Chapter 43

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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: A Forced Advent
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Aldebaran remained floating in mid-air, his body still cloaked in a thick fog.

*“H-h-h-how, for what reason have you come to a dimension on the outskirts of the Abyss like this…?”*

Greatly agitated, he asked again.

“Because this is my home.”

After his short reply, Kang-jun murmured in a cold tone.

“By the way, a god, you say….”

The being before him was certainly a far cry from the image he remembered.

Before, Aldebaran had been a greedy human, desperate to imitate eternal life by choosing the path of the undead…

But now, Kang-jun could feel something akin to an ineffable, special power emanating from him.

“Aldebaran, have you truly become a god in the time we haven’t seen each other?”

*“Yes, I now possess a power incomparable to what I had before….”*

“Then shall we see what a god is made of?”

The moment Kang-jun finished speaking and drew his mana to its peak, a fierce gale began to rage through the chapel.

*SWOOOOSH—!*

It was as if a colossal dam had crumbled, releasing the immense volume of water it held back all at once.

The thick fog enveloping Aldebaran’s body was swept away, revealing his ‘true form’ in its entirety.

*“This body has changed….”*

Aldebaran’s appearance itself seemed to be that of a ‘skeleton,’ not much different from before, but the atmosphere surrounding him was entirely different.

His frame reached several meters in height, and a dark, ominous energy continuously billowed from his eyes.

He wore a cracked and rusted crown, and his body was clad in old armor overgrown with moss and weeds.

*“Because of you, I became a fugitive and endured days of humiliation….”*

The mana radiating from Kang-jun and the aura from Aldebaran clashed.

The two opposing yet similar energies intertwined, wrapping around each other…

*RUUUUMBLE—!*

The aftershock caused not only the chapel but the entire building to tremble violently, as if it would collapse at any moment.

All the lights inside began to flicker rapidly, and eventually, all electronic devices malfunctioned.

The volume of the speakers suddenly skyrocketed, and the soft music that had been playing began to thunder throughout the space.

- Freude~! Freude-!

- Joy! Joy!

- Götterfunken -!

- Divine Radiance!

- Freude~! Freude~!

- Joy! Joy!

Spurred on by the music, Aldebaran also began to shout at the top of his lungs.

*“Immortal, this body has finally been reborn as a ‘god’!”*

*“The great deeds I performed on the Anux Continent have been endlessly passed down through legend!”*

*“In the end, I attained divinity and a divine throne, ascending to godhood!”*

The Leader, who had been watching in silence, let out a soft, “Ah…” before immediately prostrating himself on the floor in worship.

“O, great god….”

At the same time, as if on cue, the other believers also bowed in worship, completely overwhelmed by Aldebaran’s ‘divinity.’

On the other hand…

Aldebaran himself could not hide his anxiety, his gaze fixed solely on the still-unfazed Kang-jun below.

‘I should probably give him a good scare and then run….’

From the formless power struggle just moments ago—the clash of his aura against Immortal’s—he had realized one thing.

He couldn’t win.

As someone who had only just been reborn as a god, he had no way of defeating the one known throughout the Abyss as ‘Immortal.’

‘My only choice is to escape for now and wait for the next opportunity….’

The one silver lining was that since he hadn’t physically manifested, not even ‘Immortal’ would have a way to kill him.

*“All of you, what are you doing? Do you not see this heretic? Punish him!”*

His plan was to use his followers as shields to buy a moment’s time and escape into the ‘Pitch Black of the Abyss.’

“Carry out the will of our god!”

Just as the hundreds of believers in the chapel, seized by a frenzied madness, were about to charge at Kang-jun at their leader’s cry…

“An imperial command.”

At Kang-jun’s casual words, a man and a woman who had been sitting quietly in a corner of the chapel shot to their feet.

“Slaughter all of Aldebaran’s followers.”

At his command, the pair threw back the hoods of their robes in unison, as if by prearrangement, and replied with the utmost reverence.

“We obey your command….”

Upon spotting ‘Crabslie’ and ‘Iriel,’ Aldebaran’s expression instantly turned grim.

*“H-how are even Immortal’s hounds here….”*

Although not as powerful as their master, two of his five great retainers, renowned for their supreme martial prowess, had accompanied him here.

Unfortunately, in his current state, even if he were to manifest physically, he would surely be unable to handle even ‘Immortal’s hounds.’

*“D-dammit!”*

Fearing that any further delay might get him caught, he was about to flee into the ‘Pitch Black of the Abyss.’

Just then.

Beethoven’s ‘Symphony No. 9,’ which had been flowing from the speakers, seemed to have reached its climax…

— Freude! Freude! schöner Götterfunken!

- Joy! Joy! Beautiful Divine Radiance!

— Freude! Freude! schöner Götterfunken!

- Joy! Joy! Beautiful Divine Radiance!

Crabslie and Iriel began to cut down the members of the Anti-Bureau Alliance with movements as fluid as a dance…

*SHIIING—!*

Thick droplets of blood splattered across the chapel, and the air was filled with an unending chorus of screams and shrieks.

The melody of the symphony pouring from the speakers grew increasingly passionate.

The death rattles of countless people blended seamlessly into the performance of a renowned philharmonic orchestra, as if they were instruments themselves.

“Guaaaaaaaah—!”

Kang-jun then spoke.

“What a magnificent view.”

As he finished, he slowly raised his hand, and the entire building began to shake violently as if an earthquake had struck…

*RUUUUUMBLE—!*

With the tremors, hundreds of coffins erupted from the ground, and the undead interred within began to walk out.

“Kirrrrrk….”

“Kieeeek….”

“Kirrrrrk….”

Skeleton warriors, perfectly armed with black armor as hard as rock and blades gleaming with a sinister blue light…

And skeleton mages in robes, each holding a dark orb in both hands.

Even more, leading these undead were the former ‘Twelve Executives’ of this very alliance, who had been killed in action.

Thus, a legion of loyal soldiers appeared abruptly, joining the merciless and atrocious scene of slaughter.

*“I-Immortal’s soldiers….”*

A past memory that Aldebaran had tried so hard to forget resurfaced, causing his whole body to tremble uncontrollably.

The Legion of the Dead.

It was the memory of the day Immortal’s army, which turned any place it touched into a living hell, had invaded and decimated his kingdom.

“Aldebaran, I have a few questions for you. How did a mere greedy wraith like you become a god?”

*“Th-that is….”*

“And I wonder, can I resurrect even a ‘god’ and command it as my servant?”

*“Silence!”*

“I plan to slowly resolve these questions starting now. Still, I must say, I’m disappointed. This ‘god’ seems far more pathetic than I expected.”

With the impassive face of an executioner, Kang-jun began to walk toward him, closing the distance.

*Step, step….*

Aldebaran, who had flinched for a moment, finally composed himself and unleashed a torrent of mockery in a triumphant tone.

*“Foolish one. It might be a different story if this body had physically manifested, but right now, I am nothing more than a mere ‘illusion’ without substance!”*

*“Simply put, no matter what you do, you can never touch me!”*

*“As much as I’d love to wring your neck right now, I have no choice but to withdraw and await a future opportunity….”*

“Is that so?” Kang-jun asked back before summoning a sharp spear made of bone and hurling it with all his might at Aldebaran…

*WHOOOOSH—!*

The spear left Kang-jun’s hand, passed straight through Aldebaran’s body, and embedded itself in the far wall of the chapel with a loud crash.

*“You foolish oaf, have you seen enough now?”*

*“Unfortunately for you, we cannot harm each other!”*

*“A pity, but I’ll have to put an end to you next time….”*

Just then, the ‘Leader,’ who had been watching the scene in silence, took a step forward and screamed, veins bulging in his neck as if in agony.

“N-no, my lord!”

At his words, Aldebaran’s expression twisted slightly…

“W-we will gladly offer ourselves as ‘living sacrifices’! Please, I beg you, manifest and deliver a fearsome divine punishment upon this heretic!”

*“Hmm…?”*

“After you have forged the new world you desired, please, just do not forget our existence, we who have sacrificed ourselves with sacred hearts!”

The Leader immediately pulled a dagger from his robes and plunged it into his own neck…

*CRUNCH—.*

Twisting the handle of the dagger buried deep in his throat, he began to chant an incantation.

— O & 8 6q 0 a r a 冗 a p a rija s i.

— Xp u a6 /c o r6tt o u A o Olyve

— a> p a

Aldebaran stared, startled, and muttered.

*“D-don’t…!”*

*“Don’t do it…!”*

*“Please, stop…!”*

Startled by the Leader’s sudden action, he quickly tried to calm himself.

*“I-I commend your faith, but unfortunately, the power of one person alone is not enough to manifest this body….”*

At those words, the other surviving members of the alliance, who had been watching, also began to stab daggers into their own necks, choosing ‘suicide.’

“The great god will avenge us!”

“We’ll die like dogs anyway if we stay!”

“It’s better to be of use to our god!”

“Our god will remember us!”

These believers, who already possessed a twisted faith, had now witnessed the existence of their god with their own eyes…

Rather than be killed, they chose to entrust everything to the god they served and become sacred sacrifices.

*“Stop it, you crazy bastards!”*

Just then, the Leader, having finished his chant, spewed mouthfuls of dark red blood, his eyes fixed on his god with an expression of pure adoration.

The Leader’s gaze seemed to plead for praise, like a child asking, “I did a good job, right? Won’t you praise me?”

*“Daaaaamn iiiiiit—!”*

His form twisted like water spiraling down a drain and was sucked into the Leader’s body…

The ‘Leader,’ who had collapsed to his knees at the moment of death, trembled violently before looking down at his own hands.

“Haaa….”

He let out a ragged breath as if he’d been holding it for an age. His gaze slowly turned to Kang-jun, who was approaching him.

“I’m… so fucked….”

Aldebaran, who had been forcibly manifested by his own followers, uttered a lifeless monologue, his face a mask of utter shock.