Baek Seoyeon’s golden eyes emitted a radiant glow as they scanned the surroundings. Fortunately, those she had targeted today were all gathered in one place.
The head of the Jeokhwa family, his daughter, and the Masked Male Student.
It was certainly a stroke of luck, but she felt no joy or sense of achievement at all.
Instead, her anger towards each of them grew, amplifying the conflict that had erupted among them before Seoyeon’s arrival.
From the mist that spread behind her, the heavy sound of metal clanging began to approach. Soon, the soldiers of Paecheon and Seongsan, clad in physical gloves and combat suits, gradually revealed themselves.
Having just fought heavily to reach this point, their helmets and gloves were covered in dried, dark red blood.
The sounds of cannon fire and screams that had shaken the heavens had now quieted, leaving only an eerie silence.
They spread around to create a standoff against the elite guards of Jeokhwa. Thanks to the overwhelming numbers, the standoff quickly turned into a siege.
One of them stepped forward and approached Seoyeon.
“Seoyeon. We’ve secured all the key areas. Now, this is the only place left.”
With her gaze still fixed ahead, Seoyeon nodded slightly.
“You did well, Ireh.”
The person who spoke pressed a button near their temple, and with a chik-chak sound, the visor of their translucent helmet automatically lifted.
The younger sister of Freshman Choi Woojin, the heir of Seongsan from the 27th Mage Clan. The female Student Choi Ireh unveiled her face, her hair braided in twin tails and glasses perched on her nose.
“Not just Paecheon, but Seongsan as well… What kind of ridiculous nonsense is this…?!”
Yeonjeongmun, having realized their identities, protested vehemently, filled with anger.
Paecheon, Jeokhwa’s greatest adversary, had deep connections with them, always pressuring Jeokhwa.
Unsurprisingly, their hatred towards this motley crew was palpable, but today’s ambush was something he never foresaw.
Over a hundred years ago, at the establishment of the 10th Republic, the families who participated in forming a new regime made a pact.
A permanent non-aggression agreement for the nation and their eternal prosperity.
While no one was blind to the superficiality of this agreement, various complicated interests had allowed it to function reasonably well until now.
Behind the scenes, assassinations and acts of terrorism against key facilities never ceased, but overt direct conflicts had gradually been replaced by political maneuverings within the cradle and the Supreme Council.
“Where the hell did you sell the Mage’s Pact…?”
“Shameless, Yeonjeongmun. An emergency measure has been enacted. The Mage’s Pact no longer applies to Jeokhwa. You can’t claim ignorance.”
That was the basis for Yeonjeongmun’s outrage, but it was swiftly engulfed by a greater flame, erasing it without a trace.
A pair of golden eyes blazed like the sun, staring at him.
“For the accusation of treason against the nation, all privileges and rights of Jeokhwa are hereby revoked at this moment.”
“Treason…?!”
“Collaboration with the demon race, prohibited interference in mental magic research, and the illegal abduction of citizens for human experimentation. You’ve committed numerous serious crimes that carry the death penalty, just by getting caught on one of them.”
“…!”
Yeonjeongmun’s eyes widened in disbelief, as if asking how they knew. Standing a bit apart, Yeon Minha looked at her father with a disbelief that mirrored her expression.
“We already have all the evidence in our hands. Before storming in here, we first subdued your Hokeong Industry’s lab in Zone B-143, and we’ve received word that dozens of mutants, who had undergone all kinds of experiments and lost their minds, have been trapped there.”
As Baek Seoyeon took a step forward, her hand pointed downwards. A sharp ice blade, containing high-density particles, started to grow from the ground and stretched toward her fingers.
“Additionally, we’ve eliminated the lab director disguised as a worker, along with two level 1 demons and seven level 3 demons. By now, there’s likely an emergency resolution to impose sanctions against Jeokhwa on the table at the Supreme Council. All funds of the businesses and foundations owned by Jeokhwa are frozen, and the members will soon be arrested for intensive investigations.”
Once Seoyeon unsheathed the completed blade, she aimed it at Yeonjeongmun.
“Yeonjeongmun. I won’t say it again. As the enforcer of the emergency measures, I command disarmament and unconditional surrender. If you keep babbling, I’ll have no choice but to sever your limbs. Remember that your life and death, as well as that of Jeokhwa’s members, are in my hands.”
“…”
Upon hearing her words, the head of Jeokhwa wore an empty gaze, bowing his head as if he had given up everything.
In his stead, Yeon Minha stepped forward.
“Baek Seoyeon. What are you babbling about after suddenly turning someone else’s private land into a mess?”
Yeon Minha’s eyes were filled with a unique shade of red. Seoyeon was the perfect target to unleash the pent-up anger she had bottled up, and in a situation of extreme tension, the causality of wrongs didn’t matter much.
The Masked Male Student beside her silently stared at Seoyeon.
“Emergency measures…? Life and death authority…? How dare you utter such nonsense before Jeokhwa…!”
“Yeon Minha. I know you want to deny reality, but that’s stretching it. I’ll be clear: you too will be investigated as a primary suspect in treason. And…”
Seoyeon’s gaze shifted to the Masked Male Student standing behind Yeon Minha. His once smooth mask now had rare, chaotic cracks on it.
“Your junior too.”
“You…!”
“W-What the hell is this…”
Yeon Minha flared up just before she could ignite flames from her hands.
Suddenly, the front door to the rear annex opened, and a startled voice rang out.
“Ah…”
In Yeon Minha’s eyes, which had been lit with hostility towards Baek Seoyeon, confusion flared momentarily.
The host of Jeokhwa, Kang Jagyeong, staggered forward.
She struggled to maintain her balance, reeking of strong alcohol. Disheveled as if just waking up, her speech was slurred, indicating she was still heavily inebriated.
“I-I did nothing wrong…!”
With her unfocused, blurry eyes darting around, she screamed as if just realizing the situation.
Then, she staggered toward Seoyeon.
“I-I’m the one who secretly sent information to the heir of Paecheon…! So… cough!”
Her desperate plea never got to finish.
Before long, a particle bullet shot from behind, piercing through the host’s head. Her head, now half gone, made incoherent mumblings as she collapsed with a thud.
“Ah…”
Yeon Minha trembled, releasing a sob of anguish. Her mental state was approaching its limit; she couldn’t keep up with the unfolding scenario before her.
Yeonjeongmun, having withdrawn his finger from the trigger, sighed with a hollow voice.
“Where did things leak…? You seemed quiet, yet you were up to this sort of thing behind our backs…”
He then threw his head back with a sinister smile that spread across his face.
“Ha, hahaha…!”
His eyes were filled only with remorse and hatred.
“Paecheon… Paechon… Paecheon…!! You filthy bastards… You always block my path!!”
Puuuk!
Before anyone could stop him, he thrust his hand deep into the chest of the soldier standing next to him.
“Kaek!! Kkk!!”
The man suddenly struck down by the blow writhed in agony, screaming like a wild animal. The soldier, once human, let out a beastly wail. He then collapsed on the floor, lifeless.
Blood dripped from Yeonjeongmun’s palm, which still held the pulsing heart and essence of a demon.
A wizard, he couldn’t use dark magic. So he intended to leverage the heart and essence of the demon, which contained abundant magical energy.
Though most of his backdoor deals had been exposed, there was still something the heir of Paecheon did not know.
Additionally, even an unfinished magical format was more than enough to cover the vicinity.
His continued unexpected actions, beyond common sense, momentarily froze everyone’s thoughts.
Just before he raised his hand, only one person sensed his intentions.
“NO! Stop!!”
Kaboom!!
“The hell!”
The Masked Male Student charged at Yeonjeongmun, but he was knocked back by the force of the sudden gust that erupted.
Rumble!
A deafening tremor resonated as if an earthquake had struck the ground. It was incredibly difficult to maintain balance on two feet.
The abrupt turn of events left confusion on Seoyeon’s face.
In the sky, geometric patterns of crimson, akin to blood, began to inscribe themselves.
It was massive enough to cover the extensive territory of Jeokhwa.
The ink-black magic etched for a while soon lost its form and scattered into nothingness.
And without a moment’s notice, a dense cloud of poisonous fog began to pour down.
Cough… Cough…!!
Gah…!!
The intruders surrounding the area erupted into violent coughs.
Those who couldn’t respond quickly enough and failed to cast barrier magic bled from every hole in their faces. Those with lower accomplishments collapsed to the ground, their struggles lost as they ceased moving.
In the midst of this hell, Yeonjeongmun still stood in place.
Without any barrier, his eyes were bloodshot and streaming with blood tears, yet he continued his bizarre actions.
Drawing his finger through the air, he crafted an unusual structure of magic no one could see with unbelievable speed, and he enveloped it around him.
Buuuuuuum!
As Lee Hyun rose, he felt something unpleasant brushing against him, causing him to shiver. Yeon Minha felt the same, trembling in sync with him. Baek Seoyeon and Choi Ireh were no different.
They sensed the strange occurrence immediately after a fleeting moment.
Without warning, the ranks of the intruders surrounding the garden began a slaughter among themselves.
“What’s happening all of a sudden?! I— Ack!”
“Get a grip! What the hell is going on…!”
“Miss, something feels off! Retreat! Cough!”
“Hahaha! This sight is truly amusing!”
He grinned with a satisfied expression, bursting into a fit of mad laughter. He then extended his hand forward, directing his elite soldiers.
They stood dazed with blood tears and nosebleeds but still maintained a dazed stare, obediently standing their ground.
“Go! Show those who dare breach Jeokhwa’s land a taste of hell!!”
At the command of the head, they began to charge towards the intruders without hesitation.
The once beautiful garden, which had blossomed with flowers, had long since been submerged in green poisonous fog and filthy mud, utterly ruined.
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.