Chapter 502
[The incomplete map ‘Doom Kaos’s Light Pillars (1)’ has been added.]
The scars left on Yeon-Hee consisted of only half of the entire thing. It seemed that Joshua was concerned that we would not find it only from its whip, so he left half on her. Yeon-Hee appeared to have the same ominous feeling as me at the time.
We hurriedly headed toward Saint Dragorin.
Indeed, the unusual signs of that place were noticeable even before I entered the Realm of the Ultimate. The sky had been dark but now turned white. This was a phenomenon that occurred as Doom Kaos and the Old One struggled, and the power of the two evils was stronger than ever before.
The acc.u.mulated XP came to me. I was also waiting for Yeon-Hee as if waiting for those powers that waited only for me to return.
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d appeared even before Yeon-Hee called it.
[h.e.l.lo… h.e.l.lo, Lord Doom Man.*(๑•⌓•๑)* My name is Lu-luah.]
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d finished its introduction with scared-looking eyes and turned to Yeon-Hee.
“What is going on in the Spirit World?”
[They are all terrified there. What is going to happen to us now? You are not going to tell us to jump into that, are you? Please say no! Otherwise, I would kill myself with my own hands. ( ˃̣̣̥᷄⌓˂̣̣̥) Please?]
[Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please? Please?]
“Hey, kid.”
I was shocked how Yeon-Hee could call such a.s.sholes ‘kids.’ Anyway, the entire Spirit World, including the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, seemed to properly understand the current situation. Although the two evils’ manifestation did not exist, their powers could turn into a disaster at any moment. That was why Doom Kaos could not intervene with me as it was busy confronting the Old One.
“Don’t worry. Have you seen Doom Undead?” Yeon-Hee asked.
[I, Lu-luah just came out. Are you looking for Doom Undead? As you know, Lu-luah and Queen Lu-seah have been waiting only for the return of Doom Mary.]
“Then, find Doom Undead. It is the most urgent thing.”
[Without any rewards?]
When I locked eyes with the b.a.s.t.a.r.d, it freaked out and hurriedly avoided my gaze.
[I am just kidding. (☞ ՞ਊ ՞)☞ Kidding! I was actually joking around. Lord Mary and we are this close. You know that very well…]
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d completely hid behind Yeon-Hee, out of my sight.
“You can empty the Spirit World if you have to. Start looking for Doom Undead.”
[Are you serious? As someone who is always thinking about the eternal glory and promotion of Doom Mary, I am very concerned. You are going to get beaten by Doom Kaos! There were rumors that…]
“We are in a rush. Hurry.”
As Yeon-Hee slightly raised her voice, the b.a.s.t.a.r.d stopped chattering. However, when it was about to babble again, a severe headache started making my forehead throb.
I snarled, “I will kill you if you open that mouth again.”
***
It was hard to wait for the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds to bring news. Therefore, I asked Lee Tae-Han and random Awakened in the fortress about Joshua, but Joshua never showed himself anywhere. As the movement of the sky became more intense, my anxiety grew.
Where in this vast world can I find Joshua right away?
Yeon-Hee and I were looking for Joshua separately.
[Thanks for waiting! I, Lu-seah, am honored to see Lord Doom Man. (ღゝ◡╹)ノ♡ ]
These creatures looked the same so they could not be distinguished by appearances alone. Nonetheless, they were not stupid, so they knew that they should have been careful now without Yeon-Hee.
This b.a.s.t.a.r.d went straight to the point.
[I found traces of Doom Undead from a priest in the human corps. Doom Mary called him Seong-Il. Also, the same report is being submitted to Doom Mary at this time.]
“Where is it?”
[It is a coast not far from the capital of the Exile Empire, which is in the east of Greenwood. Hehehe.]
That did not specify the location enough.
Sheek-!
The b.a.s.t.a.r.d could not avoid my grip. It was trapped in my palm, and it could not even make noise.
“Show me on the map.”
It had outstanding psychic abilities, so it was enough to just say this.
[The map ‘Please save me. It hurts so much that I will die’ has been added.]
[The map ‘Current Location of Kwon Seong-Il’ has been added.]
I threw it on the ground as soon as I got the map.
I saw a collapsed castle the moment I came out of the gate. There were countless Awakened who were buried under the stone wall fragments as they could not push them away.
However, there was no strong feeling that felt like Seong-Il. It meant that he either got into a state impossible to combat or he was not here. Then, I caught a familiar power from the Sense I increased.
It was the energy of the breastplate I had made for him before, and of course, there was only one person who could wear it. He was not able to escape from somewhere under the collapsed wall.
Indeed, traces of Joshua were abundantly imprinted in all directions. Joshua must have visited here in the middle of calming down the frenzy after killing Arukuda.
- Yeon-Hee: It’s over there.
Yeon-Hee brushed past me. She appeared with many b.a.s.t.a.r.ds and headed straight to where Seong-Il was buried, ignoring the cries of Awakened asking for help. Then, she ordered one b.a.s.t.a.r.d.
“Move the wounded to a safe area.”
Unlike her conviction, the fact that Joshua did not betray us might have caused a slight change in her. Otherwise, there would have been no reason to pay attention to the Awakened.
Anyway, I quickly overtook her, and Seong-Il’s head appeared when I removed the stone walls. He was standing firm even while buried under the heavy fragments.
Nonetheless, the only thing intact was the golden breastplate. He was just standing with all his might, and all parts that were exposed were torn and severely injured. There was also a wound that went obliquely from the left eye to the right cheek. Thus, he only had one eyeball, which was on the right side, glaring at the air.
“Oh…”
I wondered if he was trying to say Odin or Osiris.
It was only after the light pouring out of Yeon-Hee’s body reached him that his lips finally opened. What he was trying to say was neither Odin nor Osiris.
“Oh, you guys are here!”
He seemed to be trapped in his thoughts, so he had trouble speaking. Even after receiving Joshua’s harsh whipping all over his body, he was being careful. Although he had been wary of Joshua, he would carry this secret to the grave.
I checked the movement of the sky, specifically the eyes of Doom Kaos and the Old One. When I had returned to Saint Dragorin, Doom Kao’s gaze was there, but now neither Doom Kaos’s nor Old One’s was there anymore.
The force moving across the entire sky had become even more intense. The whirlwind seemed more than enough to sweep over the sea and reach us soon. That was how close Doom Kaos and the Old One were, making it almost impossible to keep them both in sight.
There was a need to move the wounded. Yeon-Hee appeared to have understood what I wanted just by looking at me. After she said a few words to those b.a.s.t.a.r.ds, the so-called ‘Lusea Clan’ began to stick to the injured and began moving them into the gate.
I waited until the Awakened and the b.a.s.t.a.r.ds disappeared inside, then asked, “Where is Osiris?”
The feelings shown on Seong-Il’s face were too complex to describe.
“...I don’t know. To be honest, he suddenly barged in and left me in this state. I wanted to follow him and confirm what was up with him, but…”
I interjected, “Osiris did not betray us.”
Seong-Il looked at Yeon-Hee and me in turn. When Yeon-Hee nodded, the worry that filled his face vanished in an instant.
“Gosh…that is a relief. Osiris has been serving Odin for a long time. If such a guy betrays us, it would really be a headache. I was really worried.”
He looked down at his scars and continued, “I do feel a bit relieved, but why did he act like that? It was so embarra.s.sing! My subordinates saw me getting beaten up, f.u.c.k.”
“No one might have seen you getting beaten up. I guarantee it. Did it hurt a lot?”
“Did he hurt you as well? I should teach him some lessons!”
Only then did Seong-Il notice the scars on Yeon-Hee. Then, a small sigh of relief escaped him, which told me how much he had been concerned.
Then, he stiffened his face as he met my gaze. He knew what I was going to ask even if I didn’t say it.
“I could not see where Osiris was heading to. Of course, he left me in this state so it was not a situation where I could follow him. But I heard his voice the moment he disappeared. He was saying something like ‘Master,’ opened the gate, then left.”
“Is that all?” I asked.
“There was something that came out of the gate first. It seemed like his followers, but their presence was immense. Also, the way they were talking made it sound like they were planning something big. Osiris said that he was ready, but it sounded serious.”
Seong-Il gulped his saliva and added, “Also, he mentioned something about the Saint Land of the Dead, but I couldn’t hear much about it.”
Yeon-Hee caught my gaze and made a quick gesture to the remaining b.a.s.t.a.r.ds. Joshua’s whereabouts were unclear, but one thing was certain. He must have had his own plan originally, but it seemed he was rus.h.i.+ng something after modifying his plan when I caught Arukuda.
[The incomplete map ‘Doom Kaos’s Light Pillars (2)’ has been added.]
[The map ‘Doom Kaos’s Light Pillars’ has been completed.]
I hurried after reclaiming the remaining half from Seong-Il’s scar.