NOVPUBIn the darkness, there was someone carving something with long fingers.
The eyes looking down at the vast and intricate formation were hazy.
There were gaps that needed to be filled, and places that should have been deeply etched were faint.
The person who should have been killed was still alive, and the names that should have appeared on the death list had ceased to appear.
Yet, the manifestation of his power still radiated with malevolent energy, filled with evil and hatred.
Flap.
A faint sound of wind was heard from the other side of the darkness.
It was the sound of the butterfly sent by the Butterfly King fluttering its wings.
The Butterfly King always carefully sent a signal like this before speaking, to avoid disturbing his mood.
Soon, the Butterfly King’s sweet, thin voice was heard.
"I have come to carry out the order."
Upon hearing this, the man moved.
He swiped his hand across the air, and the intense energy of the formation vanished into the darkness.
Once everything became invisible, he lazily allowed the Butterfly King to enter with a soft voice.
Creek...
The tightly shut door opened, and the butterfly scattered its scales, revealing the way ahead.
The Butterfly King stepped forward, walking on the scales the butterfly had left behind.
Behind him, four figures followed.
The light left by the scales illuminated the figures of the four.
One had wings.
One had a long tail and hair.
One had no eyes, ears, mouth, or nose.
One had bent horns.
These four all had appearances that deviated greatly from that of humans.
Rustle...
As the Butterfly King finished guiding them, his followers shattered into pieces and scattered.
If they entered a place that wasn’t permitted, the followers would shatter, and the Butterfly King would stop and wait until it was safe to proceed.
Stepping on the shattered remains of the butterflies, the Butterfly King spoke.
"I have brought the Four Horrors."
The four beings the Butterfly King had brought were the Four Horrors, beings that trampled the good and bowed to the evil.
They served according to the existence of evil and its magnitude.
The one in the darkness was a being so pure and vast in evil that the Four Horrors would serve it with their full effort.
The Four Horrors treated the Butterfly King, who was as sweet as evil itself, with great favor, but when standing before the one they served, their admiration turned into an overwhelming, intense devotion.
‘My evil is insignificant in the presence of that being.’
Standing before someone so sensitive to malice, the Butterfly King’s trickery seemed like nothing more than a mere flutter of an insect's wings in comparison to the grand and terrifying plans of the being.
The Four Horrors, who had been calm and composed in front of the Butterfly King, now seemed eager to speak to him as they stood before him.
With his head deeply bowed, the Butterfly King swallowed his regret.
He knew that the methods he had used on the Demon King would not work against such a force.
"Report."
At those words, as if waiting, the one with wings, Konggi (窮奇), spoke.
"I have returned from the Demon Realm. I await the next command."
As the most powerful of the Four Horrors, Konggi’s voice was filled with strength, and each time he spoke, his sharp fangs gleamed like daggers.
His words alone were threatening, yet his gaze toward the Butterfly King was filled with kindness.
"I asked for a report."
When Konggi failed to deliver a proper report, the man shifted his gaze.
Instead, he raised his long finger and pointed to the side of Konggi.
When the finger pointed toward the one with long hair and a tail, the being, Do'ol (檮杌), grinned arrogantly, showing its satisfaction at being chosen over Konggi.
"I will report on the paths we secured in the Demon Realm. Permission to use powers."
"Granted."
Do'ol plucked a hair and released its power, causing it to grow longer.
The long strands of hair glowed in the darkness as they formed a map.
Do'ol pointed to the map and reported on the journey of the Four Horrors in the Demon Realm.
Until the demon guide arrived to fulfill their contract, the Four Horrors had faced the threat of obliteration several times while following his orders.
Despite hearing the harrowing tale of their near-death journey, the man didn’t even blink.
Occasionally, his voice asked for additional reports, still lazy, and when he pointed his long finger to indicate something, his demeanor was cold and unyielding.
Nonetheless, the Four Horrors expressed no dissatisfaction.
"The report is finished."
As Do'ol finished, the man nodded.
Without a word of praise, just a nod, Do'ol smiled with great satisfaction.
This time, the man infused his voice with power.
[Come closer.]
The being called by the man was the motionless figure of Hun-don (渾沌), standing like a statue.
Though it had no eyes, ears, mouth, or nose, Hun-don felt the man's voice through its skin and crawled toward him.
The man placed his hand on Hun-don's smooth, featureless face.
Hun-don meekly submitted to his touch and transmitted what it had seen through its skin.
‘Hun-don arrived first and observed the area around Eun-Gwang District. What command did he receive...?’
Even the Butterfly King, who was skilled in gathering information, couldn’t eavesdrop on their communication process.
Hun-don had no facial features but was adept at telepathy, greedily devouring information and reporting back through its skin.
No one, not even the other Four Horrors, had ever properly communicated with Hun-don, so the Butterfly King had no chance of interfering.
‘The value of the information I receive from Hun-don is great, despite the difficulty.’
That said, the Butterfly King was not planning to give up easily.
After the Four Horrors had returned, the Butterfly King kept the closest watch on Hun-don’s movements.
Hun-don had been observing the area around Eun-Gwang District.
‘Hun-don kept its distance to avoid being noticed. Is it reporting on those who entered and left Eun-Gwang District?’
During the time Hun-don observed, there had been several notable individuals coming and going from Eun-Gwang District, but two groups had particularly caught the Butterfly King’s attention.
The Pomor demons and the Jeol-Hyeok-Pung-Rim.
Though quiet recently, the Butterfly King remembered their strange movements.
Also, the Wung tribe had begun making unusual moves.
The Four Celestial Knights had been monitoring the area around Eun-Gwang District, as though they were keeping an eye on something.
However, the Butterfly King was unsure whether Hun-don had noticed them.
‘Ah, it would be nice if I could read its gaze even though I can’t hear its voice. This is truly difficult.’
The Butterfly King carefully memorized every movement of Hun-don, the flow of the power they exchanged.
Hun-don and the man were in close contact for no more than a minute.
But, having focused all his attention, the Butterfly King felt as though several hours had passed.
The Butterfly King, striving not to show any sign of disarray, kept his head bowed.
When Hun-don finally stepped back and returned to its original position, the man spoke again.
"I will give a new command."
The man moved his long finger once more.
This time, he pointed to Do-cheol (饕餮), the one with curved horns.
Do-cheol, who had been lowering his posture, grinned as he was chosen.
Do-cheol, weak against the strong and strong against the weak, followed the man with intense loyalty, as the one with the greatest power in the group.
"Yes, yes. Command me!"
Do-cheol lowered his posture and eagerly awaited the man's command.
The man handed him a piece of paper with a formation etched upon it.
"The way is written there. Check it."
"Is it just me alone?"
"If your power is insufficient, you may borrow the strength of another of the Four Horrors."
Do-cheol, who had been bending over submissively, paused.
Konggi and Do'ol were watching him.
Though Hun-don hadn’t heard, it sensed the exchange between them.
The words "If your power is insufficient" touched Do-cheol’s pride, which had lived for thousands of years.
However, Do-cheol was the weakest of the Four Horrors in terms of physical strength.
Here, only the strong remained, so asserting his pride was impossible.
"I am grateful for your consideration. I will carry out the command!"
Do-cheol eagerly bowed and grabbed the paper.
Underneath his lowered head, his eyes gleamed briefly with an idea.
After issuing the command, the man spoke.
"That is all. Depart, Four Horrors."
Konggi, Do'ol, and Do-cheol each answered that they would leave, while Hun-don, sensing the power, began to slowly prepare to move.
The Butterfly King naturally stood and was about to lead them, but the man spoke first.
"Stay, Butterfly King."
"Understood."
The Butterfly King replied immediately, humbly.
Upon hearing the command, the man gestured.
The direction he pointed to was where Feng-baek and Woo-sa had been guarding.
The Butterfly King understood what the gesture meant and smiled joyfully.
"Thank you."
With a smile that seemed to melt, the Butterfly King approached the side and knelt down.
The Butterfly King seemed overwhelmed with joy, as though honored to be so close to the man.
Do-cheol, watching the scene, frowned slightly.
After Do-cheol left the room, he immediately voiced his displeasure.
"Wasn’t that spot originally guarded by Feng-baek and Woo-sa? Why is he letting such a weakling near him?"
To Do-cheol, the Butterfly King was weak.
Do-cheol felt free to raise his voice toward the Butterfly King, unlike with the other Four Horrors or the man.
Do'ol scoffed and spoke.
"You know only one side of the story. Do you not understand why the man kept Feng-baek and Woo-sa so close?"
"They must have earned it through great merit, gaining his trust. They left the Divine Beast Myth to choose him. They are incomparable to mere insects!"
Do-cheol raised his voice in frustration, but Konggi and Do'ol smiled warmly.
Do-cheol's petty anger and jealousy felt sweet to those who reveled in malice.
Konggi gently replied.
"Feng-baek and Woo-sa were old friends of the noble family. We couldn’t be sure when they would act like the Black Dragon. That’s why we had to keep them close and observe them closely."
"...Does that mean the man is wary of the Butterfly King? I’ve heard that the Butterfly King has never failed."
Do-cheol remembered the Butterfly King’s past achievements.
The Butterfly King had succeeded alone when many allies had failed—like the Christmas Eve and Dragon Palace incidents.
The Butterfly King infiltrated the association and incapacitated a high-ranking officer, sowing chaos, and even copied the Dragon Seal, despite the formidable guard in the Dragon Palace.
Do-cheol's jealousy toward the Butterfly King stemmed from this.
"The Butterfly King has never failed. But the plans that included the butterfly always ended in failure. Only the Butterfly King, who acted alone, remained unharmed."
Those who failed were captured or punished by the man’s orders.
No matter how the plans crumbled, the Butterfly King remained.
Whether this was because the Butterfly King was exceptionally competent or due to some other reason was unclear.
"The man will confirm whether this is coincidence. By keeping the butterfly close, we will find the answer."
At last, Do-cheol’s face softened.
"You are indeed wise! I was mistaken."
"That was well said, no problem. Let’s check what command the man gave."
Seeing Do-cheol pleased by the man’s doubts, Konggi’s voice softened.
At Konggi’s urging, Do-cheol unfolded the paper the man had handed him.
The power imbued in the paper scattered and vanished without a trace.
Reading the contents, Do-cheol grinned with joy.
"The man has granted me the power of Yun-sa!"
