Chapter 530 - 530 (1/2)
The current location was on top of a certain World Tree, where there existed a world populated by gods.
This world didn't have a name. It was too small for one, and the gods living there simply called it ”town.”
This town was supposed to be in the middle of its apocalypse. However...
”It's him again.”
”With the Predator he killed this time, I hear the number he killed now exceeds four digits.”
Drag, draaag...
A certain man was dragging along a massive Pterosaur-like monster with nothing but his bare hand.
This monster was as big as a small mountain, at the very least. Even if he was a god, it shouldn't have been easy to drag around something that humongous.
But the gods wouldn't be talking about this event with so much enthusiasm if the only noteworthy thing about the monster was its size.
”Just how many gods have ended up in the belly of that beast already?”
”It's not for nothing that the monster earned the nickname 'devouring god.'”
The nickname, ”devouring god,” was initially meant to reference a god of eating.
However, it meant a completely different thing when attached to this monster.
A monster that devoured gods was the true meaning of its nickname.
”But he still managed to hunt down that devouring god?”
”Since he's gone and done it, the next one on the list should be... that thing.”
”Well, he's killed the devouring god and all, so...”
The man dragging the Pterosaur-like monster heard the murmurings of the gods and glanced at his surroundings.
He realized they were talking about him right now, but Su-hyeun didn't care either way and continued to drag the monster forward.
”I've hunted it down.”
”You really did it, fella,” a male god watched Su-hyeun walk up to him, surprised.
This god was quite old. His name was Gawul, and he was the top deity in charge of running the ”town.”
”And so, all I have to do now is to wait, yes?”
”You sounded so confident of yourself. That's why I told you about it, but honestly speaking, I'm still very much worried.”
”Is that creature so terrifying?”
”Indeed. It's one of the Ten Great Evils. In other words, it's strong enough to be counted in the top 10 calamities of this wide, expansive universe!” Gawul shuddered softly. ”Fella, you've never met this creature, and that's why you don't know its terror. No, wait, other than me, no one else knows—”
”What about other gods?”
”They are all uninvolved. They don't even know the true nature of the creature. They never had a chance to fight it, so that's only par for the course.”
”Have you fought it before?”
”I have,” Gawul nodded, his legs shaking. ”And that's why I badly wish to run away from here right now.”
His fellow gods could be seen smiling among themselves.
This town had been driven to a corner. The gods lost their homeworld to the horde of countless Predators led by a certain existence and had to hole themselves in a tiny village.
But Su-hyeun's appearance gave them hope.
Only Gawul was the exception. He couldn't see that hope. He was still too afraid.
”In that case, why haven't you run away yet?”
”Because I know I need to fight back somehow,” Gawul replied while clenching his fists tightly. ”I can't keep running away and hide for all eternity, now can I?”
One could spy his determination from what he said just now.
Since their first meeting, Gawul always had this look of a man being chased by something. Su-hyeun initially wondered why, but he understood this older god's position better after listening to the reason.
Gawul was the top dog in this town. That might give him many privileges, but it also came with many responsibilities.
”Being a god isn't that different from being a human, isn't it?” Su-hyeun thought to himself.
These beings, born with the promise of eternal life, were relatively poor at controlling their emotions, unlike the Bull Demon King, Buddha, or Master Subhuti.
They were afraid of the unknown and decided to form a herd to survive.
This town—their small village—was the last of the last stronghold for these pitiful beings.
”In that case, you're all fully resolved, then.”
”Well, it's not 'fully,' but—”
”If not, that's going to be a big problem.”
Shu-wuu...
Darkness suddenly drew upon the spot Su-hyeun and Gawul stood on.
Their shadows vanished, and the light in the skies also went away. Gawul's complexion paled in an instant.
”Here it comes.”
”Dammit, so bloody quick,” Gawul muttered in a trembling voice as he stared at the darkened sky.
The other gods also began to murmur noisily. That was because this phenomenon wasn't unfamiliar to them.
”It really showed up.”
”It would be weird not to notice something that huge showing up, you know.”
”Everyone, are you ready for battle?”
”We're always ready!”
Gods were deeply tense at the creature showing up high above in the skies.
Gawul pulled out his weapons. He wielded short spears in both hands, then raised his fighting spirit even higher.
Almost at the same time, Su-hyeun also looked up.
He spotted a certain existence looming large well beyond the skies to block out the light from reaching the town.
”It sure is big,” he thought.
Although not as large as Uranus, that creature was easily one of the biggest lifeforms Su-hyeun had encountered so far. It hadn't even fully revealed itself yet, but it still managed to fill up half of the sky already.
”Is it about half the size of Uranus?”
If Su-hyeun hadn't already encountered Uranus, then he would've been shocked out of his mind by this sight. But now, he wasn't getting much of an impression. He didn't see anything too special about this event besides thinking, ”Wow, it's big.”
Of course, the only person in this place who had run into Uranus was Su-hyeun and nobody else.
”Now, do you understand?” Gawul asked while staring at Su-hyeun. The latter was wordlessly looking up at the darkened sky, so he thought the younger god had become scared, too. ”Do you now see what kind of monster you have summoned here?”
”Well,” Su-hyeun replied with an attitude not too different from a minute ago. ”Now that I see it, sure, I can understand.”
”Hmm?”
Gawul was puzzled at Su-hyeun's reply.
The creature emitted a sense of presence capable of numbing your entire body. Its magical energy reserve seemed truly limitless. And what about that massive size clearly visible to anyone with eyes?
Despite all these factors, Su-hyeun looked just unperturbed right now.
”You said this earlier, didn't you? That I don't know its true terror since I've never seen that creature.” Su-hyeun recalled what Gawul told him just now and finally came up with his reply, ”Well, now I've seen it.”
”What are you trying to say?”
”In that case, have you seen me?”
Su-hyeun pulled out the spear mounted on his back.
Bzzzzik—
The spear, Gungnir, was enveloped in azure arcs of lightning. In the meantime, the Predator filling up the sky fully revealed its massive size.
”Apophis!”
Sha-aaaah—!
The monster was destined to block out the sun to devour it. In the myth, it was the great enemy of the sun god Ra, and as a Predator, its size was second only to Uranus.
It was also one of the Ten Great Evils.