Chapter 98
Chapter 98
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 98
Chapter Title: Revolution's Prison (2)
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"Th-that crazy...!"
Before the wraiths could even panic, the group panicked first. One might wonder if the foothills centipede's scream truly deserved to be called a scream. The sky seemed to tear open, and the earth trembled. The cry was so enormous that they could scarcely take it all in with their ears. In fact, their ears didn't even hurt.
The problem was the centipede's writhing body. It wasn't recognizing them as enemies and attacking. It was just twisting like someone who had stubbed their toe on a rock, screaming and rolling on the ground.
But when its master's bulk was as vast as a mountain, that thrashing was no longer mere thrashing.
The ground collapsed. Mountains crumbled. House-sized boulders shot up like flying gravel, and trees that had grown for decades—perhaps centuries—were uprooted like weeds. Amid the cascade of earth pouring down like a waterfall, the battle ground to a halt.
"Anya, get down!"
Ban swung his sword. A boulder that had nearly crushed Anya slammed into the flat of his blade and ricocheted away. Anya grimaced and bellowed.
"I get it! I get it! But this is too much!"
"No choice! Everyone, gather up quick! If we just activate the return stone...!"
Ban turned mid-sentence and swung behind him. The afterimages of his broadsword scattered through the air, deflecting every flying stone chasing them.
'...Can we even make it?'
The busier his hands got and the more urgent the situation became, the faster thoughts flooded Ban's mind. Dodging the centipede's thrashing was trouble enough, but the endless barrage of stones was the real issue. Someone had to deflect them... and even if White Flame handled that, they needed someone to keep the Wraith Legion from closing in.
'We can't win.'
Even if they did, the pursuit squad would catch them eventually. But if someone had to get caught, it had to be him. With the Seonwoo Clan behind him, the revolutionaries wouldn't dare treat him roughly.
"Anya! Fall back!"
Ban shoved Anya behind him. She stared at him in shock.
"What?! Why all of a sudden?!"
"I'm buying time! So in the meantime, you...!"
"Cut the nonsense! You want me to leave you behind right now? After you couldn't abandon me back then?!"
"Anya, please...!"
"No way! I won't! I can't!"
White Flame erupted from Anya's body like an explosion. It was so dense and volatile that even Kizl, with his superior mastery, flinched.
"If we die, we die together! If we live, we live together!"
"...Anya!"
Ban bit his lip. Should he tell her that even if the revolutionaries caught him, he wouldn't be in real danger? But that would mean revealing his identity.
Did he really have to tell her everything? And at a time like this?
"Hmm."
But Ban didn't need to worry any longer.
"You know how to fight smart."
Just as a calm voice, utterly out of place in the chaos, reached them from somewhere—
Boom!
The writhing centipede's head slammed into the ground. It was a surreal sight. That massive head, which could devour castle walls, shattered and pulped into the earth in an instant.
The headless body twitched, then stilled. Tambi stared blankly at the scene, quietly pocketing the hand holding the return stone. As the commotion died down, wraiths began slipping into their midst one by one.
"The Drampo Clan's teleporter would do well to abandon futile thoughts. You're already within my 'domain.' No matter how strong the mark of the teleportation array clings to you, you won't be able to use your power."
"...Kgh."
Tambi groaned. Ban, meanwhile, couldn't even manage that. His grip on the broadsword slackened. Yuri didn't warn him either. She was just as stunned.
— ...Is that thing even human?
Thanks to Ropo, Ban could now peer into realms beyond space and time. He no longer saw the world merely with his eyes. Which was why, gazing at the man before him, he could only shudder at what dwelled within that body.
He was the dawn.
Straddling the border of twilight and daybreak, the man brimmed with a darkness no human should possess. Even Kishin trembled and shrieked.
— Run! No, wait—slash! Slash that betrayer of darkness!
'...Can I even reach him?'
He gauged the distance. Visually, it was about thirty paces at most. For Ban's skill, that was no distance at all.
And yet, it felt impossibly far. No matter how hard he sprinted, no matter how devastating a strike he unleashed, it seemed it would never touch the man. Like stars and the moon in the night sky—right there in front of him, yet forever out of reach.
'...Stronger than Lord Muryeong?'
At the very least, not weaker. A power Ban couldn't even fathom slumbered within him. Hadn't he just put that disaster of a centipede to sleep with ease?
Every nerve in Ban's body sharpened like a blade. Years of experience, talent, untapped potential—all rose to calculate every possibility. But the conclusion was inescapable: he couldn't match this foe.
"...I've heard many rumors about the Revolutionary Corps' leader, but I never imagined you'd be this terrifying."
Ban spoke slowly. The Revolutionary Corps' leader, Ubowo the Gravekeeper. Speculation about his strength abounded, but consensus held he rivaled the heads of the Nine Great Clans.
'Top among the Nine Great Clans... no, perhaps even above them.'
Cold sweat trickled down. If the man willed it, everyone here was as good as dead.
Kizl was the first to raise his hands. He'd grasped the hopelessness early. And if Ubowo's words held true, escape was impossible.
"...If we surrender without bloodshed, can we expect treatment free of blood's stench?"
"You speak as if you have options."
At Ubowo's words, Kizl bowed his head. He clenched his fist, then slowly opened his palm in defeat.
"We surrender."
§
Under the Wraith Legion's strict escort, they were transported to Pendel Prison. Everyone except Siraz walked on their own two feet. Pendel being the revolutionaries' stronghold was already out in the open, but still, it paid to show Siraz as little as possible.
"...What do you think will happen to us?"
"They haven't killed us yet, so they're probably planning to treat us as prisoners... Who knows? Maybe trade us as bargaining chips. If not, they'll kill us."
"To think my life ends without even finding the coordinates..."
Tambi muttered gloomily. Ban glanced at Hwan. He was trying to play it cool, but fear couldn't be hidden. Not even trembling hands could be concealed.
Pendel almost didn't feel like night territory. It bustled with life far more than expected, like a night market under an endless sunless sky. Not just crowds of people, but wraiths mingled among them, drinking and eating. Some tree beasts lounged lazily, with children playing on their branches.
A scene unimaginable in the kingdom. But what truly captivated their eyes was something else.
'...How is that possible?'
Seeing White Flame burning here and there, Anya rubbed her eyes in disbelief. On second thought, it made sense. In this polluted place, no ordinary human could survive without White Flame.
What was strange was the absence of anyone resembling the Nahar Clan outwardly. It would make sense if Nahar traitors were tending the flames, but these were ordinary campfires. They occasionally sprinkled some powder-like substance into them. Each time, the flames roared brighter, driving back the darkness.
They didn't have long to stare. Amid the crowd's murmurs, the group—minus Siraz—was thrown into cells. Cut off from the lighthouse, they were isolated.
Once imprisoned, the group fell silent for a long while. With the return stone confiscated, no false hopes remained. Minds raced. No one came for a full day. The neglect only heightened their nerves.
Then—
"Prisoner, come out. The leader wants you."
"...Me?"
"Yeah. You, the swordsman. Just you."
"Wait, why only Ban? What's going on?"
"I don't recall permitting questions."
The guard—no, the wraith guard—fixed its dead black eyes on Anya. White Flame rose from her body, but Ban quickly gripped her shoulder.
"Don't worry. I'll be right back."
"...You know we have things to talk about, right?"
"Yeah."
Ban replied softly.
"So wait for me. You can chew me out later."
Ban turned away. For a moment, Anya reached for his shoulder, then stopped. She knew the mission was dangerous, but she'd naively assumed nothing like this would happen. Anya clenched her fist. She'd wanted to stand by his side.
That's why she'd trained.
Yet still, she remained at his back.
§
"Sit."
"..."
Ban silently eyed the chair Ubowo indicated, then slowly sat. Ubowo was a man of peculiar aura. In a sunless place, what had tanned him so? His skin was a dull ashen gray. One moment, his eyes burned with a youthful fire beyond youth's grasp; the next, his face slackened into an old man's ennui.
Watching Ubowo, Ban guessed he'd lived far longer than his appearance suggested. It was the same vibe he'd sensed from Erok.
"...What do you want from me?"
"I'll ask first. What brought you here? This isn't a place for a swordsman who's not even with the lighthouse."
"You called here a mere ordinary swordsman, neither Nahar nor Drampo."
Ban asked calmly.
"Doesn't that mean you already know who I am?"
"...Even in such dire straits, your mind doesn't stop turning."
Ubowo smiled.
"The Seonwoo Clan has gained a fine guardian."
As expected, he knew Ban was the Seonwoo Guardian. Whether from prior intel or deduction, Ban didn't know. He asked quietly.
"Does being a guardian earn me the leader's favor?"
"Favor... it's not quite favor, but it counts as a reason."
"How much favor are we talking?"
Ban met Ubowo's gaze steadily. He knew Ubowo was a powerhouse beyond challenge, but that very fact let him focus on the conversation without delusions.
"Forgiving me for discovering this place and freeing my comrades too... is that asking too much?"
"Haha, you ask for plenty. But... no, I don't think it's excessive. Though my answer depends on your attitude, of course."
"...What attitude do you want from me?"
"Attitude... well, for example, how about this?"
Ubowo turned his head. Beyond the window in his office, at the dark horizon's edge, the lighthouse's light gleamed faintly like a straight line.
"Look where I look, walk where I walk, make my enemies your enemies."
Ubowo's voice gained fervor. Words long held back. A confession long craved. With boyish excitement, he gazed at Ban.
"Become a rider under my revolution's banner. That kind of attitude."
"..."
Ban stared at Ubowo wordlessly. It was what he'd expected. But he still hadn't prepared an answer.
Anya's face came to mind. Her pretty features scrunched in tears and fury—it stung, yet warmed his heart somehow.
"Leader. I am a swordsman."
Ban replied.
"I can cut down a rider, but I cannot become one."