The World after the Fall Chapter 38

[TL Note:  I made a mistake.The ten Arks of Chaos should be the 'ten sect leaders' of Chaos, but I will continue using 'Ark' for them in replacement of 'leader'. Think of it as their t.i.tle. There's too many 'so and so' Leaders already I think.]

“Who do you think you are!”

 Maihan gathered himself up and shouted in rage, seeing his subordinates on the ground.

Performing the [deceased seal] was so close. And this man who suddenly broke in was ruining all his plans.

“Identify yourself!”

“Stop the drama, Foreign Minister,”

MES Leader shouted from behind Jae Hwan.

“Your treason is in plain light.”

Those words made the officials talk among themselves. Maihan replied in a stiff voice.

“...With what evidence do you accuse me of this? What treason are you talking about.”

“It doesn't matter even if you feign ignorance.”

The MES Leader was carrying two bodies under his arms. 

“These guys already spilled everything.”

Maihan stared at the two squad leaders who were under his jurisdiction with cold eyes.

“M-minister…!”

They seemed to have contracted a temporary timorous nature, due to the harsh beating they received. They were in a pathetic state that demonstrated the full potential of physical dominance. Maihan was mildly surprised.

‘They were done in like this…?’

Those two squad leaders, currently, were not lacking in power compared to the MES leader. And they were backed by their whole squad. It should have been enough to even stop the Saint.

‘What happened...’

Maihan didn't know what happened, nor did he really care, but the important thing was that these two were about to spoil his whole project.

“W- we…”

Horn Extrication squad leader let out a moan and groveled. The next second, the two man blew up with a splash of blood and gore.

In shock the MES Leader approached the two corpse absently.

“What do you think you are doing, Minister!” 

“I did nothing.”

Maihan shrugged.

“I’m guessing they killed themselves after their… what you claim to be ‘treason’ was discovered.”

“Nonsense…!”

The MES Leader screamed furiously.

“We don't have time to waste with this pointless accusations. Let us begin the [deceased seal].”

The murmuring of the officials stopped. The important thing right now was the Castle lord. A few of the officials said as if soothing a child.

“Magic Extermination squad leader, I don't know what happened, but first let's finish the sealing-”

“That cannot happen! The minister’s crime is going against the sect! If we continue the sealing, then it would tur-”

“Drag him out!” 

At the Minister’s order, the whole of Shadow squad surrounded Jae Hwan and the MES Leader in an instant. Jae Hwan who had been calmly observing spoke to Yulewen.

“What a mess.”

“....I apologize.”

Yulewen lowered his head. He realized what this man in front of him was thinking. Jae Hwan continued.

“You made a false promise.”

“....”

“You cannot protect me from anything with this pathetic group.”

Yulewen’s heart sank.

“Then….”

Their agreement was Jae Hwan’s saving the Castle lord in exchange for Gorgon’s protection. But Gorgon was unable to meet the promise. Naturally Jae Hwan no longer had any reason to help. 

“So let's change the condition of the deal.” 

“....Yes?”

“I will kill the traitors and save the Lord.” Jae Hwan pointed at the whole group of officials, Shadow squad, and the Minister.

At those unexpected words Yulewen mindlessly stared at him, as few members of the Shadow squad rushed at Jae Hwan. a light riposte sent them flying back. Yulewen looked at that scene with a vacant expression.

“In exchange, give me that old man.”

Jae Hwan pointed at Chung Heo, who was lying face first on the floor.

“And…..”

He continued as he shattered the swords of those who ran at him again.

“Help me create an expedition team.”

Upon hearing  the word expedition, Yulewen’s heart began to beat. He didn't know why, but maybe it was because the word ‘expedition’ was connected to a memory of his.

“I will recreate the [Abyss Expedition].”

Abyss expedition.

Old memories resurfaced in Yulewen’s mind. The image of the Lord’s face pa.s.sed through his head. HIs Lord who barely came back alive from the expedition, his lord who lived in regret since then….

-Yulewen, the people here need a source of hope. A fire to light their way. A fire that won't be stifled easily.

That was what his lord had said. And looking at the back of Jae Hwan, he wondered if he was not the hope his Lord was searching hard for.

Yulewen answered in a trembling voice.

“...Yes.”

“Do not break your promise this time.”

the contract was established. And Jae Hwan’s Self Will drew a line of light in the air, as if to celebrate the occasion.

“W, what!”

“Kuaaaak!!”

Two members of the shadow squad disintegrated into dust. The leader shouted in panic.

“Everyone attack at once!!”

And that order was what caused half the squad to evaporate. A beam of light from Jae Hwan’s normal thrust swallowed them, leaving nothing in it’s wake. Two or three officials were also caught up, and the beam penetrated through the whole palace, ascending diagonally into the night sky.

Boooom!!

The Shadow squad leader who had lost his lower half of the body in literally the speed of light, did not comprehend what happened even until the moment he dispersed into powder. Because of the technique that made half the Shadow Squad and it’s leader into dust, the prison’s atmosphere became unendurably tense. 

‘So it was him.’ Minister Maihan was breathing heavily from trying to parry all the debris that bounced out from the wall with his sword. He had heard the report of a man who defeated the deceased Zanya in a single strike. But he had dismissed it. After all, the one reporting was renowned for his false information in various cases.

‘He was telling the truth.’ Maihan looked down at the trail he made as he was pushed back by the wind pressure of Jae Hwan’s strike. Not only did he completely devastate the shadow squad, but had pushed him back this far. That attack could not be anything other than one of this young man’s trump cards.

‘He is at least equal, or stronger than me.’

The only one in Gorgon who could push him back, who was almost a 7th order adapter, was the Saint himself. Maihan quickly changed tactics.

“What are you doing? Who are you to interrupt our holy ritua-”

“Shut up.”

Jae Hwan’s voice filled with killing intent made the Minister jump back.

‘I was pushed back just by a killing intent? I who almost reached the 7th order?’

Jae Hwan’s cold voice continued.

“All of you are going to die.”

“What are you…!”

Jae Hwan listened on in their code language using [doubt].

[Head elder, what do we do? Even if we continue with our plan…]
[If we cannot perform the deceased sealing we must go with plan B...]
[No, we have to capture the dark cloud at once!]
[Yes… even if we kill everything in Gorgon…]

“Maihan Keldegran”

Maihan flinched when his full name was p.r.o.nounced by Jae Hwan.

“The Foreign Minister of Gorgon and the Head elder of Forbidden heavens.]

For the first time, Maihan turned pale. ‘How did he know.’

“I’m not sure what your goal is, nor how you pollute souls.”

Jae Hwan slowly approached. Maihan instinctively stepped back.

“But I know one thing. I really like guys like you.”

“L, like? What do you mean?”

‘You like us, why the h.e.l.l are you pointing your sword at us then.’

Maihan grasped his sword tightly, feeling the cold hostility coming from Jae Hwan. He knew that if he couldn't stop that man, his whole plan was going to become a failure.

“Get rid of him!”

Seven officials simultaneously drew their swords with that ear splitting shout from the Minister. The traitors were now distinct. And at the same time from outside the prison, countless members of Forbidden Heavens entered.

Yulewen and the MES Leader’s face paled. Even the Saint could not overcome this number. One 6th order, seven 5th order, and hundreds of 4th order and 3rd order adapters were here.

But why was it,

“It's really a blessing,”

That Jae Hwan looked so happy.

“That humans like you exist.”

Self Will roared.

“Im relieved. I can destroy this world without guilt.”

Jae Hwan’s expression raised every red flags in Maihan’s mind. And at the same time, he realized that he was unable to change anything now; something too large was rumbling towards him. He was swept away before he knew what happened.

BOOOOM!

The roof of the palace was gone, and towers were blown away, as in it’s stead a column of pure light pierced the skies. The energy shattered the sky itself, bringing light from the fissure into the night world of Chaos. Residents of the land rushed out in panic from the tremor, and saw the particles of firmament, stars of s.p.a.ce, raining down.

The fragments of stars that burst opened from the sky descended onto the palace. The Forbidden Heaven members who came into contact with those inexorable particles turned to dust. And the white phantoms disseminated into the blowing wind.

The pinnacle of thrusts.

This was the moment Jae Hwan’s world thrust revealed itself.

Soon, the Foreign Minister’s form showed itself as the dust settled. The officials and the members of the Shadow Squad were all gone. Maihan himself had lost all his limbs. The torso containing his vitals were half gone, and his throat that had a gash couldn't produce sound well.

“Ha, hahaha…. But it’s too late… The Castle… Lord….”

That was his last words. Jae Hwan’s sword entered his heart and ended his life. Jae Hwan pulled out the sword from the pile of dust which had been the Foreign Minister of Gorgon, and kicked Chung Heo.

“Wake up old man. It's late.”

“Ugg. what's the commotion?…. Looks like you caused something big this time.” he groggily rose.

An alarm within the prison began to ring.

[Warning! Subject’s pollution level reached 99.9%! The subject will now turn into a deceased]
[Warning!  Subject’s soul power excessive]
[System calculating danger level of subject]

.

[.....Calculating…… Unable to calculate]

.

[Conclusion: confirmation, Colossal deceased!]
[Gorgon self activated alert now sounding!]

Sirens started to ring throughout the whole fortress; a warning to evacuate all residents from Gorgon. 

Chung Heo looked at the black figure of the Castle lord, and at Jae Hwan.

“Don't interfere.”

“.....”

“Your trust is too sharp to save anyone yet.”

Chung Heo lifted his sword. He moved it as if writing a character in the air. 

The world became saturated in whiteness.

To ingrain once again a soul which was dying from the pollution onto the sheet of life. Death slash. With the darkly burning soul of the Lord placed in the middle of the parchment.

Chung Heo’s sword moved without rest. The Lord’s forgotten memories were being written again using Chung Heo’s own memories. Darkness within the Lord wiggled, as Chung Heo fought with it, spilling sweat like fountains. 

An indefinite amount of time pa.s.sed, when the Castle Lord opened his eyes. Eyes filled with the darkness of a bottomless pit. Chung Heo stepped back.

“What is it?”

That a soul opened his eyes means that the soul recovered consciousness, but Chung Heo’s face was dark.

“Something went wrong. That's not the Lord but something else…”

Looking at the apprehensive gaze of Chung Heo, Jae Hwan also felt something off. The being in front of them exuded astronomical power - too much to be human. This was the first time Jae Hwan felt this: the enormous shadow looming within the Lord’s soul.

‘Deceased?’

The only thing he saw using [doubt] was a vast and complete darkness. This was not human. It was closer to a deceased, but neither was it a deceased, nor was it an inanimate object. It was rather, more accurately, the synthesis of all those things. Jae Hwan did not know what to call this thing.

[Such old memories.]

It was a being equivalent to a ‘world’ itself.

[I see familiar faces.]

When he looked beside him, Chung Heo was trembling from head to toe. His eyes were permeated by intense terror. 

He knew what that thing was.

[Why do you remain in >? Uncomplete awakened.]

“K, king of Chaos…”

Jae Hwan stared at Chung Heo. As far as he knew, the strongest in Chaos were the Lords and the ten Sect Arks. However none of them possessed the t.i.tle ‘king’. 

‘So it was because something like that existed.’

The being who possessed the t.i.tle ‘King’ in >, where no one can become a king. Chung Heo mumbled.

“Sole-King Catastrophe….”
 

[TL: Catastrophe is his name.

He had met this terrible existence nine hundred years ago.

Sole King Catastrophe. The Lord of the [Palace of the Dead] located in the center of >, and also the king of all deceased. The only being who holds the key to

[What is the reason you have not left > yet? Is it perhaps to save this pathetic land?]

That frustrated voice made their souls ring. HIs domineering voice pulled their souls, as if to swallow it. Catastrophe reached and touched the pure white s.p.a.ce Chung Heo had created, dyeing it in darkness.

[Did you not find what you were looking for in the

Chung Heo collapsed onto his knees. The king’s presence was over the threshold of what a human’s soul could endure. Catastrophe turned his head towards Jae Hwan.

[Interesting. A complete awakened, yet retains the nature of a human.]

Jae Hwan noticed that he was gripping the hilt of Self will. His hand was outside his mind’s command. He was tense. 

“Old man. It failed, right?”

He didn't need to clarify as to what failed. Chung Heo looked at Jae Hwan, shaking uncontrollably.

How was this man fine, when that being was staring right at him? How could he stand straight and nonchalantly in front of this?

Jae Hwan asked another question.

“Then, it doesn't matter if I kill that, right?”