Chapter 431 - Karmic Debt (5)

A very long time ago, Eternal Change had snuck into the bedroom of the Primordial god and had been caught by the Creators.

- Damn it. As fighting-type gods, we couldn’t catch him. Yet, the technical gods were able to catch him. It’s time to dust off our business cards once again.

-That Cluder was out of his mind. I know he’s young, but he is quite ambitious. How dare he target the king of the gods?

- Right. To put it bluntly, Even if he did fall in love with the Primordial god, he would die as the weaker side.

- Did he think that he was stronger than the king of the gods?

- No way!

In the end, the Creators had put the captured Eternal Change under surveillance. He lived with them along with a cursed restriction.

- Hey, monster. You should yield to the Creators. You should repent by being a slave to them throughout your lifetime.

In simple terms, they had put a shock collar around the neck of a wild beast.

A young Aslan didn’t like this. Once, while playing with Eternal Change, he had said,

- Hyung, I will release the restriction. You won’t mistakenly cause any boo-boo by using your power, right?

- ?!

Aslan was able to release Eternal Change from the powerful spell placed on him by the elder Creators. He did it way too easily.

Eternal Change had regained his freedom, and he could now escape the Divine world.

The young Aslan had soon realized that he had made a big mistake, but for some reason, Eternal Change hadn’t run away. He didn’t even tell others that his restriction was removed. This was true even when he was charged and imprisoned for killing the Creators.

- As expected, he’s a monster. The Creators spared him, yet he was ungrateful enough to kill them?

- Thankfully, the restriction is still there. It’s why he can’t leave the prison.

- He can rot in there for the rest of his life.

On the other hand, the young Aslan, who was the sole survivor of the attack on the Creators, knew the truth.

Eternal Change hadn’t killed the Creators. The ones to kill them were his crazy older brother and those jealous of the Creators. In fact, Eternal Change had killed those who had killed the Creators.

This was why Aslan went to prison to speak to Eternal Change.

- Hyung? Why are you imprisoned for a crime you didn’t commit?

- Get lost, kid. Do it before I kill you.

Moreover, Eternal Change had been free for a very long time. If he used his power, he could easily escape the prison of the Great Spirits. He could leave the Divine world at any moment.

So the young Aslan asked,

- Did the conversation with the Great Spirits go badly?

- I said to get lost.

- !

- Never show yourself in front of me, damn Creator.

Eternal Change kept chasing Aslan out with a cold look in his eyes.

Aslan wondered if this was because Eternal Change’s power had been weakened.

In the end, Aslan had exited the prison after giving an ability to Eternal Change. It was an ability that would allow the monarch to escape the prison.

However, the monarch never used that escape ability until Aslan met his death. He spent several hundred years in prison as the Great Spirits stole his power.

At first, Aslan had wondered if Eternal Change’s pride and stubbornness had prevented him from using the escape ability. Or did he find the Creators that loathsome? But that hadn’t been the case.

- It somehow worked. He was told to obediently yield to us if he didn’t want to see the death of the last Creator.

- !

Eternal Change had realized something: no one was left to protect the young Creator, who was now alone in his tribe. He also knew that the Great Spirits hated Creators enough to kill all of them.

This was why Eternal Change had brokered a deal where the young Aslan would be spared. Of course, Aslan had found this out after he became an adult. It was around the time when the usurpation was being planned out and he had decided to die.

Anyway, Aslan had died afterward. With the death of the last Creator, Eternal Change had nothing holding him down. He destroyed and exited the prison.

- Idiot Creators.

He cursed the gods who had caused the death of the Creators. Then he called in his comrades and razed the Divine world to the ground.

Of course, this wasn’t important right now. It didn’t change the fact that Aslan owed his life to Eternal Change.

When the gods and humans heard this, they were surprised.

[Eternal Change was already free?!]

“Well, he wanted to keep this a secret, so I didn’t tell anyone about it either.”

[Old Master!]

Lee Gun furrowed his brow. If Aslan’s words were the truth, then whatever Hugo had told him in their earlier conversation was a lie.

Someone else was shocked the most.

[Eternal Change is someone like that?]

Babylon’s Great Spirit screamed in pain. He glared at them.

[There is no way! That bastard is...!]

Aslan laughed at the Great Spirit, who was denying reality. “Eternal Change has ten thousand faces. He is a liar.”

As soon as he said those words, Eternal Change’s contract was fully activated.

[Ahhhk!!]

Lee Gun pinned down Babylon’s Great Spirit so that the Great Spirit couldn’t run away. Then, something surprising happened.

Kwahng!!

Babylon’s Great Spirit changed from looking like a young human male to looking like an enormous monster. He now looked like a Cluder.

The contract letters engraved on his arm started to change as well, revealing the true contract.

This surprised all of humanity, the gods, and the Great Spirits.

“That’s...!!”

[It’s a contract that turns a Great Spirit into a monarch...!!]

Lee Jaewon bit his lips. He had heard it when the angel of Eden invaded their house.

‘The one to turn Eden’s Great Spirit into that was Eternal Change. No, it was Hugo-nim...’

Lee Jaewon had thought that Hugo had said it to break Michael’s mind, but it turned out to be true.

‘Eden’s Great Spirit was changed like this?’

He had heard that Hugo had turned Eden’s Great Spirit into a monarch, and now Babylon’s Great Spirit encountered the same fate!

In the end, Babylon’s Great Spirit lost all sense of reason after turning into a monarch. He started floundering on the ground as if he was in pain.

Since he was strong, he had changed into a monarch-rank Cluder, but it didn’t change his situation.

‘His Karmic debt was returned to him!’

He didn’t become a monarch and gained power. Instead, it felt like he had become a self-destructive beast that couldn’t identify allies or foes.

[Wait a moment...!]

Babylon’s Great Spirit, who had changed into a Cluder, glared at Mahabharata’s Great Spirit, who was on the ground because his Karmic debt had invaded him.

Currently, Babylon’s Great Spirit was weakened. What would a monarch do to fill the power that he had lost?

[N...No!!]

Kwah-jeek!!!

Babylon’s Great Spirit ruthlessly bit into the neck of Mahabharata’s Great Spirit, who was supposed to be his comrade.

Poo-hahk!!

[Kuh-huhk!]

Babylon’s Great Spirit had lost his rational thought and power. He just wanted to fill his stomach, and the most nutritious and tastiest food to the Cluders was the gods! Moreover, nothing was more delicious than a wounded Great Spirit!

Faithful to his instinct, he bared his teeth as if he hadn’t eaten anything in days.

Kwah-dook! Ooh-doo-doohk!

He ripped into the skin and crushed the bones and the face. Babylon’s Great Spirit dug into the body of the Great Spirit of Mahabharata and ruthlessly cut the lifeline so that there would be no resistance.

Poo-hahk!!

[Mahabharata’s Great Spirit has lost his life.]

[Mahabharata’s Great Spirit ceases to exist.]

Boom!

Finally, Mahabharata’s Great Spirit fell over as a mangled hunk of meat.

Valhalla’s Great Spirit furrowed his brow.

[That idiot...!]

In a flash, two Great Spirits had ceased to exist.

Soon, the full Great Spirit of Babylon roared at the sky.

As if he could no longer stand by, Valhalla’s Great Spirit used his magic. He planned on absorbing Babylon’s Great Spirit and making the ability of Eternal Change into his own.

Poo-hahk!!!

Lee Gun knew it was a golden opportunity, so he let out a menacing laugh as he swung Heaven’s Punishment. Moreover, Heaven’s Punishment was a weapon specialized in killing monsters!

[Kuh-huhk!!]

Had the ax developed internal force while killing monsters? Unlike when it killed the gods, the Divine item generated considerably more power against monsters. It was like cutting through the water.

Lee Gun let out a cold laugh as he decapitated the monarch. Then he said, “Are you the only one left now?”

[Babylon’s Great Spirit ceases to exist.]

[Your EXP has increased by a lot.]

[The level of Cycle has increased.]

Valhalla’s Great Spirit was surprised when Lee Gun cut down Babylon’s Great Spirit with a single blow.

[That bastard...]

He was dumbfounded. Of course, he had made all the calculations, and it wasn’t as if he hadn’t envisioned a scenario where a Great Spirit died. Moreover, he had known that Babylon’s Great Spirit had made contact with a monarch.

‘He had ambitions of acquiring the other powers of the Primordial god.’

Babylon’s Great Spirit had an odd inferior complex toward the Great Spirits who had never gone through the process of inheritance. He used any method available to him if it would give him a boost in power in a short period.

While the other Great Spirits might hate the monarchs, Babylon’s Great Spirit held no great grudge against them. That was why he could readily join hands with the monarchs.

What about Mahabharat's Great Spirit, who was eaten by him?

‘He was an onlooker.’

He was like Valhalla’s Great Spirit. They were part of the group that had killed the Primordial god.

But unlike Valhalla’s Great Spirit, he felt guilty for what he had done. Moreover, the only reason he was helping them out was that he wanted to find Hailey.

‘That bitch’s father was the Great Spirit of Mahabharata.’

He had said that she was the child of a friend, but the Lord of the Sky was skeptical of this claim.

‘That dirty bastard sullied the reputation of the Divine world.’

Hailey was the child between a Great Spirit and a monarch. That dirty monarch bitch had caused the death of an exalted Great Spirit, and the gods had suffered a great loss because of her. She was a source of incredible shame.

Anyway, the death of the other Great Spirits was within the calculations of the Lord of the Sky. In fact, it would be a boon for him since he would be able to gather the other powers of the Primordial god, which had been separated.

[You guys have a talent for getting on my nerves.]

He was referring to Eternal Change and Lee Gun. Valhalla’s Great Spirit had gone through the trouble of making all the calculations, yet the maggots had put a wrench in his plan. The Great Spirit’s eyes flashed as he approached Lee Gun.

[You don’t even have a long time to live, yet you dare do this?]

Currently, the hidden Rule Book was under the care of Valhalla’s goddess of fate, and the Great Spirit possessed the power of Change. He was also the one making changes to the Rule Book until now.

[I’ll use the Rule Book to get rid of your existence.]

He planned to change the words within the Rule Book. It would allow him to erase the existence of Lee Gun.

[The changes made to the Rule Book don't count toward Karmic debt.]

While adding a new rule to the Rule Book might incur Karmic debt, changing the rule so that the Divine world could overcome a crisis was acceptable.

Any change with that scope was acceptable, and he would be able to use it to get rid of Lee Gun.

[You destroyed the Divine world. You were registered as an enemy of the Divine world.]

To get rid of the enemy, the rule could be changed. It would be considered self-defense.

[Do not look down on the owner of the Divine world.]

All the Zodiacs became guarded against Valhalla’s Great Spirit.

‘He is considered the top amongst the Great Spirits.’

There was a reason he had wired as a regent to the Primordial god.

Lee Gun was also guarded as he took deep breaths. While the Karmic debt might be gone, he still suffered the aftereffects of the internal injuries that he had suffered earlier.

Kwahng!!

“!!”

It seemed the Lord of the Sky had already messed with the Rule Book.

Puhng! Puhng! Puhng!

[...!!]

All the weapons possessed by the gods were destroyed, and the Constructs clutched their necks in pain as they fell to the ground. That wasn’t all.

“Kuh-huhk!”

The humans were having a hard time breathing. They also fell to the ground.

Zzuh-uhng!

Enormous cracks appeared on Heaven’s Punishment and the Fetters of the Underworld.

“...!”

It was unclear what the Great Spirit had changed within the Rule Book.

Lee Gun furrowed his brows and raised something in his hand.

‘I was hoping I wouldn’t have to use this.’

He was holding the Divine item made using the Primordial god. It was the only weapon unharmed. But if Lee Gun used that in his current state, he would die from the lack of Divine power.

Suddenly...

[!]

As if he wanted to stop Lee Gun from going through with the move, someone grabbed Valhalla’s Great Spirit by the waist.

[Gun! Move me with him! I’ll tell you the location.]

“!”

It was unexpectedly Sagittarius. His eyes held determination. He wasn’t going to let go of the Great Spirit.

When the Lord of the Sky saw the look in Sagittarius’s eyes, a chill ran up his spine. It was to be expected since Sagittarius had a connection to the item that possessed the Karmic Debt Transfer ability.

His hands moved desperately.

[Bastard...!! Act like a pillar god who is supposed to protect the Divine world!]

[Gun!]

Finally, Lee Gun raised something toward Sagittarius and used “Pond.” An enormous darkness swallowed Sagittarius as well as the Lord of the Sky in his arms.

When they disappeared, the surprised gods asked a question.

[Master! Where did you send those two...!]

“Don’t worry. They are still on the earth.”

Sagittarius had given him a location in the Divine world, but the Divine world and the earth were currently combined.

The two gods were dropped off on a desolate black land. Here, everything, including trees and soil, was dead.

It was the place of exile, Gehenna. It was the land ruled by Ten Heavenly God, who had taken on the face of Junwoo. Gods were forbidden to enter this place since the evil gods had been trapped there.

As soon as they arrived there, the face of Valhalla’s Great Spirit distorted.

[Bastard. Are you...!]

Sagittarius laughed in a sleazy manner.

[You placed all the gods with your Karmic debt here, right?]

[...!!!]

There was no way gods would suddenly turn into evil gods. This was why the answer was obvious.

[You used my items for thousands of years. You transferred your Karmic debt to these gods, and they were too unsightly to see. This is why you made this forbidden zone like a prison. You drove them all in here.]

To keep this secret from leaking out, Valhalla’s Great Spirit and the others had created the Ten Heavenly God as a gatekeeper.

The eyes of Valhalla’s Great Spirit flashed. He wanted to break free.

[Let me go!]

[It is useless. I’ve been transferring your Divine power to Gun since a while ago.]

[!!]

[Also, what would happen if I transferred all the Karmic debt of the evil gods to one being? Would it end with that being turning into an evil god? Hmm?]

The Great Spirit’s face turned pale. As expected, Sagittarius was going to do it!

‘He’s going to kill me by transferring all the Karmic debt to me.’

He became desperate.

[Stop! You are the creator of the Karmic Debt Transfer. Originally, the creator of the items is supposed to accrue Karmic debt as the items are used more and more. Why do you think you remained unharmed!]

Usually, the manufacturer of an item was blameless regarding how the item was used. However, it was an entirely different story if the item was used to create an unbelievable amount of damage.

‘The one that releases such items will be punished.’

That might have been why Galan’s father had forbidden him from using his abilities. His father knew it would be used for evil, and the Karmic debt would come toward Galan too.

Since the Great Spirit knew this, he looked at Sagittarius to ask him to stop.

[We made sure to transfer your Karmic debt too! Do you not know this?]

[Who cares? You did it because you didn’t want to be found out by me and the others.]

[...!]

The flustered Great Spirit yelled,

[If you get rid of me, you won’t be able to get out of this unscathed! Your Karmic debt, which I transferred all this time, will return to you too! You will also die!]

Sagittarius laughed instead of giving an answer. He had suddenly recalled an old memory.

- Hyung-nim! I really like your ability!

- What? Are you saying this because you want to steal something?

- Mmm. If I’m being honest, it’s tempting. However, that has nothing to do with this. In the first place, Hyung-nim never stole others’ abilities or items with it.

- Then why do you like it?

- It’s an ability that can save someone.

- !

- You can move wounds, sickness, and even evilness. You can save a lot of people by using your abilities. That’s why I really like your ability, Hyung-nim.

Sagittarius felt bitter. His younger brother had seen his ability as something that saved lives, yet he had used it to kill his own tribe members. He was a murderer.

At the time, he had died while he had committed terrible sins, so why was he allowed to live a second life? This had always puzzled Sagittarius, but he now knew why.

‘I must take responsibility.’

He had things that he had to own up to and fix. He also knew he couldn’t suddenly become a god who saved lives like Lee Gun. However, there was something only he could do right now.

Sagittarius clung to Valhalla’s Great Spirit so that the Great Spirit couldn’t run away.

[Let’s go together, damn old fart!!]

Shouting that, Sagittarius used his ability.

Kwahng!!

[Ahhk!!]

The Lord of the Sky screamed. In this place were gods who the Great Spirits had used as Karmic debt storage. It had gone on for hundreds, if not thousands of years. Now, all their Karmic debt was returned to Valhalla’s Great Spirit.

The amount of the transferred Karmic debt was enormous. Valhalla’s Great Spirit was in great pain when he received it all at once.

[Ahhk!! Stop! Anyone who dies like this won’t be able to revive— Kuh-huhk!]

Flash!

In the end, the Lord of the Sky couldn’t stay alive as an evil god. He ceased to exist, leaving behind his Divine status.

Kwahng!!

All the Great Spirits who had ruled over the Divine world had perished.

Sagittarius made sure that the Divine status of the Lord of the Sky couldn’t be taken by others; he transferred it to Lee Gun.

At that moment, his Karmic debt also returned to his body.

Boom!!

[Koohk...!]

When Valhalla’s Great Spirit ceased to exist, the Karmic Debt sealed by his magic returned to Sagittarius as well.

However, Sagittarius was unable to transfer his Karmic debt to someone else. Even if he could, he had no intention of doing that.

In the end, Sagittarius laughed for the last time as he disappeared alongside a light.

He was sure his siblings and comrades would make fun of him for doing something so unlike him, but he didn’t care. He had never done anything for his nephew, so he was willing to do this.

Kwahng!!!

Sagittarius's body and soul disappeared.

The sun was set forever.