Chapter 58: Preparation (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 58: Preparation (5)
“Success...”
Thud.
His body collapsed.
Aldebaran indifferently extended a foreleg and caught Jung Hae-in's body as it fell through the air.
As if his consciousness had been completely severed, the residual heat slowly drained from his limp body.
After gazing down at him for a while, Aldebaran slowly turned his head.
His shoulder.
The once-hard shell was cracking, crumbling into dust and scattering.
The marks of countless wounds were carved deep into his shoulder.
-Hmm....
Aldebaran drew a quiet breath.
At first, his approach hadn't been bad.
He’d even held a slight expectation, but in the end, he had deemed this attempt another failure.
With that thought, he had been about to send him back.
But at the very end, his momentum shifted.
It was too different to be dismissed as a mere struggle or a final, desperate flare-up. It was as if... someone was helping him from the side.
Aldebaran slowly raised his gaze.
Far away, outside the mental world, a small human was huddled by Jung Hae-in's side.
A black-haired girl. She was clutching Jung Hae-in's body tightly, but that wasn't what caught Aldebaran's attention.
The aura flowing from her. It was something that even he could not disregard.
-....
Aldebaran slowly closed his eyes.
Would this be enough to work against them? It was a fine line.
He could neither declare it impossible nor guarantee it would be possible.
However, the fact that the boy was not alone this time—the black flame continuously flowing into him was proof of that.
Aldebaran gave a faint smile.
-Very well.
Normally, he would never have acknowledged this as passing the trial, but...
At a light gesture from him, Catastrophe, which had been lying on the ground, rose into the air by telekinesis.
And then.
Two of Aldebaran's claws touched the spear.
With a sound like striking metal, a vibration spread through the spear's shaft.
Catastrophe's aura surged violently.
On the obsidian spearhead, red engravings were carved.
With this.
The trial is passed.
What comes next is up to the boy.
Is the path he forged for himself truly open?
Or is it a path led by mere coincidence?
Aldebaran quietly looked down at the wound Jung Hae-in had left.
And then, the corner of his mouth lifted, just slightly.
*
“Ah, hell.”
I shot up.
I remember shattering the shell and falling through the air.
But... I don't remember anything after that.
'Don't tell me I failed.'
For a moment, my heart sank.
I frantically looked around before my eyes shot to Catastrophe.
There lay the transformed spear.
To its simple, black exterior, red engravings that flowed along its surface had been added.
It felt as if they were pulsing slowly, holding a faint light like living blood vessels.
I slowly reached out and gripped the spear's handle.
'I did it.'
A faint smile touched my lips.
The second trial. I passed.
Now I can borrow a fraction of his power.
There were still many trials left, but for now, this was enough.
“You're... awake?”
A low, languid voice.
I turned my head.
Sion was rubbing her eyes as she sat up. A good amount of time must have passed, as it seemed she had fallen asleep next to me.
She must have been standing guard until I woke up and drifted off.
I casually reached out and brushed back the hair that had fallen over her forehead.
Her forehead was still warm.
Sion looked up at me with dazed eyes.
“I succeeded.”
I said with confidence.
As I spoke, the power flowing through my body felt even more distinct.
All preparations were complete.
Now, the time for the decisive battle was approaching.
*
A golden weekend.
But Kang A-rin was heading across the city to the Arcadia Temple.
She couldn't rest; there was too much to prepare. She had judged this to be the most critical juncture.
She could have taken a car with her executive secretary for a comfortable ride, but...
Her every move tended to be documented by the press.
Therefore, to further solidify her relationship with Arcadia, she chose to walk directly through the temple's main gate.
When Kang A-rin walked, the street would fall into a momentary silence.
Her hair, tinged with a black luster, swayed and shimmered under the sunlight.
Onlookers whispered from a distance.
“Isn't that Kang A-rin?”
“She's so pretty...”
“What's she doing at the temple?”
She was already a star.
A businesswoman, a hero-in-training, and a talented individual all in one.
It was only natural that eyes were drawn to her wherever she went.
As Kang A-rin entered, a priest working at the desk hastily shot up from his seat.
“Lady Kang A-rin!!”
A familiar priest. Probably one of Cheon Yeo-wool's people.
So, Kang A-rin offered a gentle smile and a wave.
“Hello~ I'm here for my appointment with the Saintess.”
The priest blinked, looking a little flustered.
An expression of awkwardness.
“Ah! Yes, of course, but... the Saintess is currently offering her afternoon prayers to the Goddess. Could you possibly wait just a little while? She should be finished soon!”
She suppressed the laugh bubbling up inside her.
Her, praying?
To whom, exactly?
She looked up at the ceiling.
In the center of the magnificent dome-shaped structure, a giant statue of the Goddess floated in mid-air.
The sacred being that protected the heart of the temple.
She didn't know for sure, but the object of those prayers probably wasn't that statue.
Kang A-rin shook her head.
“It's fine. I'll just wait here.”
Kang A-rin casually made her way to a sofa set up on one side of the temple.
The leather-covered sofa was soft, and the faint scent inside the temple tickled her nose.
She crossed her legs and leaned back leisurely.
How many minutes had passed?
From the other side of the hall, Cheon Yeo-wool emerged.
Her white ceremonial robes swayed lightly as she moved.
The soft lighting flowed down her body.
The gentle curve that continued past her slender waist.
Her hips were deep and full, exuding an elegant aura even through her clothes.
A silhouette that was at once sacred and sensually captivating.
'...How annoying.'
Looking at that... enormous something soured her mood.
Objectively, she also had an excellent figure, but Cheon Yeo-wool was different.
How to put it... If she was firm, Cheon Yeo-wool was soft and supple. A squishy feeling, perhaps.
Not knowing what he might prefer, she just felt a pure, unadulterated annoyance.
“Have you been waiting long?”
Cheon Yeo-wool approached with a radiant smile.
It was a smooth and perfect diplomatic response.
But what was this feeling, like something was churning inside her?
However, she was a professional.
“Not at all~ I was so busy admiring the temple that I didn't even notice the time.”
Just as Cheon Yeo-wool and Kang A-rin were about to head naturally toward the reception room, Yohan walked out of the prayer room on the opposite side.
In that instant.
Yohan instinctively flinched.
The moment his eyes met Kang A-rin's, a sharp shiver ran down his spine, however brief.
The memory of being beaten by her made Yohan reluctant to face her.
Yohan quickly averted his gaze.
It seemed even making eye contact was too much for him.
But Kang A-rin didn't even spare him a thought.
From the start, she had considered him something less than human, and Cheon Yeo-wool was no different.
The two of them walked past Yohan without any reaction.
But just then.
A bishop, considered to be in Yohan's faction, came out of the prayer room.
He spotted Kang A-rin, and his expression brightened as he extended a hand.
“Hahaha, to think I'd meet the noble lady of Glory here. A pleasure! We at Arcadia have always maintained a good relationship with...”
Externally, that was true, but internally, things were completely different.
To be precise, only Cheon Yeo-wool's faction within Arcadia had a close relationship with Glory, not Arcadia as a whole.
The entire Cult cooperative with Glory? What a joke.
The leader of the Cult was also well aware of this.
However, this was a calculated move, made because countless eyes were watching them here.
'Kang A-rin will surely be conscious of the public eye.'
The Bishop smiled to himself.
Now it was her turn to accept the handshake and show off their alliance.
However, to Kang A-rin, something was more important than public perception.
As if by a silent agreement, she and Cheon Yeo-wool ignored his outstretched hand with cold expressions and entered the reception room.
'Filthy.'
She didn't have the slightest intention of touching that disgusting hand.
*
Inside the quiet reception room, their conversation continued.
“So, you're saying you'll have Maengju's people on standby too?” Cheon Yeo-wool asked, taking a sip of her tea.
“I made a counter-proposal to the Association,” Kang A-rin replied, leisurely crossing her legs.
“They were a bit taken aback, but adding more personnel isn't a bad thing, so they'll accept it soon enough.”
Jung Hae-in had specifically requested help only from the Paladins, but Kang A-rin couldn't just stand by and do nothing.
There were two weeks left until that day.
Each of them had a role to play.
“Is Glory coming?” Cheon Yeo-wool asked.
Glory was Maengju's first team. If they came, they would be a huge help.
“No,” Kang A-rin said curtly.
“I heard they're going to the US with Maengju to demonstrate a Fragment.”
Cheon Yeo-wool's eyes narrowed.
Then she asked with a smile, “The one you're going to use?”
The Fragment, of which there are only four in the world.
One had settled securely with Jung Hae-in, and the remaining three were their share.
One of them was embedded in the basement of the Pentagon, but the US had recently invited influential figures from all over the world, claiming they had discovered how to use the Fragment and would demonstrate it.
“They'll fail, though.”
Kang A-rin scoffed.
Cheon Yeo-wool also nodded.
A brief silence.
“Hoo...”
The difficulty of the battle ahead was full of spikes.
Kang A-rin believed that if they could just resolve this, things would be peaceful for a while.
So, they had to set things right, no matter what.
This turning point would be the most critical juncture for him, the man she loved so dearly, as well.
She rolled the teacup with her fingertips.
The cool scent of tea enveloped the space.
“Let's... do this right.”
“Yeah.”
This time, at least, they were all of the same mind.
The decisive battle was slowly drawing near.