Chapter 409

‘As expected.’

As expected, the Evil Eye wasn’t the end of it.

‘But Elgabra? Did they just get lazy naming it?’

Myeonghu recalled Elgab, the god of hunting and agriculture, while searching for Elgab, the source of the message and voice—the Archfiend of Chaos and Seduction, Queen of the Succubi, and guardian of the pillar. Not even a human NPC, yet a god and an Archfiend share the same name? Was naming them just too much trouble?

‘There she is!’

Lost in thought, Myeonghu soon spotted Elgab. She was perched atop the pillar, gazing down below.

‘Wow…’

Seeing Elgab looking down at him, Myeonghu couldn’t help but be inwardly impressed. She wasn’t called the Queen for nothing.

Seeing Elgab made all the succubi he’d seen before feel ordinary. That’s how overwhelmingly stunning Elgab’s face and figure were.

‘Wait a moment…’

Then, a sudden thought made Myeong-hu tilt his head.

‘Why does she look so familiar?’

Something felt off. Myeong-hu was certain this was his first time seeing Elgab. Yet, strangely, Elgab felt familiar.

‘Where have I seen her?’

It wasn’t just because his name was the same as Elgab, the god of hunting and agriculture. He was sure he had seen him somewhere before. Myeong-hu pondered deeply.

‘Ah! That mural!’

And soon, he realized where he had seen it. The mural painted in the hideout of Makusa Den Kurza, the Demon King of the Seventh Demon Realm.

‘The angel in that mural!’

Elgab bore a striking resemblance to the angel depicted in that mural. Except for the fact that instead of pure white wings, he had black wings, they were practically identical.

‘But that angel…’

Myeonghu frowned. And no wonder—he knew who the angel in the mural was, having heard about it from Maltario and Makusa before.

‘It’s Elgab.’

According to what he had heard from Maltario and Makusa back then, the angel depicted in the mural was Elgab. Not the great demon Elgab. What Myeonghu was thinking of now was Elgab, the god of hunting and agriculture.

‘What the…’

The name was the same, and the appearance was similar. But one was a Great Demon, and the other was a god. A Great Demon and a god—they were polar opposites. Something felt off.

-Ho ho ho ho ho!

[A voice of temptation echoes.]

[Defended with high wisdom.]

[Damage dealt to Archfiend Elgab is reduced by 5%.]

[All defense reduced by 10% due to the influence of temptation.]

Myeong-hu, who had been thinking something was off, couldn’t help but pause his thoughts at the laughter echoing in his ears and the message.

Swish

After checking the message, Myeong-hu turned his head to look at Elgab. Elgab, who had been laughing heartily, stopped laughing at Myeong-hu’s gaze and said.

-I truly never imagined a human would come here!

Though he couldn’t understand why, Elgab wore a genuinely delighted expression as he spoke. Watching him, Myeong-hu thought.

‘How do I catch him…’

Elgab was floating in midair. Unless Elgab descended, Myeonghu had no way to attack him.

Of course, capturing Elgab wasn’t absolutely necessary. Even without capturing him, the cursed pillar would be destroyed given enough time. He just needed to hold out.

‘I can’t give up fame.’

But Myeonghu intended to capture Elgab. If he captured Elgab, he could gain 10 million fame points, just like the divine avatars he had captured so far. No, since it wasn’t an avatar, he could gain even more than 10 million fame points.

‘I must pull him down.’

Myeonghu pondered how to pull Elgab down to the surface.

‘Ah, right.’

As he pondered, Myeonghu suddenly turned his head at a thought that struck him, looking at Carrot and Praminus beside Haran. Upon reflection, Myeonghu realized he wasn’t alone.

‘If it’s them…’

Unlike when capturing the avatars of the gods earlier, Carrot and Prominus were with him now. Moreover, unlike Myeonghu, Carrot and Prominus were free from the attack range. With Carrot and Prominus, it might be possible to pull Elgab, floating in midair, down to the ground.

“Carrot, Praminus.”

Having made up his mind, Myeonghu called out to Carrot and Praminus.

-Yes, Master.

-You called?

Hearing Myeonghu’s call, Carrot and Framinus, who had been watching Elgab warily beside Haran, answered. Myeonghu listened to their response and continued.

“Can you catch that?”

At Myeonghu’s follow-up question, Carrot and Praminus exchanged glances. They seemed to converse with their eyes, then Carrot turned his head and addressed Myeonghu.

-If we combine our strength, we might be able to inflict significant damage.

Combining our strength could inflict significant damage. That meant even if they joined forces, they couldn’t defeat Elgab.

‘That much damage might be enough to bring him down.’

Of course, Myeonghu’s goal wasn’t for Carrot and Framinus to capture Elgab. It was enough to bring him down. Judging by their ability to inflict damage, it seemed possible to pull Elgab down to the ground.

Swish

Myeonghu turned his head to look at Elgab. Even after hearing Myeonghu and Carrot’s conversation, Elgab didn’t move. He just listened to their conversation with a broad smile.

“Then, you see…”

Myeong-hu said, keeping his eyes on Elgab.

“Try pulling that thing down.”

-Ha ha ha ha!

The moment Myeong-hu finished speaking, Elgab, who had been silent, burst out laughing.

-Pull me down? Me?

Then, with a wide smile, he said.

-What do you think will change if I come down? Kyahahaha! You’re such an amusing human!

With that, Elgab said no more.

“…!”

But though he remained silent, Myeonghu couldn’t help but be stunned by Elgab’s subsequent actions.

Swoosh

Elgab, who had been floating in midair, was descending.

‘Huh. He’s coming down on his own?’

Myeonghu smiled as he watched Elgab descend on his own. Carrot and Praminus no longer needed to exert their power.

Thud!

Elgab landed on the ground.

-What are you going to do?

Elgab, having landed, approached Myeonghu and asked. Elgab’s expression as he approached Myeonghu was brimming with seductive confidence.

‘Heh heh.’

Seeing Elgab approach, Myeonghu couldn’t help but laugh inwardly. Not only did he come down, but he even closed the distance? That sealed the answer to the question. Myeonghu opened his mouth to respond to Elgab’s question.

“Movement Strike.”

Myeong-hu used his movement strike and was able to move in front of Elgab, who was approaching.

-…!

Elgab, startled, froze momentarily, a look of surprise on his face as Myeonghu suddenly vanished from a distance and reappeared right before him. In that instant, Myeonghu swung a fist toward Elgab and shouted.

“Fatal Strike.”

[The physical defense of the item ‘Fatal Strike Bracelet’ is changed to -5000.]

[The magic defense of the item ‘Fatal Bracelet’ is changed to -5000.]

Whoosh!

With the message, Myeong-hu’s fist began to glow brightly.

Boom!

Then, Myeong-hu’s brightly glowing fist slammed into Elgab’s side.

-Kiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

The moment the fatal blow struck, a tremendous scream echoed. It was Elgab’s scream. Hearing Elgab’s scream right in front of him, Myeonghu frowned. But that frown lasted only a moment; seeing the message that appeared before his eyes, he couldn’t help but relax his furrowed brow.

[You have defeated the Great Demon Elgab.]

Elgab, who had approached with confidence, met his end with a single fatal blow.

‘That finishing move is truly formidable.’

Reading the defeat message, Myeonghu felt the power of the fatal blow once more.

[You have achieved an unbelievable feat.]

[Fame increased by 15 million.]

‘15 million!’

As expected, Elgab granted even more fame than when he had defeated the avatar of a god. Myeonghu smiled contentedly at the message.

‘…Huh?’

But Myeonghu’s satisfied smile didn’t last long. The message wasn’t over yet, and the next message that appeared left Myeonghu flustered.

[You have achieved 100 million Fame.]

[You have reached the maximum fame limit.]

[Reputation will no longer increase.]

.

.

Reading the messages that appeared after reaching 100 million fame, Myeong-hu thought.

“…Crazy.”

* * * *

The office of Alkan, Emperor of the Helio Empire.

Two men were currently in the office.

“…”

“…”

Two men sat facing each other. One was Alkan, Emperor of the Heliocha Empire and master of this office. The man seated before Alkan was Onax, High Priest of the Elgab Temple in Nexus.

“…”

“…”

Alkan and Onaks stared at each other without speaking. Only silence hung between them.

Of course, the silence hadn’t been present from the start. Before it descended, they had exchanged many words.

Naturally, the conversation between Alkan and Onax was no ordinary one, and after it ended, the silence began to settle.

“I…”

It was Alkan who broke the silence that seemed endless.

“Do you believe that statement?”

Alkan’s face showed no emotion as he spoke. Perhaps because of that, the atmosphere grew even heavier.

“If you don’t believe me, there’s nothing I can do about it. But what I told you is what I heard directly from Lord Elgab.”

In the thickening atmosphere, Onax spoke up.

“We must stop it before it happens.”

Onax finished speaking and studied Alkan’s expression.

“…”

Alkan wore a deeply troubled expression. Seeing Alkan’s look, O’Nax spoke again.

“This oracle was likely conveyed not only to me, but to all the high priests as well. To every high priest scattered across the continent, including the Aman Empire.”

Alkan, understanding the implication in Onax’s words, couldn’t help but frown. Onax was saying that what he had just learned would soon be known to everyone.

Swish

Seeing Alkan frown, Onax rose from his seat.

“I have told you everything. I shall take my leave now.”

Onax had fulfilled his purpose for coming here by delivering the oracle to Alkan. There was no reason for him to stay any longer. And there was no time to waste.

Swish

Rising from his seat, O’Nax bowed his head slightly in greeting to Alkan. Then he immediately turned and walked toward the door.

Thud!

Reaching the door, Onax turned his head and spoke to Alkan, who remained lost in thought with a troubled expression.

“That Heliocha is the strongest on the continent is a fact no one can deny. But facing the entire continent…”

Onax trailed off. There was no need to finish the sentence.

“I hope you make a wise choice.”

Squeak

Having finished speaking, O’Nax opened the door and stepped outside.

“…Hmph.”

After O’Nax left, Alkan let out a deep sigh.

“This is driving me crazy.”

He truly felt like he was going to lose his mind.

“Why the hell… Why on earth…”

============================ Afterword ============================

It’s Monday.

Have a great Monday.