Chapter 478
Baclan Annihilation. As the name suggested, the homeland of that orc tribe was the western coast, facing the occupation area of the Baclan Corps across the distant sea. On their way to the north, they were divided into two groups. The majority of them left traces of continuing to the north.
However, I had been chasing the traces of them that vanished at a certain point. Here, a passage toward Jonathan had opened and closed. The afterimage of space moving was still present.
“We call it ‘Door of Sanctuary.’”
The old slave finally opened his mouth after a long silence. He was usually quiet as if he was mute, but looking at him speaking on his own, it must have been unexpected even for him.
Anyway, the conclusion was that I had no choice but to keep lagging behind like this. After checking the message and getting there, the passage was closed. Just confirming this in person was meaningful, now it was time for a face-to-face talk with that bastard Doom Kaos.
“Are you watching me?”
I raised my voice in the sky, then waited. However, he never responded to my question. It would have taken some time for the orc tribes to finish migrating to the northern cold region anyway. I didn’t ponder for long and decided to head back to the mainland.
However, I couldn’t just leave this wicked slave here by himself and leave. I was not looking at the slave in his eyes at the time, but it seemed like he had an instinctual intuition as he finally lifted his head. His eyes were full of confusion. Fear, anger, and bewilderment were mixed together.
“Why? Do you think it’s too early?” I asked.
[Slave Yapoon has used ‘High-ranking Shaman Yapoon’s Transmission Necklace.’]
[Slave Yapoon has activated Spirit Liberation.]
That was his foolish response. The world slowed down, and no matter how nimble the spirits were, they couldn’t surpass me. As the spirits tried to thrust their heads out of the bone necklace, I was already gripping the whole necklace. The pressure I exerted inside my hand forced the spirits back into place.
[You have destroyed Spirit Liberation.]
- It is so obvious with the underling’s words.
The sight of his eardrums bursting and his center collapsing couldn’t keep up with the speed of the messages popping up. There was no need to use a skill on such a guy. I flattened my palm and exerted the pressure of the wind. These abilities had allowed Entegasto to turn Insectum into a lump of flesh before, so this guy could never withstand such a force.
I slammed down my palm. In the world where I unleashed my Sense and found my speed, he burst.
Crack!
[You have defeated Slave Yapoon.]
[You have defeated High-ranking Sorcerer Yapoon.]
[You have acquired the item ‘High-ranking Shaman Yapoon’s Transmission Necklace.’]
Then, Forerunner and Sensitive wriggled as if they wanted me to take them out. I was about to check them as they had reached the Realm of the Ultimate anyway.
[You have activated Sensitive.]
***
Nobody had noticed my arrival. This was true for both the civilian soldiers and the Awakened. Jonathan’s hideout was built on a plain in Texas, completely covered by a blue barrier that prevented anyone from seeing inside.
Meanwhile, the area had been designated as a military-controlled zone. Outside the control line, there were some broadcasting vehicles. The reporters were making a fuss as if some disaster was about to fall upon the world any minute. I agreed with the fact that the current situation had surpassed the standards for controlling the news.
Has there ever been such a precedent? There had been occasional attacks on Jonathan, but never before had there been a battle that lasted this long.
No, that was not it. Jonathan would likely have been instructed to actively report if an attack occurred. At that point, I heightened my Sense.
Zap-!
[You have entered the Realm of the Ultimate.]
When the world completely froze, a strand of white energy appeared. I raised my gaze, following the energy to where it originated. I also saw the black energy of Doom Kaos enveloping the entire sky. However, the energy of the Old One had vertically pierced through one point and penetrated the barrier.
The sight seemed to whisper to me:
See? Doom Kaos cannot perfectly protect your homeland.
If the Old One or Doom Kaos were looking directly at me, then there would have been answers regarding this situation. However, there was no gaze.
Then, I had no choice but to press my temple due to my throbbing headache. I moved on while pressing and massaging that area.
I passed the press, crossed the control line, and passed the civilian soldiers. Of course, the role of the civilian soldiers was merely to block external access. Beyond them, about a hundred Awakened were forming a defensive wall. The last defense wall was composed of US Special Forces, with the outline of a small case visible in their chest pockets.
However, what caught my eye wasn’t the awakening stimulant inside, but the rifles they were holding. They would be new for people now, but they were familiar to me.
Only two things had changed from my memory of the past. One was that the rifle barrels were not engraved with propaganda texts of the two forces, the Eighth Evil and Eighth Virtue. Another was that their muzzles were aimed at where the energy of the Old One was affecting.
I continued walking as the headache stabbed through my temples again. The Awakened here, who were forming a defensive wall, were the ones who had been left behind in case of an emergency. After passing them, the barrier finally came into my view.
Can I break it?
I could even destroy ‘Odin’s Absolute Warzone’ when exerting my full strength, so this seemed possible as well. However, the shockwave generated would sweep not only nearby but also the cities beyond into a wasteland.
[* Storage box]
[The Great Silver has been removed.]
With the short blade created to ambush me in front of me, I was torn with thoughts on what to do next. I wasn’t sure if it was possible to minimize the shockwave and cut off only a part. Moreover, what bothered me the most was whether my involvement would be the best course of action or not.
A series of attacks specifically aiming at Jonathan were commencing. Also, the tribes led by the Holy Knight or someone of equivalent strength were responsible for the assault. They were the elite orc tribes.
There was only one passage. If one tribe failed, then the next would take over. While I was considering what the best course of action would be…
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Baclan Extermination, Orc Warrior.]
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Baclan Extermination, Orc Warrior.]
…
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Baclan Extermination, Orc Warrior.]
About thirty messages poured in at once.
[Jonathan Hunter is rampaging.]
It sounded like a voice asking me to trust him. Yes. Running into a growing Ender was like volunteering to become their XP ingredient. Also, Jonathan was not alone. Although we were physically apart, we were connected through the System. If I had to intervene, it would be the moment the form of the assault expanded into a tribal alliance.
***
[Jonathan Hunter has defeated Baclan Extermination (Orc Elite Tribe).]
[Total Elimination: 3102
Total XP: 257,216,900
Level Change: LV.561 → LV.567]
The reporters were audacious as they dared to talk about the safety of the mainland.
[The battle between Jonathan Hunter and the Call of Blood (Orc Elite Tribe) has begun.]
I thought there would be some gaps, but the barrier didn’t waver at all. The blue barrier was made by Old One. Seeing it in front of me only deepened my suspicion.
I didn’t know how much power it took to reverse decades of time until I got close to the truth. The Old One had invested such enormous power in me, and all he said he would do was destroy Doom Dejire and play around.
Although Old One was filled with petty selfishness, he couldn’t be that dumb. Especially when you considered the actions of Saint Cassian, who had foreseen my arrival from the War of New Devil…
I couldn’t change my plan recklessly until I found out what the Old One was up to. Even if Doom Kaos was breaching the contract…
Just then, the reporters became busy.
“The Chairman is coming. Find out quickly. We need to get an interview, even if it is just for a second.”
The fact that the mainland’s network was faster than my sensory network was somehow amusing. Soon, helicopters with the association’s emblem appeared in a row. I sent a telepathic message to the one Lee Tae-Han that was on board.
- Seon-Hu: You are not late.
If he hadn’t come immediately despite such an unprecedented event occurring, then Lee Tae-Han would have been unqualified to be the chairman. If he had been distracted by leveling up and ignored it, then he wouldn’t have been able to avoid being dismissed later on.
- Lee Tae-Han: I will come to see you soon. Where are you?
Lee Tae-Han couldn’t track my location with just his hearing.
- Seon-Hu: There is no need for you to do that. I am keeping an eye on this place, so you can go back once you finish the interview. Public opinion must be bad now.
- Lee Tae-Han: Yes. By the way, there is a message from Mary through Lulua, the priest of the Lusea tribe. I will deliver it exactly as I received it without distortion, so please understand.
- Seon-Hu: Okay.
- Lee Tae-Han: The Priest Lulua said this. ‘You know the war that the human corps had with the Elf Queen, right? Doom Mary barely found out about it. It has…continued after sixty seconds! Cassian knew that war would break out a very long time ago.’
The message that came in word by word made me frown. The fact that Saint Cassian had predicted the war a long time ago meant…
- Seon-Hu: Anything else?
- Lee Tae-Han: That is it, Great Odin.
The helicopter Lee Tae-Han was on was slowly landing. The solemn voices of the soldiers speaking to the press, and the sound of the propellers stirring the wind gradually faded. The sounds disappeared, and everything in front of my eyes turned bright white. As my eyes blinked rapidly, the sight of Lee Tae-Han getting off the helicopter appeared and disappeared repeatedly.
1. The fact that Doom Man’s appearance had been foreseen since the War of New Devil.
2. The fact that the next war had been predicted from the previous war.
3. The cause and effect linked before and after the great war.
All these facts combined and burst out as one truth. Among the countless assumptions, only one thing could be definitively concluded. The Old One had deliberately planted me into Doom Kaos faction even while grinding his own bones!
[* System]
[The quest ‘Saint Cassian’s Records’ has been created.]
[The quest ‘Saint Cassian’s Records’ has been sent to all system users.]