Episode 298.
Screech—
It felt as if sinking into a bottomless ocean.
Having passed through the portal, Hanbit was once again engulfed by an unpleasant sensation.
Fortunately, this time it didn't last long.
Whoosh—!
His body was pushed back by a sudden impact.
Raising his head, Hanbit's eyes widened at the scene unfolding above him.
“This is…”
Whoosh—!
The Sea of Souls, which had looked as if a piece of the universe had been torn away, had transformed completely.
Waves and vortices crashing together, composed of light and unknown particles.
While it was fitting for the name 'Sea,' the environment was far too treacherous.
Crash—!
The fierce waves were attacking a transparent structure intricately intertwined like a neural network.
Countless blue souls floated within it.
They were being protected by those transparent, tube-like structures. It
was thanks to the awakening of the Guardian's power, which had allowed the detailed structure to come into view.
“…It’s chaos.”
The state of the sea, which had become chaos itself, was dizzying just to look at.
Strangely enough, however, what he had to do was clear. *
Swoosh*
—a black haze blooming from the mark on the back of his hand moved beneath his feet.
It transformed into a ring shape and began spreading waves around him.
*Splash*
—Hanbit approached the raging sea as if walking on water.
Then, red particles raging amidst the waves and whirlpools came into view.
“That is…”
It was an energy similar to what had enveloped Momo.
The difference was that it appeared to be a phenomenon of souls, having suffered a great shock and lost their way, running wild.
It was now clearly evident that they were victims of the Goddess of Turmoil.
“Aaaargh!”
“Ugh!”
“Where on earth is this…?”
The voices he heard were not those being killed by Sirius.
It was chaos scattered with fear, pain, sorrow, and wandering.
It was a cry for help spat out by those who had fallen into a hell, wandering after losing their sense of self.
*Whoosh*—the
waves emanating from beneath his feet began to transform into a slightly clearer form.
After observing the flow for a moment, Hanbit drew his multicolored sword.
Swoosh—
a black haze swirled up, following the movement.
It enveloped the sword, forming a shape of complete blackness.
Crunch—
Hanbit's gaze turned toward the frenzied waves and vortices.
Countless red masses, lacking any discernible form.
The aura emanating from them was menacing enough to be described as a culmination of negative products.
Swish—!
Just then, one of the masses attacking the souls broke free.
From within, a spiky red sphere was visible.
It was the cause that had gathered wounded souls and created this chaos.
Neither a soul nor anything else, that was clearly an object to be eliminated.
It seemed as though the spirit of the Guardian awakened within Hanbit was screaming just that.
"Ugh… …"
"Please stop…"
The voices of the countless souls surging within were merely byproducts mixed with all sorts of debris.
Hanbit, having quietly closed and opened his eyes, raised his sword.
Swish—!
Footsteps advanced, scattering waves of energy.
The entire Sea of Souls vibrated and moved as if reacting to the Watcher.
Thump!
The red mass, too, turned sharply and twisted its body as if it had spotted its prey.
Quadruped!
Fierce waves and vortices rose around the mass flying in a straight line.
It swung its body violently, cutting through space.
Whoosh!
The assault, surging like a tidal wave, was intimidating.
However, the waves extending from beneath Hanbit's feet created an area akin to a barrier itself.
Crash!
Swoosh!
Colliding with the black and white realm, the red mass was pushed back significantly, shedding parts of its body.
Hanbit, having stepped back lightly, burrowed into the momentarily incapacitated spirit.
"Hmph…"
"Why… why…"
As he entered the mass, the colors of emotion and the energy of negativity intensified to their fullest.
However, the Watcher's power expanded the area of the waves as if to neutralize them.
"I found it."
At the edge of his gaze, Hanbit spotted a floating, spiky sphere.
It was the cause that aggregated the mass and brought chaos to the space.
Snap!
The black and white energy rippling along the blade surged forth.
It gradually began to envelop Hanbit's body as if wrapping around him.
Whoosh!
Charging forward while spewing energy, he reached his target in an instant.
A sphere pierced by the thrusting tip of the sword.
The bursting black-and-white flash instantly colored the vision.
Crunch!
The sphere began to disintegrate, losing its form as if distorting.
It was the process of the condensed remnants of all emotions melting and separating back into the original soul.
Rustle—
The soul, transformed into particles of light, flew rapidly into a transparent tube.
Some of the red particles had turned blue.
“…Is it impossible to reverse everything?”
Even with the power of a Guardian, what Hanbit was currently manifesting was only a fraction.
To wield a stronger influence, complete awakening would likely be necessary.
Crack!
Swoosh!
Turning his head, Hanbit looked at a red mass rampaging elsewhere.
Then, without hesitation, he kicked off.
Whoosh!
Crunch!
Having quickly gained experience, he rapidly dismantled the red mass.
Although it took a considerable amount of time due to their large numbers, he was able to finish it safely.
Whoosh—
Hanbit stopped in his tracks and gazed at the Sea of Souls spread out before him.
The place where the waves and whirlpools had vanished was eerily silent.
The troublesome red mass was no longer visible.
“Phew.”
Hanbit sheathed his sword and slowly let out a breath.
He would have liked to find the souls he needed here, but he couldn't distinguish between the hundreds of millions.
Momo's case seemed to be quite special.
Swoosh—
Just then, his vision suddenly wavered.
Hanbit recognized this sensation.
It was the reaction of the Gear he had felt when exiting the game.
“Come to think of it…”
He hadn't heard anything about the situation outside since he had boldly logged in through the capsule.
How much time had passed?
Had his mother heard about this?
“…Let’s get out for now.”
With a slight worry, Hanbit closed his eyes.
And he surrendered to the influx of sensations.
***
“…!”
His eyes snapped open as if a button had been pressed.
The normal temperature felt vividly.
What he saw was a ceiling blocked by transparent glass.
“Son!”
Along with his mother's sudden voice, the warmth of her hands touched his face.
“Look at your eyes. Huh? You’re okay, right?”
His mother asked urgently, her eyes tinged with tears.
Hanbit, still slightly dazed, slowly nodded.
“Mom, I’m fine. Don’t worry.”
“How can I not worry! I was trapped there for a whole day!”
“…A day?”
Hanbit’s eyes widened at the passage of time, which was much longer than he had expected.
Had something gone wrong while traveling between worlds?
Yet, his body felt incredibly refreshed, as if he had just woken up from a deep sleep.
“Lord Black Dragon!”
“You have woken up!”
Just then, his allies Ryujo and Kenji approached, their voices urgent.
Their relief was palpable.
“I am truly… so relieved.”
A middle-aged woman lowered her gaze from behind them.
It was Yoshiko, the CEO of Mirai Tech.
“…I apologize for causing you worry. The others have arrived as well.”
Several familiar faces were visible through the transparent glass.
They were members of the Alliance, including Grace, the founder of Astra.
“We were conducting research using the same equipment provided to us as Momo due to your younger sibling's situation. It was based on the opinion of Lord Black Dragon, who had recommended the use of Gear.”
“…Ah.”
Recalling the memory, Hanbit nodded.
He remembered pushing forward quite quickly.
In any case, it was actually more comfortable when people were gathered.
“Everyone, please gather. I have something to tell you.”
***
A short while later, at the Mirai Tech conference room.
Having gathered the people, Hanbit conveyed everything that had happened just moments ago.
The black and white markings on the back of his hand were now clearly imprinted on this body as well.
“For that reason, finding the White Dragon has become our top priority.”
“Another dimension…?”
“So that is how it turned out.”
The people listening to the story wore serious expressions.
Since most knew the situation involved a god, it was not difficult for them to accept it.
Except for just one person, that is.
“…What? Your father? A dragon? Cursed?”
Mother asked back with a bewildered look.
Naturally, it was impossible to make her understand this all at once.
“I know it sounds strange. Mom, talk to me separately later. I will explain everything.”
“Haa, what on earth is going on… At least I get it.”
The mother let out a deep sigh and looked around at the crowd gathered nearby.
It was clear that everyone present was focused on her son.
Even if there were mountains of questions to ask, now was not the time to waste their time.
“Huh?”
Just then, Grace, who had been taking notes while listening to Hanbit’s story, opened her eyes wide.
Her face was filled with surprise.
“What is it?”
“Lord Black Dragon, my younger sibling…”
Grace’s voice trembled as she held her smartphone.
Her sibling had gone insane after returning from being dragged away by the Goddess of Turmoil.
Hanbit had somewhat anticipated news regarding that.
“Has he recovered? There were quite a few souls in the Sea of Souls who regained their color.”
“…Yes. Since the research was conducted in a slightly different manner than with Momo, he wasn’t logged into the game but was wearing the Gear. But just now, really suddenly… I received a message that he has regained his sanity.”
The Gear, a device connecting two realms.
It seemed that simply wearing it had an effect.
One of the red particles that had turned blue in the Sea of Souls must have been her younger sibling.
“That’s a relief. For now, let’s check on your younger sibling first.”
“Thank you. I will continue listening to the situation over the phone as I move.”
After bidding farewell, Grace quickly stepped out of the conference room.
Watching her retreating figure, Kenji examined his silent smartphone and asked,
“If this is related to Lord Black Dragon calming the waves, is there any possibility for Momo in the future?”
“After her full awakening, there will be many more things she can do. Let’s think about it together then.”
“Yes, thank you.”
It was understandable that Kenji prioritized his daughter above all else.
Hanbit, too, felt uneasy about leaving Momo’s memories distorted.
“Come back, meeting the White Dragon and receiving power is the top priority. The problem is that Sirius will surely make a move as well.”
“I think so too. Regardless of Lord Black Dragon’s situation, Sirius’s depleted state will pose a significant danger to the Adult Faction. In particular, if his soul-feeding activity becomes more vigorous, the damage might surface.”
Sirius has been using various targets to take souls until now.
However, there had never been a large-scale public announcement of casualties like in the case of Adventurer A.
Whether it was due to some kind of restriction, or simply because they didn't want to be discovered, was unknown.
In any case, it was expected that Sirius, whose mindset must have changed, and the Holy Faction would take radical action.
“Has the connection been restored?”
“Yes. The RP side has also posted an announcement. We haven't been able to reach Team Zero since their thank-you message.”
Yoshiko sighed and put down her smartphone.
Hanbit nodded, stood up, and said,
“A massive melee is likely to break out. Please inform everyone, including the Alliance, of the risk of character death, and tell Sirius to evacuate at all costs. I will go look for the White Dragon.”
