“…Outer gods appearing in the Kingdom of Ashtalon?”

“Yes, and not just in Ashtalon. Reports indicate sightings in Laksas and Caliban as well.”

Alon frowned deeply.

“…Multiple Outer gods appearing at once?”

“Yes.”

“And not just in partial form, but fully incarnated?”

“That’s what the reports claim.”

‘That’s impossible,’ Alon thought. Something felt off. Never before in Psychedelia had he seen multiple Outer gods descend at the same time. While he couldn’t definitively say it wasn’t possible, the phenomenon was clearly abnormal.

The ‘descent of Outer gods’ usually occurred through living beings in this world, including humans. an Outer god could only achieve full manifestation by relying on the body they descended into. But for several of them to appear simultaneously like this—there were only two possible explanations.

Either a significant number of Outer gods had been in hiding and emerged all at once, or—

‘…Artificial Outer gods.’

The thought brought to mind the artificial Outer gods he had encountered in the Holy Kingdom—entities that had never existed in Psychedelia. As Alon considered the two possibilities, Evan provided additional information that decisively tipped the scales.

“All the Outer gods spoke the name of Duke Komalon of the Kingdom of Ashtalon?”

“Yes. They all called him the Seeker and displayed fervent devotion.”

Alon’s suspicions solidified. These were not the Outer gods he was familiar with. They were artificial.

Duke Komalon had created these artificial Outer gods, and he had gone even further—to create abyssal beings.

“…We leave immediately.”

“To the Kingdom of Ashtalon…?” Evan asked, wide-eyed.

“Yes.”

“Uh, it’s said to be incredibly dangerous there right now. Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“I’ll prepare at once.” Despite muttering complaints, Evan hurried off to make preparations. Watching him, Alon pondered.

‘The name Duke Komalon is unfamiliar in Psychedelia.’

But that didn’t matter anymore. The critical point was that Duke Komalon was the mastermind behind the abyssal beings—a fact that had never been revealed in Psychedelia’s original narrative. And further, that he might be the Outer god long thought hidden, the Forgotten One.

With a deep sigh, Alon stood.

There was no time to waste.

“All ready, my lord,” Evan announced.

“Let’s move.”

They set off immediately for the Kingdom of Ashtalon.

Over the following five days, Alon received three key pieces of information:

First, the Outer gods had appeared suddenly, slaughtering nearly all the nobles at Duke Komalon’s ball.

Second, the slaughter extended beyond the ball to include the peasants, soldiers, and knights within his domain.

Third, Duke Komalon had already destroyed four neighboring territories, leaving them in complete ruin.

One question lingered in Alon’s mind.

‘Why annihilate the neighboring territories?’

The mass slaughter itself wasn’t surprising. Outer gods, upon descending into living bodies, inherently viewed humanity as an enemy. However, their goal was rarely mass slaughter for its own sake—it was typically a byproduct of their pursuit of larger objectives.

But this… This was different.

The actions of Duke Komalon, presumed to be an Outer god, seemed aligned with the usual Outer god behavior at first glance. However, the sheer scope of the massacres raised questions.

Alon stared down at the map Evan had provided. It marked the four territories Duke Komalon had devastated.

“Evan.”

“Yes?”

“The territories Duke Komalon attacked—didn’t you say they had no particular conflicts with him?”

“Correct. In fact, they were reportedly on good terms. Duke Komalon wasn’t known to cause trouble in social circles either.”

“Hmm…”

The four destroyed territories, though close together on the map, were not directly adjacent. This ruled out the possibility that the destruction was incidental to his movement toward a larger target. Instead, the territories themselves were the deliberate targets.

This puzzled Alon. Outer gods considered humanity their enemy, but they didn’t generally prioritize widespread massacres. Their actions were driven by a fundamental purpose beyond mere slaughter.

Yet Duke Komalon’s actions seemed as though annihilating humanity itself was his ultimate goal, indiscriminately razing any territory he encountered.

Adding to the Chaos

“…There’s significant damage outside Ashtalon as well?”

“Yes. While Ashtalon is the worst, other countries have also seen territories wiped out with ease—one or two each.”

Even the artificial Outer gods, presumed to have been created by Duke Komalon, didn’t seem to have any clear objectives. They existed only to slaughter humans.

“Hmmm…”

Alon studied the map again with a peculiar expression. After a moment of searching his memories, he shook his head.

‘Duke Komalon never actually appeared in the game.’

Instead, it had been the abyssal beings he created that made an appearance. Even they had lacked detail, leaving players to complain about their abrupt inclusion for the sake of game balance. Beyond that, there had been no lore surrounding them.

“Looks like we’re about to cross the border into the Kingdom of Ashtalon.”

“Really?”

“If the intel is accurate, Duke Komalon’s next target should be the Lumiere Territory. Shall we head there?”

“That’s the plan.”

“But, my lord,” Evan interjected hesitantly, “is it really fine to rush in like this? I know you’re going to stop Duke Komalon, but we haven’t even assessed the enemy’s strength yet.”

Evan trailed off, muttering about how Alon had done the same in the past. Alon considered his words in silence.

Unlike his past encounters, where the game’s knowledge had given him an advantage, Duke Komalon was an unknown adversary, shrouded in mystery. Nevertheless, Alon nodded resolutely.

“We can go.”

“Are you certain?”

“Yes. Everything is already prepared. And I have my ways of gauging their power.”

Alon’s fingers brushed the artifact hanging around his neck—the Necklace of the Snow Eater. He recalled a hidden feature of this item.

“Well, if you say so…” Evan shrugged in reluctant agreement.

Alon looked skyward. Contrary to the grim rumors and chaos unfolding across the land, the sky was serenely clear, as if indifferent to the atrocities below.

***

Exactly a day and a half later, Alon arrived in the Lumiera Territory, ruled by Count Lumiere.

“…What the hell.”

Evan’s low curse was followed by a horrifying scene on the castle walls: an artificial Outer god was wreaking havoc, emitting guttural screeches as it tore the territory apart.

The creature had an enormous body, with hundreds of grotesque limbs fused together to form the shape of a spider. Below it, the territory burned, consumed by fire. From the flames rose the anguished screams of the dying.

It wasn’t just the destruction.

The spider-like Outer god’s gaping maw was littered with the remains of what had once been people. Corpses fell from its jaws, while below, soldiers and knights waged a desperate battle.

Alon’s eyes took in the scene—the defenders’ struggle against insurmountable odds.

Knights hacked away at the monstrous limbs, even as others were crushed beneath them. Some gave their lives to carve a path for their comrades.

Among the dying, one knight finally reached the monster.

SLASH!

With a tremendous swing, he severed one of the creature’s massive legs.

The grotesque limb fell to the ground, demolishing several houses with its weight. Blood sprayed everywhere as the creature howled in pain.

For a moment, triumph flickered in the knight’s eyes.

But that triumph quickly turned to despair.

From the severed stump of the Outer god’s leg, hands began to sprout.

A hand grew, then another, and another, endlessly multiplying.

The grotesque regeneration mimicked living muscles, and in moments, the creature’s leg had fully regrown.

The sacrifice of over fifteen knights, who had given their lives to create that fleeting chance, was rendered meaningless.

The surviving soldiers stared blankly at the regenerating abomination.

The Outer god’s many eyes turned to the knight who had struck it.

Its gaze bore down on him.

“Ugh… Aaaaaaahhh!”

The knight, paralyzed by terror, let out a scream.

Alon watched as the spider-like artificial Outer god twisted its grotesque mouth into what seemed like a pleased grin in response to the knight’s cries.

With a calm demeanor, Alon formed a seal with his fingers.

‘…Even calling it an artificial Outer god is too generous.’

To Alon, Outer gods were unquestionably his “enemies,” yet they were still deities in nature, regardless of their form. However, the thing before him now—it was little more than a grotesque monster mimicking divinity.

“Sigh.”

Steadying his thoughts, Alon extended his hand.

He knew magic wasn’t the best choice here.

A single decisive attack might have been ideal, but with regeneration like that, the only way to eliminate it in one blow would be to use the Necklace of the Snow Eater to pinpoint its weak spot.

Still, standing idly by and watching the slaughter wasn’t an option.

As he cycled through dozens of strategies in his mind, just as he was about to chant a spell—

“Master!”

“…?”

A familiar voice caused him to instinctively turn his head.

“…Seolrang?”

“Wow! It is you, Master!”

Bounding toward him with a wagging tail was Seolrang.

Her face lit up with excitement as she hurried to his side, a radiant smile on her face.

“Master! What are you doing here?”

Just then—

Crunch.

Alon’s eyes caught it.

Behind Seolrang, the massive creature that had just moments ago been raising its legs to crush the knight was now staring in their direction with its enormous eyes.

Was her voice too loud?

Alon grimaced at the thought, but the moment was fleeting.

“…?”

The Outer god let out an unearthly sound, its grotesque body turning toward them.

And yet—

“Master! What are you doing here? Oh, and Evan’s here too!”

Despite the massive creature moving closer, climbing over the castle walls, Seolrang seemed entirely unconcerned, wagging her tail as she kept her gaze fixed solely on Alon.

“I’m wondering the same, but before we talk, it seems we need to deal with that.”

“That?”

Seolrang finally turned her gaze.

There, the monstrous entity loomed, its movements now directed toward them, seemingly responding to Seolrang’s voice.

“Hmm… Ugly.”

Making a face as if annoyed by the sight of it, Seolrang turned back to Alon.

“Master, wait here, okay? Since it looks like it’s bothering you, I’ll take care of it.”

Before Alon could react, she began walking toward the monster.

“Wait—Seolrang!”

Alon tried to stop her.

He knew Seolrang was strong, but the opponent was an Outer god, even if artificially created and significantly weaker than genuine ones.

It still bore the essence of divinity.

But Seolrang had already moved several steps ahead, her eyes locked onto the creature as golden sparks began to radiate from her body.

Crackle!

Golden lightning surged outward, devouring the darkness around them and lighting up the area.

The ground cratered beneath her feet, and her hair, which had been resting neatly down her back, rose in sharp, lightning-infused spikes.

And then—

“Rangchangrangchang (槍狼槍)…”

A barely audible whisper escaped her lips, too faint for even Alon to catch clearly.

In an instant, she vanished.

Before Alon and Evan could even comprehend where she had gone, they saw it:

The massive body of the artificial Outer god, which had been devastating the territory, suddenly lifted into the air, weightless against the impossible force.

At the same time, from beneath the creature, a brilliant bolt of lightning shot upward, tearing through its body and climbing toward the heavens.

The soldiers and knights, who had been drowning in despair moments ago, stared, their eyes drawn to the dazzling lightning.

Crack! ZZZZT!

“…!”

The radiant lightning pierced the creature’s torso, splitting it open as it climbed higher and higher into the night sky.

Everyone watched, their mouths agape in disbelief.

Even Alon and Evan were no exception.

Finally—

“…Is that even possible?” Evan muttered, stunned.

Alon didn’t respond.

Instead, he stared blankly at Seolrang, who was now high in the air, waving both hands enthusiastically toward him.

‘…How is she this strong?’

Alon’s mind swirled with confusion as countless questions hung over him like hooks.