Chapter 143
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 144
Chapter Title: Alliances and Stirrings
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"……."
"……."
A heavy silence hung in the hospital room. Lee Se-hun wore a somewhat awkward expression as Ryu Eun-ha sat by his bedside, staring at him without a word.
'What kind of atmosphere is this...?'
It was understandable that she'd be worried after he'd been unconscious for a week, but her reaction seemed excessive.
Anyone would think she was the one who'd knocked him out, the way she looked consumed by guilt. When his body itched a little and he twitched slightly, she flinched and glanced at him nervously. Finally, Lee Se-hun cautiously opened his mouth.
"Um... Department Head."
"……Yes."
Her voice sounded similar to usual but somehow subdued. Forcing a smile, he replied.
"Professor Ahn said my condition is actually pretty good, so you don't need to worry too much. At this rate, I should be discharged in about a month."
"A month......"
Her expression darkened even further at the mention of his hospital stay. Lee Se-hun quickly added,
"And, uh, both my hands are fine too. No issues at all for blacksmithing, he said."
He hadn't said it quite that bluntly, but after teetering on the edge of death multiple times before his regression—walking a tightrope between life and oblivion—Lee Se-hun could size up the prognosis at a glance.
'If I tell her my hands are intact, she'll relax.'
For someone like Ryu Eun-ha, that would be her biggest concern.
But contrary to his expectations, her face didn't brighten.
"Still, this incident is partly my responsibility. If only I'd stayed at Babel......"
One of the criticisms leveled at Babel was that not a single S-rank faculty member had been on site.
In truth, such incidents often hinged dramatically on the presence of even one high-ranking hero, and other places typically kept someone on duty.
But Babel had its own defense.
"The president was there, so you all left. Honestly, this was an exception."
It was the Ascendant Emperor himself guarding the place—who wouldn't feel safe stepping away?
In this case, Myriad Demons' Mire had simply exploited the perfect opportunity, so those who'd left couldn't be blamed.
"Even so......"
Ryu Eun-ha remained downcast despite his reassurances. Rather than keep consoling her, Lee Se-hun changed the subject entirely.
"By the way, no get-well gifts? I was kinda looking forward to some......"
Given her personality, she'd surely brought a few things. They could chat about those and ease into other topics naturally.
As he thought that,
"Ah. I did bring some."
Instead of a gift basket, she pulled a subspatial pocket from her belt.
"A set of Jason fruit pulp supplements to boost recovery speed. Talismans to cleanse any lingering curses from your body. Ointment sets good for applying during rehab, and......"
Poke, poke.
A stream of gift boxes poured endlessly from the subspatial pocket, filling one side of the room.
Lee Se-hun's eyes widened at the unrelenting barrage of presents.
'What the...?'
Before his regression, she'd brought just a few health items. What was with the mountain this time?
As he gaped, Ryu Eun-ha kept going, explaining the items she'd prepared over the past week without pause.
"This is a device that blocks long-range sniping. It operates based on the user's senses, so it's tricky to use, but Cadet Lee Se-hun should handle it fine."
"Um......"
"And this is a Shadow Grit Armor set with performance and effects similar to the gear I lent you last time. As you can see, it's barely noticeable when worn, so you can layer it under your uniform."
She showed him a palm-sized disc device and a black cube-compressed suit.
All hero-grade items with excellent usability and top-tier performance—unless he unluckily ran into one of the Ten Evils on the street, he'd be untouchable.
Gazing at the pile of health aids and self-defense tools, and at Ryu Eun-ha rattling off explanations nonstop, Lee Se-hun thought,
'She must've been really shocked...'
It had seemed a bit much at first, but it made perfect sense.
The one person who'd finally understood and satisfied his tastes—the first in his life—had nearly died screaming while she was away for a moment.
No one else might care, but for Ryu Eun-ha, it must've been heart-stopping.
"Department Head."
"This is...... Yes?"
"I'm truly sorry for worrying you."
At his apology, she stared at him for a moment before straightening up with a serious expression.
"As Babel's department head and a fellow hero, I am deeply grateful and respectful of Cadet Lee Se-hun and your friends' actions in this incident."
"……."
"But as Ryu Eun-ha the individual, I ask... please value your own body more."
Lee Se-hun nodded at her heartfelt words.
"I'll keep that in mind."
He'd taken a major hit from an unexpected issue at the end, but now that he understood it, such mistakes wouldn't happen again.
Ryu Eun-ha met his eyes briefly, then nodded.
"I trust you."
The gloomy mood lifted slightly, and Lee Se-hun inwardly sighed in relief.
'If I get hurt again, she might straight-up confine me next time.'
Shaking off the idle thought, he smoothly shifted topics before the gift avalanche resumed.
"Speaking of which, what's the situation outside like? I checked some news on my phone, but nothing clear came up......"
Ryu Eun-ha pondered his question before answering.
"For now, a full investigation is underway on all staff and companies linked to this incident. And elsewhere, they're launching broad purges too."
The terrorism's root cause: long-hidden internal collaborators.
With many employees who'd worked over a decade, the entire hero industry was now hyper-aware of security.
"And the world is in turmoil over the Ten Evils—who'd been acting solo—finally uniting."
Mana crime had been rising lately, but that was just unease over public safety.
The Ten Evils, living calamities, combining forces? That was a threat on another level.
A single misstep could claim thousands, tens of thousands of lives.
Thus, the world was racking its brains for countermeasures.
"Hmm... Which way's it leaning?"
"Not clear yet, but strengthening cooperative frameworks led by the Hero Association. And talks of a full subjugation of the Ten Evils."
The cold war between humanity and Myriad Demons' Mire had kept major moves tacitly off-limits. But with the Ten Evils striking first at an Ascendant Emperor, inaction was no longer an option.
'Subjugating the Ten Evils...'
Before his regression, that hadn't been seriously discussed until after the Six Great Demon Gods emerged. Now it was decades early. Lee Se-hun pondered deeply.
'Might be good to take out a few in advance.'
Those among the Ten Evils who became Demon Gods later? Their potential alone made preemptive strikes wise.
If a subjugation force formed, he'd think of ways to exert influence there too. Shifting to another question,
"Any changes at Babel?"
From what he'd observed, Ludwig wouldn't quietly eat this loss.
Ryu Eun-ha gave a slightly ambiguous look.
"I'm not entirely sure. He seems to be preparing something......"
"Hmm......"
What could Babel do? As Lee Se-hun mulled possibilities,
Bzzz!
His phone vibrated suddenly. Checking the screen, a message from Jake popped up.
[President's major announcement underway!]
"......Major announcement?"
Sensing something ominous, Lee Se-hun grabbed the terminal on the table and turned on the room's TV.
No need to change channels—an emergency news banner dominated, with Ludwig at the podium below, broadcast worldwide.
[As Babel's responsible party and one hero among many, I feel profound responsibility for this incident.]
Ludwig spoke from Babel's central plaza—the same as the entrance ceremony—with Hero's Tower at his back. Lee Se-hun's eyes narrowed at the grave expression.
'What’s this guy scheming...?'
Declaring war on Myriad Demons' Mire, maybe?
As he puzzled, Ludwig continued onscreen.
[This incident made me realize Babel has operated too insularly, blind to the era's currents. Thus, I will restructure to align with changing times.]
What new system? In the unforeseen moment, everyone awaited his next words.
[Effective today, Babel will ally with UD Group and the Pilgrimage Church, overhauling our curriculum and security to fully nurture future heroes.]
The moment Ludwig announced the reforms, silence enveloped not just Lee Se-hun's room but everywhere watching.
Alliance with UD Group and Pilgrimage Church.
On the surface, just pooling strength. But the leaders were the issue.
'The Unnamed and the Pilgrim...'
Ascendant Emperors like Ludwig. Three who'd acted solo—like the Ten Evils—now openly uniting.
'This is gonna be chaos.'
Babel's prestige and influence would soar, internal power struggles intensify with their followers incoming, and Myriad Demons' Mire would react fiercely to the alliance.
An event nonexistent before his regression. Staring at Ludwig onscreen amid the ominous shift,
[May blessings guide Babel and humanity past this new trial.]
A soft smile curved his lips, as always.
* * *
In the dreamlike castle at the boundary of dreams, a sneering voice echoed through the ornate conference room.
"You set off all fired up about burning the garden or whatever, and all you manage is a few dozen kills before slinking back? Impressive record, huh."
The hulking figure—easily over 5 meters, draped in gold chains and a Hawaiian shirt—twisted his lips, baring fangs. The pure-white lion beastman, the Beast King, sneered openly.
The puppeteer lounging opposite shot him a sullen glare.
"The others might buy it, but you of all people have the right to say that?"
"Does mocking idiots require credentials?"
"It does."
Grinning slyly, the puppeteer eyed the Beast King.
"Especially from a guy who nearly had his skull cracked by an S-rank. Mocking skills after that?"
"……."
The Beast King's features twisted at the words. Composing himself, he growled low.
"That one was already nearing ascension then."
"Oh, so losing was inevitable? If you're so quick to credit an Ascendant Emperor, why the meltdown over our loss?"
As the puppeteer's jabs continued, the Beast King's golden eyes narrowed. His white mane bristled with killing intent—until,
"Picking another pointless fight."
The figure beside him in a beak mask—the Orchestrator—spoke disdainfully.
"Not even the real body, just venting on a puppet? Grow up already."
"……."
At the Orchestrator's words, the Beast King—fur standing on end, ready to pounce—frowned but quelled his aura.
A single punch's wind alone could pulverize that frail puppet's head, but as the Orchestrator said, what was the point?
Calming his rage, he glared at the puppeteer.
"One day, I'll chew your corpse."
"Sure. I'll puppet it for ages—don't worry."
As the two traded barbs and looked away, the Dream Demon beside the head seat spoke softly.
"They're entering."
With her words, two figures materialized in the empty seats.
One with a face of swirling black void, featureless. The other, a long-haired man with faint thread lines across his brow and cheeks.
The Orchestrator waved cheerfully at the newcomers.
"Long time. Doppelganger. Heavenly Eye."
At the lively greeting, the void-faced Doppelganger turned slightly.
"You the one who leaked info to the sword faction?"
The Orchestrator froze at the blunt question, then pinched thumb and forefinger sheepishly.
"A little?"
Slice—
A chilling cut rang out. The Orchestrator's arms misaligned and dropped to the floor.
The Doppelganger, who'd severed them in a blink, said indifferently,
"Next time, your head. No more useless stunts."
Turning away as if done, he ignored further retort. The Orchestrator sighed.
"Can't we Ten Evils help each other a bit...?"
"Shall I reattach them?"
The Dream Demon asked gently. He shook his head.
"Nah. I'll handle it."
Crack, crunch.
His back writhed, two slender arms emerging from his black robe to retrieve the severed limbs.
Pressing them to the stumps, they fused seamlessly, moving freely as if never cut.
"Mm. Good as new."
As he stretched contentedly, the long-haired man, Heavenly Eye, spoke.
"What on earth possessed you to pull that stunt?"
"Eh. Ascension Lord was getting cocky, so I thought I'd trim him......"
"I have no desire to waste time on excuses."
The thread lines on his cheeks parted slowly, red pupils twitching as they fixed on the Orchestrator.
"Thanks to you, Ascension Lord, the Unnamed, and the Pilgrim have formed an alliance. If this sparks all-out war, how do you plan to take responsibility?"
After the seven Ascendant Emperors appeared, Myriad Demons' Mire realized its forces no longer held supremacy and chose to gather strength for the future.
Preparations weren't complete yet. Provoking them into uniting? Whatever the intent, it was a fatal blunder.
"Responsibility......"
The Orchestrator pondered Heavenly Eye's question before replying.
"If things proceed as planned, no need for me to step in. Once the 'Fragment' we planted in the Demon Realm matures, victory's ours."
The core of the Six Great Demon Realms, a shard born from Myriad Demons' Mire.
When completed and passed to a worthy bearer, even those monstrous Ascendant Emperors would fall to a single foe.
An overwhelming matchup transcending raw power. No need to provoke in this disadvantageous state.
"But things have veered far from our script."
All that assumed the plan stayed on track.
"Heavenly Eye, you saw it. That mass-produced sword energy from Lee Se-hun."
"……."
"Once that's refined, items containing mental images won't be far behind. Ascension Lord must be steering that way."
Mass-producing sword energy was just the start.
The real leap: systematizing 'mental images.' Applied fully, humanity's artifacts would shatter old paradigms.
"And what comes at that endpoint?"
The lounging puppeteer answered.
"Mass-producing Ascendant Emperor powers."
"Exactly."
The sacred flame furnace discovered during the Babel raid.
The Orchestrator had targeted it partly to verify the rumored facility firsthand.
"Time's no longer on our side. It's who reaches the end first."
"......So what're you proposing?"
"Let's rampage."
Gazing at the head seat—shrouded in darkness, revealing nothing—the Orchestrator spoke eagerly.
"Kill the ones we hate, accelerate Fragment research for growth. Go wild."
If events deviated, stir greater chaos to steer toward their goals.
The other Ten Evils turned to the head seat at his proposal.
Something in the darkness twitched once.
The world began advancing in a new direction.