Chapter 229

Chapter 229
## Chapter 229

Aftermath (1)

Analyzing the circumstances required no additional delay.

His consciousness had remained completely active throughout the ordeal, despite his physical form being locked in slumber.

This held true even though his mind had been splintered into nine distinct shards, each operating under the influence of its own individual temperament.

“Ha! Unbelievable.”

These scattered thoughts, which had been executing actions aligned with their unique traits across various locations, instantaneously began merging back into a unified network.

Heinz the Second, who was organizing a confrontation against the Obaifo Clan after aligning himself with the Vice President of the Republic.

Hubert, who was capitalizing on the widespread disorder to expand his commercial ventures even further.

Harris, who was currently draped across a massive bough of the World Tree, absorbing the solar rays much like a photosynthesizing organism.

Howard, who had successfully extracted the closely guarded techniques of the Dwarves from Zaonic.

Hesperon, who was peacefully studying the arcane arts under the direct supervision of Riley.

Hugo, who had assumed responsibility for guarding the comatose primary physical form while executing his assignments on Earth.

And Harley, who was roaring with maniacal laughter as he obliterated the surviving fiends and thoroughly thrashed the High Chieftain, completely unbothered by his own heavily damaged physique…

‘…Only forty-eight hours have passed.’

Heinrich, who was maintaining a firm grip on the holy blade, the euphoric sensation of his recent spiritual elevation still vibrating through him.

And Hans, who had been impaled directly through the chest by that very same holy blade, his resentment continuing to smite his inner being…

‘How could the situation deteriorate to this degree in a mere two days?’

Exhaling a heavy breath, I passed my hands over my face once more.

The sheer absurdity of the current state of affairs forced a weary lament from my throat.

The dark void that had infected the consciousness of Hans during his period of oblivion had attempted a brief, violent rebellion, but its defiance was rapidly neutralized by the holy blade remaining anchored in his sternum.

‘Though, honestly, I could have handled it even without the weapon’s assistance.’

Shifting my gaze slightly, I reviewed the notification from the system that had materialized just before my consciousness faded.

《The innate capability advances and unlocks its latent power. You have obtained the specialized capability “Soul Firewall”.》

This attribute permitted the creation of an impenetrable defense perimeter around his spiritual core, representing an evolutionary leap beyond merely filtering out detrimental external forces via “Mind Hub”.

‘…This guarantees a recurrence of such an incident is impossible.’

Where he had previously expended immense effort trying to contain the psychological inundation, he was now completely impervious to mental degradation.

He had identified a critical vulnerability in his skillset and required a definitive remedy; now, that anxiety was entirely resolved.

‘The pressing issue at hand is… figuring out how to rectify this disaster.’

A deep crease formed on his forehead, an unavoidable reaction to the circumstances.

Hans had ventured far too deep into dangerous territory this time, shattering the boundaries he had so meticulously maintained up to this point.

A catastrophic number of lives had been extinguished in the madness, and even Geos, his close associate, had been severely harmed in the crossfire.

He was barred from transferring the blame to an outside party, given that Hans was fundamentally an extension of himself…

The sensation was identical to regaining consciousness inside a confinement cell, only to discover one had perpetrated a horrific offense while completely blacked out.

‘Curse it all, if that colossus hadn’t intervened!’

…Then again, if fault had to be assigned, it belonged to the entities that had instigated the chaos and engineered his downfall.

The colossus that executed the physical devastation, the Revolutionary who orchestrated the summoning ritual, and the enigmatic ‘Lord’ pulling the strings from the shadows.

From a logical standpoint, he was the true casualty of these machinations!

‘Ha— Unbelievable.’

Yet, indulging in avoidance would not alter reality.

The immediate priority was to systematically restore order.

—

[Kyaaaaagh—!]

Whoosh—

A violent tempest tore across the war-torn terrain as the Bone Dragon, interpreting the imminent peril facing its commander, unleashed a deafening shriek and ascended into the skies.

With the dissipation of the localized hurricane, the hostilities naturally ground to a sudden halt.

The Immortal King Hans had executed a tactical retreat, positioned atop the cranium of Heratos.

Meanwhile, Heinrich, embodying the role of the champion, stood resolutely as a defensive barrier for his depleted allies, his fingers locked around the hilt of his holy blade.

An oppressive quiet pervaded the area as the two figures locked eyes, a standoff broken only when the Immortal King initiated conversation.

[Hehehe— You truly are an exceptional individual, Hero Heinrich. I confess I did not anticipate you possessing such capabilities. My assessment of you was flawed.]

His tone carried its characteristic insolence, yet the reality remained that Heinrich’s concluding strike had inflicted substantial trauma upon him.

The sacred embers were actively consuming his internal anatomy, and the “Immortal Heart” anchored within his pocket dimension had sustained collateral degradation as well.

Granted, an isolated critical strike was insufficient to completely neutralize an entity of his stature as the Immortal King… but the injury was undeniable.

The circumstances dictated that a withdrawal was the most prudent course of action.

“This is merely the opening gambit, Hannibal Strauss! In our subsequent encounter, I will completely shatter your core.”

[Empty threats possess no utility, Hero. The physical condition of you and your comrades is visibly precarious. I wonder which party will truly endure if we persist with this engagement?]

“…Ugh!”

His assessment was entirely accurate; the vanguard of champions was in a significantly more desperate state.

Heinrich maintained a deceptive appearance of vitality solely due to his state of spiritual ascension, but his defensive gear was ruined, his flesh was lacerated, and…

The protective dome maintained by the Saintess, designed to shield them from the corrosive dark energy, was on the absolute brink of shattering.

The remaining combatants were drawing breath in ragged gasps, drenched in perspiration and clearly operating at the absolute limit of their endurance.

[I harbor no desire to conclude this grand amusement at this specific juncture, Hero. The total subjugation of this land would lose all flavor if it proved excessively simple, would it not?]

Furthermore, the reality remained that Geos was hovering on the precipice of demise.

His expiration could occur at any literal second.

[However, since I personally engaged and am now electing to step back, I shall concede this particular territory to you as a triumph. Enjoy your brief respite.]

He magnanimously offered a strategic compromise: the legions of the Immortal Army would refrain from launching incursions into the southern sectors neighboring Beorsen.

‘In truth, conducting reconnaissance in this zone using spectral entities is highly inefficient due to the local mystics, and worthwhile targets are scarce here anyway.’

Additionally, Harley was already thoroughly occupied with the systematic annihilation of Baltheon and his associated factions.

“…Our advance will never falter or cease, so long as the Divine Creator guides our path. We shall banish you back to the lowest realms of the dark void, Immortal King!”

[Hmph— A captivating proposition! I shall eagerly await the arrival of that moment.]

The instant the final syllable left his lips, the obsidian shroud blanketing the environment was abruptly drawn into the physical form of Hans, causing the seemingly infinite distortion to snap back into the layout of the estate’s primary reception hall.

Flap— Flap— Rumble!

The Bone Dragon, which had been maintaining a stationary hover, tore through the roofing structures and surged upward into the open air.

[I anticipate our eventual reunion at the seat of my power, the Immortal Fortress, my singular adversary, Heinrich Saint Landguard. Hahaha—!]

Abandoning the remaining throngs of animated corpses and fiends without a second thought, the Immortal King melted into the midnight firmament.

He discarded those remaining assets as though they were utterly inconsequential components of his grand strategy.

‘Excellent, the performance was flawlessly executed.’

With the departure of Hans from the immediate area,

Heinrich, having successfully realized his primary objective of forcing ‘the Immortal King’s retreat’, offered a somber, deliberate nod of approval.

“Commander Geos! Retain consciousness!”

“Geos!”

“Saintess, administer aid immediately…!”

…But the true work was only beginning.

—

Boom—!

An imposing combatant standing four meters in height drove a closed fist directly into the adversary who scarcely reached the level of his sternum.

“Gah! You absolute freak!”

“Hahaha! You possess some nerve calling me a freak, you mutated abomination?!”

“Ugh, you miserable wretch—!”

Baltheon, whose entire physiology was distorted by a repulsive amalgamation of violet and obsidian corruption, his muscle groups distended to unnatural proportions, attempted to deflect his own monstrous nature. However, Harley, the striking combatant (measuring a full four meters), merely bellowed with amusement and delivered another concussive blow.

‘This particular scale is ideal! If my physical mass expands any further, my operational velocity takes a hit, turning me into an oversized target for agile combatants like him.’

Baltheon had intentionally amplified his physical framework the moment hostilities commenced, but he lacked the capacity to rival Harley in terms of sheer scale.

Harley maintained absolute dominance over him across every metric of engagement.

He had even bypassed his chronic limitation regarding physical endurance by utilizing “Tyrant of Madness” to transmute psychological instability into pure kinetic vitality, consistently restoring his internal reserves.

“Khahaha! Your resilience is commendable! Let us discover the exact duration of your endurance!”

“Ugh! You savage animal!”

He was simultaneously capitalizing on the amplification mechanics of the “Calcos-style Combat Tattoos”, the potent “Bio-Aura” generated by his staggering physical reserves, and his highly irregular ocular trait, “Gem Eye: Coercion”.

His solitary obliteration of the fiendish ranks was a direct consequence of these overlapping advantages.

Baltheon was structurally incapable of securing a victory against him.

His operational capacity had been in a state of continuous decline ever since the defensive perimeter of the estate dissolved and the Immortal King departed the theater of war…

“…That deceitful wretch, he presented himself as nothing more than a mindless predator moments ago…! Curse it all! Was the entire display a calculated deception…?”

…Ultimately, he found himself entirely neutralized, his throat firmly secured within Harley’s iron grip.

His structural framework was shattered and contorted, with the active influence of “Gem Eye: Coercion” entirely shutting down his cellular regeneration.

“Hmm, regarding that…”

Harley casually adjusted his stance, observing the utter despair etched into the features of his captive.

He hadn’t actually formulated a complex strategy during the frenzy, leaving him without a profound explanation to offer.

Yet, as the adrenaline of active combat began to recede, his situational awareness, which had been restricted exclusively to his target, radiated outward once more.

In doing so, he detected a critical detail…

‘The count of remaining non-combatants is significantly higher than projected.’

He could identify not only the shock troops who had accompanied his deployment, but also numerous clusters of hidden citizens ensconced within various structures throughout the municipal sectors.

Furthermore, a significant portion of this population was observing his position with an undeniable expression of reverent awe.

‘Oh?’

He cast his gaze downward at the subverted entity dangling from his fist, a creature disfigured by the horrific violet and obsidian taint.

Baltheon represented the architect of the local uprising, the living embodiment of despotic cruelty, the quintessential antagonist of the territory.

“Khahaha—!”

Harley erupted into boisterous laughter as the grander narrative fell into place.

He had always possessed the instincts of a theatrical performer, a trait that coexisted perfectly with his identity as a brutal combatant.

He delivered his retort to Baltheon’s final query in a booming voice, ensuring his words carried across the environment to every hidden ear.

“Naturally! Your every movement was completely anticipated within my stratagems, Baltheon! I stand as the definitive champion, the paramount predator of this age! Hahaha!”

It marked a transformative epoch within the chronicles of the southern territories.

While maintaining his vice-like grip on Baltheon, Harley subtly shifted his posture to accentuate his massive muscular development, presenting an imposing silhouette to the hidden populace.

‘Now that I reflect upon the situation… ’

His thoughts unexpectedly drifted back to a past consultation with High Shaman Morna as his eyes swept over the intricate ink patterns decorating his skin.

She had explicitly pledged to endow him with the prestigious ‘Tattoo of the Fighting King’ upon the successful stabilization of the southern crisis.

He harbored reservations regarding the absolute utility of such an augmentation now that he had achieved a state of spiritual transcendence… yet the sheer prestige of acquiring an inscription unearned by any individual for multiple centuries made the endeavor highly attractive.

‘Furthermore, the instability within the southern sectors is functionally resolved now that Baltheon has been completely broken.’

Neutralizing the disorganized remnants of the insurgent forces would require minimal effort, and he could readily pinpoint the diminished spiritual signature of the High Shaman within the municipal boundaries. She appeared to have sustained her safety inside an isolated defensive barrier.

The objectives of his deployment had been thoroughly realized.

However, prior to concluding his business…

‘Baltheon, the deposed High Chieftain, the primary instigator behind the manifestation of the dark void portal. His physical person will serve as an exemplary token of success.’

“Grrr! What do you intend to… Ugh!”

Crack! Crack!

Harley methodically fractured the structural integrity of his captive’s remaining limbs, systematically neutralizing any latent capacity for counter-action.

It was imperative to preserve his vital signs for the immediate future, but he refused to tolerate the introduction of unpredicted variables.

“Whew, that concludes the necessary preparations. Let us depart!”

Dragging the broken form of Baltheon—now completely immobilized under the continuous pressure of “Gem Eye: Coercion”—across the dirt,

He directed his steps toward the central estate building, which had now settled into an unsettling, profound quiet.