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Chapter 393: The Big Hand (3)
KWOAAAAAH!
As soon as Mara's Wreath fired a laser as if it had been waiting for the moment, every being in the venue’s lobby snapped their heads up.
— Huh?!
— W-What the hell?!
Who in their right mind would dare to interfere with the descent of a Level-3 being?
More than just being blasphemous, this was an extremely rare spectacle—something one might not witness even twice in a lifetime.
After all, when else would one get to see a Level-3 being ambushed?
So, everyone in the room, especially those from outer space, focused with all their might, eyes wide open.
— ...Ah!
— My god.
At last, the laser reached Dogo’s warship, and in the next moment, a dazzling light erupted, overwhelming their vision.
FWOOOOOSH!
The guests, who had been lying low with their heads raised, were forced to bury their faces back into the ground.
Even Yeongwoo, who had been standing and looking up at the sky, wasn’t spared.
‘Ugh! I should’ve brought sunglasses.’
Unable to withstand the sheer intensity of the light, he clenched his eyes shut.
However, being a Level-4 existence, Lemu seemed to be able to see through the radiance and spoke in a voice clear enough for Yeongwoo to hear.
◇ Impressive.
What exactly was so impressive?
Just as Yeongwoo was about to ask, the overwhelming light that had filled the area suddenly vanished.
FLASH!
“……!”
Yeongwoo quickly raised his head and saw Dogo’s warship descending in altitude, completely enveloped by a hexagonal barrier.
Naturally, the warship’s body was utterly unscathed.
◇ The chairman's specialty is placing stolen resources in their optimal locations. You should learn from him—there's not much else worth learning from him, after all.
Lemu suddenly started using honorifics when referring to Chairman Dogo.
He was well aware that he had entered the chairman’s attack range.
“You’re saying that shield is made of stolen resources? Then whose technology was that originally?”
Instead of answering, Lemu simply rubbed his thumb and index finger together, making the rings on his fingers rotate once.
Seeing this, Yeongwoo nodded silently.
‘Of course. It must be from the Machine Tower.’
Had he not witnessed it before?
The chairman had once beaten Lemu to death and confiscated both his warship and body.
There was no way that had been the only time.
Clearly, Lemu had been stripped of numerous assets and technologies by the chairman over time.
“…Why does our chairman hate the president so much? Is it really just because he’s a machine?”
Yeongwoo couldn't quite understand and asked again.
For the first time, Lemu looked at him with an expression resembling that of a human.
◇ Hate, you say…? How could I possibly evoke hatred from the chairman? I am an object of contempt."\
“Contempt?”
◇ The chairman is a truly exceptional warrior. He reveres martial prowess to the point of foolishness, and as such, he sees death—the ultimate expression of battle—as something sacred.
Was that a compliment or an insult?
Either way, given what Yeongwoo had seen and heard so far, he could roughly grasp the meaning.
“Ah. But since the president is a machine and cannot truly experience death, the chairman doesn’t see him as a worthy opponent for battle?”
◇ Indeed… You will surpass the chairman as a businessman one day.
Yeongwoo had guessed correctly.
And as a reward, he caught a fleeting glimpse of Lemu smiling.
◇ The chairman has arrived. Go and do what you must.
Lemu pointed toward the open area ahead.
There, the chairman’s warship had descended closer to the ground and was now dropping its anchor.
CHAAAARRRK—THUD!
The massive steel anchor slammed into the ground, sending a tremendous shockwave rippling through the venue’s lobby, making even Lemu’s cable mantle billow wildly.
‘Ah, now that I think about it, the chairman’s warship never actually touches the ground.’
Having never seen so many alien warships at once, Yeongwoo only now realized this detail.
Among all the guest ships, only the chairman’s remained hovering, never making direct contact with the earth.
The only thing that ever touched the planet was that signature steel anchor.
That massive gravestone of a ship had never once actually landed.
KWOOM!
Then, the lower section of the warship opened, and from within emerged the Destroyer King, Dogo.
— YEONGWOO!
A thunderous voice called out to him.
Hearing it, Yeongwoo dashed away from Lemu toward the chairman’s ship, raising his ceremonial dagger high as he shouted:
“CHAIRMANNN! It is my utmost honor to have you at this humble ceremony! 「DOGOOOOOOOO」!”
At that moment, the Dogo emblem shone brightly on the upper right arm of Yeongwoo’s Vesedel Armor.
Frankly, it was hard to find anything Yeongwoo had achieved or possessed that wasn’t influenced by Dogo.
No matter how much Lemu tried to buy favor with an extravagant wedding gift, it could never compare to the blessings Yeongwoo had received from Chairman Dogo.
“Chairman…!”
Brimming with emotion, Yeongwoo ran toward the warship, stopping near its hovering base.
Dogo, descending through the air, lowered himself to about three meters above the ground.
Then, he turned his gaze toward Lemu’s parked warship, and beyond it, to Lemu himself, who was standing stiffly.
— So the wretched thing arrived in a hurry, I see.
Yet, wasn’t it Dogo himself who had arrived much earlier than the scheduled ceremony time?
Of course, Yeongwoo remained silent.
Meanwhile, Jiseon came running in a hurry from behind, prostrating herself at Dogo’s feet.
— Chairman! It is an indescribable honor to meet you again!
Observing the reactions of the other extraterrestrial guests, Jiseon quickly realized that Chairman Dogo’s status was far greater than she had initially imagined.
And finally, Jeonggu arrived, drenched in sweat, dropping to his knees beside his bride-to-be.
“C-Chairman…!”
Dogo nodded in acknowledgment before turning back to Lemu and muttering in a low voice.
— Under normal circumstances, that thing would have been removed from my sight. However, as today is your ceremony, I shall not draw my blade.
Which meant that if Chairman Dogo were to contribute the highest wedding gift, Lemu would undoubtedly be exiled.
"The president better put in some real effort. But with 1.6 billion, third place should be guaranteed at least."
Then, Dogo lifted his helmeted head and gazed at the sky.
“……!”
Dogo looking up at the sky…
It was such a rare sight that Yeongwoo’s eyes widened in surprise.
And then, Chairman Dogo uttered a most ominous statement.
—How many human guests are there?
"I'm not sure exactly... but it seems to be dozens."
Dogo then turned his gaze toward the wedding hall and spoke.
—Order the Hammers to prepare human-only seating and reinforce their stability. If Mara brings even a fraction of its true form, all the humans will perish.
Human-only seating and stability reinforcement.
These were unfamiliar terms, but Yeongwoo could somewhat infer their meaning.
Given that humans would perish the moment Mara’s true form appeared here, "stability" likely referred to the ability to withstand its overwhelming presence.
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Wasn't it the same when Yeongwoo first met Dogo's shareholders?
Even the nearby security personnel had struggled to breathe.
‘So basically… he’s telling us to quickly arrange human guest seating with reinforced stability, right?’
After all, no one knew when or how Mara might appear.
And there were already quite a number of human guests present here.
Even now, guests from Earth were emerging from the distant passageway.
"Chairman, is Mara’s presence truly that overwhelming? In the end, isn't it of the same universal rank as you?"
Yeongwoo asked, unable to believe it.
In truth, it was also a question meant to gauge whether the chairman or Mara was the "stronger Level 3."
But his opponent was, after all, the chairman of an intergalactic corporation.
—Mara is arrogant and does not conceal its presence. It’s no different from me not wearing my helmet.
Dogo subtly hinted that if he, too, discarded his helmet, mere humans would die simply from his presence.
‘Wait, what? The chairman’s helmet is some kind of seal? Does it shoot lasers from his eyes or something?’
Regardless, one thing was clear: unlike the chairman, who restrained himself, Mara would cause a catastrophe if it arrived at the venue as it was.
Yeongwoo glanced toward the ceremonial reception area and saw Kobu still lying flat on the ground. Then he spoke to the chairman.
"Let's head to the wedding hall first. We've prepared a ceremonial table for you!"
—I already know. Your intentions are obvious.
With that, Dogo curled his right hand into a fist.
Crunch.
At that moment, the long stretch of Lemu’s circuit tiles leading to the wedding hall shattered in sequence.
Only after that did Dogo begin to move.
Swoosh…
He leisurely flew over the shattered Lemu tiles.
□ ……
Of course, the Level 4 machine Lemu, who had dared to oppose a Level 3 being, remained utterly unfazed as it watched Chairman Dogo approach.
And finally—
Flash!
The moment Chairman Dogo entered the lobby, Lemu slowly stepped back for the first time.
□ Chairman, we meet again.
—We’ve been seeing each other quite often lately.
It was as if invisible blades were clashing between the two beings.
Meanwhile, everyone else in the room remained utterly silent, pressing their heads against the floor.
The only one presumptuous enough to still stand on two feet was Yeongwoo.
‘Wait? When did…?’
Only now did he realize that Jiseon and Jeonggu, who had followed him to the lobby, were also bowing with their heads pressed to the floor.
—Yeongwoo.
When Dogo, having reached the ceremonial table, called Yeongwoo’s name, Kobu scurried behind the table, seemingly ready to receive the chairman’s gift.
"Yes, Chairman."
—How much do you want? Name your desired gift.
‘There he goes, showing off again.’
Yeongwoo sighed inwardly.
Of course, considering the occasion, the chairman must have come with a thick wallet.
But Yeongwoo knew very well that Dogo’s cash flow couldn't compare to Lemu’s.
Besides, once they passed through here and entered the main venue, the second ceremonial table would be waiting with even bigger spenders.
‘And after this, he still has to face Mara… Is he really confident?’
With that thought, Yeongwoo cautiously spoke.
"To me, the strongest in the universe is none other than you, Chairman… so if you could be the best guest at this wedding as well, I would have no greater wish."
As Yeongwoo bowed his head and gestured toward the ceremonial table with both hands, Kobu, right on cue, straightened up from behind it.
—It is an honor to meet you, Chairman! I am a nameless servant who serves the Abyssal Lord, Kwaya!
At this moment, Kobu refrained from using the name Yeongwoo had given him.
To Yeongwoo’s surprise, the chairman acknowledged Kobu.
—I have heard of the Hammers' reputation. Wasn’t Buata’s Grand Citadel your work?
—Y-Yes, that is correct.
Kobu shrank back excessively.
The reason soon became clear.
—Impressive craftsmanship. This is what I received while escaping from Buata.
Thunk.
The chairman tapped his left shoulder armor with a finger.
A deep gouge, as if from an axe blade, marred the surface.
—I-I apologize.
Though Yeongwoo didn’t know exactly what Buata’s Grand Citadel was, it had managed to leave a scar on Chairman Dogo’s armor.
—It was a fascinating experience. You are worthy of receiving my signature. Present it.
Sssshhh!
Dogo drew his longsword from his waist.
Kobu trembled violently but raised a steel signing plate with both hands.
—Chairman! I am ready!
Kobu shouted with a courage that seemed more suited to facing execution than receiving a signature.
Chairman Dogo briefly turned his head to glance at the ceremonial gift ranking projected onto the main hall.
Then—
Slash!
Without a moment's hesitation, he swung his sword, leaving a massive slash mark across the signing plate.
Sizzle!
As the chairman’s blade cut through steel, pure white flames scattered in the air.
And then, a never-before-seen inscription appeared on the ranking board.
<The King of Destruction, Dogo> has claimed the top spot on the ceremonial gift ranking!
‘…What?’
Immediately after, the rankings updated without listing any smaller amounts.
Flash!
[1st] Dogo – 「3 billion」
[2nd] Lemu, Lightning Rod – 「1.6 billion」
[3rd] Kwaya’s Hammer – Undisclosed
[4th] Cheok – 90 million
[5th] Osaek Credit – 50 million
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