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Chapter 172
Chapter 172
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]
Chapter 172
A month passed in the blink of an eye.
Unlike the busy days before, it had been unusually calm.
Now, it was time to depart for where the "Stairway of the Gods" was located.
In the early hours of dawn, when all the lights in the estate were extinguished, Kane prepared to leave Rehinar with Ray, leaving a note behind in his room.
It was at that moment—
“Son.”
Duke Carl emerged from the shadows.
“Where are you going at this late hour?”
Kane froze, caught off guard by the unexpected appearance.
He quickly scrambled for an excuse.
What could he say to explain where he was going at such a time?
Before Kane could respond, Ray’s voice cut through the silence.
“We have some unfinished matters to resolve.”
Ray, too, had briefly lived as Kane.
Though it had only been for a few days, Ray was also treated as Duke’s son when he arrived here.
Perhaps because of this, Ray candidly spoke of their intentions.
“…So, the two of you are sneaking off together?”
Duke Carl had come to treat Ray like a son as well.
Over the past month, a great deal had changed, major thing was the Relationship between the Duke and Ray.
“Please think of it as a short trip,” Kane said softly.
The Duke looked at the two of them, assessing their resolve.
“Shall I accompany you?”
“That won’t be necessary. It’s not a dangerous matter, so you don’t need to worry.”
“If you say so, I won’t stop you any further.”
The Duke placed a firm hand on Kane’s shoulder.
“Go safely.”
“Yes,” Kane replied, bowing his head slightly.
As Kane and Ray began to leave, the Duke called out again.
“Son, don’t take too long. I’ll be waiting for you.”
The words seemed to be directed at both of them.
Kane and Ray exchanged a smile.
They waved briefly before disappearing beyond the castle walls.
The Duke watched their retreating figures and murmured to himself.
“I hope your pain will finally come to an end.”
With a face full of longing, he turned and returned to his chambers.
Around a round table, seven individuals wore expressions of disinterest.
They were noble beings who resided in the highest realm of the heavens: The Celestial Realm.
Their faces showed clear displeasure at being forced to witness something so trivial.
“How do these humans plan to ascend the Stairway of the Gods?”
“What is the King thinking? Do any of you understand?”
“If we knew, would we look like this?”
Their confusion was evident.
The Stairway of the Gods was the pathway connecting the mortal world to the heavens.
And now, it had been opened.
A place that had remained sealed for hundreds, even thousands of years.
Today, that pathway was made accessible.
It was the decree of the Celestial King.
The Celestial King, the ruler of the heavens.
The supreme god.
“The Celestial King’s interest in this human named Kane stems from a single reason: the Proxy we chose has harbored heresy.”
“How dare a lowly creature!”
“A wretch like that dares to challenge the gods?”
“We’ve let them rise too far. Every now and then, we need to crush them to keep them in their place.”
“If the Celestial King truly intends to make Kane his Proxy, I’ll personally see to it that his mind is properly reconditioned.”
A brutish-looking figure spoke with cold resolve.
At that moment, a man walked into their midst.
“Celestial King.”
Everyone rose from their seats to greet him with utmost respect.
This man was the ruler of the heavens.
He took the head seat at the round table and gestured with a wave of his hand.
“Be seated.”
He appeared remarkably young—his face seemed to belong to someone in their 30s, with golden hair.
Though all the gods present looked youthful, the Celestial King appeared the youngest among them.
“You are all aware that the Stairway of the Gods has been opened, correct?”
“We were just discussing that very matter,” replied the god of the First Rank. He then posed a question to the Celestial King.
“Is it your intention to appoint Kane Rehinar as the proxy… I mean the apostle of the gods?”
“What makes you think that?”
“By opening the Stairway of the Gods, have you not indicated your intention to select a new recipient of divine authority?”
The Celestial King smiled, his gaze sweeping over the seven gods seated around him.
“After all, he did rid us of one of our problems. Appointing him as an apostle wouldn’t be the worst idea.”
“Hmm.”
The god of the First Rank let out a low hum of thought.
However, the god of the Second Rank immediately objected.
“Could you reconsider? That man is unworthy.”
“And why is that?”
“He has founded a cult in the human world that opposes us.”
“You’re referring to the Blata Cult?”
“You knew of it?”
“Do you think there’s anything I don’t know?”
“I-I misspoke.”
The mere meeting of their eyes forced the god of the Second Rank to bow his head and break into a cold sweat.
Such was the Celestial King’s authority.
Even the highest-ranking gods were as children before him.
“I understand your concerns. You’re afraid that my brother might return to the heavens and take your places, aren’t you?”
The Celestial King’s brother—he had been cast out of the heavens.
Banished to hell for rebellion, he was now ascending to the heavens alongside humans.
All the high-ranking gods bore resentment toward him.
As the Celestial King’s sibling, he possessed very high strength.
Each of them had suffered at his hands at one point or another.
They had led the charge in banishing him during his rebellion.
And the words he had spoken as he was cast out still lingered in their minds.
"The day will come when we meet again! Wait for that time. I’ll spare your lives but condemn you to an eternity in hell."
It had been a chilling vow.
So horrifying, in fact, that even now, the high-ranking gods could not erase the memory from their minds.
“We have only ever acted for the Celestial King…”
“Enough.”
The Celestial King raised his hand, silencing the gods.
All of them fell quiet.
“If you were truly acting for me, you wouldn’t have done such foolish things.”
“W-What do you mean by that…?”
“I know that you meddled with the World’s Line behind my back.”
“What!?”
The gods were visibly shocked.
The World’s Line was sacred—only the Celestial King was permitted to alter it.
“Seventh Rank. Speak.”
“T-That is…”
“How are you any different from my brother? You tampered with the king’s exclusive authority, just as he did.”
The Celestial King’s gaze pierced through the Seventh Rank god.
The Seventh Rank god trembled violently, his body quaking as though caught in a storm.
“Seventh Rank! Explain yourself truthfully! What did the King mean?”
The First Rank god roared in fury, clearly oblivious to the details.
The Second Rank god tried to calm him down.
“First Rank, compose yourself. This is no place for rashness.”
“He’s right. Please calm yourself.”
Silence fell over the room.
The First Rank god’s face turned red with anger. He was livid, his fury directed at the Seventh Rank god.
“If you don’t speak the truth, I will destroy you myself.”
As the most powerful among them after the Celestial King, his threat carried immense weight.
Under the intense pressure, the Seventh Rank god prostrated himself on the ground.
“I-It was out of curiosity…”
“Curiosity? Do you truly believe that’s an acceptable excuse for meddling with the King’s authority? Speak the truth!”
“T-That is…”
Despite the First Rank’s unrelenting pressure, the Seventh Rank god couldn’t bring himself to confess. To reveal the truth would spell doom for all involved.
“First Rank. Sit.”
The Celestial King’s command quelled the First Rank god’s anger.
Still fuming, the First Rank god sat down, glaring daggers at the Seventh Rank god.
Then the Celestial King’s calm voice filled the air.
“You continue to lie to me… you dare wager at my expense?”
“My King—Ack!”
The Celestial King’s eyes flashed with a radiant light.
The Seventh Rank god’s body began to disintegrate into dust.
Annihilation.
The Celestial King’s anger was palpable.
The Seventh Rank god had committed the unforgivable sin of defying him.
At that moment, all the gods except the First Rank dropped to their knees, bowing deeply.
“We… we have deceived you, my King!”
“We feared that the Teverland Continent would be destroyed, so we committed a grave sin.”
“Please… grant us your forgiveness…”
“You fools!”
The First Rank god’s jaw hung open in disbelief.
“Are you admitting your crimes now? After hiding them all this time? You reckless, insolent wretches!”
The gods began confessing their sins.
The Celestial King listened silently.
Teverland was a space created by humans from another world.
The gods had watched with curiosity as this new world thrived.
They had enjoyed observing the lively creations of humans, but then signs of destruction emerged.
The human who was supposed to act as the god’s proxy and spread God’s word had begun harboring different ambitions—dreams of ascending to godhood.
Meanwhile, another world was attempting to erase Teverland altogether.
The Seventh Rank god had proposed an idea to the other gods:
“Let’s summon a hero from another world to save Teverland.”
But the other gods were unenthusiastic.
“Why should we meddle in something so trivial?” they had said.
The Seventh Rank god, however, had stoked their competitive spirits.
“And so, you all joined in doing something you shouldn’t have,” the Celestial King said, his voice steady.
“We were swayed by the Seventh Rank’s persuasion…”
“And because he warned us that he would resurrect from hell and return to this realm…”
They feared him almost as much as they feared the Celestial King.
While the Celestial King was the ruler of the Celestial Realm, he had been one of their peers—a high-ranking god.
Even so, his power had rivaled the King’s.
If he truly returned, they knew they would not escape unscathed.
Overwhelmed by their fear, they had felt compelled to act.
Even if it meant secretly using the King’s power, they had to prevent the King’s brother from returning to the Celestial Realm.
The Celestial King’s gaze bore into them as he asked,
“Did you think I couldn’t protect you?”
“N-No, my King!”
“We would never think such a blasphemous thing!”
“We were simply… worried…”
“Then tell me, how did your wager turn out?”
“Pardon?”
“What… do you mean by that?”
“Your wager,” the Celestial King clarified. “I’m asking which direction it went.”
“Ah!”
The gods exchanged uneasy glances, silently debating who would dare to speak.
The Celestial King pointed to the Second Rank god.
“Second Rank.”
“The majority believed it would fail. However… only the Seventh Rank believed it would succeed.”
“Why?”
“I assume it’s because he wanted to believe in the one he brought forth himself.”
The Celestial King nodded in understanding.
Then, with a snap of his fingers, the Seventh Rank god—who had turned to dust and vanished—was resurrected.
“Gah!”
“I will decide your fate once the World’s Line returns to its rightful state.”
“Th-Thank you, Your Majesty!”
The Seventh Rank god pressed his head to the ground.
The Celestial King’s nature.
None of them could ever predict his thoughts.
Using the King’s authority without permission was a crime punishable by annihilation without exception.
Yet, the Seventh Rank god had been spared.
What could it mean?
As the Celestial King turned to leave, he paused and looked back at them.
Then he spoke.
“Would it be acceptable for me to join the wager?”
“Pardon!?”
“I’ll place my bet on the heroes succeeding.”
Leaving those words behind, the Celestial King disappeared as calmly as he had come.
The high-ranking gods were left stunned, their faces frozen in disbelief.
For the Celestial King, who had always been a mere observer, to personally participate in the wager was a monumental event.
[Translator - Helga ]
[Proofreader - Lucky]