Chapter 2
I could see the gods' apostles approaching. Their figures clad in white armor looked holy and imposing, but murderous intent poured from the swords they wielded.
"Receive divine judgment, you filthy demon!"
The golden holy sword cleaved through the air. I instinctively threw myself backward. The sword passed so close that it grazed my hair. With a sharp ripping sound, I felt the air split apart. The spot where I had been moments ago was purified and evaporated by holy energy.
BOOM-!
Another explosion erupted. Someone's corpse came flying and landed beside me. I instantly used the corpse as a shield and rolled away. Blood trickled from the body, which was still warm.
'Damn... I might actually die here.'
[Combat Situation Analysis]
Hostile Faction: Angelic Forces
Danger Level: SSS
Evasion Probability: Less than 20%
※Warning: Immediate Retreat Recommended
※Warning: High Probability of Annihilation
There was none of the dazzling combat I had seen in games. This place was filled with nothing but slaughter and destruction. By orders of the higher-ranking Demon Lords, lower-ranking Demon Lords like me had been thrown into the gods' war like expendable tools.
"You call a piece of trash like yourself a Demon Lord...? Useless!"
A mocking voice from a higher-ranking Demon Lord came from behind me. Apparently, seeing me crawl away like a dog had rubbed him the wrong way. But I had no room to care about such words right now. I had to focus solely on surviving.
BOOM-!
Another explosion erupted. But this time, something was different. Along with the explosion, something rained down from the sky. They were fragments that glittered like starlight.
[Divine Fragment ]
Fragment Grade: SSS
Status: Unstable
Nature: Pure Divine Power Crystal
Absorbable: O
※Warning: High-Level Holy Power Detected
※Caution: Risk of Explosion Upon Contact
※Fatality: Maximum
These were crystals of power dropped by the gods as they killed one another in the middle of the battlefield. A terrifying energy radiated from the fragments, which glittered like shards of glass. The fragments raining from the sky embedded themselves in the ground, igniting blue flames.
'Could I... eat that?'
[Devouring Skill Available]
Target: Divine Fragment
Success Probability: 10%
Probability of Death Upon Failure: 99.9%
Side Effects: Instant Death/Explosion/Soul Destruction
※Warning: Extremely Dangerous Attempt
A ten percent chance. If I failed, I would die. No—something even more horrible than death might be waiting for me. But if I kept running like this, I was certain to die anyway.
'Might as well...'
My hand reached toward the nearest fragment. The blue-glowing fragment pulsed in my palm like a heartbeat.
It was the moment of fate. The instant I picked up the divine fragment, the world turned white.
A powerful jolt, like an electric current, shot through my entire body. Holy power burrowed beneath my skin, as if it were reconstructing every cell.
[Devouring Successful]
Divine Fragment Absorption Complete
Level: 1 → 10
Physical Transformation: In Progress
New Ability: Divine Power Resistance
Constitution Enhancement: Holy Power Resistance ▲
※Caution: Physical Reconstruction in Progress
※Warning: Mana Structure Alteration Detected
"W-What is this?"
An indescribable pleasure wrapped around my entire body. It felt as though every nerve was tasting the utmost ecstasy. This sensation was incomparable to any drug-induced high or other pleasure.
'More... I want more...'
Like an addict, I reached for another fragment. Fear and terror vanished. Only the desire to experience more of this sensation remained.
Having lost my reason and been seized by madness, I crawled across the battlefield and wandered through piles of corpses, picking up and swallowing every fragment that fell. One, two... The more fragments I consumed, the more intense the pleasure became, and the more voracious I became.
'Hehehehehehehe...'
[Devouring Progress]
Fragments Absorbed: 27
Current Level: 89
Abilities Acquired: 12 Types
Divine Power Accumulation: Dangerous Level
※Warning: Mental Collapse Imminent
※Caution: Divinity Saturation State
※Emergency: Absorption Must Cease Immediately
A month passed.
One day, as I roamed the battlefield intoxicated by power, I realized I no longer needed to run. In fact, fleeing had become so boring that I found it tedious.
"Ha-ha... Hahahaha!"
I lightly flicked the lesser god in front of me away with one finger. I had once run from them in terror, but now even the gods' subordinates looked like ants. Holy energy scattered like fragments from the flying god's body.
[System Warning]
※Danger: Divine Power Overload
※Warning: Physical Limit Exceeded
※Caution: Immediate Divine Power Dispersion Required
※Emergency: Mental Collapse Imminent
※Life-Threatening: Stop Absorbing Immediately
But those warnings no longer meant anything to me. I had become completely addicted to power, and the pleasure provided by the divine fragments was all that mattered. That intense sensation was driving me deeper and deeper into madness.
BOOM-!
It was then.
Suddenly, the sky split open. A massive entity appeared before me at a speed faster than lightning. The moment I saw it, all the blood in my body froze.
[Emergency Warning]
※Critical: Ultimate Entity Detected
※Danger: Unquantifiable Power
※Warning: Survival Probability 0.01%
※Caution: System Overload
An overwhelming pressure descended upon me. It was unlike any being I had ever encountered. I could barely breathe.
"How dare you trespass into the gods' domain."
Just those words made me feel as though my entire body would shatter. My knees buckled, and I collapsed to the ground.
"Ah... wait..."
Before I could finish speaking, it pointed at me with a single finger. A voice that reverberated through space rang out.
"Eternal Judgment"
[Eternal Seal Activated]
Seal Grade: EX
Release: Impossible
Duration: Infinite
※Holy Power Corrosion Commencing
※Soul Binding in Progress
※All Resistance Nullified
In an instant, everything turned pure white. My body began to scatter into glowing dust. Muscles, bones, skin... everything broke apart and vanished in midair. One by one, my body parts turned into light and drifted away. In the end, only my consciousness remained.
I could feel all the power I had gathered—my very existence—being sucked into the sealing stone. In that final moment, the thought that flashed through my mind was...
'Ah... I want to have sex...'
That was my last thought before being sealed.
***
Even while sealed, my mind remained perfectly clear. This was a truly goddamn curse. My mind was lucid, but without a body, all that remained was a consciousness trapped inside a lump of stone.
[System, how long has it been since I was sealed?]
[Seal Status Confirmed]
Elapsed Time: 1,000 Years
Mental State: Dangerous
Body: Completely Gone
Current Location: Inside the Sealing Stone
Eternal Prison Status: Ongoing
※Most System Functions Restricted
Then, at some point.
-THUD
For the first time in a thousand years, I felt an external stimulus. Something was above me. Then the ceiling broke apart and...
Light streamed in. It was the first light I had seen in a thousand years. Two figures fell through the shattered ceiling. One was a handsome-looking man, and the other was a demon with enormous horns and ash-gray skin.
They began fighting one another. Tremendous shockwaves shook this tiny space. The energy produced when magic and physical force collided rocked the entire cave.
In the midst of it all, the human was pushed back. He flew through the air and crashed into the place where I was sealed.
"Gnnngh..."
The demon approached with a black greatsword raised. A killing blow.
At that moment, the black energy radiating from the demon's sword grazed my sealing stone.
[Warning: Sealing Stone Damage Detected]
External Impact Detected
Seal Strength: Crack Detected
※Warning: Possible Contact with the Outside World
※Caution: Possibility of Seal Release Detected
'This is...'
It was the first opportunity I had had in a thousand years. A crack had formed, but the seal had not yet properly broken. Through the tiny gap, I could faintly see the outside world.
Meanwhile, I heard a small mutter from the human.
"Fuck, I'm screwed."
It was Korean. Hearing that familiar profanity for the first time in a thousand years startled me.
[Attempting Target Analysis]
Data Analysis Error
Identity Verification Impossible
※Warning: Unknown Variable Detected
※Caution: Analysis System Inoperable
'The system... can't analyze him?'
The system could identify most beings in this world, yet it couldn't determine that man's identity. That meant he wasn't simply a native of this world.
I had no time to think. The demon's sword swung toward the man's neck. A lethal blow streaked toward him. At that moment, the demon's sword grazed my sealing stone.
-CRACK!
With a sharp metallic sound, a crack appeared. This time was different. The crack spread across the entire sealing stone like a spiderweb.
[Seal Status Critical]
Seal Power: 50% Collapsed
Seal Restraint: Critical Damage
※Warning: Complete Release Imminent
※Caution: Sealing Stone Structure Collapsing
※Danger: Suppression Power Rapidly Decreasing
'Finally...'
It was the moment I had waited a thousand years for. My suppressed power began leaking through the cracks. One more blow would be enough.
The demon's sword came flying again. At that moment, the man instinctively grabbed something. It was none other than my sealing stone. I didn't know when he had picked it up, but he raised it in front of himself like a shield.
-CRRRAACK!
"What...?"
The demon stared at his sword in surprise. The blade was embedded in the sealing stone and would not move. It was as if time itself had stopped.