Chapter 190. Birdcage (2)

---

Metiron looked at the King laying on the ground as he laughed.

“So…You thought we were the ones who betrayed you?”

“Kurruuk….Grr.”

Metiron made a bored expression while looking at the King, who had lost all his energy from being mind controlled, as he got lost in thought.

‘These guys aren’t going to stop attacking anymore either.’

They had crossed the line already.

They had killed the Archons who had attacked them first and even taken their King as hostage.

‘Thank god I had this around… If not then…’

Metiron mumbled quietly as he touched the black ring on his hand.

The sensation of all the mana in his body disappearing hurt but it damaged the Higher Races more than himself.

And this was why they were laid out on the ground before him.

‘Anyways…What do I do now?’

It would be nice if he could use this King as hostage but the Higher Races didn’t really care for their kind that much.

‘Tsk. This is going to cause the farms Clementine created to all get destroyed.’

Saving their lives weren’t hard.

Since they just needed to take the Portal at the end of the Green Road.

But the farms that they had raised for over ten years being destroyed felt a little wasteful.

Metiron kicked the corpse of the Archon by his feet and then frowned.

He didn’t like them but they needed each other so they had held back for countless years and had worked together but for it to be broken apart in just an instant.

But Metiron shook his head after a brief moment of thought.

This wasn’t important.

He needed decide what to do from this point.

And there was need for him to ask for a decision this large.

Though he was the director of all this, he still had a superior officer above him.

Logically, it would be better for them to back off and maintain their strength but Clementine may have different thoughts.

Oooooong…

As Metiron willed.

The soul fragment in Metiron’s heart started to tremble.

Towards the right arm of Clementine who should be adventuring around the higher zones with Clementine as of this moment.

Towards the owner of one of the seven soul fragments in his heart.

Since trait didn’t need mana to use.

— What shall I do?

This was all he needed to report.

Since they will read his memories anyway.

‘The Destruction Jade…I should take it or something. Maybe hide it somewhere.’

Metiron mumbled as he looked at the black ring on his hand.

If they couldn’t use it then nobody could use it.

He couldn’t destroy it since it was extremely hard but making it so nobody could use it was easy.

Metiron continued to touch the ring while waiting for orders from above.

And then a vibration rang through his head.

A sound that made his soul tremble.

“Haaa.”

Metiron made a strange expression from the answer.

***

Booooom!

Hansoo smashed the door of the tower after reaching it in an instant.

Boooom!

Dragon Essence Blade, Body Enhancement Surgery and 100%-filled strength rune caused the front door to be smashed apart.

Whooosh

Hansoo frowned as he looked at the tunnel in front of him that led downwards.

‘Why isn’t it activating?’

To his memory, there was a elevator that worked with mana here.

So that people can ride it down.

It was something the Sages used but since it was now the resort of the Higher Races, it should always be working.

‘Strange.’

Hansoo looked around and then threw some pores of the Pandemic Blade down.

Whoooosh!

The mana filled spores fell down the tunnel along with the wind.

The bright orange spores were easily seen even in the midst of the dark tunnel.

But at that moment.

Hooong!

As if the electricity had been cut off, the light of the spores suddenly disappeared.

And Hansoo frowned as he saw this.

‘They activated the Destruction Jade huh.’

A vacuum of mana.

It was similar to the Sealing Jade in the sense that it caused the mana to freeze in a set area but the quality was different.

For it to even cause mana that came in from the outside to stop.

The inner part of the Birdcage would probably be devoid of mana.

If they controlled the Destruction jade and then activated it, this wasn’t a strange scene actually.

Hansoo thought for a moment and then took off the Heavenly Wrath Armor and the Archon’s Spear around his body.

And then gave it to Ekidu and Karhal.

“Why are you giving this to us?”

Hansoo spoke.

“If it’s a mana vacuum in there then I can’t use this anyway. Hold onto this. And if you see anyone pop out then use this to suppress them all or push them back in.”

The adventurers who come out may be able to use mana again but they wouldn’t be able to come out if Karhal and Ekidu guard the door with the Heavenly Wrath Armor.

“Hey! What the hell are you saying! Then normal people can get hurt!”

Karhal, whose sibling might be in there, shouted back.

It was suppression but such a weapon like the Akion wouldn’t just stop there.

Hansoo then looked at Ekidu.

“Ekidu, do you have the same thoughts? Even if way more people will die because some people escape from in here?”

“…”

Ekidu pondered for a moment and replied.

“Are you afraid of someone escaping with the Destruction Jade?”

Hansoo nodded at her words.

They would dig through the ground if they had mana but since they didn’t they wouldn’t be able to penetrate through the materials of the Birdcage.

This was the only exit.

Which means that if they couldn’t get the Destruction Jade from the one who escapes with the Destruction Jade then they would all die.

Since the Higher Races will start a massacre with the Satellite Fortresses.

Since they didn’t know the faces of all of Metiron’s clansmen, they didn’t know who would bring it out either.

They needed to block this place no matter what.

And Hansoo needed to bring out the Destruction Jade while Junghwan bought time no matter what.

Ekidu pondered for a moment at Hansoo’s words but then nodded.

“Give it to me. I’ll block them.”

She felt the importance of this job.

‘…I’ll only stop at suppression.’

Ekidu’s eyes changed.

She used the White River Demonic Art.

Emotions were erased from her face as it turned into an extremely cold one.

She hadn’t lost her sanity but her emotions won’t hinder her from what she needed to do anymore.

‘Fuck.’

While Karhal saw this scene.

Hansoo spoke towards Karhal after handing Ekidu the Akion and Heaven’s Wrath Armor.

“And Karhal comes with me.”

“…Damn.”

Karhal laughed bitterly as he realized the meaning behind this.

Hansoo wasn’t taking him because he believed in him.

He was taking him because if Karhal remained here then he might make some horrible mistake or mess the situation up.

But Karhal shook his head.

‘Yeah. Let’s think positive. Him not killing me is already a gift.’

Karhal actually already felt chills from Hansoo’s ruthless decisions.

Though he had helped Hansoo up until now, if he messed things up then his life would be lost in an instant.

Which meant that this was extremely important to Hansoo.

Taking him instead of killing him was already a thankful thing.

‘…Help this guy as much as I can. Then save my sibling while doing so.’

Karhal gulped down his saliva and then grasped tightly onto the <Snake’s Path> Junghwan spat out before as he followed Hansoo down.

***

Kwadudududk!

Hansoo’s body fell while slashing the wall of the dark tunnel that led downwards.

Then.

Whoooosh

As they fell into the tunnel.

Hwaaaa!

The skills surrounding Karhal’s body disappeared along with mana.

At the same time.

Chuuuururururk

The liquid metal surrounding Hansoo’s body melted down.

Along with the metals inside him threatening his brain and his heart.

Spit

Karhal made a strange expression while watching Hansoo spit out the liquid metal and then spoke as if he remembered something.

“…Did you perhaps knew this would happen? Was that why you allowed him to lay that thing on you?”

Hansoo looked at Karhal at those words and then replied.

“Yes, the moment I heard Metiron had the Destruction Jade. Though it wasn’t confirmed that he had it.”

It might’ve been different if Meitron didn’t have the Destruction Jade.

There was no way Metiron wouldn’t use the Destruction Jade when the Archon and other Higher Races suddenly attacked them.

Since it wouldn’t be hard for the Higher Races to kill him and his countless clansmen if he didn’t use it.

Once he entered a location where mana was frozen, it didn’t matter what Junghwan casted on him.

“…”

Karhal made a fearful expression while watching Hansoo.

He had sent Junghwan to his death while knowing that the prohibition Junghwan set on him would be useless.

Just so he could get the Destruction Jade.

Hansoo took a glance at Karhal and then spoke out a few words.

“Get ready. This is the beginning. And I don’t plan to break any promises.”

“Huh?”

Then.

Whooosh

Wind started to come into the tunnel from below the tunnel.

And then.

“Huuuuaaak!”

Karhal freaked out as he saw the scene before while falling from the tunnel.

A giant area surrounded by darkness.

It was dark and their mana had been frozen, but the 100% perception runes still existed.

Karhal’s vision penetrated through the darkness and swept the area below.

The first thing that came into his view was a semi-circular area that was a few kilometers in diameter and height.

The place they landed was the center of this place.

The second thing was the countless giant marbles that had lost their light.

They seemed like they were used as a light source and were stuck upon the ceilings but as if they had stopped working from the disappearance of mana, they had all been turned off.

The last thing that came into his view was…The chaos.

“Uaaaaak!”

“Roaaarr! The King! Where’s the King!’

“These bugs! Die!”

“Fucking bitches! Die! Die!”

Though they were still quite far from the ground, the sound and the scene was witnessed by Karhal.

Karhal exclaimed out in stupor as he heard the roars, deathly screams and sounds of clashes.

“Oh god…”

It was chaos in itself.

Thousands of Higher Races who had lost their sanity and tens of thousands of humans were running around the strange structures.

But before they could get a clearer view of this place.

Puaaaak!

They fell onto the center of the lake.

Chwaaaak!

From the rough fall of the two people, they created waves on the surface of the lake.

“Puuhup!”

Though they didn’t have any mana, their physical bodies were already monstrous.

Karhal came back to his senses after the land and then pushed his head out of the water.

He checked the scene again in case he made a mistake but the scene he had seen before was even clearer now.

Chaos.

Some were crawling towards the ceiling through the walls and some were hiding between the structures away from the Higher Race.

Though they had lost their mana, the physical abilities of the Higher Race were still far superior.

The Higher Races that resembled eagles, rats and wolves were massacring the humans within the chaos.

As Karhal lost his words.

An angered roar was heard from the distance.

“Kurung! Hey you bugs over there! How did you get in from above! What’s the situation above!”

Kuuduk Kudududuk.

Hansoo watched the rat-shaped Rebeloong approaching them after seeing them fall down as he spoke towards Karhal.

“If you were going to save somebody from this place, how are you going to do it?”

This damned world.

Saving somebody wasn’t taking care of them with love and care.

No matter how they cared for them, if they met a powerful enemy then they would just get killed.

The best method was set already.

Destroying everything that may become their enemy.

‘I shall erase all of you.’

Chwaaaak!

Hansoo stood up from the lake while looking at the Higher Race stomping towards him with the Forked Lightning in his hand.