Chapter 171. Embers (2)

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‘… As I expected.’

Ekidu, who was walking alongside Hansoo, made a worried expression while watching the expressions of the others.

Fear was something the leader had to inspire to a degree but the amount here was too much.

Since every time Hansoo walked by, people flinched.

‘Well. They did see something like that…’

Ekidu shook her head.

She had seen a lot of things while roaming the Otherworld for 8 years.

But she had never even heard of a skill that could erase the lives thousands of people with one man’s own power in an instant.

‘Such a reaction when we need to group up tightly for the upcoming days…’

It might’ve been different if there was leisure but in a situation like this where they had to soon face a powerful enemy, this type of emotion could blow up at any moment that became a spark.

“What are you going to do? Will it be okay like this?”

Hansoo nodded at the question which had a lot of underlying meanings.

If the people fearing him were going to become a problem then he would need to explain.

That it was not a skill he could use however he wanted and that he needed the help of the Atillan to perform it.

But Hansoo did not explain it.

Because he needed the fear right now.

Well, he needed power that could make even his allies fear him.

A kind and benevolent leader wasn’t needed right now.

The people needed somebody with power who could give them assurance.

And as he expected, the expressions of fear did come up on the people’s faces but an expression of relief also existed within.

Relief of not standing against somebody with such powers.

At that moment.

Craack

The sealing jade in Hansoo’s hand made a sound as it cracked open.

‘It’s done, huh.’

It made sense.

While suppressing the tremendous mana of the Atillan, it had also been suppressing the mana of thousands of people at the same time.

Even if it was the sealing jade, it couldn’t handle all of that.

Whoooosh

“Uhh? The mana?”

Everyone made joyous remarks as they felt the mana returning back to their bodies.

Their regeneration speed increased as strength poured into the muscles that had been fatigued by the battle and supplied them with energy.

The people, who had been feeling empty due to the disappearance of mana that had been sustaining their body, suddenly made vigorous expressions.

But at the same time they made worried expressions.

Mana came back and they were filled with energy.

And the reality of the fact that they would need to fight now had gotten even closer to them.

They had gotten rid of Clementine’s control and killed Dakidus.

If the Higher races found out about this they would definitely not stand idle.

“What will you do now?”

Everyone woke up from Ekidu’s question and started to gather around Hansoo.

What happened from now on was very important.

Since they hadn’t done all this just because of the hatred they had for Dakidus.

Their goals, in the end, was survival and they had only judged that this side had a higher chance.

‘And…This guy has the key.’

A person who had dragged down the god-like Dakidus onto the ground and had even killed him.

There wasn’t any foundation for it but they still had this belief.

Since Hansoo wouldn’t have done all this without any plans.

Hansoo lifted something around his waist after seeing the expressions of those people.

“That is…”

Everyone frowned a bit as they looked at the item.

A blue-colored crown that seemed like it would fit perfectly onto the head of a person.

It looked so ordinary that they hadn’t been able to discover it despite it being attached to Hansoo’s waist.

But as mana came back and it gained its original luster, everyone realized the identity of the crown.

It was the blue crown that Dakidus had been wearing.

Whatever it was made of, the hoola-hoop-sized giant crown had been shrunk down to fit the head of a human.

But the people shook their heads as they saw the blue crown that was shining brightly.

“We can’t win with just that.”

Karhal spoke with a worried expressions after approaching Hansoo.

Satellite Fortress, Atillan.

Its might was indeed absolute.

It would indeed be able to protect the ten thousand of them safely.

At least from the beasts and humans.

But fighting against the Higher Races, such as the Archon, was impossible.

Since those guys had tens of such things.

Hansoo nodded at Karhal’s words.

Since they had no chances of winning a full frontal clash.

No matter how many of them attack the Higher race, who had the powerful Satellite Fortresses, it would simply be smashing a rock with eggs.

A single Satellite Fortress can erase tens of villages.

But then he couldn’t use the sealing jade to beat down every one of them one by one.

Since the Higher Races would figure it out and be wary of it.

The reason why he had attacked Dakidus was because he needed a single Satellite Fortress to start all this, actually getting all the Satellite Fortresses powerless and fighting head on would be the best method.

The reason why the death of Dakidus and the Satellite Fortress being stolen not having been caught already was because Dakidus’s one Satellite Fortress controlled this vast human area.

One rotation took months, not having any communications wasn’t that weird.

They probably would have emergency contact information just in case they got hit by the humans but he wouldn’t really need to worry about that.

But the other areas were different.

As the Satellite Fortresses were set in locations where an attack from the enemy could come at any time, once any of them got destroyed they would know instantly.

So he needed to wipe them all off instantly.

And he knew how to.

Since he came from the future.

‘But I cannot say it.’

If there wasn’t any information then he wouldn’t be able to give them any reassurance.

But then to persuade the people he needed to pull out the information from the future.

An ironic situation.

But there was still a method.

The moment Hansoo wore the crown on his head.

Kiiiiiiiiiiiinggggg

The Satellite Fortress went into the process of accepting its new owner.

It wasn’t that hard.

Since there wasn’t a lock or anything.

These were all things the Archons had stolen from the Sages. In order to use it for themselves they had to get rid of all the locks

They probably wouldn’t have worried much as they got rid of them anyway.

Since they wouldn’t ever have thought they would be taken over by humans.

“Go up. The rest organize the Armory and gather up the runes and artifacts. I’ll go with a few people who will relay the message later.”

The people nodded as they heard the words that told them not everyone had to go.

Since those words were very welcome to them who were extremely tired.

Since their mana came back, they needed time to heal and regenerate their stamina.

And soon the bright light that came down from the Satellite Fortress started to pull the people upwards.

***

“Woah.”

The people started to exclaim out as they walked into the control room for the first time.

Blue light, which they often saw in Sci-Fi movies of the past, filled up all the space around htem.

Tidik Tididididik

While they were admiring the view.

Hansoo greedily collected all the information from the Atillan after he came up.

Starting from the most useless information to some that could not be leaked out no matter what.

‘…That easily?’

Karhal let out a dry laugh as he saw information constantly coming up on the screens.

It seemed like there was a lock but from the codes Hansoo inputted, all those locks instantly disappeared.

‘He doesn’t seem like he would be good at such things… It’s as if he knows the passwords.’

As Karhal looked at Hansoo in wonder.

Hansoo, as if he had read Karhal’s mind, replied.

“Don’t be so surprised by it, it’s what I heard from Dakidus.”

“Oh…”

Everyone nodded at those words.

Since their questions had been answered to a point.

‘He didn’t die in peace huh.’

Ekidu clicked her tongue.

She wondered where Hansoo had taken him at the very end but it seems he had retrieved some intel.

At that moment.

Tiiiririrk

A map appeared on the screen they were looking at.

A map which clearly showed hundreds of other villages with tremendous detail.

Not just the territory of the Archons but even the villages of the other two races.

‘…Damn. It’s really a farm huh.’

Karhal made a bitter expression as he looked at the red line connecting between the villages.

It wasn’t that only the location of the villages were written on this map.

The map, which even listed the military information of each village, was clearly a very precious tool for war.

To the point that Hansoo taking over the Satellite Fortress was because of this.

And would there only be a single map in this giant Satellite Fortress?

Hansoo went past the countless amount of information and suddenly opened up a file.

A document that was marked as black unlike the others which were all marked blue.

“This is it.”

“Hmm?”

Karhal and Ekidu, who had been standing next to Hansoo, heard those words and focused on the screen.

Hansoo didn’t really focus.

Since he knew what was in here to some degree.

A legacy of the Sages which his friends had found at the end of the Green Road.

<Destruction Jade>

An item that was dimensions apart from the item that had turned into dust in his hands, the Sealing jade.

A final weapon that the Sages had created and had been left behind due to them being ambushed by the Higher Races before they could even use it.

Hansoo continued his speech.

“If we use that then all the mana within the Yellow zone will get suppressed”

“…All the mana?”

Hansoo nodded.

It would suppress all the mana in the Zone.

The Satellite Fortresses flying in the sky will fall and the blue shields defending their body would get taken off.

Something that his friends had started up in a dangerous situation and used it to freeze an entire race in the past.

‘This is why you guys had been reduced to three races from four.’

The fourth race, who had their mana tied down and had powerless Satellite Fortresses, had been trampled by the other three races, the Archon, Akalachias and the Rebeloongs.

This was why the job this time around was very important.

If he could activate it properly, all the mana in this zone will get tied down.

But Ekidu frowned as she read over the information.

“…It doesn’t show us the location. Where is it?”

Ekidu spoke with a slight excitement.

It was to be expected.

Hansoo had turned the Satellite Fortress powerless from one Sealing Jade.

But an item that could instantly freeze up every Satellite Fortress the enemy had.

The damage they would receive would also be great but compared to the damage their opponents would receive, what they themselves would have to deal with was miniscule.

‘We can actually win’

It wasn’t that they would win by freezing up the Satellite Fortresses.

It was just that their chances to win would increase tremendously.

But for the most important part, the location, to be missing.

‘It marked all the other information but why this…’

Hansoo spoke simply.

This isn’t in the hands of these guys.

It was not something that the Higher Races had.

It was something that those guys were fervently looking for.

“Then where…”

“End of the Green Road.”

“…What?”

Hansoo replied again at Ekidu’s question.

“End of the Green Road. In the center of the battlefield Clementine made.”

Ekidu’s expression froze up as she heard Hansoo’s words.

Green Road.

According to the information on the map, this place was true hell.

Though it had been marked as the sole escape route for the humans, it was actually swarming with Clementine’s underlings who managed the Green Road.

And Clementine’s underlings weren’t weaklings.

People who had been chosen from the strongest of the Hunters and Guards.

They had been able to get rid of Karim with an ambush when there wasn’t any mana but if there was mana then they would’ve received tremendous injuries.

Karim’s abilities were that great.

But in Clementine’s forces, there were tons of people who were around Karim’s level.

And that wasn’t all.

‘If we only had that… we might be able to do something.’

Ekidu frowned as she checked the map.

The entire Green Road was being surveilled by three Satellite Fortresses.

Hidden from the normal adventurers.

‘This is bad.’

There were only three Satellite Fortresses that managed over a hundred villages.

While taking turns.

But the entire Green Road was always being surveilled by each one of the three Satellite Fortresses that each race had sent.

No matter how vicious the Green Road which cut across the great jungle was, something at the calibre of killing Dakidus would get them caught instantly.

Using the Sealing jade like now was dangerous and taking their own Satellite Fortress to smash them apart was impossible.

Since they would sink instantly from the focused fire of three Satellite Fortresses.

‘…We need to use the Destruction Jade in order to fell the Satellite Fortresses but we need to fell those Satellite Fortresses in order to use the Destruction Jade?’

It was not something they could solve with just numbers.

They would get massacred by the Satellite Fortresses.

“…That Clementine person. Is quite amazing. How did she even obtain such a thing…”

As she had heard, it was something that was fatal against the Higher races.

Without this, an alliance wouldn’t have been created.

Since they weren’t equals in their eyes.

Hansoo nodded at Ekidu’s mumbles.

‘Clementine was indeed lucky.’