The battle against the Heavenly Blood Demon left a sea of corpses and blood in its wake.
What was that? It felt like an eternity had passed, or perhaps it had only been a moment. My sense of time appeared temporarily numbed, similar to when the Chemist had put me under anesthesia for treatment.
“Mr. Death King! Mr. Death King! Wake up, Mr. Death King!”
Before I knew it, I was lying down. I couldn’t tell when, why, or where I had ended up lying down. I couldn’t remember anything clearly. The only thing I was certain of was the face of the person crying in front of me. The boy who looked so familiar was clutching my hands as if he were about to burst into tears at any moment.
He asked, “Are you okay? Can you hear me?”
“You were injured in battle against the Heavenly Blood Demon. While you were fighting one-on-one, the Blood Demon Cult’s elite warriors joined the fight like cowards.”
The boy wiped his tears on my sleeve. His tears seemed to be flowing uncontrollably, and I became worried for him.
“Fight... wounds...” I murmured.
The boy stopped me as I tried to stand up. “Ah, don’t move! Your internal injuries are serious, Mr. Death King! You must rest now! Your whole body is a mess. Your bones are broken, and your internal organs are tattered... I was afraid you wouldn’t ever open your eyes again until a moment ago!”
Just like the boy said, excruciating pain struck me. I tried to use my aura to assess my condition, but my aura paths contorted. The pain felt like a spiked club beating my blood vessels to a pulp.
“Oh, no. W-what should I do? What should I do?” the boy kept asking.
It hurt. I felt like I was going to die. My eyes welled up with tears, and my skin turned cold. My fingertips felt numb. Pain. Only pain remained. It felt as if someone were peeling my skin off layer by layer, as if I were an orange. No human could endure such pain except me, since I had died countless times.
“Ah, really, what should I do?”
Suddenly, as my consciousness faded out, I heard excited breathing. Later, I opened my eyes. It felt like a long time had passed, or maybe the moment was as brief as a sigh. The only difference from before I had lost consciousness was that my mind was now clearer. The boy was wearing an apron and was on his way back with a tray of rice porridge.
“Please say ah, Mr. Gong-Ja.”
The Constellation scooped an empty bowl with an invisible spoon and fed me.
The boy scooped rice porridge with a wooden spoon and fed me.
The Constellation stared expressionlessly.
The girl smiled lovingly.
“I tried to cook your favorite porridge for a change.”
The Constellation whispered.
“Does it taste okay?”
The aroma of anchovies filled my mouth. When I was a child and had a cold, the orphanage director would grind apple slices for me with a spoon. Then, he would add anchovies and cook white rice porridge.
Just like how a ground apple tasted different from a usual apple, the taste of the porridge was different. The anchovies, swollen and thin, were tasteless at first, but they had a subtle, savory flavor when I kept chewing them.
“Yes, it’s delicious,” I answered.
“Phew, I’m relieved.”
The Constellation smiled.
The girl let out a sigh of relief.
“It was really a big problem. I just wished for an enemy to block your path, but someone too strong appeared out of nowhere. Deep down, you think that no one can stop you unless your enemy is that strong.”
The Constellation asked back casually.
The boy tilted his head slightly.
“I didn’t say anything just now, Mr. Gong-Ja. By the way, why were you so angry at the Heavenly Blood Demon? You were really calm even after the attack, yet you got so upset when you heard about the Blood Demon Cult. I was a little surprised.”
My mind was foggy. “Ah, it’s because I’m the Young Heaven of the Heavenly Demon Cult...”
“The words ‘demonic cult’ mean a lot to me. They shouldn’t be used lightly. Those street thugs casually calling themselves a demonic cult pissed me off a lot.”
The Constellation rested their chin on their hand and stared at me intently.
The girl nodded with thoughtful eyes.
“In other words, that’s the one thing you can never compromise, isn’t it? I’m curious about this demonic cult of yours. If it holds such great meaning for you, there must have been someone important to you in it, too. Would you tell me your story?”
“Ah, you had a teacher. Her name was Soh Baekhyang. The name sounds lonely but clear, and it leaves a lingering fragrance in the air.”
“You love someone named Raviel Ivansia. Is she that beautiful? Ah. I see. That’s why, no matter how hard I tried, you never fell for my looks. How troublesome. Becoming one’s lover is the easiest and most powerful way to win someone’s heart. If someone is deeply ingrained in your heart, distortion would only backfire, regardless of how hard I try. How scary and frightening. I must be careful.”
I murmured, “Did I say something?”
The Constellation touched my cheek.
The boy smiled faintly.
“You’re not saying anything, Mr. Gong-Ja.”
“I see.” I nodded. “Yes, I’m not saying anything.”
“But the Sword Emperor... Or should I call him the Guardian? Well, he’s a bit of a hassle. No wonder it took a long time for you to fall for my power. What should I do? If I remove him, we would grow too far apart. I guess I have no other choice. Yes, it’s a bit tiring, but I’ll do it for both of you.”
An arrow flew toward me. The Guardian shouted at me in disbelief.
—Hey, Kim Zombie! What are you doing? You’re in the middle of a fight, and you’re daydreaming? Are you so confident in your abilities that you think you can let your guard down like that?
Right. We were in the middle of raiding the Blood Demon Cult’s headquarters and wiping out the enemies. How... How did I end up attacking this place? Google seaʀᴄh novel(ꜰ)ire.net
I looked up in the direction of the voice.
It was the girl. I had encountered her accidentally in the forest a month ago. She used to be a Constellation, but she had lost all her power. The Blood Demon Cult, the Thirteen Evils, and all the other demonic cults were located on the sixtieth floor, including the Divine Demon Cult, the White Demon Cult, the Madness Demon Cult, and the Four Demons.
Yes. They all aimed to kidnap the boy and use him for evil purposes, like the Magic Tower.
However, I had been bedridden for a few days and could only watch the girl get kidnapped. That was something I could never tolerate.
The boy’s screams made my eyes snap open. Right. Why was I hesitating?
Deep within that fortress, the girl was bound to a pillar with iron chains. Whether or not she was a Constellation that had been living for thousands of years, she was fragile now. Someone had to protect her, and that someone was me. Somewhere deep within my mind, no, from the depths of my consciousness, or perhaps from the highest sky, a faint voice echoed.
“Yes, that is how you awaken. What will you do now?”
“I will save the boy,” I answered firmly.
Countless arrows flew toward me from the fortress, and I struggled to block each one because... because...
“You haven’t fully recovered from the injuries you sustained in your battle against the Heavenly Blood Demon. Are you really going to save the boy?”
“Then the Heavenly Blood Demon will ask, ‘You’re a mess, but you still dare to oppose us. It’s so ridiculous that I’m speechless. Do you have a death wish?’ The Heavenly Blood Demon also appears to have been wounded in the previous battle, but his surroundings are filled with hundreds of trustworthy subordinates. Oh, no. In the end, an arrow flies and pierces your thigh.”
Pain shot through my thigh. It hurt so much that I almost knelt.
“What will you do? Will you swing your sword again?”
The Constellation slowly stroked my thigh.
The boy sobbed and cried out my name.
“Really? You might really die , you know.”
The Constellation chuckled.
The boy burst into tears.
“Arrows are falling from the sky and piercing you.”
“I’ll dodge them,” I said.
“Yes, you’re strong. Your aura can cover the sky and block the arrows, but your previous internal injuries will bring you excruciating pain at that moment.”
The pain of bones breaking apart spread throughout my body.
“Damn... it...!” I cursed.
“I’ll ask again. Does it hurt?”
“Damn it... Those bastards... are cheating with their arrows.”
“I’ll ask you one last time, Mr. Death King. Where does it hurt? How badly? Please answer me. I’ll be happy if you do.”
“My body,” I muttered.
It felt like it was on fire—no, it actually was on fire. I already had to rest for a while, but I pushed myself beyond the limits by drawing up my aura and overworking myself, so my body was burning from the aura itself. Usually, I had to use my aura after protecting my bones, blood vessels, muscles, and nerves, but I had no strength left to protect myself.
My veins bulged and burst, burning all my muscles like lava. The aura gathered in my blood vessels and melted my bones into a sticky mess.
“I can’t believe it.”
The Constellation rejoiced at my pain.
The girl screamed at the sight of my suffering.
“How... how can you... How can you imagine pain so well?”
Their breath was poisonous. I couldn’t stop groaning.
“Ugh, haaah. Argh... Urgh.”
“I only told you that an arrow hit you, Mr. Gong-Ja. I simply presented a scenario in which I was kidnapped, and you came to rescue me. How can you imagine it so vividly? Incredible. That’s incredible. It’s as if you’ve actually experienced a painful death. That’s impossible. There’s no way you could’ve imagined that. Have your bones melted and veins burned away before? How could you possibly know the pain like that and recreate it under my power?”
Despite the pain, I pushed forward. Arrows flew and pierced my shoulders and forearms, but I ignored them. I unleashed my aura to the limit, took a step forward, and cut down the Blood Demon cultists who had tied the child to the pillar.
“There’s no mistake...”
The Constellation stretched out both hands and grabbed my face.
The boy, tied tightly to the pillar, wept bitterly.
“You’re the one I’ve been waiting for thousands of years.”
Just a little more, I thought as I gritted my teeth.
“You’re willing to risk your life and face pain worse than death for someone you’ve known for only a few days. It’s not just because you don’t know any better; it’s because you know what death and pain are, yet you keep moving forward...”
I clenched my jaw harder.
“I can imagine you in any quest I would give you. If I told you that I was drowning in the middle of the ocean, you would jump in to save me and then drown. You wouldn’t be like those amateur Hunters who just pretend. You would truly experience every crisis, every pain, and every death exactly as they are. I’ve been waiting for someone like you to come up to this floor.”
Finally, I cut down the Heavenly Blood Demon. Blood splattered.
“You’ll be my third follower.”
“I will create quests and continue campaigns for you. I will create a world where you can experience a sense of pure accomplishment and joy. I will become a god just for you. All I ask is that you believe in me, Mr. Gong-Ja.”
A bright smile lit up from beyond the splattered blood.
“Will you believe in me?”
[■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ has invited you to their Faith.]
[Will you serve ■■■■ ■■■ ■■■ as your Constellation?]