The Hero Returns

Flash'”!

Pazzzik, hisssss'”

For a moment there, a blinding ray of light exploded.

Zeus's chopped waist reverted to how it was. The Thunderbolt in his hand was still there, but its form was unstable.

Drip'”

Blood trickled down from his waist.

The extent of the wound was seemingly nothing more than a bit of scratch. However, it had been such a long time since Zeus was wounded like this.

"Shiva, your hand is surprisingly spicy, isn't it?"

"This is nothing much."

"Still, it's only polite for me to respond in kind, isn't it?"

Rumble, bang'”!

Clouds formed from the skies above'”no'”from the ceiling, and lightning cracked loudly. The ceiling up there was too low to be called the "sky," but things like locations didn't matter at all to Zeus.

Grrrrrr'”

A low growl of a dragon reverberated throughout the surroundings.

[Thunder Dragon]

A massive golden-orange dragon descended from the clouds.

This massive dragon was long enough to fill up the place. The electrical current arcs filling the underground space began scorching the surroundings pitch-black with the sole exception of the tomb.

"At least you live up to the title of the Five Godly Sages," Shiva smiled faintly while observing the Thunder Dragon.

His expression implied how amused he was by all this.

That was the face of someone who didn't feel threatened at all. Realizing the meaning behind Shiva's expression, Zeus's brows shot up. Then, he raised his hand in the air. "Let's see how long you can keep that expression of yours," he challenged.

Just before the Thunder Dragon heeded his hand gesture and descended, however...

"That's enough. Don't you think so?"

Shiva raised both of his hands.

His lighthearted gesture was meant to signal the end of the hostilities for now. Buddha, who was about to attack, acted unlike his usual self and began frowning rather profoundly, "What's on your mind, Shiva?"

"I never planned to fight you two from the beginning. I simply responded to your threatening words."

Indeed, it was true that Zeus spoke threateningly as soon as they met.

If Shiva merely responded to the threat, it kind of made sense. Without a doubt, Shiva could've lashed out with a more powerful attack, but he chose not to.

Zeus also stopped his hand by then. The Thunder Dragon stopped moving altogether to match him; its massive body coiled up as it floated in the air above.

Shiva continued to speak, "Honestly, it's fine for me either way, but fighting you two right now will be a bit of a loss for me."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, there's something like that. In any case, what's your answer?"

Zeus fell into a dilemma at Shiva's question.

Shiva'”their main enemy who stood as the chief instigator leading this universe to its destruction'”was right before his eyes.

Finding him proved to be a difficult task. Up until now, only Shiva's name and the meaning behind his existence had been known to them. Today would be the first time he appeared so openly like this.

Meaning this was a great opportunity.

Even so...

"Zeus, we should stay our hands."

When Buddha's voice was transmitted inside Zeus's mind, the Olympian god nodded in agreement.

Fighting in this location was asking for trouble.

They would have to fight while doing their best not to damage the tomb in the current situation. They already didn't enjoy favorable odds against Shiva, so insisting on fighting here would only disadvantage them even further.

Pazzzzik'”

The figure of the massive Thunder Dragon that filled up the underground space vanished without a trace.

Once Shiva realized that Zeus had no intention of fighting him, he withdrew his attention from the Olympian god. His gaze remained locked on the tomb where Brahma should be asleep.

"You did well by holding back, Lord Zeus," Buddha's voice continued.

"Even if the location weren't here, it would've been the same situation."

"Yes, I'm aware of that."

The fact remained the same whether it was before or now'”they had to find and kill Shiva. However, that didn't mean Zeus could start fighting Shiva without a plan.

"This ominous energy that sends shivers down my skin..."

The powerful aura Shiva began emitting after announcing his presence even made Zeus's body shudder.

"So, this is the being in possession of the Godhood of Destruction?"

Creation and destruction'”these two opposing godhood were unique powers possessed only by the two Primordial Gods.

As for the true depths of the power of Shiva, a Primordial God in possession of the absolute authority called destruction, no one in the current era knew how strong he was, with the sole exception of Brahma.

One could only gleam his power through the remnants of the past universes destroyed by his hands.

"We need to amend our plans from the ground up."

The Five Godly Sages had been underestimating Shiva. This creature was not something even Zeus and Buddha combined could deal with.

Just how many beings in the current universe would be strong enough to fight this monstrosity?

They could think up of one being, at least.

"The Bull Demon King!"

The Bull Demon King already possessed strength rivaling the Five Godly Sages even before his ascension, so he could be strong enough to fight against Shiva right now.

"If you never intended to fight us, why are you here?"

Instead of fighting, Buddha chose to converse.

Shiva, no longer interested in the two gods, replied while not bothering to shift his gaze away from the tomb, "My reason is the same as yours."

"You wish to confirm the result with your own eyes?"

Shiva nodded in answer.

Since he looked like he would merely watch and do nothing else, Buddha decided not to remain wary of Shiva for now.

However, he still had one more thing to say: "You may not get the result you've been waiting for, Shiva."

"Is that so?" Shiva pondered something for a little bit before the corner of his lips curled up as if something amused him, "But that will also put you in a bind."

***

"So, where should I even start," Brahma frowned deeply as if uncertain about something, his lips pouting noticeably.

Su-hyeun couldn't get used to that sight, however. He believed that he now carried the air of maturity and seriousness, but to see the same face as his own making a child-like expression like that...

"Right, I should begin from why you had to be created in the first place."

"Why I was created, you say?"

"Yup."

The surrounding scenery began changing as soon as Brahma replied.

This wasn't as simple as an illusion, however. The changing scenery was new physical surroundings being created while they remained sitting still.

"I keep creating things like the world you and your friends call home. When Shiva destroys it, I create it again. As soon as I'm done, I start planning for the next universe."

"The next universe?"

"Yup."

"What do you mean?"

"You know, like planning what kind of world I'll be making, what kind of humans and their assigned fates I should create... Those kinds of things."

Su-hyeun suddenly realized that Brahma was not as simple as a "mere" god of creation when he heard that.

He even assigned the fate of the world?

Meaning regular people who were not strong enough to change their fate or some specific realms had no choice but to act according to Brahma's plan.

"I guess the term omnipotent was invented for exactly this type of existence."

Brahma didn't possess the necessary power to interfere in the worlds he had created. However, that was because he didn't come equipped with other notable abilities other than Godhood of Creation.

Nonetheless, Brahma was the strongest omnipotent being in the entire universe. Not only did he create universes, but he could also decide the universe's fate as he saw fit.

It was basically the same as Brahma controlling Su-hyeun's homeworld and even the universe itself.

"Why are you suddenly telling me this, Brahma?"

"While in the middle of planning for the next universe, I suddenly began thinking about something."

"About what?"

"I create the next universe under the condition that the current one needs to be destroyed..."

Brahma's role began from the genesis of the very first universe.

Only after a truly uncountable length of time'”only after he reached this universe'”did he begin getting second thoughts about his role.

Sizzle'”

A cigarette materialized in Brahma's hand, then lit up. He took a long drag from the cigarette before letting out all the smoke.

A buck-naked man puffing on a cigarette? It wasn't exactly a pleasant sight to behold if Su-hyeun was honest here.

Brahma must've known about it, too, since he began smirking while looking at Su-hyeun's expression. "I got it. I got it. Even though this is breezy and comfortable for me, it can't be helped since you seem to find me awkward to look at."

Shuruk, shuuuk...

Simple-looking clothing appeared on Brahma'”a white tee shirt and jeans. What an easy-going style that was.

"You cool now?"

"You didn't have to do that."

"It's not something difficult, anyway. Ah, before I forget. I like smoking once in a while. See, the thing is, planning for the next universe is a lot harder than it looks. I find it rather relaxing to have a cigarette or two during my breaks."

Brahma sucked in another lungful of smoke before continuing, "Okay, so, where were we?'”Ah, right, Shiva's role is to destroy; mine is to create. Shiva will wake up and start the process of the universe's destruction only after judging this universe to be no longer worthy of existence.

"I keep planning things out until a universe is about to be destroyed, but well, even I can't come up with something perfect, you see. Once Shiva decides that the universe is broken'”that it has strayed down the wrong path'”he will start moving."

"Fine. But what does that have to do with me?"

Rather than directly answering the question, Brahma suddenly asked a question of his own, "Is it truly necessary for the universe I created to be destroyed?"

Su-hyeun couldn't reply.

Of course, he believed that the universe must survive, and that judgment was compelling him to act like this, too.

The thing was, Brahma's question had nothing to do with Su-hyeun's thoughts.

"Even if the old universe gets erased and a new one is born, will it be better than the old one? Besides, why is Shiva destroying the universes I've been creating? Why is he the one deciding that the universes I planned and created to be inadequate and broken?"

"Wow, you sure thought up of that quickly, haven't you?"

"Guilty as charged. Why couldn't I have thought of that earlier? That's why I'm thinking of deciding it for myself from this moment on."

"What?"

"For that purpose, though, I must see and witness it for myself. That's what I thought. While doing that, I still have to do my original job, planning the next universe."

"So, you chose to delegate that role?"

"I've already finished drawing up the next universe. However, I don't know what the current universe looks like'”because that was your role."

When Su-hyeun realized that his role was that of a being meant to decide whether or not the universe deserved to exist, he felt his breathing clogging up.

Now that he thought about it, it was all true.

He had always been deeply connected to the worlds he used to live in. Some of his past lives were like Set or Cheon Mu-jin, who hated their worlds, while others were the complete opposite of them, like Su-hyeun.

One being's judgment would decide the fate of this universe, that was, whether it would continue to exist or get destroyed.

"That's the reason why I was separated from you?"

"Separated from me, hmm? I guess you could say that. However, it isn't exactly that, either."

"What do you mean?"

"You might have been separated from me, or it's me who got separated from you, you see. Who was the original, and who came later is impossible to tell."

Originally, Brahma had only one role: planning the next universe then creating it. However, Brahma divided that role into two: the creation and judgment of the universe's worth'”whether it was worth saving or not.

While Brahma was tasked with the creation, Su-hyeun's job was to decide the worth of the current universe.

Su-hyeun felt relieved and thought this was a favorable turn of events, then opened his mouth to speak, "In that case, we don't need to flap our gums for a long preamble. I've already decided, after all."

"No, that's not how it works," Brahma shook his head. "We make that decision together."

"Together, you say?"

"The thing is, I still don't know anything about the universe you saw and experienced."

"Well, what will you do about it, then?"

"We combine, obviously," Brahma replied while dropping the finished cigarette. "Back to our original self, that is. That was the plan, after all."

Brahma extended his hand.

It was the hand that held the cigarette. It was also the hand created even before this universe was born'”a hand created in the past beyond one's comprehension to grab hold of Su-hyeun.

Feeling like he was entranced by something, Su-hyeun got up from the chair and then extended his hand toward Brahma's waiting hand.

But in the middle of this...

"Here's the thing, though..."

Squeeze'”

Reaching out, Su-hyeun began clenching his fist and then retracted his extended hand.

"About that plan? That's got nothing to do with me."