Episode 51.
"Vault No. 3. The Imperial Seal is there…."
A man received that voice, which seemed to be transmitted directly into his mind.
"As commanded."
The man brought his hands together at his center, palms joined.
Clad in yellow monastic robes with a shaved head, he was an Awakener who had awakened the Shaolin trait.
And he was no ordinary monk.
A single dot stamped between his eyebrows and forehead—the Precept Mark—signified both his status and the degree of his trait's evolution.
Thud.
He exited the temporarily erected tent.
"Everyone, listen!"
He let out a thunderous shout so loud it seemed to shake the vast, sprawling forest.
Rustle.
The underbrush shook as groups revealed themselves from all around.
They too wore monastic robes; every single one was an Awakener who had awakened the Shaolin trait.
Their numbers reached the hundreds.
All these people were following the orders of the monk standing before them.
Why?
Because although he bore only one Precept Mark, he currently held the highest position: Chief.
And he was working for the one who had bestowed this trait upon him.
And moments ago, he had received an order via telepathy.
"All personnel, move to the Terracotta Army's Vault No. 3, effective immediately."
"Yes."
"Your command is received."
Having already been ordered to stand by, there was not a moment's hesitation in their replies.
Stomp!
The Shaolin kicked off the ground and advanced.
They were not the only ones moving.
Swish, swish swish!
Black shadows soared toward the sky from the four cardinal directions.
Having received the same order as the Shaolin, the Wudang, Emei, Kunlun, Zhongnan, Kongtong, Diancang, Qingcheng, and Beggars' Sect.
All factions of the Nine Sects and One Alliance, excluding Mount Hua, began moving toward the Terracotta Army's Vault No. 3.
*
Crumble!
The terracotta soldier shattered into pieces by Yeongung's fist.
"Huff, hah…."
Relief washed over him as he exhaled roughly, the battle finally over.
Yeongung was not the only one exhausted.
"Ah, I'm dead."
Thud. William sank onto the spot.
"Huu—"
Jeong Dohwan, an icy man who rarely showed emotion, also let out a deep breath, seeming thoroughly exhausted.
"Everyone, good work."
Yeil was the busiest one after the battle ended.
For the time being, the Saintess had no combat ability.
Of course, later on she would demonstrate enough power to trample most traits, but that was still a matter for later.
As for her current utility.
Swish!
A brightly shining light—it was healing.
"Thank you."
William expressed his gratitude after receiving Yeil's healing.
The sweat that had covered his entire body moments ago vanished.
That was only natural, for the Saintess's healing did not merely mend wounds.
It also replenished the energy required for activity, known as vital energy.
It was a miracle possible only for the Saintess among all healing traits.
Of course, since her trait had not yet evolved, only a tiny amount would be recovered now.
"Take these."
I tossed four Gongjindan pills that I had prepared in advance.
"Eat them and take a short rest. We're about to enter the real battle."
Of course, they were no ordinary Gongjindan.
They were crafted with a focus on mental strengthening and vital energy recovery; consuming just one would restore a considerable amount of stamina.
"Hold on!"
Yeongung, chewing on a Gongjindan, looked at me as if something had come to mind.
"What?"
"I think you said something about the real battle earlier."
"You heard right."
"...So what we've been doing until now wasn't the real battle?"
A look of utter exasperation.
William had the same expression.
'The translator's performance is really something else.'
Even though we were conversing in Korean, the reason he understood the content perfectly was because he possessed an enhanced translator.
It recognized speech and translated the content directly into his earpiece. The translation rate used to be a mess, but after reinforcement, it had been reborn as a perfect translator.
That was why having an Englishman among us posed no communication problems.
"Of course."
"...Of course?"
"What kind of soldiers have we encountered so far?"
"Infantry, archers, and some cavalry."
"Now, in a typical war, you have soldiers, and above them..."
"...there are generals."
"Correct!"
"Bloody hell!"
William cursed, having listened intently.
"That's why I'm telling you to rest well. We have to go catch the general now."
Leaving the complaining pair behind, I gazed toward the front.
Ahead, buried in an eerie darkness, the command center—the highlight of this battle—lay waiting.
A general that did not exist in Vault No. 1 or No. 2, one that could only be seen in Vault No. 3.
"Let's head out now."
Together with the party, finished resting, we advanced toward that place.
*
At first, it was filled with darkness.
But after walking a certain distance.
Sssss—
A pale mist began to form around us.
Gulp!
Yeongung and William swallowed dryly, seemingly nervous.
Jeong Dohwan was a man without emotions to begin with, so that was to be expected.
'Is this bravery, or has she lost all sense of fear?'
Unexpectedly, Yeil, the sole woman, remained composed.
She had been the same earlier.
Even when someone died before her eyes, she maintained a calm expression.
Perhaps it was because she had experienced such a terrible crisis due to the pseudo-religion.
'Or perhaps that was her original personality.'
Before the regression, I had thought she had become someone inhuman due to the cult leader.
But seeing her now, it didn't seem to be exactly that.
Should I call it composure, or should I say she had attained some kind of enlightenment?
'Wait.'
In a way, she looked like a survivor who had endured the apocalypse for a long time.
'It's not a bad thing.'
I didn't know what had triggered it.
However, if she maintained an attitude like this, there likely wouldn't be much difficulty surviving the apocalypse going forward.
And now was not the time to worry about that.
Swaaaah—
The mist lifted.
The hazy space where even one meter ahead couldn't be distinguished changed, and finally, the revealed sight was.
"Wow!"
"Oh!"
Exclamations burst out.
Unlike until now, where there had been nothing but dirt, the space was adorned with quartz.
Situated there were two terracotta warriors that looked as though they might move and come alive at any moment.
Their attire was different from the usual infantry, archers, and cavalry we had seen.
Not only were they each mounted on enormous horses, but they also held unique weapons in one hand.
On the left, the tall general exceeding two meters held a massive club resembling a pestle.
With shortly tied-up hair, a stalwart physique, and veins that looked ready to burst through his skin at any moment, he appeared to be a fierce general at a glance.
And on the right, there was someone slightly different from the fierce general on the left.
A helm-like mask covering half his face, a physique that was stalwart yet balanced, and a flexible sword curved like a snake.
A general who appeared closer to a wise commander than a fierce one.
They were Qin Shi Huang's closest confidants.
The fierce general and the wise commander who played decisive roles in ending the Warring States period.
The terracotta warriors before our eyes now were created in their very image.
'They aren't simple terracotta warriors.'
As could be seen from their unfaded colors, the two terracotta warriors were not simply baked from clay.
Souls had been placed within the vessels baked from clay.
Something that should have remained a legend, something that should never have happened, had become reality through the transcendental phenomenon known as the Cataclysm.
"...But nothing is—"
As they say, speak of the devil; Yeongung's words were the signal.
Crack.
Cracks began to form on the bodies of the two terracotta warriors.
At first, they were mere tiny cracks, but soon they expanded their domain.
Snap!
Before long, they shattered into pieces, scattering fragments.
"Hee-hee-hee-hee-heng—"
The Crimson Blood Horse, awakened from its long slumber, let out a cry that broke the silence within the chamber.
And at the same time.
Whoom—
The moment I thought the wind was blowing.
"Whinny—"
Before I knew it, the crimson Red Blood Horse and the white Blood-Sweat Horse had approached before my eyes.
Of course, the two generals leading those horses also sent sharp gazes from above, looking down at us.
"Speak."
The fierce general, a commander with bulging eyes that seemed ready to spew fire at any moment, asked.
"For what purpose have you come to this place?"
From the entire body of the fierce general who asked thus.
Guooooo—
An enormous sense of pressure erupted.
"Hup!"
The party, crushed by that imposing aura, sucked in empty breaths.
Why wouldn't they?
Even I felt an aura so intense my skin stung.
Had we not been ones who possessed the potential of the Ten Venerables, we might have immediately collapsed onto the floor and soiled ourselves.
"Our purpose..."
I looked up at him, feigning composure with effort.
I couldn't let it show.
Because.
'Depending on the purpose of the visit, various branching points occur.'
This conversation was an important branching point.
It was something I had learned through the Sage's information.
For those who desired martial might, the One Against a Hundred Bulwark.
For those who desired wisdom, the Tactician's Bulwark.
For those who desired treasure, the Great General's sword and armor.
Depending on the purpose of visiting this place, various rewards could be obtained.
Of course, none of it could be obtained for free.
'I have to pass the trials of the two Great Generals, Meng Wu and Wang Jian.'
Their true identities were Meng Wu and Wang Jian, Great Generals of Qin who ended the Warring States period and first unified China.
Meng Wu, who had boasted peak martial prowess through innate monstrous strength.
Wang Jian, who excelled in cold, calculated strategy and tactics, especially defensive techniques.
Passing the trials of the two generals who possessed peak skill was no easy task.
'Before the regression, the Heavenly Demon obtained the One Against a Hundred Bulwark here.'
That was one of the many reasons the Heavenly Demon could become the leader of the martial world.
The power of One Against a Hundred, which demonstrated even stronger effects when facing multiple opponents, made the Heavenly Demon stand out even in the martial world teeming with experts.
"Speak."
Meng Wu raised his imposing aura once more, pressing for an answer.
One Against a Hundred, the Tactician, the Great General's sword and armor.
No matter which one was chosen, it would be an incredible reward without regret.
But.
'I can't be satisfied with that.'
My ultimate goal is not to survive long in the apocalypse.
It is to pass through the apocalypse and finally save humanity.
To reach that which could be called the realm of the incomprehensible, I must walk a thorny path.
'Patience is bitter, but its fruit is sweet.'
And at the end of the thorny path, a sweet fruit awaits—an enormous reward befitting it.
"...If it's purpose, I certainly have one."
Breaking the silence, I opened my mouth.
"Speak."
Meng Wu repeated the same words as before.
Unlike him, Wang Jian was merely observing the entire situation intently from behind.
Certainly, that masked fellow standing gloomily in the back was more unnerving than Meng Wu asking openly.
But well, having chosen this path, I couldn't afford to be choosy.
"The Emperor."
"...What?"
A single word.
Because of it, not only Meng Wu but even Wang Jian, who had been observing the situation calmly, trembled slightly.
A good reaction.
But it doesn't end here.
"I'm going to kill Qin Shi Huang and ascend above the Emperor, so you'd best hand over the Imperial Seal quietly."
Qin Shi Huang.
The Emperor of Qin who first unified China, a greedy man who dreamed of immortality.
"You—"
"Treason!"
An enormous fury.
ROAAAAAR—
It surged through the chamber like a storm.
Moreover, it would not end with simple aura.
Sssssst!
The surroundings, the scenery, began to change in an instant.
In the blink of an eye, the quartz-made space disappeared, and in its place was a vast wasteland.
A space that seemed dyed entirely red due to the reddish-hued soil.
Where we stood was not flat ground.
"W-what?"
"What in the world is this...?"
A sturdy fortress with walls blocking all four sides.
Looking down from there, we could confirm a grand army lined up below.
And Meng Wu and Wang Jian standing at their vanguard.
Unique Domain: Siege of the Citadel.
It was an unprecedented war that must be waged to obtain the Imperial Seal and ascend above the Emperor.