NOVEL WEB Chapter 344: The Descent of the Demon King (5)
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Chapter 344: The Descent of the Demon King (5)
“Hero?”
Ketal raised an eyebrow at the abrupt statement.
Kalosia spoke softly.
[Indeed, a hero. Not a fake hero to serve as our avatar, the wielder of the Holy Sword, but a true hero.]
“It sounds appealing, I suppose, though I’m not entirely sure what you mean.”
[I suppose I should provide some background first. The Gods and the Demons, Heaven and Hell, were born at the exact same time.]
They came into existence at the precise moment the cosmos found its order after creation.
Not even a fraction of a second off—a perfectly simultaneous birth.
Their powers, too, were entirely equal, neither side holding an advantage over the other.
A flawless balance.
That was the origin of Heaven and Hell.
[But as you likely know, the number of gods is immense. In their prime, there were hundreds. Even now, there are comfortably more than several dozen. In contrast, Hell has far fewer powerful figures.]
“I’m aware of that.”
Gods were numerous.
Ketal alone had connections with nearly a dozen, and if you included the gods he hadn’t met, Kalosia’s words about dozens seemed accurate.
In contrast, Hell was extraordinarily simple.
Four lords.
And the Demon King.
Only five entities in Hell could rival the gods.
Among them, Caliste was an aberration, a demon who ascended to a lordship purely through swordsmanship, leaving just four true contenders.
In sheer numbers, the disparity was vast.
[Yet the power of the Gods and the Demons is equal. Neither holds the upper hand.]
That could only mean one thing.
The Demon King’s power alone exceeded that of dozens of gods combined.
[You’ve seen this firsthand, haven’t you?]
Ketal nodded.
The Demon King.
That being faced the true forms of five gods simultaneously and was not overpowered.
On the contrary, the Demon King overwhelmed and pressured them.
A monster that even the Elders did not surpass—that was the Demon King.
Kalosia spoke as if troubled.
[That’s exactly the problem. The power of Heaven is dispersed among many gods. In contrast, Hell’s power is concentrated in the Demon King alone. A pack of foxes cannot defeat a lion.]
Even if multiple packs gathered and managed to bring the lion down, more than half the foxes would perish in the process.
The cost would be staggering.
And even then, there was no guarantee the lion would fall.
[The foxes are outmatched. To fight a lion, you need another lion.]
And who was that lion?
There was no need to think about it—it was Ketal.
Ketal stroked his chin.
“The theory is sound, but unfortunately, the Demon King is stronger than me. There is a way, but… it doesn’t distinguish between friend and foe. You wouldn’t be of much help.”
[There is a way? That’s even more surprising.]
Kalosia let out a wry laugh.
[I already asked, didn’t I? So, do you want to become a hero?]
“...”
Ketal’s eyes changed.
“You’re offering me power?”
[Do you remember the time I granted you power in the past?]
“I remember.”
When battling the demon at Kalosia’s sanctuary, Ketal had been unable to wield divine power.
He had been able to overwhelm the demon but could not destroy it.
At that time, Ketal had said to Kalosia:
Why don’t you stop merely watching and do something?
Kalosia had listened and granted him divinity.
Though temporary, the divine authority of a god had indeed imbued Ketal’s body.
[It will be similar, but far greater and more potent this time. Moreover, it won’t just be me. The powers of the entire pantheon will converge in you.]
The God of the Swords.
The God of Deception and Lies.
The Sun God.
The Earth Mother.
The God of Strength.
And many more gods’ powers would be channeled into Ketal.
“So, that’s why you call it a hero.”
[You’re already strong as you are. If you can wield our powers as well, you might just be able to stand against the Demon King. That’s my conclusion.]
“Hmm.”
Ketal stroked his chin, muttering to himself.
“This is going to put quite a burden on me.”
[I won’t deny that. It’s a tremendous burden. This is just my personal decision—I haven’t even consulted the other gods yet. If you want to refuse, you’re free to do so.]
A god shirking their duty to protect the mortal realm and passing the responsibility to a mortal?
How irresponsible.
Ketal would have every right to be furious and strike Kalosia down.
Indeed, the Abomination mocked Kalosia with scorn.
[Passing your divine duty to an outsider? Failing to fulfill your responsibilities and obligations? How pitiful. I don’t even feel like mocking you.]
[Say what you will, but in the end, it’s his choice.]
Yet, at the same time, Kalosia was certain of one thing.
Ketal wouldn’t refuse.
“Refuse? How could I!”
Ketal immediately accepted.
His eyes sparkled like a child’s.
To receive the powers of all the gods and fight the Demon King—what could this be but the stuff of myths, a story worthy of a fairy-tale hero?
He had no intention of missing such an opportunity.
Kalosia chuckled, unsurprised.
[I knew you’d react that way. Thank you. When all of this is over, I’ll grant you whatever you desire. I swear on the very concepts of my lies and deceit.]
“That just makes it sound even more like a lie.”
The God of Lies and Deceit swearing on his own essence?
No matter how you looked at it, it sounded untrustworthy.
Kalosia muttered reluctantly, seemingly understanding this irony.
[…I suppose it might seem that way. But it is my truth.]
“Well, I don’t care either way.”
Ketal accepted Kalosia’s proposal.
However, there was a problem.
“But didn’t you say you haven’t asked the other gods yet? Who knows how they’ll react?”
[They won’t be able to refuse. We all stand to lose far too much otherwise. They’ll be reluctant to give you their power, but… in the end, they’ll agree.]
“Well, as long as that’s the case. So, should I just wait until you return?”
[For now, yes. But before that, there’s something I need to confirm.]
“Confirm?”
[Indeed.]
Kalosia’s gaze fixed on Ketal.
[It’s about you.]
[To gather all the gods’ powers and merge them into a celestial force. It’s the most rational way to face the Demon King. But there’s a reason why it hasn’t been done until now.]
The reason was simple.
When all the gods’ powers were combined, there was no one who could withstand it.
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Even a single divine power could shake the entire world.
Containing multiple such powers and remaining intact was impossible.
Even the gods couldn’t endure it, and mortals were no different.
[Even the Sun God, said to be the mightiest among us, would collapse and break if they took on even one more power. But what about you?]
Despite containing a monstrous presence within himself, Ketal showed no signs of strain.
In fact, it wasn’t just a lack of strain—there was no external indication of the presence at all.
This meant Ketal had perfect control.
[You seem capable, but… it must be verified. I’ll enter your body myself and examine your inner structure.]
What lay within?
What exactly existed inside Ketal?
Kalosia would find out firsthand.
Ketal agreed without hesitation.
“Go ahead. It’s not like Cain or Arkamis left anything unexamined. It doesn’t matter.”
[Then, with your permission, I’ll proceed.]
Kalosia slowly extended a hand.
Ketal didn’t resist.
His fingertips touched Ketal’s chest.
In that instant, Kalosia’s consciousness entered Ketal’s body.
[So, this is his interior.]
Kalosia had always been curious.
Where had this being, Ketal, come from?
What was he made of?
Simply calling him a barbarian of the White Snow Plains felt far too alien.
This was the time to resolve that curiosity.
Kalosia’s consciousness roamed through Ketal’s interior.
[It’s vast.]
Ketal’s inner world was extraordinarily vast.
Kalosia, a god with immense consciousness, found himself dwarfed by its expansiveness.
Even his monumental presence was easily accommodated, with room to spare.
[It seems I can exist here without issue. So, this is where the monstrosity resides.]
Kalosia sought the monstrosity, intending to determine how much space it occupied and whether Ketal could absorb the gods’ powers.
But there was a problem.
No matter where he looked, he couldn’t find it.
The being that had once slaughtered countless entities, even gods, was nowhere to be found within Ketal.
[…What?]
Kalosia, bewildered, continued his search.
At last, he found something.
[This is…?]
Something existed within Ketal.
But it was minuscule.
It didn’t even occupy enough space to be called significant—like a single painting hanging on the wall of a vast room.
What was it?
As Kalosia examined it, he froze.
He had identified it.
[…The monstrosity?]
The thing before him was indeed the monstrosity.
The very entity that had once killed countless gods and devastated the world.
Yet Kalosia hadn’t recognized it at first, even when it was right before him, because it was so small compared to Ketal’s inner space.
[…The reason I never sensed the monstrosity’s presence…]
It was simply because it was tiny.
That was all.
Kalosia was horrified.
Even the monstrosity was reduced to something so insignificant within this place?
In that moment, Kalosia realized.
Even he, within this domain, was nothing.
Merely a painting hung on a vast, infinite wall.
The silent monstrosity chuckled.
[So, you’ve seen it now, little one. Do you finally understand who it is you’ve been speaking to?]
[…This is…]
This wasn’t just vastness.
It transcended such concepts.
It was entirely different.
No matter how grand a world you painted on a flat canvas, it was still just a flat plane.
From the perspective of spatial dimensions, it was but one of countless stacked canvases.
Ketal’s interior was akin to that.
What was this?
This wasn’t human.
It wasn’t of the mortal world.
It wasn’t of the celestial realm.
It wasn’t demonic.
But it wasn’t one of the oldest beings either.
It was something entirely other.
For the first time in thousands of years, Kalosia felt fear.
[…Gah!]
Kalosia jerked back, withdrawing from Ketal’s body.
“You’re back. Did you examine everything? Do you think it’s possible?”
Ketal asked with a curious expression.
His face resembled that of an ordinary human, someone you’d see anywhere.
And that made him all the more alien to Kalosia, who had seen his interior.
[…What are you? Where do you come from?]
Kalosia asked, his voice trembling.
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