Stop, Friendly Fire!

<Chapter 45. Heaven Defying General’s Stage - 1>

Lee Shin Woo first followed the golems’ presence. If he wanted everything to go as planned, then he’d need to make contact with them first.

He and his party had run through the city without stopping, and he’d roughly recorded info on the city, which made it easier to use his Wild Card skill. Lee Shin Woo and Jin, who melted into the city’s darkness, resembled shadows as they ran with such speed and secrecy.

But Jin, who was running at full speed, wasn’t feeling very good.

"I know it’s assimilation, but it’s strange because it feels like I’m stuck to the ground..."

"We have no choice. Your light-speed sprint is way too conspicuous."

"Ugh. Damn it."

They quickly found their objective. Lee Shin Woo and Jin had met him a few times before; the elite level 7 golem, Guillotine Steelworker, was leading many level 6 golems in breaking through the traps. They were blazing a trail through the minefield so to speak, using their bodies as a sacrifice.

[Be strong. We’re slowly getting closer to our destination.]

[Yes, sir!]

[Some of the traps we haven’t set off keep summoning spirits and monsters... Huh!? Who is it!?]

Lee Shin Woo and Jin hid within the building’s side post, but when the time was right, he released his Assimilation with the darkness and came forward.

Guillotine, who hadn’t been able to sense him before he exposed himself, was shocked and pointed his spear at him. A level 7 elite just wasn’t enough to threaten him anymore.

"What did you come here for, Golem?"

[Y-You are...!?]

Guillotine glared at him. Did he recall Lee Shin Woo’s black armor (while hiding within the shadows, Lee Shin Woo’s armor was replaced with the element) and the imposing horse he was riding? He exerted even more pressure into the spear.

[Paul Zero, were you the Heaven Defying General...?]

"A lot of you called me that."

Lee Shin Woo confidently nodded his head. He’d introduced himself as Paul Zero in front of Arema Steelworker and Guillotine in the past, but they wouldn’t think that he was the same undead as before. After all, his growth rate was astounding, even to him.

[You’ve finally shown your true colors...! There was a lot I wanted to ask you. To think you’d use your subordinate to spy on us and expose us to the imperial army!]

"Oh."

Lee Shin Woo briefly looked through his memories and as though he’d remembered, soon replied in a sluggish voice.

"Now that you mention it, that did happen. Yeah, it did. I ordered my subordinate to do that. So how about it? Did you get into contact with Anti-Skull after that? Considering how they’re here too, it seems like you’ve gotten quite friendly with each other."

[You bastard...!]

That’s right. In the past, before he’d fought against the Lightning Shadow General, Hansen Von Dorthe, he’d first impersonated Kadinan’s (satellite city) lord, Nellopa, and had sent a false report that ’The Golden General, Arema Steelworker and Seagald Von Retadane’s Anti-Skull had joined forces and were attacking the city’.

Following that event, the imperial army became wary of both Arema Steelworker and Anti-Skull, forcing the golems and Anti-Skull out of hiding. It seemed like Guillotine was under the impression that Lee Shin Woo had ordered a subordinate to carry out his plan under his name, but unfortunately, Lee Shin Woo had executed the plan himself.

[Who do you work for? How can you, a mere undead, do such a thing!?]

"I’m sick of questions like that. I don’t work for anyone. I just do what I want. Unlike you guys, who’re just the Magic Emperor’s faithful hunting dogs."

[...!]

"So how long do I have to wait here before Arema Steelworker arrives? If you want to keep me here, then say something more exciting."

Guillotine Steelworker was speechless. Lee Shin Woo was exaggerating a yawn, and Guillotine kept opening and closing his mouth, but he eventually managed to say something.

[You. Did you know from the very beginning...? What are you planning!?]

"Planning? Don’t say something so sad. I just don’t want to lose your forces for nothing. You’ve already expended some of your forces getting through these traps. A good general values his soldiers’ lives. Am I wrong?"

’How are you so good at cutting down a person’s self-confidence?’

’Hey, the way you said ’so good’ sounded a bit weird?’

While Lee Shin Woo and Jin communicated via telepathy, Guillotine’s body shook. ’A golem can shake when they become level 7?’, Lee Shin Woo asked, only to notice Guillotine’s shaking starting to intensify. Lee Shin Woo was shocked.

[You’ll regret it...! Our Lord will soon be here with the remainder of the Four Heavenly Commanders. I know how strong you are, but we’ll see how relaxed you are after they come...!]

"Oh man, I’m so scared. No matter how strong I am, I have no plans on fighting the level 8 Golden General."

[Do you want to talk? It’s already too late. By becoming an undead, it seems that in exchange for your strength, your brain’s rotted away. It’s too late to feel regret...]

[Guillotine, are you alright?]

[My lord!]

In the midst of Lee Shin Woo playing around with Guillotine, several golems rushed onto the premises, accompanied by powerful energy being shot towards Lee Shin Woo.

While its power was significantly reduced due to the countless traps nearby, it was still a concentrated blast of a level 8’s mana, so it was enough to cause Lee Shin Woo to worry.

[...A shield?]

But the energy he’d shot out (it was probably metal element mana) was blocked by a shield that came out of nowhere, causing it to vanish.

"Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared when I’ve come all this way to meet the Golden General?"

[Ugh...]

The shield was the level 7 Titan’s Fortress and was one of the 17 weapons that Lee Shin Woo had summoned and fully charged.

Seeing that, Arema Steelworker was shocked. Lee Shin Woo saw him take a step back and nodded his head. With just one move, Arema Steelworker had realized that Lee Shin Woo was level 8. Though Lee Shin Woo could perform such a move when he was level 7 as well!

[The Heaven Defying General... I have heard of you. A hidden dragon that appeared just recently. I didn’t think we’d meet like this.]

"I’ve met you once before. Don’t you remember?"

[You mean that subordinate of yours. He had potential. I see that he takes after his master in terms of guts and talent.]

Even if he told him that he was Paul Zero, it was unlikely that Arema Steelworker would believe him. Lee Shin Woo shrugged his shoulders and decided to make the first move.

"So why are you here? Is this what the Magic Emperor wants?"

[So you know. You must have come from the surface as well.]

Lee Shin Woo could feel an invisible pressure tightening around him on all sides.

When one becomes level 8, they gain the ability to influence the mana around them and control it; a type of authority. Perhaps because it originated from a golem, the ambient mana took on a metallic property that smelled of blood.

It seemed to be a derivative of the earth element, much like the wood element, but it seemed more independent from the source... perhaps it was a specialized element that could only be obtained when one becomes a golem.

When he had last felt Arema Steelworker’s strength, he had tried his best to act unfazed, but now, he wasn’t the least bit affected.

He could match that pressure... No, he could go even further beyond it. To him, he saw Arema Steelworker’s action as just a waste of mana.

[I don’t know how much you know... or who you’re working for. But what I am sure of is that you’re a threat to my master. You wanted something, so you came all the way here, but... It’s quite unfortunate. I’ll kill you where you stand.]

Arema Steelworker gathered a tremendous amount of energy into his fist. According to his calculations, Arema Steelworker was using the metal element mana to temporarily increase his durability and reinforce himself as well. It was as though he was making his body into the most powerful weapon.

The Four Heavenly Commanders behind him exerted incredible strength as well. At this rate, he would have to fight against them. Since he really didn’t want to fight them, he quickly took out the ’Anti-Arema Steelworker’ weapon he’d brought from the surface.

[!?]

At that moment, Arema Steelworker sounded as though he’d caught a bug of some sort and stood still. The tremendous mana that he’d gathered was released and gently disappeared amongst the mass of golems.

The other golems were the same. They rubbed their eyes, as if they couldn’t believe what was happening, blinked, or even tapped their heads to confirm that what was happening was real. However, it didn’t change anything.

[T-That...]

Arema Steelworker’s voice quivered. The Golden General that had been so imposing when they’d first met was no longer here.

He was acting like a cowardly middle-schooler who had just been caught writing a poem at the corner of their notes about their first love!

[That... How... How do you have that? How the hell do you have that!?]

"I wonder. Why don’t you use your brain? If not... Then why don’t we ask the servants of the Steelworker family?"

[You bastard, Paul Zero...! Paul Zero...!]

"Ah, that’s right."

Lee Shin Woo sounded regretful as if he’d just remembered something.

"If you return to the surface like that, your servants might run away in fear. Isn’t that right?"

[You bastard... You bastard...! I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you!]

"Go ahead and try."

Arema Steelworker’s body shook and then went ’thud’. He took a step forward and raised his hand, but Lee Shin Woo extended the ’ultimate weapon’ and he stopped once more. This was so fun.

[Why is the lord... Why? How?]

"Ah, I have yours too, so don’t feel left out. Yours were broken up, but the security was all the same. It wasn’t such a good idea to record it in the golem network, now was it?"

[The information hidden on the golem network is only accessible by myself and His Majesty...! There’s absolutely no way that an outsider can access it!]

"Ta-dah! There’s no such thing as an ’absolute’ in this world!"

Lee Shin Woo smiled sweetly. Whenever he used the ultimate weapon, Arema Steelworker would flinch.

If he could, he would play around a little bit longer, but even now, Anti-Skull and the imperial army were coming to the city. He needed to negotiate with them if he wanted the time that Chi Paul and his forces had bought him to not go to waste.

"Now, Golden General. Are you willing to hear me out now?"

[You... I want to kill you, but...!]

His words (that of a level 8 golem) were so frightening that it almost seemed like he would be cursed, but Lee Shin Woo didn’t pay it any mind. Soon, he heard exactly what he wanted to hear.

[I’ll hear... what you have to say...!]

"Hoo. We can finally talk. What a joyous occasion."

[But promise me that you’ll give it back...! Me and my subordinates precious ’bodies’...!]

"Oh, but of course. If you do exactly as I say, that is."

Lee Shin Woo sounded so sure of himself that only Jin could think that ’Ah, this asshole’s lying again...!’. He replied and shook Arema Steelworker’s level 8 human body.

That’s right. When Arema Steelworker had left the surface and had placed himself into a golem, he had left his physical body in his family’s safe house, so that he could one day return to his original body. ...And once he’d figured that out, Lee Shin Woo had snatched their bodies in order to use them as his ’ultimate weapon’ against them!