Episode 207 The Prelude to Chaos (2)
The TV, left on as background noise, faintly reached his ears.
Crash!
The objects on the table clattered to the floor.
"…Damn it! What the…!"
I braced myself against the table, gritting my teeth.
The once tidy living room was now a mess, but I didn't have time to worry about such trivial things.
A sudden mental invasion by the abyss.
Hans, as the Immortal King, was practically immune to mental attacks, but this wasn't an external attack, so his defenses were useless.
'The moment I met his gaze… the abyss within Hans's heart… my inner self… is resonating. This reaction is stronger than when I absorbed the fragments.'
Of course, even if his mental defenses were useless, it wasn't a major problem.
His mental strength, enhanced by a massive amount of Karma, combined with the resources he could draw from his other avatars, gave him a transcendental level of mental power.
If he could just suppress the rampaging abyss and redirect it back to his main body, there would be no problem.
After all, the reason Hans could use the dangerous power of the Immortal King so freely was because of this cheat-like characteristic.
"Damn it, not now!"
…If it were a normal situation.
He had more than enough mental resources, but Hans's inner self was too unstable and vulnerable right now.
'I can't suppress it. Not right after his mental world was damaged!'
All sorts of negative emotions erupted from within, like an explosion.
The negative feelings he had been suppressing, the grief of losing his family, the resentment towards the world, the anger towards the culprit, the despair for the future…
They were amplified several times over and surged towards the limits of his "Mind Hub".
'It's going to overflow…!'
Countless thoughts raced through his mind.
Dismissal?
No, that would only postpone the problem.
The bomb was already planted within Hans, and the same thing would happen as soon as he was re-summoned.
And then, the 'corrupted Hans' would be right next to his defenseless main body.
'Not to mention that he wouldn't be able to control his aura properly, revealing his location! Unless I permanently seal Hans, it's the worst option.'
No matter how many barriers he had set up around his house, they wouldn't be enough to contain the energy currently emanating from Hans.
It was best to resolve this issue in Auterica… or more precisely, in the Immortal Fortress.
'But I can't let my mind be contaminated, that would defeat the purpose. I have to prevent that at all costs.'
The abyss, already past its limit, was pounding at the boundaries of his "Mind Hub".
He stopped all his avatars' activities and focused his entire mind on Hans.
He reinforced the damaged mental world to prevent further damage from Yulryeongja's attack,
Strengthened his wavering "Clear Mind", which was like a ship caught in a storm,
And reinforced the security of his "Mind Hub" while controlling his "Persona".
He realized that there was some information mixed in with the overflowing abyss, but he didn't have the time to focus on it.
'This is dangerous. I need a solution…'
But even his best efforts were just buying time.
The situation was still dire.
As he desperately searched for a way out,
'…Wait, what's that?'
He suddenly sensed the orb that Yulryeongja had left behind, in Hans's inner consciousness.
Despite the chaos raging around it, the orb remained calm and undisturbed.
'Mental ability amplification. I don't know if it'll work in this situation, but… it's better than nothing.'
This entire mess was because of that orb, wasn't it?
He was desperate enough to try anything.
'Oh? This might actually work?'
And as he grasped at that last straw, it exceeded his expectations.
It wasn't a dramatic effect, as it wasn't the intended use, but it was enough to help him block the overflow and seal the gap.
'I'll deal with the abyss that's building up inside Hans later. For now, I need to reinforce the boundary and prevent the overflow. If I can just finish this…!'
A long and arduous battle against the abyss ensued.
How much time had passed?
He felt like it had been ages, but in reality, it couldn't have been that long.
"Whew—"
His body felt heavy and languid, drenched in sweat.
The fact that he could feel these sensations meant that he had regained some mental clarity.
'I did it…'
He had finally succeeded.
He had blocked the contamination from the abyss and erected additional barriers on the boundaries of his consciousness to prevent it from overflowing.
Bzzt—
But before he could even sigh in relief,
Thud!
A sudden wave of dizziness hit him, and he collapsed onto the messy floor.
"Ugh, ugh…"
He had pushed himself too hard.
He had successfully blocked the abyss from overflowing into his main body, but the mental strain and fatigue were taking their toll.
His thoughts were fragmented, unable to form a coherent stream.
He felt dazed and disoriented, lost in a hazy dreamscape.
《The unique skill has grown and unlocked its potential…》
But before he could even process those fragmented thoughts,
He lost consciousness and drifted into darkness.
______________
A short while later,
Click—
The doorknob turned, and a figure entered the messy living room.
He glanced around and then sighed heavily, looking at the man lying on the floor.
"Ha… I didn't expect this."
'Hugo', the one who had entered the room, carefully carried the unconscious Han Seong-hyeon to the bedroom and laid him down.
'I've been so used to controlling avatars from a safe place that I didn't even consider this possibility. It's only natural that his mind would be strained if he pushed himself too hard.'
This was the first time his main body had been affected, so he was quite flustered.
Fortunately, it didn't seem too serious. He would probably recover after a few days of rest…
'Wait, that's not the problem!'
A chill ran down his spine as he realized the true gravity of the situation.
'Calm down. First, I need to assess the situation.'
Hugo, who was still lacking in 'personality' because he had been recently created, finished cleaning up and sat down on the massage chair, lost in thought.
Everyone had multiple facets to their personality, big or small.
They changed depending on the situation, the location, and the people they were with.
At work, with family, during hobbies, with friends…
A person who was a paragon of justice in society could be a tyrant at home, easily angered by trivial matters. A ruthless killer who showed no mercy could be a loving father, cherishing his child above all else.
It was a natural expression of the complex and diverse emotions that all humans possessed, not something to be labeled as a split personality.
'And the personalities I gave to my avatars through "Persona" are all derived from the emotions of 'Han Seong-hyeon'.'
Each avatar was a facet of Han Seong-hyeon, a projection of his inner self.
They might seem different, but they were still him, and even now, with his main body unconscious, they were sharing memories.
The only difference was how they expressed themselves, based on their individual personalities.
And Hans, his first avatar… was a being who embodied all of Han Seong-hyeon's negative emotions, practically a trash can for his feelings.
The grief of losing his family, the resentment towards the world, the anger towards the culprit, the despair for the future…
If an ordinary person had only those emotions, it would have been a serious problem, but it was different for Hans, the avatar.
'It was a perfect match for an undead, and those negative emotions actually helped him control the 'Immortal King's Heart'.'
And he could always objectively control them through "Mind Hub", regardless of their individual personalities, so it hadn't been a problem until now.
'Until now, that is.'
As long as Han Seong-hyeon, the master of "Avatar" and the controller of "Mind Hub", was conscious.
And as long as Hans wasn't in the middle of being contaminated by the abyss.
"Hahaha… This is…"
Hugo chuckled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, and then let out a sigh.
"…We're screwed."
That was the thought that ran through the minds of all the avatars, except for Hans.
______________
'He's worried for nothing.'
Hans suppressed the abyss that was surging within him and chuckled inwardly.
He had struggled to block the overflow, but his mental strength, which had been heavily allocated to Hans, wasn't weak.
This incident had caused additional contamination from the abyss, but it wasn't anything new, and…
'I am the ruler of death, the true king. I will not be manipulated by anyone.'
Whether it was the abyss or the being behind the giant, it didn't matter.
As he thought that, he heard Dwell's frantic voice.
[My King! Are you alright? I apologize! I should have sealed that insolent giant more securely. To think it would try to trick you even in that state!]
He glanced around, and as expected, not much time had passed. The surroundings looked the same.
[I'm fine, so shut up, Dwell. I need to think.]
[Gasp! Y-yes… Understood, my King.]
Hans ignored Dwell, who prostrated himself on the ground, and turned his gaze back to the giant's head, which had a hole in its forehead.
The massive head was slowly crumbling as its core dissipated.
'Ha! Mission? Lord? Ridiculous.'
He scoffed inwardly.
He hadn't finished analyzing the information he had obtained, but he could roughly grasp the situation.
It seemed like both 'death' and 'madness' were designed to be controlled by someone.
The giant's actions must have been an attempt to reset the Immortal King to his original state, to make him follow their will.
If he hadn't been an avatar, he might have actually fallen for it.
'I don't care who you are. If you get in my way, I'll eliminate you. Just like those Heaven's Turn Society bastards.'
His goal had always been the same.
To obtain a massive amount of Karma through 'Home Theater' and use it to eradicate Heaven's Turn Society on Earth.
That was the only reason he was doing all this.
'But Heaven's Turn Society isn't as easy as I thought.'
Hans's thoughts naturally drifted to them.
And the conclusion was obvious.
'I need more Karma.'
He needed a more effective way to harvest Karma, not this half-assed method.
He had thought about it before, but he was no saint.
The 'Han Seong-hyeon' who had long since broken was capable of massacring countless people without a second thought.
'It's only natural. I've already killed so many.'
No matter how much "Mind Hub" filtered his emotions, the fact that he had taken lives remained.
But he had never felt any guilt, even though he had killed so many, directly and indirectly.
That was proof that he was already abnormal.
The reason he had tried to minimize civilian casualties… was just a self-serving excuse, a way to maintain a semblance of his humanity.
'It's ridiculous.'
But…
Now, the shackles were broken.
'I need to improve my efficiency.'
His current methods were incredibly inefficient.
Home Theater, fine.
The confrontation between the hero and the Demon King, great.
But was he satisfied with the current scenario?
'No way!'
What was he even doing?
Playing around with a few pawns, sending them out one by one like it was a game!
Even the Demon Kings in RPGs, who leveled up heroes by throwing minions at them, didn't use such a half-assed strategy.
Look at the forces he had amassed in the Immortal Fortress.
The Immortal Army, growing endlessly with nowhere to go.
What a waste of resources!
He was dissatisfied with his current methods.
[Dwell McCain.]
[Yes! My King! Dwell is here!]
Dwell, who had been subtly trying to minimize his presence, shouted as he sensed a change in his master's mood.
Hans stared at him, prostrating himself on the ground, and spoke.
[Summon the executives.]
[Yes! I will carry out your orders immediately!]
Dwell disappeared as soon as he finished speaking, as if he had been waiting for those words.
Hans, left alone in the laboratory, looked at the crumbling giant's head and then turned his gaze to the ceiling.
There was nothing there but the black stone that was the Immortal Fortress's default interior, but…
He whispered as if speaking to someone.
[I am Hannibal Strauss.]
Hans… no, the Immortal King, Hannibal Strauss.
[I will bring an end to this world.]
He began to extend his dark hand towards the continent.