Ohyohyohyo. Did you ask what a "beast" is?
The day that question was posed now became one Thor couldn't remember clearly anymore. He had just joined his new companions after drifting around emptiness, barely surviving his collapsing "dream." He asked what this phenomenon occurring to him in the emptiness was, and what these beasts of the end their leader often spoke about were.
To this, their leader chuckled with that strange laughter of his and spoke again. They're awry things.
Awry…? Thor didn't understand.
Their leader nodded. Yes. Things who wished to go the right path, but their situation, environment, and course of life didn't allow them to, so they had to walk a twisted path.
…?
Doesn't it help you to understand a bit by looking at Oceanus next to you?
…!
He wanted to become an emperor by properly creating legends, and escape from the dream to completely remove himself from the Black King… But as the dream collapsed, he wasn't able to. I'm speaking about all of you, who have fallen from your dreams.
…
ραпdα nᴏνa| сom Normally, you should've disappeared along with the dream, but your achievements were so great that they gained some independence and didn't disappear. Instead, you were promoted to a higher divine being, beings that evolve. That is what a beast is.
Most thought if you became a god or demon, you would have it all. Perhaps they were right. From a mortal perspective, transcendents like gods and demons would've seemed omniscient and all-powerful. However, those who transcended were soon faced with reality. Transcendence wasn't the end. Rather, it was the beginning.
Transcendents had to fight countless battles. To raise their level, they needed to complete legends of their own, and for that, they needed to make outstanding achievements. If not, they'd be swallowed by the legends of other transcendents and disappear.
Beings who had somewhat finished their legends began to realize the existence of the Heavenly Demon and the cycle they were in. From then, it wasn't simply a matter of raising your level, but a competition to survive. They had to struggle to completely escape. The only way to do so was to gain uniqueness and independence and escape as an emperor.
However, most beings despaired at how high the peak of becoming an emperor was. A lucky few barely managed to maintain their identities in the collapsing dream and float around emptiness. In that process, their promotion to emperor didn't take place, and they evolved into strange creatures. They had been influenced by the otherworld, the Night, whether they knew it or not.
This was what happened to Thor, who became Behemoth, and Oceanus, who became Leviathan. They were nomads who didn't belong to Day or Night. And their leader called these creatures "beasts."
The most representative is the Bull Demon King. He became like that long, long ago and spent some time in despair, but he created his own world at some point and is now in silence. The first beast… The existence of the Bull Demon King must be the same in this dream as well. He exists just the same in all dreams. He's a beast as well as an emperor…
Thor wanted to ask if it was possible to even be a beast and an emperor, but their leader didn't explain any further. He asked something else. If there's a first beast, does that mean there's a last beast?
There is.
What is it?
Ohyohyo. I think I spoke too much today. At this rate, I'll reveal all my cards… Hm. How should I answer that question? Some people say it's a horrific mutant or a hybrid, but I call it this.
…?
The End Dragon.
The End Dragon? I've never heard of it.
Of course. This being only appears on the last page of the revelations.
The revelations…? Thor had also heard of the revelations, but it was a mysterious book that he had never seen for himself. It contained the secrets of the universe's origin and beginning, and prophesied the very end too.
'The End Dragon is a being that's on its last page?' Thor couldn't begin to grasp what kind of creature the last beast was.
Anyway, since you and all the other beings here are beasts… Shouldn't the abandoned beasts go in search of a safe haven?
Then…what about you?
What do you mean?
I'm asking if you, who saved us from the emptiness, are also a beast.
Ohyohyo. I wonder.
Does that mean you're not?
At that question, their leader smiled mysteriously, just as he always did. I never said I wasn't.
* * *
『I see. So as I thought, you're all Yvlke's subordinates.』
Whoosh! Between the cracking pieces of the soul, the final beast's large eyes flashed as he smirked.
'I-I'm being read…!' Thor realized his opponent was reading all his legends and felt chills running down his spine. 'No…way…!'
Thor couldn't understand it according to his logic. It was hard to believe that what he'd stacked up for ages was being so easily crushed, but it was harder to accept his information was being taken through that.
Thor was very prideful. Although he hadn't been able to stop the Black King's ego, he had become independent from the dream and grown to this level. He was confident he could defeat Yeon-woo once he awakened from his sleep… But he had been arrogant. His opponent was already looking deeply into him, and he didn't know what to do. Was he supposed to push it off? He needed to escape from the creature's bite before doing anything else first!
『After eating you whole, I suppose I'll be able to find out what your purpose is and what you're scheming.』
Suddenly, Thor felt his heart going cold.
['Hades' Spirit Eating Sword' is activated!]
[The Opponent of the lost 'Dream 113,223,188,489' intensely resists! His legends have exceeded the limit.]
[The Philosopher's Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria) reveals its properties of Superbia and attempts to force the being into submission! It expands in its designated area!]
[Superbia displays its unyielding temperament!]
[Superbia displays its unyielding temperament!]
…
[The Philosopher's Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria) reveals its properties of Gula and acts greedily!]
[The Philosopher's Stone (Superbia·Gula·Luxuria) reveals its properties of Luxuria and attempts to neutralize the being's resistance!]
Krooo! More than half of Thor's neck was bitten off. A sad cry spread throughout the entire universe and nearby galaxies shook, but Yeon-woo didn't pay any attention to them. The manifestation of his real body took a great toll on him. He needed to swallow Thor here to replenish the laws of causality he lost.
A black shadow quickly spread over Thor's body. His darkened body began to crack, and it trembled as if it would crumble any moment.
『You're here.』Just then, Yeon-woo's golden eyes turned around, sensing something.
Boom!
[The Opponent of the lost 'Dream 9,191,563,025,412' has appeared!]
[This is a being that cannot exist in this dream. The updated conditions will be applied to update the information regarding this being.]
[New lightning fell as a beast that boasted the same size as Behemoth appeared.]
Ziz was one of the three beasts that appeared during the end, along with Behemoth. It looked like a monstrous bird with its massive wings. However, its aura was a lot greater than Thor's.
Crash! Ziz fiercely speeded toward Yeon-woo's neck in an attempt to help Thor. Its large beak seemed to pierce the thick scales. It was a scary sight.
『Ha!』Yeon-woo didn't seem to care. He snorted and ripped off the neck he was biting, stretching his head back. His jaws opened, revealing a mouth of emptiness as the black-red breath was released. It was a breath full of the hellfire that was said to appear during the end of things.
Ziz frantically flapped its wings as it soared higher. The breath swept just short of its feet. At that moment, although surprised, Ziz sighed in relief. It had managed to protect Thor from death's door. Moreover, even the End Dragon wouldn't be able to catch up with its speed… However, it didn't take too long for Ziz to realize it was wrong.
Yeon-woo looked toward Ziz and reached the being in an instant by flapping his wings. Ziz tried to escape, but Yeon-woo, who was riding the heat waves toward the creature, wasn't avoidable. Eventually, he bit off one of Ziz's wings, and a painful scream shook the universe.
Ziz poked Yeon-woo's face with its sharp beak so Yeon-woo would let go. Just then, Thor came for Yeon-woo's hindlegs, thinking he needed to defeat Yeon-woo even if he was injured.
The End Dragon and the two beasts tumbled in space. Dark materials left in their wake mixed with the planets and their rotations were messed up, leading to consecutive explosions and flashes of light.
[The Opponent of the lost 'Dream 127,394,564,081' has…!]
[The Opponent of…!]
[System error.]
[System error,]
…
[The application of the newly updated conditions is delayed.]
[The recognition of the materialized beings isn't being processed, and the laws of the world are being ruined.]
[Warning! The laws are on the verge of being destroyed. Eliminate the beings that aren't recognized by the system!]
[Warning! The pressure being put on the world has vastly exceeded the limit. Destruction of entropy may take place. Quickly eliminate the variables!]
[Warning! Eliminate…]
…
[Part of the end of things has occurred!]
[Part of the end of things has occurred!]
Apart from Ziz, a few other beasts appeared and stuck to Yeon-woo. The universe shook as if it was on the verge of breaking. Krooooo! Yeon-woo's cry spread throughout the universe.
[A being whose information cannot be read appears!]
Pressure incomparable to all the other beasts fell from above. Its target was Yeon-woo's head. Krrrrom! An explosion that could erase an entire galaxy boomed. Blackholes were created from the impact, and they sucked in all the nearby dust. Pieces of the broken beasts that failed to avoid the explosion were among them… And above it all, Yeon-woo was fighting with someone, back in his human form.
"Ohyohyohyo! I didn't want to meet with you like this." Yvlke smiled, his canines sparkling.
Yeon-woo reciprocated that smile. If there was any difference, it was that Yvlke's smile was from gladness, while Yeon-woo's was more of a smirk.
"I did."
"Is that so? Oh, dear! If I knew you liked me that much, I should've come and greeted you soon! But what to do? Today, my people and I have other business, so let's stop here. I'll come and greet you another time."
"Is that necessary?" Yeon-woo's smirk deepened. "You'll all continue to see each other in my shadow soon enough."
[The power 'Shadow Domain' attempts to expand!]
[The power 'Purgatory Furnace' blazes! Hellfire and heat waves burn together!]
「Woohoo! I missed you so much, Yvlke!!」
Shadows with flames controlled by Laplace whirled around for Yvlke, and Scythe was spinning like the Bright Tai Chi Pangu Sword to lash Yvlke. Crash, crash, krrr. Krakrakra! It was firepower strong enough to easily rip apart Thor and a few other beasts.
The attack had an immense amount of laws of causality, but Yvlke just raised an arm and easily deflected all the attacks. It was as if he was exercising on a walk. He even took in all the beasts that were injured from the explosion. Although he was fighting against Yeon-woo, whose martial arts now almost equaled the Martial King's, he didn't seem to be losing. Rather, he seemed at ease.
Krr, krrrrsh. They continued to clash like that for a while when Yeon-woo distanced himself from Yvlke with a frown. He said, "You… Since when have you been able to use Heaven Bracket?"
Heaven Bracket was the art created by the Great Sage Monkey King and finished by the Heavenly Demon. Yeon-woo had learned it from the Monkey King's exuviae, so there was no way he wouldn't recognize it. The problem was that Yvlke had perfectly used the ability, almost as if it was his signature skill.
"Oh, dear! I never told you?" Yvlke shrugged and grinned. "I am also one of the many Heavenly Demon's faces."
"…!"
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