Chapter 427
Standing eight meters tall, the colossal statue at the north gate of the Heroes Association’s Beijing branch made it a popular photo spot for tourists.
Haaaaaaaaaa...
Atop the statue, a man on his side with his chin resting on one hand, let out a yawn wide enough to hear his jaw. The man, S-rank hero Pierre Bell, could not hide the utter boredom on his face as he watched passersby.
“Should I just call it quits...?”
Playing watchdog was fine for a day or two, but having done it for months, it was wearing on him. To make things worse, the number of guards required per post had suddenly increased from one or two to five, resulting in his personal time taking a serious hit in recent times.
He’s not even the Sacred Craftsman himself, just his damn kid. What’s so important about him...?
Rumor had it the son was nothing like the talented granddaughter, even treated like a burden by the Sacred Craftsman. Why all the fuss and lockdown over such a man? Pierre just couldn’t understand.
Ugh... I should really just quit...
Bored out of his mind, he mentally resolved to submit his resignation and rose. But just then, the old and shabby spear he held close rattled unexpectedly.
“...Siiiiigh.”
Pierre laid back down. If he quit the Sacred Flame Squad now, he might lose his chance of receiving a real spear.
“Fine... I’ll swallow my pride, just this once...”
If he were to finish the mission well, he was promised a spear forged by the Sacred Craftsman personally and the chance to live like a king—just like the Seven Saints. Lost in dreams of a bright future, Pierre idly watched people approach.
Whoosh-
“?!”
A chilling surge of mana suddenly swept in from behind, making Pierre grab his spear and turn around swiftly.
“What the hell...”
Pierre gaped in shock at the source of the ominous power: a monstrous tidal wave, large enough to engulf the entire Beijing branch building. And when he realized the entire wave was pure mana—unfathomably massive and hostile at that—he froze.
What... is that?
The sheer volume of mana dwarfed his own... tenfold? A hundredfold? It was so unfathomable he couldn’t help but wonder what kind of monster could possess such an absurd amount of mana.
Is it a Perfect One...?
He didn’t know if any Perfect One truly wielded such power, but it could be no one else. Before such might, Pierre just watched the tidal wave come mercilessly crashing down on the Beijing branch.
SPLAAASH-!
Had it been a real tsunami, everything would’ve been wiped out. However, the surrounding space merely darkened, tinted in deep navy blue mana. No curses, no suppressive effects either—no overt aggression whatsoever.
What’s the point of all this?
Techniques that altered space typically created favorable conditions for the user, but Pierre saw no such changes either. Was such a flamboyant display just to flaunt their mana reserves?
Pierre observed in complete bafflement, lost in thought, until he was abruptly awoken.
Step. Step.
The footfalls approaching his back were ordinary, nothing like the ominous mana, but Pierre’s instincts were screaming. From now on, a single mistake could mean death.
“...”
Pierre slowly turned, trusting his instincts.
Gulp
A man wearing a tattered martial arts uniform with blood-stained bandages wrapped around his limbs was walking toward Pierre. He had a fierce, grim face and held a crimson spear in one hand.
He’s strong.
Though Pierre felt no pulse of mana radiating from the man, the man’s posture and aura alone exposed his strength.
Half-terrified, half-thrilled, Pierre tensed.
“Identify yourself!” he called out, staring down from atop the statue.
Called, the man raised his head, scanning the surroundings slowly. The man then frowned, seemingly recognizing something.
“Still working me like a dog, huh...”
“What?”
Pierre furrowed his brow, unable to grasp what the man’s soft mutter meant.
Yet, instead of answering, the stranger casually swung his lone spear.
“I’m called the Mad Dog.”
“...?”
“That’s all you need to know.”
Riled up, Pierre was ready to retort to the mocking tone—
Instinct took over the moment they locked eyes, and Pierre slashed forward with his spear.
Boom!
The crimson spear unleashed a massive explosion that marked the start of their battle.
“Am-AMBUSH!”
“RUN!!”
The explosion sent the civilians into a panic, and the sight of them scrambling to flee made Lin Xia—one of the guards stationed at the south gate—scowl.
“Idiots...!”
Whoever had cast the spell wouldn’t have let escape routes remain open. Approaching the perimeter recklessly could easily mean death.
“Everyone! St—”
Fwoosh!
But before she could finish, some people had already made it past the perimeter.
“...Huh?”
Even though the enemy had used such an immense amount of mana, there was no barrier? Unable to comprehend, Lin Xia recovered her senses only when she heard an unfamiliar voice from above.
“So I can use this now... that might be good, might be bad...”
A mysterious woman with ashen silver hair, her face hidden behind a gas mask, stood there. Clad in a black rider suit under a black jacket, she oozed suspicion.
A terrorist...!
Having once worked for the Public Security Bureau, Lin Xia deduced her identity instantly from that eerie vibe. Besides, anyone who could remain that calm—comfortable, even—despite such chaos must have blown up at least dozens of buildings in their time.
“Who are you?”
When Lin Xia demanded an answer, the woman turned slowly and smiled from behind the mask.
“Just call me the Blast Dog.”
“Wha—?!”
Lin Xia was about to press for more, but before she could, dozens of magic arrays appeared in front of her without warning, startling her.
She swung her magic staff swiftly.
Crackle!
Stored lightning spells erupted from the staff, but alas, the Blast Dog countered with silent incantations that unleashed her own magic.
Meanwhile, Andre Lius and Eva Laurent—stationed at the west and east gates respectively—encountered each other inside the Beijing branch amidst all the chaos.
“...”
“...”
Their official tasks were to guard their posts and assist teammates under attack. By all rights, they should’ve rushed to the north and south gates to help. But instead, they had headed deeper into the building.
“...Do you want to work together for now?”
“Sounds good.”
Realizing that their goals were aligned, they accepted working together to grab Li Wen—their target of protection—and escape with him so that they could both earn exclusive credit from Li Kenxie. Of course, receiving help from another guard meant sharing the credit, but they couldn’t afford to fight each other over it at the moment.
I’ll just toss him into the fire lines when the time’s right.
This bastard’s definitely planning to backstab me.
Hiding their schemes behind false smiles, the two headed to the floor where Li Wen was.
“...”
“...”
The hallway was deserted when Zhao San, the most skilled among the Sacred Flame Squad, was supposed to be guarding it alongside his subordinates? Strangely, there wasn’t even a trace of a presence—no sign of anyone, nor any evidence of a battle.
Don’t tell me...
Did that guy betray us?
The sudden tsunami of mana originating from inside the building only added to the suspicion. If Zhao San and his subordinates had colluded with the enemy and led them in, it would all make sense.
But either way, something was seriously wrong. Realizing that, the two unsheathed their weapons and charged at the wall.
Boom!
Breaking through the barrier as well, the two burst into Li Wen’s room.
“Wher—huh...?!”
Contrary to their expectations, Li Wen was sitting there, unharmed. Confusion flashed across their faces—a chill swept in from their left, followed by something sharp and fast: an ambush.
Andre Lius, who was on the left, quickly swung his sword to deflect the icy blade.
CRACKLE!
But the one attacked was Eva Laurent, who was trying to shield Li Wen. In the blink of an eye, she had been frozen solid by a young man dressed in pure white traditional garb.
“?!”
Andre was shell-shocked. Eva taken down in a single blow?
Wasting no time, Andre immediately leaped back out into the hallway without hesitation. No matter how sudden the ambush had been, anyone capable of taking down an S-rank hero in a single strike was no ordinary opponent.
Is he insane? Who would fight in this situation...?!
If things kept going the same way, forget the spear—he’d die a pointless death. Certain of his retreat, Andre smashed through every wall in his way and escaped.
“...What’s he doing?”
Walking out of the room, the white-haired young man, the Frost Dog, exhaled a frosty breath as he turned toward Se-Hoon, who had been standing in the hallway.
“I mean, he ran pretty well. Had to admire it.”
“That’s not what I meant... whew. Never mind.”
Clearly, Se-Hoon had the power to stop Andre, but he let him go. In that case, it was obvious: Se-Hoon wanted at least one witness with some credibility to escape.
With nothing left to say, the Frost Dog turned toward the frozen Eva Laurent.
“What should we do with her?”
“Just knock her out. No need to increase the casualties.”
“Understood.”
Saying nothing else, the Frost Dog began reinforcing the ice, fully subduing her.
“Um, excuse me...”
Having watched the whole exchange, Li Wen turned to Se-Hoon hesitantly.
“Hm? What is it?”
“If you didn’t need to kill... then why did you kill those guys earlier?”
Before the commotion began, Se-Hoon ambushed Zhao San and his subordinates in the next room and slaughtered them all. Li Wen had been shocked at the time, thinking Se-Hoon was more ruthless than expected.
However, seeing him spare someone now, Li Wen became curious about Se-Hoon’s standard.
“Oh, they were colluding with the Demon Force. I just took care of two problems at once.”
Technically, they were defectors aligned with Offering. Caden had most likely stationed them as a backup for emergencies.
“The Demon Force?!”
Li Wen’s eyes shot open in shock. Zhao San had a good reputation, unlike the Seven Saints, and always seemed apologetic toward him. Could he really have been in league with the Demon Force?
Overwhelmed by the sudden revelation, Li Wen was unable to determine if it was a lie or truth.
And upon noticing, Se-Hoon calmly opened his mouth. “I’ll explain the details later. For now, let’s get out of here.”
The fighting at the north and south gates had ended, and more importantly, Silver River was beginning to fade away.
I figured as much... maintaining them permanently is impossible.
Using Metamorphosing Dream, a Fatestone, and Silver River, he had recreated the Three Dogs—just as he had when fighting the Destroyer of Fragmentation. Naturally, the drain on his mana and mind was intense. At the current rate, he’d be completely spent in under three minutes.
Still... just being able to do this at all is insane.
He had a gut feeling it would work, but he hadn’t expected such a clean success. Perhaps that, too, was a new possibility born from the recent changes to his synesthetic mindscape.
“Se-Hoon.”
While Se-Hoon was deep in thought, the Frost Dog had come in close to whisper in his ear.
“Don’t use this skill so recklessly next time.”
“Why?”
“I tested it briefly earlier... and learned that it can be canceled with forced unsummoning. Worse, it might even present the opening for someone to attack you.”
Surprised, Se-Hoon blinked a few times before nodding in understanding.
“Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”
What Se-Hoon had done was, in essence, manifesting copies of the Three Dogs from the memories stored in his own synesthetic mindscape into reality. Unlike summoned beasts or golems, there were no built-in safety limits. That meant, just as Frost Dog said, it could act unpredictably.
“I told you before not to use unverified techniques in the middle of a major op—”
“It’s fine.”
Se-Hoon patted the Frost Dog’s shoulder with a calm smile, cutting him off.
“While this isn’t really something I’ve verified, you three are. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have called you guys.”
If he’d thought even for a second that the three might be unstable, he never would have used it.
“Se-Hoon...”
The Frost Dog lowered his head slightly. Then his body began trembling, and he covered his mouth, barely holding in his emotions.
“So... So touching... sniff... really... sniff.”
“...”
“Ahem. You’ve really... um... gotten a lot younger. It suits you well.”
Se-Hoon couldn’t help but wonder whether the Frost Dog meant it as a genuine compliment or was just laughing at how he now looked like some naive little pretty boy.
He had liked the change in his synesthetic mindscape until now, too. Yet, being teased just once already made him want to erase it all.
Actually, maybe I should just punch him in the side right now...
While Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed more and more in annoyance, the Frost Dog finally composed himself.
“I’m serious, not joking. I’ll admit that it was pretty funny, but things really will only get better from here.”
“Better, my ass...” Se-Hoon grumbled, muttering under his breath.
Seeing him, the Frost Dog smiled.
“Then until next time, Brother.”
Whoosh-
His body turned into snowflakes and vanished. At the same time, the presence of the Mad Dog and the Blast Dog outside disappeared as well. The three had left the moment their job was done—they all knew the longer they stayed, the more strain they’d place on Se-Hoon.
“...”
Realizing they were gone once again, Se-Hoon was struck by a thought. How were those three always so unfazed by their own deaths? Had that truly been their worldview in life? Or... had his own values bled into them?
Giving it some serious thought, Se-Hoon shook his head in the end.
This isn’t something to dwell on right now.
The answer would come with time. He was sure of it. With that certainty in mind, he retrieved all of Silver River and grabbed Li Wen’s wrist.
“Let’s go.”
“Okay...?!”
They vanished instantly—slipping between dream and reality—leaving only the frozen Eva Laurent behind in the ruined room.
And five minutes later, Caden arrived, stepping over the shattered wall with three others in high-end uniforms.
“Did he escape already?”
“No... probably taken. Even the guards are frozen.”
“Hm... they all still seem to be alive, though.”
As the uniformed men discussed the situation, a booming voice rang from the room across the hall.
“They’re all dead over here!”
Surprised, the three turned and looked at Caden. The Beijing branch had suffered an unprecedented attack, and only one S-rank hero—Caden’s personal subordinate—had been killed.
It was obvious who the actual target of the assault was now.
“Any suspects come to mind?”
Questioned by Wu Lei—one of the Seven Saints—Caden recalled what Pierre and Lin Xia had told him.
“He muttered something... what was it? ‘Atone for your sins,’ or something like that?”
“I heard something quite cryptic, too. ‘So... you still haven’t realized? Then you, I guess, don’t really need to.’ Something like that.”
In truth, the Mad Dog and Blast Dog had just spat out random lines upon realizing the nature of Se-Hoon’s mission for them. However, to Caden, every word felt loaded with meaning.
He had a valid reason to feel that way, too. After all, he was secretly running Offering. The paranoia made him uneasy, even without proof.
Who’s targeting me...?
Thinking about the two lunatics proudly calling themselves a mad dog and a blast dog, Caden wore a complicated expression.
“I really don’t know.”
He grimaced as the new variable slowly crept into his plans.