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Chapter 222
A desert city.
Beneath it lay a cavern swept by magma as scorching as Gehenna itself.
Bubble… bubble…
‘Has it already been this long since I came here?’
In a deep pool where part of the lava had formed a basin, the Demon King of the White Ox—proud of his white fur—was half-submerged, staring at something.
Fwaaaa!
A sinister light emanated from his eyes, barely peeking above the surface.
Each eye reflected a different scene.
One showed the earthly world where his sworn brothers were clashing wildly.
“Damn it…! Did the madness strike again?”
“I can’t just beat this until it dies… Ugh! Controlling this power is way too tough, isn’t there any way?”
“No! Focus. It only looks like this on the surface; in reality, the power could collapse at any moment.”
“I know that. But if I just stay like this, it might reach the civilian houses…”
Voices of frustration were clear, even muttered to themselves, meant for him to hear.
“What on earth did our eldest brother do to Isan? This is even more of a headache than during Bokhae!”
“…Still, if we talk about it, Isan was the one who trusted and followed our eldest brother. And now, this…”
Some words were even directly meant for him. But it wouldn’t be easy.
‘Isan’s madness must be completely different from the time of Bokhae.’
The demonic energy planted in the Beasting Demon King had been before fully transferring to Gehenna. It meant he wasn’t in great condition in many ways.
But the Sata King was different. He had restored some of his energy before starting this.
‘Of course, I still have a long way to go to fully restore my energy…’
The chaos within the Beasting Demon King sank deeply.
‘But it’s still not enough to be unable to handle the celestial forces forcibly dragged to this land.’
Moreover, the Sata King was the first step in the grand task he was about to undertake. He had prepared thoroughly.
Boom! Boom!
The Sata King overcame Son Oh-gong and the Seven Great Stars and began moving his massive form toward a location where civilians and military outposts gathered.
‘From now on… I will disrupt the causality of the surface to the fullest, forcing the heavenly beings to intervene.’
At that moment, the Beasting Demon King’s eyes glimmered ominously—a gaze that once contained the sinister plans of a Demon King who had brought the world to ruin.
Most divine beings were forbidden from acting directly on the surface. Long ago, in a time so distant that modern humans have no memory of it, the Great Covenant was established among the Logos.
It was designed to separate heaven and earth, prevent intrusive eyes from the Outer Sea, stop chaos, and enforce order.
Today, this covenant remained as what was called causality, forming the world’s laws. Yet over time, cracks appeared, and chaos like dungeons or rifts began to emerge again.
Still, beings like Malach strove to maintain balance, and societies like Celestial Church and Asgard worked to preserve their earthly “faith farms.”
The Beasting Demon King aimed to leave even a small scratch on those efforts.
If so, with part of causality disturbed, the Celestial Church would inevitably have to move.
‘Even if all that remains is destruction… if I can somehow drag out your ruin…!!’
Bubble… bubble… bubble…
Lava surged violently as if a tidal wave would rise, reflecting the fury of a man whose world had already been destroyed.
Son Oh-gong and his brothers, realizing his intent, were desperately moving to prevent the worst-case scenario. But their faces showed how difficult it was.
Of course, there was no other way. Unlike their eldest brother, willing to sacrifice siblings for his goals, they were struggling to save theirs.
‘….’
The Beasting Demon King’s gaze fixed firmly on Son Oh-gong’s face, who clenched his teeth, trying to find a solution.
“If that’s the case, then rather…!”
As Son Oh-gong’s words brushed past his ears, the other chaotic vision reflected another scene:
A dungeon where beings infused with his energy had gathered nearby.
“Since everyone is here, I’ll be blunt. We plan to launch an assault on this dungeon immediately.”
Lee Hyun was gathering other hunters, plotting something—probably a move to approach him.
Unlike the surface, the scene was not violently intense, but it carried an excitement that promised more.
‘So there are two who carry my killing intent…?’
Lee Hyun, arrogantly seizing the chaotic vision from his own clone, was one, but a human woman always with him kept catching his eye.
A woman holding the Great Beasting Energy—Uma-dae-sal. Kim Min-jeong, was it?
He had no recent human connections, so discovering her Great Beasting Energy suddenly had startled him.
‘Lee Hyun… seems to have forcibly linked fate somehow in a way I don’t know. Judging by its instability, did he use the youngest one’s myth?’
Regardless of the method, it was his energy. In a sense, she had become a new divine or apostle.
Yet, since it wasn’t formal, Kim Min-jeong’s Great Beasting Energy was unstable.
He considered retrieving it but decided to leave it for now.
‘All decisions will be made after she comes here.’
He anticipated meeting Lee Hyun.
‘Will she maintain her righteous heart even after learning all truths about her brother?’
The chaotic vision now firmly focused on Lee Hyun.
‘Or will she become a monster like me, breaking down and rampaging… truly curious.’
He wanted to confirm through Lee Hyun that his decisions, his changes, were absolutely correct.
Lee Hyun, once Belldana and Lieutenant Gaius were seated, immediately announced the intention to attack the dungeon.
Everyone else looked startled, especially the leaders of survivor groups who had close ties with Desert Eagle. Yet, no one spoke hastily.
‘Captain Aeson isn’t budging? They must have a backup plan!’
Belldana and Lieutenant Gaius were different.
Gaius exhaled smoke from his cigarette, frowning. The tension in the room spiked.
Gaius, cruel and obsessed with war, could potentially oppose Lee Hyun’s plan.
“Do you invest in stocks?”
“…?”
“…?”
A question utterly out of context. Everyone’s expressions shifted strangely; even Belldana frowned in disbelief.
“I don’t, but why ask?”
Gaius laughed suddenly.
“Then I advise against it. If you do, only invest in solid blue-chip stocks. Avoid risky sector stocks. Otherwise, you might lose it all trying to recoup and end up in disaster.”
His advice was overly realistic, making it oddly sorrowful.
“You must have struggled greatly.”
“Why else would I abandon my priesthood? I was trying to increase offerings to the gods but ended up embezzling church funds. Then, to pay debts to the legion, I’ve become a grave robber.”
All eyes were fixed on him, speechless.
“Damn! Why am I telling this story now?”
Gaius nervously extinguished his cigarette, then straightened up.
“Do you know the lesson I learned from all that?”
“What is it?”
“Never touch junk stocks. Only go all-in on potential winners.”
“….”
“To me, Jet, you are one of those potential winners!!”
His gaze burned with intensity. Lee Hyun, though stunned, nodded—refusing help wasn’t an option.
“Good. Then the 13th Legion’s Scarab will participate. And what about Babel Tower?”
Lee Hyun’s gaze naturally shifted to Belldana. She coldly responded, lowering her disdainful look at Gaius.
“You realize this dungeon is difficult, right?”
“Yes. The second condition, ‘Temple Exploration,’ hasn’t been completed.”
The Temple of the Sun God Yarhibol, expected somewhere in the desert city, had eluded search for decades. The entrance remained unknown.
“Then…”
“Yes. We found it, near here.”
“…!”
Only those willing to join the assault were informed. Hunters clenched their fists, eager for the rewards.
Yet, Lee Hyun poured cold water over the excitement.
Boom!!
A massive axe emerged from Kibisis like a column. Silence fell; someone swallowed hard. The axe exuded a ferocious, warlike aura, transcending time.
“I despise free riders. You may check, but how will you proceed?”
A chilling smile accompanied the warning. Lee Hyun openly threatened to eliminate Belldana and the Babel Tower survivors if necessary.
Belldana’s eyelids trembled. She had faced such humiliation only once before, just months ago.
‘…Giyujin.’
Babel Tower’s member, rising to the top floor, now backed by the Tower Master… Why were all from Cheongrae so rude?
“Fine. Babel Tower will participate. What’s next?”
Belldana had no choice but to yield. Lee Hyun finally released the axe, and the atmosphere relaxed.
‘…No. He’s pretending. Once the dungeon is cleared, he’ll surely try to kill me. I need to retreat first and regroup my subordinates.’
Dungeon raids would require at least a day to reconsolidate forces. Belldana planned to set the desert city ablaze during that window, forcing them to focus on the dungeon.
“Then we can hide and strike at the right moment…!”
If they eliminated those exhausted from the boss room, they could claim all glory. Belldana smiled slyly.
“We’ll need troops for exploration, so disperse and return on time,” she ordered.
“No need.”
Lee Hyun interrupted coldly.
“The temple entrance is right below. Only you all need to participate.”
“…!!!”
“We’ll open it immediately.”
Before Belldana could react:
KWAANG!!
Lee Hyun stomped the ground, filled with magic. Blue effects rose from the floor of the city hall.
Everyone instinctively stepped back.
Drrrrr!!
A line appeared on the floor, which began opening like a door.
“…!”
“…!”
“…!!”
[Temple of Yarhibol entrance discovered!]
[Second achievement condition completed.]
