SWNOVELXO Chapter 354
Chapter 355. Who’s the Crazier One? (8)
From the moment he became a Transcendent Being, it’s no exaggeration to say that his entire body is a weapon. Even a simple punch can instantly kill an Ogre.
Moreover, Keter’s right arm is a prosthetic made by the authority of Lord Eslow. It possesses destructive power that could blow Rukan’s head off without a second thought…
Yet, Rukan was fine. He just took a step back, his face slightly turned, and not even a nosebleed.
Instead, small fragments clung to Keter’s fist. Fragments from a human face? Upon closer inspection, Keter realized Rukan wasn’t unscathed.
His face had cracked, like a mask with a fissure.
‘Ouch.’
Keter quickly stepped back, shaking his hand. He had plenty of time to follow up, but there was no reason to.
‘I can’t shoulder the burden of dealing with Rukan, who’s turned into a monster, all by myself.’
Keter had come to Rukan for a different reason. The strike was merely an attempt to initiate a conversation.
“Aren’t you curious why I came looking for you?”
As Keter reminded him, Rukan’s tentacles momentarily halted.
But it was brief. Seeing the tentacles about to fire again, Keter spoke without waiting for a response.
“Do you know that Rakan has formed an alliance with Sephira?”
“……”
Rukan didn’t respond. But the fact that he didn’t attack meant he was interested in the conversation.
“If Rakan allies with Sephira, the front lines will stabilize. The Eastern Army, free from worries, will launch a full-scale attack as early as today, or by tomorrow morning at the latest. They aim to exploit your arrogance of having a monster army.”
“……”
Swish.
Rukan touched his face with his hand. The cracks on his face were completely restored.
“Did you come to confuse me with false information, Keter? Disgusting.”
“Have your subordinates check Rakan’s whereabouts right now. You won’t find him. Because he’s currently negotiating with Hisop at Sephira. You also won’t see the top brass. They’re all detained to prevent the alliance news from leaking to you.”
“……”
Rukan stared intently at Keter.
Keter didn’t avoid Rukan’s gaze.
Rukan knew this was true without needing confirmation. It wasn’t intuition but part of his abilities.
“You’re telling the truth. Why are you sharing this information with me?”
“It’s not over yet. If Crown Prince Rukan takes three tactical steps now, you can easily suppress Rakan and Duke Lerkin while freeing yourself from international pressure.”
“Hmm…?”
Rukan was baffled. Keter suddenly switched his demeanor, speaking respectfully as if he were Rukan’s strategist. It seemed insane.
But Keter’s eyes were deadly serious. Even the emotionally detached Rukan couldn’t help but listen.
“What are these three steps?”
“First, if Rakan launches a full-scale attack, defend with monsters and attack the East with human forces. Second, show the Eastern citizens that the monsters aren’t dangerous and are well-controlled. Third, threaten to publicly release the monster control method worldwide if external forces try to intervene.”
“……”
Rukan has countless strategists called geniuses. They are obligated to produce at least one strategy daily, yet none have ever proposed anything like Keter’s.
Each was a masterstroke. To Rukan, they seemed genuinely good strategies.
Which only deepened his suspicion.
“You’re making me repeat myself. Tell me your hidden agenda for sharing these strategies.”
“You must be suspicious. But I sincerely believe Crown Prince Rukan will win this war. Handling the Monsters of the Demon Realm is no small feat. As the old saying goes, a rabbit digs three burrows. I’m doing the same—digging a burrow for you, Crown Prince.”
“This isn’t Sephira’s intention?”
“No. This is my own initiative. If you follow my advice, Crown Prince Rukan, you can easily dominate the Lilian Kingdom. Then, show mercy to our Sephira.”
“Mercy… Huh.”
Rukan chuckled and raised his hand.
Quadddddddd!
A tidal wave of tentacles surged from outside, covering the sky in an instant.
Trapped within the tentacle wall that completely blocked sunlight, Keter calmly asked in the darkness.
“Are you refusing?”
“It’s too late to act civilized now, Keter. I know your true nature—a cowardly, petty lunatic. I don’t trust your words.”
“Sigh…”
Keter sighed deeply, shaking his head.
But inwardly, he was pleased.
‘Thank you for seeing me as a lunatic, Rukan.’
The strategies Keter had shared were genuinely beneficial to Rukan and the most troublesome for the enemy.
That’s why he revealed them—so Rukan would doubt and not execute them.
Rukan isn’t alone. He has numerous brilliant strategists by his side. Even if Keter hadn’t shared them, one of the strategists would have thought of them eventually, or perhaps already had and was waiting for the right moment.
‘I stole that timing. Now, even if the strategists suggest executing my methods, Rukan will suspect them of being Sephira’s spies.’
Though planned just an hour ago, it was perfect. Even the subsequent situation.
“Are you trapping me now?”
No more honorifics were needed. At Keter’s question, Rukan slowly clenched his outstretched hand.
The tentacles began to tighten, as if intending to crush Keter to death.
“From the sound, it’s a wall so dense not even an ant could escape. Right?”
Rukan didn’t respond.
Keter, unfazed, took care of Darian. Darian, shocked at being abandoned by Rukan, was in a daze, making it easy to handle.
“Rukan. I hold no particular ill will towards you. If you think about it, you might find I’m not so detestable.”
“……”
The tentacle wall was almost upon him, but Keter spoke until the very last moment.
“We’re just imposing our convictions on each other, not through logic but through force. That’s how people like us operate.”
Crack!
Rukan finally clenched his fist. The tentacle wall was sucked into his palm.
A moment later, Rukan opened his palm. It was clean—not a drop of blood. Keter had escaped.
“…Authority?”
Keter’s authority, Unchain.
No restraint can hold Keter.
Rukan turned his gaze to where Keter’s presence was felt. It was incredibly fast, but he could chase if he wanted.
But Rukan decided to let it go.
“The strong don’t run.”
He had the luxury. Even if he didn’t kill Keter now, even if Keter took Darian, his former confidant.
“Absolute power renders everything else powerless.”
Rukan believed that.
No, he had to believe it. Otherwise, everything he stood for would be negated.
A rumor spread in Sephira: whenever Keter disappears and reappears, he always brings a storm.
And now, that rumor became reality.
“Prince Keter?! Who is this?”
In Sephira’s open space.
Keter, with Darian slung over his side, dropped him to the ground and spoke to the approaching knight.
“Ah, this guy? I don’t know who he is, but Rukan seemed quite fond of him. I took him as a hostage, so treat him well.”
The knight couldn’t understand what Keter was saying. So, he checked Darian’s face and jumped in shock.
“Gasp! T-This is Sage Darian?!”
Though meekly taken hostage by Keter, Darian held the title of Sage in the kingdom.
He deeply understood any knowledge and applied it aptly. Thus, he was praised by both citizens and nobles as a genius.
In the Lilian Kingdom, it’s no exaggeration to say all outstanding achievements ‘passed through Darian.’
So much so that the saying, ‘The most dangerous thing in Crown Prince Rukan’s faction is Darian,’ was considered a joke.
Yet, Keter had inexplicably taken such a Darian as a hostage, leaving everyone stunned.
Keter looked down at the self-proclaimed Sage and scratched his head.
“This guy’s a Sage? The world’s gone mad.”
No matter the perspective, the Darian Keter briefly saw was far from a Sage.
“Anyway, take good care of him.”
As Keter prepared to leave again, the knight hastily asked.
“Prince. Are you leaving again?”
“Yes. I still have one more person to meet.”
Naturally, the knight didn’t understand, and Keter had no intention of explaining.
Thus, Keter left, and the news quickly reached Hisop’s ears.
Before Hisop was Second Prince Rakan. They were in the midst of negotiating alliance terms.
Since Rakan could overhear, Hisop received Keter’s news via document.
‘Bringing Darian as a hostage means he met Crown Prince Rukan.’
Moreover, Keter left, saying he still had one more person to meet.
By now, even Hisop understood.
Keter first met Second Prince Rakan, then Crown Prince Rukan. The next person he would meet was all too clear.
‘Duke Lerkin. Keter plans to meet all the war’s leaders in a single day.’
Even Hisop didn’t know Keter’s plan. Keter had only hinted he’d ‘do something crazy.’
That alone had Hisop tense and prepared, but when Rakan came for an alliance, Hisop felt his heart stop.
Yet, he continued negotiations as if he knew. Through this, he realized the alliance with Rakan greatly benefited Sephira.
‘Keter. Did you plan all this and execute it immediately?’
Of course, Keter hadn’t planned it from the start. It was improvised. Whether it worked or not didn’t matter.
Hisop felt both anticipation and fear. Keter, having met Rukan, returned alive and brought Sage Darian.
What would he do next, meeting Duke Lerkin?
“Lord Hisop. Is the content on that parchment more important than our alliance?”
Hisop, lost in thought, was scolded by Rakan. After a moment’s hesitation, Hisop spoke.
“It’s news that Keter brought Sage Darian, so I was momentarily stunned.”
“…What?”
Only then did Rakan understand Hisop’s feelings.
“Keter. That guy really is… a lunatic.”
Hisop shouldn’t agree, but he couldn’t help but nod.
From Second Prince Rakan and Sephira’s intelligence, Rukan’s army was said to be doing nothing.
But that was incorrect. Rukan was steadily moving his forces.
Only, the target wasn’t Rakan and Sephira.
Clang, clang! Crash!
The sound of iron clashing, sparks flying, and flesh tearing echoed in Duke Lerkin’s residence.
A place meant for peace and rest was filled with screams, curses, and resentment.
“Who is it! Who betrayed us!”
“The secret passage is collapsed! There’s no way out!”
With every word, knights fell like flies. They were all from prestigious families, but before the Monsters of the Demon Realm, they were like rabbits.
Lerkin was guarded by fifty knights, including a Grandmaster, but now even their corpses were devoured by the monsters.
“Duke!”
The knights looked to Lerkin, but he had no solution.
‘Damn it.’
He cursed inwardly to maintain composure. That was the best he could do now.
‘Only my closest confidants know this place.’
Lerkin had prepared a deep underground residence for his safety. Only five people knew its location, all loyal to the death.
Yet, monsters had invaded. Meaning one of the confidants had betrayed or was a mole from the start.
‘I can’t even guess who.’
Each was like family, making suspicion difficult.
‘Does it matter who? I’m going to die anyway.’
Lerkin’s faction also had a Prime. But to hide his underground location, he deliberately didn’t assign the Prime as a guard.
If the valuable Prime wasn’t seen, it was assumed to be guarding Lerkin—revealing the commander was in a safe place, plummeting morale.
It was a wise strategy, but now it seemed foolish.
‘Master-level knights can’t stop the Monsters of the Demon Realm.’
The Grandmaster could fight the monsters, but there were too many. Each monster could take on five Master-level knights, and seven had invaded.
All exits were blocked, and now they awaited death.
“Stay calm. Don’t fear death.”
Lerkin encouraged the knights, holding his sword. Though trembling in fear, the knights were inspired by Lerkin’s bravery and swung their swords to the end.
But everyone knew.
The end was total annihilation.
“Ugh. Sorry, Duke…”
The last Master-level knight who held out just died.
Tap!
Then, a finger snap sounded behind the monsters, and they halted their attack. A man walked out.
“Nice to meet you, Duke Lerkin. I’m Toph from the Browning Family.”
“…Why did you stop the attack?”
“Crown Prince Rukan has shown mercy to Duke Lerkin. Surrender.”
“Surrender…”
The surviving knights looked to Lerkin. Their eyes clearly showed a desire to live.
Lerkin felt their gaze but shook his head.
“Rukan is a ruthless man who conscripts children and the elderly. He’s my son, but he’s a monster. If I surrender, my people will suffer the same fate. I don’t want that.”
“Why care about the deaths of lowly commoners? Are you foolishly choosing to die for them?”
“They’re not lowly. The people are the nation’s foundation. It’s also a matter of respect for the knights who followed me. For the soldiers who died fighting for me, I too will fight to the death.”
“A foolish choice.”
Toph stepped back. The monsters prepared to attack, and the knights despaired.
Wasn’t Lerkin afraid of death? But he had no regrets.
‘Keter incited me, but I too dreamed of rising.’
Unexpectedly, Lerkin thought of Keter in his final moments.
Keter had said everything was going according to plan and to trust him. Lerkin had trusted and come this far.
‘Keter. If you save me now, I’ll consider you a god.’
But that wouldn’t happen.
Only five loyal confidants knew this place. Keter had never been told. Acting as if they had no connection, there was no reason for Keter to appear by chance.
Tap.
Toph snapped his fingers. At the signal, the monsters moved, and Lerkin raised his sword to fight-
Rumble!
Debris began falling from the ceiling, and a person dropped down with a pile of dirt.
Dusting off his clothes, a man walked out.
“Not an ant. Why live in a tunnel?”
With Keter’s sudden appearance, Lerkin clasped his hands and muttered.
“Oh, my god.”