The End of Gods (A Welcome to the Underworld Novel, Book 4)

by Con Template

  BOOM!

  Sounds of the doors blasting open stole everyone’s attention.

  In a fleeting second, the room collapsed into silence as several things happened at once.

  Ju Won had ceased with his speech.

  Breaths hilted in the chests of the Underworld populace while all eyes averted from Ju Won and landed on the opened, two-story-high doorway. The stream of light from the hallway filtered into the entrance area of the rotunda room, acting as the awaiting carpet for the attendees to come.

  As this took place, Ji Hoon had instinctively angled his head towards the noise. Behind Ju Won, Dong Min and Jung Min’s eyes had grown perplexed at the sudden interruption. And Tae Hyun, who wasn’t even paying attention to the speech, was dragged out of his stupor when the intenseness of the noise garnered his attention.

  He lifted his head up and casted his eyes over to the entrance of the door that was half a ballroom away from him. Hae Jin, who was standing near the stairs that led up to his throne, stared up as well. Although Tae Hyun’s seat was closest to the entrance, that did not mean he had the best vantage point to see everything clearly. On the contrary, he was the one who had the worst possible angle. Still sitting calmly in his seat and refusing to crane his neck out like everyone else in the room, Tae Hyun stared at the doors that were held ajar. Curiosity glowed in his reserved eyes.

  The silent, yet powerful, ambiance taunted the anticipatory air until—

  “Augh!”

  Sounds of groaning echoed in the dark halls before five of Ju Won’s bodyguards tumbled into the rotunda room. Their faces were utterly smashed in, their guttural breathing indicating that they were on the brink of blacking out. Albeit shadows veiled them, one could clearly see the torrent of blood dripping from their jaws.

  Ju Won’s eyes expanded at the sight of this. The rest of the Underworld shared this reaction. In that collective and vigilant stillness, sounds of people cocking their guns vibrated throughout the room. An Underworld event was never the place for anyone to disturb the peace. As the unspoken bylaws went, any undue interruption during an Underworld event was punishable by death. The Royals in attendance were known to be vicious and utterly unforgiving. All had arrogant personalities and hated having their night interrupted. For anyone who dared to piss them off, especially with more than a thousand of them gathered together, there would be absolute hell to pay—hell in the form of a painful, torturous, and slow death.

  “Augh . . .”

  As if foreseeing the arrival of the one who attacked them, the groaning bodyguards began to crawl away from the door. A second later, the flickering light surrounding the doorstep suddenly darkened when a pair of black boots stepped into the light. The silhouette of the new attendee appeared at the doorway.

  If it was possible, the anticipation in the room amplified. And if it was even more possible, the prestige and power in the air was multiplied fifty times over with this dark silhouette’s presence.

  The Underworld populace should have started shooting, but there was a certain enchantment this uninvited guest had over them. Rather than shooting the intruder, they allowed her presence to arrest their attention.

  The King of Serpents was not immune to this intruder’s magnetism. His unyielding interest was all hers, which was surprising given that he rarely gifted his undivided attention to anyone. He furrowed his brows and inclined his head at the dark silhouette. All he could make out was a shadowy figure. Regardless of the fact that he couldn’t see the individual’s face, he couldn’t take his eyes off her as she sauntered haughtily into the ballroom.

  The intruder was dressed in a pair of simple black jeans, boots, and a black hoodie. In the background, two bodyguards trailed three paces behind her, their faces obscured by shadows. The further she advanced into the room, the clearer it became to her spellbound audience that it was indeed a woman who captivated their attention. The young woman was ordinarily dressed, but the extraordinary air that exuded from her was undeniable. It was the only reason why the ruthless Underworld crowd had yet to open fire on her.

  Marching into the room like she owned the world, she carelessly stepped over the backs of the men she assaulted. Though her facial features were not yet visible, the familiarity that many felt from her was what mesmerized the room. Those on the ground floor instinctively stepped out of the way, allowing her a pathway from the entrance towards the center of the room.

  As the audience tracked her every movement, they could see her silhouette turn to face Ju Won, whose eyes became even more massive when he realized who he was staring at. She approached the residual lights from the podium, and they could vaguely see her smirk. When she looked over to the King of Skulls, who stood up and stared at the dark figure like she was a figment of his imagination, the Underworld populace could see the smirk grow on her face. The King of Skulls’ eyes were filled with incredulity. He could not believe any of this was really happening. However shocked he was, his reaction was nothing compared to the King of Serpents’ reaction. Shock filled Tae Hyun’s gaze after the young woman stepped into the trail of light that led up to Ju Won’s throne.

  Without warning, she stopped midway. While she paused in her stance, her two right-hand men, Kang Min and Jae Won, continued to walk ahead, each taking their places on either side of the steps leading up to Ju Won’s seat.

  Then finally, as the atmosphere in the room became intolerable, the intruder slowly spun on her heels, allowing the warmth of the light to illuminate on her porcelain skin. The light washed over her features, gradually revealing her face to the spellbound crowd.

  A tidal wave of gasps permeated the room when they realized who they were in the presence of.

  It was not just a woman; it was a God—an immortal legend in their world.

  “Oh my God . . .”

  “Is that—?”

  “But she died!”

  “It can’t be . . .”

  “The Queen is back.”

  The Queen’s exhilarated brown eyes ran over the disbelieving gazes of those who stood on the balcony. Her focus lowered to the stunned attendees who stood on the staircases and streamed down to all the ones on the ground floor. The sensuous curve of a wicked smile appeared on her beautiful face as she bathed in the spotlight. Then, with tactical deliberation, she straightened her stance to an angle where she was standing parallel from the one who had yet to see the full features of her face and the one who mattered the most.

  While standing half a ballroom away from him, she allowed her emotionless eyes to land on the King of Serpents. His hands were gripping at the golden armrests of his throne, and he looked like he was watching her with bated breath.

  At that frozen moment in time, the world around them receded. All that existed was the emotionless gaze An Soo Jin held on him, and the faint daze-like gaze Kwon Tae Hyun held on her.

  His stupefied eyes took in the black hoodie she wore, the dark jeans, the boots, and the bodyguards who stood beside her. Then, at long last, his eyes returned to her cold ones. The daze in his eyes became replaced with a look of unquestionable desolation. A heavy breath escaped from his lungs. His strained expression and the tense tightening of his jaw conveyed that the great King had just realized that this was the girl he prayed he would never come across again. And if his expression was any indication, then it was clear that he no longer recognized her as the innocent girl he left. He viewed her as the heartless, legendary Queen who had just made her return to the Underworld.

  He knew she was no longer his ex-lover.

  She was now his enemy—and a powerful one at that.

  Acutely aware of what was running through his mind, Soo Jin grinned cruelly at him. Her silent eyes promised him that she had nothing but ill intentions with her return. Her homecoming brought back a reckoning, and he was going to be the principal target of her war.

  A million different emotions rippled in his eyes. Yet, after swallowing tightly, Tae Hyun did not release any sign of emotions and pressed his back
against his chair, becoming resolute about something. An abrupt coldness teemed in the contents of his eyes. It was evident that he had not only pushed back his human emotions, but he also remembered clearly that this was the woman who killed his mother. The anger became strongly prominent on his facial features. They continued to remain that way as he averted his gaze from her, no longer deeming her worthy of his attention.

  At the sight of this, Soo Jin merely laughed to herself. She inclined her head to silently say, “I’m not even close to being done with you,” and turned on her heels to continue with her night.

  With a purposeful look, she continued to tread across the massive ballroom, the deafening silence burning into the eardrums of those in attendance. The soles of her boots met the five steps that led up to Ju Won’s majestic throne. She glided up the steps like it was her preordained birthright and stopped in front of the throne that seemingly beckoned for her to grace it with her presence.

  Oh, yes . . .

  She traced her fingers over the beloved chair that belonged to Ju Won—the very throne she had her eyes on for over a decade now. Soo Jin inhaled with delight and spun around to face her more than captive audience. She helped herself onto Ju Won’s seat, effortlessly exuding a formidable air that was only shared by the two Underworld Kings who sat on their respective thrones.

  With no fear or inhibitions, she arrogantly lifted one bent leg up and rested an arm on it. She leisurely allowed her other leg to hang free from the throne, swaying it back and forth as her eyes measured the room.

  Although she could no longer see the King of Serpents at the opposite end of the ballroom, she could clearly see the King of Skulls from the illumination of the moonlit rays behind him. When their gazes crossed, she favored him with an alluring smile before she allowed the wonder of the scene to cascade over her. How she had missed this world and all the power that came with it . . . From the corner of her eyes, she could see Ju Won seethe with anger at her complete show of disrespect. She laughed to herself. She couldn’t care less about his resentment. She was too delighted to return to her rightful station in life. This was where she belonged; this was what she was born to do. She was born to rule over this world.

  She leaned against the gold frame of the throne and kept her deep brown eyes on the crowd in front of her. In doing so, An Soo Jin couldn’t have looked more powerful as she continued to hold her captive Underworld audience in the palms of her hands.

  Seconds later, after what felt like an eternity, she finally decided to gift her influential world with her long awaited greeting.

  “It’s been . . . a very long time,” she spoke lazily, her eyes half-closed. She continued to rest her head against the throne like it was a bed specifically made for her. Her voice undulated throughout the massive ballroom, sending chills up everyone’s spines. “When I left this world three years ago, I could’ve never anticipated how much this world would change.” She smiled, looking over to Ji Hoon. He was beaming in happiness at her favorable attention on him. “I could’ve never anticipated that out of the four top gangs, it would only be the Serpents and the Skulls who would remain, and I most certainly couldn’t have anticipated taking a three-year break when all this change was taking place.”

  She sighed, pressing her hands against the armrests of the throne to lift herself up. She took two strides towards the edge of the platform to ensure that she was visible to everyone. Up above, she could see the crowd on the balconies lean their arms over the railing, moving themselves along to get a better view of her. She could see 1st layer crime lords, most of whom she knew all too well, smile to themselves. They sipped from their champagne glasses, murmuring to themselves that they should’ve known she wasn’t dead. She could see everyone’s elevated interest with her and what a powerful figure she still was in this world.

  There was no way around it.

  An Soo Jin captivated and fascinated the entirety of the Underworld. She commanded their fascination three years ago, and she continued to captivate them now.

  “For those who don’t know, let me introduce myself,” she launched, her focus moving over the thousands of eyes that were glued on her. “My name is An Soo Jin. I have many nicknames in this world. I am known as the Princess of Scorpions, the Enforcer of the Scorpions, the Heartless Bitch of the Underworld, and of course, the Queen of the Underworld.” She continued with her purposeful speech, her voice becoming stronger with every word. “Those who know me already know of the legends that surround me, and those who don’t will never forget me after tonight. I may have died a Queen, but I’m returning as a God. I came here for a special purpose, and I, along with all of you, will not be leaving until I get what I want.”

  She was well aware that this threat did not sit well with the alpha males and the alpha females of her world. Despite this knowledge, she didn’t give a flying fuck what sat well with them. Her throne was slipping out of her grasp, and she had to rectify this situation.

  She turned to Ju Won, knowing that if anyone could fix this situation, it was him.

  “Uncle,” she began respectfully, well aware that she was not on his good side. She had already infuriated him after disappearing for three years and concurrently pissed him off for sitting on his throne. She knew he was livid, but like all masterful charmers, she was unwilling to let all of that deter her from trying to get on to his good graces. “I understand that this is the eleventh hour, but you should know that I’m here especially for you, for that beloved anointment of yours that seemed to have taken this world by storm. I’m here to reclaim what was rightfully mine.” Her eyes teemed with rightful determination. “I want my throne.”

  “Who is she?!” a voice suddenly roared from the back.

  A big muscular man, who was dressed in a dark gray suit, appeared at the center of the room. His face was shrouded with outrage. He walked out further while some of his gang members attempted to pull him back. Regardless of their efforts, he easily thrust his arms away from their grasp and continued to stride through the ballroom like the pompous idiot he was. It was clear that he was a small-time gang leader in the Underworld—a novice who didn’t know that it was a grave mistake to interrupt the Queen of the Underworld while the stage was still hers.

  Annoyance glinted in her eyes while her nose flared. Akin to watching a stupid child throw a tantrum in front of her, she quietly placed her hands on her hips and listened to the imbecile as he bantered on.

  “How dare you walk in here like you own the place and demand to be considered as an heir—to be considered as our Lord when you have no gang or power of your own? Who the hell knows what you’ve been doing all these years?” He scoffed to himself. “Probably hiding out for all we know. We all know that the rumors about you are nothing but exaggerations, so don’t come in here and disrespect the two Kings who have actually earned the respect and power from our society.”

  The infuriation in Soo Jin’s expression was palpable as Ju Won stole her attention.

  “He has a point, Soo Jin,” he said while her eyes remained on the imbecile who interrupted her. “You’ve wasted three whole years. Your time has passed. I no longer have time to deal with you.”

  “Three years were stolen from me,” she snapped, anger lining her fiery brown eyes. She turned to Ju Won. “You knew of my plans!” she gritted out. “It was foolproof . . . until I was betrayed.” The image of Anna came into her mind, and she pushed past it for the time being. She would deal with that backstabbing bitch later. For now, she had more pressing matters to take care of. She swallowed tightly, speaking in the respectful tone she knew would be her ticket to getting her way tonight. “But I’m here to make things right. It may have been three years, but you” —she looked around the room— “and everyone here, aside from that stupid imbecile right there” —the man scowled when she said this— “wouldn’t dare to question my rightful station in life . . . or my power.”

  “You need to hold power over a gang, Soo Jin,” Dong Min finally interjected, h
is expression more gentle on her than the cold stare she was receiving from Ju Won. “Not just hold reverence over a society.”

  “The Skulls and the Serpents are the two biggest gangs right now,” Jung Min answered as well, folding his arms together. His stare on her was expectant, borderline proud that she had finally made her return—regardless of how late it was. “We raised you better than this. We raised you to know that a King—or Queen—is only as powerful as their gang.”

  Soo Jin expelled a dry laugh at the stupidity of the situation she was in.

  It took all of her control to not raise her voice to a high falsetto tone and mock them. Her propensity to be a troublemaker aside, she understood that this wasn’t a savage society; this was a heavily domineering and political one. She was in the presence of people who were Royals in their stations in life and becoming too pompous and rude was out of the question—no matter how much her fighting skills and her ruthlessness may supersede others.

  “So, all I need to do is form a gang of my own?” Soo Jin asked sweetly, keeping her emotions intact.

  She didn’t wait for a response.

  After she asked this, she eyed the bastard who dared to question her.

  With blades of sharp daggers morphing in her cold eyes, she simply said, “Then kneel.”

  “Excuse me?” he asked in outrage. He laughed to himself. “You have no control over—”

  Swish!

  The words lodged in his throat when Soo Jin, with predator-like swiftness, whipped a small knife from her pocket and threw it at him. The blade of the knife entered through his forehead like a perfectly angled bullet, finishing off when the sharp tip of the knife peeked out from the back of his head. With his eyes wide opened, his lifeless body crumpled to the floor as Soo Jin tilted her head with amusement.

  There were no whispers or murmurs of amazement, nor were there gasps of horror over what had transpired. Her world was all but too used to seeing death displayed in front of them. And as for being surprised, it was clear that the entire crowd, apart from the dead imbecile, had anticipated that the man was living on borrowed time after he rudely interrupted An Soo Jin mid-speech.