Chapter 164 : Chapter 164

Chapter 164 - The Monster in the Abyss

The clone Young Master arrived at Dusk Citadel under the main body’s orders.

Though the outskirts of the citadel were a mess of garbage, the center had been elegant, but now the center was even more destroyed.

The scene, with a hole gouged out as if a meteorite had fallen and the debris of buildings, was reminiscent of a junkyard.

And yet, the people diligently carried materials to live on their land.

At that site, the new chairman did not leave his post.

The clone Young Master watched him from the sky for a moment.

Even seen from atop the Griffin, Edwin D. Hacid was the person in charge of the site and the manager of this land.

“The new Pandemonium Hall will be built sturdily and strong, putting aside extravagance for now. Therefore, anyone who pilfers materials or is lazy, I will make an example of them myself.”

Yes─!! Chairman-nim─!!

The workers answered loudly and spurred on their hammering and sawing.

Not just any Stationmaster or Councilor, but the Chairman himself was planted there with no intention of leaving.

So the site was bustling with activity, with not a single idle person to be found.

I understood the situation, but I plucked one of the Griffin’s feathers and threw it at him.

Swoosh─

A red feather grazed past his eyes and embedded itself in the ground.

When he naturally lifted his chin, a large Griffin was circling the sky.

“Y-Young Master.”

Startled, he gasped and glanced to his side.

“Aria. Could you supervise the site for a moment?”

“The Young Master has arrived. Please, go ahead.”

“I will be back shortly.”

“Cailin-nim, please go with him. There will be no danger since he is with the Young Master, but the assassins have been quite rampant, haven't they.”

“It’s not surprising that a new chairman appeared when the Pandemonium Hall collapsed.”

Edwin nodded and adjusted his overcoat.

“I will be back.”

“Don’t worry about this place and go at your leisure.”

Edwin nodded with a smile and briefly stepped outside the site.

Then, a single wolf that had been perfectly erasing its presence trotted along behind him.

“Dante’s here!”

“That’s right.”

As they waited for a moment in a secluded place, the hooded clone Young Master approached.

“It seems you’re doing well.”

“Dante!”

“Young Master.”

As soon as Edwin saw the clone Young Master’s face, he let out a sigh and stroked the staff in his hand.

“Less than a day after I held this, I’ve already seen an assassin’s face twice.”

“And I smashed their heads both times!”

“Yes. That’s why both Aria and I are very grateful to you, Cailin-nim.”

“Once the Pandemonium Hall is completed and a stable residence is established, such things will cease. The construction costs and subsequent budget will be sponsored by our faction.”

At the word ‘sponsorship,’ the politician’s expression brightened at once.

“I will devote my loyalty!”

The clone Young Master chuckled and gestured with his chin towards the staff.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?”

“I understand that we are going to capture the monster of the abyss.”

“Yes. Are you handling the ghost the main body gave you well?”

“Yes. I used it to great effect against the assassins’ threats.”

When Edwin opened his hand, the ghost the Youngest Son had created before popped out with a pop.

Sitting on his hand like a dove out of a magician’s hat, its abilities were astonishing.

“When I had this one possess an assassin, he spilled everything about who instigated it and where the base was.”

“And I destroyed them one by one after that, so don’t worry!”

Edwin finds out, Cailin destroys.

The two had eradicated the assassination threats in this way, and now they seemed quite safe.

“It’s a ghost that inherited the power of mind control, so it should be useful. Now, we must apply this power to the monster of the abyss.”

“We’re going to control the monster of the abyss with this creature?”

“This ghost will implant the perception that the monster itself decided to obey the one wearing the helmet.”

The words were a bit difficult, but the process and the result were simple.

“Cailin and I will be behind you to prevent the worst-case scenario. Edwin, you must wear the Twilight helmet and face the monster.”

“Hoo…. I understand. I am prepared.”

“Me too!”

Cailin wasn’t worried. Furthermore, the main body wasn't worried about Edwin either.

To fall now, Edwin was someone who had survived even Hinek.

He might seem scared, but when the situation arose, he was a man who would perform better than anyone else.

Now that he held the symbolic staff of the Chairman, there was no turning back, and a man with nowhere to retreat was stronger than anyone.

“Let’s go. I have isolated the space so that the workers cannot approach the underground passage.”

Cailin and the Youngest Son put on their hoods, and Edwin stood in front.

The workers didn’t pay attention to the two behind the Chairman and only groveled before the highest authority.

At least here, there was no one to block his path, so the three of them quickly arrived at a certain tent.

“For now, I have set up a tent as a temporary measure, and the construction around this area will proceed secretly.”

“It will have to, at least until the problem with Wisdom is resolved.”

He answered nonchalantly and lit an oil lamp.

“I’m going in.”

With the clone Young Master in the lead, they entered the underground.

Cailin looked excited, and Edwin was nervous.

Even so, he held on to the Old Wood Staff tightly, not letting go of his lifeline.

Before long, they came across the bridge over the abyss for the second time. The same went for the helmet beyond it.

“Go on.”

“Ye-Yes.”

Edwin walked with a trembling voice and trembling legs.

Naturally, there was no collapsing or shaking. The only thing shaking was his body.

“Go, Chairman-nim!”

Whatever Cailin said, Edwin swallowed hard and hesitantly approached the helmet.

Just walking was not difficult. The truly difficult part was putting on the helmet that looked like a cursed object at first glance.

And yet, this was not a suicide mission.

Rather, it was a helmet that protected him from the harsh things below. As its name suggested, it was armor.

“I’m going.”

Following his resolute voice, he lifted Twilight in one swift motion.

Shwaaaaa─!!

The purple light that had been swirling in the visor spread out in all directions.

The light spread like a sunset before eventually subsiding.

It was the moment the helmet’s emptiness was filled.

“Uh…. How is it? Is it okay?”

Edwin’s voice echoed heavily through the underground.

Unlike this general-like gravitas, his manner of speaking was that of D-District’s Branch Manager, Edwin Hacid.

He stood at the end of the bridge, wearing the helmet.

With the visor down, he spread his arms and looked over his body.

There was no particular change in his appearance. It was just that his spirit had become outstanding just by wearing the helmet.

“Yes. There seems to be no problem. For now.”

“I-I feel that way too.”

“Really? Do you all really think so?”

Cailin, who had been staring at Edwin, looked back and forth between the two.

“To me, it looks a liiittle dangerous.”

“Wh-Where, do you mean?”

“Take off the helmet!”

“Ye-Yes.”

Ssk─

He took off Twilight as she said.

“…!”

At the same time, Edwin realized its danger.

“…It's not a heavy helmet to give this much power. It took more strength than I thought.”

“The longer you wear the helmet, the more difficult it will become. Eventually, you’ll reach a state where you can’t take it off with your own strength, right?”

“Y-Young Master. What should I do?”

“I said ‘for now’ a moment ago. You don’t have to worry right now. It will just become difficult to take it off alone, but you’re not alone here.”

The worst-case scenario the main body mentioned didn’t just include the monster in the abyss.

Preventing Edwin from becoming the helmet’s host by being dominated by Twilight was also one of the clone’s missions.

“I-I understand.”

Edwin looked uneasily at Twilight in his hands.

A helmet that he couldn’t take off if he kept wearing it.

However, the inability to take it off was not just due to the helmet’s power, but also his own will.

Because from the moment he put on the helmet, a power he had never experienced in his life flowed addictively through his body.

As a human born and raised in Dusk Citadel, he knew.

Addiction should be guarded against in any situation, and no matter how good it felt, it was ultimately harmful.

“I will see you below.”

To avoid addiction, time was of the essence.

Edwin, having put the helmet back on, jumped into the abyss without hesitation.

The purple light emitted by Twilight headed towards the bottom of the underground before disappearing, and the two nodded at each other.

“Let’s go.”

“Yeah!”

Cailin and the clone Young Master also jumped down after him.

The abyss below the bridge was so deep that the wind made their hair flutter for a long time.

“I can see the end soon!”

“Yes. I see it too.”

The end was visible by the purple light.

Edwin, who had arrived first, served as a clear landmark and a beacon.

The clone Young Master, who landed safely using the blood stream, looked around.

The floor was like the bedrock of a cave and was strangely damp. The humidity in this underground seemed high, as his body felt sluggish.

“I think I should turn off the beacon around here.”

The clone of a vampire royal, inheriting the main body’s abilities, could see in the dark as if it were broad daylight.

The light, which had been on out of consideration for the others, was no longer useful.

Chk─

The light, extinguished with a finger, was unfamiliar to the monster of this underground.

Such unfamiliar things only ruined communication unnecessarily.

“Edwin. It’s your time.”

“I will try my best.”

Edwin placed the ghost on his hand, barely calming his trembling voice.

In the meantime, Cailin sensed a change in the surroundings.

“…Dante!”

“I know.”

Something was approaching.

Something slimy was filling the surroundings.

At first, it had moved away due to the beacon’s light, but now the underground was filled with a monster that looked like boiling black oil.

The creature was effectively one, but it seemed it could also become many, as its presence was felt from all directions.

The werewolf and vampire, with their keen senses, heard squirming and sticky sounds from all around.

“The Chairman?”

“He seems to have gone to work.”

Edwin, wearing the helmet, stood motionless in place.

The slimy abyss monster rose like a wave in front of him, as if it would pounce at any moment.

However, it stopped without advancing further.

The ghost had begun its possession.

The problem was that the creature’s consciousness was not singular.

“We have to stop the divided ones from attacking Edwin.”

“Alright! I’m confident!”

The underground was vast at a glance. This place, which seemed as wide as the Pandemonium Hall, was more than enough for a werewolf to run wild.

Instantly transforming into her beast form, she shielded Edwin and swatted away a lunging slime monster.

However, as physical attacks didn’t seem to inflict much damage, it was only knocked away and soon started moving again, merging with another body.

“We need another way. Try to reduce its size.”

I drew up my magic power. The Youngest Son’s magic power was like blood, and blood was like magic power.

Chwaaaaaak─

The blood stream that radiated widely from both hands quickly formed a dome and hardened as it was.

The blood that enveloped the three of them was thick and hard, blocking the slime’s invasion.

Cailin’s mouth fell open in admiration.

“Is it because you’re a descendant of the Queen? You handle blood like your own limbs now.”

“It is a lacking skill.”

Having briefly seen the Queen handle the blood stream, the Youngest Son simultaneously felt a great wall.

The clone felt that wall just the same, and compared to the Empress of Blood, his application was insignificant.

But I didn’t think it would be pierced by a mere slime monster.

Drip, drip, drip─

The blood wall was melting.

Like ice left out on a summer day, small holes began to form from the top.

I knew the problem.

“…These things. They seem to absorb something from their target upon contact.”

The reason I said ‘something’ was because this thing being like blood and like magic power was limited to this body.

To the monster, this was just blood, but the target couldn't be limited to blood.

Because for a long time in this underground, this creature’s main diet had been natural yin energy.

“Cailin. It seems we need to aim for ranged attacks with your shamanic power rather than direct contact. I will take care of defense, so I’ll ask you to provide a diversion.”

“Got it!”

Cailin understood readily and summoned the spirit of her ancestor wolf behind her back.

The Youngest Son, too, within the collapsing dome, once again floated a blood stream in his hands.

Edwin still stood in an unmoving posture.

I didn’t know how long it would take over there, but I couldn’t use a lot of magic power here.

‘…If I recklessly waste magic power, it will be a great burden on the main body, who is in the middle of a battle.’

The clone wasn’t the only one in a life-or-death battle.

The same was true for the Youngest Son, over there at the foremost border of the East.

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