Chapter 146: Yeon's Yeon (1)

"...You were here."

She wipes her tears.

But, no matter how much she wipes, tears keep flowing from her eyes.

"Why did you only come now?"

She hasn't yet reached the state of Entering Heavens, but she can see the heart essence.

And being able to see heart essence means that we can communicate through heart language.

I convey my intentions through heart language.

Heart language is often vague and conveys scenes rather than words, making it difficult to express in spoken language, but it conveys the essence of thought, making it immediately understandable.

"Ah... I see. If I just held on a little longer, trained a little harder in the Wonderfully Mysterious Innate Heart Canon, I could have seen this sooner. Ahaha..."

Kim Yeon, perhaps saddened by the past years, laughs while still shedding tears.

"So stupid… what have I really been doing..."

I comfort her.

Kim Yeon keeps alternating between laughing and crying as we converse.

"So, you've been persisting all this time..."

She accurately receives my heart language and nods continuously.

For those who haven't reached Entering Heavens, transmitting heart language is futile.

But for those who have attained this vision, it's possible to receive heart language clearly, allowing us to converse unnoticed by others.

"I see. You've been enduring, persisting all this time."

We share stories that we haven't been able to share over the long years.

She, engulfed in terrible loneliness and madness among the puppets.

And I, who had to just watch as my colleague went mad over the span of 500 years.

"Thank you, Oppa, for enduring..."

"Ahaha, you've been hiding your heart essence from the Mad Lord? How did you do that?"

"As expected... Oppa, in terms of heart essence, you are even higher than the Mad Lord."

"How long has it been since we've had a proper conversation like this... Haha, you think so too, Oppa?"

"Ah, but if someone sees us, they'll think I'm talking to myself."

She laughs heartily, hugging General Seo's body with genuine joy.

"Well, what does it matter? Those ignorant of the truth don't concern us."

Kim Yeon continues to hug General Seo closely, exchanging conversations.

The Mad Lord suddenly watches the everyday lives of the puppets from the top floor of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

From below, he witnesses Kim Yeon, embracing General Seo dearly, conversing in a loving voice.

"...Oh."

The Mad Lord looks on, tears rolling down his face in emotion.

"How beautiful. Finally understanding the true heart hidden in the puppets. Yes, excellent."

He speaks to [Her] standing beside him.

"Look, my disciple has finally come infinitely closer to me. Now... perhaps in a few hundred more years, you can be completed..."

He slowly rises from his seat, embracing [Her] gently, as if caressing a glass sculpture.

"...By the way, Oppa. If you are in such a state, perhaps [She] might also be..."

Kim Yeon inquires about [Her].

"...Yes? Is that true? So [She] isn't in the same remaining state as you, Oppa. Then, was the Mad Lord's muttering really due to madness?"

I convey what I have learned through heart language.

"...Insane. Trying to create a soul. But how did you realize that, Oppa, when I hadn't noticed?"

"Ah, I see. There's a difference between the vision after becoming a puppet and that of a human?

"Anyway, if what you say is true, Oppa... to escape the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, we need to create errors and target the moment when the Mad Lord shows a gap due to the errors, is that it?"

After a heartfelt conversation.

We discuss ways to escape from the clutches of the Mad Lord.

Click, click….

Kim Yeon moves her left hand.

Her left arm had already been modified into a puppet.

"In the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, the Mad Lord is practically a god... To create an opportunity here, even controlling the entire fortress would not be enough. We either wait for outside help or wait for me to raise my cultivation level. But, either way, it will take a very long time."

The number of Integration stage puppets created by the Mad Lord have also increased tremendously.

Moreover, according to Kim Yeon, the Mad Lord is gradually finding a way to create Star Shattering stage puppets.

If [She] becomes a Star Shattering puppet, there will be no stopping her, Kim Yeon says.

"Of course, if I had about 1,000-1,500 years, I feel like I could at least reach the Integration stage. Perhaps by then, even if [She] becomes that strong, it might be worth a try. Even the Mad Lord seems to be having a headache about creating Star Shattering puppets... It will take a considerable amount of time."

Kim Yeon shakes her head as she continues.

"But, it's hard to wait that long, so perhaps receiving help from the outside might be faster. After the forces exterminate Min-hee Unnie... perhaps they might come to exterminate us too."

Deputy Kang Min-hee is on the verge of turning into something terrifying.

Therefore, a group of Integration cultivators are planning to hunt her down.

If they exterminate Kang Min-hee, there might be hope for us too.

"...It's really hopeless. Everyone... Section Chief went mad, Chief Oh went mad, Min-hee Unnie turned into a ghost monster, no news from Hye-seo Unnie... We both got caught and modified by a madman. Director Kim must be dead... What? He might be alive? Haha, that's a good joke. He didn't even ascend, did he?"

She laughs at my words.

"Even though everyone was so distant at the office, you seem to really trust Director Kim? He was a really nice person, but he was also distant with everyone at the office…"

Kim Yeon brings up the topic of our company.

'Was it like that?'

I recall the days at the company for the first time in a long while.

The memories are too old to remember well.

But as I hear her stories, bits and pieces come back to me.

Indeed.

I had a distant relationship with Kim Young-hoon.

And originally, I had a neutral relationship with Kim Yeon.

I was her senior, and she was the rookie who followed me well.

'It's been a very long time since I remembered this.'

Talking with her after so long seems to have brought up deep-buried memories.

'No, from Yeon's point of view, neutral might be an understatement.'

Unbeknownst to me, it seemed she had quite passionately expressed her feelings.

For the first time in a long while.

I reminisced about the memories of when I was an ordinary human.

The day I first met Kim Yeon.

The day I slowly taught her work.

The times when I took full responsibility and re-submitted everything from scratch when Kim Yeon delivered the wrong documents.

The time at a company dinner when Kim Yeon clung to me, crying and vomiting after getting drunk.

There were people I trusted, disliked, who tormented me, and who I liked.

But I couldn't quite remember who they were.

Only memories related to Kim Yeon surfaced from beyond those memories.

We reminisced about our company days for a while, discussing them.

And through the conversation, I steeled my resolve.

No matter how long it takes.

'No matter what, let's escape, Yeon-ah.'

"Yes. Eun-hyun Oppa."

We looked at each other, sharing a firm resolution.

Again, 500 years passed.

Kugugugu!

The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress is flying in the sky.

It's been around a thousand years since ascending to the Bright Cold Realm.

During that time, the Mad Lord further modified the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, now boasting incredible pure flying capabilities.

Kugugugu!

Behind the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, billions of puppets follow.

By now, the number of Integration stage puppets have reached about a hundred.

[She] is said to have reached the Star Shattering stage.

According to the Mad Lord, at least.

I control the puppets of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress alongside Kim Yeon.

Kim Yeon has now reached the mid Four-Axis stage.

Her power is practically at the Integration stage.

Of course, it still feels far from escaping the Mad Lord.

But our minds are considerably at ease.

"...This time, it should be possible, right? Considering the chaos that will happen."

'Definitely, it will be.'

Upon hearing my words, she nods her head.

A short while later.

Kugugugu!

Over the horizon, countless races and hundreds of cultivators at the Integration stage appear.

Among them are humans and demon beasts.

"Hah, who do we have here? Where do you think this is for a snake bitch to slither your way here?"

And then.

Among the demon beasts, Seo Hweol appears, having reached the Grand Perfection of Four-Axis.

"It's been a while. With Old Man's fame spreading throughout the entire Bright Cold Realm over the past thousand years, as a fellow from the same Head Realm..."

"Shut your mouth before I tear it apart. By the way, you've got a lot of strange dharma treasures on your slithery body now, don't you? Is that what's making it obscure? I can't see through you as I did before."

Kim Yeon did so, and I, of course, observed Seo Hweol.

However, unlike a thousand years ago, Seo Hweol is now completely unreadable, even with the vision of Entering Heavens.

There seems to be some sort of milky barrier blocking the view.

"Haha, it's well-known that the races of the Bright Cold Realm fear the sight of the Heart Tribe. Hence, it's natural that dharma treasures that block the eyes of the Heart Tribe were developed. By the way, Old Man is amazing. When I was in the Head Realm, I didn't even know what the Heart Tribe was, but you had their vision since back then..."

"Hmph! As if to prove you're not a dark-hearted bastard, you're draped in dharma treasures to block others from seeing into your sinister heart. Hehehe, coming to the Bright Cold Realm filled with entities who have a vision like mine must be driving you insane with discomfort, huh?"

"Haha, Old Man. Let's leave the small talk. Anyway, have you thought about it?"

"Hmph!"

The Mad Lord, arms crossed, speaks from atop the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

"Fine. It's good. If it's true that Heavenly Being demons from the demon tribes will help me complete the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress by deploying the Full Demon Realm Transfer Formation..."

"Haha! Truly, thank you very much. I'm truly touched. I never thought I'd join hands with Old Man in my life."

"Hmph! I'm just here to assess [Her] capabilities as she reached the Star Shattering stage. It's not like I've particularly joined hands with you. Shut your mouth and just guide the way."

"Haha, understood."

Whoooosh!

The Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Army followed behind the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

Seo Hweol gathered hundreds of millions of demon soldiers and hundreds of Integration stage cultivators from other races.

A formidable force with immense power united and began to fly towards a single destination.

Squeeze...

Kim Yeon holds my hand and whispers softly.

"...With this much, surely an opportunity will arise."

I smile bitterly inside.

There must be.

This is our chance to escape the clutches of the Mad Lord.

But...

'I'm sorry.'

For us to escape meant...

That we had to trample and scatter her.

One of the Integration stage cultivators gathered by Seo Hweol shouts.

"There, look!"

Kugugugu!

Over the horizon.

Dark clouds are rising.

Kyeaaaaaa!

Gueeaaaaaa!

Kiyaaaaaaa!

Hundreds of billions of ghostly wails echo throughout heaven and earth.

Ziiip, Zaaaap

Those clouds.

What looks like black clouds are not clouds, but ghosts, each and every one of them.

Tension fills the eyes of the Integration stage cultivators.

Triumph in the eyes of the Mad Lord.

A truly immeasurable ghost army.

But what is truly terrifying is not the ghost horde.

It's the being beyond them, with an overwhelming presence.

Kuooooo!

[Kyaaaaaaaaa!]

"Ghost... Ghost..."

One of the Four-Axis stage cultivators shouts tremblingly.

"It's the Ghost Guiding Holy Mother!"

"The Ghost Guiding Holy Mother has appeared! Everyone, reorganize the front lines!"

"While the Ghost Mother battles the Mad Lord, we'll form the formation in the rear!"

Kwagwagwagwa!

The being in the center of the ghost horde.

Its scream turns the earth upside down, and the four directions are filled with yin energy.

It's as if a part of the world has become the Netherworld.

Kim Yeon looks at the entity with a complicated expression, and I, too, look at her bitterly from inside General Seo.

"Min-hee Unnie..."

Deputy Kang Min-hee.

The girl who was captured as a disciple of the Black Ghost Valley.

Now, a thousand years later.

She has become a Star Shattering ghost monster, controlling hundreds of billions of souls.

[AAAAAAAHHH…!]

Kugugugugu!

In the center of darkness.

A black ghostly figure is holding their head.

Shedding tearful, blue tears, engulfed in blue ghost fire, is Kang Min-hee.

Her disheveled hair spreads out in all directions, permeating the clouds, and her body, now transformed into a ghostly form, has grown several meters in size.

"Damn it! Those below the Nascent Soul stage, do not look directly at that monster!"

"Those who are alive, do not rashly listen to the Ghost Mother's screams! Use sensory blocking spells!"

Kiyaaaaa!

Keyyyyaaaaa!

At Kang Min-hee's scream, among the alliance behind the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress,

Many cultivators below the Nascent Soul stage transform into ghostly beings all at once.

Kiyyaaaaa!

Keyaaa!

Those who turned into ghostly beings fly towards Kang Minhee, joining the black clouds that are wailing around her.

Of course.

There are no anomalies among the puppets in the Mad Lord's camp, where nothing else is alive, except for the Mad Lord and Kim Yeon.

The artificial souls vibrated, but since they are not real souls to begin with, there was no significant impact.

"Kehehe,. Then, remember the promise, you Seo lineage trash."

"Haha, if Old Man subjugates the Ghost Mother, all races have agreed to cover up Old Man's past misdeeds. With fifty percent of the Bright Cold Realm already turned into the land of death by the Ghost Mother, what's Old Man's promise in comparison?"

Right after.

The Mad Lord Jo Yeon, and the Ghost Mother Kang Min-hee, clash.

Boom!

Billions of puppets fly into the air, colliding with the swarm of ghosts.

The living cultivators support the Mad Lord with their spells from behind the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

"...Come back soon, Oppa."

'I will.'

I have already successfully seized control of more than 90% of General Seo's circuits.

But to avoid suspicion, I have to participate in this battle first.

Tadatt!

I, in General Seo's body, enter into the midst of the ghost swarm surrounding Kang Min-hee.

Wooong Wooong Wooong!

The will of the Mad Lord transmits through the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress commands the entire Wonderfully Mysterious Army.

I move in perfect harmony with the other puppets, following the commands of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

Woong Woong Woong!

Spiritual power concentrates in my eyes.

Flash!

Bright beams shoot out from the eyes of me and the other Four-Axis stage puppets.

Zzzz, Zzzz, Zzzz!

The black clouds are pierced by the beams.

Although the number of ghosts are overwhelmingly higher than that of the puppets.

In terms of quality, the puppets are superior.

Kugugugugu!

Kiyaaaaaa!

Guyaaaaa!

Of course, there are ghost kings too, so the puppets do face difficulties. But overall, the forces seem evenly matched.

And then, while I and the spirits are fighting,

The heavens and earth began to shake.

[She] and Kang Min-hee began to clash.

Wrapped in a white light, wielding a spear, [She] drives back Kang Min-hee, who is surrounded by souls and wailing wildly.

Like light driving away darkness, every time [She] swings her spear, the heavens and earth split, and the dark clouds are pushed back.

I, in the body of General Seo, analyze the gap between [Her] and Kang Min-hee every time their battle comes into view.

'[She] is operating at maximum output.'

Attacks that can tear apart any Integration stage cultivator in one strike are landing on Kang Min-hee dozens of times.

But.

'Kang Minhee is just screaming... She hasn't moved even once...'

That is the case.

Kang Min-hee, commanding numerous souls and screaming, has so far managed to block [Her] attacks with the billions of ghost hordes.

Despite possessing the power of the Star Shattering stage, Kang Min-hee hasn't shown any signs of exerting her strength.

'Maybe...'

I concentrate on their battle, holding onto hope.

And then.

Flash!

From behind, Seo Hweol and the demon beasts, along with numerous races of the alliance, emit brilliance.

The formation they have been preparing is completed.

Kugugugugugu!

Drawing the dragon veins from the surroundings.

Spiritual energy from heaven and earth are drawn towards the direction of the alliance.

And then.

Flash!

A brilliant white light tears through the darkness, flying in to assist [Her], beginning to intercept Kang Min-hee.

From the formation of billions of races and hundreds of Integration stage cultivators.

Attacks equal in power to each of [Her] strikes are unleashed.

Kooooong!

Though the billions of ghost hordes willingly blocked the attacks, Kang Min-hee, who never allowed a strike until now, finally got hit by the light shot by the alliance.

[AAAAAAAAAH!]

Kang Min-hee.

The Ghost Mother screams.

The one who screams and clutches her head, raises her hand.

From her hand, long ghost claws extend.

And that.

Flash!

Is the end.

Sssshhhhhhhh―

The entire alliance becomes silenced.

Even the Mad Lord, who has been pushing Kang Min-hee through the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress with enthusiasm.

Kim Yeon, me.

Everyone falls silent.

[She] is torn in half and flung backward.

"NOOOOOO!!"

The Mad Lord wails crazily.

At the same time.

The Ghost Mother begins to exert her power.

[AAAAAAHHH!]

Kugugugugu!

Heavens and earth are covered with ghosts.

True Four-Axis stage Ghost Kings begin to appear around her, who have only been surrounded by mere lower level ghosts.

Flash!

When the Ghost Mother's ghost claws shine.

Half of the earth is torn away along with space.

With two movements of her hand.

Half of [Her] body is torn off, and half of the alliance is wiped out.

"Thiscan'tbethiscan'tbethiscan'tbethiscan'tbe…"

The Mad Lord holds his head and convulses crazily, while Seo Hweol maintains his smile and issues commands from behind the alliance.

"All forces, change the formation."

Flash!

The formation supporting the Mad Lord from behind transforms into a barrier that traps both the Mad Lord and the Ghost Mother.

Seo Hweol, with a benevolent smile, says to the Mad Lord.

"I'm always thankful for you, Old Man. We will wait for the opportunity, so please buy us some time. Now then, farewell…"

"I knew it, you snake bitch..."

Boom!

The Mad Lord's puppets catch [Her] torn half that was flying off and returns it to the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

And then.

"Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, fire!"

The Fortress gathers power equivalent to [Her], shooting a beam toward the barrier set up by Seo Hweol and the alliance.

Kuaaang!

The formation doesn't break immediately but is significantly damaged, and Seo Hweol's expression stiffens slightly.

"Did you really think you could use us as bait if something happened to [Her]? How ridiculous. The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, which is the world itself of [Her] and I, is also a puppet comparable to the Star Shattering stage."

Boom!

Once again, the beam fired by the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress hits the formation barrier, and finally, a hole is forcefully opened.

"Have I been backstabbed by you only once or twice, you snake bitch."

"Haha, even this time, it seems I was insufficient to trouble Old Man."

"Just wait there a little. I'll just graft your body to [Her] part that was torn off and that should do it."

However, Seo Hweol speaks to the Mad Lord without losing his composure.

"Well, if you can do so, I hope you try. The Esteemed One is said to be sending support soon. If you manage to overcome even them, then at that time, I will show you my last trump card."

Wooong Wooong Wooong!

With those words, Seo Hweol and the alliance disappear with the flash of a teleportation array they had already set up beyond the formation.

Paatt!

The teleportation array transmitted Seo Hweol and everyone in one go and then lost its shine.

"Heh, that annoying snake. Hear this, all residents of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress! [She] needs to recover, hence we're retreating!"

Crunch Crack!

The Mad Lord crazily chews his fingers, issuing commands to the puppets with his eyes blazing with madness.

'Damn it...'

I clench my teeth inwardly.

It ended too quickly.

If the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress itself had been hit instead of the Mad Lord's [Her], we might have had a chance to escape.

However as long as the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, commanding the Mad Lord's puppets, remains intact, escape is still far off.

I return to Kim Yeon's side.

"What should we do? If not now, we won't have a chance..."

'Let's wait a bit more.'

It's too dangerous.

Although the Mad Lord's power is greatly weakened, I expected that with Seo Hweol's betrayal, they would fiercely attack the Mad Lord's rear and damage his Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

I did not expect that Seo Hweol, preserving half of his gathered troops, would retreat without even fighting the Mad Lord.

'It's dangerous now…'

"…Yes."

Kim Yeon bites her lip, and led by the call of the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress, she begins to flee from Kang Min-hee.

Kim Yeon turns back to look at Kang Min-hee, screaming madly beyond the barrier.

She doesn't particularly chase us, engrossed in devouring the souls of half the alliance that her recent strike annihilated.

'She's suffering.'

It isn't just us enduring pain.

All our colleagues who had fallen into the Bright Cold Realm.

They are despairing, frustrated, and suffering.

'Damn it…'

Everyone is in agony.

But, there's nothing I can do.

I cross the continent of the Bright Cold Realm, engulfed in a deep sense of powerlessness, along with the Mad Lord's remaining army.

Just then.

When we are getting as far away from Kang Min-hee as possible with the Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress,

Wooong Wooong Wooong!

"Hmm?"

The Mad Lord furrows his brow.

From the direction the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress is heading, space splits open.

A faint green light emerges from beyond the fissure in space.

Kuuuung!

'It' is the size of a child.

The small green entity, with the physique of a child reaching Kim Yeon's chest, has two podaos strapped to its back.

'Four-axis stage? Integration stage?'

It's hard to properly read the realm of that entity.

However, upon its appearance, the Mad Lord's face stiffens and he stops the Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress.

The remaining puppet army also halts in place.

"Are you the 'Esteemed One' mentioned by that garbage Seo?"

The Mad Lord, stroking his beard, asks the small entity.

The small and unimpressive entity wearing a green hood speaks while crossing its arms, its small hands the same green as the hood.

Their gazes intertwine.

[I see you've stepped into the first phase of Manifestation(具現). Hmm, or not? Ah, I see. You just accidentally reached it while cultivating consciousness.]

"What are you talking about?"

[Well, considering there aren't many among the Human Race who truly understand consciousness, reaching this level alone is quite impressive. To not even realize what you've attained, how pitiful. Tsk tsk…]

The entity suddenly criticizes the Mad Lord, clicking his tongue.

[Anyway… are you the Mad Lord Jo Yeon who ascended from the Head Realm? I've heard that the entire Bright Cold Realm is in chaos because of you and the Ghost Mother...]

"This is strange. You don't even seem like an Integration stage being, but why did the celestial energy change when you appeared?"

[Hmm, I wonder if you're pretending not to know. Or, as I've heard, you truly don't know because it's impossible to get proper information in the Bright Cold Ream.]

Shiver!

I sense a primal warning ringing wildly in my instincts.

I recognize this feeling.

For powerful cultivators,

With Four-Axis stage or Integration stage cultivators, I feel a sense of crisis like encountering a monster.

But this one is different.

It's like the crisis I felt as a martial artist when I fought Kim Young-hoon at his peak during the Ultimate Pinnacle era.

A tension like facing a finely honed blade!

[Child, the title 'Esteemed One' is reserved...]

Swoosh!

The small green hand draws one of the podaos from its back.

[...for those who have reached the Star Shattering stage, or are comparable to it.]

"You're at the Star Shattering stage? You seem much weaker compared to the Ghost Mother..."

[Well, of course. My main body is currently returning to the Bright Cold Realm from a distant dimension. I sent only a part of my energy as an avatar first because Sacred Master Baek Woon (White Cloud) was so urgent.]

"Hehehe! It was risky to make a puppet with the Ghost Mother, but if I catch you, I can create a real Star Shattering stage puppet!"

[You, just like the rumors say, are truly a madman. Tsk tsk… It seems your mind is utterly decayed. How are you even alive with such a mental state? Clinging to a sliver of hope, not succumbing to suicide?]

He speaks to the Mad Lord while looking at him.

Kugugugugu!

The Mad Lord's Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress begins to gather power.

"[She] might be injured, but if it's just a Star Shattering cultivator's avatar at the Integration Stage, I can definitely catch it! Hehehe! I can also supplement the lacking data of Star Shattering Stage cultivators with you!"

[Hmm. Indeed, the energy seems to be roughly at the level of Star Shattering..]

And then.

Wo-woong!

The small green figure lifts the podao.

'Ah...'

I shudder at that sight.

Kim Yeon and the Mad Lord didn't notice, but only I could see his posture and feel its beauty.

[But it seems you're misunderstanding something. It's not enough to just imitate the energy of a Star Shattering cultivator. 'True' Star Shattering cultivators are those who gradually step out of the realm of the ordinary and become divine. And...]

Kugugugugu!

All the light in the world converges on that podao.

The chilling premonition seems to pierce my very soul.

[I am merely on a level comparable to Star Shattering, not actually a Star Shattering 'cultivator'. So even if you somehow defeat me, you won't get what you want, child.]

"What did you say?"

[Be honored to know, child. I am the supreme leader of the Heart Tribe, Heaven-Entrapping Esteemed One, Jang Ik (Radiant Wing).]

Flash....

The podao falls slowly.

It falls at a rate so exceedingly slow.

Yet, just by watching it alone, it makes me feel as if all the martial arts I accumulated are becoming distorted.

[To the Heart Tribe, distinctions like Integration and Star Shattering and their magnitudes of power hold little significance. Know that it is an honor to die from this single strike.]

The next moment.

The Wonderfully Mysterious Fortress is split apart.