It was another large tower. At a glance, it looked like the stake. The only difference was that this tower wasn’t flipped over and embedded in the ground. Moreover, there was no foundation on its top, unlike the stake. It just looked like a normal tower.
If it weren’t on the Moon, this new tower would merely be a beautiful tourist attraction and a tower that only archaeologists and historians would be interested in.
However, it was on the Moon, and the foundation supporting the tower told a different story. It wasn’t a normal tower.
“It looks as if someone has cast an anthill.”
Sungyoon had seen something similar on a TV program in the past. Someone had poured molten aluminum into an anthill to create a cast.
“I believe it's the Great Labyrinth.”
When everyone heard the Mayor, they took a closer look at the picture.
“That's where one of the other Great Labyrinths was located at. Did the Great Labyrinth get pushed out of the ground?”
Next to the picture was a map, and the location of the tower was marked there. Russell asked as he looked at it.
“The probability is high. Also, we received a report that the blood net surrounding the stake has dug down far enough to reach the Great Labyrinth. It seems those bastards are using the magical energy of the Great Labyrinths.”
The Mayor worked the remote control in his hand, and the picture on the screen changed.
“According to researchers, the blood net reacted with this to change the Moon's trajectory.”
“What's that?”
“I think that’s Earth. I never knew Earth had such a place.”
Many Connectors noisily spoke among each other.
Unlike them, Sungyoon knew the location in the picture. He could never forget it.
“It's where I fought Kevil.”
Everyone turned to look at Sungyoon.
“Correct. That's where Mr. Sungyoon and Kevil fought for the last time. It's also the place where Kevil had met its end.”
“However, that didn’t exist when I fought against Kevil...”
The fight between Sungyoon and Kevil had destroyed the battleground. It had become especially desolate because Kevil’s fire had razed the entire region until it had become pitch-black.
However, right now, everyone could see an eye-catching sight in this region filled with black soot. It looked as though flames had swirled in on themselves to create a tornado. The red burning energy spun as it danced.
“We received a report that it appeared after the blood net surrounded the stake. I believe it's part of the ritual that changed the Moon's trajectory.”
“Is it gathering magical energy?”
Sungyoon pointed at a particular spot in the picture. Light flowed through the air and went into the red tornado as if the red tornado was sucking in everything near it.
“That's correct. A portion of the magical energy the stake sends to Earth isn’t dispersing into the surroundings. It's being dragged into that tornado.”
“It seems like they are using this portion of magical energy to power the connection between the Moon and Earth. They are connecting the rituals from both locations.”
“We believe this theory. We think that the two rituals make the Moon and Earth pull each other, and it's the reason for the change in the Moon's pace toward Earth.”
“Udocus said that he had used the deaths of Kevil and Glaia to make this happen. This is what he meant.”
There was a bitter taste in his mouth. Everything was going the way Udocus intended.
“Are we unable to destroy it?”
“Our government tried to get rid of it numerous times. However, it's like the blood net. Nothing works.”
As expected of a phenomenon made through Kevil’s death, the red tornado couldn’t be destroyed easily.
“I guess we have no choice but to go to that tower.”
When the Mayor heard Russell’s mumbling, he switched the picture back to the tower.
“I think so too. It's as Ms. Plu-El said. If they can stop the collision between Earth and the Moon, I believe there is a high probability the method is located in this tower. Honestly, we have nothing else to work on. Still, I believe something is here.”
The Mayor zoomed in on the picture. The Great Labyrinth that supported the tower was surrounded by a great number of monsters.
“We killed so much, yet they can still gather so many monsters!”
Bruce was sick and tired of the numerical superiority his foes displayed, so he yelled in frustration.
Their current situation was like being faced with a mountain after having crossed a mountain. Everyone let out a sigh when they saw the great number of monsters. Some even pulled their hair in frustration.
‘Yes. It's understandable.’
The Mayor understood their reactions. Even he felt like he were going crazy. The fight to defend Armstrong city had been arduous, but they had won it. However, they then found out that it had been a trap of their enemy and that the fall of humanity was right around the corner.
Moreover, it was unknown whether a way to save humanity existed or not. In fact, they had to go through the tedious act of fighting the monsters again for something that wasn’t a certainty.
That was why, it was understandable that some Connector lamented in despair.
However, Sungyoon's feelings were in stark contrast with the others. He felt a sense of relief.
‘Yes. They are defending it, so there must be something important in there.’
It was a very thin sliver of hope. However, since he had seen this hope, Sungyoon wouldn't look backward. He would charge forward. He would do it for his family.
“When will we have to go?”
The Mayor looked at Sungyoon for a moment. Sungyoon didn’t have a good expression on his face, but he wasn’t like the others, wallowing in despair.
“You are very motivated, Mr. Sungyoon.”
“If there is a way, I’ll walk down that path. This is true especially at times like these.”
He had experienced so much despair in the past that he was sick of it. Moreover, the despair he felt now couldn't compare to that he had felt when Miyun and Jaeho had stabbed him in the back. Back then, there had been no hope for him.
“As expected of the knight, I like that you're motivated for this fight.”
In this gloomy reality, hope was very hard to come by. Therefore, when Sungyoon showed his desire to fight, the mood in the room livened by a little bit.
‘He really is an amazing person. He hasn’t lost his will to fight even now.’
It wasn’t an exaggeration to say that everyone gathered here was a veteran fighter. They were Connectors who had navigated the labyrinths to hunt down monsters. They were the best of the best in their profession. However, even they showed vulnerabilities as humans when faced with the possibility of humanity’s extinction.
A thick sense of despair had permeated within this room. Morale was important on the battlefield; fighting spirit was a real thing. Many times in history, the loss of morale had led to defeat.
‘I was wondering how I should raise their morale.’
These men were the defenders of Earth’s future; their morale had to be high. Therefore, the Mayor had been racking his brain to come up with a way to uplift their mood.
However, his morale was also low, so he had been stumped.
Thankfully, Sungyoon changed the atmosphere with a few words.
‘This is the result of his achievements and their trust in him.’
Sungyoon had been a Connector for a very short time compared to the other veteran Connectors. However, he had achieved much in this short period. That was why the other Connectors put a lot of faith in him.
‘Of course, his title helps too.’
Knight.
The Mayor and the other higher-ups had used Sungyoon’s title to enhance the image of Connectors in civilians' eyes. However, Sungyoon's image as the Knight had moved past the civilians, and it held influence with the Connectors too.
It wasn’t a bad thing.
The Mayor watched the fighting spirit rise in the room as the Connectors talked with Sungyoon. This almost brought a smile to his lips. It was a great sight to see, but it was also time for him to speak.
“Hmmph! Hmmph!”
The Mayor cleared his throat to gather everyone's attention.
“We’ll mobilize after we make some preparations. Connectors and soldiers will rest for a little bit longer. We also have to replenish the ammo we used.”
“Isn’t it more dangerous for us if we take too long?”
“You're correct, Sir Russell. Even if the Moon doesn’t collide with Earth, large scale disasters will start to occur as it approaches Earth.”
“Is it possible to predict when Grenoid will awaken?”
Bruce asked the question.
The Mayor’s face darkened as he shook his head from side to side.
“We have no idea.”
They didn’t know the exact mechanism behind the seal, so it was impossible to predict when the seal would break.
“Since the collision is around two months away, I think Grenoid would revive before that period. Of course, this isn’t an exact science. It's only a guess.”
“It’ll be best if we finish our work before Grenoid awakens.”
“We know that. That's why we’ll enter the tower as soon as possible. We’ll do so after we make our preparations.”
“How long will that take?”
“One week. We’ll rush the tower in a week.”
The Mayor gave the declaration.
***
After the meeting ended, everyone dispersed in groups. Sungyoon’s party moved with Russell, Bruce, Plu-El, Aruwen, and the Mayor. Of course, it wasn’t a coincidence that all of them were together. The Mayor had called them.
“Why did you bring us here?”
Bruce asked as he entered the Mayor’s office.
“Please sit.”
The Mayor insisted everyone take a seat on the sofa. The sofa's quality wasn't good. After taking back Armstrong city, they had focused on increasing the city's defenses. They had no time to bring good furniture up here.
The Mayor had merely picked up a couple of sofas that looked abandoned but were in decent shape. They were shabby pieces of furniture unbefitting of the Mayor’s office. However, this made everyone trust the Mayor even more.
“As you probably know, we killed an enormous amount of monsters in the last battle.”
“Of course. We were the ones who killed them.”
Tim became puzzled when the Mayor said the incredibly obvious statement.
“That's correct. You guys killed the monsters, and we gathered the moonstones, the Devices, and the Gems left behind by those monsters.”
“Ah!”
Emily let out an exclamation in a low voice. The others felt the same way.
“Oh yeah! I completely forgot about that.”
“Tell me about it. In the first place, we are working as Connectors to make money.”
As Russell and Bruce said, they had been so focused on the war that they had forgotten why they had become Connectors in the first place.
“Did anything special come out? We are sending moonstones to Earth in case of emergency. The Devices and Gems were supposed to be distributed to the Connectors defending Armstrong city to boost their power.”
All the Devices and Gems acquired in the recapturing of Armstrong city had been distributed to the Connectors.
The high rank Connectors had given up on their rights to these Devices and Gems so that humanity could come out on top in victory. Of course, the fact that they possessed the highest ranked Gems also factored into their decision. Even if they had killed an enormous number of monsters, there were very few Devices and Gems that would be an upgrade for the high rank Connectors.
“Did something really good come out?”
“That's correct, Ms. Plu-El.”
The Mayor took out something from the desk drawer.
“That is…!”
Grace gasped in surprise.
Despite gathering all kinds of Gems through many hardships, Russell and Bruce were also shocked by the sight, and their eyes widened.
The Mayor spoke amidst everyone's shock.
“This is the Diamond rank Gem that appeared in the last battle.”
It was the highest Jewel rank Gem.
Moreover, there wasn’t just one. Three Diamond rank Gems glittered on the Mayor’s desk.
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