Chapter 238 : Awakening of Divinity (1)
Chapter 238: Awakening of Divinity (1)
♠ ◆ ♥ ♣
“This is the place.”
Carl, guided by Queen, stepped into an abandoned mine.
Located in the southwestern part of the Kingdom of Oun, far from the Ribera Empire, this abandoned mine had been deserted for decades and had become a den of monsters due to its remoteness.
Rustle.
But now, the air was thick with the stench of blood, caused by a sudden raid of butchers.
NOX’s elites had been deployed to secure the path from within so Carl could enter without issue.
“Never thought there’d be a ruin in a place like this.”
With Crown Prince Yulian’s help, NOX had easily taken control of the underworld in the capital and rapidly expanded its influence.
The core forces were filled with NOX’s elite, but there was no need to make every member an elite.
They made up for the lack of manpower by brainwashing or training existing underworld members and established NOX branches throughout the continent while taking control of the Empire’s underworld.
Once they had easily taken over the capital—by far the greatest obstacle—everything else became a matter of time.
Just as the Ribera Empire was the strongest power on the continent, the underworld followed a similar logic of strength.
The first thing Carl did after establishing NOX branches in various nations was to investigate local legends.
At a time when the activities of the powers of the Demon Realm seemed nearly over, the fastest way to gain power was by absorbing the Divinity of scattered demigods.
Other martial arts like the Primordial Unity Divine Art had come to a halt, as if conspiring together, showing no sign of advancement.
‘At the very least, I want to reach the Realm of Transcendence.’
The Realm of Transcendence—also known as the Mythical State.
It referred to the level where a martial artist surpassed humanity and approached divinity.
Of course, it didn’t mean one truly became a god, but it did mean reaching a transcendent state beyond human limits.
If he could achieve that, then even a high-ranking demon from the Demon Realm wouldn’t be too difficult to take down—or so he thought.
-Screeeech!
NOX operatives stormed in, unleashing overwhelming martial prowess and opening the way.
Carl’s efforts had borne fruit; the clumsy image he showed half a year ago had vanished, and he was now reborn as part of the elite forces of a powerful organization that dominated the continent’s underworld.
“From here, I’ll go alone.”
“We’ll stand by.”
Queen nodded and stopped walking.
Entering the ruin alone, Carl followed a familiar energy as he stepped into the place where a fragment of Kylos was sealed—he had lost count of how many it had been by now.
Who would it be this time?
Each fragment he encountered had its own unique personality.
Some were friendly to Carl, while others charged at him like mad berserkers.
He planned to absorb them all anyway, but since he hoped for at least a brief conversation, he opened the tightly shut doors of the Great Hall wishing for a cooperative counterpart.
“Hm.”
Inside was a library.
The densely packed shelves of ancient books exuded a distinctive atmosphere.
As Carl walked through, his robe fluttering behind him, he sensed a familiar energy, looked up—and widened his eyes.
-Why are you looking at me like that?
“This is my first time seeing a female form.”
At the center of the library.
A woman entirely white from head to toe greeted Carl.
No—if one looked closer, a bluish aura flowed along her outline.
She was clearly different from all the other fragments of Kylos he had seen so far.
As Carl stood in place, trying to gauge her energy, Kylos also looked at him.
“The fragments of me inside you are screaming. They're begging you to let them out.”
“I worked hard to get them. I’m not letting them go.”
“So your purpose in coming here is to incorporate me into yourself as well.”
“Will you come quietly?”
Tap.
Kylos closed the book in her hand and slowly lifted her head.
“I still have too many unread books, so I’ll have to decline.”
“In that case, I’ll just burn everything down.”
As Carl casually clenched his fist, jet-black Demonic Fire surged forth.
Seeing he was ready to use force, Kylos furrowed her brows slightly and cast a transparent gaze at him.
“Even if you desire my Divinity, you won’t gain our cooperation like this.”
“Cooperation? You’re misunderstanding something.”
Carl erased all expression from his face as he stared at Kylos.
“This is predation. Have you ever seen a predator beg its prey?”
“……”
Kylos let out a short sigh at Carl’s forceful demeanor and reached out into the air.
A white staff hanging from the ceiling descended into her hand.
“……”
The shaft, made from white wood, had a head adorned with multicolored gems.
It was clearly a formidable artifact at a glance, and Carl narrowed his eyes at it.
‘Yuria will love this.’
It seemed like a suitable gift for the first time in a while.
Because he'd been paying too much attention to Laysis, the gaze in this direction had grown a bit sulky—this worked out just right.
Srrng.
As he slowly drew the Divine Sword Cheonroe, a flicker of intrigue appeared in Kylos’ eyes.
“A sword imbued with dignity. Does it belong to a hero or a warrior spoken of in legends?”
“Correct. It’s the sword of an Ancient Hero.”
Fwit.
Carl answered and swung the Divine Sword Cheonroe lightly.
A slash of the Heavenly Demon Divine Art surged forth, instantly tearing through space.
But it passed behind Kylos without managing to land a hit.
KWAANG!
The devastating slash damaged the library, collapsing rows of densely packed bookshelves.
At this rate, the fate of the stored books was obvious.
“…How unfortunate.”
Kylos lightly furrowed her brow and gently tapped her staff.
At the same time, as if the space was being warped, the library scenery vanished completely.
What was revealed outside was a place resembling the altar where Divinity was sealed, just like with the other Kylos.
Kylos stood tall at the center, looking down at Carl.
“Seems I’ve been away too long. Who would have thought someone like you would appear and threaten my Divinity.”
“You already know—I’ve absorbed several fragments of Divinity. Resistance is meaningless.”
“If we were to clash with Divinity, perhaps. But unlike those idiot fragments, do you think I just sat by doing nothing?”
Tung.
The staff struck the ground.
Immediately, magic circles densely covered the walls, ceiling, and even the floor of the chamber, radiating a vivid will.
Shwik.
The floor beneath his feet gave way.
At the same time, a suction force gripped his body, and Carl’s eyes widened.
Bubble bubble.
In an instant, he was sucked underground and found himself in an unfamiliar underwater world.
He quickly held his breath and wrapped his body in Protective Aura, preventing the liquid from making direct contact.
Ssshhhhh.
As expected, white smoke visibly rose even underwater, trying to erode Carl’s inner power.
‘This liquid is highly acidic. A moment’s lapse, and I’ll dissolve entirely.’
In some ways, it was even more dangerous than diving into a volcano full of lava.
Carl attempted to rise upward by gently sweeping his hand for propulsion, but the immense density and pressure of the acidic liquid pinned him down, rendering even the slightest movement impossible.
“……”
Carl furrowed his brow.
Holding his breath wasn’t a major issue.
For a martial artist at his level, not breathing for an hour or two was easily endurable.
But the speed at which the acidic liquid eroded his Protective Aura was no joke.
He could probably hold out for a long while—but there was no guarantee that Kylos wouldn’t try anything during that time.
‘She seems to want to avoid a Divine clash with me…….’
Unlike her, a single fragment, Carl’s soul was already home to multiple fragments.
If it came to a battle of Divine power versus Divine power, it was obvious who held the advantage—so she was trying to rely on magic instead.
That’s precisely why Carl wanted to drag her down to his level.
PAAAAT.
Maintaining his Protective Aura, Carl summoned the Divinity lurking deep within his soul.
A radiant green light burst forth, pushing away the acidic liquid pressing on him and beginning to create space.
“No matter how you look at it, magic is the opposite of Divinity. Looks like you haven’t reached the level to overcome that incompatibility.”
“……”
Carl sneered at Kylos, who was looking down at him from within.
In response, she raised her staff and weaved a new spell.
CRRRAACK.
Countless formless slashes crossed through space and rained down on Carl.
Even with a space cleared by Divinity, his range of movement was still heavily limited.
There wasn’t enough room to swing a sword properly, but Carl didn’t care and raised the Divine Sword Cheonroe.
PAAAAAT!
A dazzling light burst from the Divine Sword Cheonroe.
The trajectory imbued with Kylos’ Divinity cleaved through everything in its path and reached the upright-standing Kylos herself.
Tic, tidic.
Of course, she wasn’t so easily dealt with—the only effect was cracking the barrier that protected her surroundings.
Still, Carl was able to escape the acid-filled hell that had enveloped him.
SHWAAAAA.
As if an illusion had vanished, the lake covered in horrific acidic liquid disappeared, revealing the Great Hall once more.
Carl twisted his lips into a smirk as he saw that one of the gems on her staff had lost its light.
“Seems there are six left now.”
“There’s no need to use them all. You’ll fall before then.”
“So you’d prepared for this? For the possibility of someone else absorbing your Divinity?”
“……”
Kylos calmly cast her gaze at Carl.
“I merely considered it a possibility. The reason I honed my magic was to take the lead among my Divinity’s fragments in the coming Ragnarok.”
“The lead?”
“Even if fragments of Divinity merge, they do not become a single entity. Only one gains dominance and becomes a Demigod. The rest either sleep under its mercy—or vanish and become part of it.”
“Hm.”
It was a cruel tale.
He had thought they were one being split into many, but it was really a matter of choosing one from many.
There was still much he didn’t know about Demigods—this was quite the intriguing story.
“But I haven’t lost my mind to your fragments.”
“That’s because you absorbed them in a state of subjugation and submission. They hide deep within your unconscious, avoiding your gaze. However…”
Green light flickered in Kylos’ eyes as she raised her staff high.
“If you suffer a fatal injury or lose consciousness, they’re ready to leap out and take over your body at any time.”
“Take over my body?”
“Did you think the Divinity of a Demigod would be so docile? With gains come losses. The world balances itself fairly. Since you chose to absorb us, you must also bear the risk of Divinity.”