Chapter 622
About thirty minutes later—
“We’ve brought the prisoners.”
A soldier waiting outside reported in.
“Let them in.”
Ganesha gave a slight nod.
A group of beast-soldiers entered the tent, dragging prisoners behind them.
They wore black hoods, their whole bodies bound in chains.
Judging by the ominous mana leaking from them, they were clearly high-ranking divine beings from the allied forces.
“Good. You actually did it.”
Ganesha’s lips curled upward.
His enormous nose twitched repeatedly, as if he’d just spotted a delectable treat.
One among them could become his prey.
“As promised, you must guarantee proper credit for the prisoners we brought. One hundred thousand human tributes and three hundred barrels of nectar from Olympus.”
“Don’t worry. Once they’re checked, you’ll have them carted to you immediately. Now then…”
Let’s see who they managed to capture.
If it was one of the well-known divine figures, all the better.
The amount of mana he could absorb would be far greater.
However—
As Ganesha approached to remove a hood—
“…Huh?”
Something strange happened.
The chains binding the prisoners suddenly unraveled all at once.
“Now!”
Clatterrrrr!
Chains transformed into weapons, lashing out at Ganesha.
The beast-soldiers nearby instantly turned on the royal guards around them.
It all happened in the blink of an eye.
They had been completely off guard. The damage exceeded all expectations.
Swift and precise—
Arcs of the blade weaved between the Celestial Order’s soldiers.
“Graaagh!”
“Aaaagh!”
Screams echoed as blood sprayed everywhere.
Severed limbs soaked the ground red.
Their target was singular:
The Celestial Order’s chief gods.
“Y-You worms… How dare you!”
Ganesha raised his halberd.
But the masked attackers moved even faster.
Clang clang clang clang!
They closed the distance, never giving him the range advantage the halberd needed. Their strikes were sharper, more relentless—
If this continued, he would die.
A chilling future flashed across his mind.
[Brahma activates the special skill ‘Lance of Creation’!]
Blue spears erupted upward from the ground.
Thud thud thud thud!
The masked attacker closest to Ganesha was instantly skewered.
Dozens of spears shot toward the other intruders.
Rumble…
An area where mana was rearranged and matter reconstructed.
Each spear held power comparable to a sacred artifact.
“Attack!”
“Kill them all!”
Brahma’s pre-positioned royal guards joined the fight, erasing any advantage of a surprise attack. Their small elite force was now nothing but rats in a trap.
—
“Graaagh!”
“Aaargh!”
In less than one minute, all invaders lay dead.
“So even Kang Jinhyuk can’t escape the chaos of his own ambush. Well, it would be surprising if he didn’t panic.”
Brahma gripped one of the lances he had created.
Then he leisurely walked around the corpses, finishing off anyone still breathing.
“B-Brahma. Did you know these were enemies?”
Ganesha, still shaken, clutched his neck.
If Brahma had been even a second slower, he would’ve died.
“Understand this. If I had said anything beforehand, the enemy would’ve noticed.”
“Well… that’s true.”
He understood, but he still felt unpleasant—used as bait.
Still—
Seeing these wretched humans torn to pieces eased his frustration somewhat.
Ganesha slowly removed the mask from the one who had fought the hardest.
This one had to be Kang Jinhyuk.
Let’s see what expression he died with—
“Hmm?”
Ganesha’s voice froze.
“No way…”
He hurriedly removed another mask.
Then another.
And another.
The more masks he removed, the more violently his fingers trembled.
It couldn’t be helped.
Not a single face belonged to anyone from the Veteran Corporation.
Every last one was a beast-soldier assassin.
Enough to send Ganesha into total panic.
Brahma was equally stunned.
“Did he brainwash the beast-soldiers? Or did they make some kind of deal? But then why weren’t they part of this operation?”
There were many possibilities, but not enough information.
One thing was certain.
‘He saw a step further ahead than I did.’
That alone was impressive enough—
But the real problem was this:
Even after doing all this, Brahma still couldn’t figure out what Jinhyuk actually wanted.
One insane maneuver after another, yet everything remained shrouded in fog.
In all the wars he had fought—
He had never faced an enemy like this.
“What exactly… are you aiming for?”
Brahma looked anxiously toward the ravine.
⁕⁕⁕
At the same moment—
Jinhyuk leisurely walked along with thousands of brainwashed beast-soldiers behind him.
‘By now, Brahma should’ve taken a huge blow to the back of the head and be completely confused.’
He wouldn’t understand why the setup was so elaborate when only beast-soldiers were sent in.
But—
Everything was just buildup for this moment.
Jinhyuk stopped.
A massive fortress expanded before him—far greater than any seen so far.
‘Solid. Barely any openings.’
Hundreds of layered barriers intertwined like a web. A precise defense formation backed by absurdly powerful chief gods.
Even with hundreds of thousands of troops and dozens of Celestial Order-killers—
Even with piles of SSS-rank military artifacts—
Could they capture this place?
No.
It would be nearly impossible.
Asura, who alone balanced the entire Celestial Order, was not someone easily dealt with.
Jinhyuk removed the Face of Infinity and returned to his true form.
He held two daggers and approached the main gate.
“…!?”
“It’s the enemy!”
The beast-soldiers guarding the gate triggered alarms.
They formed up with machine-like precision, ready to respond to any attack.
Yet—
Jinhyuk walked forward calmly.
Alone.
One man, facing one of the strongest armies in the Celestial Order.
“This is ridiculous.”
“Does he have a death wish?”
Even the allied forces couldn’t guarantee a win. For one man to approach alone was so absurd it was insulting.
Then someone identified him.
“That’s Kang Jinhyuk. Don’t underestimate him just because he came alone.”
“Kang Jinhyuk?”
“The leader of the Veteran Corporation?”
“Oh? So even the arrogant Celestial Order gods were wary of him…”
Mockery vanished.
He was the hottest name in the war—one who had shattered countless mythologies.
But—
“The strongest climber… I’ve heard the rumors. I wonder if he’s really as strong as they say.”
To battle-hungry beast-soldiers, Jinhyuk was nothing but a tantalizing challenge.
Thud! Thud!
A massive figure stepped forward—twice the size of any other beast-soldier.
Ramunk.
A corp commander among beast-soldiers, famous for tearing Titans apart with his bare hands during the war against Olympus.
“I’m not here to fight. I just want to have a brief talk with Asura, then quietly leave.”
“Kahahaha! You? Speak with Lord Asura? Since when do people hold conversations in the middle of war? Or are you wagging your tongue because you fear death?”
“If you’re picking a fight… you’ll regret it.”
“Impossible.”
Ramunk raised his enormous twin greatswords.
Green Beast Qi engulfed the blades.
Words were unnecessary—his crossed blades came down to chop Jinhyuk into pieces.
Whoooom!
The speed and force were monstrous.
Worthy of someone who slaughtered Titans.
However—
[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Swords’ activated!]
[Unique Ability ‘Demonic God Strength’ activated!]
[Unique Ability ‘Beast Transformation’ activated!]
This monster had never faced a ‘real’ monster.
CRASH!
The crossed blades stopped mid-swing.
Jinhyuk had read the trajectory and slipped between them.
“…Huh?”
Shocked at how easily his first attack was blocked, Ramunk quickly pulled back.
One exchange told him everything:
If he didn’t fight at full power, he would die.
[Ramunk activates Unique Ability ‘Phantasmal Warform’!]
A higher-tier version of the Yacha’s Demonic God Strength.
Twelve glowing arms sprouted from Ramunk’s back.
“I’ll kill you!”
Each arm wielded a 5-meter blade that moved faster than sight.
Dozens, hundreds of slashes filled the space.
Meanwhile—
‘Heavenly Demon Divine Art.’
The two daggers vanished.
The 8th Form—
A gentle curve.
The curve formed a crescent moon.
The moon erased every incoming slash.
‘Mournful Moon.’
Perfect mana. A flawless technique. Countless battles layered into one stroke.
A perfect sword.
Ramunk stared dumbfounded as his attacks vanished.
Even seeing it didn’t feel real.
The awe lasted only a moment—
A crescent and a waning moon pierced deep into his chest.
Slice!
“GRAAAAGH!”
Fear overtook pain.
This was nothing like the chief gods he had fought.
No matter how much he poured in, he saw no chance of victory.
Tremble tremble tremble—
His whole body shook.
“So… who’s the coward now?”
Green Beast Qi poured from the crimson blade.
But just as Jinhyuk prepared the final strike—
Boom!
A heavy shock hit from the side.
Jinhyuk was sent flying.
He rolled several meters, cushioning the impact, yet pain still broke through his shields.
‘Strength comparable to, no—greater than Heracles.’
A sharp ache.
His fingers tingled as they gripped the dagger.
Only one being could exude this level of pressure.
“To trespass into my territory and cause a disturbance… I hope you’re prepared for the consequences.”
Asura.
The Celestial Order’s strongest offensive god revealed himself.
These beast-soldiers attacked first and asked questions later. With a leader like this, it made sense the underlings were just as unhinged.
“I came to warn you that the Celestial Order is planning to stab you in the back. This is the welcome I get?”
“…What?”
Asura’s murderous aura faltered.
“What do you mean?”
“I said—the Celestial Order is plotting to kill all of you.”
“What a load of nonsense. You appear out of nowhere and expect me to believe the Celestial Order’s betrayal? You think such a sloppy trick will work on me?”
A sloppy trick, huh.
Well, it ‘would’ be hard to believe someone spouting outrageous claims without proof.
But—
Would he bluff without backing it up?
Jinhyuk snapped his fingers.
A massive screen appeared in the air.
[Video playback initiated.]
Showtime begins now.