Chapter 186

Episode 11: The Grand Scheme / Chapter 186: Dark Clouds (1)

TL: emptycube / ED: SlowAsLightning

A black smile hung on Dark-Sound’s white face.

It was because of a message secretly sent by God Dragon Leviathan.

{Please dispatch support troops to defend Dragonic. I will not forget this favor.}

“Leviathan, you certainly love your race to a terrible degree. It seems your body has worn down, huh?”

To send support troops to a place they had already strategically given up. How absurd. Nonetheless, this could be an opportunity to gain the support of the dragon race, which strictly maintained a neutral stance. While happily pondering about how to use this opportunity, Dark-Sound sent a message.

{Do you have any additional information regarding the area? I think it’ll be best to know what the current situation is like there…}

Leviathan probably didn’t have any additional information, and if he did, it would probably be devastating. If Dark-Sound opposed it as soon as he heard his reply and dragged things on, then Leviathan would bring up various conditions himself.

‘Then, while listening to him, if there’s a condition I like… Well, I could try sending support troops. Though I don’t know whether we’ll be able to rescue Dragonic fully intact.’

After reading the next message with a dark smile on his white face, Dark-Sound froze.

The first to disappear was his dark smile.

Whoosh!

Instead, a thick darkness fell in his office. This darkness wasn’t normal, it was filled with an ominousness akin to a beast lurking in its cave or a ghost behind a door.

{We received a miraculous message thanks to the ancient dragon race’s technology on Dragonic. The Event Horizon Troops, which had failed to retreat, and the Flame Army, which had promised to protect Dragonic, are taking part in the battle. Aside from them, other troops and warriors are also rapidly assembling there… Will you be okay with that?}

The darkness in his office darkened. After staying silent for a long while, Dark-Sound was barely able to mutter a name.

“… Shiro.”

Even in this darkness, a shadow was cast on Dark-Sound’s pale face, making it difficult to make out. Dark-Sound made a pained moan.

While he understood the situation was urgent, he didn’t think that the Event Horizon Troop would fail to retreat.

“And Choi Hyuk and Light-Maze…”

He recalled other names later.

“The risk is too high to lose both of them.”

The two were important pieces to the grand scheme.

It wasn’t like there wasn’t anyone to replace them if something happened but….

“Shiro…”

Dark-Sound mumbled once more.

Grit!

All that was heard was the sound of grinding teeth within this absolute darkness, where nothing could be seen.

Dark-Sound sent Leviathan a message. He even forgot about adding any conditions.

{I’ll cooperate.}

Then he recalled the only individual who could send proper support troops in a situation like this.

**

{Jinhee! Quickly grab the leader and get out! The monsters are approaching!}

{Got it.}

Lee Jinhee sent Baek Seoin, who was at the headquarters, a simple reply before looking at the thick smoke in front of her.

No, could she even call it that?

It was so dense and heavy that it rippled and moved that it looked like a sea of molten metal.

She had been standing here blankly for a while now. However, it was now time to move, whether it was assisting Choi Hyuk, who was fighting in there, or dragging him out and retreating.

Lee Jinhee took deep breaths.

While she answered easily with a ‘Got it’, there was no way it would be easy. This was a phenomenon created by a monster that was as strong as an Exalted Wing. Even Choi Hyuk lost his senses in this smoke.

“But I can do it.”

Lee Jinhee gripped her short sword ‘Lee Jinhee’s Vow’.

Her heart turned into karma covered her sword. ‘Lee Jinhee’s Vow’ gradually shined brighter.

‘Lee Jinhee’s Vow’, which was created by her vow to protect her friends and Choi Hyuk, possessed a special ability. Wherever Choi Hyuk was, it could find him. Even in this pitch-black smoke, she would be naturally put on a path leading towards him. It didn’t matter if she couldn’t see or sense anything. Her sword would be able to find the path on its own.

Also, as long as her heart, which vowed to protect him, was sufficient enough, her sword would be able to pierce through this phenomenon created by someone equal to an Exalted Wing as, theoretically, the power Swords of Vow possessed was limitless.

There was one more thing she believed in.

“Choi Hyuk is also trying his best in there.”

He was probably already in a scuffle with this smoke. She believed that, if this was true, there would be an opening to enter this terrifying smoke.

“The recording… is going smoothly.”

Thinking about how Baek Seoin asked her to record this as promotional material, Lee Jinhee grinned. That was how she shook off the last of her nerves.

“Hu.”

Letting out a short breath, she shot forward.

She swung her sword.

Jjong! Riip!

The moment the blade contacted the smoke, it felt like it had hit a boulder. The smoke stuck on the blade like a sticky rice cake.

However, she clearly cut through it. She opened up a narrow, faint path.

The fate she was building towards was ‘Freedom’.

Cutting through the heavy smoke that crumbled as soon as it made contact and lightly running in the threadlike opening, she pushed on with her sword.

Without a doubt, her sword was moving towards protecting Choi Hyuk.

Kaang!

As expected, she reached him.

With a faint smile, Lee Jinhee vomited blood and fainted.

**

“… So reckless.”

After staring at Lee Jinhee, who was lying in her hospital bed, Choi Hyuk shook his head.

While he firmly believed he would have won without her, it was still a fact that he was able to win more quickly and easily thanks to her.

She had already undergone all her treatment procedures. Her hospital room was set up like the ones on Earth so that she would be at peace when she woke up.

Choi Hyuk tucked her snugly under her blanket before leaving.

The El Tribe’s sanctum was crowded with warriors. Choi Hyuk, who was walking through a pathway created by tangled roots, fixed his gaze on a familiar face.

Their eyes met.

The man’s eyes trembled as he saw Choi Hyuk. Instantly, he tried to avoid him by turning around and going in another pathway. If he did, Choi Hyuk would have ignored him and walked past him.

However, he turned his half-turned back around to its original state and looked at Choi Hyuk. He had brown skin, wasn’t very tall, and possessed an innocent appearance, but deep within his eyes hid a sharp gleam.

“It’s been a long time, Overseer Choi Hyuk.”

He was Night Sovereign Ding, who had attempted to use and tame Choi Hyuk in the past. Thanks to this, Dragonic experienced a purge started by Choi Hyuk. A cruel purge where he used his Resource Transfer Right to send warriors on impossible missions.

However, Ding hid under Armor-Phantom’s shadow and avoided the purge. Choi Hyuk now met him here.

Since he acted familiar, so did Choi Hyuk.

“You’re bloody?”

“Ah… My subordinates who went on a mission outside were wounded. It seems like I was stained when I went to save them. We failed… to retreat.”

Ding said as he slightly held up his bloody shirt.

As if uninterested, Choi Hyuk asked,

“You were on Dragonic?”

“Yes… Since everyone was leaving Dragonic, I was leading those who remained.”

In the past, Ding made a naïve smile. He held wicked motives behind his naïve smile. However, it was different now. Rather than his naïve smile, he seemed nervous. With a face that seemed like he had come to a resolute decision, he looked at Choi Hyuk.

“Why?”

“I am a coward who hates dangerous things.”

The majority of earthlings migrated to the newly created fortress in the monsters’ universe. Though it was safer than expected, it was still at the very front lines.

Ding said that he remained on Dragonic because he was a coward without the slightest trace of shame.

‘Yeah, he was this kind of person.’

Choi Hyuk scoffed in his mind.

“Okay. But you know, right? That as long as you’re under my command, you’ll have to fight with your life on the line.”

This was something Choi Hyuk pretty much forced on the earthlings, sometimes at the cost of countless lives.

Night Sovereign Ding smiled bitterly.

“I know. And I will. Only then will I be able to save even one of my people.”

‘Was he always like this?’

Hearing Ding’s belief-filled voice, Choi Hyuk saw his bloody shirt in a new light.

Ding stared directly at Choi Hyuk and said,

“To be honest, I don’t like you. No, I hate you. However… In this current situation, I think it’s a relief that we have someone like you… Since our chances of survival might rise even slightly.”

After saying this, Ding looked at Choi Hyuk for a moment before silently lowering his head.

“Then I’ll take my leave.”

Ding walked past him.

Choi Hyuk grinned before continuing to walk towards the headquarters.

**

The defensive line was created by selecting 13 of the stars closest to Dragonic.

The key point of this defensive battle was safely protecting Dragonic.

Since it was common for nearby stars to split apart when warriors with extraordinary strength clashed, they needed a defensive line that was sufficiently distant from Dragonic.

However, as the alliance’s forces were utterly inferior in this situation, they couldn’t set up a defensive line too far away either. There were 13 stars nearby that could ensure Dragonic’s safety and prevent their forces from being too dispersed.

The ancient dragon race’s knowledge, the alliance’s technology, and the glass crabs were sent to establish the defensive line.

Whiiiek!

Whiiiik!

Outer space was filled with the glass crabs’ whistling.

The glass crabs, which had been Consumables but then grew to become members of the alliance with the Berserkers’ help, showed surprising results.

While their technology might seem worthless when compared to the technologies and methods that existed in the alliance until now, when their technology was combined with the alliance’s, it resulted in a great synergistic effect.

Previously, the glass crabs had used the glass sand that covered the Blue Ocean planet to create various karma structures. Then they used the interaction of these structures to suppress their opponents’ karma while raising the karma of their allies. These crabs, which were broken up into countless tribes, gathered to increase their overall intelligence.

Currently, countless structures that were inspired by the glass crabs’ structures were littered between and on these 13 stars, making them look like characters.

“What a sight!”

These were the first words spoken by Lee Jinhee, who regained consciousness and flew off Dragonic after receiving treatment.

The universe was shining with a pale milk-white light. Light emitting robots filled the area to create countless characters and constellations. Satellites endlessly flew between them while emitting a strange karma. The 13 stars, which were the key points in the defensive line, shined brightly as they connected all spaceships and satellites together like a spider web.

“The glass crabs’ technology was this amazing? On the Blue Ocean planet, they looked like pretty sculptures and buildings.”

Naro was the one who replied.

{Strictly speaking, the key technologies used here are the ancient dragon race’s karma technique known as ‘magic’ and the colony system that make up Speckled Light Tribe members. The glass crabs’ technology was used to fuse these two different techniques.}

Kwaohh!

A satellite brushed past Lee Jinhee. Even though there seemed to be nothing in satellite’s trajectory, mysterious characters flashed momentarily before disappearing.

Whiiiek!

Whiiiiii!

The glass crabs’ unique whistling sounds echoed throughout this area like a whale call.

As if he was crawling into this scene, Naro stretched his head out and immersed himself in this scene before continuing.

{If we can survive this, the alliance’s technology will advance greatly as well. I learned a lot this time as well. A defensive line created by using the dragon race’s magic as the microstructure, the glass crabs’ technology as the structure, and the Speckled Light Tribe’s colony system as the macrostructure… Dragonic’s current defensive line itself is an enormous lifeform. It would be alright to call it an artificial Speckled Light Tribe warrior.}

The one who heartlessly cut Naro’s words which were filled with emotion was Choi Hyuk, who had been standing nearby.

“And its function is?”

Naro glanced at Choi Hyuk before shaking his head and explaining.

{The inside of the defensive line is now no different from the headquarters. You can see the situation of the war when and wherever and can access the Net of Fate to increase its influence. Then, even if three enemies at the same level of Kwe, which you fought, come at the same time… If we limit it to within the defensive line, we can obtain up to 70% of the Net of Fate. We’ll be able to fight much more advantageously. Also, a fixed amount of impact from enemy attacks on our allies will automatically be absorbed by the defensive line. Also, even if Dragonic faces a sudden attack, using the connected dimension system, we can disperse the impact between the 13 stars. Arithmetically, we can face off against an army ten times the size of ours. The problem is… our enemies will number over a hundred times ours.}

The effectiveness was great despite how hurried they were. Nodding, Choi Hyuk asked again,

“And its weakness?”

{Each time one of the 13 stars that make up the key points in the defensive line is destroyed, the effectiveness drops drastically. Also, once the defensive line collapses, it is impossible to restore. We used all the resources and treasures that could be brought over from throughout the superclusters into making this defensive line. If three stars are destroyed, then the control of the Net of Fate will drop to 50-50… We believe that if all the stars are destroyed then it could drop to 80-20. Of course, the stars will be able to absorb a significant amount of impact because they have each been equipped with powerful dimensional distortion fields… If Kwe, who you faced before, or Myeol, who the Event Horizon Troop encountered, personally make a move, they could be quickly destroyed.}

“As expected, I should have killed that monster then…”

He had successfully landed a strike thanks to Lee Jinhee, however, though Kwe received a critical injury, it survived and escaped.

{Also, it seems… the enemy will gather around our defensive line in a day.}

In the dark universe, morning seemed to have only arrived here as the area within the defensive line shone with a milk-white light.

Monsters that desired the deaths of all karmalings quickly gathered beyond it.