Chapter 120 – Snake Catcher

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Humans are animals that formed societies since long ago, even before fully awakening intelligence.

Forming a group, setting rules, and living by them was an instinct of the human species.

And human intelligence and instinct found two conflicting values that support society.

Reconciliation and forgiveness, meaning that even those who committed wrongs should be embraced.

Justice and judgment, meaning that those who committed wrongs must be punished.

However, as time passed, what humans could do and what they couldn’t do became separated.

Since humans possess roughly equal strength, they have no choice but to reconcile and forgive each other.

Of course, there are exceptions everywhere. Sometimes, people who cried out for judgment without yielding to external pressure did appear.

The problem is they couldn’t realize justice as much as they wanted.

That’s why faith emerged, and justice that humans couldn’t realize was entrusted to gods.

Humans wanted a transcendent being and judgment that could sever the tangled skein of all sorts of interests at once.

The fact that I can act harshly toward enemies might be because of this.

However, even while showing cruel handiwork without regarding the background circumstances, my conscience seemed to think differently.

It was when I thought I had dug the ground enough and gathered strength with the intention of launching a bombardment altogether.

The stars inside the flesh gathering at the tips of my fingers stopped at some point.

The problem was the authority of Exceptionless Judgment.

The power that had shown overwhelming lethality against all kinds of demons up until now rejected my will for the first time.

-Scanning alignment.

Even the voice in my heart that I intentionally ignored saying I had to deal with the enemy was heard.

[The purpose was noble, and they only harmed in order to survive. If only they hadn’t touched the abyss, they would have been mere lives entangled in the bonds of the cycle.]

-Scanning result: The nature of the crime is not wicked enough to judge.

The authority of Exceptionless Judgment is powerful but difficult to use.

…The fact that I could only use miracles against enemies my alignment and conscience permitted was indeed a massive penalty.

I withdrew the hand gathering starlight and chose a different method.

A method that took longer and was more cruel than the Golden Path, an exclusive miracle against great demons.

I reached out my hand toward the roots weaving soil to somehow support the collapsing ground.

As soon as I felt the texture there, I twisted and tore it.

Riiip, rip.

Every time a large root was torn off, the cries grew louder.

At the same time, roots extending to other places also began to weaken noticeably.

Seeing the tautly ripe roots shrivel and dry up in an instant made it certain.

It’s a world where even divine authorities are not eternal.

Furthermore, there was a limit for a demon who wasn’t even the main body but merely ate it luckily to handle it.

Tududuk.

The light spewing from underground gradually faded.

The power possessed by the Elysium of Extending Roots was used up.

The tough roots that used to stretch endlessly even when pulled now snapped freely like hair devoid of strength.

Only then did a lamenting voice from down below reach me.

=God Who, Makes Stars.=

Beneath the roots torn off by my hand, under the showering dirt pile, a comparatively intact-looking dragon could be seen.

Although its wings were plucked out leaving scarred wounds, it was a dragon covered in scales shining like blue sapphires.

Broken Wing Chang-rin. One of Cooling Breath’s favored confidants.

Wondering why it hadn’t revealed its appearance all this time, it seems it was trying to hide the fact that it ate Extending Roots.

Even though it was a completely useless concealment now.

“I’ll take back the Elysium you devoured.”

=Just one. Just answer one thing.=

Chang-rin was different from the majority of dragons who lost both scales and wings and moved only chasing hunger.

It had forgotten the light, but it remembered its former appearance flying in the sky and the paradise Cooling Breath promised.

=Even if the Dragon God becomes a true god, Elysium is.=

Most fallen dragons lost their intelligence and couldn’t understand language.

Unfortunately, Chang-rin seems to have heard the conversation I just had with Cooling Breath.

A cruel truth over cozy ignorance.

The dragon chose wrong means, but I answered seriously knowing it did so for a noble purpose.

“It cannot be made. He can become an independent existence, but he cannot become a god that embraces you all.”

However, the opponent was an existence that moved its entire life chasing only the salvation of its kin.

Faced with confirmed death, instead of accepting the fact that it couldn’t save its kin and despairing, Chang-rin harbored doubt.

The demon filled with stubbornness desperately turned away, even though it realized it was the truth the moment it heard it.

=I don’t believe it. I won’t believe your words. Who knows if this is a story you, a god of humans, fabricated to protect humans?=

“If the words you spew right now are your salvation, then so be it.”

I showed neither meaningless false hope nor clumsy hypocrisy.

I tightly gripped both ends of Chang-rin as it was.

Even though it weakened after recklessly pouring out the authority of Elysium just a moment ago, it is hard.

Normal dragons would have had all their flesh torn and burst by now.

Feeling surging regret, I comforted myself.

I am a god.

It’s just that I wasn’t the god of dragons.

And the mercy I can show against enemies I have no choice but to defeat is killing them quickly before they even have time to feel pain.

The soft heart hardens again.

Gripping both ends of Chang-rin like that, I pulled vigorously with both hands.

Cr-cr-cr-uuu-unch-.

At that moment, a bright orb of light appeared from the torn demon’s body.

The Elysium containing roots that extend while weaving.

When I reached out my hand, it headed toward me along with golden dust.

Before long, when my fingertips touched Elysium, an unfamiliar voice tickled my ears.

[You are already stronger than anyone else, yet you wish to extend outward more than anyone else. The opponent is the Sun God, right?]

“Are you alright?”

[Don’t treat a dead god as a senior. I’m actually embarrassed. Besides, you are much stronger than me… and your ambition is still the same.]

Extending Roots let out a self-deprecating sigh despite feeling bashful.

[The buds waited to wither and the leaves waited to fall. Only I wanted to keep extending. I’ve been deceiving myself that it would always be fine as long as the roots remained.]

“….”

[Even though roots remaining alone in a world without sunlight can’t bear fruit.]

Extending Roots was also one of the gods who fled.

The end of the god who hid while turning away from the voices of believers desperately begging for help was miserable.

[God Who Makes Stars, do not survive alone.]

The lingering thought of Extending Roots crumbled after its final words.

I wasn’t even granted time for it to bring out any helpful advice.

Chang-rin having sucked it dry to the marrow was too much.

It probably held out this much because it was a powerful god counted among the Cycle Church.

The regret left by Extending Roots shared the same vein as the words left by other lingering thoughts.

Do not fear burning yourself up to shine.

I could roughly guess what words would follow after this.

-That is the mission of a star.

After nodding at the words left by the dead gods, it was time to check the usurped authority.

Although I roughly guessed how useful it would be through inherited memories.

“There was a reason they hid Chang-rin so tightly.”

I was certain as I collected the usurped Elysium of Extending Roots.

It is an authority specialized in dealing with dragons underground.

If so, there was no need to save it like an ancestral shrine tablet.

***

The authority of Extending Roots shines when strengthening other plants, especially roots.

Broken Wing Chang-rin used this to move dead roots to collapse the ground, but I utilized it in a different way.

-Authority Manifestation, Extending Roots.

-Authority Manifestation, Growing Life.

Although Growing Life was higher in rank, both were head gods of the Cycle Church.

When these authorities, not just one but two, were used on the Dragon Repelling Tree, which was refined solely to repel dragons, the result was clearly revealed.

The ground around the settlement, which had been shivering, slowly subsided before anyone knew it.

People who had awkwardly raised their hands upon seeing the ground heaving from afar were surprised instead.

“Looks like, like they are planning a surprise attack.”

“If it shakes even a little, raise your hands! Understood?”

“Waah! Mom!”

However, in contrast to the trembling people, the ground was calm.

Because the fight moved deep under there.

Until now, there was no suitable means, so I fought by digging up the ground, but now it’s different.

Now that I had the authority of Extending Roots, I could fight more efficiently, far more persistently, and with much less damage.

At this moment, my army was not holy knights or armed people, but the roots of the Dragon Repelling Trees.

“Go straight ahead as you are. It’s okay to let a few pass. Let’s lure them from here and tie them up in one place.”

The underground space where dragons drilled holes to pass through was finely crushed just enough for tree roots to burrow into.

The Dragon Repelling Trees planted throughout the settlement were completely shattering the preconception that plants are slow.

The speed at which the roots grow and pierce through flesh was far faster than the speed at which dragons crawl.

Of course, they weren’t guys with such weak durability that they’d die from just getting hit by one of those.

But if roots pierced them in bundles, they would inevitably be tied down without being able to move an inch.

Keeyaaaaack-.

The cries let out by the fallen dragons echo in the underground cavities.

Even if I couldn’t kill them, being able to seal their movements was an immense advantage.

But the most important thing is the divine power dwelling in the roots of the Dragon Repelling Trees.

Originally, my influence couldn’t reach deep underground unless the ground was cleaved wide open, but now it was reaching.

Although it was vastly weaker than on the surface, reaching there was what’s important.

With this, I could help the holy knights.

Of course, I first had to neutralize all the dragons targeting the settlement.

Ironically, it was Cooling Breath who helped with this.

[Return, compatriots. …I’m going. Together.]

It still didn’t know my influence reached the underground.

It seemed to think I wasn’t at the level of freely handling the authority I just usurped.

If the guy plans a surprise attack, it was a boon for me instead.

I orbited the stars inside the flesh once more.

This time, it wasn’t to attack the dragons, but to make the path safer.

Using the roots of the Dragon Repelling Trees, I stabilized the gaping underground cavities one by one.

So that the ceiling wouldn’t suddenly collapse, so that the floor wouldn’t cave in, I meticulously weaved fine roots like a net.

…No. There’s not enough time.

If Cooling Breath thought it was disadvantageous, it would devour all the secretly hidden survivors and then move.

To prevent that disaster, it had to be done at the same time.

I connected the underground cavities to make a passageway safe enough for people to walk, while calling upon those who would be the core of this operation.

[“Holy knights, listen from now on. I have prepared entrances in front of you. Those who are still looking for an opportunity, head there. I will make sure to join those who have infiltrated first. Follow this path and rescue the people from Cooling Breath.”]

I couldn’t fail.

At least when it came to saving my people.