"Hm." I walked out of Haramark and casually swept my gaze around, resting my hand on the pure white sword sheathed on my left side.
It was Sung Shihyun... Well, Future Sung Shihyun's parting gift for me after the whole soul trial shebang.
White Fang, a blade that once killed the Executor of Pride, Sergio Carrilo, and one that apparently was good enough to use even after that guy properly assimilated a divine spark or whatever it was called.
But I called it Zangetsu.
For... reasons.
Anyway, I walked out of Haramark and headed north towards the Imperial Palace. The resting spot of the Parasite Queen and her home base...
Well, former home base.
Honestly, this was just a victory lap.
If this was a game, then I'd definitely done WAY too many sidequests and overprepped for the final boss.
...Actually, I guess it was more fitting to say that I'd gotten some DLC, grinded to max level there, and was now finishing the main quest that I'd delayed forever.
"Hm... You know, it's been a while since I checked my stats."
===
[Your Status Window]
[1. General Information]
Summoned Date: March 16th, 2017
Marking Grade: Gold
Sex/Age: Male/24
Height/Weight: 180.5cm/82.2 kg
Current Condition: Boundless
Class: The One who Governs Karma
Nationality: Republic of Korea (Area 1)
Affiliation: Elysium
Alias: Jihu, Harem God, Love of My Life, One I can't Help but Love, Devoted Husband, Ridiculous Oppa, Ahjussi (and 10+ more).
[2. Traits]
1. Temperament:
- Analytical (Takes in all the information to consider the situation)
- Decisive (Once a decision is made, immediately acts with force)
- Invictus (You are the master of your own soul, the captain of your own fate. No one but yourself can determine your path.)
2. Aptitude:
- Immeasurably Insightful (Can perceive patterns and information from the barest of traces at a level that seems impossible.)
- Iterative (Continuously refines progress from quick reflection and contemplation)
[3. Physical Level]
Strength: Transcendent
Endurance: Transcendent
Agility: Transcendent
Stamina: Transcendent
Magic: Transcendent
Luck: Transcendent
[4. Abilities]
1. Innate Abilities (5)
- Karmic Eyes of Destiny (Immeasurable)
- Transcendent Insight (Immeasurable)
- Enduring Soul (Immeasurable)
- Dominion of Karma (Immeasurable)
- Akashic Record (Immeasurable)
2. Job-Related Abilities (1)
Karma, the word without a sound and the blade by another name (Ungraded) - Karma cuts, binds, pierces, and ties existence together alongside time. To some, it is a blade. To others, chains. To you, it is simply 'yours.' You are able to wield the karma of the opponent you face against them.
3. Other Abilities (0)
[5. Level of Cognition]
Miraculous (One who can turn dreams into reality)/Content/Karmic Rule(Malice with Malice, Goodwill with Goodwill, and karma to rule it all)
===
I stared at my stats. I stared some more. Then I said, "Ah. I remembered why I stopped looking at them."
It was basically meaningless at this point. And it had been since I'd beaten the Army Commanders, really...
"I guess I'm just in creative mode, huh?" I chuckled to myself and kept walking.
As I did, Earthlings and Paradisians alike noticed me. But was it because they sensed that I was setting out to end things?
Nobody approached. Instead, they watched me walk off, their eyes filled with expectation.
It was kind of nice. What was this feeling like...? I guess the best way to put it would be like Commencement? When you graduate to pick up your diploma?
In that case-
*crack*
The earth split beneath me as hidden Parasites burst forth. Nests, Medusas, and basically everything that was left.
Did Sung Shihyun not care about them anymore? Or was he buying time?
Either way, it didn't matter.
"Hm... Let's just have some fun." I decided to pull a book from that guy and plagiarize- No, iterate some more on his whole fit.
Drawing Zangetsu and resting it on my shoulders, I held out my left hand and conjured up crimson lightning.
Did it confuse them? Or did they sense the roiling energy within that lightning?
It didn't really matter. Because...
"Indignation."
...They couldn't escape heavenly tribulation.
Crimson lightning crashed across the wastelands, piercing through the ground at every Parasite trying to make their way towards me.
And within five seconds, nothing was left but ash.
I lowered my hand and laughed. "Ian's right. I HAVE become the trashy overpowered Chinese cultivation protagonist." I sheathed Zangetsu and casually walked forward, chuckling. "Jade beauties, heavenly tribulation, treading a path beyond all of it... Damn. Life takes some weird turns."
We went from gritty underworld syndicates in the beginning with Jinhee to complete isekai with Paradise, and now we were wrapping up with me having transcended the heavens...
If Jinhee were here, she would say that I was a shitty powertrip main character written to fulfill the male fantasy by a third rate author.
But she wasn't.
So...
"Might as well do a proper powertrip~" I laughed and then waved my hand, conjuring drones, rock golems, floating swords, and other ridiculous things.
Just because.
===
Sung Shihyun glared at the sight unfolding before his eyes. "No. No, no, NO! This can't be right!"
He was on the Corrupted Throne. He had assimilated the divinity of the Parasite Queen and even that eldritch outer god.
So why...?!
"You're just a fake! A copycat! So... HOW?!"
He could see it in front of his eyes. The starry expanse of destiny that reflected the future of Paradise.
At least, it SHOULD be a starry expanse of destiny.
But there was nothing.
Nothing but a massive supersized black hole slowly but surely approaching him.
And not just a black hole.
But a black hole that didn't devour stars. Instead, it just... moved them around. As if the black hole's gravity was so great that space and time itself was broken around it. A void- No, a glitch in the fabric of existence that forced existence itself to move around the black hole while it stayed in place.
In short...
"NONE OF THIS MAKES SENSE!"
Sung Shihyun slammed his hand against the Corrupted Throne, cracking it and sending out a wave of shadows that eroded the very space they touched.
A dignified female voice echoed from the distance. Explosive Patience, the Banshee Queen and last remaining Army Commander.
"My lord..."
She floated into the room, her eyes tinged red from Sung Shihyun's dominance and divinity. But despite that fact, and the fact that she should be nothing more than a puppet filled with lust for him... genuine concern and fear was in her eyes.
Sung Shihyun glared at her and said, "What is it, Bitch?"
Explosive Patience flinched and said, "...My army. It's gone."
"...WHAT?!"
===
"Huh." I lowered my hand and stared at the now VERY much alive army of former banshees. An army that was now filled with beautiful, regal, and refined noblewomen. All who were likely women who died as virgins and with bitter regrets due to the whole being banshees thing.
They all immediately looked at me the moment they realized their changed status.
And one of them, a beautiful noblewoman with light blue hair who looked roughly Flone's age stepped up, her eyes soft with affection and the sparks of love.
But before that could happen, I said, "Sorry, taken. Not accepting any more women in my life. But if you'd like, I can set you all up? I know quite a few people who would appreciate a doting wife... or need a firm one to keep them on track."
Like Hugo and Ian for the latter... And Kazuki for the former.
"A-Ah." The beautiful noblewoman looked disappointed, but she was still grateful. Doing a small curtsy, she said, "I understand, Great Hero. Then..." She looked behind her at the other noblewomen. "Where shall we-"
I waved my hand and warped them all to Elysium. At the same time, I pulled out my communication crystal and contacted Charlotte.
'Note to self: spoil Hannah a bit for reminding me to hand Charlotte a communication crystal for direct contact in emergencies...'
My wife was always prepared. Saved my life numerous times because of it...
Well, my social life, more precisely. But to me, at this point it was one and the same.
After a few buzzes, Charlotte picked up, looking frantic. "J-Jihu! An army of top class beauties just appeared in Eva! W-What should-"
"Queen Charlotte Aria. I see you've been informed of the women I rescued from the foul Sung Shihyun's clutches."
"...Pardon? No, those surroundings... Are you in the wastelands north of- IS THAT THE IMPERIAL PALACE IN THE DISTANCE?!"
I smiled and said, "I'll have to trouble you a bit to sort out those women. They require homes and families, you see. Perhaps you can arrange some matches for worthy knights and the like?"
"I-I can do that. But Jihu- No, Sir Jihu. Great Hero. What in the gods' name are you-"
"I'll speak with you shortly. There's a megalomaniac god I have to kill, you see?"
"W-Wait! Stay just a bit-"
I disconnected the crystal and chucked it into a spatial fold.
...Hannah would probably scold me later for giving Charlotte a headache and a half handling the former Banshee Army. Especially since we still hadn't finished sorting out all the women from Vulgar Chastity's former army either.
But that was a future me problem.
For now...
I arrived at the Imperial Palace... or what remained of it.
Did Sung Shihyun throw a fit? Or did Blackie and Future Sung Shihyun have too much fun?
The front doors were slashed, the entire front ramparts were crushed and littered with rubble.
And I could still see bits of the helicopter those two guys used laying all over the place.
I chuckled and said, "Well. Since the advance party already cleared the way..." I walked through the front entrance and pulled out my phone, turning on the perfect song for this time.
*Hey, hey... Bye, bye, bye~*
"Sung Shihyun~! I've come for your head, you damned perverted degenerate!"