Yes, it was true. It had been too easy to find Cereb’s location. Cereb let off brain waves 24/7 with his twelve antennas to command the Agnaga army. Because the brain wave was at a very particular frequency, it was hard to find it, but that only applied to back during the Emperor of Blood and Iron’s time. Upon realizing that the army of Agnaga moved on orders from a single being, the Emperor of Blood and Iron and Emilia had to find where Cereb was through strenuous trials and errors.

However, Kang Chul-In was different. There was no need for him to do that. He, or to be exact, Desdemona, had a way to find out where Cereb was emitting the brain waves from.

Thanks to her, it was easy. Desdemona informed Kang Chul-In of where Cereb was, so all he had to do was ride on Temeraire with his companions to fly into the Shatyameba territory.

“Seems like Milenius didn’t tell you about the way to hide, hm?” He mocked the great bug. “I suppose so… that scrawny guy probably didn’t even know how the Emperor of Blood and Iron and Emilia killed Cereb in the past. He wouldn’t have been able to imagine that the brain waves led enemies into his allies’ command.”

Kang Chul-In’s a.s.sumption was correct. The dead Milenius wasn’t able to find out how Cereb was discovered. He just thought Cereb was found coincidentally… he couldn’t imagine any other way Cereb was found so easily.

“Well, that’s enough for the explanation.” Kang Chul-In grinned and tightened his hold on Kaiforce and Mitra. “It’s time to die, bug.”

The Agnanga army was right in front of him. After he eliminated Cereb, Desdemona would stop the ranking system. Then, when that moment came…

My ambition will become reality.

Kang Chul-In would be the final victor of the compet.i.tion between Lords and climb to the position of emperor.

-Kang Chul-In…

Cereb answered.

-You’re making a huge mistake… I guarantee that you messed up the moment you stepped in here. Yes, I’ve been waiting for you to arrive.

“Waiting for me?” Kang Chul-In tilted his head. “Why would you?”

-Kek, kek kek kek…

Cereb laughed.

-Yes, you don’t know a thing…

“What don’t I know?”

-Do you know who I am?

“The head bug?” To Kang Chul-In, Cereb was just a bug. “Then what is he?”

He turned to his companions and asked.

“I think he is a bug.” Dorian replied with an innocent face.

“He is.” Hecate agreed.

“If he’s not a bug, what is he, Oppa?”

“It is a bug, your Majesty.”

Han Ye-Sun and Lucia judged it as a bug as well.

“They say you are a bug.” Kang Chul-In looked at Cereb with a validated face. “You’re not planning to go on about how you’re a superior alien species or anything else like that, right?”

However, Cereb’s reply wasn’t about his ident.i.ty as an Agnaga.

-Did you forget about Alex Rothschild?

“What?” Kang Chul-In asked. “Why are you suddenly asking about that loser?”

-Loser? Did you just… call Alex Rothschild…

“Yeah, a loser.”

-...

“He only knew how to use that gold spoon of his, there wasn’t anything else he could do. What else would I call him then? What a…”

It was then.

-Shut up!

Cereb’s brain waves shook the minds of Kang Chul-In and his companions.

-You dare… you dare!

“...?”

-Who do you think you are to…

“...?”

“-Who do you think you are to judge Alex… MY Alex, like that!?

Kang Chul-In was flabbergasted.

“My… Alex?”

He didn’t know what in the world Cereb was talking about.

Why was the Agnaga army calling Kang Chul-In’s rival (not actually a rival, but a giving tree) “his Alex?”

“Can I ask about what kind of fresh bulls.h.i.+t that is?”

-He… was my Alex.

“...?”

-I wasn’t able to confess my sincerity, but… he was my friend, my Lord, and my lover.

“...!”

-He…

Resentment entered Cereb’s brainwaves.

-He’s not someone you can mock!

Just then, a thought flashed in Kang Chul-In’s head.

No way.

Something felt off. Of course, it wasn’t danger he felt. It was just that he suspected that the Cereb in front of him could be “someone” he knew.

“You.” He spoke with an unpleasant face. “Are you Lee Gong-Myung?”

-Do you finally recognize me, Kang Chul-In? Finally?

It was a shocking response.

“What? Lee Gong-Myung?”

“I think I just heard something strange. Kang Chul-In, sleep with me. Then everything will be back to normal.”

“That bug was Korean?”

“The bug was Lee Gong-Myung, your Majesty?”

His party murmured amongst themselves. Lee Gong-Myung. It was someone they thought was dead. But that giant bug, the Agnaga Cereb, was calling himself Lee Gong-Myung.

“Are you really Lee Gong-Myung?” Kang Chul-In asked again.

-Indeed, Kang Chul-In.

“...”

-I am Lee Gong-Myung.

“What the…” Kang Chul-In looked fl.u.s.tered. “I should’ve killed you properly back then. So that’s why the feel of the kill was off…”

-What?

“So, your new job was to become that creepy monster? No, aside from that, you guys were… a couple? You were gay?”

Yes, that was the core of this conversation. Cereb, Lee Gong-Myung, said that Alex Rothschild was his friend, Lord, and “lover.” The nuance of his words suggested he was h.o.m.os.e.xual.

-That’s… not it…

“It’s not? But you were lovers?”

-That’s just one-sided on my part… technically, we weren’t lovers.

“One-sided love?”

-You can say that…

“...”

-Yes, I loved Alex Rothschild. I loved him so much that I couldn’t spend a second away from him.

It was a completely unexpected nuclear bomb-like coming-out statement.

“...”

Everyone was speechless.

Wait. At that moment. So that’s why? That was why?

Through his quick insight and mind, Kang Chul-In was able to realize why the genius of the century had stayed by Alex Rothschild’s side faithfully.

“I see.” Kang Chul-In nodded. “I see now.”

-What do you see?

“Why a genius like you stayed by Alex Rothschild, that trash of the century.”

-What!?

“Yes.” Not caring about whether Lee Gong-Myung was angry or not, Kang Chul-In continued with his hypothesis, no, the truth. “I guess… if it wasn’t a one-sided love, there was no need to stay by Rothschild. There’s... always a special reason why useful people go down with unskilled people…”

It was plain to see. Lee Gong-Myung was someone who would’ve been treated with care no matter where he went. The reason why he was so faithful to an unskilled Lord like Rothschild was because of a special reason called “love.” Looking back, he wondered why he hadn’t thought of that before. One of the great mysteries that Kang Chul-In was curious about was why Lee Gong-Myung was on Alex Rothschild’s side.

“So.” Kang Chul-In continued. “Sounds like you became Cereb for revenge?”

-Of course, Kang Chul-In.

“That’s tough… becoming a gruesome monster like this for Alex Rothschild’s revenge…” Kang Chul-In shook his head from side to side.

It was too much, becoming like this just for revenge.

“Wow.” Dorian added on. “They say the power of love is great… it is indeed, Lee Gong-Myung.”

On the other hand, Hecate spoke skeptically about Lee Gong-Myung’s decision.

“What’s up with that fool? I would’ve gobbled him up already. If it doesn’t seem like they’ll accept you, then can’t you just force them? You never know, Rothschild might’ve been gay too.”

It was a scary statement fitting of Hecate. Kang Chul-In trembled, and sweat beaded down his back.

Why?

I’ll gobble you someday, Kang Chul-In.

Hecate was looking at him like a predator looked at prey.

I-I… He thought to himself. Am not Cheetos…

He wasn’t the food that he wanted to eat someday.

“Anyways.” He quickly looked away from Hecate. “I understand that you’re gay, and how much you like Rothschild. I also understand that you became like this to take revenge.

-Understand? You understand me?

“Words are just words.” Kang Chul-In shrugged. “Anyways, I understand, so prepare to die.”

-Prepare to die… kek…!

Lee Gong-Myung snickered at Kang Chul-In.

-Kang Chul-In… you’re making a big mistake… I admit that you found me here… but you didn’t know that this is a land of death? Kek, kekekek… look, Kang Chul-In… this is the death zone… it’s somewhere you won’t be able to get out alive.

Dorian jumped into the conversation.

“Dang… look at what he’s saying. Is this a gay bar? To enter freely but not being able to leave? Looks like he’ll throw d.i.l.d.os at our b.u.t.ts if we say we want to leave.”

It seemed like the European knew some stuff. A vein popped out in Kang Chul-In’s forehead.

Puk! He punched Dorian in his solar plexus.

“Kuk! W-What…”

“Watch the time and location when you ramble on, you pushover.”

“B-But, I’m right…”

“Do you want to be beaten up more?”

“N-No… sorry… I was wrong.”

A murderous aura flashed in Lee Gong-Myung’s eyes as he watched on.

-Fine, let’s see how long it takes you to realize the situation you’re in… hehehe… Kang Chul-In… thanks for coming here on your own two feet… I’ll finally be able to take revenge for Alex… kek, kekek…!

Kang Chul-In didn’t plan on giving him anything but Lee Gong-Myung was expecting a lot. Of course, Lee Gong-Myung wasn’t calling his bluff. This was his nest, a core location for Agnaga.

-Come out, my guardians…!

He summoned those who protected his nest. Unidentifiable monsters appeared.

-Krk…

-Keek, keek keek!

-Kii?

-Chik, chiiik!

But…

It’s what I was expecting.

Kang Chul-In was relaxed. He knew that the twelve beings protecting the nest were powerful, but that didn’t matter. Right now, Kang Chul-In and his party could destroy Cereb’s guardians easily.

Moreover,

That b.a.s.t.a.r.d doesn’t know what kind of strength I have.

His current power was stronger than the Emperor of Blood and Iron in his prime; there was no way Cereb and his guardians could stop him. Revenge? He could give that to the dogs! Lee Gong-Myung didn’t know how strong Kang Chul-In was. The revenge he had dreamed of, becoming Cereb, was impossible…

***

Meanwhile, in the capital of the Valhalla Kingdom, Metalia, in the VVIP hospital room deep inside Laputa…

“Ugh… uhhhhhh…!”

Kwak Jung convulsed again. Alfred, who was in charge of him around the clock, frantically entered the room.

“Please wake up, Tactician Kwak!”

“Euuuh… uhhhh… euh…!

“Tactician Kwak!”

“Ack, aaaaaaack!”

“Dammit!”

He quickly used Blood Heal,

“Huk, huuuk! Aack, aaaaaaaack! Aack! Ack!”

The situation didn’t get better.

“Huh…!” Alfred moaned.

Kwak Jung’s convulsions got worse day by day, and that was understandable. It was a miracle that his brain hadn’t melted yet.

“N-No one…” Just then, Kwak Jung began to speak in a strange voice.

“Tactician Kwak! Are you awake!”

“No one… expected… Emperor of Blood and Iron… nor Emilia… uck, uuuuck!”

“Tactician Kwak!”

“Q-Quickly… discover… stop… warn… his Majesty…”

With that, Kwak Jung’s head dropped. He had fainted.