Ch-117
—
**‘I’m not going to die like this.’**
After the Reaper stole his youth, Gracia was aging rapidly.
That was why he had come here.
To avoid dying.
He had to kill one of the Four Calamities—Baal—if he wanted to live.
*‘Baal, one of the Four Calamities, is like a source of life itself. If I kill him, I can take back my youth.’*
Of course, the Four Calamities were powerful.
Powerful enough to bring down four cities in less than a single day.
But Gracia had his own reason for being confident.
*‘I didn’t want to use this… but I have no choice.’*
Gracia pulled out a *vial* from his inner pocket, opened its cap, and poured it into the *Azure Radiance*.
Immediately, the Azure Radiance began to stain a deep green.
*‘A poison that kills all living beings instantly. Even a Malice can’t escape its effects.’*
This poison was something Gracia had obtained purely by chance—and with great difficulty.
Anything alive that touched it would die, unconditionally.
For it was the most powerful poison in the world.
**《The Azure Radiance has fully absorbed the ‘Poison of Ouroboros.’》**
—
—
## The Reaper’s Banquet
The hall where all the Lineages gathered for the banquet.
And the reason why the *first banquet* was especially important among the Lineages was simple.
*‘A Reaper with no Reaper-force cannot eat a proper meal.’*
The twelfth Lineage was assumed to have never eaten even once up to now.
Because a Lineage without Reaper-force cannot summon a Reaper, and a Lineage that cannot summon a Reaper cannot consume a proper “meal.”
Only the *soul-flames* of sinners captured by a summoned Reaper could truly serve as food to a Lineage.
Thus, every Lineage, during their very first banquet, attempted *full consumption*—the *Complete Meal*—and gained Reaper-force afterward.
This was the rule and the law.
However, not once had a Lineage succeeded in full consumption in their first banquet.
All eleven so far.
*‘And this time, the sinner’s flame is at least twice the usual size.’*
The stronger the sinner captured, the larger the flame.
An average soul-flame was roughly the size of an adult man.
But this one was *twice* that.
Because Gracia’s youth—and numerous high-rankers—had been seized, greatly contributing to the size of the flame.
*‘On average, a Lineage’s first meal is about 40%.’*
A long-starved Lineage devoured quite a substantial portion of the flame.
Around 40% on average.
A Lineage who absorbed a large amount at once gained additional wings, awakening Reaper-force and becoming able to summon a Reaper.
There had never been an exception.
But curiosity remained.
*‘The twelfth Lineage… not seen for ages. And those white wings.’*
Every Lineage was originally kept as an egg within the Reaper Cult.
Only those who met the qualifications could crack the egg and become a guardian to a Lineage.
Never before had an egg—or a Lineage—been found outside the cult.
Those white wings were strange as well.
At first they thought it was a “hybrid.”
Even so, a Lineage was still a Lineage.
Rather than reject it, confirming its nature came first.
How it differed from their own Lineages.
— *Kyahaha-hyak!!*
Before long, the Black Goat’s Lineage reacted the moment it saw the sinner’s flame.
It must have instinctively recognized it as *food*.
Long-standing hunger could not be suppressed.
A guardian’s will meant nothing.
If it saw food and reacted, devouring was natural.
*‘At most it’ll eat around 10%.’*
No one expected much.
A white-mixed hybrid.
The odd way the other Lineages gravitated toward it.
In the end it was just a “spectacle.”
Even the Lineages found it amusing—like watching an animal locked in a cage.
This wasn’t only the Golden Mask’s viewpoint.
*‘Half and half—so around 5%?’*
*‘White is easily tainted. For a Lineage, it’s like poison.’*
*‘Where does a hybrid think it’s going?’*
*‘Interesting, but that’s all.’*
Other guardians had similar thoughts.
A hybrid, mixed blood.
Not a pureblood Lineage.
And yet it was attempting the Complete Meal.
Naturally, they found it laughable.
At last, the twelfth Lineage opened its mouth.
“······!!!”
“······ What?!”
The smirks of mockery vanished without a trace.
For what followed was pure shock.
The massive sinner’s flame flickered—
—*and vanished instantly.*
“No way.”
“It… ate it?”
“Full consumption······!”
The sinner’s flame could not simply disappear.
If it vanished, that meant it was *consumed*.
A full consumption with no precedent!
Eating the entirety of the banquet’s prepared flame—a feast thought impossible.
How could anyone not be shocked?
“Wasn’t it supposed to be a mere hybrid?”
“Does that mean it surpasses our own Lineages?”
“The Black Goat… there was a reason it was so confident.”
“And eating that much… it’ll grow rapidly.”
“Hmm. If it pulled off full consumption on the first meal, it may be able to summon an extraordinary Reaper…”
No one denied the reality unfolding before their eyes.
They only waited to see how great the twelfth Lineage’s growth would be.
It had consumed a flame twice the normal size for the first meal. No one could predict how much Reaper-force it would gain.
Every Lineage’s summoned Reaper differed in traits as well.
All eyes fixed on Hell.
— *Kya······ kya?*
A tilt of the head.
Hell shook its head as though unfamiliar with the sensation of growing from its first meal.
Soon its laughter stopped; it opened its mouth wide again.
And then—
— *Kak, ptui!*
…It spat it out.
Seeing that, the guardians burst into laughter.
“Ah, so it got greedy.”
“Puhaha! Should’ve eaten moderately!”
Of course.
Full consumption? Impossible.
It must have overeaten, become greedy, and vomited it all back up.
— *Ptoo, ptoo, ptoo!!*
But it soon became clear that wasn’t the reason.
Hel kept retching, as though expelling every last remnant.
There was only one reason for such a reaction.
…Because it tasted bad.
The kind of behavior one showed only when the food was horrifyingly disgusting.
A moment of silence.
Then, the Golden Mask spoke.
“Hmm. Still, rules are rules. Since the first meal was a failure, we move on to the next.”
They had all mistaken it for a successful full consumption.
But it had vomited it. There were no more chances.
The Black Goat’s Lineage would have to find its own meal next time.
“To think it failed even after being given the opportunity. Tsk tsk.”
The Golden Lion clicked his tongue and stepped forward.
— *Kehkehkeh!*
The Reaper with horns and a massive body—the one who stole Gracia’s youth—approached the regurgitated flame again.
“Eat it. This time, achieve full consumption and become an even stronger Lineage!”
At the command, the horned Lineage hesitated… then shook its head.
— *Kehkeh!*
“What are you doing? I said eat it!”
— *Kehkeh!*
A clear refusal.
The other Lineages were the same.
Some even waved their sickles dismissively and turned their heads away.
Their behavior was like—
“…Are they saying it’s dirty because it was eaten and spat out?”
“This is insane…”
An unprecedented incident.
Right before the banquet, *every* Lineage refused the meal.
As though they had zero interest in food that had already gone into someone else’s mouth.
“…This is the first time I’ve seen such a thing.”
The Golden Mask sounded genuinely stunned.
Never since the beginning of the banquets had there been a mass refusal to eat.
All because of that Black Goat Lineage.
*Spitting it out…*
If it didn’t want it, it shouldn’t have eaten it in the first place. What kind of creature was this?
—
—
The controversy over the “eat-and-spit” incident continued for a while, but no solution appeared.
If they said it was too dirty to eat, then there was nothing to be done.
They couldn’t force them.
“…This ‘sinner’s flame’ shall be left to you, Black Goat.”
In the end, the Golden Mask dumped the troublesome flame onto me.
The other guardians silently agreed.
There was no point keeping something they couldn’t feed to anyone.
Then the Golden Mask’s sharp gaze turned to me.
“However, if you fail to prepare a proper ‘banquet’ before the next gathering, your position as guardian will be revoked. Guiding the Lineage’s proper growth is also the guardian’s duty.”
Revoked.
Meaning I could no longer be part of the Reaper Cult.
I was to feed this flame to Hell, grow him, hunt directly, and return.
I shrugged, and the Golden Mask looked away toward the others.
“This is ridiculous, but we cannot continue the banquet as planned. So—let us vote on the next city to be ‘purified.’”
*Clap!*
The Golden Mask clapped once.
The ceiling opened, and a giant *orb* descended.
*A Wish Pearl? It looks similar, but far larger.*
Resembling the pearl a serpentine dragon held before becoming a true dragon.
But this one was easily a hundred times larger.
“Reveal.”
At once—
Letters and numbers surfaced above the yellow orb.
「Concurrent Players : 220,779」
…What?
Concurrent players?
Did this mean the number of *currently connected Players*?
The Reaper Cult could track Players exactly?
“Two hundred twenty thousand! Still that many sinners left to punish. Until that number reaches zero, our ‘purification’ must not cease!”
The others nodded.
“No matter how many we reduce, they never go down enough.”
“Vermin…”
Pure hatred.
Why did the Empire—and the Reaper Cult—despise Players so intensely?
“Which place shall we choose? Black Goat—your opinion first.”
The Golden Mask grinned.
Eyes glittering madly.
He was asking me, in that state—
Which city had the most Players? Which city should be destroyed?
*He’s lost his mind.*
Every person here, except me, was insane.
“Choose quickly. As a guardian of a Lineage, you must have suffered the ‘Divine Sickness.’ Then surely you saw, in that instant of transcendence, how the sinners mocked you—how they mocked our world!”
—
—
…After the commotion passed.
The banquet ended, and the Golden Mask upheld his promise.
Without suspicion, he handed over the “three treasures” I had chosen.
None of them were ordinary.
Among them—
*‘The Baal Armor!’*
I clenched my fist with all my strength.
I wanted to scream with joy.
The one missing piece of the Baal Set—the *Baal Armor*—at last!
Finally in my hands.
*‘There is no going back now.’*
I had come a long way.
From obtaining the Sword Saint’s Journal on the Mountain of Trainees, drifting into the Empire, then the Imperial Palace, then the Reaper Cult—only now could I claim the final piece.
But now that I had completed the Baal Set, there was no path left to retreat.
Only forward.
I quickly reached for the ominous Baal Armor.
And the moment I equipped it—
**《The ‘Baal Set’ has been completed!》**
**《The final chapter of the *Sword Saint’s Journal* has been created.》**
**《The Hidden Piece, *Final Chapter of the Sword Saint’s Journal*, elevates the authority of the ‘Baal Set.’》**
**《The form of ‘Ominous Baal’ evolves into the ‘Radiant Baal.’》**
**《All Baal equipment is upgraded from ‘Ultimate Mythic’ to ‘Transcendent Mythic’ grade.》**
**《The hidden option ‘Transcended Baal’ has appeared!》**
*Crack—*
“Is… is it really okay for us to stay here?”
Balte.
The man who had been kidnapped — though not quite kidnapped — back on the Mountain of Trainees asked Hudson with a face full of unease.
Right after the auction ended, Randolph abruptly disappeared along with the Golden Mask.
And until Randolph returned, the two of them were to remain in the Darkan territory.
“Have some confidence. Is there any reason we shouldn’t be here?”
Hudson replied, elegantly sipping tea.
A refinement that could put Imperial nobles to shame.
“Even if you say that while looking like *that*…”
Balte muttered with a sigh.
The issue was that Hudson’s body, his face—his *entire gender*—was now completely different.
The dependable, burly Hudson was nowhere to be seen.
Instead, a slender woman was acting like she was Hudson right in front of him.
“A-at this rate, aren’t we going to get ambushed without anyone even noticing?”
Balte was still easily frightened.
This was despite the fact that Randolph himself had bestowed the *Berserker Set* upon him.
He never took it off—not even while sleeping—and was constantly on edge.
*‘I’ll never be able to become like Lord Randolph or Sir Hudson.’*
Balte’s lips were dry.
The dignified presence both men displayed in the Empire had been so impressive that even another man might fall for them.
Especially Randolph—the sheer majesty he radiated was unbelievable even when witnessed with one’s own eyes.
A man he wished to resemble, yet never could.
That was Randolph.
“Tsk, tsk.”
Hudson clicked his tongue softly at Balte’s behavior, as though finding him pathetic, then turned to look out the window.
“Hurry! Hurry up and move!”
“Whoa! Whoa!”
This was the Lord’s castle.
Outside, countless knights and soldiers were busily hauling and moving something.
And not just a small amount—*an enormous* load of supplies.
“They’re transporting supplies today.”
“Yes. It looks like they’re preparing for a war.”
“A war…”
The moment the Reaper Cult finished their purification, Lord Darkan immediately began procuring materials as if he had been waiting for it.
Was he truly preparing for war?
*‘It looks as if he’s desperately trying to display his loyalty.’*
Since purification had taken place in his city, it was as though a fire had been lit under his feet.
Are free chapters unlocked daily ?
Really grateful for the chapters man
Keep up the good work