Chapter 173. Embers (4)

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Everyone else had left, only two remained.

‘Ekidu and Karhal, only two huh.’

Hansoo nodded as he looked at the two who had voluntarily remained behind.

He would take these two and go up through the Green Road.

Towards the Destruction Jade.

And they would need to create an opportunity for those villagers who had hidden in wait for that chance.

Though there was only two allies, it didn’t matter.

Since he didn’t need a tremendously large number or anything.

No, it would only get caught in one’s eye if there were that many people.

It was better to have a small group of elites.

And Ekidu and Karhal clearly had the qualifications.

Ekidu obviously had them and Karhal’s Quintuple Laser was powerful enough to even kill him if he were to get hit properly.

‘Even with the Racial Metamorphosis.’

Karhal complained while looking at Hansoo.

“Aren’t we doing the most dangerous job then?”

“Yeah we are.”

Hansoo nodded.

Since the risk they had was much higher than those who had gone to the villages.

“Then don’t you need more runes? Will you be okay without any?”

Karhal made a depressed face while thinking of the Artifacts and runes whom they had sent away along with those who left.

Runes and gears which came out after they killed the traitors.

And the weapons that were hidden inside the Armory of the village.

Why did Hansoo evenly distribute all of these things?

Of course Hansoo, Ekidu and Karhal had received the runes and artifacts as well.

The problem was it was fair.

According to how much they had contributed.

Of course Hansoo received the most amount of runes because he did most of the work but it was still a small amount.

There weren’t that many runes that dropped from killing people anyway and there was a lot more who had fought with them instead.

‘Hmm… would he be around 50% now?’

The runes of Hansoo, which should’ve been around 10%, would now be around 50%

But Karhal was depressed from this.

Since people who would go with him being stronger was always the best.

‘It would’ve been a lot of help if he took everything.’

Karhal made a sulky expression and complained.

Even if Hansoo had said he would take everything, there wasn’t anyone who would have said otherwise.

But Hansoo shook his heads.

“Strength is a necessity for those who have left.”

They didn’t treat Refugees well anyway.

And if they were people who came from other villages, they would be extremely pressured.

If they were weak in such a situation as well then what would they be able to do?

They would be busy even saving their own lives.

The runes were secondary but there was a need for them to be armed well with the powerful artifacts.

And in reality, the Artifacts of the guards, the Hunters and the Farmers had been risen by an average of two to three levels.

Since as strong as the traitors were, their artifacts were amazing as well.

Not much to say for the weapons stored in the Armory as well.

And with the runes, they wouldn’t have much of a problem acting around in the villages.

“Ugh. If you take away 50% of your runes and spread it among thousands of people, would it even make a difference for them?”

Hansoo nodded at Karhal’s words.

The second attack was always the most important one.

‘I cannot leave behind any embers of trouble.’

It wasn’t a problem at the percentage of distribution but rather the importance of priority.

Hansoo filling up his runes to 100% and then distributing it.

Or distributing it fairy from the very beginning.

There was a huge difference between the two.

There was a reason why the leaders of a animal pack ate last.

‘Such an issue will grow inside their minds and become cancerous.’

The reason for the dams falling wasn’t because of a giant boulder or the flow of the river.

Just a small crack that appeared on the dam.

It was all because of this crack.

As this crack got bigger the dam fell.

Once the people left, they would constantly remember while enduring the harsh environments of the village.

The unfair treatment they had received before they had left.

Depending on how well they were able to fool the traitors by hiding the villagers in the other villages, the people living in over a hundred villages may become allies or enemies when they start fighting against the Higher Race.

Since the traitors had a large amount of power in those villages.

Look at Karim, nobody suspected him being the manager of the village.

If those villagers who had left were agitated like this then the humans, who should’ve become allies, would become enemies instead during the war against the Higher Race.

This was why he had to treat those people who had left well.

Hansoo didn’t want to risk such a thing for just 50% of his runes.

‘I can always earn more runes later.’

There were plenty of chances on the path towards the Green Road.

But Karhal continued to make a sulky expression, as if something was on his mind, as he spoke out:

“…One important thing hasn’t been solved yet. What are you going to do with the Satellite Fortress?”

Ekidu nodded at Karhal’s words

Since it was a clear problem that was extremely important and one that needed to be dealt with.

And they didn’t know where the Destruction Jade was hidden anyway.

They would need to go through all the forces of Clementine and search for the hints.

But as a clash was inevitable, it would definitely get caught in the eye.

They might’ve been able to do something if it was a human being but the Satellite Fortress was a bit too much.

Once the assault of light approaches from above, everything would end.

“You aren’t thinking that it wouldn’t take that long right.”

This was a reckless plan no matter how they saw it.

How did they even think that they wouldn’t get caught in the territory of their enemies?

Hansoo shook his head at Karhal’s words.

“Don’t worry. I’ll make it so they won’t even care about us.”

“How?”

Hansoo pointed towards the Satellite Fortress floating up above, the Atillan.

Karhal made an uneasy expression while watching Hansoo.

“Hey… you aren’t thinking of playing a 1945 arcade game while riding that thing right?”

Fighting against tens of Satellite Fortresses with just a single Satellite Fortress?

No matter how amazing Hansoo was, it was pushing it a bit too far.

“I don’t know what game it is but it isnt that.”

Hansoo hadn’t taken over the Atillan in order to do something with it anyway.

But would he have gotten it for no reason?

It was now time to use it.

“I’m going to the mana crystal refinery depository.

“…What?”

Karhal and Ekidu surprisingly knew what the mana crystal depository was.

Since it was very clearly marked on Dakidus’ map.

Marked as a special military facility.

“What the… are you just going to commit suicide?”

Hansoo shook his heads at Karhal’s words.

‘I need to deal with the Examiners no matter what happens.’

***

Rumble.

At one side of the giant jungle.

A giant power-plant-looking building which towered over a kilometer was standing in this location.

It was located in a rather rural location far from the cities where the Archons lived in but it wasn’t placed in this isolated location because its importance was low.

Mana crystal refinery and storage.

Probably one of the top three most important structures/locations that were needed to sustain the race.

A tremendous amount of fuel, mana crystals, were needed in order to activate the Atillan.

And the mana crystals were a very important material for the three races as well.

Since the reason for them fighting each other was to try to gain just a bit more of this mana crystal out of the limited amount that existed so they could continue their civilization.

The mana crystals came out from the spring which existed in each of the three race’s capital, <Grangdar>, and got supplied all over the battlefield.

The capital was obvious but the four mana crystal refinery depository were also being protected tightly.

And the tens of Satellite Fortresses that patrolled their boundaries got supplied with the mana crystals from these refinery depositories as they were constantly on guard against the other races.

And this refinery depository was even more important out of all four.

It was a very important structure which supplied the Satellite Fortresses which were in charge of the area which bordered both Akalachias and Rebeloongs.

Of course the Defenders who were in charge of this place needed to stay alert all the time as well.

And one of these Defenders, Ortanion, looked at the Satellite Fortresses in the distance as he started to frown.

‘For the damn bird and rat bastards to come.’

The Satellite Fortresses he could see were not those of the Archons.

It was the opposite.

They were the Satellite Fortresses of those who constantly longed after their resources, the Rebeloongs and Akalanchias.

Though four Satellite Fortresses were protecting them, there was no time for a break.

No, the fact that four Satellite Fortresses had been sent over to this location out of the vast border simply described how important and dangerous this place was.

‘Damn… it would’ve been better to get chosen as a Harvester. Or even an Inspector.’

Captain of the Satellite Fortress, the Atillan.

Out of the tens of thousands of Archons, it was an honorable position that only a few tens could reach.

Not everyone could own these positions and being able to hold these positions signified tremendous honor and power.

A rank that every Archon wanted.

But of course there was a difference wherever one went and not every captain of the Atillan was the same.

The position which was sought after the most was the Harvester.

It was good.

It was too good.

Since they don’t do anything.

They just needed to rotate around the livestock, eat up some snacks as they pleased and even watch the amusing games that occur in those farms.

A position of their dreams that every Archon wanted.

And this position had been taken over by Dakidus.

‘Damned bastard.’

He suddenly felt annoyed as he thought of Dakidus laughing as if he had gained everything in the world after being nominated as a Harvester.

‘I hope he becomes a cripple.’

Of course he knew that wouldn’t happen.

To get hurt by livestock.

A captain of the Satellite Fortress?

If one went through such humiliation then they would get ignored even among their own race.

The next best one was being an Inspector.

It wasn’t as good as the Harvester but it was still good.

Since the only thing they did was inspect the Green Road.

Finding the Destruction Jade also a part of their tasks but they had long given up on that.

Since the humans might use it the moment they detect suspicious movements from the Higher races.

At least the Green Road was their land.

It wasn’t easy to do anything they wanted in that part where quite powerful livestock existed.

And that actually made it more favorable.

Since there wasn’t much to do.

It was a bit annoying from the fact that they had to deal with Clementine’s underlings and their captain, Metion, but it was still very comfortable.

And Merutt had been nominated for this.

That guy was probably roaming around the Green Road in the distance as well.

Since it wasn’t that far from here.

‘Damn. The Harvester and the Inspector… they need to get abolished.’

Sadly there were only one spot for each of those positions.

So naturally everyone else would become Defenders.

He had been nominated to do the least favorable Defender position at the furthest border away from the capital.

There wasn’t a single time to rest either.

The Satellite Fortresses had to even take turns in order to resupply their mana crystals.

Since they didn’t know what the enemy would do the moment a gap was created.

Though there wasn’t a single Archon Warrior in the Satellite Fortress of the Harvester or that of the Inspector, there were anywhere from a few tens to hundreds of Archons in a Satellite Fortress operated by a Defender.

In case something happened.

And it was the same for their enemies.

Which meant that the situation here was that tense.

‘Rumblee’

Booooooom

Ortanion frowned as he heard the loud noise coming from below.

Which meant that the recharging of the mana crystal for the Satellite Fortress from the mana crystal refinery depository had almost finished.

It was now time to return to the battlefield.

‘Merutt, shall I go have a look at what he’s doing?’

It would be quite boring until he would comeback.

But there was a good thing about being in an area of constant clash.

Because there were a lot of Satellite Fortresses gathered, he could see what was going on with the others in other Satellite Fortresses.

Chaararararak

As the detection system of the Satellite Fortress got amplified, he started to zoom in to the Satellite Fortress of the Inspector, Merutt.

‘Hoh? So is that the soccer those humans play?’

Booom!

Boom!

That Merutt was kicking something into a goal in a part of the Fortress.

But if people saw this, they would think that the Archons were hugely mistaken.

Since it was completely different from the normal soccer.

Soccer was not something someone played alone and it wasn’t just about kicking the ball into the goal.

And they did not, under no circumstances no matter what, used a person instead of a ball.

A person whose limbs had been cut off.

Booooom!

— Kuaaaak!

— Aaaaak!

Screams and shouts came out from the mouths of the livestock whose limbs had been cut off and only their body and head had been left.

These people, who were being kicked by the powerful Archon, were smashing into the walls of the Satellite Fortress which was covered in a blue light and were getting smashed apart.

Crushed and blown apart.

There were over 50 <balls> that had blown apart under Merutt’s feet already.

Ortanion was envious as he looked at this scene.

‘This envy is going to be the death of me.’

Since Merutt always pulled up toys from the Green Road, the number of Offerings was quite high.

The same with the Harvester, Dakidus.

They didn’t really have enough to play around like that since they were only supplied a small amount as snacks.

But while Ortanion was watching this scene in jealousy.

Whoooosh

‘Huh? Why has he come already…’

Dakidus’s Satellite Fortress.

Why did his Satellite Fortress come here already when he should be going around the farms right now?

There still should be a few more days worth of mana crystals.

‘Suspicious.’

Ortanion made a confused expression at the single Satellite Fortress approaching slowly from the distance as he started up the communications network.

So they could begin an exchange.