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Chapter 378 – The Choice (3)

“The… original Adam?” Gi-Gyu mumbled, repeating what Kronos had just said. He couldn’t understand why Kronos was protecting Lee Sun-Ho, and the answer he had received had only increased his confusion.

God had created a shell powerful enough to hold him called Adam. Kronos had tried to find the shell, Adam, but had failed.

‘That’s why he made Jupiter.’?

Jupiter was Gaia and Kronos’ son. He was similar to Adam, so Kronos had experimented on him, which was why Gaia had betrayed him.

Gi-Gyu put his hand on his chest. Currently, Jupiter and Gi-Gyu were one and the same. Ever since they had become one, he hadn’t felt Jupiter’s presence; now, he could almost feel Jupiter’s excitement.

-What nonsense.

-But…

Lou muttered in disbelief, but El had a different reaction. Was it because she had stabbed Lee Sun-Ho a moment ago? She disagreed with Lou, and Gi-Gyu could sense her honest thoughts.

“That’s God’s power,” Gi-Gyu whispered. Lee Sun-Ho was releasing a strange divine power. Gi-Gyu had Chaos and Order, but Lee Sun-Ho’s power was fundamentally different. What shocked Gi-Gyu the most wasn’t its size or strength.

‘I want to kneel…?’?Gi-Gyu thought in shock. The energy from Lee Sun-Ho made Gi-Gyu want to bow down and worship him. It was different from Order and Chaos, but then, there was something oddly similar as well.

Gi-Gyu felt confused, not knowing what to do. Lee Sun-Ho was experiencing a dangerous change, but Gi-Gyu felt he shouldn’t attack now.

“Gaia stole God’s power, and while holding Chaos, she stole the Tower’s control,” Kronos explained as if he was trying to help Gi-Gyu. Or perhaps, Kronos had finally given up.

“I”—Kronos turned toward Lou and El, who were still in Gi-Gyu’s hands—“and the others, including the hell king, the angel queen, the angel commanders Raphael and Gabriel, and that loser Satan, were trapped in Chaos. We spent a long time inside its stomach.”

Kronos continued, “And during this time, Gaia became powerful enough to control the Tower alone. The first thing she did after she gained this control was…”

His eyes turned toward Lee Sun-Ho, who was transforming uncontrollably. He was still immobile like a porcelain doll, but the massive amount of power boiling around him prevented anyone from approaching. All Gi-Gyu could do was watch while trying to get answers from Kronos.

Kronos added, “Well, she tried to find traces of the real god, the Creator.”

Many have said that the god killed by Babel was a fake. Paimon had read about the Creator and his two swords in an ancient document.

“In the eons I spent inside Chaos, I trained to become stronger and devised the perfect plan. Unfortunately, I had no idea what Gaia was doing in the outside world, and while we were rotting in Chaos, she finally found it.”

A smile, not a happy one, appeared on Kronos’ face. Seemingly laughing at himself, he explained, “She found Adam—the shell of the Creator.”

-So is he saying Babel didn’t kill the real Adam?

-The god of creation… He was our original master, and his shell Adam…

Lou and El murmured in awe. Because of the energy emanating from Lee Sun-Ho, it felt like the whole world was boiling.

Kronos continued, “But Adam was different from what we thought. He didn’t have a physical form. Instead, he was an abstract concept. In other words, Adam had to be tethered to a physical body to be used as a shell.”

Kronos turned toward Gi-Gyu. “And Gaia decided to make the physical body. Do you think Gaia loves you? Do you truly believe Gaia helped you because of that?”

Kronos shook his head. “Not even close. Gaia has her own motives and is way more wicked than me. She created an entire dimension called Earth inside the Tower to make Adam her own. She planned on using her ‘beloved son’ to complete Adam.”

“...”

“But her plan failed because of you… and my other forms.”

Kronos’ other forms included Gi-Gyu’s father and Bodhidharma.

Kronos continued, “She improvised and found another way.”

“You mean Lee Sun-Ho,” Gi-Gyu whispered.

“That’s right. He is Gaia’s plan B. Lee Sun-Ho isn’t as good as Jupiter, but his hidden potential could make him almost as powerful.”

Kronos glanced at El and continued, “She planned to combine Adam with… the angel commander Raphael’s physical body. Her original goal was to combine you, who absorbed Jupiter, with Adam, but… Your will became too strong for even Gaia to handle. Your potential was greater than her expectations. Take it as a compliment.”

Kronos paused and then added, “Now, witness the descent of the Creator and the original master of your swords.”

Dun dun dun dun dun dun dun dun!

The world had been quiet until now, but it was now shaking.

“Chaos has awoken, and the Creator is descending. Now, what will you do? Make your choice,” Kronos commanded. “Will you return everything you have to the Creator?”

Kronos smiled sarcastically, but there was bitterness and sadness in his eyes. “Or will you fight greatness?”

Gi-Gyu clenched his fists. It was a simple enough explanation, so he understood everything—Gaia was no saint and had ulterior motives. She wasn’t on their side, and everything he, Lou, and El believed was wrong.

“And now, the Creator is descending.” Gi-Gyu had no doubt this was the truth. “But what about you?”

Gi-Gyu asked Kronos, “What is your goal?!”

Wasn’t Kronos trying to control the Tower, steal God’s power, and embrace Chaos to rule this world?

“I…” Kronos opened his mouth hesitantly when suddenly, an unexpected sound rang in the air.

“...!” Gi-Gyu was so shocked that he couldn’t move. He could see Kronos’ bloody heart pumping out of his chest.

“Die,” said Lee Sun-Ho. He had been like a statue, but now his right hand was holding Kronos’ heart.

“Lee Sun-Ho…!” Gi-Gyu gasped.

Lee Sun-Ho’s face turned, his eyes completely white. He ordered Gi-Gyu, “Give me back what is mine.”

It was impossible to tell who or what Lee Sun-Ho was.

***

“Miss,” Baal called out to her.

‘I guess it has finally begun,’?Soo-Jung thought. Apart from the people in Eden, Soo-Jung and the rest in the separate dimension could also see what was happening in the N Seoul Tower. Soo-Jung was with Lim Hye-Sook, Shin Yoo-Bin, and Gi-Gyu’s family, who didn’t look very happy. It was no wonder since they could also see the fight.

“What are you thinking?!” Lim Hye-Sook yelled at Soo-Jung. Shin Yoo-Bin was busy taking care of Gi-Gyu’s mother and Yoo-Jung. Lim Hye-Sook, looking haggard, unleashed her fury.

Lim Hye-Sook’s words were like daggers. “Is this really your destiny?! To betray Gi-Gyu? To end this world? Is this what you were born to do?!”

They had all witnessed Kronos’ heart being ripped out with one strike and sensed the strange energy from Lee Sun-Ho, even though they were in a different dimension.

Lim Hye-Sook was aware that Soo-Jung had a special fate. As one of the first high rankers, she had encountered a young child while hunting inside the Tower. The child was too young to be a player but possessed a unique quality.

“I shouldn’t have saved you then.” At the time, Lim Hye-Sook had felt curious about this child living among the monsters. She now knew that she shouldn’t have saved her.

That child was Soo-Jung. Lim Hye-Sook had found her when Soo-Jung had just been a child on a floor no player had conquered before. Lim Hye-Sook had known it was strange, of course, but she had still taken Soo-Jung in and raised her.

There was a reason why Lim Hye-Sook had done so despite her doubts. She explained, “I thought you would change.”

Lim Hye-Sook had suspected that Soo-Jung might not be human but believed that she would become normal if she was raised by humans and lived among them.

“But you became the one with the code name Lucifer,” Lim Hye-Sook whispered. When Soo-Jung had grown up and left, Lim Hye-Sook had felt, for some reason, that she should have killed her. But she couldn’t because she had developed a genuine affection for her while raising Soo-Jung.

Lim Hye-Sook turned toward Shin Yoo-Bin. Something similar was happening again, and Lim Hye-Sook was doing her best not to repeat her mistake.

“I should’ve told Gi-Gyu everything.” Lim Hye-Sook regretted her decision, but at the time, she had no other choice.

“Do you really think… he doesn’t know?” Soo-Jung, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“...” Now it was Lim Hye-Sook’s turn to quiesce.

“He’s linked to you guys, so do you truly believe he doesn’t know? I mean, perhaps he doesn’t. That’s possible. But” —a faint smile, similar to the one that had appeared on Kronos’ face before, appeared on Soo-Jung’s face—“don’t you think there is a reason Gi-Gyu chose not to sync with me till the very end?”

Lim Hye-Sook had no answer. Soo-Jung continued, “You’re right. If you didn’t rescue me that day, perhaps… Perhaps this day wouldn’t have come. But you know, don’t you?”

Soo-Jung walked closer to Lim Hye-Sook and whispered, “It’s too late for regrets.”

A black sword made of her signature black flame appeared in Soo-Jung’s hand.

Lim Hye-Sook clenched the World Tree branch and got ready for a battle.

“Soon, I… will have to participate in this game too.” With this, Soo-Jung waved her black sword toward Lim Hye-Sook, Shin Yoo-Bin, and Gi-Gyu’s family.

Whoosh!

“Miss…” Baal murmured, looking desperate.

***

When Lee Sun-Ho gazed at him, Gi-Gyu felt like he couldn’t breathe.

-Snap out of it!

-Master!

Suddenly, Gi-Gyu jolted, realizing that he had almost handed Lou and El to Lee Sun-Ho willingly. Lee Sun-Ho’s charisma and power were so formidable that Gi-Gyu had felt he should obey his order.

Gi-Gyu bit his lower lip hard. As he tasted the iron in his blood, Lee Sun-Ho or whoever had stolen Lee Sun-Ho’s body said, “Hmm! What an interesting boy you are.”

Lee Sun-Ho’s tone was so condescending that Gi-Gyu wanted to attack him immediately.

‘But his defense is too perfect.’?Gi-Gyu realized that if he made a wrong move, Lee Sun-Ho might end up winning easily.

“Nice instincts,” Lee Sun-Ho continued to assess Gi-Gyu out loud. Just then, he frowned and muttered, “You fucking idiot…”

It was a simple frown, but why did it look like it could shake the entirety of Earth? Gi-Gyu immediately realized what had upset “greatness.”

‘Kronos!’?Gi-Gyu saw that Kronos, whose heart Lee Sun-Ho had ripped out, had disappeared. Kronos had somehow escaped and was falling down the N Seoul Tower. There was no doubt that if Kronos fell to the ground, he would die.

Just then, Gi-Gyu felt someone rushing forward at an incredible speed.

‘Ha-Rim!’?

Her face wet with tears, she threw herself toward Kronos.