Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan

Become Overpowered CEO of Hero Clan – 124

The darkness writhed. Shadows enveloped every nook and cranny. The sanctuary, once a space aglow with the light of stars, was now shrouded in dark shadows.
Black flames like the night sky erupted over the groaning wood. The tide of squirming shadows swept away the starlight, and the darkness surged endlessly, painting Salarotse’s domain in pitch black.
– Wooooong―. –
– Fzzzzzzzzt! –
A tree bathed in the light of dawn grew. The organic forces of nature clashed with the inorganic shadows.
Then, the ominously undulating shadows draped the sanctuary in complete darkness.
Salarotse’s eyes blazed with fury.
“Where do you think you’re going!”
– Whoooosh! –
A burst of blue light erupted. It was as if the moonlight, sunlight, and starlight were mixed together to paint the universe, pushing back the darkness with a wave like the Milky Way.
A boundary line was drawn between the universe filled with light and the writhing darkness.
– Wooooong―. –
– Flash! –
Mystical magic circles appeared beside and below Salarotse. The one beneath him transformed into a transparent stream, from which branches bathed in dawn’s light emerged.
Salarotse, grasping the branches, swung them furiously.
– Whoooosh! –
The darkness split apart. The viscous shadows that writhed were pushed back. Salarotse continued to slash at the shadow-drenched space with the branches.
Dawn’s light blossomed, and the space that had been submerged in darkness once again took on the brilliant colors of the universe.
“Aaah…!”
It didn’t seem like a battle between mortals.
To Ophelia, it was as if a celestial being and a dark lord were clashing above, and she became confused about whom to root for.
The King of Shadows, resembling the hero. The persona of the Sacred Tree, Salarotse.
In a landscape where good and evil seemed to have switched places, she simply wished for Isaac to survive.
‘Heavens, please protect him.’
All she could do was pray.
It was a battle of such awe-inspiring magnitude that it seemed to determine the strongest being on this land.
‘Please, let him rise again and illuminate this world filled with evil!’
They say that God only gives humans trials they can bear.
Even if that saying was just a proverb meant to inspire hope and encouragement, she wanted to believe it. She had to believe it, if only to offer the faintest glimmer of support.
– Swoosh―. –
– Fzzzzzt! –
The miracle continued.
Isaac, perhaps closer to the ideal hero than anyone else, was holding his own against the Sacred Tree, whose power seemed to touch the heavens.
– Rumble! –
– Crackle― Fzzzzzt! –
For some reason, the shadowed darkness felt both cool and warm. Warmer than the dazzling light of dawn.
Ophelia thought, perhaps subconsciously, that it was due to the difference in the nature of their resolve, surpassing the mere qualities of their powers.
– Boom! –
The ground and sky shook.
The brilliance of dawn and the darkness of shadows seemed to push each other away, threatening to destroy everything.
– Swoosh. –
The King of Shadows extended his hand. For the first time, the hero Isaac raised his arm.
A powerful certainty that her prayer would become reality surged through Ophelia’s chest.
– Crunch. –
Finally, when his fist clenched towards Salarotse…
──────.
The Milky Way, which had been pushing back the darkness, was endlessly driven back. The dawn light that had surrounded Salarotse’s branches dimmed and then extinguished.
“Great being! Please, I beg for forgiveness…!”
The tone of Salarotse’s words was drastically different from before.
– Fwoosh. –
– Squirm. Squirm. –
The dark turbulence ultimately consumed both the sanctuary of the Sacred Tree and Salarotse’s persona. Absorbed into the darkness, Salarotse couldn’t even scream and became part of the shadows.
The seemingly fierce battle ended in an instant. How could this be? The Isaac she knew, who fought the King of Shadows so desperately and ultimately won, was he truly the same as this being?
Ophelia was both in awe and confused.
‘This can’t be happening.’
The true power of Hero Isaac seemed to touch the heavens. It wasn’t just a figure of speech; he could genuinely be compared to an angel from above.
‘He overwhelmed it. He defeated an entity that could obliterate 6-star Ethereals with a mere flick of a finger.’
It felt like being struck on the head with a hammer.
Perhaps he wasn’t just a hero. In Terraria, such mythic beings who descended to fulfill heavenly missions were called by a different name.
‘An angel. Is he truly an angel?’
The thoughts spiraled, each question leading to another.
What was his true identity? If he was indeed an angel, was it possible for him to wield the power of darkness?
Given that the Sacred Tree Salarotse, who wielded radiant energy, was a malevolent entity, could it be that Isaac, who controlled shadows, was actually on the side of good?
– Wooooong. –
The darkness receded.
Amazingly, there was no trace of the once-massive Sacred Tree. It was as if the shadows had swallowed the entire colossal tree.
The sky was wide open, and a gigantic orb cast a blue moonlight over the forest. Despite losing the pillar that was the Sacred Tree, the twisted cathedral remained suspended, not falling.
“Ah.”
The hero, who had been shrouded in long black hair, had returned to his original form. He looked much more familiar and far less intimidating.
“Hero…! No, angel…?”
“……”
“Are you alright? Do you remember who I am…?”
– Thud. –
Whether he was a hero or an angel, the incredibly strong and impressive Isaac suddenly collapsed.
Ophelia cautiously approached him.
“Um… Isaac?”
“Let me sleep comfortably. Make sure I’m not uncomfortable.”
“Huh?”
With those words, Isaac closed his eyes. Even in his sleep, he seemed to be channeling some sort of technique, as the surrounding mana swirled and was drawn into him.
“Oh…”
She decided to follow his instructions.
Ophelia retrieved something suitable for a pillow from her magical space and placed it under his head. She then used a magical formula to create a protective barrier, maintaining a comfortable temperature of 26 degrees.
“Anyway, it’s a relief.”
Isaac, still sound asleep, retained his human form. He didn’t exude the aura of mythical beings like the demon lords or angels described in the scriptures. Of course, he had been terrifying earlier.
====
***
====
– Hiss―. –
A young man in heavy armor slowly inserted a staff into a strange alien device. The orange barrier that had been blocking their path wavered and gradually became faint.
Beyond the barrier, advanced facilities of an ancient civilization were sporadically visible.
– Ziiiiing―. –
An elderly man in black robes and a middle-aged man in a gray robe exclaimed in amazement.
“It really opened! Hahaha.”
“It’s all thanks to you, senior. I can’t wait to see what precious treasures lie dormant in the command center. Let’s go in.”
“Haha, I feel the same way.”
– Ziiiiing―. –
As they passed through the barrier and walked down the futuristic hallway, the door that had been blocking their way swung open.
The area they arrived at was vast but not as impressive as some of the other sections they had seen.
In front of them stood a semi-transparent glass wall several kilometers high, beyond which lay a vast limestone cave.
The cave was so perfectly rectangular that it seemed to have been artificially created.
“This doesn’t look like a training area. Is it really the command center?”
“It seems so. But there must be valuable treasures somewhere, so let’s search diligently.”
The command center was structured in three tiers. The third tier was filled with various ancient mechanical devices, and among them, spherical magical constructs buzzed around.
The path down was cluttered with winding wires and tubes, making it visually unappealing.
Descending to the second tier, they saw an array of monitors and uniquely shaped devices.
Various data and information were displayed in alien languages on transparent screens, with complex formulas, codes, and unknown characters rapidly moving across each screen.
“That’s it.”
The young man in heavy armor whispered so softly that the elderly man in black robes and the middle-aged man in a gray robe, busy searching for treasures, didn’t hear him.
The young man had stopped in front of an exotic triangular structure. It was about the size of a soccer stadium and vaguely resembled a futuristic pyramid.
– Swoosh. –
Without hesitation, he stepped into the triangular structure. The elderly man in black robes and the middle-aged man in a gray robe seemed interested in the peculiar building as well, but as the young man had claimed it first, they continued their search without complaint.
– Boom! –
The sound echoed through the vast chamber, signaling the beginning of a new discovery. Inside the triangular structure, the young man found himself surrounded by an array of advanced technology and artifacts, each more intriguing than the last.
About an hour had passed when a loud explosion erupted outside the command center. Soon after, the monsters they had evaded in the desert zone appeared before them.
“Damn! The barrier must have vanished, and they forced their way in.”
“We have no choice but to trust the senior. Let’s hurry down and inform him!”
The elderly man in black robes and the middle-aged man in a gray robe rushed down to the first floor and ran towards the triangular structure the young man had entered.
However, despite their urgent report, the young man merely scoffed.
“I’m in the middle of retrieving an important treasure, so buy me some time.”
Was this treasure more important than their lives? The two men couldn’t hide their discomfort at the young man’s nonchalant attitude.
“What are you talking about? Use the key to activate the ship’s system and drive them out!”
“Just give me ten minutes.”
– Wooooong―. –
The young man was inserting a key into a massive iron box with a complex magic circle drawn on it, deactivating the sealing spell.
The two men had no choice but to leave him and prepare for battle. By now, the monsters had entered the command center, exuding a thick, dark energy.
“Gojeok, Gorgog. It’s nice to see you again. Where’s Theodren?”
“How about we set aside our grudges for now and explore this place first? The Great War of the Commanders is all about fighting and killing for treasures. This area has never been opened before, so there must be at least one or two legendary treasures here.”
“Khehehe, Khahaha! You must have come here without knowing anything. Theodren is a distant descendant of the Celestials who owned this ship. He must be planning to take the ‘World Stone,’ the power source of this ship, using a method only he knows.”
“The World Stone! Are you saying there’s a way to obtain that legendary treasure?”
“Indeed. But it seems Theodren has brought some troublesome armaments. How about we kill him together and take the other treasures? You don’t still trust Theodren, do you?”
“That is…”
The elderly man in black robes and the middle-aged man in a gray robe exchanged glances. The bipedal tiger monster seized the opportunity and lunged at them.
– Swoosh! –
– Slash―. –
– Thud! –
“Ugh!”
“Damn!”
The two monks managed to deploy defensive spells just in time to block the tiger monster’s sharp claws. The tiger monster clicked its tongue in frustration.
“Tch, you handle them. I need to stop Theodren’s schemes.”
– Flash! –
The tiger monster leaped over the elderly man and the middle-aged man, dashing towards the first floor. It headed straight for the suspiciously large triangular structure.