“The Chinese Awakened One Association is essentially in a state of disintegration.”
“Looks that way.”
The Awakened One Association’s building was large and spacious, but its interior was quiet.
“There was the fifth eruption not long ago, wasn’t there? During that process, immense damage occurred. To put it in Korean terms, seven A-Rank Awakened Ones perished, and hundreds of lower-ranked Awakened Ones died.”
If you gathered all the Awakened Ones from the Seoul Awakened One Association, you wouldn’t reach five hundred members, so the scale in China was certainly different.
As mentioned by Rao Ying, it seemed that Chinese Awakened Ones were dispersing due to worst-case scenario predictions.
Since the previous eruption, this phenomenon of desertion had accelerated.
In the end, those who remained within the Association now were either individuals who had families to protect or those who simply had a strong sense of responsibility.
“Looks like a gathering of fools.”
Yoo Jun-seo added a perfectly timed comment.
Seeming to have understood the word “fools,” the leader of the Awakened One Association Lei Hu smirked. He then spoke, and Rao Ying translated.
“China is currently in a precarious state. The Awakened Ones in Beijing are preparing for the final battle. In the midst of all this, they saw Seoul’s example of successfully containing an eruption without any losses and are grateful for that, having found hope.”
“…Hm.”
Their extreme politeness and formality were almost disconcerting.
“Didn’t all the good Chinese people die in the past? Or… now that they’ve all died, has that made them good?”
Yoo Jun-seo blurted out another nonsense comment. He looked at Lei Hu’s harsh face and shook his head.
“Nam Joo-yeon, isn’t this weird? Why is this guy so nice? He looks like he should be a thug, doesn’t he?”
“For heaven’s sake, stop. That’s enough.”
Seeming to have understood the derogatory term used, Lei Hu’s expression stiffened slightly.
I gave an awkward smile and relayed the purpose of our visit to Rao Ying.
“Anyway, please convey our purpose again.”
While arranging the flight, we had roughly informed the Chinese police of the situation. However, it would be better to discuss things face-to-face now. Rao Ying explained about the most heinous villain Actor who had appeared in Korea and the fact that his last traces were found in China.
Upon hearing the story, Lei Hu nodded seriously and brought out a beige envelope.
Inside were a few photos. Poor-quality images that had been forcibly magnified, showing something vaguely in the distance.
“…What’s this?”
“They say it’s a human-shaped calamity that has appeared in China.”
Listening to Rao Ying’s translation, I took the photo and examined it carefully.
An evening gown revealing a lot of skin, four pairs of black wings hanging at the waist. And red-black hair with striking golden eyes. Despite the poor quality of the image, I immediately recognized who this woman was.
‘Mother of Omens Karne.’
It was indeed a photo of Karne.
With a solemn expression, Lei Hu spoke, and Rao Ying translated.
“This woman is the worst calamity currently wreaking havoc across Hebei Province. Unlike other calamities who nest and lock themselves away, she leads her nest in mass slaughter, causing tremendous destruction. Some even suggest that she has a sense of self.”
“…”
‘She has a sense of self, alright. She’s a 4-Star Calamity.’
It seemed the Chinese Awakened One Association had not yet obtained the information that Karne was a 4-Star Calamity.
Rao Ying continued interpreting.
“In the Chinese Awakened One Association, they give strong calamities specific names… In this case…”
“In this case?”
“It seems they call her the Black Sky Empress.”
This country of China really gives grand titles.
Look at that.
“Oh… It’s so cool.”
There was Yoo Jun-seo, clearly impressed by the ostentatious title, spewing nose steam.
“Extinction Emperor? Crimson Emperor? Blaze Emperor? Hmm…”
Now, the matter of China seemed no longer within his concerns. He was thinking of a new title to place before his own name.
Afterward, Lei Hu continued to show great respect towards me.
Having seen videos of me defending Seoul at the S-Rank Awakened One level and hearing about my subscribers or other trivial matters.
“Anyway, how do you watch XTube in China?”
No matter how polite Lei Hu was, he stayed silent and turned his gaze away from Yoo Jun-seo’s muttering.
In any case, since it was late, we decided to start the actual investigation and pursuit of Actor from tomorrow.
We refused the accommodations offered by the Chinese Awakened One Association despite their insistence. Considering that this was a country under constant surveillance and control, what we needed to discuss from now on had to be kept somewhat discreet.
The moment we entered the accommodations provided at the embassy, I drew the curtains and summoned Mirien and Selene by manipulating my status window.
[Summoning 5★ The Blackened Saint Selene.]
[Summoning 5★ Storm Mirien.]
“Let’s organize the information.”
The information provided by the Chinese Awakened One Association was not significantly different from what Mirien had informed me.
The Black Sky Empress.
In other words, Mother of Omens Karne has become the nemesis of the Chinese Awakened One Association.
“That woman, Karne, is amassing troops to dare attack you, my Lord. Give the order, and I shall bring you her head at once.”
Selene was incensed.
Rather, she was pretending to be angry. Since the Saint Flame around her body wasn’t fiercely burning.
In the end, Selene merely needed a justification to kill Karne. Why was this girl so restless in her inability to kill Karne?
She had said the same thing to Mirien earlier, so Selene probably views all calamities except herself as potential enemies.
For the safety of the Lord?
I don’t know.
While I could understand the feelings Mirien held for me, Selene’s emotions remained an enigma.
“Anyway.”
I clapped my hands and began to summarize the situation. Selene sat meekly on the chair, listening to my words with attention.
“Can’t we at least have a conversation with Karne?”
When I reflected on Mirien’s case from before, most conflicts arose due to a lack of communication.
Of course, Mirien’s immersion in victim-blaming hallucinations leading to her violent outburst was problematic, but even so, our failure to attempt any form of communication was clearly a mistake.
Isn’t this case with Karne the same?
“I believe we might be able to clear up misunderstandings if we have a conversation.”
“…Lord, it’s dangerous. This is different from the last mage. This mage…”
“Stop calling her ‘mage,’ would you? Her name is Mirien.”
“…This mage, to a very small extent, had commendable intentions to help you, which is why the situation didn’t escalate further.”
“Hey!”
“But Karne, that harlot, is scattering her followers and bringing about destruction. Hence…”
“I get it. I understand. Karne has already caused millions of casualties.”
I quickly intervened.
If I didn’t, Mirien was about to conjure some lightning.
“Honestly, I feel partly responsible for how Karne turned out.”
The calamities I have let loose are causing immense damage.
If I were to reflect soberly, I might hang myself out of guilt.
That’s why I’ve given up on sobriety.
“But she was once part of my base.”
The reality was a game, and I was merely a long-time player of that game.
Everything that happened within the Rift is real. The result of my dismissing them is what we see now.
If it was a mistake, it’s a mistake.
Then, rectifying the situation is my responsibility.
The fact that Karne is on the rampage is something I must take care of.
“Thus, I want to meet and talk with Karne directly. All of you, do you understand?”
At my words, Selene relaxed her lips. Mirien listened quietly, then jumped onto my lap.
“I like anything Actor suggests, unlike that fox-lady over there.”
“…Lord, who in this world would dare to go against you?”
Selene’s glinting eyes were directed at Mirien. I cleared my throat to draw attention, and only then did Selene turn to me with a wry smile.
“However, Lord, there’s one thing I ask you to promise.”
“Prioritize my safety? I already do that.”
Selene nodded slightly in agreement.
Our course of action has been decided.
First, meet Karne and try to have a conversation.
If conversation doesn’t work…
“Shall we kill her?”
“No, don’t kill her.”
Mirien grinned and said something terrifying, and I shook my head.
It was frightening how calamities’ thought processes always ended up with killings.
“However, Lord, I have one question.”
“Question?”
“This city, Beijing, is rather exposed. If Karne so desired, she could have fallen this place and turned it into a city of death by now. But why this harlot hasn’t done so even while amassing her forces… it’s somewhat curious to me.”
“That? We could check it out right now?”
Selene’s question was answered by Mirien.
Already, one of Mirien’s eyes had the glow of a hexagonal star.
[5★ Storm Mirien casts the skill “Eye of the Storm.”]
After a moment, Mirien lifted a corner of her mouth.
“Hmm? These humans have thought harder than expected.”
“Mirien, what do you mean?”
“Actor should know well. Low-level calamities are stupid. They only move to consume more humans. They’re stupid.”
“…They’re exploiting calamities’ habits, you mean?”
“Yeah. There are large towers built around the city. And they’ve jammed them full of people like beehives. Hmm. Let’s roughly call them human feed towers, shall we?”
I lost my words.
Using their own citizens as bait.
A decay-filled population policy, truly in line with the Chinese approach.
*
“Damn, another night shift?”
Chen Tao, an Awakened One affiliated with the Association, grumbled while pulling out a cigarette. Click– because of the drizzling rain, the lighter wouldn’t ignite.
“Damn.”
Lately, this stupid lighter wouldn’t work. He managed to light the cigarette with great effort, stretched luxuriously, and looked up at the sky.
The pitch-black night sky didn’t show a single star. The air in China was still a mess, and the cause was the boilers operating at this very Second Detention Camp.
Chen Tao sat straddling the railing with the cigarette in his mouth.
“They keep calling it a refugee detention center.”
This place called the Second Refugee Detention Center was, in reality, just a shield made by feeding on humans.
Most of the people solving their daily needs inside did so because they were refugees from other cities, primarily elderly people and the weak.
Objectively viewed, people with no value.
People with no hope of survival.
In the end, the state had gathered the citizens it was supposed to protect into one place and used them as bait.
If calamities attack?
Simply let them die.
Their sacrifices would be the fuel for revival.
So said Chairman Tang.
“It’s none of my business, though.”
Chen Tao flicked his cigarette ash and stood up.
To be honest, though he was affiliated with the Awakened One Association, it didn’t matter to him what happened to this cursed detention center.
He was simply staying with the Association to grab his share amidst the crumbling world.
If anything went wrong, given Chen Tao didn’t have a family to protect, he could simply run away.
But.
Such thoughts were proven futile.
The pitch-black night sky split in two.
At first, he assumed it was just clouds.
Maybe the yellow dust.
But Chen Tao didn’t take long to realize what it truly was.
“Crows!”
A swarm of crows.
Thousands, no, tens of thousands of black wings covered the sky.
The crows’ cries descended like bombs, tearing at his eardrums.
And, at the center of the flapping wings—
“…T, the Black Sky Empress.”
The Awakened One guarding the detention center felt a chill of terror freeze his blood.
The black-clad empress with flaming red eyes flying through the sky.
The sinister aura flowing from her like a black curtain.
The ominous omen heading towards the earth.
—Mother of Omens, Karne.
The news that the Second Detention Center had completely fallen reached the Association headquarters half a day later.
