Chapter 90. Decisive Battle in Gangnam (3)
Constellation Skill [Avatar Descent].
An EX-rank Constellation Skill that had surprised even the Count of Monte Cristo.
Normally...
A Constellation could exist only within the Spirit Realm.
But [Avatar Descent] allowed one to create a physical body in the human world and descend into it.
The body I had brought to Earth was technically an avatar created from my true body in the Spirit Realm.
But that didn't mean my original body was still sitting intact on my throne.
Right now...
My throne was empty.
It looked as though I had simply left.
A considerable amount of the information composing my true body had been transmitted to Earth.
Apparently...
That made it difficult for the original body to maintain a physical form at the same time.
Because of that...
If this avatar took damage...
My true body would also be affected.
That was why...
Until now...
I had never used [Avatar Descent] to interfere directly on Earth.
Of course...
Another reason was that I didn't want countless unknown Constellations seeing what I looked like.
But now...
In this underground facility...
I stood in my avatar body...
Facing Somun Gwang.
"Long time no see, Somun Gwang."
At my words...
Somun Gwang flinched.
"Right..."
"For you..."
"Infiltrating a place like this wouldn't have been difficult."
Somun Gwang looked around again.
He confirmed the sight of his collapsed subordinates...
Then spoke.
"Did you come here to take revenge on me?"
"What?"
"For driving you out."
"Did you do all this because you wanted revenge on me?"
"..."
"Yes."
"It was me who schemed behind your back and drove you away."
Somun Gwang's voice trembled.
"You were too weak as a Contractor."
"There wasn't anyone as useless as you around Cheon Sangwoon."
"And yet..."
"He favored you."
"I couldn't forgive that."
"I don't really remember being favored."
"You received special treatment."
"Didn't you?"
"Cheon Sangwoon needed the knowledge I had."
"That's all."
"Exactly."
"Cheon Sangwoon needed you."
"He valued you more than the A-rank and S-rank Contractors around him."
"He tried to keep you beside him."
"..."
"Many people besides me worried that someone with no strength as a Contractor..."
"Would eventually become the organization's number two."
"That was a pointless worry."
I sighed.
"Cheon Sangwoon judges people's abilities very accurately and treats them accordingly."
"I might have served as his strategist..."
"But he would never have given me the level of authority belonging to a true number two."
"Cheon Sangwoon made many decisions based on your advice."
"If you had remained beside him..."
"Your influence would have continued growing."
"So you were worried I'd control Cheon Sangwoon?"
"That's ridiculous."
Cheon Sangwoon had underestimated my combat ability...
And kept me out of most missions whenever possible.
I had wanted to become stronger as a Contractor.
But he never gave me opportunities or support for that.
If I had really been capable of controlling Cheon Sangwoon...
That never would have happened.
"I couldn't stand watching someone like you receive his favor."
"So you drove me out..."
"And became the number two."
"Were you satisfied?"
"Yes."
Somun Gwang answered darkly.
"After you left..."
"I worked even harder."
"I intended to fill the hole you left behind."
"Good for you."
"But Cheon Sangwoon..."
"Kept remembering you."
That was unexpected.
I had assumed Cheon Sangwoon had forgotten someone like me almost immediately.
"He mentioned you again today."
"..."
"Cheon Sangwoon still keeps you in his thoughts."
I didn't know what to say.
That was something I had never imagined.
"Let me make one thing clear."
"Cheon Sangwoon had nothing to do with what happened back then."
"As far as he knows..."
"You simply left one day without saying anything."
"Really?"
"Yes."
"Cheon Sangwoon did nothing wrong to you."
"..."
"So..."
"Take your hands off that."
Somun Gwang's eyes dropped toward my hands...
Which were still resting on the keyboard.
His voice became desperate.
"Cheon Sangwoon is carrying out an extremely important plan."
"You can't interfere with it."
"..."
"If you want revenge..."
"Take it out on me."
"Don't interfere with Cheon Sangwoon."
The emotion in his voice made it obvious just how deeply Somun Gwang revered Cheon Sangwoon.
If loyalty alone determined such things...
Somun Gwang could truly be called one of the most loyal retainers alive.
Whether a loyal retainer who failed to stop his lord from walking down the wrong path could really be called loyal...
Was another matter.
"Somun Gwang."
I spoke coldly.
"I didn't come here for revenge."
"What?"
"Sure..."
"Being driven out of Gangnam was disappointing."
"But I never hated or resented you for it."
It was true that I had been driven out unfairly.
But if I had been a stronger Contractor...
It probably never would have happened.
So I didn't blame Cheon Sangwoon or Somun Gwang.
I simply thought...
I needed to become stronger.
And now that I had become a Constellation...
It was already something far in the past.
"Then..."
Somun Gwang looked faintly relieved.
"So don't feel guilty."
"What I'm about to do has nothing to do with what you did to me."
"...!"
The moment he saw my fingers move...
Somun Gwang acted.
"Stop!"
[Instant Step].
He rushed toward me with speed so fast...
That back when I was a Contractor...
I couldn't even follow it with my eyes.
But immediately afterward...
Somun Gwang was rolling across the ground.
"...?!"
He probably couldn't understand what had happened.
In the past...
Unless Somun Gwang intentionally held back...
I couldn't even touch the tip of his finger.
But now it's different.
No matter how fast Somun Gwang moved...
If I predicted his movement and moved first...
I could land an attack.
That would have been impossible before.
But now...
As a Constellation...
My basic specs were far higher.
"Stop...!"
Somun Gwang tried to get back up.
But it was already too late.
The code I had entered...
Activated.
Gangnam-daero began collapsing.
─ What?
─ What's happening?
─ An earthquake?
─ Something exploded everywhere!
─ Did something happen underground?
─ This looks really bad!
"B-Brother!"
"Look at this!"
"I'm already watching!"
Geumgak answered Eungak while frantically manipulating the observation screen.
On Earth...
The road was collapsing as though an earthquake had struck.
Nearby buildings were crumbling with it.
─ Who benefits from this?
─ Obviously Cheon Sangwoon's side is at a disadvantage now.
─ They definitely had defensive preparations there, and now they're probably all destroyed.
─ Kang Yujin's group hadn't entered the area yet.
─ Some of Cheon Sangwoon's closest people looked like they were deployed there. They might have been hurt.
─ Cheon Sangwoon himself will probably be fine, though.
As the chat room said...
This collapse strongly favored Kang Yujin's side.
But was it truly a coincidence?
"Don't tell me..."
"The Nameless Constellation did this?"
Geumgak muttered to himself...
And felt chills.
The underground area beneath Gangnam-daero couldn't be observed by Constellations.
How had the Nameless Constellation caused this collapse?
"Could there be a spy contracted to the Nameless Constellation underground?"
"I don't know."
"There's no way Cheon Sangwoon and the 'Shining Guardian' would have missed someone like that..."
If this were some remote frontier...
Perhaps a Constellation could interfere directly without drawing attention.
But in a place like this...
Any direct intervention should leave traces.
Either way...
The important thing was that this created a favorable situation for Kang Yujin's group.
"Are they really going to land the biggest catch of all...?"
Excited...
Geumgak swallowed dryly.
"This is an opportunity."
Listening to Joo Minha...
Kang Yujin looked across the collapsed Gangnam-daero.
"The enemy formation has completely fallen apart."
"We can advance straight through and take Cheon Sangwoon."
"..."
"Though moving through terrain like this won't be easy."
"Everyone, please be careful."
At that moment...
Lee Hyeonje stepped forward.
"I'll lead."
"Lee Hyeonje."
"I'll handle Cheon Sangwoon."
"You deal with the remaining small fry."
Lightning wrapped around Lee Hyeonje's entire body.
Then he took off.
Watching him fly toward the enormous energy still erupting from underground...
Joo Minha asked again.
"What will you do, Kang Yujin?"
"Do you really have to ask?"
"I suppose not."
"My mistake."
Joo Minha answered calmly.
"Cheon Sangwoon's inner circle or hidden underground forces may emerge from the collapse."
"We'll deal with them."
"Kang Yujin, follow Lee Hyeonje and go to Cheon Sangwoon."
"All right."
Kang Yujin nodded...
Then kicked off the ground.
The road had sunk.
Buildings had collapsed.
The entire street was a disaster zone.
Kang Yujin forced his way through.
Whenever debris blocked his path...
He used the two flails in his hands to smash open a route.
BOOM!
Thunder sounded in the distance.
It seemed Lee Hyeonje was attacking Cheon Sangwoon with lightning.
Wanting to arrive before the fight ended...
Kang Yujin kept moving.
Fortunately...
Nobody stopped him.
"..."
After about five minutes...
Kang Yujin finally reached his destination.
Cheon Sangwoon stood in front of the pillar of light erupting from underground.
Holding Lee Hyeonje by the back of the neck with one hand.
Lee Hyeonje was completely battered.
"Surprised?"
Cheon Sangwoon smiled at the frozen Kang Yujin.
"Yes."
"You probably didn't think Lee Hyeonje would fall this quickly."
Cheon Sangwoon threw Lee Hyeonje to the ground.
Lee Hyeonje didn't move.
He seemed unconscious.
Blood flowed onto the road...
Beginning to pool beneath him.
"Lee Hyeonje is the only Contractor in the Capital Region who can rival me."
"You probably expected a fierce battle."
"..."
"But..."
"It would be strange if I hadn't expected the same thing, wouldn't it?"
Cheon Sangwoon's body was completely uninjured.
That told Kang Yujin everything.
Lee Hyeonje's lightning hadn't worked.
Just like Yoon Miho...
Cheon Sangwoon had prepared in advance to neutralize Lee Hyeonje's greatest weapon.
"Besides..."
"Lee Hyeonje had already been wounded in battle."
"He wasn't in normal condition."
"So that made him easy to defeat?"
"Exactly."
"Lee Hyeonje wanted to settle things with you in a proper fight."
"Seems that way."
"He said the same thing to me."
"And you didn't give him that."
Lee Hyeonje had felt friendship...
Or at least camaraderie...
Toward Cheon Sangwoon.
That was why...
After being betrayed...
He had wanted a proper final confrontation.
But from the look of things...
He hadn't even been given the chance for a real conversation.
"From the beginning..."
"I intended to defeat all the Eight Guardians."
"..."
"But I never thought I needed to beat them fairly in a straight fight."
"You probably could've won even if you fought fairly."
"We're not playing sports."
Despite his reputation as a noble knight...
Cheon Sangwoon's answer was brutally pragmatic.
"I've always wondered..."
"If I ever had to fight the other Eight Guardians..."
"How could I beat them in the easiest possible way?"
"In the worst case..."
"I might have to face all seven at once."
"So you prepared counters for all of them?"
"Yes."
"Now only Jegal Geum, Won Pilso, and Shin Minyu remain."
Ha Mina...
Choi Cheolmin...
Yoon Miho...
Lee Hyeonje.
They were already out of the equation.
Once Jegal Geum, Won Pilso, and Shin Minyu fell...
Cheon Sangwoon would be the only Eight Guardian left.
"Did you prepare a counter for me too?"
"No."
"Unfortunately..."
"I didn't."
Cheon Sangwoon smiled.
"Don't misunderstand."
"It's not because I underestimated you."
"I simply didn't have enough time to prepare."
"..."
"You're still inexperienced..."
"But you have explosive potential."
"You accomplish ridiculous things."
"That's why..."
"I wanted to pull you onto my side instead."
"You asked me to form a party for the Scenario."
"The information about forming a small elite party..."
"Was false information I spread through Daji while she was disguised as Ha Mina."
"I used it to mislead Lee Hyeonje and the others."
So that information really had been fake.
"I also planned to cooperate with Daji and carefully lure you onto my side."
"But that failed..."
"And now we've ended up here."
"No matter how well you tried to persuade me..."
"Once I learned what this really was..."
"I would've turned against you anyway."
"Who knows?"
Cheon Sangwoon reached to the side.
A holy sword stood embedded in the ground.
Not a replica.
The real Durandal.
Cheon Sangwoon pulled it free...
And raised it toward Kang Yujin.
"Then let's finally keep our promise, Kang Yujin."
"..."
"I promised I'd fight you once you defeated Somun Gwang."
Cheon Sangwoon pointed behind him with his left hand.
"The beast still needs time before it appears."
"Waiting is boring."
"So..."
"Entertain me until then."
A cold smile appeared on his handsome face.
Then...
Cheon Sangwoon moved.
