Chapter: 450
The Brainiac is in the possession of the Murim Alliance.
In the somewhat altered atmosphere surrounding Sogeomseong’s words, I found myself deep in thought.
‘Why does the Murim Alliance have the Brainiac?’
Originally, the Brainiac should have been the cherished possession of the Demon Sword Master at this time. A magical item that exhibits its greatest effects when infused with brain energy. At times, it is an object that can easily double the combat power of the Demon Sword Master.
‘You mean the Demon Sword Master doesn’t have it right now?’
No, to be precise, it seems that she had it and then the Murim Alliance took it away.
‘What happened…?’
This was something that had certainly never happened in my memory.
In her previous life, the Demon Sword Master had the Brainiac up until the moment of her death. After that, it was I who possessed the Brainiac that left the hands of the Demon Sword Master. It was something she manually kept as a keepsake after she died.
Since I met her, I haven’t seen her carry the Brainiac even once.
‘Why is it different now…?’
My pupils rolled rapidly.
No matter how I looked at it, something felt off.
From the current situation, it seemed that the stealing of the Brainiac had happened quite a while ago. I had never seen the Demon Sword Master with the Brainiac while in this illusion. Since I hadn’t heard anything about it, it must have taken place long before…
‘What gives?’
This didn’t seem to happen in the lifetime I was aware of.
What does that mean…?
‘You’re saying this world is different from the one I knew…?’
I had thought of this world as an illusion created based on my own memories. But if things were unfurling that were completely different from what I remembered…
‘What on earth is this place?’
I immediately flipped the script in my mind.
‘Something isn’t right.’
The world that I thought Dangjemun sent me to for testing seemed to hold secrets that contradicted my expectations.
‘No way.’
I had to wonder if this was even the world that Dangjemun had originally sent us to.
I had to question even that.
‘If this isn’t an illusion or a test… what’s left?’
I hadn’t figured it all out yet, but I knew that I needed to heighten the tension I was already feeling.
I needed to remind myself that this place was not as I had predicted.
My brow furrowed instinctively.
Even if I thought of it as just an illusion, it was overwhelming. Yet I had this feeling of being entangled in something deeper and definitely more annoying.
‘Geez, everything about dealing with these people is off.’
Whenever the heroes of the past got involved with humans, they ended up in this kind of mess. Time would freeze, and space itself would shift.
…sigh.
Desperate to clear my head, I worked hard to suppress the turmoil growing within me.
I must not forget my purpose.
I needed to return to my original world intact.
That was the single thought running through my mind.
“…You’ll give back the Brainiac.”
The magician repeated this after hearing my words.
“If someone hears that, they’d think it was yours from the start.”
“That’s not entirely wrong, you know.”
Next to Sogeomseong, the Heavenly Lord stepped forward.
“The Brainiac belonged to the Namgung. It is merely returning to its rightful place.”
“No-goe, are you trying to string me along?”
The mouth of the magician twisted into a smirk.
If it actually had belonged to Namgung, then there’d be no issue with the Demon Sword Master having it in the first place.
Hearing this, Cheonjon looked at the Demon Sword Master with his faded blue eyes.
“That child has long since cast aside the name of Namgung. Can this even still be considered wrong?”
“…”
The Demon Sword Master didn’t give a particularly substantial reply; she merely watched the Heavenly Lord with sharp eyes.
“If that child abandoned Namgung, then the last Namgung on this land is her. The Brainiac has simply returned to where it was destined to be.”
“And yet you wish to play your cards with the Brainiac… Is that what I’m gathering?”
“Indeed.”
At the Heavenly Lord’s response, the Magician glanced behind him.
The area was teeming with white martial artists, each of whom had attained significant levels of mastery.
In terms of sheer numbers, it was a situation filled to the brim with the power of the Murim Alliance.
The number of their fighters wasn’t insignificant either, and they could wage war if they so desired.
However…
‘Victory is off the table.’
This was an objective assessment.
Victory was downright impossible in this present battle.
Perhaps if it were just Heavenly Lord, it could be feasible, but with Sword Saint on full alert and in peak form, fighting was out of the question.
Even knowing that, I had come here to confront them because…
That despicable brat charged in just because Sogeomseong was present.
This was also to ensure the Mines wouldn’t back down from the righteous factions.
To retreat simply because of a larger opposing force and certain defeat would angulate the position of the Cheonma in our sect.
These guys clung to the position of the cult leader even more than their own lives. It was a gamble they should never have taken.
I understood that, and that’s likely why I was acting like this.
I had the gist of the back-and-forth, but I saw a significant contradiction in all of it.
That contradiction goes as follows:
“Sogeomseong.”
“Yes.”
“It seems you’re really mistaking something big.”
At the magician’s words, Sogeomseong’s eyebrows twitched slightly.
“Why would you think our sect would merely make a deal with you guys over just the Brainiac?”
Clank clank.
The atmosphere among the miners grew intense.
This was precisely the contradiction that had crossed my mind.
I would concede that the Brainiac was a vital item for the Demon Sword Master, but on the whole, it wasn’t necessarily pivotal for the entire Demonic Cult.
Even if the Demon Sword Master was an important asset, would they trade with the righteous faction for it?
There wasn’t enough justification for that.
If anything, it might just annoy them more.
“You still seem to have us all figured as a joke.”
“…Maje.”
As the magician gradually amassed flames and magical energy, Sogeomseong’s expression appeared increasingly contorted.
Seeing that, the magician chuckled.
“I’ll ask you, considering you’ve crawled here with this much sincerity. What do you plan to do if I refuse the trade?”
“…”
Sogeomseong bit down on her lips at the magician’s question.
If she didn’t accept the deal surrounding the Brainiac…
What would the alliance do?
Looking at her expression, I could vaguely glean the answer.
No, it would be stranger not to know.
Ignoring the warnings, they had positioned all this power right before the Three Lords, and now the Sword Saint, the alliance’s hoped one, was all here as well?
‘This means…’
This meant they were ready for all-out war if needed.
Unless a person was foolish, they would know that too.
Additionally, to phrase it differently:
“Let me pose you another question. Sogeomseong.”
“…Yes.”
“Is this a deal, or is it a threat?”
If you don’t go through with it, it signifies a willingness to fight, ultimately amounting to a threat.
“…”
Even Sogeomseong, once aware of this, couldn’t give an answer.
I caught a hint of shallow shame flicker across her face, while a deep disillusionment displayed itself on the magician’s expression.
“No matter how much you try to dress it up in grand terms and try to flip it around, in the end, you are no different from us. Do you truly still not grasp this?”
The implications of those casually spoken words rippled through the air.
The miners reacted violently to the magician’s words, as if triggered by an explosion.
“How dare that conniving traitor…!”
“How audacious of these fallen devils to chime in on our quest for power!”
It’s been a while since I’ve witnessed such antics.
Watching on, I felt an absurd nostalgia more than annoyance.
These were the political factions that sought peace on the surface but were decaying from within.
As the war burst forth, these secrets began to spill out one after another, prompting many disillusioned individuals to migrate towards the Demonic Cult.
Is the righteous faction truly pure?
Now, everyone in the Central Plains knows that isn’t the case.
They merely anticipated that once the Cheonma swept through and claimed dominion over the Central Plains, everything would burn away to nothing.
For the moment, I just wish the Murim Alliance wins the war.
Within that knowledge, their reactions struck me as hilarious.
These folks crumbled in the war but only barely managed to keep themselves afloat because of it.
What made them think they were so brilliant to act this way?
No matter how much I thought, I couldn’t understand.
Even if I’ve become one of the demonic entities, I could still express that frustration.
As the morale among the unmanned forces began to escalate,
Boom!
A staggering pressure erupted from the Heavenly Lord’s body, radiating into the surroundings.
Just the sensation of it made my hair stand on end.
“Shut-!”
Heavenly Lord’s voice made the bustling warriors fall silent in an instant.
Click.
In response to that, I heard a sound from the direction of the Demon Sword.
While I wasn’t paying attention, the Demon Sword Master had drawn her sword. Had the noise become any louder, she might have unleashed the sword energy uncontrollably.
Most likely, the Heavenly Lord had noticed and forcibly silenced them.
The magician, unaffected by the shifting atmosphere, continued.
“You bark the loudest but refuse to deny it. You must know it too, right?”
“…”
“Is the basis of a righteous faction justice and cooperation?”
The magician approached Sogeomseong directly.
At this, the martial artists flinched, eager to shield Sogeomseong, but she raised her hand to stop them.
“In your view, is there still something so virtuous remaining over there?”
Sogeomseong’s golden eyes met the magician’s purple ones.
“…There may not be. But.”
Not one to back down, Sogeomseong took a step closer to the magician.
“If it doesn’t exist, I’ll create it.”
“…”
“That’s why I’ve picked up the sword.”
Her tone was resolute.
Watching her, I felt a bitterness within me swell.
‘Don’t lie.’
It was clear she was one breath away from wanting to flee.
She claimed to have taken up the sword, but that too was a lie; she hadn’t wanted to grasp a sword to begin with.
How could she utter such things?
Behind her, those onlookers were wearing inspired expressions as they watched Sogeomseong stand unmoving.
I just wanted to rip the faces off those idiots.
“…You’re still foolish, huh?”
“That might be true.”
“So ultimately, you’re simply hoping to acquire what you desire through force? Is that what you’re saying?”
“…”
Sogeomseong didn’t dispute that.
This meant that what the magician said rang true.
‘What on earth do you want?’
Given her nature, it’s highly likely she wouldn’t have participated in these events.
Why on earth did she choose to partake in something so senseless?
What this meant was unclear to me; the murky intentions of the Murim Alliance in sending her here were equally puzzling, as was their aim in doing so.
“I don’t know. What exactly do you want to gain by doing all this?”
We were now close enough to touch noses.
The magician turned to her again with questioning eyes.
At that data, Sogeomseong slightly diverted her gaze.
‘Huh?’
She now glanced my way.
…What? Why was she suddenly looking my direction?
“I’m looking for one person.”
“A person?”
“Yes…”
What that implied was strikingly serious—if the Murim Alliance deemed a difference of one person significant enough to breach warnings and decimate diplomatic relations.
Startled, I pondered what that even meant.
Sogeomseong abruptly raised her hand, pointing her finger toward me.
“Hm?”
Wondering if someone else might be amidst the crowd, I glanced around.
But to my surprise, it really looked like Sogeomseong was pointing directly at me.
Upon confirming that, an eerie sensation prickled up my spine.
‘Oh… this isn’t good.’
My eyes widened as I looked at Sogeomseong again.
“That person. I want that person.”
“…!”
She gazed at me and made that proclamation.
As soon as I was about to express my shock at those horrifying words…
Bam!
“Gah!”
I practically leaped back from the terrifying presence I felt next to me.
This was hands down the strongest, most intense killing intent I had ever experienced since arriving here.
Crash!
Suddenly, ominous storm clouds began to coalesce in the previously clear sky, forming unnatural shadows overhead.
From within the clouds, fierce energy surged ominously, hinting at looming chaos.
As this unfolded, chaos erupted amongst the Mines, as well as the martial artists of the Murim Alliance, scrambling to adjust their stance.
“You.”
The one emitting this absurd energy suddenly directed words at Sogeomseong.
The perpetrator, none other than the Demon Sword Master.
Her white hair whipped in the unleashed energy, slowly lifting off the ground.
Intense clarity enveloped the drawn sword.
This was the embodiment of the other name she was known by.
It was a display perfectly befitting of the Thunder Empress.
She looked as if she was about to launch herself toward Sogeomseong any moment now.
“Do you want to die?”
Her usual clumsy and quiet speech was nowhere to be found, replaced by oddly precise and clear enunciation.
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