#275
Rebattle (4)
After the arrival of Marquis Lawrence, the head of the Magic Tower, and the combat wizards.
The situation in the outskirts slums was quickly resolved.
Stav, who resisted until the end, couldn’t hold out for long and was subdued. As soon as the Grand Wizard burst in, a few masked individuals, realizing that escape was impossible, attempted to take their own lives…
“Kuhp!”
“Ugh!”
“Hey, where do you think you’re going? Stay still.”
Before they knew it, their bodies, including their mouths, had stiffened, wrapped tightly in threads of curses, and they were taken away, having been completely sealed off by the now-joining wizards.
‘As expected, it’s incredibly useful.’
Hesperon nodded, glancing at his right hand, which radiated a deeper energy than before.
It was partly due to the masked individuals’ carelessness just before their suicides, but the fact that he could completely subdue those who were of a fairly high level was all thanks to the growth and increased output of the “Right Arm of Desire.”
Being able to use more intricate curses, like the “Paralysis,” had also been quite a harvest.
– Mission complete! Thanks to you, I’m alive. Thank you, Riley.
– Haa— I’m glad, we made it in time. …And realistically, this is my fault, so I should apologize. I should have handled it properly from the beginning to avoid causing any trouble…
– It’s fine, it’s fine. That’s just how life goes. As long as we’ve done our best at any moment, that’s what matters. From now on, let’s continue to do our best in dealing with…
Just as Hesperon was lazily encouraging the self-reproaching Riley, he suddenly stopped talking.
Soon, his gaze returned to his own right arm.
Su—
A creeping black aura of curses began to rise.
The “Right Arm of Desire,” which had swallowed its resentment and had been satisfied, was now slowly lifting its head and protesting.
– Hesperon? Why are you doing that all of a sudden? Are you okay? Did you get hurt somewhere…?
– Ah, sorry. It’s nothing. I just made eye contact with Stav for a moment. I glared at him a bit.
However, Hesperon answered her words while quietly examining his now spasming right arm.
‘Ah, this is dangerous.’
Contrary to what he told her, a pale face was slowly losing its color.
Drip drip—
His expression remained calm, but blood flowing from his nose, drenched in cold sweat, dripped onto the floor.
Some of the wizards, who were tidying up the surroundings, hurriedly approached him, but he couldn’t afford to pay attention to them right now.
Fwooosh—
Finally, the aura of curses, which seemed to be testing the waters, began to rampage wildly.
“This… Is it a side effect?”
Even in that situation, he maintained his composure using the “Mind Hub,” frowning slightly as he meticulously examined his body.
No matter how successfully he had contracted the curse, the very essence of it was a double-edged sword.
This was not an ordinary curse, but a special existence that bore a spirit and gained its own ranks, wasn’t it?
Unless one was an entity like Undead King Hans who could completely ignore curses, it was an ability that always required careful handling.
‘…I definitely overused it this time.’
He hadn’t just unleashed power, but also used it defensively while repeatedly clashing with black magic-infused attacks.
The shock relayed through his body was enough to damage his internals, so one could only imagine how much damage had accumulated in his arm.
Su—
At that moment, the Black Dragon, who had coiled around his arm, was gazing at him intently.
Unlike her usual dignified self, her eyes sparkled like a snake.
Then, the curse, which had only been limited to his right arm, began to slowly expand its territory.
“Tsk, I should have listened more carefully to the doctor’s warnings.”
Hesperon clicked his tongue at the sight.
Of course, this was an emergency situation, but it was still necessary to devise some measures.
He didn’t know what might happen later when the curse grew even stronger.
“But right now, that’s out of the question, you little rascal.”
Crack—
As expected, the curse, attempting to expand its reach, couldn’t pass beyond his shoulder and kept wriggling.
The bandages wrapped around his shoulders and his skill “Curse Devourer” fiercely resisted the attempts to invade his body.
‘Now!’
Fwooosh—
As the curse hesitated momentarily, the bandage on his shoulder was released in an instant, wrapping his right arm tightly in the blink of an eye.
Snap— crackle!
As if rebelling against it, black sparks erupted, causing his arm to convulse violently.
In tandem, the Black Dragon flickered like a fluorescent light, appearing and disappearing repeatedly.
At the same time, a tremendous pain began to surge from his right arm, but his “Mind Hub” and “Spirit Firewall” thoroughly blocked it, protecting his mind.
However, unlike his mind, his body couldn’t escape the direct effects of the pain.
He wasn’t someone like Harley, who could control every single muscle and cell.
With the pain occupying his brain and nerves, his pupils dilated, and his whole body convulsed.
Blood vessels flowed from his mouth and nose, and he was drenched in cold sweat, as if he had fallen into water.
For about five minutes.
Thanks to the tight grip of the “Chain of Pact” connected to the curse, the wildly rampaging “Right Arm of Desire” finally began to calm down little by little, and his body gradually regained stability.
Hoo, if this had broken out in the middle of a fight, we would have been doomed.
Finally breathing a sigh of relief, he massaged his throbbing right arm.
After carefully moving his bandaged arm back and forth to check its condition, he lifted his head.
“Are you… okay?”
Marquis Lawrence, who had been there without him noticing, approached cautiously with a strange expression.
“Yes, I’m fine now.”
Since he had been learning magic in the palace, he was somewhat familiar with the Marquis, having run into him occasionally.
Maybe he was conscious of Riley, the soon-to-be highest authority, as he occasionally offered various bits of advice.
“Hmm… If you’re fine, then I guess it doesn’t matter.”
“Haha, more importantly, I owe you a greeting. Thank you for saving me just now. I really felt we were in danger.”
“What can I say? You were quite capable yourself. I heard you started training not that long ago, yet you’re already at this level.”
He continued speaking with surprise but stopped and slowly scanned Hesperon again.
Dust and blood stains covered her body, her pale complexion, the cold sweat drenching her, and her muscles still intermittently trembling.
It was evident that she didn’t look okay at all.
‘No, even if that weren’t the case, anyone who saw what happened earlier would think so.’
Lawrence stroked his beard, squinting his eyes.
The conflict between the rampaging curse and the will trying to suppress it could be inferred from his physical reactions, and one could easily guess the level of pain inflicted at that time, yet Hesperon’s face remained disturbingly calm as if nothing had happened.
‘His mental strength and self-control are off the charts. What a waste, what a waste.’
Given the pace of growth he had observed and the fact that he held out against Stav until he arrived, it seemed plausible that he could easily train him as a successor if he took him as an apprentice…
‘Hmm, maybe I should casually bring it up later.’
But now wasn’t the time to delve into such matters.
Since he had made the decision to take action, it was best to ensure that was apparent.
He wouldn’t want to hear the Princess’s resentment after going through all this trouble only for some side effects to occur.
“That’s not something you should say.”
“…Yes?”
“Come on, let’s go.”
“A… Yes.”
Thus, Hesperon found herself being reluctantly hospitalized at the royal hospital under Lawrence’s insistence.
Riley, having learned the full story, immediately decided on her long-term hospitalization.
Why did you say you were fine? Along with the worried nagging conveyed through the “Chain of Pact.”
*
At the base set up on the outskirts of Seoul.
Tap, tap, tap—
The sound of fingers tapping on a table echoed in the quiet room.
I stared blankly at the report that had arrived via secure email, printed on the monitor, and sank deep into thought.
‘Auterica has almost reached its climax.’
While there were still quite a few minor issues left, the events that could create significant changes in the world had mostly been wrapped up.
What I needed to do from here was ensure that the avatars in their respective positions steadily expanded their influence and successfully wrap up the main theater.
‘The only major issue is the sanctions on the Hermanhart Dukedom…’
Honestly, I didn’t expect that to last long either.
Riley seemed to be more than serious this time, actively making moves like never before.
Although she was still at Rosellia Temple, she began to show considerable movement, commanding the forces she had gathered.
In politics, business, academia, the Magic Tower, and even among mercenaries.
She even dropped hints about the dark knight Stav, requesting an Inquisition Officer, which says everything about the level of involvement.
‘I had my grievances there too, so I readily accepted.’
After all, it was a statement made directly by someone representing the Empire.
That should suffice for the Church to have a reason to intervene directly!
‘If that doesn’t seem enough, I can plant a few connections to the Undead Army over there.’
If that were to happen… this could become something unbelievable!
The prestigious Dukedom would easily become a traitor to humanity!
A traitor who lost all reason and allied with the Undead King.
Even if it were an Imperial Duke, the fall of one family could happen in the blink of an eye.
Especially considering that the Imperial family had turned their backs on them, their chance of revival would be zero.
‘But then again, that’s not entirely wrong to think, is it?’
Furthermore, as I pondered, I realized it’s not merely a false accusation.
It had already been confirmed that Duke Hermanhart was one of the executives of the Oath of Reversal.
What were those guys in the Oath of Reversal up to again?
They intended to resurrect the Undead King, open the Abyss and unleash madness, scheme the sinking of the Enamel Continent, and instigate a great war on the Ion Continent.
‘What he knew about collaborating is uncertain, but regardless, facts are facts.’
It was no longer an issue whether he knowingly collaborated while knowing the continent could face destruction, or if he merely caused a suitable crisis to pocket benefits.
This had become a matter of justifiable punishment.
‘…I’ve gone off track again. Now, regarding that…’
My gaze returned to the security email on the monitor.
The forced-up mood I had previously shifted back down.
The sender was Andrew Weaver.
He was a talented asset, not just a slave, but one with the unique skill “Trail Observation,” useful for gathering intelligence.
And the report he sent this time felt worth the investment of recruiting him.
[Confirming the location of the Buncheon Society’s East Asia branch]
[Candidates for the East Asia branch leader, Yul Ryeong-ja’s location list]
‘Yul Ryeong-ja…’
Suddenly, the image of him in Japan, mangled by Hans, came to mind.
And I recalled the traumatic event from a short while ago at the hospital.
Flames, explosions, heat, screams, the smell of blood.
Voices calling his name, gazes on him, warmth, memories.
“Hmm, Hoo—”
With a deep breath, emotions that I had tried to bury in the tense situation simmered and began to bubble up.
It wasn’t time yet— the anger and resentment I had buried with my “Persona” started to rise.
‘Yeah, I’ve endured a lot by now. It’s about time to see some results.’
The corners of my mouth began to creep upwards.
The East Asia branch leader, Yul Ryeong-ja.
And that implied…
[Operation Plan: Seoul Station, August 20XX]
He was the one who was the decision-maker and the operational head of the terror from that time, wasn’t he?
I didn’t plan to finish it with just him, but it would certainly suffice to quench this thirst.
I closed my eyes and leaned back against the chair.
The darkening vision, the soft hum of the computer.
And then…
“Hans.”
Darkness enveloped the room.
*
Deepest within Auterica.
The Abyss.
A place where the standards of time and space, substance and concept are broken, floating meaninglessly amidst chaos, has always been filled with disorder.
It has been so until now, and will continue for the foreseeable future.
Crack!
However.
Suddenly, an unexpected anomaly began to unfold in this seemingly unchanging place.
Rustle—
Crash— crack!
The sound of something shattering echoed as space itself broke.
Or perhaps, it wasn’t the space that was breaking.
This was a place where even the concept couldn’t fully exist, so even the mere thought of a sound might well be an illusion.
But whatever the reason, the changes that couldn’t be understood continued even now.
And it finally spat out yet another anomaly right at that spot.
“Huh.”
It was unclear when he had appeared there, a man suddenly materialized.
Unaffected by the chaotic swirling of everything around him, he surveyed the surroundings slowly and murmured quietly.
“Has it bombed again this time?”
But he still couldn’t be sure.
After all, he hadn’t officially visited; he had entered using a convenient method, and there had been similar cases previously.
Typically, vulnerabilities in security lie in these remote areas where the administrator’s gaze doesn’t reach.
As the man thought… somewhere between ordinary and exuding pressure, a vaguely felt existence—
The head of the Buncheon Society twisted the corners of his mouth and spoke.
“I hope this time there’s something worthwhile…”
But before he could finish his sentence.
《The XXed XXX is looking at you.》
Thud—
With a fierce heartbeat, the space trembled.
