Chapter 2384 – 2384. Modern Magic War
I killed Bright, the leader of Luminous. The transparent cameras that had been filming me also seemed to have disappeared, I couldn’t feel them anymore.
But the situation wasn’t over yet.
I looked up at the sky.
The next thing I had to deal with was the thunder-filled storm cloud.
Normally, I wouldn’t be able to do anything about those massive bolts of lightning that had begun to resonate out of my control.
‘I have the Zeunryeong now. I made those storm clouds with the Zeunryeong.’
I could control the storm clouds with the Zeunryeong. But it was impossible to control all the lightning the storm clouds had created. Maybe if I were the [Ascension of Light], I could… but my current abilities were the same as in reality.
‘It’s not like I can’t do anything. I haven’t decided on the direction of the Thunder of Heaven yet. I can still choose where it will fall.’
I just wanted to drop it because I was so annoyed… but I couldn’t. I was the protagonist now. If I destroyed the center of Seoul, the happy ending, which was the goal of the quest, would be out of reach.
‘Moving the storm clouds to a less populated area using the Zeunryeong… I don’t have enough time.’
Even if the storm clouds were faster than regular clouds, there was a clear limit.
‘I’ll detonate the lightning inside the clouds.’
I raised my right hand. A streak of blue lightning swirled around my right hand.
Thunder of Heaven Style (雷天流) Ultimate Technique (極技) Exploding Shock Lightning (爆震雷).
I swung my arm towards the storm clouds in the sky. A streak of lightning shot up into the sky instead of the ground and entered the storm clouds.
Kwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwakwang!
Lightning exploded inside the storm clouds. The world shone as brightly as day, and the explosion deafened me.
The lightning in the storm clouds was gunpowder, and the Exploding Shock Lightning was the detonator.
There was nothing left in the sky after the explosion swept through.
‘It worked.’
Honestly, I thought I might fail. But I succeeded.
‘If that had exploded on the ground, it would have been a nuclear bomb… no, maybe not quite a nuclear bomb level.’
I turned around and soon frowned.
‘I’m going through all this trouble, and what are the other Demon Subjugation Units doing that I can’t see even a glimpse of them?’
Just as I was suddenly getting annoyed,
I got a call from Oh Jeon-il.
“What is it?”
“Yes, Captain. We’ve dealt with the Luminous remnants who seized the BK Broadcasting Station.”
“You killed them all, right?”
“I’m from the 8th Unit too. However, the man who seemed to be a Luminous executive didn’t fight and committed suicide. He killed himself as soon as he saw me. It seems he had no intention of living from the start.”
“He was probably the one who filmed the corruption videos of the high-ranking officials in Korea. He knew he’d be screwed if he surrendered.”
The powerful people of Korea would never let him go. They would try to get revenge on him no matter what. Probably something worse than torture. In a way, he made a wise choice.
I glanced at the BK Broadcasting Station and said,
“Withdraw.”
I only found out about the fact that Remegeton had attacked the leaders of the Demon Subjugation Units in various parts of Korea after the situation was over.
• • •
I sat in my office and checked my smartphone.
Since yesterday, Korea had been in chaos. All the citizens had risen up. The cause was, of course, the videos that Luminous had seized from the broadcasting station and exposed.
People were already gathering in Gwanghwamun Square for a rally. Tens of thousands of people had just gathered.
The political scene? It was just a mess.
「Assemblyman Park Sang-ryul! Bitterly Criticizes Assemblyman Baek Hwa-jun of the Same Party for Accepting Sexual Favors!」
「The Ugly Truth of Korean Politicians!」
「Citizen Interview. A Male Civil Servant in His 30s Says, ‘We Can’t Trust the Prosecutors or the Police.’」
「Some Citizens Support Luminous. They Claim that Seong Yu-jin, Who Killed Luminous’ Leader Bright, Should Be Arrested.」
「Chairman of K Corporation, Claims He Knew Nothing About Human Experimentation, Says It Was the Director of the Research Institute Acting Alone.」
「The Harriers. Are They Really Criminals? Maybe They’re Just Playthings of the Powerful!」
「Seong Yu-jin’s Power Is Too Dangerous! The City Almost Got Destroyed. We Need More Reliable Control Measures for Seong Yu-jin and the Other Demon Subjugation Unit Leaders!」
「The Ugliness of Korea Revealed to the World! Plummeting Prestige! Now Is the Time for the People to Act!」
「Remegeton’s Invasion of Korea Has Begun. Citizens Abandoning Korea and Leaving for Foreign Countries.」
「All Countries Around the World Condemn Korean Politicians and Businessmen, Boycott of Korean Companies Spreads Like Wildfire.」
「KOSPI Stock Prices Plummet. The Graph Is Going Down to the Earth’s Core. Experts Warn to Prepare for a Second IMF!」
「Soccer Star Kim, ‘I’m Disappointed in Korea.’ Kim’s Rumors of Returning to German Citizenship Resurface!」
「Rapidly Deteriorating Public Safety. Is Korea Really Okay Like This?」
「Top Actor A, Outraged by the Spread of His Affair Photos.」
I chuckled.
Internet news was more entertaining than watching webtoons or variety shows. Even just refreshing the page brought a flood of interesting news articles. There wasn’t a single positive piece of news. The powerful people released sensational stories about celebrities to cover up their own wrongdoings, but… it was useless. The situation had become too big. The celebrities were just getting the same amount of hate.
If there was a positive news article? It was mostly an article influenced by politicians or businesses. The angry public would witch-hunt and crucify the journalist who wrote such an article.
The media was watching the public’s reaction. There were quite a few people who were hiding the fact that they were mages. If they got really angry, they could become Harriers and commit acts of terrorism. If they didn’t want to die, they had to watch the public’s reaction.
‘For the same reason, the Director of the Order Bureau can’t leave the President’s side right now.’
The citizens were protesting and rising up, and Remegeton had even invaded Korea. He had no choice but to keep the Director by his side, even if he was anxious.
‘That Director bastard. He’s so incompetent. He even let the 2nd Unit leader get away? Why is he listening to the orders of a president who’s going to be impeached soon? Is he an idiot?’
The 2nd Unit leader had killed his own subordinates and ran away when I was fighting Bright. His whereabouts were still unknown. But it wasn’t like I hadn’t done anything. I had known he was a traitor from the start, so I hadn’t just been sitting idly by.
Just then, the office door opened and Oh Jeon-il came in. His expression wasn’t good.
“Captain. The Headquarters Unit has issued a disciplinary order for the entire 8th Unit.”
“The Director? He’s issuing a disciplinary order in this situation? Well, I did fly to Korea from Japan without permission… but if I hadn’t been there, things would have gotten worse, wouldn’t they?”
“It’s not the Director. It seems like it came from higher up.”
“Higher up… the Blue House?”
The Demon Subjugation Units were in a state of emergency right now. Some of the members had confirmed the corruption within the Demon Subjugation Units, and the members who felt disillusioned had resigned and left.
And currently, public safety in Korea had become unstable. The power of the police was limited in this world, so the Demon Subjugation Units had no choice but to step in. For the Demon Subjugation Units, it was the opening of a work hell.
In this situation, a disciplinary order for the 8th Unit?
“It’s a taming attempt. He didn’t like that I ignored the Chief Secretary’s words.”
“Yes. I think so too. I heard that the President was even trying to issue a prison sentence for you, Captain. The Director stopped it.”
“That bastard… he was trying to buy time by offering me as a sacrifice. The public is afraid of me and dislikes me right now.”
“Yes. But it was canceled. The President doesn’t have the power to do that right now. He has to worry about impeachment… no, his life. With the angry public… and Remegeton’s invasion. If I were the President… it would be terrible. I might have lost all my hair from the stress.”
“That bastard doesn’t have any hair to begin with. His nickname is Bald President.”
Bald President. Shortened to Bald President.
“Haha. Isn’t it his own fault? More importantly, Captain. What are we going to do now?”
“Since a disciplinary order has been issued, we have to be disciplined.”
“…Are you really going to be disciplined?”
“Think of it as a vacation. While the other members are working their butts off, we’re taking a sweet break. This is a real vacation. It’s even better since we have a reason. Isn’t it?”
Oh Jeon-il sighed quietly.
“……The 8th Unit’s notoriety will get even worse.”
“Ah, before we go on vacation, let’s film a video. Let’s put on a show.”
“Do you need a professional camera?”
“Just use your smartphone.”
Oh Jeon-il immediately took out his smartphone. The reason why I keep Oh Jeon-il by my side, even though he’s a man, is because he’s quick-witted and doesn’t bother me.
“I’m recording.”
I stared straight into the camera and said,
“It’s me. Since the public opinion about me isn’t good these days, I’m filming a video and uploading it. I did my job. But it seems like you guys are uncomfortable, and the higher-ups are being annoying, so I’m resigning from this position. I’ll do as you want, so don’t look for me for a while.”
I had said everything I wanted to say, so I waved my hand. Oh Jeon-il lowered his smartphone and asked me,
“Captain. Are you really planning to resign?”
“I have to submit my resignation. You submit it for me. Ah, don’t give it to the Headquarters Unit, go directly to the Director of the Order Bureau.”
“The Director won’t accept it.”
“That’s why. I told you earlier, it’s a show. Once the video spreads, the hidden Harriers will run wild like fish in water. Remegeton is running rampant, so they’ll be busy.”
“The citizens will lament your absence, Captain. The Demon Subjugation Units will scream… Then when are you planning to return?”
“When this country realizes my greatness. Well, I’ll return before Korea really goes to shit.”
“…I understand. What are you planning to do until then? What should I do?”
“First, we need to find and kill the 2nd Unit leader… no, he’s not a leader anymore. And then it’s vacation time with my women. Let’s go to a mojito and have a drink in the Maldives… maybe rent a cruise ship and take beautiful women on a world tour. You and the other members can go on vacation on your own.”
I uploaded the video I had just filmed to social media and then tore up a space-time travel scroll.
• • •
I found the 2nd Unit leader, Kim Mu-hyeong, with the help of Im Hyeon-ah. It was possible because one of Im Hyeon-ah’s transformation targets was a woman who used tracking magic.
He was looking at the sea at an empty pier in Ulsan. He had a cigarette in his mouth. He was still a neat and sharp-looking middle-aged man.
“Did you come here to run away overseas?”
He pushed up his glasses with his middle finger and turned around. He carelessly threw away the cigarette in his mouth and stepped on it with his shoe to put out the embers, and said,
“Run away? Don’t be ridiculous. I swore to my nephew that I would change this rotten Korea. I was just waiting. It was unexpected that you would show up here.”
Nephew? He must be talking about Bright. I never thought they were related.
“Were you perhaps waiting for Remegeton?”
“Yes. I didn’t expect you to show up first. But it’s a good thing. I’ll get rid of you here, the biggest obstacle to the reform of Korea.”
Magic power exploded from Kim Mu-hyeong’s body. Then his coat wrapped around his body and became armor. It was a slim armor, similar to the suit of a hero from a sentai show.
That coat was a grimoire, and his magic was to turn the coat into armor.
Kim Mu-hyeong threw away his glasses and said arrogantly,
“Ars Magna, Seamless Garment (天衣無縫). From now on, I am at my peak.”
I raised my index finger.
Fwoosh!
A red flame bloomed on my finger.
“From now on, I am Kusanagi Kyo.”
“What?”
[Using Acceleration. It will last for 10 minutes. Remaining stacks: 11]
[Using Instant (刹那). Remaining stacks: 10]
With the acceleration and instant combo, I quickly closed the distance and swung my fist at Kim Mu-hyeong’s torso.
“Boji ga amai!”
My fist collided with his torso, causing sparks to fly and a small explosion. But he didn’t seem to have taken any damage at all and took a fighting stance. It was a taekwondo stance.
I lightly dodged the flying roundhouse kick and gathered flames in my hand before swinging it at Kim Mu-hyeong.
“Kurai yagare!!”
It didn’t work.
The flames covered him, but he didn’t burn at all.
“The effect of my Ars Magna, Seamless Garment, is not only to return my body to its prime, but also to nullify all magic directed at me. Your flames cannot burn me.”
I raised both hands above my head.
Ars Magna, Azure Flame (蒼炎).
“Overspending is the cause!”
I swung both hands mercilessly at him. Sword energy formed on my magic-infused fingers and tore through his body. It was a pure magic attack, not magic, that worked. He tried to swing his fists and feet in the blood, but his movements were too easy to see. I attacked before he could attack.
“Hup! Hup! Huh!”
I mixed Azure Flame into my attacks from time to time. Kim Mu-hyeong couldn’t nullify the Azure Flame. The Azure Flame’s ability to burn everything had burned away his magic nullification first.
To finish him off, I grabbed Kim Mu-hyeong’s head, slammed it into the ground, and ignited a flame.
“Kuaaak…! Th, that’s the Eight Maidens…! You’re not Kusanagi Kyo, you’re Iori!!”
“Actually, my main character is Iori. Die.”
Bang!
The Azure Flame exploded and turned Kim Mu-hyeong into ashes.
