Chapter 737 – Rhea's Legacy (1)
“Hmm. Well, this should be enough, no?” In the place where Yeon-woo and his companions had just been, Bull Demon King remained leaning and hunched over his staff. He soon turned his head to the side and burst out with hearty laughter. Although he still had on a carefree expression, like an elderly senior neighbor, those who knew him well flinched.
‘Eeek…!’
‘Eldest brother seems very angry, what should we do?’
‘What else can we do? Everyone, keep your mouth shut all day today. Avoid being noticed by eldest brother at all costs. Otherwise, we’re all going to get shredded apart!’
‘Ah… To be precise, isn’t Yvlke just a different version of our youngest? Anyway, are all the versions of our youngest this troublesome and rabble-rousing?’
Each of the Seven Demon Kings sighed deeply.
The Bull Demon King was on edge due to Yvlke, who was another face of the Heavenly Demon. In other words, Yvlke was another reincarnation of their youngest, the Great Sage.
Having a history of being brutally beaten and tormented by the Heavenly Demon in the past, Yvlke’s face annoyed the Seven Demon Kings to no end. But they couldn’t do much about it. Since Bull Demon King already made his decision, the rest of them had no other choice but to follow.
“Ohyohyo! I must have put you all in a very awkward and embarrassing situation.” As a crack in space opened, Yvlke slowly appeared and chuckled. Placing his fedora hat against his chest, Yvlke bowed his head to show his gratitude.
Although Yvlke was acting modestly, Bull Demon King’s narrowed eyes showed no signs of relaxing.
『Hmpf! What do you mean this should be enough? More should be done about that detestable bastard! At the very least, we should break his neck!』 Tongtian Jiaozhu snorted and folded her arms to convey her dissatisfaction. Her eyes were burning with anger. Even after openly showing her hostility to Yeon-woo a moment ago, Tongtian Jiaozhu was still dissatisfied. She wanted to immediately attack Yeon-woo. Since all the others knew about her relationship with Vimalacitra, they did not comment or reply to her shouts.
When Tongtian Jiaozhu was young, she wandered aimlessly alone in the world. At that time, Vimalacitra had taken her in and cared for her as if she was his granddaughter. Virtually everyone in the heavenly world knew about this backstory.
By the time Tongtian Jiaozhu vacated her leadership position within the Jie Sect, Vimalacitra, who had entered semi-retirement, was already mentally halfway out the society’s door. And once he became infatuated with Yeon-woo, he left the Jie Sect of his own accord.
Tongtian Jiaozhu, who had been navigating through another ‘dream’, hurriedly returned to this world after hearing the news of Vimalacitra’s death… In fact, if Yeon-woo had not remained vigilant against the Bull Demon King, if he had shown a gap, Tongtian Jiaozhu would have been more than willing to immediately ambush Yeon-woo.
However, the Bull Demon King was completely different from Vimalacitra.
“Unfortunately, all we want is to get Li’s tomb in order. I have no intention of wasting my energy on useless pursuits.”
『I heard that you’ve gathered the Heavenly Demon’s followers beneath you? Isn’t their main objective to kill off the Black King’s ego?』 Tongtian Jiaozhu was referring to the ‘devil army’. Before the Tower’s collapse, the devil army had followed the Heavenly Demon until they realized that the Heavenly Demon was not looking out for them. Due to this, the devil army had joined the Seven Demon Kings’ side.
The devil army, including head bishop Hughl, were currently members of Pandemonium. They were currently residing in a paradise called ‘Magic Realm’, which the Bull Demon King ruled over. But for these beings, who have lived their whole life as demons, a peaceful daily life was bound to arouse their thirst. Their faith cried out for revenge… Not only against the Heavenly Demon, who had forsaken them, but also against Yeon-woo, who had forced them out of the Tower.
“That’s a matter between them and me. It’s not a place for you to intervene.” However, the Bull Demon King drew a firm line and made it clear that Tongtian Jiaozhu should no longer intervene. Tongtian Jiaozhu lightly sneered at him before dropping the subject.
“Ohyohyo! Since it seems that you all have finished your discussions, shall I open the ‘door’?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t it be best for each party to quickly accomplish their respective goals and disperse?”
“You’re right, Bull Demon King. However, before I open the ‘door’, let me check one last thing. We can’t have any disagreements or setbacks from this point forward. We should all state what our main objective is. I’ll start off first. I want ‘Li’s Fragment’.”
“The corpse.”
『The Stone of Avaritia (greed).』
Yvlke laughed out loud and broke into a smile. He was smiling so broadly that his teeth were glistening. “Good. Now that we all know each other’s objectives…let us enter.”
Clap! Yvlke clapped loudly. At that moment, a swarm of lights exploded from his fingertips.
Whoosh!
[Checking the credentials of the first guardian.]
[You have passed through the gate.]
[The barrier has been lifted.]
…
[The alternate world is revealed!]
It was the place where Yvlke’s swarm of lights went. Seeing the sight through the various cracks in space, both the Jie Sect demons and the Seven Demon Kings could not help but tense up.
[This is an area ‘outside the Tower’.]
[Would you like to enter?]
[Caution! Currently, the Tower (obelisk) has suspended operation due to unknown reasons. The disadvantages and restrictions that you may face are unknown.]
[Caution! This area is private property. Though it has been abandoned for a long time, there is a separate owner, so the penalty you will be subjected to for trespassing is unknown.]
…
‘The territory outside the Tower!’ They still recalled their feverish escape from the crumbling world and Tower. The Black King’s magnificent, awe-inducing appearance was etched in their minds like an unshakeable trauma. Still, they tried to actively forget, and as time passed, they were able to push the trauma behind them. However, seeing this very scene, their trauma resurfaced and came to light.
The always crowded villages and shopping districts outside the Tower were all in ruin. The old, lively appearance of the area could no longer be found. Moreover, the seemingly ever-present Tower, which stood tall against the backdrop of the sky, was nowhere to be found. Nevertheless, fragments of the Tower were scattered everywhere.
Yvlke clapped his hands hard once more. Then, as if a camera was zooming in, the view through the cracks focused on the area where the Tower was originally located. A stone tomb appeared. The zooming in effect allowed the observers to zoom into the tomb and then into the ground.
Then, out of nowhere, a spiral staircase appeared. The staircase led to a dark basement where a huge stone door could be seen.
[The underground of the hidden Tower (obelisk) is revealed!]
Seeing the message appear, the demons grew more tense. ‘The underground!’ When thinking about the Tower, they had always viewed the Tower as something to progress upwards in. If they expanded their view of the Tower, they may also include the detours and hidden stages within and amongst the floors.
They had never considered that there would be a hidden space underground. And even if an underground space that they had never noticed before existed, since they knew that the Black King rose from the bottom of the Tower, they would obviously conclude that the underground area probably housed the Black King’s resting place.
“Don’t worry everyone. That space was originally one of the hidden stages of the Tower. To be more precise, you can think of the area and the gate as a lock installed by the Heavenly Demon to ensure that the Black King can sleep reliably.” Yvlke added an explanation as if he had read the thoughts of the demons and demon lords. “Originally, I would have liked to have drawn more vitality from Earth to open it… But I guess it can’t be helped. We have no other choice but to open it with what we have.”
And even though the Ruyi Bang was in the hands of the Black King’s ego, the underground area was part of the Heavenly Demon’s realm, so there was very little risk of being caught by Yeon-woo. Yvlke added the aforementioned additional detail before turning the key to the stone door.
Click.
Whoosh!
[The High Guardian’s key has been used!]
[Some darkness has been applied.]
[Earth’s vitality has been applied.]
…
[The stone door opens!]
[Warning! This is the Heavenly Demon’s holy territory! Unauthorized trespassing can cause enormous damage… %$#^%@#$!]
[Not available.]
[Not available.]
…
[With the High Guardian’s privileges, all guidance messages have been forcibly closed!]
Sss. Warning messages continued to pour out, but when Yvlke waved his hand in the air as if annoyed by a bug, all the message windows went away.
“Now then, let’s go in.” Yvlke moved past the wide-open stone door.
The demons of Jie Sect and the Seven Demon Kings did not dare to move recklessly. Gulp. With the sound of someone audibly gulping from the mounting tension, everyone started to slowly follow Yvlke through the door.
***
In the place where Yeon-woo entered, the word ‘treasury’ seemed more befitting than a simple safe. Possibly because it contained the legacy of the Quirinale Family, who once extended their influence throughout the entire universe. The treasury was full of weapons. Additionally, for some reason, Yeon-woo thought the place felt familiar.
『This place… Doesn’t it look similar to Olympus’ treasury?』 Kronos commented with a dry chuckle.
It looked just like Olympus’ treasury, wherein Yeon-woo entered after collecting all twelve keys on the tenth floor. Yeon-woo had also met Hermes for the first time… Since that period of time was so impressionable, Yeon-woo clearly remembered what he saw. “Olympus’ treasury probably copied the layout of this treasury, right?”
『Of course. The Olympus treasury was established by your mother.』
“Is that so?” Yeon-woo widened his eyes at the surprising fact.
『Yeah. Due to Olympus’ active conquests at the time, many tributes and treasures filtered in from all over the world. There was a limit to how much could be handed out to the society’s members, so we had to create a treasury.』
Yeon-woo nodded. Certainly, in Olympus’ treasury, Yeon-woo himself saw the many uniquely shaped weapons that did not seem to fit the use for the Olympus’ gods.
『Moreover… I don’t think there’s anything your mother left behind in these things.』
“It’ll be here.”
『Huh?』
Yeon-woo passed Kronos, who was in a state of reflection, and entered deep inside. A treasury’s hall, filled with numerous sacred images and holy objects, soon appeared before him.
It was a palace. With two thrones placed on the central platform, numerous courtiers lined up along the walls. All the courtiers were carved out of marble, but their expressions and stances were so vivid that it seemed they would come to life at any moment.
This was also a familiar sight for Yeon-woo. It was the same scene that he saw in Kronos’ legend. It was the time when Kronos and Rhea, having ended all the civil wars, began to rule Olympus as co-rulers for the first time.
The general atmosphere of the hall seemed unsettling and partly in disarray. The uncomfortable feeling of having to be in the same room as someone who one had just fought to the death a day ago could easily be seen and felt. Kronos’ sculpture had an expression full of tension while Rhea exuded gentleness.
Yeon-woo glanced back at Kronos, whose eyes fluttered wildly.
『What… What is… No way…!』 Kronos bit his lower lip and stopped speaking mid-sentence. Kronos felt tears welling up in his eyes.
“There seems to be space in the back as well.”
『…huh?』
Yeon-woo led Kronos into the space at the back. It was not a large hall but a small room, a bedroom for two people. Rhea was holding her newborn, Hestia, in her arms, and Kronos, who stood beside Rhea, seemed perplexed at the prospect of raising their first child.
“…”
『…』
Then, the next scene illustrated a happy family picnic. The second and third child, Demeter and Hera respectively, had been born and were present in the scene… Next was a scene of Kronos carrying Hades and Poseidon, who were both about three years old, on his shoulders while Rhea looked on with a bright smile. There was also a scene of Kronos fooling around with the young Zeus and of Rhea teaching her three daughters how to sew. There were also scenes of children getting caught after doing something naughty and getting roundly scolded by Kronos and Rhea.
The stone statues and icons, which Rhea must have made herself, all depicted the various memories she shared with Kronos. Or they were scenes that she wanted to achieve with him but could not achieve in the end.
‘…mother.’ For a moment, Yeon-woo could not fathom the range of emotions and thoughts Rhea must have had when she made this place. His heart swelled with emotions.
This was the place Rhea had made before going to Earth. In other words, she had created this space when Kronos was completely overcome by Demonism and expelled from Olympus due to his tyranny. At the time, Kronos did a lot of vicious things, such as imprisoning his children in the emptiness, so their resentment against him must have been tremendous. However, it seemed that Rhea had not erased the fondness and longing she had for Kronos in a corner of her heart. Thus, she must have decided to cross over to Earth in search of Kronos.
Crumple. Realizing Rhea’s heartfelt feelings, Kronos was overcome with emotion. He crumpled onto the floor and wept.
Yeon-woo wanted to comfort his father, but he thought that Kronos would probably want to be left alone, so Yeon-woo left Kronos and went into the deepest part of the treasury. And there, Yeon-woo felt his heart skip a beat.
Yeon-woo saw a woman sleeping quietly with her eyes closed while seated in front of a small table.
Although her clothes were as splendid as those of the Olympus gods, her face reflected the anguish and difficulty of living through many sorrowful years. She had a familiar face.
“Mother…!”
Yeon-woo’s mother was not breathing. She must have left her physical body behind when she fell from grace to enter Earth.
Seeing his mother, who Yeon-woo thought he would never see again, Yeon-woo approached with trembling steps before carefully grabbing her wrinkled hand. Poof! At that moment, Rhea’s body shattered.
“Ah…!” In vain, Yeon-woo reached out with his hand to grab his mother, but the particles of his mother’s body slipped through the gaps between his fingers. Flutter. Flutter. Like Kronos, Yeon-woo burst into tears, which streamed down his face.
Yeon-woo could see the letters piled up on the table where Rhea had been sitting before. The letters were carefully written in his mother’s handwriting. With trembling hands, Yeon-woo grabbed the topmost letter. If someone arrives in this place, it must mean that I was able to meet him again. It was a letter Rhea wrote for her future child, a child who may have never come.