Chapter 395

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 395: The Big Hand (5)

The Throne.

In Yeongwoo’s wedding hall, there was only one throne.

It was the seat reserved for the number one contributor in the congratulatory gift ranking.

As a token of appreciation, the highest-ranking guest was given an iron throne that never touched the ground and could freely adjust its altitude and position.

Additionally, whoever sat on this throne had the authority to expel anyone from the venue—except for the third-ranked contributor.

So how could Mara, the so-called King of Ten Thousand Demons, have ever imagined that such a rule would exist at a wedding he was attending?

「The throne…?」

As expected, when Dogo urged him to come and take a look at the throne, Mara expressed his confusion.

And at that moment, the immense pressure that had been weighing down on Yeongwoo’s knees vanished entirely.

‘…Huh? Could it be that the chairman’s words actually worked?’

Perhaps beings of a third-class existence only communicated properly with others of their level.

At the same time, the halted time within the wedding hall gradually resumed its natural flow.

Sssshhh!

Void rain struck the heads of the guests, dispersing a pungent energy, and the sky was now filled with an even darker shade of gray than before.

"Lord Bang, Mara will truly manifest soon. Hurry and take shelter in the hall!"

Yeongwoo pointed toward the main building, where reinforcement work was likely underway, but Lord Bang shook his head.

—I cannot turn my back on him again.

"What?"

—Give me Aratubank. I must stand here and face him.

Swish.

Lord Bang extended his red hand.

He was asking for help—to be allowed to face Mara directly.

Aratubank was a shield capable of blocking nearly all mental attacks.

By holding it, he could at least partially withstand Mara’s overwhelming presence.

‘Wait, then what about me?’

Yeongwoo wanted to refuse, but he knew he couldn’t deny Lord Bang’s request.

‘…Damn it.’

After all, Aratubank was originally a sacred relic of Lord Bang and his brethren.

It must have been infuriating enough to merely have to look up at his mortal enemy, let alone be deprived of the very artifact meant for moments like this.

Yeongwoo could hardly fathom his emotions.

“…It wouldn’t make sense to run twice.”

Yeongwoo ultimately decided to hand over Aratubank to Lord Bang.

And the moment the sacred relic left Yeongwoo and returned to its rightful owner—

Fwoooosh!

"Urgh…!"

An overwhelming chill seized Yeongwoo.

This was the energy the void rain had been pressing down upon him all along.

‘So I was able to keep my knees up thanks to Aratubank?!’

The realization struck him just as Lord Bang, now holding the relic, wore a sorrowful expression.

He had been freed from the void’s energy the moment he grasped Aratubank, but instead of relief, he was overcome with grief.

Despite possessing such an incredible artifact, he and his kin had still lacked the power to protect their homeworld.

Even in exile, they had failed to keep this sacred relic safe.

—Little Foot, grow stronger. I hope you never come to understand the feeling I have right now.

"Lord Bang… I’ll remember that."

Yeongwoo said the words, but in truth, he wanted nothing more than to bash Lord Bang on the head and take Aratubank back.

The void’s energy surrounding the area was intensifying with every passing moment.

It was like suffering from an extreme fever—his entire body, no, even his mind, felt like it was convulsing.

His head was filled with chills, his vision swam with dizziness, and a needle-like pain pierced through him relentlessly.

‘Is… is this what they call homeostasis deterioration? Can I even fight in this state?’

As Yeongwoo writhed in undeniable agony, Bantubangtong, who had been staring at the ashen sky, suddenly gasped.

—…Ah!

The sky had transformed into a grotesque gray stone wall, and at its center, a massive wrinkle began to form.

Creak.

Then, from that spot, five enormous tentacles emerged, intertwining as they descended toward the ground.

They took the shape of horns rising from the earth.

—Little Foot!

At Lord Bang’s warning, Yeongwoo raised his head—just in time to witness something being formed at the ends of the tentacles, which had now descended 100 meters above the ground.

Slither.

At first, it was merely a gray droplet, like condensation at the tip of an icicle.

Then—

Slick!

In the blink of an eye, it took on the form of a gaunt human figure.

"…Huh."

Its skin had an uncanny, wax-like texture.

Though its skull bore a human-like shape, it had no facial features—just a vertical slit running from its forehead to its chin in place of eyes, nose, and mouth.

‘Is that… Mara?’

The moment Yeongwoo fully took in Mara’s grotesque appearance, it descended.

"……!"

There was no friction.

Not even the faintest sound of air splitting.

In absolute silence, its form cut through the ashen space, and an overwhelming presence crushed everyone who laid eyes upon it.

‘H-holy…!’

It felt as if the mass of an entire planet had been crammed into that small body.

Its physical form was not large, but its perceived volume was beyond comprehension.

It was as if—

‘Its… its shadow is expanding infinitely…!’

Overwhelmed by the sheer presence of the being before him, Yeongwoo wasn’t even aware that he was forming coherent thoughts.

And the others—those hiding behind Aratubank—were no different.

—Hrrrk…!

—Uaargh!

They let out pitiful groans, collapsing onto the ground, unable to lift their heads.

All except for one.

—Raise your heads, Red Feet! Our tribe’s enemy stands before us!

With blood-stained cries, Bantubangtong shouted desperately, his voice filled with both rage and despair.

For he had now fully realized the vast difference in power.

Their entire tribe could be resurrected thousands, even tens of thousands of times, and still not so much as graze this opponent.

—Maraaa…!

A name called out in a mixture of wrath, fear, and hatred.

But Mara did not respond.

He did not even spare a glance at the orc he considered a mere insect.

Instead—

「Dogo.」

He spoke the name of the only being present who stood on a comparable level.

「I have come to claim your proxy.」

Dogo’s proxy.

That meant Yeongwoo.

Of course, Yeongwoo had previously told Mara something along those lines.

That if he came to the wedding and offered a congratulatory gift, he would consider changing sponsors.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

But while Yeongwoo had meant ‘consider,’ Mara had interpreted it as a confirmed contract.

‘If I had known a third-class existence was this powerful, I never would have said that…!’

Only now did he truly understand how much the chairman—a fellow third-class entity—had been holding back when dealing with Yeongwoo and the insignificant beings of Earth.

Yet, how could two third-class beings feel so utterly different?

—Claim my proxy? What nonsense. I’ve heard nothing of the sort.

Feigning ignorance, despite fully understanding why Mara had come, Dogo casually countered.

Then, he subtly proposed a competition of congratulations.

—In any case, doesn’t the validity of this so-called contract depend on full participation in the ceremony?

In other words, he was telling Mara to offer his gift and properly enter the wedding hall first.

「…….」

Instead of answering, Mara suddenly looked around.

‘…What is this?’

A sense of foreboding crept over him.

And, as expected, Dogo immediately intervened to stop Mara’s sudden action.

—The development rights dispute isn’t over yet. So it’d be best not to cross the line.

“……!”

It seemed that Mara had just attempted to kill all the guests.

‘What the hell is wrong with this bastard?’

Were all third-class beings like this?

For a moment, Yeongwoo was overwhelmed with mixed emotions, thinking that Chairman Dogo might actually be the most reasonable among them.

And finally—

「Things are getting troublesome.」

Mara lowered his altitude slightly and moved closer to the lobby.

Clack!

At that moment, Dogo’s wreath, which had been loaded and waiting, shifted its aim.

“Huh?”

As Yeongwoo turned his head toward the wreath, sensing its movement—

Piaaaat!

A crimson projectile shot out from the wreath, heading straight for Mara.

‘Chairman…? A pincer attack strategy?’

Startled, Yeongwoo instinctively reached for Bastard at his waist, preparing for the worst.

Seeing this, Mara let out a scoffing sound, almost a laugh.

「What a ridiculous fool.」

Then, he extended countless arms from his back, grabbing hold of the projectile.

Kwoooaak!

‘These lunatics…’

Yeongwoo’s eyes widened at the sight of the mass of arms, which resembled butterfly wings.

Pwooooosh!

The projectile exploded midair, scattering bright red powder everywhere.

Now it was clear—the projectile was never meant to deal damage.

It was simply a means to disperse the powder.

Tssssssss…!

The crimson powder reacted with the ashen space, erasing the void that had been engulfing the wedding hall.

—Were you planning to kill all the guests before the ceremony even started?

「You’re overstepping, Dogo.」

—This is my event too. Look at the congratulatory gift rankings.

「…What?」

Congratulatory gift rankings.

Mara seemed momentarily thrown off by the unfamiliar term.

He moved through the air a little faster than before, heading toward the gift table.

There, cowering near the gift table, a pitiful Kobu trembled as he manipulated a device with shaking hands.

Tap!

Soon, a hologram was projected from the gift table, displaying the ranking board on the main building’s exterior wall.

[Gift Rankings]

[1st] Dogo – 「3 billion」

[2nd] Lemu, Lightning Rod – 「1.6 billion」

[3rd] Hammer of Kwaya – Private

[4th] Bantubangtong – 100 million

[5th] Cheok – 90 million

「……?」

Mara looked at the ranking in disbelief.

「What is this?」

—It’s like ownership shares in the event. Right now, I am the king of this wedding hall.

At that, Dogo could no longer contain himself.

He left the main building, still seated on his throne.

Fwaaaash!

—Only I have the right to fly inside that hall.

For the first time since arriving on Earth, Mara displayed emotion.

「What did you say?」

It was brief, but clearly a moment of outrage.

‘Wait… Is the right to fly considered a basic right for third-class beings?’

While Yeongwoo tilted his head in confusion, Mara approached the gift table and placed his hand on the surface, as if unable to believe what he was hearing.

Thud.

Immediately, a detailed holographic text explaining the wedding’s ranking system appeared above the gift table.

Mara read it, then turned his gaze toward Dogo, who was now hovering higher than him.

「All but the top three can be expelled…? What kind of wedding is this?」

At that moment, the current rank one in gift contributions, Dogo, looked down at Mara with an arrogant expression from his throne.

—Winner takes all… That is the way of Earth. Are you afraid?

Dogo’s voice echoed from within his armor, a low and mocking tone.

Hearing this, Mara let out a sinister chuckle through the gaps in his head.

「Fool. Your contribution is public information. Which means soon, it will be you groveling on the ground!」

Then, he turned to Kobu at the gift table and barked an order.

「Is the Void Slate ready? If not, I will inscribe it upon your flesh instead.」

—V-Void Slate! It is ready!

Thankfully, Yeongwoo had purchased a special signature slate in advance, sparing Kobu’s life.

Finally, Kobu retrieved the Void Slate from inside the gift table.

At that moment, Mara spoke in his eerie, chilling voice.

「Delegate, what do you desire as your gift? Choose.」

“…Pardon? You mean that seriously?”

Yeongwoo asked in disbelief, but Mara ignored him and instead began reciting a list of words.

「Eyes, arms, legs.」

‘What the hell is he saying? This psycho…’

But Mara seemed completely serious.

「Consider it an honor that the Void even acknowledges your wretched body.」

“What… Are you seriously talking about bodily gifts?”

Mara repeated the words once again.

「Eyes, arms, legs.」

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]