Chapter 98

“Biryeong, what I am about to tell you will be incredibly difficult to believe. However, if it is anyone, you are the one who will know that my words are not a lie.”

“…….”

Sensing Taewoon’s solemn demeanor, Biryeong gave a light nod and waited for him to continue.

“This place is a space called the Theater. The Martial World we have lived in, and even the space you dream of, are ultimately just single stages existing within the framework of a much larger Theater.”

Biryeong’s eyebrows twitched slightly. However, she did not speak rashly and continued to listen intently to Taewoon’s words.

“Until now, you have endlessly sought to move toward a wider world. That is likely why you set your heart on Aquila’s intentions. But in the end, even she is merely an existence trapped within a larger cage. No matter how far one goes, another wall will exist at the end.”

Taewoon caught his breath and looked straight into her eyes. Biryeong gazed back at that serious look and replied calmly.

“…That is a truly interesting story. To be honest, if anyone else had told me such a thing, I wouldn’t have even considered believing it.”

Biryeong paused for a moment and wore a subtle smile.

“So, is it true? That absurd story.”

“Yes. Do you happen to remember the day we first faced each other? At that time, you must have thought to yourself: that there was a sense of dissonance, as if I alone were sticking out in this land of the Central Plains.”

“…….”

Biryeong remained silent for a long time, her expression more solemn than ever before. Then, she spoke to Taewoon as if it were hard to believe.

“There were parts that had been bothering me all along, but now I finally know the whole truth.”

“…….”

“By any chance, was that meeting not the ‘first’ for you?”

Taewoon gasped at Biryeong’s truly astonishing insight.

No, perhaps there had been numerous clues.

Even if he hadn’t spoken them aloud, Taewoon could not perfectly control all of his actions or physical reactions.

Having confirmed the answer from Taewoon’s reaction, Biryeong let out a small sigh and, in a rare moment, reprimanded him.

“Honestly, this is a bit ridiculous. To tell me such a critical fact only now.”

“That… I am sorry.”

“But it doesn’t matter. Do you happen to know? How I am feeling right now.”

She seemed irritated, but more than that, Biryeong could not hide her sense of interest and pleasure.

Having learned that the land of the Central Plains, which had felt so narrow to her, was actually nothing more than a model on a garden, her feelings were bound to be extraordinary.

“A frog in a well can only look at and perceive the small world it belongs to. In the past, I never once thought of myself as such a being.”

“…….”

“The time I spent letting the days drift by in boredom now feels like a waste.”

At Biryeong’s response, accepting the entire truth, Taewoon let out a deep sigh of relief. He thought she would believe him, but that didn’t mean he could be blindly certain.

“Then, what is the relationship between you and the Theater?”

“I am a spectator of the Theater. Outside the Theater, there is another Theater, and I am essentially drifting through them one by one according to special rules.”

Taewoon revealed the secret honestly. Since it was information she would naturally perceive if she became the target of the Companion of Memories Special Privilege anyway.

“If you truly wish to go to a wider world, you must move toward the outside of this Theater, not toward Aquila’s empire or other planets beyond it. And in the end, I am the only person with the possibility of leading you there.”

“When you say possibility, does that mean you cannot guarantee it?”

“Honestly, the possibility of failure is not zero. But to add my personal opinion, I believe it is entirely possible.”

Ultimately, to become the target of the Companion of Memories Special Privilege, one needs to build a corresponding amount of bond and narrative.

And in this ‘Heavenly Secret Manual’ Theater, the person Taewoon had spent the most time with was none other than Biryeong.

If so, she could certainly be chosen by the Theater’s system.

At Taewoon’s final words, Biryeong remained silent for a moment and quietly looked up at the night sky. As always, there was no hesitation or confusion in her eyes.

“You always surprise me.”

“…….”

“But that’s why I feel relieved. I feel like if I follow you, I can feel this sensation forever.”

She smiled faintly and looked at Taewoon again. A feeling that was no longer just a momentary interest was clearly contained within her gaze.

“So, what do I need to do?”

“We will challenge Aquila once more through the secret passage in the depths of the Central Mining Facility. And we must completely annihilate her, or at least destroy Yerin’s body, which she has seized.”

“I expected as much, but is Yerin also a human from outside the Theater?”

“Yes. And as long as Aquila occupies her body, the means available to me are greatly reduced.”

“I think I get the gist of it. I will cooperate.”

Taewoon looked at the sky in silence for a moment. Then, he smiled faintly and replied calmly.

“It feels as if we’ve returned to the old days.”

“Even though everything around us has changed significantly.”

It was the moment when the paths of the two, who had been separated for 15 years, finally converged into one again.

The plan proceeded smoothly, and finally, all preparations were complete.

Piercing through the cold dawn mist, the warriors of the New Murim revealed themselves silently and began to move toward the Central Mining Facility all at once. It was time to finally achieve the longing they had waited for so long.

“Everyone, charge!”

As the first attack tore through the security robots’ defensive line, the following warriors scattered and began to instantly crush the forces garrisoned at the mining facility.

“Code – 004. Code – 004. Eliminate all intruders.”

The cold voice of the machines echoed, but not a single person showed signs of hesitation or doubt.

Under Taewoon’s command, the unified Murim Experts, the mercenaries gathered by their resentment toward the Empire, and the skilled warriors from Shevel joined forces, dealing with the security robots with perfect coordination, as if flowing like water.

“Move forward! Do not delay for a moment!”

As Taewoon’s order fell, the experts at the front immediately deployed their formation and rushed rapidly into the enemy lines.

Projectiles fired by the security robots flew like streaks of light, but unlike the previous generation, the martial artists of the New Murim were veteran warriors who had become well-accustomed to fighting against otherworldly technology.

As Taewoon swung his spear, dozens of security robots were instantly sliced in half, spewing sparks.

Biryeong, who stood by his side, lifted other robots into the air with a mere gesture and then crushed them using Internal Energy.

Soon after, the Shevel warriors led by Nicholas raised their supercharge rifles in unison and destroyed the remaining robots.

“Continue the breakthrough!”

At the voice of one of the executives, the warriors of the New Murim charged relentlessly and entered the secret passage in the depths of the mining facility.

In short, this was a race against time.

The key to the success or failure of this operation was reaching the heart of Sichuan Province as quickly as possible before Aquila could respond.

Whenever they encountered reinforcement troops pouring out of the passage, the New Murim warriors separated one by one according to the predetermined strategy to block them.

Since the core of the plan relied on the elite forces of the New Murim, while they bought time, Taewoon’s party headed toward the center of Sichuan Province without hesitation.

Before long, by the time they reached the final passage leading to the deepest part, only the six elites of the New Murim remained.

Centered around Taewoon and Biryeong were Nicholas, the fleet commander of Shevel; General Ulan; Yeon Lin of the mercenary group; and Gong Seon-haeng, a martial artist from the Central Plains who had reached the edge of the Flower Realm.

Taewoon took a deep breath and looked at the entrance of the passage leading to the upper levels of Sichuan Province.

“Everyone, this is as far as we go together. From here on, there is no turning back.”

Nicholas added calmly.

“If we cannot defeat her, there will be no more chances for us, nor for this planet.”

“We have all prepared for this. There is no need to hesitate.”

Everyone nodded at Gong Seon-haeng’s low and firm answer.

Following that, Taewoon took the lead, and the party headed toward the center of Sichuan Province.

In the process, they encountered the Empire’s elite troops and ultra-high-performance autonomous combat robots, but while a large-scale army might have been a problem, they were not at a level that could handle the individuals gathered here.

Finally, bright light began to leak from the end of the long, dark passage.

“…We have arrived.”

With Taewoon’s small mutter, the depths of Sichuan Province—the Empress’s Holy Ground where Aquila was located—finally revealed itself.

Aquila greeted her guests with a calm face, as if she had been waiting for Taewoon’s party to arrive.

Her attitude was infinitely relaxed and emotionless, as if she herself were a transcendent being.

“It has been a long time, User. I have been waiting for your visit.”

Aquila spoke while staring straight at Taewoon. The appearance of Yerin, which had not changed much despite the passing of 20 years, instead made Taewoon’s heart race.

Taewoon did not hesitate any longer. He simply gripped his spear tightly and stepped forward calmly.

“…A long time has passed. Now is the moment to end everything.”

“That is what I desire as well. Today, in this place, one side will certainly meet the conclusion they desire.”

Whether it had undergone countless modifications, the Cylinder—which had been one of the three Strange Objects in the past—had already completely changed its appearance from what Taewoon knew.

Furthermore, the weapons currently possessed by Aquila were not limited to that.

The companions from Shevel, who knew the danger better than anyone, distorted their faces in horror.

“This can’t be! To implement technology of that grade on a backward planet!”

“…Dangerous. That thing has already far surpassed the limit of firepower an individual can possess. A piece of scrap metal with a broken mind won’t care about the surrounding damage.”

Nicholas and Ulan seemed to lose their will to fight instantly at the sight before them.

However, knowing well that there was no way back, they simply raised their equipment with sunken eyes.

“There is only one chance! Go!”

“With the equipment we have, there is no way to handle that level of firepower anyway! We just throw everything we have and clash!”

Ulan formed a powerful Protective Barrier around his entire body and charged to the front, while Nicholas followed him, taking a position for cover fire.

“We shall go as well!”

As the remaining two executives kicked off the ground and ran forward, Taewoon and Biryeong also joined the ranks.

However.

In the very next moment, a blinding flash flared, and the figures of Nicholas and Ulan, who were at the very front, vanished without a trace.

At that surreal sight, the two remaining executives stopped in their tracks, trembling with rage and fear, unable to utter a word.

Looking at them, Aquila merely cast her gaze toward them with an emotionless face.