Chapter 369. Omen(3)

Chi-Woo felt a slight awkwardness from the way the Last Dragon talked. It was as if she had just realized her main objective. Rather than having forgotten about it, it felt more like she had been thinking about it the whole time but was hesitating for some unknown reason. Chi-Woo wondered what it was that such a powerful existence like her was hesitating… It felt ominous.

“Yeah, I have to tell you. Since I came here to finish this for good… But, before that.”

The Last Dragon sighed and raised her head to glance at Chi-Woo. “Let’s go somewhere else. Considering the issue at hand, I want to talk to you alone…no, there’s no need to move, since I can just change the space.”

Before Chi-Woo could even say, ‘Then let’s move to the drawing room’, the Last Dragon made her suggestion first. Come to think of it, the same thing had happened when he first met her at the outpost near the Hala Forest. As someone who could read others’ thoughts, it wasn’t hard for the Last Dragon to continue the conversation all on her own.

“I’ll be borrowing him for a while. I hope that’s okay with you?” the Last Dragon smiled and asked Evelyn.

Evelyn took a few steps back without a word. There had been a bit of playfulness before in the Last Dragon’s tone, but not anymore. It was almost jarring how serious the atmosphere between Chi-Woo and the Last Dragon had suddenly become. The Last Dragon flicked her fingers, and the space changed. It was a stone room with nothing but a sofa.

“Sit down. Let’s start talking after you sit down. I ask for your understanding in advance, since the conversation is going to get a bit long.”

When Chi-Woo found a suitable seat, the Last Dragon sat opposite of him. Although she said the conversation would start after sitting down, she didn’t open her mouth. She sat with her legs crossed and moved her thumbs for a while without a word. Rather than rushing her, Chi-Woo decided to wait patiently because it looked as if the Last Dragon was trying to organize her thoughts and wondering how to relay this information to him.

“…Currently.” About ten minutes had passed when the Last Dragon finally began talking. “I believe that you’re aware of some of the threats we’re about to face to a certain extent. I have so much to say that I don’t know where to begin…but I’ll get straight to the topic.”

The Last Dragon raised her head and faced Chi-Woo. Then she said, “Give up Shalyh.”

Chi-Woo unconsciously focused on his sight.

“It’s not too late. Get ready to withdraw now and come to the mountain range. I’ll set up a base for humanity.”

To withdraw from Shalyh—Chi-Woo had nary a clue whether this was a threat, an order, or a suggestion. Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to follow her words.

“Of course, if I talk about it like this, you won’t be able to accept it.”

Chi-Woo stopped thinking and gazed at the Last Dragon while exhaling the breath he was holding. “…This comes as a surprise.” Although his mind was in chaos, his voice was calm. “I thought you came here to tell me about Asha Dubulola.”

The issue was too serious to easily gloss over. The Last Dragon smiled brightly and said, “If that were the only thing I have to tell you, there would be no need for me to come all the way here in person.” Chi-Woo inwardly agreed. The Last Dragon let out a long sigh. “Just to make it clear. This isn’t a threat, and it’s definitely not an order. It’s also too ambiguous to call it a request.”

Chi-Woo looked at her with a questioning gaze, and the Last Dragon continued, “If I have to specify, it’s more like I’m passing this problem onto you.” She clasped her hands. “Currently, humanity is put at a disadvantage with the legend’s absence. Some are saying that humanity is nothing without the legend, but I don’t think so.”

Although the legend was absent, it was too early to say that humanity was over. There was still a figure in humanity who could fill the gap the legend left, at least that was what the Last Dragon thought.

She said, “From now on, I’m going to think of you at the same level as your brother and continue this conversation. Will that be okay with you?” In other words, she was asking if he could bear all responsibility for future decisions as the leader of humanity. It would be a lie if Chi-Woo said he didn’t feel pressured, but he couldn’t back down now. He nodded with determination.

“I’m sure you must have felt very resentful.” The Last Dragon began. “You stepped up for the League several times, but this is the treatment you received in the end. You must have felt upset and disappointed.” If the Last Dragon was referring to his meeting with Ariel, who was the commander-in-chief of the expeditionary force, he couldn’t deny her words.

The Last Dragon continued, “On one hand, it’ll be hard for you to understand what the League, one of the four major factions, is so afraid of, and you’re probably wondering whether we’re just trying to retreat and crouch in fear.”

This was true. Other than subjugating the Hala Forest, Chi-Woo had fulfilled numerous tasks besides successfully defended Shalyh and destroying the outpost defended by two great demons. Since entering as the seventh recruit team, Chi-Woo had been active on the stage called Liber. Looking back, nothing had ever come easy; he had felt extremely grieved and wondered why he had to intensely suffer on the brink of death every single damn time.

On the contrary, this meant that the path Chi-Woo had walked so far had been nothing short of amazing; he had successfully accomplished tasks that everyone deemed impossible. Not once or twice, but numerous times. The League must have at least known some, if not all, of his accomplishments; then they should have some faith in him by now. Even though his brother was absent, they should trust and support humanity for Chi-Woo’s sake. However, that didn’t seem to be the case when he faced one of the top League members in person.

“It’s not that we’re unaware of the merits you’ve made so far. Even though there are those who don’t know your face, your reputation has spread somewhat in the League. If there is someone who doesn’t know you at all, they’re not one of us.”

It was as the Last Dragon had said. Ariel was a prime example. Although her attitude was awful, she hadn’t openly looked down on Chi-Woo, and she seemed to acknowledge him to a certain extent.

‘Then why?’ There must be a reason why the League was so nervous and scared.

“Nevertheless.” The Last Dragon spoke up the next moment as if to answer his question. “This matter is different.” She emphasized it once more and continued, “Frankly, our side has not yet reached a complete conclusion. Every time a meeting is held, there is a heated debate. Whether we should help humanity to protect Shalyh or—”

“Abandon humanity and Shalyh,” Chi-Woo, who had only been thinking and listening quietly, suddenly opened his mouth and finished her sentence.

“…If I add more to that.” The Last Dragon didn’t deny his words and added, “They argue that Boboris’ prophecy cannot be ignored.”

Chi-Woo’s eyes widened at the unexpected remark. Boboris was the dingo he had met after successfully subjugating the Hala Forest through the Last Dragon’s introduction. However, hadn’t she died after committing the forbidden sin of revealing heaven’s secret?

“Boboris is clever. She avoided heaven’s punishment by sacrificing her body. Thanks to that, she could save her soul.”

A thought crossed his mind when Chi-Woo heard that. If the soul was not extinguished, they could call forth the soul through an evocation even if the physical body was gone.

“I feel bad for forcing her to come back when she’s finally resting, but…we usually follow Boboris’ opinion for big decisions like this.”

Chi-Woo asked, “What did she say? Did she tell the League to abandon humanity?”

“If that was the case, I wouldn’t have even come here. I would have forcibly summoned the League members living in Shalyh and strictly controlled humanity’s access to the Cassiubia Mountain Range.” However, the Last Dragon had not done this; instead, she just told him to abandon Shalyh and withdraw. By offering a place for them in the Cassiubia Mountain Range, she already showed her willingness to continue the alliance.

“Then what did she say that…”

The Last Dragon did not say anything for a moment. She looked up in the air as if she was reminiscing a memory and recited the prophecy.

Right before the three moons are about to cover the sun rising from the last stronghold.

The windstorm remaining alone will fly and bury two choices in the sky where the will of the World lies.

Don’t ask for answers. And don’t worry either.

No matter what choice you make, you can’t stop the total solar eclipse at the present.

There is always one conclusion, and the end will always be the same.

If you can’t take back the water that the glory of the past has already spilled.

“This is Boboris’ full prophecy. I’m sure you can roughly grasp what it means. It doesn’t bode well.”

Chi-Woo nodded unconsciously; he couldn’t fully grasp the meaning, but he could understand one thing. Three moons were trying to cover up the sun, and currently, there was nothing that could stop the total solar eclipse. Boboris had predicted the fall of humanity in Shalyh.

Chi-Woo gnawed on his lower lip. “Is Boboris’ prophecy credible?”

“Let’s say that she has never been wrong even once from a macroscopic perspective.”

That didn’t seem to always be the case for how Boboris had told him to hold onto Yunael at all cost, but Chi-Woo answered, “Even so, a prophecy is just a prophecy. We should refer to it, but we shouldn’t trust it blindly.” Chi-Woo thought that there was no such thing as absolute certainty.

“Well, if you say so, I guess you can think like that. I respect your opinion.”

Chi-Woo said, “My brother has jumped into the enemy camp alone to overcome this difficulty and protect Shalyh by all means. Humanity cannot abandon Shalyh and step down while he is still struggling and fighting to protect the city.”

“To protect Shalyh by all means…” The Last Dragon said blankly; she didn’t seem convinced. “I’d like to correct at least that part.” She smiled furtively and continued, “Isn’t it more accurate to say it’s for his one and only precious younger brother, and not for Shalyh?”

“What?”

“Think about it carefully,” the Last Dragon suddenly said in a sharp tone. “Did your brother really tell you to protect Shalyh?”

“That’s—”

“Did he tell you to defend the last stronghold of humanity by all means, at all costs?”

Chi-Woo gaped.

If it’s just me, I would have no problem returning alive. Yeah, but…I’m not sure if I will make it in time.

So endure with all you have. You must stay alive at all costs and endure until I return. At worst, abandon Shalyh and escape to the Cassiubia League. Do you understand what I’m saying?

No, Chi-Hyun hadn’t. His brother had just told him to stay alive by any means necessary, even if he had to abandon Shalyh and escape to the League. “N-No way, I can’t believe it.” Chi-Woo’s face turned pale. “Then why did he…”

“When I first heard the news, I doubted my ears because it didn’t sound like him.” Chi-Hyun was not the type to enjoy adventure. Instead, he was calculative and cold-hearted and made his move only after formulating thorough plans. But a guy like that had put himself up for a gamble? After thinking carefully, the Last Dragon was able to come to one plausible reason. “Humanity has been too active.”

The human race had originally been a group that had very low presence and significance. It was a group that had been reduced to livestock or slaves, let alone considered a force to reckon with. Although Chi-Hyun had barely managed to keep humanity going, all he could do was maintain its status quo. However, from a certain point of time, they showed signs of rapid change. Those who were just a herd of ants began to rally together and get stronger, but even so, ants were just ants in the end.

However, as if to mock the assumption, the ants began to disturb the grassland little by little. They began to hunt down carnivores who were confidently strolling in their territories. By that time, it became difficult to think of humanity as merely a herd of ants anymore. The Demon Empire was a prime example of this. Were demons hunted down easily because they were idiots? No, that was not the case. The fact that the Demon Empire was one of the major four factions in a chaotic and crazy world like Liber meant that it had a sizable force, but they were one-sidedly beaten into shreds. Then the other factions had no choice but to think like this—ah, humanity was not just a swarm of fire ants. It was a pride of lions with sharp fangs. The others had no choice but to become nervous. With fire ignited in their gaze, they would find the one responsible for leading the pack’s advance. And they were going to kill him before he became the king of beasts.

In fact, it was safe to say that Chi-Woo was already attracting some attention. It was not just the Sernitas. The Demon Empire and the Abyss would also try to identify the human who had disturbed the original balance. However, Chi-Hyun couldn’t let that be, so he had thrown himself onto the gambling table. By becoming an appetizing bait on his own, Chi-Hyun successfully attracted a lot of the attention that was steadily encroaching on his younger brother.

“That guy…he cares about you so dearly.” The Last Dragon went on calmly. “To the extent that he felt anxious just by the mere fact that extremely dangerous beings were looking at his brother.”

Chi-Woo squeezed his eyes shut. If he could, he would have called her a liar, but it was not a lie. His brother really intended to destroy the Sky Castle, and his action hadn’t originated from a grand cause, but a very personal reason.

Chi-Woo barely managed to open his eyes. “If we withdraw from Shalyh…”

“The other factions will be quiet for a while since they achieved the desired goal of breaking the unknown lion’s spirit. Then they’ll probably work together to deal with the legend that went wild, and that’s what Chi-Hyun was probably hoping for.”

“If we don’t step down from Shalyh…”

“Then they’ll leave the legend alone for a while and focus on Shalyh. They’ll probably come all fired up, wondering who the hell has been stirring up so much trouble in their territories.”

Chi-Woo bit his lower lip. He could see that at least one of the prophecies was correct. There was only one conclusion, and he needed to use Shalyh as bait for his brother. However, the situation was different from what his brother had done. His brother only risked his own life, but using Shalyh as bait meant putting thousands of lives at risk.

Chi-Woo struggled to ask, “Is there a…way out of this situation?”

“There is a way.”

His eyes opened wide at her answer.

“There is always one conclusion, and the end will always be the same…there lies a clue to a way to reverse this prophecy.” As the Last Dragon said, the last line of the prophecy stated, ‘If you can’t take back the water that the glory of the past has already spilled.’ By spilled water…

“I have a hunch.” The Last Dragon straightened her back. “From now on—” She looked at him with an extremely solemn expression and a stern look. “On behalf of the League, I’ll make a very unreasonable request to you.”

Chi-Woo’s eyes shone.

“It’s truly a ridiculous request. After hearing it, I’ll quietly accept it even if you mock and spit at my face.”

What was she going to say that she was going so far?

“In the face of the looming threat, the League will help humanity defend Shalyh with all its might if—”

Chi-Woo took a deep breath. He asked while tightly clenching his fist, “What is it?”

“Asha Dubulola,” the Last Dragon replied plainly. “You must revive the god that the glory of the past has eliminated.”