Chapter 465
Taesan kept moving.
He traveled from city to city, village to village, breaking the brainwashing with his divinity and liberating the people. Paragup, like Keboruak, tried to disrupt him by shaking the earth, but Taesan resolved it with a simple press of his foot.
To the dazed people freed from brainwashing, Taesan said,
“Follow me.”
As if entranced, they followed him.
Though some grew weary and suffered as they crossed the continent, Taesan’s divinity healed all wounds and fatigue.
In that way, a massive group was formed.
People began to express feelings of reverence toward Taesan.
But not everyone did. Some were still confused and hesitant.
A few suspected Taesan of having ulterior motives.
But none of them denied that he was a god.
Their thoughts began to imprint themselves onto the world.
[Divinity proficiency increased by 1%.]
It was the first time since divine power had evolved into divinity that his proficiency increased. At the same time, the divinity Taesan possessed grew more stable.
‘So this is what it feels like.’
The more people believed in him as a god, the more stable his divinity became.
As years of belief accumulated—and as the number of believers grew—he would gain steady divine power. As long as those who believed in him didn’t disappear like with Levinenov, his rank would never fall.
Taesan kept moving. His goal was to reach the hearts of every person in this world.
He broke the brainwashing and led the people. Some, of course, were fanatic believers in the immortals regardless of brainwashing. But even without Taesan saying anything, people took care of them.
“Because of you!”
“You killed my parents!”
The world was being painted in Taesan’s color.
At some point, the immortals had ceased fighting. People were overjoyed at the realization.
“The world is quiet!”
The unending clashes had been a constant nerve-wracking presence—like cicadas buzzing year-round. Now, the silence brought immense relief.
Taesan could feel the emotions of the two great beings.
Confusion.
And wariness—and doubt.
That night, Taesan used divine speech to mold the earth and create resting places for the people.
Then he separated himself from them.
Arriving at a vast plain, Taesan spoke.
“Come out.”
Vrrrrrrrm—
A being of immense power descended from the sky, slamming into the ground.
It had the body of a man, but it was no human. A sharp beak and predatory eyes sat on its face. Two pairs of wings fluttered behind its back.
Its body was three times the size of an average human.
It was a Jo-in, a birdfolk.
Thud. Thud.
Footsteps approached. A muscular man with brown skin walked over, face hardened. His overdeveloped muscles appeared more grotesque than majestic.
But the most notable feature—
‘Bald.’
Taesan motioned with his chin.
“You’re Keboruak, and you’re Paragup, right?”
Paragup scowled.
[What business does a god from another world have here?]
[Leave. This is our world. Even if you are a god, you are not a god of this world. You have no right to interfere.]
The emotions they showed were violently resistant.
They looked ready to attack if Taesan refused to back down.
“You seem confused about something.”
Taesan spoke leisurely.
“First off, you’re not gods. Just immortals born of this world. You can’t claim ownership of it. If there were a true god, you wouldn’t have been allowed to do something like this.”
This world had no planetary god. That’s why these two could act freely, destroy the world, and indulge their desires.
“You’re doing as you please for your desires, right? So am I.”
[You’re an outsider! You weren’t born here!]
“But I’m a god. If you think about it, isn’t that more legitimate than you, who think being born here gives you the right to control everything?”
Taesan’s mocking tone made Keboruak’s emotions ripple.
[Whatever you say doesn’t matter. Decide. Die—or back off.]
[…Arrogant.]
Paragup’s eyes glinted with menace.
[You will not be able to handle the consequences of your choice.]
“That’s not for you to decide.”
Taesan swung his hand. A wave engulfed Paragup and Keboruak.
Fwoooosh!
Their limbs tore apart.
No—they hadn’t been torn apart. Their true bodies weren’t even here.
“Next time, come in person—not just avatars.”
[You’ll regret this!]
“Sure. Sure.”
Taesan responded casually.
The next day, Taesan led the awakened people onward. No one realized what had happened the night before.
And the place where the immortals resided had fallen into complete silence.
Only one emotion spilled out from it—
Rage.
They were waiting for Taesan to come to them.
Of course, Taesan had no intention of going just yet.
“I have things to finish first.”
Taesan traveled the world.
He undid the brainwashing in every city and liberated the people. The enforced faith toward Keboruak and Paragup was steadily vanishing.
And each time, the rage from beyond grew stronger.
“Ah…”
“Ugh…”
Even ordinary people were beginning to feel it. But Taesan smiled and welcomed it.
Time passed, and finally—
Taesan had liberated every city in the world.
There were no more followers of Paragup or Keboruak in this world.
[Divinity proficiency increased by 1%.]
Some of the freed people worshiped Taesan. Some didn’t. But all clearly recognized in their hearts that he was a god.
That was enough.
As their faith accumulated over time, it would become his strength.
And now it was time to complete the quest.
—
“Ugh…”
The people hesitated. Before them lay a hole the size of a continent.
An enormous scar that would never vanish from the world.
It was the place where the two immortals had fought for centuries. A place none had dared approach—until now, when they saw it with their own eyes.
“You may leave. Wait for the world to return to how it should be.”
Saying that, Taesan threw himself into the chasm. His body disappeared into the darkness.
The people quickly began praying.
“Lord Taesan…”
“Please, deliver us…”
Strong faith wrapped around Taesan.
He landed at the bottom of the hole.
“Hello.”
Taesan greeted casually. Keboruak and Paragup stared at him in silence.
[Die.]
No more words were needed. Keboruak and Paragup simultaneously unleashed their power. Two vast forces surged toward Taesan.
Taesan gripped his sword.
KABOOOOOM!
With a thunderous crash, the world shook.
Keeping his distance, Taesan scoffed.
“So the two of you, after centuries of trying to kill each other, finally joined forces to take me down.”
[Speak all you want. You’ll die here anyway.]
Paragup’s body expanded. His muscles bulged, his bones enlarged. He grew to tens of meters—like a giant.
[Haaah…]
Paragup let out a deep breath.
The earth responded. The ground rose and wrapped around him like armor.
Fwwwoooom!
His fist flew.
Taesan swung his sword. With a clash, Paragup’s body was pushed back.
But he wasn’t injured. The earth surrounding his body had protected him. The shattered armor restored itself in an instant.
Paragup’s title was the One Who Treads Upon the Earth. His authority allowed him to become one with the land, surrounding his body in an endlessly regenerating suit of armor.
A grand avian cry rang out. The sky rippled. A storm with wind and rain erupted in an instant.
Keboruak was the Master of the Skies. His authority allowed him to govern the heavens themselves.
Lightning and wind surged toward Taesan.
Taesan clenched his fist.
[You have activated [Great Collapse].]
A jet-black sphere that collapses all things was summoned into the world.
As he tried to unleash it and erase the storm, Paragup lunged and grabbed the Great Collapse with his hand. A massive blast rang out in his grasp.
[Ghh…]
Paragup groaned under the intense shock. But his authority was defensive. His armor absorbed the blow of the Great Collapse.
Then Keboruak took his chance. The storm condensed into a single force and barreled toward Taesan.
Vrrrrrrrm!
Taesan protected his body with divinity.
The concentrated force violently shook his divinity, but never touched his body.
RUMBLEEEE!
Heaven and earth pressed down on him. Taesan defended and evaded the onslaught.
[This is my world!]
Keboruak roared. The sky responded. All that existed above the ground within the chasm—and even into the cosmos—fell under his control.
The sky here was his domain.
[And the earth is mine.]
Paragup declared calmly. Every inch of ground inside the chasm—even the planet’s core—became his domain.
Heaven and earth became their battlefield.
The two had fought here for centuries, never leaving. Over time, this place had become their territory.
‘They’re strong.’
The immortals rooted in their domains were formidable.
Weaker than Ainzhar—but not by much. Just beneath that level. They even coordinated well. After centuries of fighting, they knew each other inside and out.
The joint attack of two such immortals—even the top immortal Ainzhar might struggle against it. Keboruak roared:
[You may have reached a higher realm than us, but you are not the god of this world! Your power and rank are pitifully low!]
Keboruak cackled.
[You only recently became a god! You’re unstable, unsteady!]
Taesan didn’t deny it.
They weren’t wrong. Though he had followers in this world, he was fundamentally the God of Earth. Outside of Earth, his rank and power dropped to the bare minimum of a Transcendent.
If more time had passed and he had gained stability, he could’ve kept his power even beyond his world—but not yet.
[Right now, we can win!]
[A Transcendent’s body and soul. Handled well, you might reach an even higher realm. We’ll make good use of you.]
They were confident in their victory.
Together, they could reach even a Transcendent. They believed it without doubt.
And Taesan sneered.
“You two think you can beat me?”
Vrrrrrm!
Keboruak gathered his power.
A massive sphere condensed from all the energy in the sky shot toward Taesan.
Taesan neither dodged nor blocked it.
He simply reached out.
CRAAAACK!
The sphere slammed into his hand. Keboruak burst out laughing.
[Arrogant fool! Your body will be torn apart!]
That sphere contained all of Keboruak’s power. Even a Transcendent—especially one in a weakened state like Taesan—wouldn’t be able to withstand it.
Or so he thought.
Taesan clenched his fist.
The sphere screamed as if in agony, lashing out with its power to tear through Taesan’s body.
But it couldn’t reach him.
It was blocked by the divinity and rank surrounding him—it never touched his flesh.
[…What?]
Only then did Keboruak realize—
His attack wasn’t landing.
Something unseen, something not of this world, was obliterating his power.
CRACK!
The sphere shattered, and wind scattered in all directions. [Attack Nullification] had not activated—which meant it hadn’t even caused damage.
“You’ve got the wrong idea.”
Taesan brushed off his hand.
He was a Transcendent now.
Even if he was just barely clinging to that title, he had crossed the wall.
Keboruak and Paragup were strong. If they combined forces, they could probably take down even Ainzhar.
But they were still just immortals.
And there was a gap between immortality and transcendence that could never be crossed. An absolute wall.
“You’re right. I’m not a fully stable Transcendent. I’m still unstable, having only recently become a god—especially outside my own world.”
They weren’t wrong.
“But that doesn’t mean you can beat me.”
Taesan grinned.
“Alright. Let’s see this ‘glorious’ power of yours.”
[You have activated [Sanctuary Creation].]
Golden light began to blanket the world.