The brief moment the Mysterious Lady opened her lips felt like an eternity. My thigh muscles were already trembling at their limit, and my right arm, which had endured the searing heat of the Pāoa, was completely numb.
Of course, her refusal wouldn't have meant my death. I still held the trump card I'd wrested away after that life-and-death struggle with Ravana: the Grace of the Three Lords. It was an absolute power of resurrection that would trigger the moment I died, reconstructing my physical body. A man can afford to be bold when he has a safety net. I simply hadn't used it because lying around like a corpse for several days afterward is a massive pain in the neck.
The words that escaped her lips did not betray my expectations.
"...A truce, then."
The line of her mouth softened. It wasn't the arrogance of a god looking down upon a mortal. It was a strange smile of acknowledgment, the kind offered to a comrade-in-arms who had shared the battlefield.
"Very well. I accept your truce."
"Phew..."
A sigh of relief escaped me involuntarily. As the tension snapped, my legs began to wobble, but I forced myself to maintain my posture, using the spear shaft as a crutch. I couldn't afford to look pathetic now.
"My garden has been reduced to a shambles. As the mistress of this mountain, I desire no further commotion. Above all... I, too, am weary. After clashing with such a monster, even my divine power has run dry."
She admitted her condition with surprising honesty. It was a silent gesture that she no longer viewed me as an enemy.
"Are you leaving?"
"I have to. If I stay here any longer, I'll freeze to death. They say there's no place like home, and honestly, the old folks weren't wrong."
The Goddess let out a small, genuine chuckle at my grumbling.
"You are a curious Devil King. Most usurpers are desperate to flaunt their martial prowess at every turn, yet you... you are remarkably human."
"I'll take that as a compliment. Anyway, once the mountain is fixed up, I'll drop by for a visit. Make sure to give me a discount on the admission fee."
"Fufu, I shall consider it."
The Mysterious Lady raised her hand, and jade-colored water began to well up from the fissures that had split heaven and earth. She was returning to the deepest heart of Mount Paektu—her source—to rest and heal.
As she was completely submerged and vanished, the turbulent atmosphere of Mount Paektu regained its tranquility as if the previous chaos had been a lie.
"...It’s over."
It was truly over. I didn't even have the energy to walk down, so I had no choice but to squeeze out my remaining magical energy to take the easy way. Reaching a hand toward the sky, I muttered the Incantation that awakened the Authority of the storm.
"Father who split the Heavens and the Earth, I shall take your savage breath as my wings!"
Whish—!
The atmosphere resonated with my words. A massive updraft wrapped around me. The wind gently lifted my exhausted frame and sent me soaring above the clouds.
The panoramic view of Heaven Lake on Mount Paektu shrank beneath me. Entrusting my body to the wind, I flew toward the temporary base in Paju where my ride was waiting.
Paju, Gyeonggi Province. Forward Command Post of the Four Divine Guardians.
In the predawn gloom, a violent gust of wind whipped across the helipad. I plummeted from the sky, dispersing the wind just before impact to land on the ground.
"Urgh..."
The moment the tension fully evaporated, the strength left my legs, and I stumbled.
"My King!"
A presence waiting nearby blurred toward me, supporting my weight. The familiar scent of black tea. It was Alice, my subordinate and advisor.
"Are you alright, my King? You look terribly pale."
"I'm not dying. More importantly..."
Leaning on Alice, I walked toward the men standing some distance away, their heads bowed like condemned criminals. There was Choi Jin-woo, the Chief of the Four Divine Guardians, and Ryu Jin-kang, the leader of the Heavenly Fist Society, who was currently lying on a stretcher. Ryu Jin-kang was barely conscious, yet he tried to force himself upright when he saw me.
"King of... the South..."
"Stay down. You look pathetic."
I cut him off with a cold bark, looking down at him with disdain.
"Do you even realize what you've done? You attempted a Mythic Syncretism you couldn't possibly control just to borrow some earth energy? Thanks to you, the entire Korean peninsula was nearly wiped off the map."
At my frigid rebuke, Ryu Jin-kang hacked up a bloody cough and lowered his head. There was no excuse. Even if our nations are different, we are attached to the same piece of land. Attempting a large-scale ritual without considering the consequences was an offense worthy of execution.
"I have... no face to show you... This sin... I shall pay with my life..."
"If this were something that could be solved by dying, you'd already be dead by my hand. Save the apologies and just clean up the mess."
I turned my gaze toward Choi Jin-woo.
"Chief. The Four Divine Guardians will handle the cleanup for this old man and the Heavenly Fist Society. Don't go easy on them just because they're from the North. Hold them strictly accountable and get a guarantee that this never happens again. If something like this occurs a second time, I'll personally make sure the Heavenly Fist Society is buried under the very earth they worship."
"I... I understand... King of South Joseon."
"I shall obey your command, my King."
Ryu Jin-kang's reply was a deathly croak, while Choi Jin-woo bowed so deeply it looked like his spine might snap. I waved a dismissive hand and headed toward the waiting car.
"Handle the details yourselves. I need to rest. Let's go to Seoul, Alice."
"Yes, my King."
Three days later, Seoul.
I was savoring a blissful period of respite. Between the devoted care provided by Alice—who had been granted a portion of my Knights of the Round Table Authority—and my own natural recovery rate, I was in top condition.
I was relaxing on the terrace, sipping wine and watching the Seoul nightscape, when the smartphone on the table vibrated.
The caller was Alessandro.
"Report."
[My Lord. It’s Tokyo, Japan. A massive battle took place last night.]
The voice through the receiver was calm, but the content was anything but. I had ordered him to stay in Tokyo to monitor Japan while I was busy dealing with the North Korean mess.
"A massive fight? Who? More noise in my territory. Who was the opponent?"
[It was 'Athena'.]
"Athena?"
My brow twitched. The Goddess of Wisdom and War. She was no pushover. Moreover, that name didn't exactly belong in the Far East.
"Why would a Greek goddess suddenly fly all the way here? Did the mythology change while I wasn't looking?"
[That is not it. There was a clear 'catalyst' for her advent. The 'Gorgoneion'. That divine artifact—the Earth Snake and the source of the goddess's power—was in Tokyo.]
"The Gorgoneion? Why was a dangerous object like that in Japan without my permission?"
My voice dropped to a low, dangerous tone. Japan is strictly a territory under my jurisdiction. If a lure for a god was wandering around unchecked, it was either gross negligence or a blatant provocation.
Alessandro was silent for a moment, sounding troubled but reporting clearly.
[...Erica Brandelli. Currently the Diabolosso of the 'Bronze-Black Cross', she smuggled the item into Japan.]
"Bronze-Black Cross? You mean that greenhorn knight belonging to old man Paolo? The one I saw briefly in Italy?"
[Yes. She handed the Gorgoneion to her master, the eighth King, Sir Kusanagi Godo. Sir Godo possessed it without fully understanding its danger, and ultimately, Athena was drawn to its energy, manifested, and went on a rampage.]
I let out a hollow laugh.
"Ha! So let me get this straight. This girl calling herself a knight secretly brought a bomb and tucked it into her King's arms, and then it blew up and almost vaporized my front yard?"
[Precisely. Athena absorbed the Gorgoneion to reclaim her Trinity Authority and shrouded the Tokyo area in darkness. Fortunately, Sir Kusanagi Godo emerged victorious after a fierce struggle and forced Athena to retreat. If not for that, Tokyo might have been wiped off the map.]
I set the wine glass down on the table with a sharp thud. The sound, bordering on the glass shattering, sliced through the silence of the terrace.
"These kids... they have absolutely no common sense, do they?"
The fact that Kusanagi Godo defeated Athena was commendable. Impressive for a rookie. But the process was utterly unacceptable.
First, they smuggled a dangerous divine artifact into another King's (my) territory without permission.
Second, as a result, a Heretic God was manifested, causing damage to civilians.
Third, the guy calling himself a King can't even discipline his own subordinate and is being dragged around by her.
This wasn't just some mishap. It was a challenge to my authority and a sign that discipline had collapsed.
"Alessandro, stand by. I'm going to Japan personally."
[You are coming in person? Are you concerned about Athena's return...?]
"No."
I smirked as I threw on my coat. The smile was chillingly cold.
"I couldn't care less about a defeated goddess. The ones I have business with are the troublemaking junior and that knight girl who seems to have lost her fear of god."
My eyes gleamed with a sharp light.
"I told that brat back in Italy: come to Japan once you've recovered. But instead of coming to see me, he lets his subordinate splatter dung-water all over my yard? As his senior, I can't just let this slide."
I roughly loosened my tie.
"I think it’s time for a rough welcoming party for the rookie. I'm going to teach him—to his very bones—what happens when a King is controlled by his subordinates, and what the consequences are for playing with fire in someone else's backyard."
[...Understood. I shall notify the History Compilation Committee of your visit and arrange an immediate meeting with Sir Kusanagi Godo.]
"Yeah, do that. Tell those two troublemakers to wash their necks and wait for me."
I hung up and looked up at the night sky.
"Alice! Get the private jet ready. We're going to Japan right now."
Alice appeared instantly at my call and bowed. One look at my cold expression was enough for her to realize something grave had occurred.
"Yes, my King. Is our destination Tokyo?"
"Yeah. I'm going to teach some manners to the rats who dared to defecate in my territory. Prepare thoroughly."
"I shall obey your command."
Just wait, Kusanagi Godo.
It’s time to weigh your sins for the mess you've caused, and to see if you actually have the vessel to be entrusted with my territory—or if you're just a high-powered time bomb.
Min-jun's grueling 'test' was about to begin.
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