“The cave collapsed? Yaanek…?” The High Guardians were shocked as they gathered once more for an emergency meeting at the Central Bureau. Only Yvlke was smiling calmly. The director Klus rubbed his temples silently, and the other High Guardians were hesitant to speak up.

Tarneck, who had reported the incident, was covered in dust from head to toe—proof of how worrying the situation was.

They didn’t blink an eye at most incidents and sometimes even chuckled when stages were destroyed, but this time they couldn’t let things slide. The Cave of Yaanek was an important location managed by the Central Bureau. The cave was only a red herring to hide the truth, along with mining Blood-Tear Stones and Blood Essence. In reality, it was a corpse of an otherworld god, and not an ordinary one, either.

‘An otherworld god who fell a long time ago…from battling the Heavenly Demon before the Tower was even created.’ It was also a mystery that held the secrets of the Tower’s foundation and origin.

When the Central Bureau first discovered the otherworld god’s corpse, they took great care to ensure it wouldn’t be revealed to anyone else while they carefully investigated it. However, because there were too many eyes on them in both the heavenly world and the lower one, they had to come up with a cover story.

They decided to reveal some information about it as a distraction and called it an unexplored territory. The Central Bureau especially took care to hide things from Allforone. Of course, some still managed to sneak into the depths of the cave, but since they were usually eaten by the remnants in the otherworld god’s stomach, they weren’t too concerned. This was why they hadn’t thought anything of the reports that the Daud Brethren were staking out the area and plotting something.

However, had their negligence gone too far? It was the same attitude that created this outcome.

“He’s worse than the Martial King…” Tarneck spit out the worst curse he could think of and ground his teeth.

The others nodded. Even the rooster, Lapis Lazuli, who normally objected to crude speech, stayed silent.

“You can probably tell from my condition that this isn’t something we can overlook. The cave has been exposed to the gods and demons connected to his Channels, and we’re in danger of losing Laplace. Before the situation grows worse, we need to stop him.”

It was obvious that the heavenly world would step forward, and when that happened, so would Allforone. The balance would shake once the Central Bureau’s secret was revealed.

The Shadow King had probably crashed around without much thought, but the great war could move from the lower world and the heavenly world to the Bureau and Allforone. They had to prevent this from happening.

“Which crazy idiot suggested we stick the Martial King’s disciple in the cave? Even after knowing that so many gods and demons are connected to him…!”

“What? Are you saying it’s my fault for suggesting it, huh?”

“Hmph! He’s not wrong. If you didn’t bring it up, we wouldn’t be in this mess.”

“You bastard…! Do you want to fight me?”

“Nothing’s stopping me.”

“What?”

“Stop!”

Boom! Klus slammed his hands on the table before the commotion grew worse. An overwhelming release of magic power stopped the noise. He growled as if he wouldn’t condone any more commotion. “No one thought that he’d be able to use his power since the system was blocked off, so everyone, shut up. Is there anyone here who expected the Shadow King to be an arhat enlightened with the ability to control his thoughts?”

There was no reply.

“Our priority now is to stop the Shadow King before he makes contact with Laplace. Fortunately, the location is filled with monsters, and it’ll take some time for the Shadow King to move through it. The only variable is that unexpectedly, he has a guide who knows the secret as well as we do.” Everyone nodded silently.

“We’ve tried to restrict players, but this time will be an exception. The Central Bureau will take care of the laws of causality. We will form a squad to chase after him. I will brook no objections.” Klus turned to Tarneck. “Tarneck. I’ll give you the entire Special Police Unit and allow you to release your power. Will you be able to stop him then?”

Tarneck’s eyes flashed at those words. This meant he would be able to tap into his strength from when he had been a demon king and that he could also use his familiars. On top of that, he’d have the Special Police Unit. It was more than enough. Wouldn’t he defeat even the Martial King with that power? Tarneck believed so.

However, Klus didn’t seem to agree, because he turned to the Guardian sitting at the very end of the table. “Lupi.”

“Y-yes?”

Lupi, the pig. The short Guardian cautiously looked at Klus with his shoulders hunched. He looked frightened but no one was fooled. There was a gruesome monster behind that mask whose greed could never be satisfied no matter how much it consumed.

“You go too.”

“But…”

“I give you my permission to handle Laplace’s punishment.”

A hideous smile full of gluttony flashed on Lupi’s innocent face. But he quickly put on his frightened expression. “A-all right.”

“And as for the rest…” Klus assigned tasks to the other High Guardians. Normally, they would have refused to accept these orders, but no one complained. After he finished, Klus scanned the High Guardians and said coldly, “Prepare as much as you can so that this incident doesn’t spiral out of control. Be especially careful of the heavenly world’s movements.”

“But what about the Daud Brethren who caused a revolt…?”

“Their clan will receive a penalty, but it’s not the time to focus on that right now.” Klus shouted again as he slammed his palms on the table. “Everyone, get to it, now!”

The High Guardians disappeared. Yvlke was the last one to leave, and he paused when Klus stopped him. “Yvlke.”

He adjusted his monocle. “What’s wrong, Director?”

“What are you thinking?”

“Ohyohyo! What do you mean?”

Klus wrinkled his forehead. “Are you fine with Laplace dy…never mind. That was an unnecessary question.” Talking about it would only exhaust them. Klus knew that Yvlke would be circumspect, as usual, so he gave up asking.

However, as if he read Klus’ thoughts, Yvlke smiled widely. “All the decisions and choices are up to the director—that means you. I’m only following your orders. Ohyohyo, ohyo!”

“Sure. I’m sure you are. Go on.”

Yvlke was about to disappear with his strange laughter when he smiled mischievously. “And Director, even if I have other thoughts, they won’t harm the Bureau.”

Klus waved his hand as if he didn’t want to respond anymore. “Haa.” Sitting at the empty table, Klus slumped in his chair and sighed. It didn’t seem like the wrinkles between his brows would straighten out soon.

* * *

The Vampiric Lord called the fight against the monsters that Nessie had summoned an endless one. Yeon-woo had to agree.

[Meteor Sword Art]

Rumble. The heat from the explosions of energy clusters pushed away the waters of the Demonic Sea again and again. Waves of fire that were meters tall would rise from the water and evaporate in an instant, creating a mist around them. The monsters about to attack Yeon-woo were not only pushed away but also burned to ashes.

Endurance? Durability? Powers? None of that mattered in front of the exploding clusters. Even if they managed to block the explosions, the aftershocks and the chaotic vibrations swept away everything in the vicinity. Barriers were useless in the face of their power. The creatures were frustrated because the intense heat made their holy power futile, and around a hundred monsters were blown away in an instant.

‘It works.’ Yeon-woo confirmed that Meteor Sword Art worked against these monsters too. He knew that Meteor Sword Art was more than enough against transcendental beings, but he’d been concerned it wouldn’t work against the monsters of the Demonic Sea since their foundations were different.

A few of the creatures contained so much chaos that they were removed from the laws of physics, and there was a possibility that even intense light and heat wouldn’t work against them.

‘But in the end, no matter how far from the laws of physics you are, I guess everything’s the same when it comes to overwhelmingly destructive power.’ The power of Meteor Sword Art was greater than he thought. It didn’t stop with a single explosion, but amplified its ability to destroy by creating more explosions.

If he used it well, it could blow up a planet. What could possibly remain untouched after taking a direct hit from it? Some creatures were still alive, but none of them had escaped injuries like burns or dismemberment from pieces of sword energy.

The curse took effect immediately after.

[Black Gubitara - Blood Flowers]

[Wave of Fire - Fire Lightning]

The burns on the bodies of the monsters suddenly glowed with a blinding red light and spread to the rest of their bodies in the shape of a flower.

Blood Flowers were the signature skill of Asura King Vimalacitra. They twisted around their host’s neck until the soul was dead. The creatures cried out as the chaos in their bodies was painfully twisted. A new attack took place when they paused.

Rumble. Krrr! The red sparks that filled the atmosphere pulled down Fire Lightning from the sky towards the Blood Flowers on the monsters’ bodies.

Kueeeek. Chiiik! Chiik! The monsters couldn’t withstand the attacks, and they began to scatter in all directions.

「Fuck….」 Shanon seemed speechless at the sight and muttered the only word he could think of.

Meteor Sword Art was beyond shocking. It was powerful enough to open the skies and split the earth. Shanon didn’t understand how Yeon-woo still hadn’t undergone exuviation, the path to transcendence. If those who could cause so much destruction weren’t gods, then who qualified? But as the explosion swept past, more powerful monsters swarmed close.

Rumble! Clatter. A beautiful galaxy descended on them. The black chains connected to Vigrid moved among the monsters as explosions ripped and crushed their bodies again and again.

Psshhh. The magic power in his Dragon Heart fell by thirty percent after he killed a massive number of monsters, but even if he replenished it with the Blood Flowers, he was also under a lot of psychological stress. It wasn’t easy to predict the movements of so many creatures at the same time, and Meteor Sword Art consumed too much power. He didn’t understand where all the monsters were coming from. They were endless.

[All gods of death are satisfied with your strength.]

[All demons of death are pleased with the death you bestow upon them.]

The appreciative messages of the gods and demons of death raised his spirits, and when he continued forward, brandishing the chains, he grew closer to Nessie.

[Vimalacitra watches your fight with an uplifted face.]

[Cernunnos observes Nessie, who is watching you.]

The Vampiric Lord was also observing from the sidelines, her arms crossed. She didn’t bother to help him, but Yeon-woo thought that it was for the best. Meteor Sword Art was more destructive than he’d first thought, and his physical abilities were enhanced because he could control his mind. He realized how incredible the Demonic Draconic Divine Body was, and he grew more confident. He was surviving even in this hellish Demonic Sea. If he were dropped in Tartarus right now, he wouldn’t have to run away like last time. ‘I can do it.’

Clatter. Yeon-woo pulled the chains to retrieve Vigrid while using Blink to appear above Nessie’s head, who was his next target. He planned to kill this creature; otherwise, he couldn’t see how he could end the battle.

Nessie hadn’t moved and likely hadn’t noticed Yeon-woo’s movements. Thanks to that, Yeon-woo saw Nessie’s body hidden in the fog. It was as large as a brachiosaurus, with an equally long neck. Yeon-woo came face to face with an eye that was as large as his body. Boom.

How. Impudent.

Just before Vigrid struck Nessie’s head, Yeon-woo felt the world around him stop. His body was immobilized, as though something strong were holding him. There was a clacking sound as he was pulled towards something.

Crunch! When he opened his eyes again, he experienced the pain of his soul being torn apart. “Ugh!” It wasn’t the pain of just one soul but of dozens, hundreds, thousands. He wanted to scream but he couldn’t muster up a sound. ‘What…happened?’ Yeon-woo looked down.

The monsters he had killed were tearing his body apart. The dead creatures had come back to life to tear him apart as if returning the pain that they’d received from him, their eyes filled with hostility.

Yeon-woo was back at the shore of the Demonic Sea, not too far from the Vampiric Lord. Had time been turned back? Yeon-woo looked into Nessie’s eyes. It was still hiding in the fog far away, and he finally understood what happened.

Illusory Change! It was a supernatural strength that affected everything within an Illusory World, even changing the laws of physics. Through Illusory Change, Nessie had not only brought back the dead monsters, but entirely changed the laws of causality so that he would be the one to die.

Blood spurted from his mouth. This was what an endless battle was.

The Vampiric Lord looked on with indifferent eyes as death loomed over Yeon-woo.