Chapter 140. Dark Cloud (1)
Elkadion clenched her teeth while staring at the man charging towards her.
‘….A member of the Dark Cloud race.’
The man looked at Elkadion with amusement who was attacking him even whilst risking her life.
“What is this? You seem to know a bit about me? What are you?”
His real body was not this physical self but the black clouds floating upon the ground.
The body would quickly regenerate no matter how much it was attacked as long as no damage was given to the black cloud.
But she clearly seemed to know about this as she was crazily slashing at the black cloud above the body’s head .
‘Well. Even if she knows it doesn’t matter much anyways.’
Boooom!
Just because it was meaningless for his body to be attacked did not mean he could just ignore it.
The human body which had been enhanced by the Dark Cloud’s real body attacked Elkadion.
Crack
Crackle
The Dragon Essence Blade surrounding Elkadion’s entire body got smashed apart and her ribs also broke.
“Kuuuuk!”
Boooom!
The 5m tall Taruhol’s body which Elkadion was controlling flung out into the distance after getting hit by the fist of a human who wasn’t even 2m tall.
The man looked at Elkadion who had been implanted deep into the walls in the corner of the Factory.
“Why are you holding on so resolutely? You should know that continuing to resist is futile if you know about me.”
Elkadion spat out and then muttered out loudly after hearing those words.
“Shut up. Someone who’s much more formidable has left. Somebody who can crush the likes of you.”
“Heh, I already saw him fight with you to a standstill.”
How could somebody who was on similar levels with the one in front of him beat him?
The choice the man who had ran away made was a wise one.
Since he would’ve just gotten ripped apart along with this person in front of him if he had stayed.
The man smirked at Elkadion.
‘But still… This is a bit troublesome.’
His strength was continuously decreasing as if the air here wasn’t quite fit for him.
But he could just fill it back up.
‘Let’s see… There’s a lot of food here according to this human’s memories.’
There wasn’t a need for his original body to go at all.
Something popped out from the Dark Cloud’s main body.
It then went through the ceiling and continued upwards.
‘Well. That should be enough for above. Time to play with this thing in front of me.’
Somebody who knew about himself who lived in the Abyss.
Of course it would be fun to play with her.
The man, who had sent numerous small clouds upwards, controlled the body he took over and started to attack Elkadion.
***
Gwanje looked at the <Suppressive Measure> in the distance and made a satisfied expression.
“The preparations are going well… Anyways, finding the portal is really a great boost of morale.”
Gwanje nodded.
Since his mind was much more at ease after finding the portal.
Though he had no thoughts of going up, quite a lot of people were distressed from having no exit path.
Since the Akadus and the Akarons could attack them at any moment.
They weren’t all stupid.
They all knew that the current alliance was a very unstable one.
‘This is why… We need to complete the Suppressive Measure as soon as possible.’
Actually the Suppressive Measure wasn’t much.
It was something he had done in the past.
A large amount of Graphite.
Them, the Humans, could leave through the portal but the Akarons couldn’t.
Which meant that this would be used as a threat.
— If you attack us then we can’t just die off like that. We will pour all of this Graphites onto the main organs of the Lazar all over its body.
Though they hadn’t collected that much, it hadn’t been long since the Lazar woke up.
It would be very effective since it wouldn’t have enough body fluids.
‘Though it’d be better if we didn’t have to use it…. We must take into consideration unexpected circumstances.’
At that moment.
Booooom!
A large explosion was heard in the distance.
“What? What happened?”
‘Are they attacking already?’
Gwanje freaked out and looked outside.
Like a child who had been caught in the midst of a mischievous act.
Gwanje’s expression turned grim after coming out from the simple headquaters and having looked at the territory of the Unity clan.
Booooom!
“Uaaaak!”
“Are you crazy? Why the hell are you doing this!”
Numerous shouts and explosions were heard from all around.
‘Those damned Akarons…Did they strike first?’
Gwanje ground his teeth as he looked at the Akadus that were assaulting the humans.
‘Oh god. What the hell is this…’
Gwanje was flustered as he was shocked again.
‘…The Akaron’s holy land is also getting attacked.’
Such a thing wouldn’t happen if the Akarons had betrayed them.
And looking at it closely, the Akadus didn’t look that normal.
Gwanje instinctively knew that something was wrong after seeing the Akaron’s territory that was set ablaze.
At that moment a carrier pigeon flew into Gwanje.
‘Hansoo?’
He would be able to find something out about this situation if he found Hansoo.
Gwanje clenched his teeth and then quickly moved towards the location the carrier pigeon came from.
***
“You’re all here.”
“Damn. What the hell happened?”
Gwanje panted as he looked at Hansoo in front of him.
He had run here in that much of a hurry.
Leaders of the previously existing clans such as Enbi Arin and Ariel, Oteon and the four Pillars had gathered in front of him.
One could say that all the representatives of the humans and the Akarons had gathered with this much.
Hansoo started to explain as people gathered.
What just happened.
“Someone from the Dark Cloud race has come here through the Soul Telautograph.”
A member of the Dark Cloud race.
It didn’t care if the target was formless or had form, it would just infect it with the black cloud and control it.
It would then suck up the energy from the things it had infected and gain strength.
The Dark Cloud race was a satanic race that even the powerful races of the Abyss avoided.
“Damn…That’s why the Akadus are like that huh.”
Gwanje cursed out as he saw the blackened Akadus on the way over here.
Enbi Arin was quietly listening to this but suddenly spoke out:
“What about humans? Can it not infect humans?”
Hansoo shook his head.
“It wouldn’t go for living things since they have a powerful defensive instinct. It hasn’t been long since it came here.”
But that possibility wasn’t that far off.
Though it was too weak currently to eat up life forms but once it gains more strength by eating the Akadus at this rate then sooner or later the Akarons and the Humans would get infected by it as well.
Then it would all end.
“We need to deal with the main body before that happens.”
“…Are you saying that we need to get through that thing over there?”
Gwanje looked at the Arklateori that was swarming with the Akadus.
It was slowly infecting the Akadus one by one without a bit of hurry and was gathering them around the Arklateori.
Thankfully the collision between the Humans, Akarons and the Akadus had subsided but everybody already knew.
That if this was to continue then the situation was only going to worsen.
Arklateori was within its hands already and it would only get stronger by the minute by infecting and draining the energy from the Akadus that came out from it.
Enbi Arin sighed as she mumbled.
“…Damn. Why did this happen so suddenly? Where the hell did that thing…”
Oten suddenly spoke out with a cold expression.
“It is our mistake.”
Oteon then retold the story.
Enbi Arin spat out with a dumbfounded expression after hearing the story.
“What the fuck… Isn’t Elkadion your leader?”
“Yes she is.”
“And we have to clean after the shit she made? With our lives on the line?”
Enbi Arin spat out curses
Oteon couldn’t say anything.
Since the current events were extremely stupid the way she saw it as well.
Gwanje made a grim expression and then asked Hansoo.
“Hansoo, are you perhaps going to go through that thing?”
Hansoo nodded.
Gwanje’s grim expression turned even worse.
‘If we hadn’t found the portal… and hadn’t prepared the suppressive method.’
Gwanje sighed and spoke out.
About the portal and the suppressive method he had created.
And added something after the story.
“We humans can just run outside the portal. And the final person could just make the Gragos roll with the suppressive measure we prepared.”
“Oh my, not bad.”
Ailen made an impressed expression while hearing it.
When did he prepare such things?
Gwanje looked at that Ailen pathetically and then continued to speak.
“Which means, there won’t be any damage done to the humans even if we don’t partake in this fight. There’s no reason for the ones who come after to die either.”
Hansoo nodded.
Since those words were very correct.
But he could not give up like this.
He hadn’t come back to run away like this. He had come back to save the people and save the world.
“The Akarons would all die then, the Body Enhancement Surgery will disappear as well.”
He hadn’t come here to maintain his condition and be safe.
He could not give up the legacy of the Orange Zone no matter what.
Gwanje looked at Hansoo with a much more grim expression.
And then asked just in case.
“What do we gain from helping out in this situation.”
“Nothing.”
“That’s really damned.”
Gwanje sighed out in despair.
There was no reason to help even if they wanted to.
They weren’t gods, they were merely the old clan leaders.
How could they lead the people and shove them into that factory over there which was swarming with the Akadus.
Oteon spoke out with a grim expression.
“Don’t worry. We didn’t call you over here for that. We just called you so we can tell you about all this.”
“What?”
“We will solve it so… You just watch and escape from here if something goes wrong.”
“What? How are you going to do this?”
Hansoo then took something out from his pockets and held it up.
One of the greatest techniques that he had taken from the Historan on the way out.
Oteon looked at that item with a heavy expression.
<Berserk Emperor’s Fluid>
A liquid that allowed one to gain the power of a crazy emperor.
The scent that activated Berserk mode in the past allowed one to gain a huge amount of strength with a harsh side effect.
This was way beyond that.
All the silver liquids in the body will start to boil and explode the moment it was used.
Death could not be avoided.
A liquid that only the Great Priests could use and no one else.
“Of course this would give a tremendous amount of strength. We’re planning to use this.”
They would go ahead and break through the Akadus.
Then Hansoo, who had made numerous preparations to attack the weakness of the Dark Cloud race, would go inside and deal with the real body.
This was the current plan.
“…You’re going this far? You’ll all die.”
Oteon laughed at Gwanje’s words.
“As you said before, this is all the responsibility of leader Elkadion. Something that she cannot shoulder herself.”
Many had lost their lives already.
How could Elkadion shoulder all of this by herself.
Oteon continued to speak.
“But it was something our leader did for us. How do we have no responsibility in this matter? We are planning to share her burdens and shoulder them for her.”
“…Okay, they’re going for that reason but why the hell are you going?”
Hansoo chuckled at Ariel’s words.
“Don’t worry. I’m not working for free. You see Elkadion told me that she’d give me the Dragon Essence Blade but didn’t. I’m going over there to get it back.”
“What crazy nonsense…”
As Ariel looked at Hansoo spewing out random words, she made a dumbfounded expression.
Someone of his level could gain tons of artifacts around that level up above.
But he was going in there just to keep the Body Enhancement Surgery.
Enbi Arin and the other clan leaders stared at Hansoo and the Akarons who had turned around after finishing their preparations.
Well, they were looking at Hansoo’s back to be precise.
What the hell is inside this guy’s head?
At first they thought that he was crazy for battles and then they thought that he was hiding something. But they knew now. No, they could feel it now. Every action Hansoo made was for them, the human race. He had his life on the line for them. A tremendous amount of emotions sprang up from inside them.
‘Godamnit!’
Enbi Arin and the other clan leaders clenched their teeth.
What the hell were these feelings that were springing up from the depths of their chests while looking at the back of somebody else.
Why did that guy’s back seem so broad. Why were every single cells they had shaking?
‘No seriously, what the hell are you?’
‘Are you really like the human race’s savior or something?’
They all muttered the same words.
***
— I cannot force this on you. There’s a lot I will gain but there isn’t anything I can give to you. I can’t ask you to risk your life either. I hope you can deal with unexpected outcomes.
“Hmm. Nothing… to give us.”
Enbi Arin stared at Hansoo and the Akarons who were dashing towards the factory in the distance.
Since he was saying those words that confidently, he would definitely succeed.
Since they said that they were going to use the Berserk Emperor’s Fluid.
‘They’ll all die for sure. Would only that guy survive then? This just doesn’t quite feel right.’
She didn’t feel this way because of the Akarons.
It was because of Hansoo.
That strange guy worked even when there was nothing going for him. He didn’t expect any rewards or compensations either. She didn’t believe this at first but she did now. Since he was showing it clearly.
Enbi Arin.
Someone who couldn’t live with debts to repay.
‘Let’s see. That guy saved my life…Once? Was it twice?’
Once before she almost got killed by the Tiradus.
Another one when he had stopped the battle between the Gragos.
‘Well, he didn’t just save me.’
Enbi Arin decided to stop counting.
Since she wouldn’t be remaining in this current world without Hansoo anyways. As her thoughts got organized she realized that she couldn’t just stand still. She felt like she couldn’t just stand doing nothing.
Enbi Arin looked at Gwanje and spat out.
“Did you send all the Carrier pigeons?”
Gwanje nodded.
Enbi Arin asked Gwanje.
“And you’re just going?”
Gwanje chuckled.
“Well, I don’t really feel like I owe my life to him. To be honest he did something he needed to do, he didn’t do those things to save me you see.”
“…”
Enbi Arin looked at that Gwanje with a confused expression.
“Why did you get armed if you aren’t going to go?”
Gwanje laughed at those words.
“You see, my wife owes hers to him. That’s the problem.”
Gwanje then sent out the final carrier pigeons into the sky.
— All those who owe things to Hansoo, gather up.
They hadn’t realized.
That Hansoo had slowly started to turn into a pillar supporting them within their minds.
***
The member of the Dark Cloud race laughed in satisfaction.
‘It’s going well.’
He had read the current situation through the man’s memories.
The relationship between the Humans and the Akarons wasn’t great and instead they were afraid of each other.
‘Quite lame fellows.’
How could they win like that when combining their strengths wouldn’t even be enough?
And it would be even better if the humans tried to run away.
‘I already found the location of the Portal.’
Dealing with the enemies one by one.
It was his favorite method.
If they run away while he’s raising his strength then he could just cut them off in the middle and eat up everyone left behind.
He could then follow them up and eat the rest of them up.
The man finished his thoughts and then looked at Elkadion who had turned into rags as he laughed.
“Why didn’t you run away? Weren’t your strengths quite similar? It wouldn’t have mattered much if either of you ran away.”
The man didn’t catch the one running away on purpose.
Though he could.
Because he wanted to see the one in front of him fall into despair after realizing that her sacrifice was for nought.
Since the most amusing thing in the world was crushing the final remaining bit of hope.
Elkadion laughed and replied to the man’s words.
“That’s because I have debts to replay… And Hansoo is the exact opposite. The difference between us is very clear.”
“…?”
At that moment.
Something was caught within the sights of the Akadus that he was controlling.
The man confirmed what it was and then frowned.
“God fucking damnit…”
Elkadion muttered inwardly as she looked at that man.
‘You should’ve caught Hansoo no matter what even if you had to ignore me.’
Since power wasn’t everything.
The important thing was the magnitude of one’s influence.
‘It seems he really worked hard.’
Elkadion mumbled as she looked at the flustered man and the huge army that was charging towards them in the distance.