Chapter 556
Episode 146: Awakened Chaos
Before the second phase of the battle began, the Black Knights that Rosa had sent to inform Siron of the situation never reached him.
No matter how fast they traveled, reaching the depths of the Black Sea within two days was impossible. But more importantly—
Siron’s expedition had already crossed into the domain of the Five Kings of the Black Sea. That meant complete isolation from the outside world.
The realm of the Five Kings wasn’t part of the human world; it was a vast pocket dimension created just for them.
No sunlight penetrated here, and the black earth left no shadows or footprints. There was no way to tell day from night—only endless darkness stretched out in every direction.
The only things to eat were the monsters that occasionally lunged out of the darkness to attack the group—creatures better described as remnants of chaos.
Siron, Luna, the former and current Black Knights, and a particularly talkative legendary monster were all making their way through this deep, black land.
“Ugh, these disgusting, tasteless things. Knights! Dinner’s ready! I tried my best to cook it well, but with these ingredients, the flavor’s not great… Hic, sorry! Please don’t hit me!”
Ozdok passed around bowls filled with monster meat dishes—crafted using his unique abilities—and crouched dramatically.
It was true that after Ozdok was captured, Tuben and the knights had roughed him up a bit.
But since then, he’d behaved well enough to avoid further beatings, and Siron had recognized his usefulness, officially accepting him as a member of the expedition.
Though incomplete, Ozdok’s memories of the Black Sea had proven invaluable to the group. Without him, it would have taken much longer to find the domain of the Five Kings.
So, Ozdok was joking now. Unfortunately, no one responded to his pitiful attempts to lighten the mood.
“Ha, ha. Enjoy your meal!”
Ozdok stood up and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. Luna and the knights sat silently, chewing their portions with the sound of wild beasts crunching on bones.
‘Ugh… it’s suffocating. How long has this gloomy atmosphere lasted now? Damn it.’
Ozdok sighed inwardly as he watched them eat.
He didn’t eat the food he prepared. For him, meals only mattered if they were gold—otherwise, they held little meaning.
But there was another important reason Ozdok refused to eat the monsters.
Remnants of Chaos.
Since entering the domain of the Five Kings, Ozdok had recalled something about the energy called ‘Chaos.’ He was slowly regaining fragments of his old memories.
“Once chaos attaches itself to a living being in any form, it never lets go. Not until the target becomes a completely mad monster…”
Temar Runcandel.
He remembered rumors that even Temar Runcandel, the head of the Runcandel family a thousand years ago, had been consumed by chaos and turned into a monster.
Chaos was a force that all living things—not just humans—had to avoid.
“They must have accumulated quite a bit of chaos energy by now. I hope they don’t go mad and kill me. But since they can still eat and fight, maybe they’re holding on…!”
All Ozdok could do was watch carefully and hope nothing terrible happened. As he suspected, Luna and the knights were constantly pushing back the chaos building up inside them.
In this land, survival meant fighting chaos every moment, even without battle.
“Ahem! By the way, I’m a bit worried. Since no monsters have attacked for the past few days, food might become a problem. We can’t exactly go looking for more either.”
“Ozdok.”
“Oh my goodness!”
Ozdok was so startled because it was Siron who had called him.
Since entering the domain of the Five Kings, the expedition had grown quieter, all focused on resisting the chaos—but Siron was especially withdrawn.
He rarely spoke, even for simple commands. It was as if he barely felt alive.
“Oh, such a frivolous display. Sorry, sir.”
“You’re doing very well.”
Siron’s unexpected words made Ozdok’s eyes widen in disbelief.
Not knowing how to respond, he bowed deeply, as if paying respect. In his nearly two-thousand-year life, nothing had ever felt more significant.
‘I—I got praised!? By the lord himself, no less!’
Siron truly believed Ozdok was doing well.
In this dreadful realm, Ozdok’s constant joking, casually cooking monster corpses, and occasional humming helped the knights push back the chaos.
He was reminding them—keeping their human emotions alive.
‘When we return, I’ll have to give the youngest a better reward.’
Siron’s gaze drifted into the darkness beyond.
Ozdok’s worries about food, the silence that had fallen over Luna and the knights in recent days—all of it was connected to where Siron was looking.
The Five Kings of the Black Sea.
The time to face one of them had finally come.
“Luna.”
“Yes, Father.”
“The battle will begin soon. If you can’t hold on, hide behind me.”
Luna knew well that her father was the one most affected by this terrible chaos. Not just her—every knight felt it.
Unlike the others, Siron had been fighting chaos even before entering this pocket dimension, in a way no one else could imagine.
For the first time, Luna felt pity for her father. Or maybe she had felt it for a long time without realizing.
Since arriving here, she was beginning to understand both her father and herself better.
“I’ll do my best to make sure that doesn’t happen.”
At Luna’s words, Siron gave a faint smile.
The knights set down their bowls and stepped beside Siron, gently tapping Ozdok’s head and shoulder.
Then, as if on cue—
The darkness before the expedition deepened, and Ozdok collapsed, his legs giving out.
‘T-The King of the Black Sea…!’
The Five Kings of the Black Sea.
One of them was revealing a massive wave of chaos toward the expedition. Ozdok was crushed by the overwhelming energy, barely able to breathe, but the knights stood firm, facing it head-on.
Ssshhh…
Barisada slowly drew his sword from its sheath. The radiance that spread from it halted the tide of chaos surging forward.
Among the expedition, only Siron had ever fought the Kings of the Black Sea directly.
He knew exactly who the countless eyes beyond the darkness belonged to.
“Kial. So it’s you.”
Kial.
The name of the first Black Sea King the expedition had encountered. Thousands—perhaps tens of thousands—of eyes focused solely on Siron.
[Siron Runcandel. You’ve come all this way, carrying that heavy fate…]
A dark, chilling voice echoed throughout the pocket dimension.
Compared to Kial, the monsters Siron had faced in the Black Sea’s depths and the remnants of chaos they’d slain were nothing but dust. Even the monsters that had given Luna and the former Black Knights trouble.
Siron said nothing and slowly stepped toward Kial. With each step, the oppressive chaos energy pressing on the expedition pushed back toward Kial.
[Judging by the mood, you’re not here to accept the offer we made back then.]
The offer—the Kings of the Black Sea, including Kial, wanted Siron to become like them.
[Do you wish to meet the same fate as your ancestors?]
“Then as now, my duty is to cut you down. Not to become a shattered fragment.”
The Origin Stone.
The Five Kings of the Black Sea were all fragments of a broken Origin Stone. And under normal circumstances, they couldn’t be near each other.
Because the will of the gods who shattered the stone still lingered.
So the Kings wanted only one thing: a mediator who could sever the gods’ lingering will and allow them to reunite without restraint.
Someone like Siron.
[You know better than anyone that your wish cannot be fulfilled, fool…]
Suddenly, Kial blinked and stopped speaking, clearly startled.
Siron flinched as well, sensing the same thing.
What they both realized was that another King of the Black Sea had awakened.
Not in this pocket dimension, but in the human world.
Siron’s face twisted, and Kial narrowed his eyes, letting out a grim laugh.
[At last… I’ve found you. My brother, Gliek, who was outside all this time!]
Gliek. Kial, Nirganth, Su, Morganiell.
The Five Kings of the Black Sea. Siron had never met Gliek in person, and the other Kings didn’t know his whereabouts.
He was the White Stone of Hailan.
The fifth fragment of the Origin Stone.
Siron swung his sword at the joyful Kial, who screamed in delight even as his body was cut.
Pazzzzt—! Chichiching…!
As Jin and his group stepped inside the inner fortress, the first sight that greeted them was the immense, unyielding walls of ice—an endless expanse of frozen barriers encasing Dante’s seal and the entire interior.
And then, that ice was being shattered mercilessly by a dark, malevolent force.
Since the second battle began, Thalaris had been holding the inner fortress, but even she couldn’t prevent the seal of chaos from breaking.
“Lady Thalaris!”
“Princess of the Bow!”
Blood trickled from the corner of Thalaris’s mouth as she fell toward the group. The black power unleashed from the broken seal crushed the ice walls without hesitation and spread relentlessly in every direction.
The inner fortress, which Ron and Hiran’s knights had so desperately defended, vanished without a trace in an instant.
In that moment, Jin couldn’t help but recall what Thalaris had said earlier:
—In some ways… it might be a relief that Ziphl’s main forces are arriving and Runcandel is waiting nearby. If the chaos of the White Stone awakens, whether they like it or not, they’ll have to fight it. Because if not them or us, no one else can stop it.