Chapter 58

### Connection Chapter: Closing and Opening

#### Gideon East Gate Area

It was midnight.

As the day of the fierce battle between Rai and [Vengeful Beast Gouzmaze] came to an end, a pair of figures appeared in the area around the east gate of Duel City Gideon, which was deserted except for the guards on duty, emitting a faint light.

The man who appeared was wearing a uniform similar to a pilot's suit—Yugo Leceps, a [High Pilot] of the Dryf Empire.

Beside him was Cocythos, Yugo's <Embryo>.

After delivering the children he had rescued from the Gouzmaze bandits to Gideon, Yugo, being a member of Dryf, had temporarily logged out to avoid pursuit.

Now, he had logged back in at the right moment.

They immediately moved away from the east gate upon logging in.

They soon entered a narrow, deserted alley and silently waited for something.

Within a minute, a figure entered the alley.

It was not a drunkard or a thug.

For some reason, the person was wearing a penguin costume.

This was the penguin who, the morning before, had introduced himself as Dr. Flamingo, given Rai a potion, and made dog ears grow on Rai's head while curing his status ailment.

"I kept you waiting."

"No, I'm the one who took your time by logging out."

"Yeah, yeah, it seems you did a great job. To take down a bandit group that was causing trouble in this city with just the two of you..."

"You knew about that?"

"Yeah, I was eavesdropping on Rai a bit."

"Eavesdropping on Rai? ...How did you do that?"

"Secret. I listened to it like a radio drama... It was quite interesting. He is... a very proper <Master> of a Maiden, just like you."

The penguin chuckled, shaking his body.

"Since you were monitoring him, I have a question."

"Yeah, he won. He defeated the <UBM> alone."

"I see. That's good."

Yugo truly thought so.

But after feeling relieved, he also thought:

"If he had lost... perhaps today, we wouldn't have to be 'enemies.'"

"Given his straightforward nature, he would surely try to stop the 'plan.'"

"Originally... the 'plan' that someone like Rai would try to stop..."

Doubt gradually filled Yugo's heart.

But,

"So, are you ready for tomorrow... or rather, today's 'plan'?"

As if sensing Yugo's inner turmoil, the penguin asked.

Yugo suppressed his doubts and reported to the penguin.

"...[Marshal II] was heavily damaged."

"Understood. Here's a spare [Cage]. It's an improved version of the [Marshal II] you used earlier, with 30% increased defense and AGI. It's already tuned."

The penguin took out a large, rolled-up metal scroll from his item box and handed it to Yugo.

"Thank you. And this—"

Yugo took out a stack of papers from his item box.

It was the ritual design diagram for the creation of the <Graidian Undead Creation> that he had found in the Gouzmaze bandits' hideout.

"Ah, the ritual for creating that <UBM>?"

"I thought it might be unnecessary since the clan's resentment-powered concept has been abandoned."

"Yeah, it was created with the help of the [Lord of the Underworld]. Now, a high-ranking member of Tien creating such a ritual..."

"Owner?"

The penguin, who had been looking at the design diagram, seemed to notice something and silently focused on the text.

"I see... Just because it's a ritual of resentment... proof is necessary, but..."

The penguin seemed to be convinced of something and put the design diagram back into the item box.

"Let's get back to the topic. First, your preparation as 'Heart' should be fine with <Majingear> and Cocythos. The other preparations are mostly complete."

The penguin counted off the items, though the penguin costume had no fingers, only the person inside.

"The setup of the device and the <Casting> is complete. The interference with the facilities is also ready. 'Club' Belthorbel has been in place for a few days. Of course, 'Diamond' me is also ready... but not quite. There's still a bit left to do. But it will be done by the time of the 'plan.'"

The penguin shared information with Yugo, using terms that could almost be called a code.

It was simply a habit of the penguin to assign code names based on card suits or chess pieces when planning something important.

"The only uncertain factor is whether the 'Joker' of the royalist faction will act or not. It's a matter of luck. If the first princess comes to Gideon as the information suggests, she will act."

"By the way, who is 'Spade' this time?"

Yugo noticed that a suit was missing from the explanation and asked the penguin.

When the penguin assigned code names based on card suits, 'Spade' was usually the trump card or the most destructive role.

"Oh, no. There's no 'Spade' this time."

The penguin's response clearly seemed to be hiding something, but Yugo did not seem to doubt him.

"Well, it's good that the <Super-Class Clash> is still happening."

The penguin changed the subject, nodding.

"The second princess is already in Gideon, so it's really good. I don't know who did it, but the PK incident almost canceled the event and our 'plan.'"

The PK incident.

A few days ago, three PK clans and the <Super-Class Killer> had sealed off the beginner hunting grounds around the capital.

The incident was resolved by the kingdom's <Super-Class>, but the kingdom's strength was reduced.

In the online community, it was rumored to be the work of the empire, which was on the verge of war with the kingdom.

However, the penguin knew this was incorrect.

"Who was behind it?"

"Don't know. They played it well and there's no evidence. But the reward for PKs was quite high... Only a few countries, including ours, would use such a money-driven approach."

"Calidna, perhaps?"

The commercial city region of Calidna.

Located in the central desert of the continent, it is a nation of merchants who boast that "the amount of money determines one's status."

Its characteristic as a nation is that "all special products of all countries can be obtained, though at a high price."

Therefore, it has a large number of high-end players, and the <Master> strength of the seven major nations is the greatest.

"What is their purpose?"

"To tarnish the reputation of the empire, and there are other aims. There are smart people among the top of Tien and the <Super-Class>."

"..."

"Instead of using the <Sefirot>, they are making a roundabout move. Really, it's so roundabout."

The <Sefirot>... the top clan of the commercial city region of Calidna.

It consists of only ten members, "nine of whom are <Super-Class>."

Among these nine, there are many members known for their combat power within <Infinite Dendrogram>, such as the "strongest mage" [Earth God], the "seven transformations" [Annihilation King], the "invincible in all forms" [Divine Beast Hunter], and the "azure sky songstress" [Downfall King].

Therefore, the <Sefirot> is called the strongest clan in <Infinite Dendrogram>.

"Is there a possibility that the <Sefirot> will be involved in this plan?"

"They shouldn't know about it. If this plan succeeds, the kingdom will likely surrender before the war. It's a one-strike knockout for the empire. If they knew, they would already be doing something."

However, the penguin added in his heart:

"But there's a possibility they will come to watch the <Super-Class Clash> as an event. In that case, 'Spade' will have to deal with it."

"..."

Yugo seemed to be thinking about something in response to the penguin's words.

The penguin gently spoke to Yugo.

"Don't worry too much, Yugo. If this goes well, the war will end with minimal casualties."

"Minimal casualties?"

"Yeah. The general and the marshal want a full-scale war, but that's just a waste of resources. If we do it, it should be smart and dramatic."

The penguin took off the penguin costume and put on a white coat from the item box.

When he finished, the person standing there was a thin man wearing glasses and a white coat, not a penguin.

He spread his arms and declared loudly.

"Tomorrow, the war between the empire and the kingdom will end. By our hands... the hands of the <Triangle of Wisdom>."

To be continued in the next episode.

The next update will be tomorrow at 21:00.