"...With that, we conclude our final operational briefing before arriving at Earth. All battalion commanders will verify their troops and supplies one last time, then stand by. We have only thirty minutes until the jump is complete. Keep your men under strict control so they don't get needlessly worked up."
"Yes, sir!"
Inside a Jump Ship bound for Earth.
The vessel had departed from the Dimensional Center, passing through several dimensions, and was now approaching its final destination.
After the subordinate commanders dispersed with their orders, the Legion Commander who had presided over the meeting reviewed the final details.
A translucent display floated in the air. It laid out the internal status and troop deployment of the super-massive military Jump Ship, destination conditions updated a few hours ago from their departure dimension, the alert status of the Terminal there, and the exact time remaining.
The Legion Commander scanned it with a sharp gaze. Arrival was imminent. For him, this was his first large-scale operation in a long time, as well as a crucial hunt that absolutely could not fail.
'Asif-666.'
Thanks to his status as Legion Commander, he had access to a few secrets and knew the weight that prisoner number carried. The escape of Asif-666 was something that could not be allowed to happen. It had to be stopped at all costs.
'I might not be able to sever his windpipe, but I won't be dragging him back in one piece, either.'
He would make the bastard experience the exact same pain his slaughtered kin had suffered.
That was the nature of a Todd.
An eye for an eye.
A tooth for a tooth.
Hatred for hatred.
"...?!"
In an instant, the Legion Commander's concentration broke.
A gas with a unique molecular composition was spreading inside the command room, where only the two of them remained. The antennae on the Legion Commander's forehead detected it and twitched. As the atmosphere stiffened, a voice called out from behind him.
"I-I'm sorry, Commander!"
The Legion Commander replied without looking back.
"You must be quite nervous, Adjutant."
The young Todd sitting behind him belonged to a generation that had never experienced war. The Legion Commander was thoroughly displeased by the weak-willed nature typical of that age group.
However, having received a personnel request from the leadership, he had no choice but to select him. The position of a Legion Commander's adjutant was the optimal starting point for inexperienced youths of the ancient races to begin their path to success. In other words, it was impossible to attain without being a nepotism hire. If one wanted a role that helped build a career despite having no experience, connections were naturally required.
The sudden spread of the foul odor was due to the adjutant's nervousness. Green liquid beaded up on the Todd's rock-like skin, then rapidly vaporized and dispersed. It was a stench that Endelions and Kavites absolutely loathed.
"You've already been through several jumps, yet you're still nervous?"
Even as he spoke, he grumbled inwardly. 'Peace has lasted far too long. Look at that pathetic display. It's a smear on the valor of the Todds, who consider battle and revenge an honor.'
Someday, an era requiring large-scale wars, frequent battles, and capable soldiers would return. Then the youth would change as well. But that was not going to happen right away.
Since his concentration was already broken, he decided to soothe the adjutant a bit. Regardless of anything else, it would be beneficial if that greenhorn put in a few good words about him to his powerful father after his discharge.
"Do not worry too much. The probability of an accident occurring during a jump is absurdly low. Who built the Jump Ships and the Guidance Towers? Even those psychotic tentacles—who obsessively calculate probabilities when their own lives are on the line and absolutely refuse to attempt anything if the risk crosses a certain threshold—ride around in Jump Ships."
Of course, that only applied to a small minority of high-ranking tentacles, while the ordinary class never set foot outside their home dimension.
He kept the last sentence to himself, knowing it wouldn't help.
"I apologize. I know that, but I can't help feeling tense..."
Still, his few words seemed to have had an effect, as the Legion Commander felt the air gradually becoming more pleasant. It was also largely thanks to the ventilation system working so furiously he half-wondered if it might catch fire.
"By the way, Commander."
Having had his nerves eased, the adjutant now asked what he was curious about without hesitation. His tone carried the distinct innocence of someone who had grown up without constraints or setbacks.
"Is our assigned mission this time really just that one thing? Catching the escaped prisoner named Asif-666?"
"That's right. You've sat in and listened during the countless operational briefings we've had so far, haven't you?"
"Honestly, this is the first time I've learned that Command's duties included such things."
The youth continued, saying he had been surprised to flip through the manuals and find actual guidelines for escaped prisoner apprehension operations.
"But, I'm asking this out of genuine ignorance. Hasn't an excessive amount of military force been mobilized for this? For you to step forward personally, Commander..."
It was a question of whether it was reasonable for a Legion to mobilize for a single prisoner.
The Legion Commander knew the reason that hadn't been mentioned in the briefings. Judging by the traces at the scene, it was believed that the memories Asif-666 had recovered were extremely minuscule. Furthermore, there was a high probability that even those fragments had awakened while he fought the Todds. Sending a half-hearted force at this timing and causing repeated clashes risked stimulating and inadvertently aiding his awakening.
Because of this, the Committee Headquarters wanted to conclude the operation in an ultra-short timeframe using completely overwhelming force.
Instead of explaining these circumstances in tedious detail, the Legion Commander glossed over it.
"The Grand Committeemen ordered it directly. To finish the operation as quickly as possible. No good can come from word spreading that a prisoner sentenced to penal labor has escaped. It could agitate the other prisoners. That's why, even if it feels excessive, we're ripping out the roots early."
"Ah, I see."
The adjutant nodded. The Legion Commander added,
"Furthermore, we are nothing more than the vanguard of the forces Command has prepared. Once we complete our jump, the follow-up Legions will jump in turn."
"I'm aware of that."
"And troops are being deployed to dimensions other than Earth as well."
"What?!"
From the adjutant's perspective, this was completely unheard of.
"The higher-ups assume that Asif-666 will absolutely try to flee Earth. It's a contingency for that."
"But if I were that escaped prisoner... rather than taking unnecessary risks, I think I'd just stay hidden within that backwater dimension."
His superior dodged the issue once again.
"...I don't know the reason. There must be grounds to assume so."
He would likely try to recover the remaining fragments of Asiph-1 scattered throughout the dimensional system.
"Anyway, we've left a few empty Jump Ships at Earth's Terminal in case the bastard attempts an escape."
The adjutant let out an exclamation.
"They're bait!"
"Exactly. The skills of the Committee's technicians, those tentacle freaks, have advanced far beyond what they were when Asif-666 was arrested. Now, if we prepare in advance, it's possible to intercept a ship mid-jump. Wherever he intended to run, we'll divert him to a completely different dimension before he arrives."
"And at the place that ship arrives, another Legion besides ours will be waiting!"
"No matter what scenario he plays out, he has nowhere to run. The fate waiting for an escaped prisoner is, in the end..."
It was then.
—Commander! Urgent report!
All the screens in front of them were pushed to the corner, and the face of a single Todd appeared enlarged.
It took the adjutant a few seconds to recall who it was. He was the navigator managing the course of this massive Jump Ship. Unless one was an Endelion, a specialized, dedicated crew member who had studied professionally was necessary to operate a Jump Ship.
"What is it?"
His expression was dire. Green sweat poured like a waterfall down the navigator's forehead and the back of his neck. It was an amount incomparable to what the adjutant had shed just moments ago.
Extreme tension.
His beak-like lips trembled violently.
—The signal... the signal has been cut off!
The Legion Commander frowned.
"What are you talking about?"
'What do you mean, the signal?'
In truth, he should have naturally understood the moment the navigator brought up the word. The reason the Legion Commander asked back despite this was because he considered it realistically impossible.
"The guidance signal flowing from the destination dimension... from Earth... has been cut off!"
"...?!"
'What?'
'But, how could that... why would such a thing...?!'
The Legion Commander recalled what he had learned long ago. What happens when the guidance signal is cut off?
That theoretical understanding swiftly returned to him as extreme terror.
"Which means..."
Boom!
An intense impact, as if they had collided with something, struck the ship. His vision shook violently. The navigator shouted wildly.
—Course deviation has already begun! We are leaving the safe path where the Dimensional Wall resistance was pre-weakened, and entering a hazard route...!
Ruuuumble!
The vibrations battering the Jump Ship grew even more violent. The adjutant was already hyperventilating, spewing out that atrocious gas once again. 'No! I don't want to die! I don't want to die! Father!' Ignoring the young man's screams echoing in his ears, the Legion Commander racked his brain desperately.
How this had happened wasn't important.
So, what was the way to survive?
—Commander! Your orders!
The display that had been pushed aside caught his eye. The deployment map of the massive military force—which the adjutant had deemed 'excessive' despite them being merely the vanguard—was right there.
What was the way to survive?
For this mighty force to perish here, so meaninglessly...
—Commander!
A scream from beyond the screen. The navigator's voice cracked harshly. The Legion Commander opened his mouth.
"I..."
At that moment.
----!
A blinding flash and intense pressure swallowed the Legion Commander.
Feeling the agony of his body being torn to shreds, he lost consciousness. The fierce light vanished in an instant, and thick darkness slammed into him.
That was the end.
*
Ha Eun-seong stared blankly at the light swelling before his eyes.
That massive tentacle monster was chanting a spell. Judging by how the senses of his borrowed dragon body prickled, it was clearly a terrifying spell unlike anything he had ever encountered before.
For instance, if it were Teleport... it didn't seem like it would move them a 'mere' half-globe away to the other side of Earth.
It was a power capable of reaching a much further distance than that.
His mind, frozen by shock, slowly began to turn again. Today in Hong Kong, he had followed Ye Minjun, who had ordered them to move by saying, 'It is time.' Without hearing any explanation, just like usual.
However, contrary to his expectations, the destination was New York. He had been puzzled. 'Wasn't it the North Pole or the South Pole?'
After being briefly trapped in the darkness and coming back out, the scene he witnessed had been truly shocking.
The giant monster that had appeared in Hong Kong was right in front of them. It was so colossal he couldn't take it all in at a glance... magnificent tentacles better described as geographical features rather than a living creature.
And amid the dizzying conversation passing between the monster and the agent—talk of 'wishing for your eternal happiness' or 'the times we spent together'—Ha Eun-seong had failed to chew over the truly important part.
—Have you given up on running away? But just staying on Earth doesn't give you any bright ideas...
—I am leaving Earth. But I'll be riding something else.
—...What does that mean? What are you going to ride? ...Me?
His vision had spun once more because of that last sentence, causing him to lose the context of the conversation. It was a mistake. From the start, what Minjun was going to ride wasn't the point Ha Eun-seong should have been focusing on.
The real issue was where on earth they were going by riding those tentacles.
Just as Ha Eun-seong was feeling intensely anxious, the three-eyed alien broke his silence and asked the agent.
"May I perhaps ask where our destination is?"
The dimension where the main order of Elahu-Praga was located could not be reached from Earth in a single jump; it required passing through an intermediate layover.
Minjun answered him, and the priest tilted his head as if surprised. Among the countless layover candidates, it was a dimension that didn't seem to offer much advantage.
He asked himself. 'Why that place of all places? Does the avatar suddenly require a massive amount of gold?'
Meanwhile, thanks to the decisive word Minjun had just brought up, Ha Eun-seong completely understood. No matter how grim the atmosphere was, he couldn't hesitate any longer.
"A-Agent. Weren't we... supposed to be going to the North Pole?"
Minjun gave him a look that seemed to say, 'What kind of drunken Elf nonsense is that?' and Ha Eun-seong felt like crying.
"W-W-Wait a minute! Agent! Extraterrestrial? Not out of the country, but off-planet? I haven't mentally prepared myself yet... Mmph!"
Ha Eun-seong couldn't finish his sentence. A seething shadow surged up and swallowed Yuntus and him once again. It was Minjun's kind consideration to protect them from being crushed by the pressure accompanying a jump.
After wrapping all the passengers, including himself, in darkness, Minjun approached Dell. The construction and chanting of the spell were already complete. The only remaining step was to wait for the action of the power to amplify and manifest.
Having finished her task, his ex-wife spoke with a slightly exhausted expression.
"...How was it? Was it perfect?"
Minjun nodded.
The reason he didn't bother replying out loud was because he was thinking about something else.
'Was this really the right thing to do? If Dell ever changes her mind later, will I be able to control her completely?'
Was it right to borrow the power of Asiph-1, even if it meant braving the danger?
But he hadn't wanted to do that.
If he had to put a name to this irrational choice, 'lingering attachment' would be appropriate.
Minjun recalled the time a few days ago when he had caught, killed, and fled from the Todds who had besieged and attacked the shopping arcade. At that time, the very first things he packed before leaving were the items inside his sealed desk drawer. Usually, he kept only two items there. One was a blood sample secretly extracted from the Homunculus corpse found hanging in the hills. And the other was a special Dagger. He mentally repeated the phrase engraved on the hilt of that Dagger.
Memories flowed through time. When they first reunited, Dell made a promise: that from now on, she would atone for her sins against Minjun. She had spent her time as a prisoner paying for the sins she committed as a free person, but now that she was a free person, she would spend her time paying for the sins she committed while a prisoner.
"..."
Could he trust her?
Fwoosh!
Before he could continue that train of thought, Dell's spell finally activated. Sparks shot up, crushing space, and countless trails of bluish light swarmed in. Everything surrounding them endlessly contracted, then expanded, repeating the cycle.
Vwooom!
Minjun was swept up in a fleeting sense of elation and liberation. It felt as though his body was being disassembled into tiny particles and then pieced back together.
Like that, for the first time since becoming a prisoner, the sinner chose his next destination by his own will, not by the Committee's orders.
---!
And jumped.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter