#169
Kyushu Crisis (1)
A bleak modern city entirely covered with concrete and cement.
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Thunder and lightning roared through the rain pouring down from the dark night sky.
The streets on the outskirts, where there were usually not many people out during the bad weather, were now so empty that even silence was felt.
Inside a building that has become shabby due to not receiving the benefits of prosperity located in such a deserted place.
With the sound of heavy rain pounding on the window again and again… Inyoung, who had assimilated into the darkness of the room without a single ray of light, quietly looked out the window.
Flash! Rumble—!
At that time, a light flashed in the sky, and a strange shadow was instantly cast on his face.
A mask with a strange expression that looks like it’s smiling, angry, or frowning.
It was a Hahoe mask.
‘It’s raining a lot.’
Hans stared out the window.
Unlike inside where he was, cool rain continued to fall outside, where street lights brightly illuminated the street even in the rain and wind.
As if trying to purify the world.
‘Of course, it would be difficult to purify the world using such a method.’
A strange idea suddenly occurred to him, and he slightly scoffed inwardly and turned his head.
Appeasements like water are of no help in removing the pollution contaminating the world.
It takes a lot of effort, but it doesn’t wash off well, and even if you succeed, it leaves a stain and even contaminates the water you tried to wash it off with.
‘What purifies this world is flame rather than water.’
That was exactly the answer he thought of.
A hard-line measure like a fire that burns everything that is unclean… that is, overwhelming violence!
Flame, which burns everything without allowing any contamination, was a much more efficient means of purification than water.
Of course, he knew that that method had many side effects, but he had no intention of giving up his beliefs.
Even if you yourself suffer damage from the fire.
Because that was the path he chose.
[Hehehe—what a useless thought.]
Hans, who had been lost in sentiment for a moment, shook his head and took out a cannon phone from the subspace magic tool.
Woo-woo-woo-woo-woo-
At the same time, the device that received all of the delayed signals made a vibrating sound in succession, and a messenger window appeared on the screen.
-Hans Noye No. 1: There have been some achievements, so I will report them first.
-Hans Slave No. 1: It is said that the management bureau was also continuing to track the Buncheonhoe. It seems that they are currently experiencing difficulties in investigating whether they have completely stopped their domestic activities.
-Hans Noye No. 1: So, it looks like they are focusing on digging into previous related incidents. Since they are very thorough, it is not easy, but it does not mean that there is no income at all.
-Hans Noye No. 1: 〈Criminal Investigation Department – Investigation into the domestic activities of ‘Buncheonhoe’ (unconclusive)〉
-Hans Noye No. 1: I think this is all the data that can be used. We will contact you again when we receive additional information.
‘Hans Slave No. 1’, the informant he planted in the Supernatural Abilities Management Bureau… No, the warlock Ahn Seong-jin was faithfully collecting information as instructed.
Competent enough to be a little surprising.
‘This much information already. ‘It’s more useful than you think?’
I didn’t really feel it because he couldn’t resist Hans and was helpless, but he was one of the most talented people in the country when it came to black magic.
Of course, there were quite a few people who were superior to him simply in terms of ability, but it was rare for someone like An Seong-jin to reach a high level while maintaining his rationality intact.
He has a track record of participating as an advisor in all kinds of dark magic crimes and helping in the investigation, and the same was true in the recent issue related to Hahoe Tal.
In that sense, it was natural to be interested in Beoncheonhoe, which
was said to have clashed with Hahoetal…. ‘I thought it was better than nothing, but it turns out that it was the optimal appointment.’
I felt like I should give him some gift when I got back from Japan.
That way, I will work harder in the future.
Where else can you find a warm boss who cares more about employee welfare than this?
[Huh—Well, after coming here, I wonder if I really need information about Korea. Still, the more information there is, the better.] After
skimming through the data sent to the smartphone, Hans muttered softly and put it back into subspace.
Flash—scream!
At that moment, lightning struck again.
The intense light that suddenly exploded brightly illuminated the dark room.
There were broken items everywhere, as if there had been a fierce fight.
The cracked and collapsed interior walls and ceiling looked so dangerous that it would be better to build a new one.
Even fresh blood and pieces of flesh were scattered everywhere.
And at the center of it all—.
[Uuuuh.]
[Cruck—cluck!]
Crack, cluck—!
Like a scene from a horror movie, dozens of corpses were grotesquely writhing and lined up.
They were the people who lived in this building and were members of an organization that used this place as a base and dominated the surrounding area.
…not now but.
[It’s definitely a bonanza, unlike Korea. I can’t believe that clues come out so quickly after killing a few big guys. I should have done this a long time ago.]
Of course, these guys were not the proper agents of the Buncheonhoe.
If I were to be honest, should I say that it is a branch of an organization that is in a cooperative relationship with the hardliners in Korea?
However, by investigating the mind of the highest-ranking person here, I was able to additionally find out that there are quite a few organizations in Japan that follow that ‘same line’.
‘Actually, I didn’t expect you to catch the tail so quickly. This probably means that the influence of Beoncheonhoe is spread more widely than in Korea.’
What this meant was that if we continued to destroy those organizations, the Buncheonhoe would eventually emerge.
They weren’t peaceful enough to stand still while the people they were in a cooperative relationship with were being wiped out in droves.
[Pfft—it’s good because it’s not complicated. Yes, death and destruction are my essence! I am looking forward to seeing who will be the last person standing at the end of this road. Hahaha!]
At that moment, the lightning struck again, and a dark shadow was etched on the mask of Hans, who was throwing his head back and bursting into laughter.
A smile full of madness, exaggerated to the point of grotesqueness according to the wrinkles and curves carved into the Hahoe mask.
But that heart-wrenching laugh soon stopped like a ghost as the space was immersed in darkness.
When light came back into the room, which had been immersed in silence for a while, there was already no one left inside.
Only the mess of broken places and blood stains everywhere showed that something big had happened there…
***
A man tilted his head after hearing unexpected information in an office filled with all kinds of fancy decorations.
“…What does this mean again?”
Yulryeongja, head of the East Asia branch of Beoncheonhoe, frowned as he rechecked the newly uploaded report while sitting in his wheelchair.
Jiing- Jing- Even though his
left prosthetic eye, which looked like something out of a science fiction movie, was busy scanning documents, organizing the information at a glance and projecting it directly to his brain, he did not relax his posture for a long time and just stared at the report to organize his thoughts.
“Hahoe mask… headed to Japan?”
It was only after a long time had passed that a soft word came out of his mouth.
It was information about the latest status of Hahoe Tal, the biggest cause of the headaches he has been suffering from recently.
He checked the information again and stroked his chin.
‘Even so, I was just about to try my hand at Korea at the doctor’s request.’
Of course, in the current situation, even if something was done, it would be impossible to get things done right away.
Still, in order to set the stage in advance, I was planning to move the remnants of the Beoncheonhoe that were still quietly hiding and the high-ranking figures who had taken advantage of their weaknesses…
‘So you’re saying they’ve gone to Japan out of nowhere now?’
The situation there was different from Korea, where most of the foundations have now been blown away.
In Asia, it was the region they were targeting after China, so not only did they put in a lot of effort over a longer period of time, but the influence of the Yakuza and other underworld organizations was strong, so it was much more advantageous for them to become parasitic and increase their power.
Naturally, the power of the Beoncheonhoe that extended there was incomparable to that in Korea.
‘If this happens, there will be no need to target him in Korea.’
Tuk Tuk Tuk —
The Yul -Ryeongja tapped the table with his fingers and was troubled.
It may not be possible, but I wonder if the forces that have taken root in Japan might end up like Korea.
“I thought I would be confined to Korea. Hahoe Tal moves diligently….”
Although he stopped his activities in Korea, he continued to collect information about Hahoe Tal through his subordinates.
His unique skill, “Image Projection,” was an ability that he believed to be the highest among mental abilities.
It goes beyond simply imposing a ban on members, and not only allows them to convey their thoughts, but also allows them to indirectly experience everything they see and hear if they wish.
Isn’t it truly an all-purpose skill?
‘…Of course, that’s why it’s like this now.’
Throbbing—
The sudden intense pain made the ruler grit his teeth and slowly stroke the corner of his left eye.
Although he recovered his eyesight by implanting a prosthetic eye, the shock of having his spiritual body torn apart was different.
So for quite a long time.
The pain that started in my eyes slowly spread throughout my body and eventually disappeared until it reached my thighs, which had lost sensation like a cut edge.
“Huu… Huu….”
He let out a rough breath and wiped off the cold sweat.
Because of this, I can’t use my unique skills to my full potential these days, and I’ve even developed an obsession with always disconnecting and creating a way out.
It was absolutely not a good habit for an awakened person who possessed all of his supernatural abilities, but if he encountered someone like Hahoetal one more time in his current state, then his soul would truly be torn apart, so it was inevitable.
‘Of course I can’t miss this great opportunity. Still, I need to prepare more thoroughly just in case.’
He finally made a decision and nodded slowly.
We haven’t properly confirmed Hahoetal’s power yet, but if that’s the case, it wouldn’t be much of a stretch to call him the demon king of a world.
However, the powerful people of Earth… especially the Beoncheonhoe, were not weak enough to be defeated by a single demon king.
‘In the first place, the returnees are superhumans who have special abilities and have survived in this world for a long period of time with growth correction and are no different from weapons of war.’
Of course, as the number is large, the rate of leftovers is also high, but among the truly top ranks, there are quite a few who have returned with achievements that make you wonder if they are lies.
From the one who defeated and sealed the descending Demon King, to the one who saved the country by beheading the evil Demon Dragon, and the villains who came back after inflicting fatal damage on the other side.
‘I’ll make you regret looking down on us.’
And in fact, the ruler himself was also from a dark background who helped plunge the world into the flames of war with his intelligence and scheming.
***
Bang—! Taang!
Kwaaaang—!
“Shoot! “Keep shooting!”
“crazy! “What is this monster?”
A series of loud gunshots rang out, and harsh, frightened swear words came out from all over.
In addition, not only modern firearms, but also fire, lightning, gravity, and other supernatural powers were constantly coming out to hold the enemy back.
Only one place.
Goooooh—
toward the thick darkness that was coming towards them quickly, as if the abyss had coalesced.
But of course, there was no way something like that could be prevented with such a lukewarm method.
In the end, the black fog, shaking off all obstacles, reached right in front of their noses.
“shit! Everyone drop your guns! From now on, it’s a distraction!”
“Chief Nakagawa! But if you touch that place carelessly, you’ll be like those other guys…!”
“Then just support me from behind! “You idiot!”
Wow! visor!
In the end, they had no choice but to draw their weapons and swallow dry saliva as they gathered their energy to prepare for the resistance.
“Damn, I thought it was just a rumor…!”
There was a rumor that started spreading around the streets of Fukuoka these days.
An unidentified reaper who approaches silently under the cover of darkness, annihilates an organization, and takes away their bodies.
There were more than one person who had already been harmed by ‘it’, but all that was left at the scene were traces of desperate resistance, and the only clues to it were uncertain testimonies.
If it weren’t for the survivors who were captured and released by the organization that attacked, it would have remained a mystery until the end.
Saaaa—
At that moment, the black fog that had reached their immediate vicinity slowly cleared away, and something in the shape of a human appeared within it.
A jet-black robe that seemed to melt into the surrounding darkness, a hood covering the head, and… a
heterogeneous mask that stood out especially thanks to a pair of eye lights that burned like a will-o’-the-wisp in the all-black shape.
“Is it an oni (ghost)?”
[It’s Hahoe Mask, you foolish human.]
Someone muttered in a trembling voice, and the being that seemed to embody fear responded kindly.
[Well, anyway, there would be no point in telling you now.]
How is this different from talking about a corpse?
It didn’t take long for Hahoetal Hans to turn the entire city of Fukuoka in Kyushu upside down.
Of course, proper purification began now.
Because now it was just one city.
