WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: ZERO_SUGAR
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
◈ The World After the Fall ◈
Chapter 39: Episode 7. Master of Gorgon (1)
──────
「When the heavens opened, lightning poured down,
and a north wind swept in with rain and storms.
Every Gorgon maiden’s skirt was flipped upside down.
If only I could see that sight one more time...」
From 「Hard Stab」 by the poet Euphrates
* * *
Geumcheon.
The implication was so obvious that the Anti-Evil Squad Commander’s mustache trembled.
“I never thought Geumcheon Hall had extended its reach into the Citadel itself.”
Without hesitation, the Anti-Evil Squad Commander drew his sword. The majestic spiritual power of a Fifth Adapter burst forth.
Along with the Shadow Corps Commander, he was considered one of the strongest Corps Commanders. Even if the Folding Horn Corps Commander and the Guarding Horn Corps Commander attacked together, they could not defeat him.
Until now.
“The Outer Citadel lot has grown bold. Do you even know who you’re picking a fight with?”
“Anti-Evil Squad Commander, it would be a mistake to think we’re still the same as before.”
The Anti-Evil Squad Commander’s expression stiffened.
As far as he knew, the Folding Horn Corps Commander and the Guarding Horn Corps Commander were at the level of Fourth Adapters.
Yet the spiritual power pouring from them now was in no way inferior to his own as a Fifth Adapter.
“How...?”
Jaehwan narrowed his eyes. The strange aura around them was exactly the same as the one Janya had shown earlier that day.
Power resembling that of a Forgotten One.
The battle began immediately.
Even the Anti-Evil Squad Commander could not handle two Fifth Adapters rushing him at once. The support from the Folding Horn Corps and Guarding Horn Corps, waiting for openings, was formidable as well.
In the end, the Anti-Evil Squad Commander staggered back, coughing up blood. He stepped in front of Jaehwan and shouted.
“Benefactor! Run away. I’ll somehow handle this place...!”
“Hold this for me.”
“Pardon?”
The Anti-Evil Squad Commander was startled by the sudden weight on his back. The snoring Divine Physician had somehow been placed there.
Jaehwan rolled his wrist and stepped forward.
“I told you, I’m no good at saving people. That’s the old man’s job.”
Caught off guard, the Guarding Horn Corps and Folding Horn Corps hesitated for a moment before surrounding Jaehwan.
The Corps Commanders at their head nodded to each other at the same time.
Jaehwan quietly drew Solitary Unbowed as he watched them.
“But if we’re talking about killing, that’s another matter.”
* * *
The Underground Prison of the Inner Citadel.
Yulhen, the Chief Internal Administrator, stood with a troubled expression as they looked into the depths of the prison.
The Divine Physician was late.
The prison bars, made from horned beast horns, had been shattered and strewn across the floor. An evil aura flowed out from the doorway leading inside.
Yulhen knew exactly what was in there.
The former Citadel Lord of Gorgon. A man who had come closer to the title of king than anyone except Chaos’s Sole King.
Yet he was now a monster who might become the worst Forgotten One in Chaos.
That being was inside.
Yulhen looked around. The people gathered in the underground Inner Citadel were all the Citadel’s highest-ranking officials.
Led by Yulhen, the Chief Internal Administrator, and Maihan, the Outer Chief Administrator, all ten Horn Lords responsible for the lower organizations of the Inner and Outer Citadels had arrived.
Yulhen studied each of them carefully.
Why had the Citadel Lord gone berserk now?
The Citadel Lord’s soul was currently too severely contaminated to be restored even with the Divine Physician’s 「Forgotten One Severance」. Still, the technique was not completely ineffective. After undergoing Forgotten One Severance once, the Citadel Lord could endure for at least a week.
It was thanks to the Citadel Lord’s immense mental energy.
The contamination was too advanced for a complete recovery, and the Citadel Lord had only barely avoided becoming a Forgotten One. Then, without warning, something had gone wrong.
“It has not even been a full day since the last Forgotten One Severance...”
The Divine Physician had come that very morning. They had confirmed that the speed of Forgetting had slowed and the Citadel Lord’s aura had settled.
So why?
No matter how much Yulhen thought about it, there was no answer.
Yulhen bit down hard on their lip.
If they could hold out for just one more month, the Citadel Lord could be cured.
A plan that should not even have been possible had only been formed that day. It was all thanks to the mysterious man named Jaehwan. The Divine Physician had said:
“It’s impossible for now. That brat’s Forgotten One Severance is still only an imitation. But in a month, it may be worth hoping for.”
Yulhen gave thanks for the miracle that had come to Gorgon.
“I’ve never tried it before, but it might be possible with two people. Especially if it’s him...”
All Yulhen had to do now was buy time. Somehow, they had to secure one month against the pressure from the Outer Chief Administrator and the Horn Lords.
But they had not even managed to buy a full day.
Yulhen glared sharply at the Horn Lords.
Could one of them possibly know about Jaehwan?
Yulhen had already been certain that there was a traitor within the Citadel.
More precisely, they had been certain since half a year ago, when the Citadel Lord had suddenly been brought back suffering from soul contamination during an inspection of the Outer Citadel.
“Chief Internal Administrator, is there something you wish to say?”
Maihan, the Outer Chief Administrator, spoke after noticing Yulhen’s gaze. They had served the Citadel Lord longer than anyone here except Yulhen, and they were the person closest to becoming the next Citadel Lord.
The Outer Chief Administrator’s expression was unreadable.
“No. It’s nothing.”
At the bland answer, the Outer Chief Administrator’s lips twitched.
“Everyone, stay alert. This is a critical moment.”
The Horn Lords, who had only been watching the Chief Administrators’ reactions, swallowed. They were all notable Adapters in Gorgon, but their tension was obvious now.
Yulhen stopped the Outer Chief Administrator, who began walking forward without hesitation.
“It’s dangerous. We should enter once the Divine Physician arrives.”
“If we delay any longer, Gorgon will be finished.”
“Without the Divine Physician, we cannot perform Forgotten One Severance. Are you planning to kill the Citadel Lord?”
“Kill the Citadel Lord? You know well that even if all of us attacked together, we could not defeat him.”
“Then why...?”
“There is a way.”
A way?
Several Horn Lords murmured at those words. Most of them, though, remained calm, as if they already knew what was about to happen.
“We will perform 「Forgotten One Sealing」.”
“No! That is the last resort!”
“If we wait any longer, there will be no turning back.”
「Forgotten One Sealing」.
It was a final measure used to preserve at least the spiritual power of a powerful soul when it became contaminated and was about to turn into a Forgotten One. Forgotten One Sealing was a secret art said to be possible only for the Nokmyeong Great Family.
“But we do not have a Wraithstone to seal the Forgotten One in.”
“Chief Internal Administrator, everyone already knows. Stop hiding it now.”
The Outer Chief Administrator spoke in a hard voice.
“We already know that you possess a Wraithstone.”
Yulhen’s expression changed drastically.
...How?
A moment later, several people appeared from outside the prison carrying a black box. Yulhen recognized it.
It was the box Jaehwan had given them during the day, the one containing the Wraithstone.
To avoid the contaminating aura flowing from the Wraithstone, the box was being carried while floating in the air through spiritual power.
Yulhen immediately recognized the face of the one moving it.
“Shadow Corps Commander?”
They had never imagined that the trusted subordinate who carried out their orders was the traitor.
Avoiding Yulhen’s gaze, the Shadow Corps Commander handed the Wraithstone to the Outer Chief Administrator.
“Gorgon’s future is at stake. How could you hide something like this and keep it for yourself?”
Yulhen wanted to say that it was because they suspected all of them, but they had no grounds to do so now.
The Citadel Lord had gone berserk, and the Divine Physician had not come. The only remaining option was the last resort, 「Forgotten One Sealing」. The Outer Chief Administrator’s argument was justified.
“You know well what will happen if the Citadel Lord truly becomes a Forgotten One.”
The Citadel Lord of Gorgon was among the ten strongest beings in Chaos. If the Citadel Lord became a Forgotten One, today would be the final day in the glorious history of Gorgon Citadel.
“You are not planning to turn the Citadel Lord into a Colossal Forgotten One, are you?”
Colossal Forgotten Ones. Monsters called the calamities of Chaos. They led countless Forgotten Ones around as their underlings, and wherever they swept through, everything became ruins.
“W-We have to prevent that from happening!”
Perhaps persuaded by the Outer Chief Administrator’s words, several Horn Lords who had remained neutral also raised their voices.
Yulhen struggled to remain calm.
“「Forgotten One Sealing」 is a secret art that only the Nokmyeong Great Family can perform. Possessing a Wraithstone does not mean just anyone can do it.”
“Do not worry about that. I happened to bring people who have learned the secret art.”
Figures with deep hoods and bandages wrapped around their faces appeared behind the Shadow Corps Commander. Each of them radiated an eerie Spiritual Pressure.
“They are not from the Nokmyeong Great Family.”
“No, but performing a sealing will not be a problem.”
Yulhen bit their lip.
Something was wrong.
If Forgotten One Sealing was performed like this, the Citadel Lord’s sealed spiritual power would be drawn entirely into the Wraithstone.
The problem came afterward.
Who would possess that Wraithstone?
There was no hereditary succession of titles in Chaos. Factions seeking the Citadel Lord’s Wraithstone would emerge, and conflict would break out among the Horn Lords as well.
Inheriting the Citadel Lord’s unique spiritual power did not simply mean joining the ranks of Chaos’s strongest or gaining the title of Citadel Lord.
Whoever possessed the Citadel Lord’s spiritual power would become the master of Gorgon, the Guardian Horned Beast.
If Gorgon fell into the hands of the wrong person...
At that moment, one of the bandaged figures stepped forward and picked up the Wraithstone. Murmurs rose around them.
If someone who was not from the Nokmyeong Great Family could hold a Wraithstone, there was only one conclusion.
Those who could control contamination? Surely not...
The Citadel Lord’s final words flashed through Yulhen’s mind.
“Those who can control soul contamination have appeared.”
The Citadel Lord had been brought back with a contaminated soul while investigating them.
Yulhen looked at the Outer Chief Administrator.
Could it be the Outer Chief Administrator?
Yulhen surveyed the situation. Aside from two or three Horn Lords who looked resigned, every Horn Lord wore a calm expression.
Only then did Yulhen realize there was nothing they could do anymore.
Ah, now Gorgon will...
The Outer Chief Administrator entered the depths of the prison with the bandaged figures and used a skill to illuminate the underground.
A bright Sphere of Light spun through the air and settled against the ceiling of the Underground Prison.
The Citadel Lord came into view, a miserable figure reduced to skin and bones.
Black veins writhed wildly across the Citadel Lord’s darkened skin. It was the final sight of the man who had once been Gorgon’s legend.
Yulhen felt like crying.
I’m sorry, Citadel Lord.
Then, in the next instant, a terrifying blast of wind threw Yulhen forward.
There was light, and both walls of the Citadel exploded outward at once.
Yulhen could not think straight.
The explosion was so violent that the bandaged figures caught in its aftermath screamed as they were thrown across the floor. The startled Horn Lords and the Outer Chief Administrator shouted.
Someone was descending through the massive hole in the ceiling.
Only Yulhen recognized the figure through the swirling dust.
“Jaehwan?”
Jaehwan stood there with Chunghuh on his back.
Footnotes:
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