Chapter 544: Kaiser (1)

A spacetime severed and left behind in the past.

Perhaps it was because he was directly facing the very individuals involved in the incident that turned this area into a Sealed Zone.

The deluge of information and new figures made it difficult to properly assess and calculate.

Deadrise, one of the Triad.

A private military corporation rumored to have been founded by Kaiser’s most trusted retainers, who betrayed their master.

Perhaps Lennok was once again witnessing the very prelude to its genesis right here.

Before Lennok could form any thoughts on the matter, the winged man stood up.

“I have no interest in Olivera Ron Maize’s directives.”

The man, sweeping back his hair as he rose, possessed a striking handsomeness that even subtly surprised Lennok.

Shaking his ash-gray hair, the man muttered with an emotionless, almost inorganic demeanor.

“I merely uphold the message Kaiser left behind. There is only one task.”

Clank!!

As the man raised his hand, one of the wings attached to his back split into five sections, beginning to form the shape of a palm.

Immediately after, a starting hum echoed from inside the wing, and a phantom sensation of space itself shattering like glass manifested.

Kiiiiiiik…!!

“Until the operation concludes, no unauthorized personnel will be permitted entry.”

“Are you insane? If you use your mana here…!!”

As McQueen’s complexion paled slightly and he recoiled, space shattered and crumbled before Lennok’s eyes.

CRASH!!

The entire area of space fractured and collapsed, accompanied by a strange sensation as if existence itself was being forced through the cracks.

Lennok understood precisely what type of spatial manipulation ability this phenomenon was.

Spatial Delamination—stripping away layers of space itself to maximize repulsion.

It was one of the abilities that Jaun Audis, the gem sorcerer he’d met in the Hanghasa Labyrinth, wielded with unusual proficiency.

It was likely a unique ability generated by combining the man’s own mana with the wings he wore.

Having assessed this much, Lennok immediately closed and opened his eyes.

Flash!!

The purple mystic eye that appeared in his left pupil visualized the domain of possibilities, illuminating beyond the crumbling space.

Observing this, Lennok slowly raised the hand that wasn’t gripping his staff.

As he spread his hand, the shattered fragments of space, which had been collapsing as if time had stopped, froze mid-air.

Screeeech!!

“…!!”

The expressionless man’s eyebrow twitched, and at the moment Lennok’s five fingers rotated as if turning a dial.

Shimmering…

As if time were rewinding, the fragments restored themselves, revealing the original landscape.

From behind Lennok, McQueen’s sharp intake of breath was audible.

“H-how could a mere wizard manipulate the concept of time…!!”

“It’s not time.”

The man, who had been gazing fixedly, denied it.

“He merely perceived the continuity of space itself and reassembled all the shattered pieces from the beginning.”

For a moment, it felt as though focus returned to the grim man’s eyes.

“The precision of his mana manipulation, his memory, his structural perception… In a sense, it’s a talent even rarer than directly controlling time. You said you were a Cartel wizard?”

“…”

Instead of replying, Lennok gave a slight nod.

The man stared fixedly at Lennok, then raised the goggles he had hanging around his neck back onto his face.

Clank!!

With a powerful flap of his steel wings, the man’s body effortlessly lifted slightly into the air.

For someone who had just tried to exclude Lennok, he was surprisingly compliant in clearing the path.

Was it perhaps because he found Lennok’s spatial manipulation abilities interesting?

The man, who had sprung into the sky, looked down at Lennok and spoke.

“Once the operation is over, come and meet Kaiser. He’s a much more trustworthy man than Olivera Ron Maize.”

“Gileon…!!”

McQueen’s face, hearing his superior disparaged right beside him, flushed with rage.

“How dare you insult and scorn him in my presence!!!”

“It’s not scorn. Merely stating facts.”

The man called Gileon stated calmly.

“That she chose people like you for her inner circle, for her executive board, speaks volumes about her deviousness.”

“…!!”

“Olivera Ron Maize places no value on trust or loyalty. She tries to ascend by discarding emotions that should be natural to living beings.”

Gileon, who had unhesitatingly disparaged the Cartel’s Chairman, adjusted his wings and changed direction.

“Though we cooperate for the project’s success, she possesses an inflated ego and a character utterly unsuited to her talent. Such a being is bound to betray trust at the final moment.”

Lennok let out a small laugh.

“You were one of Kaiser’s retainers, then. Are you loyal to him?”

“Loyalty?”

Gileon echoed the word, as if it sounded strange to him, and then turned his body.

“I live to die in his stead.”

There was no further answer.

The man’s body, transforming into a streak of gray lightning, shot hundreds of meters into the sky.

WHOOSH!!

Simultaneously, a presence and an uncommonly sharp gaze were felt from afar once more.

Only then did Lennok understand Gileon’s role in this operation.

Unrivaled flight and detection abilities. Was he using his overwhelming aerial supremacy and vision to monitor everyone approaching the power plant from all directions?

This era was still long before Lennok developed anti-gravity technology.

Considering that, one could indirectly grasp how remarkable Gileon’s ability was, to freely use such an incredibly inefficient flight capability.

McQueen, seemingly not unaware of this, twitched with a vein throbbing in his forehead before abruptly turning his back.

“All of Kaiser’s retainers are like that. It’s fine, no reason to get worked up over it.”

“Kaiser seems to have brought some of his subordinates to the operation as well.”

“He was always one who placed more weight on the abilities of his retainers than his own martial prowess, so it’s not surprising.”

McQueen replied with a scoff.

“But all that talk of loyalty and trust is utter nonsense. They truly believe their constructed factions and relationships are the foremost in this city. It’s utterly pathetic.”

“…”

“Those who merely pay lip service to loyalty and trust are often the first to turn their backs when a crisis arrives. We’ll see.”

Did this renegade monk truly understand that those words also applied to himself?

Yet, ironically, from Lennok’s perspective, that almost curse-like statement wasn’t entirely wrong.

After all, decades later in the present, Kaiser’s retainers had indeed betrayed him in the end, forming the new organization known as Deadrise and operating under its banner.

Where, then, was Gileon, who claimed to live to die for Kaiser, now?

Lennok recalled this, gave a small laugh, and followed McQueen.

WHOOOOOM…!!

As they entered the power plant building, a magnificent vibrating hum resonated powerfully throughout the entire space.

A violent operational hum, as if the entire facility was subtly vibrating.

“The Chairman is likely in the control room or administration office.”

McQueen unhesitatingly led Lennok, swiftly navigating the power plant corridors.

Listening to McQueen’s explanation, Lennok quickly began to formulate what he would say when he met Olivera.

Having come this far after hearing Kaiser’s name, a situation where his lie was exposed and a battle ensued would be the second-worst outcome.

Here, it would be better to add an ambiguous lie, one that might even deceive Olivera herself, to completely complicate the developing situation.

While Lennok quickly mulled over this, McQueen, for his part, was wandering through the power plant, unable to find Olivera.

“…She’s not here. It seems she might have stepped out for another errand.”

“Then we’ll just wait. What’s the problem?”

As Lennok replied nonchalantly and leaned against the corridor wall, stopping, McQueen subtly frowned.

It was McQueen, not Lennok, who seemed flustered by the unexpected turn of events.

McQueen, who had been pacing before Lennok as if deep in thought, then raised his staff and slammed it hard onto the floor.

WHIIIRRRR…

Simultaneously, a faint light rose at Lennok’s feet, illuminating the power plant’s interior corridors like a directional sign.

McQueen briefly confirmed the spell’s successful activation, then immediately turned his back.

“There should be someone in the power plant’s engine room. You can get any necessary information from them. I’ll take my leave now.”

“Are you sure it’s alright to handle things this way, after coming all this way?”

At Lennok’s words, McQueen shook his head as if he had no choice.

“…I stopped my original patrol for the operation and came back to confirm your identity. I don’t have much time either. We’ll decide after the Chairman returns.”

“…”

“I can’t let that Gileon find any more fault with me.”

It seemed McQueen’s change of heart was triggered by meeting Gileon and hearing harsh words from him.

The renegade monk glanced at Lennok, then shook his head, muttering to himself.

“He definitely doesn’t seem to be on Kaiser’s side, so it probably doesn’t matter…”

“…”

It seemed that Lennok’s composure and defiance in response to Gileon’s actions had earned him some degree of McQueen’s trust.

It wasn’t strange for McQueen to perceive Lennok as definitively on the Cartel’s side, precisely because Lennok hadn’t fled or panicked in that situation.

Understanding the unfolding situation, Lennok nodded.

“Alright. Then I’ll be in the engine room.”

“…I’ll contact you as soon as the Chairman returns. Don’t cause any trouble, just wait.”

After saying that, McQueen disappeared out of the power plant with hurried steps.

He probably intended to quickly resume his patrol of the Ramahal District, which had been halted by meeting Lennok.

Suddenly alone, Lennok gazed fixedly down the power plant corridor before slowly walking toward the engine room.

Though he seemed to have secured some trust from the previous encounter, McQueen hadn’t completely shed his suspicion.

If he deviated from the path created by McQueen’s spell, some sort of signal would immediately reach him.

There was no need to make suspicious movements already, now that he was inside the power plant.

It would be better to take advantage of this timeline’s Olivera’s absence to check what was happening inside the power plant.

The engine room was an area where all energy flows of the Particle Power Plant could be observed at a glance.

He didn’t know if McQueen’s suggestion of that direction was intentional, but it wasn’t a bad destination for Lennok either.

WHOOOOOM…!!

As he walked along the long, winding corridor, dark red warning lights began to flash, casting dim illumination all around.

The moment he opened the engine room door, an eerie atmosphere enveloped him, as if something might leap out at any moment.

Even the warmth of the overhead lights seemed about to be snatched away.

Contrary to what McQueen had said, there was no one in sight; only an emptiness that utterly mismatched the modern equipment filled the space.

A trap?

The instant Lennok considered that and stopped walking.

“Hey there, if you opened the door to come in, could you make sure to close it properly too?”

An indifferent voice came from a corner of the engine room.

“While changes in hydraulic pressure won’t significantly affect the outcome, I believe we all agreed it’s best to minimize variables.”

“…”

“Why aren’t you answering?”

Instead of replying, Lennok quietly walked towards the direction of the voice.

In the absolute center of the immense engine room sat a colossal, egg-shaped mechanical device of unknown form.

At one edge of this device, which exposed its intricate internal components and mana flows, lay a man bent over a tablet.

A man was hunched over, ceaselessly manipulating something on a tablet.

Curly black hair. A larger build than expected. An aura far more intense than anticipated.

A mana user of at least Ascendant rank, at the very least.

But such information, though perceived by Lennok’s senses, wasn’t what was important.

Lennok had instinctively known who this man, left alone in the engine room, was the moment he heard his voice.

The unusually poor posture he adopted while working, the unhealthy way he carried himself.

Even his subtly gruff tone of voice was strikingly similar to his granddaughter’s.

The man who stood at the heart of Vulcan’s deepest, darkest secrets, and who, with his death, buried everything in secrecy.

The proclaimed King of the Underworld, who had seized all of Vulcan’s darkness, and the progenitor of a plan whose lingering traces still troubled and tormented countless individuals even after his demise.

The master of the Black Consumer Project.

“Kaiser Vajur.”

Lennok spoke inadvertently.

“You were here.”

“Hmm?”

The man, hearing Lennok’s words, abruptly snapped his head up.

“Who are you, calling my name so casually?”

Finally, Lennok had come face to face with the man who had been closer to the secrets of that project than anyone else.