Chapter 506
Thirty-eight. Including the domain of Belial that Taesan originally possessed, the total was thirty-nine.
Thirty-nine demonic domains were gathered within Taesan.
Each one had existed since before creation—ancient, powerful beings. All those domains blended together and became one inside Taesan.
Taesan took a small breath and observed himself.
Something new had settled within him.
And it was vast.
Taesan raised his hand. In that instant, magi surged.
Boom-boom-boom-boom!
Black Magic erupted all at once.
Roots that split the world, substances shaped like flames that could melt the sun, stakes that pierced continents.
All of it manifested at the same moment. Baal’s domain shook violently.
Baal’s gaze sharpened.
[Ho.]
Taesan opened the skill window.
[Black Magic]
[You may freely wield the powers within the domains you possess.]
The proficiency had disappeared. But he was not weaker. To be precise, he had surpassed the very concept of proficiency. The long description had been reduced to a single sentence.
Black Magic became wholly Taesan’s.
Just like how the system window did not appear when he used his own body to attack, because that was simply his own basic ability.
Black Magic had become his perfect limb, no longer appearing as a system window.
In fact, aside from Baal’s, all Black Magic skills had been erased from the skill list.
Taesan stared quietly at the system window.
[A Fragment of Evil]
[The aggregate of all remaining evil. What it becomes depends on your choice.]
Because demons had ceased to exist in this world, the word demon had vanished completely.
What remained, after all demonic domains had mixed together, was something alien inside Taesan.
[How is it?]
“I’m not sure yet.”
At Baal’s question, Taesan shook his head.
It was too large and too vast.
It wasn’t something he could grasp in such a short time. He needed more time to fully understand it.
[So that’s what happens when the primordial domains mix and merge. I recall seeing it long ago… this is interesting. Quite interesting.]
Baal clapped.
[The result is satisfactory. Be grateful.]
“You intended to kill them from the start.”
[I told you. Defective products must be disposed of.]
Baal turned his gaze. The plains, ruined by the aftermath of battle, held no lingering trace of power.
All proof that demons had ever existed in this world had been perfectly erased.
Baal looked very satisfied.
[They’ve returned to where they should be. You did well, Taesan.]
“Is this alright? The aftermath should be significant.”
Through contracts between Demon Gods and demons, the demonic race could wield demonic power. Black Magic accounted for a large portion of their abilities.
Now those demons had vanished from the universe. The demonic race could no longer wield Black Magic.
Even if they were defective, they had still been part of the world’s balance, so there should have been repercussions. But Baal replied calmly.
[You don’t need to worry. I have already discussed this with the Demon God.]
“I see.”
Meaning the Demon God was aware of everything.
[The only positive effect they ever brought to this world was that one thing. And that, too, is something the Demon God and I can handle as much as we wish. There’s no problem.]
Baal laughed heartily. He looked genuinely pleased.
[I finally got rid of what I always wanted to discard. Thank you.]
“Then I’d like to hear the explanation now.”
Baal and the Demon God wanted the demons dead. But Taesan still didn’t know why.
[There are many reasons… but first, I wanted to confirm it directly.]
“Confirm what?”
[I have always wanted to erase those disgusting, insect-like beings.]
Baal’s voice dripped with unhidden contempt.
[Creatures that simply were born that way, whose every aspect was immutable. They have no meaning. But it was impossible. They are unchanging, and therefore they do not die.]
“Couldn’t you erase them yourself?”
Baal was not a being of this world. He was similar to the Old Gods. But Baal shook his head.
[I cannot. When I helped banish the Old Gods, I made a contract with the demons. I cannot interfere directly. I erased one or two every time I found a loophole, but many of them survived.]
Baal stomped his foot. The world folded neatly, like a piece of paper being closed.
[No one in this world can kill them. But you did.]
The world fully folded, revealing a pure white space.
[You can erase them. You can truly kill even the banished Old Gods.]
“That’s what you wanted to confirm?”
[I had heard the rumors, but hadn’t witnessed it. Before they resurfaced, I wanted to see it with my own eyes.]
Baal raised his hand. A mighty force—one that warped space and time—gathered there.
[Then I shall show you the truth of this world.]
Baal clenched his fist.
The condensed power exploded, collapsing space and time. Reality twisted as they leapt somewhere else.
[Oh?]
[Hmm.]
Bardray and Akasha sucked in a sharp breath. Their souls began to crumble slowly. Realizing this too late, Baal waved his hand.
[I forgot you two couldn’t withstand this. Sleep for a while.]
His authority wrapped around Bardray and Akasha, protecting them.
They had indeed grown stronger. They had endured even against the Fragment of Worthless Self.
But even they could not withstand this space. They were on the verge of collapsing.
Taesan judged that even he could not endure this place with a bare body, so he wrapped chaos around himself.
He quietly observed his surroundings.
It was a twisted space.
Even Taesan, who had encountered many gods and confronted the Old Gods directly, saw alien things he had never witnessed before.
‘…Vast and powerful.’
Powers beyond his comprehension filled this place.
Even the smallest fragment here could shake part of the universe if swung.
And Taesan felt familiar energies within that chaos.
Maria, Zervand, Rakiratas, Lucifer.
No—more than that. Not just the gods he knew. Presences as powerful as them, far more than just dozens. The energy of countless Concept Gods permeated this place.
Taesan shifted his gaze.
Beyond the twisted space was a wall.
‘…Wait.’
Realization dawned on him.
The power and scale of the Concept Gods around them had formed this wall.
The energy swirling nearby was merely debris.
And beyond the wall, something could be seen.
Taesan realized where he was, and what this place was.
“The Exile Boundary.”
[Correct.]
Baal nodded.
[This is where the Old Gods were banished. The boundary of the seal.]
Baal slowly approached the wall.
[You know our history, yes?]
“Yes.”
Long ago, the transcendent beings and the Old Gods fought for dominion over the world.
And the victors were the transcendents. After unbearable sacrifice, they triumphed over the Old Gods.
But the Old Gods were immutable—beings that could not be slain. Beings beyond the reach of anything in this world.
[We did win. Since I could not kill the Old Gods, I chose to banish them from this universe. They intervened a bit from beyond the seal, but it was manageable.]
The Old Gods’ interference was not particularly great. Even the weak Taesan from the past had managed it.
[But now we have a problem.]
Something flickered beyond the wall.
A shapeless being—indescribable by any language or concept in this universe.
It stared at Taesan and Baal.
Rumble…
It moved. Its form struck the wall with tremendous weight.
Taesan reflexively prepared to defend.
CRAAAAACK!
The wall trembled.
Waves rippled across the absolute wall created by all transcendents to sever the boundary of the world.
Baal laughed.
[Still the same. Tireless.]
The thing beyond looked at them for a while, staring blankly, then slowly retreated.
Taesan lowered his guard.
That wall was absolute. Even a Concept God could not scratch it alone.
His instinct had reacted before his mind.
“An Old God.”
That indescribable being was the true form of an Old God.
And Taesan noticed something.
There was a tiny crack where the Old God had struck.
Extremely small—visible only if Taesan focused intensely.
But undeniably a crack.
[Nothing in this universe lasts forever.]
Baal touched the new crack.
[The banishment created by all transcendents is absolute, but time erodes everything.]
Taesan scanned the entire wall.
There were cracks everywhere—hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands.
It was hard to find a place without cracks.
[The seal is weakening. And quickly.]
“I thought there was still plenty of time.”
The Magician had said it would last until a bright star lost its light.
Taesan’s boundary line could compress that time massively—that was why the Old Gods targeted him.
[Originally, yes. But at some point, the seal began weakening far faster than we anticipated. Fast enough to be alarming. At this rate, it may not last long.]
“You don’t know why?”
[Many transcendents sought the cause, but no answer was found. We don’t know if our calculations were wrong or if something is interfering.]
Taesan fell silent. Baal continued.
[It was unexpected, but we cannot sit still. The reason I eliminated the demons is exactly that. There is no reason to leave behind something that might stab us later.]
Baal withdrew his hand from the crack.
[That’s all I can tell you. For the rest, speak directly with the Demon God and the other transcendents.]
Taesan nodded quietly.
Baal pointed at him.
[I suppose I deceived you.]
The quest Baal first gave him was to attend a gathering.
But his real purpose had been the annihilation of demons. He had never told Taesan that.
“It doesn’t matter. I gained what I needed.”
[I expected that answer. But there is someone who will be furious if I don’t give you a fitting reward. It’s not exactly an apology, but I shall offer appropriate compensation.]
Baal’s power flowed into Taesan. Something alien—something not of this world.
[Receive it. This is my power, from when I existed as myself.]
[You have obtained the advanced Black Magic: Baal’s Broken Fragment.]