[The headquarters of the demonic society have entered.]
[You are currently surrounded by the surrounding .]
[Your entrance is not allowed. Step back.]
[This space confuses beings. The deeper you head inside of the mist, the greater your chances of becoming lost. It is advised you enter again after receiving permission.]
Yeon-woo had followed Agares into a foggy place. The mist confused all his senses, from sight to touch. It seemed to affect his mind as well. Most gods and demons likely wouldnât be able to keep their bearings if they wound up in this fog.
[You maintain reason with the trait âCold-blooded.â]
[You have been released from the stunned state. You have gained resistance to the confusion.]
[Godly Perceptions are activating.]
[All dispersed senses are being focused into one. Your confused senses are being readjusted.]
[Eye of the Heavens shows a path.]
[Ear of the Heavens reflects a path.]
With consecutive messages, Yeon-woo regained his steadiness. The world around him became still again, and the fog disappeared.
âEven though Iâm more familiar with this place than you are, that feeling is quite unpleasant, but I didnât know youâd overcome it so soon.â Agares studied Yeon-woo with interest.
Niflheim was a society so familiar with fog that their name meant âworld of mist.â They also had a long history. It was rumored that they had started to exist around when the universe was created. Because of this, Niflheim had a lot more pride than any other society. They continued to maintain their forces while countless other societies came and went, and they were well-known among many other transcendents. However, that pride had led them to a thorough exclusiveness.
They believed they were the most powerful, most united, and had a more advanced culture than any other society, so they didnât need communication with the outside. It was why Niflheim surrounded themselves with a mist that was thicker than walls and refused anyoneâs visits. They only dissipated the mist when visitors they were close with came to visit. However, even that required a hefty process and a long time, so there were very few visitors.
âIn the Tower, they seemed to frequently communicate with the outside world⊠Did they change after being trapped in the heavenly world?â Yeon-woo only remembered Niflheimâs goodwill toward him, so he thought their exclusiveness seemed strange. However, now that he was facing the mist himself, he slightly understood their history. The mist was filled with thoughts of âdeny him,â âpush him away,â and âconfuse him.â The deeper he went, the clearer thoughts like âcurse himâ and âkill himâ became. However, even Niflheimâs barriers werenât able to sweep away the Eye and Ear of the Heavens.
Agares already knew how to release the mist and get through it, so he couldnât help but be interested in Yeon-woo, who easily got through it.
There was another being who was amused by Yeon-woo.ăOhoho! I wondered what idiots were being foolish again, but two good-looking guys came! Iâm so excited that Iâm going crazy.ă
Ssss! As a voice came from above, the mist slowly scattered to reveal someone walking out. With the sound of their high heels clicking on the ground, an elegant and beautiful woman could be seen.
âMotherâŠ?â Yeon-woo looked at the woman blankly. She didnât resemble his mother at all, but her aura was so similar. Then, Yeon-woo narrowed his eyes. âNo, Edora? No. Sesha might look like that when sheâs grown up⊠What is this?â
The faces of multiple people flashed over the smiling womanâs face. Yeon-woo wanted to feel familiar and at ease with her because of those faces, but he actually felt wary and threatened by the unnatural occurrence.
[You maintain your reason with the trait âCold-blooded.â]
[Eye of the Heavens opens your eyes.]
[Ear of the Heavens opens your ears.]
[The hidden true face of the creature is revealed!]
Yeon-wooâs mind was cleared, and he could only see the womanâs face now.
The woman smirked. âAlthough you got through the mist with your good eyesight, I didnât think youâd see through these illusions. Even Odinâs impudent crows barely caught on. I like you.â
The woman slowly approached and stroked Yeon-wooâs throat. It was an action that wouldâve had most menâs hearts thumping, but Yeon-woo unpleasantly flung her hand away. However, the woman seemed to like Yeon-wooâs attitude even more. She licked her lips. âAnd youâre playing hard to get? Smart, yet cold. I really like you. Really.â
Yeon-woo didnât even want to deal with the woman, so he glared at Agares. He wanted Agares to do something, while starting to realize who the woman was. The woman was now looking at Yeon-woo seductively.
âItâs disgusting, so put that away, Loki.â Agares also glared at the woman, the leader of Niflheim, Loki. The âfatherâ of Fenrir, Jörmungandr, and Hel who represented Niflheim was the woman.
Yeon-woo knew there was something about Loki changing his gender and teasing people among his well-known legends. âBut itâs annoying to see it up close.â He didnât have any reason to be acquainted with Loki if he had such a bizarre hobby.
ăHuhu! I donât know what this gender thing isâŠbut you seemed like one of those guys when I saw you.ă
Yeon-woo ignored the Crawling Chaos.
But after Agaresâ warning, Loki no longer loitered around Yeon-woo and stepped back. Yeon-woo was about to feel grateful toward AgaresâŠ
âI took him first. Donât even think about touching whatâs mine.â
âWhat?â
âOh my! What should we do? I enjoy stealing beings from their masters.â
âDo you want to die?â
âOh! Isnât this fun? A passionate fight for the love of one man? Iâve always wanted to do something like this!â
ââŠâ Looking at the murderous Agares and cheering Loki, Yeon-woo slowly took a step back.
ăHeehee. Everythingâs crazy.ăThe Crawling Chaos continued to snicker in amusement, while Yeon-woo seriously considered whether or not he had walked into a lair of devils.
* * *
âItâs our rule to never accept unallowed visitsâŠbut since two good-looking guys like you came, I pushed for it.â
Click clack. As Loki walked forward, the mist surrounding Niflheim shifted away to slowly reveal a beautiful sight. Under the blue sky, there was a floating island surrounded by a vast ocean. Each section had scenes from the four seasons, beautiful and heartwarming. A place demons lived was usually called a lair, but this place was different from what Yeon-woo imagined. It actually had a beauty that could melt anyoneâs heart, but the scenery all seemed unnatural to Yeon-woo.
The occasional beasts chewed grass or soared through the skies with demonic energy trailing behind them. LâInfernalâs demons took human forms, but it seemed Niflheimâs demons took beastly forms.
Loki gave various explanations about Niflheim, but Yeon-woo didnât even pretend to be listening. He just focused on observing Niflheim, and the demons of Niflheim were searchingly gazing at Yeon-woo, the first visitor in ages.
âHm! Youâre too cold. If you keep ignoring me like that, I want toâŠ!â Loki glared at Yeon-woo, but he was cut off mid-sentence.
Far away on the horizon, a massive wolf came running. It was Fenrir, shaking the ground with every step he took. He walked past Loki and stopped in front of Yeon-woo. Then, he began to sniff him.
âYouâre paying attention to someone else when your dad, I mean, your mom, is right in front of you? Goodness.â Loki grumbled as Fenrir didnât pay him any attention, but he looked between Yeon-woo and Fenrir with interest. It was the first time his wariest child was showing curiosity toward someone else, so it was a sight to see.
âConsidering how Fenrir has the most special âsensesâ out of the demons of Niflheim, no, in the entire universe⊠Is there something special about this person?â Thinking Agares had brought no ordinary visitor, Loki narrowed his eyes. He was amused by the fact that the arrogant Agares was looking after someone like this, so his interest only grew. What fascinated him more was that most gods and demons were scared of Fenrir by his outer appearance, but Yeon-woo was at ease with him.
Then, Fenrir suddenly opened his jaws and bit the back of Yeon-wooâs neck.
Agares, who had been looking on with dissatisfaction, released his demonic energy with a twitch of his eyebrows. He thought Fenrir was attacking Yeon-woo, but Yeon-woo held a hand up to stop him.
Fenrir had put Yeon-woo on his back. Yeon-woo knew what Fenrir was trying to do even though he didnât tell him. âYou have someplace to take me?â
Grrr, woof! Fenrir laughed at Yeon-wooâs question and nodded.
âOkay. I donât know where youâre taking me, but letâs go.â Yeon-woo stroked Fenrirâs neck. Fenrir joyfully wagged his tail and suddenly began to run in the opposite direction of where he had come from.
Loki, having lost Yeon-woo from right under his nose, widened his eyes, and Agares clenched his fists tightly. His face was already red. âThat son of a bitch!â
Uncaring, Fenrir continued to run with Yeon-woo on his back. From spring to winter, desert to glaciers, scenes of various sections flashed by Yeon-wooâs eyes. He soon arrived at the end of a high precipice.
Woof! Woof woof! Oooooo! Fenrir barked and even howled. He seemed to be searching for something.
Yeon-woo could see broad plains spread beneath the cliff. However, that wasnât what captured his attention.
ăAh! The successor of the great kingâŠhas arrived as the prophecies stated!ăIn the middle of the plains, Hel was praying on an altar in between two blazing torches.
[Osiris manifests!]
[Nergal manifests!]
[The King of Seven Hells manifests!]
[Ksitigarbha manifests!]
âŠ
[Aesma-daeva manifests!]
âŠ
Countless gods and demons of death manifested in front of the altar. They kneeled on one knee and bowed. It was a pledge of loyalty and greeting for the king who would lead them. Yeon-wooâs eyes widened at the unexpected sight.