The Successor to the Underworld Is a Cheat Player

The temple and worshippers serving the sole god, Angel.

They too perished along with the downfall of the empire.

In the alleys of Chichiron, faith was nowhere to be found.

Everyone believed in what they wanted to believe.

There were occasional voices calling out the name of Angel.

– Unfortunate.

People treated Angel like a demon and trampled the worshippers.

It was only natural.

– It was Angel who brought the empire to ruin!

The Doombringer and Angel.

The apostles of the gods chosen by Angel were the Doombringers.

“Bringing the Judgement Seat of Arcer, considered a relic, no matter how ruined.”

The Judgement Seat.

There was no way around it but to pass by the Judgement Seat if you wanted to proceed further.

And Sein knew the Judgement Seat of Arcer better than anyone else.

‘The final judgment.’

To become a Pope or an apostle of Angel, the final gateway one must pass through.

A platform that washes away all sins of the body, judging if one is worthy of becoming an apostle of Angel.

And if one is acknowledged by the tribunal.

“You can receive the proof of sanctity and the stigmata.”

Although the temple was destroyed, rumors of its remnants lingered.

Just where did they bring the tribunal of Acker from?

Thud.

Sain took a step forward.

“It got a bit twisted.”

His self-made build to clear the scenario.

Since it was his nonexistent fourth life, there were inevitably some twists.

“Well, it should be fine.”

Nevertheless, Sain fearlessly ascended the tribunal.

Whoosh!

As Sain’s foot touched it, the tribunal began to resonate with light.

Truly, emitting an immense light like a relic, it started to exude a powerful sacred aura.

“Oh, this feeling.”

When it was a game, it was merely warm.

Like sunlight shining through a window on a weekend after a tiring week.

But now, perceived as reality, the feeling of sanctity was more than just warm.

“No wonder zealots go mad.”

A sense of fullness filling his entire being.

It seemed like someone had said something like that.

That no human creation could provide such pleasure.

Thunk.

Sain quietly kneeled on one knee.

Soon, he placed his longsword upright on the ground and closed his eyes.

“Great and Almighty Angel.”

The moment the activation condition of the tribunal was met.

Kwaaaaah!

A fierce light burst forth from the tribunal.

“Please judge me.”

A prayer that felt devout as if all the displays Sain had shown until now were false.

However.

Grin.

Sain smiled with a smirk on his lips.

In an instant, Sain opened his eyes.

“Choose me once again as a saint, Angel.”

For it was Sain’s first life.

To the point of being excruciatingly realistic.

Yet, with the lingering element of gamification.

Is it a game?

Despite harboring doubts, Sein’s conclusion was that this place was another reality.

If not accepted as such, it could only be dismissed as the delusion of a madman.

Then a question arose.

“If the current world is reality, then where is God?”

The being referred to as God.

What about Angel?

There were times when prayers were offered.

“Once you were a saint.”

Though Sein thought those prayers would reach Angel, no answer came.

“Is it truly absent?”

Chichiron could not sense even a fragment of divinity anywhere.

But at this moment, Sein was certain.

“God exists in this world.”

Angel.

“Once more….”

Sein rose to his feet.

He smiled, his lips curling upwards.

As if asking where his devout demeanor had gone, he remained the same Sein as always.

“Choose me as your saint, Angel.”

Kwaaaa-!

The light from the judgment seat began to radiate even more intensely.

“I apologize for shaping the continent with this arrogance. It was me.”

The pouring light.

Thump! Thump!

The heart that had stopped began to beat violently.

Remnants of the Dragon Heart’s magic and blessings, the pride of Arin, and the magic absorbed from the Hellhound.

Thump!

All of these seemed to vie for dominance within the heart, tearing it apart.

Nevertheless, Sein continued to smile.

“So, grant me another chance.”

The light from the judgment seat.

That warm light halted the agony.

“…I don’t know if you are a true god or not, but don’t you have a wish too?”

The goal he had set.

“That this world should not be in this arrogance.”

Because he was a god.

If it were a god.

Any fancy words, tone wouldn’t matter, I thought.

What’s necessary is sincerity.

“For what I desire and wish for, the power of a saint is needed.”

Only that power can embrace all the raging powers.

“I’ll return it. The sanctuary.”

A sincere word.

Kwaaang-!

Falling light.

The world of Saint turned entirely white in a flash.

“Ah… Hell?”

In that moment, Saint witnessed something unbelievable.

A white cluster of light, something shining even more within it.

Indescribable in human language, but it’s clearly…

“Angel!”

An existence worthy of being called a god.

Warm and cozy, yet providing a satisfaction that can’t be fulfilled by anything else.

However.

“….!”

The white world began to be dyed black.

[You….]

A voice.

“…In the world!”

[To you…]

This was clearly a voice similar to a system’s voice.

But the sense and emotions felt were completely different.

“You say what?”

Saint shouted with eyes wide open.

“Don’t you want this! Angel!”

A world facing destruction because of oneself.

A beautiful scenery painted over in gray.

“Don’t you want to undo this!”

[You are not qualified.]

Once again, the voice echoed.

[You are already….]

The numerous lights began pouring into Saint’s eyes, nose, and mouth.

Aaargh!

“Gahh!”

As Saint opened their eyes, the sight was a world once white, now completely painted black.

The place where Sein first existed.

Upon the judgment seat of Aker.

“Huh…. Huh….”

Sein expelled a rough breath.

It was the place where he had just been standing.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

His heart was pounding like crazy.

The sacred power that intruded into his body without permission was stimulating Sein’s heart, awakening it.

And that meant.

“Aaargh!”

It was a story of that immense agony once again assaulting him.

*

*

*

Why?

How?

There was no room for such questions.

Just by not stabbing his own heart right now, all of Sein’s mental strength was being drained.

In reality.

Clang!

The energy raging inside him right now fragmented into the mithril greatsword in his hand.

If it weren’t for that.

“Ugh…. Ugh!”

Sein didn’t know if he had actually pierced his own heart.

But perhaps having experienced it once before.

The extreme.

Sein was crawling.

Forcing his unmoving body to move.

Gritting his teeth.

Ignoring even the pain of nails getting chipped and torn, he knelt on the ground.

“Again…. Ugh!”

Sein knelt, and knelt again.

“Again, I have to stop…!”

Stopping his heart.

That was the only thing he could do now.

Only that filled his mind.

Cold sweat formed puddles, and he lost consciousness several times.

How much time had passed?

One second felt like an eternity.

Extreme! That extreme!

Nevertheless, Sain did not stop moving forward.

To rid himself of pain.

To survive.

“Angel… you bastard…!”

His end was not supposed to be like this, not at all.

“I swear, I will definitely kill you…!”

Sain gritted his teeth.

Several more times of confusion.

In a hazy vision, Sain somehow regained his senses.

The pain remained.

“….!”

Everything around him began to feel vivid.

He thought this was all that Ari had prepared.

The Empire, the Demons, and finally, the Saints.

The test to prove himself would be all of this.

Roaaar-!

But it wasn’t.

It was beyond words, a giant and menacing iris.

He thought nothing could surprise him more than aiming for Angel’s neck.

“Fu…ck… What… is this again….”

At this moment, what Sain saw was a massive destruction, in itself.

A sensation as if his soul was melting.

Beyond human instinct, a being that instilled primal fear.

[Is this a dying vulture.]

The voice echoed in his head.

Though the voice was different, for some reason, it sounded like a system voice.

[To think what I promised you was just a vulture like this.]

“Who are you…?”

[I am.]

Creeak!

The giant eyeball repeated opening and closing like a gate.

[I was once called the Dragon of Destruction.]

For a moment, Sain almost forgot the pain in his heart.

“Dr…agon?”

A mythical being from the legends of the Empire.

The only creature that stood against Angel.

The origin of all dragons.

A being that was also the origin of the Empire.

“Marung… Archipald… you say?”

Marung Archipald.

[But you have the qualifications.]

He felt the eyeball slowly approaching.

Sein opened his eyes wide and stared straight at it.

It felt like if he diverted his gaze, he would be swallowed by those eyeballs.

[Do not contract with you.]

“Who are you to decide…!”

For some reason, Sein felt the eyeball smiling at his words.

[Do you want to continue enduring that dreadful pain?]

A mocking tone.

And for some reason, Sein felt a smile forming on his lips.