Chapter 381:

Chapter 381:

Yu-hyun strode forward without hesitation toward the place where Kang Hye-rim was.

At the entrance of the room, where Kang Hye-rim was presumed to be, soldiers clad in black armor and cloaks stood blocking the way.

"Stop. No unauthorized individuals are allowed in here."

"Move aside."

The soldiers guarding the entrance were, at best, high-level collectors. In terms of level, they barely reached 80.

Back on Earth, such individuals would have been considered elite, few and far between in each country, but in the mixed world, they weren't anything remarkable.

"You, you insolent fool!"

Before the soldier, who thought himself insulted, could point his spear, Yu-hyun ‘s hand lightly touched his chin. The soldier’s eyes lost focus, and he collapsed as if crumbling to the ground. The other soldier, who had been watching, was dealt with in the same way.

After easily subduing the two soldiers guarding the entrance, Yu-hyun threw the door wide open.

In the center of the spacious room, Baek-hyo had fluffed up all his feathers, and Kang Hye-rim was hugging him tightly, trembling in fear.

Surrounding Baek-hyo were soldiers of the Salio Empire, and one man, who seemed to be the leader, was just about to reach out toward Kang Hye-rim.

At that sight, Yu-hyun ‘s eyes blazed with fury.

“Huh, huh? Who are you?”

“What the hell were those guys outside doing?”

The soldiers, belatedly noticing Yu-hyun ’s entrance, reached out to grab him, but they couldn’t even touch his collar.

Moving swiftly like the wind, Yu-hyun grabbed the wrist of the man who was about to touch Kang Hye-rim.

“Huh? What the—?”

“Get your hand off her.”

Without any intention of listening, Yu-hyun tightened his grip on the man’s wrist.

Only then did the man realize that Yu-hyun wasn’t an ordinary person. His face twisted as he tried to muster all his strength, but it was futile.

“Grr, ggh!”

He gritted his teeth, veins bulging in his neck, as he desperately struggled, but he couldn’t shake off the strength of Yu-hyun ‘s single hand.

‘W-who the hell is this guy?’

Not only had this person appeared out of nowhere, but his strength was also absurd. At this level, it was something only a lord-class being could achieve.

“T-this bastard is attacking Lord Patrick!”

“Take your filthy hands off him!”

As the soldiers, who had missed Yu-hyun ’s earlier actions, hastily drew their weapons and aimed them at him, Yu-hyun glanced at the soldiers of the Salio Empire.

“All of you, kneel.”

“What...?”

Before the man with the second-highest rank could even finish questioning Yu-hyun , a tremendous pressure bore down on them from above.

Boom!

Without exception, the soldiers of the Salio Empire collapsed to the ground like frogs, flattened under the overwhelming force.

Seeing this, Patrick’s face turned pale. The elite soldiers he had brought had been subdued with just a single command.

“W-who the hell are you...?”

“You don’t get to ask questions. What were you trying to do by laying your hands on Hye-rim?”

“What?”

“Was that too difficult of a question for you?”

Crack!

As Yu-hyun applied more pressure to the man’s wrist, a scream escaped from Patrick’s clenched lips.

“Argh! Stop! Stooop!”

“Stop? Do you not understand the situation? Are you giving me an order?”

Screech.

The gauntlet on Patrick’s wrist began to warp with a grating sound. The crushed metal pressed heavily against Patrick’s muscles and bones.

Patrick cried out in desperation.

“P-please! Let me go!”

“Answer the question.”

“I-I was told to bring the Black Thunder Lord... the Black Thunder Lord...”

“You call that an answer...?”

“That’s enough.”

At that moment, a clear, elegant voice resonated through the room.

Yu-hyun turned to face the owner of the voice, his expression showing a hint of surprise. The figure had appeared without a trace, unnoticed until they spoke.

‘There was no sign of their presence until they spoke.’

That meant this person’s skill was at least lord-class. No, with this level of stealth, they might even be one of the few Executors.V/\IssịT n0(v)eL/b(i)(n).co/m for the b/est novel reading experi/en/ce

“Who are you?”

Yu-hyun glared at the woman with a sturdy build and black hair. A large scar ran across her face, and she wore an eye patch over one eye. She stood over 180 centimeters tall.

More than anything, the aura she exuded was on a completely different level from the others around her.

“I am Piren, the personal knight of First Prince Patrick, whose wrist you currently hold.”

“First Prince? This idiot?”

Yu-hyun hadn't even imagined that Patrick carried such a grand title as a prince.

Patrick, recognizing Piren as his savior, shouted desperately at her.

“Piren! Help me! Kill this insolent man!”

“Haa, Your Highness. Please stay still. Do you even know who you're talking to?”

Baek Seo-ryeon deftly responded to Piren’s abrupt change of subject.

“They haven’t been caught yet, but we have a good idea who it is. It’s likely those who have borrowed the power of external Great Army forces to act from within.”

“Or it could be a staged act, deliberately making it seem like they’ve been attacked.”

“You seem very confident. Is that because it didn’t go according to your plan this time?”

“Hmph. Think what you will. Let’s go, Your Highness.”

“I, I...”

Patrick, still hesitant to leave, remained rooted to the spot.

It wasn’t just his pride that had been shattered; he had a mission to recruit the Book Pile Lord.

And if that failed, he had been ordered to at least bring back the Black Thunder Lord...

Piren sighed at Patrick’s reluctance.

“Are you seriously thinking of saying such things now?”

“W-what?”

“Look at the situation. The plan has already failed. How much more disgrace do you intend to bring upon the royal family?”

“...”

Patrick’s face turned bright red, but he couldn’t offer any rebuttal to Piren.

Outwardly, Patrick appeared to be in control, but in reality, it was Piren who commanded him.

After silencing Patrick’s petty defiance with a few words, Piren bowed slightly to Yu-hyun before leading her subordinates away.

“Is Hye-rim okay? And what about you, Yu-hyun ?”

“Your concern should be for those who’ve left like defeated soldiers.”

“I’m not worried about them, because there’s no need to be.”

“We’re fine. Hye-rim is, too.”

Kang Hye-rim, who had been hiding in Baek-hyo’s embrace, dashed toward Yu-hyun and threw herself into his arms. Baek Seo-ryeon watched the scene with a complicated expression.

“Will she be alright?”

“Hye-rim still doesn’t have all of her memories back. She was on the brink of death, and I barely brought her back. To recover her memories, we’ll need help from other comrades.”

“...You’re doing all this for Hye-rim?”

“What happened to Hye-rim is all my fault. It’s my responsibility to restore her to who she was.”

Yu-hyun had resolved to bear all of her sins. From the moment he had killed the Black Thunder Lord and revived her as Kang Hye-rim, the Sword Queen, he had been prepared to face the consequences of his actions.

Seeing the seriousness in Yu-hyun ’s eyes, Baek Seo-ryeon found it hard to argue further.

“Haa. I guess there’s no helping it. But we have to be careful from now on. With even Executor Piren showing up here... I think it’s only a matter of time before they make more overt moves.”

“That’s how it seemed. For someone to bring an Executor at such a coincidental time... and to top it off, the First Prince of the Salio Empire himself.”

“What you saw was only a fraction of their forces. The main army is likely elsewhere.”

“When you say the main army...”

“Yes. It’s probably the elite forces of the Salio Empire, with more lords in their ranks.”

Baek Seo-ryeon stared anxiously into the distant horizon beyond the city, as if the enemy forces were already lurking there.

* * *

“What will you do now?”

As soon as they left the Central Administration, one of Piren’s subordinates asked her eagerly.

“We abandon the original plan.”

“You’re giving up on recruiting the Book Pile Lord?”

“Yes. We’ve messed up from the very first step. You must have sensed it too. The Book Pile Lord has turned against us. There’s no recovering from this.”

“T-that’s...”

The subordinate, who had witnessed the situation firsthand, couldn’t argue.

The Book Pile Lord had defeated Executor Choi Do-yoon, an individual of immense power. Letting someone like that walk free was deeply unsettling.

They had hoped to at least take the Black Thunder Lord, but somehow, she was no longer the person they knew.

“That wretched Branch Head made her move first. If things continue like this, the delicate balance of power that had tilted slightly will soon return to its original state.”

“Then, could it be...?”

“Yes. We move to the next stage.”

“Are we doing it now?”

“If not now, there won’t be another chance.”

The Executor Choi Do-yoon from Earth was recovering from his injuries in Lindel, and the most dangerous power, Seo Sumin, was nowhere to be found.

Though Yu-hyun ’s sudden appearance was unexpected, this was their best opportunity.

“Kill all the leaders.”

“I anticipated this and have already gathered the men.”

At her subordinate’s words, Piren smiled and nodded.

“Good. That’s what I called them for. They’d better prove their worth.”

Piren’s gaze shifted to a group of cloaked figures hidden in the distant alley.

If the balance of power inside couldn’t be overturned, what was the solution?

The answer was to bring in another force from outside.

“It doesn’t matter how many die. Make sure it’s done.”

With that, Piren donned a robe her subordinate had prepared in advance.

“I’ll take care of the Book Pile Lord myself.”