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Chapter 164: Sky Garden of the False God (3)
[Special Quest]
[Difficulty: ?]
[Reconstruct the false god ‘K'aai’ into a true god.]
[A mythical god created by a human, ‘K'aai’ wants to become a true god. He has assisted Zeus up to this point, but after Zeus ascended to EX-rank and continually delayed fulfilling their contract, K'aai decided he could no longer trust him.
They are now placing their hopes in you, the Soul God. If you accept the proposal, the ‘Great Old Ones’ will form an alliance with the Soul God, and you will obtain crucial information about Zeus.
Quest Reward – Alliance with the Great Old Ones. Information about Zeus.]
“Great Old Ones?”
[They are gods belonging to the same mythology as I am. Each one is at the level of a substitute deity.]
As the gem within the vortex sparkled, a window popped up in front of me.
Various monsters flashed before my eyes.
Octopus-like creatures, lizard beasts, frog-like horrors, and more…
Some were overwhelmingly huge, others were merely human-sized.
They varied in size, but shared one trait—every single one looked grotesque.
“Are those the Great Ones?”
[Yes.]
“What are they doing now?”
[That, I’ll only tell you if you accept our proposal.]
“Hmm. I am interested in the offer… but I don’t know how I’m supposed to make you into a true god.”
[Don’t you have that sword?]
K'aai pointed to my soul sword.
The vortex spun faster.
[The sword that even cut through my darkness. With that sword, you can completely destroy Artemis’s soul form.]
The vortex floated upward along with the gem.
Then, where the vortex had been, a head appeared.
The face of a young woman with her eyes closed.
Her black hair was braided upward, and her skin was so pale it looked almost translucent.
She looked more like a teenage girl than a mature woman, but her beauty was dazzling.
A crescent moon symbol was engraved on her forehead.
I could guess who she was...
[Cut Artemis’s soul with that sword. Don’t do it all at once. Break her down slowly.]
K'aai suggested.
[When you strike her eyes first, she won’t be able to bear the pain and will awaken. Once she sees that the Soul God—her last hope—is the one harming her, she’ll fall into despair.]
K'aai’s calm words were chilling.
The green jewel sparkled, almost… joyfully.
[I know that Artemis asked you for help. It’ll be quite a sight when the one she believed in the most shatters her face with a sword. Personally, I predict this: That proud virgin goddess will try to remain composed, pretending not to be flustered.]
K'aai’s speech quickened.
The jewel flickered brightly.
[That’s when you should crush her sharp nose with your sword. She's very proud of her appearance. Let's destroy her face, bit by bit, and show her the result in a mirror. Unlike the body, damage to the soul will leave deep psychological wounds.]
He added, saying it would be entertaining to hear her scream—and if not, there were other ways to torment her—then laughed in a low tone.
It was a deep voice, but K'aai sounded genuinely delighted.
At that laugh, images of nymph corpses suddenly surfaced in the garden.
Their body parts were displayed in various ways at the garden’s center.
[Ah. I just had a better idea. Take the virginity of the virgin goddess. Her physical body has already been used and abused by my subordinates, but her soul remains untouched. When the one she thought was her last hope steals everything from her, she’ll fall into true despair.]
K'aai continued in an excited tone.
The torture talk was so grotesque, it eventually just got auto-filtered in my mind.
So this is what an evil god is?
Come to think of it, none of the gods I’ve encountered so far were purely evil...
But these ones—these ones genuinely enjoy cruelty.
I asked him:
“Why don’t you do it yourself and ask me to do it instead?”
[Heh. ‘We’ swore an oath not to touch her soul form directly. So we can’t. On top of that, Artemis placed a powerful protection on her soul before becoming a sacrifice. No ordinary deity can harm her. But that sword of yours... it might work.]
As he said this, Artemis’s soul form floated one step closer.
Only her head retained the appearance of a goddess, while her body was a shadowy form—making it feel like just her head was drifting in midair.
It seemed I had to make a choice.
I recalled Artemis’s quest:
‘Liberate Artemis.’
No specific method was provided, but if I destroyed K'aai here, that would likely count as liberation.
Then I’d be able to gain Artemis as an Apostle.
I glanced at K'aai.
His power definitely felt like that of a substitute god.
Too strong to have come from a human-made myth.
Whatever methods were used, the K'aai before me was undeniably SSS-rank.
And this space was his domain.
If a battle broke out, it wouldn’t be easy.
He looked weaker than Apollo from earlier, but who knows what skills he could use to turn the tide.
And if he escaped, it could be a long time before I got another chance to clear Artemis’s quest.
In contrast, K'aai’s quest was simple.
Artemis was already captured—just torture her and hand her over.
No chance of her escaping. I only needed to use the soul sword to strike her.
Sure, it was completely villainous behavior, but the reward was tempting.
An alliance with the powerful group called the Great Old Ones.
And valuable information about Zeus.
That information must be extremely significant—why else would Zeus have sacrificed his own daughter?
In terms of efficiency, siding with K'aai was clearly better.
“Soul Energy Emission.”
Vrrrrrrr—
The soul sword ignited.
I slowly moved it toward Artemis’s face.
Is this where I stab her eyes, then proceed with various forms of torture while listening to her screams as she awakens?
I've never committed such an atrocity before.
If I follow all of K'aai's suggestions, torture won't be the only thing I'll be doing.
I would completely disgrace the virgin goddess, revel in her downfall, and cooperate with the evil gods...
Do I really have to go that far?
[O Soul God. You hesitate. Do not. You and Olympus are enemies anyway. Especially Zeus—he targets you specifically. Artemis is his child. Who knows what reward she might have promised you, but can you really trust the daughter of Zeus?]
K’aai began to speak slyly as I wavered.
[Are you still bound by human morals and rules? You are a Soul God. A great deity unlike us common gods. You are destined to rule more universes and govern entire planets. Striking down a mere goddess is a small task in comparison. We, the Great Old Ones, will support you.]
K’aai emphasized my status as a great god, urging me to decide.
My sword was already almost touching her, but I hadn't acted, and K’aai seemed impatient.
[Does your conscience trouble you? Artemis is no righteous god. Even when her handmaiden Callisto was raped by Zeus, she expelled her for no longer being a virgin. She preached purity among her nymphs, yet when Zeus violated one, she blamed and punished the nymph.]
K’aai listed the victims of Artemis’s twisted standards of chastity.
His voice was sly like a serpent, gradually coaxing me.
She’s the enemy’s daughter anyway.
Olympus’s dogs are better off slain.
My conscience?
She’s a hypocrite.
The nymphs who followed her were victims, yet they were punished and cast out.
The abandoned ones were then tormented by Hera’s jealousy, killed, or transformed into beasts.
K’aai recited Artemis’s tale like a poem.
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Its rhythm had an eerie allure.
If I were just one rank lower, I might have been swayed and plunged my sacred sword into Artemis’s neck already.
But I’m SS-rank now, and I’m not swayed by that voice.
I only weigh what benefits me more.
“No.”
At that moment, Artemis’s eyes snapped open.
Her jet-black pupils matched her dark hair.
Despite being sealed all this time, her gaze showed no weakness—only fierce strength.
Perhaps because she's also the goddess of the hunt?
She had the eyes of a warrior.
“You dare not listen quietly, do you.”
With that, the crescent moon tattoo shimmered.
K’aai, the jewel within the swirling vortex that had been slandering Artemis, flinched.
[Oh? What’s this? Have you arrived so soon?]
“I can no longer tolerate you tarnishing my honor with such baseless words.”
Artemis glared fiercely at the vortex above her.
It swirled with mocking laughter.
[Heh. The virgin goddess Artemis’s honor is already buried deep. What’s left to tarnish?]
“Mere rumors about my body will be undone once I restore my soul. Callisto was exiled only because of her constellation assignment. The facts you speak of are far from the truth.”
Artemis refuted K’aai’s words.
She looked quite desperate.
Until now, she had remained sealed, but perhaps she's emerging because death felt imminent?
“Soul God. Think carefully. False gods are fictional by nature. They are fabricated beings with inherently cruel tendencies. Do you truly believe they will cooperate with you even after achieving their goals?”
[We Great Old Ones keep our promises.]
“Nonsense. Then why are you proposing to go against Zeus now? Fulfill the contract you already made.”
[That’s because Zeus didn’t uphold his end of the bargain.]
A fierce argument erupted between the swirling vortex and Artemis’s floating head.
They both made valid points—it was hard to decide.
So I asked Artemis:
“If I free you, will you become my apostle god?”
“Yes, Soul God.”
She lifted her chin arrogantly, nodding with pride.
Even in a life-threatening situation, her pride remained.
“But I’m going to fight your father, Zeus. How can I trust his daughter?”
“Pfft… Father… You mean the one who sold me out, pretended not to see me even after becoming a creator? I bear a grudge against him too. If you’re set on subjugating Zeus, I’ll aid you with utmost sincerity.”
After hearing her resolve, I turned to K’aai.
“If I slay Artemis, how exactly do you and your kind become deities?”
[That… I’ll tell you after she’s slain.]
“No, I need to hear it first. There have been too many times where you say ‘I’ll tell you after,’ and I no longer trust that. This is too critical—I must know now.”
[Hmm…]
K’aai hesitated to speak.
Artemis lifted her head as if to say, “See? Told you.”
“Look. He can’t even answer. Do you really think these evil gods will truly help the Soul God? In contrast, I’ve offered to become your apostle. I’ve put everything on the line. Help me, Soul God.”
K’aai chuckled and finally spoke.
[Hehehe. The Soul God just hasn’t fully shed their humanity—that’s why you hesitate… The method is simple. We’ll slice up your soul and consume it.]
“You’d… eat me?”
Artemis frowned and bit her lip.
K’aai cheerfully continued, watching her.
[We need fragments of a god’s soul. But we don’t need your intellect. Just discarded fragments of divine essence. To obtain that, we require a god who’s easily corrupted and prone to losing reason. Zeus told us you had the weakest mind. Hahaha. How does it feel to be chosen by your own father as the weakest among gods?]
“Zeus…?”
Artemis’s eyes slowly lost focus.
Was it the shock of being betrayed yet again by her father?
But she soon regained her composure, shook her head side to side.
Wow.
She’s just a head, and she can still do that.
“He’s already betrayed me… I’ve known for a long time. It doesn’t matter anymore. Soul God, this is the state I’m in. Doesn’t that make me all the more trustworthy?”
[Think carefully, Soul God. There’s no need to avoid the easy path. There’s no need for conflict. Just render Artemis’s soul mindless and hand it to us. You don’t even need to go that far. Keep torturing her and eventually, her soul will crack. I’ll start devouring it from there… hehehe…]
Darkness clouded Artemis’s face.
That snake-like thing crawled over her face.
With nothing but a head, she couldn’t shake it off—only stare in disgust.
“Disgusting… This is why I didn’t want to open my eyes.”
[Can’t even endure this much? No wonder Zeus picked you as the weakest, O virgin goddess.]
This wasn’t going to end at this rate.
Hearing K’aai’s words, my decision was already made.
“Okay. I’ve decided.”
Both of them turned their eyes toward me.
Waiting for the conclusion.
Among them, Artemis seemed more resigned than hopeful.
The gap in conditions and difficulty was too large, after all.
Any other god might’ve accepted K’aai’s offer—unless they were especially righteous.
But I’m different.
I’m the Soul God.
“I’ll do both.”
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