A colossal statue resembling a mountain stood before him. While the statue depicted a humanoid bull, it was entirely different from the typical bovine-like humanoids, the Wuin. This statue wasn’t gentle like a countryside ox or assertive like a bullfighter.
This giant statue before him exuded a predatory aura, as if it was the embodiment of a carnivorous bull. Razor-sharp and brutal.
Yes, it reminded one of a yaksha or an asura from Eastern mythology.
Of course, Shimun knew exactly what this statue represented. More precisely, ‘Indeed. For a statue to carry such presence…’
He knew what the giant, menacing statue had ‘become’
‘The leader of the Seven Devil Kings and the figure Sun Wukong calls brother: the Bull Demon King.’
Great Heavenly Sage Ox Demon King. The leader of the Seven Devil Kings, a Constellation from the demonic realm, and recognized as an elder brother by Sun Wukong, the Great Sage Equal of Heavenly Realm. Although the term ‘brother’ signifies a sworn brotherhood rather than blood relations,
Considering that Sun Wukong, who defied even primordial deities like Buddha, held him in such regard, it spoke volumes about the Bull Demon King’s stature.
Of course.
‘Well, he’s a Constellation I’ve never met before…’
Even as a regressor, the Bull Demon King never appeared on Earth in his previous life, similar to Sun Wukong. To Shimun, the Bull Demon King was just a Constellation he’d heard of through mentions in other dimensions.
Yet, despite the situation, Shimun was pleased to see the sealed Bull Demon King before him.
The reason was simple.
‘It must be due to the quest Sun Wukong gave me. This doesn’t feel unfamiliar at all.’
The Constellation Sun Wukong, whom Shimun met during the Dimensional Overlord Wars in Huaguo Mountain, having released his seal, Shimun had also received an additional quest from him:
『The Seal of the Seven Devil Kings』 – Hidden Quest
The Constellation Sun Wukong is seeking his former brothers, especially his eldest brother, the Bull Demon King.
Please release the ‘Bull Demon King’s Seal,’ which is hidden somewhere in the dimension.
Reward: Three strands of Sun Wukong’s hair (pre-rewarded). 100,000 Achievement Points
Although it was a hidden quest, its content was extremely straightforward.
However, the phrase “simple is best” is applicable only to the descriptions of equipment and not quests.
For good reason.
‘When I first received the quest, I wondered how on earth I was supposed to find it…’
The quest’s objective was to release the Bull Demon King’s Seal.
To do that, finding the sealing site was the first step.
But, with the quest window’s vague clue of ‘somewhere in the dimension,’ even Shimun found it nearly impossible to locate.
In actuality, wasn’t the current situation proving the quest’s difficulty?
‘Who’d have thought the Bull Demon King’s sealing site would be in Speech Hell?’
In the Challenger Map, hell Maps are sometimes featured. Among the various Hells, he was matched to Speech Hell, which is part of the Ten Hells under the jurisdiction of the Underworld King.
Even if he was matched, it wasn’t as if Hell was a small place. If the Arena’s active region was far from the Bull Demon King’s sealing site, then even if he entered by luck, finding the Bull Demon King’s seal would be almost impossible.
‘If it weren’t for the 100,000 achievement points and the upfront reward, I wouldn’t have accepted this quest.’
This thought wasn’t unique to Shimun;
『Constellation Heavenly Demon laughs, ‘Haha! Who knew this seal would be buried in such a place…’』
『Constellation Black Goat shakes their head, ‘Indeed, that Emperor is truly tenacious.’』
『Constellation Michael expresses deep disgust, ‘Such are the filthy usurpers.’』
『Constellation Odin nods, ‘Who would have thought he could do such a thing to the Three Sovereigns.’』
The responses of the Constellations appeared before him. But it wasn’t just because the Bull Demon King’s seal was in Speech Hell.
‘Emperor? Three Sovereigns?’
Shimun tilted his head at this revelation.
Understandably so.
One of the ‘Three Sovereigns’ mentioned by Odin, ‘Come to think of it, Lord Shennong said something similar…’
Hadn’t Shimun met Lord Shennong not too long ago?
Granted, it wasn’t the real Shennong but rather a memory engraved on Constellation Nuada’s Silver Hand.
Still, ‘Back then, Nuada had accused Lord Shennong of working with the giants.’
Shimun clearly remembered the exchange.
At the time, Nuada had said, ‘After being thoroughly defeated by the Five Emperors, you have no place to return to. It’s no wonder you joined the giants.’
Nuada had openly criticized Lord Shennong, in stark contrast to his seemingly unmoved exterior, Lord Shennong had displayed fierce anger.
Moreover, ‘Indeed. You too are ultimately a Divine King like them.’
‘All Divine Kings should disappear.’
Expressing his rage towards the Divine King-level Constellations, he had delivered a mighty blow to Nuada that seemed powerful enough to hurl the sun itself.
This led Shimun to a conclusion.
‘Even among the Godly Realms, the strength of the Celestial Realm isn’t what it used to be.’
The Celestial Realm, with at least four Divine Kings among the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, was one of the stronger factions among various divine realms. Their power had likely waned.
Considering the state of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, it appeared that three out of the Three Sovereigns were facing some sort of trouble.
This made one thing certain.
‘The celestial realm and the giants are enemies with no room for reconciliation.’
As long as Shennong was allied with the giants, and by extension the dragonkin, the celestial realm and the giants would remain irreconcilable foes.
Thus, ‘This is advantageous for me.’
The Celestial Realm and the giants fighting each other was beneficial from his perspective.
Reveling in this simple fact,
『Unacceptable!』
A furious roar snapped him back to reality.
『You must not be an ordinary dragonkin! Reveal your true identity!』
With a wrathful shout,
Screech!
A wailing attack shot towards him in an instant.
But unlike the earlier wailing intended to uncover Kynee’s concealment,
Crack!
This current wailing tore through space as it approached. It seemed the attacker thought the earlier spatial disruption was effective.
However, Shimun didn’t employ any stance or defensive technique. He simply pivoted his body towards the incoming wail.
Thus,
Swish.
Like a person brushing against a gentle breeze, his platinum mane and coat tails fluttered, but Shimun remained unscathed.
Naturally,
『T-this… this!!』
The servant of King Enma trembled, unable to conceal his rage. Shimun silently gazed at him before speaking, “You seem to be a servant of King Enma. How about you withdraw now?”
He spoke calmly.
The servant, who even looked down on Lungtnir who had been downgraded from Grandmaster to Master Rank, would not tolerate Shimun.
『You dare… survive my attack and think you can be this insolent!』
For someone who had just reached Master Rank, Shimun’s attitude was intolerable.
『Indeed, a dragonkin remains a dragonkin. Fine, I will correct your arrogance with the laws of Hell!』
The servant’s pale hands clenched tightly, veins protruding,
Hwoaaa!
An overwhelming wail, like that of the dead, erupted.
From behind,
“Ugh!”
“Gah!”
Lungtnir and Velyaz uttered small groans and hurriedly stepped back.
Even as Master Rank giants, ‘Impressive…’
‘Quite formidable.’
The aura unleashed by the servant of King Enma was overwhelming.
Yet, while they expressed small amazement, “For sure, a servant of a Divine King has certain power.”
Shimun, unlike Lungtnir and Velyaz, remained unflinching. Although the current wail was fierce like a strong wind, ‘Without the Fragment of Tartaros, it would have been hard to endure with just the Dragonoid’s resistance.’
With the recent growth, the Dragonoid’s resistance had increased to 57%. Adding to that, the Fragment of Tartaros negated even a Constellation’s words, though limited to ‘death.’
In terms of resistance to the death attribute, Shimun had surpassed expectations.
『Not bad! You have some skill!』
Hwoaaa!
The servant of King Enma drew even more power, his body swelling to over three times his original size.
『Then…』
And,
『Try to endure this as well!』
Boom!!
An onslaught of relentless attacks rained down like a torrential downpour.
Rumble.
The ground shook fiercely.
Hiss!
Various attacks imbued with the deathly energy poured relentlessly towards Shimun.
Perhaps due to the aftermath of these attacks,
Crackle!
Ashen sparks sprang up around the massive statue resembling a mountain—the sealed Bull Demon King.
“What, what is this!”
Lungtnir exclaimed in shock.
“Servant, please calm down……”
He tried to calm down King Enma’s servant, but to no avail.
“Lungtnir, stop.”
The rock-like hand of Velyaz, standing beside him, gripped his shoulder.
Naturally, “What are you doing?”
Lungtnir frowned deeply and looked back at Velyaz.
“Isn’t this affecting the seal? Velyaz. Have you forgotten our purpose?”
“I have not forgotten. But…”
Velyaz continued speaking calmly.
“Didn’t we hear about Kim Shimun from our superiors? Moreover, look at his hand.”
He gestured with his chin towards Shimun, who stood calmly against King Enma’s revealed servant. More precisely, towards the hammer in his hand.
Realizing this, “Th-that’s…!”
Lungtnir’s eyes widened. Velyaz nodded silently.
“Yes, it’s Mjolnir.”
“The higher-ups were right… there is indeed a human who can wield Mjolnir…”
“Mjolnir is an antithesis to our giant race. As Master Rank individuals, we should avoid conflict with Kim Shimun as much as possible.”
“Indeed, you are right. If it were before my rank was downgraded, it might be different. But at our current level, Mjolnir is too much.”
Lungtnir agreed.
“And the Bull Demon King’s seal is unlikely to be a major problem.”
Velyaz glanced at the Bull Demon King’s seal.
“Our mission is to extract the divine essence of the Bull Demon King, isn’t it?”
“That… that’s true.”
“Even if there are issues with the seal, it would be caused by King Enma’s servant’s actions, not ours.”
In such a case, they would avoid any blame from Lord Shennong and instead, he would be in a position to demand compensation from King Enma.
In every scenario, they faced no loss.
Realizing this, “Indeed, Velyaz. You are truly a promising talent worthy of the higher-ups’ attention.”
Lungtnir looked at Velyaz with admiration.
“I am honored, but…”
Just as Velyaz humbly tried to respond,
Boom!
As if the sky collapsed, an immense presence overwhelmed Lungtnir and Velyaz.
In response,
Hiss!
The two giants quickly enveloped themselves in their characteristic steam, revealing their true forms.
“G-gah!”
“What is…!”
Could their Master Rank giant bodies not withstand it?
Under the indescribable weight pressing them down,
Boom.
Smash!
The nearly 18-meter-tall forms of Lungtnir and Velyaz slammed into the ground.
And then,
『So, what’s all this commotion?』
An unordinary voice echoed above them.
“Ugh….”
With great effort, the two giants lifted their heads to see. The servant of King Enma had grown to a size comparable to the mountain-like Bull Demon King. And they realized immediately.
‘Th-this overwhelming presence is…’
‘C-could it be…!’
The enormous figure was not their acquaintance, the servant of King Enma.
『You… How can a mere human…』
The servant’s arrogant master,
『How dare you wear the guise of a fallen god and possess that as well?』
It was none other than King Enma, the ruler of Speech Hell.
*
In Enma’s own domain, having possessed Enma’s servant,
‘This is incredible.’
Just facing Enma filled Shimun’s entire body with dread.
Shiver.
Shimun’s whole body trembled slightly for the first time in a while. The long crown, now burning a dark red, appeared slowly. And beneath it,
『Silence?』
King Enma’s eyes, forged of black and red flames, flashed.Because of this, the presence that merely made his body tingle now felt terrifying.
Chill.
Despite being familiar with the presence of Constellations through Quetzalcoatl, ‘Even with the Fragment of Tartaros… to feel this much…’
Despite having the Fragment of Tartaros, the hostility emanating from King Enma was overwhelming.
‘It seems the true form of a Constellation, especially a Divine King level, is beyond imagination.’
Shimun couldn’t help but marvel. His admiration was interrupted by King Enma’s voice,
『Are you testing my patience?』
To which, ‘If King Enma takes action directly, even the Fragment of Tartaros won’t hold.’
Certain that the Fragment of Tartaros wouldn’t be able to fend off King Enma, ‘Having located the Bull Demon King’s seal, I’ll summon Sun Wukong’s clone…’
At the moment he took out Sun Wukong’s hair,
『Constellation Heavenly Demon says, ‘My disciple, entrusting that to Sun Wukong would be too much. Allow me to handle it.’ and looks at you.』
A single message appeared.
Then,
『Constellation Black Goat shouts, ‘Nonsense! Why do recent Divine Kings lack any sense of hierarchy? It should obviously be me!’』
『Constellation Michael says, ‘Since I have recently joined this position, please yield this to me.’ with an impassive face.』
『Constellation Odin fumes, ‘Are you even a real angel, Michael? Have some decency! You were having a blast recently at the Cradle of Indulgence!’』
Mixed reactions from the Constellations streamed in.
But,
『Constellation Heavenly Demon mediates, ‘Considering my close relationship with Sun Wukong, the karmic efficiency of the hair would be better with me.’』
With Heavenly Demon’s mediation, the decision seemed to be made. No further Constellation reactions appeared.
『Constellation Heavenly Demon requests the offering of ‘Sun Wukong’s hair.’』
『Will you accept? (Yes / No)』
Without hesitation, Shimun selected ‘Yes’.
Swish.
The golden strands of Sun Wukong’s hair merged into the message window. The window transformed into an open natural landscape featuring rugged rocks and a majestic waterfall, like a famous Eastern painting, positioning itself behind Shimun.
Then, with steady footsteps, a voice from Shimun’s past echoed.
“Haha. Has it been eons? Truly, it has been a long time, Enma.”
『You are…!』
A voice filled with both composure and might.
TL’s Corner:
I like the fact that Shimun has backers looking after him when shit hits the fan.