My Alter Ego’s Path to Greatness

Episode 224 Calcos Tribal Federation (2)

Inside a tent filled with strange ornaments,

A thin smoke from burning herbs filled the air.

Clatter— Clatter!

Bone fragments, tossed carelessly, rolled across a round metal tray.

The old woman who had thrown them sighed deeply and shook her head.

"Ha… I can’t see anything anymore. I’m getting old."

High Shaman Morna, her face covered in colorful tattoos, closed her eyes, her expression pained.

Divination wasn’t an exact science, even for ordinary shamans, but…

‘It should have been easy… But the future has been blurry for a while now, and now I can’t even see an inch ahead.’

She slowly opened her eyes and looked outside through the tent’s opening.

Countless people were moving about with a single purpose.

They were busily preparing for war, as if possessed.

‘Baltheon… What are you planning?’

But she was trapped here, unable to do anything.

She had been confined to this tent ever since the summit ended.

She would probably be dead by now if her reputation hadn't been valuable enough to influence a few tribes.

‘I don’t know how long that will last. I did what I could… but only the heavens know what will happen next.’

She had contacted the giant warrior, following her ‘intuition’, while avoiding the watchful eyes of her guards.

He was an extraordinary individual, and she knew he would have started preparing as soon as he learned about the situation in the south.

‘But…’

Suddenly,

Morna’s face hardened.

“…What is this energy?”

Her eyes widened in shock.

“Is it… too late…?”

She looked out at Beorsen, the city where Baltheon resided, through a small opening in the tent.

She thought of her family and disciple, trapped somewhere in another city, and sighed heavily.

She could only pray that they would be spared from the impending disaster.

Goooo—

From the heart of Beorsen, where Baltheon’s residence was located,

A sinister and dreadful energy, one she had felt before, began to spread throughout the city.

_____________________

-Howard: He’s truly insane, isn’t he? I knew it all along, but…

-Hesperon: …Wow, what is he going to do later…?

-Heinrich: Stop! You’re crossing the line! Even you can’t…

-Hannibal Strauss: Ah— I’m tired of hearing that. I’ll contact you later.

-Heinrich: Wait…!

Hans focused his mind, erecting a wall within his consciousness.

It was a flimsy barrier compared to the “Mind Hub” that his main body had created, but…

It was enough to block the chaotic chatter from his other avatars.

And a while later…

《The individual meets the conditions and grows. The special skill “Wicked Wisdom” has absorbed “Clear Mind” and “Insight” and evolved into “Unholy Sage”.》 RåŊỐ฿ƐS̈

A system message appeared before him.

[Hmm, not bad. This orb is quite useful.]

He glanced at the orb floating in his mental space, nodding with satisfaction.

It was a gift from Yulryeongja, who had suddenly invaded his mind.

This orb, which amplified all mental abilities, had been a great help in blocking the constant interference from his other avatars.

‘It also helped because their independence has been increasing lately.’

When his main body was conscious and acted as the central hub,

His avatars were just extensions of himself, like his arms and legs.

They shared their thoughts and memories seamlessly, even after his main body fell unconscious.

Hans, who had been contaminated by the abyss, was the only exception.

But after some time,

They had to resort to a ‘mental meeting’ to communicate properly.

They could still sense each other’s thoughts and situations, but the process had become more complicated.

‘It’s only natural. It would be too dangerous for them to share their thoughts so freely, especially with their strong personalities and Hans’s contamination.’

Hans, in particular, had been isolating himself even more…

And he had used the orb to erect a wall he could control, separating himself from the others.

Of course, it wouldn’t last forever, as they were essentially the same being…

But it was enough for now.

[Khehehe— Ah, this is refreshing. My mind feels so much clearer now.]

He felt like the negative emotions that had been clouding his thoughts were fading.

A purer, more refined evil— a concentrated essence of malice and darkness.

[Now then.]

His gaze shifted towards a spot where the dark energy was particularly dense.

“Grrr— Krrr—!”

[Kihihihik— This is interesting. To think a human could absorb so much of the abyss. I had a feeling when he was using madness, but… He’s not ordinary.]

Crack— Crackle—!

The large figure lying on the floor writhed, its body contorting as dark energy poured out of it.

It continued for a while, and then the energy was reabsorbed, and…

Twitch— Twitch—

“Ugh… That was intense. Madness was nothing compared to this. He’s truly the Immortal King…”

The figure finally sat up, groaning.

His blood vessels were bulging, his eyes were bloodshot, and a red glow emanated from his pupils.

He was emanating a thick aura of darkness, just by standing there.

“Kihihihit— It’s unbelievable. I couldn’t overcome that wall for so long, and now it’s shattered like this…”

He was Baltheon, the former High Chieftain, who had been persuaded by the Immortal King after a brief struggle.

Now a demon, having absorbed the abyss.

[Do you like your new power?]

“Yes, and what you desire is…”

[Baltheon.]

But before he could even finish his sentence,

A chilling voice echoed through the chamber, silencing him.

[Watch your tone.]

A single sentence, short but authoritative and overwhelming.

Was it the influence of the abyss he had absorbed?

He had finally reached the level he had always craved… but he couldn’t even speak freely in front of the Immortal King.

“…What is your… command…?”

[Of course.]

Hannibal Strauss desired influence over the continent, an influence that would bring him a flood of Karma.

[War.]

The preparations were already complete, and he could gain a significant amount of Karma just by lending his name…

But he wasn’t satisfied with that.

How could he maximize his gains, now that the army was ready to march and conquer the fertile lands?

‘The answer is right before me.’

Baltheon, the commander-in-chief, who had become his subordinate after being corrupted by the abyss.

He just had to paint the entire army with his colors, from the leadership to the rank and file!

[Kihihihik—!]

With the abyss.

With death.

The consequences were irrelevant to him.

_____________________

Hans had severed the connection with his other avatars, using the orb from the mental world.

They couldn’t communicate directly anymore, and he wouldn’t even know their status until he opened the pathway again.

“We need to hurry.”

Heinrich, leading the hero party, urged them forward.

They had received desert robes and survival gear from “Avatar Cloud” and were quickly traversing the wasteland.

Liesta was being carried by Heinrich, and Isea by Harley.

“Harley, your back is so broad and comfortable. It’s like a moving bed.”

“Khahaha! I have a great back, don’t I?!”

Isea, maintaining the perception-blocking and temperature-regulating spells for the entire group, patted Harley’s back with admiration.

It wasn’t just his size, the robes were lined with thick fur from some monster, making it incredibly comfortable.

As they were running and chatting amongst themselves…

Their avatars were having a serious discussion in their mental chatroom.

-Heinrich: We can’t leave Hans alone like this. We need to find a way to stop him.

-Hugo: He’s definitely getting worse. He used to at least listen to us and try to understand our perspectives… but now he’s completely shut us out.

-Hubert: Is there even a way? Maybe we can try to stab him with the holy sword…

-Hesperon: You know, I think Hans is going to turn everyone in that city into undead or monsters. What about the new tattoo? That old woman is probably there too.

-Harley: What?! Is that true?! Hey! Bonehead! Did you kill the shaman grandma?! Damn it! Answer me! Don’t kill her! I’m warning you!

Their thoughts clashed, each with their own concerns.

They were brainstorming solutions while on the move, but they were still some of the strongest individuals in the world.

Naturally, their senses were beyond human comprehension.

‘An ambush in the desert? Bandits? Or maybe a military unit?’

They had already detected a large group of people hiding near their path.

They could have just ignored them and continued, as Isea’s magic was undetectable to them… but…

‘Huh?’

Harley suddenly stopped.

“…Harley? What’s wrong…?”

Isea, who was clinging to his back, asked curiously, but she wasn’t particularly concerned.

They were strong enough to effortlessly crush thirty-meter-tall giants, what could a few desert soldiers do to them?

Harley, with Isea’s help, deactivated the perception-blocking spell and stepped forward.

He was still wearing his desert robe to protect himself from the sand, so his appearance wasn’t fully revealed—.

“Gasp!”

“Hmm!”

But his massive physique and the overwhelming aura emanating from him made the elite soldiers instinctively tense up and step back.

A few of them narrowed their eyes, scrutinizing him…

“…That physique… It looks familiar.”

“And that chilling aura… It’s much stronger, but… Could it be…?”

“Harley? Is that Harley?!”

It was an unexpected reunion in the middle of the desert.

The Southern Warrior Trio, who had clashed with him when he was still establishing himself in the north, and then became his friends and employees.

Big Luwang, Bearded Turaba, and Scarred Dao.

Harley threw off his robe and approached them.

“Khahaha! What a surprise, guys! What are you doing here?”

“Harley, what are you doing here…?”

“Yeah, we heard you were busy with the hero… Huh? Wait, does that mean…!”

“Misty! Misty! Come out here! It’s Harley! And the hero!”

The unidentified army they had encountered on their way to Beorsen…

They were the anti-Baltheon faction, gathered to overthrow the tyrannical High Chieftain, and the young woman in her twenties leading them, Misty…

“Greetings. I knew someone was approaching, but I never thought it would be the hero party. This must be fate. I’m Misty.”

Was the daughter of the previous High Chieftain, who had ruled the south before Baltheon’s coup…

And High Shaman Morna’s granddaughter and disciple— a High Shaman herself.

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