Chapter 355: Eighty-Third Floor, The Void (5)

[Uncover the truth, then decide. Time remaining: 45 hours 55 minutes.]

As soon as she heard my accusation, the queen sharply drew in a breath. Her small pupils dilated wide.

Upon seeing that, I didn’t feel the need to press further—my guess had landed right on the mark.

I began to suspect something after passing through the dimensional gate at the nest. Unlike the one at the forward base, that one resembled those used by the inhabitants of the Void.

Looking from the outside, they were different, but the color within matched.

That detail was the clue.

Of course, I hadn’t been immediately convinced—a change in hue wasn’t conclusive evidence. It was enough to form a suspicion, however, since the portals I had encountered before tended to stay the same depending on the user.

The pieces only started falling into place as I spoke with the chairman.

They hadn’t developed interdimensional travel through their own efforts; instead, they had simply discovered an existing gate.

Apparently, it connected directly to the Void.

That was when they began their research.

Eventually, they managed to create something similar, though it was far from perfect. It only allowed travel within the same realm.

The first gate I used was one of their crude imitations that they had managed to produce.

In the meantime, they discovered that the Void was rich in resources and attempted an invasion.

They thought they could win, even with all the monsters.

Regardless, all of the evidence pointed toward the dimensional gate having been opened from the Void’s side. I hadn’t been entirely sure, which was why I tested the theory just now.

Judging by the queen’s reaction, I was right. The inhabitants of the Void had opened the gate, not to defend themselves, but to retaliate.

One question still lingered, though.

Why didn’t they invade directly through the gate from the start?

Although I didn’t know exactly why, I had an educated guess.

The tower acknowledged planetary ownership based on climbers’ shares. Yet from what I had witnessed, higher-class gods often invaded the domains of less powerful ones.

There had to be a loophole, like orchestrating a situation in which the opponent struck first, just like this.

That way, it counts as self-defense.

Seen in that light, the people who had entered the Void through the dimensional gate would seem foolish. However, it wasn’t hard to understand.

Beings are self-serving by nature.

Even on Earth, wars began due to disagreements over private ownership.

Given this world’s rapid technological advancement and lack of foresight, this outcome was inevitable. When resources ran dry, invading another world became a matter of survival. That was especially true when the enemy wasn’t considered sentient, like the Void monsters.

Still, understanding that logic couldn’t condone their decision to sacrifice their own people.

Even the chairman admitted it was a mistake.

He wept as he spoke, on his knees, believing I was a god. He even confessed his sins. He said it had caused fewer casualties than facing the monsters head-on.

I didn’t feel sorry for him. He was simply insane.

Would he have begged for forgiveness if I didn’t reveal my power or use Flash Strike?

Of course not.

Even if the Void laid the trap, it doesn’t change much.

Nobody was innocent here. The monsters—who set the trap—and the inhabitants of this world—who sacrificed their own citizens due to ignorance—were all garbage. If there were any innocents at all, it would be the civilians.

Even still, if any of them had been in the chairman’s place, they could have made the same choice. Some would have likely done worse.

The best outcome will be to keep them apart. The Void’s monsters should return to the Void, and the people here should remain in their world.

That was the only viable solution.

As for the overuse of resources that had triggered all of this, that wasn’t something I could fix. Even if I could, it wouldn’t change the result. After all, this wasn’t my planet. I doubted I could even do such a thing on Earth.

I turned my gaze back to the queen. She remained frozen, but her eyes continued moving about, her mind clearly racing.

“So, you’re not denying it. It’s true, isn’t it?”

“It isn’t!” she shot back, but it was too late.

“Let’s stop here. We both know the truth.”

The queen clenched her teeth. Silently, she summoned her power. An unfamiliar divine energy flickered around her.

Hmm.

We were both caught in a tense situation, but I didn’t bother raising my axe just yet.

Instead, I locked eyes with her. “I’d like to tell you to let it go and just return to your people.”

If we had to fight, so be it.

Even if my opponent was weaker, facing a variety of enemies was something I welcomed.

However, I hesitated not out of fear, but because I felt something strange from her. I recalled the look in her eyes when we first met.

Jealousy, envy, hatred, resignation, and sadness.

Some of those emotions were directed at me, but others, especially the sorrow, were for her fallen kin.

I had seen her standing beside the slain monsters, gently stroking their lifeless forms with mournful eyes.

She was a queen. She wouldn’t want to see her kind slaughtered. The one truly responsible for this was likely her god.

“You won’t listen to me, right?”

The queen said nothing.

I had already expected that. Whether she had wanted to do this or not no longer mattered.

She was an apostle. Whatever had happened here, it had all been according to her god’s plan. She was merely the instrument.

Ah, whatever.

A tangle of conflicting emotions welled up inside me. In some ways, she reminded me of Gehenna.

I didn’t know whether her god had mistreated her or if she had chosen to invade on her own. Either way, it didn’t change the outcome.

If we fought, the queen would die.

And if we don’t?

She would still die. Even if not physically, her god would not allow her to live peacefully.

No clear solution came to mind. Unlike with Gehenna, I couldn’t gauge what kind of person she was, and I doubted she would ever want to become my apostle.

This trial left a bitter taste in my mouth. I wished the distinction between good and evil were clearer.

Sadly, the world didn’t work that way. There were no absolute heroes or villains, only people who existed in between.

Tch.

Even as my thoughts remained unresolved, the battle began without warning. The queen moved first, launching forward and striking the earth with her foot. I tightened my grip on my axe.

A dark, oppressive divinity spread across the space. I responded with my own divine energy and stepped forward.

I didn’t release her from Flash Strike. I wasn’t sure why. Perhaps I just didn’t want to.

If I had to explain it, maybe it is a final courtesy.

Courtesy? What kind of courtesy? The absurdity of the thought made me laugh dryly.

The distance between us rapidly closed. From her bare hand, divine energy gathered and shaped itself into a sharp, sword-like form.

I met her head-on, ready to fight at full strength.

Thud—!

We clashed, blade and axe colliding at the center. With both of us channeling divine energy, the rebound was tremendous.

The queen twisted her blade to regain control after the impact jolted it from her hand. I didn’t resist the force. Rather than wasting strength bracing against it, I let the momentum pull my arm back.

She then countered with a thrust, her sword cutting so sharply through the air that it was almost tangible. I pivoted on my left foot, and the queen’s sword stabbed into the space where my right shoulder had just been.

A chilling sonic boom emanated from that space.

I clenched my wrist tightly and maintained my stance mid-spin, bringing my axe down in a crescent arc with a streak of lightning trailing behind it.

Shhk—

The axe, shrouded in thunder and divine energy, swept across the queen’s neck. She didn’t even have time to scream.

The battle ended in a single exchange, but she was by no means weak. The queen had fought with everything she had.

It just wasn’t enough.

I chose not to hold back and ended it swiftly, if only to spare her further pain.

The thought made me feel somewhat self-righteous, but it couldn’t be helped. There had been no perfect choice.

For a moment, I stared up at the empty air. I would have to ask Natalie about the god that governed the Void.

Thud—

The queen’s head fell and rolled across the ground. I looked down at her face. Her wide-open eyes were hollow.

So this is what it means to be an apostle? A being compelled to follow divine commands, acting regardless of their own will?

If that was truly the case, then I wanted no part in creating such apostles. I wouldn’t want Gehenna or Hyang to end up like that.

As I pondered, I quickly realized it was a pointless line of thought, whether the queen was good or evil. I had grown momentarily sentimental over the death of an apostle, perhaps because I had recently met Gehenna and saved her.

I just have to make sure I am not like that.

Not all apostles had to turn out this way. Even if they could, so long as I didn’t become that kind of god, it would be fine. After all, they would be my apostles.

I turned my gaze toward the city.

Frozen missiles and unmoving monsters caught my eyes. The city was completely halted, teetering on the edge of ruin. I had to prevent further loss.

I finally made my decision. I would protect the citizens of this world.

Of course, I won’t let the upper leadership off the hook.

I would defeat whatever inhabitants of the Void remained here and reveal the truth. I wouldn’t pass judgment on them myself. I wasn’t the arbiter. That responsibility belonged to them. That was what justice meant.

I soared into the sky.

Expanding my sensory field to its fullest extent, I enveloped the entire city in my awareness.

I detected the positions of every falling shell and every creature.

If I want to save even one more life, I need to end this in a single blow.

I marshaled my mana and raised my hand high above the sky. Lightning arced outward and blanketed the smoke-hazed heavens.

Rumble, rumble—

It was as if the sky itself were preparing.

Thousands of bolts of lightning aligned and targeted the monsters scattered across the city. These bolts would split into tens of thousands of branches, each striking its mark, excluding civilians.

Immediately after, I used my wind spirit to hurl every falling shell upward into the sky. I planned to detonate them there. Any ongoing explosions would be dampened with the spirit’s help, minimizing their impact.

It didn’t take long to set everything in motion.

“

Phew.

”

I exhaled deeply, then released Flash Strike.

An immediate flash of brilliant blue-gold burst in the sky, light blazing to every corner of the city. Thousands of lightning strikes slammed into the ground.

BOOOOM!

A deafening roar tore through the city. Thunder crashed alongside the detonation of hundreds of warheads bursting in the sky.

From the glowing heavens, where gold lingered like an afterimage, hundreds of explosions erupted in a brilliant display of light. Even with the gauntlet absorbing an impossible volume of mana, the sensation left me feeling empty and unpleasant rather than satisfied.

All I felt was a surge of fury directed at the gods.

While grinding my teeth, I watched over the city.

I would remember this. Not just this place, but every world the gods had broken and driven into suffering.

***

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has completed the hidden mission ‘The Queen’s Trap.’ All stats increased by 5.」

「Invisible message: Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has slain an apostle. He has gained Unrefined Divinity.」

「Invisible message: Through his own efforts, Challenger Kwon Su-Hyeok has saved a world. He has acquired forty percent of Planet E-3213’s shares, which were previously owned by the tower.」

「Invisible message: Planetary governance will become available after conquering the tower.」