Chapter 467
Rumble.
It could have been the beginning of a bombardment at the Elf Tower. The vibrations rising from the ground were intense like an earthquake, and the consecutive roaring sounds were extreme as well.
It was evident that something bad had happened in the direction the search team had headed.
Ugh, why now.
Honda’s face stiffened with anxiety. The noise was terrifying, but the destructive force that shook the ground was even more dreadful. He, who had been eagerly waiting for the day to safely join the command, was now faced with the situation he had been afraid of the most.
Soon, the vibrations subsided, and there were no more sounds of explosions.
Nonetheless, that made him even more nervous. It was chaotic. The citizens of Savior’s City gathered in the place were divided into groups, and it seemed they were planning to send a considerable force to the center of the incident. In other words, they were going to the epicenter of the explosion that shook the ground even from this far distance.
What if it wasn’t a bombardment? What if a powerful species from outer space had appeared?
Honda waited for leader Saeka, who left to meet the leaders of the citizens. They seemed to be giving an instruction to her, and Saeka was arguing with them. Although Honda couldn’t eavesdrop on their conversation, he could roughly guess what was going on.
Honda wasn’t the only one who was waiting for Saeka to return. All the members of his group gathered around her as she came back.
Honda asked first, “They shouldn’t do this. Are they really splitting the forces in half?”
The citizens had divided their forces in a ratio of eight to two.
“They have determined that it was not a bombardment. They think that transcendent beings or enemies of equivalent power have been deployed. I think the same. If it had been a bombardment, then we would have been able to find some clues.”
“It looks like only twenty percent of us are staying here, and that is ridiculous. It would be difficult to protect this area even if we all stay. We are going to lose so many people.”
“It’s not twenty percent,” Saeka answered while staring at the side where most of the citizens were gathered.
Honda momentarily became speechless. He wondered if that meant the majority of the citizens would be deployed to the scene of the incident.
“The citizens of the Savior’s City agreed that they cannot turn this place, where His ring is, into a battlefield. We cannot argue with that. Besides, our mission was to protect the ring according to the Chairman’s order from the beginning. So, right now, we can say we have two choices.”
Saeka’s grave gaze made not only Honda but all the members of her group also hold their breath.
“Either stay here if you think there is a chance of winning. Or run away.”
Until a few minutes ago, the group members were absorbed in the dream of joining the command. However, they were now concerned to the point where they had to consider fleeing.
However, there didn’t seem to be any time to drown in despair. Whatever happened, it seemed like it would reach here soon.
“If we run away, then where do we go? The association won’t let us go easily.”
“There is a coalition called the Seven Cities Alliance in the east. It would be better for us to turn to them rather than the Exile Empire. If things don’t work out there, then we will cross the sea. But this is only if we decide to run away.”
The escape plan didn’t include returning to the mainland as they had seen so many things there during their brief return to the mainland. They witnessed what kind of disasters the unregistered Awakened and those who refused to fight encountered. It was better to prioritize being in Saint Dragorin, which had satellites and a network, than the mainland, where they would have to avoid pursuit from the association.
Everyone was truly engrossed in a painful calculation. Only complex glances were exchanged and nothing was said out loud. There was no time, but it was also not something that could be decided lightly. At that time, Honda was hoping that the leader Saeka would make a decision while he was watching her, but she too couldn’t find any clue.
Therefore, Honda found it strange to see the citizens of the Savior’s City moving decisively amidst all of this. In any situation, the most important thing was one’s own life. Nevertheless, they had something they valued more than their lives. When they were given a suicide mission to attack the Elves’ Tower yesterday, there was a little hesitation, but it was not because of their lives.
But why? Suddenly, Honda felt envious of them.
***
The citizens of the Savior’s City began to move, adhering to the pretext that they could not turn this place, where His equipment was kept, into a warzone. As the majority of them left, the void became even more prominent. Until then, the members of Saeka’s group had not been able to come to a decision.
However, when they were forced to join the remaining citizens, the option to flee practically disappeared.
If the Safety Bureau was here, things might have been different…
The trait Explorer was like that. There were only a few Awakened with that trait, but surprisingly a lot was known about its capabilities. They could not only detect the opening of the gate in advance but could also bring up unexpected solutions or incredible luck when they faced a crisis.
Now that the System was gone and was replaced by intuition, the abilities of the Explorer were special back when the System was still present. Well… They were killed because of that specialty, though.
Honda recalled an Explorer he had met in the Stage of Advent, then stopped.
“Safety Bureau is probably dead, right?”
Saeka did not answer. Who would have known that the situation would take such a drastic turn? She was regretting her decision just like Honda.
Honda and Saeka turned their gazes behind them almost simultaneously. There was His bone ring beyond the barricade. It was an item that had bestowed upon them extreme luck and crisis. A golden aura writhed around the ring as if it was a living creature, and Saeka could not take her eyes off it.
Honda had to say it, knowing it was overstepping, “Even Mr. Kim Ji-Hoon couldn’t withstand it, right? If you even try to put it on, it will be the end of you.”
He was speaking in Japanese, but the citizens of the Savior’s City suddenly gave him eerie looks and glared at them.
It was then.
Woosh—!
A strong wind gusted. It was so powerful that it forced Honda and even Saeka to cover their eyes. The wind blew from the direction of the incident scene, carrying dirt and dust. For a moment, the entire area was engulfed in a thick cloud of dust.
It was obvious that the moment had finally come. They couldn’t know what had happened to the citizens who had gone on the offensive earlier, but what was certain was that they had to fight with the remaining members.
“Get ready for the battle!”
Someone among the Savior’s City shouted.
“Get ready for the battle!”
Saeka’s shout to her group members also pierced through Honda’s ears. Honda couldn’t open his eyes. Only after the dirt and dust were swept away by the intense wind did he regain his vision.
However, it was strangely quiet everywhere. No shield had been raised, so that meant there was no attack. Then, Honda saw a familiar figure in his line of sight. He shouted toward the person looking down at the bone ring beyond the barricade.
“Safety Bureau! You! Are you crazy???”
Honda didn’t know how Safety Bureau had gotten there. All he saw when he opened his eyes was that scene. Safety Bureau, whom Honda thought was dead, was trying to take the bone ring beyond the barricade.
Honda stared intensely at the face turned toward him. His eye patch was gone, revealing his scarred face. It was definitely Safety Bureau.
However, something was odd. His remaining eye glanced at Honda, sending a chilling sensation up his spine. The surroundings were eerily quiet. The ringing in his ears was so sharp it felt as though they were being punctured.
“W…wait…. Why…why are you guys all just watching that happen?”
Honda turned to the side with his trembling hands. He looked toward his leader Saeka. However, she was gone. Not just the members of the group, but all the citizens of the Savior’s City were kneeling.
Honda’s head movements were creaky like a broken machine. Only when he lowered his gaze did he see the top of Saeka’s head, as she was also kneeling.
What the fuck…
No one told him anything, and not even a hint of blame was in anyone’s eyes. They were all kneeling with their heads lowered. Honda’s entire body started to tremble. He was frozen, unable to even think of kneeling himself, shocked by what he had done just a moment ago.
“Safety Bureau! You! Are you crazy???”
It was true. Honda himself was the one who was crazy. Starting with the crazy words he spat out just now, the events of the last two days began to vividly come to mind, all of them marked by his arrogant behavior.
Honda felt as if his mind was collapsing. Through his dazed vision, he saw His figure holding the bone ring. The golden aura of the bone ring was in sync with Him. It was a spectacle just by itself, but the aura exploded into golden waves when it reached the dagger in His other hand.
However, the scene was not just awe-inspiring to Honda. He found himself retracing the events that took place at the end of the Stage of Advent. Back then, there were so many who had died horribly. Those terrifying beings who once controlled the lives and deaths of others were turned into ashes before Odin.
“It’s an honor to see the Great Odin.”
“It’s an honor to see the Great Odin—!”
The reason for the silence until now seemed to have been for this one explosive moment. The citizens of the Savior’s City were both ecstatic and solemn. Their restrained atmosphere felt terrifying to Honda. Even if He didn’t come directly to take Honda's life, the owners of the shouts would not leave Honda alone.
Honda suddenly realized that he was still standing. His legs were shaking, and he hastily tried to kneel. However, it was too late. His mouth wouldn’t open, as if bound by something.
When His face came close, Honda felt like everything was fading into the distance. And it actually did. He couldn’t comprehend what was happening.
He only came to his senses after the situation had ended. The events just before felt like very distant memories. Honda’s head slowly turned toward one of his shoulders. As He passed, He patted Honda’s shoulder and said.
“Honda. You and your group members are joining the headquarters right now.”
He called Honda by his name.
Oh, the Great Odin…
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