Chapter 365
The flustered guards hurriedly led Taesan and the child forward. Before long, a kindly middle-aged man in ornate robes appeared.
“So you’re the child cursed by all creation. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Yes.”
The child gave a curt nod. The man smiled warmly.
“I am a Saint serving the great God of Discipline, Horai. So then, child of the curse, you say all your trials have been completed.”
“I have come here after overcoming all the trials His Majesty bestowed upon me.”
“Amazing!”
The saint suddenly shouted in a booming voice.
“You must have endured your pain and sin to come this far! Surely His Majesty’s mercy will be upon you!”
The child forced down the grimace that tried to twist their face.
Oblivious to the child’s expression, the saint clapped his hands.
“Well then, come this way.”
As he spoke, the saint cast a glance toward Taesan.
“My apologies… but this is where His Majesty the Emperor resides. Outsiders are not allowed inside. I must ask you to leave.”
“No.”
The child shook their head.
“He’s coming with me. If not, I won’t go either.”
It was a small voice, but firm. The saint’s expression faltered for a moment. He looked between Taesan and the child, then came to a decision.
“…Very well. As it is your final request, we can allow that much. It is normally not permitted, but we’ll make a special exception.”
The saint lifted his chin as if offering immense generosity.
He took the lead, and the child followed behind him with a somber face.
The temple was opulent beyond reason.
Despite being the temple of the God of Discipline, it was covered in gold to the point of being blinding.
As they walked down the hallway, disciples of the temple bowed upon seeing the saint. When they noticed the child, they flinched and instinctively stepped back.
“Be at ease. He has come to offer himself.”
The saint soothed them as they entered the deepest part of the temple.
He opened a massive door, and inside sat the Emperor.
A cold-faced man who looked no older than twenty.
Seated on a towering golden throne, he stared down at the child without expression.
“Your Majesty! Apostle of Horai!”
The saint fell to his knees, crying out.
“The cursed child has passed your trials and come here to offer himself! Please accept his original sin!”
The Emperor silently nodded.
The saint, moved to tears, clasped his hands in prayer. Divine power began to manifest.
Kiiiiiiing!
A device synchronized with divine power activated in front of the child.
“You are cursed!”
The saint shouted at the child.
“You, cursed by all creation, bring death to life around you simply by existing! Even the greatest magic cannot contain it, nor can the power of faith! Tragically, even your parents were killed by your curse!”
The saint spread his arms.
“But His Majesty is different! That great one can contain your curse!”
His frenzied voice suddenly calmed.
“Of course, the price is your life… but it cannot be helped. If you were to continue living, the whole world could be cursed. It is truly a noble sacrifice.”
A pillar of light formed in front of the child.
“Please step inside. His Majesty will contain your curse. Then everyone can be happy.”
The child had come here, enduring the trials, for this moment.
But they merely stared at the pillar of light and did not enter.
“…Taesan-nim.”
The child spoke slowly.
“Can you say it once more?”
“If that’s what you want.”
Taesan began to speak.
“You said your curse activates after one day in the same place. But that’s impossible. The blue blood you possess is [divine blood]—a power beyond human control. Such a curse doesn’t exist.”
The saint’s face stiffened. Taesan continued.
“Still, you suffered and your life was twisted because of something called a curse.”
“You… how dare you speak like that before His Majesty. I demand you—”
“Shut up.”
Jjeo-eong!
With that short word, the saint’s mouth sealed shut. He looked panicked and tried to speak, but his closed mouth would not open.
“You, who were suffering, sought a solution from the Emperor, and an oracle was delivered.”
“That I… must become a sacrifice to the Emperor.”
The child glared at the Emperor seated on the throne.
The Emperor stared back at them indifferently.
“Your curse was caused by the Emperor. So was your oracle. He is the root of it all.”
“But why?”
“The blue blood you possess holds power beyond mortality. If someone like the Emperor were to obtain it, they might gain even greater strength.”
Of course, it was only a possibility. There was no guarantee that possessing divine blood would lead to greater power.
Yet the child’s entire life had been ruined for that slim chance.
“If the Emperor hadn’t intervened, you might’ve had blue blood—but lived an ordinary life.”
“…So they didn’t target me, but those around me.”
“In order to extract your power, you must offer it by your own will.”
Taesan answered.
The child stared blankly at the Emperor. Their face began to contort.
“Your Majesty. Is what he says true?”
The Emperor gave no reply. As if the child didn’t matter, as if they could be controlled no matter what, he looked only at Taesan.
The child’s face twisted even further.
“My parents… they weren’t killed by my curse? It was you? Your Majesty?!”
The child’s voice, filled with rage, echoed through the throne room.
The Emperor still gave no answer. That alone was enough for the child to realize the truth.
“H-hahaha! Hahahahahaha!”
The child burst into maniacal laughter. No longer was there a small, self-blaming child clinging to affection.
Only a child whose face was utterly consumed by wrath remained.
“You! You!”
The child’s rage burst forth.
Taesan quietly opened his mouth.
“You now know everything. From this moment on, whatever you choose will be your own decision.”
“…If I make a choice, will you help me?”
Taesan nodded. The child cried out, face twisted in pain.
“I don’t want to die!”
It was the child’s true feelings—buried deep within their heart. The will they had suppressed, believing themselves cursed.
“I want to take revenge on the Emperor!”
“If that’s your choice.”
Taesan raised his hand.
Based on the contents of the quest, he made his choice.
This was Taesan’s decision.
“Mmph!”
The force silencing the saint’s mouth was released. The saint quickly shouted.
“You! What are you—”
[You have activated Zepar’s Black Storm.]
Kuuuuung!
The space split open as a storm surged in. An immense force descended upon the earth, sweeping everything away.
“O-ohhh!”
The saint’s face turned deathly pale as he summoned divine power.
But the black storm devoured even that—swallowing it whole into its maw.
Kugugugung…
When the storm subsided, the temple was completely destroyed. The only things left intact were the Emperor and the throne upon which he sat.
The Emperor had protected only himself from Taesan’s storm.
“You let them all die.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
The Emperor spoke emotionlessly.
“They were nothing but crude humans and their tools. With time, they can be replaced. The human beside you is no different. No matter what that insignificant tool says, with enough mental crushing and pain, they’ll eventually submit. It’s just a bit of hassle.”
His gaze never left Taesan.
“What matters is you. To be honest, I was surprised at first. I thought another god had intervened to stop my plans.”
But the more he watched, the more he realized. Taesan wasn’t an apostle of any other god—just a being of overwhelming strength.
“However you got into my world, it doesn’t matter. I’ll crush you and resume my plans.”
The Emperor’s power began to surge.
“…Ah.”
The child’s face went pale. The immense power was coating space itself.
“Stay back.”
“Y-yes…”
Taesan wrapped the child in his power. The child glanced back at Taesan and slowly stepped away.
Taesan drew his sword.
This was the first time he’d fought a true Apostle of a Transcendent—one without any conditions or restrictions. With surging might, the Emperor also drew his blade.
“Die beneath the power of a great god.”
* * *
Power exploded.
The Emperor’s divinity surged at Taesan like it would consume him. Taesan stomped the ground.
[You have activated Apostle Transformation [Chaos Stained in Black].]
[You have activated Avatar of Nature.]
[You have activated King’s Vessel.]
His divinity and strength rose instantly to a transcendent realm. Taesan unleashed his own power to meet the rushing divine force.
Kuuuuuuung!
A shockwave from the clash of powers engulfed the surroundings.
Taesan pointed his sword fiercely at the Emperor.
[You have activated Apostle Slayer.]
“…Ugh.”
Ding.
Even the Emperor could feel it—his divinity was being reduced.
“You’re interfering with my divinity?”
The Emperor scowled and clenched his fist.
He leaped toward Taesan with his fist raised.
Taesan raised his sword.
Kaaang!
Sword and fist collided. The power behind that punch wasn’t something even Taesan could ignore.
Taesan could tell—the Emperor, too, was straddling the boundary.
He steadied his breath and moved.
Ka-ga-gak!
Sword met fist. The Emperor used a domineering martial art. His movements were rough, but every strike carried overwhelming weight.
But that was all.
The martial art itself wasn’t remarkable. It could be broken through easily.
Taesan’s gaze sharpened.
Jjeo-eong!
Taesan poured power into his sword. He pushed the Emperor’s fist aside and closed the distance. The Emperor tried to react, but Taesan blocked everything and brought his blade down.
Kwak.
The Emperor barely blocked it, but he was still pushed back.
Taesan moved in to strike deeper.
“I see. You’re a being of the labyrinth.”
Kiiiiing!
The divine light around the Emperor suddenly exploded.
It was a divine amplification even Taesan had trouble with. He quickly widened the distance.
“I acknowledge you. You’re strong. With your exceptional talent, you conquered the labyrinth crafted by the gods and gained the power to challenge me.”
The Emperor lowered his fist. The divine energy around him grew more intense.
The amplified divinity materialized.
It formed a kind of domain.
The Emperor was an Apostle of a god. And gods each possessed their own domains.
“But in the end, it’s still a mortal power. Even if you straddle the boundary, you haven’t obtained what lies beyond.”
The Emperor twisted his lips. His arrogant smile deepened as he gathered power.
“I am the Apostle of the God of Discipline, Horai. One who wields the power of a god. With that pitiful strength of yours, you’ll never reach me. Foolish mortal. I shall show you the power of a god.”
Kiiiiiiing—
The divine power exploded. The domain of a Transcendent manifested in the world through the power of an Apostle.
[The Law of Discipline is being enforced upon you.]
