#266
King of Madness (5)
The bottom of the Outerica dimension.
A dimensional trash can where the world’s waste gathers and stagnates.
abyss.
It was a place that did not allow living beings or even anything with shape or personality.
A place that can be said to be chaos itself, where not only time and space, but also abstract concepts and phenomena are mixed together.
But there are exceptions to everything.
Even in such a terrible space, there was a being who showed off his presence without losing his ‘self’ until the end.
Wriggling—
the thing that had sunk deep into the abyss, was writhing nervously.
Even in a state of semi-assimilation to the surrounding environment, the movement of the being whose light did not fade, distorted the surrounding flow and violently shook the entire space.
However, since that level of chaos was a normal occurrence in the abyss, it could not have any effect on the outside world.
Just like it always has been.
The being’s movements, which had been struggling for a while, gradually calmed down.
Although he reacted reflexively to things that didn’t go his way, he had existed for too long a time to be happy about something like that.
Kurrrr—
It stopped moving completely and fell quietly again.
Even though the work we had put so much effort into failed and caused considerable damage due to impulsive attempts to intervene, that was not the end of the matter.
Anyway, frustration was a daily occurrence for him.
As there is still a lot of time left, opportunities will continue to come.
All he had to do was not to miss the moment and take advantage of it when it came.
So it began to wait quietly again.
For the day that will come soon.
***
The dark red vortex that covered the northwest part of Tarak city slowly dissipated.
To be precise, the flow of madness spreading through the world was still the same, but as the intensity and density of the torrent decreased, the concentration dropped to a level that was no longer visible to the eye as usual.
‘It would be safer to do it this way, even if it takes some time to complete the madness.’
If we don’t do that, the continent will become a mess again due to the monsters that are possessed by that flow.
Actually, the situation was not that good even now.
It took only about 10 minutes from the revolutionary’s attempt to awaken to processing.
Since the situation was quickly resolved, most of the monsters would have returned to their original positions, but there would also be many cases where they continued to move inertially or where the boundaries of their habitats were already disrupted.
And the damage will probably be passed on to nearby residents.
‘…Well, I’m glad it ended like this.’
Considering the recent level of alert in each region, it would have been possible to control this level of unrest before the situation became more serious.
At this point, it is safe to say that he did the best he could.
“Ugh, wow, my stomach feels really bloated. “My body feels sore!”
Finally, the storm that had been sweeping around disappeared completely, leaving silence in the air.
Harley, who had returned to her original size, leaned against the body of the giant that was slowly crumbling into dust and stretched out as if stretching her body, which had been burdened by the sudden influx of power.
My eyes looked at the system window that appeared right in front of me.
《The object grows by meeting the conditions. Acquire the special skill “Seed of Madness.”
What he robbed was notarized by the system and became a skill.
However, perhaps because it was still an incomplete core, it did not have any special abilities, let alone that of an immortal king.
At best, it can draw the madness of the world at will and can itself become a huge source of energy?
‘No, that alone is great enough. Moreover, it seems like Harley’s status has risen considerably right now.’
In order to properly represent its status, the “ultimate evolved life form” is still growing and evolving its body.
I’ll have to try it later to find out, but the maximum size when transformed into a giant would probably be much larger than before.
Besides, haven’t you experienced firsthand how strong Harley can become with ample energy?
In fact, it was as if he had gained a huge energy tank.
Also, I didn’t know how my abilities would evolve later when the seed fully germinated.
‘More than that… there is no such thing as the power he was talking about.’
That was a little disappointing.
I thought I might be able to get a clue about the mysterious sense that Diana and the revolutionaries have through this opportunity.
‘Are you saying it can’t be stolen like this? Actually, it seemed like a power related to an imprisoned god. It’s a little disappointing, but… since the revolutionary is dead anyway, there’s no need to worry about it anymore.’
He shook his head slightly as he recalled the intervention of that being that Hans experienced when he fought with the revolutionaries on the border of the abyss.
Of course, the task of pulling out the god trapped in the abyss couldn’t have been that easy.
But since he completely destroyed the grand plan that took so long and so much effort, wouldn’t he at least have to face that god-man again while he remains in this world?
“Saint! “Is there anything uncomfortable about you?”
“Oh, it’s okay. “It’s all thanks to the saint’s support.”
“It’s been a while, Harley. I was so distracted earlier that I couldn’t even say hello. “You were at the forefront of the fight. Are you feeling okay?”
“Hahaha! Ah, this body is strong at all times! I didn’t know I’d run into a guy like that when I came to see a friend after a long time! Kahaha!”
As we were enjoying the afterglow after the matter had been safely concluded for a while, people who sensed that the situation was over began to gather one by one.
“Huh~ They told me to take the kids and leave behind. In the end, you had fun all to yourself, High Lord?”
“Hmm, fortunately, it looks like everyone is safe.”
“But they’re all kids with real blood, right? Well, the child who was showing some signs got better after giving him a few hits, right? “Woohuhu.”
Somehow, a few people in particular looked haggard. Maybe that was why.
Still, it was good news that there were no major sacrifices.
Well… the reason I had a hard time dealing with him was because of his tenacity and regenerative power combined with his overwhelming size, but it wasn’t enough to be difficult for the five transcendental strongmen, including the three Avatars, the Saint, and Bricky.
In fact, they consistently had the upper hand and overwhelmed them throughout the battle.
Doo-doo-doo-
duk-duk-duk-duk
And it wasn’t just the warrior party and hybrid vampires who had fought together.
Behind them, from the direction of Thalia City, a large number of people riding horses and carriages were approaching in a line.
Heinrich glanced in that direction, slightly widened his eyes and stroked his chin.
‘Master-class knights and elite knights… were they dispatched from the Tulk royal family? And there… Cardinal Donovan of the Great Temple of Picaol came in person? ‘With the paladins and archbishops?’
They were reinforcements who rushed over after hearing about what had happened here.
Not only the elite troops of the kingdom that can be said to be the masters of this land, but also the strong men of the Great Temple of Picaol, which governs the western part of the Aeon Continent.
Even Cardinal Donovan, who had become familiar with him while taking the Holy Sword exam in the past, was in charge of the Grand Shrine.
I heard he was a paladin, but I never thought he would appear in a position like this.
‘It’s definitely something that would have helped in some way if I had come early.’
Of course, since the situation was already over, it could be said that it was too late, but in fact, he responded quickly by sending the avatar right away, so their dispatch could not be considered late.
Thanks to Harley’s performance at the end, the fact that the battle ended sooner than expected also played a role.
‘Well, it’s probably still helpful enough.’
And in a way, it was just the right timing.
Rumbling— rumbling—!
Because this isn’t all over yet.
Hee hee
hee- purr- purr!
“woah! woah! “What’s happening all of a sudden!”
“Huh? “Over there!”
“This can’t be right…!”
Those who were slowly approaching the area and trying to say hello got nervous and grabbed the reins.
Horses get scared of something and start making a fuss, and people try to calm them down.
The eyes of all the people at the scene turned to one place at that sudden strange situation.
Kugugoong—squeezing—!
There was no need to try to find the source of anything beyond that.
In the first place, the visual effect that occurred along with the space-tearing roar made it impossible to ignore it.
A little distance away from where the giant fell.
The empty space was cracked like broken glass.
Dark clouds gathered in an instant and covered the sky.
Then, black lightning struck, accompanied by a loud thunder.
A chilling wind blew through the area, and an unseasonable frost settled down.
“Hippo! Prepare your defenses!”
“Paradise forward!”
“I pray to the Lord. “Give grace to your children…”
The troops who approached him immediately prepared for battle and raised their spirits.
The reaction was the same even for those who were relaxed after fighting the giant.
The center of the abnormal phenomenon that occurred so suddenly.
In the middle of the space there were cracks in all directions, as if glass had been broken.
Pajijik—Pachachang—!
It breaks apart brilliantly.
A thick black magic began to cover all directions.
And he appeared within it.
[Keukeuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuu it’s been a while since this happened. [Knight of Light Heinrich St. Landgard.]
An absolute evil that cannot be compared to the giants that are fallen over there right now, and a true dark evil that seeks to destroy this world.
The terror of the continent and the embodiment of death that crawls up from the abyss of humanity’s despair.
“…Hannibal Strauss, the Immortal King…!”
The Immortal King descended upon this place.
Behind them are countless undead radiating ferocious energy.
***
Founder and leader revolutionary of the Oath of Reverse Heaven.
He was a dark figure who was hiding in the darkness of Outerica and trying to control the world, a heretic who dreamed of resurrecting the evil spirit imprisoned in the abyss, and a huge giant who displayed tremendous power against many powerful people.
In fact, with the exception of Hans, the Immortal King who was just a villain actor, he was someone who could actually be called the final boss of this world…
‘Well, it’s good if things work out easily.’
The end that such a being faced was somewhat absurdly meaningless.
A giant who looked unusual, as if he was going to do something at the last moment.
But before he could show anything properly, his skull was smashed by Harley.
He was robbed of the seeds of madness and left in vain.
And that’s it.
In fact, from the perspective of someone who is still trying to come up with a scenario, I couldn’t help but be dissatisfied with his carefree ending.
If a foreshadowing has been laid, it must be recovered, and if something meaningful has been shown, it must be shown in an appropriate way!
It was a serious lack of professionalism.
‘Anyway, the dark people these days have no guts.’
Of course it was a joke.
However, regardless of his vain ending, he could be said to be a very attractive subject.
Isn’t he the host of madness, the decisive factor that turned this world into chaos, and a monster that proudly faced off against many transcendent powerhouses, including heroes?
Of course, it was a shame to send him off in such an unpleasant way.
So I prepared.
[Ah, it really is quite good. This is a gift prepared with great care.]
The final show that will perfect the role of that poor giant.
“Is it really your fault? Immortal King!”
[I received something, so shouldn’t I return it? Too bad. I thought I could wipe out a country with that.]
The role given to the giant was to be a secret weapon sent by the Immortal King.
He was a so-called mid-boss.
[Hero, knight of light. I still haven’t forgotten. The moment in the South when you plunged that accursed holy sword into the heart of this body.]
“So you’re going to call it revenge?”
[Hehehe—that can’t be possible. I’m just willing. That my adversary can entertain me so much.]
And this meeting scenario continues from there.
[But do you know the hero? Almost a year has passed since that day.]
“…What do you want to say?”
[Ah—it’s nothing. It’s just….]
It was the beginning of the finale of ‘Home Theater: The Demon King and the Hero’.
[I got a little bored to wait any longer.]
To make the story richer.