102 — Chapter 102

The interior of the Gate was dark.

An overhead night sky, devoid of even a single star, maintained a heavy silence, while the grass below, nourished by the rain, tickled their ankles.

Only one thing emitted a bright light amidst the pitch-black darkness.

It was a lone torch, planted atop a medieval-style castle wall that felt like an anachronism.

Seo Chae-rin felt inwardly tense at the thought of having to enter that place again.

Two years ago, she had participated in a raid on the Thirteen Palaces of the Void.

Back then, Seoul and Busan were still at odds, and the Union had intended to take the throne for themselves after assassinating the reigning king.

They believed that becoming the masters of the Thirteen Palaces of the Void would make conquering Seoul a simple task.

However, the Awakened from the Union, China, and Russia who had entered the Gate ultimately had no choice but to retreat before Seoul’s overwhelming military might.

The Special Unit, alongside various guild raid teams, had defended the palaces until the Thirteen Palaces of the Void passed beyond the Korean Peninsula, ensuring no one could claim the throne.

Unlike three years ago, she was now standing on the same side as them.

And what she felt was nothing less than awe.

“The King’s army constantly resurrects even after death, so we will advance toward the inner castle while avoiding combat as much as possible. Once the scouts begin assassinating the observers, pass through the outer wall and infiltrate through the four designated entrances marked on the map.”

“Yes, ma’am!”

“I have also marked the infiltration routes used by China, Russia, and… the Busan side during the last raid. Maintain high alert when passing through those sectors.”

They had evolved even further than they had two years ago.

It wasn’t just a matter of having more powerful Awakened.

It was the mastery of systematic and reliable raid tactics born from countless analyses and experiences.

The figure exercising unwavering command and leadership on the front lines was Ha Yeri, Commander of Special Unit Division 2 and an Upper Level Awakened.

“I leave the command of individual units to the discretion of the respective guild leaders. However, once the signaling arrow is launched, you must execute the pre-arranged operation unless you are already engaged with another group of Awakened.”

“Understood.”

“Any questions?”

Though she denied it herself, she was the woman who had effectively erased the Sea of Decay from the map.

No one dared to talk back to her.

Except for one person.

“Me! I… ahem, this humble one has a question.”

“State your affiliation and name first.”

“I am Sae Pa-ran from The Old Gods’ Wound. It is an honor to meet ‘Minor’ Justice in person like this.”

Why was that idiot stepping forward again?

He had looked like his hands were itching to do something for a while now, and he had finally committed an act of spontaneity.

Ha Yeri tilted her head as if the name Sae Pa-ran reminded her of someone.

“Sae Pa-ran? Do you happen to have any siblings?”

“I do not, but may I ask why?”

“It’s nothing… what is your question?”

“What should we do if we discover the core that can completely destroy the Seed of Calamity—the Thirteen Palaces of the Void?”

It was a surprisingly legitimate question.

If the Thirteen Palaces of the Void could be annihilated like the Sea of Decay, it would be an achievement greater than anything humanity had accomplished so far.

However, Ha Yeri immediately shook her head.

“There have been several attempts to completely eliminate the Thirteen Palaces of the Void in the past, but unlike the Sea of Decay, a tangible Seed of Calamity could not be found. Not anywhere in the royal palace.”

“…….”

“So, it is still premature. For now, focus solely on assassinating the King.”

Right on cue, the attack by the assassin squad sent in advance began.

The torches atop the castle walls flickered, and the sentries collapsed without even having a chance to scream.

As they waited for the gates to open, Ha Yeri shared information about the current King of the Thirteen Palaces of the Void with the entire raid team for the last time before they split up.

The target was an Awakened from Kyrgyzstan named Kandu Vailanish.

He was apparently a fairly notorious criminal abroad, as the sound of several raid members gasping in recognition echoed through the darkness.

“Is it really that man?”

“The information came from a highly reliable source, so I believe it’s trustworthy. Keep that in mind during the raid.”

“If possible, I’d prefer to leave the King’s disposal to the Sword Immortal.”

“As long as everything goes according to plan, that is how it will proceed.”

Creeeeeak!

The back gate was forced open by the assassination squad.

“Then… I wish you all good fortune.”

The Awakened began entering the castle, weapons in hand.

---

Having successfully infiltrated the outer wall, the raid team immediately split into four groups to strike the inner castle.

The group I belonged to was Unit 1, tasked with the South Gate.

We were the core of the raid team, consisting of the Special Unit, The Old Gods’ Wound, the Mist of Silence guild, and the Union.

Our objective was to neutralize all the Royal Guards within the inner castle.

Setting a large bag down on the ground, Ha Yeri spoke.

“Once the personnel headed for the East and West Gates reach their designated positions, we will draw the enemy’s attention. Sword Immortal, please step back for a moment.”

“Are you showing consideration for this old man?”

“It’s just going to get a bit loud.”

What she pulled out of the bag was none other than Claymores—directional anti-personnel mines.

Where on earth did she get those?

I thought conventional weapons had almost vanished after the military dissolved years ago, having poured all its strength into Ground Zero and the Sea of Decay.

Noticing my gaze, she spoke with a nonchalant attitude.

“These toys are still left over in the border zones. Thanks to Gargantua, there’s no force left to stop an advance north anyway.”

“If we mass-produced those and gave them to civilians, wouldn’t Gate raids be much easier?”

“Why should we do that?”

“Excuse me?”

“Believing that popularizing advanced weapons of the past will bring peace is an outdated idea. Rather, the more the entire nation depends on supernatural abilities, the more stable a centralized government becomes.”

Well, that’s a rather dictatorial remark.

However, Ha Yeri’s thinking wasn’t entirely wrong.

In a world where common sense had collapsed, any weapon other than supernatural abilities could be too easily seized by the enemy.

In fact, the very first things those who initially occupied the throne of the Thirteen Palaces of the Void stole from the surface were guns and all sorts of gunpowder-based weaponry.

You can probably guess how difficult the raid was back then.

Having finished setting up the Claymores, Ha Yeri suddenly snapped at me with a sharp tone.

“The full-scale operation of strategic assets is undesirable, considering funding issues and the potential for abuse. Above all, shouldn’t your side be the most proactive about such regulations?”

“Pardon?”

“Haven’t you always been wary of the Red Tower’s progress in magitech? Claiming that the only weapon truly suited for this era is a sword forged purely by one’s will.”

Right, I was currently affiliated with The Old Gods’ Wound.

I nodded hurriedly.

“Correct. ‘This humble one’ is currently restraining the urge to cut down those primitive explosives right this second.”

“Forget it. If you don’t want to get caught in the blast, back off. And since earlier, you’ve been emphasizing that ‘humble one’ every time you talk to me; it’s unpleasant, so I’d appreciate it if you stopped.”

I had no choice but to take a step back at her genuinely annoyed reaction.

If I said one more word, it felt like she would actually swing her sword.

If it were Sae Hayan, she would have accepted this level of joking with a bright smile.

Leaving my disappointment behind, I returned to Seo Chae-rin’s side.

“The other units should be reaching their positions by now. Let’s begin.”

Ha Yeri pulled out an arrow tipped with a metal sphere and fired it into the sky.

Phee-ew! The arrow soared upward with a whistle, eventually bursting into blue flames to signal the start of the operation.

As the King’s soldiers descended toward the main gate at the sound, the waiting personnel detonated the Claymores.

With a massive explosion, an alarm went off inside the castle, and the entire enemy force came pouring toward us.

“Hahahaha! Come at me, all of you!!”

Alexei and the other Special Unit members were the first to charge forward.

Following them, the swordsmen from The Old Gods’ Wound drew their blades in unison.

“Let’s go as well.”

“Yes!”

Seo Chae-rin, leading the Union’s Awakened, also unleashed her ability.

Her pupils dilated, and beastly ears sprouted atop her head.

Revealing a wolf-like tail and claws, Seo Chae-rin charged at the soldiers, her entire body shrouded in crimson mana.

The battlefield turned into a shambles in an instant.

Since such powerful Awakened were gathered here, it looked as though the situation would be resolved quickly even without me stepping in.

As I stood there with my hands behind my back, an elderly man approached me.

The Sword Immortal, Yoo Chae-seon.

As I looked at the corpses of the Royal Guard—which had been turned into something resembling sliced headmeat left in a fridge for three days by Seo Chae-rin’s claws—he spoke to me.

“Do you know what these things are made of?”

“Isn’t it an Archduke’s mana?”

The second night, the Thirteen Palaces of the Void.

The second Seed of Calamity to appear in human history had been formed long before I was born.

At that time, the distinction between demons and monsters hadn’t been fully established, so there was no way to know which Archduke had originally created this Seed of Calamity.

Only now, decades later, two facts had been revealed.

One was that, as a Seed of Calamity affecting a vast global range, it could potentially belong to a single-digit ranked Archduke who possessed a Star Scar.

And the other was that, seeing as the world hadn’t ended yet, it meant someone had eventually defeated that Archduke.

“The famous Awakened of that time probably gathered together and took him down. If you ask the Commander-in-Chief, she might know more details.”

“Heh heh, I wonder about that.”

“Excuse me?”

“In your life, have you ever seen demons that look like this?”

He asked as he lifted the visor of a decapitated Royal Guard.

The face inside the helmet didn’t look like a demon.

Blonde hair and blue eyes.

If I had to categorize them, they looked more like the Westerners occasionally seen at the Magic Tower.

I asked with a nonchalant air.

“Does that… pose a problem?”

Witches were originally human, and the same went for black mages who cooperated with demons.

The Sea of Decay was crawling with Awakened who had turned into the undead.

Just because it was an Archduke’s backyard didn’t mean you necessarily had to fight demons.

Of course, the sight of warriors clad in armor charging with swords was a freshness I hadn’t seen before, but it didn’t exactly trigger a sense of alarm.

“I’d be more concerned if they were holding guns, but I don’t think they can trouble us with this.”

“That is not what I meant.”

“Then what is it?”

“Would this old man, already senile enough to forget a pact, have called you to a place like this?”

The promise the Sword Immortal had extracted from me when he visited Ground Zero.

It was definitely ‘to help kill an Outer God.’

“An Archduke isn’t the only one capable of creating a Seed of Calamity.”

“What?”

“Unlike how you appear, child, your footsteps are as heavy as the abyss, so I have no intention of rushing you. However, even if you swing your sword a thousand times, it is meaningless if you do not know what you are ultimately trying to cut.”

—That is why I called you here: to show you.

With those final words, the Sword Immortal took a light step forward.

What he gripped in his withered hand was the sword at his waist.

“If we let those things exist as they are, and run wild as they wish, we will be next.”

The moment he drew his sword and swung it once.

The sky split apart, and what lay beyond it revealed itself.