Chapter 185
Meanwhile...
After speaking through the loudspeaker, Ruzian calmly watched the situation while sipping tea.
The fragrant aroma gently tickled his nose.
A smile appeared on his face.
"So it's finally begun."
"I've been waiting for this moment for quite a long time."
"The more I look at it..."
"The more emotional it feels."
"Wouldn't you agree?"
Standing directly across from Ruzian...
Was Schunau.
A massive scythe rested in his hand.
And judging by his expression...
He looked rather uncomfortable.
Ruzian only smiled more playfully.
"Ah."
"My apologies."
"Perhaps Lord Schunau feels differently from me."
"It seems I was being rude."
"Haha."
That same irritating smile remained plastered across his face.
Schunau frowned.
"...What do you intend to do afterward?"
"The Tower may have entrusted you with full authority..."
"But you've thought about what comes next, haven't you?"
"You dodged the question last time."
"This time..."
"Answer me."
His gaze sharpened into a final warning.
Ruzian thought for a moment.
"What comes afterward...."
"That's rather difficult to define."
"Especially in a situation like this."
"What?"
"Wouldn't I need to see the outcome first before deciding?"
Ruzian shrugged.
"We don't even know who will win..."
"Or who will be extinguished."
"Wouldn't making a decision too early be unwise?"
"Are you trying to play word games with me?"
RUMMMMMBLE.
The instant Schunau finished speaking...
A crushing pressure descended upon the entire space.
The black tea inside Ruzian's cup began sloshing violently like waves.
Silence continued for a moment.
Then...
"Ah."
"Of course..."
Ruzian casually continued.
"That's only regarding the final result."
"If you're asking about the plan I've already made..."
"Then eliminating System, one of our biggest problems, remains unchanged."
He smiled.
"The only difference..."
"Is that the Constellations will disappear with it."
Only then did Schunau withdraw his pressure.
"The Tower said the risks that follow this event are unavoidable."
"But losing all of the Rank belonging to the Constellations would still place an enormous burden on it."
"If Paradise, Olympus, or Asgard wins..."
"Even if their numbers decrease..."
"Wouldn't the Constellations themselves continue to exist?"
"Variables can appear anywhere."
Schunau's gaze sharpened.
"The variable you're talking about..."
"Lee Suhyeok."
"Correct."
Ruzian nodded.
"I believe there's a very high chance he'll win."
"Though..."
"That's only my prediction."
Schunau stared at Suhyeok through the screen for a long while.
Then...
"As you said..."
"He'll likely become the greatest variable."
"But situations can change at any moment."
"It's too early to decide anything."
"Still..."
"One thing is certain."
"Whatever the outcome..."
"Losses are unavoidable."
Ruzian also looked toward the screen.
He leisurely took another sip of tea.
"Most likely."
"If the Constellations lose..."
"The Rank forming the Tower itself may disappear almost completely."
"And even if Lee Suhyeok loses..."
"A considerable amount of Rank will still vanish."
"If that happens...."
Schunau's voice grew lower.
Ruzian smiled.
"If that happens..."
"Then in the worst case..."
"Most worlds inside the Tower will probably have to be deleted."
"The losses would have to be compensated from somewhere else."
"Haha."
He was still smiling.
But the eyes hidden beneath his narrowed lids...
Were endlessly cold.
"For now..."
"Let's simply watch."
"No one knows what will happen yet."
"..."
A freezing silence spread across the clearing.
The instant the mission appeared...
The atmosphere changed.
Everyone's eyes became cold.
And far more cautious.
They had all already understood what had to happen.
The reward...
And the consequence of failure...
Were both perfectly clear.
The Constellations of each faction watched one another like gunslingers in an old western...
Waiting for the instant someone reached for their weapon.
And they weren't watching only one side.
They were watching both.
Naturally.
The moment someone moved carelessly because they thought they'd found an opportunity...
They could immediately become everyone else's target.
Even apart from that...
The mission itself guaranteed that every faction had to accept losing at least one person.
A single loss could become devastating later.
But conversely...
If someone timed their move perfectly...
This could become the moment that decided the entire match.
Suhyeok remained silent.
He calmly observed the situation.
Who was the easiest target right now?
For some reason...
Buddha and every other unaffiliated Constellation are missing.
In that case...
The most obvious target is....
Him.
Suhyeok had no faction.
And from their perspective...
He was the greatest source of uncertainty.
As though proving his thoughts correct...
Every gaze turned toward him at once.
As expected.
Me.
It wasn't just their eyes.
The flows of Rank that had been clashing against one another...
Forming careful boundaries between factions...
Suddenly surged toward Suhyeok like a tsunami.
Even the Constellations who knew him personally were no different.
Ares.
Hades.
Jesus.
Even Constellations who frequently appeared in his sponsorship window.
Each had their own reasons.
Unfortunately for them...
Suhyeok had no intention of giving them even the slightest opening.
RUMMMMMMMMMBLE!!
The instant Suhyeok released his Rank...
The tsunami-like pressure shattered.
"Impossible...."
"H-How...?"
Ares looked stunned as the balance of power instantly reversed.
Beside him...
Hades stared at the enormous Rank radiating from Suhyeok with a hardened expression.
