Chapter 55: The Architect’s Council

The grand meeting chamber hummed with a low, crystalline resonance as Hyun-woo settled into the wide, living-wood chair beside Ebonara. The seat molded itself to his frame.

Medusa claimed the spot to his right, her serpent tail curling possessively around the leg of his chair. Stheno sprawled to Ebonara’s other side, while Euryale sat in her own chair beside Ebonara.

The other Guardians filled the semicircle of seats. All of the seats molded themselves so their occupants could sit comfortably. Even for a giant like Ravena, the chair expanded so she could settle in with ease.

Hyun-woo tried not to stare at everything in front of him. All the women present here were really just too beautiful.

But there was one seat empty.

Adrazelle, or Mother, sat at the head, her veiled form shrouded in flowing black silk that moved as if underwater. She raised one delicate hand, her fingers twisting in a simple, almost lazy gesture.

The air above the central table shimmered. Reality folded like silk, and a massive holographic projection bloomed into existence. Towering, crystal-clear, and impossibly detailed. Hyun-woo’s eyes widened. Blue-white light danced across the chamber as the image solidified: a sprawling battlefield under a fractured sky, desert dunes churning with monstrous hordes. He could see individual soldiers, the glint of weapons, even the spray of sand kicked up by explosions.

“Whoa…” he breathed, leaning forward. “This is… like sci-fi level stuff. How—?”

Ebonara’s tail brushed his calf under the table, a silent warning to behave. Medusa’s cool fingers found his hand and squeezed once, steadying him.

Adrazelle’s voice cut through the murmurs, soft yet carrying the weight of ages. “Observe.”

The hologram accelerated.

Hyun-woo watched himself. A small projection of him, charging through the chaos he had faced earlier. The scene replayed his desperate intervention against the sea serpents, the brutal chokehold on the false Poseidon, the sickening crack of the god-clone’s neck. Every punch, every surge of his infinite strength, rendered in perfect, unflinching detail.

The Guardians murmured. Kaelith whistled low. “Not bad for a human.”

“You tore through a divine construct like it was paper,” Adrazelle continued, her veiled head tilting slightly. “A Harrower incursion on the outer world—massive, coordinated. Thousands of monsters pouring through rifts. Cities flooded. Casualties in the tens of thousands. You, Hyun-woo, single-handedly shattered their vanguard and beheaded their apparent leader. The invasion collapsed shortly after.”

Hyun-woo swallowed, cheeks warming under the collective gaze. “I just… did what I could. They were hurting people. And they would have hurt my friends.”

Euryale snorted, but she could understand why he did what he did; after all, she remembered that old man Elias.

Adrazelle raised her hand again. The hologram shifted, zooming out to reveal hidden layers beneath the battle. “Impressive. But it was nothing but a ruse.”

The chamber went still.

The projection changed, now showing hooded silhouettes directing the invasion from afar, and the area looked like Pearland. “The real masterminds orchestrated this invasion not to conquer, but to distract. While every eye turned to the flooding coasts and your heroic stand, they moved something far more dangerous. A fragment. An ancient key sealed within the Tower’s 5th-layer secret dungeon. Something capable of summoning a monster.”

Just what the fuck is happening? Hyun-woo's fists clenched, a hot flash of anger rising in his chest.

Adrazelle’s voice dropped, laced with rare gravity. “They wanted to use those fallen angels and harrowers. But…”

“But?” Hyun-woo frowned, unable to understand. Why did she say but?

“That didn't work, because those monsters only attacked someone that fought against them. They never killed a civilian.”

What the hell? I didn't watch the news, but... Hyun-woo’s stomach dropped.

“The ones to kill thousands of people were humans themselves.”

He didn't want to hear that. But knowing what they had done, he wouldn't just sit back and watch what they did next. What would happen if they went after his parents?

Before he could get lost in his thoughts, he felt both of his hands squeezed. When he looked at who was squeezing them, he saw Ebonara and Medusa looking at him with deep concern.

He thanked them silently, knowing they were just worried about him, and the grounding touch brought him out of his spiraling thoughts.

“So what now?” he asked, his voice steadier than he felt. “We hunt them down?”

Adrazelle’s veiled form leaned forward slightly. The hologram dissolved into drifting motes of light, leaving the chamber dimmer, heavier.

“No need. They are all already dead. But there is another reason why you are all here.”

The chamber’s crystalline walls still hummed with residual magic from the dissolving hologram.

Hyun-woo sat straighter in his chair, the living wood adjusting beneath him as if sensing his rising tension.

Ebonara’s tail remained curled around his ankle like a living anchor, while Medusa’s cool fingers stayed laced with his under the table. The other Guardians leaned forward, their playful energy from moments ago replaced by sharp, predatory focus.

Adrazelle’s veiled form seemed to grow taller, the flowing black silk rippling. Her voice, usually soft and ancient, now carried a low rumble.

“Remember the attack on Medusa and Stheno,” she said, each word precise and heavy. “The one that struck while every other Guardian was gathered here for council. When the false tides flooded their sanctuary and that sea abomination dared lay hands on my daughters.”

A ripple of understanding passed through the room.

Frostveil’s icy shoulders tightened. Pyraelle’s flames dimmed to embers. Kaelith’s nine tails stilled completely. Even Ravena the Giantess gave a slow, solemn nod, her massive frame casting long shadows across the table.

Medusa’s grip on Hyun-woo’s hand tightened. He could feel her cold fingers digging into his skin.

Stheno’s golden snake-hair hissed softly in memory, but she said nothing.

“It was no god,” Adrazelle continued, her veiled head turning slightly toward the Gorgon sisters. “No primordial, no rogue divine. That Poseidon was a clone. A meticulously crafted imitation, forged in the fires of the Giant Realm. Someone there sought to test our defenses… and strike at the heart of what we protect.”

If that god was not real, then that means... Hyun-woo’s breath caught.

“How dare they,” Adrazelle whispered, yet the words filled the entire chamber like a declaration of war. Her silk robes billowed. “How dare they attack my daughters like that… and believe they could get away with it.”

The temperature in the room dropped. Stheno cracked her knuckles, golden scales gleaming. Even the usually composed Medusa let a rare, cold smile touch her lips. Euryale's eyes had already turned pitch black.

“They will pay,” Mother declared, her voice rising with quiet anger. “And I will make them pay. Personally, if need be. But first… we strike smartly.”

She gestured again. A new, smaller holographic map appeared—this one showing swirling pathways between realms, with the Giant Realm glowing ominously in deep crimson.

“That is why I am forming a team. Ravena.”

The Giantess straightened to her full (and still impressive) height, her voice a resonant boom tempered with respect. “Yes, Mother.”

“You will return to your original world. Find those responsible. Tear their secrets from the roots if you must. Bring me their heads… or better yet, bring them alive so we may have words.”

Ravena’s eyes gleamed with anticipation, her massive fists clenching. “As you command!”

Adrazelle’s veiled form tilted slightly, almost amused. “Also, don't go alone. I have a feeling that even that might be difficult for you. So choose whoever you wish. From those present or beyond. None will refuse you. This wound runs deep for all of us.”

A murmur of agreement swept the chamber. Kaelith’s tails flicked with interest. Pyraelle cracked her knuckles, flames dancing higher. Ebonara leaned in toward Hyun-woo, whispering hotly against his ear, “If she picks us, cutie pie, I’m dragging you along. It will be a date.”

Hyun-woo squeezed Medusa’s hand back, his soft face set in quiet determination. He might not be the best suited for this ridiculous Job, but if his women were going to war, he wouldn’t sit on the sidelines.

Ravena’s gaze swept the room slowly, weighing options, but before she could speak—

Adrazelle raised her hand once more, cutting the moment short. The map flickered and faded.

“But there is another matter I must address.”

Everyone quieted down. Nobody wanted to go against Mother.

Adrazelle’s veiled gaze remained fixed on Hyun-woo, unreadable. He couldn't understand what she was thinking.

He shifted in his seat, the living wood adjusting beneath him as if trying to offer comfort.

“Hyun-woo,” Mother said, her voice carrying an accusatory tone that he couldn't quite decipher. “Wherever you go, chaos follows you.”

Hyun-woo opened his mouth, his soft features tightening with confusion. Woman, what did I do? “What did I...?”

Adrazelle lifted a single finger, cutting him off smoothly. Her veiled head turned toward Ebonara.

“Ebonara. Explain why you destroyed the Hollow Oath’s primary experiment facility in the Andes.”

Ebonara didn’t even flinch. She leaned back in her chair, tail curling tighter around Hyun-woo’s calf under the table, and shrugged with perfect nonchalance. “They tried to threaten my cutie pie. So I turned their little playground into dust. Simple.”

The chamber went dead quiet for half a heartbeat.

Then it exploded.

Adrazelle stared at the scorpion queen as if the woman had suddenly sprouted a second head. Her silk robes rippled with barely contained exasperation.

“You fucking bitch!” Stheno barked first, her golden-red eyes blazing as her snake-hair hissed in unison. “That was Mother’s project!”

Medusa pinched the bridge of her nose. “Ebonara, you crazy idiot. Even I knew better than to touch that one.” After all, she had been there to begin with.

Kaelith let out a sharp, disbelieving laugh, her nine tails lashing. “She really did it. The crazy scorpion actually glassed Mother’s pet project.”

Pyraelle’s flames flared high. “You loose-pussied idiot—”

“Enough.” Adrazelle’s voice sliced through the chaos.

The Guardians fell silent instantly, though several still shot Ebonara amused glares. “Yes. It was under my supervision. I wanted them to succeed in summoning a particular demon. A useful tool for the long game I have been weaving with the Hollow Oath. Their desperation made them predictable. Controllable.”

She let the words sink in. Hyun-woo’s stomach twisted. The organization that had been against humanity was under the control of Adrazelle? And she had been guiding them?

Ebonara crossed her arms under her heavy chest, completely unrepentant. “Well, too bad. They threatened Hyun-woo. End of story. Whatever grand mystery you had with them is your business. My cutie pie is mine.”

Adrazelle exhaled slowly, the sound carrying centuries of fond exasperation. “Because of you, that particular scenario has now ended. Prematurely. The Hollow Oath is in disarray, and what I ultimately intended for them... will be to wipe them out completely.”

The Guardians exchanged uneasy glances. Even Ravena looked mildly unsettled.

Adrazelle turned her veiled attention toward the side entrance. “Seraphina.”

The eccentric elf tailor stepped forward from the shadows near the chamber wall, her mismatched outfit fluttering.

She was practically vibrating with manic glee. “Ohoho~ Look at you lot, making such glorious messes. And now Mother’s glaring at me? How delightful!”

“Bring out the spy,” Adrazelle commanded coolly.

Seraphina clapped her hands.

A section of the floor rippled, and Lirael—Lilith—emerged, bound in glowing golden threads. The half-elf’s shy, timid facade had cracked; her violet eyes burned with cold calculation even as she struggled.

Adrazelle regarded the spy for a long moment. “Hyun-woo. Do you wish to ask her anything?”

He stared at the bound woman. Part of him wanted answers. Another part—the part that had grown tired of games—simply felt exhausted.

“No,” he said quietly. “I don’t.”

Lilith’s eyes widened in dawning horror. Because he was her lifeline. If he wanted her to live, he could have just asked for anything—but he didn't.

Adrazelle made a simple, almost casual clenching motion with her hand.

Crunch.

The golden threads tightened at once. Lilith’s body jerked violently. Her violet eyes bulged in pure shock and betrayal as reality itself seemed to bite down. The air in the room vanished for a split second, drawn into the lethal compression.

A muffled, choked gasp escaped her lips before the illusion of the “holy group” she had served shattered completely around her.

She had never been infiltrating a fractured paradise. Their organization had been dancing in the palm of Eden’s true master all along.

“Goodbye, Lirael. Or Lilith. It was good knowing ya,” Seraphina murmured, almost gently.

The spy’s form crumpled, dissolving into harmless motes of shadow that faded into the floor. Not a drop of blood. Not a scream. Just… gone.

The chamber remained deathly silent.

Ebonara whistled low. “Cold, Mother. Even for you.” She didn't reacted much. After all, she already knew her true nature.

Adrazelle’s veiled head turned back toward the group. “Now. Where were we?”

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