Chapter 253: Chaos upon Chaos (2)

Cale tossed the powered-off video communicator to Horns, who caught it with his massive hands.

"You explained it well, right?"

Horns nodded.

"Yes."

Horns wasn't one for many words, but he followed Cale's instructions.

"I said I would act as a spy."

Cale had asked him to tell the truth, with one exception.

'Casillia.'

That's why Horns told the truth.

'Sisko-nim was defeated by a human.'

'...What did you say?'

Thanks to that, the Pope was quite confused.

'The Elven Inquisitors were also captured. And there are more than five Dragons here.'

The only lie he told.

'For now, I told them I want to join their side. I'll extract information from them and transmit it.'

The claim that he would spy for the Pope was false.

In reality, it was quite the opposite.

"Then you know you have to get me information from the Church and transmit it to me, right?"

"I know."

Even though Horns was huge, he answered quickly and respectfully. Cale couldn't resist and gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.

"!"

And he was surprised.

'Is he made of stone?'

Horns' body was extremely hard.

Almost like stone.

Cale looked at Horns' two hands holding the communicator. His hands were as large as pot lids.

'If he hit me with that, would I die?'

And Eruhaben had beaten this guy to a pulp.

The being that had managed to bruise that stone-like skin was an Ancient Dragon.

'Dragons really are formidable.'

There was a reason why Rasheel shrank before Eruhaben. Cale had already grasped what kind of being Rasheel was among the Dragons.

"Are you planning to go see her right away?"

Cale shook his head at Horns' question.

"No. First, I have to meet with the Source of the World."

To determine his course of action, Cale first had to meet with the Source of the World.

'Above all, I have to find a way to reverse the flow of world energy that only benefits the Dragons.'

Cale's gaze turned to Horns.

Just from his appearance, Horns was quite intimidating. Additionally, he was a Third Bishop among the Ten Bishops who followed the Pope, making him an important figure.

'They said he was the son of the First Star.'

Three Stars in total.

The Dragon of Domination, who occupied the place of the First Star. Horns was his son.

'...But why do I have a bad feeling about him?'

This guy...

'Can I just send him back to the Temple alone?'

Cale's expression became increasingly hesitant.

'It's not that I'm worried he'll betray me.'

Simply.

'It's just that he seems a bit dim.'

Horns, with eyes resembling the night. Horns, who had trampled Sisko while proclaiming his betrayal. Lost in thought, Cale opened his mouth.

"When you go to the Temple, three people from our side will accompany you."

"...All right."

Horns fell silent for a moment before responding in an affirmative tone.

'I can't believe it.'

Horns understood that Cale didn't trust him and that's why he assigned him guardians.

"Who will go, Cale-nim?"

As soon as the Dragon Half-Blood Horns left, Choi Han asked the question. Cale responded calmly: "Clopeh Sekka, Hannah, and Rasheel."

"..."

Choi Han remained silent, so Cale explained: "To handle the Pope, we need Clopeh Sekka, who's a political expert. Hannah knows the Temple's system best. Even though Rasheel-nim is hurt, we need a Dragon to scare people or help them leave."

"It's quite an appropriate team composition."

Cale nodded.

'In times like this, I wish I had Raon's jokes.'

Cale thought of Raon, whom he had sent out with On and Hong for a while.

At that moment, a soft whisper was heard: "...It's destructive..."

Huh?

Cale's gaze turned towards the source of the sound. Choi Jung Soo was smiling nonchalantly.

"Why?"

"...Why are you laughing like that?"

"I'm just smiling."

Cale completely ignored Choi Jung Soo, who shrugged innocently, and turned to Sui Khan: "If the team leader is going to the jungle, what about this Dragon...?"

"Zopf."

(Note: The Dragon called Zopf has the ability to see into the past.)

"Yes. What if you go with Zopf-nim?"

The team leader, Sui Khan, calmly nodded.

"Let's have Mila-nim go too."

"...Even Mila-nim?"

The team leader hesitated for a moment before nodding. He understood Cale's intentions.

'He doesn't trust him.'

This guy doesn't trust the Dragon, Zopf. It was understandable from Cale's perspective.

'A Dragon named Maxillienne or something told him to seek help.'

And that Maxillienne is a Dragon who laid a heavy burden on little Raon.

Trust that Dragon?

Trust the Dragon mentioned by that Dragon?

'That's impossible.'

Cale had no intention of easily trusting the Dragons of Aipotu. Of course, regarding Zopf, he generally had a good impression of him.

'He mentioned the God of War and the shedding of blood.'

It's necessary to show minimal trust to someone who sacrificed themselves to give information.

"Zopf-nim, is that all right?"

At Cale's question, Zopf immediately nodded.

"Yes, it's fine. I don't know the location of the Temple of the God of Chaos, but if we move there and take a look around, we'll find it quickly."

"Yes. Send us the coordinates as soon as you find the temple."

When Zopf affirmed Cale's words, the team leader looked at Cale. Cale smirked mockingly at him.

"You'll also take Choi Jung Soo and Choi Han."

"Well, I suppose it's something we should all know together."

The personnel to search for Choi Jung Gun was decided, and after the team leader left the living room with Zopf, Cale went to see the White Snake.

"Cale-nim? Am I going too?"

"Let's go as a team: you, me, and Raon."

Click.

As soon as Cale opened the door, voices bubbled forth.

"Human, are you here?"

"My poison has become stronger! I can just put you to sleep!"

"Hong. This is not the time."

Raon's, Hong's, and On's voices were heard.

Growl!

The roar of a beast filled the room.

Tremble, tremble.

The Wolf Tribe Chief, still in a state of savage fury, writhed with her whole body tied to a chair. The White Snake, standing in front of her with arms crossed, silently observed her before speaking.

"Again."

"Yes."

Lock, visibly tense, responded and extended his hand.

Pat, pat~

And he stroked the head of the crazed Tribe Chief.

"Kiiing, grrr!"

The Tribe Chief immediately calmed down.

No, she was terrified.

The White Snake looked at Lock and said calmly.

"For her, you are an undisputed superior. In that state, only you can calm her."

Cale interjected into the conversation.

"So, should the boss remain in this state of wild fury?"

"No."

The White Snake shook her head.

"Soon, she will exhaust all her energy, and the wild fury will dissipate on its own."

Beacrox's words reminded Cale of the first time Lock lost control.

The underground training room of the Henituse County mansion's capital.

It was there that Lock lost his mind and experienced his first Berserk Transformation.

Rosalyn and Choi Han were the ones who controlled him.

"However, if we leave her like this, she won't be able to exhaust her energy and will become more violent out of frustration."

Lock intervened.

"I... I will help the boss exhaust her energy!"

Just like Rosalyn and Choi Han had done with him.

Lock also wanted to help the boss.

'It seems difficult.'

Despite her berserk state, Lock knew that the boss was a younger girl than him.

'This time, I'll help her!'

And so, when the boss completed her Berserk Transformation, the next time wouldn't be as violent.

"I will help too."

Shaman Gashan also showed willingness to collaborate.

"I think it's better if a similar beastman takes care of this to minimize damage."

Wisha nodded, but then sighed. Her expression filled with concern.

"What a pity. After all, the Berserk Transformation has been a failure."

"Eh?"

Lock was puzzled by her words, and Shaman Gashan immediately questioned.

"Hasn't it been almost a success, on the contrary?"

He addressed the White Snake courteously as he continued.

"The wolves haven't been able to perform a proper Berserk Transformation. In the midst of all this, she managed to do it correctly. And although she lost her mind in her first Berserk Transformation, she will do fine in the following ones. In fact, it has been a success."

Within the Wolf Tribe, there was no one who could control the boss in this state.

But here, there were many.

Therefore, the boss's Berserk Transformation should be considered a success.

'Furthermore, with this level of Berserk Transformation—'

If a girl could display such size and ferocity, after her next wild fury, she would become a formidable warrior worthy of the title of boss.

'It seems they will grow well together, Lock and her.'

Lock and this girl.

Both were leaders of their respective tribes. They would undoubtedly find common ground.

"What are you saying?"

At that moment, the White Snake showed perplexity.

"Once you lose your mind during the Berserk Transformation, it's lost forever. How can it be fine the next time? It doesn't make sense."

"Mmm?"

Cale, who had been silently listening, noticed something odd in the White Snake's words, as did Lock, Gashan, and Witira.

"Eh?"

"What?"

Witira and Gashan looked at the White Snake with a strange expression.

Nyaa, nyaa.

Hong meowed like a cat and then said.

"But that's not true! Brother Lock calmed down after his first Berserk Transformation and then returned to being calm!"

"Mmm?"

This time, it was the White Snake who felt intrigued. Her gaze shifted to Lock and Gashan.

"Ahem, ahem."

Gashan coughed and answered her question with his eyes.

"Hong is right. Although we lose our minds in the first Berserk Transformation, we keep it in the following ones."

"Is that possible?"

Only then did the beasts gathered there realize why they hadn't been able to communicate before.

Berserk Transformation.

The way it manifested was fundamentally different between Cale's world and Aipotu's. The White Snake realized this and spoke up.

"The Blue Wolf."

The entity the beasts revered as a God.

"The god we worship granted us 'reason'. Thanks to him, we don't succumb to our instincts during the Berserk Transformation."

Cale's gaze settled on Lock's figure. Lock's serious expression as he listened attentively made him look quite mature, although he himself may not have noticed it.

"That's why we must pray to the Blue Wolf. It would be troublesome if we couldn't."

Wisha shook her head.

"In the end, if we keep our reason during the Berserk Transformation, it doesn't become a true Berserk Transformation but an incomplete one."

The elder of the Wolf Tribe sighed and muttered as if lamenting.

"It would have been fine if at least one Divine Relic had remained."

"Divine Relic?"

At Lock's question, Wisha replied.

"It's an object that allows us to connect with the Blue Wolf. But it's broken."

Wisha's eyes narrowed as she gritted her teeth.

"The Dragon Lord and the First Star Dragon, Ryan, destroyed the three Divine Relics."

First Star Dragon, Ryan.

He was Horns's biological father and one of the three strongest Dragons among the Ten Dragon Gods. One of those who occupied a throne.

"Hm."

Wisha snorted and spoke in a harsh voice.

"Although he's called the Beast King, that Ryan guy is just imitating the Lord Blue Wolf. He's a vile guy."

Beast King.

Cale remembered the description of the Domination Attribute given by King Dennis of Har Kingdom.

<All the beasts of this land, especially the wild ones, revere Ryan as a king. They become his loyal subjects and do not hesitate to give their lives for him>

Dragon Ryan with the Domination Attribute.

He was a God or an emperor to the beasts of this land.

"...If only one Divine Relic had remained, we would have had a place to live."

The elder of the Wolf Tribe spoke with sadness. Wisha replied.

"Well, there is a land where many beasts live, isn't there?"

"Eh? What do you mean?"

When the elder reacted with surprise, Wisha's face turned cold.

"Although the Church and the Dragons are hunting down the beasts and leading them to death, things are different if they submit to Ryan."

The Beast King wouldn't abandon the beasts.

"I've heard that some beasts have pledged loyalty to him and live in his castle."

"Loyalty?"

Wisha looked at Lock, who had uttered those words unintentionally, and replied.

"Yes. As slaves, to survive."

Slaves...

The elder of the Wolf Tribe grabbed his head at that word. And Lock fell silent. Cale watched as his eyes trembled.

Lock's eyes, as blue as the sky, trembled violently.

It was like a blue flame.

It reminded him of the fieriest fire.

"If only I were a little stronger..."

Wisha gritted her teeth and then closed her eyes tightly.

"Well, even if I were strong and saved them, I couldn't take them all in."

She didn't have the capacity to do so. Maybe it was more important for them to survive somehow, even if it was as slaves. Wisha didn't dare to say what she really thought.

"How do you know that?"

At that moment, the Whale Witira asked a question. Wisha's gaze shifted to Cale. Cale, understanding her meaning, spoke up.

"The Source of the World. Does it have something to do with how to get there?"

"His lair. No, the place where Ryan's sanctuary is located has the densest forest in this land. The path to the Source of the World exists there."

Cale felt Lock's gaze on him and looked at him.

And asked.

"Lock. Do you want to go with me?"

"..."

Lock hesitated for a moment before nodding.

"Yes. I want to go with you."

At that instant, Cale calculated.

'The Elven Inquisitor sent the Earth Elemental to the side of the Third Star.'

<Third Star, the Earth Dragon God, Exion>

<If the First Star Ryan is like the Dragon Lord's subordinate, Exion is the Dragon Lord's sword.>

Recalling the information, Cale continued thinking.

'Anyway, before the Dragon Lord arrives, I thought about eliminating one- or two of the Three-Star Dragons.'

Cale said calmly.

"Yes. Let's go together."

Just then.

"Krrrrrrruuuung...!"

The boss howled again. Her eyes met Cale's.

"Krrr!"

The boss, who had been calm in front of Lock, roared fiercely at Cale and showed her teeth.

...It's a bit scary.

Cale, who had shrunk back a little, firmly told Lock.

"First, let's calm her down a bit."

* * *

Note:

Group Tasks:

- Early encounter with Pope Casillia: Horns, Clopeh, Hannah, and Rasheel

- Finding Choi Jung Gun : Sui Khan, Zopf, Mila, Choi Han, Choi Jung Soo

- Meeting the Source of the World/Aipotu: Cale, Raon, Wisha, Lock

* * *

If you find any errors or have suggestions, please feel free to provide feedback.

Thank you for reading!

[Author – Yu Ryeo Han]

[Translator – Anowa]

[Proofreader – Rai_Mayank]