<Chapter 49. Arranging the Stage - 3>

"Shin Woo, didn't you say that the Magic Emperor oversees the golem network? So then how did Seagald get up there undetected?"

"Seagald has his Annihilation Flame. Maybe he used that to mess with the golem network."

"Is that even possible?"

"Innate elements make it possible. In laymen's terms, they're like Haki in One Piece. In the first half, the characters fought with their Devil Fruit and their abilities, but in the latter half, they added Haki, which completely ruined the power balance."

"I'm not sure I understand, but I get that it's a cheat."

There was also a high chance that he used Annihilation Flame to pass through the barrier. The barrier, which doesn't allow any living being to pass through it, wasn't just some conceptual barrier, but also acted as a physical and magical barricade.

If the barrier was destroyed, then the Emperor would surely know. So the fact that the Emperor didn't know that Seagald was here meant that he'd used his Annihilation Flame to erase his and his subordinates' presences to pass through the barrier undetected. It really was an overpowered ability.

"I can't understand it logically."

"It's not a power that makes logical sense."

Comparing innate elements and determining which one was better was laughable, but Lee Shin Woo really felt that the Annihilation Flame was incredibly powerful. Seagald's Annihilation Flame was more powerful than the Emperor's Lightning Bind.

Most importantly was the fact that the Emperor wasn't always using his Lightning Bind to control the golem network. If that's the case, then it would be stranger if Seagald had been found.

"It's possible. He might already be forming a bridgehead to invade the surface."

"Like what you did by acting like a hero and hiding the fact that you were undead, Shin Woo?"

"No, there wasn't anyone suspicious in the Empire besides me. No matter how amazing the Annihilation Flame is, it wouldn't allow him to act perfectly like me. He, as well as his subordinates, wouldn't have been able to hide in plain sight."

"Then?"

...He's probably in a dungeon. The citizens of the Empire resented the Empire for neglecting the dungeons that endangered them. It's entirely possible that Seagald had found an abandoned dungeon and transformed it into his base.

No. If the surface's sewers had been converted into secret facilities like the underground's, then there was a chance that he could even be in the capital at this very moment...

"Ha. What a vicious bastard. To think he was already preparing himself for an invasion of the surface."

"Shin Woo, you're smiling."

"I can't help it."

By learning of Seagald's plan beforehand, he would be able to turn things in his favor! Kratia watched him and gave a silent prayer.

"Annihilation Flame Sword god... It was truly the perfect plan. It's unfortunate you had to meet Shin Woo."

"All plans look perfect until you figure them out."

Lee Shin Woo recorded Seagald's location and reported it to the Emperor through the communication device. Once he did so, the Emperor was furious beyond belief.

[The surface!? You're saying that that lowly undead fooled me!? How dare he trick me!?]

[I'm 100% certain. He's confusing us by quickly moving between the surface and the underground. That's why my report was late; I had no idea that he could return to the surface...!]

[Grr...]

Lee Shin Woo could hear the Emperor grinding his teeth. The angrier he got, the easier it became for Lee Shin Woo to trick him, so there was nothing better for him.

[I got it. Arema, you did well; you brought this to my attention before it was too late and I won't forget it. Now that I know he's here, there's no one that can stop me from punishing him!]

[It's an honor, Your Majesty.]

[Some of his forces must still be underground. That works in our favor. A few of the 12 Generals have finished their training, so finish off the rest of Anti-Skull with their help. We can't let them provoke Jissehanu no matter what. Don't let them even think about coming to the surface. Do you understand?]

[I understand, Your Majesty.]

Mm. As he thought, the Magic Emperor was indeed afraid of the Undead Emperor, Jissehanu. It was only natural; Jissehanu had studied magic like a madman for hundreds of years all in order to take his revenge and was also level 9. If the Magic Emperor was truly afraid, then... Lee Shin Woo thought about it, but first bowed his head deeply before the Emperor.

[As you wish, Your Majesty.]

[They'll arrive shortly. Don't let any of them get away.]

[Of course, Your Majesty.]

The line went dead. Lee Shin Woo left the room and released the Arema disguise, sporting an even larger smile than before.

"Soon..."

"Soon what?"

"Jeez, you surprised me!"

Just a second ago, there was definitely nothing there, but Jin suddenly appeared before him, raking the air with her hooves! Lee Shin Woo took a step back in shock and Jin spoke boastingly.

"No matter how good your perception range is, or how fast your reflexes are, it's impossible for you to react when someone instantly closes the distance from outside of that range, right?"

"I'm more surprised about how nonchalant you are about doing it."

"I almost have a full grasp on my speed. Now all that's left is you getting on and getting used to it too."

No, wait. He couldn't keep up with her speed, yes, but Wild Card was always active and had a huge range, so if she were able to fool even him, then... In a way, she had done something even more surprising than the likes of innate elements like Annihilation Flame or Shining Flame. Lee Shin Woo gazed at Jin, who snorted boastfully and looked at him doubtfully.

It didn't happen nowadays, but looking at her now, so confident, reminded him of the time when he'd had to get used to her speed.

"...Do I really have to?"

"It's ok. Lately, the Assimilation skill hasn't been gaining much proficiency. It'll work out as long as we level it up some more."

"Assimilation, huh... That'd be nice, but I have a lot on my plate right now."

Lee Shin Woo's Assimilation skill was already high rank level 7. It could only level up three more times; would he really be able to handle her speed with just that? Actually, would he even be able to level it up? Lee Shin Woo looked really disinclined and Jin retorted with a sullen voice.

"Seagald was kicking your ass in CQC last time."

"Ugh."

"I fought against him with Arema, but I didn't even land a single hit. I just attacked."

"Ugh."

Although Lee Shin Woo's combat senses were far greater than Jin's, their Agility stats were ultimately different. If their Assimilation was perfect, like Jin said, then Lee Shin Woo wouldn't have been pushed back. They would be able to face off against Seagald in close quarters combat.

"Your combat techniques are inherently powerful too. You put in a lot of effort and were rewarded for it. But now you're giving up on a head-to-head fight just because you lost? If that's not what you're doing, wouldn't it make sense to humiliate him back?"

"Y-Yeah. I think so too."

"Then, start training with me for at least three hours a day. Since it'd be more efficient to train with me than for you to try improving your reaction speed."

"...Yes ma'am, I understand."

There were no holes in her argument! Lee Shin Woo was forced to lower his head at his partner's lecture, and Jin forgave him whilst sporting a serious expression.

Jin was happy that she'd get three hours alone with him every day from now on, but Lee Shin Woo wasn't astute enough to notice. He was just thinking about how to level up his Assimilation skill as quickly as possible and then went back to Kratia.

"Lord Arema Steelworker. It's an honor to finally meet you."

"To think I'd have a chance to meet the star of the surface... I'm grateful to His Majesty for the opportunity."

[Hmm.]

Three days had passed since then. By then, a force of three hundred strong had been sent down from the surface. It was an elite force, consisting mostly of level 6s with two level 7s and even a level 8! He could tell that the Emperor had planned for this.

But there was something even more surprising than that.

[Lv8 Steel Armor General Horain Von Bateks - Elder Vampire]

[Lv7 Wind Demon General Melloto Von Medain - Vampire]

[Lv7 Conviction General Kisera Von Vulture - Vampire]

These guys... They're not only members of the 12 Generals, but also Vampires! Moreover, all of the levels 6s were Vampires as well!

So this is what the Emperor meant by 'training'? Lee Shin Woo was absolutely speechless. He supposed sending undead would make it much easier to pass through the barrier!

'I have to assume that they're connected to the Emperor through his Lightning Bind.'

The innate element that resulted from the fusion between the lightning and darkness element: Lightning Bind. It would force a connection between two people and was a fearsome innate element that allowed the Emperor to do certain things. But it wasn't as simple as it sounded; the Emperor couldn't just link himself to just anyone.

As proof of this, there had been no link between Arema's golem body and the Emperor. But the people here must have been turned into Vampires by the Emperor himself, so there was a chance that they were connected to him.

'There's no way the Emperor's suspicious of me. But there's a chance he wanted to see the underground himself.'

If that's the case, then he wouldn't be able to make them his subordinates through Instigate. If so, then what was the best way to get rid of them? He'd already made his decision. Lee Shin Woo inwardly smiled refreshingly and said.

[I already know where their base is. Let's get going immediately.]

"U-Understood. You're not taking your time, I see."

[I just can't tolerate the sight of those insects any longer.]

He'd prepared for situations like this. His golem squad, which had been on standby outside, appeared. Once he was finished creating the Mana Radar, he focused on manufacturing golems. He managed to create more than 200 level 6 golems, and integrated some better materials into one of them, creating a level 7 elite golem as well!

"I apologize for asking now, but where are the Four Heavenly Commanders...?"

[...I'm going to ask Anti-Skull about them myself... Do you have a problem with that?]

"N-No!"

Lee Shin Woo's voice was tinged with anger, causing the Vampires to flinch and become speechless; they hadn't known that Anti-Skull had killed the Four Heavenly Commanders. The level 8 Steel Armor General was the only one able to endure the pressure, and Horain Von Bateks asked carefully.

"Lord Arema. Have you found all of their bases?"

[Of course. There're five of them.]

The Mana Radar had obviously not only picked up Seagald's location but the location of the underground Anti-Skull bases as well. They broke up their forces, befitting a group that acted in the shadows, but it didn't matter. Lee Shin Woo had figured out where all of them were.

"Five bases... May I ask where they are?"

[Four of the five are nothing special. We just need to go there and destroy them.]

To be honest, Anti-Skull only had four bases underground.

[But destroying the last one will prove difficult.]

"Y-You're not saying..."

Horain, who was quick on the uptake, immediately realized what he was saying and gulped. Lee Shin Woo nodded his head and declared.

[They're building their forces within the capital. We have to kill them before they join forces with Jissehanu.]

Too bad there wasn't actually anything like that in the capital!