The eruption of the rift is approaching.
This time, most observations were still hopeful.
‘Seoul will be able to perfectly block the eruption.’
So-called experts—non-Awakened—who spout nonsense began appearing in media interviews, making grand claims on behalf of the Association, saying Seoul could achieve cosmic defense.
To be fair, it wasn’t entirely wrong.
Seoul had a solid track record of successfully blocking the previous eruption, and after the last one, over 300 Awakened from China had arrived.
An overwhelming, even excessive, force.
Even if defending the entire metropolitan area would be difficult, they had enough power to easily protect the satellite cities as well.
“Mirien, can you check inside the rift?”
Mirien’s house arrest had only ended this morning.
When I visited the Tower of the Fallen Sky, she cried and begged for forgiveness, but that was nothing more than a farce.
After a brief commotion, Mirien finally calmed down, sat on my lap (which enraged Selene), closed her eyes, and gazed at the ceiling, beginning to search for the calamities within the rift.
Mirien’s detection magic was exceptional enough to roughly discern the calamities inside the rift.
“Mmm…”
But Mirien’s reaction was subtly strange.
A moment later, she furrowed her brows and opened her eyes.
A hexagonal magic circle floated in her pupils.
“Actor, I’m not sure.”
“What do you mean, ‘not sure’?”
“There’s something like a hazy mist inside the rift. It’s obscuring my vision.”
“So you can’t detect anything?”
“Yeah. But Actor, you should know—this isn’t because I’m incompetent, it’s because that mist is…”
“That’s exactly what incompetence looks like, you magic brat.”
“Shut your mouth.”
I sighed and scratched the back of my head.
This was the first time Mirien had failed to detect the inside of a rift.
When I glanced at Karne, she just shrugged.
Karne had a knack for tracking magic, but that was solely due to her keen senses.
She couldn’t peer into the rift like Mirien did.
“What do you think is the reason, Mother?”
“If something anomalous has occurred, it’s not that child’s fault. The problem lies not with the subject but the object.”
She had a way with unnecessarily cryptic words.
“So the rift itself is the problem?”
“More precisely, the uninvited guest inside it.”
“Asteria.”
“Indeed.”
Karne grinned and muttered “Esakta,” while I grimaced in frustration.
The Star-Devouring Queen, Asteria, was currently inside the rift, rejecting even Mirien’s interference.
I had no idea what she was plotting.
Humans naturally fear the unknown.
My thoughts grew complicated.
“Selene, you said Asteria sees me as a subordinate, right?”
“Yes. That’s correct. That woman insolently believes she has established a lord-vassal relationship with you.”
“Do you think she still feels that way, even after the crown was destroyed?”
“I’m sorry. I’m not sure about that.”
Selene answered with an odd expression.
“Asteria was… the hardest person to deal with in the stronghold. She was always expressionless and spoke very little. It was impossible to tell what she was thinking.”
“…Right, right. I definitely got that vibe. Actor, I think it’d be easier to just kill her.”
“That magic brat is right. Asteria is a woman with a black heart. It’s best to cut her down as soon as possible to avoid future trouble.”
Selene agreed with Mirien’s words, and the two of them were suddenly in sync.
Just moments ago, they’d been at each other’s throats, but now they were perfectly aligned.
But I didn’t have the luxury to dwell on that.
“In any case, it seems Asteria is the most likely cause of this situation.”
If Asteria resented me like Karne did and was plotting revenge…
With the rift’s interior obscured, wasn’t this an extremely dangerous situation?
“Mirien, Selene. Take up positions before the eruption begins. Somewhere you can provide support as quickly as possible.”
“Actor, is that really necessary?”
“It might not be, but…”
I trailed off.
After facing so many calamities, I’d learned one thing:
If you assume the worst-case scenario, you’ll usually end up facing it.
“I just have a bad feeling. Call it intuition.”
Mirien tilted her head, puzzled by my answer.
Then, the next day arrived.
[The rift is erupting.]
[Various calamities can be collected during the rift’s eruption.]
[Defeat the calamities and dominate them. The dominated calamities will serve as loyal subordinates, strengthening your stronghold.]
[The eruption will end in 6 hours.]
The familiar messages floated before my eyes.
Standing on the rooftop of the Association building, I watched as calamities poured from the sky.
And among the smaller calamities, a few massive auras revealed themselves…
[4★ Ashen Knight Morgen has appeared!]
[4★ Thorned Tree Terracus has appeared!]
“Fuck.”
Just as I feared.
This eruption had spawned two 4-star calamities.
And both were named ones.
“We’re screwed.”
This was unprecedented.
*
The news of powerful calamities erupting sent the Association into a panic.
[Na-Nam Jooyeon! What do we do?!]
Yoo Junseo, forgetting he was the Association head, frantically radioed me.
I ignored him and rushed down from the rooftop.
Even Seo Yerin, who usually followed me with her camera, didn’t this time.
She, too, had responsibilities as a squad leader.
[Actor, what’s the plan?]
On my way down the stairs, Mirien’s telepathy echoed in my head.
There was only one way to respond, so I answered through Karne, who was invisibly lurking beside me.
“Mother, dealing with the 4-star calamities is the priority. But if Mirien and Selene reveal themselves directly, the city will fall into even greater chaos. So…”
“You want me to assassinate them.”
“Yes. Without anyone noticing.”
Given that the targets were named 4-star calamities, it was a tall order.
But standing before me was a calamity beyond all norms when it came to stealth.
The Mother of Omens, Karne, nodded nonchalantly.
“The Ashen Knight can be handled. But…”
Karne’s gaze shifted to the massive tree-like calamity visible through the window.
“That one will be impossible to hide.”
“I figured as much.”
Thorned Tree Terracus.
A named calamity of the arboreal attribute.
Boasting overwhelming tanking abilities and a full suite of utility skills, it was a jack-of-all-trades.
“I’ll handle that one.”
“Won’t it be dangerous?”
“No. It shouldn’t be particularly dangerous.”
As evidenced by Selene’s highly regarded trait of ignoring elemental resistances…
The fact that Tempest, the Storm Dragon—a buffed-up powerhouse—was suppressed not by a Longstone but by a single sprinkler spoke volumes.
In Disaster Order, elemental matchups were crucial.
Frankly, it could be called an elemental rock-paper-scissors game without exaggeration.
“There’s one useful thing.”
Karne tilted her head curiously as I pulled out my radio.
Coincidentally, there was someone in the Association perfectly suited to deal with that tree.
Namely…
“Association Head, respond.”
[Uhh, yeah?]
Yoo Junseo answered immediately.
He must’ve been clutching the radio tightly.
“Forget about hiding in a bunker and get your ass to the location I tell you.”
[W-wait, Nam Jooyeon, those are named 4-stars. Shouldn’t we prioritize survival?]
Just as I suspected, Yoo Junseo was trying to flee.
I sighed and said:
“If you run, I’ll leak to the press how you ran around in your underwear alone in the tower last time.”
[Where do you need me?]
Yoo Junseo immediately changed his tune.
*
“Nam Jooyeon, you can’t seriously expect me to take that thing down?”
Yoo Junseo paled as he stared at the 4-star calamity, Thorned Tree Terracus, rampaging through Mapo District.
And for good reason.
A tree the size of a five-story building was moving like a living thing, destroying everything in sight.
The Awakened assigned to the area had already retreated, and the Chinese Awakened, including Rei Fu, were barely containing its movements.
“I-I don’t think I can beat that…”
“It’s just a 4-star calamity. It won’t be that hard.”
“But… it’s a named one…”
“Don’t worry.”
I clapped a hand on Yoo Junseo’s shoulder.
Surprisingly, the success of this eruption rested on this idiot’s shoulders.
“Think about it carefully, Association Head.”
“Uh, okay.”
“See that tree clearly?”
“O-of course I do.”
“Doesn’t it look like it’d burn well?”
“…Huh?”
Yoo Junseo blinked a few times.
Soon, he seemed to understand what I was implying.
“You don’t mean…”
“Yes. That’s firewood.”
I continued before he could respond.
“And this is your chance to prove you’re an S-rank among S-ranks, just like me. The media will start writing ‘Flame Lord’ before ‘Dragon Lord.’ You’ve earned that much.”
“…”
“Think about it. If you subdue that tree, you’ll instantly become a superstar across the Korean Peninsula. You might even surpass me. How about it? Still scared of that tree?”
Under my skillful persuasion, Yoo Junseo shook his head and his eyes gleamed.
“Fine, let’s give it a shot.”
I smiled victoriously, while Mirien, watching from the sidelines, added:
[Actor, you’re such a scammer.]
It’s not that I’m the player, it’s that Yoo Junseo is the easy one.