Chapter 92 - Episode 13. Catastrophe (6)
Chapter 92: Episode 13. Catastrophe (6)
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One hundred Lords.
That was an absurd number of troops to deploy just to capture a single Product. A hundred Lords were enough to start a war between regions even in 《Great Realm》. This was not a skirmish or a localized conflict, but a force capable of waging all-out war.
Black Shadow Strategist Samyeong Hun smiled bitterly.
This upheaval would soon turn 《Great Realm》 upside down. Perhaps this change had been foretold from the moment the Narrow Gate was destroyed.
Jaehwan, was it? You have no idea what you've done.
The destruction of 《Palace of Rebirth》 was that significant an event. It was fortunate that the current Palace of Rebirth Lord had belonged to the Ninth Zone. If a Lord from another zone had held the position, things would have grown far worse.
The dead would no longer return to life.
It meant they could no longer wage wars of attrition as freely as before. The value of a life had changed.
The stockpile of Fruits had been running low anyway. This might have been for the best.
Black Shadow Strategist Samyeong Hun surveyed the battlefield, where victory was steadily tipping in their favor. Members of the Abyss Expedition lay scattered everywhere.
There were Awakened Ones who had barely managed to survive as well. The Lords following Samyeong Hun's orders had deliberately avoided finishing them off. They would make valuable Sacrifices, so it would be a problem if they died so easily.
"Black Shadow Strategist. How long do you plan to enjoy this diversion? Shouldn't we be storming the factory by now?"
"I am in charge of this operation. Watch for now."
"I know, but watching from the sidelines is making me itch."
The one who spoke was a General from the Nokmyeong Great Family, an exceptional General who had reached the thirteenth Adaptation Stage.
He was Poison King Lord Nokmyeong Chundo, the Nokmyeong Great Family's second General.
Of all things, even those Nokmyeong insect bastards had come.
The Nokmyeong Great Family was a clan that produced green insects within their bodies, using them for both battle and production.
In truth, many of the Lords participating in this war against Chaos did not belong to Darkness's Ninth Zone. Of the hundred Lords, exactly fifty belonged to Darkness.
The other fifty had been dispatched from other zones and Great Families.
Twenty from the Samyeong Great Family.
Twenty from the Nokmyeong Great Family.
And ten from the Seventh Zone.
The moment Samyeong Hun summoned the Generals, those three groups contacted him almost at once.
It was only natural for the Samyeong Great Family, since Samyeong Hun had personally asked them. The other two were unexpected.
The Nokmyeong Great Family, one of the Five Great Families.
And the Seventh Zone, led by the Immortal Lord.
There had likely been a spy within the Ninth Zone, or they had their own source of information.
They had sent messages offering troops to annihilate the Abyss Expedition, each with their own justification.
The Nokmyeong side had sent the following message.
"That Awakened One killed members of our clan."
Several members of the Nokmyeong Great Family household sent to 《Chaos》 a few months ago had reportedly been killed by an unidentified man. After tracing the footage, they discovered that the man who killed them was, astonishingly, the same Product Samyeong Hun was pursuing.
What rotten luck, making enemies of the Nokmyeong.
No one in 《Great Realm》 dared to provoke the Nokmyeong Lords carelessly. They used all manner of bizarre arts and poison, and never hesitated to resort to dirty tricks for the sake of victory.
The Nokmyeong were one thing. The problem was the Seventh Zone.
Samyeong Hun clicked his tongue as he looked toward the left side of the battlefield.
The Nokmyeong had a blood debt involved, so their participation could not be helped. The Seventh Zone, though, left him deeply uneasy.
[The Seventh Zone may be quick to catch on, but they do not seem to fully understand the situation.]
Freezing Lord Vargas, who was guarding him nearby, sent the Push. Samyeong Hun nodded in agreement.
There were ten Lords dispatched from the Seventh Zone, three Warlord-class Lords and seven Lieutenant General-class Lords.
Their leader was Nishimoto, known by the nickname White Cat Lord. In the Immortal Lord's Seventh Zone, Nishimoto was considered the foremost Warlord.
Judging by Nishimoto’s Spiritual Pressure, Nishimoto seemed to possess strength comparable to Dark Fragrance Lord Samyeong Garam.
"I heard about 《Palace of Rebirth》. Shouldn't this be settled before the Lords of other zones learn of it? We were thinking of lending our support."
They called it support, but it was practically a threat.
Until 《Palace of Rebirth》 was destroyed, Darkness's Ninth Zone had been responsible for managing it. If word of 《Palace of Rebirth》's destruction reached 《Great Realm》, the one who would face condemnation in the end would be Jerome, the Lord of Darkness.
The Lords of the other zones could not learn about 《Palace of Rebirth》 yet.
That was why Black Shadow Strategist Samyeong Hun made his decision quickly.
Bring in the Seventh Zone, the Nokmyeong, and the Samyeong Great Family.
Keep it an absolute secret from the other zones.
Things had gone awry, but there was still an opportunity.
The plan to conquer Chaos had fallen apart with the downfall of the Nether Ghost Envoys and Geumcheon Hall, but Samyeong Hun sensed that this could become the foundation of a far greater plan.
When he first pursued the Product, he had never imagined things would grow this large. Yet that bastard had become someone capable of deciding the fate of the Ninth Zone.
[Vargas. Focus on capturing the one called Jaehwan. We must also seize the tower of Awakened Ones he created before the other zones do.]
[Understood.]
An Awakened One who had achieved Creation, and a tower capable of mass-producing such Awakened Ones.
Its value was immense. It might even become a revolutionary event that completely changed the Ninth Zone's standing in 《Great Realm》.
[Samyeong Hun. It is true that you have spare Fruits, correct?]
The one who sent the Push was Blade Wind Lord Samyeong Yuha, the Samyeong Great Family's fourth General. Samyeong Yuha was one of the five Generals Samyeong Hun had brought, as well as his direct blood relative.
After cutting down several Awakened Ones in a single stroke, she was sharpening the blade of her unique weapon, Blade Wind. In a one-on-one fight, even Samyeong Hun would struggle to handle Blade Wind Lord Samyeong Yuha.
Samyeong Hun grinned and sent a Push.
[Of course, Sister.]
[Because of you, I had to taste "death" for the first time in three thousand years. I do not know how many Fruits there are, but you must hand over some of the remaining Fruits to the Samyeong Great Family. Do not forget. Before you are a strategist of the Ninth Zone, you are the eldest young master of the Samyeong Great Family.]
[I know.]
Samyeong Hun inwardly sneered at that petty logic of division. She claimed to have come to avenge Samyeong Garam, but there was no way that was all she wanted.
Fruits. Fruits, was it?
The reason Lords from other zones and Great Families could throw themselves into this battlefield without hesitation was the spare Fruits Samyeong Hun supposedly possessed.
Before this operation began, Samyeong Hun had informed the Lords that he had hidden spare Fruits in advance. He had said those Fruits would be supplied free of charge to every Lord participating in the operation.
It was a lie.
Hidden Fruits? There was no such thing.
Samyeong Hun did not care.
If they did not exist, he only had to obtain them now.
Obtain Fruits? How?
It was nonsense by ordinary standards.
There was only one place within 《Tree of Illusion》 where Fruits could be obtained.
《Abyss》.
People said this.
If you wanted a Fruit, go to the summit of 《Tree of Illusion》, to the end of 《Abyss》. Only there could Fruits be obtained.
It was true. But that did not mean one had to reach the very end of 《Abyss》 to obtain a Fruit.
Black Shadow Strategist Samyeong Hun and a select few Lords knew this.
《Abyss》 was ruled by gods. Among them were gods who could obtain Fruits that were difficult to acquire here.
The beings nestled at the highest point of 《Tree of Illusion》, the supreme gods known as the Seven Divine Thrones.
They always possessed Fruits in quantities comparable to those Mulack had once obtained.
The issue was that those gods were as strong as the Lords of the twelve zones, if not stronger. Their personalities were difficult and vicious as well. They were Transcendents that even Generals could not face head-on.
Those were the highest-ranking gods of 《Abyss》.
What was the only thing one could do when there was something one wanted but could not take by force?
Right.
Make a deal.
Ordinarily, dealing with gods would have been impossible. The gods already held the greatest power in 《Abyss》. Why would they lack anything enough to trade with Lords of the land?
Yet there was one thing those gods coveted.
"How pitiful, foolish soul."
Samyeong Hun laughed as he gripped the head of an Awakened One who had collapsed while spewing silver light.
The one thing the gods of 《Abyss》 desired.
It was a powerful Vicegerent.
Why else would gods so full of pride personally deal with Cultivators to procure Products?
A Vicegerent capable of accepting their world without restraint.
The gods had always yearned for such Vicegerents.
It was even better if the Vicegerent possessed outstanding talent while not being overly adapted to the System. Vicegerents with no resistance to accepting a new world.
Only Awakened Ones could be like that.
Until now, Awakened Ones had been extremely rare. No one knew the principles or conditions behind their emergence.
That was no longer the case.
"All of Chaos has become an excellent Tower of Nightmares."
Mass-produce Awakened Ones and trade them exclusively for Fruits.
With the Fruits accumulated that way, build a new 《Palace of Rebirth》.
The construction of a new Palace of Rebirth.
That was Black Shadow Strategist Samyeong Hun's true objective.
The Ninth Zone would become the only zone in 《Great Realm》 to possess Lords who did not fear death.
A monopoly on Fruits would change Lords who had once been enemies. Dead Lords would surrender to the Ninth Zone to reclaim their lives.
《Great Realm》 would now be ruled by Darkness's Ninth Zone.
"It is time to wrap this up."
The expedition clustered around the middle-aged figure at the front was putting up a respectable resistance. Though most of their people had become unable to fight, they were still stubbornly holding on.
One Awakened One stood out among them.
Was his name Cayman?
The man had yet to fall despite facing the combined assault of countless Lieutenant Generals. Another Warlord had joined the attack, yet he continued to struggle desperately.
Black Shadow Strategist Samyeong Hun watched him, then picked up a sword lying nearby.
One step, then another.
With every step Samyeong Hun took, the surrounding Lords parted like waves. The Lieutenant Generals shouting as they spewed spiritual power, and the Warlords pushing the expedition back as if enjoying a game, all retreated.
Then a sword cleaved through the air.
One slash.
That single slash silenced every expedition member who had been charging forward like mad.
A moment of stillness.
At the end of it, groans wrenched from their throats rang out.
"Ghk, ghaaaah!"
Thunder God Hall Master Yoon Yong rolled on the ground after losing both eyes.
Fire King Hall Hall Master Kang Hwang groaned through the pain after having one arm severed.
Limitless Hall Master Shin Mugeuk lay collapsed after losing his right leg.
Yulhen knelt while clutching their side.
After glancing over them, Samyeong Hun's eyes finally landed on Sirwen. She trembled as if she had been electrocuted.
"There is even a foolish dream demon wench here."
A dream demon who had betrayed Darkness for personal gain. Dream demons were a rare species and protected by a nonaggression pact, but this time, he could not simply let it go.
Powerful spiritual power gathered at Samyeong Hun's fingertips. Just as it was about to strike Sirwen, Cayman stepped in front of Samyeong Hun.
"Oh...?"
Cayman's sword had already broken. Silver light constantly flowed from the wounds covering his body. It was a miracle that he could even stand.
Yet his eyes still blazed.
"Impressive resolve. I like souls like yours."
Samyeong Hun slowly approached Cayman. Cayman's legs trembled. With every step that closed the distance, the gravity in the area pressed down more heavily.
This was the true power of a General.
Cayman bit down hard on his lip. He held back the tears of frustration that threatened to spill from his dry eyes.
He had trained until he bled, endured years that were like hell.
Yet it still was not enough.
Was there still this much distance between them and me?
"Where is the one called Jaehwan?"
"..."
"Tell me. I will spare you alone."
Crackle.
Cayman's clothing shattered into powdery fragments from just those few words. He tried to resist somehow, but he could not gather his strength.
He had neither the mental energy to open his Unique World nor the spiritual power to deliver a final blow.
There was only one thing Cayman could do.
Not kneel until the very end.
Not close his eyes.
"...Admirable."
A strange light entered Samyeong Hun's eyes.
He was a General-class Lord.
The Awakened One before him was, at best, comparable to a Warlord.
Yet he endured.
Even though he had to be suffering pain intense enough to burst his heart.
This one suits the name "Lord" more than that Laika bastard.
Watching Cayman retain the sharpness in his gaze until the end, Samyeong Hun felt a faint chill.
This man had not lost heart despite facing a hundred Lords. Quite a few Lieutenant Generals had even suffered serious wounds at his hands.
If people like this were allowed to remain free, 《Great Realm》 might one day be in danger as well.
"Kill him."
A man without even a Fruit did not fear death. Such courage was worth rewarding.
For the first time, Samyeong Hun changed his mind.
Killing one as an example would be good.
Awakened Ones were valuable resources.
But not every Awakened One was needed.
Especially not Awakened Ones with such strong rebellious tendencies.
The General's sword rose high into the sky. Cayman took in the sky it pointed toward without turning away.
...I am sorry, Fortress Lord.
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