The Mage Who Devours Disasters - Chapter 87

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 87.
The Dark Deity Hod’s eyes pierced through the crystal.
Beyond the crystal, the landscape of Earth came into view.
More precisely, it was the heart of Seoul—the very cradle he had painstakingly prepared as his avatar’s sanctuary.
“….”
Hod’s brow furrowed.
The Pillar of Light had crumbled.
And from within it, a figure was emerging.
‘The God of Death, Thanatos.’
The perfect vessel I had sought to craft.
Was now descending into the world in its true form.
‘What manner of being is this?’
Hod’s eyes blazed with intensity.
He sought to pierce through to the very essence.
To identify the true nature of the wretched creature who had dared to steal his avatar.
But.
“….”
His vision was blocked.
As if he had struck an invisible wall.
His divine power rebounded off Thanatos’s surface.
Hod clicked his tongue.
Thanatos’s unique passive ability—’Veil of Death’.
That accursed power which perfectly blocked all life detection and divine tracking had manifested.
Even to Hod’s eyes, he could not discern who dwelt within that shell, nor could he tell whether the being was divine or mortal.
Or perhaps Thanatos had descended as pure essence itself.
Either way, it was far from the situation he had desired.
‘This defies comprehension.’
Questions multiplied in his mind.
If one had seized Thanatos, one should overlay one’s own divinity and reshape it into a new form.
Yet this creature had simply donned Thanatos’s grotesque shell whole and intact, walking forth as is.
‘…Wait. Using such a hideous yokai’s body directly as an avatar?’
Unlikely.
The pride of the Deities made such a thing difficult to fathom.
No matter how great the power, no madman would take pleasure in using Thanatos’s form as an avatar.
The System itself would never permit it.
Login would be impossible.
I gathered my thoughts and shook my head.
‘So it was not meant to be used as an avatar.’
Yes. They had simply stolen Thanatos itself.
To command it. To make it serve.
If I could control Thanatos itself, he would become a considerable force.
That was when it happened.
The situation beyond the crystal shifted dramatically.
—Annihilate Dusksini.
The command fell from Thanatos’s lips.
Simultaneously.
Thousands of creatures sprawled beneath his feet.
Pivoted in unison and surged toward Dusksini.
Hod let out a scoff at the sight.
‘How foolish.’
The tactic itself wasn’t poor.
Using the creatures as meat shields to drain Dusksini’s strength—a cunning ploy.
As the creatures were torn asunder, the scattered souls were being sucked into Thanatos’s ‘Scythe of Death’.
His ultimate ability: ‘Execution’.
An absolute instant-death technique that activates once sufficient death accumulates in that scythe.
Hod knew Thanatos’s ability well.
That was precisely why he had chosen Thanatos—to sweep this battlefield with it.
But.
“It will fail.”
Hod leaned back against the throne and spoke with certainty.
Execution.
A terrifying ability, without question.
Yet no unconditional instant death exists in this world.
For Execution to succeed, one prerequisite must be met.
‘The target must possess a lower rank than oneself.’
Living creatures, perhaps—but Dusksini is no biological being.
It is merely a Mystery born from human terror and screams.
A Mystery is fundamentally a mass of concepts that never existed, given form through intense emotion and resentment.
And Dusksini in particular.
Had consumed the fear and dread emanating from tens of millions across Seoul—no, all of South Korea.
Every human who gazed upon Dusksini fell into despair.
Each confronted the form they feared most.
That vast faith-like terror had nourished the monster.
‘Dusksini’s rank now rivals Thanatos itself.’
It might even be higher.
Moreover, this was the deepest night, when darkness reigned supreme.
An environment as familiar as Dusksini’s own domain.
Execution would never work against an equal or superior opponent.
The moment the scythe swung, Execution would rebound.
Afterward, Thanatos would taste the agony of his own soul being torn asunder as backlash.
‘Stupid thief. I shall witness your final moments.’
Hod lifted the Nectar chalice.
Beyond the crystal, Thanatos finally raised his scythe of death high into the air.
And then.
Skreeeeeeeee!
The scythe tore through the void.
In that instant.
“…!”
The smile playing at Hod’s lips froze rigid.
His eyes widened as if they might split.
An impossible transformation had occurred.
An unbelievable sight was unfolding before him.
Souls erupting from Thanatos’s scythe.
They coalesced together, forming the shape of a massive, luminous scythe.
And that radiant scythe.
Pierced through Dusksini’s enormous shadowy neck.
Shhhhhhrrrrip!
As cleanly as slicing through tofu, it tore through.
No—it appeared as though the very concept of darkness itself was being excised.
-Kyieeeeeeeek!
Dusksini shrieked in agony.
From the severed edge, something like black ink cascaded down like a waterfall.
The essence of the yokai itself.
A mass stained with terror was collapsing.
As darkness scattered, the veil that had shrouded Seoul’s night sky was torn asunder in an instant.
And then.
Psssssh.
Level 100, Apocalypse-class yokai Dusksini.
…vanished without a trace.
“What in the….”
Hod’s lips trembled.
How was this possible?
Why did execution work?
Execution was an ability that only functioned against lower-ranked opponents.
It was impossible for Thanatos to execute it with his own essence.
Which meant.
‘…Someone of far greater rank dwells within him.’
At minimum, a High-tier Deity.
No—only a Deity of the Highest Realm could make this possible.
But the shock did not end there.
Something even more abnormal was unfolding.
As Dusksini vanished, silence descended upon the Battlefield.
Thanatos turned his gaze downward, observing the thousands of creatures prostrate across the ground.
Then, without hesitation, he issued a command.
-Return to the places from whence you came.
A single utterance.
And then.
Ssssshhhhh.
Dueokshini, the Imoogi of Jongno, countless Goblins.
All at once, they abandoned their weapons and began transforming into black ink.
And every drop of that ink flowed like a river.
…Seeping into the ‘Scythe of Death’ that Thanatos held in his grasp.
“That, that is…!”
Hod shot to his feet.
It defied all logic.
True, Thanatos was called the King of Mysteries, the King of Hundred Ghosts.
But creatures are inherently chaotic masses beyond control.
They may be subdued by force, yet they would never willingly dissolve themselves and be drawn into a weapon like this.
‘He didn’t dominate and subjugate them?’
Hod finally understood.
Not subjugation, but absolute servitude.
A choice made of their own volition.
Not oppressed through forced domination.
But rather, they had chosen their king, their Deity.
‘…How absurd.’
Creatures that shouldn’t even exist in the first place.
Mere mysteries that cannot survive without someone’s fear and dread….
They dared to revere Thanatos as a Deity and offer themselves as sacrifice.
Was it not utterly pathetic?
Yet he could not laugh.
For it was impossible that Thanatos alone could become a Deity.
Thanatos himself was a form of mystery.
What dwelt within him.
The entity that moved him possessed such overwhelming power that it could command the servitude of creatures and mysteries alike.
Merely by occupying that vessel, there existed a monstrosity of such extraordinary caliber that it could transform the ‘King of Mysteries’ into the ‘Deity of Mysteries’.
And soon thereafter.
Ding!
The Hall of Fame rankings updated before Hod’s eyes.
[1st Place: NONAME]
[Score: 2,000 Points]
“….”
The moment I saw that name.
All thought ceased.
Every question found its answer.
Why Dusksini had been cleaved in a single stroke.
Why the yokai had willingly offered themselves!
I could finally comprehend the true meaning behind it all.
Hall of Fame, Rank 1.
NONAME.
I reaffirmed with certainty who this mysterious avatar was—the one whose overwhelming and bizarre exploits continued unabated.
“So that means….”
For the first time, a flicker of shock crossed Hod’s eyes.
“The one wearing that shell of Thanatos.”
He swallowed hard, uttering that name as though it were forbidden.
“‘Irresistible Force’…is what you’re saying?”
* * *
‘It’s over.’
Kieeeeeeek!
Dusksini shrieked.
Pouring forth a deluge of black deathly miasma like ink, his colossal shadowy form shattered into fragments across the void.
A single blow.
My ultimate skill, Execution.
It was overwhelming power that lived up to its reputation as an instant-death technique.
I exhaled lightly and withdrew the scythe of death.
The situation was resolved.
With the most troublesome one disposed of, only trivial rabble remained.
I turned my skeletal head and gazed down upon thousands of yokai legions sprawled flat against the ground.
Dueokshini, Imoogi, and hordes of Goblin—those who had been tearing at Dusksini.
They had already lost all will to fight, bowing their heads toward me.
“Return to where you came from.”
I commanded coldly.
My business was finished.
There was no point lingering in the mortal realm—it would only invite complications. They were to disappear of their own accord.
But.
Ssssshhhhh.
“…?”
Something unexpected occurred.
The moment my command fell, instead of the yokai scattering through dimensional rifts in the earth or sky.
They began melting their own bodies like black ink.
And those thousands of dark streams, as if bound by covenant, converged toward me.
To be precise.
Shuuuuuck!
They were being sucked into the cyan blade of the Scythe of Death I held, flowing like a river.
‘What in the world is happening?’
I was flustered.
This situation fell entirely outside my expectations.
I told them to leave, so why were they crawling into my weapon?
Yet I sensed no resistance or fear from the yokai’s auras.
Rather.
-Your Majesty.
-Our Deity.
-We gladly offer ourselves as your strength.
The countless thoughts echoing through my mind were suffused with joy.
They seemed to yearn to dissolve themselves and be absorbed into my weapon.
An incomprehensible, blind submission.
That was when it happened.
Ding!
[The yokai have genuinely submitted to your overwhelming presence.]
[They offer themselves as sacrifices, becoming bound to your weapon.]
[The Scythe of Death evolves, now containing the souls of the Hundred Ghosts.]
[You can now use the ultimate skill, Hundred Ghosts Night Parade!]
“…Ha.”
A hollow laugh escaped me at the absurdity.
Hundred Ghosts Night Parade.
Those thousands of yokai I had just absorbed.
That tremendous force including named monsters like Dueokshini and Imoogi.
I could now summon and command them as a single ‘skill’ whenever I desired.
‘This is practically a walking Demon Lord’s army.’
Thanatos’s shell.
The advantages this transformation granted far exceeded my wildest imagination.
And soon after.
Fwoooosh!
Far in the distance, the Eastern Sky began to brighten.
The long night was ending, and the sun was rising.
As morning sunlight illuminated the ruins of Seoul’s urban center, the thick miasma and darkness that had blanketed everything washed away like a lie.
Ding!
Simultaneously, a loud notification chimed in my ears.
[Dawn has broken.]
[Episode 5, Hundred Ghosts Night Parade, has concluded.]
It was over.
And then.
[Episode Clear Reward has been distributed.]
[You have cleared the sharply elevated difficulty with a catastrophic Achievement!]
[Episode 5 Hall of Fame has been updated!]
[1st Place: NONAME]
[Score: 2,000 points]
[Privilege: Experience Acquisition Rate increased by 100%]
[Title ‘Champion’ acquired.]
[Level has increased!]
A perfect score of 1,000 points doubled once more—2,000 points.
A ridiculous privilege of 100% increased experience acquisition rate, and the Champion title.
A level-up was the natural consequence.
But the real treasure lay elsewhere.
[100 Shards of Broken Golden Ratio have been distributed.]
‘100 shards!’
One million Nectar per shard.
A hundred million Nectar had just rolled in at once.
But I wasn’t surprised yet.
The true highlight was still to come.
[Rolling the Dice (1~2,000).]
‘2,000.’
The maximum range had expanded once again.
With each passing episode, and the more bizarre my Achievements became, the System was spiraling into madness.
Whirrrr.
Numbers spun ferociously in the void.
I chanted silently to myself.
‘High. The highest.’
Click.
The dice stopped.
[2,000!]
[Congratulations!]
[The ‘Luck Dice’ has activated!]
[You may roll the ‘Luck Dice’ once more and add the result to your existing value!]
“….”
I held my breath.
It triggered again.
Maximum 2,000, and the Luck Dice activated.
Whirrrr!
The dice spun once more.
And then.
[Total: 4,000!]
The moment that number embedded itself in the void.
Kuguguguguuu!
Suddenly, the world froze.
The dawn sky twisted grotesquely, and golden clouds began to swirl in a vortex.
As if time itself had stopped, even the scattering dust hung motionless.
And then.
Ding!
…A brilliantly iridescent message window appeared—one I had never seen before.
[You have reached the pinnacle of ‘Fortune’.]
[The one who commands probability finds you intriguing.]
[The Deity of Fortune descends!]

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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