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[00:01:57_65]

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Chhhh. As he was surrounded by black mist, Yeon-woo exuded an eerie, ominous feeling. Those looking at him felt as though they were drowning. His eyes that had been bright and golden with Fiery Golden Eyes had turned into black pools reminiscent of a dark abyss. Looking into them gave one the sensation of being sucked into a void. Typhon and the other Giants felt trapped in emptiness for a while.

In the short amount of time given to him, Yeon-woo managed to proceed to the next stage.

[You have successfully fulfilled some conditions.]

[Insufficient conditions.]

[Insufficient conditions.]

…

[You do not meet the requirements.]

[Part of the seal has been revealed. You have acquired viewing permission.]

[‘Fury of the Black King’ has merged with the information window of ‘Cast of the Black King’.]

[Cast of the Black King]

[Category: Set]

[Rank: ???]

[Description: The past ??? were supernatural beings who were heirs to the will of the world. They were prophets that ruled over the universe’s many civilizations, but they were always fearful and respectful of their great king and god who ruled over death and darkness from another side of the universe.

In the end, they couldn’t overcome their fear and betrayed him, confining him in a deep abyss. The past king and god ground his teeth in betrayal through unimaginable eons. At first, he despaired, then, he fell into grief, and finally, he exploded in fury and decided to punish all the traitors after escaping from the abyss.

The three frames binding him were corrupted and became his servants. When he tears through the abyss, the world will meet its end. Until then, the manacle represents him in souls, the fetter in death, and the pillory in darkness.]

[*Soul Usurper

All souls killed by the user or are within their territory can be collected. The collected souls will be corrupted and lose the strength they possessed during their lifetime, leaving only deep resentment. They will be bound to the Soul Collection as the user’s slaves for eternity. The capacity of the collection will increase in proportion to the user’s proficiency.]

[*Black Hexagram

An enhanced form of Black Evil. Consumes the souls in the collection and converts them into dark property energy. The power increases in proportion to the number of consumed souls. The magic power will buff all allies in the user’s territory, and debuff any designated enemies with strong curses and fear. Random curses will place great misfortune on the enemy.]

[*First Spirit

The souls bound inside the Soul Collection hate their master for trapping them. But even their hatred is owned by the user and can be applied as the user wishes. The souls can never defy the absolute will of the user. They can move in crowds and steal the vitality of living beings.

Depending on the user’s wishes, a part of magic power can be used to evolve souls into a Spirit Familiar, Guai, Spirit Guai, or something beyond. They will become faithful servants of the user and gladly carry out any orders.]

[*Summon of the Dead

Using some of the collected souls, the user can forcefully summon souls from the Beyond. The number of souls summoned and the length of time they can stay depend on the soul’s level. Caution is advised. The summoned souls have free will and there are restrictions on binding them.]

[*Void Activation

The user can bring forth Void from other dimensions. Void is filled with disorder and chaos and may take over the user. Caution is advised. To use this, additional conditions and qualifications must be met. (Partially sealed)]

[** This is a unique artifact. No other artifact like this exists in the Tower, and it will be bound to its owner. It cannot be transferred or traded between players.

** Some of the abilities are sealed. You must meet the qualifications or conditions in order to lift the seals.

** Some information cannot be accessed. You must meet the qualifications or conditions in order to view the information.]

[**Currently collected: 3 of 3

-Despair: You can dominate souls that are in despair.

-Grief: You can defy deaths filled with grief.

-Fury: You can control darkness shaken by fury.]

‘It wasn’t enough?’ Yeon-woo looked at the Cast of the Black King in astonishment. Even after so many offerings, it still wasn’t completely unsealed. The sacrifices had been massive enough to make the Giants’ descent and manifestation possible.

The avarice of any godly or demonic society would have been satisfied with the sacrifices, but it wasn’t even enough for the Black King. Yeon-woo could understand that he lacked the qualifications since he didn’t have divinity, but he was slightly annoyed that he still hadn’t managed to fulfill all the conditions. Had the Black King, the original user, been that great or just greedy?

『Keekeek! Keek!』 The Demonism’s contented laughter told Yeon-woo the answer. The Demonism had been created from the remnants of the Black King and was Yeon-woo’s alter-ego—his character told Yeon-woo what kind of being the Black King had been. He had been mighty and greedy.

This was how he inspired fear and despair in all his followers and citizens—and the reason he’d later been betrayed. Even to this day, even though eons had passed, he was still respected by many godly and demonic societies.

He had been someone who rightfully deserved the title “God of Gods” and “God King”. Yeon-woo released part of the powers that a being like that possessed and pulled at the chains.

[Void Activation]

The black energy spreading through Yeon-woo filled the space around him, as lumps expanded like ink stains. The Void waited beyond the ravenous lumps.

Clank. The black chains gripped the Void, ignoring the laws of physics and space as they tried to violate the Giants’ otherworldly space.

The Ruyi Bang in Yeon-woo’s hand began to move, and the staff split into pieces once more and whirled into the weak areas of the chain. Clank.

The Black King’s Cast was made of divine iron, just like the Ruyi Bang, and so they could combine. Those who carried the title “Successor of the Monkey King'' could use the Ruyi Bang pieces however they saw fit, and Yeon-woo used them to bolster the chain.

Vigrid hung on one end of the chain and released another name that was even more threatening.

[‘Vigrid-???’ releases its hidden true name ‘Harpe’.]

[Folklore: Denying invincibility]

Harpe was a sword used by Perseus, a great hero who overcame his tragic fate to become revered as the ancestor of numerous royal families and heroes. The stories said that Perseus used Harpe to bring down invincible monsters, and the sword was so excellent that it was said Ares inherited it afterwards.

As soon as it was released, Vigrid transformed into Death’s Scythe, which stretched to a man’s height before tearing through space.

『Impossible…!』

『Dammit, run!』

Harpe wasn’t restricted by the limits of space and so it was a huge danger to the Giants as Yeon-woo swung it. The black Aura on the blade was mixed with Wave of Fire, which could harm even divine beings. It was impossible to predict where the chains would go since they moved through space randomly.

Anyone who was fatally injured or killed would end up being bound as Yeon-woo’s subordinate through the function of the Ruyi Bang that was connected to the chains would activate. The Giants had come to usurp the Throne of Death, but now, their lives were in danger.

They’d already been struggling to counterattack, and as the chains and the scythe danced in Yeon-woo’s hands, his achievement of killing a god shone more brightly than ever. Clank. Swish.

『Ack!』

『Aaaack! My arm! My arm!』

The number of Giants who lost their limbs increased.

『How is this lowly being doing this to us!』

The Giants weren’t meekly accepting damage; they also tried to counterattack, and vortexes and flames soared up through the ground. However, they had barely any effect.

Swish. Before the attacks could even reach Yeon-woo, the chains cut them off or deflected them. The black energy of the chains wavered like shadows or blazed like black sparks. The dark souls cried out eerily, as if they were laughing as they backed the Giants into a corner.

Kyaaa. Keekeekeek! Keekee! In his coat of darkness, Yeon-woo’s control of the ashy souls and black fire as he swung the great chains and scythe reminded everyone of the legendary Grim Reaper who collected all souls whether mortal or immortal. The Giants began to step back in fear.

『Ahhhhh…!』

『Un…believeable! How can a mortal…!』

Only then did they remember that the mortal they looked down on, from whom they believed would be easy to steal the Throne of Death, was someone who’d taken the lives of many of their brothers in Tartarus. He was also acknowledged by Hades as the next king.

Furthermore, he was the successor of the being all gods and demons of death acknowledged!

『Mimas!』

『No! No!』

When two Giants died and new names were carved onto the Ruyi Bang pieces, they erupted in a rage, full of bitterness that they couldn’t even approach Yeon-woo.

『You dare!』 Unable to control his anger, Typhon stretched the laws of causality once more and released another arm. The attack risked damaging his divinity, and it nearly tore the Outer Space apart as it reached out to strike Yeon-woo.

However, Typhon’s massive right arm wasn’t able to reach Yeon-woo this time either. Suddenly, space stretched between the two combatants and dark clouds leaked out to create a large wall.

“You’re attempting to do this right before my eyes? You Giants deserve to be ripped apart.” Dark clouds that could swallow the world appeared, along with dozens of wings. A beautiful face that shone like obsidian revealed itself with a vicious smile.

[Agares of glowers at Typhon of .]

『Agares!』

The Grand Demon Duke who ruled over the eastern section of the demonic world roared with rage as he looked into Typhon’s angry eyes. “Don’t say my name with that dirty mouth. It’s not a name that one of your birth has the right to say!”

Boom! Agares ripped Typhon’s right hand off with his extraordinary strength and shouted at the sky. “Come, my faithful army!”

Black meteors rained down from the sky. Each one was a transcendent being with vicious powers that could devour the world. It was the East Demon Army that was known for following Agares through many dimensions and invading worlds before the Tower had been closed off. A few of the Seventy-Two Demon Kings of L’Infernal were among them.

They rushed down to the Outer Space on the path that Agares had opened and stepped on the Giants who dared to pick a fight with them.

“I’ll show you who owns that child, and what the price of taking my precious treasure is.” Rumble. Agares exploded with insanity and demonic energy as he rushed towards Typhon. The war between the two societies was now proceeding in both the heavenly world and the lower world.

Clank. Yeon-woo pulled at the chains as he watched the battle between the East Demon Army and the Giants. He had used the laws of causality that were left over after he awakened the Cast of the Black King. He hadn’t been sure that it would work, and so he was surprised when the East Demon Army appeared.

It seemed that Agares had taken care of the rest of the laws of causality. It would have been difficult for him even though he was a Grand Demon Duke. Had he been that infuriated by Jeong-woo’s homunculi?

‘Thanks.’ Yeon-woo expressed his thanks to Agares, who had once been his enemy but was now his ally. He swung through space with Vigrid, and an abyss opened to reveal Mother Earth and Bayluk.

Mother Earth’s manifestation read Yeon-woo’s flow of energy. She quickly extended her hand, but space opened next to Yeon-woo and the Bone Dragon appeared to block her.

「I never liked you.」 The Summer Queen was glaring at Vieira Dune in annoyance.

Rumble. The aftermath of the powerful energy kindled again, but Yeon-woo managed to sweep it aside and used Blink to approach Bayluk.

“What…! Die!” Bayluk’s eyes widened at the sudden development, and he swung his tentacles as Yeon-woo’s hand reached his neck. He released Spirit Poison Powder at the same time, spreading a thick fog around them. However, the chains lashed out from Yeon-woo’s hand and cut the tentacles off. The black fire of the shadows instantly burned the poison away.

None of his attacks managed to stop Yeon-woo, who grabbed Bayluk’s face and hurled it to the ground, crushing Bayluk’s skull and making his face collapse into itself. Boom!

An intense shockwave made the area around them quake.

[00:01:00_01]

[00:01:00_00]

[00:00:59_99]

…

One minute had passed. That was all the time needed to awaken the Black King’s power and kill Bayluk.