Chapter 194
Chapter 194
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 194
Chapter Title: If You've Regressed 13 Times, It's Bullshit
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As the clone vanished, Ju Gonghyeok's field of vision shifted.
The location was the skies near the power plant.
It was not far from the place where the Wolf Heart had staked his life to block the great army.
“Gasp!”
“That’s... no way......”
“Yeah! It’s that bastard! No doubt about it!”
Shocked voices of humans rang out.
Ju Gonghyeok’s appearance was neither that of the Wolf Heart nor the Death King.
‘One, two, three.’
He counted.
The terrified shouts he had heard ad nauseam in the past echoed.
“Ju Gonghyeok has appeared!”
“The missing Ju Gonghyeok has intervened on the 43rd floor!”
“Contact the main force quick!”
Ju Gonghyeok, floating in the sky, looked down below.
The number was roughly 3,000.
It was a detached unit separated from the main force.
As the hunters shrank back in terror,
One man alone stood unmoving, gazing up at Ju Gonghyeok.
“Ju Gonghyeok.”
A hunter whose entire body was enveloped in raging flames.
A man whose name he had even forgotten, devoured by his avatar.
The Giant City’s ‘Surtr’ asked.
“Where is Imir, the one you took?”
Imir was the owner of the Giant City and its strongest.
For Surtr, the second-in-command, he had no choice but to seek him.
Moreover, both of them were in the midst of being devoured by their avatars.
Ju Gonghyeok smirked.
“I’ll tell you about Imir. But first, withdraw your forces.”
“I can’t do that. We’re pursuing a beastkin woman.”
“Withdraw.”
Rumble—
The knees of the hunters present buckled forcibly.
Under the pressure descending from the sky, their heads bent as if to snap, while their waists and shoulders braced against the heavens.
The Great Sage Equal to Heaven’s immense gravity crushed them.
Ju Gonghyeok descended upon Surtr, whose feet were digging into the ground.
“She is my prey.”
“......”
Surtr coldly fixed his gaze on Ju Gonghyeok.
He could feel the irritating hostility within.
Surtr was no human.
He was a mythical monster wearing human skin.
For the first time in a long while, Gonghyeok grinned widely, twisting his lips.
“Looks like the Incarnation of Ruin is a bit annoyed. Shall we at least exchange greetings?”
Surtr slowly straightened his bent waist.
His softly reddish hair blazed white.
* * *
Boom!!
Gisua smashed through the temple’s milky white wall and hid her body.
Like the power plant, various spots on the 43rd floor had dungeons or ruins.
This temple was one such place.
“Hah, hah.”
She had taken another hit from Surtr’s ability ‘Blazing World’.
The burns throbbed more with every step she ran.
‘The Wolf Heart got away safely, I hope.’
Gonghyeok, who had blocked the pursuit unit alone.
Gisua had waited close by to link up with him, only to run into the humans.
They were a detached unit that had decided to bypass the monster of the canine tribe, the Wolf Heart.
The leader of the detached unit was ‘Doom Giant Surtr’.
He was one of the top powerhouses among millions of humans, possessing the greatest destructive power.
Rumble!
The temple’s ceiling trembled from the impact.
“What is that?”
She focused her senses.
The temple walls were heating up from intense high temperatures, and blazing fire could be felt beyond them.
‘Boom, bang, crackle-crackle’—boisterous noises that shook heaven and earth rang out.
After a while, she flinched in surprise.
“The humans are withdrawing?”
Her keen senses picked up the receding footsteps and vibrations.
Along with the presence of someone prowling around the ruins.
Kwaaang!
The stone wall shattered, dust exploding outward.
A man revealed himself from within the dust.
Gisua, who had taken a defensive stance, slowly opened her eyes wide.
“Wolf Heart?”
His gray fur was scorched black.
He brushed off the dust lightly from his broken iron claws and blood-soaked armor.
“You waited.”
“You......”
‘How did you know I was here?’
Before she could finish, Gonghyeok cut her off.
“The jade pendant around your neck. That tells me exactly where you are. And......”
Thud-thud—
Six heads rolled across the floor.
Gisua’s body froze solid.
Ju Gonghyeok counted.
“Twelve.”
They were the heads of the Rat God Sobak and his legitimate heirs.
“Ah......”
“The promised hunt is over, shaman.”
Gonghyeok knelt before Gisua and paid his respects.
“The rat tribe has paid the price for mocking the canine tribe with the heads of twelve heirs. Though I couldn’t claim three of them myself, I consider it the aid of the ancestors. Shaman, give thanks to the ancestors’ grace and offer gratitude to the heavenly wolves.”
Clang!
The iron claws crossed, sparking flames.
At the sound, Gisua’s mind snapped alert.
“With this, the pride of the canine tribe and the chastity of the shaman of wolf fangs, Gisua, have been preserved.”
“......”
Gisua raised her head to look at Gonghyeok.
He had hunted the Rat God Sobak and his heirs alone.
He had blocked tens of thousands of humans and beast gods single-handedly.
He had saved her once more from falling into a scheme.
Only he sought to restore the pride of the fallen canine tribe.
“Who are you?”
She couldn’t comprehend it.
Thus, she felt awe from the depths of her being.
“You’re so strong, so why help me?”
“I told you when we first met.”
He bared his fangs in a grin.
“I’m the guardian god of the canine tribe.”
The jade orb hanging from her neck.
The ‘Wolf’s Jade’ glowed faintly.
Humm—
As if drawn by something, the orb trembled.
The orb’s power was flowing toward him.
‘This is......’
It was a familiar phenomenon to Gisua.
The Wolf’s Jade always reacted like this to the guardian divine beast ‘Sol’ that lived with her.
Ju Gonghyeok glanced at the faintly glowing spot near Gisua’s chest and shrugged.
“Guess I’m caught. Late, but let me reintroduce myself. I am the millennium ally of the canine tribe, successor to the guardian divine beast Gio......”
Gisua could see it.
A translucent horn glowing on Gonghyeok’s head, from which flowed the same auspicious rainbow aura she felt from Sol.
“The ninth-generation guardian divine beast Gonghyeok.”
Finally, some of the doubts she harbored were resolved.
Gisua, who had been silent, opened her mouth.
“Got it. Then let’s do this.”
She crossed her iron claws in respect.
“Wolf Heart Gonghyeok. Your spoils are merits beyond measure for the canine tribe! As shaman, I convey thanks to the ‘Proud Gray Wolf’ Gonghyeok on behalf of the departed kin! And furthermore....... Ancestors! Forgive the rudeness of offering the rite without purification!”
She slowly approached and gently licked from Gonghyeok’s nape to his ear, then reverently crossed her iron claws toward the sky.
“Descendant of the great ancestor dog god Gitan! Shaman of the wolf fangs! Gisua offers a new wolf head to the ancestors! His name is Gonghyeok! Courage! Spirit! Wisdom! Lacking in none to lead the wolves! He has proven himself with countless spoils, so surely the ancestors have witnessed it!”
Clang! Clang! Clang!
She clinked her iron claws three times in the air.
“Heavenly wolves! Hear the howl of the new wolf head!”
“Huuup.”
Gonghyeok and Gisua drew deep breaths.
Awoooooooo————!
The temple’s stone walls resonated and trembled with the two wolves’ howl.
Even Surtr’s retreating detached unit must have turned their heads at the sudden howl.
Gisua uncrossed her iron claws and offered a bow.
“We beseech the ancestors to please watch over the twentieth wolf head and his descendants.”
The wolf head rite was complete.
Gonghyeok spoke calmly.
“Wolf head Gonghyeok. I shall lead the pack so as not to show any shortcomings to the ancestors and the shaman.”
Gisua, who had bowed solemnly, gazed at Gonghyeok with settled eyes.
“I don’t think it’s coincidence that you came to find me.”
“You’re right.”
“When you came to my home then, you must have seen. The other guardian divine beast.”
She paused, choosing her words.
“Do you want to take Sol? What is it you want from me?”
“Hm. It won’t harm you.”
‘Probably. Whatever.’
Honestly, he didn’t care what became of her position later.
What mattered to Gonghyeok was not Gisua or the guardian divine beasts, but ‘humanity’s future’.
The lives or fates of beastkin had not been considerations for Ju Gonghyeok for a few hundred years.
“I’ll teach you. The dog god arts will be reforged, and you will greet a new future alongside the guardian divine beast at your side.”
“A new future?”
“We will reclaim the skies of the guardian divine beasts.”
That was the promise Ju Gonghyeok had made to 『Hybrid Gio』.
The proud Gio had no reason to lend strength to the beastkin’s extinction.
‘I was planning to make a half-baked guardian divine beast trait with 「Avatar Devour」......’
His goal had changed after the 3rd basement level, and so had his plans.
Into a plan he could pursue even while harboring 『Guardian Divine Beast Gio』.
Gonghyeok gave Gisua words filled with conviction and sweetness.
“We will reclaim the skies of the guardian divine beasts. And the canine tribe will be repaid for the pride and chastity they offered a millennium ago.”
“A millennium ago?”
The canine tribe had a name and legend passed down through generations.
‘Millennium Chastity.’
Gisua didn’t know what it signified.
But she could certainly feel that a new wind, different from before, had begun to blow.
* * *
“Krahehehehehehe!”
The tiger-headed Gian laughed heartily, repeatedly slapping Gien’s back.
“Well done! Wolves! You performed beyond expectations! I won’t forget your merits!”
Everyone, including the tiger head, welcomed the canine tribe returning to the main camp.
The defeated general Gien was dumbfounded.
“H-Ho-shin. What feats do you mean?”
“The feats at the power plant, of course. Sorry we couldn’t give you a triumphant march right away. It’s war, can’t be helped!”
“Yes?”
Despite Gien’s reaction, the tiger head nodded and chuckled deeply.
“The Demon Dragon Duke Azidahaka promised great rewards too, saying the tide will turn thanks to you!”
“Y-Yes......”
Gien’s mind grew chaotic.
‘Feats at the power plant? Was there something like that?’
They had desperately fought the onslaught of the beast god-human alliance.
But they had lost.
And fled.
‘No way Gonghyeok-nim blocking the human army alone got rated that highly.’
But even so, it was just one day.
Moreover, the army blocked wasn’t the human main force led by ‘Destroyer Christina’, but legions from three cities—about 1/3 of the humans.
An immense personal achievement, but not enough to turn the war.
‘What the hell? What the hell?’
Whether Gien sweated bullets or not, Ho-shin Gian laughed loudly and exited the tent.
Gien quietly spoke to the tiger-clawed deputy sitting beside him.
“Deputy, why is Ho-shin so excited?”
“Hm? Because the canine and rat tribes achieved great merits, of course.”
“What merits exactly......”
The deputy asked puzzled.
“Gien. Isn’t Gisua of the canine tribe and Rat God Sobak still holding the power plant right now? They even dispatched reinforcements here, including you. Isn’t that a complete victory?”
“Yes?”
Gien, stunned, listened to the explanation before shouting urgently.
“Victory? Embarrassingly, the power plant we were defending fell. The generator was destroyed too.”
“What!? The power plant fell?”
The deputy waved his hands in shock.
“Gien! Don’t make such jokes even in jest. My grandfather would’ve punished you if he heard.”
“I-It’s true! Really! I don’t know what misunderstanding everyone has, but we......”
“Whew~”
The deputy sighed deeply and grabbed Gien by the collar.
Dragging Gien outside the tent, the deputy pointed with his thick nail at the golden dimensional gate.
“Then what’s that?”
“Yes?”
“The dimensional gate is still charging. The Demon Dragon Duke told us the Demon Archduke summon is in its final stages.”
“Uh?”
Gien stared at the dimensional gate, which was beginning to generate a bluish portal.
He had clearly seen the generator smashed to bits with his own two eyes.
Yet the dimensional gate was operating perfectly fine.
The deputy released Gien’s collar.
“Cut the nonsense and rest up. It’s the final battle.”
The deputy looked down at the canyon-like ravine below the cliff.
There was the entrance to the Twilight Ruins, which no one had approached yet.
North Tide and South Clan.
Beast gods and humans.
If maximum forces clashed—boom!—neither side would emerge unscathed.
With the three tribes fighting fiercely, if one slyly pulled back to minimize damage or preserve elites, they’d suffer greatly in the battles beyond the 40th floor later.
“I don’t know the details, but if our Demon Archduke gets summoned, victory is at hand.”
The deputy’s sharp gaze turned toward the enemies across the canyon.
“If the force difference opens up in an instant, defeat is obvious. They’ll flee since a head-on clash would cost too much. Then the Twilight Legion is ours.”
“......”
Despite the deputy’s bold proclamation, Gien couldn’t continue speaking.
‘What the hell is going on?’
The situation unfolding now was completely beyond his comprehension.