Chapter 946

Someone raised their hand among the gathered members. It was Steber, soaked and exhausted.

There was no sign of the other members who had gone to the sea with him.  The same was true for Yuder Aile. Kishiar's gaze, scanning around Steber, turned toward the distant sea. For a brief moment, his crimson eyes darkened as if a shadow had passed over them. But that gaze lingered only for the time it took to blink, then returned as if nothing had happened.

Kishiar quickly opened his mouth to speak.

“You must have already found something important in the direction you headed. Otherwise, Yuder wouldn't have sent only you back here. Have you clearly identified the cause of the echoing sound and the tremors?”

“...Just as Yuder said. He told me that even if I came alone, the Commander would understand everything.”

Despite his weary face, Steber managed a faint smile and cracked a small joke. Only then did Kishiar's eyes soften slightly.

But only for a moment—As soon as Steber began to explain, the atmosphere froze cold.

“As the Commander suspected. Near the direction from which the sound was coming, at the deepest part of the sea, we discovered six massive abnormal rifts and a bizarre, enormous monster.”

Six abnormal rifts.

And a monster so huge it was nearly impossible to escape from the rift.

Even those who had seen three rifts during the hailstorm turned pale at the shocking report.

Steber shuddered several times as he briefly explained the situation leading up to the discovery.  Even though he was wet, as someone who wielded the power of water, there was no way he'd shiver from the cold alone. That meant the mere recollection of the event triggered instinctive fear in his body.

“All the vibrations, the fierce currents, and the rumbling of the earth we’ve been feeling—We believe they’re all caused by that massive monster inside the abnormal rift, thrashing and colliding in an attempt to escape.”

“.......”

“It became even more active after we discovered it. Thanks to Yuder’s swift response and instructions, no one was hurt, but... There was a limit to how long we could endure there...”

Faced with the enormous tremor rising from the rift, Yuder immediately gathered his power to protect everyone. It was a reaction so swift it was hard to believe it had happened in the deep sea.  The other members also recovered quickly and added their strength, but after enduring it, most were too exhausted to remain in the depths any longer.

Of course, they could rest by rising and rotating with others. However, if everyone ascended at once, it would be too dangerous to leave Yuder alone. So they decided to go up one by one, with time intervals, and rotate.

“I was still in decent shape, so I went up ahead of the others to deliver the news to those waiting to rotate in. That way, we wouldn’t lose time. And afterward, I came all the way here for the same reason.”

Someone like Steber, even if a bit drained, had no issue moving alone and was fast. It was the most efficient decision.

“I see. So what exactly did Yuder tell you to relay to me with your status report?”

At that, Steber fell silent for a moment. He knew there was something more he needed to say, but there was a hesitation laced with uncertainty. Still, he eventually opened his mouth and answered.

“...‘Balance the scale.’ That’s what he said.”

“......The scale? What does that mean?”

“Is it some kind of secret code?”

The murmuring of the listening members grew. Kishiar stood silently without changing his expression, then gave a sigh-like smile and nodded.

“I see. So he’s decided that’s our best option. Understood. You, go find Priest Lusan and get your condition checked...”

“No, I don’t need to see the priest.”

Steber firmly shook his head, wiping the water running down his chin.

“I’m not completely exhausted. Just a little «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» drained. Who in the Cavalry would come here not expecting to use at least this much power? I’ll rest a bit and go right back out.”

“A noble intention, but this is an order, Steber. Don’t rush. Check your condition, drink something, and receive divine power. I won’t stop you from going back after that.”

Steber immediately closed his mouth, as if about to protest. He had just realized that Kishiar’s gaze had landed on his hand.

‘It’s just a little numb... Don’t tell me that’s why Yuder sent me back? Was he worried about me in the middle of all that chaos?...’

As if reading Steber’s confusion, Kishiar’s low voice fell over his head.

“To achieve your goal, you must be able to see the whole picture, even in urgent moments. Steber Rendley. You are today’s primary leader in both liquor and as Deputy Commander. Don’t forget how important your own condition is.”

“......Yes!”

Steber stood up. With a firm face, he took a deep breath and shook his arms.

“But Commander... Before I go to the priest, may I ask what he meant by ‘the scale’?”

“I was going to explain that now anyway.”

After saying so, Kishiar glanced across the gathered members’ faces.

“Do you remember how, during the hailstorm, two of the three abnormal rifts suddenly vanished?”

“Oh... Yes!”

“My aide and I made some assumptions as to why that happened. Simply put, we intend to recreate a similar situation.”

“A similar situation...? What are we supposed to do exactly...?”

An unreadable smile touched Kishiar’s lips.

“There’s no need for worry. It won’t be all that different from what we’ve done so far. Everyone, move to the designated positions near the shore and prepare to respond to the enemy at any moment. According to Yuder’s report and my own thoughts, the enemy will begin appearing in the sea after the next earthquake starts.”

“.......”

“Move.”

At Kishiar’s brief command, the members all turned simultaneously and began to run. Steber, too, with a stiff expression, headed toward the temporary infirmary where Priest Lusan would be.

Kishiar watched their backs as he sank into thought.

Since he hadn’t seen it with his own eyes, he couldn’t know exactly what the situation in the deep sea was. But based on the countless conversations he’d had with Yuder before today, and from what he knew of the Southern Great Earthquake in the previous game, he could deduce Yuder’s thoughts and decisions well enough.

According to Yuder’s information, abnormal rifts appear and disappear repeatedly in areas where disasters are imminent. What’s strange is that they do so even without spitting out monsters.

But through the intel obtained from Aton and the actions he’d taken, Kishiar had become convinced that these rifts were signs that appeared in places where the “balance” had been disrupted.

‘A vessel that takes a severe shock often cracks before it breaks. Like a scale that trembles when one side tips too far—maybe these rifts are that kind of “sign” as well.’

When he heard the word “balance,”

the first thing that came to Kishiar la Orr’s mind was his own body. Given what he had been through, it was a natural association.

Whether these phenomena could truly be compared to his own vessel was uncertain, but based on that, he believed that balance rarely collapsed in an instant. Usually, there were tremors, then failed attempts to recover, until eventually a crack formed from strain— and when that could no longer be endured, the vessel shattered.

If you thought about it that way, weren’t these rifts like the cracks spreading through the vessel of this world?

‘Suppose we ignore the abnormal rifts, let the imbalance continue, and they eventually burst open to unleash monsters and disasters. If that’s our premise... Then maybe, if we do the opposite, the rifts could disappear instead.’

In that case, the only plausible tools to move the “balance” so far had been “power” and “life.”

During the hailstorm—before and after the three abnormal rifts in the sky vanished—what had happened?

Several Awakeners either died or lost control and exhausted their powers. Duke Hern and many of his knights lost their lives. And most critically, the monsters expelled from the rifts were killed by Awakeners and mages.

Only after an enormous amount of power and life had been consumed and extinguished did the rifts finally vanish.

That’s exactly what Kishiar was focusing on.