## C419
"Stop saying nonsense."
Cale didn't bother hiding his twisted expression.
A single sheet of paper with the list of those destined to die in six months, and the only name he could read was the God of Death.
"Nonsense? I just said you're the best."
"......"
"Sorry."
The God of Death raised his hands in apology under Cale's silent gaze.
"Was that disaster the work of the God of Chaos?"
"Mmm."
The God of Death pointed to the parts of his body stained gray.
"This is the work of the God of Chaos."
"And the rest?"
"This arm was from the God of War."
"Of course, that bastard surely allied with the God of Chaos."
"Yes. War thrives in chaos, after all."
Tss.
Cale clicked his tongue.
'Hey.'
He called out to the Ancient Powers within him.
...Mmm.
But this time, none of them answered.
"Tss."
Cale took a deep breath, irritated.
"Are you worried about me?"
The God of Death smiled, but Cale ignored the lighthearted comment.
The God of War...
Cale had never directly faced the God of War, but he had heard a lot about him.
The Sky Eating Water.
The one who had judged and suppressed her under the guise of "divine punishment" was none other than the God of War.
And Cotton.
Cotton, now part of the Mediators Alliance, was once the God of War's Saint.
A former Saint.
The current Saint is another.
The Princess of Orsena.
A noble of the Kingdom of Lan, one of the most powerful factions centered on the capital.
The Ducal House of Orsena.
Now in ruins, its princess missing.
Ugh.
Complicated, huh?
To sum it up:
"The God of War is also a headache."
Yeah. That's all.
The God of War is an enemy.
Apitoyu.
The World Tree stolen from the Dragon Lord, from the dragons themselves.
Drowned in an endless swamp of despair by the Dragon Lord, the Wanderers, the God of Chaos' Saint, and the God of War's Saint.
They're all on the same side.
Mmm.
What kind of being is the God of War?
But if Cale faced him, an alliance would be impossible.
The Sky Eating Water.
The sky she so longed to devour?
That was the God of War's domain.
No wonder she's furious.
A life suppressed by the God of War.
Even after escaping, she never found happiness.
Now that the Sky Eating Water was his ally, the God of War was simply an enemy.
But it's not like I'm going to meet him.
Honestly, Cale was practically a bystander in this divine conflict.
He couldn't even go to the divine realm, let alone get involved.
Who in their right mind fights a god?
When elephants fight, the grass suffers.
The God of Death sighed.
"Yeah. War is a nuisance."
But, for some reason, Cale had a feeling he might get dragged into this mess.
"Why does a god about to disappear care about other Gods fighting?"
The God of Death smiled at Cale's words, but his expression only twisted further.
"Ugh. How annoying."
He looked at the God of Death with undisguised irritation.
"You won't rest until I retire."
Cale threw the list back at the God of Death and spoke.
"It's obvious: the Demon Kingdom or the Hunters figured out how to erase Gods."
The God of Death studied him silently before smiling gently.
"Probably not the Demon Kingdom."
"Why?"
"The God of Justice has gone into hiding."
An abrupt change of topic, but Cale's eyes sharpened.
The God of Justice.
One of the five Ancient Gods:
Hope.
Balance.
Chaos.
Justice.
Corruption.
Among them—Justice.
The one who entrusted a mission to the First Wanderer.
And—
The First Wanderer disappeared after that.
Also—
The God of Justice never revealed what the mission was, nor whether it succeeded or failed.
And—
The Níder of the Five Colored Hunter Families is the First Wanderer.
Cale knew that Choi Jung Gun had lost his mind due to the God of Chaos' corruption.
Cale's lips parted.
"Was the mission the God of Justice gave the First Wanderer to erase gods?"
Nod~
The God of Death's expression hardened as he nodded.
Cale pressed further.
"You said the God of Justice is hiding, how did you find out the details of the mission?"
And—
"Does that mean the God of Justice also allied with Chaos?"
The God of Death sighed at both questions.
"It's... not that simple."
Exhaustion seeped into his voice.
"I sent my subordinates to the God of Justice's residence. There were no traces left. With the God of Chaos' ruckus, I didn't even notice that Justice had disappeared."
"But?"
"There was a note."
Snap!
The God of Death snapped his fingers.
Whistle—!
A gust of wind swept through the office-like space, a drawer opening with a clatter.
A single sheet of paper floated into view, landing in front of Cale.
[The Divine Realm is drowning in Corruption. The hammer of Justice shall fall.]
Cale's eyes slammed shut.
"Ha—"
Seriously.
"Gods are so annoying."
Insults poured out uncontrollably.
"I'm also a God, but Gods are the worst."
The God of Death wholeheartedly agreed.
"Sigh."
"Ugh."
They both exhaled heavily.
Cale rubbed his throbbing temples and spoke.
"After finding this, you checked the death list and saw your name?"
"Yep."
"So you suspect the mission was about killing gods?"
"Correct."
"And the God of Justice isn't with Chaos, just missing?"
"Yes."
Balance against Chaos.
He thought it was a two-sided battle, but now a lunatic named Justice was acting on his own.
"What about the First Wanderer? Isn't he on Chaos' side?"
The God of Death calmly replied.
"He could be working with both, Chaos and Justice."
He stared intently at Cale.
"What?"
Cale frowned.
The God of Death smiled.
"Anyway, the point is—the First Wanderer rejected divinity for a reason."
Despite his power, he rejected it. When asked why, he would just smile and say:
"I have a different goal."
Cale muttered to himself.
"A different goal..."
What could be more desirable than divinity?
"I doubt it's the Absolute God."
The God of Death nodded.
"Yes. I believe even the Absolute God is just a stepping stone to his true goal."
"Mmm."
Cale crossed his arms, a frown etched on his face.
Let's simplify this.
The goal was clear:
Stop the Absolute God.
Destroy the Hunter Families so they can never do this again.
That's it.
Now only the Transparent Blood and Five Colored Families remain—along with the Absolute God.
The problem?
These two families and the Absolute God were much harder than the previous three.
But we'll handle it step by step.
Cale cut off his thoughts.
The God of Death spoke.
"That's all I wanted to say. Ah—one more thing. You need to know where King Zed Crossman dies, right?"
Zed Crossman.
The father of Alberu Crossman, the missing king of Roan.
His time of death was clear, but the location kept changing.
"I think I know why I couldn't determine it."
After saving Choi Jung Gun, rescuing the king was next.
He had promised Alberu.
"His location still changes—jumping between dimensions."
"And?"
Cale knew the God of Death wasn't just rambling.
Smile.
The God of Death smiled.
"Hey. You passed out in the game—but now I can call you here, right?"
"Obviously. The game is becoming real—a true world."
Cale thought about the God of Death's divine artifact—the mirror in his possession.
"We can communicate within the game now."
"Is His Majesty in the game?"
"Ah! Seriously!"
The God of Death grumbled.
"I was creating suspense—why did you solve it so quickly?"
"......"
Cale just stared at him.
The God of Death coughed and continued.
"From what I've seen, he changes dimensions periodically during the day, but at night—"
He pointed at Cale.
"He's there. Inside the game."
How Zed Crossman accessed the game was a mystery. His current state, how he moved between dimensions—all unknown.
But we'll find answers once we locate him.
If he's in the game, they'll find him.
"But even though I know he's in the game, I can't pinpoint his exact location."
The God of Death shrugged.
"The worlds aren't fully connected yet."
Cale nodded.
"With time, that world will become more real. Keep me updated on the king—you can send me messages through the mirror, right?"
"Yes. Simple messages should work."
Cale then asked:
"Anything else?"
"Nope."
"Then send me back."
Cale demanded bluntly.
"I need to hurry."
A justified request.
That disaster—
The God of Chaos' cultists, the two remaining Wanderers—
Could their group handle it alone, even with the sacrifices and the Church of the Sun God?
They'll manage.
Alberu seemed to be regaining consciousness, and with cunning dragons like Raon and allies like Rosalyn, they'd pull through.
But I still need to go.
Cale insisted firmly.
"Send me back."
Smile.
But the God of Death smiled.
A downright sinister smile.
"Sorry."
"What?"
Cale's face contorted—
The God of Death snapped his fingers again.
Whistle—!
The wind passed as Cale's vision darkened.
"When you wake up, three days will have passed."
Three days.
Enough for everything to end.
Damn it.
Cale couldn't hide his frustration.
As his vision blurred, he looked at the God of Death—his battered, half-dead form—with irreverent disdain.
"You're unbearable."
"Wow. Calling a God 'unbearable' now?"
The God of Death watched Cale fade away, amused.
Then Cale's voice reached his ears—
A voice laced with annoyance.
"I'll steal the erasure method. So don't you dare die—work forever."
With those final words—
Whistle—!
Cale disappeared from the office.
"Ha, haha—"
The God of Death burst into laughter, alone in the office.
"So sentimental."
Cale Henituse—Kim Rok Soo—was ridiculously sentimental.
That annoying tone couldn't hide the clear intent behind his words.
"...Will you save me?"
Save a God destined for erasure?
"What a funny guy."
The God of Death sighed.
"...I don't even want to live."
Dark fatigue clung beneath his eyes.
He stood up, drawing the curtains and opening the window.
"How tedious."
The once beautiful divine realm burned and rotted before him.
A realm split in two.
A battlefield.
Balance against Chaos.
Two sides locked in a brutal conflict.
"Gods are so annoying."
The God of Death was technically helping Balance—
But he hated Balance too.
Her close-minded mentality, her refusal to let go of power—it disgusted him.
"Why don't we just—"
He murmured softly.
"—burn it all down?"
Destroy everything at once?
Death.
That name was never light.
But the other Gods had never faced true annihilation—so they treated it as someone else's problem.
Now, there was a method to erase gods.
A way to die.
Even Gods could die.
"......"
After a long silence, he smiled.
"Well, if they don't erase me, I'll think about it!"
Playful words, in jest—
But he left the office.
It was time to fight again.
Cale woke up.
But he couldn't open his eyes.
Something soft pressed against his back—a comfortable bed.
However, his eyelids refused to move.
His stomach grumbled, but his eyes remained closed.
Pant... pant...
Someone was breathing heavily nearby.
Familiar.
Raon.
Raon kept muttering.
"Three days. Our human and the good crown prince don't wake up in three days."
Pant... pant...
"I'll crush them all! The God of Chaos, the cult, the Hunters—even the gods!"
Pant... pant...
Raon was furious.
At least he wasn't crying—but his voice sounded congested.
Like he had already cried a lot.
For some reason, Cale couldn't open his eyes.
Then—
Pant... pant?
"Eh?"
Raon tilted his head.
Between Alberu and Cale—both unconscious—Raon slowly turned.
Towards Cale's bed.
Creak.
The bed dipped slightly under a new weight.
Cale's hair stood on end.
He kept his eyes closed.
He lay still.
Then—
Pant... pant.
Warm breath grazed his ear.
"Human, why are you pretending to be asleep?"
Pant!
Cale jolted, inhaling sharply as his eyes snapped open.
God of Death shall face the same curse Cale put on Eruhaben~ Live and keep working~
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