Chapter 214 - Episode 28. Rupture (8)
Chapter 214: Episode 28. Rupture (8)
──────
A short while later, Yu Seolha forced Jaehwan and Runald, who had barged in without warning, out of the audience chamber and seated them on a nearby bench.
“Drink.”
“Thank you.”
Runald politely accepted the cup and sipped his coffee. Jaehwan, on the other hand, accepted his with a displeased expression.
Yu Seolha said, “It’s decaf.”
“What difference does that make?”
“It means you won’t die from drinking it.”
Jaehwan stared at the coffee for a moment, then took a sip with the same dissatisfied look.
“Looks like you recovered well.”
“Thanks to you.”
Yu Seolha awkwardly avoided his gaze at Jaehwan’s thanks.
This was the first time they had met since parting at the entrance to the 〈Great Forest〉. If Yu Seolha had not held back the pursuers then, Jaehwan could never have made it here.
That was what he was thanking her for.
Yu Seolha pretended not to care as she glanced over Jaehwan from head to toe.
He had changed.
Nothing about his appearance looked particularly different. Still, Yu Seolha had sharp instincts. There was a difference she could sense, as clear as the difference between caffeinated and decaf coffee.
‘No, this isn’t the time to be thinking about that.’
Once she had calmed down, she remembered what Jaehwan had done. She had finally been close to persuading Nameless to join their side, only for this bastard to suddenly break down the audience chamber door and barge in.
“Hey, you...”
“Did you leave 「Rupture」?”
“Huh? Yeah... I did.”
“Why?”
Yu Seolha fell silent at Jaehwan’s question.
It was something she could never honestly explain. The decisive reason she had left 「Rupture」 was because she had seen Jaehwan’s ‘world.’
Cheongheo approached from the corridor and rescued Yu Seolha after she had spent a long while moving her lips without speaking.
“What, you still haven’t gone into the audience chamber? After smashing the door to pieces and all.”
“Master, you came too?”
“That brat said he had business at the Seventh Site.”
“I was about to ask you that. Why did you come here? I said I’d persuade Nameless.”
Right after leaving 「Rupture」, Yu Seolha had joined Cheongheo’s Allies.
There was nowhere else for her to go, and she believed they would be the first people Jaehwan contacted once he returned.
Even if Jaehwan did return, though, the crew of the Destruction alone could not stand against 「Rupture」.
“So, did Nameless say he’d help?”
“Not yet. But I think he might if I persuade him a little more.”
“Even after you turned the audience chamber door into that?”
“I didn’t do that! I was just about to demand an explanation for it...”
Jaehwan drained his coffee in one gulp, wiped his lips, and rose from his seat. Seeing the cold look in his eyes, Yu Seolha unconsciously took a step back.
What was this? Why was she feeling intimidated right now?
“Wait here.”
Jaehwan headed toward the audience chamber.
“Wait. What exactly are you...”
“Sis, just leave it to Jaehwan-nim.”
Yu Seolha was startled by the bold World Force she sensed from Runald.
When had this guy started giving off an aura like this?
Cheongheo added, “The kid’s right. If you couldn’t do it after three months, it’s better to leave it to him.”
“No, how do you know what that bastard might...”
Jaehwan kicked open the ruined audience chamber door and strode toward Nameless’s throne.
Just as Yu Seolha was about to shout and ask what kind of disrespect this was, Jaehwan spoke in a composed voice.
“Are you Pierre?”
Nameless’s expression changed drastically.
“Who! Are you?”
Yu Seolha forgot even to speak as her mouth fell open.
She looked back and forth between Nameless and Jaehwan.
Pierre? What was that bastard talking about?
Then Nameless spoke again.
“How! Do you know my real name?”
Yu Seolha cried out.
“Pierre? What, you’re that ‘Pierre’?”
Cheongheo asked cluelessly, “Who’s Pierre?”
“Pierre, the God of Madness. Master, haven’t you read 『Hymn to the God Complex』?”
“That title doesn’t make me want to read it.”
“Master really needs to read more books... No, wait. But the book Pierre wrote didn’t have that strange way of speaking.”
While Yu Seolha and Cheongheo noisily chattered, Nameless asked Jaehwan once again.
“I asked! How you know my real name.”
“Your ‘friend’ told me.”
“Friend!”
“Mulack Armelt.”
Nameless was so shocked that he truly seemed to have forgotten how to speak for some time. After a long while, Nameless spoke in a brief, nostalgic murmur.
“You know! Mulack?”
“I have never met him, but I’m definitely the person who knows that dream demon best in the world.”
At those mysterious words, Nameless narrowed his eyes and glared at Jaehwan.
Among the Eight Divine Thrones, Nameless had no equal when it came to manipulation-type Settings. Yet neither his 「World Appraisal」 nor his 「Truth’s Eye」 could properly read the man before him.
“You who! Know Mulack. Why! Have you come to me?”
“To borrow some strength.”
“Seolha’s! Companion.”
Pierre glanced toward Yu Seolha at the audience chamber entrance and continued.
“As I! Told her, I have no intention of sharing your cause.”
“I haven’t asked you to lend it to me yet.”
“What! Does that mean?”
“First, I need to find out whether your strength is worth borrowing.”
Nameless’s eyes widened.
After some time passed, Pierre’s quiet laughter echoed through the chamber.
No, could it even be called laughter?
「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」 「Ha!」
Syllables of laughter drifted chaotically through the air. The madness contained between them brought tension to the faces of Yu Seolha and several Allies.
“Truly! An arrogant...”
Nameless could not finish his words. The immense World Force pouring from Jaehwan’s entire body swallowed his voice.
Nameless realized he had felt World Force like this long ago.
Could it be?
Old memories surfaced one after another.
“Looks like you remember now.”
Buddha. Mulack. The Naked Gods...
The massive forest of black leaves and the open-air bath.
Memories of continuing Molting with them.
The Forest of Madness.
“Great Warrior La-Hamad asked me to give you his regards.”
“La! Hamad.”
Pierre’s body trembled.
Jaehwan continued, “He also told me to ask whether you’ve been keeping up with your Molting. And...”
A serpent’s shadow swirled in Jaehwan’s left eye.
“He said that if you’ve neglected your training, I should make sure you pay the price.”
An ominous aura began to stir within the audience chamber.
The aura of Fall.
Nameless’s face changed as he shot to his feet.
A radiance similar to Jaehwan’s began to shine in Nameless’s eyes. A dazzling mass of World Force filled the entire audience chamber.
* * *
A short while later, all the Allies except Jaehwan stood at the entrance to the Seventh Site’s central palace.
“Will someone explain to me what exactly happened?”
Cheongheo stepped forward first at Yu Seolha’s question.
“Do you want the long version or the short version?”
“The short one.”
“Hmm, it’s hard to explain it briefly.”
“Then why did you ask?”
Cheongheo laughed heartily and told her the story. Naturally, it was the long version. After listening to his rambling explanation for quite some time, Yu Seolha cut him off in irritation.
“Tell me if I’ve got this right.”
Cheongheo nodded, and Yu Seolha began.
“Master is saying everyone went all the way to the Great Forest, right?”
“Right.”
“And Jaehwan met Gestalt, one of the Three Ancient Gods, there?”
“I didn’t meet Gestalt. Jaehwan did.”
“What do you mean he received power from Gestalt? And what’s this about the Three Divine Artifacts?”
“Ugh, I don’t know the details either. I heard it from that fellow Caramel.”
Yu Seolha’s expression changed.
“Caramel? You mean Karavan, Ignis’s Vicegerent?”
“Right.”
“What? When did you meet that guy too? Do you know how hard I worked searching for him?”
“He was just with Jaehwan.”
“How much of this am I supposed to believe?”
Cheongheo shrugged at Yu Seolha’s bewildered expression.
“So where is Karavan?”
“He went to the Third Site first. He said he needed to save his Site.”
“What? How could you just let him go? Someone like that would be an enormous asset! Ignis only has one Vicegerent too...”
“We agreed to meet again soon, so don’t worry too much.”
Yu Seolha pressed a hand to her forehead at Cheongheo’s carefree voice.
“Do you even know how desperate our situation is right now? Do you properly understand 「Rupture」’s strength? Four Great Lords, three commander-class fighters, two of the Eight Divine Thrones. And if you count all the gods who must have attached themselves to their side...”
“I know. It’s desperate.”
“Then why?”
“But it isn’t hopeless.”
Cheongheo smiled softly.
“There he is. If you’re curious, ask him yourself.”
The Allies all turned toward the entrance of 〈Edmund〉, the central palace. Jaehwan was calmly walking out from the fortress.
He wore the same expression he had when he first appeared at the fortress.
Yu Seolha muttered under her breath at that unreadable face.
“Yeah, damn it. He’s the only one I can trust.”
After hesitating briefly, Yu Seolha cautiously asked Jaehwan as he approached.
“Hey, what happened?”
“We fought.”
“For real?”
When a storm of World Force raged inside the audience chamber, she had considered that possibility.
A fight between Jaehwan and Nameless, one of the Eight Divine Thrones.
To Yu Seolha, the result had been obvious, but the Allies had missed an interesting sight.
They had no choice but to give up on watching because Nameless had forcibly expelled them. Nameless had used his manipulation-type Setting to throw everyone except Jaehwan outside the fortress.
They fought?
Yu Seolha carefully examined Jaehwan from head to toe. Yet she could find no signs of a fierce battle on his clothes.
As if she had read Yu Seolha’s mind, Sirwen asked, “You look awfully fine for someone who fought. You looked ready to smash everything in sight.”
“Neither of us went all out.”
“What? That’s boring. So?”
“I learned enough about his strength. He should be useful.”
“Wait, what does that mean? Nameless said he’ll help us?”
“Conditionally.”
Yu Seolha counted the number of times she had been shocked today, then clenched her teeth.
“What the hell did you do in there? I’ve been stuck here for three months trying to persuade that guy!”
“I told you. We fought.”
“And what did that accomplish? Did you beat Nameless? No matter how much your World Force has increased, Nameless...”
At that moment, a boy popped up behind Jaehwan.
The boy smiled brightly.
“What about Nameless?”
“Huh? You weren’t thrown out?”
“I don’t know why, but that god’s Setting didn’t work on me. Maybe because I’m Jaehwan-nim’s Follower. Come to think of it, everyone was outside?”
The Allies read something in Runald’s smug tone.
“Wow, it’s really a shame you all missed that scene.”
Karlton was the first to ask.
“You saw the Fortress Lord fight.”
“What, you saw it? What happened?”
“You saw that?”
Yu Seolha and Cheongheo also fired questions at him.
Runald’s nostrils flared with pride.
“Of course I did!”
“Really? What happened? Go on, tell us.”
Runald looked thoroughly pleased at those words.
Yu Seolha instinctively turned to Jaehwan.
Could it be?
Jaehwan silently stared toward the fortress’s outer border.
His eyes looked as if he were seeing some unknown sight beyond the others’ view.
Yu Seolha felt as though Jaehwan had somehow gone very far away.
“Hey, you. Did you really defeat Nameless...?”
Then Runald’s voice rang out.
“Well, Naked Jaehwan-nims appeared everywhere, and they got all tangled up while stabbing this way and that...”
“What the hell does that mean?”
Karlton and Cheongheo spoke at once.
Sirwen, who had somehow slipped into the group, pressed him as well.
“What did the Naked Jaehwans do?”
“I mean, Clothes were flying everywhere, and the Naked Jaehwan-nims thoroughly beat up that god named Nameless...!”
Yu Seolha narrowed her eyes as she watched the scene.
She could not understand a word of the nonsense they were discussing.
Clothes were flying around? What did naked people do?
Feeling strangely deflated, Yu Seolha shook her head. He must have been caught in a manipulation-type Setting and seen something absurd.
She turned back toward Jaehwan.
He was still staring at the same spot.
Yu Seolha asked, “Hey, you said Nameless agreed to help us on one condition.”
“That’s right.”
“What’s the condition?”
“That.”
“That?”
Jaehwan silently raised a finger and pointed somewhere.
Yu Seolha looked in that direction.
“What is that... Huh?”
A shiver slowly rose from her toes. Yu Seolha felt her fingertips trembling.
She had once been the commander of 「Rupture」. Even throughout the whole 《Tree of Illusion》, there were only a handful of beings who could make someone like her feel such fear.
One by one, the Allies gathered around Yu Seolha. Before long, all of them were looking in the same direction.
“Brat, will you be all right?”
They instinctively knew.
The enemies approaching from far away were not beings they could face.
They were the Vicegerents of the most powerful god in the entire 《Tree of Illusion》.
The Great Lords of the twelve zones.
“No matter how strong you’ve become, facing them now...”
Cheongheo trailed off as he watched immense World Forces approach, destroying every part of the Seventh Site’s outskirts.
Jaehwan stared in the same direction and said, “Nameless agreed to help us on the condition that I defeat them.”
Jaehwan quietly drew Dokbul.
The light of Fall within the lonely blade stained the air.
Cheongheo’s gaze grew distant as he watched that radiance.
‘Is that it? Have we already reached this point?’
Within their silent resolve, everyone understood.
So this was it. They would not run anymore.
They could not run anymore.
“Old man, it’s time to fight.”
At that moment, Cheongheo realized he had spent the past 1,200 years waiting to hear those words.
He swallowed down the tears that threatened to rise and answered.
“Yeah. Let’s give it a try.”
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion