Chapter 410: Eighty-Ninth Floor, Demigod (3)

[Assist the Giant Resistance in creating a homeland for their people. Time remaining: 24 hours 45 minutes.]

Normally, what one considered darkness contained a trace of light, allowing them to retain some semblance of their surroundings. True darkness, however, had a complete absence of light, which did more than just limit vision.

Somehow, this went beyond even that.

An eerie force made the surroundings feel not only dark but suffocating and jumbled, as if the very space had become twisted.

Kireing felt his sense of direction slip away.

A moment ago, only Kwon Su-Hyeok had stood before him. After a couple of seconds, however, he sensed the other resistance members—who had been behind him—coming from ahead of him.

He came to a halt, along with the rest of the resistance. It was only natural, given the abrupt change in circumstances.

Tension built in the air, thick and heavy, as lingering afterimages flickered faintly on his retinas every time he blinked.

Just seconds ago, a road lay before him. He could still faintly make it out through the trailing afterimages, but the idea of walking forward felt impossible.

That fucking demon finally decided to show itself.

Kireing cursed inaudibly, though he knew it was just his fear talking. He admitted that to himself.

Fear made him seek someone to rely on, and he had found that person. Kwon Su-Hyeok had breathed hope into the resistance.

Where is he now?

As that thought crossed his mind, a wave of murderous intent surged toward him from his left. The devils were finally attacking.

Kireing tensed every muscle in his body.

From within the darkness, a flash of blue-gold light burst forth, and the attack faded instantly.

There he is.

Like a torch flickering in fog, the blue-gold glow shimmered weakly as if dampened by water.

Even so, Kireing knew it was Kwon Su-Hyeok. Unconsciously, he found himself drawn toward that light. So did the other giants. The resistance sprinted toward it, chasing after the light that now embodied their hope.

That light held a mysterious quality. It was different from the power wielded by the giants, and it brought with it a sense of reverence.

Kwon Su-Hyeok had claimed a god had sent him, but Kireing couldn’t help but wonder if he was the god. Of course, such a question went unanswered.

The light grew in size as if responding to the resistance’s energy, waging a battle against the darkness. Condensed light writhed in the gloom.

Fwoosh—!

The light expanded into a massive dome.

At the same time, Kireing regained his vision.

Kwon Su-Hyeok stood at the center of that glow, flanked by the buildings that had bordered the road just moments earlier. The buildings, each dozens of times larger than he, only made his presence seem more out of place.

So we weren’t moved.

The realization that they hadn’t been displaced into some strange space offered Kireing a faint sense of relief.

Kwon Su-Hyeok stood there with his eyes closed, holding his axe in his right hand and a strange knife in his left. He looked as if he were sensing something.

Because of that, the giants surrounding him didn’t dare speak. They were still reeling from the sudden shift and unsure of what to say, albeit comforted by the light.

Kwon Su-Hyeok opened his eyes and turned to face them. “Looks like you’re all safe.”

He sounded so confident.

Kireing felt a twinge of shame. He hadn’t even thought to confirm whether the rest of the resistance had survived the darkness.

Kwon Su-Hyeok’s words brought him relief, though. No one had died in that void.

Kireing carefully cursed, “That damned demon has shown up.”

“Did this happen before? Darkness without even a trace of light?”

“No. This is a first.”

“Maybe it’s grown stronger,” Kwon Su-Hyeok murmured calmly.

Though he was facing Kireing, it sounded more like he had spoken to himself. Moreover, he seemed slightly frustrated.

“Doesn’t seem like it plans to come this way. Looks like it really does hate the light. What about before? I don’t think you mentioned it last time.”

“I don’t know anything in particular...” Kireing trailed off weakly, feeling useless.

Kwon Su-Hyeok began to wonder whether the miniatures could only fully exert their power in the dark.

Even so, the force that had erased the light altogether was extraordinary. Additionally, it didn’t stem from divine energy; it was something greater and higher. It reminded him of what the sewer scientist had called causality, or more precisely, the power of the Primordial God.

Kwon Su-Hyeok felt certain of that, as he was experiencing the force firsthand. He had encountered gods before, after all. He couldn’t help but wonder if that power was why the tower had sent him here.

Kwon Su-Hyeok composed himself.

I can’t expand my domain any further. The tinies aren’t showing signs of approaching, either.

He had twenty-four hours left to complete the trial. Maintaining this barrier would only wear him down. He realized he had to enter the darkness. Staying put would only widen the gap between them.

In the darkness beyond the barrier, he could sense malicious intent radiating from countless small creatures.

In truth, he had almost created the domain too late. If he had acted even a moment slower, members of the resistance would have died.

Divine power and mana didn’t spread well in this darkness, as if it was suppressing them.

“I suppose I’ll have to go out there.”

Kireing hesitated, then asked, “Will you be alright?”

“Yes. It can’t be helped.”

Kwon Su-Hyeok left the rest of his thoughts unsaid.

Staying here won’t change anything.

Kireing fell silent. He knew deep down that the giants had become a burden. He had insisted on following Kwon Su-Hyeok, and now, they were paying for that decision. He and the resistance had simply placed additional weight onto the shoulders of the one trying to help them.

Kireing clenched his teeth. The other giants understood this as well.

In this tense moment of silence, Kwon Su-Hyeok could sense what they were feeling. He didn’t comfort them, though. Meaningless reassurance would only deepen their guilt.

“If I’m gone, they could try to break in. Stay alert.”

“Okay,” Kireing replied heavily. After a moment’s hesitation, he stared at Kwon Su-Hyeok’s back and added, “Thank you.”

“It’s nothing. This is just something I have to do,” Kwon Su-Hyeok replied with the trial in mind, but the resistance took it as a declaration of his conviction.

A solemn tension filled the air.

Kwon Su-Hyeok began to walk to the wall separating the light and dark. As he moved, he placed his axe into the mimic and drew his dagger.

An attack came the instant he left the barrier.

Tiny creatures lunged at him, wielding small weapons or flinging out tentacles. Though they appeared crude, their strength was no joke.

Kwon Su-Hyeok activated Divine Power, sending bolts of lightning into the darkness. Each time one exploded, causing a flash of light, the miniatures shrieked and recoiled. Unfortunately, divine energy didn’t flow well out here, and he couldn’t maintain the lightning like he normally could.

When the final burst of light faded, Kwon Su-Hyeok kicked off the ground and surged forward. He charged straight toward the massive presence he had sensed in the distance.

***

As I sprinted through the darkness, the tiny burst out just as swiftly and without warning. Even with my expanded perception, keeping track of them all was a challenge.

Still, I preferred this over simply standing there and taking hits.

When facing countless enemies no larger than a fist, blades weren’t the most effective weapons. Controlling a mass of lightning posed the same problem; it lacked efficiency.

Since the darkness was erasing light itself, it even dulled lightning. Lung Shark's Dagger proved more useful.

After all, what is darkness but the purest shadow?

Perhaps that was why Natalie hadn’t bothered to warn me.

I closed my eyes. I didn’t need to see. With my six senses forming somewhat of a domain, everything appeared sharper and more precise if I didn’t try to rely on my sense of vision.

Dozens of controllers advanced within the range of my perception. Hundreds of shadow spears under my control erupted without warning, piercing through the incoming enemies.

They skewered most of them, but some were unusually strong. I imbued the dagger with divinity and struck.

Everything happened so fast that I didn’t even catch the scent of blood.

Hmm?

Something shifted after I had covered about two hundred meters.

The wave of tiny creatures began to thin, and in the distance, a demonic force of overwhelming scale drew near. The demon had finally moved.

I swallowed and adjusted my pace. With the path now clear, the remaining distance rapidly closed.

Suddenly, a chilling voice echoed from the darkness, “So it wasn’t God who sent you after all.”

The tinies were supposed to be ignorant of gods. Was this one different?

“God?”

As soon as I questioned it, I realized the god it spoke of wasn’t like the gods I had encountered. Its creepy and foreboding voice carried the same kind of force I had once sensed from the Primordial God.

I groped through the distance.

Unlike before, the rate at which I approached it began to slow. Since it was talking, I could tell it didn’t intend to fight right away.

The demon continued without answering my question, “So you were sent by one of God’s creations.”

Its tone left no room for doubt—it truly meant the Primordial God. Given the power it wielded, akin to that of the Primordial God, it wasn’t surprising.

It knew more than I expected.

The creation it had referred to was likely the Tower of Ordeal. However, it struck me as odd that it had seemed angry when it had mentioned the tower.

Is it referring to the gods?

No. Everything I had experienced told me otherwise. It wasn’t like the gods I had encountered before.

Then the demon’s question shifted, “Is God... dead?”

Its voice had trembled, as if holding back a storm of emotion. The strongest feeling I sensed coming from it was affection.

It wasn’t pure, though. It was warped, a twisted love. Somehow, this demon was related to the Primordial God.

“Answer me. Is God dead?” the demon pressed.

By now, I had drawn close enough to prepare myself for a fight.

That could wait a little longer, though. I saw no harm in getting more information. I didn’t particularly enjoy fighting unknown entities in contextless trials, either.

“If you’re talking about the Primordial God, then they’re gone. I don’t know if they died, but it disappeared.”

“I see. I thought as much.

Ha... hahahah...

”

Hollow and broken laughter reverberated endlessly in the dark. It was a sad, empty laugh. I couldn’t even begin to guess what this being truly was.

The atmosphere shifted. Anger crept into the hollow laugh.

I adjusted my grip on the dagger. “What are you?”

“Deruope.”

“Are you a god?”

The very air turned vicious. “A god? Hell, no. I am God’s only demigod.”

A demigod?

This was an entirely new phrase to me.

The demon claimed to be similar to a god, and the power it exuded seemed to back that up. Though, to be clear, this was in terms of purity of presence, not sheer strength. It wasn’t stronger than Endless Furnace.

Even so, the moment I heard those words, something clicked.

This demigod believed that the Primeval God had sent me. That alone hinted at the truth. Its creator had sealed it in the distant past, and it had only resurfaced recently after the giants had freed it.

It had probably remained quiet out of fear. I couldn’t be certain, but it seemed plausible that it had hidden within the giants to avoid the Primordial God’s gaze.

“Why did you take over the giants’ minds?”

“Take over their minds? What nonsense.” Mocking laughter echoed through the darkness. “

I

created them. They are

my

creations. Is there a problem with using my own creations for the sake of my other creations?”

According to it, it had created both the giants and the tinies.

Still, it sounded more like it was trying to justify its actions rather than answer me.

As if excusing itself even more, it added. “Even the god who created me chose to imprison me. Doesn’t that contradict your logic? My actions are no different.”

I frowned. While my assumptions had proven accurate, it used twisted logic to reason with me.

Judging from the situation, the Primoridla God had sealed it after witnessing its cruelty.

That would explain why, despite possessing a pure essence that exceeded that of a lower-class god, it didn’t have matching strength.

I opened my eyes and stared through the darkness toward where Deruope stood. “Your cause and effect aren’t the same.”

“What do you mean they’re not the same?”

“I mean your actions.”

It felt like I had found an answer.

The demon loved the Primordial God, but also harbored a deep sense of inferiority toward them. It resented the Tower of Ordeal. It was like a child burdened with mixed emotions toward a parent, the twisted affection turning into rebellion.

“That’s exactly why the Primordial God locked you away. You said you’re the only demigod? I think I get it now.”

Without hesitation, I pressed on, “They created just one demigod, and look what a mess you turned out to be. That’s why they chose to raise gods through the tower instead.”

“You wretch!” Deruope bellowed.

I gripped Lung Shark's Dagger tightly.