Chapter 690 – Call It a Diversion Operation (4) #PART1

Apollon Guild, BigBang Guild, and Venom Guild.

“…Don’t you think this is strange?”

The guild masters of the three guilds entered Gaon Guild Base.
It was strange. Suspicious. Impossible, even.
But despite saying that, there wasn’t anything particularly out of place.

“No traps or magic circles detected!”
“Good work, anyway.”
“No signs of ambush personnel either, Master.”

Even with the continuous reports, Venom’s guild master, Seong Siyoon, couldn’t shake off the unease. It was because he had witnessed Gaon’s might all this time as a fellow Korean guild.

“Sure, the brute Nam Taemin might be nothing special, but Nam Cheolmin? That guy is anything but ordinary. Why do you think I haven’t been able to take over Gaon until now? Because his analyses pierce through all of my weaknesses…!”

Class: [Poisoneer]
A class that tormented opponents by combining hundreds of poisons into squared patterns of endless variation.
The viciousness of a Poisoneer was well-known even to the hastily formed alliance of guild masters.

BigBang’s guild master, Costa, nodded.

“True enough. If he’s been able to see through all your tricks and still treated that way, then he’s probably been underestimated. But what matters is the current situation, right?”

“Costa’s right, Siyoon.”

Apollon’s guild master, Nana, brushed her long hair.

“No matter how great they are, without Nam Taemin they’re only half as strong, aren’t they?”

Siyoon muttered quietly.

“That’s true, but still…”

Why did they surrender so hastily?
There was probably only one reason. With the factions now split between hardliners and moderates, the Great Alliance no longer had the resources to face the one who had brought down the Magic Tower.

And then someone might ask: Then do you really think you can face them?

Costa flexed his thick arm muscles.

“We’ve been waiting for this very day, haven’t we? It’s our chance to prove the power we’ve grown on our own without joining the Holy War Alliance. Sure, we might get criticized for now. People might call us sneaky opportunistic bastards.”

Costa didn’t give a damn about that.

“You know something, Siyoon? In my hometown, gangs are more welcomed by the residents than the police. Do you know why? Because they realized gangs protected their safety far more reliably than the police from countless threats.”

Siyoon immediately understood.
If we just seize this opportunity…
Then no one would be able to condemn them.

As he mulled it over, they advanced without bloodshed all the way to the guild master’s office. Soon, a message popped up before the three of them:

[You have occupied Guild Gaon’s Hideout.]

Nana flashed a bright smile and held out her palm.

“How about a celebratory high-five?”
“Feels good, but it’s not over yet.”
“True. Especially when you look at that sky.”

Crack-crack-crack.

The sky split open violently. They could already guess. Beyond it was the existence that had brought down the Magic Tower.

“No point wasting words, it’s gotta be one of the Ten Thrones. So who do you think it is?”
“At least, it’s not Bael or Agares.”
“And why not? Considering Seoul’s value, they might bring out their full power too, no? Though yeah… I do get the feeling it’s not Bael.”

Siyoon listened silently to their exchange.

‘…Aren’t they being a little too relaxed?’

Before forming this alliance, they had all shared their hands with one another. So he knew exactly where that ease was coming from.

-“We’re not the only ones fighting.”
-“The Mexican government itself agreed to support us.”
-“As soon as we act, their air squadrons will launch toward Seoul. Justification? Who cares about that? The whole world is drooling for this. Even if the Korean government cries for help, who’s going to listen?”

As a Korean citizen, the words made his blood boil…
But they weren’t wrong.

As he’d said, what mattered was results.
It’s what people call the ‘lesser evil.’

No matter how wicked your deeds, if the outcome isn’t bad, you’ll eventually be reevaluated.

Costa immediately began operating the hideout management system.

“Look at the remains of the monsters that poured out of the collapsing rifts—modern weapons were enough to deal serious damage to them. If we add the advantages of siege warfare on top of that? Even the Ten Thrones won’t be able to do much, right?”

The numbers in his head worked out. It really did seem doable.
But Siyoon didn’t respond.

Because suddenly, something felt wrong.

‘…Would Nam Cheolmin really not know something Costa knows?’

Nam Cheolmin.
No, don’t overthink it.

If you try too hard not to underestimate, you end up overestimating. Damn, his head throbbed. Siyoon shook it.

Too late now. The die is already cast.

Maybe they really were overlooking the Ten Thrones. Sure, they hadn’t joined the Holy War Alliance, which meant they’d never faced the Ten Thrones up close.

But then again—
There’s a saying: ignorance is bliss.

Maybe their judgment was actually more objective. Siyoon thought so and refocused on the battlefield.

At last, he finished preparing to unleash his poison upon the Ten Thrones’ legion pouring from the sky.

A new message appeared.
If it’s the Demon King of the Second Throne, then that means Agares.

But why was it?
More than the Ten Thrones’ second seat, he felt the sense they were overlooking something even greater.

To drive away the strange unease, Siyoon muttered,

“Whatever the case, the victor is the one who defines justice!”

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