With the full cooperation of its leader, the Black Dragon Lord, the Black Dragon Society was smoothly incorporated into the Masquerade's subordinate organizations.
They were closely monitored for any hidden motives, but no suspicious activity was found. It seemed they genuinely intended to make contact and join forces, just as the Black Dragon Lord had said.
However, it was impossible to let their guard down completely. Heinz had sent Heukyeong, who was now under his control as a vampire, to act as a liaison. If any problems arose, they could be dealt with immediately.
Considering their usefulness, the best course of action was to maintain this level of control and observe them for a while.
'I never intended to trust them completely anyway. You never know where a spy might be hiding.'
This applied not only to the newly joined Black Dragon Society but to all the other organizations.
This included the vampire clans in Europe, the Burning Torch operating in Southeast Asia, and the new intelligence agents personally recruited by Harley.
Each organization maintained strict independence and a surveillance system to prevent a betrayal in one from affecting the others. The only one who had a clear grasp of their situation and controlled them directly was him alone.
It was cumbersome, but it was a necessary task to keep the Heaven-Turn Society, which was exerting influence over the entire globe from behind the scenes, in check.
'The Black Dragon Society isn't on the same level as the Heaven-Turn Society, but gaining this group, which has deep roots in China, is a huge win. No matter what, their abilities are guaranteed to have survived in the land controlled by those guys until now.'
Furthermore, acquiring the Black Dragon Lord, who, as a former branch manager, knew a lot about them, was an unexpected bonus. He had also gotten his hands on the key that would be of great help to Hugo's growth, as it was a collection of countless Murim world martial principles—just as he had originally expected. All things considered, it was a situation with nothing but advantages.
"Phew."
But even while sitting in the massage chair with my eyes closed, my mind was not at peace. It was because of a certain fact I had learned from the Black Dragon Lord.
"Half of the humans on Earth...? Ha! It's insane."
That was a staggering number, amounting to billions of people. And that was just the minimum estimate. If the plan went through, up to 90% of humanity could be annihilated. When I heard more details from the Black Dragon Lord, I had no choice but to admit that his words were not an exaggeration.
'They're going to pour all the energy they've stolen from other destroyed dimensions into Earth at once?'
Their ultimate goal, as I had learned from the Black Dragon Lord, was to make a new Mystery bloom on this land, which was a barren wasteland of such powers.
"The scariest thing is that it's not a joke."
It wasn't just a problem for humans. This was a plan that would truly bring a shock on par with the end of the world to the entire globe. Earth wasn't called a barren wasteland for no reason. Among the countless dimensions known so far, there were worlds with environments and civilizations similar to this one. But there was no land like Earth where Mystery had completely withered away in humans, as well as in animals, plants, and even minerals.
'If a massive amount of energy is suddenly introduced to this world, which has no resistance to these powers except for a handful of Awakened individuals...'
It would be a form of terraforming that completely changes the foundation of the world. Those who couldn't adapt to such a violent change would simply die.
Of course, the Heaven-Turn Society's leader didn't seem to want to destroy the world completely, as he was doing his best to minimize the casualties. The problem was that his methods were not so different from a series of ritual sacrifices in the form of terrorism that had occurred around the world.
'Is this the sacrifice of the few for the sake of the many?'
I unconsciously clenched my fists. I couldn't help but feel disgusted since I had become one of the 'few' who had been sacrificed, regardless of my will.
He said that thanks to this, inorganic matter, including minerals, would be able to contain the Mystery without much trouble, and that only a certain percentage of animals and plants would mutate into monsters, but they wouldn't go completely extinct. The problem was humans, the sole intelligent and most complex life form on Earth.
'And the best-case scenario is that half of the humans would survive?'
I unclenched my fist, rubbed my eyes, and sighed softly. My body was already far beyond the level of a normal human, but for some reason, I felt tired.
'Why? Why is he trying to do all this? He already has that much power, so why?'
If another Awakened person had said that, I could have understood. It was a story that didn't concern me, as I was still involved in several dimensions, but it wasn't uncommon for those who had returned to Earth to feel a sense of loss due to their stagnated growth. There were many among them who regretted returning to Earth, so it wasn't strange that they would want to change this world to return to how it was before.
'But the Heaven-Turn Society's leader doesn't need to do that. His power is already on par with a Deity, and he can cross dimensions as he pleases.'
For power, the more people you rule, the better. There's a limit to a reign of terror, and no matter how I think about it, trying to push through a plan that would kill billions of people is incomprehensible. This must mean that there's something more than just ruling this world.
'Does he want to become a god of Earth by doing this?'
The Black Dragon Lord's words suddenly flashed through my mind.
-"The leader is completely insane. He firmly believes that only he is righteous and that this method is the best way. He'll do anything to achieve his goal."
That was no different from a fanatic's way of thinking. Even if it meant sacrificing billions of innocent people in the process, he wouldn't care. He firmly believed that it was the truly righteous path.
"...Well, that's fine. Whatever his intentions are, I can't just stand by."
Whatever the Heaven-Turn Society's leader thinks or plans, my job doesn't change. I must punish the one who killed my family and completely destroy the Heaven-Turn Society. After a moment of thought, I opened the Karma Shop and checked the bottom.
The number had gone up by 1% since I last saw it. Since I hadn't made any major purchases after getting the 'Karma Shop Ver.3 Update' when my Karma exceeded 20 million, my funds were just continuously growing.
Even while various things were happening on Earth, the otherworld farms were steadily producing.
'Share.'
I didn't think that number simply meant the amount of Karma points I had.
Especially not after learning what the Heaven-Turn Society's leader was aiming for through the Black Dragon Lord.
'He can't just do something so massive just because he has the power.'
Wasn't he already bound by all sorts of restrictions? It would be more rational to assume that to carry out his plan on Earth, he had to satisfy the appropriate conditions, separate from his task of destroying other dimensions to collect the necessary karma and divinity.
"That must be this 'share.'"
Then my job was already decided. I needed to increase my share as much as I could. By securing my stake, I would oppose his plan as one of the shareholders of Earth.
'No matter how many worlds he destroys, he won't be able to do anything on Earth.'
No, that's not enough. This assumption is just my guess, isn't it? I can't just stick to a defensive strategy; I need to take a more active approach.
For example—
'There must be more than one case like Ganghwan-gye? Worlds that are on the verge of destruction because of his influence.'
The fact that he travels to other dimensions and ruins them is all for this plan. So, interfering with that is a necessary task. Of course, since there are countless dimensions known so far, it might be more efficient to just focus on one thing instead of wandering aimlessly, but...
"It doesn't matter to me."
My body wasn't just one. If something needs to be done, I can just do it all at the same time.
'Still... to proceed smoothly, I might need to clear up some of the pending work.'
I closed my eyes and focused on the Avatars who were moving around in various places.
***
The Black Dragon Lord sat on a park bench, quietly looking up at the sky. It was a bright, sunny day with a clear blue sky and white puffy clouds floating by.
"Hello! Grandpa!"
At that moment, a child passing by greeted him with a bright smile. He looked at the child and smiled kindly. This was a park in a wealthy neighborhood where schools for different age groups were clustered.
Since it was a place where well-off families lived, the security was good, and the faces of the people passing by were full of leisure.
Of course, the children weren't so naive as to greet a stranger they didn't know. The fact that the child had greeted the Black Dragon Lord without hesitation meant that they were used to him. He didn't come here every day, but he had been watching the children pass by from this spot for more than a decade.
"Hey! Let's go to karaoke for the first time in a while..."
"More importantly, today at my place..."
"Then let's buy something on the way and go..."
Suddenly, a group of male students crossed the park. They were lively teenagers in their late teens, wearing clean school uniforms. The Black Dragon Lord's gaze turned to one of the boys among them.
"Ah! Hello, Grandpa."
"Oh, you're here today. Hello~!"
When their eyes met, the boys also greeted him. Of course, that was all. No matter how much they were used to seeing him since they were young, it was hard to expect more than that from a complete stranger.
But for him, that was enough. As the children walked away, the Black Dragon Lord closed his eyes and looked up at the sky. Was it because he had met and talked with Phantom, the leader of the Blood Alliance, a while ago? A past memory suddenly came flooding back. The day he had left his position as the branch director of the Heaven-Turn Society and betrayed the leader who had wholeheartedly supported him in breaking through the wall of Hyun-kyung.
"Haa."
He had been sent to another world, leaving behind his newlywed wife, but he was lucky enough to return alive and well. What was even more fortunate was that even though this was a time when otherworldly transfers were not known, his wife had waited for him for over a year after his disappearance. But his joy at safely returning to Earth was short-lived. He had no choice but to fall into despair when he realized one thing. As an early Returnee, he didn't know that all growth would be blocked once he returned to Earth.
Thanks to the Heaven-Turn Society's support, he had no trouble living a comfortable life, but none of that mattered to him. At the end of the Hwa-kyung realm, he became more and more obsessed with strength with each passing day. He regretted returning to Earth and even put his wife, who had waited for him, aside, thinking only about how to break through the wall. Perhaps thanks to his obsessive devotion, he finally managed to break through the wall of Hyun-kyung after a long period of hardship.
He received the special privilege of 'Heaven's Rebel' for being the first to achieve Transcendence on Earth. He had to sacrifice his youth for it, but considering what he had gained, it was a price he was willing to pay.
However, he was also reluctant to show his aged appearance to his wife. He didn't visit his wife again after their last meeting right before he broke through the wall. He only left her enough money to live a luxurious life. As a martial artist and the East Asian branch manager of the Heaven-Turn Society, he continued to be more active.
Then one day, a few months later, that moment came without warning.
It was a clear and sunny day, just like today. But he had no time to look up at the sky and only rushed forward. He didn't care that the road was a mess and that there were casualties in his wake. And in the hospital he finally arrived at, the old Black Dragon Lord was able to face the one who had killed his wife for the first time.
His enemy's wrinkled skin twisted into a grimace. It was as if they were mocking him, their lips, which resembled hers, twitching. But even after seeing that, he couldn't bring himself to hate them. He was the one who had truly been at fault for leaving his wife alone.
"Are you the mother's guardian? We did our best, but she was in a very weak state when she arrived..."
"Thankfully, the baby is fine. We'll have to watch them carefully for a while, though..."
He carefully embraced his enemy. A small life form squirming in his arms. It was the only trace that he and his wife, who had been orphans, had left in this world. And thanks to 'Heaven's Rebel,' which allowed him to glimpse a part of the heavenly secrets, he instinctively knew one thing. In the world the leader dreamed of, there was no place for this child.
Immediately after he felt that, he disappeared with the child without any hesitation.
'Heaven's Rebel,' which twisted the laws of the world, was a great help in hiding his existence and faking the child's identity to have them adopted by a kind-hearted couple. He then gifted them a house in a wealthy neighborhood as an anonymous benefactor and watched the child grow from afar. He couldn't go and visit them in person in case he was tracked, so he just sat in this park, waiting for a chance encounter.
'Huh, this wait is nothing.'
The Black Dragon Lord slowly got up from his seat. Then he turned away from the back of the enemy he hadn't seen in a long time and continued his journey to fulfill the mission he was left with—
...to protect her trace
so that it would never disappear again.