Chapter 558: From the End of Failure (5)

Having concluded his agreement with Purity, Lennok immediately led his companions to a new location.

It was a bustling street where the Particle Power Plant was visible in the distance, yet it offered some freedom from the Ghost Ship’s search. In a quiet cinema, Lennok projected an image with mana onto the screen above, speaking.

“Currently, there are five superhumans cooperating with Kaiser’s research at the Particle Power Plant.” Lennok tapped the screen, watching his companions, who were scattered in the cinema seats, checking their equipment.

“Parden McQueen and Gileon, Madrich Onnion and Olivera, and Krod Azlan himself.”

“…”

“I’ll omit the others since we’ve faced them before, but let’s hear directly about Krod Azlan’s Hierarchy.”

“At the time, I participated in the war, having achieved enlightenment, and was honing my inspirations in actual combat.” Purity, leaning against a seat right by the aisle, quietly replied.

“I had already grasped the concept by the time the civil war was nearing its end, and a month after the war concluded, I transcended my Hierarchy to reach the Peak of Extremes.”

At Purity’s calm words, Felix and Ilya clicked their tongues in awe.

“To transcend Hierarchy… such words come so easily to you…”

“It’s a realm that most strive their entire lives for and still can’t even touch the fringes of.” Despite his undisguised admiration, Purity remained impassive.

“To be precise, at this point in time, he hadn’t yet reached the Peak of Extremes. I also felt something similar when I confronted him.” Lennok, likewise unbothered by the comment, asked again.

“If you participated in the operation, do you also know how Kaiser’s research concluded back then?”

“Regrettably, I do not know well.” Purity shook his head.

“Immediately after the civil war reached a lull, I only surveyed the area around the power plant for a few days. Unlike now, the research concluded quietly, and no subsequent results were ever conveyed.”

“…”

He knew about the anomalies occurring in the Sealed Zone, but perhaps he acted so unilaterally because it had been a quiet, uneventful incident back then. He’d hoped, but it seemed Purity also didn’t know what conclusion Kaiser had reached in the original Timeline.

“Kaiser isn’t telling his assembled companions what he’s discovered, and he’s calling for us.” Lennok said, glancing at his phone from his pocket.

“To completely stop the radiation phenomenon and return those bound in the past, it would be most efficient to borrow the power of the designer who spearheaded all the research.”

Watching his attentive companions, Lennok beckoned with a finger.

“Therefore, in this operation, we need to decide who will engage whom and tie them down.”

“So, selection and concentration are needed.” It wasn’t that he hadn’t considered the possibility that all of this was a trap.

But if Kaiser had intended to kill Lennok, why hadn’t he tried the moment he suspected Lennok’s identity? Not when he secretly sent messages to Lennok via the firewall network. Not when he called him to the cathedral to deliver a message to the past Krod. Opportunities were countless, and Kaiser, aware of them, let them pass as if they held no meaning. It was as if he didn’t want to kill Lennok, but truly wished to speak with him again and convey something.

‘Even during their first clash, Kaiser’s attitude wasn’t aggressive. It was as if he was observing something, waiting…’ The reason this spacetime, not true reality, exists so close to reality isn’t solely due to the Spacetime Anchoring Device research. The construction and maintenance of this Dissociated Space in a near-real form are influenced by something unrelated to Kaiser’s will or power. Perhaps it’s not Kaiser himself, but the power of the entity known as Alkaid, with whom he collaborated.

‘By now, he might have caught on to some extent.’ If he knew he was a being from the past, he would also have realized that this alone wouldn’t allow them to exist with such independent thought and power. If so, it’s natural that he’d want to speak directly with Lennok, rather than just with his companions. Lennok vaguely understood the extent of Kaiser’s thoughts, which is why he intended to follow the message and re-enter the Particle Power Plant once more.

“While on-site judgments will be left to individual discretion based on the situation, I fundamentally intend to arrange the entry order to create a different configuration than last time.”

Ilya and Felix had faced McQueen and Gileon respectively, but despite their exceptional abilities, they couldn’t easily break through. It wasn’t simply a lack of skill or capacity on their part, but rather that they were matched against opponents whose abilities made it difficult to decisively determine superiority. Therefore, even if it meant incurring some disadvantage, it was necessary to forcibly change the setup and reset the board.

Saying so, Lennok displayed the full view of the Particle Power Plant on the screen, determined the entry formation and timing, and set the breakthrough routes.

“I’ll handle the first entry. I’m confident in stalling and holding out.”

“I’ll directly target the underground power room. I want to create the most favorable setup for Van.”

Felix and Ilya, accustomed to this kind of operation, quickly identified their tasks. They didn’t hesitate to prioritize strategic judgment over individual burden. All the superhumans gathered here were close to aces in their respective organizations. They were all familiar with taking responsibility.

“Less than three hours remain until the time Kaiser promised in his message. We’ll depart as soon as preparations are complete.” Having concluded the meeting in an instant, Lennok said this, then rubbed his temples as he exited the auditorium.

Due to the previous fierce battle, a considerable amount of mana and energy had been depleted. Not just the others, but Lennok also needed to prepare himself. To raise his condition and rearm in this state, he would need at least a little rest.

Thinking this, Lennok leaned back in a deserted cinema cafe, closed his eyes, and just as he was about to calm his mind and body.

“You didn’t go far.” He sensed Purity following him out from the end of the corridor.

Approaching Lennok with his hands behind his back, he quietly placed something down on the cafe table.

Thud!

“This is the Touin’s Secret Arts that I promised.” Purity replied with a faded expression.

“The method of moving the body with the mind. I said I would teach it to you directly. I apologize for not being able to keep that promise.”

“…Touin’s Secret Arts? This?” Lennok picked up the object Purity had dropped, a hint of absurdity in his expression.

What he called Touin’s Secret Arts was not a simple booklet or a scroll filled with information. What Purity had placed down was a small wooden statue, in the form of a warrior, looking as if it had just been carved.

Lennok’s eyes gleamed faintly as he meticulously examined the wooden statue.

“I see. On the surface of the statue…”

On the surface of the warrior-shaped wooden statue, something was intricately carved in extremely tiny script, almost impossible for Lennok’s naked eye to discern. Like sutras etched stitch by stitch with a needle onto a grain of rice, the number of characters carved onto the small statue was innumerable. These carved characters rotated along the statue, drawing beautiful patterns on the warrior’s body.

[“These Secret Arts are left to break through the walls of martial arts through the study of the mind.”] The moment Purity said this, the wooden statue in Lennok’s hand slowly moved, changing its posture.

Creak…!!

“…!!”

The warrior, who had been in a posture of joined hands, shifted into a stance with limbs obliquely extended, as if about to begin a sparring session.

“If you recite the Secret Arts carved into the statue, its movements will change accordingly,” Purity explained.

“It’s the best way to demonstrate the process of a physical body being reconfigured according to a specific Will-thought. It’s a type of ancient artifact used to leave behind secret techniques in the main text.”

“An artifact…” Lennok slowly nodded in response.

An object made to record martial arts secret arts and visibly demonstrate how to move through them. Purity had spent his remaining time engrossed in carving Touin’s Secret Arts onto the surface of the wooden statue.

“Touin’s Secret Arts don’t refer to the method of learning and mastering them correctly. It’s closer to demonstrating the outcome by following an already completed sample.”

Purity’s voice echoed in the quiet cinema corridor.

“Ultimately, the mind is shaped into different forms according to ideals and desires. Unless one observes closely and adjusts it individually, it’s impossible to awaken a profound understanding with just a few lines of text.”

“Yet that’s precisely why I asked for your direct instruction.”

At Lennok’s mocking reply, Purity offered a strained laugh.

“I apologize for how things have turned out. It is due to my own inadequacy…”

“…”

Indeed, Lennok hadn’t expected to be properly taught Touin at this point. Considering Purity’s disappearance immediately after entering the operation zone, it was true that he hadn’t anticipated Purity would try to keep his promise now. However, he had simply set it aside, believing that meeting Kaiser again was more important than pressing Purity for the promised training right away.

“Consider it a gift of apology left while I am still sane. I intend to speak separately with Ilya and Felix as well.”

“Are you thinking of settling your remaining connections now?”

Purity didn’t reply further and turned his back.

Lennok watched his retreating figure, then shook the wooden statue and spoke.

“But if that’s what you intend, you shouldn’t have given this to me in the first place.”

“…”

“Because the fundamental reason you went mad was likely this technique, Touin.”

Hearing those words, Purity’s footsteps abruptly halted.

“It wasn’t that transcending Hierarchy itself was the problem, was it?” Lennok asked.

“The problem arose because you chose Touin as the method to reach Level 8. Isn’t that right?”

The technique of moving the body with the mind, Touin. The ultimate secret art that elevates a warrior’s resolve to take another step forward in moments of desperation into the realm of technique. But if one is consumed by that technique, they become a monster, maddened by blood and combat, rampaging without distinguishing friend from foe. A warrior consumed by the thrill and excitement of battle, indiscriminately burning with a desire to win. A monster devoured by the very mind it created. Isn’t the being perfectly matching that description standing right before Lennok now?

Lennok understood why Purity’s mental state was so unstable and precariously wavering after witnessing his disgraceful behavior in the Sealed Zone. It wasn’t because he was old, or because he had lost his way by reaching an excessively high realm. It was because the very method Purity used to transcend Hierarchy and reach Level 8 was the power of Touin, moving the body by burning the mind. Now that he had lost his way, his mind was slowly trying to consume his body.

That was the fate of those who tried to use their inner mental landscape as a mere weapon, rather than meticulously refining it into a perfect ideal. Purity had intended to directly transmit to Lennok the very secret and concept that allowed him to reach Level 8.

“Now, did you wish to bestow upon me the madness you’re experiencing?”

“…Of course not. My problem, as you said, arises because I chose Touin as the means to transcend Hierarchy. It was the manifestation of my foolishness in craving a higher realm.”

Purity quietly shook his head.

“However, that applies only to a fool like me. For someone like you, refining Touin as a technique will not be a problem.”

“How can you guarantee that?”

Even at Lennok’s retort, Purity smiled sadly.

As if he was looking at someone who possessed from the beginning what he could never have.

“Because for one who has already found their own answer, no delusion will take root.”

The sky above the Particle Power Plant was dark and overcast, heavy with storm clouds. McQueen still sat cross-legged beneath the transmission tower, concentrating intently.

Above him, atop the transmission tower, was the statue of Arjumarta. The moment both the statue, deep in meditation with not a hint of disturbance, and McQueen simultaneously opened their eyes.

Thump!!

A young man with striking black-and-white hair landed before McQueen.

“Apostate monk. What are you doing here?”

“…So, it was a protector of Turyeonmun.” McQueen exhaled heavily, annoyed, and closed his eyes again.

“If you intend to disturb me, then leave. I’m already having trouble concentrating.”

“I just finished my return report and got a little sleep… but the atmosphere seems to have changed strangely in the meantime.” Krod, from the past, leaned against his spear and stroked his chin.

“The power plant’s security posture also seems to have changed quite a bit. What happened?”

At his words, McQueen frowned in disbelief.

“Can’t you see the sight before us right now?”

The horrifying scene of nearly half the power plant’s grounds and facilities having melted and flowed away. The ground was half-torn apart as if an explosion had occurred, revealing corridors leading to the power plant’s underground. Wasn’t Krod’s obliviousness, asking if something had happened even after seeing this, the stranger thing?

But Krod merely shrugged at McQueen’s rebuke.

“Was it the first time allies fought each other on the front lines? There were times when we dug up the entire ground to build fortifications. If no one died, this much doesn’t even count as a disturbance, does it?”

“…There was an intruder,” McQueen replied, annoyance in his tone.

“They breached the perimeter alone, met Kaiser directly, and then their identity was exposed.”

“Hmm.”

“They fought with the Chairman and escaped, and their whereabouts are currently unknown. Do you understand?”

To be precise, it was McQueen’s blunder to guide the person directly to the power plant, so it was certainly not easy for him to admit it himself.

“I see. An opponent capable of directly matching Lady Olivera in skill. They must have been an incredibly powerful warrior.”

“No, they were a wizard.”

“…A wizard?” Krod’s expression showed a hint of surprise at McQueen’s answer.

Olivera Ron Maize is a powerful wizard, but her combat ability is that of a superhuman, so anomalous that it can be compared to physical combatants of her level. Not only has she herself accumulated countless experiences traveling the continent for a long time, but her nature is bold and she enjoys competition. Most wizards can’t even hold out against her for a moment, let alone fight her on equal terms. It’s incredibly rare for a wizard to possess martial prowess befitting their Hierarchy, yet this one managed to stall Olivera and escape? No, the very fact that they could escape implies that the wizard had some advantage over Olivera. Did that mean they hadn’t yet identified such a powerful and skilled combat wizard?

Only then did Krod understand why the atmosphere around the Particle Power Plant had changed so drastically.

“Where are Sir Gileon and Lady Olivera now?”

“Gileon is performing wing maintenance, and the Chairman is in the power room.” A sharp smile formed on McQueen’s lips.

“By now, she must have finished her construction work to trap them in an illusion.”

“…”

No sooner had he finished speaking than an utterly sinister shadow of mist began to fall over their heads. The colossal Ghost Ship had returned to the sky above the power plant. Madrich Onnion had completed his perimeter patrol and returned to the Particle Power Plant.

WOOOOSH…!!

McQueen glanced up at the sight of the Ghost Fleet and shook his head.

“It seems there wasn’t much of a harvest. Nothing to be done, I suppose…”

“Sir Onnion hasn’t changed his patrol methods.”

“The Wraith Legion’s Domain disperses the moment he leaves his position. As long as he maintains this posture, he won’t disembark from the ship.”

“I see. At this point, there’s practically no other option but to remain on standby.”

If it was a wizard with capabilities comparable to Olivera, concealing their presence from their pursuit would be trivial. Moreover, their side was in a situation where they couldn’t move despite their operational area being exposed. It was a configuration where they had no choice but to react passively, whether the opponent reinforced their forces or changed their attack direction.

Krod, who had been curiously observing the ship, asked in a passing tone.

“Oh, by the way, what was the wizard’s appearance like?”

“A black-haired man with a sharp appearance. He carries a thin, wavy staff and wears a black coat like a shadow.”

“…What?”

“He’s teamed up with a bird-headed giant and a woman who wields a spear. It would be easier to show you directly.”

Despite his annoyance, McQueen answered each of Krod’s questions. While Krod’s nonchalant attitude was irritating, he was one of only two physical combatants present, alongside Gileon, and among them, the spearman most specialized in solo operations. As a clear expert capable of holding his own on any battlefield, it was worth explaining the situation, even if belatedly.

The moment McQueen said this and conjured images of Lennok, Felix, and Ilya from his memory to show him.

“…”

Krod’s face stiffened.

“The bird-headed giant uses a war hammer and emits strange power. The woman who wields a spear uses super-vibration abilities to manipulate it remotely… Hmm?”

McQueen found Krod’s reaction strange, yet he continued explaining about them in order until he stopped speaking. Krod, who had been listening to the explanation, snapped his head around.

“Why are you stopping? I wish to hear more of the explanation immediately. I beg of you.”

“…No, more than that, for a moment, I sensed something unsettling from somewhere…” The apostate monk, a rare frown on his brow, tilted his head.

Though somewhat rough and strict in nature, it was a rare reaction for this monk who seldom became flustered or agitated.

“Is it the intruder’s presence? Just tell me the direction and I’ll go take care of it.” The moment Krod, picking up his spear, drew forth his mana, McQueen’s expression tightened sharply.

“Yes, that mana. Similar to yours, yet a horribly distorted Mind Imprint…”

“What on earth are you talking about?”

“As if thrown at us from thousands of meters away—” WHIZZ…!!

At that moment, a flash of white light, glinting from beyond the Particle Power Plant’s overcast sky, plunged diagonally towards the ground. The white light, descending in a faint spiral, raced towards the power plant, then precisely pierced the keel of the Ghost Ship that blocked its path.

KABOOOM!!!

A circular shockwave erupted from the point of impact. The Ghost Ship, floating above the power plant, violently shook and spewed out thick mist.

“….!!!!”

A sudden attack. Moreover, it was a bombardment powerful enough to damage Madrich Onnion’s Ghost Ship. A terrifying Will-thought, distinctly different from the abilities of the intruders they had discussed until now.

Krod’s mouth parted slightly, and McQueen, with wide eyes, leaped to his feet.

“I must inform the Chairman. Another monster has joined their side…!!”

The moment McQueen muttered this, attempting to contact the inside of the power plant via spell-communication.

THWACK!!

The inside of his raised wrist was crushed, scattering blood along with torn muscle. Only after his wrist was completely shattered did a faint gun-shot echo belatedly.

“!!!” Krod reached out a hand towards McQueen’s head, who gritted his teeth, unable to scream.

THUMP!!

Krod, having parried the second bullet aimed at McQueen’s head, clicked his tongue.

“It’s like parrying an artillery shell. Such a secretive yet powerful sniper shot, it’s an absurd level of marksmanship.”

“Are two different snipers attacking us from that side…!!”

Nothing was detected within their search radius, yet they were unilaterally allowing themselves to be attacked. No, it wasn’t just because of that. The presence of the white light that first targeted the Ghost Ship was beyond imagination, and their attention had been completely diverted by it. The second sniper shot, silent yet lethal, was fired precisely to exploit the opening created by that overwhelming, pure white Will-thought. This entire sequence of events was meticulously planned and executed.

Realizing this instantly, McQueen whipped his head around.

“Krod Azlan, go to Kaiser!!”

“…Will you be alright?”

“They’re jamming our communications. I don’t know why, but if they don’t want it, I must force the message through.” Sweating profusely from pain, McQueen tore his clothes to bind his wrist and staunch the bleeding as he spoke.

“I’ll take responsibility and stall for time with Onnion. You must inform Kaiser of this immediately and…!!”

McQueen’s words never reached their conclusion. After a brief interval, a second flash of white light glinted from beyond the sky, this time precisely piercing and exploding the transmission tower.

KABOOOOM!!!

An explosion filled with white mana enveloped the transmission tower, incinerating everything.

The transmission tower collapsed, along with the monstrous form of the summoning beast Arjumarta, shrieking.

“Good.” Lennok confirmed the sight through the scope of his Siteglass-992 sniper rifle and nodded.

“Target points 1 and 2 confirmed direct hits. We will now begin our entry into the operational zone.”

“-Confirmed. -Ready.”

Felix and Ilya’s calm replies. Lennok didn’t wait for Purity’s answer and immediately continued.

“Rather than directly targeting the interior of the power plant, we will focus on dismantling the outer perimeter. Repeat bombardment towards target point 1.”

“…Understood.”

Kilometers away from the Particle Power Plant, on a parched plain. Purity had erected dozens of spear-like shafts made from bent streetlights all around the plain. He pulled one from the ground and infused it with Will-thought.

SCREEECH…!!

White mana flowed from Purity’s hand, engulfing the metal shaft and spiraling. The shaft twisted, unable to withstand the extremely concentrated flow of mana.

But Purity glanced down at the metal shaft before it completely broke, then lightly extended one foot forward and twisted his shoulder.

CRACK!!

With the grinding sound of twisting joints, Purity’s right arm rotated as if vanishing in place. Along with a faint shockwave that burst from his fingertips, the white spear-shaft, seemingly swimming through the ground, surged skyward into the overcast clouds.

THWUUUM!!!

The third white light, twisting as it burrowed into the outer bridge of the Particle Power Plant, pierced the Ghost Ship once more, erupting with a tremendous roar.

Purity’s eyes, flickering amidst his white hair, looked up at the distant, swaying form of the ship. From atop the trembling ship, an old man, appearing like mist, gazed down at him with a stern look. At that moment, the two monsters who had transcended Hierarchy and reached Level 8 recognized each other’s presence across thousands of meters.

“Let’s begin.” Lennok, mounted on his bike, pulled the throttle without hesitation.