Chapter 213
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 213
Chapter Title: All Who Knew the Guardian Divine Beast Are Dead
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With this, everyone who knew about the Guardian Divine Beast was dead.
Because Hoshin had been cursed by the Death King and the Machine God had appeared, the culprits were assumed to be from the human tribe and the Machine God tribe.
The culprits had hunted the Guardian Divine Beast as well, and since Gonghyeok had revealed himself as one, a great deal of explaining had been necessary.
‘The Guardian Divine Beast reappears when the beastkin face a crisis.’
That was why he had lived in seclusion amid mountains and rivers in the guise of another race, only to be summoned to Babel and make his appearance.
After bullshitting his way through the night like that, Ju Gonghyeok left the meeting hall and walked the streets.
He was on his way to Kisua’s new home.
‘The old house got totally smashed up in the afternoon.’
The hound tribe district had been left in ruins after Hoshin and the Machine God ran amok.
The tribe chiefs had opened up the underground reserve district to shelter the displaced hound tribe folk and given Kisua a backup residence.
Smoke was still rising from the hound tribe district that had taken the bombing.
“You caused all this chaos, and it still hasn’t shown up...”
= What?
Nataniel had popped up at Gonghyeok’s mutter and was now riding atop his head, keeping him company.
“No future folk.”
Ju Gonghyeok had laid out the bait and swung for the fences.
But Enemy Detection hadn’t snagged anything, nor had anyone slipped out of the city.
Proof positive there were no future folk in the city.
“No future folk in the southern sectors means they’ve gotta be in the northern ones.”
= No way there’d be future folk in a beastkin city too, right?
“There was one modeled after beastkin, so yeah, they’re definitely hiding among them.”
= How are you so sure?
“They know my hand.”
The future folk knew Ju Gonghyeok’s moves.
Ju Gonghyeok had infiltrated the beastkin alone, surrounded by enemies with no allies in sight. The perfect moment to take him out, really.
“At a time like this, they’ll probe at least once.”
The future folk knew Ju Gonghyeok’s cards.
Ju Gonghyeok knew zilch about theirs.
But Ju Gonghyeok knew his own cards were laid bare.
Seemed unfavorable at a glance...
‘Plenty I can turn to my advantage with that.’
There was only one plan the future folk knew about Ju Gonghyeok.
But Ju Gonghyeok’s plans could shift into dozens.
‘Lure ’em out by doing what past-me would’ve done, or drag ’em into the open with something totally out of left field.’
If he could predict where they’d poke, he could lay traps.
‘Can’t just sit back and take it from greenhorns with no experience.’
Ju Gonghyeok wasn’t some pushover to get offed by half-assed regressors.
The future folk had come back to save humanity.
But they stood against Ju Gonghyeok.
Their outlooks and perspectives were just too different.
‘Like always, no plans to talk ’em down.’
Ju Gonghyeok had made far more mistakes and weathered far more apocalypses.
The ruin they’d endured was far too shallow to shatter the convictions he’d honed over endless years.
* * *
“Why’d the missive show up?”
It was what Kisua said, standing before the hearth.
“Wolf Head, when you were named chief, the trophy you brought back was definitely the missive’s head, right?”
“You saw it yourself. Just like I swore, I took the heads of every last one of the Fox Tribe’s Twelve Evils.”
Gonghyeok shrugged.
“Didn’t expect the headless body to rabbit off on its own, though.”
“...A devil’s pact? Some kinda curse?”
“Dunno. I definitely killed Little White Missive back then.”
When Woshin shattered the iron helm, what emerged was a headless Seoshin.
Folks had gossiped over the empty helm, wondering what devil it must’ve contracted with.
Kisua placed her hand on the floor and bowed her head low in proper seiza.
“Wolf Head.”
“Cut the formal talk.”
“I can’t...”
“I might be Wolf Head, but I ain’t hound tribe, and I’m a tumbleweed besides. The hound tribe’s your people.”
Gonghyeok took a sip of the tea she’d brewed for him.
“You’re the spiritual backbone of the tribe folk, and the warriors follow your bloodline claim. Me? I’m just the badass hunk who stole away the pretty shaman lady. Act like old times.”
“...Hoo. Listening to your nonsense is making me feel dumber by the second.”
Kisua let out a deep sigh.
“Can we win the God Realm War?”
“Dunno. Guess we’ll find out when we get there.”
“The Dragon God up north is insanely strong. Already lost two southern chiefs.”
Seoshin Little White and Hoshin Jian.
With the most veteran chiefs dead, the south was in disarray.
The old heavenly clash between the evil ancestors and the Guardian Divine Beast—that tradition turned God Realm War—and now two participating chiefs were gone.
“But you’ve got me.”
Gonghyeok said that while pointing upstairs.
“And her.”
“You think Sol can get that strong by the God Realm War?”
“As strong as it takes. Wanna see?”
Ju Gonghyeok bounded upstairs without hesitation and flung open a door.
“Hey~ Sunflower.”
No sign of Solbaragi in the room.
No response to his call, so Kisua glanced up at the ceiling.
“Sol? What’re you doing up there?”
“Huh? Oh, uh...”
“Come on down.”
Solbaragi was huddled in the corner of the ceiling.
Kisua scolded as Solbaragi awkwardly climbed down.
“Sol! We’ve got a guest—why’re you hiding up there?”
“Mom, um, it’s just...”
“Greet him first. Remember who helped you out today? Your kin, the Guardian Divine Beast Gonghyeok.”
“Kin?”
Solbaragi looked up at Gonghyeok with hesitant eyes.
Gonghyeok flashed a grin at the little squirt who’d once offed him.
“Successor to Guardian Divine Beast Gio, Eighth Great Guardian Divine Beast Gonghyeok.”
Solbaragi felt an eerie dread and took a step back.
“Mister, you’re really a Guardian Divine Beast?”
“Who else would I be?”
Ju Gonghyeok asked, still smiling.
Even if you slap on a human face and talk like one, humans feel off about something mimicking them.
The closer it gets, the worse.
That was the brand of terror Solbaragi felt.
Gonghyeok pulled the 「Rat’s Jade」 from his inventory.
“Lemme see your hand for a sec.”
Solbaragi cautiously stuck out one hand.
Gonghyeok placed the Rat’s Jade in Solbaragi’s palm, and the arcane energy from the jade within the jade orb flowed into Solbaragi’s body.
“Wha?”
Kisua jumped in surprise.
Solbaragi’s whiskers shot out visibly longer, and their clothes tore as their body swelled too big to fit.
Gonghyeok held out his hand to Kisua.
“Hand over the jade orb.”
“The Wolf’s Jade? That’s...”
“It’s ours to begin with. I won’t smash it or anything—gimme.”
She hesitated before handing over the jade orb hanging from her neck.
The Wolf’s Jade lit up and vibrated in his palm, two streams of energy peeling off.
A Guardian Divine Beast horn sprouted on Gonghyeok’s forehead, snagging one stream from the jade orb.
[『Hybrid Gio』 Ancestral soul absorbed – 「Wolf’s Jade」]
[10 more until acquisition of trait 「Unreal God of Nothingness (SSS)」]
[Dog God Method completion increased. Can now channel greater energy.]
[『Hybrid Gio』 Final ability unlock condition (2/12) met]
The moment the messages popped up, the Guardian Divine Beast let out a groan.
“Ugh...”
Solbaragi staggered and looked down at the floor.
Their divine beast horn blinked red like a flickering lantern.
From the energy flowing to Gonghyeok, the Guardian Divine Beast read something else.
Their vision shifted—not to the room, but to a desolate scene.
A crimson sky.
Steel arrows loosed by the enemy spewed fire as they rained down on the city.
Mushroom clouds bloomed; streets and people vanished without a trace.
One warrior threw themself at a steel arrow to shatter it, only to be coated in explosion, radiation, virus, and curse before plummeting.
The warrior screamed in agony before vanishing in the blast.
Steel Machine Gods plummeted from the sky.
The Dragon God was bound by the Frost Giant.
The human tribe and their legions packed the distant horizon, crawling up onto the city.
“What’s the enemy count!?”
“Millions—no, billions... Damn it! Too many to count!”
The successor’s question got a despairing reply from the warrior.
The glorious day of the God Realm War.
The shadow of annihilation engulfed the beastkin.
Kaaang—! Kang!
The clamor of fierce battle rang out.
“Ju Gonghyeeeeeok!”
“Hahahahaha!”
Battle-ravaged Kisua charged at Ju Gonghyeok.
Crunch!
A white horn sprouted on Ju Gonghyeok’s forehead as his whole body sheathed itself in scales and fur.
The trait born from devouring Gio and snapping off Solbaragi’s horn.
「Guardian Divine Beast (SSS)」 activated.
[Additional trait 「Unreal God of Nothingness (SSS)」 activated!]
[Dog God Method ultimate technique ‘Fang Hinge Severance’ transcendent activation!]
Kwajijik!
One blow shredded from claws to right arm in a geyser of shreds.
Shoulder and collarbone blasted apart in gruesome fashion, the shock slamming Kisua into the floor.
Kneeling, Kisua muttered.
“You tricked me. I trusted you. Convinced the chiefs.”
“Kisua, why so pitiful? You had your fun too, right?”
“...”
A ragged scar marred Kisua’s forehead where her horn had been ripped free.
The Guardian Divine Beast horn Ju Gonghyeok now bore had been on her just moments before.
“Sol, Father... Why? What the...”
Ju Gonghyeok cut her off and smashed Kisua.
A balloon-pop sound rang out as the floor turned into a mess of blood, shattered bone, meat, and entrails.
Flames from the core rose amid a symphony of grief and screams.
There, Ju Gonghyeok thought.
‘Ah, I’ll kill you all...’
And save my world.
A flash blazed, and the beastkin city vanished.
* * *
“Eek! Eeeeek!”
Solbaragi clutched their head and shrieked.
Ju Gonghyeok pinned Solbaragi down and locked eyes.
“You saw it, huh?”
“Hik!”
Solbaragi caught a flash in Gonghyeok’s gaze.
The gleam of madness from memories of the past.
A warm voice reached the ears of the shrieking Guardian Divine Beast.
= It’s all right, Solbaragi.
A shadow from Gonghyeok wrapped Solbaragi in an embrace.
= Calm yourself, child. That won’t happen again. I’ll protect you.
Hybrid Gio patted Solbaragi.
Kisua and the rest couldn’t see or hear Ju Gonghyeok’s avatars, but Solbaragi stared straight at Gio.
“Father?”
= …….
Gio gave a wistful smile.
Kisua gasped as she watched Solbaragi.
“Oh my god.”
The ten-year-old kid had turned into a seventeen-year-old teen in a blink.
Cute when the little tyke called her Mom—now it’d just be creepy.
‘Legends say they mature in a hundred days...’
What a Guardian Divine Beast needed upon birth—already talking, knowing right from wrong, recognizing parents—wasn’t time, but ample spirit energy and a top-notch mentor.
Gonghyeok turned to Kisua and spoke calmly.
“Mind giving us the room for a bit?”
“The two of you?”
“Kin’s gotta handle some important rites.”
Kisua nodded and stepped out.
“Listen up, kid. You’re gonna be my disciple from here on.”
“Huh?”
“There’s this Dragon God uncle. He’s gonna come kill you.”
“Why would that uncle kill me?”
“Killing you turns him into a Super Drago... well, Super Dragon God. He’ll do anything for that.”
“Yeeeah...”
Solbaragi’s ears drooped like they’d deflated.
Gonghyeok tossed it out casual as ever.
“To stop the Dragon God from going Super Dragon God, someone’s gotta kill you.”
“...? Huh?”
“Gotta kill you to stop the Super Dragon God.”
The cold eyes and seeping killing intent rang utterly sincere; the Guardian Divine Beast froze solid.
“Or smash every last ancestral jade.”
Ju Gonghyeok scratched his head.
If killing the thing fixed it, he’d have done it ages ago.
“Don’t wanna die? Then be my lackey.”
“Weren’t you my master just now?”
“Dragging you around and working you’s the same either way.”
“...”
“Don’t listen? I’ll kill you and your mom too.”
“!?”
No joke in it—just cold fact.
Even without tapping the horn’s mystic power, Solbaragi sensed it instinctively.
As Solbaragi shivered, Gio gathered them up.
= No need to tremble, Sol.
Gio stroked their head, voice warm.
= I followed this guy just to see you one more time—to pass on the Guardian Divine Beast bloodline.
Gio might’ve said whatever, but Ju Gonghyeok’s mind turned with icy calculation.