Chapter 552

Karlein, the Constellation of the Dead Star.

He who always called Seong Jihan "head," said he would make him his head,

Now, he had a completely different attitude in front of the Red Administrator, calling him master.

'Why is he calling you master?'

[You don't think I just erased his taboo, do you?]

'Ah.'

The slave seal that the Sun King had engraved on Karlein.

That was used as a real example in the process of showing Martial God how the Red Administrator removed the brand.

-If you do it like before, this one's brand will be erased. Watch.

'Was it planned from that time?'

[Securing a hideout is always important. I just needed an escape route that even the White Administrator didn't know about.]

At that time, he thought he had unnecessarily taught the method to remove the brand first, and Martial God ordered Dongbang Sak to subdue the Red Administrator.

He thought that guy got a good beating too, but,

It wasn't like that, there was a plan all along.

Not just for Martial God, but for Karlein too.

'Seeing your meticulousness makes me more suspicious of you staying quietly inside Blue and Red.'

[Hehe... You don't need to worry too much. I like it in here. Didn't I stay in even though I could have escaped last time?]

Even when Red exceeded 700, the Red Administrator not only didn't take over Seong Jihan but rather warned him to come to his senses.

He shouldn't let his guard down about that, but,

For now, he could be considered a collaborator.

'I can't do without the Red authority right now either.'

Until he absorbed the blue swords created by the World Tree Alliance,

It seemed this symbiotic relationship should continue.

As Seong Jihan was organizing his thoughts like this,

Thud! Thud!

The black skull that had risen earlier was repeatedly banging its frontal bone on the ground.

[Master! I've been raising a red army waiting for the day you would come! How moved I was when the World Tree Alliance's planets burned...! I watch this video 10, 20 times every day!]

As he said this, Karlein brought up a BattleTube screen.

On it, vivid scenes of the Red Administrator subduing the World Tree Alliance were playing.

"How did you get that video?"

Seong Jihan didn't record the video, and,

The World Tree Alliance doesn't seem like they would release such vivid footage of themselves being defeated to the outside.

When he asked this, Karlein raised his head and answered.

[It's available on the Informant W channel on BattleTube!]

"Informant W?"

[Yes!]

Karlein brought up the Informant W channel to answer Seong Jihan's question.

The Informant W channel, full of trending videos.

The most popular recently was the video of the Red Administrator clashing with the World Tree Alliance.

'Hmm. These videos are all shot from the perspective of the defending elves.'

Did the World Tree Alliance leak this?

But in the best comments,

-I'm the one who shot the video. This video is shared only within the World Tree Alliance, how did you obtain this? Please take it down immediately.

World Tree Alliance elves were all protesting, asking how the video was obtained and demanding it be taken down immediately.

"How did you get this video here?"

[Informant W. This channel became a hot topic on BattleTube a year after Master was sealed. It's famous for obtaining and releasing unreleased videos like this one.]

"Hmm."

A channel that appeared a year after he was sealed.

Come to think of it, BattleTube was originally under the White Administrator's jurisdiction.

And this channel keeps obtaining and releasing unreleased videos.

'W... Could it be W for White?'

[It seems so. To be able to obtain unreleased videos from the World Tree Alliance of all places. It must be someone like the White Administrator.]

'What is that constant administrator doing such things?'

[He's in a sealed state, so that's probably why. And seeing how he's operating the channel with such an obvious name could be a signal to me. To contact through the channel.]

'Are you planning to?'

[Not at all. White is quite a difficult client.]

Informant W channel.

He should examine it closely next time.

Thinking this, Seong Jihan waved his hand.

"Alright. Turn it off."

[Yes!]

Zing...

After turning off the BattleTube screen like this, Karlein looked up at Seong Jihan from the ground.

[Master..... if I may be so bold, could we proceed with a military parade of the Red Army?]

"Red Army?"

[Yes, the army I've been raising while waiting for the day of your return, Master!]

As Karlein said this and looked around,

Swish...

The bone color of the standing undead legion began to turn red immediately.

Click. Click.

As the undead formed ranks and files,

Considering their varying sizes, they showed quite strict military discipline.

'Well, they are quite powerful.'

As expected of an army created by a high-ranking Constellation, an undead legion that seemed capable of easily sweeping away a few planets.

However,

"Can you fight the World Tree Alliance with this?"

[Well, maybe one pioneer planet...]

"These days, reinforcements arrive through portals within 5 minutes."

[Then we'll self-destruct together!]

A pioneer planet would be a place with a D-rank World Tree.

It was a neighbourhood Seong Jihan casually visited and eliminated,

But Karlein's legion had to be prepared for annihilation just to destroy one.

'The Alliance is indeed strong.'

Even the ancient elves that Seong Jihan swept away in droves included quite a few Constellations of similar level to Karlein.

Attacking them with Karlein's legion was no different from hitting a rock with an egg.

"Don't think about fighting, just do reconnaissance."

[Reconnaissance... you say?]

"Yes. Try to gather more information on the locations of World Tree Alliance planets."

[Understood. But... if I may be so bold, could I say one more thing?]

"Go ahead."

[It's natural that you find our Red Army unreliable... We're far too weak to face the Alliance.]

"That's right."

[So, I have an ingenious plan to inflict damage on the World Tree Alliance in a different way!]

A different way?

"What is it?"

[It's... invading humanity!]

Click. Click.

As he said this, Karlein clashed his teeth.

Zing...

Light shone from Karlein's eyes, and soon a blue planet,

Earth, appeared.

[Humanity is currently in a state of colonization by the World Tree Alliance. What the World Tree Alliance is after from humanity is the ability of Blue to counter Master...]

As he said this, inside Earth,

A World Tree appeared in the direction of Seoul.

[There must be a reason why Master doesn't target this place. Instead, our Red Army will invade Earth. We'll eliminate humanity, which would become a resource for Blue, and thwart their plans!]

As he said this, Karlein laughed ominously.

[Hehe... In fact, part of our Red Army has already infiltrated beyond the dungeon portals...]

"What? You've already infiltrated?"

[Yes. Originally, I was planning to make achievements on Earth after hearing of Master's return and then meet you, but...]

"Don't do it."

[Excellent. If you just give the order... What?]

"I said don't do it."

Click...

Karlein, who had been excitedly moving his mouth, stopped clashing his teeth.

"I have been deliberately waiting for the swords to be completed."

[Is, is that so?]

"Yes. So don't mess things up and just focus on surveillance."

[Ah... Then how about this?]

As the Earth invasion project was scrapped, Karlein hastily proposed a new plan.

[We'll invade all the newcomers in the Bronze League, turn them into undead...]

The explanation of the plan was long-winded, but,

Simply put, it was about raiding the newcomer planets in BattleNet, indiscriminately raising undead, and using them to charge at the Alliance.

It was a plan to thoroughly create undead from weak races and use them as suicide squads.

[You'd probably lose your Constellation seat doing something like that... but it's not bad for using as a throwaway card.]

The Red Administrator evaluated Karlein's plan as not bad.

Since the person himself didn't mind losing his Constellation seat.

However,

"Just do reconnaissance. Don't do anything reckless."

Seong Jihan drew a firm line on this plan.

What damage would the Alliance suffer even if they turned newcomer races into undead and made them self-destruct?

He didn't want to drag innocent beings into this fight unnecessarily.

[...]

And after such an answer, Karlein, who had been silent for a moment,

Whoosh...

Lifted his head into the air and

Spun around and around.

[...You're not the master, are you?]

"What?"

[You're not the master, right?! If it were Master, he would have discarded me without hesitation and carried out this plan by massacring the newcomers!]

Indeed, even the Red Administrator had said earlier that it wasn't bad to use it as a throwaway card.

How long had it been since he became Red's servant and already knew the master's mind so well?

As Seong Jihan was momentarily speechless in disbelief,

Crunch!

[Head! Give Master back!]

Karlein opened his mouth wide and charged to bite Seong Jihan.

However,

"...Is he really crazy?"

Swish.

As Seong Jihan lowered his finger, the skull head fell straight to the ground.

There was no way anything Karlein tried would work against him, who had completely dominated the space.

[He's quite loyal, isn't he?]

"How did you brainwash him?"

[I didn't particularly brainwash him heavily. I just told him that our goals were similar and we should walk the same path... That loyalty is about half sincere.]

"Still, half is brainwashing."

[That's right.]

As Seong Jihan conversed with the Red Administrator like this,

Karlein, who was stuck in the ground, hastily spoke.

[He-head. Who are you talking to? Don't tell me you're talking with Master?]

"So what if I am?"

[Wh-what? Weren't you and him enemies... Why are you so friendly??]

"Who says we're friendly?"

As Seong Jihan retorted like this,

[Hehe. Aren't we one body?]

The Red Administrator said with a relaxed laugh.

[May I make a sound directly for a moment? That guy needs to be controlled.]

"Go ahead."

As Seong Jihan gave permission,

Zing...

A red light flashed from Blue and Red.

[Constellation of the Dead Star.]

[Ma-Master...]

[Yes. The Blue Administrator will be the standard-bearer of revolution. Think of him as you would me and follow him.]

Standard-bearer of revolution?

What was this nonsense?

Seong Jihan frowned, but,

[Ah, I see... Indeed, the body I tried to make my head...! I understand. I will follow him!]

Karlein was moved on his own and kept shouting that he would follow.

And as he shouted like this,

Click. Click.

The surrounding undead all knelt towards Seong Jihan.

[Then I'll leave the rest to you.]

Swish...

As the red eyes disappeared from Blue and Red,

[I will remember Master's voice for life...!]

Karlein, who was praising the Red Administrator with an emotional voice,

Swish...

Rose into the air again.

[Head, hey head. So, do I really just do reconnaissance?]

Compared to when he was calling him Master, his tone became light again.

Seong Jihan smiled as he watched the spinning skull.

"You're being brief?"

[We're friends, aren't we!]

"What friends?"

[Come on, don't be like that. Oh right, I know some good information!]

"What good information?"

Seong Jihan asked without much expectation, but,

[They're making something called Blue Vessel... do you know about it?]

"Tell me in detail."

Blue Vessel.

His eyes sparkled as information related to 'Gilgamesh's fragment' came up.