The witch had been alone for a very long time.
This deep and quiet place was a lot more boring than she initially thought.
Actually, she wasn’t alone from the start since there were a lot of toys she brought with her at the start. But although those were the best of the best she chose, she eventually became bored of playing with them and unconsciously became rougher.
Because of that, the weaker ones were inevitably unable to handle it and were crumbled. It was very unfortunate but how many out there would be able to cope with the previous sovereign? From time to time, the witch was dissatisfied with her own strength – to the point that filthy thoughts like cancelling her retirement often floated up.
In the middle of such boring days, a man came to her.
The witch was unable to hide her amazement.
Look at this man in front.
He looked manly with a good body. Decent height and wide shoulders.
As a mage, she felt his mana and felt the dynamic depth and size of the pool of mana. This was already enough to be the best toy and the best cure for her boredom but there was something that amplified the sweetness of all those conditions by tenfold.
It was the innocence of his face.
The man was a boy.
How can such a strong and remarkable human, giving off the scent of a male, be so young?
He was different from others that were worn out beyond repair. He was different from those that were arrogant and impertinent just because of a bit of strength.
After sharing a few words, she became all the more certain.
Boy.
You are really clear without any speck of dirt.
What if I add a hint of red to that white canvas of your face…?
Thinking that, the witch was unable to stop herself from being smeared with intrigue.
*
Yu Jitae opened the memories he received from Clone 2. The witch’s smile and her voice. Fitting her name, the witch tempted children, but by crossing her legs, and having the clothes flow to reveal her skin.
Slowly, Yu Jitae ran his fingers across his hair all the way from his forehead.
What‘s wrong with that old woman?
That was his honest thought. She was different from when he had gone looking for her in the previous iterations.
The witch had changed.
On the outside, she appeared to be the same person – her face that stopped aging after reaching mid-thirties, the enchanting and relaxing expression, her arrogant gaze and her clothes with a lot of exposure.
Since the witch was the same, he had to look for the change from the visitor.
Young Yu Jitae. Ah…
Realising something, Yu Jitae pressed on his temples before asking Clone 2.
Were there any men nearby? Adults.
‘Ah, my lord…! No! Uhh, there’s none!’
She would be able to see through him even if the clone was to merely change his face. Using [Mimicry (AA)] which allowed someone to change their body and skin itself might do it, but,
None?
‘No…!’
Yu Jitae heaved a sigh.
There was not a single person on Earth that could serve as the substitute of the witch and it would take years at the very least to find someone suitable from a different dimension. That was how precious the previous sovereign was as an existence.
Besides, she had lived long enough already and threats didn’t work on her. In one of his nameless iterations, she had immediately killed herself after being threatened.
So she needs to be persuaded at all cost but…
‘What should I do? Her, like, eyes are strange!’
What else can you do. Walk away if you’re not ready. Make up a story and leave. Tell her you’ll come back later.
‘Ah…! Yes sir!’
Clone 2 was sitting next to the witch right now. He had screamed inwardly just then because the witch’s hand had gently touched his face.
“Something was on your eye.”
She then touched yet again, before naturally caressing his cheek. Her hand was so warm that it heated up his face and Clone 2 could feel his heart beating rapidly.
“What’s wrong.”
“Uhh, what d, do you want from me?”
“Even though I may look young, I am a bit old. And my shoulders are always stiff because they are heavy.”
As if to show what was causing her stiff shoulders, the witch bent her body forward causing something to gently shake.
Nervous to the point he could almost die, Clone 2 had to maintain his gaze on her forehead and stop his eyes from travelling down, not realising that it was exactly that mindset of his that was increasingly stimulating the witch.
“So, can you give me a massage?”
“A massage?”
“Yes. A massage.”
Massage!
That would go against one of the pieces of advice given by Clone 1 on how he shouldn’t enter the inner room and avoid physical contact. Although he was already doomed in that regard because her hand had touched his face, it was possible to justify that as it was against his control.
Him touching her on his own volition would be even more dangerous.
Even then, Clone 2 wanted to settle this by himself. He wanted to earn the acknowledgment of his lord and Clone 1.
“Will you really listen to my request… as long as I give you a massage?”
“That is not it. That won’t be enough.”
“Sorry? Then…”
“That will be the start. Uhuhu.”
The ‘start’… The word gave him chills. Immediately, Clone 2 stood up from the seat.
“What are you doing? Where are you trying to go.”
“S, sorry. I will be back again later.”
“By whose permission?”
“Sorry…!”
Clone 2 started dashing forward.
Wearing a frown, the witch reached forth. When she threw her hand into the air, a fissure was created near the back of Clone 2’s neck as the witch’s hand soon appeared from within.
Right when her hand was about to grab Clone 2 by the neck, he turned around with a flinch and smacked the witch’s wrist away as hard as he could. Along with a thud, the air was sucked in before letting out an explosion.
Clone 2 desperately ran and disappeared from the witch’s room.
“My lord!”
The shockwave created by the Clone 2 wasn’t small. Startled, the Death Knights ran towards her.
“Are you unhurt?”
“That impertinent human!”
“Please give us the command. We will immediately bring him back half-dead.”
The witch shook her head.
“Leave him be. Did he not say he will be back?”
She then touched her reddened, swollen wrist.
How dare he make a wound on my body? That was the initial thought she had, but after some time, even that turned into a praise. Oh my, so he can create a wound on my body hmm…?
Soon, the petals of the bed rose up and covered her body. Within the darkness, her crimson tongue travelled past her crimson lips.
“Boy. Aren’t you energetic…”
The witch laughed like a witch.
***
For the time being, Clone 2 hid himself in a corner of the underground dungeon and stayed there. That side wasn’t in a rush in the first place, and a more delicate approach was required even if it were to take more time.
Meanwhile, time passed fast for the Association.
In the span of 7 days, they had several strategy meetings and the troops were reorganised every single day. There was a lot of conflict from the sudden order for cooperation and the troops formed due to the Command Centre’s arbitrary commands were very discontent and managed to waste the entirety of the 7 day period. Although they received hundreds of thousands of dollars a week, they were veteran soldiers that could earn millions in that same period if they were to move privately, thus their dissatisfaction.
War was history.
Superhumans didn’t fight against monsters.
They fought for more profit.
The 7 days of leeway alerted by the Vintage Clock vanished just like that.
On the night before the predicted event, unlike Yu Jitae’s assumptions, there were unfortunately no signs of the fissure rapidly approaching from the faroff dimension.
The Command Centre turned rowdy.
“Is it even coming?”
“How come there aren’t any signs a day before?”
Soon, the dawn of D-Day arrived. Even then, there weren’t any visible signs of the fissure and the Command Centre turned all the more rowdy.
“This does not make any sense! Can there be a fissure without any preceding signs even when it’s this close!?”
“Antonio Jefferson. Weren’t you the one that was so confident about this?”
Jefferson couldn’t reply. Even when the troops were set to depart, the Command Centre was still uncertain about the appearance of the SS+ dungeon.
Jefferson slowly became anxious.
In the Central Command & Control Room of the Association, advisors and executives had to hide their discontentment as they waited for the chairman to open his mouth. However, the chairman of the Association remained sitting on the chair with his legs crossed, watching the situation unfold.
On the screen, the troops, the nearby terrain of South Amazon and graphs of mana fluctuations were being updated in real time.
Why was he silent? Hiding their curiosity, the executives looked at the man.
Unlike other large superhuman rankers of the room, the chairman was relatively short. He had a solid body but was comparatively small.
However, his distinct deep gaze was clearly on the monitor. Everyone inside the room had to continue watching his gaze and gesture to read his mood.
The small giant was sitting in the centre.
“…”
However, that small giant was silent.
The ones that were confident with their fast-working brains looked at each other. Among them was also someone that had to stay as an assistant adjutant under Jefferson for tens of years.
Since Jefferson’s secretive hobby life was confidential, Jefferson’s position inside the Association was relatively solid. There were several conflicts between him and Jefferson but the assistant adjutant was always the one coming out with a loss. He had been dying for revenge but there weren’t any opportunities to publicly create a dent in Jefferson’s reputation.
The assistant adjutant had been waiting for a day like this to come even in his dreams.
“Chief Aide.”
In the awkwardly silent Command & Control Room, the assistant adjutant opened his mouth and gathered the eyes of the surroundings. Jefferson with a myriad of feelings remained silent.
“Chief Aide.”
“…”
“Answer me. Antonio Jefferson–”
He raised his voice.
The assistant adjutant didn’t forget to glance at the chairman to read his mood but the chairman didn’t even spare them a glance.
In other words, it meant that it was okay for him to take a step further.
That was when Jefferson looked at the assistant adjutant.
“What is it. Assistant Carlon. In such an important situation.”
“An important situation? Chief Aide. Do you really think this is an important situation?”
“What?”
“I can’t help but think that you are trying to make a fool out of all the executives gathered here, the chairman and the Association itself.”
His words were full of thorns but he was speaking for everyone in the room. One of them let out a soft whistle.
Since the chairman was still here, his words could be considered too rash. Because of that, no-one voiced out their agreement but nodded to show their agreement.
“Close your mouth, assistant. There are still minutes or hours left until the expected time of the fissure’s appearance. You haven’t changed at all in 10 years and still blabber on before it’s even over.”
Jefferson talked back as composedly as he could, against what he was feeling on the inside.
Why.
Why are there still no signs…
“Do you not realise that that alone is already strange?”
After seeing through the chief aide’s anxiety, the assistant adjutant shot out of his seat. Now that the prey was bleeding, it was time to bite.
“Look, Chief Aide. 92% of fissures give off signs at least a week before and 99.9% at least a day before. The dimensions fluctuate and mana spark in the surroundings. The only exceptions would be tiny or empty fissures.”
“Who doesn’t know that?”
“Yess! Of course you should know that too! Right? You should! Since you’re so knowledgeable, please do tell me! What is happening right now? Why aren’t there any omens of an SS+ dungeon?”
“–.”
“Do we still have a week left? No! Three days? No! Then one day? Nnn? Do we still have one day left or what!”
Kwang!
The assistant adjutant reached his hands out and smashed them down on the table.
“Repeat what you said just then. Chief Aide!”
“…Repeat what.”
“How much time did you say we have until the expected time of the appearance?”
“…”
“Say something. Antonio!”
In response to the shout, Jefferson had to bite the bullet and open his mouth.
“A few minutes or hours…”
“And yet there are still no signs! Please tell me, Chief Aide. If this isn’t someone trying to deceive us, then what is? Do you still want to say, that what you’re trying to do now, isn’t an insult to the Association?!”
Jefferson couldn’t reply. The assistant adjutant didn’t say anything wrong and even he himself had trouble believing it at this point.
At this rate, his position inside the Association would take a big hit from this one incident… Although the years he had spent loyal to the Association were long, his critical mistake would follow him like a tail all the remaining days of his life.
“Right. Chief Antonio. You must take responsibility.”
“How unfortunate. What happened to you?”
“We had to move our troops for no reason. Tch.”
As if to prove the fall of his position, people started grumbling from all around. His heart raced and even his hands sweated.
Realising that now was the opportunity, the assistant adjutant immediately dashed towards Jefferson and grabbed him by the collar, before pushing him back and forth. Because of the atmosphere, no-one stopped his disrespectful conduct.
“Why are your lips sealed? Huh? What happened to that mouth of yours that loved blabbering all day for the last 10 years? Did you see Sodom and Gomorrah? Why are you like a salt pillar all of a sudden?”
Powerlessly, Jefferson’s body was shaken back and forth. During that, Jefferson stealthily glanced behind. Although One was out in the field with the troops, Season (Yu Jitae) was inside the Command & Control Room. Despite the situation, he was staring at the same direction as the chairman with an expression way too calm.
Damn it. Say something at least.
“Say something at least!”
Season. Please!
“Antonio Jefferson!”
It was then.
“Hoh.”
A small gasp was heard.
It was from the chairman.
Although it was a soft mutter, his voice had the power to force people’s ears and eyes towards him. The rowdy Command & Control Room immediately turned quiet.
‘Hoh’?
What ‘hoh’?
With circular eyes, the advisors all turned back to the screen with a hint of doubt. They then screamed out in lament.
“Ahh!”
“No. Impossible…!”
Inside the screen,
The mana graph started rapidly fluctuating unstably. It crossed the 40 line mark, and soon reached the 100 line mark, before suddenly jumping over 2500.
At the same time, the screen of the landscape suddenly contorted on its own. Around 200 metres in the air, a vertical dissection of approximately 40 metres was created in the sky. Like the mouth of a monster, it creaked open, revealing jet-black darkness.
For a short moment, silence covered the room and the atmosphere of doubt was lifted in an instant. With his head turned blank, the assistant adjutant forgot to even let go of the hand that was holding onto Jefferson’s collar.
It was then.
Yu Jitae, who was sitting at the back, stood up and grabbed the assistant adjutant by his head.
Slamm–!
He then fiercely thrusted it down.