Chapter 94
Chapter 94
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 94
Chapter Title: Grand Opening 1+1
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Seruk. Thud.
Andre's right hand fell away from the scimitar.
He stared blankly at the severed hand, then let out a 'Kuhuhu' chuckle as he picked it up.
When he pressed it back against the stump, it bubbled and boiled, reattaching itself.
"The blade's pretty sharp. But all you managed to cut was a bit of skin."
Slash.
One stroke split him from shoulder to chest, exposing red muscle.
"Kkuk! Annoying, but I guess I'll have to show you my real power. Hup!"
The chest muscles knitted back together as he regenerated, his bulk swelling to four meters.
Seruk, seruk.
Two burly arms dropped off.
Andre stumbled back in shock.
"Kr, hahaha. You're actually making me tense. Not bad at all. From now on, for real..."
Slash—
"Kkuk, behold the limits of my regeneration..."
"Hmm."
An invisible sword stroke.
Andre, limbs severed, sprawled on the ground.
"Huhu, hey, you seem to be underestimating me a bit too much."
Stab. Crunch.
"Kuk, but go a little easy..."
"Bones and tendons are tough."
Rip. Rip.
"Wait, that actually hurts a little?"
Grgrgruk. Crunch.
"We might need a moment to talk?"
"No need."
"No! Please, just give me time to regenerate!"
"You need it?"
"Yes!"
Andre, reduced to just a torso, nodded desperately.
"Then regenerate."
"Th-thank you!"
Squirm, squirm. The scattered remains of Andre on the ground gathered together.
With regeneration closer to a slime than a werewolf, his body reformed.
"Whew, finally all attached..."
Sheep God Dual-Wield Sword (羊神法 雙手劍): Twin-Fired Life-Reaping Scissors (雙發奪命鉸)
The scimitar and holy sword crossed like scissors around Andre's neck.
"Ek?"
Andre felt his vision lift away.
The world spun wildly, and looking down, he saw his own torso—red cross-section where his neck should be.
"Kek. Kek. Kek."
It rolled, coming to a stop at Ju Gonghyeok's feet.
Andre opened his mouth for one final question.
"Why?"
"Sorry. On second thought, with everyone watching, it'd be too messy. Someone'd have to clean the floor."
Ju Gonghyeok pulled a cigarette from his pocket, his gaze utterly serious.
"Nimi... rul..."
"Chief Ju! All clear over here!"
Sanchez shouted from the window.
Ju Gonghyeok snapped his fingers, as always.
"Hang up the banner."
"Hup!"
Sanchez hurled a blood-soaked banner from the third-floor window.
The long vertical banner unfurled all the way to the first floor.
'Today! Ju Gonghyeok & Sanchez Office Grand Opening!'
'Opening Special! Super Discount Limited-Time 1+1 Deal!'
'Tip us off about a necromancer—we'll kill the one next door too!'
'Devil contractors, their orgs, or anyone annoying? Report anytime! We'll give you 10% of the bounty as a tip fee, on top of our contract payment!'
The bright ad banner, smeared thick with gore, looked utterly grotesque.
Keeiii—
Even in midair, Sanchez's hellmare Palgar was scattering flyers.
Clap, clap, clap.
"Excellent. Subarashii."
The captains approached Ju Gonghyeok as he clapped.
"Crazy. What the hell did you guys do?"
"Team Leader Ju, detective laws or not, this is way too flashy. Company HQ won't just let it slide. It's not like the old Special Task Force 0 days."
The captains fretted, but Ju Gonghyeok remained unfazed.
"Didn't I tell you? The External Director's providing support."
"Not financial?"
"Tomorrow morning. A new ordinance drops.
Q4 designated Devil Exorcism Week. Granting temporary superlegal devil-hunting authority to the multinational devil hunter Sanchez, who racked up merits across eight unique cities."
Ju Gonghyeok shook off his cigarette ash and yawned.
"There's investigation rights, execution rights, all that jazz. But that's the gist."
"...If the External Director's going that far, there must be something real going on."
"You think I'd have left the company with nothing otherwise? Looking forward to our cooperation, Captains."
"Leave it to us."
"We'll be the ones asking favors soon enough."
Ju Gonghyeok clapped his palms together firmly at their solid replies.
"Ah, perfect timing. Got a cooperation request."
"Already?"
Ju Gonghyeok pointed at the office—windows shattered, smoke billowing out.
"Get your teams and clean that up."
"......"
"By dinner."
The captains were at a loss for words.
"The rest, talk it over with Sanchez. I'm off for a walk."
"A walk? Where to this time?"
"Business secret. Don't follow."
Ju Gonghyeok stubbed out his cigarette and started walking.
The onlookers hurriedly cleared a path, and he strode alone down the street parted like the Red Sea.
Unlike Moses parting the Red Sea, no one followed behind him.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Unique City, Company Cathedral.
Ju Gonghyeok sat atop the Gothic spire.
Surprisingly, there were many devout believers among the hunters.
In a world where angels and devils had appeared, and the existence of gods proven, it might actually be weirder not to believe.
The problem was that angels and gods didn't feel like the absolute good or creators humans had imagined—they seemed more like other-dimensional beings borrowing those images.
The tin can by the cross was piled high with cigarette butts.
Lost in thought, Ju Gonghyeok added one more on top.
The sun dipped low, and night fell.
Lights flickered on one by one in Company buildings and streetlamps; signs glowed with stones like LEDs.
If he listened closely, he could hear radio static from the cathedral and a popular personal broadcast on a restaurant TV.
Across the street, he saw someone working on a computer through a window. No sending info out via internet, but peeking in was fine.
It didn't look all that different from reality.
Unique cities had been designed that way.
Indistinguishable from modern cities.
As long as a power ability user ran the power plant and industrial ability users produced goods in some factory somewhere, life could be just like reality.
Electronics and buildings were already there from the start; all it took were coins to maintain some systems and the city.
This was the devils' lure in building Babel.
In movies and games, people side with aliens 'to survive.'
Those who resist do so 'to protect family, save humanity'—grand notions like that.
But if aliens conquer Earth, you can't live like before.
No computers, no games.
No movies, no smartphones.
No weekly chicken or pizza deliveries, no comfy daily life.
Beyond morals, these petty inconveniences and fear of the unknown made betrayal tempting.
But a world almost identical to reality.
An environment with no major lacks—hunters start thinking.
'Even if we side with the devils and humanity falls, couldn't we keep living like this?'
The devils had proven they could build worlds like this even after humanity's end.
And the devils offering contracts promised not just the lives they'd led so far, but every entertainment gathered from all dimensions, if desired.
On the knife-edge between life and death.
It was only natural for power-hungry hunters to waver.
From the cathedral spire overlooking the city, only Ju Gonghyeok's cigarette ember glowed red.
= My contractor.
Ra-Djehuty emerged from the darkness.
= I sense my people.
The blue beak of the ibis-headed god turned toward the west gate.
They were probably entering right about now.
Lord of the necropolis city.
Necromancer leader and the cult's First Apostle.
Death King.
Ra-Djehuty closed his eyes.
= My people have come to find me.
The people of a perished dimension who had once desperately called his name.
Death god Urben.
His incarnation, the Death King, had arrived at Company to turn the human world into hell.
[Ignite Fire Magic (C-) activated]
Ju Gonghyeok turned the pile of butts into neat ash.
"If you're here to see, the polite thing is to greet you in style."
The Death King and his nine apostles.
Until they launched their grand scheme, 59 days remained.
Ju Gonghyeok looked forward to it with pleasure.
＊ ＊ ＊ ＊ ＊
Fifty days had passed since Solution Street 1 became a warzone.
Ju Gonghyeok and Sanchez's office was booming.
Unlike the old request-only outfits, they offered proactive hunts for criminals.
As time went on, the headlines poured in.
- Escort Division arrest rates lag behind private fixers. Recent highs seem thanks to now-retired Ju Gonghyeok...
- Ju & San Office busts necromancer illegal drug ring violating pension treaty in one go!
- In 30 days, alliance push with Solution Street 1's four fixer groups; plans to divide sectors for processing.
- New rival shakes Escort Division's 10-year dominance!
- Matching Escort scale; consumers losing trust in Escort, flocking to Ju & San.
- Company HQ's 'infinite competition' mantra—what's next? Replace Escort? Merger? Downsize to elite exec-only?
One man skimmed the papers.
Then crushed them in his fist and tossed them in the trash.
The man in the ivory trenchcoat sat on the plush waiting-room sofa.
External Director Alfred Hickston.
It was the waiting area outside his office.
Creak.
The antique wooden door opened, and the secretary poked her head in.
"The Director says come in."
The trenchcoated man rose and entered the office.
At the desk, the mature British gentleman Alfred processed papers one by one.
"You there—not taking off that ugly hat? No indoor manners, no respect for your elders?"
"My apologies."
The man, face hidden by a large tricorn hat, apologized.
"Whatever. The important thing is that you contacted me via the emergency line only my close secretaries know."
Alfred spoke piercingly without lifting his eyes from the papers.
"Out with it. How did you get Sessk's line?"
The man fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
"Underground shelter, Charlie sector. Safe house 999-5. Sessk's there."
The fountain pen processing papers halted abruptly.
"That Sessk... the living Sessk?"
"The real Sessk."
The man lifted his tricorn.
He was the underground mafia, Eight Evils Society boss.
"I'm Yao Chen, Sessk's Number Three Chain. I came because there's something I must tell the External Director."
"Sessk's Number Three Chain. Things are turning amusing."
Alfred set aside his papers and crossed his legs.
"Go on, then. What message do you bring? From your ex-secretary 'master'?"
"Soon, External Director, you'll be assassinated. And Company will fall."
Yao Chen—no, Sessk—continued.
"I'll explain every situation Company's facing right now. Only you can save Company."
Alfred met his resolute words with an intrigued gaze.
Click.
Under the desk, out of sight.
Alfred flipped the switch on the recorder.
News to deliver to his 'master.'
[Chapter 94 - Grand Opening 1+1] End