< Terror (3) >
Given the current situation, all means that could be mobilized, to the extent that allowed, were utilized.
This included calling upon High Elf Harris from the Elven Kingdom and Hesperon, who was staying as a guest at the Imperial Palace.
‘Of course, even if I gave them a heads-up beforehand, they can’t be away for too long. It’s best to finish this quickly and return as soon as possible.’
And naturally.
Those two weren’t the only ones brought into this incident.
“Deployment to all districts is complete, Lord. I’ve firmly warned the lower organizations, so they won’t dare act recklessly. Even if the Buncheon Society tries to take advantage of the chaos, they won’t easily achieve their goals.”
“Right. Let it be known that there will be no mercy for those who mess around this time. I’m in a very bad mood right now.”
“…Yes, I will ensure they understand again.”
The fact that Seoul was engulfed in chaos seemed surreal in the strangely quiet alley.
Heinz II tilted his head slightly upon receiving Jin So-Ran’s polite report and looked at the small, cracked crystal ball he held in his hand.
‘I suspected as much. They didn’t just mobilize gunpowder bombs.’
That was a disposable explosive magical device he was able to recover just before it detonated, thanks to his sharp senses and the synergy of “Insight.”
It seemed they had concealed and secured it quite thoroughly, but now that it was under his perception, such a level of secrecy couldn’t escape Heinz’s control.
‘It feels a bit excessive. Why go to such lengths? What on earth are they thinking?’
Isn’t this more serious than expected?
No matter how much they were provoked by the actions of Korea and Howard Industries, launching into such a scale would inevitably bring considerable burden to the Buncheon Society.
‘This is the capital of a country that ranks among advanced nations. Naturally, the time and resources spent preparing something of this scale in secret must be astronomical. To throw it all away for a single act of terror…’
Moreover, this incident could incite a sense of crisis about an unknown enemy across the globe, which was also a negative factor for them.
Especially since one of the leaders of the Pantheon was recently attacked in the United States and was now in a heightened state of sensitivity; if news of this spread…
‘…For now, let’s do what we can. Just in case, it’s better to keep the main body as hidden as possible. Even using ‘Entity Projection’ as Hans, having the Buncheon Society Head get involved directly would be burdensome.’
In that sense, deciding to prioritize backtracking without exposing the main body was a fairly good judgment.
Of course, if a truly dangerous situation arose, he could summon the real Hans and all the other avatars to create openings, but that would be a last resort to be saved until the very end.
‘To obscure the gaze directed at the main body, it’s better to act more extravagantly elsewhere. If I miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come? Now that they’ve revealed their tails, this is the time to uproot the hidden ones in Korea for good.’
Just then, while Heinz was hardening his resolve once again.
Jin So-Ran, who was communicating with her subordinates via telepathy, approached him with a frown.
“Lord, there are reports of suspicious activity in Gangseo-gu. Currently, a level 6 executive is directly involved…”
“I’ll go myself.”
He was already thinking of moving again soon.
If possible, he could resolve some issues along the way, making it more effective in drawing attention.
At his speed, he could arrive at his destination comfortably.
“Yes, then…”
“I’ll hear the details as we go.”
Without waiting for her response, Heinz immediately leaped westward.
Whoosh!
A streak of red wind darted across Seoul, rapidly accelerating.
Wherever that wind lingered, the fierce flames that had been raging subsided, debris that hindered survivors was reduced to dust, and bombs that had been waiting for an opportunity were dismantled and disappeared without detonating.
That alone was enough to attract the attention of many, but since he had decided to draw attention extravagantly, he had no intention of stopping there.
Amidst the disaster-ridden scene, suddenly, a brilliant light burst forth.
Bam!
It was not blinding, but rather a warm and gentle radiance that enveloped the surroundings.
At that moment when everyone’s gaze was focused, a figure slowly emerged, stepping through the beams of light.
Clink— Clink—
Beautiful, pure white armor wrapped around a massive, muscular frame.
With the heavy sound of metals clashing as he moved, a soft aura radiated from him, gently embracing the exhausted hearts and bodies of those who had been drained by the sudden calamity.
“Whoa! That person is…!”
“Could it be!”
Citizens who lay strewn about in disarray recognized him and started to rise one by one.
Both those who struggled to keep their injured bodies upright and those who were left helpless holding onto loved ones whose lives were hanging by a thread were among them.
“Saint!”
“P—please save my mother…!”
Ah—!
Heinrich, receiving the gaze filled with longing from all around him, immediately responded to their expectations.
Swish—
The glowing blade of the Holy Sword gently slid from his palm, scattering light around him.
That graceful arc, held firmly in calloused hands, soon burrowed into the devastated asphalt floor.
“Oh Holy God, may your merciful touch grace these poor lambs of this land…”
Along with his soft prayer, ‘Great Blessing: Wings of Radiance’ was unleashed.
Right after that.
The miracle proving the existence of a god somewhere in the world manifested.
The holy power swelling around the Holy Sword recklessly expanded through wings of light, instantly flooding every direction, enveloping the entire area in shimmering platinum waves.
Revitalization surged back into those who were utterly exhausted, the injured regained their former appearances, and those on the brink of death found their breaths steady again.
“Ah! Thank you! Thank you!”
“Saint! Thank you!”
With that magnificent sight, hope began to bloom on the faces of those who were once engulfed in despair.
To face the salvific hand embracing their hearts during their moment of hopelessness was almost miraculous.
Of course, not everyone reacted this way.
“Wha— you’re a saint!? Then, please save my mother!”
Waaah— Tae-Hyun—!
No matter how much Heinrich wanted, he could not resurrect the deceased.
Shaking his head with a solemn expression, he gently closed his eyes and prayed for the victims’ souls.
However, even that time couldn’t last long.
The nearby hospitals, the makeshift wards created when they could not accommodate them all, and the accident sites.
He couldn’t linger in one place for long, as there were far too many areas still in need of his assistance.
Based on the information collected by Hesperon’s ‘Machina: Callicas’, he soon moved to the next location.
He sensed that it would be a busier day than any other.
*
The superhumans with extraordinary abilities were not the only ones to make a difference during the sudden national disaster.
The associations and guardians rushed to rescue citizens and block potential dangers.
Regardless of affiliation, awakened individuals stepped up, using their powers to help in whatever way they could.
There were also priests from the Pantheon who voluntarily began relief efforts to treat the injured.
And even ordinary citizens such as firefighters and police officers, who jumped into danger based on their beliefs, despite lacking any special abilities.
Many stepped forward amid the chaos, and thanks to them, the disorder quickly began to stabilize.
Though the sheer scale of events escalated the confusion in a multitude of simultaneous incidents, over time, the many issues began to resolve rapidly, leading to a gradual calm.
And there were those who observed and recorded Korea’s situation from beginning to end—.
“The brainwave’s capability was beyond expectations. It wasn’t like this when I fought the Alpha recently…”
“Is it that acquiring ‘Mjölnir’ triggered sudden growth? This could be troublesome. I might have to discard all the data I had gathered so far.”
“The Bureau of Abilities Management’s graphite hasn’t shown itself this time either… The association’s chairperson and existing data have no significant changes. Should I consider that a blessing?”
In a wide underground room illuminated by numerous monitors like a control center, a man with a vague impression calmly stroked his chin.
Various gathered materials were displayed across several monitors.
‘Hahoe Mask and Phantom. The ones manipulating Korea’s shadows, so I expected their involvement. And… Should I take it as coincidence that the saint appeared just now? If not, that hints at the possibility of monitoring the situation in Korea even from another world…’
As he pondered at one of the screens, his head turned to the side.
There, a neat summary of the newly emerged individuals’ photographs and observed information was displayed.
Among them, two figures stood out.
“The helmet-wearing being presumed to be a spirit magician, and the power suit-wearing hero patient.”
While the power suit’s capabilities seemed more impressive thanks to its unique magical equipment rather than skill level, the spirit magician was highly likely to be a transcendent being.
He couldn’t be sure that these were all the supernatural beings hidden in Korea, but just discovering the existence of an additional transcendent being was a great gain.
‘Good grief. Just how many transcendent beings are there in this small land?’
He clicked his tongue lightly and shook his head.
This plan was a multifaceted operation with various considerations.
There were many sub-strategies intertwined, but among them, the primary one was to gauge Korea’s potential, which was equivalent to the enemy’s stronghold.
Wasn’t the primary reason for the difficulties faced by the Buncheon Society a lack of information about that enemy?
Gathering as much detailed intel as possible regarding the number of yet unexposed foes, their behavioral reactions to this sudden disaster, and the limits and weaknesses of their abilities.
That was precisely the mission handed down to him from above.
Any side effects during this process would be addressed by the higher-ups, so that was not something he had to worry about.
They had likely issued orders considering all of that from the beginning.
‘It’s a bit disappointing. Since things were resolved quicker than expected. If it had dragged on longer, I could have gathered much more data.’
As the number of transcendent beings beyond human limits increased, so did the speed at which issues were resolved.
The damage from the terror, followed by fires and toxic gas, and chain explosions that were supposed to cause additional harm were easily foiled, which made sense.
‘If only a nuclear backpack had detonated, it would have been certain…’
Although the organization could have readily supplied that as well, it was still premature to escalate things to that level.
The one in charge of the severely diminished Korean branch had no authority to execute such operations.
‘It can’t be helped. Then, let’s wrap up this operation here.’
Regretting it inwardly, he slowly rose from his seat and clapped his hands lightly.
Clap—
“Attention.”
As the murmuring discussions among everyone subsided, their gazes turned toward him.
“Let’s conclude this matter here. You all did a lot of work under challenging circumstances.”
Everyone here was a sufficiently elite member of the Korean branch.
They were the main characters of this operation who had survived amidst persistent tracking and purging to demonstrate their own abilities.
Of course, many involved, who were absent due to their missions, were not here, but even with just these individuals, they surpassed half of the remaining personnel in the Korean branch.
“Then, let’s check once more that the backup data has been properly transmitted. After eliminating any traces left here, we shall disperse…”
In other words, this place was like a nest where the remnants of the Buncheon Society’s Korean branch were gathered.
[Who said that?]
Before they scattered and hid again like a loose organization, it was also a clue to track the movements of those who had left.
“…What?!”
“Emergency… Cough!”
Cough!
“Gahh…! How…?”
A cold voice, as if it came from hell.
And along with it, an incredible pressure quickly crushed the entire space.
As those quick to react sensed the anomaly and attempted to act swiftly, the invisible force that struck along with the voice left them unable to move even a finger.
Crackle— Crackle—
Then, the temperature in the basement plummeted to below zero in an instant.
Frost began to cover the bodies convulsing on the floor, diminishing their biological responses with a deadly black magic that ensured they wouldn’t die.
[Hehe— This was a blind spot. I didn’t expect them to take hold of the DMZ.]
As everyone was subdued like this.
A figure slowly rose from the depths of the abyss covering the floor.
A being wrapped in dark nothingness, as if it were the embodiment of darkness itself.
The entity’s eyes glowed fiercely and gradually surveyed the surroundings.
The bleak concrete walls, stripped of any wallpaper, were draped with various concealment spells employing complex techniques, and the electronic devices scattered about radiated an unusual aura.
‘These are items utilizing mechanical civilization technology. Practically no different from magical equipment. And they even have self-power-generating devices?’
How they managed to secretly transport these supplies to this remote location was a mystery.
This place was even closer to North Korea than Korea itself…
‘No, this isn’t right. They’ve already obtained power extending to China. It won’t be much different from North Korea.’
After the emergence of awakened beings, defenses around the demarcation line have been more thorough than ever.
There were even rumors about the strongest agents of the Bureau of Abilities Management always stationed near the Military Demarcation Line.
‘Well, whatever, I’ll just have to figure out the details from here on out.’
Hahoe Mask shifted his gaze toward the blurry-impressioned man, presumably the highest-ranking individual present, who had just finished delivering a speech.
Believe it or not, the man opened his eyes wide in disbelief and was convulsively attempting to break free from the binding confinement.
Even so, he still wouldn’t stand a chance against a transcendent being.
‘A mind control ability user. If Andrew had taken even a moment longer to discover this guy’s whereabouts, we would have lost all of them.’
Would the man be aware that his presence had led to the location being uncovered?
He secretly grinned coldly at the thought and slowly reached out a hand toward the man’s head.
‘Perhaps I should reward Andrew. …Yeah, a language translation magical device will do. Thanks to ‘Forbidden Truth,’ I have the means to create it now. If I have that, he could use that ability even more efficiently.’
If Andrew had known, he would have likely screamed in despair.
What he wanted was simply a leave of absence or long vacation, but of course, gifts carry the sentiments of the giver.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.