The Great Mage Returns After 4000 Years (Web Novel KR)
chapter-480

Those sent by the Trowman Rings.

The number of people was fairly large. He looked through the list and found 12 names. Most of them were names that he didn’t know. Since Min Ha-rin was the Leader, Lukas had thought that the group would be comprised mostly of people he knew, but that didn’t seem to be the case.

Except for one.

The name of the person at the top was surprisingly familiar.

[Person in charge: Neil Prand]

A man who was once the boss of the Hunter Association.

And the disciple that Lukas had ultimately failed to lead in the right direction.

That Neil, was a member of the Trowman Rings?

“Isn’t this guy the Head of the Association?”

“That’s right.”

“But he’s coming to aid Luanoble as a member of the Trowman Rings?”

“Is there a problem?”

Problems? There were many.

Neil Prand could be classified as a dangerous man.

He had an amazing talent and senses, but his nationalist mindset was so strong that he had no issue sacrificing non-Americans.

For example, even if he had to choose between 1 American and 100 foreigners, he would choose the former without hesitation.

Was a man like that really affiliated with the Trowman Rings and accepted orders from Min Ha-rin?

It was natural for him to have suspicions.

“I’ve heard of Neil Prand’s martial prowess. If that man worked together with the elites of the Trowman Rings, they might have a good chance of defeating the Demonic Cult.”

Ignoring Jiudad’s voice, Lukas came to a conclusion.

He couldn’t meet Neil Prand.

This wasn’t just because Lukas didn’t want to make any more contact with his ties from Earth and his home universe.

During the Preliminaries for the Great Game, Lukas had tried to secure Neil as a member of his team. However, someone had struck before him.

Retip.(TL: According to the author, this is the correct spelling, but it isn’t revealed till much later for some reason)

‘Is Retip still in this world?’

It would be fair to assume that.

At the moment, meeting Retip would be undesirable. This wasn’t just because the Lightning God’s consciousness was inside his body.

‘Retip would not be an easy opponent.’

He was a Lord, a strong being that ranked at the top of Absolutes.

It was said that he was a monster that was at least comparable to the Demon King who held the same position. If he was to meet that guy and something went wrong which caused them to clash, he would have to use void again.

‘I’m sure something bad would happen if he met Pale.’

According to the response, it appeared that Neil Prand would be arriving in Luanoble today. Lukas felt the need to leave before that happened.

“Jiudad, have you heard of the names Diablo and Kasajin before?”

“…!”

At that, Jiudad’s expression suddenly changed.

For a moment, he appeared startled before fear blossomed on his face.

“…there’s no way I wouldn’t know them. Especially the Archlich Diablo. He is the being responsible for the most terrible disasters before and after the Great Fusion.”

“After the Great Fusion? Diablo appeared in this world even after the Great Fusion occurred?”

“That’s right.”

“…”

Lukas frowned.

He recalled the last scene that God had shown him. The image of his home universe meeting a tragic end.

…Was that scene an event that unfolded in this merged universe? Or had God tricked Lukas?

If not…

‘The future might have already changed.’

Lukas shook his head.

For now, he had just learned something.

Diablo had a method of travelling between the World of Void and the Three Thousand Worlds. He knew this because he had seen Diablo in the Dump Site before regressing.

‘If I use this fact well, I might be able to control Yang In-hyun.’

Thinking this, he asked Jiudad.

“Do you know where they are?”

“I might be able to guess, but there is a fairly high chance that I would be incorrect. And don’t you have someone around you who would know even more than I do?”

“Mm.”

Narrowing his eyes slightly, Lukas muttered the name of this person.

“…Heavenly Demon.”

* * *

Yang In-hyun was standing on the roof of the building called Infernal Heaven once more. But this time, instead of looking down at the street, he was looking out over the horizon. The dark sky was slowly becoming grey as the glaring sun slowly rose in the east.

—It was a sight that didn’t exist in the World of Void, so it couldn’t be seen.

Yang In-hyun asked himself.

Him now, was he feeling sorrow and other emotions while looking at this sprawling scene?

“…”

His chest had been feeling stuffy for a while.

There were many reasons for this, but the biggest reason for this was the last question Lukas had asked.

-Why do you consider yourself the Sect Leader of Flower Mountain?

He hadn’t been particularly shocked by it. Yang In-hyun had always been relatively able to look at himself objectively. Naturally, he was also aware of the contradictions he had.

However, just because he was aware of the contradictions, did that mean he had to resolve them? How many beings in this world lived without harbouring contradictions?

“I just wanted to see his reaction.”

Yang In-hyun muttered quietly.

He knew about Lukas’ life. Because he’d heard it so much he was tired of it.

Perhaps it was because he couldn’t tell what his thoughts or reactions would be. He wondered what kind of expression Lukas would make after hearing about the life of the man called Yang In-hyun.

‘You travelled to many worlds, Lukas Trowman. Taking on the role of saviour.’

He must have seen more strange scenes than the Mount Hua and murim trash that Yang In-hyun had seen. And yet, he didn’t stop. He hadn’t abandoned his duty.

Was it because that was your first conviction?

If so, then what was the difference between you and me?

You…

“Who are you?”

Yang In-hyun said this out loud. This time, it wasn’t a murmur.

Taking his eyes off of the horizon, he turned around.

Before he knew it, a man was standing here.

“Hello, sir.”

A man in a suit and fedora, holding a cane.

“I asked you who you are.”

“This foolish guy doesn’t have a name. You can just call me Pawn for now.”

“…”

“Nevertheless, if that displeases you, please call me ‘Gentleman’.”

The man called Gentleman took off his fedora and bowed.

…Pawn he said.

Yang In-hyun narrowed his eyes.

In his opinion, this man was not so weak as to lower himself in such a way.

“Right, Gentleman. What business do you have with me?”

“Thanks to sir, I was able to witness a priceless sight yesterday. So first of all, let me start by expressing my heartfelt thanks. It was truly a beautiful stage.”

“A sight? That is not possible. There wasn’t anyone watching. I killed them all.”

“That’s quite assertive.”

“I’m sorry, but someone at your level would not be able to deceive me.”

“Haha. That is right. As you said all the ‘people’ watching you died. However, I was watching through video.”

Smiling, Gentleman raised his cane and pointed at the sky.

Then, Yang In-hyun recalled the gigantic flying metal ship that he had seen when they first arrived.

A ship that soared higher than Mount Tai.

If that was the case, then…

[getid]

Yang In-hyun looked up at the sky.

For a short time.

“Indeed.”

Then nodded.

“There is a strange object floating in the vacuum of space. Was that the cause of the strange feeling?”

“…huh?”

For a moment, Gentleman couldn’t help but be taken aback by his remark.

‘Did he really confirm the presence of the satellite in space with his naked eyes?’

No, there was no way. He had to be bluffing or joking.

Soon, his smile returned.

“In any case, it was amazing. The power to single-handedly demolish the Demonic Cult… I was naturally in awe.”

“So? What business do you have with me?”

“Do you not like this kind of private talk? Alright. What do you think of the phenomenon called the Great Fusion?”

Yang In-hyun responded expressionlessly.

“I have no opinions.”

“Is that so? Have you never had this thought? There must be a reason why the strong people who reached the peak in different universes and different environments, were miraculously gathered in one space.”

“…”

“That is what we think. If God exists, then he must have decided to host some kind of competition to determine the strongest in the entire multiverse. The huge explosion must be a result of this! It is foolish to try to stop it…”

For a moment, an expression of disgust flashed across the face of Gentleman, who had been speaking joyfully.

“…I’m talking about the fools that try to obstruct this great interaction.”

“…”

“To ignore this opportunity gifted by the heavens and the voice of the era is, without a doubt, an incredibly foolish thing to do.”

Gentleman placed his hand into his breast pocket.

Then, he retrieved a black card and handed it to Yang In-hyun.

“Sir. Would you be willing to join us?”

Turning over the black card that was bereft of any characters or patterns, Yang In-hyun asked.

“[Us] isn’t the name of the organisation you belong to, right?”

“That’s right.”

With a smile, Gentleman opened his mouth.

2.

“—VIP?”

Dok Go-yun nodded at Lukas’ question.

“Yes.”

“The Demon King, Diablo, and even the Heavenly Demon are affiliated with it?”

“Rather than affiliating… you could call them members of VIP.”

“Members?”

Pale, who was beside him, tilted her head as if she was unfamiliar with the concept.

“Yes. So there are many cases in which members do not know the true identities of other members. Most of them seem to like hiding their true identities like the former Cult Leader.”

“…”

“…the Cult Leader said that the Demon King and Diablo are exceptional members. He said they didn’t hesitate to reveal themselves.”

Looking at Lukas, Dok Go-yun said.

“Um. So… what should I call you…”

“Luka… sajin. Call me that.”

“Ah, yes. Sir Lukasajin. A splendid name.”

“…”

“Does Sir Lukasajin have some kind of grudge against them?”

“I have to ensure their end with my own hands. Both of them.”

“I, I see.”

Dok Go-yun gulped.

He, of course, knew how strong the Demon King and Diablo were. Even if he were to briefly scan the TV or newspaper at that moment, he would find reports of dozens of disasters and massacres caused by those monsters.

However, the thought that the man in front of him might be under them never occurred to him. After all, wasn’t this the being who had killed the Heavenly Demon in an instant without a scratch?

‘In other words, a monster catching monster. More of a monster than a monster…’

As a martial artist, Dok Go-yun couldn’t help but feel a bit excited.

This man, the Demon King, and Diablo.

If they fought, who would be the final winner?

“There will be a chance to meet them soon. The Cult Leader said that a general review meeting for the VIP would be held soon.”

Perhaps because this desire spurned him on, Dok Go-yun said these words before he could realise.

“A general review meeting? What will they be reviewing?”

“W-, well. I’m not sure…”

“…”

“I heard that this card is proof of a VIP membership.”

As he said that, Dok Go-yun pulled out a black card. He had obtained this card from the clothes the monster woman had left like a shell after eating the Heavenly Demon. (TL: At least she didn’t eat that too.)

“Huhuhu.”

Pale let out a chuckle at the sight of the card, and Dok Go-yun had to forcibly ignore the goosebumps rising across his body as he said.

“H-, he said that he’d have to reach the ‘next stage’ before October 10th in order to participate in the meeting.”

“October 10th… What date is it today?”

“October 1st.”

“Where is the next stage?”

“Ah, please wait for a moment.”

Dok Go-yun left his seat, then, after a while, he returned with a map.

“This is the map of the world after the Great Fusion. Of course, because of the distortion of space, the region is still constantly changing even at this moment.”

The Heavenly Demon didn’t seem to think much of it, but in truth, the value of a map in the current world was tremendous. It was to the point where it would probably easily sell for millions of dollars.

Lukas could recall.

The form that his home universe and Earth had before.

That’s why the image on the map that was now unfurled before them was even more bizarre for him. It felt as if normal clothes had several pieces of cloth sewn onto it and made it like rags.”

“This is the location of the next stage.”

Dok Go-yun pointed his finger somewhere between Mongolia and China.

But there was no designation for the area where the next stage would take place. Instead, the entire area had been dyed black as if it was a large stain, and instead of a word, ‘???’ was written beside it.

“It looks like an empty spot on the map.”

“That’s because it hasn’t been properly identified yet. Aren’t there many places like that?”

As Dok Go-yun said, there were many black stains on the map.

“How do you know the next stage is here when it hasn’t been properly identified?”

“The next stage will take place on an artificial island that floats in the air. It’s one of the Great Galactic Alliance’s mobile cities. It would be more appropriate to call it a position instead of a region.”

“…”

A meeting held on an artificial island.

Lukas pondered for a moment before looking at Dok Go-yun.

…This man might still have some use.

“Fine. Then you will join. Not as Dok Go-yun, but as the Heavenly Demon.”

“H-, huh?”

Dok Go-yun jumped up and said.

“I-, I’m sorry, but I’m afraid I can’t agree. That’s not a place for a guy like me to go. Pretending to be the Heavenly Demon probably wouldn’t work in front of those guys. As soon as my identity is revealed, I will immediately-”

“I will accompany you.”

“…deal with that rabble, if the Great One accompanies me.”

Dok Go-yun spoke with a determined expression.

“I know the fastest way to get to the ‘next stage’.”