The Black Castle, freed from the invisibility spell, stood imposingly beneath the white mountain range.
Nyaa!
Hong, from the Cat Tribe, ran towards Cale and clung to his legs.
"Mmm."
Cale staggered backward from the impact.
Tuk.
Raon held him up to prevent him from falling.
Nyaaa.
Lowering his head, On saw Cale with eyes filled with sadness. Cale ignored that look and looked at Hong.
"Did you do it?"
"Yes, I did, Nya!"
Hong responded cheerfully with an air of satisfaction.
"I left them all paralyzed and asleep! They won't be able to wake up until tomorrow!"
The corners of Cale's lips lifted slightly. His gaze turned to Ron, who began to give a more detailed explanation.
"After capturing the main figures of the First and Second Expedition Groups, we incapacitated them with paralyzing and sleeping poison. If we repeat this pattern for a while, we should be able to keep them asleep indefinitely."
Cale gave an awkward smile at Ron's words, filled with a kind smile.
"...Don't kill them."
"Of course."
Ron's expression remained unwaveringly kind.
"Don't worry, Young Master."
"Mmm."
Cale swallowed and nodded his head without much enthusiasm.
Nine Half-Blood Dragon Knights, three Elven Inquisitors, and all the other powerful members of the First and Second Expedition Groups were captured and left unconscious in the basement. They were no longer a threat for the time being.
"Pleased to meet you, I am Cale Henituse."
Cale extended his hand. A woman with a pale, almost bluish face, shook it. The woman with white hair and green eyes reminded him of Clopeh Sekka.
"The pleasure is mine. Call me Wisha."
Wisha, the guardian deity of Har Kingdom, a humanoid serpent. Beside her was a Dragon.
"I heard about Maxillienne's demise."
The Dragon, unable to see, with the "Past" Attribute, looked directly at Cale and spoke.
"And I would like to get straight to the point."
"Agreed."
Cale sat on a sofa in the living room, neither large nor small. The Serpent Wisha, who sat in the main seat as if it were natural, looked at Eruhaben. The Ancient Dragon quietly headed towards the window.
'A human, he truly was the leader.'
Having heard from Eruhaben that they had already dealt with two Hunter Families, the serpent had no doubts.
"What exactly does it mean that the world is coming to an end?"
Cale's gaze turned to the serpent.
And then he saw Clopeh Sekka, standing behind the seat where the serpent was sitting, silently observing him.
'When did he get there?'
He was getting stealthier than Ron.
"If you feel uneasy for any reason," the serpent continued speaking.
"When the Source of the World disappears, what is left is annihilation."
Cale's gaze shifted to the other side of the serpent.
"Exactly. To be precise, if the force holding the world together completely disappears, this world will collapse in an instant."
The Third Bishop, Horns, was there.
The Serpent and Horns sat across from each other, but they did not exchange a glance. The Ancient Dragon spoke up.
"Do you mean this world could suddenly collapse, overnight?"
"Not just a collapse."
Horns spoke calmly.
"In this world, most, except those who follow the Dragon Lord, are experiencing a state of negativity and despair."
Horns extended his hand and mana concentrated over it, creating a round circle.
It was this planet.
"Furthermore, worship is accumulating worldwide, with 11 Dragons revered as Gods."
The white sphere gradually turned black.
"Worship and despair. The moment this planet, where extreme emotions accumulate, collapses, the vast majority of living creatures will either seek a God and die, or sink deeper into despair and die."
Horns' gaze lowered to the ground.
"The collapse means the annihilation of all existences that have lost their foundation."
A collapse that would occur in an instant, like the Catastrophe Era 200 years ago.
Of course, unlike that, the end this time would be total annihilation.
"The Dragon Lord desires all strong emotions and Dead Mana that will be left behind as annihilation occurs."
Horns' gaze, having spoken up to that point, turned to Cale.
However, Cale didn't ask anything.
"It's obvious."
What the Dragon Lord desired would eventually be used to create an "Absolute God" or "a new world".
"And-"
The 3rd Bishop Horns, seeing Cale saying nothing, opened his mouth.
"And until the world's annihilation, it will take at least Ten years."
"You're wrong."
A cold voice resounded.
It was the white serpent, Wisha.
Cale's gaze shifted to her.
"Two months at most. At worst, one month. This world will collapse in that time."
Bam!
Horns stood up from his seat.
"That's impossible!"
His face distorted.
"According to our information, it will definitely take Ten more years! Extracting the Source of the World through the World Tree is not an easy task!"
Horns, with his huge body, glared at Wisha.
"Two months at most is madness!"
His body, akin to a berserker beast, roared with anger more than disbelief.
"What's wrong with these two?"
Horns, who didn't seem to speak much, was particularly hostile towards Wisha.
"Hpmh."
Wisha didn't hide her feelings of disgust towards him either. It was understandable, as the oppressor of her race stood in front of her.
However, Cale had no intention of making them get along. It wasn't something he had to worry about.
"Wisha-nim. How did you obtain that information?"
"…"
Huu.
She sighed.
"Mother."
At that moment, a small baby serpent approached and coiled around Wisha's arm, rubbing its face against her. The white serpent caressed it and spoke.
"I have been in contact with the Source of the World."
Oh.
Cale's eyes lit up.
Xiaolen, Central Plains. Doesn't that mean you've come into contact with this type of being?
"My body suffered greatly because of it."
Only then did Cale realize why the white serpent was sick.
"…How did you come into contact with the Source?"
Ignoring Horns' words, Wisha told Cale:
"If you want, no, I suggest you meet and talk with the Source of the World."
"Are you ignoring me now?"
Horns couldn't help but spit out the words sarcastically.
Wisha shuddered. Seeing her, Horns sneered.
"Of course, a noble of pure blood wouldn't want to talk to inferior hybrids. You probably want to banish the hybrids from this world immediately. Isn't that, right?"
Cale's gaze briefly turned to Wisha.
She bit her lip slightly.
- Human! It seems like there's something.
That's right.
The moment Cale nodded to Raon's words, Wisha's mouth opened.
"Shut up. I don't want to hear those words from your mouth, which has killed countless beings."
"Ha! What about the hybrids you've killed?"
"I have never killed hybrids!"
Crack!
Finally, Wisha stood up from her seat.
The two faced off with a table between them.
"It's not true! Banishing those young ones is the same as killing them!"
"Ha! It's disgusting to hear those words from someone like you, who has killed countless beings!"
Uuuuu...
The air vibrated with the force they emitted. After living for hundreds of years, the accumulated anger during that time was directed at each other.
Then the moment came.
"Enough."
"!"
"…!"
The two stopped.
A chill passed between them.
Their entire bodies' skin prickled.
"This is-"
The White Snake couldn't look directly at Cale due to the force emanating from him. Beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.
When she glanced at Horns on the other side, his face had suddenly gone pale.
"We don't have much time."
Cale's calm words made them both swallow nervously.
The atmosphere grew more tense.
"So please, sit down again."
The sudden chill disappeared.
The dominating sensation that had been present vanished. It was then that Wisha slowly turned around.
Cale was smiling gently.
"Please, take a seat."
Wisha sat down involuntarily.
'How can a human...?'
Though it was only a little, it felt like she was having trouble breathing.
"Now that everyone's seated, let's refocus."
The human's smile seemed to disregard the situation.
"Please, answer my question."
So, he turned stern. Cale's gaze first went to Wisha.
"Can I go to the Source of the World?"
"...Yes."
"Will it hurt me if I use that method?"
like you, Wisha-nim.
Cale didn't add more to that statement.
"No. I have opened a safe path, so it's fine."
Huu.
Wisha briefly exhaled before speaking.
"Not all Elves bow down to Dragons. The same goes for Dwarves."
Horns, the Third Bishop, shuddered.
"I connected with them and through them reached the Source of the World."
It took more than ten years to discover this method.
"And truly, there is only one or two months of life left in this world."
Silence.
The sound of Horns understanding was heard.
Wisha spoke to Cale without looking in that direction.
"The Inquisitors probably already know that there is only one or two months left."
The pupils of Horns dilated.
Wisha's voice that followed held no emotion.
"Dragon Half-Bloods are doomed to die someday. The Purple Blood Hunters have no intention of taking away the Dragon Half-Bloods; they are merely giving them hope or despair, while taking advantage of them."
"Judging by what I see now, it seems the Dragon Half-Bloods are planning something against the Dragons themselves."
"The Dragon Lord probably already anticipated this."
The Third Bishop, Horns, bit his lip.
She was right.
Pope Casillia is unleashing the accumulated hatred and resentment of the Dragon Half-Bloods to plunge this world into chaos. However, it is rumored that this world will disappear in one or two months.
In that case, the immense fury and despair of the Dragon Half-Bloods will become high-quality material for the Dragon Lord.
Eruhaben, the Ancient Dragon, interrupted the silence with a voice that seeped through, "But it seems there is something the Dragon Lord has not foreseen."
Horns, remembering something, raised his head and looked around. Creatures he had never seen before, yet emanating undeniable power. His gaze settled on one point, drawing everyone's attention.
Cale, with an indifferent tone, said, "We are the variable."
'One month,' he thought. 'At most, two months. It's better to be cautious and calculate one month.'
The validity period of this world.
One month. After that, destruction. No, annihilation.
Cale opened his mouth, summarizing the information he had heard from Eruhaben, as well as the information he had heard from Horns upon returning to the Black Castle.
"First, we must do three important things."
First.
"Meet with the Source of the World."
It is necessary to talk to someone like Central Plains and figure out how to save this world. We also need to inform him that we possess a Seed of the World Tree.
"In that process, we will seek a way to restore the world."
And for restoration...
Second.
"Remove the obstacles."
It goes without saying who those obstacles are.
"We have to confront the Purple Blood Family."
Cale's lips curled up in a smile.
"For that, we'll have to fight hard. But the more hands we have, the better.
Third.
"We need to increase our numbers."
Although the Wolves and the White Snake have allied with us, and Har Kingdom is on our side, it's still not enough.
Cale looked at Horns. Surprised, Horns opened his eyes wide upon hearing the following words:
"I want to meet with the Pope. Is it possible?"
"What?"
He wants to meet with Pope Casillia after all he has said? Horns, who had already told Cale all his secrets, was speechless.
Cale offered him a kind smile.
"Why? The Pope and I should agree on some things. Isn't that so?"
Cale's tone was also very soft.
"The Pope wants chaos? I think I can help with that."
At that moment, a response came to the message Cale sent through the mirror.
<- Posted by Central Plains, who is kind and obedient!>
"Is it possible, Horns? Or is it impossible?"
"...It's possible."
Faced with Cale's gentle inquiry, he couldn't help but respond with an affirmation.
"Well then, let's each do our job."
* * *
Cale sent Horns to contact the Pope and then watched his companions leave to fulfill their missions.
"..."
With only a few people left in the living room, Cale looked up at the ceiling and asked:
"Has Choi Jung Gun headed to the temple?"
"Yes."
The gazes of Cale, Choi Han, Choi Jung Soo, and Lee Soo Hyuk turned to the Dragon viewing the Past.
"In Aipotu, there are temples that worship Dragons, but there are still temples that worship various Gods. There are also temples that have been destroyed."
"So where did Choi Jung Gun go?"
Choi Jung Soo, without waiting for an answer, spoke with a cold and urgent voice. Cale glanced at him and then turned his gaze back to the Dragon.
"To the southernmost part of the jungle, where there's a ruined temple."
The Dragon's words flowed without pause.
"The God of Chaos."
Choi Jung Gun had gone to the temple of the God of Chaos.
"Choi Jung Gun, after hearing the White Snake's and my account, felt compelled to investigate the situation in person to confirm his suspicions. We haven't heard from him since."
Cale opened his mouth.
"...Isn't it the God of War, but the God of Chaos?"
Of the five Gods currently classified as Ancient Gods, Cale had met the God of Balance and the God of Hope. And the God of Chaos was one of them.
"What..."
Cale felt an inexplicable discomfort at the back of his neck.
"Don't tell me..."
Just as Choi Jung Soo was about to speak with a hardened face.
"Jung Soo."
The team leader, Sui Khan, intervened.
"Let's not say anything."
Words could be seeds. Though they kept their mouths shut, there was another participant in the conversation.
Ding!
On the screen of the mirror that had been on for a while, a message appeared. A being who had been listening to everything.
Our God of Death was listening attentively to everything.
The mirror filled with furious messages from the God of Death, who had been working day and night for the past few days reviewing the Wanderers list and enduring Sui Khan and Choi Jung Soo's hostile attitude.
Of course, Cale ignored it and looked at the team leader.
"I have to go to the jungle."
"Yes."
Sui Khan looked at Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han.
"Jung Soo, Choi Han. I think I'll be better suited than you."
The moment the clue to find Choi Jung Gun was found...
Knock, knock, knock.
At the sound of the knocks, Choi Han opened the door and Horns, holding a video communicator, spoke up.
"The Pope wants to see you."
"Yes?"
"In return, she asks for you to come directly to the Temple."
Horns swallowed nervously as he spoke, and Cale nodded calmly.
"Alright."
* * *
If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.
Thank you for reading!
[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]
[Translator – Anowa]
[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]