Chapter 240
The war was over. Too many lives were lost, and too many things were broken. Casualties were roughly estimated to be in the millions, and would likely exceed tens of millions if missing people were included.
Despite the staggeringly high death count, humanity left a positive impression on those in the Mirror World. The people of the Capital had defeated Nivalis without the help of Underground, something not even Gula of Cadaver had been able to do easily. The assessment of humanity, the most inferior of the inferior races, improved dramatically.
Most of all, the news regarding the deaths of the dragon World Ranker Biphatogenes, the leader of Nivalis, the angel World Ranker Gabriel, an archangel of Orbis, and the human World Ranker Lee Kang-San, sent waves throughout the Mirror World.
Although it had been a mutual destruction, Kang-San had taken two World Rankers with him to hell. Impressions on Lee Kang-San also skyrocketed, and became the trigger for those to rethink humanity’s potential.
However, this was but an assessment of those unrelated to the incident; it couldn’t explain the misery and despair humanity was experiencing. Humans had lost countless neighbors and family members. Most of all, they had lost the First Son who had always protected them from the worst of storms. Their future seemed bleak, cold, and filled with thorns.
***
Exhausted and injured Rankers and the leaders of various clans filled the grand conference hall of the Empire State Building, staring in silence as they listened to the man talking from the podium.
“That is all,” said the Asian man in a black hoodie, cargo pants, boots, a dagger at his waist, and a bloodshot right eye. He exuded an aura so ominous that he might rampage from just a light touch.
“He’s... dead? That daredevil?” an old man mumbled in disbelief.
He was Lee Bong-Seong, the Immortal Marine, who had commanded the defense line to block the dragons’ advance. He had officially become a Spare Ranker after killing the dragon Ranker, Seringer, in Ismailia.
“He’s dead,” Seong-Hwi confirmed.
“That’s impossible! I heard his body was never found, so he might still be alive!”
“Yeah, the Tortoise Emperor could never...”
“I refuse to believe that crazy motherfucker is dead.”
As the people murmured among each other, Seong-Hwi said irritably, “I told you, he’s dead. Even if he were alive, he wouldn’t be the Lee Kang-San we know.”
The others still didn’t believe Seong-Hwi, but Seong-Hwi was certain of Kang-San’s death and was not nearly as shocked as the others. After all, to him, this was Kang-San’s second death.
His star has fallen. Lee Kang-San is no more, he thought.
Seong-Hwi continued, “Don’t act as if it’s the end of the world. The dead are dead. We must pioneer a future without him.”
“You are... something else. How can you say that so lightly when you know what Kang-San meant to humanity?” said Remy Martin confrontationally, his eyes red from crying.
“Then what do you suggest we do? Hug each other and cry it out?” Seong-Hwi unleashed his Destiny Force, filling the entire grand conference hall, and screamed, “LEE KANG-SAN IS DEAD! I SAW IT! THE TORTOISE EMPEROR IS NO MORE! HUMANITY HAS LOST ITS WORLD RANKER!”
His words carried an unknown power that made people instinctively believe he was telling the truth. Everyone who heard it looked as if they had woken up from a dream—a nightmare. Their faces were stricken with fear.
“Lee Kang-San... is gone.”
“What are we supposed to do now?”
“Oh, God!”
“It’s all over... That stupid Underground plan got Lee Kang-San killed!”
“What do we do about South Earth? The Dark Humans will begin to rampage!”
Kang-San’s absence induced panic, regardless of whether they liked or disliked him. Only after his death did they realize the extent to which his presence contributed to humanity.
Bong-Seong approached Seong-Hwi, who was staring at the others in silence. He looked as if he had aged ten years.
He said, “A dwarf, an elf, a spirit, and an orc have come to see us. They are waiting at the observatory on the eighty-sixth floor. They’re asking for a human representative.”
“I will go,” Seong-Hwi replied.
Bong-Seong examined Seong-Hwi with his exhausted gaze. He nodded and remarked, “That’s for the best. You’re the one acquainted with them, and above all else, borrowing Kang-San’s words... You’re the second son.”
***
“I heard four consuls of the Sēmen have come, after everything’s over! Hah! What the hell do they think they’re doing?!” shouted ragefully a dwarf with stiff, dark grey hair and beard, and green eyes. He was Bafor, who had just arrived at the Capital from Ferrum. “Those Orbis bastards were lurking around Ferrum again! Is the Sēmen planning to side with the angels again?!”
Bafor, who had been with Kang-San at Justitia, had raced to Ferrum after hearing that Sariel, the newly-appointed archangel, and his legion had surrounded Ferrum. They kept Ferrum in check from a distance just far enough that they could still be considered a threat, and Bafor had been busy protecting the city from them to help the Capital, which infuriated him even more.
“Orbis also mobilized the birdfolk, their subordinate race. It was likely to prevent Viridis from assisting the humans,” mournfully mentioned Irura, the blond elf with golden eyes.
“If I knew this was going to happen, I would have accepted his request,” mumbled Elementum, a spirit wearing an elegant dress, heels, and a beautiful tiara. Her hair was wavy like flowing water, and her eyes shone with the colors of various elements.
She had been deep inside Forestis, protecting the Spirit Land. Hence, too much time was wasted for the reinforcement request to reach her and for her to arrive at the Capital. Everything had been over by the time she had arrived.
“Hmm... The Tortoise Emperor is dead, correct? Then what happens to Underground?” asked an orc with grey skin that looked as hard as rock, as he examined Bafor, Irura, and Elementum.
He was Taidzu, who had reached the Capital with his army as soon as he had recovered from his injuries suffered in his battle against Bodonchar. He had come despite not having fully quelled the disorder in Fortitudo or uniting the orcs, because of the matter about becoming a member of Underground. However, Lee Kang-San, one of the core members of the confederation, had died.
Will Underground fall apart like this? Taidzu wondered as he weighed the cost and benefit.
Just then, they heard footsteps approaching them, and a voice said, “Underground will not disappear. No, it will become even stronger.”
The four people raised their heads to see a familiar face.
“Seong-Hwi... I’m sorry. Despite our alliance, I couldn’t help when it mattered,” Bafor said apologetically.
Their enemies’ target was clear—the Capital and humanity. They had surely resolved to make an example out of the humans, as they had been the ones to plan the Underground Confederation and to act on its implementation. Hence, the humans were made to face countless casualties.
“I already know of your circumstances, Lord Bafor. It is not your fault, but the fault of our cunning enemies and Underground’s structural issue,” Seong-Hwi said.
“Structural... issue?” Irura asked.
Seong-Hwi nodded as he remarked, “We are not a single force, but a confederation. We may be united, but have inevitably different values and priorities. Lord Bafor would naturally prioritize Faber’s safety as its leader. Master Irura values the continuation of the newly established Viridis. Master Elementum’s highest priority is to protect the Spirit Land. Once Master Taidzu becomes the Abkai, he must take responsibility for Fortitudo.”
The four people nodded.
Seong-Hwi continued, “On the other hand, take a look at Orbis and Echion. They move as one entity at the command of the God of Heaven and the Dragon King. They will inevitably be superior to us in terms of cohesiveness and speed at which they act.”
“Hmm,” Bafor expressed. He had experienced the structural issue Seong-Hwi had mentioned first-hand.
They only went as far as to keep Ferrum in check. I knew that their true objective was the Capital, but I still couldn’t leave Ferrum because the safety of my people is more important to me, he thought.
It was only natural; that fact would not change even if the roles had been reversed between humans and the dwarves.
“That means we will always be a step too late. The angels and dragons have shown the Mirror World a great example of how Underground can be made obsolete,” Irura remarked.
Taidzu nodded and added, “Because we are many pieces, it takes time for us to become whole. The fact that we have different things to protect is also an issue.”
“That’s right. Hence, I have a suggestion for all of you,” Seong-Hwi said as he sequentially looked into the eyes of Bafor, Irura, Elementum, and Taidzu. “I would like to combine all that we value into one.”
“What?”
“Let’s store all our divided treasures in one treasure chest and protect it together,” Seong-Hwi added.
The four people stared at one another.
“What are you talking about?”
“Combine our treasures?”
“I don’t know what you mean.”
“Hmm... Can you be more specific?”
Seong-Hwi began to explain the plan he had painstakingly devised over the past few days after the war.
“Let’s combine the human Capital, the dwarven Ferrum, the elven Viridis, the Spirit Land, and the orc Fortitudo into one. I suggest we build a new city.”
The eyes of Bafor, Irura, Elementum, and Taidzu widened.
Seong-Hwi continued, “Let us commence a mass migration. A true capital where everyone lives and protects together. I propose the foundation of the joint city, Together.”
He had prepared a colossal project that had never been proposed either in his past or present lives. Since Kang-San had established the unprecedented confederation, Underground, it was Seong-Hwi’s role to consolidate it into something unbreakable.
The four people expressed doubt.
“Is that... even possible?”
“The Sēmen will not stand for it.”
“How will we move the Spirit Land?”
“Hmm.”
Just then, Seong-Hwi displayed his new power. The silver star, Desire, rose above the Empire State Building. The three unique caliber holders, excluding Irura, stared at Seong-Hwi in shock.
“Hm? Wha—Seong-Hwi! You... I can’t believe it!”
“You never fail to shock me, human.”
“I see... So, that star was what I had seen back then. And its magnitude is lower than ten, too. How did you accomplish that in such a short time?”
Seong-Hwi said, “We need to make it possible. I have a rough outline of the plan. I will fill Lee Kang-San’s vacancy.”
***
A floating island was moving in midair above the eighth zone, the deepest zone currently allowed for the Mirror World’s residents. A golden halo enveloped the island’s surroundings. The sky island was Mundus, the main city settled by Orbis, one of the Mirror World’s main powers.
Countless angels flew around Mundus when a blinding light flashed, then a colossal shadow loomed over the city. Someone grabbed the sky island—it sounded absurd, but an entity had literally grabbed the island by their palm. The giant was so large that the clouds covered their head.
“We are under attack!”
“Fight for the sake of the God of Heaven!”
“Ahhh! Almighty God of Heaven! Thank you for giving us the chance to die as martyrs!”
The angels of Mundus swarmed out of the city like pigeons when a voice echoed throughout the space.
“Stop, my children. He is my guest.”
“Ahhh! O Almighty Father!”
“The God of Heaven has spoken! Return to Mundus!”
The swarm of angels returned to the city without question. An individual appeared in midair moments later. He was a man of pure white. He had long, wavy, white hair and chilling white eyes with no pupils. Even his skin was pure white under his white toga. On his back were ten pairs of white wings.
The man snapped his fingers, and the golden halo enveloping the city grew smaller, floated to the top of his head, and spun. The man was Creo, the Second Lord, the God of Heaven.
“Creo. I believe I have warned you many times to leave the outer zones be and conquer the nescius,” a thunderous voice echoed across the sky.
Creo smiled and replied, “Grandis, my beloved comrade. I am surprised you have come all this way.”
The thunderous voice belonged to Grandis, the First Lord and the founder of the Sēmen.
“Do not even think about changing the subject with your nonsense again. I see you had done as you had liked while I was challenging the Glass Ceiling.”
“Oh, it appears there has been a misunderstanding. I bothered myself with the outer zones so I can ultimately reclaim the ninth zone,” Creo remarked leisurely. “If you want to blame someone, blame Curiositas, not me. That demon seems to be collecting causality to bring something into motion.”
“Do not hide behind Curiositas. I demand a clear answer this time. Stop playing around in the outer zones and break the Glass Ceiling with me. Otherwise, I will destroy this island.”
The hand wrapping Mundus tightened, cracking the island as if it were a tomato. Just then, Creo clapped his hands together, and Grandis loosened his grip.
“Huuu, calm down, Grandis. I was just about getting curious about the ninth zone. I got what I wanted, so I will join you as soon as I appoint a new Archangel of the West.”
Grandis opened his hand and released Mundus after he received a clear answer.
“I will rip off your wings if you joke with me one more time,” he remarked.
“Haha, as you wish. Why don’t you stay for a cup of tea, my friend?”
“Perhaps another time. I have to visit Regnator’s lair as well.”
A blinding light flashed again, and Grandis vanished. The shadow looming over Mundus disappeared along with Creo’s smile.
“Grandis... Grandis... You ignorant giant. You know nothing of the world,” he remarked as he grabbed something from his pocket. It was a filthy rock covered in insects—the Entomancy Stone. “It may be a husk missing the most important record, but I should be satisfied with this much.”
Creo’s golden halo spun rapidly and instantly absorbed the Entomancy Stone. Enormous amounts of Holy Force lingered in his pure white eyes.
“It’s not quite enough. The Fruit would have been ideal, but... I would assume Curiositas got his hands on it. That demon is more of a problem than Grandis.”
Creo’s eyes appeared as if he were looking far into the distance. He seemed uninterested in the deaths of Archangel Gabriel or Raziel, the leader of the fifth legion.