Chapter 206

Chapter 206
## Chapter 206

The Prelude to Chaos (1)

An icy quietude now gripped the surroundings, though merely moments prior, the area had been consumed by the clamor of combat.

“………”

A figure stepped back and forth with measured strides, constantly analyzing the terrain.

His aura was profoundly elusive, shifting between a tempest of power and absolute ordinariness.

He held the title of Master of Heaven’s Turn Society, commanding the grandest covert organization across the globe.

‘It makes no sense.’

He was scrutinizing the precise coordinates where Hahoe Mask had been positioned moments ago.

He inspected the ground time and again, yet regardless of his intensive scrutiny, not a single anomaly revealed itself.

The stabilization of this space had been flawless—.

No imperfections existed, and not a trace of evidence survived.

That lack of residue was precisely what unsettled him.

‘He vanished instantly, as though systematically expunged from reality. Without a solitary hint of warning.’

He weighed a multitude of hypotheses, factoring in the potential of unique skills, but no matter which concept he tested, the logic failed to align.

Breaching the confines of this space necessitated an act of dimensional transcendence, a feat that could not be executed so effortlessly.

Furthermore, even if such an escape had been accomplished, some manner of residual energy should have lingered.

Yet, absolute void remained.

‘It resembles a supernatural abduction.’

The phenomenon defied comprehension, yet it was an undeniable reality, forcing his acceptance.

Consequently, he needed to devise a strategy to ensure such an outcome could not be replicated.

“Master! The battlefield cleanup is complete!”

While he remained immersed in reflection,

He shifted his attention toward the individual addressing him.

“…Doctor. What is the status of Yulryeongja?”

“Hehehe~ He has passed the critical threshold! It appears he applied the lessons from his prior ordeal to contain the harm! He maintains a habit of pushing past his limits, but his capabilities remain undeniable.”

Doctor cast a brief look toward Yulryeongja, who reposed inert upon the earth, offering a shameless smirk as he spoke.

He had entirely cast aside the memory that he was the very person who had pushed Yulryeongja into undertaking the assignment.

“Hmm, nonetheless…”

Doctor grimaced while inspecting the form of Yulryeongja, which was obscured by an array of mechanical apparatuses, arcane implements, unidentified cellular matter, and chemical compounds.

“…It escapes my sight. That reckless imbecile! Misplacing an object of such immense significance! Especially one forged from components that are utterly unobtainable in this era!”

He openly criticized the wounded subordinate for the loss of the item.

Given that the operation had collapsed and incurred expenses, it was entirely characteristic of his deeply narcissistic temperament to be thoroughly irritated.

“Ah well, it is hardly an item that defies replacement. We shall reclaim it once Hahoe Mask is securely within our grasp. We must simply construct a superior strategy for our next encounter!”

Their ultimate objective involved capturing and vivisecting the target regardless, rendering the current loss trivial.

“Hehehe~ We were thoroughly outmaneuvered! To think the underlying mechanism remains a mystery to us, even after witnessing it firsthand! My blood dances with fervor! Hehehe!”

The Master directed a fleeting look at Doctor, who was consumed by chaotic fervor, before looking down at Yulryeongja.

A substantial period had passed since he last took direct action due to his personal constraints, and now this critical opening had slipped away yielding no advantages.

On the contrary, they had sustained a distinct setback.

‘Hahoe Mask… ’

The Master murmured the moniker internally, carving it deeply into his consciousness.

He pledged to exact retribution for this dishonor.

—

The Immortal Fortress stood positioned in the remote depths of the Northern Mountains of Auterica.

This bastion, saturated with the essence of mortality’s end, served as the primary headquarters for the Immortal Army, acting as the nexus where the vast majority of the legions Hans had assembled were stationed.

Naturally, this did not encompass every single malicious entity they had gathered from the various territories… the subterranean syndicates, including the black mages, maintained their own outposts.

Those lesser entities remained deployed at their local stations, designated to serve as sacrificial components whenever an offensive was required.

Even so, Hans maintained a strict policy of relocating every individual of genuine utility, those exceeding a specific threshold of power or possessing ties to the Immortal Army, directly to the Immortal Fortress.

Furthermore, with the ceaseless generation of fresh undead harvested from the beasts perishing daily across the Northern Mountains…

Despite a massive contingent of the legions being stationed across the mainland, the mountain ranges encompassing the Immortal Fortress were utterly inundated with the walking dead.

Deep within the interior of the stronghold, at the absolute center of that macabre domain…

[My Sovereign… your return is acknowledged… Olivia… offers her salutations…]

Hans stared downward from his monumental dais constructed from skeletal remains and craniums, observing the ranks of Death Knights arrayed in formation before him.

[Excellent, it appears tranquility was maintained throughout my absence.]

He projected the complete aura of the ‘Immortal King’ in both title and presence, showing no outward indications of his recent injuries.

In reality, remnants of sacred energy still agitated his internal systems, and his cognitive faculties were heavily taxed, meaning he had not achieved optimal status.

Nevertheless, such complications were minor issues that would dissipate as time progressed.

‘The temporal variance separating Earth and Auterica presents an inconvenience on occasion, yet it proves highly advantageous under these circumstances. Particularly regarding the creation of undead.’

His thoughts drifted toward the advanced undead variants currently being developed by Dwell.

Calculating the temporal discrepancy, the specimens succeeding Salma ought to be reaching completion around this period.

Having acutely recognized his deficiency in raw power during his engagement with the Master of Heaven’s Turn Society, he naturally focused greater attention on the undead, which represented the most direct and accelerated method to augment his military strength outside of his personal avatars’ advancement.

‘They may offer little utility against an entity of his caliber, but they will prove highly effective in neutralizing the subordinate forces of the Heaven’s Turn Society.’

He likely could have orchestrated a more formidable resistance against the Master had he chosen to deploy the Bone Dragon Heratos or Salma…

Ultimately, notwithstanding his elevated attributes as the Immortal King, his fundamental classification remained that of a auxiliary-focused black mage and necromancer.

Yet, he had chosen to preserve those assets for a more critical juncture, a engagement of far greater consequence.

[…The distribution of forces across the mainland is advancing in an orderly fashion, in alignment with your directives… We moderated the speed of deployment slightly in response to the recent Continental Summit…]

The briefing delivered by Olivia persisted while he remained occupied with his private reflections.

In her capacity as the primary administrator of the Immortal Fortress and director of intelligence, she bore the responsibility of charting every development that transpired during his period of absence.

‘No unexpected deviations. Then again, Heinrich and Heinz the Second possess considerable competence regarding information procurement.’

The vast majority of external events surrounding the Immortal Fortress were already known to him, yet he refrained from breaking her flow, continuing to observe with his chin resting upon his hand.

His capacity for parallel processing allowed him to listen easily, and there remained a possibility of uncovering an overlooked detail.

‘Reflecting on current matters, I ought to initiate tests on that sphere… the token left behind by Yulryeongja.’

In contrast to their initial encounter, Hans’s current progression existed on an entirely elevated plane, meaning a singular fragment of a spirit would fail to yield an overwhelming transformation.

It would merely provide a minor edge when manipulating cognitive-based black magic.

Naturally, it still constituted a notable enhancement, facilitating the imposition of constraints and the extraction of recollections.

However, the genuine worth of the item rested within the sphere that had been deposited inside his cognitive landscape.

‘The fundamental trait serves to heighten psychic capabilities… yet its nature is abnormal. Discerning its true boundary is impossible without active deployment.’

The Heaven’s Turn Society undeniably possessed an inventory of captivating relics.

He speculated as to which alternate reality they had plundered such an artifact from.

The mere reality that it manifested within the cognitive realm, rather than physical space, marked it as extraordinary.

[Furthermore… our forces secured one of the White Giants that manifested across the mainland… and transferred custody to Dwell for analytical purposes…]

Precisely as Hans was evaluating the applications of the sphere,

Olivia introduced a compelling detail into her briefing.

‘A White Giant was seized?… Recalling past events, a single specimen retreated into the mountain ranges following its manifestation within the Rohan Duchy.’

The Immortal Army, concentrated in immense numbers around the Immortal Fortress, wielded sufficient power to collapse multiple nations if a total offensive were declared.

Subduing a single giant did not even demand the mobilization of the entire host; a handful of high-ranking officers would suffice.

[Regrettably, we have failed to extract any actionable intelligence from the specimen thus far… It persistently reiterates an identical demand… requesting an audience with you…]

[…It possesses the capacity for speech? And it requests my presence?]

Her subsequent words commanded an even greater share of his focus.

The structural seals on the giant’s mouth had been dismantled following its subdual, alongside the nasal passage that had remained unsealed from the inception and the auditory canal that had been unsealed more recently…

Through these channels, it consistently signaled a distinct intent.

To stand before the Immortal King, Hans.

[Dwell is employing a variety of protocols while conducting his examinations… yet the entity does not mirror standard biological organisms… Interrogation techniques, cognitive manipulation spells, all yield no results…]

[Hmm.]

Hans rose deliberately from his skeletal seat, giving a firm nod.

A White Giant, confined within the research chambers of the Immortal Fortress, insisting on an audience with him.

This presented an exceptional opening to secure data regarding their origins, an objective he had long sought to fulfill.

[Hehehe— This develops into an intriguing scenario. Let us discover what intelligence it holds.]

He possessed no reason to decline an interaction with the titan.

—

Hans, guided by Dwell, made his way to the secure vault where the cranium of the White Giant was held in captivity.

Upon entry, the initial sight that greeted him…

Whoosh—

…Was a dense, violet vapor permeating the entirety of the chamber.

It existed as a highly destructive toxin capable of dissolving even undead units should their internal mana reserves prove deficient, to say nothing of standard living organisms…

[My humblest apologies! Had your arrival been signaled, I would have cleared the atmosphere. My concentration regarding the research caused me to overlook the state of the room!]

…Yet the substance failed to register any impact on the figures present.

Furthermore, the sensory perception of the undead remained unhindered by atmospheric density.

Dwell had proceeded with his analysis of the colossus entirely unaffected by the environment.

[The matter is of no consequence. Thus… this is the specimen?]

Hans directed his concentration toward the titan’s head, which remained immobilized at the focal point of the chamber.

A crimson arrays of black magic traced upon the stone using blood, a sacrificial platform, obsidian spikes driven into the skull resembling pins that radiated a malevolent resonance, and heavy bonds wrapping the entirety of the cranium…

The pale visage, measuring at least four meters in scale, juxtaposed against the crimson and dark implements, rendered the already ominous environment significantly more disturbing.

In that moment…

[Oh— Death—. The cessation of vitality, the ultimate deprivation—.]

The maw of the colossus parted.

It delivered a declaration that carried the cadence of verse.

‘…What message is this entity attempting to convey?’

He recognized that the phrases were directed at his person, yet…

To frame it in a certain manner…

[Hehehe— Indubitably, I stand as the Sovereign of the Departed, the physical manifestation of mortality’s end. You exist as a thrall of the void, a subordinate to delusion. You possessed the audacity to demand an audience before my presence?]

…The response aligned perfectly with Hans’s established persona.

Internally, he experienced a flash of self-consciousness regarding his theatrical phrasing, yet he preserved an unyielding countenance and maintained his gaze upon the titan’s head.

‘…My repressed grandiosity appears to have surfaced once more. Correcting these linguistic tendencies will require persistent effort.’

The colossus, entirely detached from his internal dialogue, persisted in its erratic declarations.

[Oh— Death, your memory has faltered—. Our collective yearning— the mandate allocated to our kind by our Master—!]

Hans found himself unable to decipher the underlying meaning.

‘What is the true subject of this entity’s speech?’

He angled his skeletal head slightly, performing a rigorous visual examination of the giant.

The entity undeniably originated from the void, mirroring his own nature.

The solicitation for an audience stemmed from an intrinsic alignment they shared.

‘Yearning, a mandate, and… a Master?’

Yet, the parameters appeared to encompass something far grander.

‘Were death and madness not merely residual elements of creation, abandoned to decay within the void?’

No documentation regarding such concepts existed within the chronicles inherited from the ancestral Immortal Kings…

[Death—. The foundational corruption— the destiny that settles at the base of the void—.]

While he remained locked in thought,

Snap— Snap, snap!

The dark bindings that had forcibly secured the giant’s right eye began to rupture sequentially.

‘Its ocular organ?’

The abrupt transformation prompted Hans to immediately channel additional energy into the black magic circle restraining the colossus while simultaneously raising a defensive barrier around his position.

It constituted a tactical safeguard, enacted purely as a defensive measure, despite the giant exhibiting no explicit malice.

[I— acting as an instrument of the Master— transfer his intent to your consciousness—.]

Simultaneously, the remaining dark bindings severed completely,

The immense eyelid parted forcefully,

And its colossal “Abyssal Eye” focused its direct gaze upon Hans.

‘What?! Hold, this signifies…!’

He deduced the nature of the event instantaneously.

Whoosh—!

An obsidian lance of energy erupted from his palm, slicing cleanly through the giant’s cranium and destroying its internal nucleus.

Nonetheless…

The countermeasure came too late.

An element had already penetrated his consciousness via the bridge of the void—.

The force began its backward migration toward his primary physical form, completely circumventing his “Mind Hub”.