Chapter 11: The Black Sentinel's Headquarters
[The Contradiction of the Sepulchre]
The old Dongdaemun Gate building was a contradiction. Designed during the initial Gate incursions fifty years prior, it had been a fortress meant to contain mana spills. It was now structurally unsound, condemned, and sat on prime real estate—a desolate scar in the heart of metropolitan Seoul.
This was the perfect location for The Immortal Sepulchre.
Rudraunsh and Sera arrived late that night. Sera was armed with architectural blueprints and a briefcase full of encrypted contracts. Rudraunsh was armed with the silent, terrifying power of the Immortal Dao.
"The exterior is protected by five separate, interlocking shells of shell corporations," Sera explained, pointing to a sheaf of complex legal documents. "On paper, this land is being held by a consortium specializing in 'Mana Energy Research and Recycling.' No one will look twice."
Rudraunsh surveyed the interior. Dust motes danced in the single beam of moonlight slicing through a broken ceiling pane. The air pulsed with a low, steady thrum of raw, unstable mana leaking from the old, imperfectly sealed Gate in the sub-basement.
"The leak is stable," Rudraunsh observed. "Perfect. I can use the residual Necrotic energy in the air to passively sustain my Steelbone Warriors in the Sepulchre, reducing the burden on my core."
This was the core function of the headquarters: to act as a Necrotic Mana Amplifier and a permanent, high-quality power source for his army.
[The First Task of the Necromancer]
Sera had secured automated drilling equipment and reinforced concrete, but the first task was purely spiritual. They needed to make the location theirs—to imprint the site with the Undying Authority.
Rudraunsh walked to the center of the derelict building. He closed his eyes, extending his internal awareness past his body and into the surrounding structure. He didn't use a spell or a chant; he used pure willpower.
He focused on the internal dimension where his Steelbone Warriors were dormant—the quiet void of his Immortal Sepulchre. He willed that internal concept to extend outward, imposing his dimensional law onto the physical space of the warehouse.
The effect was instantaneous and profound. The low, blue shimmer of the Gate's residual mana leakage snapped violently to indigo, the color of his Catastrophic power. The dust motes stopped dancing. The air became heavy, cold, and infused with the oppressive stillness of his dark authority.
Sera Song, despite her S-Rank Light Potential, shivered violently. Her body, trained to repel darkness, was reacting to the foreign imposition of absolute Necrotic law.
"What are you doing?" she asked, her voice tight.
"I am claiming it," Rudraunsh replied, his eyes still closed. "This place will no longer obey the laws of this city or the System. It will obey the laws of the Immortal Dao."
He channeled the C-Rank Mana Stone he had salvaged from the Canyon Colossus. He didn't absorb it; he anchored it, embedding the massive crystal into the sub-basement floor, connecting it directly to the Gate leak.
The stone is the anchor. The authority is the law.
The entire structure hummed, absorbing the energy. A notification flashed in Rudraunsh's mind—an exclusive message from the universal system that only he could perceive:
> [System Acknowledgment: Immortal Sepulchre]
> Dimensional Anchor Set: C-Rank Mana Core Integrated.
> Local Law Override: 15% (Confirmed)
> Functionality: External Necrotic Mana Amplifier established. Summon sustain cost in this area reduced by 50%.
> Warning: Continuous use will generate a detectable U-Rank Mana Wake in the upper atmosphere.
>
Rudraunsh opened his eyes. The interior of the warehouse looked the same, but it felt different—it felt like the inside of his own mind. He could sense the two Steelbone Warriors resting deeply in the Sepulchre, passively sustaining themselves on the ambient, enriched indigo air.
"It's done," he announced to Sera. "The Sepulchre is ready for construction. Nothing the Stellar Halo sends here will function at full power."
[The Trust of the Light]
Sera, recovering from the intense spiritual pressure, smiled, a genuine, relieved expression that softened the tension in her face.
"A 50% reduction in maintenance cost is massive. That means more frequent usage and longer missions," she calculated instantly. "Now, for the logistics. We need a way to track the Stellar Halo's top assets. They won't send D-Ranks again; they will send a B-Rank task force, likely led by a powerful Paladin."
She pulled out a custom-built, rugged tablet. "I have access to their encrypted scheduling data. I can flag any movement near the U-Rank area. But I need you to understand our next goal is not just defense, but evolution."
"The Steelbone Warriors are D-Rank," Rudraunsh affirmed. "We need a new catalyst for the jump to C-Rank Shadow Legionnaires."
"And that's where I need your help, and your trust," Sera said, her gaze fixed entirely on Rudraunsh. "The Stellar Halo controls the auction houses now, making the Black Market too dangerous. But I have a connection: the Crimson Weaver."
The name sent a small ripple of unease through Rudraunsh. The Crimson Weaver was a notorious information broker and black marketeer, known for trading high-grade, forbidden artifacts. Dealing with him was like playing with fire.
"He deals only in information and highly potent, forbidden materials. He requires payment in kind, not in won," Sera continued. "He specifically asked for a Dark Magic Favor. He wants the death of a specific, high-ranking Stellar Halo asset who stole a relic from him."
Rudraunsh frowned. "I do not kill."
"Exactly," Sera said, confirming his resolve. "Which is why I told him you would do something far more terrifying: Publicly destroy his career and reputation without killing him. That humiliation is far more valuable than death to the Crimson Weaver."
Sera stepped closer, placing her hand on his obsidian-anchored heart. "I am asking you to trust my political game. I will trade your shadow for the catalyst we need. The Crimson Weaver holds an item called The Soul Chain Core—the key to summoning the Shadow Legionnaires."
Rudraunsh felt the heat of her touch and the cold weight of the political chess game. He had rejected the System, but he couldn't reject the game of power.
"I trust you, Sera," Rudraunsh confirmed, a statement that carried more weight than any vow. "Tell me the target of the Crimson Weaver's vengeance. We will show him the terror of a life ruined by the Necrotic Sovereign."
[The New Target]
Sera smiled, the tension breaking completely. She turned the tablet toward him, displaying a profile photo of a man in his mid-forties—sharp-featured, confident, and clad in gleaming white-and-gold armor.
> [Target Profile: Captain Ahn Joonsung]
> Rank: B-Rank Paladin (Elite Combatant)
> Affiliation: Stellar Halo — Internal Security Division.
> Known Asset: Responsible for the illegal seizure of the Crimson Weaver's ancestral Necrotic Talisman (The Soul Chain Core).
>
"Captain Ahn is arrogant, obsessed with the prestige of the Stellar Halo, and morally compromised," Sera stated. "Rudraunsh, this man is your key to the next evolution. Humiliate him, take the relic, and secure the Soul Chain Core. Show the world that the Black Sentinel hunts the Hunters who claim to be pure."
Rudraunsh looked at the Paladin's confident, righteous face. He saw the face of the system that had branded him U-Rank.
"The mission is accepted," Rudraunsh said, retrieving his cloak. "Let the public execution of Captain Ahn's reputation begin."