Chapter 1117: Lingering Echoes (5)
Having left Outer Tribulation City, Kundara, Lennok arrived for the first time in an unnamed mid-sized city.
In the bustling commercial district near a station where the Trans-Western Continent train stopped, news from the Central Front reached him.
=The Fall of Kundara. Long-lived Beings’ Advance onto the Continent =Whither the Central Front’s Situation? =Will this act as a new variable in the war between the Alliance and the Cult?
[Kundara, which has fallen onto the Western Front’s border region, is soon to make an official announcement…] [Currently, delegations from the Order Alliance, the Cult, and the Ability Awakening Warband are arriving at the border region…]
Newspapers fluttered everywhere. News streamed out across screens at a competitive, rapid pace.
Experts warned of the Long-lived Beings’ advance onto the continent and its repercussions.
Programs discussed how the Western Front would change in the future.
But amidst such news, the name that ultimately emerged was fixed.
[We report that Adamant Thunder is linked as a key figure in the collapse of Kundara, which fell onto the Central Front.] [Adamant Thunder is a great wizard operating primarily in Vulcan, a lawbreaker who has committed countless acts of destruction—] [Though accused of massacring druids on the Western Front and fleeing, he has appeared in Kundara…]
…
The media and press of the Central Front were unanimously reporting Adamant Thunder’s name.
They posted blurry, faceless photos taken from various angles in Vulcan,
and repeatedly showed scenes of the destruction Lennok had wrought, or battlefields after a fight.
It was as if they were warning the residents of the Central Front about the wizard named Adamant Thunder.
Lennok stared expressionlessly at his photos and videos broadcast from all directions.
‘The news travels faster than I thought. Though, considering the Central Front’s environment, it’s not that strange…’
He had expected the Kundara incident to get out somehow, but he never imagined they’d be keeping an eye on him already.
A commotion in the Central Front was unavoidable once the Ninth Tribulation fell, but the speed at which focus shifted to Lennok was excessive.
He had thought his actions would only become known after the Eight Great Dragon Kings, the Elder Society, or Maleon’s death were announced.
Was it because Adamant Thunder’s name was already famous on the Central Front, or had someone else pulled strings?
As Lennok pondered, recalling several unconfirmed conjectures and hypotheses,
the city’s citizens had also stopped, watching the news reporting on Adamant Thunder.
“Did you hear? They say that’s why all routes passing through the Western Front have been suspended.”
“Torquepaz, Endorose, Automile. Even the renowned major cities of the Western Continent are considering entry restrictions, that says it all.”
The Central Front was the worst battlefield in history, where all manner of monsters and superhumans from across the continent gathered.
Naturally, the appearance of a new lawbreaker on the front lines couldn’t help but be everyone’s concern.
Lennok silently turned his head, his gaze stopping before a news screen where people were gathered.
[We have secured some footage of the disaster that occurred on the Western Front. Let’s watch.]
Beep—
As the anchor spoke from her desk, the screen switched, revealing a blue sky.
A sky stretched over the horizon. Above it, thousands of beautiful silver meteors poured down.
Rumble…!!!
The moment Lennok realized it was the radiance of Maleon’s Invasion Domain, the Galaxy Dragon Star Cluster,
[What we are showing you now is a video filmed hundreds of kilometers away, capturing the sky just before Kundara’s fall.]
The anchor said with a grave voice.
[Most of the footage was damaged and could not be preserved, but the Cult successfully filmed for nearly 20 seconds and has released the video.]
…
Twenty seconds. Lennok, watching the screen, frowned.
No doubt, they ground up Cult devotees to secure that much filming time.
If they had filmed Lennok’s spellcraft up close, it wouldn’t have worked at all. Was it possible only because of the distance?
As soon as he saw the video, he understood which point of the engagement had been filmed.
‘They filmed the moment right after the Radiant Sea Palace collapsed.’
[This is after Master tried to shatter the reptilian hierarchy.]
As Davi added, the video filmed by the Cult captured the brief moment right after Lennok ‘fired’ his Domain to shatter Maleon’s hierarchy.
It was a video from the time when the Radiant Sea Palace’s domain vanished, and the Galaxy Dragon Star Cluster wavered and fell along with the Ninth Tribulation.
He could roughly guess why the Cult was only able to film this particular moment.
Initially, while the Radiant Sea Palace and the Galaxy Dragon Star Cluster were intact, that scenery couldn’t have been captured on video.
After The Gate opened, that moment couldn’t even be seen with the naked eye, so the only moment it was possible to film was the brief instant in between.
The Cult must not have missed that fleeting moment when both their Mind Imprints simultaneously shattered and wavered.
CRASH—!!!
Countless starlights rotated, forming a colossal Celestial Sphere, as silver and colorless lights intersected and surged.
Each time, black-stained ripples burst forth like explosions, vertically piercing and scattering across the sky and ground.
The form of a gigantic Celestial Sphere, scattering starlight and dull light in all directions as it fell from the sky.
The moment cracks appeared in the Galaxy Dragon Star Cluster’s sphere, resonating, and then emitting an enormous light.
Snap—
The video cut off instantly, and the screen returned.
…
The reporters sitting beside the anchor were breathless, their mouths agape.
Even the people watching the news with Lennok couldn’t utter a word.
[The Cult has publicly declared this video to be the core reason for Kundara’s fall.]
The anchor, hands clasped, said softly.
[They even indirectly admitted that the Apostle-Slayer was involved in this video.]
…
[Of course, without an official response from Kundara, it’s unclear how much of the Cult’s announcement can be trusted…]
Everyone knew that this video was neither manipulated nor false.
And that alone was enough to warn of how grave this situation was.
The reporters sitting next to the anchor began to earnestly discuss the repercussions of this event.
[Kundara’s fall will completely transform the environment of the Western Front. We might even need to redefine the front lines from scratch.] [There was already an impact strong enough to change the terrain. We don’t need to redefine the front lines; we need to redraw the maps.] [Long-lived Beings are creatures with immense potential, each and every one. Once they start moving, change will be unavoidable.] [Are you saying all of this was a crime committed by a single wizard?]
The hushed murmurs of citizens watching the news.
“He’s completely mad… can you even call someone like that human?”
“No matter what someone from the Central Front says… does he still look human to you?”
…
[My ears are tingling.]
Lennok ignored Davi’s words, pretending not to hear, and glanced around.
The sheer volume of news and reports around was overwhelming, but there was one screen where an unusually large crowd had gathered.
It was a program featuring various panelists, different from the news that had just broadcast the footage Lennok was watching.
High-ranking wizards from Magic Towers, renowned war-mercenaries, military strategists from the Administration Bureau.
Experts, famed in their respective fields from both the front lines and behind the scenes, were seated together.
[The wizard in question has made his first appearance in the Central Front; what are your thoughts on this?]
As if to lighten the mood, the host posed the question naturally.
[The great wizard Adamant Thunder and his disposition are very well-known on the Central Front.] [Many are still analyzing the one-on-one showdown between Adamant Thunder and Cheonbeon in Vulcan.]
The wizards from the Magic Towers added, as if they had been waiting for the host’s question.
[Cheonbeon’s Alternative Incantation. Nothing about the spellcraft duel and Domains of the two great wizards has gone unmentioned, but—] [Unlike Cheonbeon, not much was known about Adamant Thunder’s magic.] [Recently, Cheonbeon achieved tremendous merit at the First Gate, which further elevated Adamant Thunder’s reputation.] [If he can defeat a powerful wizard like Cheonbeon, just how strong is Adamant Thunder—]
The clash between Cheonbeon and Adamant Thunder, which unfolded in Vulcan.
The decisive battle between two Level 8 Archwizards was now even more famous in the Central Front.
After Cheonbeon, who first advanced to the Central Front, defeated the Conjunction Spell Master at the First Gate, elevating his status,
it was natural for Adamant Thunder’s reputation, having defeated Cheonbeon, to rise correspondingly.
However, no one had imagined that Adamant Thunder, who subsequently appeared in the Central Front, would utterly devastate the Western Front in such a manner.
[To have his first act upon advancing to the Central Front be a massacre and city collapse…] [We can only admit that his immense infamy, or rumors of him being bloodthirsty, were actually understated.] [He was a major figure with almost no external activity apart from the acts of sabotage in Machina, making his scope of action impossible to predict.] [At least for now, it seems undeniable that Adamant Thunder possesses a bloodier disposition than previously known.]
The panelists exchanged opinions on Adamant Thunder’s rumors without hesitation.
Even others, who had been engrossed in watching the program, naturally agreed with those words.
[The intensity of these organisms’ remarks seems to be crossing a line.]
Davi popped her head out from inside Lennok’s arms.
[Shall I deal with them, Master?]
“…What exactly do you plan to do to them?”
Lennok replied, pushing Davi’s head back into his arms with a bewildered expression.
“Leave them be. There’s no reason to get angry now.”
[That’s not even analysis; they’re insulting Master. If this were Vulcan, I would have disciplined them right away…]
…
Could it be that the reason why the mainstream media in Vulcan hadn’t been so loud in condemning Adamant Thunder all this time was…
As Lennok shook off the sudden thought and turned to leave, the video continued with voices analyzing Adamant Thunder’s position.
[From the massacre of druids on the Western Front, the defilement and infiltration of The Veil, to the fall and collapse of Kundara.] [Every one of these incidents would warrant a continent-wide bounty, yet—] [Surprisingly, among the Central Front’s foremost strategists, quite a few are attempting to recruit Adamant Thunder.] [What? You mean they’re trying to bring such a heinous wizard to their side?]
At the host’s apt question, the experts’ mouths naturally opened.
[Aren’t the Four Archangel Demonic Mirrors and the Second Gate locked in a stalemate for different reasons?] [With the war between the Alliance and the Cult repeating meaningless attrition, they must want a variable that can change the tide.] [He’s the one who devastated the Western Front and brought down Kundara as soon as he entered the Central Front. Regardless of his character, his abilities are undoubtedly unprecedented.] [The ‘Agency’ I belong to speculates that Adamant Thunder’s actions are a means to promote himself.] [Promotional means, you say?]
As the host retorted, the white-haired young man smiled and nodded.
[He appeared in the Central Front conspicuously right after Cheonbeon went rampant at the First Gate, so it’s clear it’s to demonstrate his abilities.] [That’s…] [Even if they don’t show it, they can’t help but be aware. Transcendent who reach such a level are simply like that.]
The young man glanced at the surrounding audience and experts, offering a transparent smile.
[He may be evil, but he is a wizard so capable that such evaluations don’t matter. He clearly desires something. He wants to change the game with his very existence.] [To say he wants to change the Central Front…] [Since he’s proven his abilities in such a spectacular fashion, isn’t it natural for various factions to desire his power?]
…
Standing up, Lennok, who had been walking away without hesitation, glanced back.
The white-haired young man who referred to himself as a member of the ‘Agency.’ He knew this situation better than anyone else gathered there.
More precisely, about the repercussions and results his actions would have on the Central Front.
“Davi. He mentioned ‘Agency,’ right?”
[I’ll scour the network near the Central Front.]
Davi, immediately understanding Lennok’s words, perked her ears.
[If I rummage through the database, I can filter out information of a similar context using AI indexing.]
“Yes. Investigate whether such an organization actually exists deep within the Central Front.”
The Order Alliance and the Guido Cult. The Ability Awakening Warband and Deadrise.
He had faced the colossal powers dominating the continent and the Central Front several times, but he had also heard that, separately, there were organizations directly targeting the central cities from the deepest parts of the front.
If these ‘Agency’ individuals were referring to organizations operating in the deepest parts of the front, then Lennok too would need to be familiar with their information.
[I can do it right now if I access the train station’s communication system. Should I start immediately?]
“…No. Let’s wait a bit.”
Lennok replied, heading toward the secluded outskirts behind an alley.
Sitting on a solitary bench, in a deserted area, the moment he quietly turned his gaze.
“Because it seems the time has come.”
Crackle—
The surrounding screens and electronic devices began to flicker out one by one with static.
Hiss…!!!
A sense of unease, as if an invisible, intangible barrier was blocking and disrupting communications, sealing off this space.
The quiet street of the back alley.
The very edge of the outer commercial district, with a view of the city’s exterior right before him.
At the end of that silent bench, where human footsteps had ceased, the moment Lennok tilted his head.
Thud…!!
He felt someone extremely heavy and massive descend before him.
A figure far more colossal than Lennok. A strange appearance, draped entirely in thick black cloth.
But Lennok didn’t miss the faded silver scales peeking out from beneath the cloth.
“Before all things ended, there was one last thing I had to do.”
Lennok said softly.
“Even if you didn’t want this outcome… I knew you would surely come find me.”
…
The other did not reply.
Instead, he merely let out a heavy stream of gloomy, sunken will-thought.
With just that, Lennok understood how he felt about this moment.
Because it was an end he hadn’t anticipated, because he knew it wasn’t a clean conclusion.
Even if only unwanted lingering regrets remained there.
“I’ve been waiting, Maleon.”
“…Van.”
From within the thick cloth, a sharp dragon’s face was faintly visible.
A tattered, wretched sight, as if his entire body had been torn apart and stitched back together.
Maleon’s eyes, staring at Lennok, were sunken, holding an endlessly gloomy light.
“Why… am I still alive?”