Chapter 37
Chapter 37
Chapter 37
The Witch's Chapter (4)
Commander Royce of the air force base felt powerless for the first time in his life.
His pride in the U.S. Air Force, which possessed the world's best fighter jets, was directly connected to his convictions. But those very fighter jets were exploding at someone's hands.
"Response?"
"Impossible."
Fighter jets were being blown apart, yet the enemy's figure couldn't even be properly seen.
Even if they tried to shoot, they couldn't aim.
And they couldn't fire missiles inside the base either.
All that was visible were faint afterimages that appeared occasionally, and the miserable sight of fighter jets exploding.
The runway was destroyed first, making aerial evacuation impossible, and the hangar entrance had already collapsed.
"To think we can't do anything……."
If there was any consolation, it was that there were no casualties.
Mechanics who had been near the fighter jets were thrown far away by someone, and there were no further attacks.
And when all the explosions ceased, no fighter jets remained at the base. Moreover, everything that could fly, from helicopters to bombers, was destroyed.
When his powerlessness reached its peak and turned into despair, a call came from the White House.
-Erase all records.
It was an incomprehensible order.
-Erase not only video records but also damage records as well. Backups are not permitted.
It was an order to make it as if nothing had happened.
Royce had no choice but to comply.
At the same time.
An unbelievable scene was unfolding at the White House.
The President of the United States knelt before a fifteen-year-old girl.
"What is the second condition for forgiveness?"
Despite the humiliating situation, the President did not hesitate.
The three conditions Na Yuri had stated.
They were the path to protecting the White House and the U.S. military.
He didn't believe Na Yuri would erase America from history.
'We will suffer irreparable damage.'
The President decided to prevent chaos by abandoning authority and pride.
-The first condition is to erase all records. Make what happened today as if it never happened.
She didn't tell him the method.
So he ordered the White House and the Air Force Base to erase all related records and data.
-We will not keep them even as classified documents.
Only after he said this much did Na Yuri accept it.
"Second condition. Don't try to learn anything about me. The moment you even mention me, there will be no forgiveness. Try it if you think I won't know."
As Na Yuri finished speaking, the Grim Reaper appeared in the center of the conference room.
The Grim Reaper, clearly visible to everyone's eyes, swung its giant scythe and struck the floor.
The snow that had accumulated on the floor due to the blizzard shot up to the ceiling.
And the Grim Reaper leisurely disappeared.
"If even one person mentions me, everyone involved will die. Including your families."
At the mention of families, the Secretary of the Interior flared up and shouted.
"To go that far……!"
Before he could finish speaking, the Grim Reaper that had disappeared reappeared and beheaded the Secretary of the Interior.
Blood gushed like a fountain from his headless neck.
At that sight, everyone was stunned speechless.
"I said there's no more forgiveness."
Na Yuri fixed her gaze on the President.
The President squeezed his eyes shut and opened his mouth.
"I accept."
Only then did Na Yuri state the final condition.
"The last condition is for you to propose."
"Pardon?"
"So far, these have been conditions for my safety. Did you think trying to kill me would end with just me becoming safe?"
The President's mind raced. But he had no grounds to argue.
They tried to kill her, and they failed. Then they must compensate for having tried to kill her.
He couldn't refute it logically.
"Let me make it easier to think. The safest thing for me would be to kill all these bastards here and erase the country called America itself. These unnecessary conditions aren't for me, but to let you live."
This too was irrefutable.
"Now, tell me a condition attractive enough to let you live."
The President thought this:
'Maybe she never intended to let us live from the start?'
But Na Yuri didn't seem to be lying. Ultimately, he had to propose a condition somehow.
"If there's something you want, we'll do our best to accommodate it."
"I don't want anything. You have to make me want it."
Na Yuri's expressionless face pressed the President to his limits.
Without any information, it was impossible to figure out what the other party wanted. And she didn't seem like she'd want money either.
"You have one chance."
Everyone gathered in the conference room could tell that the statement was sincere.
Their lives and America's chaos depended on the President's single word.
The President exercised his wit to the maximum. And carefully opened his mouth.
"For the next three years, we will accommodate any request that doesn't contradict America's national interests and beliefs."
The President emphasized the words national interests and beliefs. It was the maximum courage he could muster.
"Five years."
The Witch, pleased with the condition, extended the period.
"Understood."
"Put it in writing. It'll be illegal, but it'll have political value. Everyone here agrees, right?"
Eventually, a document was created, and everyone's signature was left except for the dead Secretary of the Interior.
After confirming the document, Na Yuri slowly looked around the conference room and then vanished without a trace. And the ice that had imprisoned the White House began to melt like a lie.
***
Tokyo, Japan.
The concert venue, packed with 50,000 people, was filled with cheers.
Eyes focused on the five people standing on stage, continuously screaming with shouts.
Girl group Fairy's Japan tour concert.
It was continuing its successful run with scalped tickets selling for ten times the price.
As the performance reached its climax, the atmosphere grew hotter, and when the last song began, most people stood up.
At that peak moment.
A flaming arrow flew toward the center of the stage.
Fairy's youngest member, who was standing in the center, stopped all actions the moment she saw the light.
Then, So Iryeon, who was on the far left, naturally blocked the front as if dancing. The arrow hit So Iryeon's solar plexus and shattered into sparks.
The audience, startled by the sudden situation, saw that So Iryeon was unharmed and screamed even louder.
They thought it was a staged situation.
Soon after, five arrows flew in succession. They were aimed at each of the five members.
So Iryeon grabbed the members' hands, lined them up in a row, then extended her palm toward the flaming arrows visible in front.
Sparks burst from her palm once more.
The song ended like that, and the lights went out amid tremendous cheers.
Soon after, safety personnel carrying fire extinguishers ran up to the stage where the fire arrows were lodged.
The audience called for an encore, but unfortunately, it didn't happen due to the damaged stage. Instead, So Iryeon alone went up on stage and sang a solo song under a single spotlight.
She calmly portrayed a shy girl receiving a tender confession with a beautiful melody. Yet inwardly, she had many thoughts.
'Which bastard. Just let me catch you.'
She tried to make eye contact with the audience even in the darkness.
Whenever she did, the audience members where her gaze rested showed expressions of being entranced.
'I can't find them, which bastard it is.'
Imagination and reality are always different.
As the song ended, So Iryeon returned to the waiting room.
Member Jang So-yeon was comforting the youngest, Jeong A-reum.
"Are you okay?"
So Iryeon sat beside Jeong A-reum, hugged her, and stroked her back.
"Unnie, what happened?"
Jeong A-reum, who had been gasping for breath, asked So Iryeon in a trembling voice.
The waiting room had a serious atmosphere.
"Is this from the person who sent that?"
When they arrived at the waiting room today, there were burned photos of the members. And behind the half-burned photos, there was a message written.
We will execute the apostates.
Everyone thought it was a psycho's prank. But So Iryeon felt uneasy and paid attention to unexpected situations throughout the performance.
'Apostates…….'
It was a phrase with strong religious overtones. And she could think of a suspicious group.
"But are you okay, unnie?"
The audience thought it was special effects, but the members and staff knew the truth.
"What was shot at me was just sparks. I think I was lucky."
She made up an excuse, but amidst all the chaos, no one was suspicious.
'They'll think it's strange as time passes, though.'
Deciding to think of another excuse, then, she first went to a place where there were no people.
Arriving at an unused warehouse, So Iryeon immediately called Na Uram.
"Cult Leader, where are you?"
-Me? America.
"What are you doing there?"
-I came back from destroying fighter jets.
"What?"
-I'll tell you the details when I get home. But what's the matter?
"It seems they've found out about me."
-Who?
When Na Uram asked back, So Iryeon answered in a serious voice.
"Baria. That terrorist organization."
She had done missionary work in Nigeria. And though she was kidnapped, the terrorists in that village were wiped out instead.
If one analyzed this situation, connecting her and Baria's losses wasn't difficult.
Moreover, being such a famous celebrity, it was only a matter of time before it was revealed.
-That's why I told you to drop out.
"I didn't know it would turn out like this."
-Tell me in detail what happened.
So Iryeon explained in detail what happened during the performance.
After hearing the full explanation, Na Uram thought for a moment, then asked So Iryeon.
-When's your next performance?
"Next Saturday in Osaka. Six days left."
-Got it. First, absolutely don't go outside, and you personally guard the members. I'll consult with Jimun Seo-saeng and let you know.
"Yes, understood."
-Change to a low-rise building for your accommodation. Stay in a one or two-story building, and keep the accommodation location secret too.
"Do we need to go that far?"
-If that was magic, today's incident was just a warning level. The concert hall could have exploded.
So Iryeon nodded even while on the phone.
"I'll do that."
After hanging up, So Iryeon let out a long sigh. She felt bad about endangering the members.
Managing her expression again and about to turn around, So Iryeon suddenly turned her body at the presence she felt.
At the end of the warehouse wall stood someone with a black robe covering even their forehead and eyes.
So Iryeon instinctively knew he was the perpetrator of the incident.
"I'll send you to the side of the martyrs."
"What are you talking about?"
The perpetrator extended his hand toward So Iryeon.
In that instant, a black shadow approached the perpetrator.
Cheong Ak-sal.
He struck the back of the perpetrator's neck and easily knocked him unconscious.
Bang.
The unaimed sparks hit the wall.
"You're this weak?"
So Iryeon lifted the hood covering the face to check the man's face.
It was an unfamiliar face.
Shortly after, staff who heard the sound of the sparks exploding rushed into the warehouse.
"What happened?"
"He seems to have been waiting for me. Fortunately, my bodyguard subdued him."
The staff didn't doubt So Iryeon's words. Rather, they roughly grabbed the fallen man.
"Huh? This person is……."
"Do you know him?"
"He's an employee of our company……."
At the word employee, So Iryeon frowned.
Then, the unconscious perpetrator woke up.
So Iryeon subtly stepped back to observe the situation, and the perpetrator looked around as if confused.
"Where is this?"
He had an expression showing he didn't know why he was here.
"Hey, Watabe, what are you talking about?"
"Huh?"
The man called Watabe still had a dazed expression.
'It doesn't seem like a lie.'
So Iryeon's mind became complicated.