On Hiatus: God's Personal Reasons-Chapter 224: #Warrior Il-Ho and Eternal Seeker (1)

Eternal Seeker? Eternal Seeker?!

Il-Ho came back to his senses.

“Yes, Muscle God! If it means saving God Yu Il-Shin, I’ll gladly offer up my life!” he cried with the desperation of a man clinging on a cliff’s edge.

Then, came a faint message.

[Eternal Seeker reveals that it has not yet happened, but is destined to. He adds that altering destiny comes at a great price, then asks if you’re still determined.]

Il-Ho lit up—this meant that God Yu Il-Shin was still alive and well!

“Yes! A man never goes back on his word! I’m willing to do anything for God Yu Il-Shin!”

[Eternal Seeker says that you’ll have to make a choice.]

“A...choice?”

In the next moment, fragments of Eternal Seeker’s memories flooded into Il-Ho’s mind. They were as vast as the sea and as high as the skies for a creature like him to take in. The man punched, kicked, and swung his sword countless times for eternity. Il-Ho stiffened.

[Eternal Seeker admits that he failed to protect his beloved, but if it’s you...]

Like a broken radio, Eternal Seeker’s voice slowly grew faint, and eventually cut off mid-sentence.

Hot tears streamed down Il-Ho’s face. “I have received your will.”

Left alone, Il-Ho clenched his fist tightly. He had his own method in overcoming the void. With his own determination and Eternal Seeker’s memories as a guide, Il-Ho delivered a punch outward, like a chicken trying to break free of its egg. A crack formed, like a chicken trying to break free from its egg. A small opening was created, large enough for Il-Ho to go through. He jumped through it without hesitation.

[Congratulations! The Forty-Sixth Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of Void has been cleared.]

At last, he overcame the endless torment. He couldn’t help but notice there was no reward from Eternal Seeker. But that was fine, he’d already received so much.

[Would you like to challenge the next floor?]

Il-Ho nodded. A blinding flash of light enveloped him, sweeping him off to another world.

Ding!

[The Forty-Seventh Floor of the Tower of Warriors: Trial of the Demon Realm]

[Clear conditions: Exterminate the demons and demon gods in the Demon Realm.]

The Demon Realm, a prestigious third-ranked world, lay buried in the innermost abyss. Its suffocating air carried a poison potent enough to melt an average creature’s organs in a single breath. The land was so barren that even weeds couldn’t grow, yet life thrived—not despite these conditions, but because of them. The creatures that endured became stronger, leading to the creation of summoning magic to harness their power. They devoured one another, using each kill to fuel their growth.

In the world where the strong preyed on the weak, a warrior with a dumbbell slung over his back descended.

-Kreuk!

-Kyaooo!

-Kikikiki!

As if they’d been waiting for his arrival, an army of demons that could cover the land and skies surrounded him. A single creature was enough to reduce an entire city to ruins.

“The War God’s oracle was right. We’ve been waiting for you, Warrior,” said a woman standing atop a sedan made of skeletons, her hourglass figure barely covered by a piece of rag.

She was a decadent beauty, her horns sprouting proudly, a clear mark of her demonic nature.

“The War God has ordered your eradication. What a shame, really.”

She greedily examined Il-Ho all over.

“Warrior, choose. Submit to me and bask in wealth and luxury, or be torn to pieces and fed to the legion?”

“I choose neither.” Il-Ho pulled out his dumbbell sword. “Step aside! I don’t have time for you guys! Muuuuuscles!”

***

Back in the colosseum in Africa...

What was once a celebratory event across the globe had turned into a symbol of despair and terror—all because of a single entity that’d appeared out of nowhere.

Kwaaaaa!

Ant Emperor exuded dark red flames with volcanic force—the Blessings of the War God. War of Carnage and Madness had turned his own life force into divine power for the emperor. Such power had no place in a low-ranking realm like Earth, and its aftermath rippled across the globe.

[The innate power Blind Eyes of God has been activated.]

“Aaargh! Run!”

“S-save me! Mommyyyy!”

“Oh, Jesus...”

Volcanoes erupted, accompanied by earthquakes and tsunamis, claiming countless lives.

I gritted my teeth, crossing my fingers. “Crushing Forefinger of God! Healing Ring Finger of God! Proliferating Thumb of God!”

The miracles I created pierced through the skies and scattered across Earth, crushing the tsunamis and healing those suffering from the disasters.

“Why aid those vermin when your true adversary is right here?" His eyes sank. “Is it to obtain more Faith? You can only obtain a few billion from Earth at best, and even then, you still wouldn’t be my match. Aren’t you just wasting divine power?”

But I wasn't doing this to gain Faith.

Clenching my jaws, I screamed, "Well, I wouldn’t have if I hadn’t seen them! But that’s not the case anymore, is it?!"

Ant Emperor’s face crumpled slightly. “Trash.”

Baaaaam!

My right arm exploded and disappeared, my mind turning blank. I could barely hold myself together as I clutched my open wound, rolling on the ground in pain.

“Aaaargh!”

“You can’t even protect yourself, yet you still want to save them? What an insect.”

With a wave of his hand, the flames expanded in the air, flying toward my head. I couldn’t dodge in time.

“Des...troy!”

“Demon Lord's Demon Lord’s Pratāpana!”

Shriiink! Baaaaam!

The colosseum shook along with the deafening explosion. Yi-Shin endured full-body burns and broken teeth, yet still clung tightly to Demon Lord.

“I-I’m sorry.”

“...Don't worry about it. It’ll be all over if you get hit.”

“Des...troy...” Sam-Shin struggled to his feet and staggered toward me.

I couldn’t count how many times they’d sacrificed themselves for me. Yi-Shin had died four times so far. I could only summon him so many times with my proliferating skill.

“Healing Ring Finger of God!” I hurriedly healed them with my remaining left hand.

Ding!

[You paid 60,000,000 Gcoins for the healing.]

The sacred healing light enveloped Yi-Shin and Sam-Shin. Yi-Shin glanced at my missing arm and asked, “Are you not going to heal yourself?”

“I'm...still fine, for now.”

My divine power was gradually thinning out, I couldn’t waste it on my arm right now. Despite seemingly having a lot to say, Yi-Shin only clicked his tongue in the end. He turned to Ant Emperor, pointing Demon Lord at the monster.

“How long will it take until you become a High-tier god?” fгee𝑤ebɳoveɭ.cøm

“I don’t know. The increase in followers is slowing down...”

If I had to guess, it was probably because I was at the mercy of the emperor’s overwhelming power.

-----

[Quest: High-tier Benevolent God Promotion (In Progress)]

Normal followers: 872,526,299,886 (Great Cosmic Empire 102,661(↑), Earth 9,971(↑)) / 1,000,000,000,000

S-rank or Higher Intelligent Followers with Potential for Transcendence: 7,918 (Great Cosmic Empire 11(↑), Earth 1(↑)) / 10,000

-----

My progress was roughly at 87%. Honestly, even if I did become a High-tier Benevolent God, I doubted I'd be able to turn the tables.

“How are both of you feeling?”

“The same. Better than you, at least.”

“Des...troy.”

Yi-Shin and Sam-Shin also appeared in the promotions for Space God in the Great Cosmic Empire. The number wasn’t accurate, but their population should be well above ten trillion. I had planned for all three of us to become High-tier gods and stop the emperor, but things didn’t go as planned.

“Fucking bastards! How can they not believe in us in such a crisis?! Sam-Shin and I will do whatever we can to buy more time, so find a way out somehow.”

Ant Emperor seemed convinced as he nodded, "I was wondering why the three of you kept growing stronger as the fight went on. Were you gathering followers from different worlds? So, you aren’t even High-tier gods.”

Then, he raised his index finger. “What a waste of time. This ends here.”

Kwaaaaa!

“Ugh!”

“Keugh!”

Chiiiik!

The intense heat from Ant Emperor’s flames burned our skins. He was holding back all this time...?

“Stop!”

The three of us charged at the emperor, jaws clenched. Ant Emperor simply mocked us, about to intensify his attack.

-Carnage Flames of G—

Suddenly, a set of icy chains restricted him like a cocoon. They weren’t ordinary chains, as they quickly killed his bursting divine power with strong sealing magic.

“How dare you!”

I was caught by surprise. They were strong enough to stop the emperor?

...Royce?

Yes, it was none other than Earth’s strongest Hunter. However, something felt different. Her black-and-white hair fluttered as she wielded a staff in one hand and a sword in the other, divine power surging around her.

Tzzzz!

Ant Emperor glared at her. "You! How dare the dregs of the fallen God of Harmony interrupt the sacred Gods' Sacrificial War! Do you not fear the War God's wrath?!"

[War of Carnage and Madness rages, cursing the god who dared to interfere in the Gods’ Sacrificial War!]

Ruuuuumble!

The skies ripped apart as the curse of a raging Top-tier god descended onto Earth.

U-unbelievable divine power...

Was this the power of a Top-tier god? It could reduce Earth into dust in an instant! All my hairs stood on end upon realizing that.

Ding!

[Silently Crawling Nightmare requests to engage in a God’s Sacrificial War with War of Carnage and Madness!]

Nightmare, who had been watching from the sidelines the entire time, stepped forth.