Chapter 394

Chapter 394
## Chapter 394: Prelude

—

The report arrived: Phantom was present.

Yet, despite their scanning of the area, no individual matching the description of Phantom could be seen.

“Is this some kind of practical joke?”

The Executors were plagued by confusion.

Among the group assembled in this place, there was no trace of the one known as ‘Phantom.’

Every person present was merely an ‘avatar,’ much like themselves.

This realization stung because each of them, having recovered their lost memories, had been secretly harboring a deep anticipation for this moment.

Their initial encounter with Phantom.

They yearned to look upon the face of the man who had ensured they were among the ‘survivors’!

“Where is Phantom actually hiding?”

The Thunder Lion spoke, his brow furrowed in a deep scowl.

“It appears your senses haven’t sharpened enough to perceive him yet.”

Isabella gestured toward a specific point: ‘The First Flame.’

They recognized that the fire was far from mundane, but they couldn’t discern if ‘Phantom’ was literally residing within the blaze.

Isabella continued her explanation in a measured tone.

“This fire is tethered to his very spirit. Its vibrant, undying glow is the certain proof that he still persists.”

The First Flame served as the physical testament to Phantom’s continued existence.

Furthermore, ever since The First Flame was established within this labyrinth, the entire structure had undergone a series of profound transformations.

It was as if the maze itself was a mirror of Park Hyunmyeong’s soul.

Much like the perpetually developing Park Hyunmyeong, the biological systems within the labyrinth had evolved through countless iterations.

This was the core reason Hudson had maintained a wall of absolute silence regarding the labyrinth’s internal state.

‘…The labyrinth wasn’t merely a vessel for light.’

Park Hyunmyeong had delegated the primary oversight of the Labyrinth City to Hudson.

Following that transition, Park Hyunmyeong had distanced himself from the city’s day-to-day affairs.

The complication arose from the spontaneous shifts within the labyrinth that occurred in his absence.

Operating like a sentient biological entity, the labyrinth containing ‘The First Flame’ shifted from one moment to the next.

The physical boundaries of the maze expanded, its corridors grew more convoluted, and the resident beasts adapted and mutated within its depths.

The troubling aspect was that the majority of these mutations were rooted in shadow rather than light.

The mutated Hydragons and Omen Birds were just the most visible symptoms of a much deeper change.

From Hudson’s perspective as the designated administrator, he found himself in an increasingly precarious position.

Should the truth of these mutations be exposed to the public, the social and political fallout would be immense.

However, he was equally unable to release the beasts from the labyrinth into the world.

Those creatures had become a specialized species that could only survive within the unique environmental conditions of the labyrinth’s ecosystem.

‘……It was ultimately my own ambition to bolster the city’s strength.’

In truth, the catalyst had been Hudson’s own desire.

It was Hudson who had originally introduced creatures like the Corpse Crows and Hydragons into the labyrinth’s depths.

Beyond that, nearly half of the current monster population had migrated there of their own volition.

When the White King officially proclaimed the labyrinth a city under the Ojuryeok, monsters migrated from every corner of the map, even from the distant northern reaches of Kramdel.

In response, Hudson had partitioned specific zones for their habitats and reinforced the labyrinth’s perimeter defenses, treating it like the construction of a fortress to repel outside invaders.

In the beginning, everything had been standard.

The monsters were nothing more than common threats.

He never envisioned that these creatures would undergo such radical evolution.

Furthermore, the beasts displayed a total refusal to depart from the labyrinth.

Certain species would even launch frenzied attacks against any perceived intruder into their domain.

These entities had grown far beyond Hudson’s ability to regulate.

What had started as a project to cultivate a thriving labyrinth had ballooned into something of unimaginable proportions.

It had reached a threshold where he was powerless to intervene.

‘…It has essentially transformed into the Tower of Ruin itself.’

By now, the labyrinth was far more than a mere maze.

Though the Executors hadn’t crossed paths with them yet, they too resided within the walls.

Lilith and the Nameless Vulture!

If any outsider were to stumble upon them… it would be undeniably obvious that this location served as the primary headquarters linked to the ‘Tower of Ruin.’

This Labyrinth City was, in essence, the physical manifestation of Park Hyunmyeong.

It was the crystallization of his identity and his very being.

“……Are you saying that even you haven’t managed to locate his physical body?”

Regardless of the explanation, the Thunder Lion’s skepticism was logical.

Isabella responded with a slow shake of her head.

“We are aware of his location, but at this particular juncture, intervention is impossible.”

“For what reason?”

“Because he is submitting to death by his own choice.”

“……Beg pardon?”

“He provided salvation for more than a thousand souls. Such a feat is a miracle that defies a rational mind. It is even more staggering when you realize he did it knowing no one would remember his sacrifice.”

“……”

“He has endured a desolate and isolated crusade for an age. All for our safety and the freedom of this world. Now, the burden falls to us to ensure his ‘survival’.”

It mirrored the sentiment expressed by that other man.

Just as Phantom had been the guarantor of their lives, it was now their responsibility to be the guarantors of his.

Even so, it wasn’t as if the Thunder Lion couldn’t feel the weight of it.

…He couldn’t even begin to fathom the depth of that solitude.

The memories they had once lost were nothing short of breathtaking.

Survival?

That was only the surface level.

Every action he had taken was a far cry from merely hijacking their forms or manipulating them for some petty personal gain.

“Had I been in his place, I would never have made it through that ordeal.”

“……Quite right. He laid the very stones that allowed us to ‘transcend’.”

“And instead of showing gratitude, we nursed a bitter grudge……”

“There is no greater mark of an ingrate.”

The Executors allowed heavy sighs to escape them.

The primary reason they had been able to reach the state of ‘transcendence’ was that the fundamental structure of their physical forms had been refined to such a high degree.

The artisan who had perfected those vessels was none other than ‘Phantom.’

He had crafted bodies with perfectly distributed attributes, bolstered by every imaginable hidden advantage.

Everything they had acquired while navigating through countless surreal crises was the catalyst for their transcendence.

It wasn’t a result of their own inherent greatness; it was only feasible because Phantom had meticulously assembled all the necessary components beforehand.

Yet, they had clung to their resentment, swearing to end his life; the thought of it now felt pathetic.

Worse yet, they had lived under the false impression that they were the ones pushing him toward his demise.

‘The loneliness he must have felt is unimaginable.’

The Executors felt a stirring in their chests.

It was a burden that exceeded the limits of human psychological endurance.

In fact, it would have broken a ‘god’ just as easily.

It felt as though the fact that he was now welcoming death was a weight they all shared.

“…I am filled with regret that I failed to strike down the ‘Golden Mask’.”

One of the Executors spoke through clenched teeth.

The Thunder Lion signaled his agreement with a sharp nod.

“If you bring us into the fold, the ‘Death God Cult’ will not sit by quietly. The ‘Golden Mask’ in particular will stop at nothing to eliminate us.”

Hudson spoke with certainty.

“The Death God Cult is going to strike.”

“It’s not just them. He holds the true reins of power in the Empire, so the entire Imperial force……”

“That won’t come to pass.”

“…Do you have some secret leverage?”

“Because the individual who commands the most reverence in the Empire is not the Golden Mask.”

“……Are you referring to Sir Lyca?”

Hudson gave a noncommittal shrug.

Lyca.

There was zero chance he would align himself with the agenda of the Death God Cult.

Admittedly, he was unaware that Randolph and Park Hyunmyeong were one and the same, but the person he had encountered within the Dungeon of the World Tree was no longer the Lyca of old.

He would not seek out a conflict without cause.

Most importantly, he had personally tasted the overwhelming dread of ‘Randolph’ within the Tower of the War God.

If Lyca stood in opposition, the collective power of the Empire would remain stagnant.

While the citizens of the Empire feared the ‘Golden Mask’ above all others, their deepest, most unshakeable loyalty belonged to ‘Lyca.’

A wide smile spread across Hudson’s face.

“Actually, this has developed quite favorably.”

“……?”

“When the Death God Cult initiates their move and you join our ranks, the word will travel across the entire continent.”

“You intend to use a state of war to draw in the rest of Phantom’s avatars?”

“Exactly. Just as you sought us out, the remaining avatars will migrate toward us once the news breaks.”

It meant there was no longer a need to hunt them down individually.

They would be drawn to this location by their own accord, even if the group here did nothing.

The Thunder Lion looked on, completely stunned.

“Are you truly… not intimidated by the Death God Cult?”

“Why should the Death God Cult be a source of fear for us?”

“Regardless of how formidable the defenses of this labyrinth are… the Death God Cult is an entity far deeper than what is visible on the surface.”

This was the most chilling aspect of the cult.

The reality was that their visible influence was merely the tip of a massive iceberg.

If the full strength of the ‘Orthodox Guardians’ were mobilized.

…Even the Balrog Order, which had recently crushed the Goddess Cult, represented only a single fraction of their total power.

Having served the Death God Cult as Executors, they understood its terrifying scale better than anyone.

Hudson simply shook his head at the warning.

“The labyrinth does not represent the full extent of the power we can call upon.”

“Are you hinting at the White King?”

“Yes. The second the labyrinth falls under threat, the White King will provide his support. And beyond that……”

“Beyond that?”

“…I shall lend my blade.”

The voice originated from a completely unexpected quarter.

None of them had sensed any movement.

Not a single one of the highly trained Executors had noticed his arrival.

When the group turned to look, a man was standing there.

“……Who goes there?”

“That is Sir Kasim, the Transcendent of Radiance.”

“……!!!”

That name was legendary.

Indeed, there wasn’t a soul on the continent of Pangenia who didn’t recognize that title.

The holy knight of the Goddess who had struck down a dark deity centuries ago!

The man known as the Transcendent of Radiance, widely whispered to be the most powerful warrior on the continent.

What was his business here?

“Sir Kasim and the Goddess Cult have committed themselves to our cause.”

“……”

The grand struggle between the Round Table and Radiance that had erupted in the Holy City of Adrium.

That clash between the two factions had ended in a technical victory for Radiance, following the Round Table’s sudden ‘midway withdrawal.’

However, Kasim was not the type to accept such a hollow result.

Radiance had been enduring a string of defeats at the hands of the Round Table prior to that.

Could such a conclusion truly be labeled a ‘triumph’?

He refused to acknowledge it as such.

Nevertheless, he had been forced to abandon the pursuit of the fight because of Hudson’s revelation.

“The leader of the Round Table has no desire for this conflict to continue.”

“Where is this leader, that you presume to speak for……”

“Have you not already stood before him? Within the ‘Dungeon of the World Tree’.”

“……?”

“In all honesty, didn’t you already suspect the truth to some degree?”

“……This is madness.”

The man known as the Transcendent of Radiance, the most sacred of paladins, uttered a curse.

He had harbored suspicions, but he had lacked any concrete proof.

In truth, he had convinced himself it was an impossibility.

The founding master of the Round Table was Wilhelm.

And the Druid of the Golden Rule was not a mortal man, but a deity of the druid faith.

How could he have suddenly emerged as the new sovereign of the Round Table?

The logic simply didn’t hold together.

And yet, the impossible had manifested as reality.

“Do you understand now that our internal fighting serves no purpose?”

“…Then why was this kept in the shadows?”

“What reason was there to bring it to light?”

“……And why choose this moment to disclose it?”

“The circumstances have shifted. His condition has become critical.”

The Druid of the Golden Rule.

Should he perish, the collective strength of the druids, including the great World Tree of Honor, would begin to fade.

And at that moment, there was one truth that Kasim finally understood clearly.

‘So that is the reason the Tower of Ruin……’

The conquest of the Tower of Ruin.

If the Druid of the Golden Rule was the one spearheading the effort, then such a monumental feat was actually achievable.

“We require the assistance of Sir Kasim to ensure his ‘survival’.”

“…Tell me what is required of me.”

With those words, the matter was settled.

Any further hostility had lost its meaning.

He soon realized that he would not be the only powerful figure stirred to action by this crisis.

A clandestine alliance had been forged.

The Elf Queen, the Giant of Evil Destruction, the White King, the Ancient Phoenix, and the Guardian of Light.

Their entire coalition would be mobilized as one.

For the Druid of the Golden Rule.

To pull him back from the brink.

Yet, there was one consequence Kasim had failed to foresee.

That a conflict of a magnitude far exceeding his wildest imagination was about to be unleashed.

As the Death God Cult began its mobilization, ominous clouds gathered from every horizon.

King Friedrich of the Iron Kingdom began the process of covertly massing his legions.

Whispers spread that the Black King had made landfall on the central continent.

Reports also surfaced that the Balrog Order had finalized a merger with the surviving remnants of the evil god’s cult.

Alongside these major players, countless other shadows began to converge.

It was, in every sense, the opening notes of a massive war—a struggle that would decide the very destiny of the Pangenia continent.