Chapter 395: Owner of the crystal (3)
—rumble—
The Pompeion Empire.
In a terrace high up in the clouds.
The emperor spoke to Sangjin with a worried expression.
“Is…Is the crystal inside that place really impossible to acquire?”
The emperor looked towards the territory of Reyunion with a frown.
Of course.
The Pompeion Empire had taken over half of the planet with only one relic.
The same for the Neropa Union as well.
If they didn’t have the relic as well, then they would’ve long been defeated.
But how sad was it that such a relic was lying around in some wasteland?
Although they couldn’t use the <Flame> inside that place…
There were countless other methods to acquire it if they wanted.
For example, if he asked this man, Sangjin, then he would easily sweep that place up in a single day and bring it back.
‘What a pity… Such a pity…’
If he could acquire that, his plans would come to fruition much quicker.
Sanjin replied:
“Acquiring it isn’t hard.”
“Hmm. Then—”
“But.”
Before the emperor could finish his words—
—Sangjin cut him off and spoke as he stared into the emperor’s eyes.
“I guarantee you this: you will lose more than you could even dare to imagine if you take that crystal out.”
“…You’re saying this despite knowing of my strength?’
The Emperor glanced below his terrace and mumbled.
The thousands of ships and his swarm of Dragon God Soldiers.
A force large enough to flip the entire world upside down a couple of times.
There were only a few people who could threaten him.
The Neropa Union?
Although they were going against him now, they were a joke.
They could not make him feel fear.
Sangjin continued to speak as he looked at the confident expression of the emperor.
“I know very clearly.”
‘About the things inside there as well.’
Sangjin thought of the crystal he had to give up.
………………………………………
Kiriel frowned as she listened to N-Aroel’s words.
‘He came to take the crystal?’
N-Aroel, the Nerpa, ignored her reaction and looked at the crystal.
It was one of the controllers that the overseer had left so they could control the <Flame> with more ease.
‘It seems this will be easier than I expected.’
The Nerpa smiled as he thought of the scene he’d witnessed from above.
The other two crystals had so many forces around it that even he wouldn’t dare to approach it.
But this crystal only had one alien protecting it.
‘Time to finish this up.’
The Nerpa ignored Kiriel as he walked towards the Crystal.
And as he did this—
—oooooooong—
—as if it were resonating with the Nerpa, the crystal started to make a strange noise.
Just as if it had found its missing half.
“Yes, yes. It has been a while.”
But as the Nerpa was about to touch the crystal—
—pakakakakak!—
—a huge crevice appeared between the Nerpa and the crystal.
If the Nerpa hadn’t pulled back his arm, then he would’ve lost his fingers.
“Hmm… Why are you interfering? When I’m just here to take back my own belongings?”
Kiriel, who had swung her fang to attack the Nerpa, smiled as she said:
“Well, we need that as well.”
‘I’m also getting the strong feeling that the crystal should not be touched.’
Kiriel felt shivers running down her back.
She had protected this place because of Hansoo’s words.
But the moment N-Aroel tried to touch the crystal, tremors wracked her entire body.
And she instinctively knew that she had to protect the crystal.
It was the key to holding down the mysterious beings inside the shadows.
The Nerpa sighed as he looked at Kiriel.
“I really didn’t want to fight since you helped me out once…”
His race did not enjoy fighting.
But they couldn’t ignore those who messed with them, right?
‘Although I don’t have my body…’
The Nerpa looked down at the body that his soul was now occupying.
A feeble body.
His powerful body that could even survive in space didn’t exist anymore.
But it didn’t matter.
Their powerful bodies were their pride but…
Their true pride was their souls that had a special and terrifying ability.
‘I’ll leave you alive.’
—rumble—
The Nerpa’s Soul situated within N-Aroel’s body started shaking intensely.
……………………………………………..
“You f***ing baastaaard!”
The berserk John Stone swung his axe towards Hansoo.
—whooosh!—
The bright red axe continued to fly towards Hansoo.
And as Hansoo’s armor turned bright—
—boooom!—
—the axe and armor collided, making a huge noise.
—crackle!—
The axe’s attack was so powerful that the blue armor cracked apart.
‘Damn!’
But John Stone didn’t look pleased.
He frowned as he watched the armor regenerate, shouting:
“You bastards! Hurry and attack him while I hold him down! Unless you wish to die!”
At those words—
—the other Transcendents who had been hesitating looked around them.
At the Transcendents rolling around the floor while surrounded by red clouds.
“Ahhhhhh!”
“Uaaaaahhh!”
Countless Transcendents rolled around on the floor, screaming in pain.
Some were silent and trembled vigorously.
Some clutched at their necks as if they had drunk poison.
Every single person who had tried to fight Hansoo had turned out like this.
‘Dammit!… Dammit!’
John Stone freaked out as he looked at the people rolling around on the ground.
Feeling so terrified it suppressed his berserk mode to a degree.
But John Stone clenched his teeth and charged forward.
“Bastards! That’s a skill as well! Do you think he can use it forever?! There’s a time limit! Charge and kill him!”
John Stone shouted as he swung his axe.
And just like he said.
As red clouds enveloped his body—
—the surrounding area had turned into hell, but the reinforcements around Hansoo’s body had awakened.
The fact that he could actually damage Hansoo proved this.
If Hansoo had shrouded himself tightly and only focused on fighting him, then he wouldn’t even be able to stand right now.
Which meant that the area next to Hansoo was the safest place.
As John Stone charged in, the surrounding 3-Star Transcendents nodded and followed suit.
Although John Stone’s personality was nasty, he was their leader because he always fought on the frontlines.
Although his personality was nasty and he was arrogant, the fact that he fought on the frontlines was more than enough to make him their leader.
Since he always dove into the most dangerous place by himself.
But sadly.
Their current situation really wasn’t great.
—booom!—
“Uaaaaah!”
John Stone screamed as he looked at Hansoo smash the charging 3-Star Transcendents down onto the ground.
‘This—this monster!’
Every time he let out more clouds, the other Transcendents rolled around in pain, and with every swing of his dragon-enforced hammer, the 3-Star Transcendents turned into pulps of flesh.
Weak points?
None.
He also had a terrifying amount of experience and battle sense.
Dodge when needed and charge when there’s a gap.
He attacked when he had to and gave up bits of his flesh when he needed to.
Possessing tremendous power and terrifying skills.
Alongside his insanely overpowered armor, he had that mysterious but insanely powerful weapon.
‘Th—This damned bastard!’
John Stone seethed in rage as he stared at Hansoo who seemed to have learned how to massacre people from his mother’s womb.
“You bastard! That crystal is our only hope! Who are you to stop us from taking it?! Ahhh!”
—boooom!—
John Stone cried out in rage as he continued to attack.
He’d learned many things as he climbed up.
He was strong.
But there were countless monsters in the world.
And those monsters had an appetite that was befitting of their power.
John Stone had felt this as he looked at Clementine’s forces who treated everyone’s lives as if they were nothing.
To not be killed by them, he needed to become strong as well.
At least to keep his underlings alive, he needed strength.
Strength to retaliate when attacked.
And the crystal was the only method he had to catch up to those running far ahead of him.
But who was Hansoo to come out of nowhere and stop him from taking this?
And he wasn’t even trying to take it for himself either.
‘Y—You bastard! If you won’t let us take it, then at least take it yourself!”
John Stone mourned.
Just like in the past.
If Hansoo could stand before them with this strength.
If he was stopping them because he was going to do that.
He could understand.
But what was this?
John Stone cried out tears of blood as he looked at his underlings dying around him.
And Hansoo, who had turned everyone around him immobile, suddenly stopped.
“So, you had a hidden card, right?”
“…?”
As everyone looked at Hansoo mumbling strange words—
—booom!—
—Hansoo disappeared towards the hole in the distance.
‘Huh…Huh?’
John Stone was in disbelief.
He’d basically won the battle, why did he leave?
But as everyone was making confused expressions—
—booooom!—
—alongside a terrifyingly loud sound of explosion—
—a tremendous earthquake resonated out from where the crystal lay beneath the hole.