Episode 1048
Chapter 250: Zipple and Kinzello (Part 2)
The Abyss Legion.
These were the new troops Orgal had received from the witch, relentlessly attacking Zipple every single day while Ban and the Pluto clan carried out their missions.
[Hiss, sss!]
At the hiss of the soldier at the front, the others scattered. Orgal remained hidden until the dimensional gate closed, but the soldiers moved with perfect coordination even without direct orders, quickly surrounding Keliak and Bligiet.
“What do you make of them, Lady Bligiet? Can you discern their true nature?”
Before Keliak could finish, Bligiet was already intrigued by the Abyss Legion.
These grotesque soldiers, bred by the witch Helluram, seemed to have lost all will and language, emitting only irritating hissing sounds. Their empty eye sockets held nothing but blind obsession.
[Mortals. Humans, no less. And dangerous, powerful ones at that.]
“Hoo…”
Keliak had already analyzed the Abyss Legion using the Demon Stone, but it failed to define what they truly were. It couldn’t analyze their essence, nor could it manipulate them directly.
For example, attempts to make a black soldier’s arm “disappear as if it never existed” simply didn’t work.
Because of this, Zipple fought the Abyss Legion not by targeting the soldiers themselves, but by manipulating the battlefield environment.
Like now—suddenly removing the ground beneath a soldier charging at Keliak.
[Sssik!]
The charging soldier lost balance. His sword swung through empty air just before Keliak used a spatial explosion to knock him back.
“To be considered mortals by Lady Bligiet… Indeed, they must be on par with the top-tier superhumans of today. Even as the ground collapses beneath them and the air explodes without warning, their responses are flawless.”
As he spoke, more soldiers swarmed Keliak. He continued to evade their attacks by manipulating the environment with the Demon Stone.
“But that only deepens the mystery. Throughout the history of Inse, few have reached such a level. How is it that no information about them has surfaced?”
Even without the Demon Stone, if the Abyss Legion were truly mortals of Inse, some clues should have been discernible.
Yet their swordsmanship and magic bore no clear signature. In some ways, they resembled demons; in others, they reminded him of Runcandel or Hailan; and at times, Zipple’s own magic seemed reflected.
Even Bligiet could see nothing beyond their mortality. That was what unsettled him.
[It’s unrelated to any contract, but I will assist. I too find their true nature puzzling. Helluram… surely harbors some dark secret.]
Bligiet spread his palm, and a massive sphere formed in the sky, showering solar beams in all directions.
The soldiers skillfully deflected the beams, but Bligiet felt an inexplicable unease watching them.
‘Helluram’s soldiers… they fight as if they’ve faced me before.’
Bligiet had just been resurrected and had only fought Ban. He had no memory of facing such humans in ancient times.
‘Not just once, but multiple times. These creatures know me…!’
Otherwise, their coordinated fighting style made no sense. They attacked Bligiet in the ways he found most annoying.
Some relentlessly engaged in close combat to prevent him from focusing his divine power; others sought to break his shield and expose the solar beams hidden within; still others anticipated and countered his moves.
Bligiet felt as if the Abyss Legion could see right through him.
Not even Ban, the strongest mortal in Inse’s history, had managed this. The Abyss Legion showed no sign of insight or even the slightest rational thought—they fought purely on experience and instinct.
It was maddening. To be seen through by mere puppets or minions of Helluram, not even the witch herself.
The only consolation was that, while strong, they were no match for Ban.
If Ban had known Bligiet this well, he would never have reached the Tower of Stories in one piece.
“Lady Bligiet, have you ever faced these before?”
Keliak also sensed how well the Abyss Legion knew Bligiet’s tactics. They seemed like weapons designed specifically for him. The soldiers attacking Keliak showed no such familiarity.
[No.]
Bligiet suppressed his anger, born from anxiety. The enemy knew him, but he did not know them. As the solar deity’s incarnation, he should never have been placed in such a situation.
Of course, knowing the Abyss Legion didn’t mean Bligiet was losing. Without Changseong, no one could truly harm him.
“Then they’re unpleasant foes for both you and us, Zipple. The Abyss Legion is the only force capable of bypassing the Demon Stone’s defenses and entering the tower directly.”
Even Bligiet could only reach the tower with Keliak’s “permission.”
In Keliak’s estimation, the current Demon Stone defenses were impenetrable by any force in Inse.
And those defenses grew stronger every day, thanks to the faster-than-expected harmony between the Demon Stone, the sanctuary, and Elona.
As Bligiet fought off the advancing Abyss Legion, he pondered.
‘Helluram’s ultimate goal… as far as I know, it’s similar to Malugia’s. And unlike us, that one’s essence remains largely intact. If he wished, he could start leading the world to ruin at any time. So why resort to such inefficient means?’
The Abyss Legion was shocking enough, but Bligiet found this puzzling.
If Helluram intended to secure Malugia—that is, Elona—for his purposes, the surest way would be to act directly.
From Bligiet’s perspective, the Demon Stone was not yet a weapon capable of opposing Helluram. Even if it was poison to many mortals and immortals alike.
Originally, Bligiet believed only two beings could stand against Helluram: himself, whole or nearly so, and Solderet.
‘Come to think of it, Solderet’s power now barely lingers faintly in true Runcandel and his guardian dragon. There’s something I don’t know. Once Airan’s restrictions are lifted, I must meet Helluram directly.’
Chiiing—!
A beam of solar light sliced through the neck of a black soldier for the first time. The severed soldier froze like a corpse before dispersing into particles. The particles flowed into a small steel dimensional gate nearby.
[They do not die. Their scattered bodies return to the one who sent them. But that is not Helluram.]
“Then who is it?”
[One who has received Helluram’s grace. He commands the Abyss Legion.]
Meanwhile, in Orgal’s pocket dimension.
Orgal stared at the particles emerging from the small steel dimensional gate. They writhed like insects before coalescing into a black gem-like mass, stirring a deep unease within him.
It wasn’t that he was upset about the soldiers being destroyed. They would recover after some time and return to the battlefield.
There were already dozens of such soldiers. Soon hundreds, then thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands… Orgal had no way of knowing how many they would become. Even the witch couldn’t remember them all.
In other words, Kinzello had gained the greatest force since the founding of his order.
Despite all the support Jo received to create true Pluto warriors, and despite the gathering of powerful beings from the Hama realm, and the countless trainings and battles the officers endured to grow stronger—
None of it compared to the Abyss Legion Helluram had unleashed. If Helluram had given the Abyss Legion without cost or revealing any truth, and simply sent them forth—
Kinzello might have finally achieved his grand ambition. He might have reshaped the world into the form they desired.
[Damn it…]
But Orgal was not happy.
The truth his old lover had revealed was that this world was dirtier, more complex, crueler, and more dangerous than he had imagined. Therefore, the Abyss Legion could not be used for Kinzello’s sake or for the solar god’s resurrection.
[Damn it, why, how… damn it!]
Even Bubarr and Ainas—who had moved into this pocket dimension right after Orgal’s return—were too overwhelmed by his fury to utter their usual nonsense.
Orgal’s gaze remained fixed on the black mass the soldier had become.
“Commander, you have to stay strong.”
It was Margiela. Her wheelchair stopped beside Orgal, and Zephyrin approached, speaking up.
“Master, maybe the witch’s words aren’t true. If that’s the case, there’s still hope for us…”
[No… Zephyrin, Helluram’s words are probably true. I can feel it. Only I can feel it. This black mass… is me. Truly me…]
—These are the failed versions of you.
—Or you could say, Orgal, they are the failed versions of the world.
As the members sighed and lowered their heads, Orgal recalled what Helluram had said—the terrible story.