Chapter 496: Common Enemy (2)

[All gods connected to open Channels speak together.]

[Message: Give us your answer.]

[All demons connected to open Channels speak in unison.]

[Message: What is your answer?]

Yeon-woo clenched his jaw as he looked at the messages filling his retina. The situation bordered on the absurd, but mostly, he felt annoyed. The right to access the Changgong Library was a reward he had been given because of his achievements. It was not something the gods or demons had the right to covet.

The reward was given by the Tower's system to help players pursue their goals, and although the gods and demons could try to make deals, they could not force Yeon-woo to share anything. How he used his access and reading rights were entirely up to him. Furthermore, the gods and demons knew this fact better than anyone else.

However, they were still after his access, and now that they knew that Yeon-woo had met the Heavenly Demon and spun the Wheel of Time and Space backwards, they began to take more coercive approaches.

'These gods and demons...they're all the same.' He was aware that gods and demons never put players on an equal footing. They saw players as resources that could be used and thrown away whenever necessary. They trampled on players with no remorse, as though they were stepping on insects. They saw players as foolish creatures who needed their guidance in order to become useful.

Yeon-woo knew better than anyone that this was how they saw him. Still, when the gods and demons showed their true faces so blatantly, Yeon-woo could not help grinding his teeth. 'So, they've decided to act like this when I'm in this situation, right?'

[The godly society <Asgard> urges you to answer.]

[The godly society <Deva> urges you to answer.]

...

[The demonic society <L'Infernal> asserts its rights to receive an answer from an ally.]

...

Even L'Infernal saw him as a useful tool in the end. However, it didn't matter how much they insisted. Yeon-woo had only been given three viewing rights, and it was impossible to distribute them evenly to all the societies. Besides, each society in the heavenly world had a complex network of connections to other societies, and even choosing one arbitrarily would still end up antagonizing others.

Furthermore, since he had three viewing rights, he would have to give one extra to either a godly or demonic society. He'd be forced to do away with the ambiguous neutrality he'd been adhering to so far. Since Allforone was tied up and the heavenly world was going through a turbulent period, as the most prominent being on the lower floors, Yeon-woo's choice would have great repercussions when it came to the future hierarchy of the Tower. He didn't like that he was being forced to pick sides.

However, instead of being angry, Yeon-woo suddenly burst into laughter. One side of his lips twisted upward. 'No. There's no reason to be annoyed.' After all, didn't he also use the gods and demons to get what he wanted? He'd led them on, borrowing thousands of their powers by dangling becoming their Apostle in front of them. He'd snatched up those powers and combined them into his Sky Wings, making great advancements and gained numerous achievements as the gods and demons looked on with bated breath and without receiving any compensation.

They hadn't revealed their true feelings because they were worried that Yeon-woo would attach himself to a rival transcendent being, but it seemed that they'd all come to an agreement among themselves.

If so, Yeon-woo could only do one thing. 'I guess this is the end of the road.' He hadn't been naïve enough to believe that they would go all the way with him, anyway. Since they'd now made their demands clear, it was time to part. It had come sooner than he'd expected since he'd hoped to use them to defeat Allforone, but it wasn't a bad time either.

He had become strong enough to obtain the Throne of Death. He was at the precipice of transcending, so he felt that he could stand toe to toe against a god or demon. There was no need for him to keep holding their hands. 'I have to go my own way.' Yeon-woo stared up at the sky with a smile. "Do you want to hear my answer?"

[The godly society <Malak> eagerly awaits your answer.]

[The godly society <Chan Sect> eagerly awaits your answer.]

[The godly society <Dilmun> eagerly awaits your answer.]

...

[The demonic society <L'Infernal> reveals their eager interest in your response.]

...

[A message has arrived from Agares.]

[Message: Hey! Wait a sec! Listen to what I have to say. This place is overrun with fools who want to eat you up and spit you out. As you know, Olympus stands firmly at the center of this.]

[A message has arrived from Agares.]

[Message: So, align with me...]

[The message has been blocked with your authorization.]

[Someone whose message has been blocked is strongly protesting.]

[The sender of the blocked message is being punished by his society.]

[Baal examines you.]

As thousands of eyes stared down at him, Yeon-woo coldly smiled up at the sky and proudly raised his middle finger, much like what the Martial King had done in the past. "Eat this."

[The godly society <Deva> expresses its fiery wrath at you. They declare you a common enemy!]

[The godly society <Asgard> is angered by your arrogant decision. They declare you a common enemy!]

[The godly society <Dilmun> frowns at your choice. They vote unanimously to declare you a common enemy.]

...

[The demonic society <L'Infernal> is silent. They show displeasure towards you. They are reviewing whether they should terminate their alliance with you.]

[The demonic society <Niflheim> has entered into a discussion regarding you. After discussion, they delegate all authority regarding you to their head, 'Loki'.]

...

[Cernunnos acknowledges your decision and nods quietly as if pleased.]

[Vimalacitra is pleased with your decision. He smacks his knee in agreement and shouts for you to move forward.]

[Someone whose message is temporarily blocked is kicking and screaming.]

[Someone whose message is blocked gathers his Apostles and disciples.]

[Someone whose message is blocked calls Baal and urgently asks if he can visit.]

The reactions of individual gods and demons on top of the reactions of each society scrolled endlessly up in Yeon-woo's eyes, making him dizzy.

[Thor expresses concern. He wants to retrieve the power that he bestowed upon you, the 'Hammer of the Thunder God'.]

[Prince Nezha reveals his anger. He wants to retrieve the power that he gave you, the 'King of Ten Thousand Soldiers'.]

...

Even beings Thor and Erlang Shen who had shown favor to Yeon-woo expressed their regret or concern. After watching him for such a long time, they finally revealed their true faces and turned their backs on him. The powers connected to Yeon-woo's Sky Wings began turning off one by one. He also felt the Channels terminating.

However, Yeon-woo did not bat an eye. In fact, he was the one terminating the Channels and destroying the keyword on his wings. He burned all his bridges so that they wouldn't be able to interfere later. They would have no chance to make excuses.

[All Channels associated with the right wing (keyword: fight) have been terminated.]

[The keyword has been erased. Recovery is now impossible. All the effects of the powers have disappeared.]

Due to this sudden absence, Yeon-woo felt momentarily weakened from the power drain. A sense of helplessness rose in him as all the buffs ended simultaneously. He watched his stats decrease by more than thirty percent in his status window. Although this situation would have been fatal for any other player, Yeon-woo was not concerned at all. On the contrary, he felt a sense of relief.

The open Channels were like a double-edged sword. Yeon-woo managed to secure many amazing skills through them which had helped him grow, but the interference of the gods and demons continued to increase. It was also too difficult to try something secretly.

Moreover, the powers were based on the karma that he accumulated with each god and demon. This arrangement was uncomfortable for Yeon-woo, who wanted to walk a new path, and he felt as though he were wearing clothes that did not fit properly. But now, he was free from all those restrictions.

He was not too concerned about the empty spots. After all, he could just fill them with something else.

[The right wing (keyword: fight) is exploring new possibilities.]

[You have received a declaration of hostility from all gods and demons. Your list of achievements will be updated..]

[With the Changgong Library, you have succeeded in perceiving the truth of the world. Your list of achievements will be updated.]

...

[With the current level of your soul, your achievements have been deemed 'Legendary'.]

['Legendary' will now be quantified. Based on the keyword, the system will now conduct a sorting operation.]

His right wing was based on his own path anyway. Even if the other powers were gone, he could easily replace them and more with his reinforced and now-quantifiable Legends. Since he was at the cusp of transcending, he had a plethora of them. It seemed like that heavenly world had left him with one final present.

Confronting the Heavens! He was now considered the common enemy of all of the Tower's transcendents. It was a great achievement that no one in the world had ever accomplished until now. The Keyword "fight" could not be a more appropriate description of his path.

Also, Yeon-woo had made a new organ while he was in the Changgong Library which the gods and demons weren't aware of. 'I didn't really want to show it off so soon, but...' One side of Yeon-woo's lips curved upwards even more. He was sneering at the great but stupid guys up in the heavens who were sucking their fingers and watching him. 'I guess, if I'm going to show it off anyway, better to make a big entrance.'

[Your Stone of Sin is pulsating!]

[You have learned a new method of utilizing the Stone of Sin.]

Wham! Yeon-woo's right wing burned more splendidly than ever. Each feather glowed red like a ruby. The Demonism's blackness that was close to consuming Yeon-woo was torn apart and burned into nonexistence. The ice that covered the stage all melted while the never-ending blizzard disappeared.

Release! Boom! It was as if a new sun had descended into the world. His right wing blazed with a fury that was completely different, originating from the depths of the Stone of Sin. It was Luciel's flame, which he had used to shake the heavens in the past: the Original Flame.

[The right wing (keyword: fight) has been reconfigured.]

[According to its new properties and usage, it is now easier for your right wing to link to the Stone of Sin. You can now bring out the Original Flame that resided in the Stone of Sin.]

[Caution! The Original Flame is a primordial fire that once threatened the heavens. Depending on how it is used, it may cause harm to the user. Please be careful when using it.]

[Most of the gods look at you in horror.]

[Most demons roar with fear as they recall the havoc caused by the Original Flame a thousand years ago.]

After reading the revelations, Yeon-woo had gained knowledge not available in the Tower, including how to use the Stone of Sin properly. The foundation of the Stone of Sin was the spark at the beginning of the universe, the Original Flame. His process wasn't complete yet, and the Original Flame he wielded was nothing compared to the flames that appeared when the universe first emerged from the void. Still, being able to bring out and handle this much was already a huge achievement.

The Legend that enabled Luciel, who had once been a lighthouse keeper, to fight against the heavens under the name Lucifer was being recreated in Yeon-woo's right wing.

[All gods of death are still with you.]

[All demons of death are still with you.]

[The Throne of Death has fully combined with your left wing (keyword: death)]

[All powers will be manifested.]

His right wing blazed with a red flame indicating "fight" and his left one was shrouded in blackness that indicated "death". Yeon-woo clasped his hands tightly. Boom! Boom! Boom! A sword power so intense that nothing could compare to it split the sky and the earth, falling straight down to the stage.