Chapter 680
Chapter 680
Seden Price's intention was simple.
He intended to control Jin Geum-ho through the Devil's Worm.
He had already identified the Devil's Worm's abilities through numerous experiments.
First, any offspring split from the parent could never disobey the parent's commands.
Second, it possessed the ability to parasitize the human body.
Third, Seden Price could control the parent through his own ability.
Having discovered these three facts, Seden Price injected the split offspring into Jin Geum-ho, intending to control him according to his will.
If he could control only Jin Geum-ho, then after winning the war against the monster, he would receive tremendous support and solidify his rule over the Eastern District.
That was all Seden Price wanted.
He had neither the confidence to run Neo Seoul in Jin Geum-ho's place nor any illusion that the other rulers would allow such a thing.
His plan was simply to hold Jin Geum-ho by the leash while securing practical benefits for himself.
The problem was that he knew nothing about Jin Geum-ho's physical condition.
"Cough!"
The moment the split offspring entered his body, Jin Geum-ho coughed up blood and collapsed.
"What?"
It was Seden Price who was startled by Jin Geum-ho's completely unexpected reaction.
"Cough!"
Collapsed on the ground, Jin Geum-ho vomited blood once more.
"W-What? Hey! Are you all right?"
Just as Seden Price hurried over to support him…
"Take your filthy hands off him."
Bang!
Along with a cold voice, someone kicked Seden Price away.
Caught completely off guard, Seden Price was sent flying far away.
The one who had attacked him was none other than Seo Tae-ran.
She had come out looking for Jin Geum-ho after he failed to return to his quarters, only to find him coughing up blood before Seden Price.
"How dare you harm the Mayor."
"W-Wait! I never intended to hurt him."
"Silence!"
Seden Price hurriedly tried to explain, but his words had no effect on Seo Tae-ran.
"If anything happens to the Mayor, I'll wipe out the entire Eastern District."
"Calm down, Seo Tae-ran."
"What's going on?"
At that moment, Zeon's voice rang out.
Having noticed the commotion while observing the battlefield from atop the Diamond Wall, Zeon had rushed over.
The moment he saw Jin Geum-ho collapsed on the ground, coughing up blood, his expression turned icy.
"You?"
"It's a misunderstanding. I never intended to harm him."
"What exactly have you done?"
"That..."
Seden Price fell speechless.
He simply couldn't bring himself to admit that he had injected Jin Geum-ho with a Devil's Worm to control him like a puppet.
Holding Jin Geum-ho in her arms, Seo Tae-ran cried out,
"Mayor! Open your eyes. Please... open them..."
"Tae... ran..."
Perhaps he heard her desperate voice, because Jin Geum-ho slowly opened his eyes.
"We have to get you to Remura. Climb onto my back."
"It's too late."
"Mayor!"
"Haha... So my fate... ends here. And right after receiving treatment from Remura..."
The Devil's Worm Seden Price had injected into Jin Geum-ho was a type of parasitic monster.
The parasite fed on nutrients from the human body.
It normally absorbed nutrients in moderation, maintaining balance while parasitizing its host.
The problem was that Jin Geum-ho had just received Cure from Remura, leaving the vitality within his body at its absolute peak.
It was essentially a state of overheating.
Before the blazing energy inside him had stabilized, the Devil's Worm entered his body and mistook that overwhelming vitality for his body's natural state, causing it to absorb nutrients far beyond normal.
Flooded with immense energy, the Devil's Worm grew several times larger than normal.
As a result, every internal organ in Jin Geum-ho's body was drained of nutrients, shriveling like a mummy before burning away completely.
As Seo Tae-ran lifted Jin Geum-ho onto her back, she said,
"Stop talking. I'll take you to Remura. She'll save you."
"It's useless, Tae-ran. I know my own body better than anyone. I'm already beyond saving."
A lonely smile appeared at the corner of Jin Geum-ho's lips.
"What are you saying? Why would you be beyond saving?"
"For some time now... I could no longer see my own future. The moment my Heavenly Eye stopped responding, I realized... my era had come to an end. Even if Seden hadn't done this... I wouldn't have lived much longer."
"So that's why you entrusted the Mayor's authority to me..."
"Yes. From the very beginning... you were my only successor."
"Sob... That's impossible..."
Seo Tae-ran broke down in tears.
The sight of the ‘Iron Lady’, Seo Tae-ran, forgetting all dignity and weeping so bitterly felt strangely unreal.
Even Seden Price, the one responsible for all this, was too stunned to say a word.
"..."
Without realizing it, Zeon let out a deep sigh.
He had always known that the giant would one day leave the stage called Neo Seoul.
But even he had never imagined that the moment would come now.
Remura's ability was absolute, but it clearly had its limits.
Jin Geum-ho's condition had already gone beyond those limits.
The only reason he remained conscious was because he was Jin Geum-ho.
Anyone else would have lost consciousness long ago.
Looking up at Seo Tae-ran with great effort, Jin Geum-ho spoke.
"Don't grieve so much. Though it pains me that I won't live to see every monster on this land wiped out... I have no regrets, because I know you'll carry on after me. Please... protect this land from the monster."
"Waaah!"
At his words, Seo Tae-ran wept even more bitterly.
The sight of her crying her heart out cast an even heavier silence over everyone present.
Then—
Suddenly, Seo Tae-ran jerked her head up like a madwoman and said,
"I can grant your wish, Mayor."
"Wh... what are you saying?"
"The truth is..."
Seo Tae-ran whispered quietly into Jin Geum-ho's ear.
After hearing everything, Jin Geum-ho looked at her in disbelief.
"Is that true?"
"Yes."
"The World Tree really granted you such an authority?"
"I think... it must have known this would happen."
"Haha... So it was fate. That's wonderful. Then do it."
A smile appeared on Jin Geum-ho's face.
"Do you truly wish for that? If my authority works, you'll be alone forever in that cold place."
"I don't mind. If I can protect Neo Seoul, you, Remura, and the others even that way... then I'll gladly become a lost soul drifting through space."
"Mayor!"
"P-please do it."
Even at death's doorstep, Seo Tae-ran engraved deep within her heart the eyes of the man who remained determined to protect Neo Seoul and humanity to the very end.
"I'll carry you."
"Thank you."
With Jin Geum-ho on her back, Seo Tae-ran headed toward City Hall.
Seden Price stared blankly after them.
Soon, a vicious expression spread across his face.
If the truth—that he had tried to turn Jin Geum-ho into his puppet—became known, the Eastern District would be finished.
Jin Geum-ho was supported by every citizen.
He couldn't even imagine the fury of the people after losing the leader guiding Neo Seoul against the great invasion of the monster.
‘This must never get out.’
Though this was not the outcome he had wanted, now that things had come to this, he had to kill everyone and erase all evidence.
Whoooosh!
The dark aura that had instantly subdued Lee Cheol-hwi and the others billowed out like a storm cloud.
Just as Seden Price was about to use his skill on Jin Geum-ho and Seo Tae-ran—
Boom!
A tremendous impact suddenly slammed into his entire body.
Zeon, who had sensed Seden Price's intention, attacked first.
Struck by the Sand Blaster, Seden Price glared at Zeon with wide eyes.
"Don't interfere, Zeon!"
"Do you even realize what you've done?"
"Shut up."
Having lost his reason, Seden Price tried to attack Zeon.
But Zeon's response was far faster.
Boom!
An enormous pillar of sand crashed straight down onto Seden Price's head just as he tried to activate his skill.
It was a mass attack that utilized the tremendous weight of the sand.
Having allowed the unexpected attack to land, Seden Price had no chance to respond properly.
"Urgh!"
His entire body felt as though it were being crushed apart, and he floundered helplessly beneath the sand.
Without giving Seden Price any opportunity to recover, Zeon immediately unleashed Sand Mixer.
Rumble!
An enormous mass of sand spun at terrifying speed.
"Dark Veil!"
Seden Price hurriedly activated a defensive skill, protecting his entire body.
It was a powerful defensive skill capable of blocking almost any attack without leaving even a scratch.
He was confident he could withstand Zeon's assault.
But he quickly realized just how mistaken he was.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
Pressure beyond imagination bore down upon the Dark Veil.
The mass and pressure generated by tens of thousands of tons of sand were not something a mere skill could withstand.
Crash!
At last, the Dark Veil, barely holding together, shattered like glass, and the rapidly rotating sand particles engulfed Seden Price.
"Aaaagh!"
Swept away by the sand, Seden Price let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Zeon's gaze as he looked at him remained ice-cold.
Everyone feared him as the Dark Mage, but at his core, he was still a magic-type Awakened.
Awakened grew stronger through battle.
By fighting monster, humans, and other races, they sharpened their skills and kept their senses constantly honed.
Even high-ranking Awakened were no exception.
Even S-rank Awakened would inevitably grow rusty if they stopped fighting.
The rulers of each district were a perfect example.
It had already been decades since they had personally stepped onto the battlefield.
After reaching S-rank and securing their positions as rulers, occasions where they personally entered the field had become exceedingly rare.
Xiao Lun of the Southern District and Kim Hyun-soo of the Western District rarely hunted or cleared dungeons themselves, but Seden Price had practically stopped altogether.
His abilities and skills might have grown stronger, but his combat instincts had dulled by the same measure.
Against Awakened weaker than himself, he could easily overwhelm them with the sheer power of his skills.
But against someone like Zeon, someone with overwhelming power and abundant combat experience, his openings were exposed far too easily.
The robe protected by powerful defensive magic was ground into dust by the rapidly spinning sand, and chunks of flesh were torn away.
Experiencing such overwhelming pain for the first time in his life, Seden Price screamed at the top of his lungs.
But his screams were swallowed by the sand and never escaped outside.
At that point, Zeon released Sand Mixer.
The sight of Seden Price staggering within the sand was miserable.
His flesh and muscles had been ground away by the sand, making him resemble butchered meat hanging in a slaughterhouse.
Even so, befitting an Awakened of immense power, he was still clinging to life.
"Uuugh..."
He tried to say something to Zeon, but even his vocal cords had been shredded, and only grotesque noises escaped.
Zeon's answer was Sand Blaster.
Boom!
Struck in the head by the Sand Blaster, Seden Price immediately lost consciousness.
The moment he collapsed, Lee Cheol-hwi and the others, who had been subdued, broke free of their restraints and got back to their feet.
Zeon said to Lee Cheol-hwi,
"Put mana restraints on him and lock him in prison. Don't let him die. Keep him barely alive."
"Understood, Mr. Zeon!"
"I'm going to the Mayor. I'll leave the cleanup to you."
"Leave this to us and hurry."
Lee Cheol-hwi's eyes were bloodshot.
Though Seden Price had subdued him and knocked him down, he had remained fully conscious and had understood every part of the conspiracy.
After leaving Seden Price in Lee Cheol-hwi's hands, Zeon hurried toward City Hall.
"Haah!"
His heavy sigh scattered into the wind.