Time slowed down.

The time flow remained the same for everyone else but not for Gi-Gyu.

Gi-Gyu's ridiculous speed slowed time for him. His shoes, Hermes, gleamed as they did all the heavy work, while Gi-Gyu endured the strain.

‘This is a crazy ability,’ Gi-Gyu thought as he watched his surroundings blur. He was much stronger now than when he first became a player; still, he couldn’t use Super Rush for long.

-Is it over?

Lou asked.

“Yup.”

Gi-Gyu had just realized that a time limit restrained Super Rush. He didn’t realize this in the past because he couldn’t use it to its full potential then.

-Of course, there is a time limit. Super Rush isn’t just about helping you move faster. It’s…

This skill also involved distorting time itself. Controlling time was the greatest ability a player could ever have. In the entire history of Earth and Babel, only one person had this ability.

“Guess I inherited this from Kronos…”

Being a copy of Kronos’ son, Gi-Gyu could probably use a part of Kronos’ ability. And since Hermes was a pseudo Ego created by Old Man Hwang, Gi-Gyu wondered if “Super Rush” was actually his ability.

-Aren’t you acting too relaxed now? Super Rush is already over.

Lou muttered.

Gi-Gyu just moved his neck leisurely in response.

Crack.

A sharp ice spear, which failed to even graze Gi-Gyu’s neck, flew out and got stuck into the wall behind him.

Gi-Gyu looked ahead.

He had used Super Rush to come here because he had felt a presence here. And as expected, an enemy stood in front of him.

“Guess I haven’t reached the main part yet.” Gi-Gyu moved his hands quietly. When enough energy had gathered, he shot the ball of energy toward his enemy, which flew like a bullet.

“Kerrrk!” A sharp scream was heard.

“I still don’t see any hell kings like Leviathan or Belphegor.”

-They’re nearby.

Gi-Gyu couldn’t see any of the cloned hell kings, but he could certainly feel their presence. And he could also sense hundreds of other creatures heading toward him.

The player who had just died was a demon player. Gi-Gyu suspected the enemies approaching him were also demon players.

“Guess they want me to deal with the weak ones first.” Gi-Gyu took a battle stance as hundreds of creatures approached him, ready to deal with the small fries first.

Why were the cloned hell kings hiding? Were they not in perfect condition yet? Did this mean they weren’t strong enough to battle?

Or was there another reason?

“Who cares?” An arrogant smile appeared on Gi-Gyu’s lips.

-...

Gi-Gyu played down his enemies as if nothing could scare him.

“Kwerrrrk!”

With the enemies’ screams, the battle finally began.

***

Aamon’s face crumpled into an unexplainable frown. It hadn’t used its full strength, but that should’ve been enough to quash these bugs.

However, a human had appeared and easily blocked its fist burning with hell fire.

“Who are you?” Aamon asked.

The human standing in front of him was giving off unusual energy. To Aamon’s shock, the man held its burning fist without suffering damage. The man, instead, looked calm and peaceful.

“Answer me! How could there be a fighter like you among humans? I’ve never heard of you!” Aamon demanded. It had already studied humans in detail. Aamon had learned that it only needed to be mindful of the high rankers.

‘Based on my research, only those three high rankers should’ve been a threat.’ Aamon was a giant and held a high position in hell, so his pride had long since broken through the roof. He had come here thinking that he ought to worry about only three humans.

Lee Sun-Ho of the Angela Guild.

Jung Soo-Jung, a player who dared to use the name Lucifer.

Kim Gi-Gyu.

Aamon had truly thought it only needed to be concerned about these three players. And it wasn’t really wrong. Although it had embarrassed itself by losing its ankle to an unknown player with a strange weapon, Aamon was sure it could kill him with its burning fist.

Aamon’s research had served him well until then.

However, this new guy had ruined his plan.

“Yo-you aren’t a human,” Aamon stammered.

“Huh…” Bodhidharma glanced at Tao Chen and nodded. He was asking Tao Chen to step back.

‘This demon isn’t someone you can defeat. You’re stronger, but…’ Bodhidharma was warning Tao Chen.

Tao Chen gritted his teeth. His ambition and competitiveness had helped him become a high ranker, but his greatest quality was that he knew himself very well.

Although he didn’t like hearing the truth, Tao Chen knew Bodhidharma was right.

Aamon, suddenly becoming even more furious, poured more of its power into its fist. “Where do you think you’re going?!”

Even thicker flame covered Aamon’s fist, seemingly ready to swallow Bodhidharma and everything around him.

“Kwerrrk! Lord Aamon!” The demon players around Aamon began melting. They begged Aamon to stop, but it ignored them.

Meanwhile, Tao Chen’s players gathered to form another protective barrier. However, Aamon’s growing flame threatened to destroy this barrier.

Suddenly!

“...!” Aamon’s eyes widened in shock as something pushed back its flame. The flame wasn’t returning to its fist; instead, it was actually surrounding Aamon to swallow it whole.

"I shall destroy the evil corrupting the world.” Bodhidharma looked a little angry as he glared at Aamon. Tao Chen was already well behind the monk and taking care of the other players.

When the monk gave him another look, Tao Chen nodded in understanding.

“Hahahahaha! Fine! It doesn’t matter who or what you are! Let’s do this! I am the Flame Marquis and future king of hell! I am Aamon! Praise your God for letting you die at my hands!” Aamon roared even as its flames surrounded it.

Tao Chen sent a telepathic message to his players.

-Aamon will be taken care of by Bodhidharma. We will focus on creating a path and infiltrating the palace.

The players answered with barely-discernible nods.

Kaboom!

As Aamon and Bodhidharma began fighting, numerous loud explosions occurred.

***

On a high floor of the tower in Eden, Old Man Hwang watched the screens anxiously. Dozens of screens were showing news from all over the world. The coup in China had begun, and the entire world watched with bated breaths.

Old Man Hwang turned to the biggest screen, which currently displayed Eden’s exterior. This screen monitored both the interior and the exterior of Eden.

“Father.” Hwang Chae-Il approached the blacksmith. Hwang Chae-Il looked gaunt, perhaps from using too much of his power or the never-ending pain he was fated to endure.

“Chae-Il.” Old Man Hwang’s eyes never left the screens.

“We haven’t experienced any significant problems so far,” Hwang Chae-Il reported.

Old Man Hwang nodded. The coup in China concerned not only the players and the world but also Eden. The tension in Eden was at its highest.

“We must not show any sign of weakness,” Old Man Hwang ordered.

“Yes, Father.”

“I’m watching everything too! Don’t worry!” Brunheart materialized next to the two men in her human form.

Eden was on alert because it was expecting an attack. Eden was vulnerable because its master, Gi-Gyu, wasn’t here.

They weren’t expecting an attack from the Korean government or the other players.

“Andras will attack Eden to distract Gi-Gyu,” Old Man Hwang guessed.

Andras, the Caravan Guild, and Ironshield all had the power and motive to attack Eden. It would be a good tactic because Gi-Gyu’s weakness was here.

“But they are probably in turmoil as well. Things seem very unstable in the US too. After all, many players are openly condemning the Caravan Guild and the Iron Guild.” Hwang Chae-Il sounded tired. “This is a critical time, and Andras won’t easily part with China. Isn’t most of Project Adam located in China?”

This was why Hwang Chae-Il believed Andras wouldn’t dare to attack Eden.

“That’s true. I agree with you on that.” Old Man Hwang nodded.

There was no way Andras would give up China. He would have to do everything to stop Gi-Gyu; he would most likely dispatch Ha Song-Su. This was why Gi-Gyu had chosen to go to China.

But…

‘I have a bad feeling about this.’ Old Man Hwang tried to maintain a calm facade but was sweating nervously. He couldn’t understand why, but an unknown fear gripped him.

However, he had to keep believing everything would be all right. Even if Eden was attacked, Gi-Gyu had already made all the preparation necessary to keep it safe. Except for Lou, all of Gi-Gyu’s creatures had remained in Eden.

“We’ll be okay,” Old Man Hwang mumbled, but it was unclear if he was saying that to his son or himself.

***

“Haa…” Gi-Gyu inhaled deeply. Around him, his enemies were on the floor screaming and groaning.

“Ughh!”

“Kwerrrk!”

The dead ones looked like monsters, but the ones still alive and screaming…

-You left a lot of them alive.

“Because they can still be redeemed,” Gi-Gyu replied. It took a long time and effort to deal with this group because he had chosen not to kill them. He had no choice but to kill the First Potion users, but the ones worth saving were left alive.

The ground was covered with hundreds of bodies. Gi-Gyu took a step forward while shaking his head. So far, he hadn’t seen a single hell king. He could still feel their presence, but they were nowhere to be seen. It was as if there was some kind of curtain around them.

“Is it like a barrier?” Gi-Gyu wondered. He was only starting to sense it, which meant it was very well made. He suspected that there was a barrier that kept the hell kings hidden.

Gi-Gyu stopped for a moment, spreading his magic to study this barrier's shape and size. When he was unaware of its existence, he had been searching blindly. But now that he knew about it, he could search better.

Gi-Gyu raised Lou in his sword form. He was hoping for his enemies to show themselves, but his enemies had a different idea. They were waiting for Gi-Gyu to find them.

Slash.

A subdued slicing noise was heard as Lou drew a thin line in the air. Using Death, Gi-Gyu had found the barrier’s weak spot and focused on it. Slowly, a gap formed in the air to reveal the secret.

Gi-Gyu waited quietly for it to open further. As if he had sliced this dimension, a different space emerged. The barrier was apparently very strong and tightly knitted.

Finally, Gi-Gyu could see what this barrier had been hiding.

The evil kept hidden in the basement of the Chinese president’s palace…

-Oh my god.

Even Lou seemed shocked by what he saw.

Gi-Gyu felt the same way. It was something beyond his wildest dreams.

The barrier's objective wasn’t to keep the secret hidden. It was concealing a truly colossal amount of sorcerous energy. Gi-Gyu had sensed a great presence during his initial sweeps of this place, but that presence wasn’t even half of what he was feeling right now.

-...!

Gi-Gyu stared at one area. The space was filled with many creatures holding incredible evil energy. Among them, one creature seemed the strongest.

Gi-Gyu looked into the creature's eyes and whispered to Lou, “Do you know him?”

Gi-Gyu had never seen this creature before. It was wearing a white gown and had red hair. The creature also had a unique pair of glasses that reminded Gi-Gyu of Baal’s monocle.

“Welcome,” a familiar voice announced. The speaker was the red-haired creature.

“Who are you?” Gi-Gyu asked coldly.

Around the red-haired man, several dozens of Belphegors stood to form a wall. Behind them, Gi-Gyu could even see an incomplete Leviathan.

The red-haired creature didn’t answer Gi-Gyu’s question.

-This can't be… He’s…

Lou’s reaction was telling.

When Lou whispered the creature’s name, Gi-Gyu’s eyes widened in horror.