Chapter 107: The Vessel Completed

“…”

I look at the disappearing remnants of darkness.

Light and darkness.

In reality, I have crossed one of the biggest hurdles, but I don’t feel relieved.

Is it because he wasn’t eternally destroyed?

No.

It’s impossible to eternally destroy a god anyway. 

My goal is simply to sever them from Earth, so that part isn’t a concern at all.

However…

‘Salmora.’

The Salmora I faced a moment ago. 

I can’t forget his smile. 

I’m certain that he knows me. 

That’s why he sent a clone, and he must be watching all of this from somewhere even now.

But why?

‘What is your goal?’

I can’t tell what his goal is at all. 

That’s because the Demon King is dead. 

Even the darkness, which could be called the Demon King’s source, was destroyed, albeit briefly. 

In fact, for someone like him — a member of the Demon Clan — this should be the most critical of situations. 

While his very foundation is being shaken, what on earth is he planning?

‘Well, it’s always been like that.’

I have seen through the actions of everyone else. 

That’s how I was able to drive out the Demon Clan and the gods to reach the pinnacle of the continent. 

The only person I could never truly grasp was Salmora. 

Even when the Demon King disappeared and I defeated all the Legion Commanders who resisted until the end, I could never find Salmora.

‘Does it matter?’

But I soon brushed away the rising thoughts.

‘It will all be crushed before absolute power anyway.’

If his plan was enough to bring me down, it would have been fulfilled in the past. 

I don’t know what he’s plotting, but his plans will fail now just as they did back then. 

At least as long as I am involved in that plan.

***

“Now… it seems you must make a decision.”

A voice echoed inside a dark, secret room. 

The voice, which felt like it was tickling something, was directed toward a certain place.

-Flash 

There stood a being enveloped in light. 

The identity of that being, so brilliant that one dared not look upon it, was…

“It seems that everyone, including myself, has been dancing in the palm of your hand. Is that not so, Salmora?”

It was the Goddess of Light.

Originally, she should have descended through an Apostle or a Saintess, but she had revealed herself in this world — on Earth — in her true form.

How?

It was an intervention by a god, a complete disregard for the laws of causality. 

It was something impossible unless a special condition, like the death of the Demon King — similar to the situation with darkness — was met.

“My plan? That is preposterous. The cause of all this is Kim Si-won. It is the doing of Myers, who once reached the pinnacle of the Gritia Continent.”

“….”

Myers.

The name Si-won used before leaving the Gritia Continent. 

Knight Captain of the Asran Kingdom. 

The man who ended the Empire’s 1,000-Year War. 

The hero of the continent.

Surprisingly, Salmora knew exactly who this man was, even though he had been forgotten by everyone — even the gods.

“Myers. A name that is unpleasant just to hear. Just as you said, it is proof that he ended the Twilight of the Gods… our era.”

Though she mentioned the name, the Goddess of Light only felt unpleasantness; she could not actually remember anything about him.

“Indeed. He is an extremely dangerous human. If left alone, he will rule over everything just as he did in the past. Of course, that purpose will include severing the connection with the gods.”

Salmora saw right through Kim Si-won’s plan. 

He had no choice. 

He remembered the events of the Gritia Continent that others did not know. 

Thus, he could clearly see what Kim Si-won’s next move would be. 

Because his current actions were exactly the same as in the past.

“If we don’t stop him now, it won’t just be the Fetter of Light and Darkness — the gods will be severed. An era of humans, something that the Great Ones desire least, will arrive.”

“…..”

The era of humans.

It was disgusting and repulsive just to hear. 

A den filled with nothing but insignificant insects. 

As a great being and the one who created those insects, she could not just stand by and watch.

“Very well. I shall accept your proposal.”

Therefore, she had no choice but to accept Salmora’s proposal. 

Even though it could be seen as the great Goddess of Light responding to the proposal of a mere member of the Demon Clan.

‘No. He is different.’

Salmora.

He was no mere member of the Demon Clan. 

Because she was the Goddess of Light with the ability to see through darkness, she could vaguely grasp Salmora’s true identity. 

She knew that he was closely related to beings from the ‘outside.’

Of course, it was a principle not to associate with those sinister races, but the situation left her no choice. 

The darkness had already been defeated. 

Since she was also in a dire situation, she had to join hands with him to turn the tide immediately, even if it felt a bit unsettling.

“So, is this what I must do?”

Inside the secret room, what was visible there was…

-Glub, glub.

It was a tube filled with transparent liquid. 

Inside the glass tube, which allowed one to see through it, life was surprisingly growing. 

It was a baby with an ominous, tentacle-like umbilical cord attached. 

The baby, whose gray hair stood out and it was twitching slightly. 

But looking closely, one could tell that its form was extremely unstable. 

It was an incomplete form, like a liquid before it becomes a solid.

“…Remarkable!”

And upon seeing the baby, the Goddess of Light spoke her honest impressions.

“To think there is such a sophisticated vessel. Moreover, this energy is…”

“You have seen correctly. The Hero, the Demon King, and the essence of the God of Darkness are permeated within it.”

The baby was an artificial lifeform created by Salmora. 

Of course, the word ‘artificial’ did not suit such sophisticated technology, but since it was a lifeform that defied the natural order, he had no choice but to describe it that way. 

The surprising fact was that the genes this baby possessed were a mixture of the Hero, the Demon King, and the source of the God of Darkness.

“However, it is still incomplete. It is only finished when the powers of light and darkness are balanced. That is why the help of your greatness is desperately needed.”

Surprisingly, the lifeform Salmora intended to complete was a being that accumulated all the genes of the Hero, the Demon King, light, and darkness — a being truly worthy of being called a Transcendent.

“You have managed to create a vessel to hold all of that.”

The hardest part here was the creation of a vessel to hold such power. 

No matter how great a power one had, it was useless if there was no vessel to contain it. 

But Salmora had finished it: a perfect vessel to hold four superior genes.

“It has been a very long time indeed. Hehehe.”

He let out his characteristic laughter as if he were pleased by the Goddess of Light’s praise.

“…I understand. I shall accept your proposal and complete this unfinished thing.”

After a moment of consideration, the Goddess of Light finally made a decision.

“Thank you.”

And after offering his thanks, Salmora took a step back.

The Goddess of Light looked at the baby in the glass tube. 

In that moment…

‘An opportunity… has finally come to me!’

She trembled with joy.

A god is perfect. 

A god is great. 

A god rules over all. 

However, there was one serious drawback: the interference with the world. 

They were bound by the Law of Causality established by the Creator God. 

Therefore, to interfere with the world, various conditions and restrictions had to be strictly followed.

Of course, there were descents and incarnations, but those were nothing more than a fraction of a god’s being. 

A state where one could exercise perfect power and authority practically did not exist, except for a very few situations.

The current humiliation? 

That, too, was a result of such a weakness of the gods. 

If the Goddess of Light or the God of Darkness were in a state where they could exercise their true power, dealing with a mere human like Kim Si-won would have been child’s play.

But in such a situation, she faced an opportunity that would perhaps never come again. 

There was a perfect vessel. 

What if she could take possession of that vessel?

‘The complete descent of a god. Thus, this world shall fall under my rule!’

The Goddess of Light dreamed. 

She dreamed of breaking the restrictions set by the Creator God and placing the world in her hands. 

It was the ideal that all gods desired. 

And since a vessel capable of achieving it was right before her eyes, it was only natural for this greedy race to be ambitious.

‘I shall claim this vessel.’

She had told Salmora she would only be injecting power, but no. 

She would enter this vessel and completely control it. 

If that happened, she would be in a state where she could fully exercise a god’s power and escape the Creator God’s restrictions, allowing her to realize her ideals to her heart’s content.

“Then…”

The Goddess of Light, hiding her true intentions finally began to manifest her authority.

“…I shall begin.”

In truth, it could hardly be called an authority. 

It was enough to simply transfer the power filling her body to the vessel through the glass tube. 

Normally, it would have ended quickly.

However…

-Fwaaaaaa 

The power being transferred through the Goddess’s hands far exceeded the limit. 

It wasn’t just power; her very existence was being transferred to the vessel. 

It was the result of her greed to completely occupy the vessel.

But the strange thing was Salmora’s reaction.

“Hehehe.”

He surely must have sensed something was wrong. 

The power of light was being injected for a much longer time than expected, and there was no way he wouldn’t know. 

Yet, he was smiling. 

It was as if he knew this would happen.

“Goodness. How can beings called gods be so foolish?”

The act of shaking his head was mixed with clear ridicule and mockery.

“…..”

“Did you really think I wouldn’t prepare a countermeasure while dealing with a god who is nothing but greedy? Hehe…”

“You…”

Only then did the Goddess of Light sense the abnormality. 

She hurriedly tried to stop the transfer of power, but…

-Vooooom!

“Ugh, eek!”

It was impossible. 

Her power was leaking out of control, as if being sucked into a vacuum cleaner.

“W-What on earth are you doing?!”

“What do you think? I’m returning a trick with another trick.”

“What?!”

“Honestly, why did you have to be so greedy? It would have been fine if you had just given a moderate amount of power and finished.”

It was not a lie. 

If only a portion of her power had been transferred, a forced absorption like this would not have occurred. 

In fact, the darkness had also transferred a part of its power, and it had ended without any incident.

But there was one device here. 

It was that if someone tried to forcibly occupy the vessel, a defense mechanism would be activated to absorb that entire existence. 

And that was exactly what Salmora was aiming for.

“O greedy being. You should have kept your greed in moderation. Well, then again, who am I to say that, when I was the one who predicted this? Hehehe —”

The Goddess’s actions — he had predicted all of it. 

To be precise, it would be correct to say he had induced it. 

And just as expected, the Goddess of Light went too far to claim the vessel and fell straight into the trap he had laid.

“Thank you. Thanks to you, a great work of art that was almost left unfinished will be born.”

In fact, one condition was needed to complete this vessel: one whole god must be offered as a sacrifice. 

Of course, not by force, but by their own will. 

It was an extreme condition that could only be completed if they handed over all their power purely of their own volition.

A god sacrificing themselves? 

That was something that would never happen. 

But it happened, all because of Salmora’s scheme.

“Y-You scoundrel!”

She realized she had been deceived, but it was too late. 

The Goddess of Light could not withstand the suction and was absorbed into the baby in the glass tube

-Vooooom!

And in the next moment…

-Flash!

A tremendous light exploded, swallowing the entire area. 

A moment later, when all that light had vanished, the baby inside the glass tube had grown up before anyone knew it.

“Ooh!”

The baby, who had grown into a boy in his mid-teens…

-Flash!

The moment he opened his eyes, an intense energy like the light from before began to spread in all directions.