Chapter 645 - A Common Front (1)
Harmonia had a bemused expression. She couldn’t help but laugh now that the person who had busied himself with trying to catch her was suddenly offering her an alliance.『You want to put aside our issues until we catch Allforone, is that it?』
She then turned toward Brahm with her “eyes”, noticing that Brahm was looking at her without any expression. However, having been his partner for a long time, she knew that Brahm’s eyes were full of various emotions at this moment. She looked away because she didn’t think she should look at him with her real eyes.
Yeon-woo continued, “You and I share the same goals.”
『Do you know what my goals are?』
“Isn’t it to bring down Allforone?”
『Yes, although I have a greater purpose. Allforone is only a means to reach it.』
“Same for me. So, after we eliminate Allforone, we can call off our alliance.”
『I apologize, but the reason why Allforone hasn’t shown any movement recently is a result of our efforts. We were also the ones to provide beings to replace him. It seems you’re only trying to sponge off of us.』
“Don’t you want the last key a bit too much to say I’m simply ‘sponging’ off of you?”
Harmonia smiled faintly. She would get nowhere trying to argue with Yeon-woo.『How about you just enter our clan? If you wish, we can give you clans to command and even a leadership position.』
“No. I don’t think so.”
『You’ve also received the baptism of darkness. In the future, you’ll have to kick aside this burdensome Tower and focus on waking him, don’t you think?』
“You already know my answer.”
『I see you’re a non-believer who doesn’t follow this path even after seeing and experiencing his grace and his miracles.』Harmonia nodded her massive head.
Yeon-woo’s words were quite blasphemous to say in front of the leader of a clan that worshipped the Black King, but Yeon-woo strangely got the impression that Harmonia was satisfied with his reply.
『Then, my reply is simple as well.』
“No?”
『What will you do if that’s the case?』
“You’re not the only one I can make an offer to.”
『Hm?』
Yeon-woo turned to the right, saying, “Yvlke, what do you think?”
“Ohyohyo! You’re too cruel, ###. How can you so blatantly try to create internal strife between us when both of us are present?” Space opened as a monocle-wearing goblin appeared. He seemed beyond amused by the situation.
Yeon-woo was making the same offer he made to Harmonia to the Central Bureau. Since the Central Bureau were the ones who needed the system keys, Yeon-woo’s plans could succeed if he gave it to them too.
『Haha!』Harmonia chuckled lightly at how blatantly Yeon-woo was trying to pick sides.
Yvlke adjusted his monocle as he began to speak again. “###, there’s something I want to know. May I ask a question?”
“What is it?”
“Of the current divine abilities you possess, is there anything related to incitement, fraud, or temper?”
[Many demons nod in agreement.]
[A few demons await your response.]
[Very few demons look at you with sparkling eyes.]
The reactions of the demons got on his nerves, but Yeon-woo just crossed his arms with a scoff. “There’s nothing like that.”
“That’s a shame. If you did, you would’ve become an emperor already.”
“…”
“Ohyohyo! Ohyo! Anyway, as for your offer…!”
Just when Yvlke was about to reply, Zeus, who had been watching their conversation, raised golden lightning with an enraged expression.『You trifling beings dare to leave me out!』He was the one participating in the battle royale, but he was being ignored. Golden stems that connected the sky to the ground spread out, crackling as if they were going to explode any moment. His jewel eye shone brighter than before.
Zeus owned the Stone of Caritas, which was the direct opposite of Yeon-woo’s Stone of Superbia. Caritas was the power that shared and gave. In other words, meeting stronger opponents would allow him to use an increasingly amplified amount of holy power.
Yeon-woo opened his Draconic Divine Eyes and gripped Vigrid. As the Yin Sword was activated, darkness spread around him. He could strike Zeus any second. Vigrid trembled. Urrrng. Ssss. Darkness surged above Vigrid before…
Kronos’ upper torso appeared. He looked at Zeus sadly.『Zeus…!』
『I heard you returned, but I can’t believe you really did. All the more reason to tear you apart!』
Crash! Thunder boomed and lightning fell right above Yeon-woo’s head. It was at that moment when Yvlke snapped his fingers, extinguishing the light from Zeus’ shining left eye. The golden lightning that was on the verge of exploding scattered like it was never there.
『Kegh. You…!』Zeus coughed up blood due to his attacks being deflected. He glared at Yvlke.
Yvlke just smiled. “Ohyohyo! You must not forget, Zeus, who the Stone of Caritas belongs to. I was still speaking with ###, isn’t that so? A chess piece must remember its place.”
Crunch! Zeus clenched his teeth at Yvlke, who treated him like a mere chess piece. Yvlke simply smiled, acting like he didn’t care if Zeus left or not. However, Zeus couldn’t bring himself to take out the jewel eye, which entranced him with its sheer power. Instead, he turned around and disappeared, containing his fury.
『…Zeus.』Kronos looked after Zeus sadly. Then, he turned back to Yeon-woo, who released Kronos from their combined state. Kronos' eyes were filled with gratitude as he followed after Zeus.
“Ohyohyo! He’s quite shy. Now shall we finish our conversation?” Yvlke adjusted his monocle as he looked between Yeon-woo and Harmonia. His sharp teeth were shining brighter than usual as he grinned.
* * *
[The scenario quest (Birth of the One and Only God) has been paused!]
[Because no one has completed the quest, rewards will be given according to contribution and participation.]
[The mid-calculations are beginning.]
[Current Quest Ranking]
Tied First Place: Brahm, Zeus, Jade Emperor
Fourth Place: None
Fifth Place: None
…
[Many of the godly societies express discontent with the quest.]
[Many gods file a complaint with the quest.]
[A few gods claim a new quest should be created.]
[Some gods request [Malach] to intervene.]
[The godly society [Malach] refuses the quest, saying this quest has been decided under the agreement of the supreme gods and that they have no right to interfere.]
[The demonic society [L’Infernal] looks at the godly societies with greedy eyes.]
[The many gods become silent.]
[The few gods become silent.]
…
[The High Guardian ‘Yvlke’ has uploaded announcements to the ninety-eighth floor.]
[Announcement (1): It’s been a while since I’ve said hello like this, hasn’t it? Ohyohyo! We know very well many of you are unhappy with this scenario quest. The Bureau is overwhelmed with inquiries and complaints at the moment.]
[Announcement (2): We are in discussion of a follow-up quest that satisfies your desires. Please wait. And if you can’t wait? You can deal with the consequences on your own.]
[The rewards countermeasures for the paused scenario quest (Birth of the One and Only God) are currently underway. Please wait.]
[The discussion is lasting longer than expected. Please wait.]
[The discussion is lasting longer than expected. Please wait.]
…
[According to the request of High Guardian ‘Yvlke,’ the content of the scenario quest (Birth of the One and Only God) has been changed!]
[The new quest (Liberation of the Heavenly World) has been created.]
[Scenario Quest / Liberation of the Heavenly World]
[Description: This quest has been urgently made to replace the scenario quest (Birth of the One and Only God).
The throne of the one and only god was an important position that all gods desired. Taking into consideration public opinion that the title shouldn’t be given rashly, the Central Bureau has asked Malach and L’Infernal to solve this problem. And after a long discussion, they came to a simple result: Messiah.
Not only have the gods and demons lived wrongfully trapped inside the Tower, but they were also limited to the ninety-eighth floor. What the gods need is a charismatic leader and savior to guide them and to release them from oppression. For that to occur, the chains that are currently restricting their freedom must be cut first.
Now, take action to cut the chains. The god who contributes the most will be given honor and rewards befitting of the accomplishment.]
[Conditions for success:
. Find and eliminate the chains tying the heavenly world, ‘Vivasvat.’
. Depending on your contribution, rewards will be given to the “society” and “supreme god.” Additionally, you have the right to any spoils of the battle.
. Have the highest score.]
[Qualifications: -]
[Time Limit: -]
[Rewards:
. Master key
. Designation as one and only god
. Title of ‘Messiah’]
After the modified quest was announced, the heavenly world was shaken.
[The godly society [Olympus] has announced their quest participation!]
[The godly society [Chan Sect] has announced their quest participation!]
[The godly society [Deva] has announced their quest participation!]
…
[All godly societies except [Malach] have announced their quest participation!]
[A majority of gods are happy, saying the time has finally come.]
[Many gods are feeling competitive and wish to fight.]
[A few gods who seek peace spill tears at the sacrifices that will soon take place.]
[All demons observe the godly societies with interest.]
The heavenly world was shaken up, and the weight of the suddenly changed quest was heavy. The battle royale that began as choosing a one and only god was suddenly one for their liberation.
The raid of Allforone was the event that the heavenly world had attempted but failed multiple times. However, this time, the scale was different. It was a big event the Central Bureau was directly managing, and because they had the system keys, they could take counteraction against Allforone’s powers. And since the Sea of Time, and Yeon-woo and his subordinates, were participating as well, they thought it could be possible.
Most importantly, it wasn’t just the supreme gods who were fighting to have the title of one and only god. The title would be given to the one who contributed the most, so the gods couldn’t help but be interested.
While all the godly societies announced their participation, Yeon-woo nodded with satisfaction at the messages popping up in front of him. ‘The parts about public opinion and consideration in the quest description are just to make it look nicer, but the current public opinion is more than good enough.’
The negotiations with the Sea of Time and the Central Bureau had gone smoother than expected. If they fought against each other, they’d be walking in circles, but if they fought together, the story changed.
Yeon-woo pulled in two other groups into the negotiations.
[Metatron of [Malach] nods satisfactorily at the results of the negotiations.]
[Baal of [L’Infernal] looks forward to the next tea party.]
‘Since the heavenly world is involved now, no one will be able to act rashly.’ Yeon-woo had made not only the Sea of Time and the Central Bureau target Allforone, but the entire heavenly world as well. He had once treated some societies with hostility and others as allies to cause internal strife and prevent the heavenly world from working together. From that perspective, the current quest seemed like the direct opposite of his actions until now, but he wasn’t too concerned.
‘It’s actually more likely they’ll fight amongst each other during the raid. They’ll never be able to accept anyone trying to stand above them. It’ll be a relief if they don’t stab each other in the back.’ Yeon-woo expected the combined efforts to not run smoothly because the societies would be wary of each other. They were already divided into groups that did or did not possess the revelations, groups who were in the allied forces, and groups split by their individual stances, so disagreements were bound to happen.
If the Sea of Time and the Central Bureau both stepped up, and they used all their cards while Yeon-woo used his Yin Sword, subjugation of the seventy-seventh floor was possible. The Martial King’s dream would finally be realized.
And during this opportunity, Yeon-woo planned on carrying out his last goal. It was a goal he hadn’t told anyone—the allied forces, his subordinates, and even Kronos and his brother. ‘The moment this quest is over… I’ll break not just the seventy-seventh floor, but the damned Tower itself.’ Yeon-woo’s eyes flashed.
[The scenario quest (Liberation of the Heavenly World) has begun!]
[The godly society [Olympus] has entered the seventy-seventh floor.]
[The godly society [Chan Sect] has entered the seventy-seventh floor.]
…
[All godly societies excluding [Malach] have entered the seventy-seventh floor!]
And like that, the final raid began.