chapter 22
22 – Operation Begins ~ Civil War~
Opening a cigarette, Logan exhaled smoke.
I nodded heavily and stood up with Hansarang.
“You must have filled out all the relevant documents, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Okay, then get on board.”
Magi shimmered in Logan’s outstretched hand and wrapped itself around us.
As soon as I exhaled, my vision was dyed in pitch black and my body was sucked into somewhere.
– Huoh…
*
When I opened my eyes again, the scenery around me had changed.
The sky is dyed dark red with demonic energy that has melted into the air, and the light of joy shines from the collapsed buildings everywhere.
A roulette wheel spins with a cheerful sound, and prostitutes seduce passers-by with worn-out clothes and heavy makeup.
I had never been there myself, but it was a place I was familiar with.
“Gangwon… Was this the place you all saw?”
A city that has become Asia’s largest entertainment district under the rule of demons.
Logan nodded as he dropped the cigarette he was smoking and put it on the ground.
“Where are we going to be if it’s not in Gangwon? Wear an eyepatch from here on out. The girlfriend’s side is blind, so it won’t matter.”
They said they didn’t trust us yet.
Well, in a way, it’s natural.
I obediently accepted the eyepatch and put it on. You have to show a stance that you will follow your words, so that they will be alert.
I followed Logan’s guidance as I walked with my vision blocked.
Then, Han Sarang, who was holding my arms, asked me quietly.
“How are you?”
“… How about that.”
“You’re almost blind right now. How is it? You just want to rely on me? You want to lean on me?”
It was clear that her hand, which held her unbeknownst to me, was in a state of strength.
Wouldn’t it be so uneasy to not be able to see?
In spite of these flaws, I felt great in my heart that Han Sarang, who is living a brighter life than anyone else.
“Later on, sometimes wear an eyepatch and live. The feeling of being supported by you is so good.”
“… I’ll think about it.”
Meanwhile, the surrounding noise subsided. Seeing that the demonic power was getting thicker, it seemed that they had reached their base.
As Logan exchanged a few words with someone, he heard the sound of something like a door opening, and then the air changed as if he had entered the room.
“You can take off your eyepatch.”
It was a room reminiscent of an old inn, with only the soft light of a crystal ball.
Someone was sitting on a wooden chair, but his identity was impossible to determine because his chin was covered with bandages.
However, seeing Logan treating him with respect, I hypothesized that he might be the head of the evil scroll, which has been covered in the unknown.
– Shiiik.
The mummy-like man turned his chair to face us.
The voice was also low, hard to believe that it belonged to a living person.
“Nice to meet you… Cold Divinity…”
“Yeah, nice to meet you, pseudo-chief.”
I sneaked a sneak peek at it to infer the identity.
However, as if he understood what was inside, he let out a dead breath and laughed. Then, part of the bandage that wrapped around his face came off, revealing rotted skin.
He tried hard to keep his distorted expression calm.
“Okay… Let’s see what you’ve prepared.”
I took out the snowfield guild resignation letter from my inner pocket and put it on the table.
Then, leaning against the back of his chair, he pushed the paper right in front of his eyes and checked the authenticity of the document.
“It’s not a lie… It’s not. Crackle… Demon’s shield, hand it over.”
“Okay.”
Logan bowed politely and handed us a document as well.
Perhaps it was a soul contract that the soul was subordinated to.
– ■■ Subscription Form –
“Isn’t it okay if I tell you about ■■ now?”
“I’m in a hurry. Take the Jijang first.”
“… It is.”
After putting the ink on my hand, I looked at the contract. There were no trap clauses or anything like that, and it was normal that you have to work as a member of ■■ for 10 years after joining ■■.
Ten years was an average period in the hunter industry. In addition, the proposed salary was not as good as when it was in the snowy field, but it was about the top 1% in the industry. Hansarang was at the 30% level.
As we obediently interfered, words painted with ■■ appeared.
“Welcome… To being part of the scroll.”
At that moment when I nodded my head heavy, light came out of the crystal ball on the table.
“This… Is a crazy pseudo old man. After all, he messes things up.”
The person reflected in it is a stout man with a black mane wrapped around his neck.
It was Ma Cho, the guild leader of the Black Lion Guild, which occupies one of the seven largest guilds in Korea.
Because it is a radical guild that does not choose any means or methods for its purpose, it must have joined hands with the demons.
When the situation calms down, let’s call Seolwon right away.
“Too… Work? This has been my job from the beginning. Everything is for the sake of the great demon.”
“For the great demon.”
As if it were their unique slogan, Logan sang Nogoe’s words.
Macho laughed out loud as if he had no talent. In fact, the one thing I really don’t have is my one love.
The mane of black stood up sharply with life. Macho, whose expression was distorted as if it were a bloodbath, sounded a warning.
“Pseudo old man. This is my last warning. If you don’t change the terms of the contract right away, I’ll raid your base immediately.”
“Crackling… We who are protected by the demon? Try it if you can.”
– Fast.
Macho’s teeth were grinding.
Right after he broke the crystal ball with his grip, saying he would show the end of the disobedient hound.
– Coo Goo Goong!
The surrounding ground shook.
I explained the current situation to Han Sarang, who was trembling with anxiety.
Once Logan took out his shield, he started to gather his comrades through the radio, and Nogoe got up from his seat and ran out of the room using his cane.
“Cluck… You are our comrades, so we will have to help. Follow Logan’s instructions.”
I tried to contact Seolwon by taking advantage of the hectic situation, but I couldn’t get the signal.
This… It’s messed up again.
Han Sarang, who used to strengthen me with divine power, carefully asked me.
“You… What are you going to do?”
“Let’s move on as they say. Then I’ll see the opportunity and contact Seolwon.”
She nodded her head in agreement.
After that, I tried to concentrate her cold power by closing her hands and blooming. Certainly, when she received her divine power, the same power as before was returning as she received it.
As well as the total amount of available mana.
After she finished the test, she frantically approached Logan, who gathered her comrades and prepared for defense.
“What can we do? Is there a strategy?”
“… I will give you a separate command. Form a separate team with Hansarang and act.”
“Is the goal the guardian of this place?”
“No, in the long run, we lose. The goal is to buy time to move the resources and supplies from here to the emergency base.”
Are you saying we should play a delayed game?
I was confident because it was my field of expertise. It was enough to fight while protecting one love.
Logan simply added to me heading to the battlefield.
The clown and other executives are returning from aborted missions, so please hold on even if you use all your strength in the beginning.
It wasn’t a situation I liked very much, and I didn’t want to bring victory, but the thought of using my strength after a long time made my body itch.
While Logan’s goal for me was to delay time, my goal was to make the fight bigger and spread the word outside.
In that case, it was judged that Seolwon would intervene immediately.
I turned my neck, hands and ankles and loosened my back.
After warming up like a substitute entering a soccer match, he went out to the field where the fight was in full swing.
“One love.”
“Yes, let’s go!”
I untied her arms connected to her and let out her concentrated chill.
After shooting down my sniper with a simple no-brigade magic, I entered the brigade properly.
“Frigescite omnia. (Freeze all things.)”
– Suoo…
According to my will, the mana that was converted into the power of the cold engulfed the surroundings like a tsunami.
In the process, I also froze some of the monsters who were engulfed in dark magic, but I don’t know what to do.
Anyway, the executives are also the ones who use it as a throwaway card.
Now that I’ve made my surroundings my territory, it’s time to fight.
I jumped into the enemy camp with a long sword drawn from condensed cold.
“Deus, te rogamus ut nos protegas. (God, please protect us.)”
At that time, a barrier chanted by Han Sarang was surrounded by me.
“You only care about the offense. I’ll do the defense!”
“OK.”
First of all, we dealt with those who were frozen by the cold.
– Faction!
– Faction!
– Sudden!
I used a well-forged blade to slash those who had become completely ice statues, or whose entire body was frozen and their movements were restricted.
As I was defeating the henchmen one by one, a certain named appeared and blocked my sword.
A long-haired man smoking a cigarette while holding a spear.
“To fight on the same side with demons. Will that save face as the crown prince of the cold?”
He was the vice-team leader of the Black Lion 2nd Purification Team. But he didn’t even know his name.
Anyone like this would be able to rebuke me even if I show my sincerity to some extent.
Where should I raise the plate?
Whoop. After regulating my breathing, I raised my magic power.
A blizzard that occurred as the extreme chill spread throughout the body turned even the dark red sky hazy.
The battlefield, where the sounds of horrific slaughter followed one after another, was enveloped in silence as it gradually came under my control.
“Please don’t die with this.”
“… That’s cocky.”
– Suoh.
The instant I closed my eyes and opened them, my power and his power clashed.