Chapter 606 – The Stolen World (21)
—
User: Han Kain (Wisdom)
Date: Day 229
Current Location: Searching…
Sage’s Advice: 1
—
– Han Kain
As I observe the translucent mirror, my thoughts drift back to earlier, when Adia had ambushed us.
“Did you find something?”
“Saint, could you give me a bit more time?”
“Ah, I’m not rushing you.”
I ponder who would win if Adia and I fought 4 against 1.
If we charged head-on, we’d likely emerge victorious.
But just moments ago, I could barely catch my breath before nearly being dispatched.
That was thanks to Adia wielding her inheritance, the “Taegukdo,” and instantly sending my other teammates flying.
What if I had clashed with the Saint one-on-one back then?
Without knowing Adia’s full powers, I wouldn’t dare say we’d win; the chances would be stacked against us.
If the Saint who knocked me down went after my teammates,
Only Ari could possibly fight back; the others would’ve just been dead meat.
Adia didn’t want to tussle with us, but it had been a dire situation.
Why were we placed in such a precarious position?
It was because I didn’t know about Adia’s inheritance, the Taegukdo.
The first knowledge hit me like a surprise punch, and I hadn’t gotten my breath in.
I’ve had similar experiences.
When Ryan Raymond toyed with me using the power of communication, I too fell without even getting a hit in during the first encounter.
The reason was the same—
I wasn’t aware of my opponent’s abilities.
In the clashes between participants, victory or defeat does not solely rely on absolute power.
Knowing or not knowing each other’s abilities and inheritances is far more vital.
Surely the Saint has even more hidden powers up her sleeve.
And so do we.
Powers we know but the Saint doesn’t!
If we throw in a “hostage” on top of that…
Yes, now is the time.
“Ah?”
“Did you find something odd?”
I scratched my head and looked at Adia.
“The friends from the Management Bureau are coming.”
“… I’m sorry about earlier—”
“It’s fine. I’ll explain everything to my friends, so no worries.”
Ari must’ve sensed I was worried about the situation with her and Jinchul.
Adia’s expression brightened a bit upon hearing my words.
Soon, with the intensity of someone about to unleash a ray of fury, Ari and Jinchul approached.
“Adia! How dare you—”
“C-calm down, everyone!”
When I waved my hands with a smile, Ari and Jinchul froze awkwardly.
“Hey, Kain, you alright?”
“Of course! How about Eunsol?”
“Far away. I guess I’m quicker than Ari.”
“There was just a little misunderstanding with Adia. All’s good now, right?”
Adia gave an awkward smile and nodded.
“Well, I apologize for earlier.”
“…”
As Ari frowned, a panicked shout erupted nearby.
“Ahhhh!”
“What the—?”
“Saint?”
“What’s wrong—”
“Bernice – Tarsikov Array check! The spatial coordinates of the 37th mirror analog have collapsed! W-what the heck happened!”
The Saint’s eyes widened in shock.
“W-what do you mean—?”
As her eyes filled with undeniable confusion—
— FLAP!
The grimoire opened up.
“Whoa? You had this book too—”
The Saint’s movements slowed down as her powers were suppressed.
The moment Adia realized this anomaly, her gaze instantly sharpened with determination!
“YOU—!”
The Saint, caught off guard by Adia‘s divine power, froze for that split second!
Seeing that the fight had finally begun, my comrades joined in.
A foreboding polyhedron twisted the space.
The fiery rays of the shining sun seared the Saint’s body.
A star fragment exuding ominous waves displayed its power.
And then—
— CRACK!
The Saint took all those attacks head-on!
As the Taegukdo spun in a circle, the onslaught of the divine sun and the polyhedron vanished without a trace!
“Ugh! What on earth?!”
Was it the otherworldly star fragment that alone disregarded the Taegukdo and showed its force?
Yet, the Saint’s body was fundamentally different from that of an ordinary human!
Of course, the Klipoth Crystal emanating violet luminescence all over her body halted her physical collapse.
Could the Saint endure this?
If this battle dragged on, the star fragment might just break through the crystal’s protection!
Nevertheless, the power of Adia was utterly impotent against the Saint!
“Saint! I wanted to believe you, but are you pulling some tricks?!”
“Ugh! Is this really a person?!”
“C-could it be a lizard, not a person?!”
“Saint! Regardless of what you think, these bugs won’t be left alive!”
“That’s unfair! Kain just started fighting, and why are we the targets?!”
Ari is making jokes even in this chaos?!
For a moment, even the Saint glared at Ari as if to say “What’s wrong with you?!”
“The light of judgment will crush evil…”
Suddenly, as golden waves erupted from the Saint’s eyes!
I accepted it without resistance.
Adia is ridiculously powerful!
Honestly, I have to admit it.
Even with the holy sun propelling me forward, I’m not confident about winning this fight!
Well, it makes sense why my predecessor had warned me to protect Elena at all costs.
No matter what, this ambush turned out to be painfully challenging…
Since both sides are exceptionally strong, engaging in direct conflict would only lead us to major losses.
…
Of course, terms like “direct conflict” mean nothing.
There’s no referee penalizing us for using cheap tricks in this fight!
“Saint—”
“Saint! I’ll chop off your head while it’s still attached—”
“Take a look over here.”
The scorching white heat targeted the mirror.
“You…”
Adia looked completely stunned.
At this moment, the Saint also realized—
If we kept fighting loudly, regardless of victory or defeat, the mirror would be shattered beyond repair!
As she stood there, dazed—
— CLICK!
Ari thundered a camera shutter, pulling it out like a bolt from the blue.
“Ugh! Is she resisting even the power of a camera now?!”
“Saint, are you really prepared to go all-out?”
“…Saint, what on earth are you thinking now?”
“I’m simply aiming for a happy ending.”
“…”
“Saint, you just sent my companions away. Think of it as a fair trade this time.”
“…”
“Don’t forget, who woke the Moon? I’m also planning for the Moon’s prince. Just with a different approach.”
“…”
— CLICK!
The shutter sound echoed a second time.
This time, the Saint didn’t resist.
*
In an instant, the beach looked as if it had been obliterated by missiles falling from the sky.
My companions stood there in dazed silence.
“That Saint, what a ridiculous human.”
“Taegukdo? Is that a defensive-focused inheritance?”
I chimed in as well.
“Klipoth Crystal, Taegukdo— both evidently have substantial defensive capabilities. The Blessing of Justice seems completely offensive!”
“… Scary.”
Jinchul just shook his head in disbelief.
“I thought with someone like you around, Kain, there would be fewer surprises.”
“…”
“The Predecessor Wisdom? Watching that crazy guy makes me realize there are people stronger than you.”
“…”
“That Saint is no joke either.”
As I listened, I sighed.
“In reality, isn’t it that the standard for ‘escapees’ might just be someone with multiple inheritances? They might be the middle tier of the pyramid.”
With his head down, Jinchul muttered.
“… So what about me?”
Ari scoffed and answered.
“You’re clearly the bottom of the pyramid, Kain.”
“Yeah.”
“What was that just now, about ‘Bernice’ something?”
“What?”
“Bernice – Tarsikov Array check! The spatial coordinates of the 37th mirror analog have collapsed! What on earth does that mean?”
“Means nothing. Just some random nonsense. More importantly, is the photo okay? Can we really seal the Saint with that?”
“… For a while, I think it should stay quiet. Not for long, though. Given how monstrous it is, I’d predict it’ll tear the photo and come back within a week.”
“That’s pretty tricky. Should we dump the photo into the abyss or the lava?”
“… Or shoot it into space, maybe?”
“I’ve been thinking along those lines too, but for now, you should tell me what happened so far.”
As I explained everything that had occurred up to that moment to my comrades, including Eunsol, I contemplated.
What’s the current situation?
The Moon has awakened, and the world is rushing toward its end.
Having found no answers through normal means, I’ve chosen to wake it up at the point of regression.
As a result, I have uncovered many secrets revealed after the apocalypse.
The essence of the Raiders tumbling against the Moon.
The grand mirror that can shatter the balance of the three-way situation.
The Raiders are arks just as the Moon is one.
Thus, they share a vulnerability against mirrors.
Let’s say time rolls back.
The Management Bureau Ark resets to its original state, and the Moon finds itself imprisoned underground on Earth once more.
At that point, if we annihilate the Silent Ones and grab the Bureau Ark with Wisdom’s help?
A Raider possessing the mirror might just be able to neutralize the Moon.
Could this be enough to transcribe the loss of the Moon’s strategy?
“What do you think? Does this resemble a solution?”
As my comrades pondered over my explanation, Eunsol replied.
“So, you’re suggesting we join hands with the Raiders to weaken the sealed Moon?”
“Exactly.”
“… This feels more like a 30-point answer in a hotel-style exam, doesn’t it?”
“Hmmm…”
The Moon is simultaneously a cause of destruction and a bulwark against the Raiders.
If the Moon disappears, the Raiders— that is, the other arks— will blissfully descend on the world.
This would undoubtedly herald the dawn of a new massive war.
Though whoever wins, it would be better than the Moon prevailing.
The Raiders are nothing but another Management Bureau or another Vatican that would maintain the human civilization.
So even if it is a 30-point answer, it is still an answer.
“Do you have any better proposals?”
“Sorry, what about Ari?”
“… Tough one.”
My comrades grew silent once more.
Could there be a better scenario?
A cunning method that could expel the Moon while simultaneously putting an end to the Raiders’ dilemma?
While it doesn’t have to be full marks, I’d settle for hitting around 80 points at the least.
Sage’s Advice: 1 -> 0
‘Is there a better possibility?’
“A truly wise person creates a scenario where everyone can win.”
“What do you mean, a scenario where everyone can win?”
“Did you use the advice?”
“Uh-huh. A truly wise person creates a scenario where everyone can win.”
“Hey, I’ve heard that one before.”
“Looks like it popped up again.”
Jinchul tilted his head in confusion.
“Was I mistaken? The current situation seems like a game of musical chairs.”
“Exactly.”
To grossly summarize the issues:
The one who sits on the chair.
The one who tries to take it away.
The one who wants to smash the chair.
If we plug in our 30-point answer to that analogy, it’s about tossing out the one trying to smash the chair.
“How can everyone win in a game of musical chairs? Does it make sense? Oh, living peacefully with just one chair?”
Ari firmly shook her head.
“If that were possible, we wouldn’t have even started fighting.”
“So what now?”
“… I wonder.”
While I acquired a 30-point answer, I couldn’t reach beyond that.
As everyone remained puzzled,
— Ding!
The phone rang.
“Huh? That’s not mine—”
“It’s my phone. Who’s calling now— Ah! Delight?!”
A call from the Delight Hotel at this moment?
Ari freaked out and quickly answered the phone.
“Mironi? Are you okay? What’s going on?”
Moments later,
Ari looked at us with a vacant expression.
Eunsol anxiously asked,
“What did they say? Why haven’t we heard from them?”
“…Eunsol.”
“Yeah?”
“It’s about Mooksung.”
“Hmm.”
The next piece of news left everyone in stunned silence.
“…The Delight Hotel is turning into ‘Hotel Pioneer.’”
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