Chapter 156

The mood changed just from the appearance of the Naga King. The excitement of the mob and their surroundings was suppressed in an instant. At that moment, it was as though the world itself had stopped.

“Why? Keep talking,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

The faces of those in the mob turned black. They wondered how long he had been watching them for. They slowly looked away, trying to sneakily retreat.

But Kim Jin-Woo didn’t give them a chance to do so. “One more step forward or backward…”

His warning kept the mob tied down. He wasn’t growling fiercely at them, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t a threat. With a few muttered words, the thousands-strong mob was bound in place.

If this had been like the previous 9th Floor, they could have sneakily escaped through the various narrow corridors. But now, they were in a spacious, empty chamber that had been newly created. From the beginning, there had been no place for them to hide from the king’s warnings.

Gulp.

Someone gulped. Normally, no one would be bothered, but now, that small sound echoed everywhere, causing the others’ gazes to fixate on that person. Even the person who made the sound was surprised, and quickly covered his mouth with both hands. It was almost as if they had to ask for the king’s permission to even breathe, and it was obvious that they were completely under the control of just one person.

“This truly is…” The King of the Dwarves, who had retreated into the distance in order not to get caught up in the rioting mob, uttered a single sentence. He barely swallowed the last words of that sentence, however; they were unable to leave his throat as he looked at his king, and then at the mob.

“Mm…” Even the talkative Ariane, who would normally have kept blabbering on, fell silent. What they had witnessed was truly shocking.

The Naga King had always had a unique side from the beginning. He had been able to carry out tasks that people all said were impossible. He had won every war that others thought he would lose. For instance, there was the war with Valicius, the King of the Dead, as well as the war with the 10th Floor Nobles’ coalition army that had invaded the 9th Floor.

Valicius had ended up forfeiting his entire labyrinth and became the Naga King’s slave, and the 10th Floor Nobles had had to flee without being able to rescue a single one of their soldiers.

In the face of such formidable power, everyone on the 9th Floor had undertaken the Vassal’s Pledge for the Naga King. Although all the 9th Floor residents had been pressured into submission through force and fear, none had actually thought that he was insufficient to rule the entirety of the 9th Floor.

However…

‘Isn’t this a bit too much?’

Regardless of the fact that he was the sole Underworld Conqueror, the sight they were witnessing was truly on another level.

It was truly an incomprehensible sight to see a mob of thousands, who had been ready to invade the labyrinth just moments ago, now standing frozen in fear without even being able to move their eyes.

They had lost their thirst for the labyrinth, and their instincts prevailed over their reasoning. Some had their fangs and claws bared and were much bigger than Kim Jin-Woo, and yet, they were trembling like worms on the spot.

“Good, very good. Keep it up, and maybe my anger will go away,” the king said with a smirk.

The sight of the Naga King couldn’t be more frightening. Those present truly hoped that his anger would subside. Silence fell across the labyrinth. They were all wary of the king, waiting with bated breath.

“Ho.” The king let out an unidentifiable exclamation. A few individuals slowly raised their heads to face the king, making eye contact with him.

An abyss.

That was what they saw in the king’s black eyes: An endless darkness that was so deep, one’s soul could be sucked into them just by looking. Those who saw those black eyes felt as if they were being dragged naked beneath a guillotine. Their eyes met for less than a second, but it was more than enough for them to witness the abyss.

When that fleeting moment passed, not a single soul was standing. They were on the ground, choking and grabbing their necks. Fear spread rapidly through the mob. The monster called Fear grew so large that it devoured the mobs that had hardened like statues one by one.

“Urgh…”

And that monster made no distinction between the mob and the onlookers.

Malaxus and the dwarves, who had been watching the situation unfold from a distance, had fallen to their knees before they knew it. They realized that they shouldn’t have been there in the first place. There was no savior to rescue them from the labyrinth. This was an execution ground.

The king’s eyes were looking around as if searching for death row prisoners to place beneath a guillotine—a flailing sacrifice.

But by the time the others realized that, it was already too late. None had the courage to retreat and run away. With a foreboding feeling that they would be murdered the moment they turned their backs, they just hoped that they wouldn’t be the ones chosen to be decapitated, as they all avoided the king’s gaze.

But unfortunately, their wish didn’t come true.

“Malaxus.” The king began to call the names of those gathered one by one. “Go and stand on the left.”

“A-as the King wills,” Malaxus stammered.

As the names of individuals were called, some were called to stand on the left, and some on the right. And each time the king called out their names, they would crawl to their position on all fours. They looked at the face of the person standing next to them before bowing their heads again.

Were they standing there as spectators for the upcoming execution? Or were they the ones to be executed?

They desperately tried to come up with answers, but to no avail. And now, only those favored by the king and those who hadn’t disobeyed him were standing by the king’s side.

Ariane felt the same way.

“Ariane,” the king began.

“Milord,” Ariane replied. She bit her lips when she realized that there weren’t many left. Was she going to go left, or right?

On the left was Malaxus. The King of the Dwarves had a smoother relationship with the Nagas than the other labyrinth masters. He had undertaken the Vassal’s Pledge much earlier than others, and never once disobeyed the king.

On the other hand, most of those on the right were rioters. They hadn’t hesitated to rant behind the king’s back until his appearance, and they had spoken as if they already had the Naga’s Labyrinth in their hands.

They weren’t sure how long the king had been watching over the situation, but what was certain was that the king was unlikely to let them live.

When Ariane came to that realization, she was convinced. Those on the right were to be executed, and those on the left were safe. And as long as nothing happened, she would be able to stand by Malaxus’ side.

But things didn’t go the way she expected.

“Come to the center.” The king, for some reason, didn’t place Ariane on either side. Before she could even figure out what was going on, the king spoke once more. “Hecarim.”

The centaur Hecarim was the king of a hundred centaurs, and had been one of the first to swear the Vassal’s Pledge alongside Ariane.

“You stand in the center as well,” the king commanded.

And when Hecarim took his position beside her, Ariane felt her legs give way and collapsed onto the ground.

***

When facing the countless mobs and refugees, Kim Jin-Woo felt his world expanding.

[King of the Dwarves—Relief. Fear.]

[King of the Red Ants—Fear.]

[King of the Two-Headed Wolves—Fear.]

Small message windows floated above their heads. Apparently, the ability of the One-Eyed Lord had activated.

“Ho.” Thanks to the ability, he was easily able to identify who was on his side with relative ease. However, there were a few that stood out. They were Ariane, Queen of Illusions, and Hecarim, King of the Centaurs.

[Queen of Illusions—Fear. Conflict. Concern.]

[King of the Centaurs—Conflict. Fear.]

His loyal subordinates had mostly felt a mix of relief and fear at his appearance, while all who harbored hostile feelings towards him only trembled in fear.

But for some reason, Ariane and Hecarim were feeling a sense of conflict. Their sense of conflict was so great that it was overpowering all the other feelings within them.

On any other occasion, Kim Jin-Woo wouldn’t have noticed that. But now, he was an awakened being who could see far beyond what he once could, thanks to the powers of the One-Eyed Lord, who was once the wisest being in the Underworld.

Thus, he simply couldn’t skip over that discrepancy.

He traced his memories back through the invasion of the 10th Floor Nobles and the convenient appearance of the Nightmares and Centaurs, as well as the Vassal’s Pledge. It was a somewhat contrived circumstance, but he would never have thought that they would betray him at that point. After all, they had been the first to willingly take the Vassal’s Pledge and entrust their lives to him.

However, when he called Hecarim and saw Ariane grow weak and fall to her knees, he was convinced.

Betrayal.

These were clearly beings who had approached him with a purpose. As if to confirm his thoughts, the Eyes of Truth fully displayed the despair they were feeling.

“Under whose orders are you acting?” Kim Jin-Woo decided to be shameless with his questions. He denounced them naturally, as if he knew all the facts from the beginning.

“M-milord…” Ariane banged her head on the ground with a confused look on her face. The pair appeared full of doubts; it seemed they were unable to comprehend how their identities had been exposed.

Hecarim, on the other hand, was a bit more casual. “What might you be talking about…” he shamelessly responded.

“I’m asking, who’s behind your every movement?” Kim Jin-woo asked.

“I am uncertain as to what Milord is asking.” Hecarim was a pretty good actor. Contrary to his appearance, he was rather smart.

But it was all in vain. Even at that moment, the Eye of Truth was exposing Hecarim’s true emotional state in real time.

“Ariane,” Kim Jin-Woo began. The Queen of Illusions wasn’t even able to respond to his words as she kept trembling. “Are you unable to understand what I’m talking about as well?”

The Queen of Illusions, who had fallen flat on the ground as her body trembled, raised her head and locked eyes with Kim Jin-Woo.

[Queen of Nightmares—Resignation.]

“Alright. You go to the left for the moment.”

There was no need for an answer. Just from looking at her psychological state, he knew that she had resigned herself to her fate. Now, all that was left was Hecarim.

“Hecarim, I’m going to ask you one last time. Tell me who’s behind you,” Kim Jin-Woo repeated.

“A fool like me isn’t able to understand the King’s words,” Hecarim said.

Kim Jin-Woo let out a cold smile.