Return of the Apex Predator

Chapter 06 – Heart of Eclipse (2)

Bastille returned to Leonhart’s side.

“How were the conditions of the creatures?”

“They’re still weak.”

“They must’ve just been born. Do you think we can find the heart of the Eclipse?”

“We’ll have to follow the trail.”

“I wish we had at least a sword.”

Meanwhile, while the two exchanged a few words, the thugs in the basement were moving busily.

Some carried the injured to the surface, while a few others escorted some people from a corner of the underground parking lot, as though they were bodyguards.

Judging by the fact that they had gotten out of a sleek, black luxury car, they seemed to be some executives attending a meeting at the headquarters.

Choo Sang-wook, who had regained his senses after being momentarily stunned, spoke to Leonhart.

“This is Jung Yang-deuk of the Silver Ring Faction. He’s the boss of one of the four factions under the Daedong Faction.”

Standing beside Jung Yang-deuk was a familiar face—Lee Heesu, the enforcer who had attacked the convenience store.

The moment Lee Heesu saw Leonhart, he flinched in surprise.

However, already terrified by the appearance of the monsters, he didn’t show any further reaction.

Jung Yang-deuk, the boss of his faction, was a man in his forties, short but with a solid build. He was trembling. Despite thinking he had developed quite the guts during his years in the gangster world, he could do nothing but hide in the car and shake in fear after the appearance of the monsters.

On the way here, he had somewhat grasped the situation of the assembly through phone calls, so he already knew that Leonhart and Bastille had taken over the Daedong Faction.

Moreover, having personally witnessed Bastille twisting a monster like a child’s toy, the thought of resisting didn’t even cross his mind anymore.

Jung Yang-deuk knelt in front of Bastille.

“My name is Jung Yang-deuk.”

Bastille looked down at him indifferently.

Behind Jung Yang-deuk, several other thugs, including Lee Heesu, also immediately dropped to their knees and lowered their heads.

Just as everyone was wondering why they were showing such an excessive display of gratitude, Jung Yang-deuk spoke again.

“We’re the ones who run the organ harvesting operation. I can’t believe we dared to consider operating on you. Even if we die, we have no excuses. Please, spare our lives. We swear eternal loyalty.”

Jung Yang-deuk prostrated himself on the ground.

It was then that Bastille realized why they had knelt before him.

With his forehead pressed against the floor, Jung Yang-deuk continued.

“I have the contact information of the person who handed you over to us. If you wish, I can—”

Bastille cut him off.

“I already know who it was.”

“Ah…”

“I’m not interested in that anymore. If you truly want to pledge loyalty, there are far more useful tasks you can handle. Let’s leave it at that.”

For Bastille, any ties to his human past were already severed. It wasn’t a mere phrase; he truly didn’t care.

How he became a vegetative state, or who sold him to the organ trafficking group while he was in that condition—those were stories that held no significance to the current Bastille.

Leaving that one statement behind, Bastille began walking toward the darkness from which the monsters had emerged.

After he left, Leonhart lightly kicked Lee Heesu’s side with the tip of his foot and spoke.

“Hey, did you clean up the shop properly?”

“Well, that, uh…”

“Do it, okay? If the evening business at the convenience store gets interrupted, you’ll have to answer to me.”

“I understand!”

Leonhart then turned to Choo Sang-wook and said.

“When the executives arrive, make sure to get their loyalty oaths. If anyone doesn’t comply, just kill them. Make sure there won’t be any loose ends later.”

“Yes, sir!”

“From now on, we’re not dealing with the cops or any small-time thugs anymore. It’s *that* thing. And even more terrifying things that created it.”

Choo Sang-wook swallowed dryly.

“Just do as I say. If you do it well, I’ll turn you into a major player who can rule this world.”

Leonhart smiled and then followed behind Bastille.

Through the *Labyrinth of Placenta*, toward the heart of the Eclipse.

He advanced into the gap where the monsters were born.

—

Leonhart whistled.

This place was full of surprises. He had seen plenty of dungeons in Revenheim, but the *Labyrinth of Placenta* that had fused with the enormous structures of a modern city was a completely different sight.

A solid foundation, abundant energy, a constant water supply, and a massive underground cavity with no competing lifeforms.

There probably wasn’t a more perfect place to cultivate monsters than the underground of modern buildings.

But it wasn’t just the landscape that was surprising.

Leonhart now stood in front of a recessed space in one corner of the parking lot.

Between the columns, thick, foggy webs filled the gaps. It was the *Placenta* that produced monsters.

There were traces of seven monsters growing inside cocoons, but they had all been destroyed.

It was Bastille’s handiwork.

“Even the cocoons of the Placenta can’t be cut with a sword… but the bare hands of the Supreme Master of Einshaten’s Tower are stronger than a holy sword.”

Confirming that there were no enemies left, Leonhart quickly chased after his comrade who had gone ahead.

At that moment, Bastille was handling the cocoons on the lower floor.

There were more monsters than he had expected.

It had only been a day since he’d returned to Earth, but they were already multiplying at such an alarming rate.

It was several times faster than when the rift to the Eclipse opened in Revenheim.

“Why…?”

Bastille’s curiosity was soon answered.

He found himself standing before a certain place, staring blankly.

Shattered concrete and rebar, protruding like bones, decorated the wall like some grotesque mural.

Between the torn flesh-like walls, wires that resembled blood vessels crackled with sparks. If life weren’t limited to organic matter, the scene before him looked like the infected body of a living organism that had suffered a puncture wound.

Wedged between the collapsed walls, like a rusted nail, was a subway train. And it carried countless hosts.

Bastille turned to look behind him.

The source of life that the Placenta had drawn into the cocoons—it was none other than the people who had been on that subway.

Leonhart’s voice came from behind.

“When you think about it, Earth’s population density is several times that of Revenheim’s. There are plenty of hidden passages connecting one area to another… And for those creatures that despise light, the subway and sewer systems would be the ideal habitats.”

Bastille slowly nodded.

“In Revenheim, not a single mine was spared from being overtaken by them.”

“At this rate, Earth could be destroyed in less than three days. Is the heart of the Eclipse in the subway tunnels?”

“No, it’s not.”

Bastille took a step forward, walking past the subway wreckage. A long tunnel stretched out as if it had been scraped open by a giant drill.

It looked like the subway had been magically modified to burrow through the ground like a mole.

After advancing about a hundred meters, the original subway tracks finally came into view.

At the end of the passage connected to the tracks, flashlights flickered wildly. Upon closer inspection, tangled control lines could be seen strung up like spider webs. It seemed like there were still “humans” maintaining control on the other side.

Bastille stopped there and turned to look back at the path they had walked.

Leonhart spoke in a heavy voice.

“This is like…”

“It’s not an invasion. Something possessing the heart of the Eclipse has fled.”

“Returnee.”

At Leonhart’s words, Bastille nodded.

“At this point, if there’s a being capable of making the host with the heart of the Eclipse escape, we have to assume they’re from Revenheim.”

—

On their way back to the building, Bastille smashed one of the precariously standing pillars. The ceiling collapsed, sending a heap of earth down and blocking the passage.

Leonhart didn’t ask further, instead helping Bastille block the path. With their combined superhuman strength, the tunnel quickly became impassable without heavy equipment.

Leonhart spoke to Bastille.

“Looks like the third returnee has no intention of meeting us.”

Bastille didn’t respond immediately. As he organized his thoughts, they descended another floor.

The building, which was fifteen stories above ground, had six floors of underground parking.

All of it had been turned into a dungeon, with countless monsters cocooned in every corner.

Bastille steadily dealt with each monster.

Occasionally, a cocoon would burst, and a creature would spring out. In those moments, Leonhart would move first, smashing the monster’s head clean off.

Although breaking the cocoons barehanded was impossible, dealing with freshly awakened creatures was simple given his physical prowess.

As they stood before the last of the six underground floors, Bastille finally spoke.

“Why did he stop pursuing?”

“*He*? Ah, you mean the returnee?”

Leonhart echoed the question, then quickly came to a realization.

“Ah! Now that you mention it, that is strange. He must’ve quickly realized that what he’s chasing is the heart of the Eclipse. He allowed the subway to transform into a monster and dig tunnels to escape, yet he just let it happen until the place turned into a dungeon?”

“Could he have lacked the power? Or did he have some other intention?”

They arrived at the sixth underground floor.

The scene here was quite different from the upper levels.

A giant red spider was crouched in the center, hosting the heart of the Eclipse.

Leonhart uttered its name.

“Arachne…”

The spider had cleared away inanimate objects like cars and underground facilities as though they were trash, creating a large open space. It watched them with its eight eyes.

Though its hostility was clear, it didn’t attack recklessly. It seemed intelligent enough to gauge their strength.

Leonhart turned to Bastille and spoke.

“It’s grown much more than I expected. Can we handle it?”

Without taking his eyes off Arachne, Bastille slowly responded.

“The dungeon’s growth is unnatural. Abundant resources. A sprawling, undeveloped underground. Can this city really be protected?”

Leonhart agreed with Bastille. No matter how much they calculated, no answer seemed feasible.

Bastille posed another question.

“Even if all of Revenheim were summoned here, would we win this war?”

Leonhart shook his head again.

“I can’t be certain.”

“If that’s the case, then we have no choice but to make them protect it themselves.”

“Them? You mean the Earthlings?”

Bastille nodded and pointed at Arachne.

“We’ll leave the dungeon as it is. We need a space to find and train awakened ones as soldiers.”

Leonhart was visibly startled.

“Are you saying we should manage this dungeon ourselves?”

Bastille looked at him and said.

“Some people will condemn us for letting humans become hosts to monsters and allowing them to be preyed upon. Managing a dungeon for the purpose of utilizing monsters—some might call that a devilish idea. But without humanity’s growth, there’s no way to close the rift of the Eclipse.”

“……”

“I have no desire to lead humanity to extinction by being shackled by petty morals.”

Leonhart, who had been silently listening to Bastille, made up his mind without hesitation as soon as Bastille finished speaking.

“Let’s do it.”

“This isn’t an amusement park attraction. Properly managing it will be impossible. There will definitely be casualties among the surrounding humans.”

“We can control the monster population and keep a constant watch to destroy the heart whenever necessary, can’t we? As for host creatures, we can always buy a bunch of lab rats if we need to.”

Bastille smirked.

“You’re quite mad yourself.”

“I’d rather not hear that from the one who came up with the plan.”

It was a thought inconceivable in the peaceful world of Earth.

But having watched humanity’s downfall from the frontlines in the hellscape of Revenheim, the two made their decision quickly.

Leonhart stretched his shoulders, loosening up his body as he spoke.

“We’ll manage the dungeon and train warriors. Our future tasks are starting to take on a clearer shape.”

“We’ll also need to build the infrastructure to craft magical equipment and train them.”

“That’s what those slave goblins above are for, right?”