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Chapter 225
A brief silence passed.
Then—
『I wondered what you suddenly wanted to say. So you came here to spout nonsense?』
All that returned was the Demon Bull King’s mocking laugh.
『I thought you, unlike other humans, might actually be able to hold a conversation… What a disappointment.』
The Demon Bull King narrowed his two Demonic Bull Eyes.
His massive gaze fixed squarely on Lee Hyun.
『There are only two things humans who meet me always say.
One: “Save me.”
Two: “Give me power.”』
“……”
『Of course, there were some who tried to talk slick the way you’re doing now. But in the end they all said the same thing. Every single one of them begged for help.』
Fwoooom—!
The darkness of the Abyss rippled. Demonic energy swirled, closing around Lee Hyun.
Clack, clack!
The wind grew jagged, as though lined with teeth.
『Still… I thought you would be different. Even while clashing with me again and again, you dared to raise your chin. You struggled desperately to reclaim your brother.』
The emotion contained in those huge eyes had boiled down to one thing:
Contempt.
『Even though you are the Despised Youngest’s Apostle—still, I thought you might be worth speaking to. …Seems I was mistaken.』
[The Great Heavenly Sage, Demon Bull King, directs hostility toward you!]
[The pressure of Logos begins crushing down on you.]
The Demon Bull King’s oppressive aura swelled like a rolling avalanche.
Yet, strangely, Lee Hyun smiled.
“I had no idea you’d been viewing me in such a favorable light, Your Majesty. I thought I’d done nothing but irritate you all this time.”
『Trying to talk in circles again?』
“No tricks. I’m just stating facts.”
『……』
“I believe there’s simply been a misunderstanding. I have no intention of asking you for help.”
『Ridiculous. Did you already forget what you said just now—』
“When I say alliance, I mean joining hands. A mutual exchange.”
The Demon Bull King said nothing.
Lee Hyun continued with a calm smile.
“Right now, the front lines surrounding the Palmyra Ruins are hopelessly tangled. From where I stand, I can already see five forces. Us. You. Sama Society. The Axis of Evil… and the Celestial Cult.”
『……!』
“They’ve yet to show themselves, but I’m certain the Jade Emperor is watching both me and you from somewhere.”
『……』
Bubbling—!
The storm of demonic energy around Lee Hyun boiled harder, bubbles rising along the wind.
‘I can’t build a “normal” relationship with him right now. With the way he’s walled off his heart… I can only move slowly.’
Lee Hyun saw his past self in the Demon Bull King’s expression.
When he had lost everything, when he’d cut himself off from the entire world.
Even when his comrades contacted him endlessly—he had no strength to respond.
‘And the one who finally opened my heart… was Dae-sung.’
When he escaped his curse.
When he regained the ability to use magic and found hope again.
‘If I can be that source of hope for the Demon Bull King…’
Maybe it was arrogant to compare himself to such a great being.
But Lee Hyun knew—
The Seven Great Sages, the Three Dharma Kings—they were not so different from humans.
Just look at Sun Wukong:
He cherishes his brothers. He loves his partner.
He grieves when faced with sorrow, rejoices when faced with happiness.
No matter how great their deeds, no matter how exalted they are—
Even immortals share the same emotions as mortals.
And so…
They feel loneliness just the same.
Affection.
If even a fragment of affection remained in the Demon Bull King’s heart, a place existed where Lee Hyun could reach him.
Slowly.
Carefully.
Enough to seep in little by little.
—Salvation.
The thing the Demon Bull King had longed for the most when he’d lost his family—
Lee Hyun wanted to place it in his hands.
『……』
There was a perfect justification as well.
“There’s no need to widen the front lines. I’m not telling you to reconcile with the Great Sage or your other brothers.”
It wasn’t even a lie.
“Since we share a common enemy—the Celestial Cult—why not focus our firepower on them first?”
『……』
Still, no response.
But to Lee Hyun, that alone was half a victory.
“As you know, the ones who created this lab are the Sama Society. And behind them… I’m convinced the Celestial Cult is pulling the strings.”
Lee Hyun believed the Sama Society could maintain their power only because the Jade Emperor shielded them.
“I plan to use this opportunity to choke every last breath out of them. And so—”
『…You want me to join you?』
“I’m saying your hostility toward the Great Sage can wait until afterward.”
Another long moment of silence—
FWOOOSH!
The vortex suddenly intensified, then gathered into a humanoid form before Lee Hyun.
[The Great Heavenly Sage, Demon Bull King, consumes a portion of <Gehenna>’s causality to descend!]
A silver-haired middle-aged man appeared.
The exact same avatar Lee Hyun once fought within Gyoma King’s seal.
‘Good.’
Lee Hyun immediately sensed the Demon Bull King’s willingness to talk and smiled.
The Demon Bull King frowned.
“You smiling so openly is irritating. It reminds me of someone unpleasant.”
“……”
Lee Hyun instantly wiped his smile.
Being compared to Sun Wukong was the last thing he wanted, and apparently the Demon Bull King felt the same.
* * *
The Demon Bull King flicked his wrist.
A small table, two chairs, and a tea set materialized.
Lee Hyun sat quietly and looked at the steaming cup.
The scent was lovely.
Likely the Demon Bull King’s preference.
“What are you smiling about now?”
“I suddenly thought the Wine King wouldn’t like this tea.”
“Guxin… You mean him?”
“Yes. He’s rather fond of alcohol.”
“……You two drank together?”
“Yes. Within the myth. In reality he’s still recovering, so he abstains—but when his body stabilizes, I plan to be his drinking companion again.”
“…I’m glad his treatment is going well.”
Lee Hyun didn’t miss the faint relief in the Demon Bull King’s eyes.
He, too, had been worried for Wine King.
“Gyoma King is well too. He even jokes with the other brothers now.”
The Demon Bull King only nodded.
Lee Hyun chose not to speak further.
He needed time to sort out his emotions.
And then…
When he finally raised his head, the two Demonic Bull Eyes held firm determination.
“No more irrelevant chatter. Let’s move to the main subject.”
“I only brought it up because I thought our combat capability might concern you.”
That shameless tone—
The Demon Bull King looked displeased but merely clicked his tongue.
“For a provisional alliance, what exactly do you propose? Surely you don’t mean ‘let’s simply not interfere with each other when dealing with the Celestial Cult’?”
“That’s an option, but since a battlefield is inevitable, we should at least plan a proper operation.”
The Demon Bull King gestured with his chin while sipping tea.
Continue.
‘Looks like he eased a few of his worries and guilt regarding his brothers.’
Lee Hyun nodded.
“You released Sata King. I assume it’s because you intend to lure the Celestial Cult into descending here. Correct?”
“…Sharp, aren’t you.”
“As I said, I have good eyes.”
He tapped his gold-and-blue glowing irises.
Tch.
The Demon Bull King clicked his tongue.
“No point hiding it, then. Yes. This mountain is the bait to drag the Celestial Cult down. They were the ones conducting experiments here in the first place.”
A glint flashed in Lee Hyun’s eyes.
“The process of destabilizing terrestrial causality is almost complete. Even if you try to stop it, the Celestial Cult’s descent is unavoidable.”
He spoke calmly, but Lee Hyun heard the sadness beneath it.
‘As expected… The change in Sata King hides something.’
“When that happens, I’ll drag the Jade Emperor down to this land.”
His eyes blazed.
“And then—”
“Gehenna will intervene, yes?”
The Demon Bull King’s gaze pierced through him.
Lee Hyun felt as if his soul were exposed.
“Correct.”
Lee Hyun nodded gravely.
Sata King, and now Gehenna—his predictions were all right.
“However, I am not yet a full member of Gehenna. I’m still undergoing trials. So I don’t know how many will join the war.”
“But even a small number would be enough to shake the Jade Emperor.”
“Who knows what those bastards are plotting. I only intend to rip off the Jade Emperor’s head. Other celestial societies may intervene, of course.”
A cold grin split his face.
A demon king’s sneer, revealing his fangs.
“When that happens, this land will become a chaotic battlefield. The chickencoop bastards of <Malaakh> will be running around frantically.”
Lee Hyun’s thoughts spun rapidly.
[Activating Relic: Gingoa — accelerating thought process!]
WHIRRRR!!
The relic floated above his head and spun.
‘If Gehenna collides with the Celestial Cult—and potentially other celestial societies—and if the Seven Great Sages intervene… the victory will definitely lean toward our side. A winnable fight.’
The Palmyra Ruins would become chaos under the Logos’ war, but…
‘If I use this chance well…’
Crisis births opportunity.
Lee Hyun had no intention of losing.
He had already designed the entire battlefield to seal the fate of Sama Society and the Celestial Cult alike.
“In that case, our—especially my role becomes critical. After all, I will be the one opening the battlefield.”
“Then I’ll be honest. Originally, Gehenna wanted to bring you—and the Youngest—into their fold. As you said, how the first button is fastened determines the entire direction.”
Lee Hyun smirked.
He had stepped in at the exact moment his value was highest.
The Demon Bull King’s eyes, dark as abyssal tea, reflected only him.
“If you fight with us, Gehenna will be delighted. I too would be free to focus on a single goal. However—”
“Gehenna will need a guarantee. Something certain to prove we won’t withdraw midway.”
The Demon Bull King’s grin widened.
“This depends on how much Sata King damages terrestrial causality. If the demonic nature scatters, everything collapses. If you interfere trying to ‘save’ him, Gehenna will no longer need to deploy many forces.”
Meaning—
Sun Wukong’s group must accept Sata King’s sacrifice.
But even if Sun Wukong said yes—
Neither the Demon Bull King nor Gehenna would trust it immediately.
And Lee Hyun was merely an envoy of the Seven Sages.
“There is a method.”
“A method?”
“We will become the hostages.”
Lee Hyun glanced at Kim Min-jung, still undergoing the metamorphosis of Transcendent Transmission.
The Demon Bull King bared his teeth.
Jagged, monstrous fangs far from human.
“You don’t mean just her? She’s already my follower.”
“Of course not. I’ll place one more.”
“What?”
“I’ll place myself.”
“……!”
The Demon Bull King’s eyes widened.
Lee Hyun spoke firmly.
“The sole successor of the Great Sage, Equal to Heaven—Sun Wukong.
The joint disciple of the Seven Great Sages and the Three Dharma Kings.”
“……”
“As hostage value goes—Gehenna could hardly ask for anything better, could they?”
His golden and azure eyes flared harder than ever.
“So take me as your pledge, Demon Bull King.”
“……!!!”
