-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Grand Assembly of the Underworlds
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The criteria by which the deities governing each underworld selected their reapers was, without a doubt, martial prowess.
Countless were the souls who, unable to relinquish their attachment to life, would flee and become vengeful spirits...
To bring them to the underworld without incident, exceptional martial strength was essential.
"Ugh..."
In contrast, the reaper who had been abruptly slapped by Kang-jun found his eyes growing completely dim.
[The deity, ‘The Chief Justice, Head of the Ten Kings of the Underworld,’ is greatly enraged by your insolent act.]
He was the Head Reaper, the highest-ranking among the reapers of the underworld ruled by the high deity, 「The Chief Justice, Head of the Ten Kings of the Underworld」.
"Stings, doesn't it?"
Kang-jun asked mockingly. The moment he let go of the Head Reaper's collar, which he had been holding with all his might...
The Head Reaper, having lost consciousness from a single slap, crumpled limply like a newborn foal. Thud!
"Y-You fiends! H-How dare you! Do you know who we are?!"
"Do you have any idea what you've just done?!"
"This is tantamount to making an enemy of every underworld!"
The reapers, who had been gathered here at the 「Wharf」, surrounded Kang-jun, who had struck first, and began to shout at him.
However...
As if completely unconcerned, Kang-jun casually cleaned his ear while confiscating the 'artifact' from the Head Reaper who had finally collapsed.
The artifact the Head Reaper used to transport souls to the underworld was a sturdy, crimson rope, said to be unbreakable.
Soon, Kang-jun skillfully twirled the noose of the rope in the air and issued another warning to the reapers.
"I don't like to wait."
His words silenced the surroundings...
"The damn laws of the underworld, established in my absence, need to be revised. It seems you'll have to show your distinguished faces here at once."
Finishing his words, Kang-jun scanned the reapers in their varied attire before declaring again in a chilling tone.
"Until you show your distinguished faces, I will beat these fools down as I see fit."
Kang-jun's warning once again echoed loudly throughout the Abyss...
Only then did the deities governing each underworld begin to react.
[The deity, ‘The Chief Justice, Head of the Ten Kings of the Underworld,’ commands his reapers to subdue you, bring you before him, and make you kneel.]
Renowned for his fiery and tempestuous nature, 「The Chief Justice, Head of the Ten Kings of the Underworld」 was the first to respond...
[The deity, ‘Bodiless Death,’ wants you torn to shreds....]
[The deity, ‘The Lord of Abydos,’ demands your eyes be plucked out....]
[The deity, ‘The Netherworld, Seventh of the Seven Generations of Gods,’ wants you to....]
The other deities ruling their respective underworlds also seemed to maintain a similarly hostile attitude.
"How upsetting."
At Kang-jun's words, Marbas, still in the form of a Doberman puppy, tilted his head with a "Woof?"
"It seems the world keeps trying to make me a bad person. Why is it that people only start to talk after I've resorted to force...?"
Marbas wagged his tail fiercely and replied in an agitated tone.
"Based on my own experience, I surmise that they likely have quite a grand plan brewing in their minds right now..."
"A grand plan?"
"To make you kneel, to tear you to shreds, to pluck out your eyeballs... Did they not all reveal their very grand plans?"
To that, Kang-jun replied softly, "They did." Marbas then continued in a tone of utmost clarity.
"When I myself faced the Immortal, I harbored several enormous and grandiose plans in my head."
"Like what?"
"Cutting off the Immortal's head to let young demons play ball with it, and of course, finely mincing his entire body to use as fertilizer for my domain..."
As Marbas rattled off the plans he had conceived at the time, Kang-jun's brow furrowed deeply...
After letting out a whimper, "Yipe...", Marbas immediately got to the point.
"In any case, the moment the Immortal slapped me, my senses returned with a jolt, and all my plans vanished like fleeting bubbles."
To that, Kang-jun responded.
"So you're saying a good beating is the best medicine?"
"Yes, sir. A potent remedy with excellent effects."
"Then I suppose there's no other way this time either."
"Indeed, sir. It can't be helped."
Just then, the reapers in their various garbs began to charge at Kang-jun and Marbas all at once...
"You fiends—!"
Suddenly, a "Ding!" sound rang out, and a series of system messages began to appear in the air before Kang-jun's eyes.
[The conditions have been met, activating a ‘Hidden Piece’!]
【Hidden Piece: Arranging the Hierarchy of the Underworld Kings.】
The deities who have long reigned as Underworld Kings do not seem to recognize you as a deity ruling an underworld yet.
It would be best to prove you are qualified, by any means necessary.
Somehow, make them attend the ‘Grand Assembly of the Underworlds’ that you will host, and imprint upon them that your rank is by no means inferior.
Upon fulfilling all conditions, this tale will be established as your new myth and become widely known throughout the Abyss!
Kang-jun skimmed the contents of the system messages and muttered to himself.
"By any means necessary..."
He then looked down at Marbas, who was gently wagging his tail at his feet, and gave a command.
"Looks like we'll have to rough up a few of them."
As if he had been waiting, Marbas's body instantly began to swell...
「Hehehe, you foolish, ignorant fools! You chose the wrong side and have now been reduced to mere dog food!」
He swung a massive fist, grabbing a reaper at the forefront, then bit off its head and began to chew noisily, mocking them.
「You idiots, you should have chosen your master as carefully as I did! I get to enjoy the luxury of eating pork spine stew every day!」
Marbas devoured the reapers voraciously, grabbing them as they came...
Kang-jun, too, showed no mercy as he struck down the reapers who had shown their killing intent first.
How much time had passed?
In an instant, the entire 「Wharf」 was splattered with blood and flesh, and gut-wrenching screams soaked in agony rang out.
[The deity, ‘The Netherworld, Seventh of the Seven Generations of Gods,’ begs you to stop, promising to attend the assembly immediately.]
[The deity, ‘The Chief Justice, Head of the Ten Kings of the Underworld,’ fumes, ordering you to cease the senseless slaughter.]
The deities governing the various underworlds of the Abyss reluctantly began to declare, one by one, their attendance at the ‘Grand Assembly of the Underworlds’...
[All Underworld Kings of all underworlds have accepted your invitation to attend the ‘Grand Assembly of the Underworlds’.]
Before long, as if all the Underworld Kings had decided to attend, a new set of system messages began to appear.
[In a moment, you and all other Underworld Kings will be forcibly summoned to the Grand Assembly Hall.]
[3-.]
[2-.]
[1-.]
With that, Kang-jun's vision abruptly shifted. "Whoosh!"
Inside a vast, sealed chamber sat a single conference table, wider than a decent-sized field, and five jade thrones, each larger than a mountain.
"Hmm..."
As the host of the assembly, Kang-jun was assigned the jade throne at the head of the table...
Sitting on the massive throne, which was disproportionate to his size, he felt as if he had arrived in a land of giants.
Just as Marbas, who had been summoned along with Kang-jun for some reason, let out a gasp of admiration, "Oh..."
Screeeech—
The iron doors of the great chamber began to open, and an unknown voice drifted through the gap.
"The second to arrive is the Underworld King, Lady Izanami, known by the epithet, ‘The Netherworld, Seventh of the Seven Generations of Gods’!"
As the distant doors opened, a goddess with long, straight hair and a face caked in white powder revealed herself.
She shot Kang-jun a displeased look before naturally taking a seat on the jade throne at the farthest end...
"The third to arrive is the Underworld King, Lord Osiris, known by the epithet, ‘The Lord of Abydos’!"
Next, a male god with skin the color of a plant, a bluish-green hue, appeared and strode across the assembly hall.
Clomp, clomp.
He too gave Kang-jun a brief, displeased glance before taking the seat opposite Izanami without a word.
"The fourth to arrive is the Underworld King, Lord Hades, known by the epithet, ‘Bodiless Death’!"
This time, a male god appeared whose divine power felt different in both quantity and quality from the deities who had arrived before him...
"Grrrrrrr..."
Walking beside him was a three-headed dog, ‘Cerberus,’ its red eyes glowing intensely as it barked loudly.
"Are you ■■■?"
Unlike the previously arrived deities, he addressed Kang-jun in a relaxed tone before taking a seat on one of the jade thrones.
"As you can see."
Kang-jun scanned ‘Hades’s’ appearance and muttered softly.
"I don't like him..."
Marbas, who had been barking "Woof! Woof!" as if to challenge Cerberus, looked up at Kang-jun and asked.
"What's wrong, sir?"
Kang-jun answered immediately.
"I can't stand guys with slick faces like that, looking like some kind of pretty boy."
Marbas glanced sideways at the deity Hades, taking in his appearance from head to toe, then asked as if he understood the reason.
"You mean you dislike him because he's handsome?"
Hades, with his classically handsome features, was undeniably a beautiful being, reminiscent of a figure from an ink wash painting brought to life on white paper.
His pale skin, seemingly devoid of any vitality, contrasted with his dark, ink-colored lips, creating a strange harmony...
His body appeared as solid as if sculpted by a master craftsman of the age, and his face, as if chiseled with the bold strokes of a renowned artist, looked exceedingly sharp.
"Hey."
Kang-jun suddenly called out to Hades, his brow deeply furrowed as he spoke in a growl.
"Make that dog stop barking."
At his words, Hades smiled and was about to lightly tug the leash in his hand.
Suddenly, the furious sound of footsteps, "Thump! Thump! Thump!", echoed thunderously throughout the chamber.
"The fifth to arrive in the assembly hall is the great King Yama, known by the epithet, ‘The Chief Justice, Head of the Ten Kings of the Underworld’!"
Then, a deity with a ruddy face and a colossal frame that required one to crane their neck all the way back to see entered—the great King Yama.
"You scoundrel—!"
He roared, his eyes wide, and a deafening sound, like a clap of thunder, reverberated wildly...
But Kang-jun, as if completely unbothered, leisurely stroked Marbas's fluffy rump and offered his casual assessment.
"Wow, he's freaking huge."
At that moment, King Yama, unable to contain his rage, continued to huff and puff, spewing a torrent of vicious insults at Kang-jun.
"To slaughter innocent reapers simply because they did not bend to your will! It seems you truly are nothing but a crazed ruffian!"
As King Yama roared in fury, Marbas chuckled, "Hehehe...", and looked up at Kang-jun expectantly.
He had anticipated that Kang-jun would not tolerate King Yama's harsh words and would respond with equal fire...
Sensing Marbas's gaze, Kang-jun prompted him, and Marbas asked with a frown.
"Why are you just standing there?"
"What about it?"
"He called you a crazed ruffian..."
Kang-jun, as if it were of no concern, casually cleaned his ear and replied softly.
"It doesn't seem like he's entirely wrong."
He then addressed the assembled deities.
"Well, now that everyone's here, let's begin this so-called Grand Assembly of the Underworlds."
Finishing his sentence, Kang-jun smiled slyly and added.
"Since I'm the host, I'll be the one to set the rules. The rule for this assembly is simple."
A moment of silence fell.
"When I speak, you will simply nod."
The moment those words ended, the various deities, each with their distinct forms, began to swirl like a vortex within the assembly hall.
