Chapter 475
Episode 133: Moments of Choice (2)
What Dox McLoran saw was a vast multitude of humans. More precisely, it was a kind of ‘tower’ formed entirely of people.
It must have been at least ten paces high.
The humans making up the tower were grotesquely twisted and folded, compressed into shapes resembling giant bricks.
Dox had fought through countless battlefields soaked in blood, bone, and flesh, but he had never seen a tower built from human bodies like this before.
He sucked in a breath.
Instinctively, Dox held his breath. The stench of rot and decay was so overwhelming it felt like his lungs would collapse. Nausea churned in his stomach, making it hard to endure.
‘They’re alive.’
The humans twisted into the tower’s bricks were all still breathing.
Their spines bent backward unnaturally, necks contorted, bodies crushed into square shapes—but they still clung to life.
From all around, faint gasps and wheezes escaped the tower’s bricks. With every breath, the tower seemed to swell slightly, then settle again.
And their eyes.
Countless eyes blinked. Some fluttered open and closed without focus, while others shifted their gaze as if driven by some intent.
The latter all seemed to be struggling to look at Dox.
‘Is this some ancient dark magic? Or a ritual for summoning spirits? Either way…’
In Huepester, in Runcandel—
Such things must never happen.
Of course, this place was an execution ground. Most of the humans forming the tower were likely serious criminals, but even so, this was unacceptable.
Dox wanted to ignore how prisoners met their end, but this defiled the land that revered nothingness and struggle.
—As soon as you recover, head to Ricalton, a city in southern Huepester. Investigate what’s happening there.
The words of the 12th Knight echoed in his mind.
‘Even I, the Black Knight, knew nothing about Ricalton. The 12th Knight has less access to documents than I do—how did they find out about this place?’
The 12th Knight possessed information far beyond expectations.
Of course, that conclusion was natural. In truth, it wasn’t Tikan’s intelligence but rather a chance discovery from a story Emma had told.
Either way, that wasn’t the main issue. What truly mattered to Dox was: how many within the family knew this secret?
‘And who owns this facility, and for what purpose?’
The head of the family, the acting head, the Black Sword Chairman, the highest-ranking knights—
Only those of that caliber could possess a facility of this scale in secret. Shiron and Luna were out of the question, and the Black Sword Chairman had recently lost influence.
‘If it belonged to the Black Sword Chairman, someone in the council would have exposed it for their own gain.’
That left the acting head and the top knights.
‘Most likely the work of Lady Rosa and the 2nd Knight…’
The 3rd and 4th Knights weren’t capable of such deeds. Until recently, Runtia had seemed to have given up on the world, and Dipus couldn’t do it because of Mary.
Rosa and Joshua, however, were different. Above all, Ricalton was land under Joshua’s control.
‘After the 1st Knight gave up the throne, Lady Rosa sometimes showed an inexplicable obsession with the 2nd Knight.’
Everyone knew the story of how she eliminated and recruited all the 1st Knight’s associates in the process.
‘When the 12th Knight chose Barisada in the selection ritual, a senior once told me there was evidence that the acting head and the 2nd Knight had contacted curse-wielding mages. Though it was only circumstantial.’
His head burned with the memory.
That senior had retired shortly after due to injuries sustained on a mission.
Naive. That was no ordinary injury, Dox thought, shaking his head.
‘Still, I have to return to the 2nd Knight. Confirm if this place truly belongs to him, then report to the head of the family…’
Just as Dox reached that thought—
Ha ha ha ha ha!
Suddenly, laughter echoed from all around the human tower. The voices came from the humans forming the bricks. Dox readied his claw weapon, going on full alert.
“Ahahaha!”
Then came the laughter of a woman. Dox instinctively knew she was the facility’s administrator.
Tap, tap.
The woman walked out from between the human bricks.
A prophet.
“Now then, a question for the foolish intruder.”
The prophet stopped walking.
Her face was hidden in deep shadow, but her figure was small and youthful.
“What do you think this place is for?”
Dox glared at her without answering. Though she seemed defenseless, for some reason, he couldn’t bring himself to extend his claw toward her. His body froze like a herbivore facing a predator.
The Black Knight of Runcandel.
“You fool! You look utterly clueless. Then here’s the next question!”
The prophet spread her palm.
Whoooosh!
Black energy gathered above her hand. The power of Solderet, the spiritual energy, spread along her palm.
“Whose domain is this?”
She smiled wickedly, and Dox felt as if he’d been struck in the back of the head with a blunt weapon. Seeing the spiritual energy, he realized the prophet was closer to Jin than to Joshua.
“I am the contractor of Solderet, a servant of Jin Runcandel. So, Black Knight of Runcandel, you will pay the price for trespassing here without permission.”
“…I came here under orders from the 12th Knight.”
“Ahaha, if that’s true, my master must be playing another cruel joke. Either way, I can’t just let you go. Surrender quietly. I’ll confirm with my master. Resist, and I’ll kill you.”
Ha ha ha ha! The humans forming the tower laughed in unison with the prophet.
His body felt off. Not fully recovered, he had come to Ricalton to settle his debt with Jin as quickly as possible.
‘There’s no way I can win a fight in this state.’
He had to escape.
As soon as he made that decision, he turned his back. The prophet shook her head in disappointment.
“Tsk, this isn’t fun.”
She stretched out her hand, firing a violet beam. Dox saw it graze his shoulder and immediately thought of the Black King Mountain Fortress.
‘This power… Zephyrin. It’s almost identical to what that monster used!’
A chill ran down his spine. As a warrior, he had never suffered such a crushing defeat before.
More violet beams pierced his body. He dodged or blocked most, but a few slipped through.
Unfortunately, the beams that hit were in critical spots—his heart and neck. Death was certain.
For some reason, the face that came to mind as death approached wasn’t his comrades from Runcandel, but someone he never expected.
Just as he was about to call out that name in his mind—
“Dox, snap out of it!”
Kwah-gak!
Someone struck down the beams aimed at his heart and neck.
“…That is all, Your Majesty.”
The imperial palace.
Latz, wrapped in bandages from head to toe, reported to the emperor. Despite sending so many troops to the Gaipa military road, only five returned, including Latz and a few others Jin had deliberately left as witnesses.
All five came back wounded. Latz’s tendons were severed, leaving him unable to continue as a special operations leader. He could barely move.
Unlike Jin, the Prochi siblings had no qualms about making their enemies suffer, even if they bore no personal grudge.
“It’s a shame that mercenary Amela died… but heh, the harvest was quite bountiful.”
The emperor’s first words after Latz’s report.
By ‘harvest,’ the emperor meant the biological golems of Ziphl and the demon stones.
‘Ziphl’s biological golem technology truly surpasses our own mind control. Even without a contractor, it uses divine power.’
A shiver ran through him. The power of the world’s greatest family, Ziphl, always inspired awe in the emperor.
“Demon stones… Muon Ziphl must have used those stones to resurrect!”
The emperor stood, speaking with admiration.
Since Jin was a prospective knight, or rather, even before he was born, the emperor had long wondered about the name of that object—the stone that the great Ziphl had so desperately sought.
“Yes, Your Majesty. Circumstantial evidence suggests Sandra Ziphl’s rapid regeneration and Muon’s resurrection were due to the demon stones.”
“Surely there is a price to pay. And though stronger than mind control, mass production is still a distant dream.”
The emperor’s second prize was the information on Jin and Murakan.
“Jin Runcandel.”
He smiled, recalling Jin.
Though their first meeting was disappointing, the emperor did not dismiss Jin’s potential.
Still, he was certain that anyone seeking ‘friendship’ in the ruthless struggle for supreme power would naturally be weeded out.
The recent report from Latz on Jin and Murakan’s inaction made the emperor think they might become variables like Shiron in the future. A slim possibility, but still.
‘Is this the kind of confidence unique to people like Shiron Runcandel or Baekgyeong? Knowing all information about Ziphl will be reported to me, yet… why send Latz alive? Jin Runcandel.’
A provocation?
Or a sign that such information is insignificant? Either way, the emperor felt a surge of irritation at the thought that Jin was looking down on him.
He chuckled lightly.
“Whatever… my own discomfort will be nothing compared to the pain you’re about to feel.”
A bitter smile tugged at the emperor’s lips.
At Geomhwang Fortress.
Just as Hailan’s ancestral home was slowly being restored, it was on the verge of collapsing once more. The emperor found himself suddenly curious about how Jin would react.
Since the Geomhwang Fortress terror attack, Hailan had been isolated like a lone island.
Jiple kept up relentless pressure on Hailan, the royal family offered no protection, and despite the desperate need to uphold Geomhwang’s dignity, Ron was steadily withdrawing from public affairs.
Rumors even spread that Hailan might fall entirely—and the emperor was determined to make those rumors a reality.
“I’m curious to see just how much that steel-hearted man values friendship.”
Muttering to himself, the emperor gathered his thoughts, unaware that Jiple’s recent, excessive pressure on Hailan was all because of Jin.
“Ratz.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have a new mission for you. The moment any change occurs in his condition, keep a close watch on Lord Ron’s movements.”