Book 2: Chapter 472
He looked like him.
That was the first feeling Lukas had. Right. They weren’t identical. The man’s features merely stopped at the level of looking like Lukas. It felt like a clumsy imitation.
‘Who is this guy?’
That question couldn’t help but pop into his mind.
He was waving amidst the heart cheers of the public like a hero returning home after a great victory at war, or a politician carrying out an election campaign.
That experienced image, and the smile that hung on his mouth were unfamiliar… and a bit unpleasant.
“Did you say, Great Mage?”
“That’s right.”
“Is that what that guys’ calling himself?”
Jiudad looked at Lukas with a puzzled expression. Until now, this man hadn’t easily displayed his feelings, but this time was different. Although his expression and voice were still calm, Jiudad could sense a hint of discomfort in them.
Did they really know each other like he thought?
“That’s not it. It’s because of his heroic achievements and godly magic that made it necessary to distinguish him from the other Great Wizards.”
“…”
“There are many Great Wizards in this world now, but Lukas Trowman is the most unrivalled among them.”
For some reason, there was a bitter taste in his mouth. Lukas shook his head.
The title Great Mage had been exclusively his for a very long time. So it would be a lie to say he didn’t have any attachment to it.
However, he could no longer have any lingering feelings or obsession for that title. He shouldn’t. Lukas had already abandoned that name once before. In the Dump Site, when he had abandoned mana.
Bursting into anger here would be childish and pathetic.
“What are his achievements?”
“It seems you really don’t know anything about Lukas. That’s really strange. You knew so much about Luanoble…”
“…”
“Well, it’s fine.”
Although he might have felt annoyed by the one-sided questioning, Jiudad didn’t show any signs of it.
“He stopped the whirlpool of war that could have engulfed the entire world. It is safe to say that 90% of the reason this seemingly peaceful state is maintained is because of his contribution.”
There was an unmistakable hint of respect in Jiudad’s voice. Filled with complex, subtle emotions, Lukas continued to ask questions.
“How did he stop the war?”
“That’s simple. He risked his life to meet with representatives from each world and negotiate with them. He managed to persuade a majority of them, and because of that, The Dimension Alliance Council was formed.”
“…The Dimension Alliance Council?”
“In this world, which had expanded several tens of times since the Great Fusion, it can be called the institution that handles the role of legislative body… If the Dimension Alliance Council hadn’t been established, at this point, perhaps tens of thousands of people would be dying every day.”
He’d heard of the Dimension Meeting before. Perhaps it was a meeting that was periodically held by the Dimension Alliance Council.
After a moment, of silence, Lukas asked.
“Do you know about the Age of Light?”
“Mm?”
Jiudad’s expression became strange.
“I do, but why are you asking about it all of a sudden?”
“Among the heroes of that time, who is your favourite?”
“The Sword King. He will forever be a role model for every Knight.”
“…right. Sword King Lucid.”
Lukas muttered that name for a moment. It was very unfortunate that when he thought of him, the image that came to mind wasn’t the usual blunt faced man, but instead, an undead completely covered in black armour.
“There were heroes that stood shoulder to shoulder with him.”
“That’s right.”
“Tell me about them.”
“…”
For the first time, Jiudad sighed openly. This sigh carried many meanings. But there was no more rude behaviour after that.
As the guardian of Luanoble, he decided to focus on the power of the man in front of him instead of his strange questions.
In other words, no matter how dumb the question may be, he decided to answer sincerely.
“The Black Witch, Great Sage, and Magic Warrior King.”
“What about the Great Mage?”
“…why would you mention the Great Mage now? Ah, of course, his achievements are by no means inferior to those of the heroes from the Age of Light, but he was born in a different age.”
“…”
“There is nothing more pathetic than comparing the achievements of heroes of different eras.”
This was the most refined accusation of Lukas’ ignorance that Jiudad was capable of.
But Lukas was able to get a good understanding of the situation through that series of questions.
As he’d expected, things about Lukas, who had suddenly been forgotten, hadn’t been restored.
‘Then who is that man?’
Lukas looked at the man in the video once more… As expected, he couldn’t tell anything from the video. He wondered if it was a deception with a spell, if he was wearing a mask, or if those really were his features.
He’d have to meet him in person.
…Of course, before that.
“In other words, that meant that Lukas is one of the greatest heroes of the Great Fusion era.”
“That’s right.”
“Then why didn’t you ask that guy to deal with the Heavenly Demon?”
Lukas asked a minor question.
Jiudad didn’t answer and instead smiled bitterly.
“Did you determine that even the Great Mage can’t deal with the Heavenly Demon?”
“Well. He might or might not be able to. However, that’s not exactly why I didn’t ask him for help. In this world, there are other organisations that can compete with the Dimension Alliance Council.”
“Mm.”
Lukas understood the situation.
“Is the Heavenly Demon a part of one?”
“Exactly.”
It was possible for him to ask the fake Lukas for help, but if that managed to cause conflict between the Union Council and the organisation the Heavenly Demon was a part of, a war of unimaginable scale could break out. That was Jiudad’s judgement.
‘This man thinks about the safety of his people first.’
The reason he was answering Lukas’s questions without trouble was because he wanted him to surrender to the Heavenly Demon without fighting back.
…A man willing to give up his pride for his people.
Lukas liked Jiudad.
“I have a proposal.”
And he finally continued to say what he’d stopped before.
“A proposal?”
“It’s simple. I plan to stay in this country for a while.”
Or at least until he had a better grasp of the situation.
Swallow the last of those words, Lukas continued.
“It probably won’t be for long. Jiudad, promise that you will give me your full cooperation during that time. Of course, I will not do anything to harm the people of Luanoble or this land.”
“What are you talking about now?”
“If you accept my proposal, I’ll deal with the one called Heavenly Demon.”
“…”
Jiudad looked as though he’d heard a terrible joke. It was a face that seemed to be formed by numerous intermingling thoughts, but it was proof that he didn’t believe Lukas’ words.
Just as Lukas was about to talk again. He felt a chill on the back of his neck. When he looked back, his eyes found a spirit clinging to the back of his neck.
It was Metel.
[…]
Metel waved her hands as she tried to convey her intentions.
Then Lukas got to his feet.
* * *
The higher he went, the more enemies he encountered.
“Kill this bastard!”
“Don’t let him act arrogantly anymore.”
Nevertheless, this didn’t mean that the levels of the enemies had risen. In fact, it was clear that some of these people had a very poor grasp of the situation.
Most of the Captains and the Vice Cult Leader had already died downstairs.
They probably knew that too. And yet, they didn’t back down. Like moths to a flame, they didn’t hesitate to rush to their own deaths.
Their behaviour was so disgusting that Yang In-hyun had trouble suppressing his rising nausea.
Bang!
He waved his hand, causing his sleeve to flutter gently. The turbid wind pressure from that motion touched the bodies of the Demonic Cult members that were surging forward. Crash, the cult members lost their balances and rolled across the ground.
“…?!”
It wasn’t unreasonable for them to be shocked. After all, the lukewarm breeze that blew past them could not be described as a strong wind. The wind seemed to cover their bodies as they laid on the ground.
They struggled to get to their feet again, but Yang In-hyun calmly swept his finger across before they could. Suddenly, the ceiling collapsed, the piles of stone crushing their laying bodies. The dirty blood soaked the ground.
No matter how much they trained their external energy, if they were crushed by stones while in a defenceless state, then there would be no result apart from being turned into pools of blood.
“D-, don’t fight anymore… stop fighting…”
Yang In-hyun was dragging Danli Pung in one hand by his neck. His acupuncture points had already been suppressed, so the only things he could move were his eyes and tongue.
Nevertheless, his voice was so cracked that it was almost completely gone.
Yang In-hyun headed upwards through the destroyed ceiling. And he couldn’t help but feel that it was a more effective method than using the elevator or stairs.
At the very least, it would make it impossible for the being on the top floor to not notice his presence growing closer by the minute.
* * *
He knew the building was enormous, but the number of martial artists in it far exceeded his expectations.
Because of this, Yang In-hyun had no choice but to coat his hands in more blood than expected.
“…”
There was a man who witnessed the slaughter from right beside him. Of course, it was Danli Pung.
He was a member of the Demonic Cult. That wasn’t all. He was a Captain, in other words, he was an executive member who had dozens of elite cult members as subordinates.
For him, scenes filled with slaughter and bloodshed were familiar, and he had even created such scenes with his own hands.
Nevertheless, Danli Pung’s face had become pale as if he had witnessed a terrifying nightmare. His entire body shook like a leaf, and his face was covered with cold sweat.
This was because he knew.
How strong the Demonic Cult members who had died to this man were.
“Who… the hell…”
Yang In-hyun ignored Danli Pung’s voice. Then, he let go of his neck, which he had been holding tightly. To be precise, he threw him away.
It was only after Danli Pung’s face hit the ground that he was able to recover from his shock to some extent.
That was when he realised he was on the top floor.
“Ahh…!”
The surroundings were shrouded in darkness, but for a master on Danli Pung’s level, it was still possible to distinguish things to a sufficient extent.
Yang In-hyun also looked around. The surrounding was covered by a faint purple mist.
Apart from that, the giant floor was frighteningly empty.
Because of this, the large bed in the centre, which was large enough to allow five tigers to roll around comfortably, stood out even more.
Of course, Yang In-hyun had already noticed someone laying on it.
Danli Pung rushed towards the bed and prostrated himself.
“S-, Supreme One…! An intruder…!”
“…”
Ssss, the sound of breathing stopped.
It was then that Yang In-hyun realised.
Surprisingly, the being on the bed had been asleep this entire time.
Despite the fact that Yang In-hyun had been making such a racket on the lower floors.
The person on the bed raised their upper body. Their face, the gender of which could not be easily distinguished, was covered with a gloomy expression.
“…an intruder?”
But the voice was that of a man which seemed to carry a spell that made it hard to ignore.
“H-, he is incredibly skilled. According to the Vice Cult Leader, he’s from Flower Mountain…”
Suddenly, the man’s gaze turned to the ceiling. Despite still being in the building, it felt as though he was looking at the sky.
Yang In-hyun saw his eyes flash for a moment.
“The sun is still up.”
“H-, huh?”
That was Danli Pung’s last word. In the next moment, as if his neck had been cut, his head slipped off his shoulders before falling to the ground. There was a splatter sound similar to an overripe fruit falling to the ground.
Then, the man’s gaze turned to Yang In-hyun.
“You name?”
“Yang In-hyun.”
“This is my first time hearing it. That means you’re not a member of the Murim.”
“What’s your name?”
“Dok Go-yun.”
“Are you the owner of this building?”
“No.”
Dok Go-yun shook his head and said.
“It’s not just this stupidly tall building. Everything in the world belongs to me.”
His deep voice was calm as if he was just stating a natural fact.
Yang In-hyun didn’t think this attitude was a bluff. This man was qualified to say that.
“It’s too bad. If you had come an hour later, you might have had a happier death. Or you could have been my subordinate.”
An hour later.
“That’s when the sun sets.”
“Right. Mm. By nature, my mood is not good when the sun is still up. Especially when I’m forcibly woken up. It makes me want to rip everything around me to shreds.”
Ssk, Dok Go-yun got out of bed. He had been covered by several thin fabrics which trickled down as he got up.
When he stood to his full height, Yang In-hyun finally noticed his hair which was long enough to touch the ground. He was very tall, but he didn’t feel huge. This was probably because Dok Go-yun’s frame was quite thin.
Yang In-hyun glanced at him before drawing his sword first.
Dok Go-yun opened his mouth.
“It’s surprising that the Flower Mountain’s martial arts was able to create a master like you.”
“…”
“Mm. Perhaps it’s just that my perspective about old school martial arts is limited.”
“So.”
Yang In-hyun spoke.
“When will you come?”
“You’re yielding the first blow to me?”
Dok Go-yun chuckled.
“Interesting.”
For the first time, a smile appeared on his face.
“No. It doesn’t feel that bad. Really. That’s just the way martial artists are. After reaching a certain level, they have no choice but to consider themselves the strongest. They become no better than the blind. Even when the one in front of them is far stronger, they wouldn’t realise.”
Although it sounded ridiculous, it was true.
Even if the enemy might be stronger, it was difficult for them to realise that fact.
Perhaps it was because they would have to fight with their life on the line anyway, so their brains refused to acknowledge that fact.
Acknowledging the hopeless gap that existed between them and their enemy would be no different from directly erasing their odds of winning.
“I personally witnessed countless people who thought they were the strongest, and with these two hands, I made them aware of their mistake.”
“…”
“That’s why your attitude doesn’t make me feel bad.”
At that moment, Dok Go-yun stretched out his hand, and a pitch black turbid stream erupted from his palm. Taking a stance, Yang In-hyun swung his sword.
“Plum Blossom Honeysuckle(梅花忍冬). The first form is more monotonous than I thought.”
Jurk, Yang In-hyun slid backwards as if he was standing on ice.
Dok Go-yun shook his head slightly at this sight.
“I suppose that’s why it’s such a prestigious faction.”
Just as his voice was filled with blatant disappointment,
Yang In-hyun’s body was covered by the black turbid stream.
(TL: Danli Pung but the majority of the responses said he’d live so… no reward for you guys xD. Or maybe I’ll just do it anyway… when my wifi is stable at least.)