Chapter 361: The Trap (1)
Chapter 361: The Trap (1)
The Hall Plain, the Room of Summoning.
Beneath a vaulted, gray-hued ceiling, a rectangular altar stood alone in the center of the room.
Upon this ashen altar sat a beautiful angel, Seraph, perfectly still. The only thing that moved was the faint, occasional flutter of her pure white wings. With her eyes gently closed, her grief-stricken face seemed buried in silence.
“Why… why…?”
It was then that her closed eyes flashed open, revealing pupils the color of jade. They trembled faintly, as if she had been struck by some deeply startling truth.
“Why now, of all times… Eternal Flame’s awakening…”
She seemed utterly bewildered. Seraph couldn’t even finish her sentences, her words trailing off. The gentle flutter of her wings grew frantic, and her voice was laced with an unconcealable worry born of deep sorrow.
“No… It’s too soon…”
But soon, the realization that she could do nothing washed over her, and a look of tragic helplessness crossed the angel’s face.
“Soohyun…”
A name escaped her beautiful lips. She knew he couldn’t hear her, that it was impossible for him to hear. And yet, her voice was filled with a sorrow so deep it felt like a desperate plea.
Seraph closed her eyes once more. Clasping her hands together, she spoke in her usual serene voice.
“I pray you make a wise choice…”
*
It was a moment of life and death.
And in that moment, that fleeting instant just before Victoria’s Glory was about to meet the dragon, everything came to a halt.
Thump-thump. Thump-thump.
The sound of my heart seemed exceptionally loud today.
That voice I just heard… It was definitely…
I had felt the power latent in my heart explode just before the clash. But what happened after that was clearly beyond my control.
A world where time had stopped. A voice echoing from within me—not familiar, but not entirely unknown either. And the frantic pounding of my heart that had started moments ago.
Overwhelmed by the sudden, chaotic turn of events, I instinctively closed my eyes. I took a slow breath in, then out. I repeated the deep breaths, calming my racing heart. Only after I had composed myself to some degree could I open my eyes again and begin to grasp the situation.
“Ah…”
The world hadn’t stopped. I had only mistaken it for that. From the moment I heard the voice, time had continued to flow. Only one thing had stopped. It was the Dragon Flame, the torrent of fire that had been hurtling toward me.
—Don’t just stand there spacing out. Hmph. You big idiot.
Ting!
Just then, the voice echoed in my head once more. But before I had a chance to respond, a message window appeared in the air before me.
『Eternal Flame’s Awakening, Stage 1, Domain Declaration - “I Command Thee with the Dignity of the Primordial Age” will now begin.』
Eternal Flame? Awakening?
The moment I finished reading the message, I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion. It spoke of Eternal Flame’s awakening, but it had happened so suddenly, without any warning or premonition. As I stood there, clueless, wetting my lips, the voice spoke again.
—Why are you just staring blankly? It’s not like this is the first time we’ve talked. Hmm. Is this the third time?
Is this… Eternal Flame’s voice?
—You were just as slow to figure it out last time. You big idiot.
What is happening? Why are you suddenly here now?
As fascinating as it was that Eternal Flame was speaking to me, I pushed my curiosity aside. For now, I had only grasped what had happened. I needed to know why.
But Eternal Flame seemed to have other ideas, and her reply was far from what I expected.
—We can talk about the situation later. We don’t have much time right now.
Not much time?
—I declared it on my own authority, but… anyway, this entire area is now under ‘Domain Declaration.’ At your current level, you can’t maintain it for long.
…What should I do?
At Eternal Flame’s words, I immediately changed my line of thinking. This was hardly the time for a leisurely chat, and I didn’t want to press the issue when she said we were short on time. She seemed pleased by my quick response, as I felt a flicker of her energy circle within my body.
—Hee! Just do whatever you want.
Whatever I want?
—Yeah. I already told you the area has been declared! You idiot!
Her constant jabs of “idiot” were starting to get on my nerves, but I calmly raised my gaze and looked ahead. I could see the flames, still in the shape of a dragon, dripping embers.
Whatever I want.
Just moments ago, I had charged forward with the intent to slice it in two, and Victoria’s Glory, still radiating fearsome magic, was in my right hand. But now, I slowly lowered it. Instead, I opened my empty left hand and held it out toward the Dragon Flame. I no longer felt any heat.
If I tell it to disappear, will it disappear?
—Disappear.
If I tell it to scatter?
—Scatter.
Though it was a simple back-and-forth, I was beginning to understand. It was still just a guess, but it seemed that all the flame energy in this area was now under my command.
I see. So that’s why it’s called ‘Domain Declaration.’
—That’s right. Though it’s not really a wide enough range to be called an ‘area,’ but who’s to blame for that? Anyway, hurry up and finish. Your body should be starting to feel the strain.
Feeling the strain. Her words snapped me back to reality. The magic circuits that had been hyper-activated by the momentary burst of power were gradually beginning to subside. At the same time, I could feel a familiar sensation slowly creeping over my body—the same exhaustion I used to feel back when my stamina was low.
Extinguish it? Send it back? Change its direction?
She said I could do whatever I wanted. The sheer number of options was so vast that for a moment, I struggled to decide what command to give.
After about ten seconds, I finally made a choice.
My left hand was already facing the Dragon Flame. As I imbued it with a single desire and slowly raised it toward the sky, I watched the flame follow its path, rising slowly into the air. Now that I had confirmed I could control it, there was nothing holding me back. Feeling the strain on my body intensify, I wasted no time and thrust my arm out to the left.
“Go.”
It was just one word, but the effect was absolute.
Krawrrrrrrrrrrrr!
With a single word and a single gesture, the Dragon Flame that had been rushing to tear through the eastern Users roared as if responding to my command. It instantly changed direction and began hurtling toward Barbara’s city wall. But before I could see the final result, I felt something ‘snap’ and release around me.
This feeling is…
Should I call it a release, or a deactivation? No. That wasn’t what was important.
The shimmering heat that had enveloped my entire body vanished in an instant, and darkness began to creep into the edges of my vision. I staggered for a moment but managed to turn my head toward the wall. Just as I confirmed that the Dragon Flame was crashing violently into the wall I had directed it to…
—Sleep well. We’ll… see each other again.
With Eternal Flame’s regretful-sounding voice, I let go of my consciousness.
*
A warm cluster of light enveloped my body. I felt my hazy mind gradually returning to focus.
“Hyung! Hyung!”
“He’s awake! He’s awake!”
So noisy.
Turning toward the voices, I met the gazes of familiar faces. I let out the breath I was holding and looked up to see an ivory-colored tent ceiling. It seemed I had been moved to a private barracks right after I passed out.
“How long… was I unconscious?”
As I grunted and pushed myself up, I felt someone’s hands gently touch my shoulders. I turned my head to see Jung Hayeon, who had sat up with me.
“You weren’t out for that long. Thanks to you, Soohyun, the troops were able to retreat to the camp without suffering major losses. So, for now, please get some rest.”
A faint pressure on my shoulders tried to guide me back down to the bed, but I gently shook my head and removed her hands. Then, I silently called out a name in my mind.
Eternal Flame.
—…
But there was no answer. It seemed she had appeared and spoken to me on a whim, only to disappear just as capriciously. I tried calling out for a while longer just in case, but it was nothing more than an unanswered echo.
I sighed again and began to check my condition. I had been worried that I might be a wreck again, but thankfully, I was in very good shape. My head wasn’t dizzy, and my magic circuits were flowing smoothly as usual, completely undamaged. Of course, there was a faint ache in my joints, but it was something I could recover from soon.
“Clan Lord. How are you feeling?”
“I’m fine. Nothing seems to be wrong.”
“That’s a relief. Your brother and the Sword Empress gave us some good medicinal herbs. They weren’t quite elixirs, but…”
“My brother and the Sword Empress?”
At my question, Jung Hayeon nodded and added.
“They were both here until just a moment ago. They said they had a meeting…”
My brother I could understand, but the Sword Empress… I tilted my head for a moment, only then noticing the crowd of Users filling the barracks. They were the members of the Mercenary Clan. Every one of them wore a worried expression; it seemed they had all rushed over upon hearing I had lost consciousness.
I saw some faces I hadn’t seen in a while and felt a flicker of warmth, but since they were all staring at me so intently, I felt a bit overwhelmed. I cleared my throat once or twice and decided to quickly change the subject.
“Ahem. I understand. Then…”
At the last moment, I had sent the charging Dragon Flame back toward the city. I was extremely curious about the result and was about to ask about the current situation when a strange sense of unease washed over me. I immediately identified the source of that feeling. I had thought all the Mercenary Clan members were here, but one person was missing.
“Where is Shin Sangyong?”
“Ah…”
It was just a casual question, but I didn’t miss the subtle shift in the clan members’ expressions. It gave me the feeling that they were reluctant to say something. Seeing that, a thought suddenly flashed through my mind.
“Don’t tell me… he was killed in this battle?”
“N-No, hyung. He’s not dead.”
The answer came from Ahn Hyun. But now that I was on edge, even his stuttering speech felt suspicious.
“Then?”
“Well…”
Ahn Hyun scratched his head with a troubled look, smacked his lips, and continued.
“Sangyong-hyung’s situation isn’t very good right now.”
“How is it not good?”
“Um… Have you not heard the rumors?”
“Rumors?”
There were rumors circulating about Shin Sangyong? This was the first I was hearing of it, and I felt the need for a more detailed explanation. As if sensing my mood, Ahn Hyun started to speak again. It was at that moment.
“Hyun. Don’t say anything unnecessary. Be quiet.”
Jung Hayeon shot him a sharp glare, and Ahn Hyun quickly shut his mouth. She slowly averted her gaze and turned back to me, her expression as gentle as if nothing had happened.
“He’s… just having trouble adjusting to the war. He seems to be trying his best, so please don’t worry too much, Clan Lord. For now, you should rest…”
“User Jung Hayeon.”
“Y-Yes?”
I cut Jung Hayeon off and immediately sat up. A few clan members reflexively started to rise with me, but they awkwardly sat back down when I looked down at them.
A moment of silence passed before I spoke in a low voice.
“Where is User Shin Sangyong right now?”