It was pouring rain and the wetlands were even muddier. Seong-Il was given another nickname, ‘Crazy Warrior Caliber,’ as he had been fighting all over the ground. Similar to how the Awakened referred to named monsters, they also began to call him in the same way.
Seong-Il indeed looked like a monster when he ran around in the mud. He held one Awakened from the opposing corps in each hand and replaced them with others when his weapon died. His two eyes were moving like machines, scanning for his next prey.
He laughed brutally when he discovered a group fleeing.
“You guys must have thought we were easy pickings, but you will never be able to leave here on your own accord! Don’t let any of them stay alive! Kill them!”
The residents of the Savior’s City scattered and began the pursuit. Everyone was injured, but it was time they seized the chance to victory. He was putting all his energy in his two feet to chase the defeated soldiers.
I approached Seong-Il from his back, and he turned his head sharply. His eyes were filled with destructive strength, and a fierce wind pressure blew my hair as Seong-Il swung his makeshift weapon[1]. However, I grabbed the human head with one hand. When one of his weapons became useless, the Crazy Warrior Caliber’s lips began to shake.
“O… Odin…”
I smiled. “Thanks for helping Mary.”
“Of course… Did you actually rise from the dead? You have both arms and legs, right?” he asked.
Seong-Il dropped his head while standing straight. At that time, I saw his other weapon staring at me with half-closed eyes. He couldn’t repress his astonishment as if he had seen my face up close before. He moved his lips silently, clearly stating that this didn’t make sense.
Seong-Il burst into gleeful laughter. “Hehehe. What are you guys going to do now? You all are really dead now.”
Seong-Il violently threw him to the ground and stomped on his head with all his might. This was after he had already discarded his other broken weapon. He then dusted his hands off and carefully examined my entire body closely. His gaze had been fixed on the golden armor, and then shifted to my Thunder Spear and Sun Cape.
“I couldn’t find anything else,” he said regretfully.
I shook my head. “It’s okay since you got the important ones. I won’t forget what you did.”
He grimaced. “I really did nothing. Go see Mary. She must be having a hard time. Leave this to me.”
“Where do you think I got this from?”
I faintly smiled, and Seong-Il also smiled when he looked at my golden armor again. He had clearly relaxed a bit after seeing me. He lost his balance at the moment and stumbled.
Seong-Il said toward my back while putting his feet in the marsh, “What the fuck are you doing? Greet him politely.”
Those who were chasing the defeated soldiers under Seong-Il’s order had left already, but those who had joined late from the rear were frozen in shock.
As I turned my head, I saw my admirers closely. The heat from their breath, which I had witnessed through Yeon-Hee’s eyes, and the smell of blood accompanied by groans filled the air. There were only three hundred left out of one thousand people.
“You have all helped me a lot. Thank you, my people,” I said.
They began sobbing. Tears flowed from their faces like a flood. Although the rain was pouring down as if there was a hole in the sky, it was obvious that they were crying.
I took Seong-Il to a more private space. Since the conversation was secret and something that my admirers weren’t supposed to hear, we talked through telepathy.
I candidly stated.
- You must have seen a message that Doom Man entered the stage, correct?
He blinked.
- …Are you going to fight that again? You should take me this time. Don’t you realize how tenaciously I cling to life? I’m still alive! Even if I die, I’ll do that outside of your sight, so please…
I interrupted.
- That will never happen because I’m the Doom Man.
- Fuck..?
I continued.
- You can hate me, but this is the best way for us to secure humanity’s safety outside. Yes, I made an agreement with Doom Kaos.
He tilted his head to the side.
- Umm… Nothing seems to have changed. You should at least have horns on your head.
I shrugged.
- I will maybe have those sooner or later. Who knows.
He scratched the back of his head.
- Huh? What the hell… But are you sure the outside is safe now? I’m a bit confused because Doom Kaos is the boss of other monsters, right? So if you are the Doom Man… monsters are now on our side?
I nodded.
- Yes.
- Uh… Umm… Mmm… I think that’s better than relying on those ungrateful ones.
I asked.
- Don’t you hate me?
He replied.
- I think you forgot, but I was there, too. The ox-head’s mainland. I saw the eye and felt the same thing.
The light of joy on Seong-Il’s face immediately disappeared, probably because he had remembered that moment.
- You told me the owner of that fucking eye was the second strongest, not the first.
I prompted.
- Doom Arukuda.
He nodded.
- Yes, that one. The earth will be ruined if even that one alone comes and attacks. I know you didn’t want to make a deal with the strongest one. If people find out the truth, then they could only admit that you have saved us again. Thank you. I’ll break the heads of those who have run wild without knowing it.
- …
Seong-Il continued.
- By the way, things have been messy while you were away.
***
Just as Yeon-Hee was referred to as ‘Mary, the Bitch’ and Seong-Il as ‘Crazy Warrior Caliber,’ Osiris was known as ‘Plague Monster.’ Joshua and his squad members were slightly outside of Orca’s territory. They had all initially seemed to have joined the realm of Orca, but after twenty days, they broke away from the plan and left.
They used the excuse that they would cut off the enemy's reinforcements and supplies, and block the retreat of those who had already joined the opposition. This was the first time that Mary and Seong-Il were able to assess Osiris’s military situation.
Their zone was a forbidden territory that no one should step in. It was impossible to enter if you only had an average number of Plague Resistance. From the moment someone stepped on the plague-stricken land, the infestation would gradually engulf their body, and they would eventually die in a hideous manner. Not only their skin and muscles, but also their bones would melt away.
Yes, that was right. It was an impregnable fortress. Joshua and his squad had been moving like a separate detached force there. Even when I arrived there, only a few injured soldiers remained on the spot except for Joshua.
“...”
They stared at me silently, then they didn’t say much after standing up slowly. Upon my return, not only did they fail to display any signs of happiness, but their expressions also appeared to be reluctant and uncomfortable as if they had no desire to see their boss.
I commanded, “The war is over. Stop spreading the plague.”
There was no response as expected, leaving me with the feeling that I was communicating with vengeful spirits.
I cut across the disease-ridden land, then every camp became visible at a glance. It was the same with the monster corps that we had been invading. No matter which direction I turned my head, the camps seemed to stretch on endlessly.
I knew this as I had heard about them. The number of Awakened who had entered Orca’s territory was quite small. The entire Osiris and Mary Corps were there, and the others who were there were those who had run away from the King of Hell or Lee Tae-Han’s Corps.
They were all there as they had neglected the monsters they were in charge of. That was what led to the situation in the frontline.
I couldn’t see ghouls as the camps blocked my view, but I could hear their cries from a distance.
“Woooooh-”
Then, I saw a group running toward me. They were Joshua and his subordinates. There were some following behind, but they were slow.
He said hesitantly.
- Ma… Master?
I replied.
- Come in.
He arrived. When I looked at his face hidden by the darkness of his hood, I couldn’t help but think that perhaps he was facing an incredibly difficult battle. The cracked scabs on his face made it look as if his entire face would shatter like glass if I were to touch it.
I had a private conversation with Joshua after letting his people treat their injuries.
I started, “I was watching you. Your choice of not protecting Mary isn’t a betrayal. You’ve been on the side of my girl, who was left behind.”
He responded, “Then, you would know that it was because of your great legacy.”
Whatever his reason was, I was happy that my aides had moved under ‘my name’ after I died. I wasn’t angry at all. That was why I could endure even when I ran out of patience.
I continued, “That doesn’t matter because that doesn’t change what you did. Thank you. I won’t forget what you did for me.”
Joshua bowed his head calmly, then I continued through telepathy.
- Have you seen the message that Doom Man has entered the stage?
Joshua’s face, which was raised at the moment, was frozen. His eyes were fixed on my face.
- Yes, Master.
I continued.
- The monumental work we built outside will remain unchanged.
He hesitated and then asked.
- Are you… the Doom Man?
I admitted.
- Yes.
- Can you cure me, then?
I shook my head.
- Not yet, but I can look for a way. If it doesn’t work here, I can try in a different dimension. I will make sure to find a way, so don’t worry.
- Okay, then…
Joshua’s eyes turned to the camps in the front.
- I need an army to complete Doom Kaos’s orders from now on. I can’t kill everyone.
He nodded.
- Yes, Master. Congratulations on becoming a great being.
***
The plague that Joshua had spread was being controlled, and those who had recovered joined the troop after recovery. From Yeon-Hee, who was using Orca’s tentacles as a bed, my admirers arrived one by one, including Seong-Il.
We were a small group compared to the monsters, but we were incomparably powerful. They would desperately come to realize it from now on because the emperor, who they had thought was dead, had returned to life. These people’s master came back alive.
[Odin’s Golden Armor (God of Storm) has been converted into Odin’s Golden Armor (God of Death).]
I put my people far back and clenched my teeth.
[Odin’s Absolute Warzone (Domain)
Opens up an independent space and time.
* The area will remain in effect until the user dies or the duration ends.
* All terrain within the area will be an exact copy of the user’s surroundings.
* All living things in the area will be moved outside the new domain.]
Swoosh-!
We are .com, find us on google.
[Odin’s Absolute Warzone has opened.]
This was definitely a weapon that the Old One had provided me to fight against Dooms. However, it would now be used to absorb the corps it had trained.
Hmmm… Let’s think about it. Is the corps actually trained by the Old One? Who had brought them up to this point? Who was protecting them from Doom Kaos’s malice?
The Old One was a fool. The fact that it had blindly pushed us into battle, thinking that we would easily defeat Doom Kaos, was clear evidence.
It was time for everyone to realize who their real master was. They needed to know if it was that idiot or me, who was influencing them. It had nothing to do with Doom Kaos’s orders. This was a matter that should have been sorted out between the Dooms, the Old One, and me.
[You have entered Odin’s Absolute Warzone.]
Do you get it? Your decision will determine your fate.
1. aka one hapless Awakened ☜