Chapter 236
Abaddon nodded as he approached Han taesu.
“It’s been nearly ten years, hasn’t it?”
After a decade, the old enemies faced each other again.
Abaddon glared at Han taesu with an intense, emotional gaze.
Abaddon had lost much because of him.
The Blood Count, who once seemed unbreakable—Abaddon had spent years preparing for his revenge against him.
And now, he was finally certain.
He could defeat that man.
“You’ve grown weak. Or perhaps I’ve just grown stronger.”
Abaddon scoffed as he watched Han taesu approach.
It amused him to see the usually composed count so agitated.
“You’re uncharacteristically flustered.”
As if to prove his words,
Han taesu immediately hurled a sphere of magic at Abaddon.
Boom—
With the explosion, dust and dirt filled the air.
‘How dare you threaten me to give up my son in exchange for Castica?’
Han taesu had no intention of engaging in a pointless conversation.
Now that he knew Abaddon’s goal, there was nothing he could concede.
He had to face Abaddon and win.
Boom—
Han taesu threw another magic sphere.
It was an overly emotional attack.
Abaddon easily deflected the sphere again and laughed, holding his stomach as if he found it all too amusing.
With a sneer on his lips, Abaddon taunted Han taesu.
“Hey, calm down. At this rate, you won’t hit me even if I stand still.”
He could dodge this kind of attack with his eyes closed. How could Han taesu resort to such obvious moves?
Abaddon raised his hands and clicked his tongue.
“What a disappointment.”
“I’m not here to play word games with you.”
Han taesu quickly began drawing a magic circle with his staff.
A binding spell.
A move intended to restrain Abaddon’s feet, but Abaddon promptly countered it.
Abaddon dismantled the magic circle in an instant and twisted it into an attack against Han taesu.
With two quick strokes and a surge of dark magic—
Magic arrows rained down from all directions.
Han taesu brushed them aside with a single gesture, burning the arrows mid-air.
He wouldn’t go down easily.
As if expecting this, Abaddon stepped back,
and at that moment, a blue light flickered before Han taesu’s eyes.
“…!”
It was the first time he had seen such a sight.
A shimmering blue cube rested in Abaddon’s hand.
Han taesu instinctively dodged, his brows furrowing.
“This is your first time seeing it, isn’t it?”
With a twisted grin, Abaddon launched his counterattack.
The power drawn from the Cube was immense, and Abaddon chose the most efficient form of assault.
A massive tree trunk erupted from the ground in an instant.
Poisonous vines lashed out in a wide arc, sweeping through the soldiers.
Even a mere touch was deadly.
The ten soldiers guarding Han taesu died instantly, unable to even scream.
“Argh!”
The vines mercilessly tore through the soldiers, splitting them in half.
Not only were they venomous, but they could also shapeshift at will.
They could sharpen like blades, or coil like ropes.
A massive vine was hurtling toward him.
Han taesu gritted his teeth, blocking Abaddon’s attack.
Abaddon, empowered by the Cube, was far stronger than before.
On equal footing, or perhaps even surpassing Han taesu.
Even if it had just been the two of them fighting, the battle would have been a tough one.
This made the situation feel all the more dire.
Han taesu panted heavily as he fended off the vines.
Abaddon would stop at nothing for victory.
Turning his head, Han taesu spotted Han Siha frozen in place.
Boom—
Han taesu threw a magic sphere at the vine trying to snatch his son.
“Ha… ha…”
It was already difficult enough to protect himself, and now he had to guard his son too.
Han taesu focused all his attention on Abaddon.
As he deflected Abaddon’s relentless attacks, he continued to use his magic to erect barriers protecting Han Siha.
Even someone as formidable as Han taesu was starting to break.
He was barely holding on, but if things continued this way, he would inevitably lose.
Han taesu clenched his teeth and prepared his final attack against Abaddon.
He was betting everything on a single blow, pouring all his magic into it.
A strategy he never would have considered in the past.
But to protect Castica—
To save Han Siha—
There was only one choice left.
Han taesu moved strategically.
He completed a magic circle without Abaddon noticing and was about to make the final stroke when Abaddon spoke.
“But tell me, does that really look like your son?”
“What…?”
Han taesu’s spine chilled at Abaddon’s words.
He had fought desperately, trying to protect his son.
But Abaddon’s words sent a cold shiver down his back.
“What are you…?”
Han taesu turned around with a shocked expression.
Han Siha was supposed to be there.
He was right there just moments ago.
In the spot where his terrified son had been standing.
But—
“….”
In his place stood a soldier Han taesu had never seen before, fidgeting nervously.
Abaddon would do anything to win.
Han taesu had forgotten this simple fact.
He should have been prepared for every possibility.
Abaddon’s illusion magic.
Han taesu had fallen for his cheap trick.
He had failed.
Han taesu’s grip on his staff loosened, and it fell to the ground with a soft thud.
There was no trace of Han Siha anywhere on the battlefield.
Abaddon’s sinister laugh pierced Han taesu’s chest.
A cold wind brushed against his body.
Abaddon had approached him so closely without him even noticing, as if to mock him.
“It’s already too late.”
Abaddon whispered in his ear and then vanished.
* * *
Han Siha was gone.
Inside the barracks, the atmosphere was heavier than ever.
Adela sat with her head bowed, and Yoon Haul stared blankly into the void, as if lost.
Outside, the battle still raged, but Abaddon had taken Han Siha and left Castica.
From the beginning, Abaddon’s goal had been Han Siha, and what happened to the battle afterward was of no concern to him.
Lee Han, who had braved the dangers of entering Castica, flung open the door to the barracks and stepped inside.
“…What happened?”
Lee Han’s face was stern as he sat down.
With the mood feeling like a funeral, no one dared to speak first.
After a long, painful silence, Won spoke up, his voice strained.
“Han Siha was abducted by Abaddon during the battle.”
“What?”
“We tried to stop it, but… it happened so fast.”
Basilus, sensing the imminent danger, was the first to charge at Abaddon.
He fought tooth and nail, trying to tear Abaddon away from Han Siha.
But…
The outcome was not favorable.
Basilus was nowhere to be seen after the battle, and it seemed likely that he had been taken along, but no one knew where.
Won, his face dark, turned to Lee Han.
“It’s probably because of the Cube.”
The two Cubes bound to Han Siha.
Abaddon had learned that even if he managed to steal the Cubes, they would return to Han Siha, the user. That’s why he had resorted to this desperate act.
And if that was his goal…
He was most likely in the NGC region.
“….”
It didn’t matter where Han Siha was in the world.
If there was a chance to rescue him, they would have tried without hesitation.
But if he was in their headquarters, the situation was completely different.
Yoon Haul, on the verge of tears, finally spoke.
“Will Siha… give up the Cube?”
She bit her lower lip hard, lowering her head.
She hoped, even begged, that he would just hand over the Cube.
The Cube didn’t matter at all, really.
“He’ll… he’ll hold onto it….”
No matter what threats Abaddon made, Han Siha would never let it go.
Knowing Han Siha so well made the situation all the more hopeless.
With red, tear-streaked eyes, Yoon Haul spoke up.
“Let’s go get him.”
Yoon Haul pulled out the map and laid it on the table.
It was the map of the NGC region that Han Si-hyuk had sent.
The map that had been kept sealed in the corner of the barracks at Han Siha’s request.
Understanding Yoon Haul’s intention, Lee Han’s face turned pale.
“I’ll go. I don’t know if a prophet’s instincts are of any use in a place like that, but at least it’s better than nothing.”
Yoon Haul took a deep breath and pointed at the NGC region.
“We enter through here. We haven’t discovered any detailed maps beyond that… but we know the location.”
“Wait, Yoon Haul. I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
Lee Han frowned.
They didn’t know what dangers lay inside, and now they wanted to charge in, relying only on a half-complete map?
“It’s too dangerous for everyone to go in.”
The same risk applied even if one person went alone.
Lee Han was against it, especially for Yoon Haul’s sake.
But then—
“I can do it.”
Adela, who had been sitting quietly, raised her hand.
Yoon Haul turned to her in shock.
When she had run excitedly into Natalie’s workshop with the map she had received from Han Si-hyuk, she hadn’t fully grasped its significance.
But now, she knows.
She knew precisely.
Han Siha had vehemently opposed the idea, saying he would rather die than let her go into the NGC region with an incomplete map.
Adela spoke in a calm voice.
“Yoon Haul, you don’t have to go in first.”
Adela believed she was the most suited for the task.
“I’ll clear the way. Just follow behind me slowly. If anything happens, I’ll signal you. But don’t follow too closely.”
“Are you both insane?”
Lee Han tried to stop Adela.
“I know how you’re feeling.”
Adela’s eyes were disturbingly hollow. Looking at her, he felt even more anxious.
Having spent years together at Ardel Academy, for better or worse, they had gone through many things as comrades.
“I get that you want to save Han Siha, and I understand that you’re not thinking clearly. But just because Han Siha might die doesn’t mean you have to follow him to your death.”
“Why… are you assuming we’ll die?”
“Sorry. That’s not what I meant.”
Lee Han gritted his teeth, looking between Adela and Yoon Haul.
“Abaddon won’t kill Han Siha immediately. Not until he gets the Cube. We have time until then. Charging in recklessly like this is just a senseless death.”
Adela turned to glare at Lee Han.
She knew he wasn’t at fault.
She knew he was right.
But the sight of Lee Han blocking her path was infuriating.
“No matter… no matter what you say…”
Adela bit her lower lip hard enough to draw blood.
Then, with difficulty, she added.
“I’m going.”