ăHuh? Mother?ă Cha Jeong-woo suddenly looked at Yeon-woo with an expression that seemed to ask what absurd nonsense Yeon-woo was talking about this time. They had just met after a long time, so he didnât understand what was this about seeking their mother.
Still, Jeong-wooâs eyes gleamed with a strange light. The fact that his father had been found and recovered but his mother had yet to be caused a lingering stigma to remain in his mind.
âYour half is there too.â
ăâŠIsnât that expression a bit strange? If Ananta were to hear what you just said, it might cause a misunderstanding! Anyway, tell me what the hell happened!ă
Fighting a war with Night for over ten years as the successor of Day, Jeong-woo could not help but feel frustrated at not having his soul.
An existence was basically composed of the soul, which could be represented as the skeleton, and the spirit body, which would represent the skin. In the absence of one of these, only half of an existence existed.
Although his spirit body had achieved a breakthrough based on the achievements he had accumulated in his past, Jeong-woo was not yet able to reach complete transcendence. This was because there was no soul to be the subject of transcendence, so there was a limit to his rise in power.
Of course, in the case of Rebecca, Yeon-wooâs familiar, she had been able to gain divine status. However, that was only possible because Cernunnos, who was the god she originally served, provided Yeon-woo with a steady stream of blessing, which Rebecca was essentially able to feed off of.
Jeong-wooâs spirit body, an independent existence, did not have that option. He was currently like a sandcastle built without a skeleton. One wrong move and he would collapse entirely.
But now, Yeon-woo was stating that they had finally found Jeong-wooâs âskeletonâ. If he were to recover his soul, Cha Jeong-woo would be able to complete his existence. If he were to complete his existence, Jeong-woo would no longer be the successor of Day but the complete ruler of Day. In addition to this, he could also save his mother. Naturally, Yeon-wooâs words lit a fire within Jeong-woo.
Yeon-woo calmly began to describe the thoughts of Rheaâs vestige, which Yeon-woo and Kronos had seen.
ăâŠăJeong-woo remained silent for a while. Once he heard that his mother had come to find him, Jeong-woo crumbled onto the ground.ăâŠYeon-wooă
âWhat.â
ăWhat did I ever do?ă
ââŠâ
ăYouâŠand father⊠And now, even mother. How come everyone is suffering because of meâŠ!ă
Jeong-wooâs sorrowful voice rang out. If his vestige spirit body was able to shed tears, Jeong-woo would be crying a river.
Kronos could not look directly at Jeong-wooâs face, so he turned his head to the side and tried to calm his trembling heart.
However, Yeon-woo still had a calm expression on his face. No, to be more exact, his expression was somewhat cold. âHey.â
ăâŠ?ă
âDonât change the subject.â
Flinch!
âThose curse words you said in front of mother⊠Those were the exact words that you used whenever you played video games. But in front of mother, you said I used those words. Are you serious?â
ăâŠă
A very brief silence ensued. And thenâŠÂ Poof! Jeong-wooâs vestige spirit body disappeared in an instant. Poof! Yeon-wooâs figure disappeared almost at the same time.
ăHuh?ăWondering what the hell was going on, Kronos tilted his head to one side with a face full of bewilderment. In the distance, Kronos could see Jeong-wooâs receding back as he ran away with his Sky Wings fully unfurled. Yeon-woo was closely chasing after Jeong-woo.
ăS-Stop! Itâs not my fault!ă
âWhat do you mean?â
ăI didnât say those things! My soul said it! So, you shouldnât be blaming meâŠ!ă
âYour soul is a part of you.â
Jeong-woo continued to protest, stating that he was being unfairly treated, but Yeon-wooâs fist was not willing to heed his brotherâs words.
Bam!
***
âI donât bother to curse. I just respond with my fists.â
Clap. Clap. Yeon-woo lightly dusted his hand together as he spoke coldly.
Kronos looked at his two sons with a blank expression.
ăâŠDamn it. I donât get how youâre my older brother.ăJeong-woo, with a black bruise around one of his eyes, groaned while pouting his lips.
âDo you feel youâve been unfairly treated?â
ăOf course! I didnât do anything!ă
âIf youâre upset, then go to your soul and ask him why he said such things yourself.â
ăâŠăJeong-woo was barely able to hold back the curse words that were about to exit his mouth.
âSo, you think youâve been unfairly treated, huh.â
ăUgh, what!ă
âI wanted you to resist a little more. I thought you would be stronger by now. It seems youâve lost some backside.â
ăDamn it! You know as well as I do that resisting any further only means more pain!ă
âThatâs why Iâm a little disappointed.â
ăâŠă
Shake. Jeong-wooâs fists trembled. He wanted to smack Yeon-woo. Though Yeon-woo was his older brother, Jeong-woo thought he could give anything to smack his older brother. This singular thought kept running through Jeong-wooâs mind.
However, Jeong-woo knew this was an impossibility. In the end, only he would get hurt. Although he came to fight the war as the successor of Day, Jeong-woo could not compare to his older brother, who had struggled every day as the Black Kingâs ego. It was most likely that his older brother was stoking Jeong-wooâs anger to set an intentional trap and release some of his pent-up stress. Just as Jeong-woo expectedâŠ
âSo, youâre not going to come at me, huh? Sheesh.â
ăâŠFather! Older brother is tormenting me!ăIn the end, Jeong-woo sought Kronosâ help.
Kronos pressed his index fingers onto his temple as if his head hurt.ăEven though you guys are older, youâre still acting like little kidsâŠ!ă
In fact, even when they were on Earth, Kronosâ two sons quarreled often. Siblings who were only one or two years apart in age tended to fight a lot, so how quarrelsome would it be for twins born at the same time on the same day⊠The funny thing was that, even though they fought like this all the time, their friendship was solid.
While Kronos was having these thoughtsâŠÂ Bark!
ăYou found Cha Jeong-wooâs soul?ăAgares approached the brothers with Fenrir. Unlike Fenrir, whose eyes were filled with innocent intent, Agaresâ eyes were burning brightly with lust.ăThen, you must take me with you!ă
Jeong-woo frowned.ăWhy do you need to come with us?ă
ăBecause that soul belongs to me! What other reason would I have but to obtain what is mine!ă
ăâŠUh, that soul is mine.ă
ăEverything that is yours is mine!ă
ăâŠUgh.ă
Bark! Bark! While Jeong-woo and Agares were arguing, Fenrir panted while wagging his tail cutely at Yeon-woo. Fenrir seemed to be saying that he wanted to tag along as well. Yeon-woo nodded as if to express that he understood and approved. Fenrir barked loudly at Yeon-wooâs approval.
Seeing this unfold, Agares could not help but shout aloud.ăMe too! Take me along as well!ăHis actions and appearance were just like a petulant childâs.
The demon lords of LâInfernal, who had followed Agares, quietly turned their heads to the side in embarrassment. Based on what they previously experienced with their new leader, it was best to just pretend they didnât see anything.
Meanwhile, the archangels of Malach, including Michael, were quickly exchanging Channel messages amongst each other with serious expressions. They exchanged messages in a Channel that belonged to Malach, so it was a private conversation.
ăMichael, if Heaven Wing finds his soul, his existence will become complete. Once that happens, heâll be in total control of DayâŠ!ă
ăRight! With a common enemy in the Night, weâve been working towards a common goal, but what will happen afterward? If he becomes subordinate to Night and the Black Kingâs ego, what will happen then? We have to make preparations.ă
ăâŠă
Despite Raphael and Urielâs urgent concerns, Michael only smiled quietly and did not respond.
At that momentâŠÂ Smile. Yeon-woo looked at the three and smiled coldly.
Unable to understand the meaning of Yeon-wooâs sudden smile, Raphael and Urielâs backs snapped straight up. Yeon-woo should not have been able to hear their communication, but they could not shake off a feeling of insecurity.
Only Michael smiled back at Yeon-wooâs gaze.
***
âAthena, guard this place. If the Channel on my side is cut off for a while, donât worry too much.â Yeon-woo gave Athena an order to lead the Day in Jeong-wooâs stead.
Athena, who had wanted to see Yeon-woo, whom she had not seen in a long time, felt a little crestfallen at not receiving some praise for her hard work. âI can follow you and focus on protectingâŠ!â
ăMake sure to pay attention to Michael.ăAthenaâs eyes widened at Yeon-wooâs following Channel message. However, just as quickly as her eyes widened, she regained her composure.ăBy that, you meanâŠă
ăJeong-woo, Malach, LâInfernal⊠They have no shared interests or common ideals, so they formed a loose alliance because of the legacy and dying will of their predecessors. Moreover, the existence of a common enemy allowed this weak alliance to be maintained up to now. However, if Night does not present an issue anymoreâŠthe story will be different.ă
ăâŠ!ă
ăBased on my assessment, Malach will be the first to make a move. LâInfernal is still wary of Agares and is relatively loyal to him. But this is not the case for Malach. Moreover, it doesnât make sense for absolute good and absolute evil to continue holding hands when it no longer provides any benefit for them, right?ă
ăIf they act suspiciously or act hastily, Iâll react without delay.ă
Instead of answering, Yeon-woo nodded. He did not expect Michael to make a move right away. Michael wasnât stupid enough to make a move without having a certain level of certainty. However, Yeon-woo still thought it would not be a bad idea to keep a close eye on Michael.
Yeon-woo and his party soon came upon the boundary line that separated Day and Night. Entering this boundary space, Yeon-woo felt that it was not all too different from the feeling of swimming through the darkness when he entered Kronosâ legends to make Scythe. Actually, there was almost no difference. This was probably because this boundary space was originally a realm ruled by Olympus during Uranusâ time. It was one of the early places that existed during the universeâs creation, when the war between Day and Night was in full swingâŠ
[You have entered âNight (Nox)â!]
[All laws have been warped.]
[Eye of the Heavens and Ear of the Heavens have been activated. The activation has corrected your shaking senses.]
[A correcting calibration has been achieved.]
âŠ
[The world is revealed!]
ăAhâŠ! I always feel like shit whenever I enter this place.ăJeong-woo nervously shook his hand at the overwhelming sensations bombarding his senses.
Jeong-woo had gone in and out of this area several times during the war, but it seemed that he would never get used to this foreign feeling. There was nothing more unpleasant to a being than the overwhelming power to devour existences and break laws.
Agares and Fenrir must have felt the same as their impressions soon hardened. They were preparing to open their magic powers to counteract the external influences. Additionally, their vigilant eyes were directed toward the various gazes scattered throughout the realm of Night.
Whoosh!
[The âPolluted Sourceâ bows its head at the appearance of the great father!]
[The âUnborn Beingâ shakes its head and states that that is not their father!]
[The âOne who Awaits the Outside Worldâ states that the being may not be their father, but it possesses similarities with their father. Thus, it raises the question of whether they should regard the being as their father!]
[The âEyes of the Childish Soulâ is unable to decide. It rolls its eyes before carefully looking around!]
......
[âNight (Nox)â is confused. They are not able to come to an agreement on what to do regarding the new existence, which they had never come across before!]
[âDancing Green Flamesâ proposes that they first have a conversation with the being and then make a decision!]
[âDarkness from the Starsâ nods his head saying that the proposal seems reasonable!]
[âBlood-drenched Godâ agrees with âDancing Green Flamesâ proposal!]
âŠ
[All eyes in âNight (Nox)â are focused on the Black Kingâs ego who suddenly appeared!]
Originally, once an intruder entered their area, waves of uncontrollable senses would have rushed in from all directions, causing the intruder to face a state of sensory overload. However, Yeon-wooâs level of achievement was much greater than those of the Night, and above all, Yeon-wooâs foundation was close to that of Night, so it was easy to understand the Nightâs confusion and subsequent cautious approach.
Of course, Jeong-woo and the others who tagged along with Yeon-woo were still in a vertigo state of mind. Since those within the Eight Gods of Disorder, who essentially led the Night, had shown their agreement with the proposal, the confusion within the Night camp seemed to have momentarily subsided.
However, Jeong-woo saw a green flame briefly appear above Yeon-wooâs head, as if returning to Yeon-wooâs side after doing something and stating âI did good, huh?â. Then, the green flame quickly disappeared. Jeong-woo wondered if he was mistaken by that sightâŠ
At that momentâŠ
[The âResident of the Borderâ has opened his eyes!]
The highest-ranking being amongst the Eight Gods of Disorder, and the head of the Night, appeared.
As if a door opened, a huge pupil made its appearance in front of Yeon-woo as it cleared away the darkness of Night. Jeong-woo and Agares were startled by the leaderâs sudden appearance and immediately took defensive postures. However, Yeon-woo extended his hand to calm them down.
The Resident of the Border did not pay attention to the two. They were not beings who he needed to consider. The Resident of the Border focused solely on Yeon-woo.
You. Have. Come.
âI told you before that Iâd be returning soon.â Yeon-woo did not hide his powers and completely revealed his existence. From now on, Yeon-woo had to be recognized as the Black King.
Rumble! The space that made up the Nightâs area shook. Jeong-woo, who was standing next to Yeon-woo, looked at Yeon-woo with a nervous expression.
[All beings of âNight (Nox)â look at the Black Kingâs ego with admiration!]
[The âResident of the Borderâ looks at you with widened eyes.]
We. Have. Not.
Come. To. A. Conclusion.
And. Have. Not. Made. A. Choice.
The content of the Resident of the Borderâs words meant that Yeon-woo had not yet been acknowledged by Night.
One of Yeon-wooâs eyebrows twitched as he stood with his weight swayed on one leg and his arms crossed. âWhy?â
Youâre. Not. Complete.
Youâre. Blocking. The. End.
Unfulfilled. Requirements.
Yeon-woo had not yet become the main ego of the Black King. Furthermore, he was delaying the ending of the âdreamâ.
âSo what? Are you saying you wonât accept me?â Yeon-woo curtly replied. There was a chance he would have to fight against these beings and use up his remaining reservoir of the law of causality. However, Yeon-woo could not afford to show any weakness.
Need. Show. Proof. Eligibility.
âProof?â
Proof. Of. Father.
The Resident of the Border was stating that Yeon-woo had to show proof that he was the Black King in order to get their approval and be recognized as their father.
âI donât know any father who needs to prove his existence and get the approval of his children.â Yeon-woo snorted and said in an arrogant tone. âBut fine. If necessary, Iâll show you.â
[âGreen Flameâ is paying close attention.]
[The âBlack Goat of the Woods with a Thousand Youngâ eagerly stares.]
[âNameless Mistâ is eagerly watching.]
[The âSource of Uncleanlinessâ is focusing.]
[âHarbingerâ is closely observing the unfolding scene.]
The eyes and attention of the Night and the Eight Gods of Disorder were fully focused on Yeon-woo. The world around Yeon-woo changed.