Chapter 208

The Abyss continues to expand, linking to countless worlds and species.

Over immeasurable time, twelve species came to reign within the Abyss without change. They were called the Twelve Species.

Even demons didn’t dare install a [Creation Abyss] in their domains. One wrong move could spark a war no one could contain.

Each of the Twelve Species possessed distinct traits, overwhelming martial power, and mysterious potential for growth. Simply put, the species themselves were strong—on average, stronger than most high-ranking demons.

And the Species Lord who ruled each one was powerful enough to make the word “terrifying” feel inadequate. They were said to be monsters comparable to the Great Nine Lords.

But—

‘They violated the inviolable treaty.’

Long ago, the Species Wars erupted.

It was a great war that dragged in all Twelve Species, along with the demons of the Abyss. The fighting devastated even worlds that hadn’t participated. Countless species and worlds vanished, and it was said the number of demons in the Abyss was cut in half.

Worse, anomalies in reality occurred nonstop, and three Great Rifts opened during that war alone.

And still, the war didn’t end.

In the end, in a moment that felt almost miraculous, the Twelve Species Lords and the Great Lords gathered and signed a peace treaty—the inviolable treaty.

Its terms were simple.

(1) Demons and the Twelve Species shall not invade each other’s worlds.

(2) Demons shall not directly interfere in all worlds.

(3) Demons shall not create [Creation Abyss] in the worlds of the Twelve Species without permission.

(4) A Species Wars shall be held periodically, in which new world species and all species compete.

(5) All of the Twelve Species shall not invade new worlds that do not participate in the Species Wars (hereinafter referred to as New Worlds).

(6) Demons of the level of Demon King or higher shall not create [Creation Abyss] in New Worlds.

(7) All priority rights, including the rights to New Worlds, shall be determined by ranking in the Species Wars.

……

In other words, competition would replace war. Everything would be decided through the Species Wars.

Minimum safeguards were also put in place so new worlds could be born and survive within the Abyss.

But now, the Dusk Clan had violated rule number five.

The Twelve Species weren’t supposed to enter Earth yet.

It should have been roughly three months before the first Species Wars.

Until then, Earth and humanity were meant to adapt to the Abyss.

A tutorial—an adaptation period before the real competition began.

Because if such powerful species invaded early, weak humans wouldn’t survive.

Of course, strictly speaking, Ataraxia—a dragon—was also violating the treaty…

‘The Dusk Clan, huh.’

Park Chan-woo was honestly surprised.

He had already come into contact with two of the Twelve Species.

And among them, the Dusk Clan was the hardest to approach.

They lived in darkness—beings of darkness itself.

People sometimes called them Oduksi.

It was a name born from awe and fear, like something ripped straight from old folk tales—and their abilities matched the image.

‘When the Dusk Clan appears, Oduksi are laid down. They approach like hallucinations and rapidly increase their presence. By the time you come to your senses, you’ve already been eaten by the darkness.’

Be careful.

Never keep the Dusk Clan close.

That was the conclusion humanity had reached.

The same warning applied to the other Twelve Species, but humans instinctively feared darkness most of all.

“Unbelievable. Is that high-nosed Dragon Clan interested in this Tower? And it’s you, Ataraxia?”

“It doesn’t make sense. How are you Dusk Clan brats—who should be crawling on the ground—climbing the Tower?”

The Dusk Clan and Ataraxia mocked each other.

It was only natural. The Twelve Species weren’t on good terms with one another.

In particular, the Dragon Clan despised the Dusk Clan. They claimed the “magic” the Dusk Clan used wasn’t magic at all.

‘They don’t recognize me.’

The Dusk Clan didn’t recognize Park Chan-woo in the slightest.

It was because the status condition [Nonexistent] was active.

They thought Ataraxia was climbing the Tower alone.

But why was another species here at all?

Just then—

Ding!

[Floor 12: Cooperate to defeat the ‘Ancient Illusion Guardian.’]

“Cooperate with that filthy Dragon?”

“I’d rather burn everything down myself than cooperate with vermin.”

Both the Dusk Clan and Ataraxia protested immediately.

The word “cooperate” seemed to hit a nerve.

And in the distance—

Fwoooooosh!

A vast shadow rose, filling the air with a chilling presence.

But it wasn’t alone.

‘Illusion Legion.’

Illusions of countless species—varied shapes, varied forms—appeared in numbers large enough to be called a legion.

It certainly didn’t look like something they could handle without working together.

“Filthy Dragon, I’ll deal with you first.”

They had no intention of cooperating.

In an instant, four members of the Dusk Clan surrounded Ataraxia.

Sssss.

Darkness seeped from beneath their feet, swallowing the ground around them.

At the same time—

RUMBLE!

The four rapidly grew in size, becoming giants looming over Ataraxia.

Ataraxia frowned.

‘Bad compatibility.’

The Dusk Clan and Dragon Clan weren’t compatible.

Especially for Ataraxia, who wielded Despair—dealing with the Dusk Clan was extremely difficult.

Darkness and despair were too similar in nature.

Which meant the Dragon Tongue of Despair wouldn’t work.

He had to fight with ordinary magic that didn’t rely on Dragon Tongue.

‘Stupid bastards. They can’t recognize Sephiro.’

Still, it was almost funny.

Even standing in the same space, those insects could only recognize him—and couldn’t recognize Sephiro at all.

Maybe it was because Sephiro’s Absolute Magic was active.

He only revealed his presence when he chose to. Otherwise, he watched in silence.

It meant they weren’t worth showing himself to.

Proof that Sephiro, too, looked down on the Dusk Clan.

So—

‘I can’t let Sephiro-nim step in.’

This was Ataraxia’s problem.

He had to fight four Dusk Clan members without transforming into his true form, and without using the Dragon Tongue of Despair.

Maybe it was a trial the Great One had given him.

The one fortunate thing was that the Dusk Clan members here were young—newbies who hadn’t yet matured enough to fully wield their clan’s power.

…What should he do?

‘It hurts my pride, but I have no choice.’

Ataraxia clicked his tongue.

Then he began drawing magical modifiers in the air.

For a dragon to draw modifiers by hand—there was nothing more humiliating.

“Die!”

“Filthy Dragon!”

BOOM!

The giants stomped down on Ataraxia with crushing weight.

Darkness surged as they pressed in, thick enough to swallow everything.

But—

“Threads of Light?”

“Ataraxia of Despair is using high-level Light Magic?!”

Strands of light pierced the darkness and spread outward.

The threads wrapped around the Dusk Clan’s feet, yanking them off balance.

CRASH!

Their heavy bodies slammed into the ground.

It didn’t deal meaningful damage.

It only bought time.

In that time, Ataraxia’s hands moved too fast to follow.

Before Park Chan-woo realized it, an enormous chain of modifiers had been written across the air.

‘He’s trying to manifest 13th-level magic without Dragon Tongue.’

Even Park Chan-woo was surprised.

Dragons could freely handle magic up to the 12th level.

But 13th level and above normally required Dragon Tongue—and casting it without them meant directly engraving or drawing the modifiers.

And for dragons, drawing modifiers was deeply shameful.

Why struggle through labor when Dragon Tongue could do it instantly?

Yet Ataraxia was forcing himself through that humiliation to cast ultra-high-level magic.

Then—

Dduk.

Ataraxia’s movements stopped.

“…Paranormal.”

Jiiiiiiing!

A massive pyramid formed in front of him.

An eye sat at its center—and the eye unleashed a red beam like a laser.

KRAAAAAASH!

Everything it touched vanished.

The Illusion Legion.

Even the ground itself.

It wasn’t destruction.

It was evaporation.

Overwhelming magic.

But—

“You’re underestimating us too much!”

“Filthy Dragon!”

The Dusk Clan shrank back down at once.

Then the four moved together, weaving a massive curtain of darkness.

RUMBLE!

A spear that pierced everything.

A shield that blocked everything.

Ataraxia poured out what remained of his Mana.

“It’s good magic, but you won’t be able to climb the Tower like this. Shall I help you?”

Chronos spoke from within Park Chan-woo’s shadow.

Ataraxia was burning through a significant portion of his Mana just to hold off the Dusk Clan.

At this rate, climbing the Tower would be impossible.

But Park Chan-woo shook his head.

What mattered to him now wasn’t their clash.

‘…I think I know why Lil left the Tower of God behind.’

This wasn’t a tower where elegant beings like gods resided.

It was a tower of curses—stuffed with curses.

The remnants of destroyed worlds.

Spirit Stones.

Ancient Phantoms.

And Stigmata created from the traces of gods who once dominated worlds that had already been destroyed.

All of it lined up.

‘Elysion.’

Park Chan-woo invoked the [Divine Spirit Magic] Elysion and formed a star in his palm.

As the star of light took shape—

‘I can hear it.’

The Tower’s heartbeat.

No—more precisely, the heartbeat of the Illusion Guardian.

This illusion was a projection of a destroyed world.

The screams and curses of that world were sealed inside it.

The Illusion Legion before him were all beings from destroyed worlds.

‘Gractus. That’s your name.’

Park Chan-woo opened his mouth slowly.

With Elysion in his hand, and with souls contaminated by curses echoing around him, he understood.

He understood how to use Elysion properly—and why he had to climb this place.

“Pierce the Illusion Guardian Gractus, Heaven’s Wrath.”

He repeated the Illusion Guardian’s name.

He’d learned it through Elysion’s star and the cursed souls bound to this place.

So he manifested a spell that would target only Gractus.

In that instant—

Kureuaaaaaaang!

The star of light mutated like a ferocious beast and shot toward the Illusion Guardian.