Prologue of Chaos (1)
A chilling silence now enveloped the space, but just moments ago, it had been filled with the sounds of battle.
“······.”
A man was slowly circling a specific area, repeatedly scanning his surroundings.
He seemed both dim and oppressive, yet in some ways, he felt quite ordinary.
He was the Head of the Buncheon Society, the leader of the largest secret organization on Earth.
‘I don’t understand.’
The spot he was inspecting was the last place the Hahoe Mask had stood.
Perhaps he had overlooked something, he checked again and again, but no matter how closely he looked, he found nothing particularly unusual.
This space was as flawless as ever—there were no defects or traces left behind.
And that was the strange part.
‘As if it were erased from existence, it simply vanished. Without any sign.’
He considered various unique skills and devised numerous hypotheses, but no matter what he applied, a convincing conclusion eluded him.
To escape this space, transcending dimensions was essential, but surely that wasn’t an easy task?
Even if it were true that someone had managed to escape with exceptional ability, at the very least, some trace should have remained.
Not like this—vanishing without a trace.
‘It feels as if I’ve been haunted by a ghost.’
Though it was an incomprehensible event, it became a reality he had to accept.
Moreover, he needed to come up with countermeasures to prevent a recurrence of the same situation.
“Head! Everything’s been dealt with!”
Lost in thought for a while, he turned towards the voice that came from behind him.
“···Doctor. What’s the condition of Yul Ryeong-ja?”
“Uh-huh-huh~ For now, we’ve passed the immediate crisis. Since he had experienced it once before, the damage seems to have been minimized! It’s just that this guy tends to overdo it despite his enthusiasm, but his skills aren’t half bad!”
The Doctor turned his head slightly to glance at the unconscious Yul Ryeong-ja, uttering shameless words.
The thought that he had impulsively provoked the opponent to press the issue was completely wiped from his mind.
“Hmm, but···.”
Yul Ryeong-ja was covered in all sorts of gadgets and magical equipment, alongside some unidentifiable biological tissues and medicines for emergency treatment.
The Doctor tossed and turned his body several times while examining him, eventually frowning with displeasure.
“···No matter how I look, I can’t find it. For crying out loud, you shouldn’t lose borrowed items like that! Ah, this friend is so careless… To lose something made from materials that can’t be recovered now!”
Scolding someone who got hurt while completing a mission.
If he had completed the job properly, it would have been one thing, but since he hadn’t and had incurred losses instead, the utterly self-centered Doctor couldn’t help but be displeased.
“Hmm, but it’s not something easily handled, so if we catch the Hahoe Mask, we should be able to retrieve it. Next time, I’ll have to think of various ways to avoid letting it slip away!”
After all, his plan from the start had been to catch it and dissect it, so nothing would really change.
“Puhihi~ By the way, I’ve been hit hard! Who would’ve thought that even with my own eyes, I wouldn’t grasp the principle? My blood is boiling! Uh-huh-huh!”
The head of the Buncheon Society cast a sidelong glance at the Doctor, who was burning with fervor as usual, and then looked back down at Yul Ryeong-ja, lying on the floor.
It had been quite a long time since he had personally taken action due to restrictions, and now that the opportunity had come, he felt he was wasting it without any substantial gain.
No, not only lacked gain, he had only incurred losses.
‘Hahoe Mask…’
The head of the Buncheon Society repeated that name once more, imprinting it clearly in his memory.
He vowed to repay the humiliation he had suffered today.
*
The Undying Castle located in the Northern Mountain Range of Auterica.
This place, filled with the energy of death, was the focal point of the army of the undead, where most of the power Hans had gathered so far was concentrated in this magical domain.
Of course, not every villain collected from various regions, including black magicians and members of underground organizations, was present here.
Such henchmen were left at their respective locations to be used like disposable items whenever nearby attacks were necessary.
However, it was Hans’s policy to summon useful beings—those above a certain strength level or those emerging from the Abyss—to the Undying Castle whenever possible.
On top of that, the monsters that were dying in droves throughout the Northern Mountain Range ensured a steady supply of additional undead.
Even if a significant number of them were dispatched inland, it was inevitable that the surrounding mountains would be completely overrun by the army of the undead.
And at the heart of that land of death, within the castle…
In the grand hall lined with dozens of Death Knights—
[My King… Have you arrived…? The girl, Olivia… greets you… with respect…!]
Hans lounged in a gigantic throne made of skulls and bones, gazing leisurely down below.
[Indeed, Olivia. It appears there haven’t been any major issues during my absence.]
His appearance radiated the dignity matching the title of ‘Undead King,’ as if he had never been bested by the head of the Buncheon Society.
Although traces of Holy Power still lingered in his body and his mental state wasn’t in the best condition due to overload, those were merely trivial issues that could be resolved with time.
‘Though dealing with time differences with Earth can be a hassle, it’s quite helpful in situations like this. Especially when creating undead.’
As he thought about it, his mind suddenly turned to the Awakened Ones assigned to Dwell.
Considering the time difference, it was about time to start completing the new units.
Having recently felt the lacking power in the fight against the Buncheon Society’s leader, he couldn’t help but focus more on the undead, the easiest and fastest way to increase his strength.
‘Against that guy, I need undead at least as strong as Salma to be of any help, but still, they would definitely aid in dealing with the Buncheon Society’s fodder.’
Perhaps if he had summoned Bone Dragon Heratos or undead like Salma during this battle, he could have faced the head of the society with more confidence.
The Undead King’s stats were truly exceptional, often overlooked, yet he was primarily a black magician and necromancer specializing in rear support.
However, this time, he chose to conserve that power as much as possible and engage directly himself.
He intended to use those powers in more defined situations, at the most crucial moment.
[…The military deployment on the continent is proceeding step by step as previously indicated… Recently, a continental summit has been held, causing a slight slowdown in pace…].
While Hans was lost in his thoughts, Olivia continued with her report.
Since she was the total overseer of the Undying Castle’s management and the chief of intelligence, reporting on recent events whenever he returned was part of her regular duties.
‘Nothing particularly unusual. Well, Heinrich and Heinz II’s intelligence network isn’t to be underestimated either.’
Although he already knew most of the information outside the Undying Castle, he didn’t stop speaking, casually resting his chin in his hand while drifting off again.
He had reached a point where multitasking was as natural as breathing, and there was always the possibility that new information he hadn’t known might emerge.
‘Speaking of which, I need to properly experiment with the item that Yul Ryeong-ja left behind…’
The difference between Hans when he first met Yul Ryeong-ja and now was not that significant, though the power of the spirit’s arm had changed dramatically.
At best, it only grants him additional merits when using mental realm black magic.
Of course, that alone would make tasks like the sealed job or memory reading easier, so he was quite satisfied with that, but the true value of the gift lay in the orb Yul Ryeong-ja had left in the mental realm.
‘Its basic effect is to additionally amplify abilities emitted from the mental realm… but its level is remarkable. I couldn’t even measure its limits without using it directly.’
After all, those who swept through various worlds possessed astounding objects.
Where on Earth did such an item originate?
The fact that it existed in the mental realm rather than reality was peculiar in itself.
[Additionally, one of the White Giants that appeared on the continent has been captured… and I have entrusted Dwell with the investigation…].
Just as Hans was pondering the orb’s utility, Olivia began reporting an intriguing fact.
‘Captured a White Giant? …I see. Speaking of which, one had fled from the Rohan Principality to the mountains.’
The gathered army of the undead, densely packed in a narrow area near the Undying Castle, was strong enough that even a straightforward assault would be capable of annihilating several nations.
It wouldn’t even require the army to mobilize, as capturing a giant would be a task easily accomplished by just the executives.
[However, we have yet to extract any usable information from it… It simply keeps repeating that it wants to meet the King…].
[…It can talk? And it wants to meet me?]
Her next words intrigued him even more.
The giant was reportedly captured with one nostril already unsealed and the other opened shortly after capture, while one of its ears had just been cleared recently.
This giant was clearly expressing a definite will.
The Undead King, asking to meet Hans.
[Dwell is attempting various methods alongside the experiment, but it seems it’s not an ordinary life-form… Nothing like torture or mental magic has any effect…].
[Hmm.]
Hans nodded leisurely and slowly rose from his throne.
A White Giant, captured and demanding to converse, trapped in the lab of the Undying Castle.
He had felt the need for information about them, and this felt like a lucky break.
[Heh-heh— how interesting. Let’s see what it has to say.]
An opportunity to converse directly with the giant needing no refusal.
*
Guided by Dwell, Hans entered the place where the head of the White Giant was confined.
And what he encountered first was…
Hoo-oo—
A purple mist saturating the entire space.
It was deadly to living beings, and would corrode even undead if they had weak magic, but…
[Oh, I’m sorry! If I had known the King was coming, I would’ve ventilated in advance. I forgot since I haven’t paid attention for a while!]
To those present here, it had no effect whatsoever.
Moreover, undead couldn’t be hidden by any kind of smoke either, let alone this.
There was no wonder Dwell hadn’t felt discomfort while studying the giant.
[It doesn’t matter. By the way… Is this the creature in question?]
Hans’s gaze shifted to the giant’s head, placed awkwardly in the middle of the room.
In the entirety of its interior were blood-scribed black magic circles, altars emitting wicked energies, black stakes pierced like needles, and ominous chains wrapped tightly around the monstrous head, which appeared to be about four meters in size.
The red and black ornaments contrasting sharply with that immense white head accentuated the bizarre atmosphere of this space.
And then, at that moment.
[Ooo— Oh, death— the end of life and ultimate loss—.]
The giant’s mouth, which had been quietly closed, opened.
It was reciting something reminiscent of poetry.
‘…What the heck is it saying?’
Well, he understood it was referring to itself.
But how to put it, this was far too…
[Heh-heh— Yes, this body is the king of the dead and the Avatar of Death. Servant of the Abyss, slave of madness. You dared to request to meet me?]
…It was but perfectly tailored to Hans’s preferences.
He was taken aback by the unexpected rebuttal, but he maintained his composure and steadfastly gazed at the giant’s head.
‘…I thought it had gotten quiet recently, but it seems this guy has flipped the switch again. It’s going to be a pain to correct my speech style again.’
However, the giant, unaware of his thoughts, opened its mouth again to recite its own monologue.
[Aah— oh death, how you have genuinely forgotten— our aspirations— the mission bestowed upon us by our Lord—!]
Hans could not comprehend what it was saying at all.
‘Wait, what is it really talking about?’
He slightly tilted his skull and stared intently at the giant’s head.
He understood that they hailed from the same Abyss.
It was likely the request to converse stemmed from some connection.
‘Aspirations and mission, and Lord?’
Yet this felt more profound than just that.
‘Death and madness aren’t just remnants sunk to the Abyss, right?’
The information left by past Undead Kings contained nothing about this…
[Oh death— the oldest impurity and— the destiny that pools at the bottom of the Abyss—.]
Just then, while he was lost in pondering.
Thud— thud, thud!
The giant’s words continued, as the black wire sealing its right eye began to snap slowly.
‘An eye?’
The sudden change made Hans immediately reinforce the black magic circle binding the giant, surrounding himself with solid defenses.
It seemed the creature bore no ill will, but it was better to be cautious just in case.
[I—as your messenger— convey the will of that one—.]
Finally, the black wire that had sealed its eye completely broke.
The giant opened its eye wide—and—
The massive Eye of the Abyss residing within gazed directly at Hans.
‘Huh? Wait, this is…!’
His quick judgment came in an instant.
Crack—!
A black beam erupted from his hand, piercing a large hole through the giant’s head, obliterating the core.
However.
The intervention of the Abyss had already injected something into his mental realm—
What overflowed from within Hans didn’t stop there. Before long, it began to rapidly backflow towards the Mind Hub.
