The moment Cale was about to look into the divine item…

“Human!”

“Meeow!”

“Meeeeeow!”

He subconsciously raised his head again after hearing the voice of the children averaging nine years old. Cale heard an odd noise at that moment.

Screeeeeech- screeeeeeech-

His jaws dropped on their own.

“…Son of a……”

Eruhaben frowned and shouted.

“No wonder! I thought it was weird because the orb was moving!”

Cale realized that the fact that he could see the orb, which was straight above the temple, was weird.

“Eruhaben-nim.”

The ancient Dragon spoke with a stiff expression on his face at Cale’s calling.

“The orb slowly tilted since a few moments ago until it moved lower.”

Cale finally realized that the remaining Dragons were in their Dragon forms and stationed around the temple and the orb.

“…This looks serious.”

Eruhaben quietly mumbled.

Screech— screech- screech-

The odd noise was coming from the orb.

The orb that had been split into pieces and showing the inside of the temple until a few moments ago was now changing.

The six equal pieces disappeared and a red light or liquid started rising from the center.

The wet-looking red light swirled like a whirlwind and slowly increased in size within the orb.

It seemed to be boiling like lava.

Bang! Bang!

The odd noise changed.

Bang, baaaaang! Bang!

The red liquid started slamming against the walls of the orb as it grew.

It was as if it wanted to break through the orb and escape.

It reminded Cale of the throat of a volcano.

Cale’s gaze moved down.

He could see Puzzle City.

“…Until the end-”

He scowled and clenched the hand that was holding < The Method to Kill Death >.

That was why he had put his guard down about something else for a moment.

“Human.”

Someone calling him in a low voice…

Cale flinched for a moment at Raon’s vicious gaze. He subconsciously looked away and made eye contact with On and Hong, which made him even more anxious.

The two of their gazes seemed quite scary as well.

“Human! Move your arm!”

“Huh?”

Cale, who could only respond stupidly, watched as Raon moved over, smacked his arm away, and undid his shirt.

“T, t, this-!”

“I knew it would be like this, nya!”

“Meeeeeow!”

Raon, On, and Hong fiercely glared at Cale one after another.

The children only saw the healed scar.

‘What a relief.’

Eruhaben thought it was a relief that the children averaging nine years old did not see a sight that would have been much more grotesque than what they could imagine.

He then clicked his tongue.

‘He’s not an unlucky bastard, he’s a foolish bastard.’

He stealthily took a step back.

However, he had to stop walking.

“…Apparently it’s going to explode.”

‘What?’

The ancient Dragon turned his head to look at Cale.

Cale, who had managed to survive the children’s onslaught, was frowning while looking into the God of Death’s divine item.

Tap.

Someone walked into the temple.

“What do you mean by that?”

The calm and relaxed voice belonged to Alberu. However, Raon slowly moved back after seeing his face.

“Your highness-”

Choi Han, who was about to approach, flinched for a moment and stopped as well.

Alberu’s face was quite vicious and cold. His face had a look of rationality on it, but the fire in his eyes was what made it seem vicious.

“One moment please.”

Cale did not see Alberu’s face as he was focused on the divine item.

This black book…

< The Method to Kill Death >

The God of Death was sending his will through this divine item.

Baaaaang! Baaaaang!

Mary, Rosalyn, Choi Han, and the others were still destroying the hands that were reaching toward Cale.

However, Cale could not hear that noise nor the sound of their allies outside the temple either.

< That orb is the sealed god’s eye. >

The God of Death did not beat around the bush.

< That orb will explode soon. >

< His goal is to take lives. >

Screeeeech— bang, bang!

The odd noises in the orb mixed together and echoed in Cale’s ears.

< One of the many moments when humans despair is in the face of death. >

< With the Hunters turned away from him, the only thing this god, who has used up even the strength he originally preserved to release his seal, could do was to eat the despair of innocent people. >

< I have no idea how strong this explosion from the orb will be. However, I am certain that it is strong enough to take down all of Puzzle City. >

< I will not go into any more details right now. >

< This is too urgent to do that. >

‘This motherfucker.’

< That will explode in about 6, no, now 5 minutes. >

Cale’s mouth opened.

“Eruhaben-nim! Your highness!”

His eyes were still on the book as he continued shouting.

“Puzzle City will be in danger if that orb explodes!”

Alberu observed the orb with his mouth shut.

The sticky red light that filled the inside of the orb was starting to boil stronger and stronger…

As if there was no despair worse than death…

It felt quite ominous.

Of course, there were times when death was not a source of despair, but death was an incomparable despair for the people who had gathered in Puzzle City to find a way to live, to find a way to save the continent.

Alberu pulled out a video communication device and started talking into it.

“All mages inside Puzzle City immediately cast a large shield.”

Cale looked toward Alberu for a moment.

‘He wants them to cast it immediately? They don’t need to draw magic circles?’

Alberu received Cale’s gaze and nonchalantly responded.

“Do you know what day it is today?”

“Excuse me?”

“How much time do you think has passed?”

“Ah.”

Rosalyn, who was preparing a magic shield in the back, gasped. She saw the condensation of her breath and realized that it was no longer the beginning of winter but near the middle.

So much time had already passed.

“We prepared pretty much everything we could prepare. We had to prepare for the ‘what-ifs.’ ”

Alberu turned away from Cale and left a single comment.

“…The Duke, haaa… Your father has fainted.”

He had been unable to tell whether his son was alive or dead in this temple. Once he was finally able to see his son, what he saw was his son stabbing a dagger deep into his heart.

How could a father, no, how could anybody be in the right state of mind after that?

Thankfully, Duchess Violan was in the basement of City Hall guiding the mages of the Henituse territory and had not seen it.

Of course, Duke Deruth had woken up not too long after that and saw that his son was fine. But that was that and this was this.

Some people were in awe and amazed at Cale who was fine after being revived, but there were bound to be others who felt the opposite. It was obvious.

Alberu turned his gaze again to look at Cale, who was standing blankly without even thinking about looking into the divine item again, and clicked his tongue.

“Crazy bastard.”

‘Why would you do such a reckless thing if you’re going to be like this?’

He knew that Cale probably did it because he had no other way.

That was why there was a fire burning inside of Alberu. Uselessness. He didn’t want to experience losing someone because of his own uselessness ever again.

Alberu added on.

“We will block this orb from here on. You’re not the only one who can do everything.”

Alberu’s face instantly looked tired after looking into Cale’s shaking pupils.

“…You’ve been through a lot.”

However, his face soon turned back to the nonchalant and cold look.

“However, do not do that ever again.”

He then turned his head and headed out of the temple.

“Commander. That is an order.”

Pat.

Cale turned around after feeling someone patting his shoulder. Eruhaben smiled at him.

Booooooooooooooooooooooooom—

The entire city started rumbling at that moment.

Duchess Violan… She stayed not by the Duke’s side but with the mages who were gathered at City Hall. She looked at the big bag that Vice Captain Hilsman and the knights carried in and gave an order.

“Vice Captain. Put it down.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

Boom.

High-grade and highest-grade magic stones poured out of the bag that was put down. Duchess Violan looked at the mages and gave an order.

“Use them all!”

This large-scale magic circle…

This was created with even Eruhaben and the Dragons helping to make it, and was large enough to surround all of Puzzle City for any potential emergencies that may arise.

There were only two reasons for them to use this.

One was to protect Puzzle City.

The other reason was so that if things ended up truly terrible and Puzzle City was destroyed, they could use this as a barrier to prevent the aftershock from affecting the outside area.

Thankfully, they could use it for the former this time.

Booboobooboooooom—-.

The endless number of magic stones pouring out that felt as if they had gathered the magic stones from all over the Western continent were placed in the hands of the mages who had gathered from all around to activate the magic circle.

Eruhaben smiled after feeling the fluctuation of mana throughout Puzzle City.

The concentration of a ton of mana was spreading throughout this city.

“Mila.”

“I know.”

The beige-colored Dragon, Mila, channeled her mana.

It was not just her. Dodori, Rasheel, Eruhaben…

“I’m going to do it too!”

And Raon as well. The different colored mana of the Dragons created a barrier around the orb.

The barrier that started with the beige-colored mana looked as if it was trying to prevent that red liquid from getting out even if it managed to destroy the orb.

“All of us, the mages, and even Elementals will help. It should be enough.”

Eruhaben looked at Cale and calmly commented.

“It seems that way, Eruhaben-nim.”

Cale, who responded just as calmly, quickly looked back at the divine item and started thinking.

‘It might not be enough.’

These things might not be enough.

Cale remembered the red power that the sealed god’s sickle possessed when they saw him in the first illusion test of the temple.

Of course, the god’s power he faced outside the temple, such as the red light shooting out of the sculpture, was not much.

They could stop this orb if it was like that.

However, the red power Cale could sense inside the orb seemed extremely strong.

< This is probably the sealed god's last hand to play. >

As the God of Death mentioned, they could not let their guard down against the sealed god who was preparing his last hand.

“Don’t you have any other things to say to me?”

< 2 minutes left. >

The God of Death shared his thoughts via writing.

< Gods do not perish. >

Cale knew that.

It was because Cale knew that that he was struggling with how to deal with this sealed god.

< Use Embrace. >

Cale frowned.

The sealed god had wanted Cale to Embrace him as part of the deal.

However, there was a difference between the God of Death and the sealed god.

< Embrace him in here. >

Cale’s eyes looked through the divine item, the black book.

His gaze was different from before.

< Similar to how the temple was the sealed god’s domain... >

Just like how the God of Death could barely reach Cale through the cintamani and then could not reach him after that…

In addition, similar to how the sealed God of Despair was free in there…

There had been benefits in the temple for the God of Despair as it was his domain.

“Ah.”

Cale realized it as the God of Death explained.

< This book is my domain. >

Cale was already running with the open book in his hand.

< I want to put the God of Despair under my foot. >

< Then, unless you let him out... The sealed god will not be able to do anything in my domain for the rest of eternity. >

There was only 1 minute, no, less than 1 minute left now.

Bang, bang! Bang!

The sticky red light filling the orb started leaving faint traces on the outside of the orb.

Craaaaaaack–!

Red liquid poured out of the cracking orb.

The people looking up at the sky had to move quickly after hearing someone give orders.

“Go to the designated area now!”

“Hurry up and go into the building!”

Duchess Violan, who was looking at her watch, nodded her head.

“It’s done.”

Paaaaat-

A semi-circle covering all of Puzzle City started appearing at that moment.

Litana shouted toward Toonka.

“Commander!”

“I got it!”

Toonka swung the club.

Baaaaaang—!

The center of the staircase connecting the temple to the ground started breaking.

Booboboboooooooooom–!

The part of the staircase that was now disconnected from the temple started crumbling to the ground. An administrator from the Henituse territory who was nearby nodded his head to give the signal that it was safe.

Boom!

Litana looked at the completely destroyed bottom half of the staircase before quickly turning around and climbing the rest of the stairs.

“Let’s hurry!”

The stairs crumbled behind Litana and Toonka as they ran up.

Litana peeked back and smiled.

Paaaat-

In the now-empty area where the staircase had been… A half-transparent barrier, this large-scale shield spell surrounded that open area.

The temple and the ground were completely separated now.

‘We did it!’

Litana turned her head with a sparkle in her eyes.

The temple and the orb were completely separated from Puzzle City down on the ground.

Litana looked toward the temple and stepped onto the stairs.

“Commander, we should move toward the temple-”

She could not finish her sentence.

‘Huh?’

Craaaaaaack–!

The sticky red light flowing out through the crack…

It was an extremely small amount.

‘The Dragon’s mana-!’

However, that red light was destroying the beige-colored mana barrier very quickly.

Craaaack-

It was a barrier created by a Dragon, but it was crumbling faster than she had expected.

“Shit!”

Mila’s face stiffened. It was not just her. The Dragons looked at each other as Rosalyn, who was floating up in between them, shouted.

“He might be sealed, but he is still a god!”

Gold dust started fluttering around Eruhaben.

“The level of ominousness is different.”

The red light that had pierced through the orb… This sticky, liquid-like light gave off an ominous and eerie feeling the moment it appeared, letting people feel that it was not from this world. Eruhaben realized that quicker than anybody else.

“Shit!”

Eruhaben shot up into the air as well.

Babababang–!

The red light that had slowly been coming out of the orb swirled into a whirlwind and burst out. The orb cracked and crumbled feebly from the red light that looked as if the sun was exploding.

“Ugh!”

Mila, who was channeling her mana to fortify her barrier, frowned.

Eruhaben immediately moved to support her.

It was at that moment.

“Human!”

The ancient Dragon turned his head after hearing Raon shout to see Cale, who was holding the open book as he ran toward the numerous sculpture hands that were not destroyed yet.

< 30 seconds left. >

Cale didn’t even read what was written on the paper as he shouted after seeing the sculpture’s hands grabbing him.

“Mary, pull back your mana!”

The threads made of dead mana quickly disappeared.

Cale was caught by the sculpture’s hands. His whole body hurt from the forceful grip. Cale quietly whispered to the sculpture of the sealed god on the wall.

“I’ll do as you wished.”

The sculpture hands holding Cale instantly let him go.

Grab.

However, Cale grabbed a sculpture hand with one hand.

The black book in his other hand quickly started having the pages turn and let out an odd color.

It was pitch black.

It was the color of darkness.

Cale mumbled to himself while watching the darkness wrap around him.

“I guess even Embrace is different for divine items.”

Swoooooooosh-

Wind gathered around Cale’s feet and he kicked off the ground.

He then stepped on the altar and shot up.

Cale made eye contact with the sculpture engraved on the wall.

“Let’s end this.”

As the black book wrapped in darkness covered the sculpture’s face…

Craaaack—!

The orb above the temple broke completely and red light poured out like a starving demon. The desperate red light started ripping away at the Dragon’s mana.

—

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