Chapter 615
Kwak-kwak-kwak-kwak-kwak!
Power within stillness—
That was precisely what Brahma’s unique ability, [Brahma’s Lotus], embodied.
“Kh…!”
Jinhyuk desperately dodged the blooming petals.
The lotus carried both the powers of [Creation] and [Destruction]. Just a single touch could cause unimaginable effects.
Yet even more dangerous than the petals themselves was the scent they released.
Breathing it in even once would shatter the mind completely. He absolutely could not let that fragrance reach him.
[‘Heavenly Demon Lord Step’ has been activated!]
[‘Domain of Wind’ has been activated!]
Boom!
His movement art and divine technique unfolded at once, scattering the petals in all directions.
He widened the distance while dispersing the scent entirely.
“Hm. Strange.”
Brahma emerged from the darkness, arms folded, his head slightly tilted with a puzzled expression.
“It should be your first time seeing this ability… yet your reaction was flawless. Almost as if you knew in advance.”
“I’ve studied mythology pretty damn hard. Picked up a lot of useless trivia. Got a problem with that?”
“Hahaha. So prickly. It was a compliment. A compliment.”
“Keep complimenting me and you’ll run out of lives fast. So—why bother forcing a one-on-one situation?”
“Before fighting, I simply wished to see what kind of being you truly are. It fascinated me—how a mere human could manipulate countless divine beings and change the balance of the Tower.”
That was enough introduction.
For far too long, Brahma had grown numb, circling endlessly within the same stagnant reality with other gods.
Now, for the first time in ages, he felt the same thrill and anticipation he’d had upon first entering the Tower.
“Eliminating my enemy on the first day would be boring. From here on, I’ll show you what the Celestial Order truly is. Let’s see if that hastily gathered force of yours can withstand my full might.”
“Funny. Guys who talk big like you usually end up dead within a month. Well, I’ll be waiting.”
Jinhyuk and Brahma glared at each other, fangs bared.
And so began the mythic war that would decide the fate of the Tower.
—
In front of the western temple—
Brahma appeared before the gathered armies of the Celestial Order.
“Had a pleasant walk?”
Indra, who was toying with lightning atop a small cloud, chuckled softly.
“Yes. Not a bad first meeting. I even gained a few things.”
“Hehe. I’m glad to hear it was worthwhile.”
Their casual exchange was interrupted when Kumar suddenly rushed forward and fell to his knees.
“No matter how many rabble they’ve gathered, they are nothing before the great Celestial Order! Please, allow me—Kumar—to personally end Kang Jinhyuk’s life!”
The greater the war, the greater the reward.
Kumar intended to use this chance to solidify his position once and for all.
“Ah… right, you were here. I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me. Come here, quickly.”
“Y-Yes! Thank you so mu—”
A smiling Brahma extended his hand—
Thuck!
—and clamped it around Kumar’s face.
Before Kumar could even express confusion, unimaginable pain seared through his entire body.
Fwoosh!
“Gyaaaah! Gyaaaaaaah…!”
His flesh shriveled, drying up as if he were being burned alive.
“Wh-What!?”
“W-Why are you doing this!?”
Deshmukh and the Gandhara rankers screamed in horror.
They had never imagined that their own god would strike down their leader.
“A shame, but your mental world is far too frail to sustain this war.”
Yes, Kumar had been a valuable pawn—
But pawns exist to be sacrificed for the greater cause.
The Gandhara Guild’s role ended here.
Still wearing his gentle smile, Brahma absorbed the remaining life force from Kumar’s body.
Crack!
Snap.
The mummified corpse shattered into dust.
“We’ll handle maintaining the mental world ourselves. Hand over the foundation.”
They had a choice: resist and die painfully, or accept their fate and die swiftly.
At least Brahma was generous enough to offer that.
“Uaaah!”
“Aaaargh!”
Short screams mixed with Brahma’s quiet laughter—
And within seconds, silence returned as if nothing had happened.
[The authority of the 45th floor has greatly strengthened the mental world!]
[Barrier duration extended to 48H : 59M : 59S]
Woooong!
A gentle golden wave rippled outward.
They had secured plenty of time.
Just then—
Crack!
A spatial rift appeared.
[Dimensional transfer detected.]
Two figures emerged—an elderly man whose body was scorched black and unconscious, and a young woman supporting him.
1Person2Chickens and jjy77.
The Tower’s most powerful absolute beings had barely escaped with their lives.
“Something… went wrong.”
Even Brahma’s normally calm face twisted slightly.
He hadn’t expected these two to be injured.
Gasping, 1Person2Chickens spoke.
“There’s been someone interfering with our plans for a while… he attacked us.”
“You mean… the one called Sleeper Owl?”
“Yes. That bastard.”
“What of the Covenant?”
Brahma’s voice sharpened.
“We can’t activate it in time. It’ll take several more days to repair.”
“That’s… quite an irritating bit of news.”
The Covenant’s activation was essential—it was the cornerstone of every plan.
Only through the ultimate Apocalypse could they erase all interference.
“At least we succeeded in sealing Sleeper Owl. We threw him into the Rift of Emptiness. He’ll never bother us again.”
A labyrinth that could only be escaped by knowing its exact coordinates—
Once trapped within, escape was impossible.
With the most troublesome administrator gone, even a delayed Covenant wasn’t a total loss.
“I heard Kang Jinhyuk summoned other forces to his side. Is that a problem?”
“No need for concern. We’re also prepared to risk everything this time.”
At Brahma’s nod, countless soldiers behind the temple raised their weapons high.
“Uwooooh!” “Oooohhhh!”
A roar that shook the world itself.
An army of hundreds of millions.
Among them, Garuda and other divine beasts from Hindu mythology exuded overwhelming presence.
Every god and army of the Celestial Order had been mobilized for total war.
“We’ll show them what kind of fools pick a fight in our own domain.”
Even the ancient dragons of the upper 40s floors avoided full-scale war here—
Yet the mightiest mythology was now on the move.
—
‘The board’s gotten a lot bigger.’
Jinhyuk recalled his earlier battle with Brahma.
He’d assumed the man who always looked too lazy to care would take a passive stance in this war.
But after their fight, he knew—Brahma was dead serious.
‘He’ll use every card he has.’
From divine beings to holy beasts—
Even Asura, their double-edged sword, was likely to be deployed.
Meanwhile, though Jinhyuk had summoned many gods, Alice, Chun Yoosung, and Teresa were still unavailable.
If they were to win, the strategy had to be meticulously crafted.
“I agree that this is a wall we’ll have to overcome eventually. But do you have a plan? No sane being challenges the Celestial Order on the 45th floor.”
Cronus crossed his arms, his tone heavy.
Even this ancient god who had once helped found Olympus seemed uneasy after meeting Brahma.
The same tension filled the other deities.
“The problem isn’t just the major gods—their army is monstrous.”
“Indeed. They don’t have tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands. They have billions of elite troops.”
Artemis from Olympus and Loki from the North spoke grimly.
Only Eden and the Demon Realm could barely compare in numbers.
“Unfortunately, angelic reinforcements are impossible.”
“Same for us. Our folks are… independent types.”
Neither Gabriel nor Berial could mobilize all their forces.
Civil wars still raged in their realms, and even if they weren’t, the two were at war with each other.
If one sent massive reinforcements, the other would surely strike.
They’d have to fight with what they had now.
“The most important thing is to choose a commander. With so many mythologies gathered, we need one leader with charisma and authority to unite everyone.”
A glint of greed flashed in every eye.
To command all mythologies—who wouldn’t dream of such power?
To have every god obey their word without question.
“Well obviously…”
“It should be us, with our long history—”
“Preposterous! What nonsense!”
“A leader other than me? Impossible!”
As expected, chaos ensued.
Each mythology shouted, unwilling to yield even an inch.
“Of course, I expected this. Which is why I’ve prepared a fair proposal.”
Jinhyuk cleared his throat and unfurled a large scroll he had kept close.
It listed every mythology and the gods belonging to each.
“What’s that?”
“From now on, any faction that performs well in battle will receive a ‘Well Done!’ stamp. The mythology with the most stamps becomes the leader. Until then, I’ll act as the temporary commander to prevent disorder.”
And, of course, any objections were automatically overruled.
Anyone who wanted the nonexistent Crown-making formula would have to crawl for it.
The gods grimaced, muttering that if he was going to rule anyway, why bother pretending to vote—
Yet none gave up completely.
If they collected enough stamps, maybe one day they could seize the throne of kingship themselves.
⁕⁕⁕
Hours passed.
Each faction busied themselves preparing for battle.
Then—
Boom!
A massive explosion erupted roughly 300 meters away.
“Groooaaar!”
A deafening beast’s roar echoed through the air.
“All sorts of mongrels have gathered here. Come forth, anyone with the courage to face me!”
It was the divine beast Garuda—and atop its head stood the god Rudra.
Rudra, god of wind and storms, master of the hunt—
The predecessor of Shiva himself, a perfect warrior god.
Behind him stood roughly five hundred heavy infantry soldiers.
It wasn’t a full assault.
“He’s testing the waters.”
Jinhyuk’s eyes narrowed.
The opening skirmish of any war determined morale.
Even a small victory could sway momentum, so both sides usually sent out their most reliable champions.
Rudra was clearly considered one of those cards.
But—
‘If it’s a contest of raw power, we’ve got plenty to match that.’
This was the perfect chance to copy the abilities of the Celestial Order’s divine beings.
No matter the means, he’d wring every last drop of benefit from them.