Chapter 442
Chapter 442
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 442
Chapter Title: Black Dragon Society (4)
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The Black Dragon Society smoothly integrated into the Masquerade as a subordinate organization, thanks to the full cooperation of its leader, the Black Dragon Lord.
They had kept a close eye on them, suspecting some hidden agenda, but no suspicious activity turned up.
It really seemed like all they wanted was to make contact and join up, just as the Black Dragon Lord himself had said.
But it wasn't like they could fully let their guard down either.
Just in case, they'd dispatched Black Shadow—a vampire who had fallen under Heinz's control upon turning—who could respond immediately if any issues arose.
Considering how useful they were, the best move for now was to keep things at this level of oversight and watch them for a while.
'I never intended to trust them completely from the start anyway. You never know where a spy might be hiding.'
That went for not just the newly joined Black Dragon Society, but all the other organizations as well.
Including the vampire clans based in Europe, the Burning Torch operating in Southeast Asia, and even the new intel agents Harley had personally recruited.
Every group maintained strict independence and surveillance systems to ensure betrayal in one wouldn't ripple to the others.
Only he alone had a clear grasp of their situations and direct control over them.
It was a hassle, but necessary to counter the Reverse Heaven Society, which wielded influence over the world's shadows and the entire planet.
'They can't compare to the Reverse Heaven Society, but securing the Black Dragon Society—seasoned survivors on Chinese soil—is a huge gain. No matter how you slice it, they've proven their capabilities by lasting this long in enemy territory.'
On top of that, taking in the Black Dragon Lord, who knew their inner workings intimately as their former branch head, was an unexpected bonus.
And as expected, he'd acquired the key to Hugo's growth: a compilation of martial principles from countless Murim dimensions...
All in all, it was nothing but profit.
"Hoo."
But even as he sat in his massage chair with eyes gently closed as usual, his mind wasn't at ease.
All because of a certain fact he'd learned through the Black Dragon Lord.
"Half of Earth's humans...? Ha! This is insane."
That alone amounted to billions—an astronomical number.
And that was just the minimum estimate.
In the worst case, up to 90% of humanity could face mass death.
When he'd pressed the Black Dragon Lord for more details,
he had no choice but to admit the man wasn't exaggerating.
'They're going to destroy other dimensions, plunder their energy, and dump it all onto Earth at once?'
In order to sprout new mysteries in this ability-barren land.
That was the ultimate goal their Reverse Heaven Society Lord had proclaimed, as relayed by the Black Dragon Lord.
"What's scarier is that it's not a joke."
It wasn't just a human issue.
This would unleash a planet-wide cataclysm on par with world-ending destruction.
Earth wasn't called an ability wasteland for nothing.
Among the countless known dimensions, some had environments and civilizations similar to this one.
But none were as utterly devoid of mysteries—not just in humans, but in animals, plants, and minerals alike.
'If a massive influx of energy suddenly hits this world, where even non-awakened have no resistance to abilities...'
It would be full-scale terraforming, uprooting the very foundations of the world.
Those who couldn't adapt to the violent changes would simply die off.
Of course, the Reverse Heaven Society Lord had no intention of completely annihilating the world and was taking steps to minimize casualties in his own way.
The problem was that those "steps" were essentially offering human sacrifices through global terrorist acts.
'Sacrificing the few for the many, huh.'
His grip tightened involuntarily.
He couldn't help feeling foul about unwittingly becoming one of those sacrificed "few."
Thanks to it, inanimate objects like minerals could absorb mysteries without issue, and only a certain percentage of flora and fauna would mutate into monsters rather than going fully extinct.
The issue was humans—Earth's sole intelligent lifeforms, the most complex beings.
'And even in the best outcome, half of them die.'
He loosened his clenched fist, rubbed his eyes, and let out a small sigh.
Even with a body far beyond ordinary human limits, an inexplicable fatigue washed over him.
'Why? What the hell is driving him to this? He already has that much power.'
He could understand if it came from another Awakened.
It didn't apply to him, still active across dimensions, but those who returned to Earth often felt a sense of loss from their stalled growth—a common enough issue.
Many even regretted coming back, so wanting to reshape the world to regain their former momentum wasn't so strange.
'But the Reverse Heaven Society Lord has no such need. His power already borders on true divinity, and he can traverse dimensions at will.'
For control, more subjects were always better.
But terror rule had limits; massacring billions made no sense.
So there must be something beyond mere domination...
'Does he want to become Earth's god that badly?'
Then, a snippet from the Black Dragon Lord flashed through his mind.
-"The Lord is already utterly mad. He believes only he embodies justice, and this is the best path. He'll do anything to achieve his goal."
It was the mindset of a fanatic.
Even if it meant billions of innocent deaths, he wouldn't care.
Because he firmly believed it was the righteous way.
"...Well, fine. Whatever his intentions, I can't just sit idly by."
No matter what the Reverse Heaven Society Lord schemed, his own task remained unchanged.
To eliminate the culprit who killed his family and dismantle the Reverse Heaven Society completely.
After a moment's thought, he opened the Karma Shop and checked the bottom section.
⚙ SYSTEM NOTIFICATION ⚙ Karma Ownership Rate (6%) A figure one percent higher than when he'd first seen it.
Since acquiring "Karma Shop Ver.3 Update" after surpassing 20 million karma, with no major expenditures, his reserves had only kept growing.
Even as various events unfolded on Earth, the harvest from his otherworld farmstead continued steadily.
'Ownership rate.'
He didn't think the number simply represented karma points.
Especially not right after learning the Reverse Heaven Society Lord's ambitions from the Black Dragon Lord.
'No way he can pull off something that massive just with brute force.'
He was already bound by all sorts of constraints, wasn't he?
Apart from destroying other dimensions to gather karma and divinity, fulfilling conditions on Earth made more sense for his plans.
"That must be what this ownership rate is."
Then his path was clear.
Maximize the ownership rate as much as possible.
Secure enough shares to stand as one of Earth's stakeholders and oppose the Lord's scheme.
'No matter how many worlds he destroys, he won't be able to touch this one.'
No, that wasn't enough.
This was just his speculation, after all.
Instead of playing pure defense, he needed a more proactive approach.
Right—like, for example—
'There must be more than one or two worlds like Ganghwan Realm on the brink because of his plundering.'
The Lord roamed other dimensions wrecking worlds for this plan.
Disrupting that was essential.
Of course, with countless dimensions known, focusing on one task might be more efficient than wandering aimlessly...
"Doesn't concern me."
His bodies weren't limited to one.
He could handle multiple things simultaneously if needed.
'Still... to proceed smoothly, I should tidy up the backlog first.'
He closed his eyes and focused on his avatars scattered across realms.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ The Black Dragon Lord sat on a park bench, gazing quietly at the sky.
A clear blue expanse dotted with fluffy white clouds—perfect weather.
"Hello! Grandpa!"
Just then, a passing child greeted him with a bright smile.
He smiled kindly back at the kid.
This was a park in an affluent neighborhood clustered with age-segregated schools.
With wealthy homes nearby, security was top-notch, and passersby wore relaxed expressions.
Of course, the kids weren't so naive as to greet strange old men without reservation.
The fact that the child had approached so freely meant the Black Dragon Lord was a familiar sight.
He didn't come every day due to his duties, but he'd been sitting here watching the children pass by for over a decade now.
"Hey! Long time since karaoke..."
"More like, come to my place today..."
"Then on the way, grab some..."
Suddenly, a group of high school boys crossed the park, chatting lively in crisp uniforms.
The Black Dragon Lord's gaze settled on one boy among them.
"Ah! Hello, Grandpa."
"Oh, you're here today. Hi~!"
They exchanged greetings as their eyes met.
That was it, of course.
No matter how familiar from years of seeing him, expecting more from a stranger grandpa was a stretch.
But for him, that was plenty.
As the boys walked away, the Black Dragon Lord closed his eyes and tilted his head skyward.
Was it because he'd recently met Phantom, the Blood Alliance's master, and talked?
Suddenly, past memories surged back like a reflux.
The trigger for abandoning his Reverse Heaven Society branch head position.
The day he betrayed the Lord who had spared no support to help him surpass the Divine Realm's barrier.
"Haa."
Transported to another world leaving his newlywed wife behind, he'd luckily returned intact.
Even more fortunate: despite the undisclosed nature of otherworld transfers back then, his wife had waited over a year for his missing self.
But the joy of safe return was short-lived.
He plunged into despair upon realizing one fact.
As an early returnee, he hadn't known growth would halt upon returning to Earth.
The Society's support ensured a lavish life, but he couldn't care less.
Teetering at the peak of the Flower Realm, his obsession with strength grew daily.
Regretting his return, he neglected even his waiting wife, fixated solely on breaching the barrier.
That manic fixation paid off after years of trials: he finally crossed into the Divine Realm.
Along with the perk "Heaven Defier," earned as Earth's first to transcend on its soil.
He lost his youth as the price, but it was worth it for the gains.
Still, showing this aged form to his wife felt wrong.
So their last meeting was just before the breakthrough; he never sought her again.
Leaving only enough wealth for luxury.
He pressed on vigorously as a lone martial artist and the Society's East Asia branch head.
Then, months later,
the moment struck abruptly.
Like today, the weather was clear and sunny.
But he had no leisure to admire the sky, charging ahead blindly.
Ignoring the wrecked roads and casualties in his wake.
At the hospital he reached,
the aged Black Dragon Lord finally confronted him.
The killer of his wife.
The wrinkled enemy's face twisted in a grimace.
His lips twitching mockingly, just like hers.
Yet he couldn't bring himself to hate the man.
The real fault lay with himself for abandoning her alone.
-"Are you the guardian for the mother? We did everything we could, but she arrived in such a weakened state..."
-"Fortunately, the baby is fine. We'll need to monitor closely for a while, but..."
He carefully embraced his enemy.
The tiny life wriggling in his arms.
The sole legacy he and she left in this world.
And thanks to "Heaven Defier" letting him glimpse heaven's secrets, he intuitively knew.
This child had no place in the world the Lord envisioned.
Without hesitation, he vanished with the baby.
"Heaven Defier," which defied cosmic order, hid his presence and falsified the child's identity, placing her with a kind couple.
As an anonymous benefactor, he gifted them a home in this affluent area and watched her grow from afar.
Too wary of pursuit to visit directly, he lingered in this park, waiting for chance encounters.
'Heh, this wait is nothing.'
The Black Dragon Lord slowly rose from his seat.
Turning away from his enemy's receding back—visible after so long—he stepped forward.
To fulfill the mission left to him: protecting her trace so it would never fade again.