Chapter 716: Are you sure that you’re a god? (3)

Baaaaang!

However, Choi Han's hand could not reach the sealed god.

The silver shield opened instantly and stopped Choi Han's hand.

"Kahahaha!"

But Toonka did not miss that opening and charged toward the sealed god.

"Hmph."

Swoooooooosh-

Whirlwinds gathered at the sealed god's ankles and his body nimbly changed directions before his fist that was covered by a fiery thunderbolt slammed against Toonka.

Baaaaaaaaaang-!

Toonka and the sealed god exchanged numerous attacks in that short instant.

"Ugh!"

Toonka's pupils were shaking.

'He managed to make all of my attacks brush past him!'

Toonka had overwhelming physical power that normal humans could not have. However, the sealed god was able to make such strong attacks brush past him without getting hurt. The way he dodged every attack was more skilled than the strongest warriors of the tribe that Toonka had seen as a child.

Toonka couldn't hold back anymore and shouted.

"…Holy shit!"

Toonka swung his arm wide.

Baaaaang!

There was another loud explosion and then he stepped back. As Choi Han aimed for that opening and charged in…

"Hmph."

The sealed god snorted and released the fiery thunderbolt in his fist in a direction.

"Shit!"

Choi Han immediately changed directions.

The target of the strand of fiery thunderbolt… There was a cintamani floating in that direction. Choi Han could not see him, but he was certain that Cale was there. However, this Cale did not have a single ancient power on him.

Baaaaang—!

The black aura and fiery thunderbolt crashed against each other before Choi Han chose to stand in front of Cale and catch his breath instead of charging toward the sealed god.

At that moment…

Ooooooo-

The area around the building rumbled before the building, the yard, and even the nearby forest were covered by a large magic circle. The sealed god looked around with a relaxed expression on his Cale face as he nonchalantly commented.

"Is it a magic circle to hinder teleportation?"

"That's right!"

The black Dragon removed his invisibility and showed himself.

Choi Han, Toonka, and the black Dragon. Opposite them was the sealed god.

There was a moment of silence before this 3 on 1 battle commenced again.

Cale was watching them before he started speaking with an odd expression on his face.

"How ideal."

The sealed god. His way of battling was extremely ideal.

His movements made it so that Cale couldn't help but wonder if he could fight like that as well.

The Dark Tiger responded in a way that made it sound as if he was having the same thought.

– He moves as little as possible and uses the minimum amount of strength. He also uses the opponent's attack effectively to get the greatest results.

The Indestructible Shield. The Sound of the Wind. The Fire of Destruction.

He used all of them just at the amount he needed.

He could do that before he was experienced enough to send his opponent's attacks flowing past him.

Then he used the Vitality of the Heart and its regenerative properties to make sure that the ancient powers did not overwork Cale's fragile body.

The way he looked…

– …He looks more like a warrior than a god.

A fighter. He looked like a skilled fighter.

The sealed god looked at the Dark Tiger inside the cintamani and Cale before focusing on Cale and speaking.

"You can't take me that lightly."

He must be able to see Cale.

Cale responded, as he needed to confirm whether that was the case.

"Is that so?"

"Of course."

The sealed god responded right away, which finally allowed Cale to be certain that the sealed god could see and hear him.

The god frowned and pointed toward the Dark Tiger.

"The God of Death has gone crazy."

A whirlwind appeared in his other hand as he sent it flying.

"Your highness!"

"Duck!"

Baaaaaang—!

The whirlwind smashed into a Dark Elf's Elemental Art.

Crown prince Alberu raised his arm to cover himself for a moment before raising his head. His gaze headed toward the Tiger and the sealed god.

He was certain about what he had just heard.

'…They mentioned a god?'

The Dark Tiger acted as if he didn't notice any of the chaos and made eye contact with the sealed god.

– This is interesting. Originally, they had not been able to use the term, 'sealed god,' against this bastard.

"While I was focused on the outside for a moment, that thing…"

The sealed god was still pointing at the cintamani. He looked full of rage.

"That orb established its territory in here. It dares to do that in my temple."

'Oh, as I expected.'

Cale nodded his head as he listened.

The cintamani was releasing even more black light and shaking more. The God of Death seemed to have interjected while the sealed god was not paying attention for a moment.

That might be why Cale and the Dark Tiger could openly speak about the sealed god even though Alberu and the others were by the door and could hear them.

The sealed god did not hide his anger while looking at the cintamani that was releasing even more black smoke.

"He got himself involved in the test last time and is doing it again. He's doing it in my temple, in the domain of my authority."

Choi Han could not see Cale but could still feel his gaze.

Cale had ended up inside the body of a twenty years old Kim Rok Soo from a different Earth when he completed the sealed god's test in the past.

Choi Han had made a deal with the God of Death, giving up a portion of his lifespan, to go into that world as well.

Choi Han had discussed a few things with the God of Death at that time and had told Cale some of what they had discussed.

'Miss Cage said that the God of Death needed to make a sacrifice as well. This god is strong even if he is sealed, so the God of Death had to pay a steep price to meddle in that god's test. Don't hate the God of Death too much. That is what Miss Cage said.'

'He said that there are rules for a god to approach a human. Those rules are absolute and even gods cannot change them, although the method a god uses to approach humans is all different.'

'One of the absolute rules for the God of Death is to make a vow of death. Similarly, this sealed god can create tests per his absolute rule, but he cannot mess with the contents of that test.'

The sealed god smiled.

"The God of Death is going to pay quite a hefty price. He twisted the rules of the test."

Cale opened his mouth to speak.

"Then can't you mess with the test and do as you please as well?"

"How dare you speak so informally to a god. You truly speak and act in such a lowly manner."

'Lowly manner? He thinks he is high class when he's acting like this?'

As Cale had that thought internally… The sealed god looked at the cintamani and sneered.

"You will soon lose your authority and have to retire, you bastard."

"…Retire?"

Toonka asked in confusion and the sealed god choice to be nice and explained it.

"Gods do not die."

Cale knew this as well.

"It is impossible for them to be destroyed. That is why the gods sealed me. It was the worst they could do since they can't kill me."

Cale had heard about some of this when he first heard the sealed god's voice in the underground area of the Endable Kingdom.

'I've been in a deep slumber, waking up for a short duration of time over and over after being sealed by the gods a long time ago.'

The sealed god looked quite wronged as he mentioned that story again.

"They should have killed me. Who could understand how I feel, being sealed for all eternity because they can't kill me?"

Cale nonchalantly commented.

"Then why did you get sealed?"

"Why did I get sealed?"

Choi Han's eyes clouded over as the sealed god asked back.

When he made the deal with the God of Death to go see Cale on Earth… He had not told Cale about one of the things he had discussed with the God of Death. It was because he decided that there was no need to discuss it at that time.

There wasn't much to it.

'That sealed god was sealed because he broke a rule once. Of course, it was not a test-related rule.'

The sealed god had broken a rule that he was supposed to keep.

Cale seemed to be asking what that rule was.

'What could it be?'

Choi Han was growing more curious as well. He slowly started moving toward the sealed god who was now turned toward the cintamani.

The sealed god laughed in a low voice as he answered.

"I'm the first."

Cale asked once more.

"First what?"

Cale got the chills at that moment. It felt as if the hair on his body were all standing up.

'It's my face.'

The sealed god was laughing with Cale Henituse's face. However, he could feel something that transcended humanity on the god's face.

The god whispered in Cale's voice.

"Hunter."

Cale had gotten used to this word these days.

"I am the first god who was originally a Hunter."

'What?'

Cale's face stiffened up.

Hunters.

They were connected with Cale's maternal family, the Thames, and they were the ones who hunted the single-lifers.

'Drew Thames's diary did not mention anything about a god who was once a Hunter.'

It simply said that there were rumors that hunting single-lifers would allow an individual to become a member of the Divine race, Demonic race, or become something even greater.

'That rumor is true? The proof is the sealed god?'

The sealed god had been sealed for a very long time.

In that case, how long have the Hunters been around?

Cale's face slowly stiffened while the sealed god continued to speak.

"I think I killed like three single-lifers?"

Choi Han felt an unexplainable chill when he heard that.

Cale had told him that he was a single-lifer.

"Yes. I'm sure it was three. I became a god at that moment. I became a god with a high-ranking existence called despair."

The sealed god was now looking at Choi Han.

"Haha, why do you look so shocked?"

He licked his lips. The gaze of a Hunter who had found his prey was directed at Choi Han.

"What's wrong?"

The sealed god asked in a low voice.

"Do you think that the God of Death is any different?"

'…What? Why is he suddenly mentioning the God of Death?'

Cale had had some connections to the God of Death since early in his journey in this world.

'The God of Death is the same as the sealed god?'

"That bastard killed single-lifers to become a god as well. But he dares to seal me and mess with my shit?"

A deep sense of loathing was visible on the sealed god's face.

Cale recalled when he realized that the World Tree was an immortal and went to get the root dagger.

The World Tree said that the single-lifers may be the tribulators and had shared the story of the Sun God as an example. Cale had asked about the God of Death at that point as well.

'Was the God of Death a tribulator as well?'

At that moment, the ground underneath Cale and the entire Elf Village with the World Tree shook as if they had received a great shock before the World Tree responded in a tired voice.

'…That…is not something I can answer.'

There had been an odd hesitation in the World Tree's voice as it responded.

'I guess your answer is something that won't do me any good even if I knew.'

'I'm not sure.'

Cale had felt iffy after hearing that response and had decided that it was better not to know.

He finally realized why the World Tree had answered so oddly at that point.

It was at that moment.

– Hmm?

"Mm!"

Cale urgently lowered his head.

An anxious voice continued to speak.

– Why is this suddenly, doing-, this-

The Dark Tiger's voice shook and cut off every so often. The flow was no longer consistent.

Furthermore, the screen the Dark Tiger had been on started to turn black, as if it had met a whirlwind.

Chhhhhhh, chhhhhh.

– Huh?

The whirlwind came to a halt and the screen was completely dark now.

They could no longer see the Dark Tiger. Instead, they heard someone else's voice.

– Chhhhh, Cale, chhhhh, Henituse.

"Ah."

Cale gasped.

He recognized this voice.

It was in his memory.

The God of Death.

This was his voice.

The moment he realized that…

Craaaaaaack-

A crack appeared at the center of the cintamani and black smoke started coming out. It then surrounded Cale.

"Ahh… Cale-nim."

Choi Han's grip on the sword lessened for a moment.

Cale slowly became visible along with the black smoke.

"Ke, keke, kahahahahaha!"

The sealed god laughed out loud as he watched.

"Oh, God of Death. You are now breaking three rules. Do you think that you will be fine after doing that?"

– Chhhhh, chhhhhh-

They could only hear static noise from the now half cracked cintamani.

The God of Death did not respond.

There was only silence for a moment. Choi Han, whose mind was quite chaotic right now, and Toonka, along with the black Dragon and the crown prince, turned to look at Cale.

However, Cale was looking at the god who shared the same face as him as he asked.

"You're giving some useless answers to all my questions."

"Hmm?"

Cale was holding the cintamani in one hand as he walked toward the sealed god. He slowly took each step as he asked.

"Why did you get sealed?"

That had yet to be answered. Cale was frowning as if he was annoyed.

"Stop with the bullshit and respond to my question."

Smile.

A smile appeared on the sealed god's face.

"I wanted even more power after I became a god. So, I tried to kill even more single-lifers and I got caught."

He said it as if it was nothing and shrugged his shoulders.

"I think I hunted about 10 of them. I was caught on the eleventh one."

His gaze headed toward the cracked cintamani with the God of Death's aura flowing out. It was clear by the unstable flow of the God of Death's voice.

This damn god was already pushing the limits. The sealed god continued speaking while looking entertained.

"The eleventh was your friend, wasn't it, God of Death?"

Choi Han's expression stiffened up.

The sealed god continued to speak.

"You killed that friend and became a god. Ah."

The sealed god gasped.

"You and Cale Henituse are similar to each other. One personally killed their friend while the other had two of their friends die in his place. Ah, is it different? But the situation still seems pretty similar."

Cale suddenly recalled some things the God of Death had said to him.

< Choi Jung Soo should not have died at that time. >

< Kim Rok Soo. >

< You were the one who was supposed to die. >

< Yes, you were the one who was supposed to die. >

< However, the world's laws and coincidences… Humans are one of the few existences who can destroy all of those things. >

< The people who tried to save you broke the law that said that you were supposed to die. >

< That is why I respect and admire humans. >

< You learned many things from those people and put those lessons to use in your life. >

< I'm curious to see what your decision will be. >

A voice flowed out of the half-cracked cintamani at that moment.

– Imprisoned, being, long time, chhhh, no see.

"Oh, you're greeting me? Are you happy to see me?"

A low laugh came out of the cintamani along with static. Once the laughter stopped…

– I am the one who protects the Vow of Death.

– I must now fulfill the Vow from my first death.

He then asked Cale a question.

– What do you think?

"Pffft."

Cale chuckled.

"Is there a need for us to be involved with the two of your issue?"

His laughter soon stopped.

"Choi Han, Toonka."

He pointed toward the sealed god.

"Grab him for now."

He then looked up at the sky.

"We need to hurry up and get out of here. Everybody will be waiting for us outside. Isn't it suffocating in here?"

***

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 – Rai_Mayank]