Chapter 275 |
The audience gaped in stunned silence at the anticlimactic end to the fight, so different from the life-or-death clash moments before.
The next contender to step up was a freelancer named Mad Manson, whose head had been replaced with a robotic dome.
The Yukryeong family head glared at him with murderous intent, but what did it matter now that the die was cast?
Yet, in stark contrast, the citadel residents' anticipation had only grown.
Even if they were in the dark about outside news, basic profiles on the proxies always leaked through the grapevine.
Both the mercenary Adam Brobeck and the freelancer Mad Manson were known heavyweights in the megacity's shadows.
And since neither hailed from the citadel, the crowd could cheer without reservation.
"This time it'll be a real fight."
"Show us how they scrap outside the walls!!"
But that excitement and cheering evaporated soon enough.
Manson drew his sword and danced around a bit, only to spend the next ten minutes fleeing before he suddenly raised both hands high.
[Surrender.]
A cheerful green glow flickered from his robotic head's slits.
Boooooo!!
Thousands of jeers filled the arena.
The Ibon family head, watching from above, scowled fiercely.
"...This isn't good."
"Yes?"
The boy seated beside her—the Ilwon family head—looked up at her words.
"There's no way he'd act like this without some angle."
The Ibon family head muttered while she anxiously bit her nails.
"We need to keep the audience hooked until the ritual ends..."
"..."
"The current guards might not cut it. In the worst case—"
"That's quite intriguing."
Oren, who had been sitting with eyes closed, spoke up.
"The ritual itself has nothing to do with the people."
"...I don't follow."
"I'm just wondering if you've suddenly got a reason to care about whether the residents exist or not."
Oren cracked his eyes open and met her gaze head-on as he murmured.
"For instance, if you've gotten too wrapped up in some strange belief..."
"..."
The Ibon family head's face stiffened.
Oren had phrased it casually, but the implication was clear enough.
They both realized they held shards of the truth.
Veins faintly bulged on the Ibon family head's arm as she gripped the armrest.
The other family heads watched, barely breathing.
But with superhuman restraint, the Ibon family head endured Oren's provocation and forced a smile.
"I see the Samyeong family head has some misunderstanding. We've simply had fewer chances to mingle with the residents, but we're always doing our best to help whenever we can."
"A misunderstanding?"
"Exactly. While the Ilwon and Samyeong have been tending to the citadel's morale, we've quietly upheld its foundations, haven't we?"
"..."
"So this time, the Ilwon is just yielding to us."
She said this while she gently patted the Ilwon family head's head beside her.
"Isn't that right, Ilwon family head?"
"..."
"Yes."
The boy slowly lifted his head to meet Oren's eyes.
The clear resolve in his gaze held no trace of doubt.
"Though I did receive the Ibon family head's help, this matter is proceeding by my own will. There's no need for you to worry, family head."
The Ilwon family head. Oren knew the son of the late citadel lord had chosen all these events of his own accord.
That was why Oren had hesitated to reach out to him rashly until now.
Oren had observed the situation for so long because he could not grasp what price the Ibon family head had offered to draw the Ilwon family head in.
But now, with the cult's information obtained through Renok, he understood.
"Taeo. Aging and entering eternal slumber are entirely different matters."
Oren said.
"The opposite holds true as well. Regaining youth and reviving the dead are obviously separate things, aren't they?"
"..."
"Especially when it's a hollow construct born from devouring others' blood and flesh—what meaning could that possibly have?"
"..."
"It's not too late yet. You can take the citadel lord's seat if you want. But if you just admit that everything you're doing is wrong, that would satisfy me."
"I know nothing about that."
Taeo ground his teeth and looked away.
"The proxy battle's board is nearly tipped, and the citadel lord's seat will come to me through proper procedure. There's nothing you can offer me, uncle."
"...I see. If that's how you feel, then so be it."
Oren replied calmly and turned his gaze to the arena.
"But the proxy battle isn't over yet."
On the stage, the proxy for the Chilhyeon—the mercenary from Platon—awaited.
A sharp-featured young man in a coat slowly ascended the steps.
"Let's see who stands at the end, shall we?"
*
'Just as I thought.'
Renok nodded faintly, having eavesdropped on the entire conversation between the Ilwon, Ibon, and Samyeong family heads.
If the Ibon's cooperation aimed at resurrecting the dead, the target was undoubtedly the late citadel lord.
Seizing the moment of the family heads' agitation, Oren had deftly slipped in a conversation that revealed a shard of truth to Renok.
'Reviving the previous citadel lord...'
There was no need to explain how reviving the dead defied the world's laws or bordered on the impossible.
It was not just bending or rewriting rules—it was outright rebellion against the cycle of life.
But if the Ibon family head had lured the Ilwon family head with the promise of reclaimed youth, it made sense.
As one of the triad rulers and head of the Ilwon among the eight families, Taeo understood the value of time that the city council's elders craved.
If such a miracle were possible, he would sacrifice others without hesitation.
Even if those others were the lives of the Eightfold Star Citadel's residents.
'I've grasped the family heads' goals. But what about the cult?'
The Ilwon family head yearned for his father's revival. The Ibon family head craved youth.
It was clear both sought the benefits of the Gido Cult's immortal body research performed on Dylan O'Kasey.
But what did Walter truly desire?
After seizing the citadel lord's authority and dismantling the relic site's barrier.
Using remnants of the Old World—spacetime disconnected from this one—what did the cult intend?
"..."
Renok recalled the monster Walter had summoned at Lavaton University by sacrificing a body.
If that grotesque form was not mere thrashing to escape...
What if Walter's 'proselytization' truly meant such acts of vessel sacrifice?
If it was a step toward summoning beings that transcended the world's timeline, using Old World spacetime as catalyst—
Ooooo!!
Renok pulled his thoughts back to reality.
His opponent stood before him, demanding immediate focus.
And had not all of Renok and Oren's plans hinged on securing the citadel lord's seat for their side?
The audience, whose excitement had waned at the 7th-level saint-class mage's entrance, turned their attention.
Even citadel residents out of touch with the outside world had heard enough by now to know who he was.
"Another mage?"
"He won't just forfeit like the last one, right?!"
"If you're the boss, show us something!!"
Despite the residents' fervent cheers, the two on stage held their gazes steady.
The lanky pugilist spoke first. Adam Brobeck.
He glanced up at the crowd squeezing out boos and chuckled.
"Quite the sight. Don't you think?"
"..."
"As a mercenary, you run into a lot of dogshit, but that's why it's hard to quit. Where else could you get experiences like this without the job?"
"Positive outlook."
Click.
Renok lit his tobacco and replied.
"How are Nicole and Maoren?"
"Huh?"
Adam blinked in surprise at Renok's words.
"I'm impressed. You still remember them?"
"I'm not one to forget people easily."
Renok recalled the collaboration with the agents. During the handling of the black mage and the terrorist group Palsion, Nicole and Maoren had been the Platon members involved.
It was not a long acquaintance, but Nicole's high regard for the then-unknown freelancer Renok had stuck with him.
Given Maoren's deference to her, Nicole must have held a senior position in the mercenary group.
It was not hard to guess she knew Adam.
Adam grinned sheepishly at Renok's even response.
"Heh, actually, Nicole once told me about you."
Clank!
As Adam lightly snapped his elbows, the gauntlets in his hands swelled massively.
They enveloped his forearms like full armor and transformed into heavy gloves.
Gripping his steel-clad fists, the pugilist assumed a stance and continued.
"She said never to cross paths with you as enemies. But hearing that just makes me want to throw down."
"Is that so?"
"Yeah. So after my sentence ended, I've been biding my time for a shot. Didn't expect it'd come this soon..."
Adam licked his dry lips and smiled.
"I'm lucky after all."
"You're an interesting one. Not many like you."
Renok chuckled too.
This city, built on madness and chaos, was actually sustained by precise, complex calculations and reason.
In a place full of schemers, pure battle lust against a strong foe like Adam's was rare.
"You don't seem tied to the current mess."
Renok replied indifferently.
"So I'll spare your life."
"Oho, looking down on me already? I like it."
Adam hopped lightly in place and grinned.
"Let's see if you qualify for that. Thanks to those lackeys forfeiting like wimps, I've got plenty of gas left!!!"
Bang!!
No sooner had he spoken than Adam crouched and launched forward.
His deeply bent knees sprang like springs and propelled his slender frame ahead.
He landed beside Renok in an instant, dipped his right shoulder low, and channeled mana.
Whooooom!!
An uppercut rocketed upward from point-blank range.
As his arm swung, a massive air current erupted from the ground below and engulfed Renok.
Booooom!!
The audience roared in response to the fierce opener.
"Oooooh!!"
"Now we're talking a real fight!"
With the cheers echoing, Adam plunged into the dust cloud he had kicked up.
He broke through in a flash, locked onto the mage's presence, and charged.
He swung the mana-infused gauntlet.
Kiiing!!
[Stonia Fist Art]
[4-Stage Barrage Aggregate]
Boom boom!!
The glowing gauntlet fired like a machine gun and thudded heavily into Renok's body.
The relentless punches carried such force that their shockwave blew away the surrounding dust and revealed the two figures in moments.
Craaaack!!
His elbow arcing wide, the right fist bent inward—only to halt before Renok's shield.
The gauntlet shattered several layers of the invisible barrier before it stopped inches from the mage's face.
"Hraaah!!"
Adam bellowed and twisted the gauntlet with all his might. The remaining shield cracked cleanly, and he hammered the spot where the mage had stood.
[2-Stage Spinning Cloud Fist]
Crunch!!
"..."
Renok's brow furrowed as he retreated, and the gauntlet slammed the ground and upheaved the nearby earth.
Rumble!!
Adam smirked confidently at the wave of dirt pouring forth.
"You're too passive for your rep. Put some muscle into it, buddy!!"
"..."
With no reply from Renok, Adam charged across the ruined terrain once more.
He readjusted his thick gauntlets and unleashed a barrage without hesitation.
Groooar!!
Each swing echoed like a massive truck engine.
Unlike the typical pugilist's swift, light strikes, Adam's fists were slow but heavy and carried an intense pressure.
That was likely due to the thick gauntlets covering his forearms.
Beyond mere weight and bulk, the air around the gauntlets swirled and generated faint attraction.
Not content with a unique style, he had fully specialized his mana application.
Whether that power-focused approach—prioritizing force over speed—was right or wrong, only his survival and the blood on those gauntlets could attest.
"Hahaha!! If you don't want a default loss, end it quick!!"
His assault bordered on reckless, but Adam had his calculations.
He vividly remembered the duel between the Sagun executioner and the Samyeong shadow sorcerer.
The shadow sorcerer, who had pushed the executioner to the brink, had lost control of his mana and forfeited.
Given that the sorcerer's output had not reached 7th level, the chain's mana flow limit must have been narrow.
A rule that heavily favored the pugilist over the mage in every way.
Even a prodigy like this one could not deduce the bracelet's mana cap from just a few prior fights.
Though the opponent was a sorcerer on another level, with similar handicaps, victory was possible.
No matter the Firm Thunder moniker, if he suppressed mana flow and forced close quarters—
"I can wi—!!"
Whoooosh!!
A massive icy fist plummeted from above Adam's head and slammed down with thunderous force.
"Urgh..."
A chill spread with the giant arm crashing like lightning into the arena.
The eerie cold made the audience's faint excitement freeze solid.
"..."
Renok exhaled smoke and looked up at the gaping family heads.
He nodded to the dazed announcer.
"Next."