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Chapter 134

As a group of humans, it was natural for Watcher to want to minimize variables regardless of how confident they were; that was human nature. And because it was Watcher specifically, it was a guarantee that they had prepared meticulously in advance, despite often resorting to simple violent measures.

So, Se-Hoon thought the best opportunity would be right when everyone had flocked to his exhibit—and he was right.

Booom-!

A loud explosion erupted from outside. Hearing the start of the full-scale assault by the Demon Force and Watchers, Se-Hoon sprinted down the staff passageway, pretending to be a panicked staff member.

“W-What’s happening?!”

Arriving at the end of the passageway, Se-Hoon encountered a startled-looking staff member and immediately played his part. Then, after swiftly assessing the situation, he slowly approached the employee.

“T-there’s been an explosion outside....”

Whirr!

Before even finishing their sentence, the expression on the staff member’s face vanished and he sent a spike shooting toward Se-Hoon’s forehead with an eerie calmness. He had launched a surprise attack that aimed to kill with the epitome of an assassin’s precision.

Swoosh!

However, the spike had only managed to strike Se-Hoon’s baseball cap.

Ssssk-

“Ugh!?”

Barely managing to see that his attack missed, the staff member fell to one knee, feeling a sharp pain coming from his thigh.

Thunk! Thunk!

Then, before he could even catch his breath, each of his shoulders was pierced by something sharp, voiding both his arms of strength. All he could do now was gaze at the white, glowing dagger aimed at his throat.

“What the...”

“Shh. Scream, and you die.”

He could feel the cold blade pressing deeper against his neck. The eerie energy flowing from the blade made even the staff member, a member of Dawn, freeze.

Wha—What is even going on...

His actions had been thoroughly concealed by illusion magic, so how was he discovered? As he tried to figure out how Se-Hoon had done such an incomprehensible thing, he heard Se-Hoon’s voice.

“Which group are you with? The Dream Demon? Or Dawn?”

“...What?”

“The operation has been leaked. The higher-ups sent an order to treat everyone as enemies and if we are unable to identify them, eliminate them.”

The sudden statement left the staff member bewildered.

That order when the operation that had just begun? It was hard to believe, but the fact that Se-Hoon seemed to know everything made it more plausible.

It’s impossible that he knows everything from interrogating the others in the short time since the operation began...

Se-Hoon attacking him was also not unusual given the way cooperation between the Demon Force and Watchers worked. They launched an assault on Babel together, but they each had different goals.

“Hmm. If you have no satisfactory answer...”

Feeling the dagger drawing blood from his neck, the staff member hurriedly answered, “I’m with Dawn.”

“Have you retrieved the target?”

At his question, the staff member relaxed; he was aware of their objective as well.

“Not yet. We plan to retrieve it as safely as possible to avoid damage.”

Perhaps they intended to negotiate with Luize first. Confirming that he had a bit of time, Se-Hoon removed the dagger.

“With the plan leaked, delaying any longer is dangerous. Report this immediately and tell them to accelerate the schedule.”

“...After putting me in this state?”

“Scoff. You must have some means of healing. Stop pretending and move already.”

Biting his lips due to Se-Hoon’s curt words, the staff member used his prepared healing spell.

Whirr!

Seeing that his wounds healed instantly, the staff member stood up, grumbling.

“Wait, it wasn’t even us who set aside a generous amount of time for it; it was those blacksmith bastards...?!”

He finally saw Se-Hoon’s face. Instantly recognizing it, his expression crumbled and his eyes shot wide open.

“You...”

Slash!

Before the staff member could say more, Se-Hoon sliced the White Light Dagger cleanly through his throat.

Were these guys targeting me too? questioned Se-Hoon with narrowed eyes, gazing down at the body.

If the staff member were someone from Watchers, his reaction upon seeing Se-Hoon’s face should have been, “You’re a Watcher too?” The members of Watchers often worked independently so they barely knew each other’s faces.

Yet, the moment the guy before him saw his face, his expression changed into one that indicated something was wrong. It meant that Dawn or someone else had marked him as a target.

Hmm... actually, that might be useful.

Thanks to the guy at his feet, Se-Hoon was able to understand the situation to some extent. He turned around and started sprinting down a different passageway. Most of the staff and employees had rushed to the exhibition due to the earlier reveal, so he only encountered a few people in the passageway, and they were mostly Dawn members.

“Huh... what’s happening...?”

Thunk!

“Guh...!”

Seeing their target suddenly appear in front of them, most tried to secure him while hiding their identities. But that complacency allowed Se-Hoon to get close enough to instantly land a fatal blow. All it took was a pierce to their neck or heart.

So those disguised as regular employees do lack practical combat skills.

Having to hide their identities and act like regular employees had dulled their responses and movements. While reducing their numbers one by one with ambushes, Se-Hoon headed to the boiler room he had noted earlier with Luize.

They must have realized something has gone wrong by now if they’re not fools.

If their goal was to take control of the exhibition hall, they should be firmly guarding key facilities by now. Thus, instead of heading straight toward one, Se-Hoon moved outside.

With his current abilities, it would be tough to put up a fight, but he had already prepared in advance to avoid such a thing.

Boom-!

At that moment, a powerful vibration echoed from the exhibition hall.

Sensing the ominous tremor and the wild flow of mana through the pipes, Se-Hoon took out a black box from his dream storage.

Whirr-

Popping it open, Se-Hoon gazed at the milky-white sphere within. Feeling the faint resonance of the Southern Flame Pupil, which was a pupil of the Vermillion Bird, Se-Hoon’s eyes gleamed.

As expected, they used the Vermillion Bird’s heart.

Back when he first saw the furnace created by MT Industries and the various devices used to control fire and mana, Se-Hoon instantly realized that the enemy was plotting something using the Vermillion Bird. It was easy to see after realizing that the enemy had placed all of the devices around the center of the expo.

Now the question is, what are they doing with the heart?

There were still plenty of variables he couldn’t be sure of, but the steady heartbeat-like vibration and fire mana subtly permeating the atmosphere gave him a good guess.

Are they trying to resurrect the Vermillion Bird?

If that was the case, then he had now uncovered all of their moves. He went through the possibilities once again, and when he was certain, he wasted no time and activated the prepared materials to counter such a plan.

Whirr!

Placing his hand on the mana supply pipe, he slowly channeled his mana into it. Currently, the pipe was vibrating intensely due to having absorbed an enormous amount of mana.

The various devices in the expo probably replace the internal organs assisting the Vermillion Bird’s heart. If so, then the mana within these pipes will definitely play the role of the blood keeping it alive.

To this amount, any mana he added was just a drop in the ocean, but that was only the case if the mana wasn’t so intimately tied to the Vermillion Bird.

Fwoosh-

Moving on to the next step, Se-Hoon took out the Southern Flame Pupil from the box. Using the Scarlet Flame Wheel, he controlled the white flames and gently directed them to flow into the pipe.

And when those flames reached the Celestial Fire Furnace at the end of the pipe—

Rumble-!

Surging back ferociously, an immense amount of mana swiftly consumed Se-Hoon’s hand.

Woooooosh!

The tremendous amount of mana forced its way into his right hand and arm, rampaging throughout his body like a living creature.

However, instead of shock, Se-Hoon’s eyes sparkled.

It took the bait!

There was no way free mana would react this dynamically. In other words, the resurrected Vermillion Bird itself was controlling all that mana to seize back its eye, the Southern Flame Pupil.

Sizzle!

Steam rose as the moisture in his body evaporated.

It had only regained a portion of its power, yet the heat from its flames was intense. But instead of disengaging, Se-Hoon gritted his teeth.

That damn chicken really thinks it can outplay me...!

No matter how hot it got, it was nothing compared to the hottest flames he had handled with ease before he regressed.

Determined to face the Vermillion Bird head-on, he steadied his mind and created a temporary mana circuit to trap it.

Crackle!

Soul Honing formed a new path inside his body in the blink of an eye.

However, upon seeing the open path, the Vermillion Bird rushed in while thinking that his defense had crumbled. And taking advantage of that moment, Se-Hoon slammed the entrance shut.

Clang! Clang!

Using his mental hammer, he began reinforcing the newly laid-out temporary mana circuit.

It was at this point that the Vermillion Bird belatedly realized that it was trapped within Se-Hoon’s body. It began to thrash violently.

“Whew...”

Having expected its fierce movement, Se-Hoon drew upon his earth mana, Purified Earth, to firmly reinforce the mana circuit and suppress the rampaging.

Eventually, the shackled Vermillion Bird gradually lost its strength, no longer able to struggle like a wild horse. It had to accept that it would neither be able to seize the Southern Flame Pupil nor return to the heart through the pipes.

And when it realized this with its imperfect intelligence, it changed methods.

“Release...me.”

A faint voice echoed in Se-Hoon\'s mind. No, it was more of a mumble.

Aware that it was the voice of the Vermillion Bird, Se-Hoon immediately responded, “Take your hands away from my things first.”

“That’s... my eye... you... thief...”

With no shame at all, Se-Hoon replied calmly to its disbelief, “That’s only when you were alive. You’ve been dead for a long time, so what does it matter?”

“Then... I’ll just kill you...”

“Try me. You’re going to have to give up on getting your eye back then.”

Though less important than the heart, the Southern Flame Pupil was not something to be ignored either. After all, it had the power to pierce through the soul and burn it, fueled by the victim’s guilt. It was imbued with plenty of the Vermillion Bird’s power, making it an item much like the Ascension Ring and therefore highly coveted.

“Plus if you’re going to resurrect, you’d want to come back in as good a condition as possible, right?”

Since the Vermillion Bird should also have its desires as a living creature, Se-Hoon believed it would desperately want to resurrect in a more complete state. And considering that the Vermillion Bird, despite being a demon beast, was relatively gentle and intelligent, that should be especially true. In the end, it always tried to resolve things smoothly rather than fight outright.

Well, assuming it’s still that smart after resurrecting.

While waiting for its response, Se-Hoon contemplated how intelligent the resurrected Vermillion Bird could possibly be. And after a short moment, it finally broke its silence.

“State your terms...”

With those three simple words, the Vermillion Bird indicated that it was willing to negotiate and fully recognize Se-Hoon\'s intent.

“I’ll return your eye, but only if I am the one controlling it.”

“A strange... proposal...”

“Asking for your body is pointless because you wouldn’t give it anyway. So, I’ll just be taking your eye. Regardless, you’ll still regain the power within it.”

“...”

Like earlier, the Vermillion Bird pondered Se-Hoon’s proposal.

Granting him control over its eye wouldn’t change much, and although it would take time, it could eventually regenerate its other eyes. So in the current situation, when it needed to be resurrected in as strong a state as possible, it was not a difficult decision for the Vermillion Bird.

“You have a deal...”

Sizzle!

The moment it accepted the proposal, a mark—an eye that seemed to be flickering like flames—appeared on the back of Se-Hoon\'s left hand along with some smoke.

Feeling the connection to the Vermillion Bird’s power, Se-Hoon smiled.

“Take it.”

Fwoosh!

The shut temporary mana circuit was opened, and the Southern Flame Pupil transformed into a white flame, swiftly traveling through the pipe to the expo.

Wooong!

A second later, the mark on the back of his hand emitted a faint light.

Focusing his consciousness on it, his vision instantly shifted to an overhead view of the expo.

It’s a complete mess over here.

The hall was completely separated by magical barriers and spatial magic, almost forming a grid. It seemed everything was under the complete control of Dawn—except for one person.

Boom!

“What’s with that guy?!!”

“Why is he the only one able to use magic!!”

Lan Fei, holding two guns that appeared to be hextech devices, was protecting the staff and visitors by fending off Dawn members. The sight of the remaining staff and visitors behind him surprised Se-Hoon a little.

Huh, so the professor lives up to his title after all.

Regardless of whether he had prepared for such a situation, he was managing to hold out alone against Dawn despite having no control over the overall situation. If he hadn\'t been holding out like that, Dawn would have already rushed toward Luize and launched a full-on attack to capture her.

Fwoosh!

Meanwhile, the formation of the Vermillion Bird’s body inched closer to completion and its previously mumbling voice became clearer.

“I’m alive! Truly alive!!!”

With its actual voice, the bird roared with joy, celebrating its resurrection. To be honest, Se-Hoon was a bit stunned by disbelief that an S-rank demon beast was so innocent.

Unfortunately for the Vermillion Bird, a red magic array formed around its neck, and black stakes were shot out of it, piercing through its neck. Its celebration had been cut short.

“Kraaaagh!”

It had no physical body, being made up of flames, but the pain still twisted the Vermillion Bird’s cry into that of a strangled chicken.

And since their consciousnesses were connected, Se-Hoon could also feel a powerful command coming through the stakes: Burn the minds of our enemies.

Full of malice, the command set the targets of the Vermillion Bird to be all of the remaining civilians in the exhibition hall, including Luize. And although its resurrection was incomplete, its power was still close to an S-rank; it’d be a catastrophe.

Using its high intelligence, the Vermillion Bird tried to resist the command, however, it was the furnace and various devices supporting its heart promptly activated in sequence.

Whirr!

“Grrrk...!”

There was no way Dawn would resurrect a powerful demon beast like the Vermillion Bird without any control devices prepared. Unable to resist, the Vermillion Bird’s body, independent of its will, began drawing flames and looking for targets to carry out the command.

“Hee hee.”

But it only had one existing eye.

Boom!

An enormous flame engulfed the entire expo.

On one hand, it was going according to plan; the destruction was significant. But on the other hand, Dawn’s members along with the devices they were using to control the expo had also been swept away.

There\'s no need to control the whole body, Se-Hoon thought.

After all, the Vermillion Bird was also a living creature. If its eyes landed on the wrong target, it was natural that it would unintentionally commit friendly fire.

Boom!

Seeing as how the Vermillion Bird had failed to eliminate the enemies in its first blow, it continued to attack, with Se-Hoon continuing to redirect its aim to sweep away all of the real enemies around the expo.

Seeing as how his plan was proceeding smoothly, he blinked lightly with the Vermillion Bird’s eye to signal Luize.

“...That crazy bastard!” Luize shouted with a smile.

Pleased with her reaction, Se-Hoon scanned Luize’s surroundings one more time.

This first move was good.

The important thing now was how the enemy would respond. Waiting for that moment, Se-Hoon began pondering new ways to handle the Vermillion Bird. It was also during this morning that he began to hear a creepy voice.

“Ha.”

Though he had previously been screaming, Charles had begun to laugh strangely.

“Agh, ahaha!”

The alternating sound of screams and laughter made Se-Hoon and Luize tense up.

Crackle-

Then, Charles\'s body burned up like charcoal, crumbling to reveal a green light.

Beneath all the skin and flesh was a skeleton—not an ordinary one, but one covered with enchantments and magic arrays. And within its ribcage was a black cube giving off a green light.

A Box... so Puppeteer was involved.

A Box was a device made from human innards and mana circuits. In other words, Charles had long since been turned into Puppeteer’s puppet.

“To think you’d set a trap in advance. You guys genuinely amaze me.”

Charles, realizing that the Vermillion Bird had purposefully attacked him, was full of pure admiration for Se-Hoon. Deep down he knew that even if Se-Hoon wasn’t here, judging from the situation, Se-Hoon must have tweaked something here and there.

The Vermillion Bird’s attack had truly been an unexpected strike, inflicting him with significant mana and mental exhaustion, yet Charles felt joy rather than anger.

To have this much control over a demon beast like the Vermillion Bird... Lee Se-Hoon is indeed worthy of being a candidate for His Heart.

No. Like Luize, Se-Hoon wasn’t just a candidate but the candidate. His life no longer mattered now that he had found out that fact. However, what he was about to unleash made him feel a bit regretful.

“If only I could have taken them all...”

Whirr!

Coming to life once again, a magic array beneath the Vermillion Bird’s talons expanded. Then, black stakes that were larger than the ones piercing through its neck, pierced its entire body.

“Screeech!”

Letting out a scream, the phoenix’s body was dragged upward by the stakes, breaking through the ceiling and soaring high into the sky.

Soon, when it reached so high that the exhibition hall and its surroundings were all in view, the burning flames from the initial explosion flew up and encircled its body like a huge barrier, forming a giant magic array.

That array is...

Gazing at the magic array’s form, Se-Hoon finally comprehended what the enemy had been planning all along. Reviving the Vermillion Bird was all just a prelude; their real target was a single skill embedded in its body.

Bzzzzzzzz-!

High up in the air, the stakes piercing the Vermillion Bird’s body began vibrating fiercely, and soon, red lights shot up from various parts of Borsippa, far from the exhibition hall.

Connecting to the Vermillion Bird, the lights one by one formed the bars of a giant cage that covered the entire area.

Vermillion Sky

In an instant, the sky turned crimson.

It had been set ablaze.