Chapter 45 Part2 (1/2)
<chapter 45.=”” heaven=”” defying=”” general's=”” stage=”” -=”” 2=””>
[We've exchanged communications with Anti-Skull a few times. We've also forged a temporary alliance as well.]
”What do you know about its leader?”
[...Not much. But I do know that he disagrees with Jissehanu.]
Jissehanu. That was the first time he'd heard that name from someone other than the G.o.ddess when she'd first summoned and explained the situation to him.
He was not only the Undead Empire's Emperor but was also the 2nd prince that was exiled from the surface. Jissehanu had immersed himself in research, in an attempt to one day return to the surface, but... was consequently the very person that had trapped all of his people underground.
[He was against Jissehanu's research from the very beginning. It was the first time he, the Emperor's sword, had disobeyed him. And he ultimately created a separate organization without the Emperor's knowledge... To this day, I'm not entirely sure what his true intentions are.]
”But you're working together for now because you both oppose the Undead Emperor.”
[That's right. ...And because he's undead. He wouldn't be able to change anything by himself. No matter what his intentions were.]
Arema Steelworker said as he gazed at Lee s.h.i.+n Woo. His eyes seemed to ask 'But how is it that you're doing this, and are you truly undead?'. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo just ignored his questioning gaze and asked.
”Then why did you come to Bayran with them all of a sudden? What made you come here, knowing that you'd provoke the imperial army and meet with human beings that are still living and breathing?”
[That's...]
”That's?”
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo tilted his head and shook Arema Steelworker's body (the soulless one). Seeing that, Arema Steelworker responded post haste.
[There's a magical weapon at the center of Bayran that was built to destroy the barrier! We were planning on using that to strike the Undead Emperor!]
”Aha!”
He'd solved the puzzle! This city was supposedly built for spirits and they had even brought in the Spirit General (princess) to help; ultimately, this was another one of the Emperor's experiments that would allow him to go outside!
[The Spirit General, Dana Von Etliber is the possessor of a powerful authority that compels spirits to follow her. In the past, the Emperor hypothesized that they would be able to destroy the barrier by using her power to acc.u.mulate all of the spirits' power in one place. Bayran was constructed so that she could use her power to its fullest.]
Impressive. Whether it be the Magic Empire or the Underground Empire, neither of them really cared about the spirits! The 2nd prince merely cooperated with the spirits, as their positions were the same, but they'd never gone out of their way to help them!
”So they tricked them. They drew them to the city, telling them that they were creating a paradise for spirits when they were actually using them as a power source for a barrier-breaking weapon.”
[That's right. It was impossible for the Princess to do alone, but combined with the Emperor's obsession and highly advanced magic engineering, they almost brought it to fruition. This city was brought about through magic engineering. Though it's still a bit behind the surface's...]
The Dryads had implored him to meet with Dana Von Etliber, foolishly believing that meeting her would solve everything when...
'If so...'
Lee s.h.i.+n Woo sported a crooked smile. Of course, he really wasn't blaming the Undead Emperor. On the contrary, he actually wanted to applaud him for doing everything he could to return to the surface.
But it was funny. That all that hard work had been for nothing. That the weapon that the Emperor had created to escape was being used against him.
”So you're going to aim that cannon at the capital and fire it.”
[Paul Zero. You should feel it too. That magical tool's power is no joke; it's been untouched, acc.u.mulating energy for dozens of years. If it hits the capital, then even the Emperor won't remain unscathed. It seems like Jissehanu realized this too, seeing as how he sent one of the 12 Generals, but it's already too late. He won't be able to stop it.]
”Hmm, as I thought... You plan on taking on the Undead Emperor directly.”
[Who do you think... is to blame for that...!?]
That's right. It was all Lee s.h.i.+n Woo's fault! Originally, Arema Steelworker was only ordered to watch the Underground Empire. Because the undead weren't capable of change and had no means of coming to the surface, all he had to do was watch them. At least, that's all he should've had to do.
[But you made them 'aware' of our existence...! They've begun obsessing over us! We had no choice but to come out of hiding, if for no other reason than to protect the location of our base...!]
To think that his tactic, which he hadn't put much thought into, had been this effective! Lee s.h.i.+n Woo realized that this chain of events was truly his fault and couldn't help but marvel at what he had done.
'I didn't completely understand the undead at the time, so... I didn't want to be the only one who took the fall and just wanted to make a mess of things.'
At this point, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo started to make some a.s.sumptions, but the undead were indeed ent.i.ties that acted in order to maintain the status quo. The Undead Emperor, Jissehanu, as well as the undead in the capital likely followed this principle.
In other words, they were acting in order to preserve the Emperor's authority. Thus, they had designated Arema Steelworker and his golems as a high level threat and looked into them, as they had killed the Lightning Shadow General (even though it was Lee s.h.i.+n Woo) and had cleared out the secret production facility (also Lee s.h.i.+n Woo).
At this rate, their base would eventually be discovered, so Arema Steelworker decided that they would risk fighting head-on in order to keep the location and the existence of their base a secret. So, they had forged an alliance with Anti-Skull and had begun to move.
”Then what about the humans?”
[The humans... The heroes will divert Jissehanu's attention from us.]
”As expected. Good insight. But you could've joined forces with them too.”
[They'd be expendable. I've seen Seira Von Retadane before, but I was disappointed. Yes, she can use the light element. But she can't overcome the Emperor, let alone the Archmage. The magicians were promising, but once they reach the capital's stronghold, they would need at least dozens of years to get through.]
Expendable, huh. It was easy to understand. Lee s.h.i.+n Woo inwardly smiled bitterly. He felt the exact same way about the golems!
After that, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo asked a few more questions regarding their position and the current situation. Once he'd gathered enough information, Lee s.h.i.+n Woo nodded his head and wrapped everything up by clapping his hands.
”Now that we know enough about each other, let's work together to reach our goal.”
[You won't even show your face. How impudent!]
”Let's join up with Anti-Skull, shall we? If our goal of killing the Emperor aligns, then we could form a good relations.h.i.+p with them.”
[Do you really think that man will trust you?]