Chapter 429
Se-Hoon stared blankly at the two.
Considering that Amir had been seriously injured and Zayed had somehow regained consciousness, Se-Hoon intuitively knew that something huge had happened over the past few days.
Thus, he demanded an explanation right away—and was left completely flabbergasted.
“You infiltrated the Seven Saints’ executive office?”
“Yes. I figured it was the perfect time to do so.”
Amir had asked Se-Hoon to make a loud spectacle of Li Wen’s kidnapping for two main reasons. The first was to draw public attention and disrupt the movements of both the Seven Saints and Caden. Second, it was to destabilize the security of the Seven Saints’ executive office, creating an opening for him to sneak inside.
“I took advantage of the moment the Seven Saints left for the Beijing branch to slip into the building. And for the next few days, I was moving around inside. The security was insane—most definitely due to all the things they’re trying to hide.”
When Amir first infiltrated the building, all he needed were access cards and biometric mana verification. However, when Amir delved deeper into the building, additional layers of security emerged: fingerprints, iris scans, passwords, and more. To exacerbate his infiltration, the building was also constantly patrolled by high-ranking heroes with exceptional perception, ensuring that there was no safe place to rest.
“Must have been pretty tough there.”
“It was better than the Beijing branch, though. Once I got used to the security systems, I was able to blend into the surroundings naturally.”
Instead of barging in recklessly, Amir meticulously mapped out the security before gradually expanding his reach from the center outward. Using his unique skill, Winter Sky Eyes, he read the synesthetic mindscapes of the security staff and injected ice needles forged from his Frost Alchemy into the gaps, essentially disabling their perception of him.
It had been a long fifteen hours of careful preparation, though it had allowed Amir to slip past every guard in the building successfully and head straight to his target at the heart: the Seven Saints’ executive office.
“From there, it was relatively easy. I snooped through confidential files, eavesdropped on meetings, and other pretty standard stuff.”
The hard part had been getting in. Once he had, Amir easily blended into the surroundings completely, allowing him to move through the executive office as if it were his own.
“And when I had seen enough and was planning my exit, Caden showed up accompanied by someone I’d never seen before.”
By all appearances, the person was just a middle-aged man with an ordinary face that anyone would likely have passed by without a second glance. But the moment Amir saw him—a face both familiar and unfamiliar—his instincts screamed that the man was no ordinary figure.
Of course, there was no way someone who could waltz into the Seven Saints’ executive office was just anyone.
“When I laid eyes on him, I instinctively knew that I was going to get caught if I stayed there.”
The mysterious man had looked so powerful that Amir didn’t dare to even look at him directly with his Winter Sky Eyes. His senses screamed that the danger was on a primal level.
However, to his chagrin, escape proved nearly impossible. The man’s visit had the Seven Saints on high alert, making it too risky to move carelessly.
“There were only two choices: risk everything to escape or pray I wouldn’t be discovered.”
Either way, once exposed, he wouldn’t make it out unscathed. In that split second, Amir was forced to make a choice—and he ran. He sprinted down the hallway leading out of the office without looking back. His path ahead looked normal at first glance, but through his Winter Sky Eyes, he could see that was far from the case.
Woong-
The synesthetic mindscapes of the Seven Saints and the mysterious man set up a kaleidoscope of webs. Amir knew on sight: if he touched even one of these webs, the enemy would immediately detect him.
Raising his caution, Amir advanced slowly into that deadly space, one step at a time. Unfortunately, danger struck before long.
Swish-
Black threads extended out from the mysterious man, weaving together like a net to surround Amir. He had miscalculated. The range of the mysterious man’s senses rivaled that of the entire Seven Saints combined.
“I think he had already sensed me subconsciously.... I still can’t imagine something that crazy is possible.”
Amir, ensnared in the enemy’s net, lost all options besides bracing himself for the imminent exposure. He tensed, readying every ounce of his power to break through the encirclement.
Woong!
That was when it happened: Zayed’s soul crystal, embedded beyond the boundary inside Amir’s heart, reacted for the very first time.
“...And then?”
Se-Hoon leaned forward. What had happened after the crystal reacted? How had Amir escaped?
But in response to Se-Hoon’s question, Amir scratched his head with an awkward grin.
“Honestly... I don’t remember anything after that.”
“You don’t... remember?”
“Yeah. When I came to, I had collapsed on the outskirts of Beijing, drenched in blood.”
“...”
A disappointing ending. In disbelief, Se-Hoon turned his gaze to the side.
“Zayed, do you happen to remember anything?”
Addressed finally, the ghostly purple spirit floating in the air blinked back to awareness.
“Ah, I’m sorry. What did you say?”
“I asked if you remember how Amir escaped from the executive office.”
“Ah... that...”
Zayed furrowed his brow, thinking deeply. But his focus quickly faded, and he drifted into a daze again.
But then Zayed jerked in surprise, shaking his head rapidly, and finally admitted, “It seems I’m not fully awake yet. My mind keeps getting fuzzy when I try to think too hard.”
“Hmm... What does it feel like exactly?”
“It’s as if I’m half-asleep... almost like I’m dreaming.”
Woong-
Zayed’s form glowed softly, giving off a purple light.
Observing him closely, Se-Hoon finally figured it out.
“You were possessed, huh?”
“Possessed...?”
“To put it more accurately, the two of your souls merged for a moment. Essentially, you guys were one during those blank moments.”
Amir and Zayed glanced at each other. Though their memories were gone, they had an inkling Se-Hoon’s words had hit the mark.
“Honestly, it’s not really a good sign. You got lucky this time—next time, the fusion might be permanent.”
The individuals “Amir” and “Zayed” would vanish, replaced by a new being inheriting their memories. That would be a fate scarier than death, one that even the Blessing of the Eternal couldn’t reverse.
“That’s why I’d ideally tell you to separate Zayed’s crystal from your soul right now...” Se-Hoon trailed off, noting Amir’s expression. “...But I guess that’s not happening.”
Se-Hoon made a wry smile.
“Se-Hoon. This is the only way I could resurrect Zayed completely.”
While the possession was dangerous, it also offered a new opportunity. And to Amir, whose goal was to revive Zayed through the Blessing of the Eternal, that was a chance he couldn’t pass up.
“That... that’s...!”
Zayed was taken aback. He couldn’t believe Amir was risking his synesthetic mindscape collapsing just to save him.
“It’s okay.”
Amir smiled, eyes resolute.
“This time, it’s my turn to save you.”
Just like how his brother had once risked everything to save him, now it was Amir’s turn to stake it all for his brother.
“...”
Zayed stared at Amir’s unwavering determination, then gave a bitter smile.
“There’s no stopping you, is there...”
Knowing he couldn’t talk Amir out of it, Zayed turned to Se-Hoon.
“I know it’s selfish to ask, but... could you help us?”
Staring at the brothers, Se-Hoon gave a small, knowing smile.
“Don’t worry. I’m very thorough with aftercare.”
Although the situation had become more complicated than he’d expected, at the very least, he now knew exactly what kind of equipment he needed to forge for Amir.
Looks like I’ve got my work cut out for me.
He got straight to work, pondering viable ideas for the first step of developing a failsafe to control possessions—
Tap, tap.
A snowman had approached without them noticing and tapped on the table to get their attention. Turning his head in their direction, Se-Hoon saw the snowmen who had spent ages assembling the map now standing orderly in a row, all looking in their direction.
Ah, looks like they finally finished.
Come to think of it, the conversation had veered off into the topic of possession, leaving the topic of the map never mentioned.
Se-Hoon turned to Amir, his look asking, “So what now?”
Amir rose from the sofa without hesitation.
“Let’s end the discussion here for now. The snowmen over there take priority.”
“Got it.”
“Then excu—”
Before Zayed could even finish his farewell, his form lost cohesion and vanished into mist.
“He actually lasted quite a while,” Amir said with a wry smile, staring at the spot where Zayed had disappeared.
“Don’t worry about it.”
With those words, Se-Hoon, accompanied by Amir, walked over to the massive table in the center of the office and looked down at the finished map once more.
“So, what exactly is this map for?”
“It’s a comprehensive overview of China’s current state, compiled from all the documents I found in the executive office.”
With a glance from Amir, a snowman shut off the office lights. Without the lights overhead, the soft light glowing beneath the table could reveal the map’s hidden details. Starting with the basic waterworks infrastructure, the map revealed the precise locations and scales of aboveground and underground facilities.
It was an overwhelming amount of data.
“So, what were you able to figure out from this?” Se-Hoon scanned the map with an intrigued look.
Judging by the sheer scale of the information, something massive had to be going on across China.
“This is everything.”
“...What?”
“This map is everything I managed to gain from the executive office.”
Unable to process the unexpected reply, Se-Hoon frowned before suddenly realizing what Amir meant.
“Wait... You’re not seriously expecting me to figure out the rest, are you?” He stared at Amir with a complicated expression.
“Huh? You make it sound like I’m dumping all the work on you.”
Amir lightly chuckled.
“Let’s just call it dividing the work.”
Caden was without a doubt plotting something in China in collaboration with the Seven Saints. However, Amir lacked the technical expertise to fully grasp their plans. Therefore, he would pivot and assist the one who could instead.
“I don’t know what they’re up to, but I’ve tracked all their movements. Now, all that’s left is to identify which parts of this data are actually useful.”
“Hmm...”
“If anyone can do it, it’s you, Se-Hoon.”
Encouraged by Amir’s words, Se-Hoon turned back to the enormous map: the architectural blueprint of China crafted by the Seven Saints and Caden.
According to what Li Wen told me, they should already have been working on producing a new generation of Sacred Equipment.
If that was true, somewhere on the map had to be the hidden factory. Scanning the map closely, Se-Hoon began picking out several suspicious spots.
Wait, this is...
As he plotted out the points on the map, a massive pipeline network connecting China’s ley lines, research labs, and major cities began to show up. It seemed like an ordinary energy distribution system—but the addition of MT Industries’ newly completed industrial complexes changed everything.
Research labs had been removed from the pipeline system, and in their place, new industrial zones had been built at the center, forming the pattern of a massive magic array.
And it was an all-too-familiar array at that.
This... is the magic array for an Offering Ritual.
The Offering Ritual was a human sacrifice ritual, the signature of Offering. And from the scale, it was clear Caden was planning to use the citizens of China’s major cities as sacrifices.
“What a bunch of madmen...”
Se-Hoon couldn’t help but mutter those words upon piecing together the deranged plan to sacrifice hundreds of millions of people in one go. What was even more terrifying was that the Seven Saints weren’t simply involved—they had already activated more than half the ritual.
If this actually goes off, it would be catastrophic.
If Offering realized they’d been discovered and activated the ritual in a hurry, the partial activation would still kill millions. Understanding how dangerously cornered Offering was currently, Se-Hoon’s mind kicked into overdrive.
I need to figure out a way to stop this ritual first.
However, there was one issue. He had to move in secret without alerting the enemy. But how could one secretly halt a ritual spanning an entire country?
There has to be a way...
Se-Hoon’s mind churned, desperately searching for a solution, and his gaze drifted to Amir’s solar plexus.
“Uh... anything I could help with?”
Through the power of Boundaries, Amir’s heart overlapped with Zayed’s soul crystal—the very crystal that had triggered the possession phenomenon...?
Se-Hoon looked back at the map.
“...This is it.”
His eyes lit up as a flash of inspiration hit him like a bolt of lightning.
***
A small garden bloomed within a national research facility in China, centered around a massive tree. The garden was so pristine it felt like a forest—if one ignored the sterile white ceiling and walls.
But there was one thing that stuck out from the peaceful forestry.
Click- Clack-
A lone loom quietly moved in front of the tree. Connected to the ground, it operated without a user, like an eerie, lifeless presence.
A man slowly walked toward the loom.
“...”
Caden stood before the loom—the Five Elemental Equipment, the Earth-Weaving Loom—gazing at it with a blank expression. As he reached out and gently brushed its surface, fragments of old memories flickered through his mind.
“Don’t worry too much, Mister.”
A foolish, pitiful woman who smiled even as her body burned in the flames of the child she carried. Caden still vividly recalled her stupid, unchanging expression from childhood until her death.
“Idiot.” His voice was soft.
Her death may have been meaningless at the time, but it would soon take on new meaning. Caden thought of the steps he had to take, and his eyes grew darker and more distant.
“D-Director...!”
Hearing a secretary running over, seemingly panicked, Caden furrowed his brow. He pulled his hand from the Earth-Weaving Loom and turned around.
“What is it?”
“T-This just came in...”
The secretary handed over her tablet, and Caden stared at the breaking news on the screen. A massive building was engulfed in flames. And when he realized it was the headquarters of MT Industries, his eyes widened in shock.
What the hell...?
Who could have pulled off something so insane? Caden watched the screen in disbelief, and soon, something flapping at the top of the building caught his eye.
Just then, the news zoomed in and revealed the banner clearly.
We’re coming for the Earth-Weaving Loom next —The Three Dogs
The infamous terrorists had announced their next target in glorious, televised fashion.