The core of the Genesis Altar was a fortress that surpassed imagination in its enormity.
It was made of a white tal of unknown material, and it looked like it had carved out the brilliant light itself.
More than anything, the altar was over 100km in size, and its existence rivaled that of a satellite.
It usually hid its appearance in the gaps between dinsions, but when a situation arose that threatened the ntal Realm to the point of tilting the celestial axis, it would reveal itself directly.
So far, there were only a handful of tis when the altar showed its appearance. The altar’s core was more symbolic than anything else, and what should be truly feared was the suppression power of the system that the altar had established.
Moreover, that was the common perception of the beings who lived in the ntal Realm.
But the perception of the few who had seen the altar move was different.
When the altar moved, it always caused a huge bloodbath, regardless of its intention.
The situation of the Salio Empire proved that.
“What, what is that!”
“Is it an enemy?”
Elder Central, the city that could be called the center of the Salio Empire.
The early morning sun should have risen over Elder Central, but now it was swallowed by darkness.
The huge structure floating in the sky.
The fortress of the altar not only occupied the entire city, but also stretched out beyond it, blocking all the sunlight that reached Elder Central and covering the whole city with shadows.
Underneath it, citizens scread and ran away, and the soldiers of the Salio Empire looked up at the fortress with pale faces.
Soon after, the bottom of the fortress lit up and countless bombardnts rained down and swept over Elder Central.
The defensive magic circles installed throughout the city activated and tried to block the shelling, but the firepower of the fortress far surpassed them.
The defense system of Elder Central, which could boast of being able to withstand even a fight between Executors, was nothing but a toy in front of the fortress of the altar.
In an instant, skyscrapers turned to dust and disappeared, and all the people who lived inside were swept away.
“Where is His Majesty! Where is His Majesty!”
“Fight back! Shoot down that huge fortress!”
The Salio Empire raised a flag of counterattack as if it would not just take it lying down.
Airships rose up and headed towards the fortress, and small airships filled the sky. All remaining magic corps mobilated and flew up with wings of light.
Even though there were no lords or executors, the power of the Salio Empire was formidable.
If their opponent was not the altar, that is.
Clang!
A huge sound of sothing falling rang out and soon after a huge door opened on the bottom of the fortress and light poured out.
The survivors who watched that scene from below forgot to run away and stood blankly in their places looking at that scene.
Soon after, sothing revealed itself behind the dazzling light.
“Angels?”
They looked like angels from myths, descending with wings made of white light.
But they were not real angels.
They looked like they were wearing hard armor, their bodies were thin and their arms and legs were strangely long.
The na of those white beings sent by the altar was Elohim.
They poured out through the door and imdiately glowed red eyes and began to mutter sothing.
They did not know what language they used so they could not understand their aning, but those who were on site felt that it was not a friendly attitude at all.
Soon after, a huge power burst out from Elohim and swept over everything around them.
“Aaargh!”
“Evade! Evade!”
“Kill them!”
A war broke out imdiately after.
No, could it be called a war?
The fight was a one-sided massacre by Elohim.
“They’re too fast!”
“Pull yourself together! Don’t run away and… cough!”
The well-trained soldiers of Salio Empire collapsed helplessly before Elohim.
They had shining wings, flew in the sky and pierced everything with spears of light. They were like divine punishnt for fallen humans.
Airships crashed to ground with flas and magic corps were impaled by Elohim’s spears and hung loosely.
The main force of empire was annihilated in less than 30 minutes. Blood rained from sky.
“Aah, ugh.”
Those who watched that scene from ground could not do anything but be terrified.
The sight of Elohim descending slowly with white flesh covered in red blood was too horrific to call them angels.
“Monsters.”
Soone said that.
Fear does not co from cracks in ground.
True fear cos from sky with light.
“We have to run…”
“Save … cough!”
Spears of white light rained down like rain on ground.
Elohim without emotions showed no rcy. They just destroyed Elder Central and slaughtered rcilessly like machines that had commands inputted.
Citizens scread and died. So begged for rcy, so shouted the na of God, and so asked for help from the wicked emperor.
But the emperor did not co forward.
In the royal chamber of Elder Central, the emperor of Salio Empire who had extended his life with life extension devices was already dead.
There was a small hole in his forehead.
“That was close.”
Outside Elder Central.
At a distance that barely did not touch the fortress of the altar, Yoo Young-min retrieved his sniper rifle and sighed with relief.
He finished preparing to leave right away and on his shoulder there was a golden sphere floating.
It was the fragnt of Codex that he had killed and retrieved from the emperor of Salio Empire.
‘Yikes.’
Yoo Young-min looked at Elder Central, which had beco a sea of fire, and quickly hid his body.
A squad of Elohim was roaming the sky not far from where he was.
They were currently wiping out all the cities under Salio Empire’s rule centered on Elder Central.
Anyone who was in their range would be killed as soon as they were caught.
Yoo Young-min knew that fact and moved carefully so as not to be noticed by Elohim.
‘I didn’t expect them to co here so soon.’
He was more than 100km away from Elder Central.
He had sniped and killed the emperor in the royal chamber in the midst of that chaos.
‘It’s lucky that the emperor was sitting still and couldn’t move.’
Otherwise, it would have taken a lot of ti to snipe the emperor.
He would have had to inevitably narrow the distance to Elder Central, and he would have been exposed to Elohim right away.
‘Maxwell’s correction helped too, otherwise I would have been chased by the altar too.’
He was already far away from Elder Central, but he moved even further away just in case and soon realized that it was safe around him.
This should be enough.
Yoo Young-min activated his long-range teleportation skill.
‘I’m here. I’ve retrieved it.’
[Indeed. A splendid and clean job. To pierce the emperor’s forehead from over 100km away.]
‘…Were you watching?’
[Don’t be so upset. I had to be ready in case sothing went wrong. It’s not bad to be prepared, right? Especially when the fortress that can be called the core of the altar is floating right now.]
‘…’
Yoo Young-min was annoyed, but he couldn’t argue or get angry.
Rationally speaking, the other party was right in every way. But reason and emotion were separate things.
He felt irritated every ti he talked to him, like a kind of reflex that he couldn’t help.
‘Don’t forget. We are only temporary allies. It wouldn’t be strange if we turned against each other again. So don’t provoke too much.’
[I’m sorry if you felt that way. I didn’t an to. You are one of our most excellent partners, after all.]
‘…Fine. I’ll send you the fragnt as soon as possible.’
He was about to cut off the connection, but the other party spoke first.
[By the way, I heard the news. He ca back, didn’t he?]
‘…’
[Don’t be like that. Or do you still hate ?]
‘Still? You said still?’
Yoo Young-min’s voice was filled with rage like a roar.
The other party, the false prophet, calmly replied to Yoo Young-min’s attitude.
[I told you. It was a necessary thing.]
‘Even so, it doesn’t erase what you did. If you’re trying to rationalize it, give it up.’
[It’s not rationalization, it’s sincerity. It was inevitable for the sake of the future. A kind of necessary evil, if you will. You must have realized it too, living in the ntal Realm as the King of rcenaries. There are things in the world that can’t be solved by just following the right path. Sotis, you have to walk a dirty road to achieve sothing.]
‘…So, is this also part of that prophecy you’re talking about?’
[Who knows.]
The false prophet, Jin Cheongun, gave a vague answer.
Yoo Young-min cut him off sharply.
‘That’s enough. There’s no point in talking more with you. I’m hanging up.’
[As you wish.]
‘But rember this. You will pay dearly for what you’ve done so far, sooner or later. Jin Cheongun.’
The false prophet, Jin Cheongun, smiled silently at Yoo Young-min’s warning that was almost a threat.
[I know.]
He didn’t say it out loud, but he was surely saying this.
[That’s what I want too.]
***
Yu-hyun stood on the roof of a building and looked down at the cityscape.
He had just heard the news of Salio Empire’s destruction. And five satellite cities around Elder Central had disappeared without a trace.
By the altar, of course.
‘Genesis Altar.’
The origin of the Genesis System that suppressed the world.
A mysterious group that no one knew who made it or what it existed for.
He had never seen them move directly like this before.
‘Why did they suddenly move? And against Salio Empire?’
He knew that Salio Empire had risen to oppose the group of gods, Great Sage.
And their potential was definitely dangerous.
They had made myth-grade weapons even though they were not Divine Spirits but humans.
And not only with pure mystical power or magic, but with science created by humans.
In a way, their destruction was similar to the divine punishnt that destroyed Babel Tower in Genesis.
But in ntal Realm, and until now they had maintained neutrality or silence, it was unprecedented for them to intervene directly like this.
Yu-hyun recalled the beings he saw in his dream today.
The white being and the black being.
‘Maybe this incident is also related to them.’
Then what are their identities? And what is their purpose?
He had so much to do, but new things kept happening and his head got tangled up.
If only he had ti, but knowing the future where the real end of the world would co to this world, even that was urgent.
It was as if an invisible giant hourglass was constantly running without stopping. Even if he tried to block it with his hand, the sand would endlessly slip through his fingers.
As he was deep in thought, soone entered through the roof door.
“Are you here?”
“…Choi Do-yoon.”
Yu-hyun replied curtly to Choi Do-yoon who had not yet recovered from his injury.
“What are you doing here with your injury?”
“You’re still grumpy.”
“Don’t you know why?”
“I understand that. Even if I didn’t have any mories of that ti, I don’t think I could get along well with you either.”
“…You’re pretty confident.”
Yu-hyun was speechless at Choi Do-yoon’s attitude, but he also admitted that it was like him.
“Are you leaving?”
“…What?”
Choi Do-yoon’s sharp question made Yu-hyun try to dodge, but he soon realized that it was useless and nodded his head with a sigh.
“We’ll only lose if we’re late.”
“So you’re going alone.”
“…It’s dangerous to move with soone else.”
“That’s…”
Choi Do-yoon tried to say sothing but stopped. He guessed the reason why Yu-hyun said that.
It must have sothing to do with Baek Seo-ryeon, that woman. He heard that she almost died by Hercules and barely survived.
Even if he didn’t have any mories of that ti, he could tell by Yu-hyun’s attitude that he fought Hercules with hatred and emotion. It was not an ordinary thing.
But still, she ca back alive.
“What about that power you learned new? Is it because of that?”
“What? You noticed too?”
“I fought with the guy who uses that power, how could I not?”
It was amazing in many ways that he knew it by fighting.
Crazy talented bastard.
Yu-hyun barely swallowed the words that ca up to his throat.
Choi Do-yoon had realized the clue to the fire after fighting Hercules.
He should have had a hard ti feeling it, but what kind of potential was that?
But now, he didn’t care much.
If Choi Do-yoon got stronger, it would increase their power, so it was good rather than bad.
“When are you leaving?”
“I’d like to say right now, but I have to tell my companions first. I’ll leave by tomorrow morning at the latest.”
“Do you think we can win in the upcoming war?”
“…”
Choi Do-yoon was certain about the war.
It beca inevitable when the altar stepped in and eliminated Salio Empire.
He didn’t know why they removed Salio Empire first, and left the alliance alone.
Surely, they had confidence that the alliance’s turn would co soday. That’s why he had to ask.
“I don’t know.”
Yu-hyun answered honestly.
“I don’t even know how strong the altar is.”
“They’re enough to make Great Sage tremble. They either agree with their actions, or keep silent. That ans they don’t want to confront the altar either.”
“Then we definitely can’t beat them at our level right now.”
“Right now, huh. You an you don’t know about the future. Is there a way?”
Yu-hyun pointed at Choi Do-yoon with his finger.
“There’s only one way. Get stronger. That power you got a clue of, master it completely. And the others have to get stronger too. To survive in the upcoming war.”
Yu-hyun looked back at Choi Do-yoon as he spoke.
For the first ti, the two n looked at each other properly.
Choi Do-yoon looked at Yu-hyun’s unwavering eyes and nodded his head without knowing it.
“You’re sure about the upcoming war, you say it with conviction. You’ve already chosen your path.”
“Choosing a path, what are you talking about? It’s just that there’s nothing else but this.”
“Even so, walking that path without hesitation is a different matter.”
Yu-hyun stared at him with a look of why are you suddenly saying such nice things?
Choi Do-yoon gave a faint bitter smile.
Yu-hyun was quite surprised by that.
It was the first ti he had seen Choi Do-yoon smile, in both his previous and current lives.
So this guy who was like an emotionless robot could smile too.
But that thought was short-lived as Choi Do-yoon turned his back.
“What?”
“I’m done talking, I’m going to train.”
“With your injured body?”
“This little injury is nothing. And… I’m itching to swing my sword.”
“…Do as you please.”
Before leaving the roof door, Choi Do-yoon said softly.
“Thank you for helping my mother.”
He left those words and disappeared from sight.
Yu-hyun felt quite strange after hearing him say thank you for the first ti. He knew it was real, but it felt like a dream.
Still.
‘It’s not a bad feeling.’
He thought that for a mont when another person entered through the roof door.
“Ms. Jia?”
It was Kwon Jia, who still wore her hood backwards.
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