Chapter 621
Disguise or cosplay.
When it comes to deceiving the enemy, few things are as effective as changing one’s appearance.
It completely overturns the opponent’s prior information.
‘This is honestly insane.’
Jinhyuk looked in the mirror again.
A stubborn, scruffy beard and deep-set wrinkles.
His flushed cheeks completed the perfect look of a drunken Northerner.
The ‘Phantom Lupin’s Disguise Set’ he had purchased beforehand from a coin exchange, combined with the ‘Face of Infinity’ skill, had performed beautifully.
On top of that, he had sprayed a perfume that masked the ‘residual trace of mana.’ Unless it was a god he had personally met countless times—like Berial or Anubis—no one would notice.
Just then—
“Move faster, you worms! Get into the temporary holding area right now!”
“Get those asses moving before I twist your necks off!”
The beast-soldiers under Asura barked at the prisoners.
Their aura suggested they could cut them down at any moment.
Calling them prisoners was generous. To the beast-soldiers, they were cowards who had tossed away their honor for survival.
“Tch! Should’ve killed them all. Why the hell are we keeping garbage like this?”
“They said they’d use them as slave soldiers or something. Just do what we’re told.”
– Do not kill the captured. Gather them. After brainwashing them with mental magic, they will be deployed in battle. At the very least, they can be used as labor to dig through the ravine and establish outposts. Absolutely do not touch them.
It was Brahma’s strict order, driven by relentless efficiency.
Even the unruly beast-soldiers couldn’t directly disobey that.
But he never said they couldn’t use “reasonable violence.”
“These slug-brained idiots… Let’s show them a little pain.”
“A strip of skin or two will make them walk faster.”
Just as the dissatisfied beast-soldiers raised their whips—
“…?”
“What the… this smell?”
A fragrant scent drifted from the direction of the prisoners.
Food.
And a type they had never smelled in their entire lives.
Gulp—
Saliva ran down their throats before they realized it.
To a warrior, food was simply fuel—something to fill hunger and provide nutrients.
Taste was a luxury. A pointless indulgence.
However—
That belief shattered in an instant.
Drawn by instinct, the beast-soldiers followed the smell.
Not one or two—every nearby beast-soldier did the same.
And there—
An old, shabby man was sweating profusely as he cooked.
Bubble bubble—
Tender meat simmered inside the pot.
A stew filled with vegetables and spices stimulated every cell in their bodies.
“Oh my!”
Jinhyuk looked at the beast-soldiers and feigned shock.
He immediately bowed his head and stopped stirring.
“Such esteemed gentlemen… What brings you to a shabby place like this?”
“Old man. You made this?”
“Eh? Ah… this? Yes, yes. I may be unworthy, but I have a bit of skill in cooking. So the alliance put me in charge of meals.”
“Oh?”
“So it wasn’t all idiots among them.”
“He might be useful.”
The beast-soldiers wiped the drool at the corners of their mouths, staring holes through the pot.
They were restraining themselves only because others were watching. If left alone, they would’ve dunked their heads into the pot.
Their instincts were tugging hard at the edges of their reason.
“If it pleases you, would you like to try a taste? You spared us so generously… I wish to repay even a little. Please, even once, honor me by tasting my humble cooking.”
“Ahem! Well… if it’s for that reason…”
He had handed them the perfect excuse. They had no reason to refuse.
One beast-soldier reluctantly stepped forward and scooped up a ladle.
The moment the food passed down his throat—
“……!!!!????”
His fierce expression froze as if struck by lightning.
Clatter.
The ladle fell from his hand.
“Is it poison?”
“This old bastard…!”
Swish!
Clang!
Weapons were nearly drawn.
But then they saw it.
A single tear slid down the beast-soldier’s cheek.
“Kh….”
A crushing ache in his chest.
Long ago—so long he’d forgotten—he had tasted this.
The taste of -mother’s- cooking.
“To think I lived long enough… to taste this again…”
The beast-soldier seized the pot with both hands, terrified someone might take it.
“M-Me too!”
“Move! I eat first!”
“Out of my way! I’m the squad leader!”
“There isn’t even that much…!”
They devoured the stew.
And then they froze, speechless.
At that moment—
[Music is now playing.]
A song flowed through the ravine.
‘When mother goes to gather oysters beneath the island’s shade…’
‘…the child stays home alone.’
A sorrowful melody. A wistful lullaby.
‘The sea sings its~’
‘lulling song….’
With the duet of food and song, the beast-soldiers’ killing intent vanished.
Now.
Jinhyuk tapped his foot twice.
Tap! Tap!
That was the signal.
[10-Star Barrier ‘Torrent of Emotion’ has been activated!]
A soft wave engulfed the area.
There were many reasons he chose this ravine as the battlefield. Its rough terrain and abundant natural energy made it extremely easy to deploy barriers above 10 stars.
It offset the disadvantages of wide-area barriers, which normally required complex preparation and long activation time.
“Uuugh…”
“Urrgh…”
The beast-soldiers’ eyes went blank.
Their minds collapsed, turning them into obedient puppets.
‘No need to fight a numerically superior enemy head-on.’
Destroy them from within.
That was the most certain and effective method.
Above all—
Jinhyuk’s gaze lifted toward the air.
[Copy Condition: A beast steeped solely in battle and slaughter. If you can awaken childlike innocence in those who have lived centuries drenched in blood, you may copy one of their innate abilities or skills.]
Meeting the copy condition was the biggest win.
‘Good start.’
To crush Asura and the Celestial Order, he needed to gather several abilities. The first step was mastering ‘Beast Qi.’
[Copy successful!]
[Beast Transformation]
Acquisition Difficulty: SS
Details: Allows the user to handle the unique Beast Qi of the beast race. The size and intensity can be altered according to proficiency.
[The copied ability is stored in ‘Memory of the World.’]
Rumble—
Green energy seeped out of Jinhyuk’s body.
Still crude, still faint—but undeniably the beast-race’s ‘Beast Qi.’
—
Three hours later—
The outline of victory grew clear.
“Lord Shiva has joined the war. Odin and Athena are in retreat, and Eden and the Demon Realm are holed up in their bases, only defending.”
“Gates continue to appear on Earth, pushing humanity into a losing battle!”
“Thor and Heracles—our most troublesome foes—were gravely injured fighting Asura. They won’t appear again anytime soon.”
Major victories, one after another.
Mixed among them were small but disturbing reports.
“Arjuna and ten thousand beast-soldiers who entered Santra Cave are out of contact.”
“The twenty-thousand troops who went to Mount Neunggran have vanished. No mana reaction detected.”
“Information from the beast-soldier units is collapsing too quickly. Even accounting for distance… this is beyond expectations.”
“Well, losing a few mythic heroes is unavoidable. And beast-soldiers are unruly idiots anyway.”
Ganesha waved it off.
The other gods reacted similarly.
True—the overall war favored them overwhelmingly.
Even these small losses amounted to less than 1% of the Celestial Order.
Meanwhile, they crushed Olympus and the Norse main forces and captured nearly 200,000 prisoners.
But why?
Brahma couldn’t shake the feeling the war wouldn’t end easily.
‘Intel says Kang Jinhyuk always created victories from disadvantage.’
He struck where no one expected.
And while the enemy basked in overconfidence, he exploited their openings.
‘There’s no way he’s just getting beaten.’
Their current losing streak might well be deliberate.
Figuring out the purpose behind it was crucial.
Brahma’s eyes narrowed.
The most overlooked factor.
The missing piece behind Jinhyuk’s plan.
Then something clicked.
‘The prisoners…’
Prisoners were normal in war.
But—
The number captured far exceeded those killed.
Especially the Norse, who believed in Valhalla—surrender made no sense for them.
“Don’t tell me…”
They got captured on purpose?
To infiltrate the Celestial Order’s ranks and stab them in the heart.
If so, everything aligned.
Just then—
“Lord Ganesha. Asura’s forces say beast-soldiers have captured key enemy combatants. They request a face-to-face for transfer.”
“So annoying. Can’t they just hand them over?”
“They insist it must be in person to properly record achievements.”
Before this alliance, the beast-soldiers demanded recognition for even minor accomplishments.
With no trust between them, stubbornness was inevitable.
“Damn it. How far?”
“About thirty minutes away. Shall we let them through to HQ?”
“Fine.”
Ganesha nodded without suspicion.
‘So that’s it.’
Brahma bit his lip.
The beast-soldiers going missing were actually hypnotized by Jinhyuk. Using them, the enemy disguised themselves as elite prisoners and infiltrated deeply into HQ.
Once inside, while the Celestial Order was complacent—
A sudden strike.
‘After consecutive victories, we’d fall for it.’
A flawless plan.
If not for one thing:
Brahma alone could see through it.
He quietly summoned his personal guard without telling Ganesha.
He had no intention of giving hints to that clueless elephant.
He would pretend to fall for the trap—
‘Then spring an even bigger one.’
Thirty minutes was plenty of time to prepare an ambush.