Chapter 2
Chapter 2 . The end of The Absolute, But…
‘Fine . Since it has already become like this, maybe it is a good thing . ’
For what reason?
Kang Chul-In flashed a faint smile .
‘I focused too heavily on military power . My neglect on economic strength was detrimental . My lack of trips to the library and closeness to books… I’m a Grand Sovereign . I did not have time to focus on foreign and diplomatic policies, as well as, military tactics and strategies alone . With the progress of war, slow and immobile, I neglected collecting intelligence and diplomacy . If I could not maintain good relations, I should have at least had good, solid information and intelligence . Then, I would not have been caught off guard like this . ’
In the face of destruction, the mind of Kang Chul-In was ruthlessly calm and quiet .
If his enemies had known the current state of Kang Chul-In, they would have thought he had given up, or that he had nothing left but regret . Like this, Kang Chul-In was calm .
“Master! You need to give a countermeasure to go against the enemies…” Alfred pleaded with Kang Chul-In, as if frustrated by his state . It was understandable, considering the threat impending on the headquarters .
“Alfred . ”
“Yes, Master . ”
“Do not act rashly and do not tremble with fear . Maintain your dignity . We have not lost yet . ”
“Sir…?”
The vampire butler Alfred was taken aback by Kang Chul-In’s calm composure, but worked to regather his nerves and composure soon after . As a NPC unit, Alfred could not know the internal workings of Kang Chul-In .
“Call the five Great Generals in right away, and send all troops out of Valhalla to meet the enemy as soon as they return . ”
“Master…! That, that cannot happen! Do you not think encouraging a siege would be better? A big bloodbath would put Valhalla at a great disadvantage…!”
It was true .
Numerically inferior . Even with a 1% chance of getting out of this situation, it would be better to encourage a siege .
“No . It would only drag on the battle longer, without changing the outcome . We will square off with our enemies instead of cowardly holding out of battle . ”
“Master…!”
“Do not worry . ”
“…!”
“We will lose today, but not next time . ”
It really did not make any sense .
It was obvious that today’s defeat would lead to obliteration and destruction, but Kang Chul-In remained calm and composed .
“Lucy, Bella!”
When Kang Chul-In called their names, two Dark Elf Guards Lucy and Bellatrix, who had been hiding in the darkness behind the throne, showed themselves .
“Yes, Master . ”
“Did you call for us . ”
Lucy and Bella who were the same NPC Unit as Alfred were both guards who specialized in magic and martial arts . They were stronger than most mid-level Sovereigns .
“My sword and armor . ”
As soon as his word fell, Lucy and Bella brought forth the epic items Fragarach, the Great Sword, and ‘Vali’s Burning Vengeance Armor Set’ in front of him . These items had made Kang Chul-In the Grand Sovereign of War, the Hunter of Sovereigns .
‘Alex Rothschild, and Lee Gong-Myung . ’
He calmed his thoughts thinking of his enemies while he dressed for war with the help of Bella and Lucy .
He shuddered in anger as he thought of the two who had brought upon his destruction . He had been the most viable candidate for the unification of Pangaea . And it was his no longer .
He had stepped on them countless of times, and they had come alive like cockroaches, repeatedly . It would have been more accurate to describe them as zombies and not Grand Sovereigns . He was regretful to have left them alone instead of killing them or subjugating them under him, but since things have come to this point, he would have them feel the full wrath of the Grand Sovereign Kang Chul-In and Valhalla, in this great slalom .
***
Boom! Boom!
Cyamodus, the giant tortoise, breathing fire and lava moved towards the Grand Sovereign Kang Chul-In’s headquarters . There were almost 15,000 troops total when one combined the allied troops of Baldur and Gullveig, as well as two thousand troops tailing the headquarters .
“Master . ”
Lee Gong-Myung, the pinnacle and mastermind behind Cyamodus, turned towards his leader, Alex Rothschild .
“Are you really going to fight head-to-head with Kang Chul-In?”
Alex Rothschild had already put on a full plate of armor, scattered with white and gold . Like a Grand Sovereign, all his items were also Epic Items .
“He will not just stand and watch, that’s for sure . ”
“But my Lord, Kang Chul-In is strong . One-on-one, no, with even many, you know it is difficult to win against him . Kang Chul-In is in reality, Pangea’s strongest—your life may even be in danger . ”
“That’s why I am going against him with others . A combined attack with other Grand Sovereigns, there is plenty of prospects for victory . We also have overwhelming numbers of troops . ”
“But…”
“Debt . ”
Lee Gong-Myung spoke no further as soon as Alex Rothschild uttered that word .
It was understandable .
Since the start of Ragnarok seven years ago, Alex Rothschild had always been entrapped in Kang Chul-In’s plots, struggling to survive . He lost two subordinates he had treasured as if they were his brothers, and his headquarters Cyamodus, was stomped to nothing, not once but four times .
If Cyamodus had not been a mobile fortress, Alex Rothschild would have been crushed at the hands of Kang Chul-In long ago .
“I need to avenge their deaths, and I need to repay him for the humiliation that he gave me in the past . If not today, I will never be able to pay off this debt . Maybe if it was another day, I would have avoided this, but not today . ”
He stated this so firmly, that it was obvious his mind was made . No matter what Lee Gong-Myung said, he would not be able to convince him otherwise . Therefore, Lee Gong-Myung did not question his liege further .
“It would have been nice if we could break him with Cyamodus alone… it’s too bad that it had to be this way . ” Alex Rothschild stated regretfully .
“It’s an overused phrase, but ‘The last one standing is the victor’ . Kang Chul-In was too strong . He would not bend against the wind, even if it means he would break… his fatal flaw is that he was not rounded but rigid . ”
“True… if he had been more cautious, this day would have not come . ”
“Yes . And that is one of the reasons why I chose you, my liege, and not Kang Chul-In . ”
As the two conversed, Valhalla’s troops slowly showed itself from afar .
“It cannot be…!”
Lee Gong-Myung exclaimed, seeing what lay ahead of him .
“My liege! Look over there! It is a giant slalom! He has given up siege warfare and he has chosen a face to face confrontation…!”
Kang Chul-In’s choice was a stupid one, but it did succeed in bringing an element of surprise .
“It cannot be…!”
Alex Rothschild also could not hide his surprise .
“Gong-Myung, is this maybe a trap? Even if Kang Chul-In is reckless, a confrontation…!”
He had suffered immensely due to Kang Chul-In until now—it was natural for him to be taken aback in Kang Chul-In’s choice of confrontation in threats of complete obliteration .
“No, it is not . ”
Lee Gong-Myung had different ideas .
“It is his pride . ”
“Pride?”
“I am sure of it . ”
Lee Gong-Myung was sure .
“According to the intel that just arrived, Hecate’s headquarters has already been destroyed by the Gullveig Union . Aleister, who is part of the Ishtar Coaltion, is over there . ”
Lee Gong-Myung’s finger pointed at the Grand Sovereign Aleister, who was sitting atop the giant undead monster, Bone Dragon .
“He has already judged that there is no hope and he will go out with a bang . It is not Kang Chul-In’s style to drag on a fight that will lead to nothing . ”
“Oh…!”
“To go out with a bang, instead of holding out… isn’t that just the embodiment of Kang Chul-In’s personality? He means that he will not plead for his life, nor would he seek to save himself . This is who he is . ”
It was Lee Gong-Myung, indeed .
He had seen through Kang Chul-In’s intentions and he had assured the Grand Sovereign while sitting… . It was obvious as to why Kang Chul-In had regretted not having Lee Gong-Myung himself .
“My liege, order for attack in full force . As long as Kang Chul-In has chosen a slalom, it is impossible to absorb Valhalla’s military force . There is no other way than to completely destroy it . ”
“Is that right?”
“Yes, my liege . ”
“I will do so . ”
Alex Rothschild nodded at Lee Gong-Myung’s counsel .
***
The great slalom that was thought to end easily lasted for three long days and nights . To that extent, Valhalla had great military power, and Kang Chul-In also displayed great skill—withstanding the combined efforts of the Grand Sovereigns on the allied side .
But the limit was three days .
But he was outnumbered . In the face of overwhelming numbers, there was no victory .
Ultimately, the five proud Grand Generals of Valhalla fell one by one, and Kang Chul-In was pushed all the way to his throne inside Valhalla headquarters . As predicted by both sides, Kang Chul-In had lost .
“Hey, you came?”
Kang Chul-In, who sat alone in his throne, greeted the Grand Sovereigns on the allied side .
“…”
“…”
Taken aback, the allied Grand Sovereigns were at a loss for words .
In that moment, the roles had reversed, and it looked as if the defeated Kang Chul-In was the victor, and the victorious allied Grand Sovereigns had lost . Like this, Kang Chul-In remained proud and held his head high .
The face of Kang Chul-In, sitting on his throne alone, was not that of a loser . Rather, the wry smirk spread across his face looked as if he was looking down at the allied Grand Sovereigns .
“You cannot believe your defeat?”
Alex Rothschild, the rival of Kang Chul-In, finally spoke .
“Because, I stepped on you, after being stepped on countless of times?”
It seemed as if Alex Rothchild was overcome with resentment .
Indeed, who knew he would deliver his enemy Kang Chul-In to the clutches of death . It was a new feeling .
Kang Chul-In sneered .
“…!”
“Why, were you disappointed at my reaction? I guess… you would have been satisfied if I had cried and cowered like yourselves, you losers . ”
In that moment, Alex Rothschild almost lunged at Kang Chul-In .
How could he push his buttons so?
His cheeky mocking of the victors was enough to drive anyone crazy .
“You have really lost your mind . ”
The Grand Sovereign necromancer Aleister, who had remained quiet, spoke . He had raised the visor in his skull armor, exposing his crude, vulgar face .
“You would have never guessed, huh? But what can you do? You lost . That is what you get, for being a cocky and arrogant…”
Aleister smirked at Kang Chul-In .
And in response…
“Shut your mouth . ”
“…!”
It was a menacing statement, enough to send chills down the spine of even the icy, Grand Sovereign Aleister .
“Shut up before I break that skull of yours . I do not wish to speak to a little traitor like you . ”
“…!”
Disgusted, Kang Chul-In turned his head away from the necromancer Grand Sovereign, towards Alex Rothschild .
“Hey, Rothschild . ” He pointed at Alex Rothschild with the end of his chin .
“You work hard to act like you work for a just and great cause, to act nice and good . ”
“What are you saying?”
Alex Rothschild answered .
“What am I saying? Well, if you are going to play dumb, I’ll kindly tell you . You want Pangaea all for yourself, but to pretend you don’t, doesn’t that just keep you up at night?”
“No way . I am different from you . ”
“Ha . Different . I can recognize my own kind . You are the same as me . Except you pretend to be on the side of the angels, instead of being honest like me . You took everything you could and benefited all you could, and now you are pretending you did not?”
“Evil only recognizes evil… Kang Chul-In, you, are just that . ”
“Is that so? It seems like you are going to kill that traitor first as soon as I’m gone . ”
And in that statement, the traitor Aleister shivered .
“Coward . ” Kang Chul-In sneered at Aleister, and continued .
“Well, whatever happens, all will be after I die anyways so it is business among yourselves . Now, end it . ”
And Kang Chul-In put down his Fragarach and opened his arms wide .
“What are you scheming, Kang Chul-In?”
Rothschild asked, his guard up .
“What scheme, you idiot . End it . You don’t understand?”
“Are you just going to die?”
“Well then? I don’t want to cry and run away like someon,e after a little attack on their headquarters, nor do I want to come back to life like a cockroach either… not my style…”
It was a direct hit at Rothschild, and the veins in his temples bulged .
The angry Rothschild’s sword gave off a glint as it penetrated Kang Chul-In’s heart in an instant .
“It is my victory… . ! Kang Chul-In!”
“Yes, enjoy it . Enjoy it all you want . ” Kang Chul-In laughed .
“Today will be the first and last day that you will be victorious against…”
“Shut up!”
Rothschild’s sword gave off another glimmer .
And Kang Chul-In’s head fell and rolled on the ground .
Dead .
The Kang Chul-In had died .
“It is my victory… My victory, Kang Chul-In!”
Alex Rothschild announced his victory with red, bloodshot eyes .
And that face, was to be feared .
The face of the man, who had defeated the enemy he had despised and feared, was like the devil . However, the menacing face of the man soon disappeared, and was replaced with joy and accomplishment .
“You all worked hard . ”
Rothschild spoke, looking around at the faces of the Grand Sovereigns as well as Aleister .
“And now, this head will be…”
As Rothschild was about to suggest hanging the head for all to see and celebrate their victory, he suddenly stopped .
Crack!
The ground began to shake .
It did not seem like a good thing .
The vibrations that they felt beneath their feet and the noise that grew louder and closer was ominous and strange . It was as if… a big explosion was going to happen .
“No way…!”
Rothschild yelled .
“Suicidal explosion!?”
“We need to get out of here right now!”
“Kang Chul-In, you despicable, crude jerk!”
And just when everyone had processed the situation, a fiery storm overcame them with a loud bang . It was, until the end, a despicable and crude tactic .
***
“Stupid, foolish, idiots . ”
Kang Chul-In smirked and mumbled .
Chapter 2 Completed .