Abel and Lloyd left for the Wudang Sect the next day. Sima Ryunju did not bother to see them off, and neither did they tell Sima Ryunju that they would leave so soon.
They had agreed that their mutual coalition of sorts was only applicable to stopping the end from happening; whatever that may be.
“I want to kill that dumb wizard.”
Abel was not the only one who felt bitter as Sima Ryunju openly cursed him in the carriage.
He didn’t feel too welcoming to Abel when he had come, and neither had Abel been respectful. So it was only natural that now, while Sima Ryunju was with Lee Sungmin in the carriage, he would finally start cursing the Master of the Wizard Guild.
Lee Sungmin, who was sitting in front of Sima Ryunju and tapping his fingers on the seat, spoke up.
“Are you serious?”
“Then would you lie and say you didn’t want to at least slap him once? But, hmm. It wouldn’t be so easy to kill that wizard, even if it was this old man trying to do so.”
“Is the Wizard Guild Master really that strong?”
“I can’t even measure the level of mana he has, but in the field of magic, I believe he is the equivalent of Geom-Seong, Musin and I.”
Lee Sungmin was a little surprised by the words. Abel, who never hesitated to say rude and borderline disrespectful remarks, was such an accomplished Wizard?
Lee Sungmin recalled Envirus and Arbeth. They were the two most outstanding Wizards Lee Sungmin knew up till that point.
When Envirus tried to kill Lee Sungmin in the City of Endless Night, he knew he had been lucky to survive.
If Envirus had not been so exhausted from the continuous summoning of spirits, and his mana had not been on the verge of collapsing due to the Oath, Envirus would not have had a tough time at all with Lee Sungmin.
The same could be said if Lee Sungmin had fought against Arbeth. Although Kim Jonghyun’s betrayal had ultimately ended in vain, the Five Black Stars of Predator, including Arbeth, were monsters that could not be easily fought even with Lee Sungmin’s current level of strength.
It just went to prove how powerful Predator was; living up to the name of the strongest group of monsters.
Most of the other 5 Black Stars were at the level of Kang Seok, and Geniella, who was practically the Head of Predator, was not a monster that could have its power measured by Lee Sungmin.
‘Volander, Juwon, and Geniella.’
They were three of the leaders of Predator that Lee Sungmin had met.
He had met all of them on different occasions when he was on the verge of entering the Realm of Transcendence, but he never felt like he would want to fight them even if he had to.
“I’m thinking of traveling around a bit more.”
Sima Ryunju looked at Lee Sungmin as he spoke the surprising words. Though surprising, his next words left Lee Sungmin baffled. As he was doing this, Sima Ryunju was working on cleansing Lee Sungmin’s clogged meridians.
“After we go to the Murim Alliance, I’m thinking of going to the North.”
“…… North? Why do you want to go there all of a sudden?”
“As that annoying wizard said, The Vampire Queen, Geniella, supposedly can comprehend bits and pieces into the future.”
Lee Sungmin wanted to try and dissuade his master from doing so, but he couldn’t. He was immobilized as Sima Ryunju was working on his internal circuitry.
Although the Ghost Mask that Lee Sungmin had received from Oslo did restrain his body’s powers from falling out of balance, it was only temporary, and he needed to put them back into balance as soon as possible.
There was a strong presence from the monstrous power leaking in his body, causing it so that whenever he roused his own internal energy, it would automatically mix in without Lee Sungmin wanting or intending to do so.
Now, Sima Ryunju was pushing out the monstrous energy from Lee Sungmin’s internal circuitry by injecting him with his own internal energy.
“…… Are you going to have a formal meeting with the Vampire Queen?”
“It’s not even going to be some kind of negotiation. I’m going to meet with her and talk about this and that, nothing too serious.”
“But she’s the Vampire Queen…”
“What do you mean? Just because you’re neither a monster nor a human, you don’t need to discriminate. Indeed, you, a disciple of this old man, are quite the idiot.”
Sima Ryunju smirked as Lee Sungmin replied.
“It’s going to be dangerous. The strength of the Vampire Queen is strong, and there’s also Juwon, who is located in the North.”
“King of the Lycanthrope Tribe? This old man is not afraid to fight them. If the situation is unfavourable, I can prioritize escape if needed.”
Thuwuck-
Both hands of Sima Ryunju struck Lee Sungmin’s back with their palms facing outwards. Lee Sungmin immediately jerked forward and coughed up a lump of black blood and murky impurities,
“The Guild Master of the Wizard Guild seemed wary of the Vampire Queen’s ability to peer into the future, but I beg to differ. I don’t know what kind of future that monster saw, but we need to know what kind of future it is that she wants and determine whether or not we need to stop her.”
Sima Ryunju spoke and lifted himself up. Conscious of not trying to stretch out too much and pull a limb, Lee Sungmin sent a telepathic message to Heoju.
“If my Master and the Vampire Queen fought to the death, who would win?’
[It’s not something I would necessarily know.]
Hoeju replied.
[That old man’s strength is acknowledged by everyone in this world. Geniella has surely become stronger since the time of my death. But, she would not have been my match before I died.….]
‘What do you mean then?’
[To put it bluntly, I don’t know for sure yet. It hasn’t been shown how strong that man is yet. I’m almost sure that he did not ever show a true ounce of his strength, even while training you in his martial art techniques.
‘But why are you saying you’re unsure?’’
[Because she’s more than just a vampire.]
Heoju answered instantly as if there was nothing to think about.
[The vampires you have fought in the past are nothing compared to a Vampire Noble, let alone their levels of regeneration. Wasn’t it possible to kill that one fellow?]
‘…… Is it impossible to kill a Vampire Noble then?’
[It’s not impossible, it’s just incredibly hard. Especially on the night of a full moon, A Vampire Noble as strong as Geniella would be near immortal. But even during the light of day, she’s incredibly difficult to kill. She’s accumulated a lot of power and a fatal injury to a human, is nothing but a minor scratch to her.]
So it seemed that Geniella was a bad matchup for anybody that dared challenge her. A monster of incredible destructive power and near-immortal regeneration abilities.
‘How is one supposed to even fight against a monster that doesn’t die?’
[It’s easier than you think. You just have to pummel it before it has a chance… Hahahah!]
‘Yeah, like that’s easy.’
Lee Sungmin felt anxious as he thought of what might happen if he were to fight against Geniella, The Vampire Queen.
* * *
The ship deck was full of Death Knights and Specters. It was the first time that even Kim Jonghyun, who had been around death for so long as a Dark Wizard, met such dense and evil energy.
Every time the waves of the sea splashed and rocked the boat, the deck of the creaky Ghost Ship screeched, and the spirits of death around him howled.
In the middle of all the Death Knights and Specters that were onboard, Kim Jonghyun waited calmly without moving.
The Death Knights surrounding him spoke no words nor took any action.
They just stood around and watched Kim Jonghyun. Kim Jonghyun took a deep breath in and exhaled. Not to shake off the tension, but to get a proper taste of the dense death energy on the deck.
‘Oh, that’s good.’
Kim Jonghyun grinned, feeling satisfied.
The Demonic Human body he had was composed of a mana core that functioned solely on evil energies and death. His body tingled in pleasure from the whiff of death energy he took in.
Eventually, after some time, the atmosphere on the deck changed as a sole Death Knight stepped out of the cabin.
It was the Head of the Death Knights, one of the Five Black Stars of Predator, Volander. With his presence alone, the entire deck tensed up and the scent of death became incredibly thick.
Kim Jonghyun immediately recognized Volander as he spoke.
“It’s my first time meeting you in person.”
“I’ve heard a lot about you.”
Volander muttered. Volander and the Death Knights were part of Predator, but they were not particularly close to the rest of the factions or other monsters within the organization. That was because the Death Knights were once human…
Of course, there were several within Predator’s population that were once human.
However, the five different factions all had different sets of values.
Strictly speaking, it was the curse that made the Death Knights so isolative from the rest.
Most of the Death Knights on this ship, including Volander, were cursed to live throughout death.
“You destroyed Arbeth completely and plundered him of all his power.”
“Yes.”
“He was the one who needed to die. It’s too late, though.”
Volander did not like Arbeth very much. No, it wasn’t only Arbeth…
Even Geniella, the Vampire Queen, who participated in mass killings and cannibalism. Juwon was just as terrible as he condoned and even supported the cannibalism of their own kind.
“But apart from the fact that you killed Arbeth, I don’t like the things you have done in the North.”
‘You’re a dead man, and you’re speaking as if chivalry didn’t die along with you.’
Kim Jonghyun found Volander’s attitude ridiculous, but he did not openly laugh at it.
Because it wasn’t the time yet. Kim Jonghyun measured the level of Volander.
Compared to the Draconic Human, Jehu, who put Kim Jonghyun in a terrible state, it seemed that Volander had just as large a presence as him.
It wasn’t solely Volander though.
The several Death Knights gathered around were stronger than force in Eria as a unit, Kim Jonghyun thought.
“Do you know why I’m here?”
“I do not.”
Volander shook his head. Kim Jonghyun continued with a smile.
“I’ve had quite the hard time trying to find you. The sea was wide. How much time I spent just chasing loose ends and rumors of a Ghost ship…….”
“What did you put in all that trouble for?”
“I can give you something you don’t have.”
Kim Jonghyun said in a soft voice. Volander did not respond. Kim Jonghyun couldn’t even feel the agitation through Volander’s expression because he was a Death Knight without any kind of skin or facial features.
But Kim Jonghyun felt Volander’s guard raise up..
“Explain yourself.”
Volander opened his mouth.
Srrrrring!
The dozens of Death Knights surrounding Kim Jonghyun simultaneously drew their weapons.
“You’re human, and yet you’re anything but a human. It’s alien to any of the kinds of species I’ve ever seen. But…… no matter how knowledgeable you are in Dark Magic and Demonic Energy. It won’t be easy to get out of here.”
“I don’t intend to escape. I’m just here to make a deal with you guys.”
“What makes you think that you can make a deal with us?”
“Don’t make it sound so preposterous like that.”
Kim Jonghyun smiled and spoke.
“I know what you want, and I know why you’re out in this vast sea away from the rest of society.”
“You know why?”
“Yes, the Dragons that you’re looking for are not in this sea. None of them are even here anymore. Every Dragon in this world has already moved to another dimension.”
Volander did not respond. He did not blindly believe Kim Jonghyun’s words, but he did not conclude that Kim Jonghyun’s words were false.
First of all, he was going to keep listening to Kim Jonghyun since it seemed the man was capable enough to at least figure their purpose out.
“Unless there are Dragons that still remain in this world, there’s absolutely no way you’re going to rid yourselves of your curse. But…….”
Kim Jonghyun took out the Grimoire from his arms. The Grimoire started to shine in an eerie black light and flew up into the air and levitated.
“I can remove that curse for you.”
“Any evidence that what you are saying is true?”
Asked Volander.
“Everything I said is true. I could swear an Oath to you right now.”
“So, what do you want from us?”
A sudden murmur could be heard. It was created by the other Death Knights on the ship. They were not fools and knew just how fatal it would be if Kim Jonghyun was lying and broke his Oath. But that kind of confidence also meant that he might actually have a way to rid them of their curse.
“But including yourself, it won’t be easy to turn the Death Knights on this ship, back into humans.”
“Just say whether it’s possible or not.”
“Nothing’s impossible if you’re fully prepared.”
Kim Jonghyun revealed a toothy grin and laughed. Looking at Kim Jonghyun’s disgusting grin, Volander asked again.
“If it’s possible with enough preparation, what preparation are you talking about exactly?”
“Several sacrifices and souls.”
Kim Jonghyun answered without hesitation.
“More specifically, I’ll need human hearts and blood.”
The several Death Knights burst into a clamor once more.
Volander remained silent for a moment. He still tried to keep his chivalry and humanistic tendencies after becoming a Death Knight. The others were the same.
Those were the last bits of humanity he had left.
“…… How many do you need?”
“You’re gonna have to fetch me at least a mountain worth.”
It didn’t mean anything, but there was a possibility that they could turn back into humans. If there really weren’t any dragons left in the world of Eria, there was no guarantee they would even do a favor for a band of Death Knights.
“Prove it first.”
Volander spoke in a low voice.
Kim Jonghyun immediately swore the oath with a huge grin still on his face.