“Human, break it!”

The instant Raon shouted that, the entrance door wrapped in locking spells shattered.

Booooom—!

Cracks spread through it, and then the door broke into pieces in an instant.

Raon cast the spell, and in the split second the cracks spread—

Sniff sniff, ugh!The Sound of the Wind, which had been smelling the scent, could not suppress a groan of disgust.

Chaos.

Cale felt a presence he had experienced often enough by now to know well.

The moment he felt it, he released the dominating aura.

“Mm.”

Feeling the power rising beside him, Sui Khan found himself looking at Cale before he looked at the breaking door.

It was definitely Cale’s power, the one he had grown used to after encountering it several times already, yet it was different.

He’s grown.

Far more than before.

He had heard a rough account from Clopeh Sekka about what had happened at Primordial Night, the holy land of the Order of the God of Chaos in New World.

Whatever had happened in the meantime, Cale had become incomparably stronger than before.

“......”

Goosebumps had risen on Sui Khan’s arm.

The first time he had gone to the world of the gods and faced them—

why was that what came to mind now?

This bastard—

Sui Khan almost laughed.

Cale, this bastard really has gotten strong.

For some reason, the thought drew a smile from him.

!

But then his expression hardened.

Cale’s immense force, sweeping over the space and wrapping around his companions as it advanced toward the shattered door beyond.

It embraced his people with astonishing delicacy, yet there was no attempt to dominate them.

As if they were not what it meant to dominate.

As if it were trying to protect them—

“......”

And then Sui Khan realized why.

The power flowing out through the broken doorway.

♩♬♪

The faint sound of music.

That isn’t music.

It was clearly music, and yet he could not even recognize what sort of notes it was.

But there was one thing he knew—

It’s dangerous.

The moment he heard that music, Sui Khan felt his mind reel for an instant.

Mm.

His body staggered without him meaning to.

But the dizziness vanished just as quickly.

Cale.

Because his power—his invisible force—was swallowing up the space.

Whatever was riding on that music could not break through it.

It must be the power of the God of Chaos.

That music had to be the power of the God of Chaos. A divine relic, most likely.

And Cale Henituse had blocked that power.

No.

Not just blocked it.

He means to shove his way through it.

Watching Cale walk toward the door, Sui Khan could feel that power driving deeper and deeper into the corridor.

Tap.

But when Cale’s steps suddenly stopped, Sui Khan straightened his staggered body and spoke to his back.

“I’ll protect them.”

Sui Khan scooped up On and Hong in his arms in their cat forms.

On and Hong, too, seemed to have felt dizzy for a moment, but they looked mostly fine.

Step.

Cale started walking again.

Raon followed at his side.

Cale did not look back.

Sui Khan felt like he understood why.

He must be in a hurry.

Because he could guess what kind of state Choi Jung Soo might be in.

And—

He’s furious.

Now he understood why Cale’s eyes had gone cold even before the door broke.

He had been ready to guard against whatever might happen.

There’s no need for that.

Sui Khan’s own gaze had gone cold as well.

If not for On and Hong, he would have followed Cale immediately.

Walking more slowly with On and Hong in his arms, he looked at Cale, who had already gotten quite far ahead, and felt something strange.

...He’s reliable.

When Sui Khan—when Lee Soo Hyuk—had first met Cale, he had been so thin and frail he looked like a single shove might snap his bones.

But his eyes had been so vivid that Sui Khan had never forgotten them.

And that same bastard—

Still scrawny, though.

—had now become very strong.

Strong enough that Sui Khan himself could stay to the rear and watch his back.

“I’m fine!”

“You can put me down.”

Of course, that did not mean he intended to stay in the rear and do nothing but watch.

Sui Khan set On and Hong down, then walked toward Cale with the two of them.

His eyes were fixed on the prison cell at the end of the corridor beyond Cale’s shoulder.

“......”

Because the sight of Choi Jung Soo bound to the wall had come into view.

Sui Khan’s hand had already moved to his sword hilt.

Step, step.

And Cale, too, had not taken his eyes off Choi Jung Soo.

♩♬♪

The corridor beyond the broken door.

A corridor lined on both sides with countless prison cells.

At the far end of that corridor, there was a single cell.

The corridor was dim, but the scattered lights were enough to make out what was inside.

♩♬♪

Choi Jung Soo was chained to the wall from head to toe.

His entire body was covered in wounds.

They did not seem to be grave injuries, but they looked like wounds inflicted during interrogation, which meant he had probably been put through terrible pain.

This bastard, Choi Jung Soo—

And that bastard.

He was grinning while drool ran from his mouth.

Something was wrong with that expression.

His whole body was twitching in fine spasms, and he looked unable to speak properly.

And on top of that—

His eyes are open, but he can’t see.

His eyes were definitely open, yet Choi Jung Soo looked as if he could not see anything at all.

Even when their eyes met, Cale did not get the sense that Choi Jung Soo had actually seen him.

“...What is there to be so happy about that he’s smiling like that?”

Even so, Cale could tell very well that the reason the bastard was smiling was himself.

♩♬♪

Because inside that music, Choi Jung Soo was smiling exactly toward the direction Cale was coming from.

“......”

Cale’s steps did not quicken.

Only his power swelled.

Yeah. Let’s just use it all!Cale did not even hear the words the dominating aura spat out.

♩♬♪

The closer he got to the music, the louder it grew.

It’s horrible and disgusting!The Sound of the Wind did not even try to hide its revulsion. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Yeah. That’s right.

This presence really was revolting.

The moment Cale heard the music, the moment he felt what was riding on it—

he released the dominating aura immediately.

Maybe because he now possessed part of the power of chaos.

The instant he felt that power, Cale thought he could roughly tell what it was doing.

Chaos.

This music was making those who heard it feel fear born of chaos.

It was provoking extreme terror.

That was why Cale had unleashed the dominating aura without hesitation.

Just as he had when the power of chaos tried to swallow up the space in that holy land, Primordial Night.

He spread his own power in every direction.

And then he crushed the power of chaos.

So it would not reach Sui Khan, On, or Hong.

Order of the God of Chaos, you bastards—

Raon, more than Cale, had already faced the God of Chaos directly and was the least affected by that power, so the aura coming from a mere divine relic rather than the god himself would not affect him at all.

But young On and Hong—

and Team Leader Sui Khan, who looked as though he did not even realize it himself but was weakened because of his injury.

They had very nearly been swallowed by chaos and suffered a serious mental blow.

“How irritating.”

Cale walked toward the end of the corridor.

There was not a hint of anger on his face.

He was simply staring at Choi Jung Soo.

Hm.The dominating aura muttered quietly.

So this is what it’d be like if we actually fought the God of Chaos?Ssssss—

The dominating aura.

That power was more violent than at any time before.

♩♬♪

It simply crushed the power of chaos flowing out with the music.

The second underground floor.

Its power did not merely dominate every inch of this prison—it began to consume it.

Cale’s presence reached everything in that space, and that presence crushed everything.

♩♬♪

The music box from which the music was flowing.

Cale did not spare the divine relic even a glance.

He headed only for Choi Jung Soo.

Creak.

He opened the closed cell door and entered with an indifferent face, as calm as ever.

There was no visible anger in the motion of his hand.

♩♬♪

Instead, listening to the music, Cale stopped in front of Choi Jung Soo.

“...Ca—”

Choi Jung Soo could not speak properly.

But he seemed to have sensed that Cale had come in front of him. Cale opened his mouth.

“Yeah. I’m here.”

Then he took his gaze off Choi Jung Soo.

This whole space.

♩♬♪

The dominating aura had already taken hold of the entire second underground floor where the music was flowing.

And yet Choi Jung Soo still could not see Cale.

He was still trapped in terror.

As if he might be swallowed by it at any second, he was barely holding on at the edge of a precipice.

Looking down not at Choi Jung Soo but at someone else, Cale spoke.

“That it?”

Head Steward Hitelis was kneeling on the floor with the divine relic clutched in both hands.

More precisely, she was barely managing to keep herself from collapsing face-first.

Her whole body was trembling violently, and in that regard she was not much different from Choi Jung Soo.

Then her eyes met Cale’s.

“!”

She could not even draw breath.

How had it turned out like this?

What in the world had happened?

She could not even think those thoughts.

The first time she had received this divine relic.

The moment she had become its owner.

For a brief instant then, she had faced the God of Chaos.

More precisely, she had felt his gaze fall on her.

She had never forgotten that moment.

The God of Chaos.

He had been a single vast world, while she had been less than dust, less than the tiniest candle flame.

Faced with that absolute experience, she had felt fear and reverence.

So why, now—

Why am I feeling that same fear?

A force similar to the God of Chaos, and yet somehow different—

no, utterly different—

was constricting her.

A force trying to dominate her.

At first it had not seemed that strong.

But the closer it came down this corridor, the more violent it had become, until the clear message within it could no longer be missed.

The man before her was furious.

And the target of that fury was her.

“You should answer.”

Cale spoke calmly as he looked down at her.

The head steward could not say anything to him.

But she felt like she had to answer somehow.

If she did not, she had no idea what this dominator might do to her.

She was so overwhelmed with terror that she could not think at all.

“Uh, ah—”

What came out of her mouth were not even words.

Without realizing it, tears spilled down Hitelis’s face.

She simply wanted to beg the person in front of her to spare her.

No.

Was he even a person?

He clearly looked human.

But how could a human radiate a presence like this—

a presence like that of a god?

Black hair. Dark brown eyes—

“!”

Only then, while staring at his face, did Hitelis finally realize who he was.

The Second Brother.

Kase’s younger brother.

That clumsy, timid, frightened Second Brother!

It was him!

“Ah, ah—”

Even so, no words came out.

Her whole body shook, and her thoughts would not go any farther.

Because—

“The Order of the God of Chaos is fearless, I’ll give you that.”

The man stepped closer and looked down at her, and the suffocating pressure constricting her tightened still further.

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Her teeth chattered in fear, knocking together hard.

Her hands, too, trembled beyond her control.

“!”

That was why.

There was absolutely nothing she could do to stop Cale from taking the divine relic out of her hands.

He spoke to her. Their eyes met.

He took the relic from her.

All of it happened naturally, and not even a few seconds passed.

But to Hitelis, it felt like an eternity.

She was helpless.

There had been no fight.

Simply facing his presence left her unable to do anything at all.

Hmph!The dominating aura snorted.

I’m using enough strength to go up against the God of Chaos. Of course even another god couldn’t hold out under it! But Cale shouldn’t overdo it! Ah, this bastard Cale’s eyes have flipped. He isn’t even listening to me!Cale truly was not listening to the dominating aura.

Sniff sniff! This really needs to be destroyed! It’s ominous!The divine relic that had been in Hitelis’s hands.

Cale closed his own hand around it.

“......!!”

Despair spread across Hitelis’s face.

Looking at that, Cale relaxed his grip.

The relic dropped to the floor.

♩♬♪

Only then did Hitelis realize the relic was still making music.

She had even forgotten that.

Thunk.

The divine relic fell to the ground.

And then—

Crunch!

Cale stomped on it.

Crunch. Crunch.

He ground the divine relic underfoot.

♩♬♪

The music was still playing, and the eye-shaped ornament was still turning, but—

“Damn it, why is this thing so tough?”

Cale bent down, picked up the relic, and hurled it straight at the wall of the prison cell.

Bang!

Then he stomped on it again when it fell back to the floor.

Is that even possible?

Even in the middle of her terror, Hitelis stared blankly at the unbelievable sight.

How could he handle a divine relic like that?

How could he even touch it?

No—is he really not human at all? Is he a god?

Craaack—

At last, the divine relic broke.

Hitelis stared blankly.

Crack, crack—

The first thing to split was the eye-shaped ornament.

♩♬—

The music began to fade.

“Want me to cut it?”

Cale shook his head at Sui Khan’s question.

“The force in this thing is bad. If you touch it carelessly, you’ll get swallowed by chaos.”

Cale, who was using the dominating aura at full strength, was fine, but leaving it to someone else was too dangerous.

“Human, I’m here too.”

Raon, who had only been standing there quietly while watching Cale’s anger, stepped forward at last.

Bzzzzz—

Both front paws were packed full of mana.

“Oh.”

Cale nodded at Raon in admiration.

“Hehe!”

The broken divine relic.

Raon’s magic struck it head-on.

Booooom!

With a small explosion, the divine relic shattered completely into tiny fragments.

“Hehe! This is my first time breaking a divine relic!”

Raon looked thoroughly exhilarated.

“......”

Now sprawled on the floor, her whole body shaking, Hitelis barely lifted her head and stared at the °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° sight in a daze.

A precious and dangerous divine relic could be destroyed that easily?

Kase’s younger brother. What kind of being was this Second Brother?

She could not carry a single thought forward.

It really felt as though she had fallen into confusion—into chaos itself.

And then—

Step.

The music vanished, and Choi Jung Soo heard footsteps.

The tens, the thousands of eyes that had been staring at him—

those eyes began to blur.

In their place, another pair of eyes entered his vision.

His body no longer trembled.

The fear was gone.

“Are you okay?”

Dark brown eyes asking the question in an indifferent voice.

The moment Choi Jung Soo saw the worry filling those eyes, though Cale was not showing it, he was finally able to speak.

His face crumpled miserably.

“I hurt.”

Really. He had only endured it, but it had really hurt like hell.

And who else was he going to say that to?

“Good grief.”

Cale let out a sigh.

Wasn’t this the sort of thing you could say to a friend?

“This bastard never changes.”

At Cale’s grumbling words, Choi Jung Soo smiled.

Because Kim Rok Soo, and Cale too, had not changed at all.

He got stronger.

The dominating aura.

It had not been directed at him, but it had grown more violent.

“Ghk, kh!”

Choi Jung Soo could see the enemy writhing in agony before finally rolling her eyes back and passing out.

He’s really mad.

When Cale—when Kim Rok Soo—got like this, he smashed everything in sight. Even though he was supposed to be a rear support, he smashed everything anyway. Was he about to do that again now?