Chapter 53 - Episode 8. The Last Romance (9)
Chapter 53: Episode 8. The Last Romance (9)
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“I promise. I will gladly hand over the position of Fortress Lord to whichever one of you defeats me first.”
The moment Jaehwan finished speaking, the reporters from 《Chaos This Month》 sprang into action.
A scoop! This was a scoop!
A fight between six powerhouses, including Hall Masters, and one Fortress Lord. A match that should have been impossible by any reasonable standard was about to unfold.
How could anyone be more wildly arrogant than this?
For the people of 《Chaos》, starved for a story, it was irresistible.
A roar louder than every cheer so far combined erupted from the stands. Even so, there were also those who voiced concern over his actions.
“That Fortress Lord is far too hasty!”
No matter how extraordinary Gorgon’s new Fortress Lord’s martial prowess was, could he really face all six quarterfinalists at once?
If someone appeared who could defeat them all alone, then 《Chaos》 would witness the birth of an unprecedented powerhouse. The appearance of such a figure would mean a tectonic shift in Chaos.
This was a chance to confirm the prowess of the Fortress Lord who had declared he would form the 「Abyss Expedition」. The people began to grow excited.
It was exactly the scene Jaehwan had intended.
There was a reason Jaehwan was putting on this troublesome show, even at the cost of provoking the Ten Hall Masters and drawing the audience’s attention.
What Jaehwan needed now was people’s trust.
And during his time leading 《Carpe Diem》 in the Tower of Nightmares, Jaehwan had picked up a bit of know-how for situations like this.
Great trust depended on the depth of a relationship, and the depth of a relationship was built through accumulated time. But what if there was no time to accumulate? How was trust supposed to be built then? In times like that, the answer was overwhelming ability.
Ordinary ability would not do.
Only “overwhelming ability.”
Power great enough to draw awe from those watching. If he could put on that kind of display, then the depth of trust lost to a lack of time could be replaced by blind anticipation.
And a fight against all the quarterfinalists was the perfect battlefield for producing exactly that kind of spectacle.
The woman with the chain-scythe, standing on one side of the stage, burst into delighted laughter.
“Ahahaha! I was wondering what this was, and wow.”
She was the woman Jaehwan had been unable to read even with 「Doubt」 earlier. At her laughter, Jaehwan naturally heightened his senses.
Until now, the only people whose level he had been unable to gauge with 「Doubt」 were powerhouses at Cheongheo’s level or above. Which meant that chain-scythe woman also had to be at least on Cheongheo’s level.
She was the one he needed to watch most carefully. Wearing a catlike smile, the chain-scythe woman continued.
“I knew something interesting was going to happen.”
The chain-scythe woman walked straight toward Jaehwan, step by step. There was not a trace of hesitation or faltering in her gait, and everyone in the audience tensed.
The woman stopped right in front of Jaehwan. It was a perilously close distance, close enough that their lips might touch if either moved any nearer.
“You really are exactly my type. It would be such a waste to kill you now.”
Jaehwan did not shove her away. He could not sense even the slightest killing intent from her.
The chain-scythe woman whispered by his ear, as though breathing sweetness against it.
“So I’ll leave it at this, for now.”
“You’re giving up?”
“Yeah.”
It was unexpected. The position of Fortress Lord was right in front of her, and the numbers were overwhelmingly in her favor, yet she was declaring that she would withdraw. Flustered, the host hurriedly grabbed a backup microphone.
“One of the quarterfinalists has suddenly declared a withdrawal! Is the position of Fortress Lord really that unappealing?”
The chain-scythe woman merely shrugged, as though the position of Fortress Lord was not all that important to her.
“I just don’t want to get dragged into something even more troublesome. And......”
Her final words could not be heard. But Jaehwan did not miss the shape of her lips.
Her lips clearly formed the following sentence.
Because “that” will appear soon.
Unfortunately, Jaehwan had no time to dwell on the woman’s words for long. With the chain-scythe woman’s declaration of withdrawal, strange movements began to ripple through the arena.
The first to move was Yoon Yong, the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall.
“Ahem. Fortress Lord, I too will withdraw at this point. Fairness aside, I do not think I have any means of standing against you at my current level.”
He had already experienced being sent spinning through the air by Jaehwan. There was no reason he would want to suffer that humiliation a second time. Besides, he had already advanced to the quarterfinals as promised, so he had already met Jaehwan’s standard for passing.
But this was not what Jaehwan wanted.
......The Hall Master of Thunder God Hall is a sly one.
Without making a miserable spectacle of himself, he had chosen a course that let him secure practical gains with only a small concession.
Even if he came under Jaehwan, he had no intention of offering up his reputation as a sacrifice.
But then a completely unexpected figure also expressed an intention to concede.
“I readily admit that my abilities do not reach even the Fortress Lord’s feet. I place deep trust in the Fortress Lord’s confidence, and I will accept defeat here.”
It was Cayman, the Hall Master of South Sea Hall, who had also been one of the quarterfinalists. The crowd began to murmur.
“That South Sea Hall Master surrendered?”
“No way.”
Among the Ten Hall Masters of Chaos, Cayman was known for his uniquely bold and righteous temperament. At the same time, it was also widely known that he was a born competitor.
And yet Cayman was admitting defeat without even fighting?
Jaehwan quietly furrowed his brow.
This is troublesome.
He had thought Yoon Yong, the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall, might do something like this, but to think even Cayman, the Hall Master of South Sea Hall, would respond this way.
Their eyes met, and Cayman gave him a quiet bow.
It does not seem like he did it for the same reason as the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall......
In Cayman’s case, unlike the Hall Master of Thunder God Hall, it felt as if Cayman was stepping back because he thought this match was unfair.
But regardless of the reason behind it, this was not the outcome Jaehwan had intended.
“Something’s weird here. Isn’t this rigged?”
Someone in the audience voiced suspicion about what was happening. It was exactly the situation Jaehwan had been worried about. But for the audience, who did not know that Yoon Yong and Cayman had already fought Jaehwan before, it was a natural reaction.
After three people declared surrender in succession, only three remained. The Hall Master of Goddess Hall, the Deputy Hall Master, and the woman in night-traveling clothes who had defeated Kang Hwang.
Jaehwan thought, At this rate, even if I make those three submit, it still will not make for a satisfying picture.
Then what now......?
“That’s unfortunate, Fortress Lord. Things did not unfold the way you hoped.”
The one who spoke with a faintly mocking edge was Ja Geukryeong, the Hall Master of Goddess Hall. Jaehwan shrugged and said,
“Well, if nothing else, the three of you can come at me.”
“......You truly do take arrogance to the extreme. It seems the others stepped aside out of consideration for your dignity as Fortress Lord.”
Ja Geukryeong’s voice carried a faint note of anger.
[Hall Master, let’s use this chance to show him his place.]
The Deputy Hall Master of Goddess Hall, dressed in violet robes, sent a Push. She had disliked this situation from the beginning.
[No matter how strong he is, there’s no way he can approve us.]
As a sixth-stage Adapter, the Deputy Hall Master lacked the eye to properly judge Jaehwan’s strength. But perhaps even if she had possessed the right eye for it, she would still have reacted exactly the same way now.
[Restrain yourself, Deputy Hall Master.]
Ja Geukryeong, the Hall Master of Goddess Hall, shook her head.
[You know it too, don’t you? We did not come here to fight the Fortress Lord in the first place.]
[That may be true, but......]
Jaehwan, overhearing the exchange, took on an interested expression. 「Doubt」 really was useful at times like this.
They had not come here to fight.
Then what was their objective?
Then the Hall Master of Goddess Hall began speaking to the woman in night-traveling clothes who had defeated Kang Hwang. From the sound of it, they seemed to have spoken beforehand.
[What will you do, Commander Hye-yeong?]
[I think I’ll watch a little longer.]
The woman in night-traveling clothes called Hye-yeong replied.
The Hall Master of Goddess Hall asked again.
[Who could be behind the Geumcheon Hall Master for the Lord of Steel to have made a move?]
[As I believe I told you before, I cannot tell you that much. Hall Master, do not try to involve yourself too deeply in this matter. You need only carry out the task we asked of you.]
A voice that felt disciplined even in stillness.
The Hall Master of Goddess Hall answered, sounding slightly wounded in her pride.
[......All right. What is it that I must do?]
[We want to know the Fortress Lord’s character.]
Character? It was far too vague a word. What could even be defined as character in the first place? A person’s flexibility? Their way of thinking? The way they treated others? The ideas or ambitions they held? Once one started listing them, it became a word so broad it had no end.
Yet the Hall Master of Goddess Hall instantly pierced through the intent at the core of that broadness.
[You mean to judge how useful he is as a game piece.]
[The Lord will never take the Hall Master of Goddess Hall’s help lightly.]
[And if the Fortress Lord of Gorgon is not someone who meets your conditions, what do you plan to do then?]
Silence followed for a moment.
Commander Hye-yeong seemed to think something over again and again, then looked at the Hall Master of Goddess Hall and spoke.
[Then we would have to choose someone new. I trust in your wisdom, Hall Master.]
It was a clear and composed voice, as if she had read the Hall Master of Goddess Hall’s thoughts hidden behind the veil. The Hall Master of Goddess Hall nodded.
[Understood.]
The Push ended, and the three women, including the Hall Master of Goddess Hall, turned to look toward Jaehwan. Jaehwan looked back at them. The first to speak was Ja Geukryeong.
“Fortress Lord of Gorgon, we have no intention of fighting you.”
“Is this a declaration of surrender?”
“I think that expression is incorrect. Having no intention of fighting and waving a white flag are two different things.”
“What do you mean?”
“You said this before, Fortress Lord. ‘Anyone who loses to me in a one-on-one fight must become a member of the 「Abyss Expedition」.’”
Something about this felt familiar. Jaehwan asked in a slightly irritated tone.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to pick at the phrase ‘one-on-one fight’ the way the Hall Master of Scholar Forest Hall did. Are you saying you want to settle this through something other than a Combat Power contest?”
“No, that is not what I’m trying to say.”
“Then what?”
Jaehwan could sense the Hall Master of Goddess Hall smiling quietly behind her veil.
“We will not lose to you.”
“What do you mean?”
She had not said, “We have not lost.” She had said, “We will not lose.”
It was not a dry present-tense statement, but words that carried a clear will toward the future.
The Hall Master of Goddess Hall continued in an unhurried voice.
“We are saying that we will voluntarily join the 「Abyss Expedition」 now.”
* * *
At that same time, a Messenger Hawk arrived at the office in Gorgon Inner Keep. A Messenger Hawk with a large body and splendid feathers. When no one came to receive the message for some time, the Messenger Hawk let out a harsh cry.
“Who, in the middle of all this......? Hm?”
The moment Yulhen saw the Messenger Hawk’s feathers, Yulhen’s face changed. Blue Messenger Hawks were used only for urgent news where every second counted.
[Fortress Lord of Dryad, Aisa Lindcroft]
The Messenger Hawk had come from the Fortress Lord of the southern fortress.
A moment later, Yulhen exclaimed, “Good heavens.”
Yulhen’s hand trembled ominously as Yulhen read the contents of the message. Yulhen’s startled gaze turned toward the window. Gorgon’s southern sky came into view.
Dark clouds hung across the heavens.
It could not yet be seen or touched, but something was approaching at a speed that was all too clear and certain.
An evil vast enough to exterminate an entire world.
The Legion of Despair born from 《Chaos》 was surging toward Gorgon Fortress.
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