Chapter 468
Upon reaching the 89th floor, Balbamaba appeared as before.
[You handled it well. This much isn’t bad.]
“Really?”
[You didn’t ally with Immortals to ruin the world, nor did you brainwash people to force their faith. You merely killed two Immortals. That much is acceptable.]
Balbamaba spoke in a calm tone, but it carried a trace of resignation.
[Once you reach the 90th floor, you’ll be beyond my grasp. Do as you please until then. I can allow at least that.]
He now seemed almost enlightened.
“So the 89th floor is the last one you oversee?”
[It will be. I may still see you afterward, but I’ll no longer have headaches over it.]
Balbamaba spoke with satisfaction.
[Finally, I’m free. This is good.]
He calmed his joy and began his duty.
[Now I’ll explain the 89th floor quest. The quest takes place on a planet—an outpost of the Old Gods in the universe. You will infiltrate it, kill the Old Gods’ slaves, and destroy the world.]
“What exactly is an outpost?”
[The Old Gods are fundamentally exiled from this world. They cannot interfere freely.]
“They interfere often enough.”
Every time Taesan acted, an Old God had interfered. By now it was sickening.
Balbamaba answered indifferently.
[That is already heavily restricted. Otherwise, they would have devoured an entire galaxy.]
“The scale is disgustingly large.”
[They once ruled this world. As you know, there are fools who have contracted with them.]
Taesan nodded.
The Spirit World. That fool Arulia. Jinlong, the leader of China. The Empty Horror’s incarnation in Levinenov’s world.
All were beings of this world who accepted the Old Gods’ offers.
[The Old Gods cannot easily interfere in this world. So they keep their contracted pawns on planets they have consumed. Those are the Old Gods’ outposts.]
Balbamaba explained with a tone of annoyance.
[On those devoured planets, the Old Gods can exert some influence. Transcendents eliminate them whenever possible, but there are too many. If they overreach, even Transcendents could suffer serious harm. So instead of directly attacking outposts, they deal with the pawns that emerge.]
“The universe was in more danger than I thought.”
[The universe has always been unstable. Even without the Old Gods, worlds fall to ruin constantly. The Old Gods are simply an added weight.]
Balbamaba’s voice carried no emotion, as if it were nothing significant.
[It has worsened recently, but it’s still manageable.]
“So you want me to go into an outpost directly? A place even Transcendents hesitate to enter?”
[That’s correct. But you will be fine. You are not affected by their corruption.]
Taesan possessed black power.
Rather than being corrupted by the Old Gods, he wielded their power freely.
[The Transcendents will block any direct intervention from the Old Gods. You need only handle their slaves.]
“Fine.”
Taesan nodded.
“I accept.”
—
The quest was accepted.
Balbamaba told him to speak when ready. Before that, Taesan offered tribute and obtained black magic.
[You have obtained Baal’s Designated Space Collapse.]
[Baal’s Designated Space Collapse]
[Mana Cost: 250]
[Magi Cost: 100]
[Proficiency: 1%]
Summon a warped space from Baal’s domain to a designated location.
The force that collapses time and space has decayed, leaving only physical impact.
It was a newly obtained intermediate black magic. After testing it a few times, Taesan confirmed it was long-range sniping black magic.
Its range was limited only to his line of sight—in other words, virtually unlimited. And its destructive power did not diminish with distance, making it extremely useful.
As he obtained the black magic, the Demon God spoke to him.
[This time, you’re heading into their den, aren’t you?]
“Yes.”
[Do you know why we don’t touch the outposts?]
“Because even Transcendents are threatened by the Old Gods’ corruption, aren’t they?”
[That’s part of it… but there’s a bigger reason.]
The Demon God spoke languidly.
[Outposts usually contain an avatar of an Old God. And an avatar is a being united with its god. They cannot be killed. Crushing them brings no great gain, so they are left alone. But… you are different.]
Taesan could kill avatars.
That was why he had received this quest to destroy an outpost.
[As always, I’ll be watching with interest.]
“Yes.”
Taesan answered. As she was about to leave with delight, the Demon God stopped.
[…You.]
Her gaze turned to Taesan’s hand.
More precisely, to Akasha.
[You’re different from before.]
[…You are the master of the great Demon Realm. The Demon God.]
Akasha spoke hesitantly, asking the Demon God,
[Demon God… do you know who I am?]
The Demon God frowned, her graceful brow furrowing.
[…I don’t. I feel something, but I don’t know what it is. What are you?]
[So it is as I thought.]
[Hmm…]
The Demon God observed Akasha briefly, then pulled back.
[This isn’t something I can discern just by looking. Interesting. Is it related to the Old Gods?]
She muttered with a curious expression.
[It’s worth investigating. I’ll see you next time.]
With that, the Demon God vanished.
Taesan looked at Akasha.
“Did anything come to you?”
[…It’s difficult to explain.]
After a pause, Akasha spoke again.
[Fragments of memory arise. They are of my end. I… was fighting someone.]
She spoke haltingly.
[My master in life was there too. No, all of us were fighting together. We resisted with everything we had.]
“That?”
[That… that was…]
Akasha trailed off, unable to answer.
She closed her mouth in anguish.
[I don’t know. It doesn’t come back. It feels painted over in another color.]
“I see. Don’t force yourself.”
Taesan soothed her.
‘So that’s it.’
The Demon God had said she felt something from Akasha, but did not know what it was.
One of the strongest beings in the universe could not discern Akasha’s nature.
As she said, it was likely connected to the Old Gods.
‘She was a forgotten goddess’s apostle.’
The apostle of a goddess no one remembered. That was Akasha.
Taesan wondered anew—who was the goddess she served? And what had happened that even the Demon God could not perceive?
But as the Demon God had said, it was not something to uncover immediately.
After finishing his preparations, Taesan approached Balbamaba.
“It’s done.”
[Good. Then we begin now. Do not resist my power.]
Kiiiiing!
Balbamaba’s power enveloped Taesan. He could have easily cast it off, but he followed Balbamaba’s instructions.
It bound his stature and power tightly, preventing them from leaking outward.
[If you go down like this, they will attack immediately. But if they cannot perceive you, you can move more freely.]
“Thank you.”
Balbamaba manipulated his power to open a path. Beyond it was not a planet, but space itself.
[Because the world lies under the Old Gods’ influence, I cannot send you directly. But I can send you nearby. From there, you will find your way.]
Taesan stepped into the passage.
Before his eyes stretched vast space.
He was in the middle of the universe.
A place where no life could survive, yet it posed no problem for him. He turned his gaze to the destination.
It was steeped in black.
The entire planet was shrouded in a creeping black energy that spread into space.
That was where he had to go. Taesan propelled his body toward the planet.
At once, the black energy around it stirred, moving to block and reject him.
Taesan cloaked himself in black power. The black energy touched his own and merged.
Thus, he entered the planet’s interior without resistance.
What he saw was blackness.
He had seen worlds driven to ruin or already destroyed by the Old Gods, but this was different. More alien, closer to the Old Gods themselves.
The black energy enveloped the entire world like a cradle.
How many pawns of the Old Gods were here? How strong were they? It was unknown. His detection was blocked by the Old Gods’ power.
He planned to move cautiously for reconnaissance first.
But before that, the other side found him.
“What’s this?”
A man dressed as a mercenary leaned on a sword over his shoulder, a bottle in his hand, looking at Taesan.
Taesan’s mind raced at the sudden encounter. He prepared to silence the man quickly—
“Are you new?”
The man spoke casually.
There was no tension, no wariness.
Instantly deciding, Taesan relaxed his body and nodded.
“Whose apostle are you?”
“…The World Breaker.”
“The World Breaker?”
Surprise flashed across the man’s face.
“She made an apostle? You’re lying, right?”
But it was not deep suspicion. He merely thought Taesan was bluffing.
Taesan raised his arm. The man stepped closer to inspect it. Seeing the Immutable Self cloaking his body, he let out an awed whistle.
“It’s real… incredible. Come with me.”
The man walked forward.
Taesan followed.
After walking through the black-stained world for a bit, they reached a small building.
It was crude, barely holding shape.
Inside, multiple presences could be felt.
The man entered.
“Oh, you’re back?”
“Judging by your state, no problems?”
“A world without a planetary god or Immortal? Easy.”
Speaking proudly, the man jerked his chin toward Taesan.
“And look—I found a newbie.”
“Oh.”
“A newbie?”
They brightened. Their faces showed genuine welcome.
“Whose apostle are you?”
“The World Breaker.”
“Huh?”
“Really?”
“She makes apostles?”
“I was surprised too. Thought it was a lie, but he’s got her authority.”
“That’s fascinating.”
They looked at Taesan with wonder.
But that was all.
No further suspicion, no hostility.
The man grinned.
“And you lot—guess what I brought.”
He showed the bottle. Their eyes sparkled.
“Ooooh!”
“What is that?”
“Got it from an empire in a world we broke. It was brewed for the crown prince’s coronation. They tried to stop me, so I cracked their skulls and took it!”
They burst out laughing in delight.
A peaceful, cheerful scene.
But their words revealed them as traitors who had sold their souls to the Old Gods and forsaken their worlds.
“Newbie! Come, share a story! What did you offer?”
One of them gestured toward Taesan.
He was certain now.
They didn’t know who he was.
Whether information hadn’t reached them, or whether they thought he could never come here, they accepted him as one of their own.
‘So pawns of the Old Gods aren’t all hostile to each other.’
This was unexpected. He had thought they would kill, shun, and suspect one another.
But it wasn’t bad news.
‘Good.’
Then he would gather information. Much about the Old Gods remained unknown—their authorities, their natures, their number. Now he could confirm it firsthand.
Taesan sat beside the man and spoke.