Chapter 1021: Milestone (8)

“After Croken Asylus destroyed the Memorial Tower, it took some time for Yorta’s Spirit Bridge to open.”

Mirva said, holding a liquor bottle in one hand and filling Lennok’s glass.

“Dealing with those gloomy ghosts, it felt like my own vitality was being drained. That’s why I craved places bustling with people like this.”

“……”

“I was stationed near Gateway City to help clean up after Lieutenant General Roberaid’s 3rd Legion…”

Clink!

Filling his glass to overflowing with transparent liquor, she puffed on her cigar and laughed.

“To think I’d live to see the Conjunction Spell Master die and the Nether King appear. Can a person really be this unlucky?”

“For someone saying that, your legion seemed to act quite rationally.”

Lennok retorted, raising his glass.

“Even though you were nearby, you didn’t intervene in the battle until the very end. Rather, you pulled your troops back to observe the situation.”

He had heard about the legion stationed near Gateway City, but the situation had unfolded so rapidly that he hadn’t paid it much mind.

He had only kept in mind how he would deal with the legion if they targeted him.

However, Mirva Neosoto’s 4th Legion didn’t move in any direction.

They maintained a delicate balance, neither intervening in the battle nor retreating, continuously observing the situation.

And Lennok also knew how the 4th Legion had managed to do so.

“The civilians who evacuated behind the veil in Gateway City. The legion must have been escorting them.”

“……”

“Were you observing the battlefield under the pretense of evacuating civilians, intending to intervene if necessary?”

“Then as now, rescuing lives on the battlefield makes for a good justification. It’s also easy to use as an excuse or a discard card if things go south.”

Mirva replied leisurely.

“Well, we weren’t considering every variable. Honestly, when the Nether King appeared, I thought things had gotten much worse…”

She took a deep drag from her thick cigar, exhaling smoke with a sigh, and said.

“Thanks to a certain Archwizard who risked their life to briefly stop the Gabihaeng, we all got a brief reprieve.”

“……”

“I’d received reports from the general staff that there was a reason you survived after being defeated by Adamant Thunder, but I never expected to confirm it firsthand like this.”

The legion commander’s eyes, fixed on Lennok, gleamed with an unusual light.

“To face the Conjunction Spell Master and burn down the entire Gateway City just days after fighting a Lieutenant General… how much innate magical power must one possess to do that?”

She exhaled a puff of smoke, then tilted the glass in her hand to her lips.

As soon as her glass was empty, an aide beside her immediately refilled it.

The legion commander showed no signs of intoxication despite repeatedly smoking and drinking.

Mirva, looking at Lennok over the rising smoke, grinned and said.

“Among high-ranking spellcasters, a wizard as blessed as you is rare. At the very least, among all the spellcasters I’ve seen, you’re undoubtedly the best at burning people.”

“I see.”

Lennok smiled and tilted his glass, letting the liquor overflow and soak the table.

Lennok slowly placed a finger on the wet table and asked.

“Knowing that, did you still intend to drink with me?”

Woosh!

Suddenly, he felt sharp gazes collectively fix on them.

The commanders and officers of the 4th Legion stood silently lined up behind Mirva Neosoto.

Numerous superhumans, of various genders and ages, were staring at Lennok with expressionless faces.

Even though they had suppressed their mana and will-thought in front of Lennok, they couldn’t hide their instantaneous reactions from him.

Though they didn’t show it outwardly, this reaction was possible because they too had seen and heard about Cheonbeon.

But Mirva calmly smiled, putting the cigar back in her mouth, despite the heightened tension.

“Indeed. Even if only half the rumors about Cheonbeon are true, I won’t die here.”

“……”

Mirva leisurely exhaled smoke towards the silent Lennok.

“Would a Watcher, who tried to save even those who sought to kill him during the Gabihaeng, make a move first in a crowded street like this?”

“That…”

Had she approached Lennok in the black market specifically because she had made a judgment about Cheonbeon’s nature?

He knew how the name Cheonbeon was currently perceived in the Central Front, but he hadn’t expected a legion commander to openly mention it.

It was undeniable that everything Lennok had done in Gateway City was open to multiple interpretations.

Yet, the fact that Cheonbeon’s identity was developing in a direction opposite to Adamant Thunder’s, despite his actions not differing greatly, felt novel.

“I know. You’re thinking that the assessment of you doesn’t align with your own understanding, right?”

As if reading Lennok’s mind, Mirva grinned and grabbed the liquor bottle.

“I know a few superhumans like you. But you should be careful. Your reputation isn’t something you can control yourself.”

“……”

“Especially since you left the Eyes of Blue and have no affiliation. If you’re planning to ‘start anew’ in the Central Front—”

Glug, glug…!

Mirva refilled Lennok’s half-empty glass.

The liquor poured from the bottle didn’t stop, overflowing the glass and spilling out.

Watching the liquor overflow, she said indifferently.

“You should be careful not to let anything become excessive.”

“What remarkably thoughtful advice.”

Lennok flicked off the liquor dripping from his fingertips and asked.

“Is that all you wanted to say?”

“Soon, a legion parade will be held to coincide with the Marshal’s return.”

“What?”

“It’s a process to fill the vacant legion commander positions, including Lieutenant General Roberaid’s, and formally transfer rank.”

Mirva, who casually mentioned a key internal Deadrise event, sipped her drink.

“Currently, all legions are returning to the 2nd Headquarters. Around that time, discussions about the aforementioned ‘Annihilation Campaign’ will begin in earnest.”

“……”

“I won’t mince words. You should participate in the parade.”

Across the drinking table, the legion commander’s gaze fleetingly met Lennok’s.

“Accept a legion commander position. Then headquarters will arrange the perfect opportunity for your revenge.”

“Revenge, huh.”

Lennok let out a dry laugh.

He understood, with that single phrase, who the Annihilation Campaign was truly targeting and why they specifically sought Cheonbeon’s recruitment.

“Are you saying that, even knowing how I dealt with Roberaid?”

“I didn’t like Lieutenant General Roberaid, but I don’t deny the loyalty he held for the legion.”

Mirva leisurely said, swirling her glass.

“He was an idiot who didn’t know that the word ‘great cause’ loses value the more it’s overused, and a lone wolf who ignored headquarters’ orders and ran wild. But, surprisingly, for an organization to run smoothly, you sometimes need a single-minded person like that…”

“……”

“A legion is formed by strong-willed individuals coming together as its head. That was the banner the Marshal and the generals raised when they advanced into the Central Front…”

Through the rising smoke, the 4th Legion Commander’s eyes gleamed coldly.

“It’s also why our headquarters is watching you. It’s proof that that idiotic man was an excellent soldier in his own way.”

“An excellent soldier, huh.”

Lennok laughed.

“You, too, seem to feel quite a sense of belonging to the legion, for someone who says that.”

“Look, Martinez. I’m a soldier. Isn’t it natural for a soldier to be loyal to their army?”

Mirva chuckled, tapping the table.

“I may not like the legion’s direction, but I have no intention of getting so involved in politics that I forget my duties as a commander.”

The legion commander, placing a few jingling gold coins from her pocket onto the table, slowly rose.

Supporting herself with one hand on the table, she bowed her head towards Lennok, her eyes gleaming eerily.

“So… let’s hope the next place we meet isn’t a battlefield.”

“……”

“Because once the Marshal returns and Ultima Alert begins to move, everything will become irreversible.”

Mirva, slowly standing up while puffing on her cigar, said.

“Whether you’re marked for annihilation by headquarters then, or you succeed Roberaid as a legion commander. It would be good if that decision is made before the parade.”

Mirva looked down at the silent Lennok and gave a dry laugh.

“That’s why we were able to sit and share a drink, even for a short while.”

“……Send the location and date to Gateway City.”

Lennok, having stood up, met Mirva’s gaze and said.

“If time allows, I’ll visit. But, as you said, the Marshal must have returned to the legion.”

Mirva spoke as if the legion commander position was already reserved for him, and the 4th Legion officers tacitly accepted that decision.

The legion’s rules, existing under a twisted order and system, didn’t particularly resonate with Lennok either.

Deadrise, which betrayed Kaiser, and the legion built around his son, Ethan Bajour.

He wondered if the position of leading a legion truly held as much value and meaning as they claimed.

“If I can’t get an answer directly from Deadrise’s master, who supposedly resurrected himself, then this conversation is meaningless.”

“Remarkable audacity.”

Mirva grinned and turned her head.

“I’m curious to see if you can say that in front of the Marshal himself.”

Without a trace of hesitation, Mirva walked straight out of the bar.

Her figure, surrounded by guards, cut through the crowd and quickly vanished behind the lantern-lit street.

“……”

Lennok, holding his half-empty glass, leaned on the balcony and silently watched her go.

Mirva Neosoto. Commander of Deadrise’s 4th Legion. Was she considered the equal of Deimus from the 7th Legion?

Her outstanding political acumen, enough to besiege and pressure the city as soon as the Memorial Tower fell.

Her unwavering vitality, enduring countless battles in and out of the Central Front.

Even her judgment to observe the situation until the very end, despite the Gabihaeng’s massacre.

Was this the confidence of a commander thoroughly specialized in war and group combat?

If he were to make the legion his enemy in the future, she would likely be a formidable opponent.

‘Should I have killed her?’

Thinking that far, Lennok immediately shook his head and turned from the balcony.

The 4th Legion officers were wary and watching only Lennok.

If he had tried to kill the legion commander here, a disturbance would have been unavoidable.

While he didn’t agree with Mirva’s words about Cheonbeon, her conclusion wasn’t wrong either.

At this point, his interest in the parade at headquarters was genuine, more so than making an enemy of the legion.

Above all, if Ethan Bajour had finally returned to the legion, Lennok was willing to meet him.

Kaiser Bajour’s son. The master of the legion. A resurrected man returned from death.

A superhuman born with powerful Mana of Reversing Heaven, who paradoxically only fully gained his talent after death.

It was ironic that he had grown closer to him through his identity as Cheonbeon, but it was clear that even this was ultimately a chain of events Lennok himself had created.

The name of Evan Martinez, who left the Eyes of Blue, finding purpose again in the Central Front, wasn’t bad, but…

“This should be enough.”

The time he had operated under the identity of Evan Martinez had become much longer than expected.

There was still time until the legion’s parade, and he had urgent matters to attend to under his Adamant Thunder identity.

Most importantly, Lennok hadn’t forgotten that even this moment was part of his journey towards Outer Tribulation City.

Lennok, watching Angel and Bernard approaching from across the black market street, pulled out his phone.

By now, news and repercussions from the Central Front would have surely reached Olivera’s side.

It was time to return to Vulcan.

Whoosh…!!

A desolate, withered plateau.

Lush green lands had lost their color, and in the once vibrant plains, only death lingered.

Pandemonium’s Nether King.

The ruins left behind by the Gabihaeng, directly led by the continent’s most ancient black wizard.

Eredis Zabelin was moving along the traces of that Gabihaeng.

Vrooom…!!

The airship, Neunghwa [능화], permitted only to the Ten Seats of the Demon Warband, slowly floated along the wasteland.

The airship followed the traces left by the Nether King, without making any contact with the aura of death etched into the ground.

From behind Eredis, who stood at the forefront of the airship, a voice called her name.

“Lady Eredis.”

A man with an expressionless face knelt behind Eredis and asked.

“The Fluorescent Star (熒惑星), is it truly alright to hand it over to Cheonbeon like this?”

“……”

“Although it was the independent decision of Third Seat Zelih, it’s an item whose succession is not permitted even among fellow Ten Seats.”

Although they had returned from Gateway City pretending not to have seen or heard much.

Eredis Zabelin and the Annihilation Vanguard she led were by no means foolish.

Cheonbeon, Evan Martinez, who made his name known throughout the Central Front by killing the Conjunction Spell Master.

They, too, knew that the aforementioned Archwizard had no intention of hiding his innate talent in front of them.

“Judging by Cheonbeon’s demeanor, he clearly possessed an innate ability. Moreover, the materialized form of the Ritual Weapon…”

A massive, ten-meter-long flame banner, where spear and flagpole were integrated.

Even the Ritual Weapon possessed by Eredis, the master of the Annihilation Vanguard, wasn’t so ridiculously massive.

How incredibly vast the consciousness of Cheonbeon, the new owner of the Ritual Weapon, must be.

They couldn’t even guess the effective range and reach of the perfected Ritual Weapon.

“If we were to clash with Cheonbeon in the future, this incident would be a constant hindrance. It would have been better if Lady Eredis had annihilated the Ritual Weapon with her own ability—”

“Yuto.”

As Eredis spoke, the man bowed even lower.

Eredis turned her expressionless face and looked down at the man called Yuto.

“I understand your feelings, as you mentioned being a contemporary of the deceased 13th Seat.”

“……”

“However, if handing over just the Fluorescent Star could smooth over this situation, I would have done so even if the Conjunction Spell Master hadn’t died.”

“Lady Eredis.”

“Avesta Chapman. Although it’s hard to believe that paranoid patient died like that, it’s an undeniable fact that Cheonbeon fought and defeated the Spell Master.”

Eredis’s calm gaze turned towards the underside of the airship.

“The situation has changed with the Gabihaeng resuming. This is a critical situation that could affect not only the ownership of the Gateway but even the war between the Cult and the Alliance.”

“……”

“If the Central Front’s dynamics are currently flowing favorably for Cheonbeon, I have no desire to unnecessarily go against that flow.”

A chilling coldness mixed in Eredis’s eyes as she gazed at the death-filled wasteland.

“Especially if there are those who can artificially create such flows, intervening in this battlefield.”

“……That.”

On the long journey to Ars Nova, it was impossible for one person to control all situations and causality.

In the Central Front, where human lives bloomed and withered like flowers, and monsters defying laws and reason ran rampant.

If the wills of Transcendent beings intersected through unimaginable stratagems and detours, then even if it wasn’t a flow, it would have to become one.

The Nether King’s arrival and Jinwa’s intervention. And the Gabihaeng’s deviation that occurred at the very last moment.

That Eredis could vaguely discern all these arrangements was likely because she, too, was a superhuman capable of discussing the grand scheme from the same perspective.

“All members of the Annihilation Vanguard. From now on, we will cease tracking the Gabihaeng and return to headquarters.”

Clank!!

Eredis, descending from the front of the airship, immediately headed to the deck.

Dozens of members, disembarking in the hazy mist, lined up and followed behind her.

“If the Nether King truly intends to pass through Jinwa’s Paradise Lost, then predicting the outcome from here on will be meaningless. I don’t wish to waste time now that the Demonic Mirror’s Conquest has failed.”

“The catalysts and medicinal ingredients purchased from the black market have been processed. Should we proceed with the ‘procedure’ on Mikal Zelih immediately?”

“No. Meeting the Zero Seat is the priority. With a vacancy among the Ten Seats, the Collective Psychic Network has become quite loose.”

Eredis said that, then pulled her hand from her glove and held it out to the member.

Crack…!!

From her fingertips, her skin was tearing, forcibly disappearing.

As the members remained silent, Eredis casually put her glove back on and said.

“With the psychic network unstable, my ability has grown stronger than necessary, so I won’t be able to hold out much longer.”

The Collective Psychic Network established by Zero Seat Ophelia is not for enhancing the powers of those with innate abilities.

It’s a measure taken to bear the burden of uncontrollable talents and allow them to live as humans.

The 2nd Seat of the Ability Awakening Warband. The existence of Eredis Zabelin is likewise.

A monster born with overwhelming innate abilities, unable to live without constantly ‘consuming’ them.

The culmination of a lifetime embodying and symbolizing the old adage that excess is worse than deficiency, was right here.

“Let’s hurry. After returning to headquarters, I also need to respond to the message from the legion’s command.”

“……If a message came from command, is it related to the Marshal’s return?”

“No, it’s about Vulcan.”

Eredis’s gaze, fixed on the darkness tinting the edge of the horizon, turned cold.

“Their command, because of this incident… seems to have fully confirmed the ‘annihilation target.’ They desire our participation.”