# 271
271. Catastrophe (2)
I opened my eyes.
[Floor 76.]
[Mission Type – Search]
[Mission Goal – Search the Imperial Palace ‘Ragnasars’!]
A mission window appeared on the right side of the field of view.
The goal is to explore. It was something I had been expecting.
The troops guarding the ecliptic suffered near-annihilation damage on the 75th floor. In the course of the battle, most of the commanders and other high-ranking officials were massacred, and now only a few remnants remained.
‘Ecliptic of Bardia.’
It was the capital that started with the empire.
A beautiful city built around a huge imperial palace that looks like something out of a picture.
Roaring thump!
Remnants of the golden roof fell.
All over the city was on fire.
“His Highness the Prince… Long live.”
The kneeling soldier’s head was blown off.
The sparsely bearded mercenary wiped the blood off the blade and urged his men.
“There will still be some rats left. Find them and kill them!”
“yes!”
Garden outside the Imperial Palace.
Bodies are strewn across the marble pillars.
The screams of death and the thick smell of blood mingled and spread out.
‘There’s no need to fight…’
I looked up.
A fleet floats above the twilight sky.
It was an allied force created by the joining forces of the heroes and the princess.
By breaking the 75th floor, the power of the Prince’s Army was virtually crushed, but
the combined fleet prepared for artillery fire as if it would not be vigilant at all.
[Listen to Praios all Ragna, the weightlifter who betrayed the ten million people of the empire!] A
booming voice echoed from the flagship of the fleet.
[The ecliptic is completely blocked. There is no way out for you! Come out and be judged with justice! I will declare it once again. This war is a victory for our troops under the protection of Her Highness, the princess, who is of the rightful lineage…]
“It’s really noisy.”
Belquist pierced his ears.
“It boosts our morale. It’s a declaration that we’ve won, right?”
Jenna looked around and nodded.
“Now the civil war is almost over. It’s not long before we return home. I think we just need to catch the prince or something.”
“Isn’t he the problem?”
Belquist clicked his tongue lightly.
From the 50th floor onwards to the 75th floor, while his henchmen died one after another and disappeared, the prince never showed up. Even though it is clear that if he had actively intervened, the game of war would have been clearly different.
‘What’s your intention?’
If his purpose was ‘liberation’ as he stated at the beginning, he should have come out right away.
However, even in this situation, when the tip of the princess’ sword reached in front of his neck, he still did not appear.
I thought about it several times, but no clear answer came out.
The only way to find out is to find out for yourself.
I looked to the side.
Gardens and pathways surrounding the Imperial Palace.
In the middle of it, there is a gate that leads to the palace.
And…
“…one.”
Fria stood there in a silvery white dress.
“I thought you would come.”
Fria smiled at me.
A dimple bloomed gently on the side of the mouth.
Wearing a dress, wearing a crown, and under strict security, her attitude was unmatched.
Even on the 60th floor, he looked very immature, but now he even showed a sense of solemnity.
‘Now…’
There was no girlishness to be found in Freea anymore.
Well, it’s because the 30th line is getting closer.
She has become older than me.
“Welcome, brother.”
Yoshu, who was holding a sword beside him, lowered his head.
He has scars all over his face and he has a thick beard.
He completely escaped the weakness of his childhood.
“With the help of my brother and the heroes, our army has won. Now, just plant a flag on the throne and it will be over.”
“There’s still one left. It’s too early to like it.”
“There are limits to what one can do alone. And I don’t worry about what he does. We have invincible warriors.”
Yoshu grinned.
“Yoshu, don’t burden Han any more. He’s already worked hard enough.”
“I said it as a joke, Your Majesty.”
“…I am not Your Majesty.”
Freea sighed.
“Anyway, this damn war is about to end. Now we must join forces and move forward into a new era.”
“Open the door.”
profit.
At Yoshu’s instructions, the gate to the inside of the imperial palace opened.
A cold wind blew inside.
“He’ll be here. I’ll immediately send in an elite unit…” ”
No, I’ll go alone. I have something to say to my brother.”
“It’s dangerous. Please know that His Majesty’s body is not alone.”
“It’s okay. You’ll be with a knight you trust more than anyone else.”
Freea looked back at me.
“Will you wait for us outside?”
“Haona….”
“If my brother had tried to fight me, he would have started right away. Trust me just once. Can I ask the warriors behind me?”
“Uh, that’s…”
Jenna looked at me.
Freea is the main escort target. If they fall apart here, there will be a gap in the escort.
This meant that the risk of being attacked increased exponentially.
However, Freea’s words have some truth.
If he had the will, he would have struck back much earlier.
I nodded.
“Thank you, Han.”
Freea grabbed the hem of her dress and greeted me.
Then, he slowly walked inside the imperial palace. I followed behind, holding on to Bifrost’s scabbard.
thud.
As soon as the two entered, the door that had been open slammed shut.
The lanterns hanging from the marble pillars all lit up all at once, illuminating the inside.
‘I won’t send it without any countermeasures.’
I muttered so that Freea couldn’t hear.
“Belquist, Jenna, when I signal, go right in. Check for anything suspicious.”
[That’s right.]
[Old story!]
“Please prepare for entry, too.”
[I got it.]
I also received a reply from Roderick, who is in charge of Taoneer’s engineering team.
This is the end of basic insurance. No matter what happens, if I wait a little longer, reinforcements will arrive soon.
Tboob.
Corridor of the empty imperial palace.
The sound of Freea’s shoes echoed softly.
“one.”
“why?”
“I’m very old too. Don’t you look worse than before?”
“What’s ugly. It’s the same.”
“Huh, then it must have been worth the hard work.”
Freea was more than expected.
Looking at the outside, you would believe it even if you were in your early 20s.
“You haven’t decided on the answer at that time, have you?”
“That’s… yes.”
“Think about it slowly. I’ll do my best not to hate you.”
Freea murmured as if in a sigh.
“I’m ten years older…”
I didn’t reply.
I just gripped Bifrost’s scabbard even tighter.
“I don’t know. Everything is full of doubts. What was the dream that led me to? Why did my older brother do such a thing, and how did you come to us? This Distortion is…” “Well, that guy will tell you
. might be.”
I said looking ahead.
Inside the open door, the scene I saw at the 4-star promotion ceremony spread out.
‘The emperor’s room.’
This is where the heroes prepared for the final stand before Taonier was destroyed.
At least he thought there would be at least one seed, but the inside of the palace was quiet as if it had been washed.
Not a single mouse was visible.
It was a completely uninhabited space.
Except for one person who sits on a golden throne beyond.
[Danger!]
[Black Prince]
[Praios Al Ragna Lv. 391]
A name tag floated above his head.
The displayed level is 391.
‘It’s insanely high.’
Even if you search all accounts, you won’t be able to find monsters of this level.
indeed. It was a level suitable for the last boss of an S-class account.
I was ready to draw my sword at any moment.
You don’t know what to do, so you shouldn’t be vigilant.
“…Brother.”
Freea narrowed her eyes and moved toward the throne.
I followed him slowly.
[Special event has started.]
[Event 001 – Reunion]
‘Special event?’
It’s varied.
I shrugged.
“Were both of you there? It just saved you the trouble of finding them.”
The corners of his mouth curled under the bandages.
He was examining an object on the armrest with his back half-stretched in the golden throne.
A blue sphere on a metal pedestal.
That’s…
a ‘globe?’
Unexpected things popped out.
“You brought a lot of troops, Fria.”
“….”
“It’s all useless. Even if there is a million troops, the result is the same.”
The prince spun the globe once.
and looked down at me
“Isn’t that so? The future of this world is fixed. We mortals can’t change anything.”
“The bullshit has increased.”
sereung.
I pulled the bifrost halfway through.
“I don’t have time to joke with you. If you have business, finish it quickly.”
“You…”
The prince turned the globe around.
“It came from an interesting place. It was a very interesting place. It was called Earth. Horseless carriages galloped down the roads, and palaces made of steel towered high into the sky.”
“This guy….”
“Don’t ignore it too much. It’s just a sacrifice, but it’s not like there’s no way to communicate with the outside world. There was a faithful helper.”
slither.
Shadows rose from both sides of the prince.
two small children. It was a boy and a girl in old robes.
They looked at me with emotionless expressions.
‘Rantia and Stenberg.’
They were ancient Taoni tribes like Halgion.
“Older brother, you…!”
“I wanted to know.”
Praios slowly walked out of the throne.
“I wanted to know like crazy. Why do we have to perish?”
Priaos tore off the bandages tied to his face.
On the other side of his face, which was like a fragment, the scar from the bite was clear.
Black blood vessels pulsated outside the scar.
“Where did that wound come from…”
“Let’s just say it’s the price of not knowing the truth.”
“What is the truth, Your Highness! I have seen the destruction of the Taoniers. I have seen the burning city, and the suffering citizens. Haona, Your Highness…” The prince opened his mouth
.
[Remember.]
Freea’s eyes went blank.
dump. she sat down
The prince smiled as he watched me draw the sword.
“Don’t worry. How could I lay my hands on my lovely little sister? It just reminded me
of forgotten memories.” “Forgotten memories?”
“Memories before Taonier became a toy.”
4-star promotion ceremony.
Was it when Tell took Freea hostage and forcibly concluded a contract?
“We The time to make a decision is not now. Doesn’t this world also say that?”
The prince held out his hand to me.
The hand was pushed away with a soft wave.
It was a system effect that signaled inaccessibility.
“What do you want to say?”
“Look up, Han. ”
The prince pointed
to the ceiling. I turned my gaze toward it.
There was a small hole in the middle of the ceiling.
The midday sun shone through the hole.
“Do you think that glow will last forever?” ”
…?”
“That’s the light of Taoni, which is called ‘Eye of the Goddess.’”
I frowned. I
don’t understand what you’re talking about.
“Even if hundreds, thousands, or tens of thousands of years pass by, the eyes of the goddess will still shine. The light of life will shine down on the entire continent of Taone. But if millions or tens of millions of years have passed. No, what would happen if trillions of years passed?”
“What bullshit…”
“What about the world you were in?”
A strange light flashed in Priaos’ eyes. Do you think
the universe that
contains your body will last forever?
” A voice that
made you
feel mad . The globe made
of
metal began to corrode rapidly.
Like accelerating
time hundreds of millions of times
.
“Four more left .
I’ll prepare a stage suitable for the finale.”
The prince snapped his fingers.
The next moment, Freea and I were standing outside the gate of the palace.
” What
the hell…!”
He was sitting.
“What’s the matter, brother! Why all of a sudden…”
“I was kicked out by force. I don’t think it’s the right time yet.”
I muttered.
It’s like we can’t make a decision until the 80th floor. Even if
the
level exceeds 400, it’s like being bound by the system’s restrictions
. . Take good care of me.”
[Clear the stage!]
[‘Party 1’ is the limit level, so you won’t grow!] [‘
Roderick (★★★★★★)’ ‘Benik (★★★★★★)’ ‘Anan (★★★★★★)’…]
[Reward – 3000000G Token of the Royal Family (B) X 4 Black Marble (A) X 13….]
[MVP – ‘Roderick (★★★★★) ★)’]
76th floor.
I already expected that the 80th floor would be an outpost.
But to think it would go like this.
“What happened inside?”
Jenna insisted. ”
I talked
to him for a while.”
“What did you talk about? Did you even reveal the secret of your birth?”
I clicked my tongue.
The secret of my birth was a topic that I couldn’t even get into
.
It seems he was trying to give me a hint.
The fundamental reason why Taoneer… no, Moebius was destroyed.
I don’t know how he came to know it.
Two ancient species helped, but a monster could have obtained this information as well. The line is:
‘Returned something that shouldn’t be undone?’
I looked up and
across the blurred landscape,
cracks
were etched into the sky like cracks in a window.