The Continent's Upheaval (2)
“The Chinese Awakened Alliance is essentially in a state of collapse.”
“Looks that way.”
The alliance building was large and spacious, yet the interior felt deserted. “There was a fifth Rift Eruption not long ago. The damage was catastrophic. In Korean terms, seven A-class Awakened died, along with hundreds below that rank.”
Even if you gathered every Awakened affiliated with the Seoul Awakened Association, the total wouldn’t reach five hundred. China operated on an entirely different scale. Judging by Lao Ying’s words, the Chinese Awakened had already scattered, each expecting the worst possible future. After the last eruption, that exodus had only accelerated.
In the end, the only people still remaining in the alliance were those with families to protect or those simply burdened with an unusually strong sense of responsibility.
“A gathering of the loyal,” Yu Junseo added at just the right moment.
Leihu, the leader of the Chinese Awakened Alliance, seemed to understand the word “loyal” and smiled faintly. He spoke, and Lao Ying translated.
“China is hanging by a thread. The Awakened in Beijing are preparing for one final stand. When they saw how Seoul repelled an eruption without casualties, they felt hope and asked me to convey their gratitude.”
“…Mm.”
The excessive politeness was almost embarrassing.
“Weren’t all the good Chinese people supposed to have died in the past? Or did they only become good after dying?” Yu Junseo muttered nonsense again. When he met Leihu’s stern face, he shook his head. “Nam Juyeon, this is weird. Why is that guy so nice? With a face like that, he should’ve been a typical Chinese thug by now.”
“Please. Stop.”
Leihu’s expression stiffened slightly, as if he had caught the meaning of the slur. I offered an awkward smile and relayed our purpose to Lao Ying.
“Anyway, could you explain our business here again?”
We had already given a rough outline to the Chinese public security when arranging the flight, but facing them directly felt more appropriate. Lao Ying explained the emergence of the worst villain, Actor, in Korea and how his final trace pointed to China.
After listening, Leihu nodded with a grave expression and brought over a beige envelope. Inside were several photographs—blurry, heavily enlarged images of a distant figure.
“…What is this?”
“They say it’s a humanoid disaster that appeared in China.”
I took the photos and examined them closely. A revealing evening gown, eight black wings sprouting from the waist, dark-red hair, and vividly glowing golden eyes. The quality was poor, but I recognized the woman instantly.
Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens.
Leihu spoke again with a solemn face, and Lao Ying translated.
“This woman is the worst disaster currently ravaging Hebei Province. Unlike other disasters that build nests and hide, she leads her nest itself into mass slaughter. The casualties are beyond counting. Some are even saying she possesses self-awareness.”
“…”
Of course she does. She’s a 5★ disaster.
It seemed the Chinese Awakened Alliance had yet to learn that Karne was a 5★ disaster. Lao Ying continued translating.
“The alliance usually gives powerful disasters their own titles… In this case…”
“In this case?”
“They call her the Black Heaven Empress.”
China really did love grandiose names.
“Oh… That’s badass.” Yu Junseo was practically snorting with admiration at the embarrassing epithet. “Extermination Flame Emperor? Crimson Flame Emperor? Inferno Flame Emperor? Hmm…”
He had already forgotten about China and was busy inventing new titles for himself.
“Anyway, let’s organize the information.”
The intel provided by the Chinese Awakened Alliance didn’t differ much from what Mirien had already told me. The Black Heaven Empress—Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens—had become the alliance’s mortal enemy.
“Karne is gathering an army to strike at you, my lord. Give the order and I shall bring you her head at once.”
Selene was furious. Or rather, she was pretending to be. The stigmata of holy flames surrounding her body weren’t blazing violently. In the end, she simply needed an excuse to kill Karne. Why was she so desperate to eliminate her?
She had said the same thing about Mirien before. Selene probably regarded every other disaster as a potential threat. For my safety? I wasn’t sure. I understood Mirien’s feelings toward me, but Selene’s emotions remained a mystery.
“Either way.” I clapped my hands to steer the conversation. Selene sat primly on a chair and listened. “Is there no way to talk with Karne?”
Looking back at what happened with Mirien, most conflicts stemmed from a lack of communication. Of course Mirien’s persecution complex had driven her to rampage, but failing to even attempt dialogue had been a clear mistake. Maybe the same applied to Karne.
“If we talk, I think we can clear up the misunderstanding.”
“…My lord, it is dangerous. This is different from the magic sack incident. That magic sack—”
“Can you stop calling her that? She has a name—Mirien.”
“…That magic sack at least possessed a tiny, commendable desire to be of use to you, so the matter did not escalate.”
“Hey!”
“But that harlot Karne scatters her minions and sows destruction. Therefore—”
“I know. I know. Karne has already created tens of millions of victims.”
I hurriedly mediated. If I stayed silent any longer, Mirien looked ready to summon lightning. “Honestly, I don’t think I’m blameless in how Karne turned out.”
The disasters I released were causing enormous damage. If I thought about it with a clear head, the guilt might drive me to hang myself. That was why I had given up on keeping a clear head.
“But she was part of my base.”
Reality had been a game, and I had been a veteran player. Everything that happened inside the rift was real, and the current situation was the direct result of me firing them. If it was a mistake, then it was my mistake. And if so, cleaning it up was also my responsibility. Karne’s rampage was something I had to resolve.
“…So I want to meet Karne face-to-face and talk. Will you all understand?”
At my words, Selene’s lips tightened. Mirien listened quietly, then hopped onto my lap.
“I like whatever Actor wants to do. Unlike that nine-tailed fox.”
“…Who would dare defy my lord’s will?”
Selene’s blazing eyes were fixed on Mirien. I cleared my throat to draw their attention, and only then did Selene look at me with a bitter smile.
“However, my lord, please promise me one thing.”
“Prioritize my safety above all else? I’m already doing that.”
Selene nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
The plan was set. First, meet Karne and attempt dialogue. If words failed…
“Kill her?”
“No, don’t kill her.”
Mirien smiled sweetly as she said something terrifying, and I shook my head. The disasters’ way of thinking always ended in “kill,” which was terrifying in its own right.
“But my lord, there is one thing that puzzles me.”
“Puzzles you?”
“This city called Beijing is extremely vulnerable. If Karne had wanted, she could have conquered it immediately and turned it into a city of death. Yet even while gathering her minions, she has not attacked. I find that rather curious.”
“That? I think we can find out right now.”
Mirien reacted to Selene’s question. A six-pointed star of light had appeared in one of her eyes.
├─ Tier 1:Far-sight reconnaissance ✓
├─ Tier 2:Weather manipulation ✓
└─ Tier 3:Strategic analysis — ACTIVATED ★
A moment later, Mirien lifted one corner of her mouth.
“Heh? These humans actually used their heads.”
“Mirien, what do you mean?”
“Actor already knows this, but lesser disasters are stupid. They only move to devour more humans. The humans exploited that instinct.”
“…They exploited the disasters’ instincts?”
“Yeah. There are several huge towers built around the city. They stuffed people inside like a beehive. Hmm. Maybe call them human feeding towers?”
I was speechless. Using their own citizens as bait. A very Chinese idea, given the overflowing population.
*
“Damn it, night shift again?”
Chen Tao, an Awakened affiliated with the alliance, grumbled as he pulled out a cigarette. Chik— The drizzling rain kept the lighter from catching.
“Useless thing.”
The lighter had been acting up lately. After finally lighting the cigarette with brute force, Chen Tao stretched and looked up at the sky. Not a single star was visible in the pitch-black night. China’s air was still terrible, and the cause was the boiler running at the Second Detention Center right here.
Chen Tao sat on the railing with the cigarette in his mouth.
“They call it a refugee camp, but…”
The place was called the Second Refugee Detention Center, but in reality it was a shield made by grinding up humans. Most of the people inside solving their food, clothing, and shelter needs were refugees from other cities—especially the elderly and weak. From a cold perspective, they were people of no value. People with no chance of survival. In the end, the state had herded its own citizens into one place and used them as bait. If a disaster invaded? Just let them die. Their sacrifice would become fuel for a comeback. That was what the Party Chairman had said.
“Not my problem, though.”
Chen Tao flicked ash from his cigarette and stood up. Honestly, even though he belonged to the Awakened Alliance, he didn’t care what happened to this damned detention center. He had stayed in the alliance to grab whatever he could in this ruined world. With no family to protect, if things went south he could just run.
“Hm?”
But that thought was rendered meaningless. The pitch-black night sky split in half. At first he thought it was just clouds. Maybe yellow dust. But it didn’t take Chen Tao long to realize what it actually was.
“C-Crows!”
A flock of crows. Thousands—no, tens of thousands—of black wings covered the sky. Their caws fell like bombs, tearing at his eardrums. And at the center of those beating wings—
“…Hah, the Black Heaven Empress.”
The Awakened guarding the detention center felt his blood freeze with terror. The black empress with crimson eyes, soaring through the air on enormous wings. An ominous harbinger wrapped in an aura like a black curtain, descending toward the earth.
—Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens.
Half a day later, news that the Second Detention Center had been annihilated reached alliance headquarters.