D.I.O - CH 296

“This phenomenon didn’t only occur in China, either. Most countries have essentially prostrated themselves before Seyoung hyung. The moment someone sees Seyoung, even if it’s just once, they become his follower. So, it’s useless to try and stir up public opinion against him or use propaganda to sully his name.”

Yongno made a name for himself globally, but his fame was nothing compared to Arthur’s.

When Arthur decided to spread his transcendent-level halo all over the world, it engulfed and influenced everyone, the only exception being a select few with exceptional mental prowess.

“If the information and material in the Great Library aren’t false, then even if he’s a transcendent, it’s probably extremely difficult to maintain such a halo for an extended period. He’s likely able to do so because of his attribute power or other personal abilities.”

As he’d successfully turned his internal energy into photons, Arthur could scatter a halo around himself, with it having a radius of ten kilometers. Furthermore, the halo could even exert some influence through a broadcast, like watching a TV.

The halo wasn’t simply composed of physical light but spiritual light as well. Though it couldn’t attack a viewer’s eyes via the camera transmitting the image to the screen, lower beings who [witnessed] the light would instinctively feel fear towards Arthur.

In other words, it was akin to what someone the size of an ant would feel toward a person as large as an elephant.

Regardless of an individual’s disposition or age, they would be affected. Whether someone was an average person, a psychopath, a pastor, a middle schooler, a child, or an adult did not matter. The moment they witnessed Arthur’s halo, they’d be overwhelmed with the sensation of facing a huge [living being], like a massive, seemingly insurmountable mountain.

This enormous difference in spiritual power weighed down on the observer and ultimately made them succumb to Arthur’s influence.

However, as he infused magic power into a magic circle, Yongno shook his head.

“I still don’t understand. While he can rapidly gain global support by brainwashing people as he’s doing now, that’ll grow increasingly useless once people build up some resistance. There’s no way Seyoung is unaware of this, so he must have other intentions.”

Pop!

As soon as Yongno finished speaking, sparks appeared, and the magic circle collapsed with a small explosion. Yongno frowned as he stood up in frustration, having been muttering while concentrating on the magic circle.

“Damn it… again… Why isn’t it working? What’s wrong?”

With an irritated expression, Yongno recalculated the formula for the magic circle.

This work wasn’t something that could be done in a short period.

Yongno had roughly grasped the overall framework, but various necessary verifications, experiments, techniques, and details still needed to be sorted out.

“You’re going too fast.”

As he heard Eunhye, Yongno gulped down the juice that she had brought and took a deep breath.

“There’s not enough time. Right now, Earth is only quiet because of the checks and balances from various other forces, but we’re still in a precarious state…. If we can’t muster an offense, we’ll continually be forced on the defensive.”

“Weren’t you expecting this all along?”

“Yeah, but still….”

Recently, Yongno was plagued with a sense of intense anxiety.

Of course, this wasn’t just a vague sense of anxiety.

Yongno possessed a near-psychic crisis-sensing ability, and he could feel that others in the wider universe were plotting against him. Although he didn’t know the details, Yongno sensed that he was gradually being forced into a corner and that things were going against his favor.

However, despite feeling this overwhelming pressure, the problem was that, logically, there was nothing pressuring him to move so quickly.

‘There’s no particular reason, but why do I feel so anxious? There’s still a lot of time left… The Noblesse can’t do anything at the moment, right?’

Yongno wasn’t the only one who believed that the Noblesse had their hands tied and couldn’t do anything to Earth or DIO for the time being.

The Elohim, the Reaper Organization, and even the Noblesse themselves felt that DIO had to be left alone for now.

After all, the Noblesse’s political position within the Union and Tan’s place in the Noblesse had changed unfavorably after Igniz’s death. The aforementioned dragon had been illegally released on top of committing multiple other criminal acts.

If the Empress of Magic were still alive, the situation would have already ended.

It was true that the Elohim had been holding the Noblesse in check. However, if the latter sought to merely regain their right to operate DIO, a system made with the Noblesse’s money and resources, the Noblesse would have been justified.

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However, once Tan rebelled against Jenica, the Empress of Magic and essentially the creator of DIO, the service’s operational rights became a bit murky.

After he usurped Jenica’s position, Tan planned to drag out his time as the system’s main operator, gain full access to the DIO system, and eventually end up with complete control. Yet, it took Tan much longer to gain full access to DIO than he had initially expected. Hence, when Yongno eventually came along and took over DIO, the situation grew completely twisted for Tan and the Noblesse.

Currently, the situation was already trending toward a political fight between the Noblesse, Elohim, and the Reaper Organization, one of the main factions in the Nether World. Due to this, no significant threats or actions would be taken on DIO or Earth until the three groups reached a compromise. In other words, as of right now, each side was warily keeping the other in check.

Yongno was currently preparing for what would eventually come [after] the three reached an agreement. He judged there was no possibility that something could happen right away. Yet, why did he feel so unsettled and anxious? Why did he feel like he was running out of time?

While muttering nervously under his breath, Yongno took out his jeweled sword, the Editor Blade, and stabbed the destroyed magic circle.

“Data Patch.”

After stating the trigger phrase that activated the power contained in the weapon, Yongno’s aura shot through the Editor Blade and instantly restored the destroyed magic circle.

This sort of restoration could only be done in Yongno’s Magic Tower.

Although Yongno could take his Editor Blade outside the confines of DIO and his Magic Tower, it would just be another beautiful sword with no additional functionality.

Since the Editor Blade was made of Anyform stones, which comprised DIO, it could only work inside the service.

At that moment, the door on one side of Yongno’s lab opened. Sungmuk and Snowflake Flower soon entered.

“Ah, why don’t you just give up?”

“Ugh, stop chattering in my ear and nagging me like a little girl.”

“Hmph! You’re right. I’m a little girl, so I’ll chatter and nag you some more!”

After overhearing the two’s conversation, Yongno spoke to Sungmuk, “Are you planning to try again?”

“Yes. I’ll eventually make that damn ball of flame succumb to me.”

Whoosh!

“Hahaha, I’ve returned once more!”

Sungmuk raised his fighting spirit as he stared at a glowing staff.

This wasn’t just some slight excitement from Sungmuk. The object he was looking at was worth the challenge; it was Transcendent Weapon Number 734.

Muspelheim.

After slaying Igniz, the red dragon, Yongno stole Igniz’s Transcendent Weapon. It was an immense haul, but the problem was that Yongno couldn’t use it.

‘This weapon judges whether one is qualified to use it.’

Though Yongno killed Igniz, the one previously recognized as qualified to use the Transcendent Weapon, Muspelheim didn’t identify Yongno as its master. The weapon either knew that Yongno had used a sort of one-use trick attack, or there were other conditions he didn’t fulfill.

Yongno could carry Muspelheim since Igniz had died, but the moment he tried to use Muspelheim and activate its powers, the weapon spewed out its powerful flames and made it impossible to wield.

‘I really want to break it down and figure out its structure….’

Yongno smiled bitterly. The truth was, Yongno wished he could dismantle Muspelheim. He wanted to grasp a Transcendent Weapon’s mechanism and internal workings and absorb that knowledge for use in the future. However, a Transcendent Weapon had a durability equivalent to that of a transcendent being, and the Stage of Civilization contained within Muspelheim, or any Transcendent Weapon for that matter, far surpassed that of the Earth.

The Transcendent Weapon exemplified the pinnacle achievement of a civilization’s magic and mech development.

Moreover, Muspelheim wasn’t just any Transcendent Weapon – it was ranked within the top thousand of its kind.

No matter how hard Yongno tried, it was impossible to understand the structure and activation principle of the weapon by examining the outer structure. However, if Yongno wanted to access the Muspelheim’s internals, he’d have to unleash an Irrational Hand Strike that contained at least 3,000 years of internal energy.

‘If I had many Transcendent Weapons, I would have eventually found a way to dismantle Muspelheim….’

However, knowing the astronomical value of a Transcendent Weapon, especially one that was Numbered, Yongno didn’t dare dismantle Muspelheim. All jokes aside, [one would have to sell Earth ten times over] to reach a value equivalent to Muspelheim. Since this was the case, how could Yongno seriously consider dismantling such a valuable weapon?

This was why Yongno decided to use Muspelheim as a transactional chip when he would eventually have to deal with outside entities. Before that moment arrived, Yongno kept Muspelheim within the Magic Tower.

Undoubtedly, Yongno couldn’t deny that he wanted to use Muspelheim when he transcended.

“Why are you just standing there? Go and stop that idiot.”

“Huh, why? Isn’t it okay? Sungmuk’s body is completely inside DIO, so it can be restored at any time.”

“You’re just going to stand idly by and watch him harm himself? I mean, just look at him.”

Whoosh!

“Ugh!”

“See! He’s on fire again!”

When Igniz died, Muspelheim had taken the form of a staff, so after grabbing the Transcendent Weapon, Sungmuk was set on fire.

Sungmuk tried to muster a resistance by enveloping his entire body with a layer of singular qi, but that layer was burned away in an instant.

Fling.

Yongno threw his Editor Blade at Sungmuk, who was on the verge of dying from being burnt to a crisp.

The Editor Blade flew gently through the air and struck Sungmuk’s back.

Of course, it did not physically penetrate Sungmuk. Rather, the Editor Blade [assimilated] into his body and accessed Sungmuk’s data.

Woong.

And at the same time, Sungmuk’s body recovered immediately.

“I know his body is just data within a system, but it’s still amazing to see such rapid recovery. I never thought such a complex form could be recovered and reconstructed so easily.”

“It’s not difficult to make an entirely new body. I have full DIO operational and management rights, so I can virtually do whatever I want.”

After hearing Yongno’s explanation, Snowflake Flower’s eyes twinkled.

“Ah! So, can you change one’s species as well?”

“That’s not difficult at all.”

Yongno turned to Sungmuk.

“Sungmuk, should I give you a new body?”

Sungmuk had been looking at Muspelheim and recovering his energy when he replied.

“I’ve gotten used to this body and completed my martial arts abilities with it. What are you talking about? No, I don’t want to start over in another body.”

Sungmuk shook his head as if he heard something utterly useless, but Snowflake Flower made an exasperated expression.