In the past, when Lee Sungmin had first traveled to the City of Endless Night, Frau had been the first person to explain to Lee Sungmin about what fate really was.
At that time, Lee Sungmin did not really know what his fate was. He knew nothing more than the fact that his fate was deeply intertwined with others’ and was strong, but he did not know what his fate meant.
But that was no longer the case.
He was made aware by Frau that his fate was to bring forth the Ending that was not supposed to happen : the Apocalypse.
“Who said it…. Who was the one that confirmed that Kim Jonghyun is one of the Final Catastrophes?”Frau had already had discussions with Abel, it seemed like. She seemed to be aware of what the Catastrophes were in the grand scheme of things.
“The Vampire Queen, Geniella.”
“I’ll admit that if it was indeed her who said that, then it does sound more convincing. Did she say that she saw him becoming one of the Catastrophes in the future she was trying to manifest?
Lee Sungmin this time, was the one to nod and confirm Frau’s words.
“Damn it.”
Frau cursed under her breath as she already knew that the Vampire Queen had the power to look into the future.
“What’s the possibility that she lied?”
“What’s the benefit of the Vampire Queen lying in this kind of situation?”
Abel gave a bitter smile and replied with another question.
“In addition, even if her words are lies, Kim Jonghyun’s has gone much too far at this point to say that he is not. It took less than a day for the entire city of Germane to fall. In other words : tens of thousands of people died by Kim Jonghyun’s hand in a single day. And if that isn’t bad enough, one of the Five Black Stars of Predator is moving with him as his arms and legs.”
“And you called me here… just to fight against this bloodthirsty maniac?!”Frau shouted in anger.
“I didn’t ask of you and tell you to come here and lose your life. I’m asking you to help me in moderation that you see fit.”
“You bastard…”
Frau looked unhappy, but perhaps because Abel was much more reasonable than she had thought, she didn’t immediately leave. Well not that it mattered, since Frau was already bound to this by an Oath she had made with Abel in the past. Muttering to herself, Frau looked out the window of the carriage as she spoke once more.
“It’s strange.”
“What do you mean?”
Lee Sungmin asked. Frau sighed and grumbled as she had expected Lee Sungmin to be curious.
“The ominous flow of fate flowing throughout the city is unusual. I don’t expect you to be able to see what I see anyways.”
Even if their paths were of martial arts and one of sorcery, Frau and Lee Sungmin could not have more different sets of tools to utilize their powers. Lee Sungmin was a martial artist to the core, Abel was a Wizard, and Frau was a sorcerer. Despite Abel also being interested in sorcery, there was no way he or Lee Sungmin could see what Frau could see.
“They are in pain.”
“…something is strange?”
Lee Sungmin did not understand Frau’s words. This was because Frau always spoke in a roundabout manner of speech.
“Kim Jonghyun certainly has the skills to make powerful undead from the humans he has killed here. Before you guys arrived, the people here sent an advance party to scout out the damage he had caused. It turns out he made them into nothing but low-level zombies and ghouls that will never be able to rest peacefully. Even with all that, it doesn’t make sense why he would make so many of them so low-level. I’m sure he has the skills to summon higher ranking undead but the souls of these humans are completely gone without a trace.”
“Well…”
Abel’s eyes did not hide his distress from Frau’s words. He knew just how odd it was for the souls of the people a Dark Wizard had killed, to disappear without a trace. Lee Sungmin was a martial artist, so he wouldn’t know just how dangerous it was.
“A Dark Wizard normally offers the souls of his opponents to a Devil. But everybody here knows Kim Jonghyun is not in a contract with any Devil. That being said, he would normally use the power of the souls to create higher-ranking undead….”
Since Frau didn’t seem willing to explain anymore, Abel stepped up and told Lee Sungmi the rest.
“Look, what Frau means to say is that Kim Jonghyun could clearly make a stronger force than the one he has right now. If he used the souls of the people he killed to raise them back up as higher-ranking undead, it would make sense. The problem is that he didn’t do that, and yet for some reason the souls are still completely gone from the area. We don’t know what he is doing or why he is holding onto them. It would make much more sense if he used them with his own power as a half-devil, to raise the level of the undead in the city.”
“……Ah.”
Lee Sungmin then understood from Abel’s explanation. It was definitely strange.Lee Sungmin turned to look at Abel and asked what was on his mind.
“Can you guess what he is trying to do with those souls then?”
Abel grumbled to himself and shook his head in dismay.
“I can’t. I haven’t even finished interpreting the Weiss, and despite the Weiss and the Grimoire being books like twins, they couldn’t be farther apart in terms of intent of their magical knowledge. Kim Jonghyun is not someone I can read easily either.’
“So you have no countermeasures.”
Frau spat out at Abel’s murmur.
“I thought you would at least have thought of something before calling me here on a whim.”
“I’m glad you came. Your presence as an Arch-Sorcerer will definitely help us out.”
“What a jerk.”
Abel has said those words to make Frau feel better, but Frau just glared at him in contempt and jumped up from her seat to exit the carriage.
“It’s not like we’re going into the City right away. If I see your face for even a minute longer, I’ll really want to kill you, so I’m going to take my leave for now.”
Boom.
The carriage door slammed shut with Frau’s words of departure. Abel simply shrugged his shoulders at the scene and spoke up.
“Her vocabulary is pretty rough, but I’m sure of her skills. If I’m being serious, she’s skilled enough to be at the apex of all sorcerers in Eria. How did you get to know Frau?”
“A few years ago, I met her by coincidence in the City of Endless Night.”
As Frau said, there was no need for them to rush into the area of the Necropolis just yet. Although giving Kim Jonghyun time was not ideal, they still needed to finish their own preparations as well.
* * *
The sun had finally set over the night sky of Germane.
Tens of thousands of people had died these past few days, and thousands of tribes folk, mercenaries, Holy Knights and other groups were present on the outskirts of Germane.
Many of the Holy Knights and Priests of the Holy Church that had gathered there beforehand, approached the carriage that Theresa was in, since they didn’t want to miss the opportunity to see the rumored Saint in-person.
There was no eloquent or wordy speech, but Teresa gow on her knees and simply prayed. She prayed for the well-being and liberation of the souls present and for the dead that were inside the Necropolis.
It was seemingly a meaningless action, since prayer alone, could not liberate their souls from Kim Jonghyun’s grasp.
When Abel said he needed to be prepared, Lee Sungmin gave him some time and space and decided to wander around the campsite with his mask.
Some stared at Lee Sungmin beyond the darkness. They knew of the nickname ‘Ghost Spear’ and of the characteristic mask he wore along with the spear. There were several gazes amongst the people present, and some from another group that Heoju was interested in.
[The monsters here are interested in you.]
Heoju laughed.
[You must be very strange to them. They probably are wondering if you are indeed a banyo. But they’re probably even more dumbfounded how you are so powerful and maintain such a weird and abstract balance.] (T/N : banyo is a half-monster/half-human)
Of course they weren’t just merely interested in Lee Sungmin. They coveted his power quite a bit for their own selfish reasons.
[Be careful to watch your own back. The easiest way for monsters to increase their power is to eat monsters that are much stronger than themselves.]
[Oho- Long time no see.] (T/N : New voice through telepathy- not Heoju speaking)
Lee Sungmin stopped walking. Someone had sent a telepathic message to Lee Sungmin, and it was not Heoju this time.
After understanding the owner of the voice, Lee Sungmin flinched and looked around.
[It’s no use trying to find me. I’m able to see you from anywhere I want in this city.]
“Kim Jonghyun.”
The owner of the voice was Kim Jonghyun. Kim Jonghyun, who was watching him from within the City’s limits, spoke to him and reached out for some reason.
[It’s rather difficult to talk to you like this, don’t you think? How about I pick you up? Why don’t you come to the city for a bit?]
Lee Sungmin clenched his fists. Was it a trap? Isn’t it too obvious to be a trap? Why did Kim Jonghyun want to meet with him in the first place? Lee Sung-min couldn’t understand his intentions.
[Since I’m in a rather…interesting situation, I’m sorry that I can’t go to you in person. Also, I fully understand that you don’t trust me. I wouldn’t know who to believe or trust in this situation either. So, I can swear an Oath to you if you’d like. I can swear that I won’t harm you at all if you decide to visit.]
The only problem was that Lee Sungmin could not send a telepathic message back to Kim Jonghyun as Kim Jonghyun was observing him from afar through magic it seemed.
Lee Sungmin headed to a deserted area after considering his thoughts for a bit longer. After confirming that there were no people around, Lee Sungmin opened his mouth.
“Why do you want to see me?””
[Because I want to talk to you.]
“I don’t think there’ll be any problem if we talk like this”.
[Isn’t that too cold? It would never be a bad offer for you.]
Kim Jonghyun didn’t say anything further after that. All he did was suggest a conversation; he did not plan to force Lee Sungmin at all. After all, he had no choice since Kim Jonghyun did not have any means to threaten Lee Sungmin.
[What are you going to do?]
Heoju asked Lee Sungmin as he grew curious. Should he discuss it with Abel? Lee Sungmin glanced toward the carriage where Abel was getting his preparations ready. It was Kim Jonghyun’s request to talk to Lee Sungmin, but as if he noticed Lee Sungmin’s glance, Kim Jonghyun spoke once more.
[By yourself. I want only you to be the one to make the decision.]
Could Lee Sungmin really trust Kim Jonghyun?
First, Lee Sungmin decided to think about their past encounters. To be honest, Kim Jonghyun had never directly harmed Lee Sung-min so far.
Rather, if anything, Lee Sungmin had only received help from him in his few times meeting with him. Looking at Eria as a whole, Kim Jonghyun had slaughtered thousands of innocent people in the North, and had continued his massacres now in the Southern city of Germane. He had also murdered Arbeth, who was a Black Star of Predator, and was the previous owner of the Grimoire : the most dangerous book of magic known to man. Looking objectively, he had also become a half-devil through attaining demonic energy.
Those were the labels that Kim Jonghyun bore, but he had never harmed Lee Sungmin.
That didn’t mean he could trust Kim Jonghyun unconditionally. He was the First Catastrophe to bring forward the Apocalypse, and even at this moment, he was clearly still up to something. In fact, did an Oath even affect someone who had gained transcendent powers like Kim Jonghyun? An Oath was something that was bound by Transcendent beings like Gods and Demons.
‘Maybe it’s an opportunity.’
Lee Sungmin’s appearance disappeared in the dark. He quickly reached the front of the city wall by using the Dark Storm Arts and his own internal energy techniques. Then, he immediately smashed the ground and jumped onto the wall.
Although he couldn’t trust that an Oath might really bind Kim Jonghyun, this was a good opportunity to see him alone before anything happened and see what Kim Jonghyun might be planning.
If he was lucky, he might be able to also kill Kim Jonghyun, not just grasp his true intentions.
Lee Sungmin quickly scaled the wall and looked beyondBeyond the walls, was a brutal stench that invaded his nostrils. It was absolutely disgusting.Lee Sungmin quickly scaled the walls and immediately felt a disgusting and horrible stench invade his nostrils.
stench was of several dead bodies rotting and permeating unatural smells. Lee Sungmin’s eyebrows creased as he turned his head to look around the city. It was pitch black and difficult to see anything.Lee Sungmin quickly landed onto the ground and creased his eyebrows in disgust. The smell of rotting bodies and wandering corpses permeated the air.
[This way..]
As he looked around at the wandering presences that watched him from afar with their empty eye sockets, Lee Sungmin heard Kim Jonghyun’s voice through another telepathic message.
Pabababat.
In the distance, a dim light started to brighten upA faint light suddenly shone in the dark and damp corners of the Necropolis. The wandering zombies did not approach Lee Sungmin throughout this entire process. The light rose up and approached Lee Sungmin. Lee Sungmin tensed up as the light approached.Lee Sungmin reacted with a flinch to the sudden light and stayed wary.
Although he was nervous, heripped the mask that was constricting his internal energy.Deciding he was not in a hurry, Lee Sungmin took his spear out from his spatial pocket and took off the ghost mask from his face. Preparations were never a bad thing.
The reason he did this, wasound the vicinity of this large building, the footsteps of the zombies quieted down. New presences could be felt. These presences were much stronger than the wandering zombies. They were the presences of the Death Knights.Lee Sungmin followed the light down the streets of the dark city and found himself in front of a large mansion. Outside the mansion, Lee Sungmin noticed the heavy imprint of boots. They were likely tracks from the Death Knights that Lee Sungmin had encountered in the past, but Lee Sungmin did not feel any of the deathly presences nearby.
The light he was following eventually flew around and found itself onto a torch in front of the door to the large mansion. As the light approached the lantern and lit it, the door to the mansion opened on its own, giving him an open invitation.
“Did you have dinner?”
Kim Jonghyun’s voice was heard from the inside.
Lee Sungmin walked inside and found the owner of the voice. Kim Jonghyun was sitting in a spacious restaurant area within the large mansion. He looked at Lee Sungmin with a warm smile.
Instead of the black wizard robes he always wore, Kim Jonghyuh was wearing a clean and white-collared shirt. Lee Sungmin glanced at the table. There were several dishes there, but Lee Sungmin didn’t want to just sit down with Kim Jonghyun and eat like nothing was happening.
“Honestly, I was surprised. I didn’t think you’d come here.”
Lee Sungmin didn’t reply to Kim Jonghyun’s words of surprise. Kim Jonghyun, who bore a warm smile, did not look remorseful in the slightest about taking thousands of innocents’ lives.
Come to think of it, it was quite similar to the first time Lee Sungmin had met him. Kim Jonghyun smiled like he was right now, even inside the room they were in that was filled with amputated limbs and organs of beasts and humans within the Dark Magic Tower.
Lee Sungmin slowly looked around.
“But, I’m rather happy that you decided to come here. You are….”
Kim Jonghyun’s words had not yet finished, but he didn’t quite have the chance to.
Bzt. Black and purple tendrils of lighting bounced around the shoulders of Lee Sungmin ferociously.
Even though Lee Sungmin did not fully take in all of Sima Ryunju’s power as of yet, he still had accomplished quite a lot. The internal energy that was fluctuating around Lee Sungmin was so strong that it felt as if Kim Jonghyun was looking at a mighty beast.
Although Lee Sungmin did not replicate the same perfection of the Dark Storm Arts as his master, he was a spearmaster and had his own unique methods of expressing the martial art technique for all of its glory. The reason he was able to do this, was because Lee Sungmin now knew everything there was to the technique since he had acquired the mastery of it through devouring Sima Ryunju’s heart.
Rumble !
The space shook heavily and the ground trembled violently. Lee Sungmin slowly lowered his spear.
It’s an intense greeting.
Kim Jonghyun laughed bitterly.
Even though Lee Sungmin had not struck out with his spear yet, he remained in a posture that showed Kim Jonghyun that he was not here to play around.
“I didn’t mean to talk to you without any countermeasures set in place. I at least have a means to protect myself.”
“Why did you want to see me?””
Lee Sungmin lifted the spear again and aimed the tip at Kim Jonghyun. Even in this daunting situation, the smile etched across Kim Jonghyun’s face did not falter in the slightest.
“I just wanted to suggest something to you.”
“What?”
“How would you feel about being colleagues?”
Kim Jonghyun’s smile stretched even wider as he spoke.