Chapter 888 – #194_Typhoon
#882
1.
The first incident.
The worst disaster.
An unprecedented event.
The above statements share a common characteristic.
No one can predict how the events will unfold.
Humans always prepare countermeasures based on ‘what happened last time’ when they anticipate the worst.
Witches were not much different.
Therefore, even Witch Point, which had contributed to Homunculus subjugation and accumulated data for 100 years since its establishment, and even Eloa, who had more practical experience than any other witch by working on the front lines, could not foresee this sudden crisis.
“Is that really true?”
That is, the king of the monsters, who had not been around for long, would lead his group across the Pacific Ocean and approach the outpost on Sakhalin Island near the East Asian continent in less than two weeks.
Just a little further down is Hokkaido, where Eloa resides, and a little further from there is the East Sea.
[According to the circumstances recorded by the observation equipment, it seems that they entered the Sea of Okhotsk immediately after their last appearance in the Hawaiian Islands.]
“I understand. Please summon the branch managers of each Witch Point.”
[I will try. But I don’t know if the branch managers or witches will actively participate….]
“Please do it as soon as possible. Promise them the restoration of their citizenship and compensation in my name.”
[Yes.]
Eloa hung up the receiver roughly and headed to the observation room.
An emergency response headquarters was set up in the observation room to deal with the abnormal activity of the Homunculi.
It was to link information with each branch of Witch Point and major international organizations, and to take immediate action in case of an emergency.
Phones were ringing and shouts were echoing everywhere.
High-ranking officials of each country, who had grasped the danger of the legion based on the cases in South America, were making the emergency response headquarters’ hotline even hotter.
Korea, Japan, India, the Philippines, Mongolia, and even China and Russia, which did not have much contact with the witches of Gehenna.
Countries near the Sea of Okhotsk pledged maximum cooperation to prevent the landing of the Homunculi and sought to establish a cooperative system.
Most of the people shouting with veins popping out of their necks were employees from the counterintelligence agencies of those countries.
In other words, ordinary humans.
In contrast, the atmosphere of the witches sitting here and there was quite different.
They were doing their jobs, such as using familiars for reconnaissance to update the legion’s location in real time, or communicating remotely with witches in other areas, but some of their gazes were clearly calculating.
It was an atmosphere that suggested they would save themselves if necessary.
There was no intention to blame them.
It was a blessing that they were holding out right in front of the battlefield for the sake of humans in this crisis.
“Branch Manager Lucien.”
“Duchess Tiferet…!”
Eloa sought out Lucien, the Hokkaido branch manager, who was sweating profusely due to the disaster that had befallen her less than half a year into her appointment.
She was trying to remain calm, but she seemed inexperienced to overcome the pressure from the unprecedented situation.
She ran to Eloa with a look of collapse as soon as she saw her.
“Calm down. There are many eyes watching.”
“I, I… I don’t know what to do…”
“Get a grip!”
“I, I’m sorry!”
Lucien was showing a reaction close to panic.
Eloa clapped her hands in front of her to get her attention.
“Have you received cooperation from Sakhalin? Have them issue warnings to commercial vessels. Also, quickly check the air routes passing through the Sea of Okhotsk and take measures to divert them.”
“And then… what should I do…”
“Have you contacted the branch manager of Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk?”
The Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk branch was a branch on Sakhalin Island, which had the Sea of Okhotsk as its front yard. Like the Hokkaido branch, it was newly established to prevent Hexennacht from seizing the current world.
It was also the closest branch to the legion at this point.
“I have. They said they are watching the situation while retreating from the front lines as much as possible…”
“Direct clashes?”
“Not yet.”
“You made an excellent decision. What is the expected route?”
“Currently, the route is set to the southwest. It seems they will enter the East Sea, pass through Korea, Shanghai, and Hong Kong, and head towards the South China Sea.”
“I understand. Don’t act rashly and maintain your dignity. If you waver, others will waver as well.”
“Yes…!”
No matter what anyone said, the commander of this emergency subjugation headquarters was Eloa Tiferet.
There was no one among all the witches gathered here who had as much practical experience as Eloa.
Ah, there was one person.
“Rinne.”
“……”
Rinne, leaning against the wall in a black kimono, was as indifferent as ever.
She was apathetic, as if this commotion had nothing to do with her.
“Have you not heard from Dorothy?”
“Not yet.”
“Even if she went back, it’s been quite a while… Have you tried to contact her?”
“I have. But she doesn’t answer.”
With the appearance of the legion and the stag presumed to be the king of the monsters in the Sea of Okhotsk, the operation to gather information was out of the question.
It meant that there was no need for Dorothy to risk staying in South America.
But to think that she would suddenly cut off contact at a time like this…
“She must have run away. She’s always been a sly woman.”
“There must be a reason.”
“What should I do?”
“Not right now. It’s a piece of advice out of concern, but refrain from acting alone.”
There were dozens of named legions and a king who commanded them.
Even with a tight estimate, about twenty great witches would be needed to minimize the damage.
It was an unexpected and sudden event, but things did not always go so desperately.
Unlike the time of the Red Knight, the current Witch Point was encouraging in that it could use a considerable number of witches as its power.
This was because the exiles who had not been absorbed into Hexennacht had gathered around Witch Point to ensure their safety.
The fact that the number of exiles seeking opportunities increased as Gehenna began its exile amnesty program also played a part.
If they achieved decent results at Witch Point, it would be advantageous in the review process.
But even so, the scale of the enemy was too large.
Even if all the witches belonging to the Hokkaido branch and the Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk branch were combined, there were only about thirty.
Among them, there were only four who were great witches or higher, including Eloa and Rinne.
Subjugation was nearly impossible without active support from Gehenna or other Witch Points.
And as history has proven, witches do not easily unite if it is just a human crisis.
The fact that there was no definite answer yet, even though it had been two hours since the cooperation document was sent to Gehenna, was proof of that.
They were recruiting witches from Witch Point with the bait of exile amnesty and a bounty from the emergency budget, but time was running out.
A choice was forced.
Should they leave the legion to land until sufficient forces were gathered, accepting human sacrifices, and then confront them in a more prepared state?
Or should they try to stop them in the East Sea with the currently gathered witches and wait for additional support?
In the former case, many humans would inevitably be sacrificed.
In particular, the first predicted landing point of the legion was Korea.
The abnormal structure of 20% of the land and more than half of the population concentrated in it would inevitably cause great damage.
“Report! The legion is quickly passing through southern Sakhalin Island and entering the East Sea. They are heading south!”
The situation was deteriorating much faster than expected, and Eloa bit her lip.
2.
The second week of the jam-packed power-up event.
In the morning, she went to see the soul witch Gretel to learn how to handle the ‘door’ inside her body, and from around noon, she received training in the Great Monster Battle from Teacher Sua.
She had high expectations because it was her teacher’s strong recommendation, but Teacher Sua’s teachings were beyond her expectations.
Whether it was because of her accumulated know-how, or because she was looking at things from the same point of view, it was easy to understand.
Of course, it wasn’t that her teacher’s teachings were bad.
But there was a clear difference between her teacher, who would easily do anything and then say, ‘Would you like to try it?’, and Teacher Sua, who would provide detailed coaching and theory, saying, ‘I understand what difficulties you are experiencing. Would you like to try it this way?’
Her growth, which had been stagnant, was felt day by day, so there was no need to say more.
Among them, there was also this.
“It’s definitely easier to create skill names.”
“That’s right. It may seem frivolous at first glance, but it’s important. Magic is about realizing the scenery of the mind. Naming skills is part of standardization, systematization, and strengthening the mind.”
So far, Siwoo had been combining and using magic roughly, according to her feelings and as her hands went.
That allowed for flexible use, but it lacked a systematic feel.
Teacher Sua helped to organize Siwoo’s magic, which was close to an improvisation.
It was a bonus that she gave wonderful and cool names to each skill instead of Siwoo, whose naming sense was close to the worst.
“You worked hard today as well.”
“Thank you for your many teachings.”
They exchanged friendly greetings and disbanded.
She was patting herself on the back for having a rewarding day and was about to spend some hot and steamy time with Sharon for the first time in a while.
She had lightly washed her body and was sleeping while hugging Sharon’s naked body, which was softer than any cushion.
-Knock knock knock
She woke up to the urgent knocking.
“Umm… what is it?”
“I don’t know, who is it?”
Sharon, who was clinging to her side, also rubbed her sleepy eyes and got up, still drowsy from the night’s exercise.
The clock on the table showed 4 a.m.
It was too early for a guest to come suddenly.
Sharon and Siwoo, who were wearing only underwear and gowns, came out to the living room.
“Siwoo-gong.”
Sharon’s eyes, which had been sparkling, turned opaque and became very scary as she heard Teacher Sua’s voice from beyond the door.
It seemed she had a strange misunderstanding when she saw Teacher Sua, who had come to Siwoo’s room separately in the middle of the night.
She couldn’t even feel wronged because she had quite a few previous offenses.
“No, I don’t know why she came.”
She hurriedly explained and opened the door first.
“I’m sorry for coming at this early hour…!”
Teacher Sua, who was about to spill out the main point as soon as she opened the door, froze.
Her eyes, which had become as round as the full moon, looked back and forth between Siwoo and Sharon in their gowns.
She was aware of Siwoo’s womanizing ways, but it seemed that she had never considered the possibility that ‘another lover might be with her’ if she came without notice at any time.
“I, that…”
Everyone reacts differently when they feel embarrassed.
In Teacher Sua’s case, her ears turned as red as if they had been burned.
“I’m sorry. I should have put on some clothes.”
“No, it’s the fault of this girl who came so suddenly…”
The situation seemed urgent, so she opened the door, but.
If she had known this would happen, she would have dressed up a little more.
It was a slightly awkward atmosphere.
But Teacher Sua quickly regained her composure and revealed the main point.
“The current world is in danger.”
And the content was so heavy and serious that it easily made them forget about the fresh episode.
