◈ Episode 328. Disaster Level: Cloudy (1)
It was after the Cataclysm that Yong Seong-rak began to stand out in Unification Under Heaven.
Whether it was because of Liuo Junchun’s brainwashing or not, he knew he had lived more fiercely than anyone else. And so, even after being abandoned on the Arcana Continent, Yong Seong-rak did not despair.
“……
What is this?”
But despair settled in Yong Seong-rak’s eyes, which had once shone with conviction. Yes. Because the system message, which Yong Seong-rak trusted as much as himself, had delivered its sentence. ‘I-impossible.’ Lee Hoyeol was not a being he dared to measure. [Granfell Cloudy Arpheus Romeo appears.]
The long full name did not enter his eyes.
All he saw was Cloudy.
That single word.
That word confirmed that the man before him was Lee Hoyeol.
A question was thrown at Yong Seong-rak.
“Is that man the adventurer claiming to be Cloudy?”
Retel’s question set Yong Seong-rak’s nerves on edge. ‘You still haven’t grasped the situation……?’ Back when Arcana was nothing more than a game.
Yong Seong-rak had experienced war quests like this countless times. Of course, because his level had been relatively low, he had never played an important role. Still, there was one thing he knew for certain.
Hunting, maybe—but war was not fought alone.
The same was true even for boss raids that weren’t ordinary hunts.
Even if one succeeded in a solo raid.
In the end, monsters had fixed patterns.
Which meant that if you broke those patterns, you could bring down the boss mob.
But war was different.
On a battlefield where players tangled together and fought, there were no fixed patterns. If a player occasionally stood out, it was common for them to be immediately suppressed by systematic tactics. ‘Even I’m specialized for that sort of role.’
Class, Blockader.
Yong Seong-rak looked down at the chains wrapped around both his forearms. The Blockader’s combat style was to inflict debuffs on enemies through chains, then connect himself to the enemy to restrict their movements.
No matter how much it was Lee Hoyeol.
On the battlefield, he wouldn’t be able to pay attention to even his class.
If the chance came, perhaps he would read the situation and try throwing a chain over Lee Hoyeol to earn contribution points. Yong Seong-rak had repeated that half-serious joke in his head.
And yet, an appearance message.
Belatedly, he realized how insane that thought had been.
The voice sounded again.
“Are you listening, adventurer?”
To think she was asking for his name in a situation like this.
Did she truly feel no sense of danger?
Yong Seong-rak ground his teeth inside his mouth and opened it.
“That is correct. It is certainly the adventurer, Lee Hoyeol.”
But even that did not satisfy her.
“I wondered who this fellow was, calling himself Cloudy—and Granfell, at that. It seems he has imitated him quite meticulously in his own way. The shining silver hair and the halo pouring forth are beyond even the Cloudy of my imagination.”
Was she actually appraising Lee Hoyeol? ‘……
This is no time for this.’
Yong Seong-rak reached a conclusion.
A difference in strength great enough for an appearance message to be displayed on the battlefield.
His extensive knowledge as a player was telling him.
Akamond, of course, and the Four Houses had not the slightest chance of victory.
The mind that had kept Yong Seong-rak alive until now provided the answer. ‘I have to split away, even now.’
Either he would watch for an opening and run.
Or, if that was impossible, he would slam his head into the ground before Lee Hoyeol and beg.
He had no choice but to make an extreme decision.
But Yong Seong-rak had overlooked something.
“Everyone, prepare yourselves.” ● Swear loyalty to Akamond. (Success)
“?!”
Had he not said it himself?
System messages were absolute.
He had already kissed the back of Retel Akamond’s hand.
And with that action, he had sworn loyalty.
Clank— Yong Seong-rak hesitated as he untied the knots in his chains. ‘Damn it!’ If he could, he wanted to display the appearance message right in Retel’s face.
But there was no way that was possible.
In the end, regardless of Yong Seong-rak’s will, the prelude to war began.
East, west, north, and south. The heads of the Four Houses announced the opening of hostilities.
“Advance.”
“Tear apart the specter of the past.”
“Trample them. The Empire is ours.”
However, all of them had overlooked something.
That in this place, they were not in a position to “give” orders. Gaps seeped into the voices of the heads of the Four Houses.
“I, Ignite □□□……?!”
“In the name of □□□……!!”
“Warriors of □□……?”
“□□□□. □□□□? □□□□……!!”
Retel clutched her throat and choked.
No matter how hard she tried, “Akamond.”
The name of her house, her own surname, would not leave her mouth.
“My lady, are you all right?”
“I sense no mana reaction.”
“What trickery is this?”
The vassals and soldiers murmured.
“……
Do not be shaken.”
Even then, Retel could not bring herself to imagine it.
She thought the man was playing some strange trick befitting someone impersonating Cloudy.
She thought this was precisely why adventurers could not be trusted.
“Pay me no heed and continue the march.”
But that, too, was a misjudgment.
For toward the servants who had betrayed his expectations.
Their master had long since withdrawn his mercy.
At the center of the battlefield.
Toward Hoyeol, who stood upright on his two legs.
Soldiers from all sides charged.
Thud-thud-thud-thud-thud—!
“!!!”
At the same time, the earth trembled.
Was it because the momentum of the troops was enough to shake the ground?
No. It was not on that level.
Crack-crunch-crack—!
“……
Th-the ground is moving!!”
The earth heaved.
So violently that it would not have been strange if it collapsed as it was.
Or rose up as it was.
“What trickery……!”
The gazes of the marching soldiers naturally turned toward their sole enemy.
But the man did not move in the slightest.
As if he had predicted everything.
He merely stood there in a posture so arrogant it was beyond belief.
There was not the slightest change in his expression, either.
That composure instead shook the advancing soldiers. ‘……
It’s definitely his doing.’ ‘Is it magic? Impossible. No exploration or interference process was detected.’ ‘To begin with, manifesting magic with his arms crossed is impossible!’
And for Yong Seong-rak, a player, it brought shock. ‘N-no way?’
Like a boss-class monster transforming the field.
Was Lee Hoyeol also manipulating the battlefield?
Could a mere player do such a thing?
Was he doomed to die a dog’s death like this? ‘No, that can’t happen.’
Yong Seong-rak gritted his teeth.
Then he shouted.
Not toward Lee Hoyeol, but toward Retel—more precisely, toward the Four Houses.
“Please take the lead and open the path for us, heads of house! Without your aid, we can do nothing. We are nothing more than meat shields. So.”
Prove the reason for that confident attitude.
If you truly wish to become rulers.
Then do not merely stand by while driving your allies to their deaths.
“Lee Hoyeol……. No, Granfell Cloudy Arpheus Romeo. Just as he has stepped forward alone to protect the Empire, please prove your unyielding might as well!!”
Rustle, rustle.
A strange atmosphere flowed at Yong Seong-rak’s cry.
In other words.
It was proof that the soldiers sympathized with Yong Seong-rak’s shout. ‘You think I’m going to die alone?’
From nearby, Retel’s gaze.
From afar, the gazes of the other three heads of house would be pouring down on him.
But Yong Seong-rak had no intention of backing down.
If he was going to die anyway, shouldn’t he at least struggle until the end?
Had that desperation reached them?
Yong Seong-rak’s flailing received an answer.
A voice rang out in the silence.
It was a voice he had heard countless times in reality.
Lee Hoyeol’s voice.
“O courageous one.”
“……?”
Their gazes met.
“I have remembered your face.”
“……!”
A brief exchange.
Judging by the generous tone, it was certainly not a warning. And yet, for some reason, goosebumps rose on Yong Seong-rak’s skin, even worse than when he had witnessed the appearance message…….
*
The Four Houses.
Now that, under Cloudy’s laws, they had been stripped of their names and blessings.
Even as they choked, unable to utter even their own names.
There seemed to be no leakage in their overwhelming combat strength. ‘Holy crap.’
This damned unbending pride.
As the master of the Four Houses, I would take responsibility for the situation.
To fulfill the words I had spoken, I was standing alone before the Four Houses. ‘They’re all no joke, are they?’
This was a difference in strength where I could not be confident of victory even if [Natural Enemy Relationship] activated.
Above all, the saying that there was no business against sheer numbers did not exist for nothing. ‘But I have something to rely on, too.’
I looked down at the violently shifting ground.
Someone might hastily assume I was milking that damn architectural magic again. To be honest, I had coasted on it so much until now that I had nothing to say, but……. ‘This time, it really isn’t that.’
That’s right.
At this moment, I was not the one shaking the earth.
They were the symbols of the Four Houses that had protected Cloudy’s territory.
Statues modeled after the first generations.
If asked why those statues were buried underground.
—There is nothing we can say, my lord.
It was because they could not bring themselves to believe their houses had changed.
It was because they had politely asked whether they might personally confirm the unsightly state of their descendants through D-End. I accepted because I thought they must have been driven to the point of making such a request, and immediately manifested a portal.
The target coordinates of that portal were right beneath my feet.
Underground beneath the Antonium Plains.
If I simply left them standing around, they would have drawn insane aggro.
And now was that time.
Craaaack—!
The statues, having confirmed everything.
Their emotions were being transmitted from beneath my feet.
Before long, resolute voices rang out.
—Please grant us the opportunity to put an end to the history of our houses with our own hands. Please grant these insignificant houses bestowed by Cloudy the chance to preserve their final pride. [You have obtained command authority over the Incarnation of Maxima.] [You have obtained command authority over the Incarnation of Yugrik.] [You have obtained command authority over the Incarnation of Cansel.] [You have obtained command authority over the Incarnation of Akamond.] [Current State: Awaiting Orders]
Sss.
For now, I shut my mouth.
Then I whispered inwardly. ‘If you stay still, you’re already halfway there, Hoyeol.’
Isn’t the best thing getting it done without lifting a finger?
Above all, the statues—the incarnations—had done nothing wrong. Just because their descendants had erred, wouldn’t it be a bit much to ignore the ancestors’ request through guilt by association? ‘No matter what, I still need insurance—an ally.’
It was the moment I had even considered the possibility of coasting through this.
Among the soldiers charging forward.
A man whose appearance somehow did not feel unfamiliar shouted.
“Please take the lead and open the path for us, heads of house!”
Well, up to that point, it was something he could say.
“Lee Hoyeol……. No, Granfell Cloudy Arpheus Romeo. Just as he has stepped forward alone to protect the Empire, please prove your unyielding momentum as well!”
But what, what did he say?
Granfell Cloudy Arpheus Romeooooo?!
Who the hell is that guy now?
How does he know not only my name, but even that embarrassingly long full name!!
Fortunately, my question did not last long.
The reason the man had not felt unfamiliar.
I immediately realized that the man was a player.
If he was a player I didn’t know, it was obvious he belonged to Unification Under Heaven.
Aside from me, they were the only ones who possessed access devices.
Of course, that was not what mattered. ‘Unification Under Heaven or whatever…….’
How do you know Granfell’s full name, damn it?!
If I followed my feelings, I would have immediately sealed that mouth shut and erased his memories with magic. But there was no way Granfell’s pride would allow such an action.
Besides. ‘Why are those guys acting like that now?’
Were they responding to the man’s desperate cry?
The heads of the Four Houses were stepping forward. To be precise, they were approaching me. Fearlessly, without even knowing who was waiting beneath my feet, and so confidently at that. ‘……
In any case, he did save me some trouble.’
If the heads of house had not stepped forward, I would have ended up wasting mana, time, or something else in battle against the soldiers. This was a situation that made me both grateful and deeply uneasy.
However, I could not reveal my true thoughts, so I calmly opened my mouth.
“O courageous one. I have remembered your face.”
Let’s have a nice, long talk later, the two of us. Hm?
Starting with how you came to learn my full name.
And what schemes you’ve been hatching on the Arcana Continent.
But before that.
It was time to dispose of the fundamental culprits behind this situation.
I shifted my gaze.
Toward the heads of the Four Houses approaching me.
Were the settings of the Cloudy Family ordinary settings?
Of course, each and every one of them had no choice but to be considerably skilled.
Even if the blessings were no more than scraps that Cloudy had in overwhelming abundance. Over a long period, the Four Houses must have grown their power without being threatened by anyone. It was not strange for their successors to possess abilities of that level.
But you know it too, don’t you?
I—Granfell—followed procedure.
I even kindly wrote it down on parchment and sent it to you.
Confiscated.
Everything the Four Houses possessed.
All of it had been stripped away in Cloudy’s name and returned to me.
And so.
Rumble-rumble-rumble— A roar.
The earth split open.
As if they had been waiting, the incarnations of the Four Houses revealed themselves.
“!!!!”
I opened my mouth in time.
“If you have forgotten your place, I shall remind you.”
To be precise.
“Greet them.”
As the head of the Cloudy Family, I declared.
“I am your master.”
“……!!!!”
Then, within the silence.
One after another.
Sounds rang out.
Thud. [‘Submission’ occurs in Retel □□□□.]
One thud. [‘Submission’ occurs in Cleanse □□□.]
Another thud. [‘Submission’ occurs in Smite □□.]
And lastly. [‘Submission’ occurs in Ignite □□□.]
Thud.
The Four Houses.
Every head of house knelt before me.