Chapter 463: Where Promises Intersect (4)

At The Clown’s sharp remark, Reiya, perhaps having similar thoughts, sharply turned her head.

“Oh, right. Victor, did you know that person beforehand? I sometimes try to talk to him whenever I meet him, but he barely replies. It’s strange.”

“…Can you even call what you just did ‘talking’?”

The Clown swiftly caught Lennok’s bewildered mutter.

“That’s right. You call that talking, Reiya? Trembling and stammering, that was you trying to strike up a conversation?”

“No…!”

“You and I aren’t that different, so let’s not be too hard on each other, okay?”

“What nonsense are you talking about? What I do is completely differe—!!”

Ignoring The Clown and Reiya, who had started bickering again, Lennok quietly checked his condition inside his robe.

‘The effect of consuming the Archangel’s Tear is certainly undeniable.’

A relic of the Old World, a panacea said to extend one’s lifespan.

In reality, it was closer to restoring the body’s internal clock rather than simply extending life, but Lennok keenly felt the elixir’s effect nonetheless.

Considering the continuous operation from Kaiushyu to the jungle without rest, it wouldn’t have been strange for Lennok’s body to be in tatters by now.

Yet, even after deploying his Ouroboros magic system at full power and witnessing the Outer Sea with his own eyes before returning, he was still conscious.

Given that he couldn’t maintain his usual level of doping due to wearing a mask, it was proof that his baseline physical condition had improved.

Fumbling inside his robe, he pulled out ampoules and elixirs, administering them one by one.

‘If I mix painkillers and stimulants, I should be able to last until we get out of the jungle.’

The fact that he could feel pain in his shoulder muscles as he injected himself was, for Lennok, a positive sign.

When his body was completely broken, like during his fight with Madrich Onnion, even pain sensation would be numbed.

Feeling the painkillers taking effect enough for his body to move after a moderate rest, Lennok flicked his fingers.

Whoosh!!

Magic threads shot out from within his cloak, gripping various parts of the fallen jungle foliage and carefully lifting Lennok’s body.

Seeing Lennok adjust his mask and stagger to his feet, The Clown asked,

“Oh? Victor, you’re not even answering. Where are you off to?”

“I have nothing to say about Croken Asylus. You already know he’s not someone to give such leeway, don’t you?”

Lennok said, stroking the shadow-weave robe he had received from Palgung Fortress.

“If the operation is over, I don’t care if the result was success or failure. There’s no need to stay in the jungle anymore.”

Even though Kebaek had undeniably been shot into the Outer Sea and impaled onto the Eye of the End, Croken had called it a failure.

Did that mean the plan Lennok and The Clown were executing, or did Croken himself have a different objective?

And how had Croken sent Pyeonram back?

Despite having completed the operation after many twists and turns, there were still countless unknowns, but Lennok decided not to worry about it too much for now.

Regardless of the plan’s success or failure, the achievements Lennok had gained from this operation were immeasurable.

He had not only confirmed the secret of Ascension and the hidden aspects of Transcendent beings but had also absorbed various insights and inspirations during his encounter with the Outer Sea and the End.

By assimilating with Kebaek’s consciousness, he deepened his understanding of Geas, and by traversing in and out of the Well, he recognized the crossroads of space-time, realizing that his rampaging magical power and intuition were gradually becoming orderly.

This was proof that the Ouroboros magic system, which had been unstable even after being fully manifested during the battle with Madrich Onnion, was now truly beginning to stabilize.

It meant Lennok was now maturely handling his own power through a more transcendent and high-dimensional intuition and sensation.

Rather than dealing with the aftermath of the operation immediately, it was urgent to check and stabilize his own achievements.

There was no time to delay.

But The Clown shrugged, as if unable to understand Lennok.

“No, why do you have to walk? Let’s go out together.”

“…”

“As I said before, I quite like you. We have something to talk about, so don’t rush too much.”

“I don’t know how you plan to go anywhere in that state.”

Lennok carelessly fiddled with the tobacco in his pocket as he retorted.

“If you move recklessly, every bone fragment in your body will solidify in an irreversible way.”

Lennok, who intervened at the last critical moment to finish things, was fine, but The Clown, who had directly participated in the Transcendent’s battle, was in a terrible state.

With all his bones and joints shattered, even a slight wrong move could lead to irreversible sequelae.

He shouldn’t overexert himself; he should either wait for reinforcements or someone would have to transport him with extreme care.

Naturally, Lennok had no intention of taking The Clown on by himself and moving him out of the jungle.

“With the airship damaged, there won’t be much in the way of transportation.”

“Sh-shit… I couldn’t help it. Why did the Director tell me to handle his cargo, anyway?”

Reiya, her face flushed, stammered a dodge to Lennok’s words, but Lennok had no intention of pressing the matter.

She had performed beyond expectations just by flying the airship in at the right time and dropping the cargo in the square.

But The Clown grinned despite Lennok’s words.

“You underestimate Pandemonium’s financial power, Victor.”

“What?”

“Though that airship was indeed a rare artifact made with Old World technology…”

Dudududu!!!

At that moment, the roar of a fierce engine began to grow louder in the sky above the jungle.

Along with the noise piercing through the dawn mist, dazzling lights began to illuminate the clearing.

Lennok’s robe and Reiya’s extravagant dress fluttered wildly in the wind pressure.

As Lennok narrowed his eyes at the second airship that emerged from beyond the complex jungle foliage, The Clown cackled.

“There’s no way we’d only prepare one of those.”

Through the wide-open cargo bay of the airship, several Glens, their red eyes glowing, were positioned in various spots, looking down at the ground.

Tatata!!!

Though it was a second airship, it was slightly smaller than the first one they had arrived in.

Instead, it had the advantage of being able to fly over this jungle and allowed them to look outside through both side doors without needing to open the cargo bay.

No, to be precise, one should focus on Pandemonium’s power, which could operate several such airships.

Thinking so, Lennok held onto the handrail next to the helicopter’s entrance and looked down at the receding ground.

Whoosh!!

The rapidly passing jungle scenery.

Lennok’s sharp magical perception took in the various forces hidden throughout the jungle, watching them even amidst the chaos.

Remnants of the Headro Warlords and the Reding Revolutionary Army who barely survived the monster war, or perhaps elite units of the Superhuman Awakening Brigade.

The corpses of the shamans who became food for the elephant he summoned, and even the Binding of Verdant Green, who had not lost the core of their power despite the chaos.

In addition, countless armed organizations were fiercely fighting in various parts of the jungle, unaware that the job was over.

The airship glided swiftly between giant trees amidst the ceaseless smoke and flames.

The Clown, covered in IV drips, gestured downwards with his chin.

“Victor, do you see them?”

“…”

The deepest part of the jungle, untouched by human hands.

Even deeper than the ruined ancient civilization city where the Well they had caused such a commotion at was located.

From the top of a waterfall that plummeted endlessly, its depth unknown, a dozen or so people stared clearly in their direction.

Their eyes all gleamed brilliantly with a bright yellow aura.

The Clown also watched them closely, grinning.

“They are the Blood Spirit Tribe living in the Great Forest. I thought they weren’t involved in this, but they showed their faces at the end after all.”

“…”

“They are known as a tribe that reads the movement of stars and foretells the future. At one point, they were targets for poaching due to the speculation that their abilities might be directly connected to the Outer Sea, but what about now?”

The Clown smacked his lips.

“I wanted to catch one as a specimen for research if I had the chance, but it’s a shame.”

“You have similar hobbies as The Doctor, it seems.”

At Lennok’s indifferent reply, The Clown’s eyes lit up.

“Oh-ho… This is truly behavior I wouldn’t expect from a newcomer. Are you perhaps someone I know, acting behind a mask?”

“…”

It wasn’t worth replying to, so Lennok simply ignored him.

The Clown, perhaps not having been serious, casually changed the subject.

“Well, it’s not that there’s no common ground, but I’d say our work is different. He dabbles in every miscellaneous field no matter what, but I tend to avoid things with low efficiency.”

With that, The Clown smiled, his face paint slightly smudged.

“It’s not something to be proud of, but sometimes I need to ‘vent’. You’d understand, right?”

“Ugh.”

Reiya, who had been constantly tapping her phone brought by Glen from behind, made a disgusted gesture.

The Clown ignored her, but Lennok’s feelings weren’t much different from Reiya’s.

A remarkably skilled and deceitful illusionist. His abilities were enough to call him a big shot even within Pandemonium, but he was a person whose true intentions should never be trusted.

How utterly unrestrained must one be to so unreservedly expose their flaws and disgraceful behavior and make a joke of them?

That mental state, laughing at himself and others, perfectly fit the name ‘The Clown’.

That’s why Lennok decided not to mention the clue he had gained from observing the Outer Sea at the very last moment.

It was only a conjecture he couldn’t confirm yet. He needed to properly verify it and then review his actions up to this point…

“Victor, are you listening?”

“…Continue.”

The train of thought, trailing off, was abruptly cut short by The Clown’s words.

One of the many Glens quietly waiting behind them spoke.

“We need to decide our destination before we completely leave the jungle. It’s the only way to avoid relatively strong resistance.”

“…Resistance?”

“The main forces of the Reding Revolutionary Army and the Headro Warlords will be waiting outside this jungle, not entering it.”

Glen replied with an expressionless face.

There had been a hint of it when he casually offered his heart as a sacrifice to The Clown, but his emotions seemed almost nonexistent.

The initial subtle wariness towards Lennok was gone, replaced by a willingness to answer his questions.

Did this mean his skill was acknowledged simply by surviving this operation?

“Especially the Revolutionary Army, originally an armed organization centered around air forces… Even with the aid of illusions, escaping their surveillance network will be a challenge.”

“What will you do?”

The Clown asked, looking at Lennok.

“We plan to go to Torquepaz first to recover. Since Asylus also left a message, we’ll need to find a way to contact the Director.”

“It seems you don’t normally have contact with the Director.”

“Is that even something to say?”

The Clown grinned, twisting his lips humorously.

“Even Agneta only gets in touch when the Director wants to. Against someone who handles mental networks better than a spider, there’s practically no special way to contact him.”

“…”

So, even within Pandemonium, hardly anyone could reach the Director.

Lennok could somewhat understand why Soryu had reacted so sensitively when Lennok said he had met the Director.

But Lennok gazed at the jungle scenery, seemingly contemplating The Clown’s suggestion, then his eyes lit up as if he had found something.

“I’ll get off here. Slow down.”

“…Are you serious?”

“I have something to tell Hylaea separately. Torquepaz is too far.”

Lennok knew what Torquepaz was like.

A city of entertainment and pleasure. One of the great metropolises that essentially led the continent’s trends and culture.

Relatively recently established in the context of continental history, yet located at a strategic transportation hub in the Western Continent, a place where countless external forces passed through.

Freya’s planned South Continent tour concert was also to be held there, presumably.

The problem was that a central front line divided Torquepaz and Vulcan, hindering direct travel.

He was curious how Pandemonium would resolve things, but returning to Vulcan via that route would likely waste unnecessary time.

Realizing Lennok had made his decision, The Clown smacked his lips with a regretful expression.

“Tsk, there are many interesting sights in Torquepaz I wanted to show you, what a pity.”

“…”

Considering Reiya’s crumpled expression and The Clown’s nature, it was obvious that the entertainment wouldn’t be very pleasant.

Lennok chuckled softly and was about to leap out towards the slowly revealed edge of the jungle when, at that very moment, The Clown pulled something from his pocket and threw it towards Lennok.

“Here, take one.”

“What is it?”

Its appearance was similar to a playing card. The emblem and illustration were completely different from what Lennok knew, but the overall feel was similar.

As Lennok extended his magic threads to snatch the card he almost missed, turning it over to see both sides, The Clown spoke.

“There will be a gathering near the Vulcan satellite city soon.”

“A gathering?”

“The ones who recover Old World relics sometimes gather for an interim check-up, I guess that’s what it is.”

The Clown nodded at Reiya’s words, who was tapping on her phone without even turning her head.

“You might even be able to receive unnecessary relics based on your contribution, and taking this with you will probably help.”

The Clown pushed himself up on the stretcher and grinned.

“Believe it or not, my name carries some weight with the folks working in the south.”

Was he already recovering his condition after just a few IV drips?

Regardless of his primary focus on illusions, The Clown was undoubtedly a powerful physical combatant as well.

“A check-up for recovering and distributing Old World relics…”

He would likely see various skilled individuals like Hylaea and Soryu, rather than monsters like Croken or The Clown.

However, if it was taking place in a satellite city near a major metropolis, it wouldn’t be a bad idea to go at least once.

Lennok thought so and nodded.

“I’ll remember it.”

“If it goes well, don’t forget my name. See you next time~.”

“If you don’t die and come visit Torquepaz, I’ll even give you concert tickets.”

The sight of The Clown waving his hand and Reiya, looking up from her phone, nodding.

It was hard to believe these were people who, just a day ago, risked their lives for a single goal, but what did that matter?

In an organization formed by all sorts of madmen and outlaws, it would be stranger if strong camaraderie or bonds existed.

Many things had happened since he briefly left the great city, but the gains could be sorted out and pondered upon return.

Lennok did not look back and simply leaped out of the helicopter.

The robe fluttered in the hot air above the jungle, then seemed to flicker and vanish in an instant,

Gliding like a hang-glider on the thermal currents, it plunged rapidly towards the outskirts of the jungle.

Kwooong!!!

The impact crushed several layers of the shield beneath his feet, releasing a massive shockwave in all directions.

It pushed the two factions confronting each other in the bushes almost simultaneously in opposite directions.

“Cough…!”

“It’s a wizard!!”

“Why is Pandemonium’s dog here…!!”

The constant clash of magic erupting from all sides.

It was no different from the fierce battles raging throughout the jungle, but the opponents varied greatly.

“Oh, perfect timing.”

And a female priest from the Guido Cult, standing at the forefront of one faction, smiled sweetly and extended a hand to Lennok.

The very person who had released the 6th Apostle’s seal and reimposed his madness.

“If you have a moment, would you mind helping us?”

The woman, not knowing Lennok’s name, calmly requested assistance.

Behind her, armed cult priests watched those on Lennok’s opposite side.

The woman smiled sweetly, pointing to the person at the forefront of the opposing faction.

“It seems we’ve found a new Apostle candidate, so I was just about to bestow a revelation.”

“I heard she was crazy, but she’s completely insane.”

Tatiana Chiglet, standing opposite her, gritted her teeth.

“I have no intention of becoming an Apostle, so get lost.”