“Let’s move.” 

The black silhouette led Lee Ji-Tae away. 

“Pausing time is not an easy feat for me too.” 

“T-That means… I can survive...” 

“Don’t make me repeat myself.” 

“...” 

“Didn’t I tell you already that you are too important to die here? Well then, let’s go.” 

The black silhouette then grabbed Lee Ji-Tae’s arm. 

Flash!

With that, the two of them vanished. Time began to pass again, and the headquarters collapsed.  

                                                ***

“Woah! This is just...” 

On Zeppelin, Kwak Jung was standing on the bow, watching the Itaracia castle fall. 

“Kueh… absurd… absolutely absurd… does this insane firepower even make sense?”

It wasn’t an exaggeration. Valhalla Kingdom’s firepower was terrifying. The fortress in Itaracia might have been small, but to demolish it in 10 minutes was quite jaw-dropping. 

“Well then, since the mission is complete… shall we begin the base construction?” 

Base construction. Any soldier would dread those words. However, Valhalla had people who were specialized in such laborious tasks... 

Werber Engineer Brigade, and Mithril Engineer Brigade! 

Kwak Jung shouted through the loudspeaker. 

Yes, commander-in-chief!

Yes sir!

Several soldiers who were riding on Z

eppelin and Temeraire replied. They were not humans. The Werber Engineer Brigade comprised ants, while the Mithril Engineer Brigade comprised Dwarfs. 

In

other words, they were made of ‘genuine laborers!’ And thus, they possessed 20 times the efficiency compared to an Engineer Brigade comprising humans. 

Begin the base construction immediately after the battlefield has been cleaned up!

Kwak Jung commanded.

You have three days. Construct a more durable fortress than the previous Itaracia fortress! Can you do it? 

He was asking for the moon. How could a fortress be built in just three days? 

Yes, commander-in-chief!

Three days are enough!

However, these professional laborers didn’t even flinch. 

We will try to finish it in two days!

That’s right! Two days are enough!

In fact, they even deemed the three days to be too long. 

T-those crazy bastards!

Kwak Jung was absolutely astonished. He was certain that if they went to Earth, many human laborers would be jobless and might starve to death. 

Oh well, that’s settled then. 

Heh.

Kwak Jung smiled. The Itaracia Fortress located in the Chamonix mountains was a gateway that bridged the northern and central region of Baldur. It was a crucial location to restrict Atal Ramanujan’s growth. 

How could his people survive? Despite an exponentially increasing population, his territory lacked cool weather and fertile land to harvest food. 

100,000, no, 1,000,000 people may starve to death… but...

From a humanitarian point of view, what Kwak Jung was doing (Kang Chul-In’s idea, of course) was absolutely sadistic. 

One should always eliminate any source of danger. Yup!

Kwak Jung was cold-hearted. He was the tactician of the Supreme King of the West. To make Kang Chul-In’s ambition – to conquer the whole of Pangaea – a reality, Kwak Jung had to devise brutal strategies as such.

Was it too harsh? No, it wasn’t. Atal Ramanujan was a serious threat. For that reason, it was crucial that Shatyameba fall.  If Kwak Jung tried to be compassionate, then the Valhalla Kingdom might collapse instead. This was the law of the jungle. The weak were the prey of the strong in Pangaea. 

                                                ***

“W-What!?” 

Dorian, who was fighting the Shatyamba soldiers with great force, stopped moving when he heard a huge explosion. 

“Kang Chul-In!” 

He knew who the culprit was immediately. 

Who else could create such an explosion? 

“W-What is it?!” 

“Bombardment, huh.” 

“Eek...” 

The startled Shatyameba soldiers also stopped moving. 

“What the hell did you do… Kang Chul-In…?” 

He was lost for words. Dorian was much stronger after consuming 40% of the Dragon Heart, but he still could not comprehend what just happened. Well… even Kang Chul-In himself was shocked by the incredible destructive power of the Overpower Bracelet. It was natural for the others to be astonished. 

“Hmm...” 

The cause of the explosion, Kang Chul-In, observed his surroundings, now covered in a thick veil of dust. 

“Hmm… for my investment to be brought to naught… welp...”

Kang Chul-In smacked his lips. Despite being the one who displayed this destructive strength, he was regretting breaking the cormorant’s neck. 

It was a pity. Kang Chul-In had no way to find out how Brynhildr got hold of the Sonic Ring. More importantly, how was he supposed to find that item now? Well, he could if he really wanted to, but Kang Chul-In was a busy man who often slept little and ate sandwiches for meals in the office. He didn’t have time to look for the Sonic Ring. 

In fact, he didn’t even have time to attend to his family vacation due to his hectic work schedule. 

“That’s why I warned him...” 

Kang Chul-In mumbled as he glanced at the fan-shaped destruction he had caused ahead of him. 

Chuk!

In front of the collapsed inner castle, a knight in white armor was struggling to get himself up. 

“Kang… Chul-In...” 

“...!” 

“It’s not… over… yet… I… won’t… die… from this...” 

Brynhildr survived. 

He barely got his foot on the ground and ignited his fighting spirit. 

“...” 

Kang Chul-In was lost for words. He was in awe. There was no conceivable reason for his opponent to be so persistent. Where did this man’s endless fighting spirit come from? 

“Well, but thanks.” 

Kang Chul-In smirked and thanked Brynhildr. 

“What?” 

“For being alive.” 

“A-are you worrying for me?” 

Brynhildr was surprised.

That demon was worried for him. Pigs might fly. 

“Of course.” 

Kang Chul-In nodded. 

“I almost killed the goose that lays golden eggs, how could I not be worried?” 

The problem was that his worry originated from greed. 

“I was scared that you might have died.” 

“...” 

“Thank god you have a durable body.” 

How could one be so shameless? Kang Chul-In nearly killed Brynhildr, and now he was thanking him for being alive. 

“Kang Chul-In!” 

Brynhildr growled. 

“That sort of...” 

“Go!” 

Kang Chul-In cut Brynhildr off. 

“Come back stronger!” 

In the end, Kang Chul-In decided to let Brynhildr off again. A merciful heart indeed. He was almost the Buddha himself. Their first encounter, the second time in Baldur’s forest, and the third time here in Zolushka. This was the third time he was letting Brynhildr off!

“A-are you not going to kill me, again?” 

“This is the last time.” 

Kang Chul-In emphasized. 

“No more mercy.” 

“...” 

“Challenge me one more time, and I will kill you without hesitation.” 

A final warning. Of course, he planned to visit Brynhildr the moment he got the Sonic Ring. It was a special service. 

“Ah, also.” 

Kang Chul-In added. 

“Let me request one thing.” 

“Request?” 

“Can you relay this message to Vilhelm?” 

“...?” 

“Tell him that marriage is a crazy thing.” 

“...” 

“It’s up to you to tell him.” 

Kang Chul-In sniggered. A demon’s grin. 

                                                *** 

“W-Where is this…?” 

Lee Ji-Tae looked around. 

“Where else?” 

The black silhouette replied. 

“We are in Atal Ramanujan’s territory.” 

“...?” 

“To be precise, we are in a remote area in Shatyameba.” 

“Ah…!” 

Lee Ji-Tae exclaimed. He had escaped from that collapsing Itaracia fortress!

“Who are you, by the way?” 

Lee Ji-Tae turned to face the black silhouette. 

“Do you want to know?” 

The black silhouette asked. 

“Alright then. It’s no secret, anyway.” 

“...” 

“I’m Milenius, the last Agnaga.” 

“...!”

“I’m the controller of time.” 

Thump! Lee Ji-Tae could feel a shudder.

Ba-dump! Ba-dump, ba-dump!

It was a sense of kinship and instinct. They were of the same kind. As only a few Agnagas existed in the whole universe, Lee Ji-Tae felt a special feeling when he encountered his own kind. 

“Milenius… the controller of time...” 

“Do you know who you are?” 

“Me…?” 

“As I said earlier, you are the only one who can command our army.”

“W-What are you talking about…?” 

“You are Cereb, the great mind of Agnaga.”  

Incomprehensive words. 

“I don’t get you.” 

“Of course not.” 

The black silhouette agreed with Lee Ji-Tae. 

“But you will soon figure it out, anyway. I don’t see how my explanation will change anything.”  

“Figure it out anyway?” 

“Just a matter of time. Be patient.” 

“...” 

“You won’t appreciate whatever I say now. Just focus on developing your abilities for now.” 

“My… abilities?” 

“I’m referring to this.” 

The black silhouette tapped his own head, which was covered in a hood. 

“Your incredible intelligence is the sole reason for your existence. Once you develop it, you will realize everything yourself.” 

“How…?” 

“Your appetite.” 

“...!” 

“You didn’t think that your overwhelming appetite exists just to tear the skin and meat off of humans, did you?” 

“...!” 

“Hey, Cereb.” 

The black silhouette explained. 

“We Agnagas are advanced.  How could a lame desire like appetite exist in us?” 

“T-that means!” 

“Your appetite exists not for survival. It exists to develop your abilities.” 

“I don’t understand...” 

“Cannibalism.” 

“...!” 

“I’m sure you didn’t just eat your human preys’ meat and blood.” 

Tap tap. 

The black silhouette tapped his own head again. 

“The brain.” 

“...!” 

“You probably found the human brain to be particularly delicious.” 

“...” 

“You would’ve eaten the brain and all of its cerebral fluids, even if you left unfinished bits elsewhere.” 

That was true. Lee Ji-Tae definitely did that. 

“By consuming human brains, you can become the true Cereb.” 

“That means...” 

“Now that you know the method, I hope you won’t just stay still.” 

“...” 

“Eat as much as you want. And awaken your true abilities. This land has plenty of humans. There’s no better place for your growth.” 

The black silhouette began to walk away. 

“When you’ve finally developed your abilities, we shall meet again.” 

“W-wait!”

Lee Ji-Tae shouted. 

“Who are you, really!?” 

“Who am I, you say…?” 

The black silhouette pondered for a moment. 

“Curious?”

Then… the black silhouette turned around. 

Flick!

The hood came off. 

“Argh!” 

Lee Ji-Tae screamed the moment he realized the silhouette’s true identity. 

Previous Chapter

Next Chapter