Chapter 449: The End of Paradise (3)

“Isn’t he sleeping too long?”

“I was expecting a capable combatant, but it seems he’s quite the sleepy one.”

“Take his mask off. Let’s see his face.”

Flash!!

The moment he heard those words, Lennok shot up, channeling his magic.

Boom!!

The wave of magic that spread from Lennok instantly pressed down on everything around him, forcing his body upright.

Someone who had been reaching for his mask was swept away by the surge, tumbling backward.

“Argh, damn it! You startled me!”

“If you were awake, you could have said something. We couldn’t tell with the mask on.”

A woman in flowing robes, grumbling from where she’d fallen on the floor, and a young man whose face was painted so white his features were indistinguishable.

The young man, with his seemingly ludicrous face paint, crouched on a nearby rock, looking down at Lennok with amusement.

The scenery of a jungle, overgrown with unknown bushes and leaves, peeked out behind them, yet there was a strange lack of heat or humidity.

Sensing an instinctive sense of unease, Lennok quickly put distance between himself and the two, gasping for breath.

“Haa, haa…”

Combatant. Mask. Sleepy.

Lennok quickly sorted through the keywords and rapidly reviewed his memories.

He remembered accepting Myeong’s proposal, taking the Archangel’s Tear, and Myeong transporting him as he lost consciousness.

‘Archangel’s Tear. What are its effects?’

Unconsciously, he awkwardly fumbled over his own body with both hands.

There was talk of it being an old-world artifact that extended lifespan, but Lennok didn’t know if the relic would truly have an effect on his body.

He had considered it a possible way to resolve the penalty he bore, but he couldn’t be certain if such an elixir alone could truly lift the penalty.

At any rate, the very fact that Lennok had lucidly awakened at this point was proof that the elixir’s consumption had been successful.

Only after circulating magic throughout his body from head to toe did Lennok realize the change that had occurred within him.

‘Overall increase in physical ability. Removal of impurities from the body. Magic flow fluidity increased by roughly twofold. General strengthening of muscle fibers…’

Finally noticing the change in his body, Lennok drew a small breath.

The scars between his knuckles. The lingering effects of the injuries from his battle with Madrich had completely vanished.

Not just that, but his skin was soft, like new flesh had grown, and the condition of various body tissues had improved.

Only then did Lennok realize how the Archangel’s Tear worked, and he nodded.

‘I see. The meaning of “extending lifespan” was… reversing the body’s age.’

A relic that reversed the body’s age without interfering with any of the achievements he had accumulated.

That was the true nature of the Archangel’s Tear’s efficacy in extending lifespan.

Lennok, pondering deeply what exactly had happened to his body, nodded.

‘Not bad. This is certain.’

It wasn’t a device that resolved the penalty itself as he had hoped, but perhaps it could be even more helpful to Lennok right now.

Lennok’s original body had been overworked to the brink of death in an illegally established factory on the outskirts of the mega-city.

But by consuming the Archangel’s Tear just now, wasn’t it as good as undoing all the things that had adversely affected Lennok’s health?

Considering that Lennok’s talent was not merely confined to his mind but also based in his physical body, this was a remarkable achievement.

If the Archangel’s Tear’s efficacy was as Lennok suspected, there was room for various customizations, even ignoring the after-effects of mana addiction…

“Excuse me, can we talk now?”

The young man, appearing in front of Lennok’s mask with a waving hand, asked, drawing out his words.

“Since we’ve waited for you to wake up, don’t you think it’s time you listened to what we have to say?”

His face was painted pure white, with a forced smile drawn on, a peculiar getup.

He looked clumsy and awkward, as if imitating a clown, but the magic emanating from his body was entirely different.

A bizarrely tangled form of magic, its level so immense that even Lennok couldn’t gauge it.

Lennok, who had unconsciously been assessing the opponent’s caliber, even frowned from behind his mask.

‘The Clown.’

Myeong had said that The Clown would be waiting upon his arrival.

He also remembered Soryu and Ermont mentioning just before they disappeared that he was completely insane.

Being in charge of the southernmost region of the continent within Pandemonium, not to mention being internally designated as the right person for this operation, he must undoubtedly be a formidable figure.

As long as he couldn’t properly read the opponent’s intentions, he needed to be cautious in his actions.

“I was expecting quite a bit from the new recruit Myeong brought, but if you’re going to act like this, it’s going to be a problem.”

The young man said with a beaming smile, oblivious to Lennok’s thoughts.

“What we need to do from now on is definitely not the kind of task where you can just take care of your own part.”

“……”

Before responding to his words, Lennok observed the young man’s gestures.

Between his waving fingers, two green dice were held.

The young man, clicking the two dice together, walked up to Lennok and asked, bowing slightly.

“Surely you didn’t come here without hearing anything, did you? At that point, it might be better if you weren’t involved in this at all—”

“How much time is left until Kebaek arrives at the Well of the Codex?”

“……”

At Lennok’s interjection, The Clown was speechless.

That one statement was enough to represent how much Lennok already knew.

“I understand that Myeong cannot participate in this. However, I need to confirm if you two can replace him.”

Considering that Myeong had been an astral projection when he came to find Lennok, it must mean he couldn’t leave his position immediately.

In that case, it was necessary to confirm if these two, who seemed to have been deployed in his stead, were equally skilled.

He couldn’t proceed with an insane operation, like throwing Kebaek into the Well of the Codex, without verifying his teammates.

“Oh ho, so you want to check our skills?”

The other person, who had just gotten up unsteadily, spat and stood firm.

A red-haired woman in flowing clothes, tossing her hair back.

“Seriously, what an arrogant, presumptuous guy. Is this really going to work? Shouldn’t we contact Agneta?”

Contrary to her rather unrefined gestures, her attire was not just flashy, but dazzling, almost radiating brilliance.

She looked as if she had just been dragged from a concert, her movements clearly uncomfortable.

‘Wait, concert…?’

As that thought crossed his mind, Lennok looked closely at the woman’s face and muttered.

“Your face seems familiar…”

“Ki-hya-ha-ha-ha-ha!!”

At that moment, The Clown, who had heard Lennok’s muttering, burst into laughter.

Conversely, the woman’s face crumpled like wet paper.

“Reya, did you hear that? He says your face looks familiar!!! Ki-hee-hee-hee-hee, I’m dying of laughter!!”

“Damn it, stop laughing! You bastard!!”

The woman, called Reya, flushed and yelled.

The volume and timbre of her voice were abnormally clear and high, and just as Lennok thought it sounded familiar, The Clown continued to laugh, unable to stop.

“E-hee-hee-hee-hee, it can happen. It can happen. What’s the problem if someone doesn’t recognize the face of the self-proclaimed most famous diva on the continent?”

The most famous diva on the continent.

Only after hearing that did Lennok realize who the woman was and nodded.

As civilization had developed through magic engineering, the entertainment and culture of this world had also developed similarly to where Lennok used to live.

A world where superstar idols and entertainers existed, idolized through music, acting, and dance.

And the woman standing before Lennok was an incredibly famous singer on this continent.

‘Freya Kalins. I think that was the name…’

Perhaps because he had only ever seen her face on the electronic billboards covering building exteriors, he didn’t recognize her when seeing her in person.

No, he hadn’t expected a singer like her to be present at such a place as a member of Pandemonium.

Lennok watched the trembling Reya blankly and shook his head.

“It’s fine now. I remember who you are. I never imagined someone like you would be here.”

A somewhat chilling gaze gleamed from behind his mask.

“Especially with such a noticeable getup.”

“Damn it, this isn’t my fault either!!”

Reya couldn’t hold back and shouted again. Contrary to her appearance, she seemed to have quite a temper.

“This bastard just dragged me here out of the blue during my Southern Continent tour preparations!! I’ll go back as soon as I finish my part, so you better remember that, you son of a bitch!”

“Alright, alright.”

To Reya’s coarse, hot-tempered outburst, The Clown indifferently picked his ear.

“How many times do I have to tell you that I can hear you without you shouting like that? I’m going to do all the work anyway, so why are you so grumpy and throwing a fit?”

“What, you bastard?!”

Reya grabbed The Clown by the collar and shook him violently, while The Clown swayed weakly in her grip.

Both of them had a frivolous attitude that didn’t at all match Pandemonium’s reputation Lennok had known, but Lennok wasn’t fooled by their appearance.

If this man was truly in charge of this operation, then The Clown’s ability must be that of a monster, in no way inferior to Myeong’s.

“What can I do? You’re the only useful person in the South. Soryu is the only one who has his head screwed on straight, but I really don’t want to call that gem sorcerer he hangs out with.”

The Clown said that, then with a wave of his hand, he loosened Reya’s grip on his collar and adjusted his clothing.

“Ahem, first of all, to answer your previous question… Kebaek will arrive at the Well of the Codex within half a day.”

“……”

“Until a month ago, no one paid attention as he crawled deep in the ocean, but he started picking up speed after landing on the southern coast recently.”

Indeed, a faint watery trail, like a canal, flowed in Kebaek’s wake.

At the time, Lennok had focused on the appearance of the monster who failed to Ascend and hadn’t paid attention, but it wasn’t strange for seawater to flow in near the coast.

In the middle of an isolated jungle where no humans ventured, the conversations among the three gathered there were almost unbelievable.

But The Clown continued speaking as if the location didn’t matter at all.

“The Well of the Codex is a secret place that cannot be accessed by normal means, but I have a way to open it. We just need to push Kebaek into the Well during the clash between the two monsters.”

“I have a question about that.”

Lennok said, crossing his arms.

“The Kebaek I saw was not something that could be moved or touched with bare hands.”

“Oh-ho.”

Ignoring The Clown’s peculiar exclamation, Lennok asked again.

“In this situation where we don’t know how the Well of the Codex will react, how do you plan to push Kebaek into it? Will others just stand by and watch?”

The intention was understandable: to push Kebaek, a living mass of Geas, out of the Well of the Codex and use him as a projectile to launch towards the outer sea, experimenting to see if this Kebaek-bomb would be effective against the outer sea’s monsters.

But making that impossible process a reality was another matter.

The Ascendant, the Well of the Codex, was not as well-known outwardly as Kebaek, but it was certainly not a monster as completely insane as Kebaek.

No matter how uninterested in worldly affairs, it would not be so detached as to ignore Kebaek entering its domain.

At this point, with a clash between Kebaek and the Well of the Codex imminent, how exactly were they supposed to help with that?

Even if Lennok had built up his Hierarchy at a pace unlike others, he couldn’t be sure if he was capable enough to achieve his goals amidst Ascendants.

Hadn’t even the dying Jindun Jaigys Ethernor reigned as a god-like being within his labyrinth?

It was a situation where he couldn’t even guarantee his own safety within the Well of the Codex.

He needed a basis for establishing all these premises and successfully carrying out the plan.

“Hmm, hmm. Not a bad question.”

But The Clown nodded after listening to all of Lennok’s words.

“However, it seems you haven’t been fully briefed on this matter?”

“What?”

“Well, I understand. In truth, these internal matters are difficult to grasp deeply unless you’re directly involved. Considering that, you’re probably much younger than your apparent power level—”

Smack!!

Reya, who had been quietly listening to The Clown’s words, swung the iron bar stand she was holding and smacked The Clown on the head.

With a deafening crash, like an exploding bomb, The Clown’s head burst apart.

But Reya, facing the gruesome sight directly, merely shot back with an annoyed expression.

“If you have something to say, say it quickly, you bastard. As he said, time is of the essence, why are you acting so leisurely?”

“…That’s too much. Don’t you know what ‘ice-breaking’ means?”

From inside his neck, a new head casually grew out of The Clown’s exploded one.

His gestures were whimsical, as if he had hidden his head inside his collar.

“You don’t appreciate my efforts to lighten the mood, can you really call yourself an entertainer?”

“Oh really?”

Reya snorted.

“Isn’t it that you want to see how far your antics will work on him?”

“Shall we get to the point? Of course, the situation you’re envisioning is reasonable, but there’s no need to worry too much.”

The Clown said, casually changing the subject.

“While the Well of the Codex is a demonic realm comparable to a battleground of ideas, when Kebaek approaches the Well, it won’t have the leisure to pay attention to us.”

“You speak as if Kebaek will willingly crawl into the Well of the Codex.”

“Of course. It was only a matter of time; it was bound to happen eventually. Any big shot who remembered the days when the Central City was prosperous would know this.”

“…What?”

“Hmm, explaining this is a bit complicated… It seems Myeong omitted a lot of details when sending you. Or perhaps you’re a talent who can do his part without any explanation…”

The Clown, contemplating with crossed arms, spoke with difficulty.

“Simply put, Kebaek’s very purpose was part of the Central City’s plan to conquer the Well of the Codex.”

“I see.”

“…Did you understand that from what I just said?”

“I heard that the Central City tried to create Kebaek as a strategic weapon. You’re saying its very purpose was linked to the Well of the Codex, right?”

“……”

Lennok immediately continued, in place of the silent Clown.

“A significant portion of the Geas that constitutes Kebaek is probably related to the Well of the Codex, and you’re saying you manipulated that to make him move, aren’t you?”

“Heh.”

Reya, who had been watching Lennok askew with crossed arms, laughed.

“I was a bit disappointed when he appeared so clueless, but he’s much smarter than I thought.”

“…Indeed. Reya, it took you over three full days to understand this simple fact.”

“……”

Smack!!

The Clown’s head was shattered once more, and a new head popped out from inside his neck as if nothing had happened.

Lennok narrowed his eyes, observing the scene intently from behind his mask.

‘It’s not an illusion. He’s clearly sustaining injuries from the impact of his skull collapsing.’

According to Reya, The Clown was undoubtedly testing how much Lennok could discern his antics.

The casual repetition of impossible resurrections right before Lennok’s eyes must also be part of that.

Considering the developing situation, the strange sense of unease enveloping this space, and the faint feeling of déjà vu emanating from The Clown, it was unmistakably…

As Lennok inwardly reached a conclusion, the conversation continued.

“Well, that’s not wrong. In a way, it’s quite accurate. Because one of the people who cast the Geas on Kebaek at the time pulled the trigger.”

“……”

“Some might say Kebaek’s existence was Ars Nova’s biggest failure, but I think differently.”

The Clown muttered, briefly turning his gaze away from the silent Lennok.

“They succeeded. They knew how to seize and manipulate even the noble mission of Ascension. It’s just that before they could fully realize their efforts, everything collapsed.”

The Central City, which controlled even the mission of Ascension at will.

The level of their civilization and technology was such that Lennok, with his experiences and knowledge, couldn’t even begin to fathom it.

But what did it mean for such a city, possessing such great power, to collapse due to the aftermath of the Black Consumer Project?

What did the entity called Alkaid, deeply intertwined with all these events, truly dream of?

Regardless of listening attentively to Reya and The Clown, Lennok did not forget why he was standing there.

It wasn’t because he was moved by the Director’s or Myeong’s ideologies.

He was simply there to personally observe and judge the desires and aspirations that Pandemonium pursued with his own eyes.

Therefore, his task was clear.

“…Alright. I understand.”

Lennok, adjusting his mask, stood up and nodded.

“Then, let’s go down and start the work.”

“Go down? Go down where in this jungle?”

Lennok remained unfazed by The Clown’s nonchalant retort.

Even if he had understood The Clown’s tricks a little late, he couldn’t show any sign of having only realized it afterward.

To Lennok, The Clown, acting strangely friendly, seemed far more dangerous than Reya, who stood with her arms crossed, looking bored.

Deciding he needed to be firm, Lennok moved immediately.

Whoosh!!

Using a flash spell, he appeared behind The Clown and casually placed a hand on his shoulder.

“You said that anyone who knew back when the Central City was prosperous would be aware of this.”

“…!”

Lennok spoke, looking at The Clown’s faintly reacting back.

“It’s strange how quiet this jungle is when a clash between Ascendants is imminent… Don’t you think?”

“Is… that so?”

Instead of answering, Lennok turned his gaze towards Reya.

“The ground you two are standing on is strangely uniform in its position, and it even shakes occasionally… At first, I thought it was an optical illusion caused by unstable magic in the area, but it wasn’t.”

“……”

Slowly turning to face the silent Clown, Lennok smiled.

“One last thing, if I may? I also think Myeong is quite self-centered, but he’s not the type to abandon an unconscious person on bare ground.”

“Oh-ho, that is.”

The Clown, who had been quietly listening to Lennok until then, finally started to laugh again.

“That’s an answer I hadn’t anticipated.”

Shwaaaaaaah!!

At that moment, the grand jungle scenery surrounding the three began to melt away as if washed clean by rain.

Simultaneously, what came into view were solid black bulkheads blocking every direction.

Red lights flickered incessantly amidst the shaking floor, and through darkened windows, clouds were visible below.

Thump-thump-thump!!!

The intense noise and vibration, so strong it was bewildering how he hadn’t noticed them until now.

Lennok identified the shape of an old truck parked inside the bulkhead and immediately realized where he was.

A flying vehicle hovering thousands of meters in the sky.

Moreover, it was a massive airship, large enough to comfortably contain a truck and still fly.

Inside the airship’s bulkhead, which was spacious enough to be an open ground, various cargo and containers were piled up like mountains.

The previously silent air was now filled with sharp killing intent pouring towards Lennok from various parts of the bulkhead, as if the silence had been a lie.

Figures covered in black suits, pointing only their crimson laser pointers towards him.

The vast internal space of the airship’s bulkhead. An unknown, bizarre magic circle drawn on the floor where the three stood.

The Clown stood in its center, grinning at Lennok, and spread his arms wide.

“You’re the eighth person to realize the existence of the Silver-Armored Airship Besponir on your own. I’d say that’s more than enough to pass. Shall we properly begin planning the operation now?”