Chapter 232
At Yan’s words, Argon and Theo whipped their heads around like lightning.
“You found it? What?”
“The way the leader moves.”
Yan continued, watching the earth-shattering battle unfold in the sky.
“No, to be precise, it’s a trick.”
“A trick?”
Argon frowned as he looked at Aquinas.
He had been with Aquinas for a long time, but he had never seen such a method of movement.
The same was true for this Sky Fortress.
That’s why he felt a sense of unease watching Aquinas not allow a single attack from the Pirate Empress who had unleashed ‘Sea King’s Descent.’
It was the kind of unease that made him question if this was the Aquinas he knew.
“It’s not moving.”
Theo interjected at Yan’s words.
“Then what? If it’s not moving, what is it?”
Yan raised a finger and pointed somewhere.
Argon and Theo turned their heads to where Yan was pointing.
Their eyes widened.
“That is…”
It was the tallest and largest unidentified structure within the city of the Sky Fortress.
“That place is probably where this Sky Fortress is controlled and operated.”
Argon frowned.
“What does that have to do with the movement device?”
He could agree that the unidentified structure influenced the Sky Fortress, as Yan had been inside the Sky Fortress much longer than he had.
But what did it have to do with the movement device?
Yan shook his head.
“It’s not a movement device, it’s a trick.”
Come to think of it, Yan had said that the movement device was a trick.
Argon and Theo stared intently at the building Yan had pointed out.
And soon enough, they too realized what Yan had discovered.
“Wait a minute.”
“That is…”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Yan said, watching Aquinas dodge the Pirate Empress’s attacks one after another.
“That Aquinas is an illusion.”
* * *
The Pirate Empress was gradually growing weary of Aquinas, who hadn’t allowed a single attack to land.
Her ‘Sea King’s Descent’ was consuming an enormous amount of mana and stamina.
Fighting while maintaining the Sea King’s Descent for over twenty minutes was bound to be exhausting.
Her sword swings were noticeably slower and weaker compared to the beginning.
In contrast, Aquinas showed no signs of fatigue.
His face remained calm, indicating he still had plenty of stamina.
Crack!
As the Pirate Empress gritted her teeth, trying to muster more life force, Yan’s voice echoed in her ear.
“I found it.”
Her eyes sparkled at his words.
If she could just understand the principle behind that strange movement device, her job would be done.
But she wasn’t satisfied with just that.
She shouted, infusing her voice with mana.
“What should I do?!”
Her voice thundered across the sky.
Aquinas, realizing Yan had discovered something, began to interfere, preventing him from speaking further.
Buildings and statues in the city started moving towards them.
But…
Boom!
“Leave this to me!”
“I’m glad I have something to do.”
Theo and Merriott fended off the approaching buildings and statues around Yan.
If they had a bit more leeway, they could have tied up the two and targeted Yan, but…
“Don’t take your eyes off me!”
The enraged Pirate Empress left them no such opportunity.
Yan shouted to the Pirate Empress.
“Bind his feet as much as possible! Don’t let him focus on anything else!”
“Hahaha! Got it!”
The Pirate Empress laughed heartily and relentlessly pursued Aquinas.
Hearing her response, Yan also made a request to Argon.
“Father, please guard me.”
“Of course. That’s no problem.”
Argon drew his sword with his left hand and kept a vigilant watch.
A perfect defense system was established.
Theo and Merriott handled external threats, Argon dealt with internal dangers, and the Pirate Empress took on Aquinas directly.
“Huuuup!”
Yan stimulated his mana heart, gathering mana.
With his companions protecting him, he could focus solely on generating mana.
Although he had expended a lot of mana earlier, he still had enough to unleash Dragon Fang.
Whoooosh!
Mana surged through Yan’s body like a storm.
Feeling the intense surge of power, Yan raised Ascalon, infusing it with mana.
Then…
Dragon Fang.
He swung Ascalon towards the largest and tallest building in the Sky Fortress.
The energy from Ascalon transformed into a dragon-like form, its jaws wide open as it flew.
Boom!
The energy struck the target directly.
Rumble.
The building Yan had aimed at began to collapse with a great tremor.
“What?!”
At the same time, the Pirate Empress’s voice rang out in surprise.
“It’s gone!”
Aquinas, whom she had been chasing, vanished as if erased.
Yan, panting, stared at the collapsing building.
“That’s right. He can’t use his trick anymore.”
The Aquinas the Pirate Empress had been fighting was merely an illusion created by that building.
* * *
“…Ugh.”
Aquinas struggled to rise, pushing aside the rubble.
‘I summoned the Sky Fortress too hastily.’
If he hadn’t poured all his mana into the White Flame Orb to summon the Sky Fortress, he wouldn’t have been defeated so easily.
‘No, that’s just an excuse.’
He had overestimated the celestial language and the legacy of the Sky Fortress.
He thought no one would pass the trials, and that he could annihilate his enemies with the power of the Sky Fortress before that happened.
But what was the result?
Yan passed the trials and destroyed the chains engraved with celestial runes.
The three superhumans, including the Pirate Empress, successfully defended against the Sky Fortress’s attacks.
His plans and beliefs were utterly defeated.
Even his final trump card, the Sky Fortress’s domain expansion technique, ‘Mirror Flower, Water Moon,’ was broken.
‘Mirror Flower, Water Moon’ was a high-level technique that used holographic clones created from the Sky Fortress’s control room and mechanical devices beneath the city to annihilate enemies.
He didn’t know how they figured it out, but the control room, the weak point of ‘Mirror Flower, Water Moon,’ was destroyed, and with it, the technique was shattered.
“Ugh.”
Aquinas cleared the debris with a desolate expression and stood up.
Five people were glaring at him with sharp eyes.
He fixed his gaze on Yan and asked.
“How did you know?”
He thought it was impossible to find out.
The structure of the Sky Fortress was incredibly complex.
How could someone not only find the control room but also figure out that he was manipulating the city’s structure and creating holographic clones?
Especially someone who had just set foot in the Sky Fortress for the first time?
If it was luck, it was extraordinary luck; if it was discovered, it was unbelievable.
Yan shrugged at Aquinas’s question.
“Why do you think I’d tell you?”
“You won’t tell me?”
Yan looked around at his companions.
They reacted unexpectedly.
“You’re about to die anyway, so why not?”
“I’m curious too.”
Those who hadn’t figured it out from Yan’s hints, like Argon and Theo, nodded.
If Aquinas were in good condition, they would have killed him and then found out, but…
The current Aquinas was on the verge of death.
“Hoo.”
Yan sighed and pointed in the direction of the control room.
“You were definitely watching us from there.”
“…That’s right. But how did you figure it out? The celestial runes engraved in the control room should have completely erased my presence.”
“Your clones’ movements and the way the buildings moved were too obvious.”
“What?”
Yan pointed out how Aquinas moved and where the buildings moved.
Aquinas, not being a fool, quickly understood what he meant.
“…I made a foolish mistake. I was too focused on the Pirate Empress and moved within my line of sight rather than optimally.”
“Exactly, that’s how I knew.”
“Ha! Ha, ha.”
Aquinas laughed hollowly and coughed up blood.
He looked up at Yan with a pale face.
“Can I ask one more thing?”
“Why are you so curious?”
“Just one, just one…”
“What is it?”
“The… trial… was it… worth passing?”
Aquinas’s body was collapsing, but the question in his eyes remained.
The others couldn’t understand why he was asking such a thing while dying.
Aquinas was extremely curious about what lay at the end of the trials that he and the celestials had avoided.
Because Yan and the Founding Emperor had reached that end.
Yan shook his head.
“There wasn’t much. I just gained more power to get closer to my goal.”
Hearing this, Aquinas laughed, spitting out blood.
“Ha, ha, is that so? If that’s the case…”
Aquinas turned to look at Argon.
For some reason, Argon was looking at him with sad eyes.
Aquinas couldn’t understand why Argon was looking at him like that.
Come with me! Let’s reveal the dark clouds over the Empire and restore peace!
The one who had taken him out of a long life as an experiment.
The one who had said such embarrassing words.
But the one he could trust for the first time.
He was the one who betrayed him.
He chose hatred and resentment over trust.
‘Why did I do that?’
If only he had trusted a little more.
If he had…
Aquinas’s eyes dimmed rapidly.
“Sorry… Captain… It’s shameless to say this… but…”
“Achieve your goal.”
Aquinas’s eyes lost all life.
His chest, which had been slightly heaving, fell completely, and his shallow breaths ceased.
It was a complete death.
For the leader of the revolutionary army who tried to engulf the southern part of the Empire, it was a rather futile end.
Argon knelt on one knee in front of the fallen leader and closed his eyes.
“You fool.”
Then he stood up and wiped his eyes.
Even though he had betrayed and imprisoned him, Argon understood because he knew what the Founding Emperor had done to him in the past.
“If only you had come to your senses a little sooner.”
Argon shook his head.
It was a pointless thought.
The result was already out, and there was no turning back.
Argon smiled at his son, who was looking at him with a worried face.
Everything was over.
The revolutionary army had surrendered, and the officers were subdued.
“Let’s go back.”
At Argon’s words, the group nodded.
Just as they turned to leave.
Ssssss.
A sinister aura enveloped them.
Yan and his companions, who were about to leave, quickly turned around.
Their eyes widened at the sight.
“How, how…!”
Argon stammered.
Aquinas, who they thought was dead, was standing and looking at them.
For some reason, his pupils were pitch black, and his once red hair had turned dark crimson.
Aquinas spoke with a sinister smile.
“It’s a shame to end it like this.”
As he raised the corners of his mouth.
Fwoosh!
The White Flame Orb embedded in Aquinas’s chest began to glow.
It was a pitch-black light.