Chapter 465 - Central Bureau (7) (1/2)

Doyle sat in the central control room of the floating castle, Laputa, reviewing the incoming reports from various floors of the Tower.

『We’ve completed the takeover of the eleventh floor.』

『The three clans that ruled over the twenty-fourth floor have sworn an oath to serve us. There are two casualties on our side and 241 casualties on theirs…』

『We have secured the forty-eighth floor.』

『We have successfully found all the spies from the other clans outside the Tower. The clan leader’s suggestion to use Night Watch to root out these spies were very helpful.』

“Thank you, everyone,” Doyle replied. Demon Beauty Castle, Illusion Knightage, Iron Throne, and Children of the Forest were known to have the greatest strength among Arthia’s affiliated organizations. They were also acknowledged for their loyalty to the Shadow King and their willingness to serve on the front lines during battle. They had grown famous as the Four Black Wings.

Before Yeon-woo disappeared for his personal reasons, these four forces had already begin faithfully carrying out the order to clear all remnants of the Blood Land, the Elohim, and the Devil Army and seize control of the other clans below the fiftieth floor.”

Thanks to this, the lower floors and the areas outside the Tower were now firmly established as Arthia’s territory. Insurgents who refused to recognize and succumb to Arthia’s authority fled to the upper floors. The rest accepted life within the new order.

Due to this development, the fifty-second floor had become the new battleground between Arthia’s forces and those who opposed them. Arthia was currently in the process of rearranging their forces to crush through this barrier, preparing to strike and rapidly advance up the floors.

At the same time, the elite members of Arthia were concentrating on advancing up the Tower, which they had been postponing. At some point, they would have to confront and defeat White Dragon on the seventy-sixth floor. With these plans in the works, Doyle was charged with overseeing these matters on behalf of Yeon-woo.

“Hyung, may I ask why you are so obsessed with domination? It seems like you are aiming for a system that’s even more secure than the one of the Eight Clans.”

Before Yeon-woo had gone to the fifty-first floor, Doyle had been prodded by his curiosity to ask why Yeon-woo was so motivated to dominate the other clans and reconstruct a new order. At the moment, everyone only saw him as one thing: a tyrant.

Once, Yeon-woo was seen as just another elite player born with qualities valued by the Tower. However, as he advanced through the floors and escaped the clutches of death over and over, he seemed to become more vengeful. He seemed to be obsessed with swallowing the entire Tower, as though it were the compensation he was owed.

It seemed like he was trying to become the next challenger to go toe to toe with Allforone, just like the Summer Queen in the past.

However, from what Doyle knew of Yeon-woo, he didn’t really have a great deal of hunger for power or honor. He took revenge on those who were involved in the unjust death of his younger brother, punishing those who turned a blind eye to his brother’s plight. This was why Doyle thought Yeon-woo would feel satisfied after revitalizing the legends of Heaven Wing and Arthia. However, the plans that Yeon-woo had put into motion were very different from what Doyle expected.

“Doyle.”

“Yeah?”

“It occurred to me one day.”

“What?”

“As long as this Tower exists, the warfare will never end. Even after I complete my revenge, the biggest enemy will still remain.”

“Who would that…”

“The Tower.”

Doyle was speechless.

“I plan to tear down the Tower someday. To do that, I need to gather more faith.”

Doyle did not know what kind of picture Yeon-woo was drawing. He could only guess that Yeon-woo had a plan that stretched far into the future and was much wider in scope than Doyle could imagine. Yeon-woo’s followers also knew, deep down, that whatever Yeon-woo was planning would not hurt them.

‘Even if it is harmful, if it is the will of a god, then I, as an Apostle to a god myself, must only observe and carry out his will.’ Apostles were those who acted on behalf of their god’s will. They were the ones who led believers at the forefront so that the god’s words could be preached to the world.

Arthia would soon become Yeon-woo’s faithful congregation, and Doyle would be the liaison between them and their god. Thus, he could never have doubts or question the will of his god. For the first time in his life, Doyle had chosen for himself, so he served with all his heart.

Furthermore, this moment in time was extraordinary.

“Five days from now, as soon as the restoration of the fifty-first floor is complete, we will build a basecamp there. Since it will be an outpost for conquest, each clan, including the Black Wings, must send their elites and rankers to man the basecamp. I trust that the Children of the Forest will make sure that there is no disruption in supplies,” Doyle said, conveying Yeon-woo’s orders.

“Yes, sir.”

“Yes, sir.”

Doyle laid back in his chair, his eyes half closed as the answers rolled in. The never-ending work was tiring, but he knew that he’d grow even busier during the lead up to the actual conquest. Doyle wanted to close his eyes for just a bit. Behind him, the phantasm of the Summer Queen glanced over his shoulder before turning around and disappearing. Silence fell on Laputa.

***

“Um, Boss…”

As Chemical was walking inside a tunnel, one of his faithful subordinates, Sudo, called out to him after looking at his expression for a while. Sudo was the leader of the group who’d challenged Yeon-woo.

“What?” Chemical asked.

As soon as he saw Chemical’s sharp eyes, Sudo automatically straightened his back. Those eyes belonged to a killer who had slaughtered hundreds of players without batting an eyelid. They were eyes that would make anyone feel a cold tingle down their spine. Anyone who defied that gaze would get struck down, their heads chopped off or else turned into a smear of red added to the Blood-Tear Stones. Sudo also felt an icy coldness running down his spine.

‘However, I’m more scared of him than the captain,’ Sudo thought as he recalled Yeon-woo’s unyielding, blazing eyes. His fear of Chemical disappeared. If Chemical was a ferocious beast, Yeon-woo was more…like a ghost. A ghost that moved silently but devoured its victims completely and mercilessly. Yeon-woo possessed something intangible that affected everyone’s very core.

Yeon-woo reminded him of the Martial King, another elite player who’d entered the Tower several decades ago and shocked the established order.

Chemical, who was the strongest amongst the prisoners in the cave, had suffered the worst beating from the Martial King. In the end, Chemical had to submit to the domination of both teacher and student. It was understandable that he would be in such a foul mood. However, as he looked into Chemical’s unpredictable eyes, Sudo hesitated to speak, even though he felt like he needed to convey the opinions of his subordinates. He gave the halfling Mary a side glance, but Mary continued whistling away as if she neither saw nor cared to acknowledge Sudo’s glance.

‘Damn messenger kid!’ Sudo muttered under his breath, vowing to kick her ass if he had the chance.

“What is it!” Chemical screamed, making Sudo snap out of his thoughts.

“Uh…sh-shouldn’t w-we use th-the Blood-Tear Stones?” Sudo managed to stutter.

“Blood-Tear Stones?” Chemical repeated, a little bit of madness gleaming in his eyes.