The Overlord of Blood and Iron

Chapter 290

Chapter 290: The Black Silhouette

"Let's move . "

The black silhouette led Lee Ji-Tae away .

"Pausing time is not an easy feat for me too . "

"T-That means… I can survive . . . "

"Don't make me repeat myself . "

" . . . "

"Didn't I tell you already that you are too important to die here? Well then, let's go . "

The black silhouette then grabbed Lee Ji-Tae's arm .

Flash!

With that, the two of them vanished . Time began to pass again, and the headquarters collapsed .

***

"Woah! This is just . . . "

On Zeppelin, Kwak Jung was standing on the bow, watching the Itaracia castle fall .

"Kueh… absurd… absolutely absurd… does this insane firepower even make sense?"

It wasn't an exaggeration . Valhalla Kingdom's firepower was terrifying . The fortress in Itaracia might have been small, but to demolish it in 10 minutes was quite jaw-dropping .

"Well then, since the mission is complete… shall we begin the base construction?"

Base construction . Any soldier would dread those words . However, Valhalla had people who were specialized in such laborious tasks . . .

Werber Engineer Brigade, and Mithril Engineer Brigade!

Kwak Jung shouted through the loudspeaker .

Yes, commander-in-chief!

Yes sir!

Several soldiers who were riding on Zeppelin and Temeraire replied . They were not humans . The Werber Engineer Brigade comprised ants, while the Mithril Engineer Brigade comprised Dwarfs .

In other words, they were made of 'genuine laborers!' And thus, they possessed 20 times the efficiency compared to an Engineer Brigade comprising humans .

Begin the base construction immediately after the battlefield has been cleaned up!

Kwak Jung commanded .

You have three days . Construct a more durable fortress than the previous Itaracia fortress! Can you do it?

He was asking for the moon . How could a fortress be built in just three days?

Yes, commander-in-chief!

Three days are enough!

However, these professional laborers didn't even flinch .

We will try to finish it in two days!

That's right! Two days are enough!

In fact, they even deemed the three days to be too long .

T-those crazy bastards!

Kwak Jung was absolutely astonished . He was certain that if they went to Earth, many human laborers would be jobless and might starve to death .

Oh well, that's settled then .

Heh .

Kwak Jung smiled . The Itaracia Fortress located in the Chamonix mountains was a gateway that bridged the northern and central region of Baldur . It was a crucial location to restrict Atal Ramanujan's growth .

How could his people survive? Despite an exponentially increasing population, his territory lacked cool weather and fertile land to harvest food .

100,000, no, 1,000,000 people may starve to death… but . . .

From a humanitarian point of view, what Kwak Jung was doing (Kang Chul-In's idea, of course) was absolutely sadistic .

One should always eliminate any source of danger . Yup!

Kwak Jung was cold-hearted . He was the tactician of the Supreme King of the West . To make Kang Chul-In's ambition - to conquer the whole of Pangaea - a reality, Kwak Jung had to devise brutal strategies as such .

Was it too harsh? No, it wasn't . Atal Ramanujan was a serious threat . For that reason, it was crucial that Shatyameba fall . If Kwak Jung tried to be compassionate, then the Valhalla Kingdom might collapse instead . This was the law of the jungle . The weak were the prey of the strong in Pangaea .

***

"W-What!?"

Dorian, who was fighting the Shatyamba soldiers with great force, stopped moving when he heard a huge explosion .

"Kang Chul-In!"

He knew who the culprit was immediately .

Who else could create such an explosion?

"W-What is it?!"

"Bombardment, huh . "

"Eek . . . "

The startled Shatyameba soldiers also stopped moving .

"What the hell did you do… Kang Chul-In…?"

He was lost for words . Dorian was much stronger after consuming 40% of the Dragon Heart, but he still could not comprehend what just happened . Well… even Kang Chul-In himself was shocked by the incredible destructive power of the Overpower Bracelet . It was natural for the others to be astonished .

"Hmm . . . "

The cause of the explosion, Kang Chul-In, observed his surroundings, now covered in a thick veil of dust .

"Hmm… for my investment to be brought to naught… welp . . . "

Kang Chul-In smacked his lips . Despite being the one who displayed this destructive strength, he was regretting breaking the cormorant's neck .

It was a pity . Kang Chul-In had no way to find out how Brynhildr got hold of the Sonic Ring . More importantly, how was he supposed to find that item now? Well, he could if he really wanted to, but Kang Chul-In was a busy man who often slept little and ate sandwiches for meals in the office . He didn't have time to look for the Sonic Ring .

In fact, he didn't even have time to attend to his family vacation due to his hectic work schedule .

"That's why I warned him . . . "

Kang Chul-In mumbled as he glanced at the fan-shaped destruction he had caused ahead of him .

Chuk!

In front of the collapsed inner castle, a knight in white armor was struggling to get himself up .

"Kang… Chul-In . . . "

" . . . !"

"It's not… over… yet… I… won't… die… from this . . . "

Brynhildr survived .

He barely got his foot on the ground and ignited his fighting spirit .

" . . . "

Kang Chul-In was lost for words . He was in awe . There was no conceivable reason for his opponent to be so persistent . Where did this man's endless fighting spirit come from?

"Well, but thanks . "

Kang Chul-In smirked and thanked Brynhildr .

"What?"

"For being alive . "

"A-are you worrying for me?"

Brynhildr was surprised .

That demon was worried for him . Pigs might fly .

"Of course . "

Kang Chul-In nodded .

"I almost killed the goose that lays golden eggs, how could I not be worried?"

The problem was that his worry originated from greed .

"I was scared that you might have died . "

" . . . "

"Thank god you have a durable body . "

How could one be so shameless? Kang Chul-In nearly killed Brynhildr, and now he was thanking him for being alive .

"Kang Chul-In!"

Brynhildr growled .

"That sort of . . . "

"Go!"

Kang Chul-In cut Brynhildr off .

"Come back stronger!"

In the end, Kang Chul-In decided to let Brynhildr off again . A merciful heart indeed . He was almost the Buddha himself . Their first encounter, the second time in Baldur's forest, and the third time here in Zolushka . This was the third time he was letting Brynhildr off!

"A-are you not going to kill me, again?"

"This is the last time . "

Kang Chul-In emphasized .

"No more mercy . "

" . . . "

"Challenge me one more time, and I will kill you without hesitation . "

A final warning . Of course, he planned to visit Brynhildr the moment he got the Sonic Ring . It was a special service .

"Ah, also . "

Kang Chul-In added .

"Let me request one thing . "

"Request?"

"Can you relay this message to Vilhelm?"

" . . . ?"

"Tell him that marriage is a crazy thing . "

" . . . "

"It's up to you to tell him . "

Kang Chul-In sniggered . A demon's grin .

***

"W-Where is this…?"

Lee Ji-Tae looked around .

"Where else?"

The black silhouette replied .

"We are in Atal Ramanujan's territory . "

" . . . ?"

"To be precise, we are in a remote area in Shatyameba . "

"Ah…!"

Lee Ji-Tae exclaimed . He had escaped from that collapsing Itaracia fortress!

"Who are you, by the way?"

Lee Ji-Tae turned to face the black silhouette .

"Do you want to know?"

The black silhouette asked .

"Alright then . It's no secret, anyway . "

" . . . "

"I'm Milenius, the last Agnaga . "

" . . . !"

"I'm the controller of time . "

Thump! Lee Ji-Tae could feel a shudder .

Ba-dump! Ba-dump, ba-dump!

It was a sense of kinship and instinct . They were of the same kind . As only a few Agnagas existed in the whole universe, Lee Ji-Tae felt a special feeling when he encountered his own kind .

"Milenius… the controller of time . . . "

"Do you know who you are?"

"Me…?"

"As I said earlier, you are the only one who can command our army . "

"W-What are you talking about…?"

"You are Cereb, the great mind of Agnaga . "

Incomprehensive words .

"I don't get you . "

"Of course not . "

The black silhouette agreed with Lee Ji-Tae .

"But you will soon figure it out, anyway . I don't see how my explanation will change anything . "

"Figure it out anyway?"

"Just a matter of time . Be patient . "

" . . . "

"You won't appreciate whatever I say now . Just focus on developing your abilities for now . "

"My… abilities?"

"I'm referring to this . "

The black silhouette tapped his own head, which was covered in a hood .

"Your incredible intelligence is the sole reason for your existence . Once you develop it, you will realize everything yourself . "

"How…?"

"Your appetite . "

" . . . !"

"You didn't think that your overwhelming appetite exists just to tear the skin and meat off of humans, did you?"

" . . . !"

"Hey, Cereb . "

The black silhouette explained .

"We Agnagas are advanced . How could a lame desire like appetite exist in us?"

"T-that means!"

"Your appetite exists not for survival . It exists to develop your abilities . "

"I don't understand . . . "

"Cannibalism . "

" . . . !"

"I'm sure you didn't just eat your human preys' meat and blood . "

Tap tap .

The black silhouette tapped his own head again .

"The brain . "

" . . . !"

"You probably found the human brain to be particularly delicious . "

" . . . "

"You would've eaten the brain and all of its cerebral fluids, even if you left unfinished bits elsewhere . "

That was true . Lee Ji-Tae definitely did that .

"By consuming human brains, you can become the true Cereb . "

"That means . . . "

"Now that you know the method, I hope you won't just stay still . "

" . . . "

"Eat as much as you want . And awaken your true abilities . This land has plenty of humans . There's no better place for your growth . "

The black silhouette began to walk away .

"When you've finally developed your abilities, we shall meet again . "

"W-wait!"

Lee Ji-Tae shouted .

"Who are you, really!?"

"Who am I, you say…?"

The black silhouette pondered for a moment .

"Curious?"

Then… the black silhouette turned around .

Flick!

The hood came off .

"Argh!"

Lee Ji-Tae screamed the moment he realized the silhouette's true identity .