The Shadow Hunt (4)
The Hongsan Kingdom, rich in rare resources, is flanked by the Red Mountains.
And the Cheonghae Kingdom, with its large ports touching the blue sea.
Even decades after the end of the war, remnants of bitterness lingered between the two nations, making them like sworn enemies, but there was no denying that they represented the great powers of Sabacheon.
Unsurprisingly, one didn’t need to go into detail about how tight the security would be in the Imperial Palace where the ruler of that great power resides.
Wiiing—! Wheeeing—!
Given that, the current situation was anything but normal.
A loud alarm rang out in the Imperial Palace of the Cheonghae Kingdom, competing for supremacy in the world.
That sound indicated that not only the outskirts of the palace, which bureaucrats could relatively easily access, but even the defenses of the Blue Dragon Palace, where the Emperor and members of the royal family lived, had been breached.
‘…This definitely isn’t good.’
In an office near the Blue Dragon Palace, Chancellor Kurshi, aged eighty, looked out the window with his wrinkled face.
“Get a move on, you lazy worms!”
“We have to block all routes as quickly as possible!”
Outside, numerous guards and soldiers were running around busily, but Kurshi, a practitioner at a high level, simply stared quietly at the sky beyond the window.
“What in the world is happening?”
The Imperial Palace was already enveloped in a purplish sky.
Even he, who had lived a long life, was witnessing something he had never seen before.
The problem was that it wasn’t merely a strange phenomenon to behold.
‘What is this chilling energy…’
Kurshi frowned as he brushed his goosebump-covered arms.
It was a feeling he could sense all the more acutely because of his high-level cultivation.
How dreadfully pure the magic could be, wrapping itself around that.
Was it that a demon, the embodiment of torment from stories, was manifesting?
Even just facing it would send one spiraling into despair with its terrifying power.
An untrained practitioner would be rendered powerless merely by encountering it.
‘Could it be the Black King’s doing? …No, no way. There’s no benefit for him in doing something this insane, and even he wouldn’t be capable of causing such an event.’
An unplanned occurrence.
His head was spinning with an unpredictable variable he couldn’t even begin to imagine.
No matter how many things had gone awry in recent plans, he would never have expected that someone with the Insight Chakra would feel not a hint of it…
“Chancellor!”
Just when he was deep in thought.
His secretary, who had rushed outside to understand the situation, burst into the office, his face pallid.
“The General Yongseol has taken the Imperial Guard to directly confront the infiltrators who breached the Blue Dragon Palace’s defenses! However, right after that, the terrible demon began to engulf the area, and the outcome is uncertain…”
It was quite understandable.
The core of this abnormality was beyond even Kurshi’s keen sight.
If someone like him was at such a loss, how much worse could it be for others?
“I hear the Emperor has already moved to a safe location just in case. Your Excellency, you should also leave this place!”
Kurshi nodded heavily at his secretary’s words and turned away from the window.
The Emperor, his only superior, had already fled, so he no longer had to consider the reactions of those around him.
‘The best warrior in the Cheonghae Kingdom is unlikely to lose so easily… But the ominous feelings haven’t let up since before. For now, it’s best to keep a low profile.’
Something inexplicable was happening in this Imperial Palace.
His instincts, which had brought him to this position, were ringing alarm bells.
In such situations, it’s best not to do anything reckless and rather safely distance oneself from the area of turmoil.
“Serving my sovereign in such a crisis is the duty of a loyal subject. I shall make my way to where the Emperor is.”
With that excuse, he led his attendants and hastily left the office.
No matter how invincible he may be, the safest place in the Imperial Palace was right next to the Emperor.
By now, most of the palace’s forces must have gathered there to protect the Emperor.
‘First, I need to assess the situation. This didn’t just happen for no reason. I must gather information on how to respond…’
But unfortunately.
He barely made it a short distance before he was forced to stop in his tracks.
“Hmm~?”
A voice suddenly echoed—sticky yet languorous, like that of a woman.
“Where are you rushing off to?”
At that moment, the actions of his attendants abruptly halted in unison.
As if enchanted by something, they all stood there with vacant expressions, mouths agape.
‘Gah, what is this?’
Thanks to his strong mental resolve, Kurshi was the only one still in his right mind, with chills running down his spine.
His danger detection radar screamed, and the creeping apprehension rapidly crescendoed, tightening its grip on him.
“Well, you seem quite busy. But I came all this way, so… mind giving me a moment of your time?”
His face hardened as he slowly lifted his head.
On the roof of a building nearby stood the owner of that unfamiliar voice, smiling mischievously with crossed legs, propping her chin on her hands as she looked down at him.
‘…An ominous being.’
High horns atop her head, delicately folded black wings behind her, and playful eyes sparkling like jewels.
The moment he faced her, instinctively, he felt it.
That this was something that shouldn’t exist in this world.
“If you keep staring like that, it might make me a bit shy, you know.”
Contrary to her words, Hela grinned goofily and winked.
It was a gesture that seemed all too familiar.
“…What happened to the General?”
Ignoring the instinctive unease, Kurshi finally managed to speak.
From the moment he recognized her, an odd sense of pressure had been continuously barraging him.
If he were to let his guard down even for a moment, he would be swept away by that intangible storm.
“Hmm? Ah~ that energetic old man?”
Hela widened her eyes at Kurshi’s question, as if she hadn’t expected him to ask it.
“Don’t worry. I’m not that bad of a person. There’s no way I’m going to hurt someone who’s just here to do their job, right?”
The Demon King, who had invaded a country’s Imperial Palace after crossing worlds, confidently declared.
What a believable demeanor that was.
“Well… he got hurt a bit because he was being stubborn, but he’s so tough that he should recover completely after resting for about a month.”
She kindly answered his question, as even such trivial details were no secret to share.
“…Uh, heh heh… Is that so.”
Kurshi’s expression became complicated.
It looked like a mixture of relief and disappointment.
Seeing that, Hela let out a significant smile and continued speaking.
“Anyway, you are the Chancellor of the Cheonghae Kingdom, right?”
“You seem to know everything already, so what can I possibly say now?”
“True. I was going to give you a bit of a scare if you made a fuss here. So, about my business here…”
Just as she was about to get into the main topic, Kurshi, who had been somewhat compliant, stealthily prepared a hidden trump card.
“Mujin, Gae!”
His cultivated ‘Insight’ Chakra gave him the power to see through truths.
While on its own it wasn’t considered an offensive ability, when combined with special vision, things changed.
Crack—!
The walls of stone burst up from the ground, separating them.
Not only that, but walls that soared up in a pattern filled the surrounding area, resonating with one another.
Wooooo—
With a trembling vibration, an overwhelming pressure descended upon Hela’s body.
In an instant, the magically reinforced barriers unleashed onto her, having repeated layers of overlap and amplification.
“This is…”
The moment something abnormal occurred, Hela, who had been about to grab Kurshi by the collar, stopped in her tracks.
The very laws of the world twisted and turned, leading to chaos where she could barely maintain her form.
It wasn’t mere strength that she could ignore.
She instantly realized what the Chancellor had done.
‘He’s using the Imperial Palace itself as a medium for his magic.’
The Imperial Palace of the Cheonghae Kingdom, having taken on countless renovations and enhancements over many years as a stronghold, was almost a crystallization of Sabacheon’s secrets.
In simpler terms, he had hacked into the Palace’s security system, using its resources to twist the laws of a specified area.
All to hold onto Hela’s ankles, even for a moment.
‘The opponent is someone who couldn’t even be beaten by the General. There’s no chance in confronting them directly.’
For some unknown reason, it was clear that she was focusing on him above all else.
In such circumstances, rather than fighting, the best option was to evade as much as possible.
‘Though I regret wasting the preparations I made, it can’t be helped. I have to survive first; I can always regroup later on.’
The plan was perfect.
Now all that remained was to slip away using the open paths created by the chaos.
“…You know, I did say, right?”
But as usual.
At first, everyone has a plan that seems workable.
No one expects it to come crashing down before they can even take action.
“If you resist foolishly, I’ll make you feel pain.”
When did she get this close?
Kurshi rigidly gazed into the different colored odd eyes inching towards him.
‘…How?’
He couldn’t comprehend.
But that was to be expected.
No matter how sharp the Insight Chakra might be, there are limits to what it can see through.
And if that was the Demon King’s Seven-colored Eye, it was hardly surprising if he didn’t recognize it.
The white eye of extinction and the blue eye of stillness.
Using them, Hela easily tore through the narrowing, intangible web closing in on her and reached out a hand.
“Got you.”
The hunter who finally caught her prey smiled softly.
*
In the midst of the Imperial Palace grounds, which had become a complete mess from fierce battles, with buildings collapsing and the ground upheaved.
“Ugh.”
General Yongseol, lying on the floor, cradled his head with one hand, groaning.
His overworked head was throbbing with pain, spewing heat continuously.
Had he not been the strongest warrior of the Cheonghae Kingdom, he would have likely succumbed to death by now.
‘Now that’s just pointless speculation.’
As he grimaced and scanned his surroundings, he sighed upon seeing the guards sprawled around like garbage.
While they had come along, most of them had proven useless against the invader.
In truth, that was unavoidable.
In order for them to properly display their capabilities in facing that being, a minimum level of cultivation was required—at least the deep level.
Without that, any attempts to approach would lead to them collapsing pathetically, becoming nothing but obstacles for their allies.
…Just like those guards had moments ago.
“General! Are you alright?”
Just as General Yongseol was catching his breath and recalling the recent battle.
Support troops had rushed in to help him.
Despite grimacing, he didn’t refuse their aid and rose to his feet.
“Is the Emperor safe?”
“He is unharmed. Thanks to you buying us time, we managed to finalize our defenses. Even if an astral practitioner were to push through, we would be able to repel them.”
Nodding at those words, he recalled the outlaw.
What on earth was her motive for invading the Blue Dragon Palace?
One thing was certain; the Emperor, the supreme ruler of this country, was not her target.
Of course, he had a hunch about something specific.
“What about the outlaw?”
“…That…”
The demon who had crashed into the Imperial Palace and revealed her true form as she barreled through.
Her target was none other than Chancellor Kurshi of the Cheonghae Kingdom.
“Did she kidnap the Chancellor and escape?”
“Yes, that is correct.”
This was an extremely serious issue.
Given his high position, he was knowledgeable on all state secrets.
Every word he spoke about those secrets would cost the Cheonghae Kingdom astronomical losses.
‘But now, there’s something weighing on my mind more than that. She was aiming for the Chancellor since the beginning. And he…’
Unlike General Yongseol, who represented the military, the Chancellor was at the pinnacle of the bureaucratic hierarchy, wielding immense power and controlling the country’s policies.
To be frank, the General had been suspicious of him all along.
Though he had no concrete evidence, he had been keeping a watchful eye on whether he might be plotting treason or similar deeds.
So, while carrying out the Emperor’s orders, he had been subtly keeping the Chancellor in check.
‘And now everything has come to this…kidnapping?’
It was undeniably an unfortunate occurrence, yet he couldn’t help but feel an odd sense of relief.
Of course, this Chancellor’s kidnapping incident would not bode well for the military led by General Yongseol and others.
After all, the security of the Imperial Palace was their responsibility.
‘Moreover, if this fact reaches the Hongsan Kingdom…’
The second most powerful person in the nation, behind the Emperor, has been publicly kidnapped from the heart of the nation’s capital.
This was an inexcusable and overwhelming national disgrace.
He could hardly fathom the kind of ridicule that awaited them.
Given the chaos, it would be impossible to conceal the truth.
The Hongsan Kingdom likely had spies planted here.
They certainly would, as they were also involved, so this information would soon trickle into their ears.
‘Ugh, this is a headache. I need to draft a rescue operation as quickly as possible.’
General Yongseol let out a deep sigh.
At that moment, he received some news from a spy regarding the Hongsan Kingdom.
It was only a little while after that.
“Wait, what? That viper of a woman was defeated and kidnapped by some mysterious figure?”
The star practitioner of the Hongsan Kingdom, General Ju-ryeong, was reported to have been thoroughly beaten and taken captive.
‘What the hell is going on right now?’
The political situation was spiraling into confusion, without a clue about what the next moment might bring.
But amidst all this, one thing was clear.
That was, the prior General had been extraordinarily fortunate.
