The Problematic Child of the Magic Tower
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Chapter 297: Primordial Evil (12)
The radiance that had momentarily filled the entire space gradually dimmed.
That light then settled above the human’s head, shaping itself into a perfect, circular ring.
“...A halo? That’s impossible.”
Belpher muttered unconsciously.
Before he was ever called the Demon King, he had once been revered as a saint.
Naturally, there was no way he wouldn’t recognize what was floating in front of him.
‘A halo, proof of a saint who has been granted divine authority.’
There had been a time when a similar ring shone above his own head.
After becoming the vessel of malice and losing his divinity, it vanished without a trace.
Belpher’s gaze narrowed.
‘But that brightness... what is it? Has the Earth Mother descended herself?’
The brilliance was so intense, so absolutely pure, that such a thought almost felt reasonable.
What he felt now was different even from the time he had confronted the holy sword, Itaca.
Back then, he’d felt only discomfort and irritation, like having a thorn stuck between his teeth. But this was undeniably different.
“......”
Tremble, tremble, tremble.
Lowering his eyes, Belpher saw both his hands shaking uncontrollably, as if an earthquake raged through them.
‘...Am I trembling in fear? Me?’
He bit down hard on his tongue.
The metallic taste of blood snapped his mind awake, and boiling hatred filled its place.
‘Ridiculous. I am the one who has absorbed every evil of this world.’
And it was the Church that had made him this way.
Those disgusting bastards, tearing them apart limb from limb wouldn’t be enough.
And yet now he was fearing the same divine energy they wielded?
‘Unacceptable.’
Even if he were facing a god in person, such disgraceful trembling was unacceptable.
Slice!
So Belpher severed both his own hands.
Hands that shook against his will were worthless.
The newly regenerated ones at least did not tremble.
“That’s better.”
Feeling his composure return, Belpher opened his mouth—
“Isn’t there a color other than gold? Yes, yes, no—pure gold is just... too solemn. Too flashy. I’m a mage, after all. And from the White Tower—so...”
The human before him muttered to himself like a lunatic.
The halo above his head flickered through several colors, before finally settling into a soft, pure white glow.
“Oh, perfect. Let’s go with this.”
“.......”
What was this, a lamp?
Belpher asked, half in disbelief,
“Don’t tell me... you’re talking with the divinity right now?”
“Hm? Oh, yeah. More or less.”
“Th-That’s impossible...”
All divine power in existence was ultimately a fragment of the Earth Mother, Terra.
And only one divine fragment possessed enough consciousness to communicate.
The fragment dwelling in the holy sword, Itaca.
Disbelief filled Belpher’s eyes.
‘Does that mean Itaca has chosen this human as its new vessel?’
That, too, seemed absurd.
Itaca had resided in a sword for two reasons.
The first, its divine power was too immense for a mere human vessel.
‘Even saints throughout history—including me—held only tiny shards of divinity.’
And even those small shards overwhelmed many of them.
Which meant this human’s capacity was far beyond a 6th-tier vessel.
Belpher’s stare dug into the man.
‘Unlike humans, objects have no moral alignment.’
But a human vessel was different.
Their personality could corrupt or distort the very divinity they held.
And Itaca certainly knew this.
‘So Itaca judged this human to be a true saint?’
Impossible.
‘Foolish thing. Has age corroded that once-brilliant mind?’
No human was eternal.
A righteous, fair king grew greedy with age.
A lover who swore eternal devotion abandoned everything for a handful of coin.
Humans were fickle, impermanent beings.
“...Why?”
Belpher’s eyes overflowed with rage and bitterness.
“If a human vessel was acceptable, then why wasn’t I chosen back then?”
No saint in history had ever matched his purity and perfection.
Even the Church had admitted this, which was why he had been selected as the vessel of evil.
And if Itaca had chosen him...
He might not have become this monster.
—Your greed was excessive.
Itaca’s voice suddenly echoed, addressing Belpher rather than Oscar.
—When you saw the malice gathered here, you first thought about how strong you would become by purifying it. I warned you at the time, yet you overestimated yourself and secretly devoured it. That greed shaped the creature you are now. Who else is there to blame? It is all of your own making.
So that’s what happened?
Oscar let out a dry laugh.
“This is why you should always hear both sides. From his story, it sounded like the Church forced evil into someone who didn’t want it.”
—Why would we do something that insane?
Oscar shrugged.
Figures.
Unlike those lunatic cults, the El Terra Church was guided by an actual deity.
They wouldn’t commit something that blatantly immoral.
“Wait—so you’re telling me...”
Oscar looked at Belpher with an unimpressed expression.
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“You’re just an idiot? You caused the whole mess yourself, and after all that you were trying to act like some tragic victim?”
“...What?”
Belpher blinked stupidly—then grit his teeth so hard they cracked.
“Dare you judge me like that...”
His rage overwhelmed his breath, but he no longer cared.
More than ever, he wanted to prove himself—
to Itaca, who rejected him, and to this idiotic human.
“That I was right... and you all were wrong!”
KWAAAAA!
A storm of pitch-black malice erupted from Belpher’s body.
The corrupted air spread, staining the expedition members’ faces ashen.
“Of course, I could be wrong.”
Oscar casually raised his hand.
The halo blazed with divine radiance, scattering pure white light over the entire space—
a brightness so absolute it felt like it could burn away sight itself.
“But not today.”
Fwoooosh!
The divine light purified everything it touched, burning away evil and healing the wounded.
Paladins and priests of the Church fell to their knees, tears streaming down their faces.
“O blessed Light...”
“Look upon us...”
“El Sia...”
Oscar watched it all with calm eyes, then met Belpher’s gaze.
The divinity he wielded was a predator of evil.
Belpher recognized this instinctively.
“Fine. I admit the affinity is terrible for me. But affinity alone doesn’t decide a battle.”
BOOOM!
Malice exploded again, smashing walls and ceilings of the labyrinth.
A colossal shadow, shaped like a mythical dark dragon, rose over the entire island.
“Remember—my power comes from the malice of the entire world. Its total volume is effectively limitless. To purify even half of it, you’d have to spend every ounce of divine power you’ve just gained.”
—Indeed.
Itaca did not deny it.
Their battle 842 years ago had also ended without a winner.
Yes, Oscar now possessed far more divine power than that era—
but Belpher had also increased the malice he’d been hoarding in secret.
“How about this? I’ll free you and every human here. All I want... is for you to leave me alone.”
“Let each of us walk our own path.”
—Ignore him! He plots deception!
Itaca’s voice boomed in warning.
—Over 842 years, unimaginable malice has accumulated in this world. If he devours all of it, not even my full divinity could stop him. He must be slain now!
“He’s right. I won’t deny that.”
Belpher nodded with surprising honesty.
“But what then? Traveling the world to devour all malice will take me over a century. At least a hundred years.”
“So?”
“You’re human. You’ll be dead before then. Meaning—you won’t be around to care what becomes of the world afterward.”
—Close your ears!
“Divinity already dwells within you. Itaca cannot control how you use it. Everything depends on your heart. You could become emperor. You could create a paradise. That power is yours alone.”
Oscar was genuinely impressed.
Yes—this was what people meant by a snake’s tongue.
He’d used that power just moments ago.
Divinity could erase all evil, all corruption.
If wielded freely, there was almost nothing he couldn’t accomplish.
“.........”
But Oscar only laughed.
Because none of that applied to him.
Belpher frowned.
“Why are you laughing?”
“Because it’s funny.”
Oscar drew forth the full might of the divinity now resting inside him.
Belpher’s face twitched.
“...You truly intend to see this through? To the end?”
“You’re mistaken.”
Oscar flicked the halo above his head.
“There’s only one thing ending here—and that’s you.”
“What...?”
“This power? Sure, it’s incredible. But until a few minutes ago, I didn’t have it. If it disappears, so what? That just means things go back to normal.”
“You really don’t understand how valuable—”
“Oh, I understand perfectly. That’s exactly why I’m doing what I’m doing.”
Only he could do it.
Only now could it be done.
Oscar had accomplished similar things before.
This moment was no different.
‘The Demon King’s eternal eradication...’
For that alone, Oscar had no regrets about holding this undeserved divinity.
Oscar lifted his hand.
Belpher’s voice cracked.
“W-Wait!”
“Don’t worry. It’ll only take a moment.”
With a gentle voice—
—pure white radiance swallowed the world.
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