Chapter 1122
Episode 258: The Predator of All Dimensions (12)

— Orgal, did the witch give you an answer?

— Damn it, no. I relayed your message through the three demon lords, but it seems no one can meet the witch right now. Not me, nor even the denizens of the Abyss. It looks like the recent battle between Malugia and Keliak affected something.

This was a conversation between Jin and Orgal not long ago.

At that time, Jin had asked Orgal to tell the witch that he wanted to meet her in person. Orgal only received a refusal from the three demon lords, but the truth was tied to the Demon God Stone.

Since then, Helluram had been preparing to prevent the completed Demon God Stone from arriving in this 677th dimension intact.

The dimensional gates of the Demon God Realm still hung open in the sky, with complex dimensional pathways stretching beyond them.

Keliak had already witnessed Malugia and Kragos damaging those paths and appearing on the battlefield.

But now, Helluram was saying not only would the Demon God Stone fail to arrive on time, it wouldn’t even be whole.

Helluram’s sudden appearance, spreading the Abyssal Chaos across the entire battlefield and the pocket dimension, and directly confronting Keliak was his final move.

— You were too focused on watching me to notice. But now, it’s too late. My blood and flesh have already stained your Demon God Stone. It’s no longer what you once knew.

The aftermath of the battle between Helluram and Keliak distorted not only the battlefield but also the dimensional gates and the very path the Demon God Stone traveled.

Keliak hadn’t anticipated this.

He had conquered entire dimensions, crushed hundreds of Changsung, subjugated countless gods, and slaughtered innumerable beings, but none wielded power comparable to Helluram.

Moreover, Helluram had never once accepted a direct confrontation, even if it meant erasing his own existence through historical manipulation.

This was their first clash, and Keliak had never calculated a scenario like this—fighting the Barmel Alliance while summoning the completed Demon God Stone, Malugia’s sudden intrusion, and Helluram’s true form appearing.

Because of this, Keliak didn’t know what consequences might unfold.

He didn’t realize that if he and Helluram fought at full strength, they could shatter the Demon God Stone even within the dimensional pathways, bypassing interference restrictions.

— So now, the way you realize that colossal ambition rests solely in your own hands.

A sudden gush of blood spilled from Keliak’s mouth. The cracked skull beneath his cranium was still stark white. He scooped up something dripping from the fracture and pushed it back into his head, then glared up at Helluram.

“You truly hate me, witch… I never imagined you and Malugia would hold me back this much.”

The completed Demon God Stone wasn’t just one.

But the only one that could breach interference restrictions was the one Helluram had tampered with.

If Malugia hadn’t struck the Demon God Realm’s main base, Keliak might have tried summoning one, maybe even two more. But now, the Demon God Realm had no such resources left.

— Like many orphans, you misunderstand. I have no reason to hate orphans. You’re no different. I came to see you only to protect my foundation.

“Yeah, you’re lucky to have those pathetic parents like Focal, Malugia, and the Sun God’s selves. Hahaha… One delays the Demon God Stone’s arrival, another damages it, and the last one… made me come here in person.”

Keliak turned his head.

He was looking for Jin—the very reason he had resolved to come to the 677th dimension himself. Jin was still struggling to hold his ground before Valeria and Enya.

“Now I understand your expression, Jin Runkandel. Those desperate eyes. Look, Jin. I’ve seized power unlike any other in this world, and yet, despite your weakness, you keep blocking me, constantly renewing miracles. But in the end, we’re both just pawns toyed with by immortals who can read time.”

There were countless reasons Helluram and Malugia could now press Keliak.

Keliak’s rash arrival in the 677th dimension, the Barmel Alliance’s strength far exceeding the Demon God Realm’s expectations, the Changsung like Siron and Ban showing astonishing feats that even shocked Keliak…

But the biggest factor was that Helluram and Malugia had read all the hidden futures between those events.

If they hadn’t, Keliak wouldn’t be in such dire straits now. He wouldn’t have struck the Demon God Realm’s main base in advance or damaged the Demon God Stone at the perfect moment.

“To be honest, at some point, I grew indifferent. I couldn’t feel the need to conquer time itself. Except for this place, all other dimensions were fragile worlds, like dandelion seeds scattered by a breath of wind. Looking back, gaining this much power wasn’t so painful after all.”

Life flickered in Keliak’s eyes, despite having faced death twice already.

“Whether I fall or you do, those damn immortals greater than time will move to fulfill their own goals—darkness or destruction. If that happens, it proves we were both wrong.”

Let’s not let it end like that.

After Keliak’s words, silence stretched.

The battlefield, once rippling like water, returned to its original form, and the raging rivers calmed.

It wasn’t that they foolishly stopped fighting to listen. The Changsung and immortals were all waiting for a chance to strike Keliak as he spoke.

There simply wasn’t one.

Despite being more vulnerable than ever, Keliak suddenly seemed even greater. He pounded his chest with his fists and shouted at Jin.

“I don’t care about the petty order of immortals. It only matters who’s right between you and me. I won’t change my method. The more the world denies me, the more cruel and ruthless I’ll become, crushing everything in my grasp. Until they finally satisfy my eyes, I’ll shake, crush, and mold it all with these hands. Even if it all ends in emptiness, I’ll smile remembering today’s victory.”

Something beyond madness shone in Keliak’s eyes. Those who saw them glimpsed Jin’s own face reflected there—the eyes of one who never falls or breaks.

Jin recognized it too. Keliak’s face looked just like his.

“This is maddening… All of you, get out of this world as soon as possible. The world I remember wasn’t like this. Once I set everything right, I’ll leave too. Before I become a monster like you, before I become a terrible immortal like you.”

Your time now.

If Jin could hold on for four more hours, the curse would be lifted. He steadied himself, aware of his left arm, rotted and stiffened, unable to move.

Malugia was the first to act.

As she reached toward Keliak, dozens of massive golden cubes formed around him. They thundered down like a storm, but Keliak was already gone.

Suddenly, he stood behind Helluram in the sky, biting at her neck. Darkness and chaos spread like a shield, trying to push him back, but his teeth had already sunk in.

Crunch! The sound was no different from biting human flesh. Keliak spat out the chunks in his mouth and bit her again.

No screams or groans came, but the darkness around them briefly dimmed. Malugia had also expended much power deceiving Keliak and corrupting the Demon God Stone.

As the darkness turned to thorns, piercing her head, spine, and heart, Keliak pulled away from Helluram.

Meanwhile, the Changsung, Araksion, and Kragos’ blades swept over Keliak. He fell to the ground, losing about half his body.

He looked less like a person and more like a ragged bundle. His twisted face had a dangling eyeball, and his regeneration was slow. If Siron and Ban, who had closed the distance first, landed another strike, he might never rise again.

But despite having the chance, Siron and Ban couldn’t swing their swords.

‘The Flame Orb…!’

The Annihilation Flame Orb—the final chapter of magic hidden beneath the darkness—blazed anew, shining brilliantly.

It burned even more fiercely than before. Siron and Ban were overwhelmed by the heat, their movements sluggish, and even Helluram retreated into the farthest shadows to avoid the light.

No one could strike Keliak against the heat. Meanwhile, Keliak reformed his body and caught his breath.

“Khuh… Huh…”

As soon as he regained a relatively stable form, the searing heat of the Annihilation Flame Orb rapidly subsided. Keliak had gambled everything, risking his last major offensive weapon to wrest it back from the witch.

Helluram could no longer conceal the Annihilation Flame Orb. The same was true for Malugia and Araksion, who had amplified the Sun of Destruction—no one on the battlefield could manage such a feat.

Therefore, those who opposed Keliak had no choice but to fight with their backs turned to the blazing sun that was the Annihilation Flame Orb.

“Even without the Demon Stone, I am Keliak Ziphl—the strongest being across all dimensions. Yet, Helluram, you only said the Demon Stone was damaged; you never said it couldn’t be delivered. Heh, if it’s changed, then I suppose there’s a new way to wield it.”

Keliak’s gaze soon landed on Laprarosa.

He remained deeply wary of Jin stepping into the legacy of Solderet.