Chapter 416: Confront and Protect (3)

Kukung—!

The sound that shook the entire Demon Kingdom echoed through every corner—jungle, desert, prairie, and wasteland alike. The gazes of everyone in those lands turned toward the source of the sound.

The waning moon.

Darkness had already settled, and in this Demon Kingdom where teleportation magic was impossible, even the weakest held their breath, while the strong preferred rest over battle.

The origin of that sound, which disturbed what should have been the stillest of nights, came from a place that was supposed to remain silent.

The waxing and waning moon.

The Death Cliff.
The bridge that connected the gorge dividing the Demon Kingdom into four regions.

It was the day when the Primordial Roots withdrew.

But now, from that Death Cliff—from the side of those roots—a tremendous roar and vibration erupted.

“……”
“……”
“……”

“…….”

In the Demon Kingdom,
those who had been holding their breath in silence began to stir.
One by one, the beings who had chosen to rest sharpened their senses—
and some had already started moving toward that place.

Kukung—!

And the one responsible for it all...

Cale Henituse had no interest in knowing what was happening.
Nor did he care in the slightest.

Thump. Thump.

His heart beat strongly.

- I’m hungry.

The Glutton Priestess made her desire clear, in a more energetic way than ever before.

- I want to taste something I’ve never tasted before.

The Glutton Priestess craved the unknown.
She longed to devour Chaos itself.

Kukugu—!

Meanwhile, Cale stood motionless, staring straight up.

But below Cale, the gorge was engulfed in chaos.

“Gasp! Gasp!”
“Help, help me—!”

Those who seemed moments away from being consumed by terror held their breath.
Even as they clawed their way out of hallucinations, their voices trembled with desperate pleas:

“I’ll obey! Please, save me—!”

The energy searing their skin was alive—
it whispered, demanded, commanded them.
They begged the unseen presence trying to dominate them, willing to submit if it meant escape from that illusion.

“Crazy—!”

And the one who, even amidst that frenzy, clung to the last thread of sanity—
the Wanderer Cho—
could only stammer in disbelief.

Expel... a God?

No—

“Expel a God…?”

A human being pushing back the power of chaos?
No… was he confronting it?

And—

“What is that now?”

Kukugu—!

The gorge was splitting apart.
No—
it was crumbling.

Something was plunging down, tearing through solid rock as it descended.

It was a root.

From the east, west, south, and north, colossal roots of the great trees surged toward this place—
showing no fear before the power of chaos.
Rather, as if defying it, as if yearning for battle, the roots crashed down violently.

“…Ah—!”

No words followed.
Those crazed trees—those living roots—

“What the hell is that human…?”

That strength—
the overwhelming power that belonged to that human—
could be felt clearly.
Because amid the madness, he alone remained standing.

At that moment, a trembling voice broke through the roar.

“…Transcendental.”

The Wanderer Ryeon had spoken.

What…?

Cho wanted to repeat his sister’s words, but his gaze wouldn’t move away from that man.
Something inside him screamed that he shouldn’t let this moment pass.

Kukugugu—!

The descending tree root did not stop.
Even as it shattered rocks and tore its own bark, it kept going—
as if pain meant nothing.

A tree grows the same in a precipice as it does in a desert.
Wherever it takes root, it survives.

Kukugugu—!

And now, that root had found its prey.

- I’m hungry.

The instant the Glutton Priestess spoke again, Cale’s lips parted.

“Eat it as you please.”

It was at that precise moment.

Kukung—!

Four gigantic trees touched the ground.
Their countless roots—large and small alike—spread out in every direction.

Splash.

Without hesitation, the roots plunged into the gray water, unafraid.

- Insufficient.

They began to absorb it.
Cale’s eyebrows rose slightly.

Crash!

One of the roots, now dyed gray, burst apart.
And it wasn’t the only one.

Crash! Bang! Crack!

Countless roots turned gray and exploded, shattering in rapid succession.

But—

- They don’t break.

The Glutton Priestess’s voice echoed again.
Where the roots ruptured and scattered, new ones immediately grew in their place.

The smaller ones kept breaking apart, yet the thicker roots still endured—
untouched by the gray water.

- Again.

Now, even those massive roots began to submerge into the gray water.

Boom!

And that wasn’t all.

Kwoong! Boom! Boom!

The roots drove themselves deep—
into the ground, embedding themselves into the earth—

until they had settled completely.

A root that, once rooted deep, had nothing left to fear.

No fire could burn it.
No wind could break it.
It was simply water—what it consumed, what it claimed as its own.

The roots, still stained gray, continued to drink without end—
as if the Glutton Priestess herself were devouring the land filled with dark mana.

“Ah… ha, ha—!”

The Wanderer Cho burst into laughter, unable to believe what he was seeing.

“Crazy—!

What the hell am I looking at? The tree—damn it—it’s absorbing the water completely!
Yeah, damn it! What else would a tree drink? Damn it!”

His voice cracked between disbelief and awe.
And yet, beneath that madness, he felt it—
a creeping chill that ran down his spine.

In his ears, screams and cheers echoed together—
a dreadful blend of sounds that slowly began to fade.

Bang. Crack…

The roots kept exploding one after another, yet the chaos was weakening.
There was no other explanation.

The roots, after absorbing the gray water, no longer turned back into liquid when they burst—
nor did they return to chaos.

- More, more!

The Glutton Priestess didn’t stop.

Kukugugu—!

Once again, from the top of the gorge, new roots began their descent.
Even those barely clinging to the edges now hurled themselves downward.

Sizzle.

Cale didn’t bother wiping the blood trailing from the corner of his lips.
He simply looked up—
and endured.

Haa…

He exhaled softly.

And yet, a smile appeared on his face.

“Phew…”
“Ah—”

The Heavenly Demon and Eruhaben—
both of their breaths had lightened noticeably.
It was clear they were getting back on their feet.

And beyond Raon, others who could be trusted began to appear.

“Ah—”
“Sniff, sniff.”

One by one, the voices of those regaining their reason echoed through the air.

“This… this makes no sense!
The chaos is shrinking—no, it’s being devoured!
This is impossible!”

And among the high command of the God of Chaos’s cult,
voices of despair could be heard.

At that, Cale let out a quiet laugh.

“What are you laughing at?”

Eruhaben’s scolding voice reached him, but Cale’s smile only deepened.
Without answering the golden dragon, he kept his gaze fixed upward and spoke softly:

“They’re coming.”

Kukugugu—!

Through the thinning gray mist, roots descended once more.
Among the countless roots, four massive ones stood out—stretching from the east, west, south, and north.
Each was colossal.

And among them… one in particular.

Uuuuu—!

A gigantic black dragon emerged from above.

“Human!”

Raon’s voice rang out as he flew alongside another companion—
Choi Han, who was descending on a root.

The two of them met each other’s eyes.

Choi Han’s calm expression tightened at the sight of his comrades’ condition.
He pressed his lips together.
Everything was a mess.

Cale had seen scenes like this before—
but never had he imagined that Eruhaben, the Heavenly Demon, and even Alberu Crossman would be in such a state.

“Choi Han! I’ll save our companions!”

At Raon’s cry—
and at the sight of the blood trailing from the corner of Cale’s mouth—
Choi Han immediately understood what he had to do.

Tap, tap.

He stomped on the root beneath his feet.

Crack.

Then, he leapt onto another root below.

Roots spreading across the gray water, small trunks, branches—
together, they formed the firm ground Cale had created amid the chaos.

And on that ground, Choi Han descended.

Then—

Swiish—!

He swung his sword.

Swoooosh!

“Argh!”
“Ah, ah—!”

Before the high command of the God of Chaos’s cult, Choi Han unleashed a flurry of strikes—each aimed precisely at those who seemed the strongest. ‘Aaah—!’
‘Puhahaha, ha ha!’

Echoes rang in his ears.
The illusions still flickered faintly before his eyes, but reality pressed back with undeniable force.

From the very beginning, Choi Han—who stepped only upon the ground formed by the tree, untouched by chaos—had not been caught in those hallucinations.

Someone’s despair?
Choi Han’s own aura already carried despair within it.

Someone’s pleasure?
Pleasure of that kind could never shake the hope that anchored him.

Uuuuu—!

The thin layer of black energy enveloping his body did not yield to anything.
It continued its course, unwavering.  

Choi Han’s power, stronger now than when he had first faced the power of the God of Chaos, had evolved—
standing just on the edge of becoming his uniqueness.

Swoosh!

Choi Han didn’t stop.
No—he accelerated.

Even if chaos had weakened, it was still chaos.
If he hesitated, it could entangle him.

Swoosh!

“Aaaah! My—my arm!”

Crash—!

"Why is there a Sword Master here?!"

Choi Han’s sword sliced through the air again, his face expressionless.

Before him, the high command of the God of Chaos’s cult shouted in fury:

“Does a human think he can stop what the God of Chaos has decreed?!”

At those words, Choi Han moved his sword and answered calmly:

“Yes.”

And he added quietly:

“We also have a god.”

At that precise moment, Cale—still looking up—suddenly opened his eyes wide.

“Ugh—!”

At the same time, Alberu Crossman’s low groan reached his ears.

Immediately, Raon turned to him and shouted:

“Human! They say it’s the priestess and the holy knight of the Sun God’s Cult!
Human, do you know that holy knight?!”

Kukugugu—!

Following Choi Han, two figures descended along another of the massive roots.
One was the holy knight, Boltien, and beside him was the priestess.

Boltien’s eyes swept over the sacred land wrapped in gray smoke—
until they found Cale.

“—!”

Although Cale’s hair color had changed, Boltien recognized him instantly.
He was the same person who had once warned him of the approaching danger.

And by Boltien’s side, a man still lost in madness.
Boltien’s eyes widened as he realized who it was.

“Lady Priestess, is it him?”

Hearing those words, the priestess, still held in his arms as she descended, brought her hands together in reverence.

“Oh, Sun!”

It was at that precise moment.

“Please, help him!”

Her desperate plea rang out through the chaos.
And the instant that pure voice reached the heavens—

Paaah!

A radiant light burst forth from her body and soared upward.

The waning moon.

In a place where no moon shone, light was born.
And as the luminous sphere ascended—

Alberu writhed.

“Alberu!”

The Ancient Dragon, Eruhaben, watched as the Sword of the Sun—the very blade Alberu held—
began to absorb that divine light.

[Fast Loading...]

Except for Alberu, no one could perceive the message that appeared before him.

And then, the priestess cried out:

“Oh, God of the Sun, defeat this chaos!”

The priestess—bearer of the Sun God Cult’s greatest sacred power—
descended into the sanctuary of the God of Chaos.

Bang! Crack!

Though the roots continued to explode, those that endured kept devouring endlessly, refusing to yield.

- Chaos can also be devoured.

At that moment, as the Glutton Priestess made her decision, Cale slowly lowered his head, which had been tilted upward.
Only about two-thirds of the gray water remained.

“Aaaah!”

His movement stopped abruptly, and his gaze shifted toward the sound.

Two figures could be seen descending belatedly along another massive root.

“Human! Relax already! They’re good guys!”

Faced with Raon’s words, Cale decided to ignore them.

“Incredible…!” 

“Incredible…!”
“Eh, are you recording this properly? This is going to hit a billion views!”
“Crazy—! I feel like crying! Look at our adorable little dragon!”
“Damn exhibitionist! Is now the time for that?! And who’s that red-haired guy— a god?!”

Cale didn’t have the luxury to worry about them.
Of course, he would deeply regret that later.

But right now—before he collapsed—
he had to finish everything.

Paaah—!

He couldn’t afford to miss the moment when the sphere of light ascended into the sky.

- The gray mist hesitated.

Just as Super Rock had said:
as the water diminished, the gray mist wavered.
It was fading, uncertain.

Sizzle.

The priestess also had blood at the corner of her lips.
He couldn’t waste the opportunity she had created.

Besides—

The sky was crying.
No—
the clouds had begun to cry.

“Let’s leave the Wanderers for later.”

The Heavenly Demon spread his reddish clouds across the sky, shrouding the gray smoke beneath them.
Once again, the hallucinations faded into the distance.

Under a sky where only light and red clouds remained, Cale looked down.

A gorge drenched in gray water—
its surface scarred by roots that had clung to the ground and left their mark.

Seeing those roots spread across the land, Cale made his decision.

He stretched out both hands, the sword still gripped tightly between them.

The tree had taken root.

Now—

“Grow.”

It was time to create a forest.

“Devour everything!”

Kukugugu—!

The entire gorge began to tremble.
The ground—
the gorge—
shook.

And then—

It grew!

From every root, a tree began to rise.
Large and small alike, they grew without end—
forming pillars, stretching trunks, and unfurling leaves.

“Ah—”

One of the believers fell to his knees, clasping his hands together.
The illusions and hallucinations had vanished.

The trees had consumed every last drop of gray water.

Crack.
Crack.

Even then, some trees withered—unable to endure.
But the forest, at last, stood tall.

“Ah—”

The believer, having escaped the infernal chaos, trembled before the stark, undeniable reality.

The gray trees had taken root, forming a forest within the sanctuary of the God of Chaos—
a place where no true trees or plants had ever grown.

Now, in that barren land, a gray forest stood.

The infernal chaos was fading.
Its presence—once deafening and overwhelming—grew weaker, until almost nothing could be seen or heard.

Only one force remained:
the dominant energy that enveloped everything.

And the believer understood.
That energy was saving him.
It was pure—untainted by even a trace of chaotic disorder.

A wind swept through, drawn toward the tree that had devoured chaos.

Swoooosh—!

The gray leaves swayed gently, yet they carried a scent—fresh, clean, and alive.

“Ah—”

The believer turned his head.  

Every tree in the forest bent the same way, their branches stretching toward a single point.

That was the central area of the sanctuary,
the heart of the overturned Primordial Night.

Upon a rising rock stood a figure—

He too was dyed in gray.

The branches, the leaves—
the entire forest—
stretched toward that person,
as if to shield him…
or to answer his command to protect them all.

Without realizing it, the believer began to move forward.

“Oh, God—!”

A chill coursed through his body.

In the place where chaos had vanished,
a single figure remained.

And that figure was—

Cale.

“Damn it, what the hell—!”

Cough—!

Blood spilled from his mouth as he collapsed backward, never changing his posture.

- I ate well.

And with the Gluttonous Saint’s satisfied voice echoing faintly in his mind,

everything ended.

 -----
P/R Thoughts: Cale commands life itself to rise from the ruins — turning Chaos into a forest and silence into salvation.

***

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Mayank]