Chapter 14: The Emperor’s Stolen Memories

– A second attempt? What the hell are you people thinking?

“We will accomplish what you abandoned.”

“The great feat of restoring the world that you dared to abandon even after trampling upon His Majesty the Emperor’s sacrifice.”

– What nonsense.

“Nonsense?”

“Don’t make me laugh.”

“As far as I know, the Source Dungeon merely stopped functioning temporarily, and its functions remain intact.”

“If we make a wish there, surely we can revive at least one world.”

– Do you even know what kind of price must be paid to revive a single world?

“And you.”

“What exactly do you mean by ‘at least one world’?”

“Do you not understand how much a single world weighs?”

“You speak of worlds as though they are heavy or light, but there are countless worlds out there anyway, aren’t there?”

“There are so many that even if one were to perish, no one would notice.”

“If we simply chose one of those worlds that looked destined to perish anyway as the price, wouldn’t we be able to make it work somehow?”

– You f*cking lunatic.

“I heard that you spent a long time wandering through other worlds in exile.”

“Did you perhaps forget because of that? We are people whose foremost duty is to protect our Emperor, our Empire, and our world. And I hear that you threw all three into the trash because you were clinging to some ridiculous sentimentality.”

The more Taehyun listened to the conversation, the more stifled and suffocated he felt.

Rigor was not someone who should have to listen to things like that.

And a world on the verge of destruction was not something so insignificant or worthless that this man could casually discuss using it as the price for something.

Could Taehyun really just stand by and watch this?

But there was nothing he could do simply by being here.

If the battle intensified, its aftermath would reach the surrounding area, and Seohyun and Q-Type, who were at home, could end up in danger.

Q-Type was not designed specifically for combat in the first place, and he had removed several combat devices while taking care of Seohyun, so if things went wrong, they might not even be able to escape.

What was he supposed to do?

As Taehyun continued to hesitate, the Angel seemed to sense something and slightly furrowed his brow.

“You think you shouldn’t run away.”

“…Yes.”

“Then what can you do? You’re no longer an Old Challenger, and you can’t even act as a Hunter because you’re outside the dungeon.”

It took Taehyun only a few seconds to realize that the Angel wasn’t mocking him.

The moment the Angel’s eyes gleamed strangely and he whispered those words, a flash of realization swept through Taehyun’s mind.

He was no longer an Old Challenger, but he could still influence someone.

This was outside the dungeon, so he couldn’t act as a Hunter, but perhaps…

Taehyun immediately opened his mouth and shouted toward someone who seemed not to be present here, yet who could ultimately hear him.

“Replica, Replica!”

[[System (Temporary)] Do you require my assistance?]

This was not a dungeon, but Taehyun believed that if he called, that being would answer from anywhere.

And sure enough, even though there were no golden letters like usual, he clearly felt as though someone were whispering inside his head.

“Create a temporary dungeon and send all of us there. As quickly as possible!”

[[System (Temporary)] Is it acceptable for me to intervene? You are currently outside the dungeon, so would intervening here not constitute excessive overreach?]

“Intervention is fine this time!”

“You understand that a battle cannot happen here, don’t you?”

“Besides, our opponent is an entity from an external world who is saying he intends to destroy another world in order to save his own.”

“That directly conflicts with your objective of stabilizing our world!”

Taehyun was no longer an Old Challenger, but he had been entrusted with the role of an assistant who helped the System’s young consciousness make correct decisions.

If that was the case, then at the very least, he should be able to move this man into a dungeon.

Fortunately, Replica’s answer was fairly positive.

[[System (Temporary)] I have determined your argument to be reasonable.]

“In fact, for this otherworldly entity to interact with you, a corresponding amount of Fate Power is required.”

“His homeland has been isolated for far too long, making normal interaction with other worlds difficult.”

[[System (Temporary)] Most importantly, this entity is attacking Rigor.]

“To prevent the distortion of fate caused by a clash between an intruder from an external world and an inhabitant of this world, I will create a temporary combat dungeon.”

“However, in order to minimize subjective intervention on my part, please understand that I will only assist in the fair exchange of Fate Power during the battle and cannot take either side.”

The explanation was rather lengthy because Replica added numerous clarifications and restrictions.

But Taehyun didn’t think that was a bad thing.

He knew that this phenomenon was meant to prevent Replica from repeating the mistakes made by its predecessor.

Replica had observed the mistakes of the one who had walked the path before it and was being careful not to follow the same path.

And Taehyun instinctively realized that Rigor was also trying to give his opponent the same opportunity.

If so…

“If possible, I’d like it to be structured in a way that allows for reflection and contemplation.”

“Rigor doesn’t want to kill him!”

[[System (Temporary)] I will take your suggestion into consideration.]

No sooner had the brief yet courteous whisper ended than translucent walls and flooring began assembling in midair, piece by piece, until they formed a structure approximately two meters in size.

Taehyun realized that it was the entrance to the temporary dungeon.

Building the entire dungeon here would be too much, so was Replica planning to create the entrance first and then send them somewhere else through it?

However, the process was not particularly fast.

The man noticed Replica creating the entrance, widened his eyes, and looked around.

Eventually, his gaze settled on Taehyun.

“Ah, yes.”

“So you are the Old Challenger who seduced him.”

“The disgusting traitor who chose to collude with an invader and preserve his own life despite finally being given the opportunity to kill that invader?”

“Say whatever you want.”

“Taehyun has never regretted that decision even once.”

Rigor looked at Taehyun as though asking why he hadn’t run away.

But Taehyun didn’t even blink.

The moment the man pointed his sword at Taehyun, Rigor stepped in front of him.

The Angel immediately moved in front of Taehyun as well, shielding him with his body.

– This child went through countless trials and errors, yet refused to give up and continued getting back on his feet until he chose the answer that was best for everyone. You can call many other things unacceptable, but I will not tolerate you calling this child a traitor.

“How many times do we have to tell you before you finally listen?”

“I told you.”

“The Knight told you.”

“Even that Prisoner told you.”

“We all told you that your assumptions were wrong!”

“You happily swallowed a hypothesis cobbled together from fragments of incomplete memories, but now you refuse to listen to the people who actually lived through those events?”

“You must have brainwashed them quite thoroughly.”

“Now I understand.”

“The first person I should kill isn’t you.”

“It’s him.”

“Perhaps once I kill him, you might finally come to your senses.”

Even after the two of them pleaded with him, the man merely snorted.

Taehyun couldn’t see his expression because his view was blocked, but he could tell that the man was mocking him.

Taehyun swallowed a sigh before speaking.

“You intend to kill Taehyun?”

“Yes.”

“Because you are the root cause of all of this.”

“Then Taehyun would like to confirm just one thing.”

“Who exactly explained the circumstances to you in that manner?”

“The Angel said earlier that you pieced together fragments of memories.”

“Whose memories were those?”

It was a question Taehyun asked without much expectation.

He only needed to stall for a little while until Replica finished constructing the entrance.

Just a little.

He only had to distract the man until the very moment he could be thrown into the temporary dungeon.

But the moment Taehyun heard the answer, he couldn’t help but doubt his own ears.

“There was a subordinate of the invader who dared to desecrate His Majesty the Emperor’s sacred body by using it for personal purposes.”

“After forcibly separating that man’s soul, we dismantled it and examined his memories.”

“What did you say?”

“Who did you just…?”

“The dismantling process was not easy, so the amount of information we obtained was extremely limited.”

“But even that was enough to confirm what you people did.”

“If you intend to deny it, give up now.”

Could it be that the Emperor had gone to that world and been captured?

Taehyun had been certain the Emperor was traveling around together with the System.

Taehyun was about to question the man further, but at that exact moment, Replica finished constructing the entrance.

The doorway swung wide open.

[[System (Temporary)] The temporary dungeon has been created.]

“All combatants currently present will be transferred into the dungeon.”

[[System (Temporary)] This dungeon contains no separate monsters and will proceed according to its own rules.]

“Please note that all forms of escape other than clearing the dungeon through the designated route are prohibited.”

“Wait, what the-?!”

The stunned man, all of the Curses including Rigor, and even Taehyun himself were sucked through the open entrance.

Taehyun knew this was exactly the situation he had wanted.

Yet with so many thoughts tangled up in his head, it felt as though they were all being swept away into a bottomless labyrinth.

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