## Chapter 1938 – 1938. Dark Moon
The Haist Empire.
The world’s only empire.
There were three reasons why the Haist Empire was called an empire: its vast land, its large population, and its military power that surpassed other nations.
However, as the saying goes, no nation lasts forever. The Haist Empire was now faltering.
The cause was the Kaiser’s old age and the absence of an heir. There was originally a crown prince, but he died trying to reach the 7th level, the realm of the superhuman. After that, the position of heir was vacant, but for some reason, the Kaiser did not declare an heir.
Another reason was the problem of the resistance and rebels within the empire. There were many rebels, especially in the western borderlands of the empire. This was because there were many minority tribes in the west who were dissatisfied with the empire. Now, if someone was from a minority tribe, they were immediately suspected of being a rebel.
In a small village in the west of the empire.
The village, which had been full of life just a few years ago, was now filled with a gloomy atmosphere. Jackson, a young man from the village, carefully walked down the village street, pulling his coat tighter.
The village was now ruled by a bandit gang. The public officials were also in on it. Taxes had skyrocketed, and if you happened to run into those guys, they would extort money under the guise of a toll. If you had to go outside, you had to be as careful as possible.
‘When are the imperial troops going to come?’
Jackson gritted his teeth. It had already been three months since the bandit gang, who claimed to be the resistance, had arrived. The internet and phone lines were cut. There was no way to contact the outside world. It was also difficult to go outside because the bandits were guarding the perimeter of the village.
‘I wonder if Uncle Nick, who escaped from the village about a month ago, arrived safely in the city…?’
The chances were slim.
It had been a month, and the imperial troops still hadn’t come. He could have been attacked by a monster on the road, or he could have encountered another bandit gang. In the worst case, he could have been dragged away by a gang that was known for massacres and forced into slavery.
‘…How did the west become like this?’
He muttered in a sigh. Of course, he knew the reason.
Rebellion.
The 9th Corps, which had controlled the west, had rebelled and failed. The problem was that it was a half-baked failure. The empire did not have the resources to deal with the west. There were signs of a monster wave in the east. There were signs of a small-scale war on the southern front. The north was suffering from unusual weather. The Kaiser’s children were engaged in a fierce power struggle for the position of crown prince. Now, all sorts of problems were erupting in the empire as if they had been waiting for it.
Jackson’s feet stopped abruptly as he was heading to the grocery store. He turned his head and was startled to find a woman lying in an alleyway.
“L, Lona?!”
It was Lona, his childhood friend. Jackson grabbed Lona’s body. It was cold. There was no warmth. Her clothes were torn, and there was a white liquid and blood flowing from her lower body. The back of her head was caved in. She had been murdered.
‘T, these bandit bastards!’
Jackson was filled with rage. His childhood friend, whom he had talked to just yesterday, was now a cold corpse in an alleyway. He was trembling with uncontrollable anger when it happened.
“Hey, who’s this? It’s Jackson.”
A man appeared from the alleyway.
It was a man with a sword and a gun at his waist. A member of the bandit gang that currently controlled the village. The moment Jackson saw him, he felt his anger disappear like dust and fear take its place.
“N, Norman…”
“Oh, perfect timing. Give me some money for drinks. It just so happens that the guy who sells alcohol is the boss’s brother, so I can’t just take it… Tsk. You clean up that woman. She’s your friend. She put up a bit of a fight, but I didn’t think she’d die like that… Tsk.”
The bandit approached and held out his hand. Jackson reflexively rummaged through his pockets, then stopped. A small knife that he had taken just in case caught his hand.
Could he kill him if he attacked now? It was the moment he hesitated, feeling murderous intent.
Thwack!
Norman’s foot kicked Jackson in the abdomen. The wallet and knife in his pocket fell out and rolled on the ground.
“A knife? This bastard is trying to kill me?”
Norman, his face twisted into a hideous expression, pulled out a sword from his waist. A sword that was incomparably longer and sharper than Jackson’s knife.
“A slave dares to rebel?”
“Y, you’re the rebels!!”
“This bastard! The boss said it last time! We’re not rebels, we’re saviors! Saviors who are resisting this damn empire and saving the citizens who are being ruled by the empire!”
“Shut your bullshit! You’re just rebels! Cowardly rebels who are holed up here without any intention of fighting the imperial army!”
“You want to die that badly? Fine, I’ll kill you as you wish!”
Norman raised his sword high and swung it. But the sword stopped mid-swing. As if it were caught by an invisible force.
“He’s right. As you said, these guys are just cowardly rebels.”
A man’s voice was heard from the entrance of the village. Jackson looked at the tip of the sword that was stopped in mid-air and turned his head back.
There was an imperial soldier wearing a white mask. His face was covered, and there was nothing on his shoulders where the affiliation mark should have been, but he was an imperial soldier wearing an imperial army cap and uniform. There were over 20 imperial soldiers in total, and all of them were standing at attention.
Step, step.
In front of them, a man who seemed to be their leader, wearing black gloves, waved his hand. Norman, who had been caught by telekinesis, flew sideways and crashed to the ground. The soldiers moved and put handcuffs on Norman’s wrists.
“Imperial soldiers?! Do you think we’ll just stand by after this?! This is our territory! Are the Kaiser’s dogs going to mess with us?!”
“You’re noisy. Silence him.”
He ordered. The soldiers all pulled out clubs from their waists. And they mercilessly beat Norman.
Thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack, thwack! They just kept hitting him without saying a word. Norman shut his mouth and curled up on the ground as much as possible.
Norman, who had been subdued like that, was dragged by one of the soldiers and loaded onto a truck at the entrance of the village. Jackson saw Norman being dragged away, covered in blood, like a pig being dragged to the slaughterhouse. Of course, he didn’t feel sorry for him at all.
Jackson, who had been standing there blankly, suddenly came to his senses and got up from his seat to thank the soldier who had saved him.
“T, thank you.”
“Forget the thanks. Where is their hideout?”
“It’s the biggest building in the center over there. The bandits have occupied the village hall, and the bandit boss lives there. But… what is your affiliation…?”
“It’s classified.”
“Ah, okay…”
The man walked forward. The soldiers followed him. Step, step, step. The soldiers’ momentum as they marched in step without a sound was sharp yet restrained. Jackson swallowed hard and followed them as if he were possessed.
The villagers, who had been cooped up at home, also came outside. They, like Jackson, followed the imperial soldiers. Their eyes were sparkling with anticipation.
The man who was walking towards the center stopped abruptly. The soldiers’ feet also stopped naturally. The man gestured with his chin towards the two-story building. Six soldiers entered the building. In less than a minute, three men who had been in the house were dragged out.
“We’re not bandits!”
“That’s a lie! Those guys are bandits!”
“You’re the bandit!”
The leader of the soldiers looked at Jackson. Jackson immediately realized what that look meant and pointed to two men who were pretending to be villagers.
“Those two are bandits! They’re the rebel bastards who have been insulting His Majesty!”
“I see. How dare you lie in front of me. Since you’re so impudent, pull out their tongues and eyes.”
The soldiers moved immediately. As if they had done this more than once or twice, they pulled out the bandits’ tongues and eyes. It was a precise and merciless hand. Jackson felt fear towards the soldiers, but also a thrill.
The screams of the bandit bastards who had been tormenting them were quite sweet.
The soldiers continued to move forward.
In front of the central building, the bandit gang was gathered and staging a sit-in. They had created a barricade with cars and were aiming rifles at the soldiers.
The bandit leader with a brown beard shouted at the soldiers.
“Stop! This is your only warning! If you come any closer, we’ll shoot!”
The man ignored him and walked forward.
“Shoot!!”
The bandits pulled the trigger. Jackson trusted the soldier. A soldier who used superpowers. There was no way an imperial army officer would be hurt by mere bullets. In fact, the bullets did not penetrate.
‘A barrier?’
A large barrier surrounded all the soldiers and deflected the bullets. The bullets didn’t penetrate at all.
‘He wasn’t a psychic, he was a mage!’
Psychics were rare, but battle mages were even rarer.
“Stop! There are hostages here! Can’t you see the hostages?!”
The bandit leader brought a woman forward and pointed a gun at her head. A naked woman. Her body was covered with signs of rape.
“You’re being a nuisance.”
The mage muttered. Immediately after, all the bandits stopped. They were caught by telekinesis. The hostages, including the woman, were pushed back, and the captured bandits floated into the air. The mage flicked his hand down.
Thud! The bandits crashed to the ground.
“Shit…!”
Some were unconscious, and some were writhing and trying to get up. The bandit leader was the latter.
“Judging by the way you’re acting, you’re at least a 5th-level mage! Why is a guy like you in this backwater?”
“I came to catch rebels.”
“Why is a guy like you doing that!! Wearing a weird mask! And hiding your affiliation? Are you even a real imperial soldier?!”
“What if I said no? Do you think the imperial army would protect rebels?”
“We’re not rebels! We’re saviors!!”
“Ha.”
The mage just laughed.
The bandit leader drew strength from his body. His skin turned red, and his muscles bulged.
“A secret technique from a minority tribe. A technique that temporarily inflates the body. A useless technique that drains your stamina after using it.”
“Useless? It’s a technique that will kill you!”
The bandit leader ran towards the mage. The mage used telekinesis. The bandit leader’s legs stopped for a moment. But he charged again with a fierce momentum.
Bang!
The bandit leader’s fist pounded on the barrier. The barrier began to crack. The mage didn’t even blink and used magic.
Wham, wham, wham!
A streak of blue lightning struck the bandit leader.
[Lightning Strike]
“This puny lightning…!”
The bandit leader endured it. Ignoring the smoke and pain rising from his body, he took a step towards the mage.
Bang!
Without warning, a second lightning bolt struck. The bandit leader’s eyes were about to roll back, but he barely managed to get them back in place.
Bang!
A third lightning bolt.
The bandit leader couldn’t withstand it and collapsed. The mage turned his body. The soldiers captured the remaining bandits who had lost their momentum. The soldiers were merciless. If the bandits resisted, they would pull out their clubs and beat them mercilessly.
“Ugh…”
The bandit leader writhed.
The mage approached the bandit leader and stomped on his head, then ordered the soldiers.
“There are public officials who have joined hands with the rebels. Catch them all without exception. The rebels’ families as well.”
After ordering the soldiers, the mage stood still and looked at the sky. Then, he kicked the bandit leader, who was writhing, with his hard military boot.
In this way, all the rebels were captured in the center of the village.
“How many are there in total?”
“There are 74 rebels, and including their families, there are 167 in total.”
“Lucky. We got a good haul. Load them all onto the truck.”
“Um… there’s not enough space in the truck. We’ll need to call for an additional truck.”
“No. It’ll take too long. Cram them in somehow. If there’s no room, have them hang onto the truck. Or cut off their limbs and put them in.”
“How about executing some of them here?”
“Rebels have their uses.”
The soldiers loaded the rebels and their families onto the truck and left. The villagers then cheered. The villagers, including Jackson, were more afraid of the soldiers than the bandit leader, so they couldn’t even express their gratitude.
