Depths of the Abyss (4)
Gaold asked,
"Is there really no chance Miro will regain her memories?"
"There is."
Mong-a looked back toward the sea.
Miro, holding Arius, had come up to Shirone and was trying to say something.
"If the memory loss manifested as a child's form, the method is to wait until she reaches adulthood. I think it would take roughly thirty years."
"Thirty years."
For Gaold, even in a dream, that was time he could afford to wait.
I don't know what's right. In any case, they'd been told there was no way out—so there was plenty of time to think.
"Oppa. Oppa."
Miro waved both hands in front of Shirone's face.
"Say something. What are you doing? Is staring at the ocean that fun?"
Gaold and the others watched.
"As for Odae-seong…" Mong-a's face fell into sorrow.
"He did so many things in reality. None of them were easy. He sacrificed everything, risked his life fighting for humanity."
Sein added, "And now he does nothing."
"Yes. Inside most dream barriers, the deepest desire is fulfilled, but Yahweh's dream is surprisingly dry. It only shows how fierce things were in reality."
Mong-a's shoulders slumped.
"It's a pity. This is, you could say, about dream depth 1.5. If we'd gone a little deeper we could have struck Imir. We had more than enough power for it."
Shirone's strike against Leviathan in level two had been felt by Mong-a as well.
He'd definitely surpassed Infinity. Under normal conditions, he might even have been able to fell Imir.
Of course, this was Imir's dream, so nothing could be said with absolute certainty.
"Eh… he's not saying anything."
Shirone kept his mouth firmly shut, and Miro sat down beside him.
Seeing Arius sniff Shirone, Gangnan asked, "Why a dog? In the dream he was clearly a person."
"He lost his reason. It's the right call. If memories are going to melt away anyway, going with instinct makes sense. That dog probably has a gut sense of where this place is—not in clear human words, but as an instinctual impression."
Miro drew in the sand while the waves crashed on endlessly.
"There's something… there."
At the voice beside her, Miro looked up.
"What?"
"He's waiting." When Shirone finally opened his mouth, Gaold and the others hurried over.
"Odae-seong! Are you coming to your senses?"
Mong-a asked, but silence remained.
"What is he waiting for?" Miro asked.
Shirone pointed to the horizon that stretched on above the sea.
"A colossal thing."
And perhaps—
"The strongest thing in this world."
Mong-a turned to the sea, eyes wide with shock.
Another unexpected variable was that they were nearly at the very end of the abyss.
"Imir is coming."
The next morning.
Unlike the staff who had been busy since dawn, the administrators arrived later than yesterday.
"Ugh, my stomach."
After people's seating at the banquet had been reshuffled, many nations' schedules were thrown off.
Most countries held emergency meetings to learn the full story of what had happened in the banquet hall.
But some national leaders had stayed behind to enjoy the festival Arakne had provided.
She put on quite a show last night.
What had been said in those revelries was unknown to nations that hadn't attended.
Tension spread among the countries.
"Arakne looks like she's throwing her weight behind Jaib."
Lupist drew arrows on the relationship chart on the board as his attendant reported.
"I heard the banquet ran until dawn. There must've been some kind of deal. From today sides will start to form."
Albino asked, "How about you? Did you go to the reception?"
"No," Lupist replied, turning his body. "I've been analyzing the incident at the banquet. Some Tormia administrators did attend. They say there was no special information exchange… but VIPs are different."
At Plu's remark, Lupist nodded. "To get their information we'll have to send people in some way. But first we need allies. A country has already tried to make contact."
"Where?" Shirone asked.
"The Southern Kingdom and the Moon Kingdom. The South is very interested in Yahweh. The Moon Kingdom shifted from hostility to favor—last night's events likely influenced that."
Lupist pointed at the board. "But this isn't decisive. Those alliances could collapse at any time. The country Tormia needs most right now is Corona. The odds are actually pretty high."
Corona was under the care of the Ivory Tower, and Shirone was the Ivory Tower's highest authority.
"There's been no contact yet. That means the factional fighting inside the Ivory Tower must be severe."
"I arrived this morning."
Everyone turned at Shirone's words.
"I'll negotiate in person."
Corona Kingdom.
Even after the crusade began, the army led by First Legion Commander Baal did not cease its assaults.
The demon banner demanded surrender to Satan for those who wished to live, but Corona was no pushover.
Phew.
Snow on the plateau was stained with demon and human blood, an ugly foul color.
The man who had wiped out three thousand demons wore a cold expression and a long scar along his lip.
Thud. Thud.
He stabbed at corpses irregularly to check for life, then cut off a demon's arm.
Sitting on the corpse with the arm dripping blood, he bit into flesh.
After chewing, he pressed his lips to the wound and sucked the blood.
A way to get both food and drink at once.
"Guh—good."
The man's name was Laska.
He was a three-star of the Human Safety Enforcement Department, where Minerva held the title of Odae-seong.
The Stars of the Human Safety Enforcement Department, aside from Seongnoe, had all once been notorious criminals—experts in war and murder, battlefield fiends even demons feared.
"Captain."
Laska's subordinate Staf trudged through the knee-deep snow toward him.
"Sis says to return to base. You've stayed too long. Supplies are running low."
"Sis" referred to Minerva.
"Supplies, huh." Laska, still chewing, held out the demon's severed arm. "Want some?"
Staf stared and snorted, scratching his beard. "No thanks. The captain already had his mouth on it."
"…You're not exactly sane either."
After teleporting down the mountain, Corona soldiers were fighting skirmishes.
Minerva shouted, "You idiot! Where did you go?"
"We tracked the remnants. What is all this?" someone answered.
Minerva's jet surged forward with tremendous speed and pierced through the demons. "Can't you see? Baal has begun pressuring the Ivory Tower. They won't hold for more than three days."
The demons outnumbered humanity's forces by far, even if they were called the First Legion.
Laska said, "Let's make peace. What's the point of this? If we fought alongside the Law Division, it'd be doable, right?"
"That's why I called you." Minerva gestured toward the rear. "Go see. Shirone's here."
"You mean Odae-seong?"
Inside the command tent, Shirone was seated.
"You've come, Odae-seong."
All the Stars respected Shirone, but Laska's greeting had a cheeky tone.
"Yes. I want to meet Taeseong. Minerva said that if it's Laska, he might be able to do it."
This woman is something else…!
With his skill it might be possible, but the odds of surviving were low.
How did I end up tangled with a woman like her?
Laska sighed. "Right now it's quite difficult to meet Taeseong. She's confined within the Law."
"Confined?"
Shirone's eyes widened. "Who would do that? How could they confine Taeseong?"
"Shing." Laska's face tightened. "When the forces of shadow and light combine in Shing, he becomes, well, invincible. He sees through everything."
Taeseong had been imprisoned.
That explained the tense factional balance.
"Anyway, let's try. I was thinking this path led nowhere. Odae-seong, please resolve it."
Laska escorted Shirone to the Ivory Tower.
Because of the wartime state they had to use a different magic circuit than usual, and the guard was strict.
The atmosphere felt wrong.
The Corona administrators who always greeted with smiles were only exchanging wary glances—the proof of the tension.
On the 230th floor of the Ivory Tower, an iron door covered with all manner of magic circuits stood before them.
"Is Taeseong in there?"
"Yes. As you can see, it's a self-destruct circuit. If we try to break it by force, Taeseong will be in danger."
Shirone frowned. Shing was harsh, but not cruel. Why such hostility toward Taeseong?
When Shirone activated Miracle Stream, Laska stopped him. "Don't. The moment Hexa's ability reaches it, we're finished. They'll have to deactivate the magic circuits from inside."
Laska drew a deep breath.
Thief's ultimate technique: Shadow Walk.
Once used to rob countless vaults worldwide, it rendered its user non-corporeal while they held their breath.
Nice.
Laska's form became mist-like. Puffing his cheeks, he drifted toward the iron door.
As if a trick, his shape slipped inside, and moments later the circuit vanished.
"Kuh."
When the door opened, Laska sat down, exhaling smoke from his body.
"You all right?"
"So-so. Even being non-corporeal, touching a self-destruct circuit does this much. The shock to the mind is severe."
His mind looked shredded; he seemed unlikely to move for a while.
"Taeseong."
Shirone passed the exhausted Laska and approached Taeseong, who sat composed at the far end of the room.
"So you finally came."
She wore a sad smile, but there was a welcome light in her eyes.
"What happened? Shing imprisoned you. This is insubordination."
"If I explain—"
A cold voice cut in. "Stop, Shirone."
They turned to see Shing standing at the doorway, flanked by the powers of shadow and light.
Shirone said coldly, "Shing, what is this?"
"Don't be foolish yourself. This is all for you. For humanity."
"How is imprisoning Taeseong for humanity's sake? The Ivory Tower has protected humanity through countless crises. Taeseong has been at its center."
"It's different now." Shing looked at Taeseong. "When the outside world opens, Argones will activate. And Taeseong is a manager of the same stature as Argones. Do you really think she can protect you until the end?"
When Shirone offered no answer, Shing turned to Taeseong. "Taeseong, say it yourself. After Argones activates, will you still stand with humanity?"
Taeseong had no hesitation. "Yes. I am the incarnation of the planet and the mother of humanity. I will protect humanity to the end."
"Lies."
Shing said, "I trust no one. In this world I am the only true entity. All others are illusions. That includes you, Taeseong."
"Shing, I know your philosophy. But you're wrong. You're mistaken."
"If you insist on lying until the end…"
Shing reached out. Shadow and light pressed their power into her under the Law of Yin and Yang.
The Ivory Tower trembled as Shirone fired Miracle Stream to block him. "Stop. Don't do something you'll regret." Shing shouted.
"You fool! Don't you understand how much danger your judgment will create?"
Shirone's expression didn't waver, and in the end Shing resolved to use force.
"Forgive me."
Kuuuuuuuuu!
At that moment, a roar erupted from beneath the Ivory Tower and Araka of the Interior came running in. "A terrible situation!"
Taeseong asked, "Araka, what is it?"
"Baal! Baal has led the hellish army in and breached the tower. They've reached the twelfth floor."
A spent Laska let out a breath and flipped his bangs forward.
I knew this would happen.