The Vampire Queen’s confinement in her mansion gave Juwon freedom of action to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about his obligations as a Black Star.
Juwon, who left Cheped because he wanted to fight a man named Musin, had not returned for more than half a year.
In the meantime, Nero had kept in mind what Juwon had told him to do.
Just stay put.
In the central district of Cheped, Nero was inside the Lord’s mansion which was technically Juwon’s, but had transferred ownership in name to Nero until he came back.
Nero was covering his face with both hands in the middle of the huge mansion with a distraught expression.
Juwon had ordered him to just stay put. But should he really stay put in this hectic situation?! There were only two people who attacked Cheped.
The only one between the two of them that was practically on a rampage was the one wielding a spear. That being said, only one person was terrorizing the gates of Cheped without showing any signs of stopping. In fact, Nero wished he didn’t know who the two of them were. But the party of two was so famous amongst the monsters within Predator and throughout all of Eria, that Nero would have to be incredibly stupid not to know of their identities.
The Gumiho, the nine-tailed demon fox, Yana, was the one who pulled the heart out of Henemy, one of Predator’s former Black Stars.
At that time, Henemy, who ruled over the City of Endless Night, was challenged by Yana. Even if Henemy was to be considered one of the weaker Black Stars in terms of strength, the fight between the two was so one-sided that it could not be called a fight.
And then…. There was the Ghost Spear, Lee Sungmin.
It had been news that it had only been a week ago since he had been unsealed from Germane. How the hell had he made it all the way up North in less than a week?!
Nero knew that the seal had been released because one of his henchmen had gone along with Lao Shen to Germane and had reported what had happened through a magic crystal.
It was widely spread as a rumor, but there were witnesses to verify that the Ghost Spear, Lee Sungmin, had defeated Volander 1-on-1.
Nero sighed deeply.
No matter how powerful he was, as a henchman of Juwon, a proud member of the Lycanthrope Tribe…. There was no way he could compare to Volander, one of the strongest of the Black Stars.
Besides, Yana looked like she would be willing to help Lee Sungmin at any moment’s notice, and she was clearly moving together with him. It would be impossible to stop them even if they gathered all of the werewolves of the Lycanthrope Tribe within Cheped.
Werewolves were belligerent and powerful monsters within Predator.
It was certainly true they ranked higher than most within Predator. They were animalistic and had beastly instincts. When they transformed, they became beasts with incredible power and unmatched regenerative abilities. However, the only thing was that a lot of werewolves were ignorant of worldly matters and often lost all of their sanity when they transformed and attacked anything that was not their kind.
But not in all circumstances. Nero, in particular, was rational and calculating rather than violent and ignorant even when he transformed.
That’s why Nero could be Juwon’s henchman and one of his aides.
‘Don’t do anything…….’
Nero rose to his feet. Several werewolves of the tribe were gathered in the mansion. If Nero gave the orders, they would jump out of the mansion without hesitation and die fighting Lee Sungmin and Yana with honor.
Nero did not intend to issue such an order because he was aware of the gap in strength between the two forces and had no intentions of disobeying Juwon’s orders.
Juwon didn’t want Cheped to change while he was gone. It was vague, but very simplistic of an order really. Nero needed to hold down Cheped till he returned.
For half a year, Nero had been doing just fine. This issue was certainly a situation that could jeopardize a lot of things, but Nero trusted in the orders he had been given and remained still.
If Lee Sungmin and Yana were to be confronted, the Lycanthrope Tribe would be wiped off the map in Cheped.
It shouldn’t come down to that, so Nero had to take this lying down. Gathering his thoughts, he issued an order.
“Get ready to greet some guests.”
At the order, the werewolves looked at Nero and began to groan as they moved their hands in confusion.
Nello looked at the sight in front of him and covered his face with both hands in disappointment and frustration.
Just because he was a more intellectual werewolf, the rest weren’t exactly the smartest creatures around.
Get ready to welcome guests.
Nero said exactly what he meant, but the werewolves took it in a completely different way.
“No…… just stay where you are. I’m thinking of welcoming some people as real guests.”
Despite the discontent on their faces, the werewolves did not disobey Nero’s orders.
The hierarchy among the werewolves was absolute. Of course, there were exceptions like how Juwon had cut down the former leader, Huwon, because a stronger individual could always challenge an authority if they were willing to lay their life on the line.
Nero was not simply rational and calculating, so he could be Juwon’s henchman.
With such power, Juwon entrusted Nero with the city of Cheped.
That was why the werewolves didn’t dare to even try and fight Nero. With those words, the image of the werewolves disappeared as they prepared to faithfully carry out Nero’s orders.
When no more attackers came running to them, Lee Sungmin glanced back at Yana.
“It could be a trap.”
“I suppose so.”
Lee Sungmin nodded and agreed to Yana’s words.
He couldn’t stop moving forwards even if he knew it was a trap. For Lee Sungmin, Baek Sogo was that important.
Lee Sungmin knew where Nero would be. He had traveled past the Lord’s residence the last time he was in Cheped while traveling by carriage. Nero would surely be there.
Lee Sungmin’s feet started to crackle dimly with small tendrils of lightning and he kicked the ground in the direction of the Lord’s mansion as he sprinted. Following close behind, Yana stayed near him while her nine tails floated behind her back.
The door to the Lord’s residence was wide open. Wasn’t it too blatant of a trap? Lee Sungmin at least thought so as he grabbed the spear from his back and walked forwards.
“I have no intentions of fighting you.”
Lee Sungmin heard a voice come out from within the hall behind the open doors of the mansion.
Lee Sungmin came to a stop and saw the werewolves lined up on both sides of the hall.
The Werewolf standing in the far back was the owner of the voice. The one that spoke gave off a completely different feel than any other werewolf Lee Sungmin had come across.
The werewolf was not messy, nor was he dressed in rags or torn clothes. His hair was tied up neatly in a ponytail and he was quite literally wearing a tuxedo.
Lee Sungmin examined the werewolf’s eye looking at him from behind the monocle on its face.
“This is the first time I’ve actually seen you in person. My name is Nero. I am the one in charge of this city while Juwon is away.”
“…you said you had no intentions of fighting?”
Lee Sungmin asked, slightly furrowing his brows.
“I don’t understand. I attacked this city recklessly, and I killed quite a few werewolves on the way here.”
“It’s a shame, but it can’t be helped.”
Nero said so without holding anything back. He held his hands in front of his chest as if he were sending his condolences to the dead werewolves.
“So, let’s end it here. I don’t want to see any more pointless deaths.”
“Let’s do that then.”
“Is there something you want?”
Nero asked as if he was sure there was an objective Lee Sungmin had in mind.
“There must be a reason as to why you’re doing this. No way, Ghost Spear. You’re not trying to start a war with Predator…. Are you?”
It was a valid question since Lee Sungmin was clearly pushing the limits on what would be tolerated when it came to Predator as an organization.
“If that’s the case, I recommend you change your mind right now. This City’s members of the Lycanthrope Tribe can’t stop you, but that doesn’t mean the whole of Predator can’t stop you.”
‘Is this a threat?’Lee Sungmin wondered briefly but discarded the thought.
“I’m looking for someone.”
Lee Sungmin stared at Nero and continued.
“A year ago, in this city…… There was a person named the Silent Flare that was last seen here. Do you remember?”
“…The Silent Flare, Baek Sogo?”
Nero’s head spun as he racked his brains to recall.
He recalled memories of a year ago. Silent flare… …Baek Sogo. ‘Oh shit.’ (T/N : This is Nero’s thoughts)Nero’s eyes opened wide.
“Did you come here to find her?”
“Yes.”
What should he say about this?
Nero pondered for a moment.
Lee Sungmin did not miss the facial changes on Nero’s face when he mentioned Baek Sogo. A deep emotion of anxiety started to swell for Lee Sungmin as uneasiness started to run rampant.
Lee Sungmin grated his teeth in the creepy and disgusting emotion that was coming up.
Again, Yana couldn’t stop Lee Sungmin, or rather didn’t bother to. Lee Sungmin quite literally moved at the speed of lightning as a bright light flashed and Lee Sungmin’s image distorted. Lee Sungmin was reaching for Nero’s neck at the very next moment.
The werewolves that Lee Sungmin had encountered up until that point weren’t even able to react to his speed but it wasn’t the case for Nero.
He leaned back in terror and moved his legs as he was able to see Lee Sungmin’s movements.
Shh.
Lee Sungmin’s hand, trying to hold Nero’s neck, snatched at the air and stopped.
‘He was able to avoid it?’
Lee Sungmin was not going all out by any means, but it did surprise him. Inside his dantian, Lee Sungmin’s internal energy started to churn and his circuits started to flare up as he was irritated.
Fwoosh.
The electric current flowing through his internal energy further increased Lee Sungmin’s speed.
“Now, wait….”
Nero raised his hands in a hurry.
BANG!
In an instant, a series of blasts pushed Nero’s body back. The expressions of the werewolves in the halls instantly changed as they realized what was going on.
Nero ordered them to stay still with a wave of his hand but they did not ignore that Lee Sungmin had attacked their leader.
The werewolves instantly started to transform into their berserk states but Yana’s nine tails moved quicker than them.
BOOOOOOM!
Her tails swung through the hall, smashing into the werewolves that were starting to move forward and pushing the aggressive ones back,
“Don’t move.”
The ones that transformed but didn’t move glared at Yana but did not move hastily. They knew what would happen if they did and decided to obey Nero’s initial order. In the meantime, Nero coughed and groaned as he looked up.
Lee Sungmin looked down at Nero and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“What are you talking about?”
“You’re getting hit on purpose. Are you trying to deceive me?”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to fight…….”
Nero protested as if he were wronged. However, Lee Sungmin could not understand Nero’s attitude more. Nero avoided or prevented any fatal blow in the midst of it, although he was hit deliberately since Lee Sungmin noticed that Nero could have avoided the attack if he wanted. He rolled on the ground pretending as if he were weaker than he actually was, but Lee Sungmin knew Nero was fine.
“……What happened to the Silent Flare?”
Lee Sungmin asked as he looked down at Nero. Nero still hesitated whether to answer.
“Say it…!”
Lee Sungmin’s face started to contort with rage and Nero, seeing this, cried out in a hurry.
“I-It was a year ago! When Juwon was still present, the Silent Flare, Baek Sogo stormed in and invaded!”
This was new information that was unknown and there was a reason for it. Unlike Lee Sungmin and Yana, who openly rampaged in Cheped from the moment they entered the gates, Baek Sogo had infiltrated the city a year ago covertly.
She completely erased her presence approaching the gates and entered undetected to the werewolves on the gates that stood guard and went straight to the Lord’s residence.
“She was after Juwon’s life.”
Baek Sogo was a martial artist from Orthodox origins but unbecoming of such origins, she snuck into the chambers of Juwon and prompted for assassination instead of a frontal confrontation.
Baek Sogo understood that winning against Juwon in a frontal confrontation was highly improbable. Entering the room, Juwon did not notice the existence of Baek Sogo, who had killed her presence. She had waited for the right time and then when the time was right, she struck out straight for Juwon’s chest, penetrating his heart.
If Juwon were a human being, it would have ended there.
Juwon did not die even though his heart was penetrated by Baek Sogo’s hand. When she saw Juwon regenerate the wound in an instant, she felt her imminent defeat. But even still, she did not back down.
She was going to kill Juwon no matter what.
“……what happened next?”
“The Silent Flare was defeated.”
Nero looked at Lee Sungmin and continued,
“Juwon should have killed her then and there, but…… Juwon was interested in Baek Sogo. Because he found her interesting instead of immediately killing her, it created a gap. At the critical moment, Baek Sogo ran away from Juwon’s grasp. We said we’d go after her, but Juwon said we didn’t have to.”
“……why did he say that……?”
“Because there was poison.”
Lee Sungmin recalled a certain memory.
Jehu, the Black Dragon had a scar on his side that could not be cured by any kind of elixir or healing potion.
When Kim Jonghyun committed his first massacre in the North, The Black Dragon and Juwon had both been present that day and gotten into a massive fight.
Lee Sungmin sent Juwon to the way where the Black Dragon and the Spear King were fighting because he knew he could not handle Juwon alone.
The Black Dragon had succeeded in running away from Juwon, but he received a wound that was terribly grievous that nothing Lee Sungmin knew could heal. That wound was a result of his fight with Juwon… and thus something clicked for Lee Sungmin at that moment in his questioning of Nero.
That wound was poisoned. The regenerative ability of a Dragon and an elixir couldn’t even cure it.
But if it was Baek Sogo? Who was alone and did not have such regenerative capabilities?
“She would die without us having to give chase… That’s what Juwon said.”
‘…Please…. please.’
Lee Sungmin’s body trembled.
So, Baek Sogo was dead? Because of Juwon’s poison? She fought with Juwon over a year ago…. If the fight had been that long ago and she had been poisoned in the fight… was there any chance she was even alive after so long?
“No it’s not true.”
Lee Sungmin murmured in a trembling voice; denial clearly written across his face.
“That can’t be true.”
She could not die.
“Where… Where did she go?”
Lee Sungmin would not let it be true. It had to be false!
“Well, we don’t know. Juwon said we don’t have to chase her so we don’t really know where she went.….”
“Talk…… tell me about Juwon’s poison. What should I do to cure it?”
“I don’t know…….”
Nero replied, looking at Lee Sungmin’s face that was slowly contorting in rage.
What did he have to do to fix this?
Lee Sungmin clasped his hair and pulled at it in anguish.‘How….how?!’First, he needed to find Baek Sogo. If she was dead? No, she couldn’t be dead. She must not die. Yes, first of all, find Baek sogo. But… how could he even do that?
In Lee Sungmin’s eyes, he could see the bracelet still on his wrist that Baek Sogo and Scarlett had all given to each other on the Mountain of Mush. She was still alive.
Lee Sungmin hurriedly summoned the Pegasus. As Lee Sungmin climbed on top of the Pegasus, Yana followed Lee Sungmin and climbed atop the Pegasus and sat behind him.
“To the Forest of Fairies.”
Lee Sungmin spoke with urgency and the Pegasus flapped its wings as the space around it started to distort.