Chapter 62 - Episode 9. Three Fortresses Meeting (7)
Chapter 62: Episode 9. Three Fortresses Meeting (7)
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Dryad’s Fortress Lord, Aisa Lindcroft, watched the situation in the training ground with a stiff expression. Truthfully, she did not like how things had turned out.
...Was this really the right choice?
Aisa exchanged a glance with the woman who had entered alongside the handsome middle-aged man. The woman was an envoy from the 《Great Realm》 who had visited Aisa not long ago.
“The Fortress Lord of Gorgon is more dangerous than even the Geumcheon Hall Master. He intends to use the Abyss Expedition to unite Chaos.”
The woman’s name was Hye-yeong. She was an Adapter under the Lord of Steel, the Lord of the Fifth Zone in the 《Great Realm》.
“The Lord has designated him a Threat Point.”
A Threat Point.
A brand placed upon those who sought to change 《Chaos》.
Whenever Threat Points appeared, signs of hope emerged in 《Chaos》. Yet Aisa Lindcroft, who had lived for 970 years, knew well that such signs always led straight to despair.
“If he is not removed, a bloody storm will sweep through Chaos.”
It had been the same 900 years ago, when Mulack had been designated a first-grade Threat Point. Aisa had never once forgotten the souls of Chaos who had died at the hands of the Lords and Great Families back then.
...I cannot let that tragedy repeat itself.
Yulhen’s expression changed by the second while watching the two exchange looks.
To think the Lord of Steel was behind this meeting.
Even Fortress Lords would never dare act so rudely toward Gorgon, where the Ten Hall Masters were gathered.
Yulhen looked at the woman coordinating signals with Aisa Lindcroft, Dryad’s Fortress Lord.
The woman named Hye-yeong, who had participated in the tournament.
Yulhen recognized Hye-yeong.
The moment the tournament ended, Hye-yeong had made an offer to Gorgon Fortress. The offer itself had not been bad. She had said she would help the Abyss Expedition defeat Geumcheon Hall from behind the scenes.
But Jaehwan had refused.
“Chaos does not need the Lords’ help.”
Perhaps the refusal had offended her, because Hye-yeong left Gorgon immediately. It seemed that Dryad Fortress had been where she went afterward.
Once Jaehwan rejected the offer, the Lord of Steel immediately changed targets and formed a new force. That was the full story behind the Three Fortresses Meeting that had erupted today.
“It has been a long time, Limitless Hall Master.”
The handsome middle-aged man spoke.
“Are you not even going to greet an old friend after so long?”
“Bang Cheonil.”
Shin Mugeuk knew the man before him well.
At the center of a training ground filled with seventh-stage and eighth-stage Adapters stood a handsome middle-aged man, proudly radiating Spiritual Pressure without pause. He was one of the Lords who had blocked Shin Mugeuk and Cheongheo at the entrance of the 《Abyss》 900 years ago.
《Chaos》’s sworn enemy, who had slaughtered countless souls and stolen the Fruit.
Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord.
That was what those of the 《Great Realm》 called him.
Shin Mugeuk’s sword slid from its sheath.
“You have some nerve returning to 《Chaos》.”
“Do you still hold a grudge over what happened back then?”
Bang Cheonil clicked his tongue as though he pitied him.
“It was 900 years ago. Do not be so petty when we both came from the same martial world.”
Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord, had come from the same martial world as Shin Mugeuk, the Limitless Hall Master, and Cheongheo, the Divine Doctor of Despair.
He was one of the 《Great Realm》’ absolute powerhouses. Along with his Companions, he had cleared Moby-Dick, the Master’s Tower, then surpassed the Ninth Adaptation Stage and obtained the stature of a Lord.
“The same martial world?”
Shin Mugeuk’s voice burned harshly.
“You betrayed the martial world. How dare you say that?”
“Huh Yu forgave me easily enough, but you are different.”
At the mention of Huh Yu, Shin Mugeuk’s face twisted.
“You bastard, do not tell me you joined the Lord of Steel?”
“Yes.”
“...Huh Yu has really gone soft. To think he took in trash like you.”
“Haha. Our Lord cannot resist anyone from the same martial world.”
Bang Cheonil continued with a sly smile.
“The Lord misses you greatly, my friend.”
“Friend?”
At that moment, Shin Mugeuk moved.
“I have never had a friend like you.”
With a sharp whistle, Shin Mugeuk’s sword flew toward Bang Cheonil’s heart.
“Mugeuk, you cannot defeat me. You know that.”
“Shut up!”
Shin Mugeuk’s sword was effortlessly stopped by Bang Cheonil’s palm.
Each Adaptation Stage carried a vast gap, but there was one transition more overwhelming than all the others.
The transition from the Eighth Adaptation Stage to the Ninth Adaptation Stage.
There was a reason only ninth-stage Adapters could obtain the stature of a Lord.
They were not quite equal to the Infinite Circuit possessed by tenth-stage Adapters, but ninth-stage Adapters possessed spiritual power circuits comparable to it. Their power was on another level from that of lower-stage Adapters.
It was power beyond the heavens.
The Ninth Adaptation Stage corresponded exactly to the rank of Lieutenant General among the Lords of the twelve zones.
“Haaah!”
Shin Mugeuk had been unable to defeat Bang Cheonil 900 years ago either.
Bang Cheonil, recruited by the 《Palace of Rebirth》, had taken the Fruit from him and cost him precious friends. Shin Mugeuk had gritted his teeth and trained all this time to repay the humiliation of 900 years ago, yet he had still failed to cross the wall of the Ninth Adaptation Stage.
Even so, Shin Mugeuk could not retreat.
Could he give up just because it was a battle he could not win?
He had lived without kneeling before those distant 900 years, that resentment, and that despair. He had swung his sword without end and mastered skills without end.
And today had come.
Dozens of exchanges occurred in an instant.
Shin Mugeuk’s Azure Sky Sword Form, polished to the peak of mastery, was slowly being pushed back by Bang Cheonil’s palm, coated in white spiritual power.
Unlike Shin Mugeuk, whose breathing grew ragged as his mental strength drained away, Bang Cheonil casually deflected every attack. He looked completely relaxed.
It was obvious how the battle would end if this continued. The Hall Masters let out pained groans.
To think even the mighty Limitless Hall Master could not defeat him.
At some point, apparently deciding he could not continue like this, the Limitless Hall Master’s sword form changed. Shin Mugeuk’s Azure Sky Sword Form tore through the air and rushed toward Bang Cheonil.
Azure Sky Sword Form
Secret Art
Heaven-Breaking Form
It was a blow containing 900 years.
The final technique of Azure Sky Sword Form, the Heaven-Breaking Form, was the strongest skill Shin Mugeuk possessed.
Heaven-Breaking Form, the ultimate skill with enough force to shatter the sky.
Yet it broke apart helplessly at a gesture from Bang Cheonil.
The immense palm force produced through his spiritual power circuit did not merely erase the sword force of Heaven-Breaking Form. It swept up even the Hall Masters around the training ground.
“Kuaaah!”
A moment later, the Limitless Hall Master barely remained standing at the center of the training ground, his entire body in tatters.
The Hall Masters struck by the aftershock slowly rose one after another. Darkness filled the eyes of those who had been so confident moments ago.
Was this the power of a Lord?
Their opponent was not a Great Lord who ruled the twelve zones. He was not even a General directly beneath a Great Lord, nor a Warlord below that.
Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord, was a Lieutenant General, the lowest rank among the three commander ranks.
Yet a Lieutenant General possessed this much power.
This was the enemy they had to face.
Yulhen’s shoulders trembled.
It did not seem that even the Fortress Lord could defeat that man. The lingering impact of the Path of the Wave remained deep in Yulhen’s heart, but the fear inspired by the opponent before them was overwhelming.
How could they dream of an Abyss Expedition when they could not even defeat Bang Cheonil?
“You cannot win.”
The resolve that had swelled within them for a moment was brutally trampled beneath Bang Cheonil’s words.
He looked at the other Hall Masters and continued.
“Give up your futile hopes. Have you not already risen high enough in 《Chaos》? Do not covet a sky you cannot reach, unless you wish for soul extinction.”
Shin Mugeuk, barely supporting himself with his sword, staggered and fell to his knees.
It felt as though the entire world had fallen to its knees.
Was this really the end? Were their two grueling years worth only this much?
That was when the main gates of the training ground swung wide open.
A strange wave of energy swept through the area, and a few Hall Masters turned around without realizing it.
A shabby-looking man had opened the gates and was walking toward the center of the training ground.
Bang Cheonil narrowed his eyes at the sight and asked Hye-yeong, “...Is that man the Fortress Lord?”
“N-no. He is...”
The man helped the fallen Hall Masters and Horn Lords to their feet one by one, then spoke in a low voice.
“I am sorry I was late.”
“South Sea Hall Master.”
Yulhen’s expression brightened after being helped up.
The man who had entered through the training ground gates was none other than Cayman, the South Sea Hall Master.
“Th-the Fortress Lord?”
“The Fortress Lord has something to attend to and will be late.”
Yulhen’s expression darkened.
Something to attend to? What could possibly be so important?
The Abyss Expedition might be finished before it could even depart. Everything they had planned for weeks was about to collapse. What could matter more than this?
Cayman quietly watched Yulhen’s eyes, then smiled faintly and patted Yulhen’s shoulder.
“It is all right, Chief Internal Administrator.”
Yulhen felt the warmth of Cayman’s hand resting on one shoulder and was suddenly filled with a strange feeling.
That warmth resembled Jaehwan’s.
Confusion filled Yulhen’s eyes.
‘...Is this truly the South Sea Hall Master I know?’
Cayman, whom Yulhen had met again after a week, had become a completely different person in every sense of the phrase. What kind of training had he undergone for the once merely bold Cayman to carry such an air?
Cayman immediately walked to the center of the training ground and helped up the fallen Limitless Hall Master.
“...Cayman.”
“Please step back. I will face him now.”
“He is not someone you can face.”
“Elder Mugeuk.”
His voice was gentle but firm.
At the power behind it, Shin Mugeuk’s eyes widened.
“Cayman, do not tell me...”
The Hall Masters hurried over, supported the Limitless Hall Master, and retreated to the edge of the training ground.
Once the area was cleared, Cayman, the South Sea Hall Master, addressed the handsome middle-aged man before him.
“It has been a long time, Jade-Faced Lord.”
“You look strangely familiar.”
“I believe this is our first meeting since 900 years ago.”
“900 years ago? Hmm... Ah, perhaps.”
Bang Cheonil seemed to recall something.
“Are you that brat from back then?”
He laughed as though delighted.
“The one who could not join the Abyss Expedition because he was too weak. Am I right?”
“That did happen.”
Cayman’s expression did not change at Bang Cheonil’s insult.
A strange light flashed through Bang Cheonil’s eyes. He gradually increased the Spiritual Pressure flowing from his entire body as he asked, “You dare stand before me, so it seems you have gained some strength since then.”
“I have worked hard.”
“The Spiritual Pressure I feel from you is rather pathetic.”
“You will know once we fight.”
The answer was calm yet proud, much like Jaehwan’s own.
Bang Cheonil’s expression hardened.
“Fine. Come at me, then!”
Cayman moved as Bang Cheonil’s palm technique came flying at him.
He was so fast that the other Hall Masters could not even see him.
“Not bad.”
Perhaps surprised that Cayman had dodged his blow, Bang Cheonil began launching a fierce barrage.
The skill Bang Cheonil used was Abyss Rending, a transcendent-grade skill that surpassed even top-grade skills. It was a secret technique ranked last among the Ten Great Palm Techniques of the 《Great Realm》.
It was an ultimate technique capable of tearing every living creature in two.
It was not something Cayman could ever block with South Sea Thirty-Six Swords, a top-grade skill.
Everyone knew it, and the training ground filled with tension.
Shin Mugeuk shouted urgently.
“Cayman! Dodge!”
It was already too late to dodge.
“It is over.”
The moment Bang Cheonil’s black hand reached for Cayman’s body, Cayman’s sword tip moved strangely.
Bang Cheonil’s eyebrows twitched.
Stab?
It was the stance of Stab.
The next instant, Cayman’s Stab collided head-on with the grasp of Abyss Rending.
A faint groan came from the heart of the explosion.
Then an astonishing result unfolded.
When the blast cleared, Cayman had taken one step back.
But Bang Cheonil had taken three.
Bang Cheonil shook his hand as though his palm had gone numb.
“...What kind of skill was that?”
“Forceful Stab.”
Cayman even kindly explained the technique.
“It is stronger than Normal Stab and weaker than Hard Stab. I made it this time.”
“Are you playing games with me?”
A simple Stab had this much power?
That could not be true. There was no way a simple motion that was not even a skill could contain such power...
Then something flashed through Bang Cheonil’s mind.
“You bastard, are you an Awakened One?”
The Hall Masters’ faces brightened at those words.
“So that is it. The South Sea Hall Master has finally...!”
Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord, spoke again.
“I heard the Fortress Lord was an Awakened One, but I did not know there was another.”
“You should fight with everything you have.”
“What?”
“Otherwise, I will kill you.”
Bang Cheonil’s face turned red.
“Kill me? You dare?”
Cayman nodded once more.
“You will die here.”
Spiritual Pressure exploded from Bang Cheonil’s entire body.
It was such immense Spiritual Pressure that even the combined spiritual power of everyone present would not have been enough to match it. A few among the crowd could not endure the pressure and fell to their knees without realizing it.
“With such pathetic strength, you dare say you will defeat me?”
The ninth-stage Adapter’s spiritual power circuit spun to its limit, producing a massive amount of spiritual power.
He was unleashing Heaven Rending, the secret art of the transcendent-grade skill Abyss Rending.
It was the essence of a palm technique that could tear everything within fifty meters ahead into dust.
Even Cayman staggered for a moment beneath that immense Spiritual Pressure.
A trace of unease passed through Cayman’s mind.
Can I do it?
His ambition was bold, but Cayman’s inner self was still unstable.
After becoming an Awakened One, he did not feel calmer. Instead, something like uncertain heat boiled inside him.
It was the heart of a child.
The moment Cayman escaped the world of numbers and data and gained the power of Awakening, he felt as though he had become an innocent child. The confidence that he could do anything and the hopelessness that he could do nothing surged through him at the same time.
Had the Fortress Lord always lived with this feeling?
Cayman knew how to overcome the unease.
It was the method Jaehwan had taught him.
Before the approaching hand of spiritual power, he slowly closed his eyes.
Humans could not exist without a world.
Those who escaped the world of numbers and data would wither away like trees unable to put down roots. That was why some who became Awakened Ones suddenly chose death.
But those who overcame that impulse and finally surpassed third-stage Awakening gained their own world to stand against the world of adaptation, the world of the System.
That was a Unique World.
When Cayman opened his eyes again, he knew that he stood at the center of a vast sea.
The scenery of the Great Sea Zone, where he had lived for 900 years.
This world was Great Sea World, the Unique World he had obtained after surpassing third-stage Awakening.
“What is this...?”
Bang Cheonil’s lips parted as he was momentarily overwhelmed by the enormous waves surging all around him.
Ferocious waves swirled around Cayman’s sword tip, then a monstrous tsunami rose to an unfathomable height and crashed down upon Bang Cheonil.
“You think such a cheap trick can...!”
The moment Abyss Rending collided with the wave-shaped sword strike, Bang Cheonil took a heavy blow and coughed up silver light.
Spiritual power was wrapped around those intangible waves.
“Urgh! Where are you? Where are you hiding?”
In a panic, Bang Cheonil unleashed palm strikes in every direction.
The next moment, a dazzling flash flew from between the scattered waves.
Hard Stab, the strongest large-scale combat skill Jaehwan had passed down, shone from Cayman’s sword tip.
Goooooo.
The technique was still unfamiliar to Cayman, and he had to endure the sudden dizziness that swept over him.
One more time.
Drawing upon the endless spiritual power around him, Cayman unleashed Hard Stab once more through the spinning world around him.
The waves burst apart, revealing Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord, being reduced to rags.
“Attend the Three Fortresses Meeting alone.”
“But there may be a powerhouse I cannot face.”
“Believe in yourself, Cayman.”
As he unleashed Stab after Stab, Cayman sank into a state of complete selflessness.
It was an intoxicating, sweet experience.
“Kuaaah!”
The Lieutenant General-class Lord, once so powerful, was collapsing before his eyes.
Then another person appeared through the waves.
It was Ja Geukryeong, the Goddess Hall Master.
Hidden weapons poured from her sleeves and flew toward Cayman. Cayman avoided them with light steps, then his expression hardened.
“The Fortress Lord told me as much. He said it would soon be time for you to start having other ideas.”
Ja Geukryeong, the Goddess Hall Master, flared up and shouted, “No matter how much stronger you have become, you cannot face us with only two years of time...”
“Two years?”
Cayman smiled quietly.
“W-what is so funny?”
Cayman did not answer.
Bang Cheonil, who had yet to fall, was once again using Abyss Rending with all his power.
The huge waves parted, and palm force more than ten meters wide rushed toward him.
His final conversation with Jaehwan passed through his mind.
“The time you trained exceeds that of the other Hall Masters by a hundredfold.”
“What?”
“You performed Stab for 200 years.”
Cayman looked at that enormous palm and extended his sword.
It was not because he trusted his sword.
It was not because he trusted his own effort.
He trusted the Fortress Lord, Jaehwan.
“You can win.”
Cayman stabbed forward with his sword with all his strength.
Spiral Kill.
The peerless technique created by Jaehwan and Cheongheo, then named by Cayman, unfolded from his sword tip.
Spiral Kill contained both the form of Stab and the subtlety of a slash. It crushed the palms of Abyss Rending, then brutally pulverized the entire body of Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord.
A thunderous roar erupted, as though the entire training ground were collapsing.
Everyone covered their ears and groaned.
How much time passed after that?
When all the smoke in the training ground finally cleared, not even a single groan could be heard.
Ah...
The mighty Lieutenant General, Bang Cheonil, Jade-Faced Lord, who had obtained the stature of a Lord, had fallen.
The subordinate of a Lord whom no one in Chaos could defeat, whom even all Ten Hall Masters together could not overcome, was being ground to pieces and scattering away as silver dust.
They had won.
The opponent they had believed they could never defeat, the enemy they had thought they could never overcome, had fallen to his knees before them.
Yoon Yong, the Thunder God Hall Master, wiped his eyes. Kang Hwang, the Hall Master of Fire King Hall, cleared his throat and turned away. Jegal Myeong wore an expression of pure joy.
Even the composed Shin Mugeuk’s eyes had reddened.
The first step toward Chaos’s long-held wish had just been taken before their eyes.
Watching the scene, Cayman understood why the Fortress Lord had not come himself and had sent Cayman in his place.
Until now, the Abyss Expedition had depended too heavily on Jaehwan alone.
That could no longer continue.
From now on, 《Chaos》 had to stand on its own.
On that day, 《Chaos》 won its first victory over the Lords of the 《Great Realm》 through its own strength.
Footnotes:
Chapter discussion