Chapter 265 |
"......"
Renok silently reached into his coat in response to Changsa's sharp, piercing aura.
The woman, who had been watching him intently, suddenly tensed her legs.
[Wait, wait, wait!! I still need my head intact at least......!]
Thud!
Changsa's foot slammed unhesitatingly past Manson's head and into the ground.
But realizing no metal fragments remained in its path, she jerked her gaze upward.
"At least it's not alive."
"......!!"
"But it's a bit...... heavy."
Thud!!
[Handle it gently......]
Changsa's brow furrowed faintly as she registered that the head under her foot had somehow ended up in Renok's grasp, as if crossing space itself.
"Spatial translocation...... transition type?"
"Not wrong."
The relic he had acquired from the battle with the Arashark Expedition Team—Archangel's Compassion.
It allowed translocation of inanimate objects over limited distances, making it possible to retrieve Manson's head.
This was only feasible because Manson's head was thoroughly metallic.
"We're not here to fight you. You would've noticed if you'd been watching."
As Renok used mana threads to reattach Manson's head to his body, he addressed Changsa.
"I have business with the family head of the Oryun Family. Please guide us."
Mentioning the family head directly elicited a reaction from Changsa.
She turned her half-lidded eyes toward Renok and shrugged without a word.
Her tightly closed lips twitched.
"......For someone who came with a proxy representative from the Yukryeong Family, you talk a lot."
Click!
She raised her crescent blade toward Renok and assumed her stance once more.
"Two or twenty, it makes no difference. I'll handle you all the same."
"......She won't listen to reason."
Bringing Manson along was trouble enough, but her mistaking him for a Yukryeong proxy made it worse.
As Renok shook his head and reached into his pocket for the ticket, Changsa mistook the motion for drawing a weapon and lunged forward like an arrow.
Swoosh!!
Right then, Manson—now with his head back—swiftly stepped in front of Renok.
[This woman can't even recognize a guest......!]
As Manson drew his sword from his waist, the two superhumans clashed in earnest.
Their upper bodies twisted in opposite directions, and sparks flew dozens of times in the air, followed by a series of collision sounds.
Tang tang tang tang!!
Each swing of their blades traced colorful trajectories, spinning and curving.
A single path split into more than five, lunging from all sides, but rather than targeting vital points directly, they aimed to claim space.
It was a style focused on seizing battlefield control rather than seeking a quick kill.
Manson moved first.
[Huuuup......!!]
With a heavy breath, he lowered his stance, evading the horizontal spear thrust and readjusting his grip on his sword.
In that fleeting instant, the blade at his waist flowed out like a cascade, drawing a hazy, fluid sword path.
The sword tip, following the spear's trajectory inward, quickly regained momentum and slashed sharply at Changsa's close range.
In response, Changsa spun her spear shaft counterclockwise.
Whiiiiiing......!!
As hazy mana light infused the sword blade and spear tip, they collided.
Boom!!
The shock was like an exploding bomb, turning the already chaotic yard into a scorched field.
The recoil pushed both back for a brief moment.
Then, a massive ice mirror materialized in the air and slammed down between them.
Thud!!
"......!!"
"That's enough."
The two warriors, suddenly facing their own reflections instead of each other, flinched as Renok stepped forward.
"I'll say it again: we have no intention of fighting. In fact, we want to work with you."
"......We've said countless times there will be no proxy selection."
Changsa muttered something unexpected.
"How much longer do you plan to manipulate our family? The Oryun Family's will has been made clear. Stop with the nonsense and leave."
"......What?"
It seemed Changsa of the Oryun Family had experienced similar situations before and was now mistaken.
As Renok opened his mouth to respond, someone burst through the shattered door.
"Sister!! What's going on here!"
The young man who rushed to Changsa's side gaped upon seeing Renok's face.
Renok's expression turned equally peculiar as he recognized the youth.
"Wait, you're......"
"Ban?"
"......Chen?"
The freelancer who had joined him against the black mage and terrorist group on an agent's request.
Quick-witted and helpful in their final operation in the factory district, Renok remembered his face and name well.
He even recalled Chen grumbling about taking the job to fund his startup.
Who would've thought they'd reunite here.
"......"
Seeing the two apparently acquainted, Changsa—still holding her crescent blade with a fierce aura—subtly lowered her spear.
Realizing her mistake, she cleared her throat awkwardly and muttered.
"Ahem...... Well...... If you're my brother's acquaintances...... then, I made a mistake......"
As Renok stared at her, Changsa meekly bowed her head.
"......I'm sorry."
*
"I was really surprised. I never imagined you'd visit the Citadel."
Chen chuckled awkwardly as he served coffee to Manson and Renok, seated on the smooth wooden floor.
Renok smiled faintly at the sight.
Thinking back, Chen had known Renok was an exceptional mage yet never revered or feared him.
He treated him as a capable colleague, giving his all in operations.
He didn't boast, but he always delivered more than his share.
There was no doubt he was competent.
"We've both been busy, so it's unavoidable."
Chen naturally placed the coffee before them and sat beside Changsa.
"It's been ages since we last met. We did keep in touch after that job, though."
"Did we?"
Chen laughed, undeterred.
"Time is truly fleeting. Just two years ago, we were fellow freelancers, and now you've become an untouchable noble."
"Who knows. Maybe you've gotten more flattering in the meantime."
"What are you saying? A mage who triumphed over the Three Rulers deserves far grander titles."
"......"
The woman, who had been quietly listening beside Chen, shrugged her shoulders and looked at Renok with slight surprise.
"I see...... So you're the new saint of District 49 who recently joined the cartel leadership."
"Hmm......"
"I believe the public calls you Firm Thunder......"
Renok's gaze softened slightly as he regarded the woman.
He had assumed Citadel insiders were indifferent to outside news, but she knew quite a bit about external rumors.
Likely because she was high-ranking enough to care, or perhaps an outsider herself.
Judging by Chen's demeanor toward her, it was probably the former.
"How's the startup?"
At Renok's abrupt question, Chen averted his eyes.
Renok continued without surprise.
"So the Oryun Family is your birth family. You returned because of some family trouble, putting outside work on hold?"
"It's my fault."
The woman, who had been listening glumly, spoke up.
"Without help from my exiled brother, the family was cornered beyond saving...... It's utterly pathetic."
"It's not your fault, sister."
Chen countered calmly.
"It's Father's karma for wasting those long years until the Citadel Lord changed, indulging his greed."
A faint contempt laced his voice.
The woman called sister shook her head softly.
"......Don't say that. Even so, I had to look after those relying on this family. I couldn't even manage that simple task."
[This atmosphere is heavier than I expected.]
Manson tilted his head toward Renok and whispered.
His mechanical voice carried clearly to the two across from them anyway.
Chen seemed about to respond but gave up with a wry smile.
He stood, gesturing toward the outside.
"Shall we step out and talk?"
Leaving Changsa with her head bowed over her coffee cup, the three ascended to the mansion's rooftop.
The mansion was damaged and dirty in places, but its antique elegance shone through.
It stood out beautifully compared to other Citadel homes and structures.
From the balcony between the tiles, the Citadel's night view was stunning—even to Renok.
Streetlights and fluorescents yielded to soft lanterns illuminating the roads, with fireflies dancing in the sky.
The faint strains of string instruments from the streets mingled with the thick scent of wood.
A scene impossible in Balkan.
Chen leaned on the railing, gazing blankly at the view before chuckling.
"As a kid, I hated this place so much...... Never thought I'd return at this age."
"......"
"Well, as you can see, things are tough here. I can't help much. I don't know why you came to the Citadel, Ban...... but if you need the Eight Families' power, look elsewhere."
"Family circumstances, I suppose."
The Chen Renok remembered was decisive.
After dealing with the black mage and terrorists, he had cleanly vanished to pursue his business.
A man of such character returning to a fallen family for cleanup surely had his reasons.
"My sister and I have different mothers."
"......"
"I, the concubine's son, fled this suffocating family...... But until then, she looked out for me a lot."
Chen trailed off with a sigh, shaking his head.
"......I said too much. What good does it do?"
[......]
Manson glanced at Renok at the quiet sigh.
Renok caught the implication but ignored it, asking Chen directly.
"What do you want to do?"
"Huh?"
Chen hadn't shared much, but Renok could easily infer the Oryun Family's plight.
After the Citadel Lord's sudden death, the Oryun Family failed to navigate the Eight Families' power struggles and fell.
Likely due to the family head's greedy mistakes.
The sole successor struggled without influence.
Hearing of this, Chen visited to aid his half-sister but couldn't help much.
The mansion's state, unable to hide the political fallout, proved it.
"You said you were gathering people for your business. With your personality, you've probably built something by now."
"......"
"Are you thinking of abandoning it all to help your family?"
"You're right."
Chen replied.
"I don't have much time. I have quite a few employees who trust and follow me. Originally, I planned to bring friends from my business to help sister."
"And?"
"Right after entering the Citadel, everyone but me was forcibly expelled."
"......"
"Probably to prevent pointless resistance from a defeated family."
He muttered, clenching his fist.
"If we at least had the right to appoint a proxy......"
Renok could guess why Chen gave up bringing his friends.
Clashing head-on with the Citadel's five families was unrealistic.
Victory wasn't guaranteed, and the damage would be immense regardless.
He wouldn't risk his friends' safety for his own sake.
"So you're just going to let it all go?"
Renok pressed.
"Watching your blood kin wither away?"
It was a provocative jab.
Chen, who had paused his business to aid his sister, clearly cherished her—no need to spell it out.
He stayed in the crumbling Oryun mansion because he valued her life over the family's legacy.
Even Renok couldn't hold back there; Chen's lip twisted faintly.
"Then, are you planning to help, Ban?"
"......"
"No, right? Then, sorry, but shut up."
Chen smiled bitterly, pained.
"We didn't work together long, but I know you. You judge by your own standards, confirming everything yourself. You don't act without certainty."
"Mm."
"Once decided, you don't waver, but your judgments are cautious and weighty. I don't dislike you, but I don't think someone like that would help us."
Reliable as a colleague, but hard to become one.
That summed up Chen's impression of Renok from their time together.
Though a bit harsh and assumptive, Renok thought it wasn't wrong.
As someone building a business through direct dealings, Chen had his own insight.
Chen turned self-deprecating after his rapid words.
"......Damn, what am I even saying? Sorry."
"No, you saw right."
Renok closed the distance to Chen as he spoke.
Seeing Chen flinch, Renok silently pulled out the ticket from his pocket.
"As you said, I like seeing and judging for myself. That's how I made my decision."
"Wait, this item is......"
Confirming Chen's eyes widened at the emblem on the ticket, Renok chuckled.
"From today, that 'someone like me' you mentioned will help you all."