The Hero Returns

"Like, what is that? Tell me already, will ya?"

Sun Wukong sounded rather frustrated while saying that.

King Yama couldn't continue ignoring his question since he sounded agitated. At that moment, Sun Wukong's eyes were already gradually turning golden in hue.

"For what reason did you and your brother come here?"

"Dunno."

"You don't know?"

"Sister-in-law said that we needed to come here, so I came. She didn't tell me why, though."

"Still as simple as always, I see."

"Hey, that's an insult, isn't it?"

Sun Wukong's expression crumpled in irritation, but King Yama had already turned his head by then. He was looking to change his conversation partner.

Hercules stood to the side with his arms crossed and said something, "There is a prophecy in Olympus."

"What does that prophecy say?"

"It says that this universe will one day be threatened with its true destruction. This prophecy has existed since the founding of Olympus. Father told me that day has come, and it's today."

"You are the son of Zeus, indeed."

King Yama recognized Hercules from this brief exchange.

He then continued to scan the surroundings, finally realizing that a face was missing.

"Didn't Zeus come with you?"

"He needs to stop by somewhere first. That's what he said, at least."

"Is that so? In any case... If you want the details, you'll get a better explanation from that being instead of me."

King Yama glanced at Shiva before fixing his gaze on Lang Mei.

"As for you, you're going back with me."

"I'm sorry?"

"Look, Yama," Shiva suddenly interjected. "Can we talk for a bit first?"

"Even if it's you, I cannot humor this request. The dominoes will start falling one by one the moment you break the law, after all."

"It's not even a massive request, to begin with. All I want is a few minutes to chat to everyone here."

King Yama pondered something and then nodded in acceptance.

"Ten minutes."

"That's more than enough."

Snap'”

Shiva snapped his fingers and gestured at the others to come closer.

Su-hyeun walked over, wondering what Shiva could be thinking of. The rest of the scattered group also came together, but Sun Wukong, in particular, stared at Shiva with a great deal of interest.

"Wow, seriously, it's an exact match."

He circled Shiva, his eyes sparkling brightly, so much so that one had to wonder if his earlier serious attitude toward the story related to Master Subhuti was genuine or not.

However, in stark contrast to him, the Bull Demon King's expression got stiffer the closer he got to Shiva. Even Lang Mei was sticking very close to her husband's side.

"Fella, it seems that we've already met."

"More or less."

"It is quite unpleasant, isn't it? Having that face is a serious violation of rules, too."

The Bull Demon King was biding his time ever since that matter with Lang Mei. He was planning to get very violent if he ever found Shiva.

However, he couldn't do that right now because, for some unknown reason, Shiva looked the same as Su-hyeun. Not only would it feel like he's attacking his little brother, but he also couldn't help but worry that there had to be a reason for Su-hyeun and Shiva to share the same face.

"My apologies for what happened back then. Still, that made you come out here, didn't it?"

"Are you talking about back when you tried to hold my wife hostage?"

"Something like that," Shiva replied dryly.

The Bull Demon King's brows furrowed ever so slightly. However, the intense killing intent leaking out of him still rushed toward Shiva like deadly arrows.

"It seems that you need to be taught a lesson first."

Even if he usually didn't lose his temper, the Bull Demon King would erupt like a volcano once he did. Especially when the matter concerned Lang Mei'”he would not hold himself back.

The Bull Demon King extended his hand toward Shiva, no longer caring about the situation. His sharpened hand blade shot straight at Shiva's face as if he was going to rip out an eyeball or some such.

"It's not over yet, though?" Shiva spoke up, prompting the Bull Demon King to stop. "Ten minutes, I mean."

"Why are you not evading?"

"I don't mind getting hit once, at least. Besides, it's not just King Yama I'm trying to convince today, you see."

"In that case?"

"I'm also trying to convince you, oh Great Sage who Pacifies Heaven."

The Bull Demon King's expression became unreadable at what Shiva said. Su-hyeun, too, was puzzled by this development.

"What is he planning?" he thought.

The Bull Demon King had sharpened his blade ever since Shiva targeted Lang Mei back in the Path to Reincarnation. Shiva knew about her connection to the Yogoe, and that was why he approached her in the first place.

Despite creating this situation, he was planning to convince the Bull Demon King somehow?

"Does he have a way?"

Some half-baked arguments would never win over the Bull Demon King.

Feeling curious, Su-hyeun paid closer attention to Shiva.

"Do you know what the Book of Life and Death is?"

The Book of Life and Death, he said?

Even Su-hyeun had heard that name before but only from a story. However, it seemed that the Bull Demon King was more knowledgeable about the subject.

"Isn't it a 'ledger' managed by King Yama, which records the names of all the dead on its pages?"

"Yes. Nine thousand universes transformed into hells, creating nine thousand Books of Life and Death. And King Yama possesses eight thousand, nine hundred and ninety-nine of those."

"What about the missing one, then?"

Right after that question was asked...

"I have it."

Shu-rururu...

Flap'”

A long piece of paper materialized and unfurled from Shiva's hand. This paper landing on the snow was so incredibly ancient and so long that one couldn't even guess its actual length.

Unknown letters were written on the paper's surface. However, seeing how the letters seemed to be organized systematically, they must have been the "names" of people.

"No, wait, it's not just names, is it?" Su-hyeun inwardly considered.

This long roll of paper didn't just record names but also contained countless souls.

Just how many souls were contained in it?

Su-hyeun briefly used Insight to take a closer look, only for a dizzy spell to assault him.

Shiva rolled the "ledger" back up while continuing from where he left off, "The first universe didn't have its netherworld. That's why those who died didn't have a place to go to. As for reincarnating? Such a concept didn't even exist back then."

"An unfortunate tale, indeed, but what about it?"

"King Yama wants this'”the Book of Life and Death from the very first universe'”more than anything else in this entire universe," Shiva lightly waved the scroll around. "Even I don't know why he's so hung up on it. Still, I can tell how much he cares about his hells. Also, he wishes to save all the souls trapped in this Book of Life and Death."

"Save the souls?"

"Even though the nine thousand universes had repeated themselves, these souls never got to experience reincarnation. Not even once. King Yama wishes to gift them with the cycle of reincarnation. Since that's the case, what do you think I'll be doing with this Book?"

"Stop beating around the bush and out with it."

"I'll use this to bargain for Lang Mei's name to be struck off the current Book."

The Bull Demon King wasn't the only one shocked by what he heard.

Even the others listening alongside, Su-hyeun and Sun Wukong, who knew the relationship between their First Brother and Lang Mei, got the shock of their lives.

Su-hyeun sneaked a glance in the Bull Demon King's direction.

The latter was doing his absolute best to hide his expression. Even so, no one had seen him as stunned like this.

He closed his eyes for a few moments to calm his chaotic thoughts and then opened his mouth to speak, "What is it that you want in return?"

Before dropping this bombshell, Shiva confidently said that he would convince the Bull Demon King.

Meaning he had something the other party needed. As it turned out, the card in Shiva's possession was an absolute must-have in the Bull Demon King's view.

About seven minutes had passed by at this stage.

Only around three minutes remained out of the time King Yama had agreed to wait.

"Fight for us this one time."

"One time...?"

"I shall explain the situation afterward. But it won't be a bad proposition since even your Fourth Brother will be happy to have you."

The Bull Demon King didn't know about the matters involving Vishnu. Therefore, it was impossible to explain everything in depth in less than three minutes.

Still, when Su-hyeun silently nodded, the Bull Demon King began thinking that Shiva's request might not be as difficult as initially imagined.

Just one time, Shiva said.

Even if his name gets written on King Yama's Book of Life and Death at the end of the battle, it doesn't matter to the Bull Demon King as long as Lang Mei's name gets struck off from it.

"Alright, I shall."

Finally, he gave his consent.

Su-hyeun was inwardly going agog at how smoothly this conversation had flown by.

"Was everything planned out from the start?"

Provoking the Bull Demon King by going after Lang Mei, then using her, even dragging King Yama out to this place, and finally, getting the Bull Demon King's help by getting Lang Mei's name erased from the Book of Life and Death'”the way everything unfolded felt like puzzle pieces perfectly falling to their spots.

Even if it seemed like Lang Mei was being held hostage here, there couldn't have been a better compensation imaginable for the Bull Demon King.

Also, no one would walk away a loser in this deal.

"The souls trapped in that Book of Life and Death will finally experience reincarnation, while the First Brother will be pleased about sister-in-law coming back to life. King Yama will also get his hands on the missing Book of Life and Death."

The Bull Demon King and Su-hyeun were the only two existences in the entire universe capable of going up against Shiva. To fight against Vishnu, his help was absolutely essential.

"It's rather flawless."

At this point, Su-hyeun was pretty close to admonishing himself for misjudging Shiva's intellect altogether.

He thought that Shiva was merely a god hellbent on mindless genocide and destruction, but the truth was, the latter was far smarter than he expected.

"Alright, then, our discussion is over, so..." Shiva shifted his attention over to King Yama next, "two more minutes remain."

* * *

King Yama's expression more or less resembled that of the Bull Demon King.

It seemed that the shock from the possibility of acquiring the very first Book of Life and Death was as great as what the Bull Demon King felt a few minutes ago.

His dilemma didn't even last long.

"Yes, let us do that."

As Shiva had predicted, King Yama readily accepted the condition of erasing Lang Mei's name off the Book.

This was the first-ever moment the law governing life and death had been broken since the universe's birth.

This was unprecedented, in other words.

Still, it was worth the trouble for King Yama. He didn't even feel the need to weigh the worth of one soul versus all the souls that used to exist in a universe.

Flaaaap'”

Shiva's Book of Life and Death unfurled in the air.

The names written on this paper were rapidly erased. At the same time, the souls trapped within it got sucked into King Yama's palm to enter a brand new Book of Life and Death being generated.

Now, it was up to King Yama to guide these souls.

"I've received them."

Finished with acquiring the first Book of Life and Death, King Yama then proceeded to pull out a different Book from his inner pocket. It, too, had countless names written on it.

He searched for Lang Mei's name and erased it. Even though the records were quite ancient, King Yama seemed to know its contents like the back of his hand.

"It's done."

"I hope that we never meet again under this sort of circumstances."

"Well, we might never meet again after today, period."

This conversation was between two beings that had existed for all eternity.

Of course, King Yama was fully aware of who was about to arrive here.

"No desire to fight alongside us?"

"If you all arrive in my hell, then I may entertain the idea."

"But don't you know that there won't be any more hells if we fail?"

"If no more universes are born, then there won't be a need for a new hell, either. In the end, this tale doesn't concern me."

"Seriously now, you're still as uptight as always."

"But you're somewhat different from the past."

"I don't recall what I was like back in the past, but I see no need to stay the same all the time."

Shiva's memories got wiped out whenever he experienced death. It seemed that it prompted changes to his personality as well.

"Well, then, I hope we meet again someday. And I mean all of you."

The negotiation was over, so King Yama turned around to leave. The black doorway opened up before him, and he vanished into one of the hells he governed.

It felt like a massive storm had come and gone just now.

But one thing was for sure'”they could now count on the Bull Demon King's help.

"Okay, so? Who are we going to fight here?" Sun Wukong impatiently asked. It seemed that, even after listening to everything, the most important thing to him was the opponent's identity.

He had been thinking of fighting Shiva until now, so the prospect of needing to work together would have confused him somewhat.

"From this moment on, we..." Su-hyeun was about to answer Sun Wukong but began hesitating just then.

He suddenly remembered that he had been telling himself something for a while now, and that was not to complicate this any more than necessary.

So, Su-hyeun changed his answer.

"We're going to hunt for the One Overlord."