Chapter 328

On the sixth floor of the Core, two individuals were having a passionate discussion about one specific dragon.

“And so! Before the overwhelming might of the great Lord Izaas, the enemies fell like autumn leaves in the wind! Ah, Ryzagal, you should have seen the dignified strides of Lord Izaas back then. It’s a shame you missed it. The moment they saw his cold gaze, they trembled and fled in terror!”

The old man speaking so passionately, almost spitting as he stroked his long white beard, was none other than Biseon, the seventh-ranked Dragon.

Having awakened from his slumber, Biseon had been wandering the Core when he happened upon Ryzagal on the sixth floor. Overjoyed by the encounter, he had been reminiscing about the past ever since. His eyes glistened slightly, tinted red with emotion.

“At last, I will see Lord Izaas again... I have been asleep for such a long time...” He sighed emotionally. “So much time has passed... I had hoped to be the first to pay my respects...”

Like the other dragons, Biseon revered Izaas, better known now as Yong-Yong, as if he were a god. In fact, among all dragons, his devotion had burned the strongest.

“You’re still as devoted to Lord Izaas as ever. That hasn’t changed one bit,” Ryzagal remarked.

“

Haha

! But of course! Such loyalty is only natural for a dragon!”

Ryzagal smiled.

Hearing that the Dragon Lord had already awakened and was active again seemed to fill Biseon with joy. He asked, “Well then. How is he? Lord Izaas, I mean. No doubt he remains unchanged?”

Ryzagal hesitated to answer as he recalled Yong-Yong’s current state. The last time he saw the Dragon Lord, he was sitting on the sixth floor of the Core, teaching “Children’s Korean.”

“Look here! They make you take a pop quiz after every unit. See this? It’s a perfect score. That means I got everything right. Isn’t that insane? It is. It’s insane

,

”

Yong-Yong had gushed.

“Why aren’t you saying anything...?” Biseon asked, puzzled, wondering why Ryzagal had suddenly gone silent.

Ryzagal finally said, “I...I wouldn’t exactly say he’s unchanged. I think... he’s a little different from the Lord Izaas you remember...”

Lord Izaas from Biseon’s memories was part of the past. The Overlord who once ruled the Deep Realm with an iron will—the cold, rational leader—was now nowhere to be found. How was he supposed to explain this to Biseon? Surely, he would be disappointed.

“Well, I suppose it’s only natural that he’d change somewhat after all this time.

Ohoho

.” Bison laughed genially.

“Now that I think about it, ‘a little’ might be an understatement...” Ryzagal said awkwardly.

“Hrm... Anyway, where is Lord Izaas now?”

Ryzagal pointed upward, and Biseon followed with his gaze. He saw nothing but the dimly lit ceiling of the sixth floor, which was a massive cave.

“Lord Izaas has settled on a planet called Earth,” Ryzagal explained.

“Earth... Earth... Ah, yes, I remember such a planet exists. But why would he choose to reside there?”

Where should he even begin? From how the Earth’s king had nearly beaten him senseless? Ryzagal pondered for a moment before deciding against it. It would be too cruel to shatter Biseon’s illusions so soon.

***

Deep Realm, Solomon’s Altar.

The wind howled from all directions, whipping the short hair of a lone woman through the air. She stood, gazing up at the sky. Even though there wasn't a single dark cloud in the heavens, a heavy, oppressive darkness ruled this place. Ominous black-red markings were etched across her body like tattoos. Her eyes flashed brightly, and the surrounding air currents intensified.

As the winds gathered, they began swirling around a floating parchment in the air, forming a vortex. The parchment trembled violently, absorbing energy like a magnet. Then, without warning, it tore in half. The process repeated, and each piece was split further until the parchment was reduced to shreds so fine they were no longer visible. Finally, an explosive force echoed through the altar.

Her eyes burned with fury. Deep within, her seething hatred was focused on one thing: the dimensional gate. She was going to annihilate the impudent Earthlings who dared defy Solomon herself.

“Baal. Do not follow me,” she commanded.

At her words, Baal shut his mouth.

This woman, Acero, was a creation who had inherited a portion of Solomon’s power. The intense, overwhelming demonic energy radiating from her sent shivers down Baal’s spine.

“No, even if you begged me, I wouldn’t go,” Baal said.

“I said, don’t follow me.”

“I said I won’t! You can try begging, but I’m not going.”

Acero glanced at Baal, slightly puzzled by his exaggerated reaction, but soon, she understood. He had seen it firsthand—the Overlord obliterating a part of Solomon’s soul.

She mocked him. “Hah, you’re afraid of the Overlord? Fool. That only happened because Lord Solomon was in a defenseless state while transferring his soul. There is no one in existence who can defeat our Lord in direct combat.”

“That’s not why—”

“I know, I know. You’re worried that the Overlord might have acquired the power of the universe. But if I fight on Earth, I will win. Dragons are restricted there, aren’t they? And unlike them, thanks to the Hidden Piece Lord Solomon gave me, my power is amplified fivefold.”

The markings on Acero’s body granted immense power at the cost of draining the user’s life force. Still, Acero had no doubts and was full of confidence.

She decided to forget about the cowardly Baal and focused her attention on the dimensional gate. Someone had used a page from the Book of Transfer to open a dimensional gate to Earth from the Core. The gate before her was linked to that being. Could it be the King of Earth? If this gate had been opened by the Earth’s king, then stepping through it would be no different from walking into her death.

Then, a shadowy silhouette flickered within the portal. It was a dragon, with wings spread wide, and no other being was in sight.

With a powerful leap, Acero launched herself into the dimensional gate.

***

Biseon entered the empty dimension and watched as the gate connecting it to the Core sealed shut. Lifting his head, he spotted another wavering gate about five hundred meters ahead, which was the passage leading to Earth. Biseon smiled as he spread his wings.

Suddenly, another swirling gate tore open, trembled, then spat out a woman. The moment she landed, the gate behind her snapped shut.

“You seem quite...” She trailed off.

Acero’s gaze settled on Biseon’s forehead, specifically on the number “7” engraved there. Realizing that this dragon was ranked seventh among dragons, she couldn’t help but smirk. Meanwhile, Biseon had yet to discern her identity.

Acero started muttering an incantation in an unknown language.

The ground quaked, and one by one, demons clawed their way up from beneath the earth. Dozens, hundreds—no, thousands. The once-empty dimension rapidly filled with demons.

When he saw the demons materializing in the dimension, Biseon realized that his woman was a demon herself. His expression twisted into a grimace, and he swiftly took to the skies, scanning the chaos below.

Looking up at him, Acero let out a small chuckle. “Quite weak.”

Before she even finished speaking, the demons lunged.

Biseon opened his mouth wide, gathering his power to fend off the oncoming horde. With a mighty roar, he unleashed Dragon Breath. With a loud boom, the flame devoured the demons without even giving them a chance to resist.

However, the demons kept spawning endlessly as Acero kept muttering the incantation.

Biseon ceased his breath attack. Instead of focusing on the summons, he decided to go for the summoner. Letting out a thunderous roar, he charged toward Acero. The demons’ attacks rained down upon him, biting into his flesh and leaving shallow wounds. He flinched from the pain, but neither slowed nor veered off course. On the contrary, each wound only fueled his drive to push forward with even greater ferocity.

When he was three meters from his enemy, Biseon prepared another Dragon Breath. There was no way she could take a direct hit from this range.

I’ve got her

, he thought

.

Fire engulfed Acero and the demons surrounding her. Consumed by the scorching flames, the demons didn’t even have time to writhe before turning to ash.

Biseon cut off his breath attack and turned around. He needed to eliminate the remaining demons before they overwhelmed him, but they had stopped and simply stood there, silently watching him. He thought it was probably because they had lost their master.

Just as he was about to ready another breath attack, he heard a whisper behind him. “You turned your back to me. Does that mean...”

Biseon immediately tried to twist around, but Acero’s fist, charged with pure demonic energy, slammed into his back as she finished her sentence. “You want to be killed?”

It felt less like a punch and more like a blade piercing through him. Her fist was small, while his back was vast like the ocean. And yet, Biseon let out an agonized scream, feeling as if he were being torn apart from the inside.

“

Aaaaargh!

”

Demonic energy surged through him, spreading like venom, devouring his insides.

Acero pulled back her fist, smirking as countless lacerations bloomed across Biseon’s body, as if he had been slashed by thousands of invisible blades. She leaped up and kicked him.

Biseon’s massive form flew through the air, crashing into the ground hundreds of meters away. He had known from the moment he entered this dimension, connected to Earth, that his strength wasn’t at full capacity. But he hadn’t expected to crumble this easily.

Acero chanted the incantation nonstop, summoning more demons into the fray.

Biseon watched as thousands of demons advanced toward him. That was all he could do—simply watch. The demonic energy that had seeped into him gnawed at his nerves like poison, paralyzing his body.

As if things weren’t already bad enough, his body was shrinking. Before he could stop it, he unwillingly polymorphed into his human form. His once pristine robes were now soaked in blood. Biseon tried to summon his magic, but it was futile. He couldn’t even lift a finger.

“So tell me...” Acero said with an evil grin. “Why in the world would you dare to challenge Lord Solomon?”

Solomon... I see... that demon is still alive...

Biseon let out a bitter chuckle. Long-buried memories from the Great War surfaced in his mind.

Suddenly, footsteps echoed behind them. The sneering amusement vanished from Acero’s face. For the first time in this encounter, she was no longer smiling. Then, something dropped onto Biseon’s palm. It was a bag, stuffed to the brim, ready to burst. The contents inside rustled slightly.

“Hold onto this for a moment,” a deep voice resonated. It was strangely familiar.

Biseon forced himself to barely lift his head. The moment his gaze landed on the figure, his eyes welled with emotion.

The man ran a hand through his red hair, sweeping it back as he strode forward without hesitation.