Just before the cannonball was fired, Hekto sharply yanked the steering lever. It wasn't that he saw it and dodged; he moved a beat earlier purely by reading a sinister premonition.
He proved that surviving until now wasn't just luck. The moment the shockwave erupted from the muzzle, faint lines seemed to connect, and the ground where Hekto had been shattered like glass.
It was too large to be called a cannonball. An iron sphere reaching 1 meter in diameter arrived faster than the explosive sound. It shattered even the solid earth, causing a localized earthquake.
The Juggernaut swayed from just the aftermath. A direct hit would mean instant death for anyone.
The jackals following far behind Hekto were staggered by the shockwave. A few even slipped and tumbled across the ground. Witnessing the fearsome power of Hwanggeumgyeong, they screamed out.
"You didn't say it would be like this!"
"This is crazy! Run!"
Thoroughly terrified, the jackals changed direction. The hundreds who had been charging toward Hwanggeumgyeong scattered in all directions.
It was the movement of a disorganized mob, but that was actually good.
If they recklessly approached Hwanggeumgyeong, their very existence, along with their mounts, would be alchemically transmuted into something else. Because they scattered while keeping their distance, Hwanggeumgyeong's attention was also dispersed. The muzzle lost its target and wavered.
But only for a moment; the muzzle flared open like a horn. Visible inside was a black sphere, similar to the one used in the city earlier.
Grapeshot. It intended to sweep away the jackals with a rain of steel.
"Huaaaaah!"
Hekto drew out every ounce of strength he had ever used.
His power was Suppression. The power to pound steel. His Innate Demon Dao shoved the pitch-black sphere back into the muzzle. The bomb trying to exit through the throat refluxed due to Hekto's Innate Demon Dao.
'I didn't think Hwanggeumgyeong cared for Yeolguk. The place he truly loved was the Golden Nation. However, I, who served by his side... believed that perhaps the two might be the same to him. Even without any basis.'
Hekto's ability had its limits too. The force he could apply was, at best, only enough to beat and flatten metal.
Compared to that, Hwanggeumgyeong's power was near infinite.
Hekto trying to force the cannonball back, and Hwanggeumgyeong trying to fire it. The two forces briefly contested, but the balance soon broke. The cannonball, which was about to fall back inside the muzzle, bounced out again. The pitch-black cannonball floated up into the air. It looked as if it would explode at any moment and pour out grapeshot.
"Keuh, uuuugh!"
Hekto desperately suppressed the bomb right before it detonated. Interrupted right before exploding, the cannonball's momentum was greatly blunted.
An explosive sound, but much smaller than the previous one. The steel fragments scattered over a much smaller area than when they covered the city. Even the slowest jackals could see and dodge it.
-However, what Hekto barely managed to block was just a single cannonball.
Using all his strength, wit, and even luck, he only blocked one of Hwanggeumgyeong's cannonballs.
Above and below the cannon, new cannons smashed through the walls and popped out. The number was no less than nine. The fearsome cannons aimed at Hekto and the jackals following him.
Even if they were hastily made cannons, if the creator was Hwanggeumgyeong, he would easily claim the lives of hundreds of humans. Hekto calmly finished his assessment.
'Ah, I'm done for.'
It was impossible. With Hekto's power, dealing with one roughly made cannon of Hwanggeumgyeong's was his absolute limit. If Hwanggeumgyeong intervened directly like now, he would be broken like a toy.
'I have to escape from here at least. Only then might I save my life. My life...'
Hekto fell into thought for just a brief moment.
Alchemy and metallurgy are inseparably linked. Even if the material of a substance is changed, some degree of physical intervention is necessary to smelt it into the desired shape. Because not every alchemist is Hwanggeumgyeong.
Hekto was an artisan who took on such tasks. Born without both legs, he walked on his two arms instead, which made his arm strength stronger than anyone else's. Hekto's job was to beat and fold iron plates with his brute strength and skill.
Even renowned alchemists received Hekto's help at crucial moments. He developed a sense of pride, and during his heyday, he even looked down on alchemists.
Then one day, the Shaping Cult Master, who had been watching him with interest, brought him to Hwanggeumgyeong to cure his arrogance, and Hekto saw a god there.
The god of Yeolguk, who alone shaped the form of the world.
'...Whether it's a celestial god or an earth mother goddess. They're all just loud words; no one has actually seen them. However, in Yeolguk, a god actually exists. A god who is greater, more powerful, and more human than any celestial god.'
Having attained enlightenment, Hekto became a Cult Master. Succeeding the Shaping Cult Master, he was chosen as Hwanggeumgyeong's Guardian and devoted his lifelong loyalty. He coordinated with the Golden Cult Master to care for Hwanggeumgyeong, and guided him to create things the nation needed. Coldly speaking, Hwanggeumgyeong was nothing more than a puppet of the two Cult Masters... but Hekto truly revered Hwanggeumgyeong.
At the final moment, instead of changing direction, Hekto released the limiter of the steel heart. At that moment, the Juggernaut entered a self-destructive rampage.
The engine screamed and vibrated. The wheels, whose rotation speed had increased rapidly, spun idly on the ground. Hekto slammed the Juggernaut down to the ground with his power of Suppression. The wheels that had been spinning idly dug into the earth and accelerated even more.
"...Here I go."
The rampage mode that Hwanggeumgyeong had made as a joke. Now it could no longer be stopped. It would continue to accelerate until it crashed into something and its body shattered to pieces.
Hekto turned himself into a giant projectile and charged at the Golden Palace. Dozens of gun muzzles and cannon muzzles popped out from the Golden Palace and aimed at him, but Hekto ignored them and gripped the shaking steering lever even more fiercely.
Whether they fired or not didn't matter. Because the moment the Juggernaut went on a rampage, he was already dead.
And whether Hekto died or not didn't matter, because the intended goal had already been achieved.
Because Hekto had clearly drawn their attention.
Hekto's rampage wasn't threatening to Hwanggeumgyeong, but it was flashy and intense. So much so that Hwanggeumgyeong couldn't pay much attention to the approaching mound of earth.
However, even Hwanggeumgyeong probably couldn't have predicted that the mound would split open and a ship would burst out from within.
"The operation is a success! Rust Cult Master, charge!"
The Golden Ship surged forward, sliding over the churning earth. On the deck, instead of a figurehead, stood the Regressor holding Jijan. The very extreme point where the Golden Ship and the Golden Palace collided. Standing in the most dangerous space in the world at that moment, the Regressor swung Jijan widely.
An unprecedented tactic in human history unfolded: the ramming tactic of an ironclad ship against a castle.
"Jigon Style, Grand Severance!"
Right before the two massive bodies collided, the Regressor cleaved the wall of the Golden Palace. No matter how solid the castle wall was, Jijan, bearing the weight of the earth, tore it apart with its sheer mass.
The fissure Jijan made in the castle wall. The Golden Ship wedged itself right into that gap.
Screech, crunch. The steel ship became a sharp blade and gouged into the Golden Palace. Crushed rocks poured down, and the steel crumpled, folding into hideous wrinkles. Amidst the clash of overwhelming forces, the frontline infantry caught in between suffered a horrific tragedy.
The giant steel beasts bit at each other. The debris crumbled by rust billowed up like a bloody rain. The two Juggernauts, who had never encountered anything larger than themselves in their lives, roared fiercely at the appearance of a rival.
The castle wall surrounding the Golden Palace was stronger than steel, but it too was a body formed by alchemy. Peru's Golden Ship was an icebreaker that melted and crumbled all obstacles ahead. Gradually, the Golden Ship eroded the Golden Palace and dug deeper inside.
In the midst of it all, the Regressor, who was precariously maintaining his balance right in the center, looked back at the Golden Ship and shouted.
"Alright! Rust Cult Master, keep going just like this!"
As if responding, the Golden Ship accelerated even more. As if trying to enter the Golden Palace, it scraped the ground more and dug deeper.... To the point where half of the hull had entered.
"Father?"
"Yes?"
Hilde, who was driving with me riding along, pointed forward with her finger and spoke.
"Is that right? It looks like it's being eaten~?"
"Uh, to put it nicely, it's digging in well."
To put it badly... it's being swallowed whole.
Every time the Regressor's fighting spirit could be heard, the Golden Palace heaved. Flying homunculi poured various attacks trying to invade the Golden Ship, but the moment they entered somewhere, darkness surged and devoured them. In the meantime, the Golden Ship kept scraping the ground and pushing against the Golden Palace. As if trying to overthrow the castle.
Perhaps even mythical battles occur quite unexpectedly. Like now, when we came to negotiate a peace treaty and a fight broke out. I don't really want to get involved in that, but I am interested in the meeting between Hwanggeumgyeong and the Rust Cult Master.
"Hilde. Let's go."
"There? Uh, um. Father. Do we really have to?"
"Yes. Absolutely."
When I said it firmly, Hilde let out a deep sigh and stepped on the pedal. The two-wheeled vehicle accelerated following Hilde's pedaling. Certainly, humans are the most convenient for power. If she uses Qi, the speed is quite fast, and above all, it has voice recognition and autonomous driving.
"Faster! Run!"
"I'm! Trying!"
I urged Hilde with my mouth and used mind-reading. As the Golden Palace drew closer, the thoughts of those moving inside were transmitted to me.
The Golden Palace was no different from Hwanggeumgyeong's own body. All matter inside the Golden Palace deformed and moved according to his will. The Regressor and Tir, who entered the Golden Palace following the Golden Ship, faced attacks swooping down from all directions. The floor rose, the ceiling collapsed, and countless traps flew in targeting the two. Attacked by every weapon imaginable by humans, the two had considerable difficulty dealing with it.
In the midst of it all, Peru, who had penetrated inside the Golden Palace, advanced ceaselessly.
The floor and ceiling closed in, trying to crush Peru caught in between. The moment she recognized that, Peru's Innate Demon Dao crumbled the top and bottom. The ceiling collapsed, and the floor crumbled. Then. Even if Peru's body fell, it wouldn't be crushed.
The moment sharp springs popped out to tear Peru apart... The rapidly rusted body couldn't withstand its own force and shattered. The moment a spiked iron sphere traced a trajectory to strike Peru, the weakened chain snapped with a snap and tumbled away in a different direction.
That wasn't all. The mirrors installed here and there to block vampires instantly lost their luster, and the weapons with sharply honed edges shattered like glass from their thinnest parts.
If Hwanggeumgyeong's palace was also the result of alchemy, then Peru was its demise. Not powerful, but crushing all of Hwanggeumgyeong's intentions, Peru advanced even deeper.
'...I expected it. The Golden Ship too, was made by Hwanggeumgyeong. If I get close, I'll be used as material...'
Shocking the Golden Palace was meaningless. No matter how much they destroyed it, it would be restored if Hwanggeumgyeong remade it. Nevertheless, there were two reasons why Peru chose to charge in. One was to reach Hwanggeumgyeong quickly. The other was to infiltrate the Goro, which provided power to the Golden Ship, entirely into the Golden Palace.
'...Jannok Goro. The only tool that can contain my power to collapse everything inside.'
Hwanggeumgyeong bestows gifts upon the 'disciples' who come to see him. To allow the disciples to maximize their enlightenment, he presents equipment that can utilize their Innate Demon Dao at 200%. That was the Juggernaut. Hwanggeumgyeong's mystery gifted to the Cult Masters who inherited his progression.
However, even Hwanggeumgyeong pondered for a long time when faced with Peru.
Peru's Innate Demon Dao was a power that brought about the demise of matter. How on earth could a power that denied matter be utilized as a tool? Even when Hwanggeumgyeong made this and that, it would just crumble when Peru's ability reached it.
'...At that time, there was even talk of killing me.'
A certain Cult Master argued that Peru's power, which denied alchemy, was ominous, and rather than leaving future troubles, they should eliminate her. However, Hwanggeumgyeong didn't even react to those words, and kept making various things until he overcame Peru's power. For days and nights on end.
What the Demon God created after much agonizing was Jannok Goro. Closer to glass than iron, a black box whose structure was hard to understand, let alone its material. Because breaking it meant it couldn't be restored, even Peru couldn't grasp its structure. The only certainty was that as long as there was matter inside to collapse, it would never crumble. Hwanggeumgyeong's majesty was great enough to overcome even contradictions.
Presumably, the process of trial and error was also a joyful subject of meditation and another source of inspiration for Hwanggeumgyeong. Because that was the only stimulus for Hwanggeumgyeong, who lacked nothing. However, even a simple meditation... could be a precious gift to someone.
'...Hwanggeumgyeong.'
The Golden Palace changed its structure again. Perhaps feeling that pouring attacks was not enough to handle Peru, it now attacked Peru in a different way. The floor disappeared. Peru, stepping on nothing, staggered and fell down the corridor. Sharp iron stakes were jutting out where she was about to fall.
Even Peru was helpless against this kind of attack. However, Peru hadn't come unprepared either. She took out a pure white orb from her bosom and burst it.
The Wind Orb given by the Regressor. A storm blew and pushed Peru's body away. Unable to gauge the force, she slammed her back against the wall, but it was still better than hitting the stakes. Having barely escaped, Peru scattered the power of rust and walked to an even deeper place.
[It is difficult.]
At that time, a voice echoing through the corridor was heard. Peru looked in the direction where the voice came from and spoke.
"...Hwanggeumgyeong."
[To deal with mercenaries, functions are necessary. However, if you are here, they cannot perform their functions. It is unsightly, but the only way is to collapse the entire Golden Palace.]
If it came to it, he was thinking of making the entire Golden Palace Peru's tomb. However, Peru had expected that much. Peru's ability was an absolute trump card against alchemy, but she herself was a frail human. If Hwanggeumgyeong tried to kill her by any means, there was no way Peru could endure.
Still, Peru headed here. Partly to protect the country... but that wasn't the only reason. Embracing Jannok Goro to her chest, walking down the endlessly stretching long corridor, Peru pleaded with Hwanggeumgyeong.
"...Are we not enough?"
A Cult Master can converse with Hwanggeumgyeong. Because their mindscape was rooted in Hwanggeumgyeong, only the Cult Masters could seriously communicate with Hwanggeumgyeong, who was left with only a mindscape. Peru's words reached Hwanggeumgyeong's mindscape. The mindscape reacted to those words.
[What do you mean?]
"...We revere you. Although it is not the Golden Nation, your power and majesty are common knowledge in Yeolguk. Yet, was Yeolguk... so lacking that you could not stay?"
Even to Peru's sorrowful words, Hwanggeumgyeong answered dryly.
[I never commanded you to revere me. It was you who arbitrarily entered and lived in my Golden Nation, and it was you who tore off my possessions and sold them without my permission.]
"...It was to survive."
[And so I am trying to kill you now.]
A logic that only a god, transcending life and death, could unfold. Peru swallowed briefly and spoke.