“Ruin-Harvesting Cow is Mutia. Mainly oversees destruction and recreation. Her power is simple but great.” The blond priest boy—the Inquisitor—had said that in the past as he stroked his chin. At the time, he was wearing a frilly dress since he was playing the role of Lady Goldencup. Therefore, he had also been fanning himself, but this was an irrelevant detail. “In short, the world on a holy ground is reinterpreted and people are brainwashed. The same goes for the great library we were in just a moment ago! The Indoor Librarian interprets a world as a book and we’re forced to be its characters. We will defeat those who have their own laws with laws that we can use. That is how I see this holy war against the Constellations!” A storm swept through the area, lightly sweeping away everything in its path. A single strike transformed rocks into stones and gravel into sand, devastating the entire area. “You’re one hell of a weasel,” the Ruin-Harevesting Cow grumbled. The ground cracked into a checkerboard pattern, where the grid lines soon began to warp. With each of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow’s hammer swings, the distortion intensified. Eventually, the area became so severely damaged that it could no longer sustain itself. “Try running away forever, Death King.” “You’re not the first to try to flee from me. There have been people who exchanged blows with me until the moon rose and set thirty-one times. If you wish to know what happened to them, now would be a good time to use your brain.” The ground turned upside down. It trembled and turmoiled. “Well, when your skull shatters, you’ll meet your predecessors.” The ground split open, the layers of sediment that had accumulated over time peeling away. Mutia wasn’t just showing off her strength. Just as my fox god had warned, the ground collapsed. The ground around Mutia and me sank. I tried to avoid it, but... Mutia swung her hammer to stop me. I had to choose between running away from the collapsing ground or the hammer flying toward my head. It wasn’t a difficult choice to make. Ruuuuumble! Thud! Thump, rumble! In the end, I accepted the risk of staying on the collapsing ground. The earth was sinking with each blow of the Constellation’s hammer, and the collapse accelerated. Before we knew it, our battlefield had turned into an amphitheater. It was different from the Colosseum in Rome because it wasn’t considerate of the audience at all. Only steeply rising sedimentary rocks were where the seats should have been. “You weren’t just swinging a hammer at me. You were changing the terrain to make it difficult for me to escape.” The amphitheater was an artificially created hell where bloodshed and slaughter were meant to be watched and enjoyed by humans. Without any spectator seats, an amphitheater was nothing more than a living hell. The Constellation gripped her hammer tightly. “That’s right. When you live as long as I have, you grow tired of accomplishing only one thing at a time. Achieving at least two goals at the same time is not a virtue for us, but a habit.” “At least two means it could be three or even four, right?” Mutia let her golden hair cascade down and looked up at the sky with her golden eyes. I also glanced up. [The Ruin-Harvesting Cow has assigned a quest to the followers.] [You have been designated as the target of the quest!] [Revealing the quest.] Annihilate the Enemy! Goal: You killed my apostle and stopped the voice of the child I had taken under my wing and severed her life. Is there any reason for me not to choke you to death? Die. Pay with your life. I hear many Constellations have their eye on you. There may also be Constellations that will stop at nothing to peek at this proclamation. To those who do, I say this: If you aren’t ready to fight me for all eternity, don’t interfere in my battle for vengeance. My message is simple and clear: I want you dead, Death King. ※ Death King, you cannot participate in this quest. ※ You are the target of this quest. The moment the words were carved into the air, black shadows flickered behind the letters. As many humans as there were letters, or perhaps even more than that, leaped toward me in unison from atop the towering sedimentary rocks on the other side of the amphitheater. [The apostle of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow has appeared.] [The apostle of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow has appeared.] [The apostle of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow has appeared.] [The apostle of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow has appeared.] [The apostle of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow has appeared.] Each and every one of them was an apostle, like Lady Goldencup. “Is this your third ace up your sleeve?” “Yes, these are the children seeking revenge for their golden sister.” “That’s neat. She’s called Goldencup, so she’s also the golden sister.” “Didn’t I tell you? At this age, one always seeks to kill two birds with one stone. There’s nothing to be surprised about.”[1] I grabbed my sword tightly. There were about two hundred of the Ruin-Harvesting Cow’s apostles, all swinging massive hammers. Even their hair was similar. Although the length differed, they all had golden hair, ranging from platinum blond to dark blond. Their hair fluttered in the wind. “They’re like gold dust scattered across the galaxy,” I said, impressed by the marvelous scene. The golden shooting stars fell from the sky. What the Inquisitor had said about the holy war suddenly flashed through my mind. Another voice echoed in my mind; it was Mutia using Aura Telepathy. —Huh. You’re quite relaxed. You can even afford to recite a poem before your death. My two hundred apostles who follow me are sharper than the ten thousand soldiers Mahos commands. Death King, do you have something up your sleeve to be this relaxed? The two hundred apostles who had jumped down from above were now right in front of me. I unleashed my aura and reinforced it. “Two, three, four, five... Well, I can already see so many directions I can swing my sword. I don’t really see a need to use up all my trump cards already.” The apostles and I clashed. The first to strike with her hammer was a short warrior who could also use reinforced aura. She wore traditional clothing adorned with plum blossoms and had neatly trimmed short bangs. However, her elegance and neatness couldn’t hide her anger as a warrior. “How dare you use your tongue to say something like that to Lady Mutia!” “Well, I don’t actually need to use my tongue to speak. I can use Aura Transmission. Shall I do that?” “I’ll crush your head!” “I’m afraid I can’t let you do that,” I replied with a smile. Another apostle lunged at me, swinging a hammer. It was a coordinated attack. I stomped on the ground after spinning in midair, and kicked the short-haired warrior’s hand away. The hammer narrowly missed my back thanks to my kick, which knocked the short-haired warrior back half a step. The two apostles clicked their tongues and cursed. Their first coordinated attack had failed. [Shiny answers the hero.] The two apostles who had taken the lead were probably the most skilled ones in martial arts. This gave me an estimate of the apostles’ average skill level. “It’s been a while. Let’s go all out.” [The Goddess of Protection has activated the power of the five swords.] Excluding the sword I held, four others emerged from the shadows. The swords, coated in pitch-black shadows that clung like sticky blueberry jam, surrounded me. [Salvation awaits the Death King’s command.] [Sacrifice awaits the Death King’s command.] [Prayer awaits the Death King’s command.] [Sympathy awaits the Death King’s command.] These were the holy swords that had turned Kim Yul, an ordinary student, into the founder of the Aegim Empire. The apostles were welcome to try holding out. Without hesitation, I swung all five swords simultaneously. “Be careful!” the short-haired apostle shouted. “Our blessing of the Unscathed Body doesn’t work on him! We’ll feel pain if we’re cut! Be careful not to get cut—“ “If it were that easy, your golden sister wouldn’t have lost. Isn’t that right?” I asked. Screams echoed as the five swords danced wildly in the air. “Hngh!” The source of this content ɪs 𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹✶𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲✶𝗻𝗲𝘁 The apostles charged at me. Some jumped down from above, others tried to tackle me from the front. In the end, they all grabbed their necks or clutched their chests, screaming in agony. “Ugh, huff...” The short-haired apostle glared at me with fierce eyes. Even she was clutching her neck. Painless Wound—the holy sword’s second ability, Sympathy, had pierced the apostle’s throat. “Kuh! Ugh...” By now, she would be feeling the pain of a slashed throat. How she was still looking up at me without losing consciousness was remarkable. The apostles around me were being sliced by my sword and collapsing, dropping unconscious from the intense pain. Their hammers clattered loudly to the ground. “Attacking me as a group is the second most stupid thing in the world, and using a weapon like a hammer to do so is even more foolish. What good will it do to attack me all at once with those coffin-sized hammers? It would be a miracle if you managed to hit me.” “I’ll... kill you...!” I sliced the short-haired apostle’s throat with Sympathy. Pain pierced the center of the apostle’s neck. The apostle collapsed like a puppet whose threads had been cut. “I won’t inflict unnecessary pain on those who don’t attack me. I’ve refrained from piercing your eyes or swirling the sword inside your internal organs out of consideration for you. But I don’t know how long I’ll be able to keep it up.” The apostles hesitated and looked back at their goddess. Mutia stared at me expressionlessly, clutching her hammer. “I can see how you managed to destroy the Magic Tower.” I tried to negotiate. “Goldencup is still alive. It’s true that I beheaded her, but she’s now the head steward of my clan. She’s probably happier now than when she was your apostle. At least she’s living a more relaxed life. Vowing revenge on me is a very misguided—” Mutia nodded. “Yes, some of the Constellations would think so too. Have you ever considered what it would be like to be a god?” “You humans always make wishes, like becoming rich or healthy. I grant your wishes in exchange for your faith.” As Mutia spoke, the apostles stepped back one by one and reorganized their formation around me. Their goddess is buying time, allowing the followers to regroup. The ploy was obvious, but I didn’t stop them. That was also part of the negotiation. By tolerating this, Mutia was willing to talk to me. She asked, “But what if I grant your wishes in a twisted way? To those who desire wealth, I’ll give them the satisfaction of feeling wealthy without needing to earn more money anymore. To those who seek health, I’ll make them content with their current condition so they can be satisfied and happy with themselves as they are. You’re a child who dares to call yourself a king, so let me ask you. Does that also count as granting wishes? Some Constellations believe so. Actually, there are many who see it this way, but I think differently. If the lesson is simply to be content with the present, why would people pray to a god? I value only the children who made the wish at that moment.” I see what’s going on now. I said, “I freed Sylvia from the bonds of hatred and revenge.” “It wasn’t a wish made to you, nor was it a wish made to me.” “Sylvia had dedicated her life to killing another person, and I guided her toward a different path.” “That wasn’t the life she wished for.” I shrugged. “Sylvia desires this life now.” “You brainwashed her.” “Are you saying that Sylvia’s own wishes don’t matter?” Mutia gritted her teeth. “The wish she made to me back then is more important to me.” “To me, that is her death.” “How can a person’s change be death?” I asked. “You’re righteous, but that is your human logic, not an excuse a god can use.” Mutia raised her hammer. The apostles had just finished organizing their formation. “One exception leads to ten exceptions, ten exceptions to a hundred habits, and where a hundred habits lie, a single life is placed. Death King, there are no exceptions in the life of a god. That child asked me to grant her wish, and I accepted. That is all. I’ll take back the soul of the child you took from me. Do you think there is any room for negotiation?” I nodded. “Is that so? I guess we have no choice but to fight.” At that moment, the fox god responded to my will. “Peep.” [You are the follower of Your Exclusive Music Box.] [Your Exclusive Music Box has assigned you a quest.] This was proof that I, who had belonged to no one, stood under my Constellation’s light. This wasn’t a public quest issued from the Tower, nor was it a quest assigned by the Constellation responsible for this floor. It was a quest that my Constellation had embroidered with letters just for me. The Constellation of Gold Constellation: Your Exclusive Music Box. Goal: Defeat the Ruin-Harvesting Cow, who rules the sixty-second floor. Mutia is targeting a member of your clan. ※If you or Sylvia Evanail fall into Mutia’s custody, you will be defeated. The objective was simple and clear, so I swung my sword without hesitation. Mutia also struck down her hammer without holding back. The divine will of a Constellation and my own resolve collided. 1. This is another wordplay. 사매 in 금사매(Goldencup) can sound like sect sister, but since they aren't in a sect, we adjusted it to make it sound like Goldencup was their most promising apostle (golden child of some sort) ☜