Chapter 538 - Burning Legion

Chapter 538: Burning Legion
Translator: 
imperfectluck 
 Editor: 
Kurisu


Um, my dear and venerated Goddess, is there any way for me to become stronger than that idiot before he returns? Apart from a large-scale blood sacrifice, I’m willing to consider anything.

This wasn’t the first time that I had asked my System if there were any secret techniques like in mobile games such as charging money or taking mysterious drugs that could speedily help me to achieve a Main God’s power level, allowing me to teach that unreliable younger brother of mine a lesson.
This time, I brought this topic up yet again because I kept feeling like the power at my disposal was quite lacking.
I had barely managed to use that nuclear bomb and my personal Hell world to deal with Conservation, and my Yongye City had dealt with the undead army. However, my personal power level was far behind my own abilities.
I wouldn’t even be able to think about dealing with Karwenz, who was currently fighting everything he could in the Chaos Abyss. And if my physical body had been exposed in front of Conservation, she would have likely killed me in a split second.
This wasn’t because my mage tower Yongye City or bug-like Hell world had any glaring weaknesses. In fact, both of them were quite strong trump cards up my sleeve. My true weakness was I myself.
If only I had still been at SemiGod power level, capable of casually tossing out the Ice Aeon forbidden spell as I pleased, added on to my mage tower’s buff and the isolation capabilities of my bug-like Hell world, Conservation wouldn’t have been much of a problem at all.
It was important to learn from past experiences. Sometimes, hundreds and thousands of schemes and calculations truly wouldn’t measure up to a sufficient amount of actual power. Sometimes, simple brute force would be far more useful than the best logic or reason. However, Astrya’s response was basically the same as it always was.
[Charge money? Do you think that the real world is one of those silly mobile games or internet games where you can become stronger by spending money? You want to become stronger? Alright, I’ll give you some classical phrases.]

What are they? Study well every day and look forward towards the future? That’s such an old joke.

[No, I was going to say early to bed, early to rise, and stop dreaming.]
From a certain standpoint, it was quite unbearable to have a voice in your mind that would constantly give comments about you. Yet, it was impossible to drag Astrya out to beat her up, making this its own type of difficult torture to withstand.
This time, it seemed that she had lectured me yet again, and I hadn’t gained anything whatsoever from it.

Tsk, as expected, there’s no method? As expected, it was useless to try…

I also knew that my own way of thinking was unreliable. Rather than saying that I was asking Astrya for help, it was more like asking her out of desperation. Receiving an answer like this was what I expected already.
Still, it was quite frustrating to just watch the demons become stronger and stronger with each passing day. This was especially all the more so when I thought about my lawless brother doing as he pleased while powering up in the Chaos Abyss. When Karwenz returned to the mortal plane, he would likely be one of the most powerful existences in the world. That gave me even more of a headache.
Yep, I definitely wasn’t depressed or anything because Amelia had captured me and I was unable to escape!
[Actually, there is indeed a way for you to power up swiftly. It just depends on if you’re willing to pay the price…]
I paused in surprise upon hearing this. Once my System stopped acting so mysterious when I exposed her for actually being the Goddess of Order’s remaining soul, I actually started relying on her a lot less. But now, she was actually saying that she had a method for me to reach or surpass Karwenz’s power level? When Karwenz was the Child of the Abyss who had fought in the Chaos Abyss for the past three hundred plus years? That sounded too good to be true.
[…There will always be losses with every gain. If you want to become stronger at a cheat-like speed, then you must pay an equivalent price, which will most likely be the most important thing to you that you’ve held for all this time…]

My shame?

[You still have that? Didn’t you run out of it long ago?]
Tsk, as expected, my sense of shame was already at a negative value. What else could be more important to me? Suddenly, I thought of a possibility that sent cold chills down my spine as I shrieked while holding my butt.

…You’re not targeting my chastity, are you? Please don’t, I’m saving myself for my future wife as I’m quite traditional!

[…The true name of the Spring of the Drowned Girl is the ‘Blessed Spring of the Goddess of Beauty.’ I can obtain two servings for you, yep, and pour it on your face while you’re asleep. No, wait, I’ll secretly mix it into your water when you’re thirsty. Many people miss Princess Peach…]

I’m sorry, my dear Goddess. Please pretend you didn’t hear my joke about my chastity.

[…Just think about it for yourself. Your twin brother Karwenz is the Child of the Abyss, so that also makes you…]
I sank into deep contemplation after hearing this. My System’s hint was quite obvious now, but I hadn’t wanted to admit it.

Let me consider it some more. It’s truly hard to make up my mind on this…

While I was hesitating, I suddenly felt a familiar power wavelength descend not far away, right in the Haletdam generation ruins.

Such a moist and disgusting sensation, as if I was brought stinky tofu instead of spaghetti when I ordered food… Sophe-chan the crossdresser?

[That’s Sophocles the Deceiver! What do you mean by Sophe-chan the crossdresser! Wouldn’t it be more normal to misremember him as the Trickster or something? He swore to the River Styx to take his revenge upon you, yet not only did you forget his title, you even remembered his name wrong. Do you look down on him to such a degree? No matter what, he’s still a Main God. He’ll cry! Even demons can cry!]

Um, was there a deep grudge between us? Why does he want revenge against me so badly?

I did my best to recall it, but couldn’t remember why I had angered Sophocles the Deceiver so much. Back at the battle of Hell, didn’t we sign a nice ceasefire and peace agreement and then go our separate ways in a friendly manner?
[…Did you really forget? It was your plan that when you opened up a portal to let the Chaos Main Gods out of Hell, the portal actually led to Heaven’s Mountain in the upper planes. Yep, the same Heaven’s Mountain where the God of Holy Light and his Follower Gods live. It’s said that when Sophocles finally managed to escape from the upper planes, his entire body had been ignited by Holy Light to the point where he burned with Holy Light like a flaming torch for more than a whole year. Now, he has an additional new nickname called the ‘Burning Lord.’ He’s also changed his personal army’s name to the ‘Burning Legion.’ It’s said that he changed his army’s name in order to remind himself every day of this deep grudge.]

…The Burning Legion has returned? How many times does that make? Why does this boss keep reviving… I think that this is a rather dangerous joke, so I should probably stop.

Although I doubted that a Demon Chaos Main God like Sophocles could directly descend in the mortal plane right now, if that was he whom I was dealing with here, it would be no small laughing matter even if he sent only a few Demon Earls here to fight against me.
And if an entire demon army, such as his Burning Legion, arrived…