## Chapter 216 – The Northerner
We entered the cave where the Northerner was sealed.
Wearing [Nano Suits] for stealthy movement, using night vision to see in the darkness, and employing concealment to hide our bodies.
The cave was as long as Scarlet had said.
Walking through the pitch-black darkness with nothing much to do, I fondled Scarlet’s butt next to me.
Scarlet couldn’t seem to shake her gloomy expression.
“Still sulking?”
“…….”
“You’re 1,400 years old, why are you getting all pouty over something like this?”
“It’s not that I’m sulking…!”
Scarlet retorted.
“Why, out of all the women, do I have to be the bait!”
“Is that what you’re upset about?”
“Yes! If there was a reasonable explanation, I’d understand, but this just feels like you’re tormenting me!”
Well, it’s true that I am tormenting her.
Remembering what she did in the early days, it was hard to just laugh it off.
Threatening my life, taking hostages….
But there were other reasons besides that.
First of all, Scarlet had good reactions when I teased her.
When I reached out and twisted Scarlet’s nipple, she was startled and frantically hit the back of my hand.
“Aah! That hurts! How can it hurt even through the suit?! I can’t believe it. And I’m being serious right now, okay?”
“You really want to know the reason? Why I brought you along?”
“Yes!”
Well, if you insist.
“It’s simple. You’re single.”
“Huh?”
“Everyone else has their kids. You’re the only one without a family. That makes you the right person for the job.”
“!!”
[She was flustered.]
A shocked face.
She probably never thought I’d actually have a plausible reason.
“And when else would you get to breathe fresh air if it weren’t for me? Just think of it as coming out for a relaxing breather.”
“…….”
Well, there’s a slight chance of dying a sudden, tragic death due to a natural disaster while getting some air, but I plan to take care of that part as much as possible.
She’s still my bitch, after all.
“Do you understand why I brought you now?”
“…Yes.”
Scarlet’s face became even gloomier.
She was fully experiencing the price of lazing around for a month to avoid childbirth.
To soothe her gloom, I changed the subject.
“But let me ask you something. Why did you try to conquer Rougegard?”
“Huh? You still don’t know the reason?”
“I have a rough idea.”
It was because of Etana. Because it was impossible for Revenants to fight each other.
“If Rougegard designates Etana as an enemy of humanity, billions of people will work together to kill her.”
In other words, they were planning to overwhelm her with numbers.
“Do you really think you can subdue her?”
“Actually, I’m not sure either. But I think there’s a limit since she’s human.”
“Is that so? She could be a god. An apostle sent by a god or something.”
“That’s not it. I heard it directly from someone who lived for over 4,000 years. She’s from the Sumerian era.”
Wow. The Sumerian era, that’s ancient.
My mind automatically stopped calculating due to the distant past. I shook my head and asked what I was really curious about.
“About the sealed Northerner.”
“Yes, Nora.”
“I heard that Etana’s nemesis was chosen to be that Northerner. What’s the reason?”
No matter how great that Northerner is, Etana’s abilities are almost limitless.
“Doesn’t it seem like a mismatch from the start?”
“Do you know what Nora’s ability is?”
“No.”
I hadn’t investigated that Northerner separately yet.
Hunting Scarlet, hunting other Revenants, and then eating and impregnating the captured Revenants….
I’ve been quite busy.
Scarlet said calmly.
“If Nora’s fist successfully lands on Etana, Etana will die instantly.”
“Is it that strong?”
“Yes, Nora’s [Super Strength] is the best among the transcendent class. A numbering ability that adds a separate slot to the status window. It’s on par with Etana’s [Plunder].”
I didn’t know. That even among transcendent-class abilities, those that add a slot to the status window are a step above.
“Is a numbering ability that great?”
“It’s amazing. Usually, those with that ability have no limits. They can continue to grow stronger as time goes on. They don’t need to be strengthened separately. It’s an ability that can literally ‘transcend’ humans, eras, and the world.”
I opened my status window and looked at the [Shop Window]. There was a number printed at the edge of the screen.
『777』
‘Transcendence, huh.’
I closed the shop window and focused on the front again.
I could hear signs of people inside the cave.
We stopped talking and quickly moved towards the sound.
Soon, the passage widened, and I could see a number of people gathered in a fairly large open space.
And among them, two women who stood out were staring at each other.
Etana and the Northerner.
‘They’re facing off.’
I thought they would lure Etana to where the Northerner was and bury them alive at the same time.
But seeing the Revenants unlocking the Northerner’s shackles with keys and all gathered on that side, it seemed like things were going differently than planned.
The atmosphere suggested a fight was about to break out.
I smiled.
‘Good, let’s watch how they fight.’
***
The Revenants glanced at each other, exchanging looks.
‘I-Is this right?’
‘I don’t know either.’
Ten minutes ago, the Revenants who arrived here made a proposal to the shackled Northerner.
They told her about the current situation and asked for her help.
“…The top five of the Round Table Supreme Council are all gone?”
“Y-Yes. And many others too…. There are less than 50 Revenants left.”
“Haha, I thought you were living high on the hog since you locked me up here, but you all ended up dying like that?”
The four chains connected to the rock wall and the Northerner’s limbs made clanging noises, revealing an uncomfortable timbre.
The Revenants said cautiously.
“Anyway, the higher-ups who decided to imprison you are all gone. We are different from them. Now, we will release you from those shackles, so please don’t take your past grievances out on us.”
“…….”
“Please join forces with us and fight Etana.”
“…You’re really going to release me?”
They had thought a lot before coming here.
Their plan was to lure Etana into this place and then bury her alive.
They mobilized as many as 27 people for that, and they also received reports that Etana, who had captured their public movements, had taken the bait and moved.
So now, when Etana appeared, they could just detonate explosives artificially and escape with three [Space Movement Scrolls].
The Northerner was actually useless for that.
But suddenly, they had a thought.
‘What if Etana isn’t buried alive and successfully escapes? What will we do then?’
So they belatedly revised the plan, deciding to release the Northerner and escape together.
That way, even if Etana survived the burial and came out alive, they could look forward to the next time.
Gulp, the leader of the Revenant group, who swallowed hard, replied.
“Yes. We will release you, so please join forces with us.”
Then, as the shackles were unlocked one by one and fell to the floor, the gray-haired woman who had regained her freedom silently caressed her wrists and ankles several times.
In front of her, the Revenants held their breath and waited for her answer.
Holding the [Space Movement Scroll] tightly in their hands, ready to escape at any time.
“…….”
Gulp.
An uncomfortable silence.
And the answer that came back.
“So.”
“?”
“What’s your plan? You didn’t just come here without any thoughts, did you?”
Hoo. Fortunately, the Revenants, who noticed that there was no madness or resentment in her eyes, let out a small sigh of relief.
Then they told her about the plan they had made.
“Hmph. So you’re saying you’ll wait here and then carry out the plan when Etana appears?”
“That’s right.”
“Not a bad idea. I like that it’s simple. So, until then, we have to kill time here?”
“…Unfortunately. It’s frustrating, but please bear with it.”
“No. It’s okay. I’ve endured 400 years, what’s a little more? But you know.”
Thwack!
“Cough.”
Nora, who had disappeared in an instant and appeared in front of a Revenant, struck the Revenant’s stomach with her fist.
Immediately, the man flew into the wall and crashed.
Bang! Rumble!
The Revenant, buried in the wall with dust and dirt, was not even visible.
“W-What are you doing?”
“I’ve been thinking about it for 400 years while locked up here. You shouldn’t trust people so easily.”
“D-Did you deceive us?”
When Nora glanced at them, the Revenants who received her gaze flinched and stepped back.
Seeing their reaction, Nora smiled slightly and picked up the [Space Movement Scroll] that had fallen to the floor.
“!!”
“T-That’s!”
It was what the Revenant who had been punched and flown away was holding in his hand.
“Don’t make such a fuss. I’m not going to harm you right now. It’s just that after being backstabbed so badly, I realized that I need to hold my own lifeline.”
“…….”
“If anyone is uncomfortable with me holding this, come out. I’ll deal with you.”
There was no one. There was no one here who had the ability to stand up to her and take back the scroll, or who was brave enough to do so.
She was a predator.
She was a different species from them. Just like Etana.
“Oh, and sorry about the dead friend over there. It’s been 400 years since I last punched someone, so it wasn’t easy to control my strength. Sorry.”
Nora took the scroll and looked back at the two people.
“And there are some other friends I need to apologize to in advance. Marcus. John. Come here.”
“W-Why us?”
“You know? Daring to threaten me with food and make me pee and poop in front of the camera?”
Nora, who had disappeared from sight in an instant, struck the top of Marcus’s head with her palm.
Immediately, Marcus became a handful of meat and formed a pool of blood on the floor.
“Eeeek!”
John fell backward and shook his head from side to side.
“F-Forgive me! It wasn’t just us! We heard that we could enjoy that much…! The higher-ups ordered us to do so!”
“I know. If there were previous workers, I would have destroyed them right away. But you’re the only ones here, so what can I do.”
“S-Save me! Please save me! Hey, you guys! Save me! Use the scroll right now and take me out of here… Kuek.”
“…….”
Nora, who had dealt with three people in an instant, stretched her body. Then she glanced at the remaining people.
The Revenants trembled.
“If you had taken the scroll and run away, you would have been on my revenge list, but you endured well. I’ll make you my subordinates if you want.”
“T-Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it. We’re not living alone. I was so bored living alone for 400 years.”
“…….”
“But I need to take care of things before that, right?”
Nora gestured towards the darkness.
“Don’t just stroll over here, why don’t you run, Etana.”
“!!”
“H-How did she know?!”
A woman with a face full of annoyance appeared, cutting through the darkness.
“I’ve been trapped here waiting for you for 400 years. Let’s see who’s superior. Who is the real owner of this planet.”
“Huh? N-Nora-nim? Are you going to fight?”
The Revenants expressed their embarrassment, and Nora gestured with her chin.
“What do you say.”
Etana yawned and replied.
“…Whatever.”
