Chapter 116
Chapter 116
Mad Black Mage's Tower Strategy
Chapter 116
Sea Dragon Tribe's fortress. Audience chamber.
Lunaria doubted her own ears at the news that had just come in.
"What did you just say?"
The messenger reported once more with a trembling voice.
"Th-that is... it seems one of the Dragon-Human Soldier manufacturing facilities has been completely destroyed. The corporate employees who went to handle the situation have also lost contact."
A Dragon-Human Soldier manufacturing facility she had poured her heart and soul into was destroyed?
"How did this happen? I thought your side was in charge of securing the workshop."
Lunaria glared at the corporate representative with sharp eyes.
Darkrock, a global mega-investment company that had jumped into 20th floor development for Neptune mining.
At Lunaria's question, Darkrock's Market Development Department Manager Heizen showed a troubled expression.
"Unfortunately, it appears an existence beyond our calculations has intervened."
If it was such an existence, it would definitely be a supernova.
Unless it was someone of that caliber, they couldn't possibly defeat hundreds of Dragon-Human Soldiers and Sea Dragon Tribe priests, and even subdue the phantom thief.
There was also recent information about someone ascending to the 20th floor, so they were presuming it was one of the three illegal immigrants who entered through the dock.
Of course, there was also the possibility of Lee Seo-mun connected to the Nam-gung siblings or a high-ranking ranker from Hyeonryongmun, but according to the gatekeeper's report, they didn't match any of the composite sketches.
The highest probability was that it was a supernova possessing an artifact that could freely change their appearance.
"It's no different from a natural disaster. Since it's come to this, let's carry out the plan before we suffer more damage."
"Huh."
Lunaria massaged her throbbing forehead.
The foreign businessman's words were right. There were still several more manufacturing facilities remaining.
Something like Atlantis could be easily occupied with just the Dragon-Human Soldiers produced from those locations.
Before being defeated one by one, they would gather their forces together and attack Atlantis. That was the only way.
Just as Lunaria finally decided on war.
"Y-Your Majesty, this is terrible!"
A Sea Dragon Tribe messenger hurriedly entered the audience chamber.
It was news that the very person who had destroyed the Dragon-Human Soldier manufacturing facility had appeared of their own accord.
***
Inside the audience chamber filled with murderous intent.
The atmosphere was completely different from when Nam-gung Cheon had come.
That was natural.
Back then, it was just one of the farms that educated laborers for use in docks or brothels that had been destroyed.
But the destruction of a Dragon-Human Soldier manufacturing facility was a different case.
It was a situation where an entire legion had disappeared on the eve of war.
An enormous loss incomparable to any interest or possibility of persuasion regarding foreigners.
Lunaria, seated on the throne, looked down at Seo-jin with murderous eyes.
"To come here of your own accord. Are you out of your mind? Or are you confident you can get out alive?"
Ominous aura emanated from the Sea Dragon Tribe's queen.
But Seo-jin ignored that murderous intent and answered brazenly.
"I'd say it's both."
"No matter how strong you are, this is the Sea Dragon Tribe's stronghold. Do you think you can face all of us alone?"
This was the deepest place in the strait. The Sea Dragon Tribe became stronger than anyone else here.
Moreover, most of the corporate forces were gathered in this situation.
No matter how impressive the foreigner before her was, this was reckless.
Actually, Lunaria's words were correct.
Even Seo-jin couldn't easily face everyone here.
He had already used Transcending Heaven True Scripture extensively, and there was considerable strain on his magic circuits from capturing Francesca.
"Don't get so angry. I came here to negotiate."
"Negotiate?"
"Yeah, release the foreigner you captured here. In return, I'll release this one."
Seo-jin made the black chain-bound Francesca kneel.
But Lunaria had no intention of accepting the negotiation.
"Well then. I could just kill you here and take her, so why would I need to negotiate?"
At Lunaria's ice-cold gaze, Seo-jin shrugged his shoulders.
"That's fine too. But let me make one thing clear."
Seo-jin pointed his finger at Lunaria.
"Even if I die, at this distance I can definitely take your head. I can also destroy the Tears of the Sea God in your bosom. Then Leviathan's revival would become a pipe dream, wouldn't it?"
Lunaria's eyebrows twitched at Seo-jin's arrogant warning.
At the same time, a light of rage appeared in her reddened eyes.
"How dare...!"
A crawling foreigner daring to threaten to kill the Sea Dragon Queen in the Sea Dragon Tribe's stronghold.
There was no greater insult to them than this.
Moreover, to think he even knew information about Leviathan's revival.
'He can't be left alive.'
That person had to be killed here. For future plans, and also to protect her own honor.
That was when it happened.
Heizen stepped forward and whispered in the enraged Lunaria's ear as if to calm her.
"Chieftain, please reconsider killing him here. He's the existence who eliminated dozens of Sea Dragon Tribe priests and thousands of Dragon-Human Soldiers. It's not good to clash with him now."
Fighting the supernova here was a poor judgment.
If they had intended to eliminate him from the start, they shouldn't have let him inside the fortress like this.
Even if they killed him right here and now, all that would remain would be a pyrrhic victory.
Darkrock's Market Development Department Manager Heizen quickly turned his gears.
'It would be troublesome if Lunaria died here.'
The reason the corporation could currently extend its reach throughout Atlantis and manipulate things was all thanks to Lunaria.
If the focal point called Lunaria disappeared, the anti-royalist faction's power would weaken, and the corporation's maneuverability would also be greatly restricted.
Moreover, an even bigger problem was.
'It would create room for the 20th floor's administrator to intervene in this matter.'
Currently, Darkrock's ability to exert influence on the 20th floor was thanks to the justification of Lunaria's request for cooperation.
The reason a high-level climber like Francesca could steal the Tears of the Sea God without the administrator's interference was because Lunaria's request, as the head of a major native faction, provided the causality.
But if Lunaria, the provider of that causality and justification, disappeared, there was a high probability the administrator would intervene.
In the past, they had paid a harsh price when the administrator intervened after they ignored the natives and acted arbitrarily.
From Darkrock Corporation's perspective, remembering that incident, the administrator was the greatest target of caution.
Whatever they did, this was why they had to form cooperative relationships with native factions.
If by any chance the administrator stepped in, not only the Neptune mining business but even the logistics distribution network with the underwater city would be in danger.
'Moreover, Francesca is a card that's hard to discard.'
Francesca still had to handle various dirty jobs in the future.
There was no blade that could process work as quickly and without complaint as she could.
Now it was right to accept the supernova's negotiation request.
Of course, since he couldn't reveal all these inner thoughts, Heizen persuaded Lunaria with appropriate reasons.
"Fine... let's accept the negotiation."
Lunaria suppressed her anger and ordered them to bring Nam-gung Cheon from the prison.
"Wh-what, you? When did you get here?"
Nam-gung Cheon, who had been imprisoned and was dragged to the audience chamber, was startled to see Seo-jin.
But soon, seeing Francesca captured beside Seo-jin, he roughly grasped the situation.
"...A prisoner exchange? What a pointless act. I could have escaped without your help."
"Shut up and just come. Without my help, you would have died there."
When Seo-jin gestured with his hand, the black slime that had been eating Nam-gung Cheon's magic handcuffs appeared.
Splat
The slime squirmed toward Seo-jin and attached itself to his leg.
Nam-gung Cheon's eyes widened seeing this.
"D-don't tell me you sent that monster too?"
"Yeah, it's Tam (Greed). I attached it just in case."
It was when he had patted Nam-gung Cheon's shoulder earlier and requested information gathering.
Due to Tam's nature of living by eating magic power, if magic handcuffs were attached, it couldn't absorb magic power from the host, so it would go out looking for food.
That target was naturally the magic handcuffs.
It would dismantle the magic handcuffs without any additional measures.
Just as Seo-jin finished negotiating and was about to leave.
"Hostages. Please release the hostages too."
Nam-gung Cheon demanded that the approximately twenty hostages they had rescued from the farm earlier also be freed together.
Lunaria let out a deep sigh.
"Haah... Take them."
As if they weren't worth worrying about, she waved her hand, permitting them to take the hostages.
It was a gesture as if to say take them and get lost since she was sick of looking at them.
Right after Nam-gung Cheon and Seo-jin left the audience chamber.
Lunaria commanded the guards in a cold voice.
"The submarine they're taking back. Follow them and sink it."
Accepting the negotiation right now didn't mean she would let them live.
If a frontal confrontation was burdensome, she just had to use schemes.
'No matter how much they fly and crawl, they're foreigners who can't even swim properly in the deep sea.'
She would show them the bitter taste of the ocean.
***
"Leviathan's... revival?"
Atlantis's temple.
At Leila's single statement, Nam-gung Rin made a serious expression.
If it was Leviathan, it was definitely the ancient monster that had fought the sea god Pontos.
If it was an existence comparable to Pontos, the 20th floor's administrator, even Seo-jin and the Nam-gung siblings couldn't oppose it.
The administrator's power transcended imagination.
Grrrrowl-.
At the mention of Leviathan, Baduki, who had been sitting quietly with a collar on, suddenly started growling.
"Oh my, why are you doing this? Stay still."
Grrrrr-.
Even though Nam-gung Rin petted him soothingly, Baduki continued making strange whining sounds.
He had been well-behaved earlier, but he'd been acting a bit strange since coming to the temple.
Did he really have an aversion to divine power?
"......"
Leila, who had been quietly listening to Baduki's howling, asked cautiously.
"By any chance, does that puppy have an original form?"
"Original form?"
"Yes. The materials used in its creation, or its original appearance before becoming undead."
"I don't really know that either..."
Nam-gung Rin scratched her cheek.
She had simply brought him along as a guard, so she hadn't heard any information beyond that.
Then Hyeon-wol, sitting on Nam-gung Rin's shoulder, spoke up.
[As I know, this zombie dog's original form is the earth monster Behemoth. I believe it was said to be in a rival relationship with Leviathan.]
It was information heard from Seo-jin, so it would be helpful.
The reason this dog had growled when entering the temple was probably because it saw the giant sea dragon sculpture at the entrance.
Then Leila smiled.
"I thought so. Then was this puppy created by that person?"
[That's right. I heard there are more Behemoth materials remaining. He sometimes throws bone scraps for it to chew on. Using those, this dog could probably be improved to be bigger and stronger.]
At Hyeon-wol's words, Leila tightly grasped the necklace around her neck.
'Lunaria's purpose is more than just ruling Atlantis...'
Perhaps she was aiming for Leviathan's revival.
That was why Leila and the temple knights were guarding the temple without any gaps, fearing such an eventuality.
But if this existence, which possessed a concept that opposes Leviathan, was used well.
Breaking away from pure defense, it might become the key to reversing the war situation.
Grrrrowl-.
Leila petted Baduki while recalling the contents of the oracle.
The oracle from Pontos she received just before Seo-jin's group illegally entered Atlantis.
'An existence will appear who will dispel the darkness cast over this city and defeat the ancient monster.'
It was content about an existence coming who would heal Atlantis's long conflict and prevent Leviathan's return.
Though she hadn't expected that existence to be a puppy raised by foreigners...
Well, what of it?
Oracles were always like that.
Leila smiled slightly and opened her lips.
"Very well. I'll lend you the Tears of Pontos. But you must definitely return them."