Chapter 628
Step.
Multiple shadows approached.
“Why are you all….”
Shiva’s voice trembled violently.
It had to.
The beings standing before him were ones who absolutely should not be here.
Asura, the ruler of the Demon Realm.
And countless demonic beasts who followed him surrounded the area in a tight formation.
“What, are you surprised we’re here?”
“Of course! Weren’t you supposed to attack the Alliance with Brahma at the Ishukra Marsh!?”
“We were. Originally.”
Asura slowly stepped forward.
“Stop!”
As they closed the distance, Shiva snarled a warning.
His instincts told him the situation was spiraling in a terrible direction.
“You dare betray us now? What are you thinking? Brahma and Vishnu worked so hard to accept you!”
“Accept? Don’t make me laugh. You were the ones who stabbed us in the back first. Did you really think killing our kids would go unanswered?”
“What? Killed—? Us?”
“Don’t pretend! We came here fully aware you planned to throw us away once this was over!”
“Wait—!”
Shiva shouted urgently.
It was clear there was a massive misunderstanding—but Asura was far beyond listening.
And Chun Yoosung’s perfectly placed taunts only fueled the fire further.
“Tsk tsk. You swindle your allies, get caught red-handed, and then you spew shameless lies as excuses. If it were me, I’d bite my tongue and die on the spot. Dead. Actually, coming from someone named Shiva, this pathetic behavior kind of suits you.”
Chun Yoosung had learned countless verbal tricks from Jinhyuk.
His provocation level had reached the point of breaking an opponent’s mental state entirely.
Especially for Shiva—who, as one of the highest gods, had never been insulted in his life—the shock was several times worse.
“That… filthy human… I’ll tear him apart…!”
“Hahaha! Humans are way more refreshing. What are you doing!? Wipe out every last one of those filth!”
At Asura’s command, a chilling killing intent surged from the demonic beasts.
They had personally witnessed what had happened to their comrades. They had no intention of holding back even a fraction.
“GROOOAAAR!”
“RAAAAGH!”
The demonic beasts charged together toward the Celestial Order’s forces.
“Lord Shiva!”
“Th-the demonic beasts are rushing us!”
“Idiots.”
Shiva shouted in frustration.
Asura falling straight for the enemy’s scheme was maddening—but he couldn’t deny the brilliance of the strategy itself.
Even as he hated his enemies, he had to admire them.
Annoying, but impressive.
But at the same time—fortunate.
“Yes. This works fine. We never intended to ally with them anyway.”
If anything, this was a good chance to completely crush Asura and the demonic beast, eliminating future threats.
Kwakwaaaaaang!
Tukwhaaaang!
The two armies immediately clashed fiercely within the forest.
Meanwhile—
‘A strategy where you make the enemy do all the work… always brilliant.’
Chun Yoosung, leisurely watching from the sidelines, clicked his tongue.
A strange sympathy—even pity—sprang up inside him for the fools falling victim to the seasoned monster known as Jinhyuk.
—
Jinhyuk and the Veteran Corporation members moved rapidly through the labyrinth.
“This way.”
Thanks to Pesis leading the front, they easily navigated the countless branching paths.
And because the Haetae, now enticed by magic crystals, accompanied them, their clearing speed was dozens of times faster.
“If you pull the ruby at the tip of the trident… crack! Crack! You can prevent the guardians from awakening. Gulp! Delicious, but the portion is a bit small. Give me one more.”
“Keep feeding me good intel. Next one will have special sauce on it.”
“Hoooo! Mouthwatering!”
Thick drool dripped from the Haetae’s mouth.
As expected, the best universal method to manipulate sacred beasts and spirit beasts—was food.
His ‘otherworldly cooking’ skills from the Otherworldy Restaurant shone at their peak.
Tap.
Following the Haetae’s instructions, Jinhyuk stepped across stones placed along a cliff.
One misstep meant instant death—but knowing the correct order removed all fear.
[You have cleared Gate 13!]
[You have cleared Gate 14!]
[You have cleared Gate 15!]
[…Gate cleared!]
The Celestial Order’s highest-difficulty labyrinth fell effortlessly.
The sacred guardians.
The arrays and traps designed to kill intruders.
All of them collapsed helplessly before Pesis and the Haetae.
At this rate, they might reach the deepest part of the temple in thirty minutes—or less.
Or so they thought.
Suddenly.
Pesis halted for the first time.
“…There is something ahead.”
A dangerous aura seeped from deep within the darkness.
“Khrrk…!?”
Even the Haetae, who had been devouring magic crystals nonstop, fell silent.
Tremble.
His entire body quivered like a leaf.
Everything in the 45th floor was subject to the authority of the highest god ruling the floor.
This oppressive feeling was absolute.
“I predicted you might aim for this place. And it seems my prediction was correct. Isn’t that right, Vishnu?”
“Hm. I was unsure, but I’m glad I prepared insurance.”
One of the Three Main Gods.
Vishnu, leaning against a mound of sand, slowly rose.
Beside him stood the masked Unknown.
“…….”
Jinhyuk’s expression hardened.
Of all places—Unknown appeared here.
‘He shouldn’t have recovered enough strength….’
Even with all the methods in the Tower of Trials, gathering this much magic in such a short time should be impossible.
His appearance here was *not* part of the calculations.
Which meant—
‘Something disrupted his recovery.’
Either Jinhyuk’s advance forced him out early—
Or something cut off his magic supply.
One of the two.
Either way, a headache.
Shff.
Jinhyuk gripped his daggers.
Chun Yoosung and Asura could only hold the main force at bay for roughly an hour.
The battle had to end before then.
[Unique Ability ‘Grave of Swords’ activates.]
Crimson energy formed along the blades.
As Jinhyuk prepared, the others followed suit, unleashing their own abilities.
“So you are Kang Jinhyuk. Truly… a presence fitting of one who overcame countless gods. It almost feels unfortunate to meet you as an enemy.”
Vishnu stood before Jinhyuk.
“Getting a compliment from a famous god—flattering. If you hand over the guy behind you, we might even get along afterward. Interested?”
“Hehehe. You want me to bet on a hopeless side? Sorry, but I prefer backing winners.”
He had already understood Jinhyuk’s goal—the First Lotus.
And with Unknown, a being capable of manipulating even the Tower’s gods, beside him—
Betrayal was out of the question.
[Vishnu activates Unique Ability ‘Sustained Prosperity’!]
Wooooong!
If Brahma governed creation and Shiva oversaw destruction, then Vishnu governed all maintenance.
Just as the 45th floor had existed until now—he could exert power equivalent to sustaining its eternal glory.
[All Divine Relics used by the Celestial Order gain 100% increased stats while standing in blooming zones!]
Beautiful flowers blossomed across the surroundings.
As expected of Vishnu, who sought harmony and balance—their effects amplified the strength of all divinities present on the floor.
Strengthening Divine Relics was among the most troublesome abilities to face.
Simultaneously—
[Divine Relic ‘Kaumodaki’ has been summoned!]
[Divine Relic ‘Sudarshana’ has been summoned!]
A club-shaped relic.
And a circular chakram.
Fwooooosh!
Golden mandala light radiated from both relics.
“Then, I’ll count on you.”
Unknown bowed slightly and turned away.
He intended to secure the First Lotus before Jinhyuk could.
“Leave it to me.”
Vishnu nodded reassuringly.
Unknown’s figure began to fade into the distance.
Letting him go was not an option.
“Stop!”
KWAANG!
Jinhyuk dashed forward.
Alice summoned a volley of Blood Spears, and Frey approached Vishnu from the flank.
A synchronized offensive.
KWAANG!
Vishnu’s club and chakram split the air.
The chakram, moving at terrifying speed, sent Frey flying.
“…!!”
She blocked with crossed spears, but enduring the doubled power of the enhanced relic was impossible.
Still, Frey held long enough to create an opening.
KWAKWAKWAKWANG!
As Vishnu deflected Alice’s spears—
Tap…!
Jinhyuk perfectly caught his blind spot and crossed his two daggers.
A strike powerful enough to split heaven and earth crashed down on Vishnu’s back.
But—
KAAAANG!
Just before the blades touched skin, a single faint petal blocked them.
“Not to brag, but I am the toughest among the three. I can’t promise a quick victory, but I can easily endure until Unknown seals the Lotus forever.”
Massive power and immense combat experience backed his confidence.
Vishnu stood like a mountain, blocking the path.
Pesis’s face darkened as he looked around.
No openings. No escape route.
But then—
A flash of insight struck Jinhyuk like lightning.
More accurately—something Vishnu had said earlier bothered him.
“Wait.”
“Hm?”
“Did Unknown really say that? That he’d ‘seal the First Lotus forever’?”
“You choose a strange time to care about pointless things.”
Vishnu looked intrigued.
There was no reason to answer.
Dragging time only benefitted him.
But—
“Didn’t you think it was odd that Unknown appeared this early? He stumbled earlier—looks like he hasn’t fully recovered yet.”
“What are you implying? If you’re trying to shake our resolve with nonsense—”
“No. I’m simply forming the most plausible hypothesis using the clues at hand.”
Jinhyuk stared directly into Vishnu’s eyes.
“If Unknown’s magic is insufficient because of some incident… and if he needs your Divine Relics to compensate… and if we also happen to be after those relics… then maybe he planned to come here under the excuse of ‘protecting the Lotus’ to get access to them.”
If that assumption was true—
Then everything fit together perfectly.