#169
Kyushu Crisis (1)
A bleak modern city covered entirely in concrete and cement.
Swaaaah— gurgle!
Thunder and lightning flashed loudly between the pouring rain in the dark night sky.
In this bad weather, the streets on the outskirts, where there were usually not many people around, were now so deserted that it felt almost deserted.
In a shabby building located in a sparsely populated area, deprived of the benefits of prosperity.
With the sound of heavy rain continuously hitting the window… Inyeong, who had been immersed in the darkness of the room without any light, quietly looked out the window.
Flash! Boom!
At that moment, a light flashed in the sky and a strange shadow fell over his face for a moment.
A mask with a strange expression that seemed to be smiling, angry, or frowning.
It was a Hahoe mask.
‘It’s raining a lot.’
Hans stared blankly out the window.
Outside, where streetlights illuminated the street brightly even in the wind and rain, unlike inside where he was, a cool raindrop continued to pour down.
As if trying to purify the world.
‘Of course, it would be impossible to purify the world in that way.’
Suddenly, an odd thought occurred to him, and he turned his head away, lightly scoffing inwardly.
Water, like emollients, are of no help in removing the pollution that pollutes the world.
It takes a lot of useless effort, and it doesn’t wash off well, and even if you succeed, it leaves a stain and dirties the water you try to wash it off with.
‘It is fire, not water, that purifies the world.’
That was exactly the answer he had in mind.
A hard-line policy that burns everything that is unclean… that is, overwhelming violence!
Flames, which burn everything reliably and do not tolerate any contamination, are a much more efficient means of purification than water.
Of course, he knew that there were many side effects to that method, but he had no intention of bending his convictions.
Even if I get hurt by the flames.
Because that was the path he chose.
[Kuhehe— That is truly a useless thought.]
Hans, who had been lost in thought for a moment, shook his head and took out a cannon phone from his subspace magic tool.
Woohoo— Woohoo—
At the same time, the device that received all the delayed signals vibrated repeatedly and a messenger window appeared on its screen.
-Hans Slave No. 1: I have achieved some results, so I will report them first.
-Hans Slave No. 1: It is said that the management office has been continuously tracking the Bancheonhoe. It seems that they are having difficulties in investigating as they have now completely stopped their domestic activities.
-Hans Slave #1: So it seems like they’re focusing on digging into previous related incidents. They’re so thorough that it’s not easy, but it’s not like there’s no gain at all.
-Hans Slave No. 1:
-Hans Slave No. 1: I think this is all the useful information for now. I will contact you again when I receive additional information.
The informant he had planted in the Ability Management Bureau, ‘Hans Slave No. 1’… no, the black magician Ahn Sung-jin was faithfully gathering information as instructed.
Surprisingly competent.
‘There’s already this much information. It’s more useful than I thought.’
Although it was hard to tell because he was unable to rebel against Hans and just helplessly surrendered to him, he was one of the top talents in the country when it came to black magic.
Of course, if we simply look at skills, there were quite a few people who were more outstanding than him, but it was rare for someone to reach such a high level while maintaining his reasoning completely like Ahn Sung-jin.
He had a track record of helping with investigations as an advisor in all sorts of black magic crimes, and this was also the case with the recent Hahoe mask issue.
In that sense, it was natural to take interest in the Bancheonhoe, which clashed with the Hahoe mask dance.
‘I just thought it was better than nothing, but it turns out it was the best choice.’
I felt like I had to give him something as a gift when I returned from Japan.
Then I will work even harder in the future.
Where else can you find a warm boss who cares about his employees’ welfare as much as this one?
[Huh— Well, now that I’m here, I wonder if I really need information about Korea. But still, the more information there is, the better.]
Hans glanced over the data sent to his smartphone, then hummed softly and put it back into the subspace.
Flash— krrrrr!
At that moment, lightning struck again.
A sudden burst of intense light illuminated the dark room.
It seemed as if there had been a fierce fight, as broken furniture was everywhere.
The inner walls and ceiling were cracked and collapsed, and looked so precarious that it might have been better to just rebuild them.
Even the places were strewn with still-dried blood and pieces of flesh.
And at the center of it all—.
[Ugh.]
[Krrrrr— Krrrrr!]
Crackle crackle—!
Like a scene from a horror movie, dozens of corpses were lined up, writhing in grotesque ways.
They were the people who lived in this building and were part of an organization that used this place as a base and controlled the surrounding area.
···Not now.
[It’s definitely different from Korea. It’s so easy to get a clue after beating up a few big guys. I should’ve done this a long time ago.]
Of course, these guys weren’t the real deal.
Strictly speaking, it is a branch of an organization that cooperates with them, like the hardliners of the Blood Alliance in Korea.
But by investigating the minds of the highest ranking people here, I was able to additionally learn that there are quite a few organizations within Japan that follow this ‘same path’.
‘Actually, I didn’t know it would catch on so quickly. This means that the influence of the Bancheonhoe is wider than in Korea.’
What this meant was that if those organizations were steadily destroyed, the Buncheonhoe would eventually emerge.
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They weren’t the kind of peaceful people who would sit still while their allies were swept away in droves.
[Phehehe— It’s nice that it’s not complicated. Yes, death and destruction are my essence! I wonder who will be the last one standing at the end of this road. Keuhahaha!]
Hans, who threw back his head and burst into laughter at the lightning that struck him again, had a dark shadow etched onto his mask.
A smile full of madness, exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness, following the wrinkles and curves carved into the Hahoe mask.
But that bone-chilling laughter soon stopped like a ghost as the space became engulfed in darkness—.
When light came back into the room that had been silent for a while, there was no one left inside.
The only thing that tells you that something big has happened there is the mess of broken parts and bloodstains everywhere.
***
A man tilted his head in confusion after receiving unexpected information in an office filled with all sorts of fancy decorations.
“···What is this?”
Yulryeongja, the head of the East Asia branch of the Bancheonhoe, frowned as he checked the newly submitted report again from his wheelchair.
Jiying— Jing—
Even though his left prosthetic eye, which looked like something out of a science fiction movie, was busy scanning documents, organizing the information in a clear manner, and projecting it directly onto his brain, he remained still for a long time, staring at the report without loosening his posture, and organizing his thoughts.
“Hahoe mask… headed to Japan?”
After a long time, a soft word came out of his mouth.
It was the latest information on Hahoe-tal, the biggest cause of the headaches he had been suffering from recently.
He stroked his chin as he checked the information again.
‘Even so, I was just about to go to Korea at the doctor’s request.’
Of course, in the current situation, even if we tried to do something, it would be difficult to get things done right away.
However, in order to prepare the board in advance, I was thinking of moving the remnants of the Bancheonhoe who were still quietly hiding and the high-ranking officials who had found a weak point···.
‘You’re telling me now that you suddenly went to Japan?’
The situation there was different from that of Korea, where most of the infrastructure had been blown away.
In Asia, it was the region they had been targeting after China, so they had invested a longer period of time in it, and since it was fundamentally a region with strong influence from the Yakuza and other underworld organizations, it was much more advantageous to increase their influence by parasitizing them.
Naturally, the power of the Bancheonhoe that extended there was incomparable to that in Korea.
‘If it’s like this, there’s no need to target him in Korea.’
Knock knock knock—
The scribe tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.
I know that’s unlikely, but I’m worried that if things continue like this, the forces that have taken root in Japan might end up like Korea.
“I thought you were stuck in Korea. You’re moving around diligently, Hahoe-tal···.”
Although he had stopped his activities in Korea, he continued to collect information about Hahoe masks through his subordinates.
His unique skill, “Mental Projection”, was an ability that he was proud of as being the highest level among mental abilities.
Beyond simply imposing a ban on members, it allows them to convey their thoughts, and even, if they wish, to indirectly experience everything they see and hear.
Isn’t this a skill that is virtually omnipotent?
‘···Of course, that’s why things are like this now.’
Ugh—
The scribe gritted his teeth and slowly stroked the area around his left eye as he suddenly felt extreme pain.
Although he regained his eyesight by getting a prosthetic eye transplant, that was a separate thing from the shock of his soul being torn away.
For quite a long time.
The pain that started in my eyes slowly spread throughout my body and eventually reached my thighs, where sensation had disappeared like a cut section, before finally disappearing.
“Hoo··· Hoo···.”
He let out a ragged breath and wiped away the cold sweat.
Because of this, I have been unable to use my unique skills to their full potential these days, and I have even developed an obsession with always disconnecting and creating a loophole to escape.
It was definitely not a good habit for an Awakened who had nothing but supernatural powers, but if he were to meet someone like Hahoe-tal again in his current state, then his soul would truly be torn to pieces, so there was nothing he could do.
‘Of course, I can’t miss this great opportunity. But just in case, I should prepare more thoroughly.’
He finally made a decision and nodded slowly.
Although I haven’t properly confirmed Hahoe-tal’s power yet, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call him the Demon King of a world.
However, the people with powers on Earth… Among them, the Burning Clan were not weak enough to be defeated by a single Demon King.
‘In the first place, returnees are superhumans who have survived in another world for a long time with special abilities and growth adjustments, and each and every one of them is no different from a weapon of war.’
Of course, because there are so many of them, the ratio of those who are half-baked is also high, but there were also quite a few who returned from the top ranks with achievements that made you wonder if they were fake.
From those who defeated and sealed the fallen Demon King, to those who saved the country by beheading the evil Dragon, to those who returned after causing fatal damage to the other side.
‘We’ll make you regret making fun of us.’
And in fact, the ruler himself was also a dark figure who had contributed greatly to plunging a world into the flames of war with his abilities and schemes.
***
Bang! Taang!
Kwaaang—!
“Shoot! Keep shooting!”
“Crazy! What the hell is this monster!”
A series of loud gunshots rang out, and terrified, harsh curses were shouted here and there.
In addition to modern firearms, various supernatural powers such as fire, lightning, and gravity were also constantly exploding, holding back the enemy.
Only one place.
Gooooo—
Towards the thick darkness that seemed to gather together the abyss and quickly approached them.
But of course, there was no way to prevent something like that with such a lukewarm method.
Eventually, the black fog that had overcome all obstacles finally reached right in front of their noses.
“Damn it! Everybody put your guns down! You’re in my way from now on!”
“Chief Nakagawa! But if you touch that place recklessly, you’ll be like the other guys…!”
“Then come support me from behind, you idiot!”
Chaang! Chaeng!
Eventually, they had no choice but to draw their weapons and swallow dry saliva, raising their spirits in preparation for battle.
“Damn, I thought it was just a rumor···!”
There was a rumor that started spreading through the streets of Fukuoka at night recently.
A mysterious messenger of death who approaches silently in the darkness, destroys organizations, and takes their corpses.
There were already more than a few people who had been affected by ‘it’, but the only thing left at the scene was traces of fierce resistance, so the only clues about it were uncertain testimonies.
If it weren’t for the survivors who were captured and released within the organization that was hit, it would have remained a mystery until the end.
Saaaa—
At that moment, the black fog that had come within their reach slowly began to clear away, revealing something in the shape of a human being within it.
A pitch-black robe that seemed to melt into the surrounding darkness, a hood covering the head, and···.
A strange mask that stands out among the pitch-black appearance thanks to a pair of eyes that burn like will-o’-the-wisps.
“Is it an Oni (鬼)?”
[It’s a Hahoe mask. You foolish human.]
To the words someone muttered in a trembling voice, the being that seemed to embody fear responded kindly.
[Well, it would be meaningless to tell you now anyway.]
How is this any different from talking to a corpse?
It didn’t take long for Hahoe-tal and Hans to turn Fukuoka City in Kyushu upside down.
Of course, the real purification was just beginning.
Because now it was just a city.
