Chapter 282 – The Triumphant Beginning (3)

Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened. He reacted as such because he was aware of Gaia’s goal. He stammered, “H-he wants to create a world?!”

Gaia had done many things, but this was what Paimon had to be referring to.

Paimon didn’t answer his question. Instead, he asked, “Isn’t it now your turn to answer me?”

Gi-Gyu flinched.

“Paimon,” Lou abruptly whispered.

Paimon replied, “It has been a long time, my master.”

Lou seemed to want to say something, but he shook his head. “Haa… Never mind.”

Of everyone here, Lou knew Paimon the best.

‘

Lou…’?

Gi-Gyu called out to him mentally.

Lou replied, “Torture, threats, and such have no power over him.”

Turning toward Gi-Gyu, Lou telepathically explained,

-If you want him to talk, make it so that it’s his only option. And don’t forget what he is capable of.

Lou was referring to how Paimon had created a new consciousness just to fight Andras’ restriction.

Gi-Gyu contemplated,

‘I might be able to do something different to force him, but…’

He didn’t want to take unnecessary risks. He nodded, ultimately deciding to tell Paimon what he wanted to hear.

Gi-Gyu asked, “Are you curious about how I woke up?”

“Yes, that’s what I want to know.”

Gi-Gyu promptly explained, “I didn’t sync with you. I synced with the consciousness you created. The one Andras put a restriction on.”

“I already know that.” Paimon asked, “It wouldn't have been easy, so how did you do it?”

Gi-Gyu’s lips curled up. “Turns out you’re not omniscient. I can’t explain the exact process. All I can tell you is that it was possible.”

“Hmm…” Paimon was unsatisfied with Gi-Gyu’s answer. Even though he had asked for an explanation, Gi-Gyu seemingly didn’t know the exact steps himself.

“I see.” In the end, Paimon nodded. “It’s possible that I underestimated your ability. The power you hold is indeed a true mystery. You are definitely something we wanted to create as a final product.”

Looking up at Gi-Gyu, Paimon continued, “All right. I understand that you synced with my other consciousness. Then…”

“You want to ask about the restriction and the trap Andras put in it, don’t you?” asked Gi-Gyu.

There was a restriction and a trap in the consciousness Paimon had created.

“That’s right. And these were partly aimed at you too. Andras believed that if you captured me, you would try to sync with me. Then the restriction placed in my consciousness…”

“The restriction would have transferred it to me, and I would have been trapped,” Gi-Gyu finished Paimon’s sentence. In the worst-case scenario, Gi-Gyu could have become Andras’ puppet.

Gi-Gyu explained, “But I force-synced to the consciousness you created and burnt it simultaneously.”

“Burnt it? Is that really possible…? No, no, I suppose it is. Yes, I guess it’s quite possible since your power is unknown territory.” Paimon asked and answered his question. It was obvious he was a bizarre creature.

However, Paimon was only partly right. Until now, Gi-Gyu hadn’t been able to burn a consciousness synced to him. Destroying the physical body of someone he was synced with was one thing, but destroying their consciousness was a different matter.

‘

I’m so glad.’?

Gi-Gyu clenched his fists. He didn’t show it before, but he actually had no idea if it would work. He would have definitely failed a few days ago.

Gi-Gyu had become aware of this new ability after sorcerous energy had saturated his shell. While he had been doing his best to protect his shell from the abundant sorcerous energy around, he discovered a new ability.

Bringing Gi-Gyu out of his thoughts, Paimon asked, “Do you realize you haven’t given me an answer yet?”

Paimon was telling the truth. Gi-Gyu couldn’t explain the process at all; he had done it without knowing how.

Paimon grinned and mumbled, “It looks like I will have to study and learn many things.”

Gi-Gyu looked at him with curiosity.

“Your guess is correct. What Andras wants is to create a world. Just like Gaia did.” Paimon stomped the ground before adding, “He wants to create another world.”

Gi-Gyu, Lou, and El all spoke at the same time.

“How…?!”

“Why would Andras do something like that?!”

“Does Andras have the ability to do something like that? I didn’t think it was possible, but now…”

Paimon grinned again. “For now, could you show me around this place? It’s called Eden, correct? I heard someone call it that.”

“Ah… Right. You over there.” Paimon opened his arms leisurely before pointing at Old Man Hwang. “You’ll do. Give me a tour of this place.”

“Me?” Old Man Hwang gasped.

“Yes, I remember you. I’ve seen you before.”

Old Man Hwang blushed before requesting, “Could I have a quick chat with the others first, Lord Paimon?”

“Sure, go ahead. I’ll be resting here, but don’t take too long,” Paimon ordered.

“...”

Relaxed, Paimon waited as the others left the room.

***

In another room, Yoo-Bin and the other Eden creatures had gathered. Eden was being restored at the moment. Except for the few outside Eden protecting the surrounding area, everyone had gathered here. Capturing Paimon was a huge deal.

The battle was over for now. So, they focused on the aftermath, which was what the enemy had done to their home.

Gi-Gyu walked into the room.

Yoo-Bin rose and asked, “What happened?”

Gi-Gyu replied calmly after a brief silence, “Everyone, please have a seat first.”

He tried to calm down the room because everyone seemed oddly excited after such a long battle. They stared at Gi-Gyu, waiting for him to explain the situation. But soon, their expectant look disappeared, realizing that Gi-Gyu, Lou, El, and Old Man Hwang looked worried.

Soo-Jung asked, “Pupil, did the conversation with him not go well?”

Gi-Gyu shook his head. “No, it went well. I didn’t get to hear every detail, but we at least found out Andras’ ultimate goal.”

“His ultimate goal?” Soo-Jung asked. Curiosity appeared in everyone’s eyes.

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu sighed deeply before answering, “He wants to recreate the world.”

Not one person could respond. They all wondered if they had heard Gi-Gyu wrong.

Recreate the world?

Only Soo-Jung remained calm and asked, “Are you sure that’s what Andras wants?”

“Yes, I find it hard to believe as well, but that is what I was told. Andras wants to create a new world, like how Gaia created our Earth.”

“And he has the ability to do that?” Soo-Jung sniggered.

No one seemed to share Soo-Jung’s skepticism. So far, Andras had given them numerous peaks at his true capability. Initially, he was just a low-rank seatholder, an insignificant demon incomparable to high-level demons or the hell kings.

Andras also wasn’t known for unusual intelligence or special skills. He was never famous, to begin with. He was just an annoying little demon and nothing more.

But things were different now. They could trust nothing they knew about him. They were going to have to reassess Andras.

Another silence fell.

Gi-Gyu changed the subject. “Before we discuss this topic further, I want to ask something.”

He turned toward Lou, Old Man Hwang, and Baal and asked, “Can we trust Paimon?”

Gi-Gyu and Paimon weren’t synced at the moment. He was an independent creature, free of Gi-Gyu’s influence.

“This isn’t a matter of trust. We can’t forget that he was once your enemy. He was being used, but he did try to kill you. So can you now trust that he is an unbiased and neutral figure? I believe this problem can be fixed if you sync with him,” Tao Chen suggested.

The coup in China was completed successfully. Because Eden was under quarantine, they hadn’t heard the specifics of what had happened afterward in China. However, what they had heard told them everything turned out okay and people were guessing who would take over the president’s position.

The public didn’t know that this decision had already been made.

“No.” Gi-Gyu shook his head. “He created a whole new consciousness to bypass Andras’ restriction. If I synced with him successfully, perhaps it would work out. But if I fail, we might not be able to gain more information from him.”

Paimon’s abilities were unusual and impossible to understand. Gi-Gyu had never heard of a skill that could create a new consciousness. His abilities had improved, but syncing with Paimon would still be risky.

“It will only work if Paimon gives me his permission. I don’t believe I’ll be able to force a sync with him,” Gi-Gyu explained.

Another heavy silence fell. Just as Gi-Gyu had suggested, the only thing to do was to decide if they could trust Paimon or not. They never had to contemplate the matter of trust before, so this would be a difficult decision to make.

“Haa…” Soo-Jung sighed.

Everyone remained quiet with uncertainty when El finally spoke up. “Master, then how about this…”

Everyone had a different expression on their face after hearing her suggestion. Some looked convinced, while others looked at her with skepticism.

“Hmm…” Gi-Gyu seemed torn. El's suggestion made sense, but he wasn’t sure it would work.

Tao Chen asked, “But we don’t have other options, do we? We can’t trust Paimon because he’s too sneaky and deceitful. And he has the intelligence to fool us all. Therefore, we can’t just trust him blindly. And what if that’s not even the real Paimon? What if they switched him with someone else as a trap?”

Baal interrupted Tao Chen. “You don’t have to worry about that. That’s Paimon, all right. He has always been that way.”

Lou, who had been quiet until now, opened his lips. “As Baal said, Paimon has always been that way. It would look like he’s obeying his master; in truth, he never does. He only does things that interest him. In a way, I suppose that makes him neutral, but… I do believe we need to take precautions.”

In the end, they decided to go with El’s suggestion. Those who had looked doubtful now seemed curious if it would really work. All in all, trying her idea would be worth it. They had nothing to lose.

“I have an idea I would like to try as a last resort. I’ll talk to him again, and I’ll return later.” Gi-Gyu left the room with El, Lou, and Old Man Hwang.

***

Standing in front of the closed door of the room where Paimon was, Gi-Gyu hesitated. He turned toward Lou and mumbled, “If El’s plan works, we’ll find out a lot.”

Lou didn’t say anything. He only looked at Gi-Gyu, waiting for him to continue.

Calmness appeared in Gi-Gyu’s eyes as he asked, “The Andras you know… Do you really believe he can plan all of these things and carry them out?”

Lou didn’t answer, which was an answer enough for Gi-Gyu. Gi-Gyu didn’t prod. Instead, he opened the door.

Paimon had his legs crossed.

“You came back pretty quickly.” In a low voice, he asked, “So have you decided?”

Gi-Gyu nodded. He gulped loudly before asking, “Would you sync with me?”

This was El’s idea. If Gi-Gyu synced with Paimon after getting his permission, the process would go smoothly.

And if Paimon refused…

‘

I’ll have to kill him to sync with him.’?

Gi-Gyu decided. Even then, there was no guarantee that the sync would be carried out successfully. They also didn’t know the full extent of Paimon’s powers, which made this even more dangerous.

So the best outcome was for Paimon to give Gi-Gyu his permission.

“All right,” Paimon replied.

To Gi-Gyu’s shock, Paimon's permission came too easily.