Fired Characters from an Idle Game

49. Continental Spirit – (2)

“The China Awakened Alliance is practically disbanded.”

“It looks like it.”

The Alliance building was large and spacious, but inside it was deserted.

“Not long ago, there was the fifth eruption. Tremendous damage occurred during that process. To compare it to Korea, seven A-Rank Awakened died, and below that, hundreds of Awakened died.”

Even if we gathered all the Awakened belonging to the Seoul Awakened Association, it wouldn’t reach five hundred people, so China’s scale was just different.

As Lao Ying said, the Chinese Awakened, anticipating the worst future, seemed to have scattered.

This exodus was accelerated after experiencing the last eruption.

In the end, the only people who remained in the Alliance to this day were those who had families to protect, or those who were simply responsible.

“It’s a *dage* gathering.”

Yu Junseo added a perfectly timed remark.

“Currently, China is in a precarious situation. The Awakened in Beijing are preparing for the final battle. In the midst of this, they saw the example of Seoul, which prevented the eruption without damage, and say they are grateful, having gained hope.”

“…Uhm.”

It was so polite and courteous that it was rather embarrassing.

“Isn’t it accepted wisdom that all the good Chinese are dead? No, wait, they’re all dead now, so they *are* good?”

Yu Junseo was talking nonsense again. He shook his head, looking at Lei Hu’s grim face.

“Nam Juyeon-ssi, it’s weird. Why is that guy nice? If he looks like that, shouldn’t he be a sneaky *zhongguo ren*?”

“Please, just stop it.”

Whether he understood the word “Jjange,” Lei-hu’s expression hardened slightly.

I offered a sheepish smile and relayed our business to Lao-ying.

“Anyway, please pass on our request again.”

We had informed the Chinese public security services about the gist of the matter when arranging the flight. But facing them directly, it felt right to explain in person. Lao-ying detailed the appearance of the ‘Actor,’ the most heinous villain who had appeared in Korea, and the fact that his last known trace was in China.

After listening to the story, Lei-hu nodded with a grave expression and retrieved a beige envelope.

Inside were a few photos. Images taken from a distance, blurred figures magnified to the point of distortion.

“…What is this?”

“They say it’s a humanoid calamity that appeared in China.”

A revealing evening gown, four pairs of black wings sprouting from the waist. And crimson hair, eyes that shone with a clear, golden light. The quality wasn’t great, but I recognized the woman instantly.

‘Karne, the Harbinger Mother.’

It was unmistakably a photo of Karne.

“This woman is the worst disaster currently devastating the Hebei Province area. Unlike other calamities, which build nests and stay put, she leads her nest and carries out massacres, resulting in immense damage. Some are even saying she possesses a self-awareness.”

“…”

‘Of course she has self-awareness. She’s a five-star calamity.’

It seemed the Chinese Awakened Federation hadn’t yet acquired the information that Karne was a five-star calamity.

“The Chinese Awakened Federation tends to give strong calamities separate names… In this case…”

“In this case?”

“They call her… the ‘Dark Sky Empress,’ apparently.”

These Chinese sure know how to come up with extravagant names.

Just look at him.

“Oh… damn, that’s cool.”

Yoo Jun-seo, impressed by the embarrassing nickname, was practically snorting.

“Annihilating Flame Emperor? Crimson Flame Emperor? Blazing Flame Emperor? Hmm…”

Already, he had forgotten about the issue in China and was thinking about new titles to put before his name.

*

Lei-hu continued to show me unwavering respect even after that.

“He watched the video of you defending Seoul as an S-Rank Awakened,” unremarkable things like being a subscriber, he chattered on.

“But how did he watch X-Tube in China?”

Even the ever-polite Lei Hu quietly averted his gaze from Yoo Junseo’s mumbling.

Anyway, as it was getting late, the full-scale investigation and pursuit of the Actor would begin tomorrow.

We refused the Chinese Awakened Alliance’s insistent offer of accommodation. Considering that this was a land of surveillance and control, what we were about to discuss needed to be somewhat clandestine.

As soon as I entered the accommodation prepared at the embassy, I drew the curtains and manipulated the status window to summon Mirien and Selene.

[Summoning 5★ Scorched Saint Selene.]

[Summoning 5★ Storm of the North Sea Mirien.]

“Let’s organize the information, for now.”

The information provided by the Chinese Awakened Alliance was largely the same as what Mirien had told me.

Black Heaven Empress.

So, Karne, the mother of ill omens, had become the sworn enemy of the Chinese Awakened Alliance.

“That woman Karne is amassing forces and daring to strike at our Lord. Just give the order. I shall bring you her head immediately.”

Selene was furious.

No, actually, she was pretending to be angry. The holy flame imprints encircling her body weren’t blazing fiercely enough.

Ultimately, Selene just needed justification to kill Karne. Just why was she so desperate to kill Karne?

She had said the same thing to Mirien before, so Selene must simply regard all calamities other than herself as potential enemies.

For the sake of our Lord’s safety?

I didn’t know.

I knew the feelings Mirien harbored for me, but Selene’s emotions remained shrouded in mystery.

“Anyway.”

I clapped my hands, bringing the situation back on track. Selene sat demurely on a chair, listening attentively to what I had to say.

“Is there no way we can talk to Karne?”

Considering Mirien’s case from before, most conflicts arose from a lack of communication.

Of course, the problem was that Mirien, consumed by paranoia, had gone berserk, but it was still a clear mistake not to have even attempted to communicate.

Wasn’t this Karne situation the same?

“I think we can resolve any misunderstandings if we talk.”

“…Lord, it is dangerous. It is different than with that magic wielder. That magic wielder…”

“Could you please stop calling her that magic wielder? She has a name; it’s Mirien.”

“…This magic wielder had a tiny, commendable thought to be of help to our Lord, so things did not escalate greatly.”

“Hey!”

“But Karne, that harlot, is sowing ruin by scattering her brood. So…”

“I know. I know. Karne’s already claimed tens of millions of victims.”

I interjected hastily.

Lest Mirien conjure up a bolt of lightning, that was.

“Honestly, I think I’m not entirely blameless in how Karne turned out this way.”

The calamity I unleashed is causing immense damage.

If I thought about it sober, I’d probably hang myself out of guilt.

That’s why I gave up on being sober.

“But she was a member of my stronghold, after all.”

Reality was a game, and I was a seasoned player in that game.

Everything that happened in the rift is real, and the consequences of me dismissing them are what’s happening now.

If it’s a fault, then it’s a fault.

And it’s my responsibility to fix it.

Karne running amok is all something I need to take care of.

“…So, I want to face Karne directly and talk to her. Can you all… understand?”

At my words, Celine’s lips softened. Mirien listened quietly before leaping onto my lap.

“I like anything Actor wants to do. Unlike that sly fox.”

“…Who would dare defy the Lord’s will?”

Celine’s blazing eyes were fixed on Mirien. I cleared my throat to draw attention, and only then did Celine look at me with a wry smile.

“However, Lord, promise me just one thing.”

“To prioritize my own safety? I already am.”

Celine responded with a slight nod.

The plan was decided.

First, meet Karne and try to talk.

If dialogue fails…

“Shall we kill her?”

“No, don’t kill her.”

Mirien smiled sweetly as she said something terrifying, and I shook my head.

It was terrifying how a calamity’s way of thinking always ended in killing.

“But milord,” she began, “there’s something I find… peculiar.”

“Peculiar?”

“This city of Beijing feels remarkably porous. Had Karne so desired, she could have overwhelmed it and turned it into a city of death with ease. Yet, the fact that the Whore hasn’t, even as she gathers her thralls… it intrigues me, to say the least.”

“That? I believe we can ascertain the reason presently.”

Mirienne reacted to Selene’s question.

Before I knew it, a hexagram-shaped light had blossomed in one of Mirienne’s eyes.

[5★ Mirienne, Tempest of the North Sea, is casting the skill ‘Eye of the Storm’.]

A moment passed, then Mirienne’s lips curled in a slight smirk.

“Hmph? These humans here… they’ve used their heads more than I thought.”

“Mirienne, what do you mean?”

“As Actor knows, lesser Calamities are rather dull-witted. Fools driven only by the desire to devour more humans. It seems someone has exploited that very nature.”

“…Exploited the Calamities’ nature?”

“Indeed. Several colossal towers have been erected around the city. And they’ve stuffed people inside as if it were some kind of beehive, no? Hmm… I suppose ‘human bait towers’ would be an apt description.”

Words failed me.

To use their own people as bait.

So like China, with its overflowing population.

*

“Damn it, another night shift?”

Cheon Tao, an Awakened One affiliated with the Federation, grumbled as he pulled out a cigarette. *Click*—the lighter sputtered, failing to ignite in the drizzling rain.

“Shit.”

This blasted lighter had been acting up lately. He stubbornly coaxed a flame to life and took a long drag, then stretched, arching his back as he gazed up at the sky.

The night sky was inky black, devoid of even a single star. The air in China was still a disaster, and the primary culprit was the boiler running at this very Second Containment Zone.

Cheon Tao, cigarette dangling from his lips, perched on the railing.

“A refugee camp, they call it.”

This place was called the Second Refugee Camp, but in reality, it was a shield forged from human lives.

Those who maintained a semblance of life inside, provided with the bare necessities of food, clothing and shelter, were mostly refugees from other cities, the elderly and infirm among them.

People devoid of value, from a cold perspective.

People with no chance of survival.

In the end, the nation was gathering the citizens it was meant to protect into one place and using them as bait.

And if a Calamity were to attack?

“Just leave them to die.”

Their sacrifice will fuel our resurgence.

So spoke Director Dang.

“Not my problem, really.”

Chen Tao flicked ash from his cigarette and rose to his feet.

Truth be told, he was part of the Awakened League, but he couldn’t care less what happened to this godforsaken camp.

He remained with the League to grab what he could in this ruined world; Chen Tao had no family to protect, so if things went south, he’d just run.

“Hmm?”

But his thought felt like a cruel joke.

The pitch-black night sky split in two.

At first, he thought it was simply clouds.

Maybe a dust storm from the yellow sands.

But it didn’t take Chen Tao long to understand what he was seeing.

“C-Crows!”

A murder of crows.

Thousands, no, tens of thousands of black wings obscured the sky.

The crows’ cries echoed like bombs falling from above, tearing at his eardrums.

And, at the heart of those beating wings—

“…H-Hei Tian Nu Di.” (Black Heaven Empress)

The Awakened guarding the camp felt a terror that froze his blood.

A black-clad Empress, her huge wings spread wide as she floated in the air, red eyes burning bright.

Enveloped in an aura that flowed like a dark curtain, an ominous harbinger descending towards the earth.

—The mother of ill omens, Karne.

News of the Second Camp’s annihilation reached League Headquarters half a day later.