BRDM 132

chapter 132

Operation ‘Crevasse’ (2)

Swaeaaeeak—

The Winged Horse King shot through the corridor along the ceiling.

On her back clung Sun Wukong, and on her legs hung Sha Wujing.

It might have looked like the adorable sight of baby animals traveling together, but in truth, the three Demon Kings were dead serious.

The closer they drew to Wu Yongwang, the heavier the ominous foreboding grew.

Then, in the distance, something caught Sun Wukong’s eye.

‘That one is Xu Changyou.’

It was clearly their first face-to-face meeting, yet his aura felt unmistakably familiar.

The Jade Emperor.

That damned wretch whose head Wukong longed to smash—he reeked of his presence.

If it were up to him, he’d manifest right this instant, shatter Xu’s skull, and drag the Jade Emperor out from his pineal connection.

But Wukong endured with superhuman patience.

He had promised—this one was to be left to his one and only disciple.

‘…Disciple, huh.’

Tch.

Wukong gave a bitter little laugh at himself, admitting so freely now that Lee Hyun was his disciple.

Not that it felt unpleasant.

The boy had become indispensable even to him.

And—

‘Thanks to him, we’ve been able to slip past their eyes and find a chance to free our brothers. No need to spoil his fun.’

Wukong resolved to leave his clash with the Jade Emperor for another time.

His power wasn’t fully restored yet, and to take on not only the Jade Emperor but the entirety of the Celestial Sect was too heavy a burden right now.

Even if they managed to withstand the Celestial Sect, then Deva or Olympus would surely line up to meddle next.

Not to mention demons from L’Infernal or giants from Jotunheim would hound them to join their side.

So for now, it wasn’t the time to go all-out.

Not yet…

But when all his strength had returned, and all preparations were complete—

Then—

‘Things will be very different.’

Wukong made the vow firmly.

And for now—

‘Perhaps just a light stir before I go?’

The corner of his mouth twisted into a smirk.

“Hmm?”

“What is it, Commander?”

“Nothing. Forget it.”

Xu Changyou lifted his head as if sensing something, but soon shook it off.

This place was completely cut off from the outside world.

A dungeon, in fact.

[You have passed through the Gate.]

[Item: Celestial Jade is activating. You are perfectly separated from the outside environment, impossible to detect.]

[You have entered the dungeon: ‘Present-Day Kunlun’!]

“Every time I come here, it feels bizarre. Truly unpleasant.”

Xu twisted his lips at the sight before him.

A brook trickled by. A fresh breeze blew.

Beyond the hills rose scenic mountains encircling the view.

It looked just like the paradise of legend, the Peach Blossom Spring of Chinese mythology.

And beneath the sheer cliffs—

Stood grand, antique halls of vast scale.

The Celestial Secret Palace.

A palace modeled after the residence of Xi Wangmu, the Celestial Sect’s high goddess.

This was where Wu Yongwang had been imprisoned and experimented on.

“Well, if you’re going to turn the tomb of a dying god into a lab, no place could be more extravagant.”

At the palace entrance, connecting it to the central base, was installed a holy relic: Celestial Jade.

A treasured artifact cherished by Xi Wangmu herself, it was an interdimensional gateway key.

Thanks to it, the lab was sealed off completely from the outside world. If the base were attacked, all entrances and passages would automatically shut, making intrusion impossible.

‘After that, only by vote of the committee executives can the dungeon gate reopen to the outside. Since the gates shut during Cheongroe’s raid, there’s no way Lee Hyun could ever find this place.’

Not even Xu Changyou was an exception.

He had only slipped in now because a brief window had allowed it.

Once he got what he came for, he’d leave—and without the committee’s permission, he couldn’t return.

“The outside seemed quite noisy… Is it really alright for the person in charge to hide away here?”

A woman descended lightly from the Celestial Palace ahead, landing before him.

She wore a white lab coat, unique spectacles, and striking red lips.

The research director, Yao Ran.

She was also an executive of the Central Hero Committee, successor of Xi Wangmu.

“I have something I need to collect.”

“Collect…?”

Puzzled, Yao tilted her head, but Xu walked past without answering, striding into the depths of the palace.

“Hey!”

She tried to grab his shoulder—

But the moment her fingertips brushed him, they burned black.

‘What the…!’

Her eyes flew wide.

Her fingertips charred and smoked, seared by a terrible coldness laced with venom.

‘What did he receive from Lord Dojo? That god had no such ability!’

Lu Chen’s divine lineage was Shennong, the Flame Emperor—patron of farming and medicine.

He held no authority to harm like this.

So was this Xu’s own creation? A technique so toxic it could wound her very mana itself?

Alarmed, Yao hurried after him.

By then Xu had already reached the innermost chamber of the palace—the lab where Wu Yongwang was kept.

“D-Director!”

“Out of my way.”

The researchers wrung their hands nervously, waiting for Yao.

She tried to push past into the lab—

But a raging blizzard blocked her path.

Even the Pingxin agents who had followed Xu stood guard at the door, barring her from interfering.

And Xu now faced the sight within:

Wu Yongwang, trapped in a glass tank connected to the ceiling.

The long-armed ape was wasted thin, skin clinging to bone like a skeleton.

Limb by limb, his body had been stripped by countless experiments, covered in scars.

Yet his enormous frame—over six meters tall—hinted at the power he once commanded.

“I need your help, Wu Yongwang. I’ll be borrowing this.”

Xu smirked coldly and drew something from the hoses attached to the tank.

A jewel glowing crimson.

[Essence of Immortality]

A fragment of godhood, wrung from the corpse of a dead god—if one was lucky, a single drop.

A key ingredient for concocting elixirs of eternal life, like the fabled Elixir or Nectar.

• Type: Material Item.

This was the treasure the Celestial Palace had completed only after astronomical funding and years of effort.

It was meant for high-ranking party elders nearing death, or the committee’s top rankers…!

“I’ll put it to good use and return it later.”

“Wait! Stop!!”

Yao fought through the storm to reach him—

But with a roar, the blizzard intensified and Xu and his men vanished.

“You insane bastard!!”

Yao shrieked and tried to chase—

But then—

『So our brother was imprisoned in such a pitiful place.』

“……!?”

A voice boomed like thunder from the heavens, paralyzing her under its sheer weight.

An overwhelming divine pressure crushed the surroundings.

Like a god descending to the mortal realm.

As Yao and the researchers looked up in terror—

KRRAAASH!!

Three bolts of lightning shattered the palace roof as figures descended.

[A Divinity is Descending!]

KRRRASH!

KWA-ROOM!!

RUMMMBLEEEE—!!

“Kyyaaaa!!”

“Gahh!”

“Uaaaaaghhh…!”

A storm of divine force swept the palace.

It felt as if the entire dungeon might collapse.

Panting, Yao barely kept herself alive with protective spells.

‘What… what is happening…!!’

Xu’s theft of the Essence, the intrusion of unknown beings, the collapse of the palace—

Too many calamities struck at once, leaving her reeling.

Covered in dust, she lifted her head.

The other researchers were already crushed dead by the tempest and divine pressure.

Then she froze.

Before Wu Yongwang’s glass chamber stood three radiant figures.

Two of them she knew all too well.

‘Sha Wujing! Winged Horse King!!’

Sha Wujing laughed with his necklace of skull beads jangling.

The Winged Horse King strode forward, crimson hair billowing.

“Long time, Yao Ran. You seem to have done quite well for yourself?”

“Y-you… how…!”

Of course she recognized them—she had overseen the project dissecting Wu Yongwang and the Winged Horse King.

But the being before her now felt utterly different.

A god.

Perhaps not at full power as in the past—

But compared to mere mortals, she was already complete.

Yao remembered then the report: Zhang Baiyan had tried to capture the Winged Horse King at Korea’s Ulleungdo, but failed thanks to Jet and the Cheongroe unit.

And now, outside this very dungeon, Jet and Cheongroe had arrived…

“How? By arriving as planned. I’ve missed you dearly.”

Panic alarms screamed in Yao’s mind.

She had to call Xu back immediately—

But before she could—

“Gk!”

An invisible grip seized her throat and lifted her into the air.

The Winged Horse King’s seductive smile gleamed as she held Yao’s collar.

Yao’s eyes shook with terror.

She was a high ranker of the committee—but no match at all for the one before her.

“Too late to call for outsiders. This dungeon is already ours—sealed as our dominion. Even Heaven itself cannot perceive it now.”

“……!!”

“You prattled on about ‘security’ for years, and look how it ended. So? Surprised, having the roles reversed? Doesn’t it feel strange?”

—Doesn’t it feel strange?

In a flash, Yao remembered her own cruel words years ago, mocking the Winged Horse King as she pulled her hair:

“You pretended to be a god, but now you’re just a rat.”

—You pretended to be divine, but now you’re just a lab rat.

“Even if we rip off your limbs one by one, will you still act the same?”

—If I pluck off these pretty limbs piece by piece, will you still act proud? I wonder.”

The Winged Horse King laughed, but her eyes burned like hellfire.

Yao saw her own pale reflection in them and screamed desperately.

Her mana circuits failed, even her divine summons would not answer.

[Divine Summon unavailable!]

[Divine Summon unavailable!]

[This dungeon is designated as the Dominion of the Three Demon Kings. To summon, exit the Dominion.]

“W-wait! Please! Ask anything, I’ll tell you everything! Just spare me! I’ll share all our intel—n-no, I’ll even tell you where your other brothers are held—just please…!!”

“We don’t need it. There are plenty of ways to find them.”

The Winged Horse King’s smile deepened.

“After all, he is with us.”

He?

Yao glanced past them.

There, before Wu Yongwang, stood a white-haired man.

His aura was at once sorrowful, decadent, and razor-sharp.

In that instant she understood.

Why the Winged Horse King had regained strength so quickly.

Why Sha Wujing had returned to the world.

Because their true center, the core of their brotherhood, had reappeared.

With him, they were always invincible.

Even Heaven had once bowed.

The very one the Committee and countless powers had scoured the world to find…

“Wai—”

Before she could finish, her head was ripped clean from her spine.

SPLAT!!

The Winged Horse King tossed the corpse aside without emotion.

Her old tormentor meant nothing to her anymore.

Instead she dusted off her hands and turned to Wukong.

“How is the old ape?”

Wukong had just finished dismantling the runes and gently pulled Wu Yongwang from the chamber.

Sha Wujing rushed to apply every curse-script he knew as first aid—

But Wukong shook his head.

“No. It’s not good.”

His golden eyes dimmed heavily.

“His body has already been seized by another.”

“……!?”

The Winged Horse King’s eyes widened—

And at that moment—

FLASH!!

Wu Yongwang’s eyes snapped open.

Above his head, a golden ring spun into blazing light.

“Gingoa!!” Sha Wujing gasped.

“No. It only looks like the Gingoa. This is the Golden Halo—same as the ones used to capture Red Boy and the Black Wind Monster.”

Only Wukong remained calm.

Wu Yongwang grinned.

“Sun Wukong. It really was you. I always knew you would come for me one day, but meeting you in person still fills me with joy.”

But the voice was not Wu Yongwang’s.

Nor was it the Jade Emperor’s.

Wukong’s golden eyes flared brighter.

“Who are you? How can you reek so strongly of Sanzo?”

“You’ve surely heard my name before, Wukong.”

Wu Yongwang laughed.

“My name is Peng Jinghao.”