The Second Coming of Gluttony - Chapter 174

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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 174. Return

“This isn’t a joke.”
A man perched on the peak, gazing down at the fortress, let out a hollow laugh.
He was a towering figure, well over two meters tall, his massive frame plated in armor that must have weighed several dozen kilograms.
“The spear-wielder, the queen’s lapdog, the unlucky dark-skinned one… what is this? Has the queen lost her mind?”
“I’m leaving.”
A husky voice cut through the air.
The Giant Warrior, running his fingers through his unkempt beard, turned with a look of bewilderment.
A group stood gathered on Dawn Peak, their march halted, their faces tense with anticipation.
Though Haramag had drawn back now, humanity—caught in an unprecedented crisis of war—had achieved cooperation never before seen.
Seo Yoo-hee, who had returned to Lushulea Temple, and Yoon Seohee of Shin Young stood hand in hand, and every existing Leader had assembled.
One of them had just declared his withdrawal.
A young man wearing glasses, a book wedged under his arm, his bearing somewhat pedantic.
By Paradise reckoning, a Level 7 mage and Apostle of Greed.
“Really? You mean it?”
As the young man turned to leave without hesitation, the Giant Warrior rushed forward to stop him.
The young man cast a sidelong glance and opened his mouth.
“My condition for helping was that there would be at most two Parasite Legion commanders. Three or more is a breach of contract.”
“Madness. You’re talking about contracts now? And if you just leave, what’s he supposed to do? It looks like he’s already engaged.”
“He’s not even a Leader. Not my concern.”
The young man scoffed.
“And I’m simply declining to participate based on our agreement. That woman charged in without so much as a word to any of us. Who’s really acting on their own here?”
Faced with the young man’s logical rebuttal, the Giant Warrior found himself at a loss for words.
“In. Even so… you’re really going to abandon everything and walk away?”
“Hmm. If there were just one more Leader, I might have considered it. But I don’t want to die a dog’s death.”
“There is one. Can’t you feel them below?”
The Giant Warrior gestured with his chin, and the young man’s expression turned cold.
“Don’t joke with me. Both their followers and they themselves are dying as we speak.”
He cut off the argument cleanly, and the Giant Warrior’s face darkened.
“Damn you. What was your god thinking? Sending a incompetent fool like you as his agent?”
“I wonder too. Besides, I can always quit if things go wrong.”
The young man answered in a low, rasping voice and turned away.
“You’ll regret it.”
A cold voice reached his back—one he recognized.
Without turning around, the young man spoke, sensing the steady gaze fixed upon him.
“Maybe. But my center of operations isn’t Haramag, so I don’t think I’ll lose any moral high ground.”
“You may have a point there.”
“Do as you wish. I’ve been cursed before, anyway.”
The young man’s lips curled upward.
“If you all manage to survive, I’ll at least worry about it.”
Light enveloped the young man’s body, and he vanished cleanly. It was Teleport, a high-ranking invocation.
The mages scattered among the group murmured anxiously. With their leader suddenly gone, confusion rippled through their ranks.
The Giant Warrior watching them scratched his head roughly.
“Damn it. What does he expect us to do? Huh?”
Shouting go or stop, the Giant Warrior suddenly fell silent.
An unprecedented wave of immense power spread outward from the surroundings, rippling forth in succession.
A sanctity so vast it made the mountains and earth tremble, reaching even toward the heavens.
Soon the Giant Warrior could see Seo Yoo-hee kneeling upon the peak, her hands clasped in prayer.
Her lips opened and closed rhythmically—she was chanting an invocation.
Like the Saint Queen, the maximum support force, acting independently, she too had already entered into action.
‘Now that I think about it.’
Seo Yoo-hee had ascended to Level 8 the moment she returned as a Leader.
It was only the second time in Paradise’s history.
As he watched her sacred and noble figure focused on prayer despite the turmoil around her, a fleeting thought crossed the Giant Warrior’s mind.
Then, abruptly, the tremor ceased. The low hum that had pressed against his eardrums faded, and the world fell into an eerie silence.
In that strange quiet, people could suddenly see the gorge lighting up.
The clouds parted, and a radiant glow descended from the sky. Vision was swallowed by the blinding light.
Seo Yoo-hee’s chin tilted slowly upward. Opening eyes that had been squeezed shut, she gazed at the brilliant blue sky where light rippled and danced like water.
Her profound gaze swept across the boundless expanse above.
Her lips parted slightly.
“…Stars.”
Level 8 Atera’s Saintess.
Wide Area Buff / Debuff.
Requiem of Stella.
Without warning, countless stars emerged silently from the clear sky.
The pure white, blazing stars stretched long, luminous tails behind them as they cascaded down—a torrential downpour of light itself.
And when the incalculable masses of radiance touched the earth and spread in perfect circles,
the entire ground turned white.

“This wretch!”
Corrupted Chastity erupted in fury.
The entire army fell into chaos. The succubi flew about like mosquitoes, desperately evading the starlight that poured down like a sudden downpour.
Those struck by the light writhed as their bodies melted and burned away, and even those that fell to the ground set the earth ablaze in radiant splendor, claiming the land as their domain.
What happens when a supremely advantageous power seizes a region is as clear as daylight.
Watching the beautiful dance of scintillating brilliance, Corrupted Chastity ground her teeth.
Spreading her wings wide and drawing up her power, the earth beneath her shook violently as though seized by an earthquake in response to the tremendous force.
Shrieeeeeeeeeek!
Corrupted Chastity let out a wail that seemed to tear her throat.
The convulsing ground cracked and fissured, then violent pillars of magma erupted upward, surging vertically toward the descending light.
Roooooaaaar!
Light and lava collided and intermingled, pushing back and forth in a tug-of-war that was nothing short of magnificent.
Soon they consumed and were consumed by each other in successive annihilations, and when nothing remained, they achieved mutual destruction.
“Haaah!”
Corrupted Chastity, her hair soaked with sweat, fixed her gaze on Dawn Peak.
Given how the battle had developed, she no longer showed any hint of restraint.
“Advance!”
The entire Parasite Legion, which had been waiting in retreat, surged forward in a sweeping tide once more. Corrupted Chastity herself took flight, rising high into the sky.
Total war.
The risk to their precious nest was growing, but this was a sacrifice they had to accept.
Moments later, Corrupted Chastity and her throng of succubi began flying swiftly toward Dawn Peak.
Meanwhile, Hideous Humility was in just as much of a hurry.
He had been hastening to finish off Sloth’s Star and breach the City Gate when—
“Haiyaa!”
The Giant Warrior suddenly dropped from empty air, bringing down a Greatsword as large as his own body.
Simultaneously, Chained Arrows shot forth from all directions, attempting to bind him.
The Phantom Horse, sensing its master’s danger, swiftly kicked off the ground to evade, but Hideous Humility’s complexion—or rather, his bone-white visage—darkened considerably.
Thud! Even the sound of his feet striking the earth was resonant.
“Well, well! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”
The Giant Warrior, resting his Greatsword on his shoulder with a swagger, and the Archer invisible to the eye but blending with the terrain, was targeting him.
The Star of Wrath and the Star of Pride.
Two new Leaders had emerged.
Hideous Humility clicked his teeth together as he watched the two and their followers collecting Sloth’s Star and its subordinate.
The Leader of Wrath spoke to him.
“What? It’s been ages—what happened to you? Got beaten that badly by just two of them?”
“…The matchup wasn’t favorable. Their strength is formidable, but that’s not all.”
Hideous Humility answered in a hollow tone, raising his long sword upright.
New bone grew where half his skull had been shattered, and the Knight of Death, reduced to wreckage, rose again, gradually taking shape.
The Giant Warrior clicked his tongue upon seeing his enemy recover its full strength in an instant.
“Damn it. You still had reserves after all.”
“No time for talk. Let’s go.”
Hideous Humility kicked the Phantom Horse’s belly and charged forward.
“What? Why are you in such a rush all of a sudden?”
The Giant Warrior bared his teeth and rushed to meet him without hesitation.
And Indefatigable Diligence—
“…Hah…”
He clutched his chest and let out a long, deep sigh.
He stared at the woman with hollow eyes.
She was a mysterious woman holding a single Jade Spear at an angle, dressed in a long white cloth that dragged along the ground, emanating an ethereal presence.
“I cannot fathom why you’ve come here….”
Indefatigable Diligence opened her mouth, staring directly into the calm, unwavering eyes that met her gaze without flinching.
“Will you not quietly withdraw? I won’t pursue you. You have my word.”
Indefatigable Diligence glanced toward the outside of the city walls. The army she had ordered to retreat and stand by was pouring in en masse.
Corrupted Chastity was also leading her forces toward the peak.
The woman before her was a formidable opponent—rare among humanity, one who could not be taken lightly. And yet, it was not as though Indefatigable Diligence was trembling in fear.
She had reserves of her own; the reinforcements themselves posed no problem. But with the arrival of this woman and the other Leaders, her plan to return to Tigol Fortress on schedule had crumbled to dust.
Moreover, there now existed even a slight possibility that she would fail to carry out the Parasite Queen’s command.
That was why she had glanced over—to convey that defeat would be theirs regardless of the fight—but the woman’s gaze had drifted elsewhere.
She was looking at the young man coughing behind her back.
Seol Jihoo had regained consciousness shortly after being seized by Indefatigable Diligence’s hand. Only the force crushing his throat had been so severe that he nearly lost consciousness again.
“…You idiot. Fool.”
A whisper-soft voice reached his ears.
Seol Jihoo lifted his eyes, tears trickling down. Whether from blurred vision or the glare of sunlight, he could not see clearly.
Instinctively, he tried to focus his gaze.
“Run.”
The woman who spoke quietly waved her hand lightly.
In that instant, a fierce wind swept across his entire body as though she had unleashed a Palm Strike from her palm.
Seol Jihoo’s eyes went wide as saucers.
“Ah—”
As he reflexively caught Ian, who had collapsed, the woman’s figure rapidly receded into a distant point.
Swept backward by the gale, Seol Jihoo tumbled through the air before suddenly feeling a blunt, heavy impact strike his back, and he gasped sharply.
“Cough, cough. That woman… she did what I was about to do.”
Ian, who had been blown away together with Seol Jihoo because he was holding him, spoke through heavy coughing.
Even amid the dizziness, Seol Jihoo managed to open his mouth.
“Ian?”
“I’m fine. First—let’s go there. I’m in no shape for this.”
Ian glanced around before gesturing with his chin toward the ruins of a collapsed, tilted Watchtower.
Only then did Seol Jihoo realize he had stopped when he struck the wall during his flight.
“Further. Go deeper. As far as you can. Out of sight.”
Supporting the injured Ian, he squeezed both their bodies between the ruins.
As Seol Jihoo carefully leaned the old man against the wall, the elder with a hole punctured through his chest drew a deep breath.
At a glance, his condition was grave. Flesh was torn in places across his body, blood seeping from the wounds; he could even hear wind whistling through, and it seemed he’d lost several teeth.
“Are you all right?”
When Seol Jihoo asked with concern, Ian let out a bitter laugh.
“Of course I’m not. But you’re hardly in better shape, are you?”
Only then did Seol Jihoo glance down at himself and let out a hollow laugh.
Ian was right—this was no time for one to worry about the other.
“Seol. I’ve got a bottle or two of Healing Potion in my robe. Will you fetch them?”
Seol Jihoo understood and found the Healing Potions, drawing them out.
He hurried to uncork one and tilt it to Ian’s lips, but Ian shook his head.
“You first.”
He had no strength left to argue.
Seol Jihoo drank half of one potion and poured the rest over his wounds, then withdrew another bottle to treat Ian.
He felt his own condition improve somewhat, but Ian showed little sign of recovery.
Well—having been beaten indiscriminately by Indefatigable Diligence, it was something of a miracle that he remained alive at all.
“Just wait a moment. I’ll bring a healer.”
Though Seol Jihoo knew that finding a healer in this chaos was like searching for a needle in sand, he spoke boldly and moved to rise.
But Ian seized him urgently.
The grip on his wrist was far too strong for an old man, far too strong for someone so grievously wounded—it was fierce.
And it was burning hot.
“It’s already too late.”
‘Too late?’
Seol Jihoo turned back in disbelief.
“The reinforcements. I wish we could have responded to them from the start, but… well, I suppose I should commend the Parasite Queen’s bold decision.”
“However—”
“No. If the ones bearing the mark of divinity and all the other Leaders had come together, that would be different. But I don’t think they will. That’s why she told you to run.”
……
“The battlefield has merely grown chaotic. The Parasite Legion’s reserves won’t stay idle, so the tide won’t turn decisively. What we should do is wait for the Healing Potion to take effect, seize the moment, and slip away.”
“Escape…? You mean just like that?”
Seol Jihoo echoed the words back. The way Ian spoke made it sound as though he was telling him to flee alone.
Ian’s face twisted in pain. A rasping, liquid sound came from his throat as he struggled to breathe, then gritted his teeth.
“Seol. Listen carefully to what I’m about to say.”
Ian’s voice was oddly crisp, startlingly clear for the state his body was in.
“I have one hypothesis I’ve never told anyone before. The reason I never spoke of it until now was that it was only conjecture. But today, after hearing Indefatigable Diligence’s proposal, I’ve become certain. My hypothesis isn’t wrong.”
Seol Jihoo clenched his jaw.
He sensed why Ian was saying this now, in the midst of this chaos.
“Seol. The Parasite Queen—for reasons I don’t know—is being reckless right now. Why she’s largely left Humanity alone until now. Why she abandoned Tigol Fortress and came running. Why two of her armies remain invisible to the material world. If you think carefully about these connections, I believe I can obtain it. The key to defeating the Parasites.”
Ian spoke with desperate speed.
“Ian. Wait, just a moment—”
“Don’t try to understand everything here and now. You’re clever enough that someday you’ll unravel my meaning. For now, just listen. So…!”
His brow furrowed sharply. But he didn’t stop speaking.
“Run…away!”
He coughed, blood spraying from his lips as he cried out.
“…Pardon?”
“I know it’s hard. I know you don’t want to. But you have to bear it. Somehow, whatever it takes, you have to live and escape. That’s the only shred of victory we can salvage from this war—the only hope.”
Bear it?
Seol Jihoo understood the words, yet found himself shaking his head without meaning to.
Ian’s body collapsed forward. Catching him in alarm, Ian lifted his face, his breathing ragged and wheezing.
“I imagine you’re tormenting yourself right now. If only I’d accepted that proposal then… if only I hadn’t drawn Indefatigable Diligence’s attention… isn’t that right?”
“……”
“Part of you must want to ask too. What did I say? Why did everyone end up like this because of me? Whether I was even worth that kind of sacrifice.”
His chest was already aching. He was only holding it back by force.
But when Ian struck precisely at the heart of what he was feeling, Seol Jihoo found his voice cut off.
Mustering his last strength, Ian gripped Seol Jihoo’s shoulder hard.
“Then let me answer for all of us.”
Looking directly into his eyes, his expression more grave than ever, he opened his mouth.
“Yes.”
Seol Jihoo’s body flinched.
“Protecting the star that even the Queen fears—that’s absolutely worth it.”
And before the other could respond, Ian tightened his grip with a grunt and leaned his back against the wall again.
“I…don’t regret it.”
He spoke as though affirming it to himself, and Ian closed his eyes slowly.
A profound silence fell.
Seol Jihoo stared at Ian, his face blank as though he didn’t know what to say.
Without even realizing it, the Nine Eyes had activated, revealing the color of an old man.
Ian’s color was a luxurious gold that Seol Jihoo had only ever seen once before—brilliant and radiant.
It was almost as luminous and splendid as Jang Maldong’s color.
‘Why.’
How had he not known this until now.
“If there’s just one thing I regret…”
The weathered voice, which had broken off moments before, flowed again.
The words came haltingly, as if they might break apart at any moment, and Seol Jihoo swallowed hard.
“Ian. Don’t say any more.”
“In the Forest of Negation…if I had only withdrawn the proposal I’d made to you…”
[Either way, I’ll be out of work soon, and I don’t have a team calling me, so… what do you say? Want to throw in together, two people in the same boat?]
[What I’m saying is, how about we go on an expedition together again next time? With you and me forming a team.]
Seol Jihoo, recalling those words from back then, opened his mouth.
“You, Jang Maldong, me… Cho Hong, Hugo… and the Princess too…”
“Ian!”
“In Paradise…I think we really would have had a good time together… wouldn’t we?”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes grew red around the edges.
“…Yes.”
He nodded, blinking rapidly.
“We would have. Really would have.”
His voice came out trembling, hoarse.
Ian smiled faintly.
[It’s not regret that’s left behind…it’s what’s been born. You bastard.]
‘Jang Maldong.’
Ian’s eyes opened gently. Facing the Young Man who stared at him with piercing intensity, he found himself thinking of what they called the lantern of life passing before one’s eyes.
Unbidden, their first meeting surfaced in his mind.
It was when his friend had departed, when he’d watched Paradise transform, his body trembling at the desolation.
That day—when he’d witnessed something as shocking and fresh as a miracle, a single flower blooming in barren wasteland.
Ian made a gasping sound. He gripped the breath that tried to slip away, straining with all his remaining strength to expel it.
There was no strength left even to stroke his long beard, the habit of a lifetime.
But there was one thing he’d wanted to ask for a long time now.
“…Come to think of it, you have another name, don’t you? Seol is your surname.”
Ian’s voice suddenly grew clear.
“Yes? Ah, yes.”
Seol Jihoo’s eyes widened in shock, and he nodded his head rapidly.
“But at first, didn’t you say your name was just Seol?”
“Ah, that’s….”
Seol Jihoo licked his lips.
“I was ashamed to reveal my real name… but I never meant to deceive you. Truly, I didn’t.”
“I see… then.”
Ian paused a beat before continuing.
“Could you tell me your name again here? This time, properly.”
Seol Jihoo’s expression grew bewildered at Ian’s request.
He couldn’t fathom why such an unexpected question would come now, in this moment.
And yet.
Watching Ian’s eyes burn with fierce light, as though he were setting his final candle aflame,
“Seol… Jihoo.”
the sense that he must answer came rushing over him.
“Seol Jihoo. Seol is the surname, firm-strong is the character for Ji, jade is the character for Hoo. I’m Seol Jihoo.”
He spoke with all the strength he could muster.
“Seol… Seol Jihoo, then.”
At last hearing the name, Ian’s face broke into a warm smile.
“Seol, Jihoo.”
With difficulty, he nodded his head and lifted a trembling hand.
“I don’t understand what there is to be ashamed of.”
Unaware that he was touching not his tangled beard, but his blood-soaked collar.
“Seol Jihoo. What a fine name it is, really!”
He laughed out loud with vibrant force.
Seol Jihoo was about to smile in turn—
Then it stopped.
The laughter ceased.

(To be continued in the next chapter)

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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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