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chapter 172
“Wait a minute! Are you saying the owner of that axe is somehow related to the second brother? Like Nana or Sahun?”
Bungma King reacted even more intensely than Lee Hyun.
Saojeong, standing nearby, looked a little surprised.
Son Goku shrugged his shoulders.
“I don’t know exactly. But the aura it gives off is similar. Rye… you feel it too, right?”
“…But…”
Bungma King looked slightly confused.
Son Goku nodded.
“Yeah. It’s strange. Right now, Lord Bokhae and that giant seem to be hostile to each other. But what kind of connection might exist? No one knows.”
Lee Hyun, listening to the conversation, thought to himself:
So in the end, we have to see for ourselves.
That meant they had to confront it directly…
Thunk!
Lee Hyun heightened his yokma senses and scanned the surroundings.
[Scanning the surroundings with Battle Sense (S+)!]
The queen’s attack was far too sudden.
No matter how large this warehouse was, it was not easy for a creature standing fifteen meters tall to hide its presence.
Especially without using magic.
‘She’s completely blended with this room. That’s why pinpointing her exact location is so difficult. In that case…’
Crackle!
Lee Hyun drew up a massive amount of lightning and filled the air with lightning spheres.
“I have no choice but to detonate them.”
Let’s see if she can keep hiding even if the building collapses.
[<Sahun>’s narrative briefly awakens.]
[<Sahun>’s narrative seems to be doing something quite interesting, and it breathes the Dragon’s Breath into the lightning spheres.]
Fwoooosh!!
In an instant, the spheres ignited with dark crimson flames.
The warehouse heated up as if it would explode at any second.
“Explode.”
Blaaam!
As Lee Hyun’s cold laugh echoed, the lightning spheres scattered in all directions.
“You’re quite a guest who knows how to put someone in an awkward spot.”
The queen appeared, breaking through the ceiling.
Her position: directly above Lee Hyun’s head.
‘Above! The sacred artifact!!’
Lee Hyun realized that she was wearing a cloak that looked extraordinary at first glance.
“That aura… it’s Lord Bokhae’s sacred artifact!”
As expected.
The ability to deceive even Hwan-geumjeong. It made sense if it was a Sacred Artifact of the Demon King.
Swoosh!
The queen charged at Lee Hyun with a cruel smile.
A warhammer roughly the size of the halberd she had thrown earlier.
She seemed to love heavy weapons. Like a jet in motion.
―ᛇ.
[Summoning ‘Thunder Whale’!]
Lee Hyun barely suppressed the urge to draw his axe and fight.
He needed to maintain his magician concept, and all the teeth of Do-cheol were broken and left in Docheol Yabang.
Instead, he pulled all the lightning spheres upward.
‘Now I understand why Daeseong said the Demon King’s scent is so strong.’
The queen, as seen through yokma senses, was radiating a fierce battle intent, reminiscent of the Seven Great Stars.
Yet she also exuded overwhelming majesty.
Someone had clearly trained her.
Crackle!
Boom!!
The lightning spheres connected through electricity and instantly formed the shape of a whale.
The upper body of the thunder whale lunged at the queen in a headbutt attempt.
Ka-blaaam!!
Rumble-
The thunder whale shattered, lightning scattering in all directions.
Crash!
Weapons and treasures inside the warehouse were destroyed in chaos.
The fortress shook violently; it was surprising the building hadn’t collapsed.
“Your Majesty!!”
“Where are you?!”
“Find the queen! The enemy’s ambush has penetrated even the inner defenses!!”
Outside, the desperate footsteps of guards and attendants trying to identify the source of chaos could be heard.
Lee Hyun, thinking quickly, attempted his next magic.
―ᚦ.
[Drawing the ‘Chain of Lightning’ to restrain the enemy!]
He planned to subdue the queen first.
She surely held some secret about the Demon King.
‘I also need to check exactly what was in that treasure chest. There might be a Gukdu-un inside.’
The electricity scattered from the shattered thunder whale wove into chains, attempting to restrain the queen.
But,
“Foolish!”
The queen pushed through more aggressively.
Fwoooosh!!
She reached Lee Hyun in an instant, swinging her axe violently.
All the chains attempting to bind her shattered.
“…!!”
Lee Hyun recognized the familiar combat style and, while startled, responded calmly.
He maximized the distance using the radiant trajectories while launching Parma’s arrows continuously.
With her massive size, there were many points to strike.
Bam bam bam!
The queen absorbed the attacks with her body, as before.
Her distorted armor and helmet.
Heh.
She was smiling. Clearly having the time of her life.
And then,
Fwoosh!
Rattatat-
She pulled out the halberd embedded in the floor and threw it at Lee Hyun.
He quickly raised a pillar of light to deflect it.
Ka-blaam!!
Rumble-
The halberd narrowly passed above his head, embedding deep in the wall behind.
A brutally efficient combat style that could have killed him with even a slight delay.
His fingertips tingled.
But,
“Hey, are you smiling?”
Son Goku asked incredulously.
Even behind a mask, his expression betrayed his amusement.
‘Daeseong.’
“Why?”
‘I quite like this queen.’
“You’re insane.”
Son Goku glared with a look of disbelief.
Of course, he wasn’t some sweaty ordinary warrior.
“Why not grab an axe and go berserk, with so many around here?”
‘I would like to, but once you break character, it all falls apart.’
“What are you saying? Are you speaking alien?”
“Kak kak kak! It’s like the playful culture of today’s youth that old-fashioned seniors wouldn’t understand! Kak kak! I think our lord has grasped the true charm of concept immersion. Delightful!”
Lee Hyun wanted to say this was different from messing around online, but there was no time.
Hehe…
The queen walked forward, kicking up dust.
Her expression was that of sheer fascination.
“You’re quite impressive. Most wimpy magic users from the Black Sea run away at just a show of this axe.”
Being tall alone made her threatening.
Her fighting spirit was fierce.
“You have a strong gaze. The eyes of a warrior.”
“….”
“Ever consider putting down that toy wand and wielding an axe or hammer? The sensation is exquisite.”
Lee Hyun suppressed a laugh and replied with his careful, polite persona:
“I despise reckless, sweaty actions.”
“That’s a shame. But it shows confidence in your skills. Perhaps you truly are the savior Lord Bokhae mentioned?”
Suddenly, an unexpected remark.
Bungma King and Saojeong flinched; Son Goku narrowed his eyes.
‘As expected.’
Lee Hyun spoke after a brief thought. Fortunately, there were no other hunters here.
Savior.
The word sounded strangely peculiar.
“So you were connected to the Demon King after all.”
“Not surprised?”
“I could sense it.”
The queen twisted her mouth.
“I see. We sensed each other in the same way. Then, as he said, you are—”
“Enough with the chatter.”
Lee Hyun cut her off, preventing further unnecessary speech. The guards were realizing her location and rushing in.
The queen laughed lightly.
“True, no need for long explanations.”
“Originally, I intended to quietly find only what I sought and leave. But now, I shall ask directly.”
Thunk!
Crackle!!
Lee Hyun slammed the rune staff to the floor, drawing up maximum white lightning.
“What’s your relation to the Demon King? Does this connect to his actions?”
“Yes. I was present when he was sealed.”
Lee Hyun’s eyes widened slightly,
Fwoooosh!!
Son Goku suddenly leaped from Lee Hyun’s head.
Simultaneously, a violent storm erupted.
Goooo-
[■■Dae■ ■■Gong reveals hidden battle power!]
[All possible external observation is blocked.]
The warehouse felt cut off from the outside, dominated by an overwhelming aura.
Even the queen, five stories tall, seemed small before it.
Thunk!
When the white monkey landed, a silver-haired handsome man stood in place.
“Explain in detail what you said earlier.”
“…!!!”
The queen, who had been calm all along, froze in shock.
Then two more beings appeared.
Lee Hyun instinctively recognized them.
Beings seen long ago, whom the Demon King called brothers.
The silver-haired handsome man in front was undoubtedly the most outstanding.
The queen instinctively knelt slightly and bowed.
“W-what an honor to meet such great beings—”
“I won’t waste words on greetings. Answer the question. You were present when Bokhae was sealed, correct?”
Son Goku cut her off.
The queen, sweating, bowed even deeper.
“Y-yes…”
“We knew the scent of Bokhae from you, but we had no certainty, so we observed first.”
“….”
“Explain thoroughly. Otherwise, you and your people will face consequences you do not want.”
The queen hesitated, not out of fear, but clearly hiding something…
Son Goku’s eye narrowed, and the queen took a deep breath, speaking:
“…As I said, I was one of those who sealed Lord Bokhae, when—ugh!”
Before she could finish, an immense aura pressed down on her shoulders.
[Battle aura revealed!]
Bang!!
It felt as if her body was thrown to the ground.
Her soul felt like it was falling into the earth. She nearly fainted.
“Repeat yourself. What did you say you did?”
Son Goku’s face twisted ferociously.
Bungma King and Saojeong couldn’t restrain him, as his murderous aura was overwhelming.
Lee Hyun couldn’t approach, breathless. The joking demeanor he had with the Demon King seemed like a lie.
“I had no choice… he… attacked… our fortress…! Wanted the treasure… so I defended it…”
The queen went pale as the aura tightened, choking her.
“What treasure did you possess?”
“Ymir…’s heart… ugh…”
Right before she lost consciousness, Son Goku released the pressure.
Thud!
The queen collapsed, catching her breath, even gagging from the intensity.
‘Ymir… the first giant from the creation myths of Asgard and Jotunheim? Was its heart actually in this dungeon? A replica?’
Lee Hyun saw the treasure chest lying empty, split in two.
Meaning, the heart of Ymir had originally been inside.
‘Even a replica named after [Ymir] would be an incredible elixir… Was the Demon King after Ymir’s heart to recover lost aura?’
His mind raced.
‘If it was an enemy, the sea invasion makes sense. But what about the savior, and why did they wait?’
Bungma King, resurrected after consuming the Samjok-o’s core, understood the need for materials to restore aura.
Yet, many questions remained.
The queen finally lifted her head.
Unable to meet Son Goku’s icy gaze directly, she spoke calmly and slowly.
Past events.
The <Adaptation> story related to the Demon King Lord Bokhae.
“…When Lord Bokhae fell to our kingdom, he was already broken and in a pitiful state. The condition was so severe we could not just watch, so my attendants and I nursed him.”
“….”
Son Goku pressed his lips tight.
[Truth]
All of the queen’s words, visible from Hwan-geumjeong, were true.
Indeed.
Bitterness lingered on her lips.
“Even unconscious, he kept searching for something. The Gukdu-un… saying he needed it to find his brothers.”
“…!!”
Son Goku’s fists tightened instantly.
