Chapter 48 - Episode 8. The Last Romance (4)
Chapter 48: Episode 8. The Last Romance (4)
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Yoon Yong had led a small elite force into the Fortress to attempt an assassination.
It was not something Yoon Yong, the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall, would normally have attempted. Even if Gorgon Fortress’s Fortress Lord truly possessed the Combat Power of a 「Non-Adapter」, the Divine Doctor of Despair Cheongheo stood at his side. As the ninth-ranked Hall Master of Thunder God Hall, Yoon Yong was no match for them.
Still, there was a reason Yoon Yong had made such an extreme choice.
“...So Thunder God Hall was destroyed?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“As I said, a week ago.”
Cheongheo thought for a moment before continuing.
“So this is the situation.”
“...”
“Thunder God Hall happened to be destroyed, and Gorgon Fortress happened to announce that it would choose a new Fortress Lord through one-on-one matches. With nothing left to lose, you came here to claim the position.”
“That is close enough.”
“But once you got here and fought, you suffered a crushing defeat.”
“I did.”
“Your faction was destroyed, and you failed to become Fortress Lord. Now you have nowhere to go, so you want us to take you in. Is that it?”
“Yes.”
“Does this bastard have no shame at all?”
“You could see it that way, but...”
Cheongheo narrowed his eyes at the hesitant Hall Master of Thunder God Hall, then clicked his tongue.
“Why are you lying?”
“What?”
“You said Thunder God Hall was destroyed a week ago.”
“...Yes.”
“Yet no rumors have spread?”
This was not just any faction. One of the Ten Halls of Chaos had been destroyed.
The System in 《Chaos》 was less stable than in the 《Great Realm》, so messaging skills such as Messenger Hawks and Messenger Pigeons were not as effective as one might expect. Even so, a whole week was far too long to make sense.
“Even considering the distance between 「Manticore」 and 「Gorgon」, a week is excessive.”
Cayman, the South Sea Hall Master, added his thoughts as he watched. Yoon Yong kept his head lowered as he continued.
“You may not believe me, but it is true. The reason the news has not spread yet is probably because...”
He smacked his lips and barely managed to continue.
“Information has been blocked.”
“Do you honestly think that makes sense?”
Cheongheo asked, his voice thick with disbelief.
Blocking information in 《Chaos》 was not simple. It was not something one or two factions could accomplish by gathering together and deciding to block information.
If Thunder God Hall had truly been destroyed, countless Messenger Hawks would have taken to the sky at once. How could anyone possibly control all of them? Were they supposed to shoot down every Messenger Hawk one by one with a shooting skill?
“Blocking that much information would be impossible unless the Fortress itself acted. Unless it controlled the skill system and blocked messaging skills...”
Yoon Yong wore a strange expression. He looked as if he were trembling in rage, yet drowning in sorrow at the same time. It was the face of someone in agony over having to acknowledge something.
“Divine Doctor, scan me.”
“What? Why all of a sudden?”
“You will understand once you scan me.”
Cheongheo scanned Yoon Yong with an unpleasant look in his eyes. Since the scan had been performed with Yoon Yong’s consent, Cheongheo was able to learn everything, including Yoon Yong’s soul contamination level, spiritual power status, and the entirety of his skill information.
“Oh, brat from Thunder God Hall, you have some decent skills too... Hm? What is this?”
Cheongheo’s expression suddenly changed.
“Why are all your long-range messaging skills sealed?”
It was exactly as he said.
Every type of long-range messaging skill Yoon Yong possessed, including Messenger Pigeons and Messenger Hawks, was currently under a restriction.
Yoon Yong belonged to Manticore Fortress. There was only one person in the world with the authority to block the long-range messaging skills of someone affiliated with Manticore.
The Fortress Lord of Manticore.
“Is everyone in Manticore currently in the same state?”
“Yes.”
“Why? Did you commit treason against the Fortress Lord of Manticore?”
One of the Ten Halls of Chaos had been destroyed. Then the Fortress had blocked long-range messaging skills. It meant that Manticore intended to completely prevent them from receiving outside help, and to wipe out Yoon Yong’s group within Manticore.
Whatever had happened, it was already remarkable that Yoon Yong had escaped Manticore alive.
When Yoon Yong remained silent, Cheongheo asked again.
“If you are affiliated with Manticore, the first-ranked Heavenly Dragon Hall and third-ranked Black Forest Hall should be there too. Which side was it? The Fortress could not have attacked you alone.”
Cayman added, “Heavenly Dragon Hall and Black Forest Hall were not on bad terms with Thunder God Hall, were they?”
Yoon Yong did not answer easily.
Cheongheo stroked his chin and muttered, “Could it have been one of the Ten Halls from another Fortress? Hm... A faction capable of gaining the consent of the first and third ranks, while securing Manticore Fortress’s cooperation?”
“Isn’t there the second-ranked Limitless Hall?”
“Limitless Hall belongs to Gorgon Fortress. If the Azure Sky Sword had moved, I would have known.”
The situation became even more confusing.
Kang Hwang, the Hall Master of Fire King Hall, who had been quietly watching the conversation, finally shouted in frustration.
“Enough talking. Let the bastard speak! He is the only one who knows the truth, isn’t he?”
“That is true. Hurry up and tell us.”
“You frustrating bastard! Spit it out already! A Hall Master of the Ten Halls should not be dragging this out like...”
Kang Hwang snorted flames through his nostrils and pressed him again.
“Who destroyed your faction? You have to tell us before we can decide whether to help you or not. It looks to me like you came here asking us to avenge you.”
“...You have no intention of helping me anyway, so why ask?”
“What? What a hurtful thing to say. If you ask, Fire King Hall will naturally...”
“Fire King Hall alone will not be enough.”
Fire King Hall alone would not be enough?
Cayman, who had remained silent, tested the claim.
“Then what if South Sea Hall helps as well?”
“It will still not be enough.”
Even the fifth-ranked South Sea Hall and eighth-ranked Fire King Hall would not be enough. Who could their enemy possibly be?
“That is why I am trying to enter Gorgon Fortress’s service. The enemy I seek to face cannot be fought with the strength of the Ten Halls alone.”
An enemy that could not be faced with the power of the Ten Halls.
That was when Jaehwan, who had silently observed the situation, spoke for the first time.
“If Gorgon lends you its strength, can you face them?”
“I do not know.”
Even if an entire Fortress moved, it would still be difficult?
Could such an organization exist in 《Chaos》?
“Who is the enemy?”
“Will you believe me if I tell you?”
“Is this the time to worry about whether we believe you?”
Kang Hwang looked ready to breathe flames from his mouth. After hesitating for a long time, Yoon Yong finally spoke as if he had given up.
“...Geumcheon Hall.”
“What? Are you playing games with us?”
Fury filled Kang Hwang’s eyes.
“You will be held responsible for those words.”
The tenth-ranked Geumcheon Hall was the culprit. It was a claim no one could accept.
“I have heard that Geumcheon Hall has recently grown stronger. But I cannot ignore the claim that their forces are stronger than South Sea Hall and Fire King Hall combined.”
Cayman’s voice had turned cold as well.
Yoon Yong fell silent for a moment, then spoke again.
“South Sea Hall and Fire King Hall... I misspoke. Let me be precise.”
“Are you changing your words now?”
Kang Hwang had already drawn his sword. He seemed to think he had been insulted.
Yoon Yong continued.
“It is not that the fifth-ranked South Sea Hall and eighth-ranked Fire King Hall cannot defeat Geumcheon Hall. Even if the first-ranked Heavenly Dragon Hall and third-ranked Black Forest Hall joined forces, they could not defeat Geumcheon Hall.”
“You bastard!”
Unexpectedly, it was Cayman who stopped Kang Hwang’s charging sword. Even in his agitation, Cayman asked calmly.
“It sounds as though Heavenly Dragon Hall and Black Forest Hall have already fought Geumcheon Hall.”
Yoon Yong nodded meaningfully, his head trembling.
Kang Hwang’s eyes shook.
“What does that...!”
“This is exactly why I could not bring myself to say it easily. Do you still not understand? Why do you think I did not ask Heavenly Dragon Hall or Black Forest Hall for help? Why do you think I came all the way to Gorgon to tell you this?”
Yoon Yong’s eyes had turned red.
Even Kang Hwang, who had been raging, and Cayman, who had been suppressing his anger, could not hide their shock. They were the tears of a man who had lived for 207 years.
“Do not tell me Heavenly Dragon Hall and Black Forest Hall were attacked too?”
They thought it was a lie. Three factions among the Ten Halls of Chaos had been struck down overnight? Nothing like that had ever happened in the history of 《Chaos》.
“It was not just those two.”
Then Yoon Yong told them something even more unbelievable.
“Fortress 「Manticore」 was completely conquered by Geumcheon Hall a week ago.”
* * *
A boy in yellow robes sat arrogantly upon the Fortress Throne of 「Manticore」.
At his feet lay the head of the person who had been Manticore’s Fortress Lord until a week ago.
“...Those Fortress Lords have decent mental energy. I could not get the Guardian Horned Beast in the end. Damn it.”
The boy crushed Manticore’s former Fortress Lord’s head beneath his foot in irritation. The silver blood that burst out soon turned into white powder and scattered brilliantly through the air.
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong.
About thirty years ago, he had appeared in 《Chaos》 like a comet, subjugating mid- and lower-ranked clans before rising at once to the rank of Hall Master among the Ten Halls. Some said he was an Over-Adapter. Others claimed he was part of the Legendary Generation that had cleared a Master’s Tower.
Yet no one knew his true identity.
A man kneeling before him asked, “Hall Master, may I deliver my report?”
“Go ahead.”
“First, regarding Heavenly Dragon Hall and Black Forest Hall...”
“Let us hear it.”
The reporter opened a hologram panel and entered the unrest zones within the Fortress. Live combat footage began to play.
Monsters with enormous mouths and tentacles were brutally massacring the powerhouses of the Ten Halls of Chaos.
“Aaargh!”
“Save me...!”
At the edge of the panel was a chart that clearly displayed the areas where battles were ongoing, the areas where battles had ended, and the degree of losses on both sides.
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong glanced at the chart and nodded in satisfaction.
“They will all be dealt with today.”
“Leave it to us.”
“What happened to the Hall Masters?”
“The Heavenly Dragon Hall Master has been confined in the Thunder Prison with all four limbs severed. The Black Forest Hall Master is still resisting alongside their people, but...”
“Who is facing them?”
“Our Deputy Hall Master and Elders have personally stepped forward.”
“Then it will be over soon.”
“Yes.”
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong had not even done anything, yet his subordinates trembled as they bowed their heads.
“Oh, did you catch the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall?”
“About that... I am sorry.”
“So it happened after all.”
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong frowned.
There had been only one failure in the 「Manticore Seizure Plan」. They had let Yoon Yong, the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall, escape.
“I did not expect the Hall Masters to coordinate so quickly.”
As soon as Manticore’s Inner Fortress had fallen and the Fortress’s access system had been controlled, the Hall Masters had launched a joint counterattack.
The ability of the third-ranked Black Forest Hall Master had been especially impressive.
“Traitors to Chaos. Chaos will never forget this day.”
The Black Forest Hall Master had succeeded in getting Yoon Yong, the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall and the fastest movement artist in Manticore, out of the Fortress.
That had happened a week ago.
“I deserve death!”
“Forget it. Did you figure out where he fled?”
“About that... We believe he went to Gorgon.”
“Gorgon.”
This had become troublesome.
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong was already well aware of the recent news from Gorgon. A lunatic had appeared, recruiting an Abyss Expedition with the position of Fortress Lord on the line.
It was ridiculous. Who would have thought there was still someone in 《Chaos》 with such ideas?
“...I will not be able to show my face to the Lord of Darkness.”
The operation to take Manticore had been carried out with the secret support of a Lord from the twelve zones.
It was called the Chaos Unification Plan.
According to Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong’s plan, Fortress 「Gorgon」 should have fallen alongside Fortress 「Manticore」 by now.
A full twenty percent of Geumcheon Hall’s total forces had been sent to conquer Gorgon. It was somewhat less than the fifty percent sent to Manticore, but Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong had been confident in his chances.
...If the Senior Elder had not been defeated.
He had entrusted the Gorgon operation to Senior Elder Maihan.
They had laid the groundwork for Gorgon over many years, and had invested more effort there than in Manticore. Yet they had failed, all because of one man.
Was his name Jaehwan?
A man who had appeared out of nowhere and slaughtered nearly a thousand elite soldiers of Geumcheon Hall.
They said his Combat Power was comparable to, or even surpassed, that of the Divine Doctor of Despair Cheongheo. There were even stories that he had impaled every enemy to death using Stab alone. It was surely a lie, but even so, it could not be ignored.
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong summoned a hologram panel and watched the footage a subordinate had recently sent him. It showed Jaehwan killing Janya, who had become a Deadman, with Stab.
“...Come to think of it, his face looks familiar.”
At that moment, one of the Elders in charge of the Inner Fortress hurried into the meeting room.
“A message has arrived from the Lord of Darkness’s side.”
“From the Lord? What is it?”
Jerome, the Lord of Darkness, was Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong’s greatest supporter.
When the Elder tried to display the message, Im Jinhong waved a hand in annoyance.
“Summarize it.”
“The content is the same as the previous message.”
“Ah, the one asking us to find that escaped 「Product」?”
“Yes.”
“Damn it. Why are they asking us to find the Product they failed to manage? Tell them we understand for now.”
“Yes.”
The Elder bowed and withdrew.
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong tapped the armrest of his chair as he fell into thought. After some time, he spoke.
“Do you people not think it makes no sense?”
“Excuse me?”
“A 「Product」 killed the Tower’s Cultivator during the Tutorial Game, destroyed the Tower, and came out into 《Chaos》. Do you honestly think that is possible?”
“N-No, it is not!”
“Right. They have lost their minds. Something like that cannot possibly happen.”
Even after hearing their master’s words, his subordinates only exchanged nervous glances and wiped away cold sweat.
No matter how powerful their lord was, speaking so carelessly about a Lord of the Great Realm was dangerous. Even if Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong was strong, the Lords existed on an entirely different level.
“Anyway, where was I?”
“You had said that the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall escaped to Gorgon.”
“Right. Then we can leave him alone.”
“Yes? But...”
“The Hall Masters of the Ten Halls are gathering there too, so this works out well.”
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong remembered the final report Senior Elder Maihan had left behind.
It was a plan that was meant to be automatically carried out if the Gorgon Seizure Plan failed.
“We will carry out the annihilation of Gorgon.”
Senior Elder Maihan had gone silent after those final words. Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong could easily guess what Maihan had done at the end.
The horrific aura of a Deadman flowed out from Gorgon Fortress. Even from the considerable distance of Manticore Fortress, Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong could keenly feel that power.
It was Spiritual Pressure powerful enough to make even Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong tremble, despite having surpassed the dreaded eighth adaptation and standing on the verge of the ninth.
The Sole King, Catastrophe.
Although the aura of Catastrophe’s descent had quickly disappeared, the true terror of Catastrophe was not the descent itself.
Geumcheon Hall Master Im Jinhong smiled coldly.
“They will soon learn exactly why the Sole King Catastrophe is called a calamity.”
Footnotes:
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