<Chapter 45. Heaven Defying General's Stage - 2>

[We've exchanged communications with Anti-Skull a few times. We've also forged a temporary alliance as well.]

"What do you know about its leader?"

[...Not much. But I do know that he disagrees with Jissehanu.]

Jissehanu. That was the first time he'd heard that name from someone other than the Goddess when she'd first summoned and explained the situation to him.

He was not only the Undead Empire's Emperor but was also the 2nd prince that was exiled from the surface. Jissehanu had immersed himself in research, in an attempt to one day return to the surface, but... was consequently the very person that had trapped all of his people underground.

[He was against Jissehanu's research from the very beginning. It was the first time he, the Emperor's sword, had disobeyed him. And he ultimately created a separate organization without the Emperor's knowledge... To this day, I'm not entirely sure what his true intentions are.]

"But you're working together for now because you both oppose the Undead Emperor."

[That's right. ...And because he's undead. He wouldn't be able to change anything by himself. No matter what his intentions were.]

Arema Steelworker said as he gazed at Lee Shin Woo. His eyes seemed to ask 'But how is it that you're doing this, and are you truly undead?'. Lee Shin Woo just ignored his questioning gaze and asked.

"Then why did you come to Bayran with them all of a sudden? What made you come here, knowing that you'd provoke the imperial army and meet with human beings that are still living and breathing?"

[That's...]

"That's?"

Lee Shin Woo tilted his head and shook Arema Steelworker's body (the soulless one). Seeing that, Arema Steelworker responded post haste.

[There's a magical weapon at the center of Bayran that was built to destroy the barrier! We were planning on using that to strike the Undead Emperor!]

"Aha!"

He'd solved the puzzle! This city was supposedly built for spirits and they had even brought in the Spirit General (princess) to help; ultimately, this was another one of the Emperor's experiments that would allow him to go outside!

[The Spirit General, Dana Von Etliber is the possessor of a powerful authority that compels spirits to follow her. In the past, the Emperor hypothesized that they would be able to destroy the barrier by using her power to accumulate all of the spirits' power in one place. Bayran was constructed so that she could use her power to its fullest.]

Impressive. Whether it be the Magic Empire or the Underground Empire, neither of them really cared about the spirits! The 2nd prince merely cooperated with the spirits, as their positions were the same, but they'd never gone out of their way to help them!

"So they tricked them. They drew them to the city, telling them that they were creating a paradise for spirits when they were actually using them as a power source for a barrier-breaking weapon."

[That's right. It was impossible for the Princess to do alone, but combined with the Emperor's obsession and highly advanced magic engineering, they almost brought it to fruition. This city was brought about through magic engineering. Though it's still a bit behind the surface's...]

The Dryads had implored him to meet with Dana Von Etliber, foolishly believing that meeting her would solve everything when...

'If so...'

Lee Shin Woo sported a crooked smile. Of course, he really wasn't blaming the Undead Emperor. On the contrary, he actually wanted to applaud him for doing everything he could to return to the surface.

But it was funny. That all that hard work had been for nothing. That the weapon that the Emperor had created to escape was being used against him.

"So you're going to aim that cannon at the capital and fire it."

[Paul Zero. You should feel it too. That magical tool's power is no joke; it's been untouched, accumulating energy for dozens of years. If it hits the capital, then even the Emperor won't remain unscathed. It seems like Jissehanu realized this too, seeing as how he sent one of the 12 Generals, but it's already too late. He won't be able to stop it.]

"Hmm, as I thought... You plan on taking on the Undead Emperor directly."

[Who do you think... is to blame for that...!?]

That's right. It was all Lee Shin Woo's fault! Originally, Arema Steelworker was only ordered to watch the Underground Empire. Because the undead weren't capable of change and had no means of coming to the surface, all he had to do was watch them. At least, that's all he should've had to do.

[But you made them 'aware' of our existence...! They've begun obsessing over us! We had no choice but to come out of hiding, if for no other reason than to protect the location of our base...!]

To think that his tactic, which he hadn't put much thought into, had been this effective! Lee Shin Woo realized that this chain of events was truly his fault and couldn't help but marvel at what he had done.

'I didn't completely understand the undead at the time, so... I didn't want to be the only one who took the fall and just wanted to make a mess of things.'

At this point, Lee Shin Woo started to make some assumptions, but the undead were indeed entities that acted in order to maintain the status quo. The Undead Emperor, Jissehanu, as well as the undead in the capital likely followed this principle.

In other words, they were acting in order to preserve the Emperor's authority. Thus, they had designated Arema Steelworker and his golems as a high level threat and looked into them, as they had killed the Lightning Shadow General (even though it was Lee Shin Woo) and had cleared out the secret production facility (also Lee Shin Woo).

At this rate, their base would eventually be discovered, so Arema Steelworker decided that they would risk fighting head-on in order to keep the location and the existence of their base a secret. So, they had forged an alliance with Anti-Skull and had begun to move.

"Then what about the humans?"

[The humans... The heroes will divert Jissehanu's attention from us.]

"As expected. Good insight. But you could've joined forces with them too."

[They'd be expendable. I've seen Seira Von Retadane before, but I was disappointed. Yes, she can use the light element. But she can't overcome the Emperor, let alone the Archmage. The magicians were promising, but once they reach the capital's stronghold, they would need at least dozens of years to get through.]

Expendable, huh. It was easy to understand. Lee Shin Woo inwardly smiled bitterly. He felt the exact same way about the golems!

After that, Lee Shin Woo asked a few more questions regarding their position and the current situation. Once he'd gathered enough information, Lee Shin Woo nodded his head and wrapped everything up by clapping his hands.

"Now that we know enough about each other, let's work together to reach our goal."

[You won't even show your face. How impudent!]

"Let's join up with Anti-Skull, shall we? If our goal of killing the Emperor aligns, then we could form a good relationship with them."

[Do you really think that man will trust you?]

Lee Shin Woo just ignored him and formulated a plan. In response, Arema Steelworker retorted. It had been a while since the Metal General's overwhelming pressure had disappeared. Lee Shin Woo just shrugged his shoulders and said.

"If it turns south, then I'll just have to rely on the Metal General's strength, now won't I?"

[You bastard...!]

If he managed to recruit the Metal General and Anti-Skull and attack the Emperor together, then he wouldn't need to do anything more.

He would make the three forces destroy each other, and in the aftermath, the Heaven Defying General's troops could clean up what remained. If he were to then kill the Magic Emperor after that, in tandem with the heroes, then that would be ideal... Of course, Lee Shin Woo was sure that things wouldn't go so smoothly.

'I need to get rid of the heroes' deep-seated hatred of the undead...'

He turned his gaze towards the frontrunner of that hatred, Seira Von Retadane, who was heading towards the center of the city and sighed.

She would personally confront the Metal General or the Annihilation Flame Sword God if she were to see them, so he'd sent the heroes inside, but even now, he wondered whether that was the right call or not.

'SSeup. It can't be helped. Whether it's the Metal General, the Golden Shadow General, or the Annihilation Flame General, it'll be fine as long as I handle them. They should be able to take on the Spirit General, who's been stuck here for dozens of years. ...But why do I feel uneasy now that I've thought that?'

Lee Shin Woo, who'd secured the allegiance of the Metal General, followed the traces of Anti-Skull, which had entered the city. In the process, he spoke to Chi Paul through telepathy and ordered them to hold the imperial troops back.

[Lord Paul Zero. Please tell me one thing. If we have to fight against Arema Steelworker, could you give me the honor of killing him myself?]

[I promise. When the time comes, I'll leave it to you.]

[Thank you very much.]

Hearing that, the Chi Pauls moved more quickly than before, as if they'd self-buffed themselves through their revenge. As ordered, the Chi Pauls activated the traps here and there, and led the imperial troops into them. This would slow the imperial army down, no matter how secretly they were moving!

Of course, Lee Shin Woo hadn't made that promise willy-nilly. He was hoping that Chi Paul would come out stronger than before after killing the one who'd made him like this, like Shino Rendu when he'd absorbed the Mercenary King's bone.

'If all goes well, then he may reach level 8 before Shino Rendu... No, more importantly.'

Lee Shin Woo sensed a familiar mana reaction and nodded his head. He was sure of it. It was Anti-Skull. Despite them being harassed by the Chi Pauls just a short while ago, their troops were as imposing as ever. Moreover, he sensed several level 7s in the middle of their force!

"As I thought, he has enough power to take on the Emperor alone."

[When the Retadane family was banished, their power was second only to Jissehanu and are likewise descendants of the royal family.]

Arema Steelworker said nonchalantly. How kind! He would definitely keep him around a little more before Chi Paul killed him.

"Arema."

[Keuk.]

Lee Shin Woo gave a brief and concise order. Arema Steelworker gritted his teeth, stepped forward, and revealed himself. Anti-Skull, which had split up into several groups, stiffened right then and there.

[Metal General!]

At the center, a knight exerting the most pressure amongst them stepped forward. He was garbed in a full suite of plate armor, but the goblin fire that seeped through his visor proved that he was an undead. But he wasn't Seagald Von Retadane. He was a level 7 elite, Tarian Von Retadane.

[Let's group up. There's been a problem that I have to explain to you guys.]

[A problem...? Wait a sec, is that man...?]

Lee Shin Woo belatedly stepped forward. Tarian was shocked upon realizing who he was. Lee Shin Woo softly raised one hand and introduced himself.

"I'm Paul Zero. I wanted to thank you on behalf of my subordinates."

[The Heaven Defying General...!]

Although he'd introduced himself amicably, Tarian remained shocked. No, he was actually exerting a significant amount of pressure...

[Enough. They'll be of great help to me and your Anti-Skull!]

[Metal General... Are you sure?]

It was momentarily silent. A short while later, he slowly nodded his head.

[Alright. We don't have time. I suppose we have to take all the help we can get, even if it means getting help from the devil himself.]

"Hoo. Good thinking."

Lee Shin Woo narrowed his eyes (he was in his skeleton form, so he didn't have eyes) and smiled. For a moment, Tarian hadn't controlled himself and had let his killing intent slip out, but... there was no way Lee Shin Woo would let that go unnoticed.

'Does he hate me for stealing his subordinates? No, that wouldn't be enough to...'

If Anti-Skull were truly an organization devoted to killing the Emperor, then there was no reason for them to kill him, the Heaven Defying General, especially because he could help them. Since Lee Shin Woo had only done things that would be harmful to the Emperor as the Heaven Defying General.

Them becoming undead and going crazy didn't fit either... Since that wouldn't explain their actions thus far.

'There's something more important here that I'm not getting. To Anti-Skull, to Seagald Von Retadane...'

What if Anti-Skull's objective... wasn't killing the Emperor?

Lee Shin Woo organized his thoughts and his lips twitched. Unfortunately for them, only Lee Shin Woo had the ability to sense their hidden feelings.