002
"You really did it…!"
The Three Kings, once called the rulers of the world.
"We thought it was impossible…."
Even they believed it was an impossible feat, something they attempted with only the faintest sliver of hope.
Yet, Lee Rowoon succeeded, sealing chaos within his own body.
"Rowoon!"
As he collapsed, unable to stand any longer, the Demon King extended a darkened hand to catch him.
"I'm… so sleepy…."
His eyes, half-closed, seemed ready to drift into eternal slumber at any moment.
"It's the influence of chaos. Now that it resides within you, your soul is resisting its power, consuming all your mental strength in the process."
"From now on… you will always be plagued by drowsiness."
An unending exhaustion—this was one of the prices of containing chaos.
Lee Rowoon shook off the Demon King's hand and forced himself to stand.
His head throbbed, and the overwhelming desire to surrender to sleep threatened to consume him.
"But if you ever fall into slumber… chaos will awaken."
Though he had successfully sealed it, the battle was not over.
The moment his consciousness wavered, chaos would break free and descend upon the world.
From now on—
"You are destined never to sleep peacefully again," the Sword King said in a solemn voice.
"You expected this much, didn't you, masters?"
Despite his drowsy eyes, Rowoon smiled faintly.
"So…"
He continued speaking.
"Do what you must, Masters."
"...!"
The Three Kings widened their eyes in unison.
"You… you knew?"
The Martial King's voice carried disbelief.
"Did you take me for a fool, Masters? Sealing chaos—it was never going to be the end, was it?"
There was only one thing the Three Kings—Rowoon's masters—truly desired.
Not the mere sealing of chaos, but its complete destruction.
He had contained chaos within his body.
"Kill me."
"...!"
They had to eradicate chaos along with its vessel—himself.
"Did you think I wouldn't notice? The reason you never once asked for my real name in nearly a hundred years?"
Because they had grown attached to him.
Because they feared that, in the final moment, they wouldn't be able to bring themselves to kill him.
"…So you knew?"
The Demon King spoke in a voice filled with sorrow.
"And yet, you still cooperated with us?"
The Sword King let out a heavy sigh.
"I had already lost everything. Betrayed by everyone I trusted, left with nothing."
He had no reason to easily believe anyone.
"At first, I was filled with doubt. But through your teachings, I came to understand the truth. And eventually…"
He grinned.
"I simply wanted to be of help to the masters who treated me kindly. I had believed I would never feel warmth or affection again."
That was why, even after realizing their true intentions, he had chosen to help them.
"This is the only thing I can do for you."
To give his life for the masters who had made him feel warmth once more.
That was his final act of gratitude.
Lee Rowoon spread his arms wide, exposing himself completely, and closed his eyes.
"If you don't kill me now, I will soon fall asleep. Even so…"
A slight squint in his barely opened eyes.
"At least… tell me your names before I die."
He no longer sought revenge.
Over the past century, his thirst for vengeance had faded away.
Instead, his heart was filled with a deep sense of fulfillment—one he wished to embrace in his final moments.
"Shin Yeoul."
The Martial King's name.
"Siegfried von Demian."
The Sword King's name.
"Verjena."
The Demon King's name.
There was nothing left to regret.
At times, he had wondered what it would be like to continue living with them.
But more than that, he wanted to free them from this burden.
'It has been three thousand years since we first waited for a new vessel in this place.'
As they had always said, they would never be free until chaos was completely destroyed.
So—
"Masters, for your sake, I will die here and now."
He had made his decision.
Closing his eyes completely, he bit his lip, resisting the creeping exhaustion.
He had thought about this death thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands of times.
And yet, he couldn't deny the lingering feeling of regret.
"Rowoon."
The Three Kings spoke firmly.
"You will not die here."
"...!"
Rowoon's eyes snapped open.
---
"In the beginning, you were right. We planned to seal chaos within you and destroy you along with it."
The Demon King, Verjena, admitted.
"But…"
The ever-enigmatic Verjena wore an unusually conflicted expression.
Unable to continue, the Martial King, Shin Yeoul, answered in her place.
"You are our disciple. Our child."
"...."
"And we cannot bring ourselves to kill you with our own hands."
"But if you do not… then you will never achieve your lifelong goal."
"No. We have found another way."
Verjena spoke again.
"We three were also once vessels of chaos. We are more than capable of containing it."
"You don't mean—!"
"Yes. Exactly what you're thinking."
The Demon King smiled.
"We will divide the chaos among ourselves and seal it away."
"Is that even possible?"
"Who do you think I am?"
Verjena's voice changed, carrying an overwhelming presence.
She had reached the pinnacle of demonic magic.
The ruler of magic.
The Death Emperor.
The god-slayer who had killed a god and stolen its divinity.
"It's possible."
"It can be done."
"Sealing chaos itself would be difficult, but since it has already been contained within our disciple's body, we can manage."
The Three Kings smiled at Rowoon.
"We cannot let our disciple bear this burden alone."
"We will divide chaos among ourselves."
"And we will keep our promise."
A promise they had made long ago.
"Revenge."
He had once burned with the desire for vengeance.
But now, such thoughts held no meaning.
"If we seal chaos within ourselves, this dimension will collapse. We will be scattered and sealed across the world, while you will return to your rightful place."
"You will lose all your power. If you retained it, the world would not be able to withstand your existence."
"Your strength will be sealed along with chaos."
Rowoon had never truly measured his own strength.
But he remembered what the Martial King had once said:
"I shattered continents, the Sword King split the sky, and the Demon King ruled the world."
And Rowoon—
"You inherited everything from all three of us."
So, he understood what they meant.
"But that does not mean you will lose everything. A part of our essence will remain within you. If you train and grow, no one in the world will be able to oppose you."
That was not what mattered to Rowoon right now.
"If… I were to seek you out one day, what would happen?"
If they ever returned from their slumber—
"You would have to kill us."
The Three Kings stood before him, placing their hands on his shoulders.
"Do not ever seek us out."
Before he could respond, an unbearable drowsiness consumed him.
That was—
'The last thing I saw of my masters.'
---
"You little brat! Sleeping here, of all places?!"
A thunderous shout.
Whoosh!
A fist cut through the air.
Thud!
A dull impact echoed in the cave.
"You… blocked it?"
The man who had thrown the punch stammered in disbelief.
His fist had been caught midair, effortlessly stopped.
Even though Rowoon's eyes were closed—
Slowly, his eyelids lifted.
"Where… is this?"
His gaze swept the surroundings, landing on the man before him.
'The Overseer?'
Lee Rowoon had returned.