be from long ago. As if this was how it should have been from the start.
At the moment Lennok so naturally extended his will along the branch and made contact with the power held by the Extinction Tree.
“……Go back.”
Lennok, who had stopped just before it, said quietly.
“I will inherit the hell Myeong left behind. If that is the only meaning he wished to leave from his atonement.”
…….
“But not you.”
Slowly raising his gaze, Lennok muttered.
“Go back. To where you belong.”
The Extinction Tree did not answer.
But Lennok knew it would not refuse his request.
As if this itself had been determined as his role long ago.
As if this very moment was a part of that entire journey.
…….
The black branch that had grown through the other dimension slowly receded.
As if arduously bowing its head, as if shyly withdrawing an outstretched hand, as if finally accepting and stepping back.
Before Lennok, who had obtained the key to the Gabihaeng, it left behind the hell it had recreated and vanished to the other side.
GROOOOAN!!!!
At the moment the Outer God, which had extended its branch from beyond the galaxy, carefully withdrew its power and retreated at Lennok’s single word.
Just as Lennok silently watched it go, feeling an ineffably complex and nostalgic emotion, he raised his gaze.
Someone appeared right beside him, seizing the branch of the Extinction Tree as it vanished into the other dimension.
CRUNCH!!!
“Yes.”
A tall, imposing woman with purple skin whispered.
“So, all of this has finally come to this.”
“……You are.”
The Ascendant he had to fight for his life at the entrance of the Mausoleum.
Jinwa was standing next to Lennok, grasping the branch of the Extinction Tree with a face full of ecstasy.
“The brat of the Black Edict has left, hell has inherited a new master, and a fragment of the Extinction Tree has descended.”
“Did you use the opportunity of the Outer God’s descent to break into this dimension? No, but—”
“One of the most powerful great evils among the gods of that sea. An Outer God with a faint intellect or ego. A being that reacts instinctively to even small stimuli.”
Kiiiiiing—
Strange, unknown characters flickered at Jinwa’s fingertips, and Lennok immediately recognized them.
The Absolute Script he had seen in the Cradle of the previous timeline loop. The pinnacle of Spell-Word that Jinwa had created to communicate with the Outer Gods.
Realizing it held an ineffably firm power, Lennok’s mind raced.
At this moment, Jinwa should be outside the [Gate], fighting Croken.
Unless Croken made a mistake, how could she have secretly entered here now?
It wouldn’t be strange to have lost track of Jinwa’s presence amidst the descent of the Extinction Tree, but something was different.
She was unmistakably Jinwa, yet she was not the Jinwa Lennok had fought outside the [Gate].
Someone he never expected to meet here, yet whose identity he already knew.
Someone he never thought he would meet in ‘this timeline’—
“—Absolute Script. Could it be.”
“You truly are clever. Have you realized it already?”
“……You… you’re not the Jinwa of this world.”
Lennok’s expression hardened as he realized Jinwa’s identity and turned his gaze.
“You’re the Jinwa left behind in the previous timeline loop.”