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Chapter 191: The Seven Lords (4)
Creak.
Cedric twitched his fingers like a rusty machine.
‘It’s a mental attack.’
It wasn’t magic, but some kind of divine power. The kind etched into the very being of a succubus.
―Forget.
A voice echoed endlessly in his ears, blurring his memories like a taut string about to snap.
Cedric’s soul barely resisted the allure.
A strong mind resides in a strong body.
There was a reason for such a saying.
There were only two possible ways one could survive that: either a high level with a matching body, or simply have an incredibly strong will.
Cedric’s level wasn’t that high, as he followed his master, Kim Minwoo.
But his willpower was different.
He had endured an endlessly repeating cycle for a very long time. Whether he wanted it or not, that time had greatly strengthened his mental fortitude.
Even so, the best he could do was barely hold on.
If he weren’t an undead.
If he hadn’t been preserved for an almost immortal time.
He would have ended up like the lizard Amteron next to him, drooling with a slack jaw.
Perhaps the memory of this moment would have faded to a blank slate.
Even Merhen, a fellow legion commander, was frozen like a stone, resisting the Charm as best she could.
‘…By the way, this is surprising.’
His master, Kim Minwoo, came into view.
Unlike them, who could barely twitch a finger, his body was slowly moving.
Soon, he was the first to approach Lilith, thrusting his sword.
‘How does he possess such willpower?’
Honestly, Cedric was puzzled.
It was the same when he was first rescued from the ambush. While everyone was frozen by Mutakta’s roar, he was the only one who took a step forward.
It wasn’t like he had lived a life that would foster strong willpower. He was called a good-for-nothing, so what more was there to say?
Anyway.
Thanks to his master distracting the succubus, it became much easier to move.
He could address his curiosity later. Right now, the battle was the priority.
[Merhen uses ‘Rampage’!]
[Cedric utilizes ‘Manifestation’!]
Dragon wings sprouted from the backs of the two legion commanders.
[Merhen casts Cyclone (SS)…]
[Merhen casts Firestorm (SS)…]
[Cedric uses ‘Dragon Blood Slash’…]
Lilith, one of the Seven Lords.
Skills poured down on her.
“Haha! Your summons are quite unique too, aren’t they? Fascinating, truly!”
Lilith’s eyes sparkled as if she had discovered beautiful jewels.
* * *
Lilith, the Empress of Charm.
Her combat strength was the lowest among the Seven Lords. But that didn’t mean she couldn’t fight.
If she had relied solely on Charm, she wouldn’t have been evaluated as one of the Seven Lords, but far below that.
The reason she was called one of the Seven Lords.
Among them was her vicious physical prowess.
Ten sharply filed nails tore through the air. A suffocating pink aura engulfed the surroundings.
[Entering the Realm of Charm!]
[Inhaling Dream Mist!]
[Mind becomes clouded!]
[Chance of experiencing hallucinations greatly increased!]
A body built on strength and flexibility easily deflected Cedric’s spear. It dodged and ripped through Merhen’s support magic.
‘Damn, she’s tough.’
Even when they attempted overlapping attacks, she evaded them a step ahead with her overwhelming physical abilities. Even Dolswe’s self-destruction was of little use. Despite the periodic explosions, it didn’t seem to inflict significant damage on Lilith.
That meant she had a high amount of health.
‘She must be under a massive penalty.’
She had come from 1st District to 9th District.
Even moving from 8th District to 9th District was said to carry a considerable penalty, so hers must be beyond words.
She was undoubtedly suffering from an immense penalty. Yet, her combat ability was still at that level.
‘Just what is her level?’
One thing was for sure, it seemed ridiculously high.
Her combat sense was also top-notch. She seemed several steps above Isabella.
The most troublesome thing was the pink mist that billowed from her body.
Even holding his breath, the dream mist continued to be absorbed into his body. It seemed to be inhaled directly through his pores.
Should he use the nuclear bomb or not?
Considering the difference in power, it was the right choice. The Seven Lords were far stronger than he had anticipated.
‘Well, I guess.’
This was a place where all sorts of races gathered from across dimensions, so it was no wonder the strongest seven among them were exceptional.
However, the reason he wasn’t using it right away was that there was no murderous intent in Lilith’s eyes. From the beginning, she had been secretly observing them.
With that much power, she would have revealed herself the moment she decided to eliminate them.
If that wasn’t the case, it was highly likely that Lilith had another purpose.
Sparkling eyes.
Kim Minwoo had seen those eyes countless times.
They were eyes filled with desire.
Unless she had the temperament to destroy what she couldn’t have, she wouldn’t try to kill them right away.
Then, there was no need to use the nuclear bomb, was there?
That’s why he continued the battle.
This could be seen as a kind of interview.
‘If we can cooperate with the Seven Lords… it wouldn’t be bad.’
Especially now that they were enemies with the Blood Wolf .
Just as Kim Minwoo was analyzing Lilith, so was she.
‘Truly, magnificent.’
A mere resident of 9th District had endured dozens of her attacks. Considering the level difference, it was unbelievable. Her level had surpassed 10,000.
The unique nature of the Heavenly City.
It was possible because she was a resident who had lived there for hundreds of years and had the skills to be among the Seven Lords.
Was that all?
The quality of their equipment was also beyond imagination.
Even if a typical necromancer were to handle such unique summons, they wouldn’t last a single exchange before collapsing.
After all, they aren’t a class proficient in close combat.
But he endures.
He stubbornly keeps attacking.
“Truly, magnificent.”
“Bullshit.”
“I’m serious. Even with the penalty, there’s no rookie who could withstand my attacks this much.”
This wasn’t just a raw gem.
It was a brilliantly shining jewel.
Even if the Blood Wolf came, it wouldn’t be easy to subdue him at once. They would probably have to put in some effort to deal with him.
While she initially had a mix of curiosity and anticipation, it was different now. An intense desire surged within her eyes.
‘I want him.’
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No, I must have him.
She wasn’t a fool who would simply pass by a jewel.
This exceeded her expectations.
It was worth coming down here after eight transfers, even with the penalty.
However, there was one thing she regretted.
Looking into Kim Minwoo’s eyes, it seemed like he was relying on something.
‘He won’t pull it out until the end.’
She wanted to observe everything, but the situation wasn’t favorable. Although she had blocked the surrounding noise, more and more residents were gathering.
Even with the forgetfulness command, it would be difficult to handle if the numbers continued to increase. If she dragged it out too long, the fact that she had visited this place would spread.
‘The penalty will worsen too.’
It was time to wrap things up.
“Enough. You know, don’t you? The reason for my visit.”
Kim Minwoo stopped abruptly.
“I don’t know your exact purpose.”
“If I wanted to kill you, I would have done so already.”
“Even if you didn’t kill me, you could have controlled my mind.”
“I have no intention of doing that anymore, so don’t worry. You know, don’t you? Charm doesn’t work well on you.”
“So?”
“Congratulations on being listed as a trade target.”
Lilith smiled sweetly.
* * *
Lilith visited the guild headquarters.
At the same time, Amteron, who had been following blankly, suddenly came to his senses.
Seeing Lilith, he was shocked as if he had seen her for the first time.
“Gasp! S-Seven Lords!”
“Calm down. I won’t eat you.”
If they were to cooperate with Lilith, it was better for at least the vice-guild master, Amteron, to know about this.
‘Once I return, who knows when I’ll be able to come again.’
The Heavenly City Pass allowed a one-month stay upon use.
The cooldown time for using it again was a whopping six months. In other words, Amteron would have to manage the guild for half a year.
That’s why she brought him to the guild master’s office.
“Just listen quietly.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Kim Minwoo looked at Lilith.
“So, what do you have to say?”
“Oh my. Your words have become so polite? Are you finally treating me with respect?”
“If we’re going to cooperate, it’s best to be courteous. It’s not that difficult.”
Lilith nodded happily at his words.
“Excellent. To survive for a long time, one must also be tactful. First, I have a question. You killed the Blood Wolf’s younger brother, didn’t you? What were you thinking?”
“If I had saved him, could I have gotten along with the Red Flag?”
“Hmm. Probably not.”
“That’s why I killed him. Even if Blood Wolf came, I had a reliable means to deal with him.”
“A reliable means… I’m a bit curious?”
“Were we that close?”
“Well, there’s a thrill in discovering secrets.”
Lilith then said,
“The timing of your actions wasn’t bad. The Red Flag has many enemies right now. Notably, there’s a fierce territorial dispute with the Demonic Cult.”
“Demonic Cult?”
Was she talking about the Demonic Cult from martial arts novels?
With various individuals gathering from across dimensions, it wouldn’t be strange for there to be residents from other martial arts worlds. After all, there were various martial arts gates.
Lilith nodded at his words.
“It’s no wonder you haven’t heard of it. It was recently formed.”
“Who created it?”
“The Heavenly Demon, Yu Honbi. One of the Seven Lords like me. She hadn’t formed any groups until now, but on a whim, she established the Demonic Cult. It became a rallying point for martial artists and has been growing in power.”
“That’s good news. For now.”
“Indeed. They’re already fighting a territorial war with the Red Flag. Even so…”
Lilith looked at Kim Minwoo with meaningful eyes and said,
“Blood Wolf can come down anytime. If they just give up some territory to the Demonic Cult, it wouldn’t be difficult to form a non-aggression pact. Of course, coming down like that would be foolish. At least I thought so, but… now I see it might not be.”
Kim Minwoo wasn’t just a visitor with good skills.
The development speed of the 9th District alone showed that. He was doing things no one else had tried, and the results were quickly becoming apparent.
He was a threat.
If Blood Wolf heard this news, it would bother him quite a bit.
“So?”
“The Shadow Guild deals with information. We can delay the information going to Blood Wolf. And… we can make things very difficult for the Red Flag. Make it hard for them to come down here.”
“I haven’t heard that the Seven Lords are particularly skilled in combat.”
“But we’re not at a level where we can be easily defeated either.”
“So, you’re saying you can delay the Red Flag’s descent as much as possible?”
“That could be possible. If today’s conversation goes well.”
“What do you want?”
“What I want is simple. Symbiosis.”
“Symbiosis.”
“It’s not difficult. It seems like you’re trying to complete each district in this way… we want to join in on that business.”
“I created the 9th District.”
“Alright, I acknowledge that. You can have that all to yourself. But how about sharing the upper districts?”
“Hmm…”
“You can monopolize the 9th District. They won’t care much about it up there. But the upper districts will be different.”
“That’s right.”
“You’ll get indigestion if you eat it all alone. You’ll also make a lot of enemies. Maybe some of the Seven Lords will even team up to teach you a lesson. Having a reliable friend in such times is very important.”
“I understand. So, let’s say we split from 8th District onwards. What would you like to have?”
“Build me an underworld. A really cool one. And protect our children. Thoroughly. Against anyone. We’re in a symbiotic relationship.”
“…It seems you have a lot of enemies too?”
“That’s how it is for information brokers. It’s a real shame. With a lack of force, there are many regrettable situations. Even if you pay protection fees regularly, when you get into trouble with a large group or a big shot, they don’t protect you, they just cower.”
“You want us to be different?”
“That way, I can also tell our children to be strong. I’ll share information as much as possible. It won’t be bad. Our eyes and ears are everywhere.”
“Is it that extensive?”
Lilith’s eyes sparkled at his words. As if boasting about a well-grown child, she shrugged and said,
“The Shadow Guild has informants stationed in each district. Our job is to collect and analyze the information they send. For example, last month, we thoroughly uncovered the details of the Red Flag’s executive meeting. Who raised objections, where their next destination is, and so on. We even succeeded in installing a listening device at the meeting place. If we use this in reverse, we can leak misleading information to them.”
“That’s quite impressive.”
“Of course. Our news travels fast. Blood Wolf probably knows by now that his younger brother is dead, right? They’re quite slow. We can regularly provide you with the power distribution within the Heavenly City, and if there’s a person you’re interested in, we can conduct a thorough background check on them. Of course, you’ll have to cover the costs associated with that.”
“It’ll be expensive.”
“I’ll give you a special discount. So, what do you say?”
Information was definitely important.
He had heard bits and pieces from Amteron, but he was originally a resident of 9th District.
It was inevitable that it would take a long time to find out news from the upper districts. Especially in the current situation where their connections with the upper echelons had been severed.
Joining hands with one of the Seven Lords in exchange for sharing some of the profits.
It was attractive.
“Shall we draw up a contract then?”
“You’ve made a very good decision. Let’s do well together, Guild Master Kim.”
Lilith grinned.
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