Chapter 330
Chapter 330: Cataclysm (3)
Lupus's body was cleft in two.
His upper and lower body separated and collapsed to the floor.
His internal organs spilled out, and his spine was exposed.
If it were any ordinary existence, that would have been the end of it.
However…….
“Keukeukeu…….”
A laugh leaked out.
His severed upper body scratched the floor with its fingernails.
His golden pupils were dyed blood-red.
Madness lingered in them.
‘I admit it.’
The corners of Lupus's mouth went up as if they would tear.
‘This is beyond imagination.’
A future where he becomes the Eighth Lord?
No.
This itself enters the realm of the Seven Lords.
No, even beyond that.
He didn't let his guard down.
The guy named Kim Minwoo is a monster beyond the standard.
He had no choice but to throw his hands up at that sword strike that cuts off causality.
He could struggle more.
But it was meaningless.
The tide of victory had tilted.
He had to acknowledge it cool-headedly.
If so…….
‘I won't die peacefully.’
Madness filled his blood-red pupils.
His severed upper body raised its head.
“Keuheuheuh…… Necromancer, let's die together.”
His heart burst.
No, he burst it himself.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
A blood-red storm swallowed District 6.
All the blood, all the life force remaining in Lupus's body exploded all at once.
The sky was dyed red.
Clouds swirled and were sucked in.
A tsunami of blood.
Buildings within a radius of hundreds of meters were instantly swept away by the red wave. Rebars melted. Concrete corroded.
Everything the blood touched rotted and crumbled away.
The screams of civilians hiding far away could be heard.
“Keuaaak!”
“Save……!”
Right before the wave of blood reached them.
Darkness stood in its path.
Kim Minwoo.
Before anyone knew it, he was blocking the front.
A massive figure bloomed above his head.
A skull, a scythe, a cloak.
The silhouette of death itself covered the sky.
Swaaaa─.
Divine power was sucked into the sword.
The divine power accumulated so far began to be consumed at a terrifying speed.
Like water pouring down a drain.
Unhesitatingly.
Endlessly.
He raised his sword.
Death became will.
Will became a blade.
He slashed.
A straight line.
Just a single sword strike.
Kwaaaaaang!!!
The blood-red tsunami was split.
No, it was cut.
The sword strike swallowed the explosion.
Rather, it pushed it back.
Lupus's blood-red pupils captured that sight.
“Keuheuheuh…….”
Even as his upper body was being cut and disappearing, a laugh leaked out.
“You monster-like bastard…….”
The death loaded in the sword strike gnawed at his existence.
His flesh turned to ash and scattered.
Even so, his laughter did not stop.
Because…….
‘If a crazy bastard like that goes up─.’
His blood-red pupils shone for the last time.
‘I won't be the only one dying.’
The ash scattered in the wind.
Lupus was annihilated.
The blood-red storm subsided.
The sky that had been dyed red slowly regained its original color.
At that moment.
Jjiiiiing!
The ring on his index finger spewed light.
[Death's Imprint is activated!]
[Target ‘Blood Wolf Lupus’ death confirmed.]
[Permanently absorbs a portion of the target's stats!]
[All stats increase by 200!]
“Oh.”
Kim Minwoo admired quietly.
Even when he caught the raid monster, the Ruler of the Mist, all stats increasing by 50 was all there was.
Was it because he was a Seven Lords-class monster.
Even though he only absorbed a portion, his stats had literally skyrocketed.
A system window popped up.
[You have defeated one of the Seven Lords, ‘Blood Wolf Lupus’!]
[Achievement Achieved! Defeat a Ruler of the Heavenly City]
[Achievement, New Seven Lords Achieved!]
[Urgent Test Completed!]
[Skipping all processes, you have ascended to the position of ‘Divine Being’ in District 1!]
[Converting accumulated test rewards…….]
[Recalculating all lower test rewards to match the grade of a ‘Divine Being’.]
[Rewards are given!]
[Reward List]
[1. All stats + 1000]
[2. One of the Death Emperor's legacies is given!]
“……Huh?”
Wait a minute.
If it's the Death Emperor, the Death Lord?
Soon after, an item was held in Kim Minwoo's hand.
＊ ＊ ＊
The aftermath was immediate.
An urgent notification popped up throughout the entire Heavenly City.
[Blood Wolf Lupus has died.]
[A new Seven Lords ascends.]
From District 1 to District 9.
The message popped up for all residents of the Heavenly City.
Before long, the entire Heavenly City began to stir.
“What is this…….”
“Lupus is dead?”
“No way.”
In bars, in back alleys, in exchanges.
People murmured while looking up at the sky.
Most of their expressions showed disbelief.
One of the Seven Lords had died.
And Lupus at that.
The head of Red Flag.
Soon after, rumors began to spread.
At first, it was a whisper.
They said there was a fight in District 6.
They said Lupus stepped up personally.
They said the opponent was a Necromancer.
The whispers quickly became shouts.
“Did you see District 6? Half of it was blown away!”
“They said Lupus self-destructed. That tsunami of blood.”
“But they said he blocked it. That Necromancer did.”
“Really?”
“It's true. The survivors saw it.”
The testimonies of those who witnessed the horrors of District 6 spread from mouth to mouth. Exaggeration was mixed in, and bluffs were added. However, the core did not change.
Kim Minwoo killed Lupus.
District 1 was in an uproar as well.
The territory of the Seven Lords.
The apex of the Heavenly City.
Even there, a stir arose.
Lupus's empty seat was too big.
The fact that Red Flag had disappeared entirely meant that the existing balance of power had completely collapsed.
“The Demonic Cult swallowed the Blood Pool, and now even Lupus…….”
“What happens to the remnants of Red Flag?”
“More importantly, who is the new Seven Lords?”
“I heard it's a guy who came up from District 6.”
“District 6? From there?”
A laugh was about to burst out but stopped.
Because the guy from District 6 had just killed one of the Seven Lords.
However, the ripples left behind were only just the beginning.
Shadow headquarters.
The moment the urgent notification popped up, Agatha's monocle fell to the floor.
“M-My Queen…….”
It was a trembling voice.
The sharp voice unique to Ratmen cracked.
His hands were trembling so much he couldn't even pick up his glasses.
Lilith was standing by the window.
Her back was turned, so her expression could not be seen.
Her pink hair fluttered in the wind. Her shoulders trembled minutely.
“My Queen?”
Agatha called out cautiously.
“By any chance, are you alr…….”
“Keuh-heuh.”
A laugh leaked out.
“Keuheuheuheuh.”
Her shoulders heaved.
Lilith turned her head.
Her blue pupils were shining close to madness. The corners of her mouth were raised as if they would tear to her ears.
“Keuhahahahaha!”
A mad laugh erupted.
It was a laugh to the extent of making the entire headquarters ring.
Lilith laughed while holding her stomach.
Tears even formed in the corners of her eyes.
“He's crazy! Seriously.”
She muttered while panting.
“I thought it might happen. No, I expected it. But this fast?”
Her finger flicked the empty air.
A contract popped up.
Kim Minwoo's signature shone clearly.
“It's a good thing I got him to stamp it.”
Lilith's eyes curved like half-moons.
“Our Shadow is the biggest beneficiary. A Seven Lords-class military power has entered my hands.”
Her voice trembled.
Whether it was deep emotion, or excitement. Probably both.
“For my whole life…… it was a lifelong grievance.”
Military power.
The yoke of being the lowest among the Seven Lords.
The years she had to pay protection fees to other powerhouses, walk on eggshells, and bow her head.
Those years of oppression were now, over.
“Congratulations, My Queen.”
Agatha bowed deeply.
Sincerity was contained in his voice.
“As expected, no one in the Heavenly City can follow Your Majesty's discernment. When this humble servant first opposed that deal, Your Majesty…….”
“Enough.”
Lilith waved her hand.
The laughter disappeared. A cold look returned to her eyes.
It was her face as one of the Seven Lords.
“I'll hear the flattery later.”
Her finger pointed at Agatha.
“Send information to Kim Minwoo right now. Express.”
“What kind of information…….”
“Everything.”
Lilith's voice was firm.
“The political situation of District 1, the trends of the Seven Lords, even the locations of hidden pieces. Give him everything I know.”
Agatha's eyes widened.
“M-My Queen, that is Shadow's core asset. Even so…….”
“Treatment grade.”
Lilith cut off his words.
Her blue pupils pierced Agatha.
“Raise it to the absolute highest. Treat him like you would treat me. Don't just say it, do it for real. I'm telling you to show him everything inside and out.”
Silence.
Agatha swallowed his saliva.
‘Treat him like you would treat me’ meant a Seven Lords-class treatment. It was an unprecedented treatment in the history of Shadow.
“……I shall follow your command.”
Agatha bowed again.
Lilith looked out the window.
The direction of District 6. The sky that had been dyed blood-red was slowly clearing up.
“It's going to be fun.”
The corners of her mouth went up again.
District 1.
Yoo Honbi stopped in the ruined battlefield.
The fight with Medea was halted. No, it had no choice but to be halted. Because the system message that popped up in the sky had simultaneously captured the gazes of the two Seven Lords.
[Blood Wolf Lupus has died.]
“…….”
Yoo Honbi's blood-colored pupils narrowed.
Lupus was dead.
That massive beast.
The Blood Wolf who wielded the authority of blood.
In a mere District 6.
Red Flag disappeared.
A long-standing archenemy was eliminated.
It was news she should rightfully be happy about.
However…….
‘I feel foul.’
There was a bitter taste in her mouth.
The one who killed Lupus was not herself.
The blade sharpened over a long time, the obsession that she would someday cut that wolf's neck. Someone else had snatched that fruit.
Kim Minwoo.
The Necromancer who suddenly popped out from District 6.
At first, she merely considered him a fun variable.
She intended to make him clash with Lupus to drain both sides' strength.
However, the result was this.
‘He killed Lupus.’
It completely deviated from her predicted range.
He didn't just win against one of the Seven Lords, he completely killed him. And this fast at that.
Yoo Honbi's fingernails dug into her palms.
Blood flowed, but she did not feel it.
‘He's dangerous.’
Her instincts warned her.
That Necromancer is no longer a pawn she can use. He is an uncontrollable variable.
One who could even aim for her own neck if things go wrong.
“Interesting.”
A voice was heard from the side.
It was Medea.
Her red lips were curved sluggishly. The murderous intent aiming for each other's necks until just a moment ago was nowhere to be found.
“To think he would kill Lupus. That kid, he's more useful than I thought.”
Yoo Honbi turned her head.
“What are you so happy about?”
“I'm happy, of course.”
Medea flicked her finger in the empty air.
“I thought he was a fun toy, but at this level, he's not a toy, is he?”
Her blood-colored pupils shone.
“He's a truly useful sword. One with a properly sharpened edge.”
Yoo Honbi's eyebrows twitched.
‘That bitch, what is she plotting?’
An intention was always hidden within Medea's smile. It wasn't simple interest. She was calculating something.
“What are you going to cut with that sword?”
Medea chuckled.
Instead of answering, a red mist wrapped around her body. Her form blurred. Right before she disappeared, only her voice remained.
“You will find out soon.”
Silence.
Only Yoo Honbi remained in the ruins.
The wind blew.
Debris dyed blood-red fluttered.
‘Kim Minwoo.’
She repeated the name.
An existence she could no longer ignore. A target to be wary of. Perhaps, the greatest obstacle that will block her ambition.
Yoo Honbi sneered.
She would be facing him sooner or later.