NOVPUB
Chapter 247
The scene was, without a doubt, magnificent.
Sung Suho, flanked by his shadow army, stood beneath the lightning that shattered the sky and the thunder that echoed like a war drum, handing Esil Radiru the horn of the previous King of Demons. It looked like something straight out of a grand painting of a knighting ceremony.
The moment Esil took Baran’s Horn with both hands, a dark, swirling energy surrounded her, crackling with ancient power.
An elderly demon watched the scene, his expression one of awe. “A new king is born in this masterless land.”
At those words, every demon dropped to their knees.
“We have a new king!”
“Oh, King of Demons!”
“All hail Esil Radiru!”
The masses cried her name in unison. Their voices rose in ecstatic cheers, united in their reverence for their new monarch.
“Ugh...!”
However, appearances were deceptive. The demons were not seeing the full picture.
If I make one mistake, I will be devoured!
Esil was struggling to maintain composure.
The moment she had taken Baran’s Horn, her expression had gone rigid. It exuded a formidable suction as if attempting to absorb her entirely. Like the Residents of the Rift, it seemed eager to feed on her being.
So this is succession...!
Esil’s instincts flared with a stark realization. At this very moment, Baran’s Horn was asking her a question: “Do you truly possess the right to be king?” If she did not, did it intend to eat her and take her soul?
I see. So this is what it’s like to succeed a King of Demons.
It was Baran’s final attempt at resistance, as even his spiritual body had been destroyed and scattered throughout the dimensional rift.
“You’re weak, aren’t you?”
Esil started as she heard a sudden, mocking voice whispering into her ear. At that moment, she realized her fate.
“You are unworthy.”
Her mental defenses crumbled. She found herself falling into an endless abyss, the relentless suction dragging her down.
No... Noooo!
***
Esil felt like she had been falling forever.
There was no bottom to this abyss. Time lost all meaning as she plummeted, endlessly spiraling downward.
She fell, and fell, and fell—until finally, her vision, which had been completely dark, began to register something on the edges. At first, it was just a faint pillar of light. But as she continued to descend, the shape became clearer.
My god.
Esil’s eyes widened in pure shock.
No way...
She had encountered, in the deepest and broadest darkness, the vast tree that had taken root at the edge of the Sea of the Afterlife.
The World Tree?
There was no need for confirmation. Her instincts as a demon—or perhaps lingering memories from her time in the rift—whispered the answer to her.
This was the World Tree. Even in this unfathomable abyss, the colossal tree emitted its own light, standing as a beacon of life.
But why? she asked herself.
She couldn’t comprehend it. Why had her soul, dragged into the abyss by Baran’s Horn, arrived here at the World Tree?
Of course, it didn’t seem quite right to say she had “arrived” since she was still falling. In addition, the World Tree was simply so unimaginably vast that she couldn’t feel the distance closing.
Not that any of this really mattered. The moment she saw the tree, there was only one thought in her mind.
Suho!
She had to let him know.
Suho! It’s here! The World Tree that you’ve been searching for is right here!
She tried to shout to him, but no sound came. Her voice refused to carry.
Even if she managed to speak, it was unlikely that her words would carry to Suho through the abyss. So she decided to try a different approach.
Fine. I’ll bring it to him myself! Esil thought.
After all, what Suho was seeking wasn’t the tree’s location, but rather a branch from it.
I can just break one off and take it with me instead!
Suddenly, another memory surfaced—that of Vulcan.
How had the demon who was once nothing more than a lowly creature evolved into a demon noble? It was thanks to the World Tree, from which he had broken off a branch and eaten its leaves.
If that principle applied to others...
If I take a branch of the World Tree... could I seize another chance for myself, like Vulcan did?
The most primal instinct of the demon race—the will to survive—took over Esil. Still falling endlessly, she reached out in desperation toward the World Tree.
Just a little further!
Her overflowing desire fueled her, pulling her soul closer.
Esil’s soul reached out fervently toward the tree, which seemed just out of reach. Slowly, she began to inch closer, and her hand finally came into contact with a branch.
I’ve got it...! Wait, what?!
A thunderous roar shattered the abyss, making the darkness tremble. A colossal snake emerged, coiling around the World Tree and blocking her way.
Esil jerked her hand back as though she had been burned. Her eyes widened in horror.
My god. What is that?
The snake was enormous, its body wrapped protectively around the World Tree—and it had seven heads, no less.
Is it protecting the World Tree? Or is it just another occupant of the Sea of the Afterlife?
Questions flooded Esil’s mind, but she had no time to ponder the answers.
One of the giant snake’s heads had spotted her, turning in her direction. It opened its maw, ready to swallow her up.
No!
The massive, crocodile-like jaws loomed, filling her entire field of vision.
Esil’s soul continued to drop, leaving her with no way to escape. She was destined to be consumed.
Suddenly, a ding echoed in the abyss.
[Passive Skill: “(Unknown)” has been activated.]
Esil’s eyes widened. A broad back appeared before her, shielding her from the snake’s jaws. Above it, she caught a glimpse of a sharp jawline.
“Hmm... This is a first.”
S-Suho?!
He had suddenly appeared right in front of Esil. She gaped in shock and awe.
“You came all the way here to save me?” she asked.
“No, I got dragged in too.”
“What?!”
“Well, I am a shaman,” he said, smiling.
When Esil had fallen into the abyss, Suho’s time had frozen. Then he had entered the abyss as well, but with one difference—he had not fallen in like Esil, but rather, he had been summoned straight to her.
What in the world is this skill? Suho wondered.
He frowned as he stared ahead.
He glared at the giant snake, its jaws still wide open. It roared as it approached.
[Nidhogg]
The snake’s name appeared above its heads.
“A snake living in the World Tree... I seem to remember reading about a similar myth.”
And it’s a seven-headed snake, huh?
[The Monarch of Destruction grins, saying that this is a true succession ritual.]
Antares responded immediately to Suho’s words. However, he wasn’t the only Monarch to speak.
[The Monarch of Fangs says that this snake holds the primordial darkness which has lost its master.]
[The Monarch of Plagues...]
So this snake devoured the primordial darkness that the Monarchs spat out when they died?
No, “devoured” wasn’t the right word to use. The eight pieces of the primordial darkness had merged back into one entity—this snake. The proof was its seven heads, one for each fragment.
But why are there only seven? Where is the last one? Suho wondered.
[The Monarch of Frost urgently reminds you that now is not the time to worry about that!]
Right. Survival came first.
But it was already too late. Escape was out of reach.
Nidhogg’s massive jaws closed, swallowing both Suho and Esil whole.
At that moment, the snake’s tightly shut mouth bulged outward.
My god...
Within the snake’s mouth, Esil was seeing the impossible. Suho was holding up the roof of the mouth with no assistance whatsoever.
Growling, it tried to crush him with brute strength, the force of its breath rushing against them like a gale.
Suho only grinned. I can be confident in a contest of strength, he thought.
It was a small blessing that only their minds had been pulled into this place. If their bodies had been brought here as well, they would be suffering constant damage from the Death debuff.
But holding out like this wouldn’t solve the problem.
“Esil!”
“Oh! Yes?”
Suho, still holding up the roof of the snake’s mouth, called out to the demon.
She was behind him, still paralyzed with terror. She wasn’t simply scared—she was feeling the manifestation of the Fear effect. Still, even that could be used to one’s advantage.
“Esil! I can’t summon my shadow soldiers from here! We’ll have to take this thing down ourselves!”
“Take what down? The snake?”
“Of course.”
Suho had developed an odd habit. The worse the situation, the wider he smiled. He had learned through experience that the greater the risk, the greater the reward waiting on the other side.
“At the very least, we need to take one of its heads. That’s how you’ll become a ruler, isn’t it?”
He grinned willingly, resolved to face the trial head-on.
This will... sting.
[Skill: “Monarch’s Domain” has activated.]
Black shadows spread out in all directions from Suho’s position. The shadow that filled Nidhogg’s mouth began to burn with dark red flames.
Despite the circumstances, the snake’s determination to chew them to bits was almost impressive.
Perhaps this level of pain wouldn’t be enough to inflict serious damage. This was a creature that contained seven pieces of the primordial darkness, after all.
But what if I do this?
[Debuff: “Mad Blood Poison” has activated.]
The poison began to creep out from Suho’s body.
[Querehsha opens her eyes wide.]
[Querehsha explains that the poison will have no effect on Nidhogg.]
I know. It isn’t for the snake.
He grinned at Querehsha’s warning.
[Poison: Mad Blood Poison]
[This poison makes blood boil, causing strength to temporarily increase.
Using mana under the effect of this poison causes severe pain. Over time, the poison consumes blood to gradually decrease the lifespan of the affected. This is a critical side effect.]
“This poison... was made for demons.”
The moment Suho said the words, Esil began to slowly rise to her feet with great effort.
[Buff: “Mad Blood Poison” has been applied to Esil Radiru.]
[Querehsha’s mouth widens in shock.]
This was an amplification in power, but at the cost of searing pain.
The demon race was accustomed to existing in spiritual form. As such, even in this state, the effects of the mad blood poison were fully applied.
In fact, some things were only possible in a place like this.
Esil’s spiritual body, the very essence of her being, boiled as though it were her blood. Her powers as a demon noble were temporarily enhanced.
[Esil Radiru’s skill: “Bloodstone” has evolved into skill: “Blood Ties.”]
Th-this power...
Even Esil herself seemed taken aback.
Suho, on the other hand, gave a satisfied chuckle.
So you’ve finally learned it.
Blood Ties was the very ability Baran’s soul had wielded against him. Having awakened that ability of her own accord, Esil had finally acquired the right to become a ruler.
Well, I suppose she didn’t do it entirely by herself, since she had some help from the poison, he mused. But that’s beside the point.
“Esil.”
Suho called out to the demon, whose spirit had now condensed and refined into a solid form.
“You take things from here.”
At his command, Esil immediately raised both arms and took Suho’s place holding open the snake’s mouth.
The immense pressure made her eyes widen in disbelief. She couldn’t believe the hunter had been holding this absurd weight all along.
“I can’t hold it for long!” she shouted.
“That’s fine.”
Suho only needed a moment. His hands were finally free, and in them appeared two daggers: the twin blades of Kamish’s Wraths.
“I’ll handle the cutting,” he said, his eyes gleaming.
[Skill: “Breath of Destruction” has activated.]
In that instant, a beam of destruction shot forward, blowing a hole straight through one of the seven heads of the snake coiled around the World Tree.
