Chapter 484: The Downfall Of The Coran Union.
Chapter 484: The Downfall Of The Coran Union.
Closing the door behind me, I saw a straight corridor stretching ahead, with prison cells neatly arranged on either side. They were almost all empty now, but just two years ago, these cells had been packed with Vagabonds and people from the Western Continent. I’d heard they were built to hold prisoners of war before selling them as slaves, but they felt more like rooms than actual prison cells.
“Aaaargh! Aaaaaaaaargh! Park Tae-jiiiiiiin!”
The shouting from the meeting room continued. After a quick glance back, I turned and walked toward the entrance. And there, leaning casually against the wall, was someone quietly waiting for me... another me.
“Still like that?”
“It has been a while since I was in a man's body. I was just enjoying the feeling for a moment, Mother.”
“How many times do I have to tell you? I don't have a child like you. Anyway, we need to go, so change back.”
“Hohoho.”
With a feminine laugh, my other self straightened up. Ah, so this is what self-loathing feels like.
Of course, I knew it wasn't really me, but seeing a perfect copy of my own face was inherently unpleasant. Perhaps sensing my displeasure, a bright light burst forth from the figure. A moment later, a woman with flowing, jet-black hair stood there, smiling serenely.
It was Helena Lu Ayens.
*
Shin Hyuk, now alone, was quite a sight to behold. His once-listless eyes were bloodshot, his face contorted in a grimace. His hands, gripping the table, were trembling visibly, and his lips moved ceaselessly as if muttering to himself. It was so bad that the guard who came to collect him flinched in surprise.
The sight of a grown man weeping was somewhat pathetic, yet there was also something chilling about it. And if anyone had known the full story—if such a person existed—they might have tried to stop Shin Hyuk right then and there.
“Kekekek... Incredible... Absolutely incredible... I was perfectly checkmated... Kehehehek...”
There was no need to overthink the situation. In fact, it was quite simple.
Everything had been going according to plan, right up until he received the equipment from the Mercenary Clan. He was sure of it. But Park Taejin's intervention threw it all into chaos. He used Park Hwanhee to quell any suspicions and keep him distracted. Then, just before the plan came to fruition, he delivered a brilliant checkmate.
Why hadn't he considered Park Taejin? He had the motive, the means to act—he was the most likely culprit.
Yes. If it was Park Taejin, everything fit perfectly. Even Park Hwanhee's words made sense.
‘No! I didn't confess the plan!’
If the other party was Park Taejin, there was no need to confess. He already knew.
‘Hyung! I'm not a spy!’
If the other party was Park Taejin, this statement also held true. Both he and Park Taejin belonged to the same union. Even if he had acted as a spy against Shin Hyuk, if it was for Park Taejin's benefit, it could be framed as being for the union. It was highly likely the Crystal of Truth wouldn't have reacted.
Honestly, after hearing only Kim Soohyun's side, Shin Hyuk had considered the possibility of a third party within the union. But now, he was certain Park Taejin was the mastermind. Because that crystal ball was the most definitive and powerful piece of evidence. With a little thought, he could even guess what Park Taejin had said.
Finally finishing his long train of thought, Shin Hyuk steadied his staggering body. His mind was calmer than before, but it was still simmering, like a volcano on the verge of eruption.
‘Yes, it doesn't matter. The union is one big family, after all. Whatever the outcome, I will accept it gracefully.’
“And he had the gall to say that...!”
Blood, which had stopped flowing, began to trickle from his clenched fist again. Now quiet, Shin Hyuk stared blankly ahead for a long time, his expression dazed.
Then, at some point, his eyes fell upon the crystal ball sitting under the window. The recording crystal, containing the video of Park Taejin, Baek Du-san, and Jo Seungwoo. Kim Soohyun hadn't taken it; he'd left it behind.
It was then that a thought flashed through Shin Hyuk's mind like a bolt of lightning.
“……”
Maybe... just maybe... he left it on purpose.
His hand, about to grab the crystal, froze. It clenched as if to grasp it, then trembled and opened, repeating the motion. Why did he leave it? Does he want something from me with this?
After about ten minutes of hesitation, Shin Hyuk's head snapped up. Park Taejin was sitting in front of him. Not in reality, of course—it was merely a hallucination born from his turbulent emotions. And this phantom was speaking to him with a solemn face.
‘Do you even have the right to say such things? Who's to blame for this mess in the first place? It's all because of your pathetic greed! Everything's been ruined! ...Anyway, just wait quietly. We're not sitting around doing nothing. But if I were you... if I were in your shoes... I would have taken responsibility for this situation somehow. For the sake of the union.’
And in that instant, a fierce light flashed in his endlessly sunken eyes. Without further hesitation, he placed his hand on the crystal ball and, at the same time, called loudly for the guard. The guard came running at his call. And the moment he saw Shin Hyuk, he was slightly, but visibly, startled.
“Guard. There's a User—no, some Users I'd like to meet with personally.”
“Hmm. As a prisoner, you can't really request a meeting...”
“Then can you tell the Users I name to come visit me soon? If you do that for me, I'll reward you handsomely.”
“...Well, I suppose that would be fine.”
As he jotted down the names Shin Hyuk listed, the guard glanced furtively at him. He had expected Shin Hyuk to throw a fit when he’d initially refused. He had been outside, but he’d heard all the shouting. Yet, far from causing a scene, Shin Hyuk was now speaking in a calm, persuasive tone.
But this was even more terrifying. His face and voice were perfectly calm, but his eyes held a greasy sheen. They would occasionally flash wildly, making him look like a madman.
After hearing a final, earnest plea, the guard turned away quickly. An inexplicable sense of dread washed over him. He had a feeling he shouldn't get involved in this. So, deciding to grant the request for now and apply for a transfer soon, he escorted Shin Hyuk back to his cell.
Time flew like an arrow.
It took about four days for the guard to deliver Shin Hyuk's message to the Coran Union. The delay was due to him waiting for his transfer request to be approved. Still, the guard dutifully performed his task, and after confirming the arrival of the new guard and the new Users, he left the prison with his pre-packed belongings.
The new arrivals weren't prisoners, but Shin Hyuk's own subordinates—the same men who had previously kidnapped Park Hwanhee.
In truth, while the entire union was in turmoil, the clan that suffered the most damage was the Southern Conquest. With Shin Hyuk as its lord, it bore the brunt of the criticism. The records Kim Soohyun had distributed detailed the Southern Conquest's attacks on other clans within the union. Of course, the other clans were hardly blameless, but based on what had been revealed, the Southern Conquest was now an outcast, abandoned by all.
Consequently, they had lost the most members and subordinate clans, but some Users still remained. These were the loyal retainers who had been with Shin Hyuk from the very beginning.
Upon hearing that their Clan Lord was looking for them, they came running without a second thought. But when they saw Shin Hyuk sitting in the meeting room, they gasped. Whatever had happened during his time here, his appearance had changed drastically compared to before he was imprisoned. Only his eyes were alive, radiating an intense light.
“Hyung-nim...”
“Skip the pleasantries. You can tell how I'm doing just by looking at me. Anyway, did you find out what I asked you to?”
“Huh? Y-Yes, sir. We did.”
“Then tell me. What is Park Taejin doing right now?”
“He... He said he's going to the Sleeping Dragon Mountains. To conduct a proper investigation.”
“The Sleeping Dragon Mountains? Really?”
Shin Hyuk's eyes flashed. The man seemed to hesitate for a moment before leaning in and continuing in a hushed whisper.
“Actually, from what I've secretly gathered... the investigation is just a pretext. ...It's just for show. There are rumors that he's actually going to excavate a ruin in the same direction. It seems he got a tip from somewhere.”
“So, the investigation is bullshit, and he's just going to cool his head? And swing his sword around a bit while he's at it.”
“...That's right.”
“I had a feeling, but this confirms it. That bastard Park Taejin never fails to disappoint me. A gift from the Mercenary Clan? He played me for a fool until the very end! Hahaha! Well, in a way, he wasn't wrong. On the surface, it looks like he's not just sitting around.”
Shin Hyuk burst into loud laughter. His men exchanged bewildered glances. Abruptly cutting off his laughter, Shin Hyuk let out a long sigh and took out a crystal ball. He immediately played the video and pushed it forward.
“Don't say anything. Just watch.”
The men faithfully obeyed. The sight of several burly men huddled together, peering at a single crystal ball, was quite comical. But no one would be laughing if they saw the contents of the recording, or the way the men's expressions changed as the video played.
After a short time, the light from the crystal ball died out. The men who had watched it to the end were all silent. But soon, they all raised their heads in unison, glaring at the other side with wide eyes. Shin Hyuk was smiling faintly. One of the men stammered in a voice full of disbelief.
“Hyung-nim! Don't tell me Taejin-hyung...!”
“That's right. 'Hyung'? Don't make me laugh. That bastard is the mastermind behind this whole incident.”
“But... why? Why would he do this? Aren't we family? How could he do this to his own family...!”
“Why? Isn't it obvious? Because he thought I was going to take the top spot. Because he was afraid of me becoming number one. That's why he pulled this dirty trick. To bring me and the Southern Conquest down. A friendly competition? Family? Does this look like a friendly competition to you? Does this look like family? Bullshit!”
“...”
“Should I just sit back and take this?”
Shin Hyuk's final words carried a great deal of weight. The bewildered men looked at each other, then stared out the window, unsure of what to do. Shin Hyuk slammed his fist on the table and ground his teeth.
“Right. At this point, I don't really care what happens to me. But it's different for Park Taejin, and for you all. I can't stand the thought of him leading the union, spouting nonsense about 'family' after I'm gone. And I can't bear to see you all cast out by the union.”
“Then... what should we do? Do we release this?”
“No, that's not enough. We have to turn everything upside down. We have more than enough justification, so we need to crush Park Taejin and all those bastards. If we can win, we'll at least be able to secure a place for ourselves within the union.”
“...Sir?”
The man questioned him. It was understandable, given the Southern Conquest Clan's current dire state. And even setting Serengeti aside, the Su Clan was one of the most powerful combat clans in the union. The Southern Conquest had an ally in Artemis, but that would only matter if both were at full strength. If they declared a clan war in their current condition? Defeat was a foregone conclusion.
“I know what the situation is. But don't worry too much. I have a plan.”
But Shin Hyuk spoke in a calm voice, as if he had already anticipated this. The men swallowed hard.
“Listen carefully to what I'm about to say. We have no chance of winning in a direct confrontation. So, first...”
*
A dark night. The desert night was terribly quiet and desolate. If by day it was nothing but a red, sandy plain devoid of vegetation, by night it was a vast, empty expanse where the pitch-black darkness revealed nothing. Only the moon in the sky illuminated the ground, and a wind from somewhere unknown occasionally swirled around the campsite.
“Hey! Hwanhee-ah! Hwanhee-ah? Park Hwanhee!”
A man was circling the outskirts of the camp, calling someone's name. The man was Baek Du-san, the Clan Lord of Serengeti and a User who was like a brother to Park Taejin.
Baek Du-san was in the Red Desert because Park Hwanhee's recent request had been granted. Thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to make the trip, Park Taejin had made his first official announcement since the incident.
In short, he publicly stated that he was going to the Sleeping Dragon Mountains to conduct a detailed investigation. Of course, his real intention was to buy time, make a show of action, and excavate the ruin while he was at it, but it wasn't an entirely unreasonable story, so most Users accepted it.
Park Taejin was very generous to the subordinates who trusted and followed him. That day, he selected only the most trustworthy Users from the Su and Serengeti clans and told them the true purpose of their departure from the city. Then, pretending to head for the Sleeping Dragon Mountains, they secretly diverted to the location Kim Soohyun had told them about.
At first, even Park Taejin had been skeptical, but now, a week after leaving the city, they had actually found the ruin.
“Park Hwanhee! Where the hell did that guy go?”
“He probably just went to bed early. Stop worrying and go get some sleep yourself, Hyung-nim.”
The reason Baek Du-san was looking for Park Hwanhee was that they had been on watch duty together just moments before. They had been guarding the perimeter and cracking jokes only ten minutes ago, but when it was time for the shift change, Park Hwanhee had vanished in the short time it took to wake up the next watch. Baek Du-san let out a low groan and frantically looked around.
“No way. He wouldn't do that... Hey. You don't think he went into the ruin first, do you?”
“What kind of nonsense is that? Hwanhee isn't you, Hyung-nim. No matter how curious he was, he wouldn't do that. Besides, Taejin-hyung said we'd start exploring the ruin tomorrow morning. Or maybe he just went to relieve himself...”
“Ah. That could be it. I didn't think of that. Hahaha.”
“Anyway... We'll take it from here, so, Hyung-nim... Huh?”
Baek Du-san slapped his forehead and let out a hearty laugh. Just then, the other man, who had been yawning and patting his mouth, suddenly noticed something and turned his gaze to one side. He narrowed his eyes slightly.
“That's strange. I feel a presence approaching...”
“It's probably Hwanhee.”
“No, that's not it. It feels like more than one person...?”
“Huh?”
The man trailed off and took a step forward, as if to get a better look. He slowly craned his neck.
Thwip!
Thud!
In an instant, an arrow shot from the darkness pierced the man's head. It must have been imbued with magic, because it didn't just pierce his skull—it blew it to pieces. With a wet thud, a fountain of blood erupted as the man's body collapsed. It hit the sand, twitched a few times, and then fell still.
“...”
“...”
Baek Du-san, and the other man too, both stared blankly at the fallen body. It had happened so suddenly that their minds went blank.
And in that very moment.
Fwoom! Fwoooom!
Swish! Swish-swish-swish!
Countless fireballs suddenly lit up the dark sky, followed by a considerable number of arrows. They were all aimed precisely at the campsite, raining down from above.
Finally snapping back to his senses, Baek Du-san roared in a hoarse voice.
“Ambush! We're under attack!”
But was it too late?
A moment later, piercing screams echoed as massive flames erupted from the campsite.
