As the daughter instinctively sensed the crisis and crouched down on the floor,
“Master’s enemy! Eri-ring will never forgive you!”
A strange voice echoed from afar.
‘Japanese?’
Why suddenly Japanese in the middle of Seoul?
At that moment she thought,
“Master’s enemy! Die! Yap!”
Swish!
With a sound of chains clanking, a sickle flew straight into the mouth of the River Serpent.
[Kyahhhhhh!]
The River Serpent howled in pain.
Her gaze turned towards where the sickle had come from.
There stood two beautiful girls.
With impressive orange twin tails, one of the girls had a beauty that seemed to gather all the beauty of the world into her face.
“Nishizawa Eri?”
Eri’s name slipped out of her mouth reflexively.
The name she had seen in a special news article.
She had heard it was Kim Deok-Sung’s friend, and she remembered it because the beauty in the shared picture could rival that of a celebrity.
“Makopi. Eri-ring will handle the River Serpent. You help rescue those civilians over there.”
“Got it. Eri.”
The green short-haired girl, Makoto, quickly approached and grabbed the arms of the two mothers.
“Okay, you can relax now. We’ve come to save you.”
Makoto said while smiling in Japanese.
Looking at Makoto’s face, she thought.
She felt like she had come back to life.
Even though she didn’t understand Japanese, at least the smile from those people was warm.
*
Seodaemun-gu, Seoul.
In the basement of an elementary school was the Gate Shelter.
The hunters assigned to guard the shelter, which accommodated ten thousand nearby residents, were currently feeling like they were on the verge of death.
“What the hell are those monster bastards lurking back there?”
“They’re called monsters, and even the higher-ups don’t really know!”
Swish.
The guard captain decapitated a charging goblin with his longsword.
“No end in sight. And those monster guys are just watching. If they move, we’re finished. Did you see those bastards earlier leading the otherworlders and smashing the defenses? You did, right?”
Spit.
The guard captain spat on the decapitated goblin corpse.
“This can’t go on. We’re waiting for the support I requested…”
“Support my ass. Hey, do you think those heavy-bottomed U.S. military heroes are going to come all the way here? They’re all busy inside the Gate.”
“But… this is at least a shelter…”
One of the guards beside him spoke in an anxious voice.
At first, the security at the elementary school shelter was no problem.
In fact, security at the shelter during emergencies was often regarded as a sweet job.
In emergencies, being a guard at the shelter was a cushy job.
The shelter’s powerful defenses were designed to withstand even the most formidable monsters, allowing guards to just chill and collect their hazard pay even when a crisis hit.
The reason hunters were deployed in the shelter was to serve as a backup force in case those defenses were utterly destroyed.
But now, that sweet gig was about to turn into a hellish nightmare.
“It’s all those damn monsters’ fault.”
Monsters.
Ever since those damned bipedal muscle freaks appeared, nothing had gone right.
They intelligently organized the lower-level monsters, systematically dismantling the shelter’s defenses, and finally made it to the last line of defense.
The guard captain looked at the horde of monsters and odd creatures mingling among the ruins of an elementary school and pulled out a cigarette, lighting it up.
“Smoking during a mission is prohibited! Captain!”
“Ah, shut up. We’re all gonna die anyway. Are we really talking protocol in this situation?”
Puffing out smoke.
His instincts as a hunter were ringing alarms in his head.
The monsters lurking behind were as strong as high-level interdimensional beings.
A mere hunter like him couldn’t take them on.
Yet he couldn’t retreat.
Behind him were the lives of thousands of civilians.
He couldn’t just leave them behind.
“Tell command to prepare for civilian evacuation.”
“Understood.”
While his subordinate was contacting command, the guard captain crushed the burned-out cigarette butt underfoot.
“KYAAAHHHHH!!”
At that moment, the monsters charged forward with shrieks.
“Do they at least have manners about not interrupting my smoke break? These little guys are surprisingly courteous.”
The guard captain tightened his grip on his sword.
With a whoosh.
The blade ignited with magical energy.
“What a perfect day to die.”
He thought to himself, ready to make a grand stand.
But just as he was about to take a step forward,
“Captain, isn’t it a bit cold?”
“Ugh, you’re ruining my dramatic moment, you jerk. It’s summer, why would it be cold… wait, huh?”
The guard captain froze.
It was supposed to be the blistering heat of summer in Seoul, but suddenly the temperature had plunged below freezing.
“What on earth…?”
The situation on the battlefield had changed entirely.
Could it be a high-level interdimensional being?
Just as the guard captain’s hair stood on end,
“Shinozaki Ildoryu, Ougi.”
He heard Japanese from afar.
“Japanese?”
What the heck was that about?
As the team leader frowned,
“──Fūrin Kazan!”
A chilling voice unleashed a swirling dark blue gale that engulfed the ruins of the school.
“KYAAAHHHHHHHHH!”
The monsters and creatures caught in the whirlwind let out shrieks.
Their bodies froze, shattering into glass-like pieces without a single drop of blood left behind.
The world turned icy cold.
And amid the swirling shards of ice, someone emerged.
With a fluttering navy ponytail and strikingly deep navy eyes, a busty beautiful girl wielding a katana stepped forward.
It was Shinozaki Rin.
“Uh, uh, uh…”
The guard captain’s eyes widened in shock at the girl who had incapacitated more than half the enemies with a single strike.
“I am Shinozaki Rin.”
She spoke to the guard captain in Japanese.
“I’ve come to support this shelter.”
The guard captain’s eyes flickered.
He didn’t understand Japanese, but he certainly knew the name Shinozaki Rin.
The great hero Kim Deok-Sung’s friend.
Samurai of the Cold Wind.
A lady from the finest noble family of Japan has now descended here.
“Th-thank you!”
The Guard Captain bowed his head in gratitude.
‘Deok-Sung, with this, I am one step closer to becoming a daughter-in-law in Korea. Just wait a little longer.’
I will surely become your perfect wife, Kim Rin.
Rin swallowed her feelings and smiled slightly.
*
Gwanghwamun Plaza.
Here, guarded by the statues of King Sejong and Admiral Yi Sun-sin, a massive crowd of otherworldly beings and monsters was gathering.
A plaza filled not with people, but with monsters.
Flash! Flash!
In between, a gray flash darted around.
It was Han Seo-Jin.
The only thing left in her wake was the corpses of ordinary otherworldly beings.
However, Hunter Han Seo-Jin could not face the monsters and higher-level otherworldly beings.
But Han Seo-Jin was not worried.
Because.
“No one can pass through here!”
Flare!
A dazzling platinum flame soared high into the sky.
A platinum-haired beauty in a bodysuit, Olivia, bit her lip while wielding a flame-wreathed wave-patterned longsword.
Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte.
The knight princess of platinum was now standing firm like a guardian in front of Gwanghwamun.
“Kyahhhhhhhh!”
“Graaahhhhhhhh!”
Numerous upper-level otherworldly beings and monsters, both large and small, charged forward with frantic howls.
The magical shockwaves emanating from the hordes of otherworldly beings and monsters shook Gwanghwamun Plaza.
Olivia bit her lip.
She absolutely could not give up Gwanghwamun.
If Gwanghwamun fell, the Blue House would be next.
And in the Blue House was him.
Kim Deok-Sung.
The person she loves.
Thump.
Olivia’s heart raced.
“I am his personal maid! No matter how much of a fool and a slacker he is in this universe…”
Olivia raised her sword.
Flare.
The white flame clinging to the twisted flamberge blazed brighter.
“I really hate him! I find him so annoying! But still, I am his personal maid! I have a duty to protect him!”
Olivia shouted with a flushed face.
As if reacting to her tsundere declaration, the howls of the monsters and otherworldly beings grew louder.
Seeing this, Olivia raised the flamberge towards the sky.
“Flamberge, true name release──”
Flash.
A burst of light erupted from the flamberge.
“──The blade of flame that incinerates all things!!”
Flare, flare, flare!
Five fiery swords bloomed in the air.
“Now, just disappear!”
As Olivia’s sharp voice echoed, dazzling white flames engulfed Gwanghwamun Plaza.
“Kyahhhhhhhh!”
The clamor of otherworldly beings and monsters, engulfed in the unquenchable flames, mixed with screams of agony.
The fierce momentum from earlier had completely vanished; they had already lost their fighting spirit.
Olivia’s gaze turned towards the Blue House.
‘… You must be safe, no matter what.’
Muttering words she couldn’t say out loud, Olivia felt her face warm.
Thump, thump.
Thinking of him, Olivia’s heart raced as if it were broken.
A shy smile crept onto her lips.
Leave this to me and go ahead first.
Boom!
A blinding flash and a loud noise erupted from the direction of the Blue House.
Smoke billowed into the sky.
A paralyzing magical shockwave enveloped her entire body.
The shockwave envelops my entire body.
“Kim······!”
Yuji’s eyes widen in disbelief.
He’s calling my name.
No need to look; it’s obvious.
The Blue House has exploded.
Who would’ve thought someone would actually pull off a bombing of the Blue House, a fantasy that every South Korean citizen has pondered at least once?
Truly, these villains are something else.
As the smoke begins to clear, the partially destroyed structure of the Blue House Main Building comes into view.
[Crackle, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung. It’s the President. You don’t need to worry. The Blue House Underground Bunker is still intact.]
As the communication links, I hear the President’s voice.
[The NSC has decided to transfer full authority to you at the scene. They’ll send you the coordinates for the underground bunker. Now, Mr. Kim Deok-Sung, I entrust you with our motherland.]
Click.
The President’s message cuts off.
The villain’s intentions are clear.
They’re trying to lure Yuji and me in while temporarily incapacitating South Korea’s governmental functions by blowing up the Blue House.
This wasn’t in the original story.
Originally, Korea was a minor nation with little value for Messiah to target.
Just look at how easily they got in through the backdoor of the League. The capital has been looted without a fight.
Setting South Korea as a target must mean one thing.
‘It’s because of me.’
During the engagement ceremony, Korea showcased astonishing intelligence capabilities.
Clearly, they executed this terrorist act against Seoul to neutralize the ongoing disruption I was causing to the League’s New World plans.
South Korea was my biggest sponsor.
“Let’s hurry, Kurosawa.”
“Okay, Kim.”
Yuji nods seriously.
With Yuji in tow, we land in the wrecked plaza of the Blue House.
In the midst of the ruined garden, a powerful magical force pulsates violently against my skin.
I bite my lip.
In the distance, a hulking man appears with a grotesquely large sword, its blade jagged like a saw, grinning wide.
The owner of the Swordbreaker-type relic, the unique weapon Trollsberg.
He’s the main villain from volume 9, a member of the 13 Apostles.
An S-rank villain, Manhunter.
“Miss Muramasa told me to keep an eye out for you two, and here you are. I’m not sure if you’re both idiots or if Miss Muramasa is just cleverer than I thought.”
As he grins, the silver grills embedded in his teeth shimmer in the sunlight.
Yuji grits his teeth at the sight.
He speaks out.
“Haru······. Where is my sister?”
A voice filled with rage bursts from Yuji.
One S-rank villain isn’t a match for the two of us—it should be easy to take him down.
A group beatdown is always good.
But even in this light novel world, Muramasa wouldn’t have underestimated us to this extent.
He must think he can take us both on, which is why he stands here.
“Your sister? Ah, you mean Muramasa? She’s headed underground. Looking for the bunker, they say.”
Manhunter sneers maliciously.
“Haru! Step aside! I will destroy you, League’s dog, and save Haru!”
Before Manhunter’s words can fully settle, Yuji speeds forward.
It’s reckless, especially since the enemy’s full plan isn’t revealed yet. We’ll only be at a disadvantage.
What the heck.
I thought we had enough of the homoerotic antics earlier.
Unfortunately, it seems that wasn’t enough.
Holding back my rising nausea, I speak to Yuji.
“Hey, Kurosawa. Calm down, man.”
“Sorry, Kim.”
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