The Tower… Vivasvat had heard of the Tower in passing numerous times during his travels. It was known as a place where 'heroes' all over the universe entered to test their mettle. Each floor of the Tower had its own set of trials and difficulties under various scenario themes, and if one was able to rise through all ninety-nine floors, one could become a 'true' god.

As someone who detested gods, Vivasvat felt that the Tower was a nonsensical concept, so he deliberately ignored anything to do with it. However, he had just received an invitation to enter. Of course, Vivasvat's answer was obvious.

[Rejected.]

'I don't know who created such a useless thing, but if I find out who it is later, I'll have to give him or her a beat down.' If this kind of nonsense pathway for mortals continued, Vivasvat felt that something bad could happen in the future.

While he was having these thoughts… Whoosh! Vivasvat moved to the next place of interest in search of the Heavenly Demon.

***

[You have entered 'Planet Full of Nightmares'!]

'…the stench is overpowering.' Vivasvat squinted as soon as he crossed the portal. The stench that assaulted his nose made him nauseous. At times like this, Vivasvat did not appreciate his sensitive senses. The layout of the planet beneath his feet was filled with nothing but charred trees.

'Is there really an elder god in a place like this?' The reason Vivasvat chose to visit this planet was because traces of an existence that helped the Heavenly Demon create the universe were found here. 'I've heard this elder god cares so much about mortals, as seen by his active service in assisting the Heavenly Demon create the laws and life of the world… But looking at this place, that doesn't seem to be the case.'

As he traveled around the universe and killed gods one after another, Vivasvat realized that the gods did not particularly care about the past. Though these elder gods constantly expounded on their good deeds and intentions in the past, they were only kidding themselves as they immersed and saw themselves based solely on their 'past'. The noble ideals and splendid hopes they had in the past were all buried under the grab for power in the present.

This planet illustrated that point. Vivasvat was half expecting a dignified presence on the planet, as it was essentially being ruled over by a creator god, but everything on the planet was so messed up that it seemed no better than hell. Along the entire surface of the planet, barren and withered trees, like thorns on a hedgehog, dotted the landscape, and from many of the trees, people could be seen hanging from them, wrapped in vines. The vine's spiky thorns dug deep into the humans' skins and sucked their bodily fluids. It looked unbearably painful.

However, unlike how ghastly it looked externally, the people on the vine all had grinning expressions. A narcotic hormone seemed to be pumping into them through the thorns, allowing them to forget their physical pains. Seemingly having been under this parasitic state for a long time, the people seemed to have lost all ability to reason. Once the useful life of one human was depleted, the vine system probably just cast away the useless human like trash and seek a new prey.

Vivasvat had seen this type of tree, Tree of the Dead, several times during his travels. The Tree of Death was used to capture mortals, forcibly make them feel happy and satisfied, and extract the faith that flowed out from them. Vivasvat knew that many of these 'fallen' gods would often take over a planet, privatize it for their own benefit, and mine mortals and their faith… But he never thought an elder god would fall to such a low tactic.

'No. Rather, it may be that this is the norm. It's because of their illogic and nastiness that such an unfair universe was created.' Vivasvat's eyes twinkled coldly. 'I should get rid of him quickly.'

Vivasvat raised his magic power and gathered it in the center of his palm.

['Great Handprint' explodes!]

Using the martial art skill that he developed after visiting the One-horned Tribe, Vivasvat flicked his palm forward. Once he did so, a magic field expanded from his palm. It expanded hundreds of thousands of times and landed at the center of the planet's surface. It landed in the middle of the thickest part of the Tree of the Dead.

Boom! Rumble. Rumble. Rumble… The skill that Vivasvat exhibited surpassed the level that a mere mortal could accomplish. A pit of immense depth was created in the place where the Great Handprint exploded, as if a meteorite with a diameter of several kilometers had crashed onto the surface. As a result, the surrounding landmass soared up more than tens of kilometers around the newly formed crater. Moreover, the earth that once made up the crater flew high up into the air.

Making a parabolic shape, the earth spread out over a large range. The fallout was so widespread that it could be clearly seen from above the planet. Moreover, due to the sudden tectonic movement, the mantle flowing under the planet's surface reacted in unison and affected the entire planet… Cracks started spreading on the surface, and red lava began to shoot up at random. A black plume blanketed the entire surface of the planet in an instant, and a huge typhoon swept away all that remained on the planet's surface. It was such a catastrophe that one could not help but doubt if any living being could survive the aftermath.

[The 'Planet Full of Nightmares' has met an apocalyptic end!]

[A shrouding, fiery wind engulfs the planet.]

[A fire sweeps through and shrouds the planet.] ...

[Executor of the Apocalypse: Vivasvat]

[Your level of evil has risen dramatically!]

Though he saw the messages appearing in his mind, Vivasvat did not blink. Since he had caused an immeasurable amount of death, the achievements accumulated in Vivasvat's soul were stained with evil. However, Vivasvat did not mind this penalty, as he felt this was the only way to clear away the evil doings of the gods.

No, Vivasvat was sure that he was making the right choice. If he did not take this action, the souls of the enslaved mortal humans would belong to the gods even after the mortals died, so they would have to live a life of pain and imprisonment for eternity.

「Thank you…」

「Thank you for freeing us from the never-ending cycle of bondage and suffering…」

「Now, my people, my children…」「My parents will now be able to close their eyes in peace…」

These were the voices that reverberated around Vivasvat.

[An innumerable amount of faith is being gathered!]

[Your spirit and soul are responding.]

[The evil achievements you acquired are being washed away.]

…

[Your exuviation and transcendence, which was interrupted, shall resume.]

[Your light distribution shines out!]

…

[You have forcibly canceled your exuviation and transcendence.]

Vivasvat clenched his teeth and suppressed the light distribution emanating from his body. If he left the process alone, he would become a god, the same existence that he detested and fought against. However, his ability to forcibly stop the process was slowly reaching its limit. 'I don't know how much longer I can hold it back.'

In a situation where even the death of a god would be a tremendous achievement, the faith gained by saving the numerous beings detained by such an evil god would be enormous. Even at this moment, Vivasvat's powers were rapidly growing. He was beginning to hit his 'limit' in holding back the exuviation and transcendence process.

Vivasvat thought that he would have to find a new way to forcibly stop his development into a god. While he was having this thought, something started to wriggle in the middle of the wasted planet's surface.

[An ancient being who had been sleeping is awakening!]

The evil, dark existence that had been secretly hidden in the inner core of the planet squirmed and then lifted his head upward. The being had eyes as cold as a snake as it had just awakened from a long hibernation.

Who. Dares. Disturb. My. Sleep.

Having been asleep for a long time, the being did not seem to be able to properly assess the situation, so it started speaking whatever gibberish came to its mind.

Although the amount of information the being was emanating was enormous enough to paralyze any mortal, Vivasvat was largely unaffected and could roughly understand what the being was saying.

The being's words made Vivasvat angrier. The being had no guilt about the sins he had committed. Rather, the being was angered at being woken up. Vivasvat muttered, "I shall tear you apart and bring your death."

[Your light distribution shines brilliantly!]lightsnovel

Boom! Vivasvat flew at the elder god, emitting a more splendid light than any sun.

***

『The Heavenly Demon… How could he do this to me?!』

The elder god stated his divine name, The One Who Always Sleeps. However, Vivasvat did not care about the elder god's name. 'Is this guy really an elder god? Nonsense.'

According to what Vivasvat had heard so far in passing, all the elder gods were supposedly great beings. They were beings that existed before the present universe was even created, and they reigned with the Heavenly Demons based on their omnipotent powers.

However, although many of these elder god's legends disappeared and melted into the laws of the world as the eons passed without the outward appearance of their existence, those beings who remembered these elder gods still considered them as 'great' beings.

Even if some of the descriptions and achievements were exaggerated and a bit overblown, Vivasvat still thought it would be a challenge to confront the elder gods. However, in reality, Vivasvat dominated the confrontations one-sidedly.

The powers the elder gods possessed were obviously great, but they were all just remnant traces of their past states. The elder gods' powers had been eroded to the point that it was nearly impossible for Vivasvat to feel any divinity stemming from them.

To be precise, it was not an exaggeration to say that the elder gods were barely able to sustain their life by sucking up the nutrients of the planet they latched on to.

'No. To be precise, they're only a shell of their previous selves.'

It was as if their being had been thoroughly worn out, leaving behind only an empty husk of their former selves.『Throughout the countless cycles of the 'wheel', though I lost my powers with each successive iteration, I still chose to serve you, Heavenly Demon…! Heavenly Demon, why have you forsaken me! Are you planning to cast me away after using me as your faithful hound? How are you different from my foolish father, the Black King!』

'Wheel? Lost powers? A hound? And what or who is this foolish father?' Vivasvat could not understand all the words of the being who cried out as he looked up at the sky, but Vivasvat could tell that the being's words had something to do with the 'secret' surrounding the creation of the universe. It seemed that this location would prove to be fruitful for Vivasvat. 'I think he sees me as a messenger sent by my father, so I might be able to figure something out if I slap him around a little.'

Fortunately or unfortunately, many of the powers that Vivasvat possessed resembled those of the Heavenly Demon.

"It won't change anything to lament like that. You fled and veered away from the great will that founded the light of creation. Are those words the last things you want to leave behind?"

The being, who had the head of a snake, quickly turned his head and glared at Vivasvat.『You… You're saying that I violated the will of the Heavenly Demon?』

"Haven't you? Did he tell you to stay here and exploit innocent mortals?"

『I have been wronged! Though I did not follow the Heavenly Demon's suggestions and ran away from him, I still tried not to interfere with the 'wheel' and live a quiet life! Even though I've done this…!』

'Suggestion?' Vivasvat felt that he was on the cusp of understanding something. He spoke up again, "You should have known that the will of the creation light was not to live as you have, no?"

『Will you only be satisfied once you've used us until the end! Did you think I didn't notice that you've corralled all of us together in this small place to take advantage of us?』

'Corralled together…' Vivasvat felt he had caught something important. "Is that wrong?"

『Of course it's wrong…!』 The being stopped screaming, as if he realized something, and started narrowing his eyes.『You…! You don't know anything! I thought you were another face of the Heavenly Demon, but you're not. You're like him, but also very different… Who the hell are you?』

'Damn. Did he find out?' Vivasvat was a little disappointed, as he felt he was just about to gain the information that he wanted. If he could find out what the 'corralled area' the being was talking about was, Vivasvat felt he would be one step closer in finding the whereabouts of the Heavenly Demon. 'I could have also found out what the secret is about the creation of the universe.'

Whoosh!

lightsΝοvεl ƈοm [Fully releasing your powers.]

[Your light distribution is flowing outward!]

Vivasvat, after releasing his powers, struck down on the being.

Thud…!

『Argh…!』

"You don't have to know who I am. I want you to tell me what the Heavenly Demon's instructions were."

『I… I…!』

"It sounds like you're trying to buy some time to come up with a plausible excuse, but you better think against taking that type of action. I can tear you apart instantly if I want."

Vivasvat's light distribution suddenly covered his entire body, and Vivasvat's face was no longer visible. Moreover, Vivasvat's voice gradually became blunt, as if he had lost all his human emotions.

"Of course, even if you die here, if you have some faith stored away, you'll probably be able to resurrect after a long time. But, I promise, when that time comes, I will be the first to find you and kill you again. I will make sure that all your legends and faith are completely depleted. Once you die a few more times, your existence will disappear completely."

『Damn…it!』 Having heard Vivasvat's words, the elder god could no longer resist. Eventually, the elder god raised his head and tried to tell the secret that Vivasvat was curious about. Until the end, the elder god never gave up hope that he might be able to live.

Vivasvat's eyes twinkled at the thought that his dreadful pursuit of the Heavenly Demon might finally be over. However, his hopes were soon squashed.

Black clouds gathered in the middle of the universe, where there was once nothing, and a golden thunderbolt shot out. Rumble! Without being able to make any move, Vivasvat could only watch helplessly as a golden thunderbolt smashed onto the planet, mercilessly crushing the being's snake-like head.

Sss. The fragments of the being's head, which exploded like pieces of sand from an exploding sandcastle, gathered onto the spot where the lightning bolt struck.

['The One Who Always Sleeps' has been god sealed!]

The god wasn't killed, just sealed. Vivasvat, well aware of what this meant, had no choice but to react with fury. 'God sealing' rather than 'god killing' meant that the existence was completely annihilated from the present universe. Only an absolute being could achieve this feat. The god sealing also required a unique material called divine iron. At present, even Vivasvat was not able to accomplish god sealing.

In the present universe, there was only one type of being capable of this feat—the faces of the Heavenly Demon. The incarnations and different faces of the Heavenly Demon, who were born from the great will of the creation light, appeared in different iterations of the universe.

[Sun Wukong is descending!]

Among these different incarnations and faces of the Heavenly Demon, the Great Sage, said to be one of the strongest beings, was making his appearance.

"Wow, this guy. You sure have a face that I'd like to punch a few times."

Whoosh! Bam!

Sun Wukong tilted his head as he looked over the thing that looked like the Ruyi Bang. "Are you Jiho's son?"