Chapter 1019: Milestone (6)
“The Gabihaeng, having breached the First Gateway and ascended, is now moving at incredible speed towards the Western Front.”
Warm sunlight poured through the window. A gentle breeze drifted through the gaps.
A silence so profound it made the intense battle and chaos feel like a lie.
The search party’s military infirmary, located near Gateway City.
Lennok, leaning back on the bed, listened to Bernard’s explanation.
“A Mana Compression Rate of 1048%. Estimated speed over 120 km/h. After bypassing Gateway City, it hasn’t left a single survivor.”
“……”
“Currently, all factions and fronts within 20 km of the Gabihaeng are forcibly retreating and evacuating. It seems the Eyes of Blue are assisting using the Lighthouse.”
Bernard, wrapped in bandages, casually swiped his tablet as he spoke.
“The ecosystem near Paradox Blue has already entered a state of extinction. At this rate, the massacre in Gateway City should be seen as the Nether King’s own restraint.”
Two days after Myeong, who had indiscriminately massacred every superhuman pursuing Lennok from the Gateway, departed.
Lennok remained in the devastated Gateway City, recovering.
Evacuated civilians returned to the city, and the search party patrolled the Gateway vicinity, maintaining vigilance.
Information brought in by Bernard from outside was the only way to hear about the movements on the Central Front.
“It seems they haven’t stopped gathering information even after the Gabihaeng left.”
“I managed to get in touch with one of the Pioneer members.”
Bernard shrugged.
“It’s someone I haven’t heard from in years, but it seems this incident piqued their interest. This is information I learned by exchanging Gateway intelligence with them.”
“……”
“Once it enters the boundary of Paradise Lost, observation itself will become difficult. This might be the last chance to guess the Gabihaeng’s final destination.”
Bernard turned off the tablet, placed it on the bed, and spoke.
“Thinking about it now, the Nether King might have known about Jinwa’s intervention from the start. I didn’t know he’d even use an Ascendant as a means, but perhaps it wasn’t difficult for that black wizard.”
“Is that so…”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t resonate much with the great wizard who managed to stop the Gabihaeng, even for a moment?”
It wasn’t that there were no survivors in the wake of Myeong’s Gabihaeng.
Those who were on that battlefield must have witnessed the moment Lennok forcibly opened the [Gateway] to halt the Gabihaeng.
Separate from the massacre perpetrated by the Nether King, Cheonbeon’s reputation for blocking the Gabihaeng was already growing incomparably large.
“Thousands of people witnessed you risking your life to stop the Gabihaeng.”
Bernard said with a serious expression, clasping his hands together.
“Regardless of the damage, the factions directly and indirectly involved in this incident won’t be able to touch the Gateway for a while. They’ll have no choice but to gauge public opinion due to the justification contrasting with your actions.”
“……”
“The restoration of Gateway City is also nearly half complete. In just a few more days, it should be almost finished.”
Rumble…!!
As the wizard chanted and extended his hand, a half-destroyed building righted itself and stood firm.
Figures appearing to be Gateway Search Party members carried dozens of thick rebar sections up the hill.
Hardly any ruins, devastated by the battle with the Conjunction Spell Master and the Nether King’s Gabihaeng, remained visible.
A peculiar sight: nearly half of Gateway City had been perfectly restored.
With the strength of superhumans and the power of magic, restoring a small city with a population of hundreds of thousands was a matter of mere days.
“Since the Gabihaeng doesn’t return to where it left, it should be safe from the Nether King for now. As long as the [Gateway] functions, the city will operate normally again.”
Bernard said, turning his gaze out the window.
“In a way, things have ultimately become easier for us. I suppose we were lucky.”
“Lucky, huh…”
Could it truly be called luck?
Myeong, who had killed the powerful adversaries pursuing Lennok after he was exhausted from fighting the Conjunction Spell Master, and then forcibly diverted the Gabihaeng’s direction before vanishing.
Could it be said that Myeong had gifted Lennok all these outcomes without foreseeing them?
Myeong’s answer, given while altering the Gabihaeng’s final destination to leave something for the future, was still vivid even days later.
Myeong’s words were not wrong.
Because one moment of realization was more important than a hundred explanations, Lennok’s self-discovered answer could shine so brightly.
If the answer had been derived from the hopes and desires of others, could Lennok’s Kaleidoscope have remained so pure?
It held value and meaning precisely because it was an answer Lennok drew with his own power.
From the very beginning, the answer lay within Lennok.
Knowing that—
“Evan. You’re awake?”
Bang! The infirmary door burst open, and Angel walked in, leaning on crutches.
His face was pale, and like Bernard, he was covered in bandages, evidence that Angel, too, had suffered considerably to survive that battlefield.
Angel set down his crutches, leaned against the wall, and gestured over his shoulder.
“Someone from the Ability Awakening Warband is here. They said they have something to discuss about this matter.”
“From the Warband?”
The damage suffered by the colossal factions, which currently formed a part of the Central Front, in Gateway City was not something that could be easily overlooked.
However, now that news of what transpired in Gateway City had spread throughout the Central Front, intervening in the Gateway again would be difficult.
Lennok had thought that the Order Alliance or the Warband, in particular, wouldn’t make the first move, so he was surprised that the Warband was taking action.
Lennok, lost in thought, noticed Angel’s subtly stiff expression and asked, “It’s someone you know, isn’t it?”
“Yes. If you could call it knowing…”
Angel nodded, looking reluctant.
“At least they’re not here to kill us. But… they were someone whose thoughts I could never figure out, even in the past.”
“……”
“Angel, didn’t you say you’d contact Vulcan, not the Warband?”
“Well, you see…”
Angel scratched his cheek in response to Bernard’s question.
“Chairman Olivera and my partner said there might be no need to rush, as they’re each in the middle of their research.”
“Partner?”
Was he deliberately avoiding mentioning Adamant Thunder’s name out of consideration for the medical staff listening?
But Lennok could roughly guess what Angel meant.
Lennok said that, then removed the connector from his arm and stood up.
“I’ll stay in Gateway City for one more day. I’ll go meet the Ability Awakening Warband right now.”
With Bernard and Angel leading the way, Lennok immediately left the private room in the infirmary.
The Gateway Search Party members patrolling the corridor saluted Lennok as soon as they saw him.
“Evan-nim. A guest is waiting in the reception room.”
“I will guide you immediately.”
“Do so. But…”
Lennok looked at the subtly tense faces of the Gateway Search Party members and asked, “It seems the guest from the Warband this time is quite a famous figure.”
“……”
The tension was so palpable that the infirmary guards couldn’t hide their expressions.
If it were merely magical power or will-thought suppressing them, their reaction wouldn’t be like this.
Rather, they seemed indirectly intimidated by reputation or social standing.
Didn’t that mean the guest visiting the infirmary now was a formidable individual, enough to overwhelm the search party?
“Evan-nim, you haven’t been active in the Central Front for long, so you might not be familiar, but…”
The guards cautiously said, glancing around.
“She is one of the most famous ability users in the Ability Awakening Warband.”
“Her public reputation isn’t bad, but it’s said her ability is quite cruel.”
“Please be careful.”
Clang! As they entered the reception room guided by the search party, wind swept in through the wide-open window.
Lennok turned his gaze as the wind brushed against his patient gown, and a woman sitting inside rose from her seat.
“Ah, you’ve arrived.”
The woman had neatly combed golden hair that reached her shoulders.
Her simple attire was quite unexpected for the rumored individual who had made the guards so tense.
As Lennok stared at her, the woman bowed respectfully towards him.
“Evan Martinez. It is an honor to meet the hero of Gateway City.”
“You’re speaking insincerely.”
“No, I am quite sincere.”
As Lennok sat opposite her, the woman also smiled and sat on the sofa.
“I have no intention of uttering empty words to the skilled individual who killed the Conjunction Spell Master.”
“……”
“Allow me to introduce myself.”
The moment the woman snapped her fingers, a small business card fluttered down onto Lennok’s lap.
“I am Eredis Zabelin, Second Seat of the Ability Awakening Warband.”
The woman, sitting upright, spoke quietly.
“Though I am insufficient, I am tasked with representing Ophelia, the Zero Seat of the Ability Awakening Warband.”
“That is interesting.”
Lennok said, picking up the business card.
“Does ‘Second Seat’ mean you are the third strongest innate ability user in the Ability Awakening Warband?”
“Zero Seat Ophelia has not personally been on the field for quite some time.”
Eredis said calmly.
“I am the number two of the Warband.”
“……”
Should he say she acknowledged it, or refuted it?
For someone claiming to be the second-in-command of the Ability Awakening Warband, her tone was remarkably polite and calm.
Lennok glanced at Bernard, who nodded with a reluctant expression.
“Huh? Well… I didn’t have much interaction when I was with the Pioneer either. But I think she’s right?”
“……”
Eredis’s reaction was to stare intently at Bernard without a word.
As Bernard broke out in a cold sweat, Angel, standing behind Lennok, spoke.
“Eredis is the most lethal ability user in the Ability Awakening Warband. That’s likely not a lie.”
“An acquaintance?”
“More than an acquaintance…”
Angel gave a wry smile.
“She was someone you’d inevitably come to know after fighting with her a few times.”
“……”
Did that mean she was a unique powerhouse even within the Warband, possessing unparalleled destructive capability?
Eredis, seemingly recognizing Angel, also quietly turned her gaze.
“Angel, it’s been a while.”
“Indeed.”
“How is Vulcan? Are you doing well?”
“Well…”
Angel trailed off.
Perhaps he didn’t want to reveal his feelings to this woman, Eredis.
Eredis, who had been staring at Angel, turned her gaze back to Lennok.
“Let’s return to the main point. The reason I came today is to apologize to Evan-nim on behalf of the Ability Awakening Warband.”
“Apology?”
Saying that, Eredis stood up abruptly and bowed at a right angle towards Lennok.
“The rogue actions of Rebid Awler, the Warband’s Thirteenth Seat, and his subordinate Annihilation Squad. I humbly apologize in the name of the Ability Awakening Warband. I am truly sorry.”
“…You may raise your head.”
Stiff, or perhaps extremely formal.
She didn’t seem like an emotionless machine, but this was a rather unique type of human in its own way.
If he had to guess, rather than a superhuman…
“Are you from Kabahim?”
“Excuse me?”
Eredis blinked, then belatedly replied.
“No, I am not. May I ask why you thought that?”
“No, you can disregard it.”
Lennok waved his hand.
“So, you came all this way just to offer an apology?”
The deal Lennok and Bernard had made to recover Mikal Zelih’s remains.
However, upon killing the Conjunction Spell Master, Rebid’s intervention led the Warband to betray Lennok.
Myeong then appeared and completely swept through Gateway City, forcibly bringing the situation to an abrupt end.
The death of the Conjunction Spell Master. The re-initiation of the Gabihaeng. The deaths of thousands of magic users that occurred during this process.
Due to the damage caused by these two overlapping misfortunes, the factions attempting to seize the Gateway had completely vanished from the scene.
But the Ability Awakening Warband hadn’t completely withdrawn from this matter.
Because a faction sympathetic to non-ability users, contrary to Rebid, had made contact to broker a reconciliation.
Eredis was here as a member of the faction within the Warband that was favorable to non-ability users.
“First, I would like to express our gratitude for recovering the remains of the former Third Seat, Mikal Zelih.”
Eredis said calmly.
“Regardless of his betrayal, his trait-type innate ability was a power the Warband could by no means ignore… It was an ability that absolutely could not fall into the hands of the Conjunction Spell Master, under any circumstances.”
“I’d like an explanation regarding that.”
Lennok said, adjusting the IV needle in his wrist.
“The Conjunction Spell Master was able to ‘conjoin’ Zelih’s right brain to himself ultimately because of Zelih’s cooperation. It was a measure made possible by suppressing the brain’s rejection reaction to a minimum.”
Having dismantled the Conjunction Spellcraft through Ouroboros, Lennok understood its potential and limitations relatively clearly.
Conjunction Spellcraft was a spellcraft that only worked if one had a relatively complete understanding of the object they intended to conjoin.
That was probably why Avesta Chapman, the Conjunction Spell Master, was so excellent as a surgeon, and why the Conjunction Spellcraft was designed that way.
If one wished to conjoin a human body, they needed to know the body part they intended to conjoin intimately.
But the human brain was a complex organ that even the science and medicine of this world hadn’t fully elucidated.
Therefore, Lennok knew that without Zelih’s cooperation, the Conjunction Spell Master would not have acquired the Immortal’s ability so easily.
“Why did Mikal Zelih betray the Ability Awakening Warband himself? Didn’t the Warband know that he truly wished to die?”
“As you may or may not know, Third Seat Zelih was not a founding member of the Warband. He had suffered, being experimented on for his abilities while serving various organizations and factions.”
Eredis replied.
“The very fact that we could keep him within the Warband was because the Warband had promised not to intervene significantly with the Third Seat himself.”
“Does that mean the Warband’s power was so lacking that you had to keep Mikal Zelih bound, even in that manner?”
“No. It’s the opposite.”
Eredis smiled and shook her head at Lennok’s sharp question.
“It’s because even without troublesome restraints, there was no significant leakage in the Warband’s current power.”
“……”
An answer brimming with such confidence it bordered on arrogance.
However, Lennok vaguely recognized that Eredis’s answer was not wrong.
Most of the Warband executives Lennok had encountered were undoubtedly recognized powerhouses in the Central Front.
Even setting aside Ballak O’Edon’s potential, Rebid, who was merely a Thirteenth Seat, was unexpectedly formidable to Lennok.
Although Rebid met a horrific end at Myeong’s hands, conversely, didn’t that mean he held out until the very end in that chaotic battlefield?
If Myeong hadn’t swept the ground on Lennok’s behalf at the end, there was a high possibility that Rebid and his subordinate Annihilation Squad would have regrouped and returned alive.
In that case, it might have been the opposite faction, not Eredis who was sympathetic to non-ability users, who would have come to Lennok.
As he recalled how vast the possibilities Myeong had orchestrated in the chaotic and intense battle at the First Gateway were, Eredis cleared her throat.
“Ahem, if you understand, may we move on to the next agenda?”
“…Proceed.”
She seemed to think the silence had lasted longer than expected, but even considering that, her attitude towards Lennok was quite cautious.
Was this reaction merely concern for an injured person, or respect for Cheonbeon, who had killed the Conjunction Spell Master?
“The remains of the deceased Rebid Awler and the Annihilation Squad members have been recovered by our side. Normally, it is customary for deceased Warband members to be taken back to headquarters for cremation, but…”
Eredis met Lennok’s gaze and said, “Given the situation at Gateway City, we cannot process this solely according to the Warband’s customs.”
“……”
“The Annihilation Squad is scheduled to be disbanded and reorganized under the Warband’s command, but if Evan-nim wishes, we are willing to hand over their bodies. What would you like to do?”
“Hmm…”
The bodies of deceased Warband superhumans.
Frankly, Lennok had little interest in forbidden arts dealing with corpses. He had never really considered the possibilities stemming from such spellcraft.
However, among the bodies of the deceased Rebid and other superhumans, some must have been directly affected by Myeong’s black magic.
Although the Gabihaeng had gone elsewhere, was there any reason to hand over its traces intact to the Warband?
“You said it was customary to take the remains back to headquarters for cremation?”
“Yes.”
“Then cremate them.”
Lennok said, grabbing the IV stand and rising.
“However, all procedures must be carried out directly before my eyes.”
“Excuse me?”
“I will respect the Warband’s customs, so let there be no further discussion about this matter.”
Lennok looked down at Eredis and asked, “Do you agree?”
“I agree that the location isn’t important, but…”
Eredis trailed off, then finally nodded and stood up.
“Very well. If Evan-nim wishes, we will handle the Third Seat’s promise as well.”
“Promise?”
“Didn’t Third Seat Zelih promise Evan-nim an item?”
Eredis said, walking forward.
“Ritual Weapon: Fluorescent Star. I will hand it over to Evan-nim right here.”
The Spirit World, where spirits of various colors frolicked.
A grand water palace situated on a lake.
“It’s over. Took much longer than I expected.”
A woman, sprawled in the middle of the opulent palace’s audience chamber, yawned and mumbled.
Her face was youthful, not yet appearing to be an adult.
But her expression and gestures were unsuitably languid for her age.
As the woman stood up, the robot behind her lit up.
[It seems the battle at the First Gateway has concluded.]
The human-shaped robot asked the woman, who walked into the palace corridor without answering.
[Fairy Conjunction Master. What was the outcome?]
“Chapman lost. It seems he was completely outmatched in a firepower battle.”
[Hmm.]
To the slow-to-respond robot, the woman, called the Fairy Conjunction Master, said languidly.
“Even though they fought within his Domain, it’s quite surprising that this was the result. He was from the Watchers, wasn’t he?”
Splash!!
With each step the woman took, a path of water unfolded, assisting her movement.
The woman, walking barefoot across the lake at the center of the palace, mumbled.
“It seems Lapis Falcia was raising a monster. At this rate, I might have to change our approach to the Eyes of Blue.”
[What about the combat data? Couldn’t your spellcraft record it using the Fairy’s Eye?]
“I did record it, but I’m not sure how useful it will be.”
The Fairy Conjunction Master replied indifferently, extending her hand.
“More importantly, let’s deal with this first, Artemeyer. Is the item ready?”
Whoosh!!
The enormous lake at the center of the water palace.
A mysterious-looking tank in the middle of that lake.
Inside the tank, a [right brain], seemingly belonging to someone, floated.
As the robot carefully picked up the tank containing the right brain, the woman, with her arms crossed, asked, “Doctor, if you’ve come, that means the host body is ready, right?”
[Avesta Chapman was an individual with unmatched talent and aptitude among Conjunction Spell Masters of his caliber.]
The robot replied.
[So I searched for a long time for a body to house his mind and soul… but surprisingly, I found a suitable candidate nearby.]
“Nearby?”
[Among the patients stored in the ‘operating theaters’ he left across the continent. There was one particularly suitable host body. It will take quite a lot of time, but there should be no problems with adaptation.]
“So, who is this host body?”
[Juice Master, have you heard of him?]