Chapter 338
Chapter 338
It was another large tower . At a glance, it looked like the stake . The only difference was that this tower wasn’t flipped over and embedded in the ground . Moreover, there was no foundation on its top, unlike the stake . It just looked like a normal tower .
If it weren’t on the Moon, this new tower would merely be a beautiful tourist attraction and a tower that only archaeologists and historians would be interested in .
However, it was on the Moon, and the foundation supporting the tower told a different story . It wasn’t a normal tower .
“It looks as if someone has cast an anthill . ”
Sungyoon had seen something similar on a TV program in the past . Someone had poured molten aluminum into an anthill to create a cast .
“I believe it’s the Great Labyrinth . ”
When everyone heard the Mayor, they took a closer look at the picture .
“That’s where one of the other Great Labyrinths was located at . Did the Great Labyrinth got pushed out of the ground?”
Next to the picture was a map, and the location of the tower was marked there . Russell asked as he looked at it .
“The probability is high . Also, we received a report that the blood net surrounding the stake has dug down far enough to reach the Great Labyrinth . It seems those bastards are using the magical energy of the Great Labyrinths . ”
The Mayor worked the remote control in his hand, and the picture on the screen changed .
“According to researchers, the blood net reacted with this to change the Moon’s trajectory . ”
“What’s that?”
“I think that’s Earth . I never knew Earth had such a place . ”
Many Connectors noisily spoke among each other .
Unlike them, Sungyoon knew the location in the picture . He could never forget it .
“It’s where I fought Kevil . ”
Everyone turned to look at Sungyoon .
“Correct . That’s where Mr . Sungyoon and Kevil fought for the last time . It’s also the place where Kevil had met its end . ”
“However, that didn’t exist when I fought against Kevil . . . ”
The fight between Sungyoon and Kevil had destroyed the battleground . It had become especially desolate because Kevil’s fire had razed the entire region until it had become pitch-black .
However, right now, everyone could see an eye-catching sight in this region filled with black soot . It looked as though flames had swirled in on themselves to create a tornado . The red burning energy spun as it danced .
“We received a report that it appeared after the blood net surrounded the stake . I believe it’s part of the ritual that changed the Moon’s trajectory . ”
“Is it gathering magical energy?”
Sungyoon pointed at a particular spot in the picture . Light flowed through the air and went into the red tornado as if the red tornado was sucking in everything near it .
“That’s correct . A portion of the magical energy the stake sends to Earth isn’t dispersing into the surroundings . It’s being dragged into that tornado . ”
“It seems like they are using this portion of magical energy to power the connection between the Moon and Earth . They are connecting the rituals from both locations . ”
“We believe this theory . We think that the two rituals make the Moon and Earth pull each other, and it’s the reason for the change in the Moon’s pace toward Earth . ”
“Udocus said that he had used the deaths of Kevil and Glaia to make this happen . This is what he meant . ”
There was a bitter taste in his mouth . Everything was going the way Udocus intended .
“Are we unable to destroy it?”
“Our government tried to get rid of it numerous times . However, it’s like the blood net . Nothing works . ”
As expected of a phenomenon made through Kevil’s death, the red tornado couldn’t be destroyed easily .
“I guess we have no choice but to go to that tower . ”
When the Mayor heard Russell’s mumbling, he switched the picture back to the tower .
“I think so too . It’s as Ms . Plu-El said . If they can stop the collision between Earth and the Moon, I believe there is a high probability the method is located in this tower . Honestly, we have nothing else to work on . Still, I believe something is here . ”
The Mayor zoomed in on the picture . The Great Labyrinth that supported the tower was surrounded by a great number of monsters .
“We killed so much, yet they can still gather so many monsters!”
Bruce was sick and tired of the numerical superiority his foes displayed, so he yelled in frustration .
Their current situation was like being faced with a mountain after having crossed a mountain . Everyone let out a sigh when they saw the great number of monsters . Some even pulled their hair in frustration .
‘Yes . It’s understandable . ’
The Mayor understood their reactions . Even he felt like he were going crazy . The fight to defend Armstrong city had been arduous, but they had won it . However, they then found out that it had been a trap of their enemy and that the fall of humanity was right around the corner .
Moreover, it was unknown whether a way to save humanity existed or not . In fact, they had to go through the tedious act of fighting the monsters again for something that wasn’t a certainty .
That was why, it was understandable that some Connector lamented in despair .
However, Sungyoon’s feelings were in stark contrast with the others . He felt a sense of relief .
‘Yes . They are defending it, so there must be something important in there . ’
It was a very thin sliver of hope . However, since he had seen this hope, Sungyoon wouldn’t look backward . He would charge forward . He would do it for his family .
“When will we have to go?”
The Mayor looked at Sungyoon for a moment . Sungyoon didn’t have a good expression on his face, but he wasn’t like the others, wallowing in despair .
“You are very motivated, Mr . Sungyoon . ”
“If there is a way, I’ll walk down that path . This is true especially at times like this . ”
He had experienced so much despair in the past that he was sick of it . Moreover, the despair he felt now couldn’t compare to that he had felt when Miyun and Jaeho had stabbed him in the back . Back then, there had been no hope for him .
“As expected of the knight, I like that you’re motivated for this fight . ”
In this gloomy reality, hope was very hard to come by . Therefore, when Sungyoon showed his desire to fight, the mood in the room livened by a little bit .
‘He really is an amazing person . He hasn’t lost his will to fight even now . ’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that everyone gathered here was a veteran fighter . They were Connectors who had navigated the labyrinths to hunt down monsters . They were the best of the best in their profession . However, even they showed vulnerabilities as humans when faced with the possibility of humanity’s extinction .
A thick sense of despair had permeated within this room . Morale was important on the battlefield; fighting spirit was a real thing . Many times in history, the loss of morale had led to defeat .
‘I was wondering how I should raise their morale . ’
These men were the defenders of Earth’s future; their morale had to be high . Therefore, the Mayor had been racking his brain to come up with a way to uplift their mood .
However, his morale was also low, so he had been stumped .
Thankfully, Sungyoon changed the atmosphere with a few words .
‘This is the result of his achievements and their trust in him . ’
Sungyoon had been a Connector for a very short time compared to the other veteran Connectors . However, he had achieved much in this short period . That was why the other Connectors put a lot of faith in him .
‘Of course, his title helps too . ’
Knight .
The Mayor and the other higher-ups had used Sungyoon’s title to enhance the image of Connectors in civilians’ eyes . However, Sungyoon’s image as the Knight had moved past the civilians, and it held influence with the Connectors too .
It wasn’t a bad thing .
The Mayor watched the fighting spirit rise in the room as the Connectors talked with Sungyoon . This almost brought a smile to his lips . It was a great sight to see, but it was also time for him to speak .
“Hmmph! Hmmph!”
The Mayor cleared his throat to gather everyone’s attention .
“We’ll mobilize after we make some preparations . Connectors and soldiers will rest for a little bit longer . We also have to replenish the ammo we used . ”
“Isn’t it more dangerous for us if we take too long?”
“You’re correct, Sir Russell . Even if the Moon doesn’t collide with Earth, large scale disasters will start to occur as it approaches Earth . ”
“Is it possible to predict when Grenoid will awaken?”
Bruce asked the question .
The Mayor’s face darkened as he shook his head from side to side .
“We have no idea . ”
They didn’t know the exact mechanism behind the seal, so it was impossible to predict when the seal would break .
“Since the collision is around two months away, I think Grenoid would revive before that period . Of course, this isn’t an exact science . It’s only a guess . ”
“It’ll be best if we finish our work before Grenoid awakens . ”
“We know that . That’s why we’ll enter the tower as soon as possible . We’ll do so after we make our preparations . ”
“How long will that take?”
“One week . We’ll rush the tower in a week . ”
The Mayor gave the declaration .
***
After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed in groups . Sungyoon’s party moved with Russell, Bruce, Plu-El, Aruwen, and the Mayor . Of course, it wasn’t a coincidence that all of them were together . The Mayor had called them .
“Why did you bring us here?”
Bruce asked as he entered the president’s office .
“Please sit . ”
The Mayor insisted everyone take a seat on the sofa . The sofa’s quality wasn’t good . After taking back Armstrong city, they had focused on increasing the city’s defenses . They had no time to bring good furniture up here .
The Mayor had merely picked up a couple of sofas that looked abandoned but were in decent shape . They were shabby pieces of furniture unbefitting of the Mayor’s office . However, this made everyone trust the Mayor even more .
“As you probably know, we killed an enormous amount of monsters in the last battle . ”
“Of course . We were the ones who killed them . ”
Tim became puzzled when the Mayor said the incredibly obvious statement .
“That’s correct . You guys killed the monsters, and we gathered the moonstones, the Devices, and the Gems left behind by those monsters . ”
“Ah!”
Emily let out an exclamation in a low voice . The others felt the same way .
“Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that . ”
“Tell me about it . In the first place, we are working as Connectors to make money . ”
As Russell and Bruce said, they had been so focused on the war that they had forgotten why they had become Connectors in the first place .
“Did anything special come out? We are sending moonstones to Earth in case of emergency . The Devices and Gems were supposed to be distributed to the Connectors defending Armstrong city to boost their power . ”
All the Devices and Gems acquired in the recapturing of Armstrong city had been distributed to the Connectors .
The high rank Connectors had given up on their rights to these Devices and Gems so that humanity could come out on top in victory . Of course, the fact that they possessed the highest ranked Gems also factored into their decision . Even if they had killed an enormous number of monsters, there were very few Devices and Gems that would be an upgrade for the high rank Connectors .
“Did something really good come out?”
“That’s correct, Ms . Plu-El . ”
The Mayor took out something from the desk drawer .
“That is...!”
Grace gasped in surprise .
Despite gathering all kinds of Gems through many hardships, Russell and Bruce were also shocked by the sight, and their eyes widened .
The Mayor spoke amidst everyone’s shock .
“This is the Diamond rank Gem that appeared in the last battle . ”
It was the highest Jewel rank Gem .
Moreover, there wasn’t just one . Three Diamond ranks Gems glittered on the Mayor’s desk
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