Chapter 1359: Designed Transcendence (37)

Some memories never fade, no matter how much time passes.

From the days when Lennok knew nothing of this world. His past, doing his best just to survive each day.

The war mercenary he first encountered at the Charlotte Company’s cosmetic factory. The monster who snatched bullets with his eyelids.

The unexpected guest who arrived at the end of the banquet, after the Ascension Ritual, whom no one had foreseen.

A symbol of power that remains unchanged, even now after experiencing so many things that feel impossibly distant.

“……”

Clang!

The whisky bottle tumbled from the hand of the alligator-giant, who guzzled down the alcohol.

The alligator-giant drank incessantly, as if determined to empty every last drop of alcohol left in the banquet hall.

Every time a bottle rolled onto the floor, Dylan and Mila’s hands twitched nervously.

Rumble, rumble, rumble…!!!!

“……Ugh.”

“Hah……!”

Every time the giant drank, a killing intent seeped from his body, like intoxication, permeating the space and gnawing at their consciousness.

They looked as if they were forcibly suppressing the urge to lunge aside and escape immediately.

But one person couldn’t hold back.

CRAAAASH!!!!!

As the drinking alligator-giant swung his tail, thick as a steel rebar, a shockwave exploded.

Feisha, holding a red spear, was flung to the ground and rolled over as if bounced.

“K-khack……!!!!”

“A possessed gnat has decided it wants to die.”

The monster, holding a glass, said indifferently without even looking at the fallen Feisha.

“If you dare to disrespect me with those eyes again, I’ll crush your skull.”

“Haa, haa……!!”

Feisha, spitting out a basin full of blood, trembled with a pale expression.

‘Damn it, how could I not even feel it……!’

In the instant his body instinctively reacted to the killing intent unleashed by the monster before him, Feisha found himself slammed into the ground.

This tragedy occurred because, among the superhumans gathered here, Feisha’s spirituality and senses were comparatively keen.

Despite being more than twenty paces away from the monster, he couldn’t even react.

A vast, immeasurable gap, making one question if they were even of the same Hierarchy, let alone the same species.

An icy silence fell, frozen by the absurd violence that had suddenly stormed into the banquet hall.

A sense of powerlessness, as if being overwhelmed and crushed, even though the monster, guzzling from the bottle, did nothing more.

Even Jutiya and Poheol-gong couldn’t hide their tension, watching the uninvited guest at the party.

“……”

Croken Asylus.

The war mercenary of Pandemonium, and the most powerful physical combatant Lennok knew.

Heavenly Escape. Battle God.

A destroyer known by countless other ominous epithets.

At this moment, a transcendent whose phase was equal to or even surpassed that of the King of the Underworld had visited Vulcan.

Even Felix just stood there, a hardened expression on his face, rubbing his shoulder as he stared at Croken.

He, too, surely had never forgotten the monster’s tyranny they faced after the Gearside incident.

“……”

But Lennok, reading all the reactions around him, silently watched Croken.

As if calmly observing the war mercenary who continuously drank before his eyes.

In the chilling silence, as Croken drank without pause and Lennok silently watched, his companions in the lobby looked suffocated, observing the moment.

“……Van.”

Jenny, her face ghastly pale, spoke softly.

She glanced at Croken’s ominous bulk, then hesitated before whispering faintly.

“It’s been about ten minutes…… he hasn’t moved once since he arrived.”

“……”

“If you need any information, perhaps—”

“No.”

Even then, Lennok’s gaze never left Croken.

“It’s fine. I’ll handle it.”

“……”

An overwhelming physique, half-reclined on a lobby sofa, using Ermont, who was crushed under one foot, as a footrest.

His entire body, visible beneath his black scales, was composed of incredibly dense muscle.

With every slow breath, explosive power surged from his whole body, infusing an endless might into his form.

Would it feel like this if steel were woven into muscle fibers? Would a monster with iron flowing through its veins instead of blood look like this?

An incomprehensible, un-empathizable incarnation of transcendent power, as if the concept of violence itself had been forged into a living being.

Yet, as Lennok looked at Croken, he felt other emotions rising within him, as much as fear and awe.

‘I can vaguely perceive it……’

Only after gaining transcendence through the Subjugation War and killing the Grand General in the Demonic Realm.

Only after crossing the boundary through the Ascension Ritual and meeting the Inevitability, could he faintly glimpse a certain landscape.

Only after reaching this point did he begin to vaguely sense what kind of monster Croken Asylus truly was.

A mortal of this world, breathing and living, just like Lennok.

Yet, a profound sense of otherness, as if he were not a being like Lennok at all.

Here was the innate strength that had stood beyond the boundary since birth.

If Croken Asylus’s existence was more alien than any transcendent Lennok knew,

If his strength and growth rate were incomparable to any being Lennok knew,

Then, Croken’s strength, indeed—

Thud!

At that moment, Croken threw the half-empty whisky bottle onto the table and abruptly turned his head.

The reptilian pupils, not clouded in the least despite the alcohol poured into his body.

The monster stared intently at Lennok for a long time, then slowly opened his mouth.

“It seems quite some time has passed since I last saw you, you bastard……”

Croken let out a snort, staring fixedly at Lennok with an unnervingly chilling gaze.

“That scrawny face of yours still hasn’t improved a bit.”

“……”

“To have reached such a high state, and yet struggle even to stand. How pathetic.”

Croken said in a mocking tone.

“Do you think I let you live to see you in such a state?”

“I’ve been quite busy with work, you see. I don’t have much time to spare,” Lennok replied calmly.

“You haven’t returned to Vulcan just to worry about my health, have you? What is it?”

Croken Asylus, who had ignored even Pandemonium’s calls, had now appeared before Lennok without any warning.

Though he had suddenly let an uncontrollable monster into the innermost part of District 49, Lennok remained unperturbed.

Even if casualties were to occur, within Lennok’s domain, there was always a way to manage the situation.

Jenny knew this, which was why she chose to observe Croken instead of escalating the commotion.

At least for this moment, it was clear that the monster had no intention of running wild.

As Lennok made his judgment and posed the question to Croken with an impassive face,

A transparent glass suddenly flew swiftly towards him.

“……!”

It was so fast that Jenny, standing beside him, flinched.

But Lennok didn’t move, catching the glass in mid-air with his magic.

Croken saw this and motioned towards the chair opposite him.

“Sit.”

“……”

Lennok caught the floating glass with one hand and moved forward.

Under the watchful eyes of dozens of superhumans, the two sat facing each other across the large banquet table.

Drag, Lennok picked up a rolling bottle and filled his glass with whisky.

Croken watched him, then leisurely rumbled with a fierce growl.

“When that Myeong was around, we sometimes drank like this.”

“……”

“I suggested we call the Director next time… but it ended up like this.”

“……”

“So, you’ll have to do it instead.”

“Unexpected.”

Lennok said calmly, holding his glass.

His unflinching declaration surprised his watching companions even more.

But Lennok ignored the reactions around him and quietly gazed into the alcohol in his glass.

“A toast to the dead, then. Does a being like you find meaning in such an act?”

“Meaning? What meaning do you think this has?”

Croken chuckled.

The monster thumped the table with one hand, then tilted his head.

“I made you sit down so I wouldn’t lay a hand on those pathetic weaklings while drinking. To remind myself, seeing this brat in front of me, that it’s not time yet.”

“……”

“To control the impulses that constantly boil within me, I always need a worthy opponent. But……”

The reptilian, bright yellow pupils pierced Lennok.

“Now that I’m seeing you like this… it doesn’t seem so bad after all.”

“……”

Lennok knew what the monster wanted to say.

From their first meeting at the Charlotte Company factory to this very moment. Having overcome countless deaths and questions.

It was likely because the monster, too, perceived that Lennok had reached a high enough state to vaguely discern Croken’s strength.

That after a long time, they had finally reached a height where their gazes could meet.

As Lennok realized this, he understood that Croken, too, had read it.

“Kekeke…… I thought you might not even grasp it, but you’re already standing before the boundary.”

In the quiet silence, the alligator-giant’s forked tongue flickered.

“If you want, we could start right now……”

Crack.

A faint crack appeared in the bottle Croken held.

“Shall I collect the price for letting you live all this time?”

KWAANG!!!

At that moment, the table between Lennok and Croken flipped, scattering glasses and bottles.

Simultaneously, mercenaries from all sides of the banquet hall immediately surrounded Croken, aiming their weapons and emitting chilling killing intent.

Burning magic circles and waves of blood surged, and long-bladed weapons imbued with magic, along with golden halos, flashed.

As the tower’s stiffened companions, as if by promise, surrounded the monster before them and drew forth their magic,

“Kekekeke, hahahaaah!!!!”

But Croken only chuckled, looking at the blades and spells pointed at his neck.

The monster, roaring with laughter, leaned back onto the sofa, half-reclined, disregarding the blades that scraped against his scales.

Ignoring the blades that left no trace on his black scales, he leisurely spoke.

“You’ve trained your brats well. Their loyalty is truly commendable.”

“Lord Asylus.”

Felix, clutching a heavy hammer, said with a stern face.

“Do you truly wish for bloodshed in this place?”

“Felix. If I intend to, what are you going to do about it, you bastard?”

Croken, leaning back on the sofa, tilted his head indifferently as he retorted.

The terrifying monster’s gaze accurately pierced Felix’s massive frame.

The bird-headed giant gritted his teeth at the sensation, as if his inner self was being torn apart and examined.

Seeing that, Croken smirked.

“Your reaction isn’t bad. Your presence feels a bit different, too. Have you finally figured out how to use your pathetic Miniature Universe?”

“……”

“You seem to have improved more than last time. If you’re confident, try to fight me. Let’s see how much of Adamant Thunder’s talent you’ve pilfered since I last saw you.”

“……That is.”

“It’s all the same with these guys. Even the reason they grew stronger must be thanks to this brat’s help.”

Croken pointed at Lennok with his bottle, growling.

“Bugs who can’t even gauge their own limits with their own strength…… Isn’t it this one’s hobby to take in and raise such pathetic creatures?”

“……”

Was he discerning that mercenaries like Felix and Dylan had improved their skills with Lennok’s help, and was he despising them for it?

As the other mercenaries momentarily lost their words, Croken stared intently at Lennok.

“Foolish one. To possess such talent and yet waste time helping these brats…… that part still utterly displeases me.”

“One can always learn while teaching others.”

Lennok replied, raising his hand.

Whoosh!

The table, which had been knocked over by the mercenaries’ intrusion, instantly righted itself, and the bottles and glasses arranged themselves neatly.

As Lennok took this action, the other mercenaries bit their lips and retreated, and Lennok spoke nonchalantly.

“I’m sorry, but I’ve had this conversation a few times before. I don’t particularly wish to prolong it.”

“……”

Ignoring Feisha’s disgusted, blood-stained expression, Lennok tilted his head.

“You don’t seem to have come here to fight me. What’s your purpose?”

Though he was uttering chilling words and creating a hostile atmosphere, Lennok knew a little about what Croken Asylus was.

If he had truly intended to fight Lennok, he wouldn’t have ridiculed Lennok or belittled the other mercenaries in such a way.

Upon seeing Lennok’s face, he would have exchanged a word or two and immediately laid waste to the mega-city.

The very act of leisurely arriving at the banquet and merely consuming alcohol was proof that he had no intention of fighting immediately.

Croken’s mouth twisted as he looked down at Lennok’s utterly calm face.

“Khahaat…… Your head’s gotten bigger, and you’ve become quick-witted.”

“……”

“Enough. I don’t want to talk nonsense, so I’ll get straight to the point.”

CRASH!!

Croken indifferently tilted his head back and lightly stomped his foot.

Simultaneously, Ermont, lying under his foot, was greatly jolted and squashed.

“Cough……!!”

Croken stepped on the convulsing Ermont, who let out a faint dying gasp, and spoke indifferently.

“I tried to use this trash to find Myeong in Paradise Lost, but I failed. I heard he had the Black Rhythm bloodline, but the resonance wasn’t right, so he was useless.”

“……What?”

Croken’s unfiltered message was so blunt that even Lennok, listening, flinched.

But the monster didn’t even care about such a reaction and calmly continued speaking.

“I came back to Vulcan briefly to take care of something else first, but they led me to some damned church. Do you think I, of all beings, could reside in such a place?”

Croken’s eyes gleamed as he looked down at Lennok and grinned.

“So, before I leave, I came to see your face, and it seems something quite interesting happened. Was it an Ascension Ritual?”

“……”

“I knew that Gagameon, that bastard, left behind a lot of useless artifacts just before he died. I should have killed that lanky strongman a long time ago.”

Did Croken already know what happened during the Ascension Ritual?

But what piqued Lennok’s interest more was Croken’s attitude when mentioning Gagameon.

For this monster, who looked down on others like bugs, to remember his name and acknowledge his strength.

By the way he referred to him, it almost seemed like Gagameon had left an impression on Croken similar to Myeong.

Just how powerful was that ancient species hybrid, said to be the strongest adversary in the Vulcan Civil War?

“I must have told you before, brat. Don’t be bound by trivial formalities.”

As Lennok was lost in thought, Croken’s pupils gleamed ominously.

“Cut out all unnecessary things. Did you gather people and create a place just to commemorate such a trivial event?”

“……”

“You still haven’t understood that such things only make you weaker……”

Croken slowly tilted his head, sneering in a deep voice.

“I didn’t let you live to repeat meaningless actions.”

“Not exactly. It wasn’t meaningless at all.”

Lennok calmly replied, swirling his drink.

“The fact that you can be here in this city as a ‘guest’ is thanks to the banquet Jenny hosted, isn’t it?”

“……”

“It’s the same as with Antares. Beings like you can no longer move recklessly without a proper cause and effect.”

Lennok looked up at the monster with a composed gaze.

“You’d even find it difficult to find a reason to move on your own without crossing the boundary. Wasn’t that why you met the Answerer outside the continent?”

“……”

He still remembered what he saw in Mugan of Yorta. The sanctuary that recorded all the world’s curses.

Innumerable curses that sealed, diminished, and constricted Croken’s power.

He was a monster born beyond the boundary, who had suppressed himself his entire life.

Now that many of the curses binding him had disappeared, it wouldn’t be strange if he returned to the boundary beyond which he was born, at any time.

If not for an occasion like this banquet, held to commemorate the completion of the Ascension Ritual, where various transcendent beings gathered, Croken wouldn’t have been able to come.

“After gaining transcendence, I can vaguely see what I couldn’t before. I think I understand why you didn’t cross the boundary, and why you’ve been standing still for so long.”

“Kekeke, this damn brat……”

An eerie smile appeared on Croken’s lips as he stared intently at Lennok’s face.

“Yes, it’s worth having watched you for so long, isn’t it?”

“……”

“You met Kaiser, and indeed, you’ve become much more interesting than before……”

The bright yellow reptilian pupils glowed, sparkling eerily.

Killing intent overflowing purely from his will, even without using any magic.

It felt as if the surging brutality took on a tangible form, pressing down on their shoulders.

Rumble, rumble, rumble, rumble……!!!!!

“Ugh……”

“Hoo……!”

The complexions of the mercenaries, who had been watching the situation with stern faces, turned pale, and their hands trembled from the atrocious pressure.

Croken threw the bottle he was holding onto the floor and slowly leaned forward, rising from his seat.

His enormous body filled the surrounding space just by standing. A powerful presence that vibrated the air.

“Well, fine. As much as I’d like to ‘confirm’ you right here and now……”

WHOOOOO!!!!

Croken raised his hand, covered in black scales, and reached out to Lennok without hesitation.

In the rising tension, Lennok watched him with an impassive face, at that very moment.

Thump.

Croken placed a hand on Lennok’s shoulder, then simply stood up and strode away.

“I won’t tolerate you standing before me in such a rotten body.”

“……That is.”

“I have no intention of staying here long, so I’ll make it simple.”

Croken turned his bright yellow pupils and looked down at Lennok ominously.

“Soon, the worms’ plan will begin.”

“……”

“You participate. It will be helpful.”

A direct, sharp declaration that took their breath away. Lennok knew what he was talking about.

Pandemonium’s plan to retrieve the legacy left by Myeong, who was defeated in Paradise Lost.

Hylaea had mentioned advancing to the Central Front during the settlement of results after the Subjugation War.

The reason Croken had come here, borrowing the cause-and-effect of being a guest at the banquet.

“So, it would be best to maintain your condition until then.”

Snap.

He gripped Ermont’s limp neck with his rebar-like tail and lifted him.

Croken, clutching the black wizard’s nape with one hand, slowly walked away.

The monster’s bright yellow reptilian pupils glanced back at the now quiet banquet hall, then vanished into the darkness.

“If you become a hindrance then, I might genuinely want to kill you.”