Chapter 417
Just as Taesan was about to walk toward the throne, several presences quickly approached. Taesan stopped and turned his head.
“Huff! Huff!”
“We, we made it!”
Four figures appeared, gasping for breath. Their bodies were covered in wounds.
The other contractors had sensed the powerful shockwave from Taesan’s battle with Belial’s remnants. Realizing that was their destination, they ran straight for it without looking back.
As a result, they’d taken considerable damage, but they managed to reach their goal.
“Whoa!”
“It’s the throne!”
They gazed at the throne in awe.
They could feel an overwhelmingly powerful force emanating from it.
A power utterly beyond their reach—truly transcendent.
That was the power of the demon, the power they had come to obtain.
They didn’t even notice Taesan standing beside it. All were captivated by Belial’s throne.
At that moment, Halid moved.
Halid unleashed magi at the old man. The old man reacted instantly.
Crack.
“Gah!”
The old man quickly formed a barrier. The magi collided with it and scattered in all directions.
“You bastard!”
Halid grinned.
“Thanks for your hard work!”
Boom!
Black Magic exploded.
The contractors grit their teeth and charged at Halid.
“You think I’ll just go down quietly?!”
“Hahahaha!”
They’d expected Halid to ambush them the moment they arrived at their destination, so they were able to respond immediately.
But they had already suffered too much damage breaking through Belial’s domain.
Meanwhile, Halid was definitely stronger than them, and he still had plenty of power in reserve. It was four against one, but the fight was completely one-sided. In no time, the other contractors were all defeated.
[He’s got a serious desire, that one.]
“Almost impressive.”
To be that faithful to his own desires—it was almost admirable.
“Hahahaha! I did it! I made it! I’m going to become a demon!”
After defeating everyone, Halid burst into manic laughter, his eyes burning with excitement.
“Belial’s domain is mine!”
“Who said you could do that?”
Taesan muttered. Hearing that, Halid belatedly noticed Taesan’s presence.
“…The one who wasn’t chosen. How did you get here?”
Halid’s face twisted into a sneer.
“So that’s it. That’s what your ability is.”
From the start, Taesan had completely concealed his strength.
Halid guessed that Taesan’s abilities specialized in hiding himself.
He must have snuck through, barely dodging the domain’s attacks. That’s what Halid concluded.
“I have no business with you. Die.”
Halid punched the air. Black magi rippled through the space, surging like a wave toward Taesan.
Halid paid him no more attention and walked toward Belial’s throne.
Taesan calmly reached out his arm.
He seized the wave of magi and clenched his fist.
Boom!
The wave shattered and scattered.
Halid, who had stopped paying attention, spun around in shock.
“What the hell?!”
Another wave of magi crashed down. Taesan didn’t bother to block it; just by walking forward, the wave dispersed.
Taesan grabbed Halid by the throat and flung him aside.
Boom!
“Urgh!”
Halid coughed up blood.
He stared at Taesan in disbelief, then gritted his teeth.
“Damn it…!”
Halid realized it.
Taesan was on a completely different level.
Whether he’d been hiding his strength or had reached a level they couldn’t even sense, the truth was clear—he stood on a much higher plane.
‘I made it this far!’
Halid raged, but quickly grasped the situation. He started to edge away from Taesan.
“Smart move.”
Taesan muttered as he watched Halid.
Halid was trying to think of a way to win.
‘There’s no way with ordinary means.’
He’d already used all his trump cards to defeat the other Black Magicians.
So—
Having decided, Halid immediately moved. He dashed for Belial’s throne.
Crackle!
A wave of distortion swept toward Taesan. But it wasn’t an attack meant to defeat him—it was meant to grab his ankle.
‘If I can just sit on the throne!’
That would solve everything.
Taesan stepped forward.
With that alone, the spatial wave vanished.
If he wanted, Taesan could have stopped Halid right then, but he didn’t.
Just as Halid had used the other Black Magicians, Taesan had something he wanted to confirm by letting Halid go.
With no interference, Halid reached the throne.
“Finally! I—!”
He reached the seat of greatness.
Halid, his face flushed with anticipation, sat on the throne.
Instantly, power descended upon him.
“Ohhh!”
The demon’s power surged through Halid. He felt a fullness and omnipotence he’d never experienced before.
Halid twisted his lips into a smile and looked at Taesan.
Now, he could feel Taesan’s power—something he hadn’t felt before.
The power was certainly great, but compared to the power filling him now, it was clearly inferior.
Halid planned to finish absorbing this power, then kill Taesan. He was intoxicated by the force continuing to flow into him.
And Taesan silently watched him.
“So this is what it meant.”
“…Huh?”
Halid’s face froze as he absorbed the power.
No matter how much he accepted, the absorption wouldn’t end.
“Ugh… Ah…”
Something was slowly devouring his sense of self.
“Hahahaha!”
Belial’s attendant, who had appeared at some point, burst into mad laughter at Halid.
“Foolish, lowly creatures! This is your fate!”
“Uh…”
Halid let out a dying groan.
Sanity faded from his eyes, replaced by something else.
Taesan knew what it was.
Belial. The demon thought to be dead.
He was taking over Halid’s body and descending into the world.
He had suspected this much.
Demons were fundamentally beings who transcended mortality.
They were certainly stronger than Taesan.
There was no way a mortal could withstand such power. Using a mortal as a vessel for resurrection was only natural.
“My lord, I apologize for allowing such a lowly being to become your vessel!”
The attendant begged forgiveness. Taesan walked toward the rapidly deteriorating Halid.
The attendant sneered at him.
“Too bad! You were too relaxed. You could have absorbed Belial’s power, but it’s already too late!”
“No.”
Taesan placed his hand on Halid’s body.
The demon’s power lashed out at Taesan.
“It’s too late for you to intervene! The fusion is already underway!”
“They’re not even properly united yet. The intent and power are unstable. This much is easy.”
Black energy flowed from Taesan’s hand. The demon’s force that tried to burst forth was crushed and vanished.
“What?!”
Taesan exerted force.
With a crack, Halid’s body was torn from the throne.
“Aaaagh!”
The descent was canceled. The power dwelling in Halid returned to the throne.
“Ugh… ah…”
Halid collapsed, drooling onto the floor.
The shock of being overtaken by the power had shattered his sense of self and reason. Taesan paid him no mind.
Taesan spoke.
“I know you’re watching. Come out.”
[You caught me?]
With a languid voice, Baal descended.
—
“Oh, Lord Baal.”
The attendant hurriedly bowed, but Baal paid him no attention. Taesan asked,
“Was it a trap from the start?”
The quest’s reward was Belial’s power and intent.
Taesan and the other contractors could certainly obtain that.
But there was never any promise they could acquire it without issues. Just like Halid, the other Black Magicians would have been devoured and transformed into Belial.
[It’s not a lie. You really can obtain that power.]
“But you hid the truth.”
[Don’t blame me. Blame the other demons.]
Baal stared at Belial’s throne.
[They’re the ones who hid the truth.]
“Resurrection?”
[Demons are beings from the other side. Death means little to them. But destroying the body can banish them to their domain. For resurrection, they need a suitable vessel.]
“That’s what the Lemegeton is for.”
If a Black Magician successfully sat on Belial’s throne, their reason and intellect would be wiped away, making them the perfect vessel.
That was the true meaning of a direct contract.
[I don’t care for it myself. They can do as they wish, but it’s not what I personally wanted to see.]
“That’s why you called me.”
By giving Taesan a trial and at the same time foiling the other demons’ plans, that seemed to be Baal’s goal.
[You fulfilled my plan perfectly. I thank you. Now you just need to obtain Belial’s power and domain.]
Baal spoke quietly.
[Other contractors couldn’t do it, but you should be able to absorb that power.]
Taesan placed his hand on the throne.
Belial’s power and intent tried to swallow him. Taesan shook them off and withdrew his hand.
He shook his head.
“That’s quite a joke.”
[I don’t know what you mean.]
A smile lingered on Baal’s face.
[You can obtain Belial’s power and intent without losing yourself. That’s not a lie.]
“But I’d lose my own power.”
What Taesan was about to obtain was everything of Belial.
And that power and intent far surpassed his current self.
Of course, he could devour it—he had already reached the level of an [Immortal]. He could repel Belial’s descent and claim the power and intent for himself.
But even if he absorbed it, there was no way to do so without losing most of what he’d built up so far.
[Don’t you think it’s a good choice? Belial’s power is strong. You can’t reach it as you are now. Even if you lose everything so far, you gain power stronger than yourself.]
Baal whispered like a demon tempting a human.
[The power of a demon itself. This becomes your domain. You’ll be able to wield true Black Magic. It’s not a bad choice.]
“No.”
Taesan shook his head.
“I have no intention of doing that.”
He had become strong through his own power.
Belial’s power was indeed out of his reach, but it wasn’t worth abandoning his own strength. There was no reason to hesitate.
[I see. That’s unfortunate. You cleared the trial, but you won’t get the reward.]
Baal smiled as if it didn’t matter.
“I never intended to.”
Taesan stood in front of the throne and drew his sword.
[Soul Rank Ascension?]
Baal smiled quietly.
[With that power, you can claim without losing yourself. But you know, most of Belial’s power will be lost in the process.]
With [Soul Rank Ascension], you couldn’t take all of the opponent’s power.
Now that Taesan was qualified to obtain everything from Belial, using [Soul Rank Ascension] meant suffering significant loss.
[That’s not a wrong choice either.]
Baal seemed unconcerned with whatever Taesan chose.
There was fascination and amusement in Baal’s gaze.
‘Definitely a bad hobby.’
Taesan recalled what the Demon God had said.
No matter what you choose, you can never gain everything perfectly. Even after making a decision, you’ll always have regrets.
Baal seemed to enjoy watching that struggle and choice.
But Taesan had no intention of dancing to Baal’s tune.
Belial’s throne was the condensation of power and intent.
Taesan’s sword pierced the throne.
Rumble!
The contained power erupted. At the same time, [Soul Rank Ascension] activated. Taesan began to seize part of Belial’s power and intent.
He poured power into his sword and focused his mind.
[…Hm?]
Baal’s previously delighted face wavered for an instant.
[Soul Rank Ascension] was a power even Taesan couldn’t control.
But he had acquired the skill [Seed of Life], which aided [Soul Rank Ascension].
Its effect wasn’t particularly remarkable, so it hadn’t meant much before.
But after conquering Haphran’s world, the proficiency of [Seed of Life] had reached 40%, and as a result, many things had changed.
Crunch.
He interfered with the power being seized by [Soul Rank Ascension], digging even deeper.
Crack.
Baal’s eyes shook.
He’d thought Taesan would only take part of Belial’s power with [Soul Rank Ascension].
It wasn’t a wrong assumption. Belial was a demon. Even a part of his power would be great for Taesan. If losing his own power, that was the right choice.
But Taesan’s actions felt different now.
He acted as if power itself didn’t matter.
He muttered to the will clinging to him.
“I don’t need your power or intent.”
A strength that would swallow him, causing him to lose himself—he didn’t desire it.
Belial was certainly stronger than Taesan. The gap was not one Taesan could easily close.
But that was all.
It was only hard to catch up now; one day, Taesan would reach an even higher level, with his own power.
Above all, Belial’s power was, in the end, Belial’s.
It wasn’t Taesan’s own strength.
As Taesan gained several authorities of an [Immortal], he learned something.
Even if you stole an authority with [Soul Rank Ascension], you could never reach the level of the one who obtained it.
It would be the same even if Taesan took Belial’s power and intent. It would be powerful, but it wouldn’t be his own strength, so there would always be a limit.
What he needed now was not power or intent.
Rumble!
Belial’s throne began to rampage. Unlike before, it no longer accepted Taesan. It lashed out sharply, as if unwilling to let something important be stolen.
What it wanted was qualification.
The demon’s seat itself.
[This is…]
Baal realized it too.
Belial’s domain was shaking violently. It seemed on the verge of collapsing.
[…Impressive. Of the seventy-two thrones, you dare covet one.]
Baal let out a hollow laugh.
The attendant, who’d been quietly watching, panicked.
Something was wrong.
The force maintaining his existence was twisting.
“No, stop!”
He rushed at Taesan, gripped by a sense of imminent ruin.
[Things are just getting interesting, so don’t interfere.]
But Baal bared his teeth and unleashed his power at the attendant. The attendant was instantly obliterated, not even dust left behind.
Wheeeenng!
Belial’s will lashed out in resistance. But a will with only force, without a body, could be trampled easily.
Taesan focused even more.
Manipulating [Soul Rank Ascension], he reached deep into the heart of Belial’s power.
He needed nothing else. Only the source.
Taesan reached out his hand.
He seized the surging power of Belial’s throne and yanked it free.
Crack!
Something was ripped from the throne.
Belial’s will scattered with a scream. At the same time, the domain began to disintegrate.
Taesan gripped what he’d pulled free tightly. Something burst and seeped into him.
[Your Soul Rank Ascension has activated. [Lemegeton] has evolved into [Throne of Lemegeton].]
At the same time, Belial’s domain began to change.