Independent Nation (4)
The era in which Bon lived had been extraordinary.
'An age where the strong reigned supreme.'
There had been an unprecedented multitude of powerhouses in history.
Among them, the most representative figures were the three kings known as the Absolute Monarchs.
The Mad King. The Tyrant Jebar.
The king who led the strong. The Saint King Haron.
And then there was Baroque, hailed as the Hegemon who had never once known defeat.
Having lived through that era, Bon knew the truth.
'Something everyone knew of, yet no one dared to challenge.'
It was the path to becoming the Hegemon.
Yet, one knight had inherited that very epithet of the Hegemon.
Like an undefeated king.
Proclaimed the Undefeated Knight.
Moreover, that Undefeated Knight had even caught the eye of the Hegemon himself, nearly becoming his heir.
But it hadn't come to pass.
This was the extent of the truth Bon knew.
One thing was certain.
The knight named Lukio was no mere knight of middling rank.
Even to Bon, the commander of the Black Wind Corps, Lukio seemed overwhelmingly powerful.
In response to Bon's question about why he was there.
Lukio replied with a calm expression.
"He's my master."
"......"
Bon nearly let out a heavy sigh at those words.
'The master of the Undefeated Knight...?'
It was unbelievable.
The Undefeated Knight Lukio was also renowned as an unparalleled loyal vassal.
No, it wasn't merely loyalty.
'It's in his very nature.'
He embodied perfect knighthood.
A man who would protect his lord by any means necessary.
And an amusing fact: in that world of geniuses, Lukio had been the idol of all knights.
Yet from that response, Bon saw something else.
'My master, huh...'
The word "guy" revealed that Lukio had yet to swear his knight's oath.
The knight's oath.
A noble vow to dedicate one's life entirely to one person alone.
Had he made that vow, Lukio wouldn't have phrased it that way.
And now, Bon shifted his admiration for Lukio to something else.
'How in the world...'
Lukio was the sort of man who defied logic just by being kept around temporarily.
Gazing at Hyun-soo, Bon wondered how he'd acquired someone like Lukio over the past two months.
And whether the guy who'd just been walking his dog was really that strong.
And Hyun-soo.
You have learned a portion of Lukio's past.
Loyalty is low.
He will not share his past with you.
Hyun-soo was just as shocked.
But at the incoming alert, he licked his lips in regret.
Meanwhile.
Special User Management Team.
Team Leader Park and employee Lee Ji-hee's eyes wavered.
Soon after, CEO Lee Se-jin entered, his face etched with surprise.
User Hyun-soo may learn of the Path of the Hegemon.
"......Has the feared scenario become reality? Faster than anticipated."
From the moment Lukio had set out with Hyun-soo, the Special User Management Team and Se-jin had been on high alert.
It hinged on how quickly hints about Lukio would unravel.
Se-jin knew this issue was profoundly complex and difficult.
Thus, he turned to Lee Ji-hee, the future leader of the Special User Management Team.
"Normally, since User Hyun-soo is walking the Path of the Saint King, the Path of the Hegemon shouldn't activate."
It was true.
Hyun-soo was already on the Path of the Saint King. But another issue existed.
"However, when he learned of the 'Saint King,' Hyun-soo had already amassed such extraordinary achievements that he fell short of sainthood and exceeded the Saint King. Thus, he gained the Saint King's power without acquiring the 'Dual Class'."
Exactly.
User Hyun-soo was an unprecedented outlier.
Though he clearly hadn't obtained a Dual Class, his excellence granted him the benefits of that Dual Class.
"This Saint King Dual Class advancement will occur the day User Hyun-soo successfully founds his kingdom. But there's no need for him to advance to Saint King."
Because Hyun-soo had already claimed so much as a Saint King.
And since he hadn't formally obtained the Dual Class, other paths remained open.
"......If he chooses the Path of the Hegemon and fulfills the 'Qualifications of the Hegemon,' User Hyun-soo could become the sole wielder of two Absolute Monarch powers."
Tae-seok and Se-jin felt their hearts race at Ji-hee's continued words.
"A king who harbors the armies of the Saint King and wields the power of the Hegemon who never knew defeat."
Se-jin nodded emphatically.
The Special User Management Team was truly competent.
They aligned perfectly with his own thoughts.
The crux was this.
"......Lukio will serve as the guide leading User Hyun-soo down the Path of the Hegemon."
A named NPC who would open the curtain to a grand epic.
"Of course, assuming the knight's oath is sworn."
In the end, it all depended on Hyun-soo.
Bon had no choice but to acknowledge it.
Even without the oath, having the Undefeated Knight Lukio by his side.
The fact that the guy casually walking his dog(?) had subdued Kalam in one strike.
He had to admit it.
Yet Bon was the one who had raised the Black Wind Corps.
He had a thuggish personality, twisted and rough around the edges.
But he cherished the Black Wind Corps.
"......I'll stay in Atlas. However, to claim the Black Wind Corps, you must subdue all of them within five minutes."
Bon remains in Atlas.
Not the entire Black Wind Corps.
Right—he'd spoken of staying in terms of "Bon" himself, not the entire Black Wind Corps.
"......Why go this far?"
Hyun-soo couldn't comprehend it.
"We saw the wall that day."
Bon gave a bitter smile.
"Atlas, hailed as the greatest territory, was obliterated by a single breath. We realized then that effort and stubbornness alone aren't always enough."
Bon was frank.
"......If Atlas falls again, I think I'd break a second time."
Because Demon Gremory would come here 100%.
And Gremory, commanding 22 legions, would unleash power far beyond any dragon.
"I'll bear it alone. That's all."
Hyun-soo might have taken offense at Bon's double-talk.
But no.
'Bon's like a mad dog.'
Yet the reason he became a mad dog was to protect the "pups" who followed him.
A man so cool and upright.
The fact that such a man could be made a vassal.
And his loyalty meant becoming a mad dog for him.
Hyun-soo just felt regret.
The Black Wind Corps members standing behind Bon.
At Bon's choice, they trembled violently.
They didn't want to part from Bon, but facing a demon was even worse.
Hyun-soo, who had witnessed "Demon Descent" firsthand, knew.
'Humans who encounter demons feel terror beyond death.'
Just facing one made blood pour from eyes, ears, and nose.
In 5 minutes, all Black Wind Corps members except Bon will return to dust.
"......I hope you wake them when you're truly ready. Then they won't tremble like this."
Bon said, looking embarrassed.
He knew it himself.
Subduing 2,000 Black Wind Corps members in five minutes.
Impossible for any being, no matter who came.
But Hyun-soo's eyes changed.
He reached for the necklace around his neck.
This was an experiment—and expectation—for his first saved ability.
"Fenrir Charge."
Fenrir Charge
Bon and the 2,000 Black Wind Corps suddenly saw a shadow blanket them.
"......"
"......"
"......"
"......"
Even Hyun-soo gasped in awe and surprise as Fenrir manifested directly.
It dropped from the sky.
KUAAAAANG-
KRRRAAAAAHHH-!
And the power of Fenrir Charge was simple.
The 11-meter-tall Fenrir trampled the Black Wind Corps as it charged.
KUGUGUGUGUGWANG-!
Each time it slammed the ground, splash damage rippled out, sweeping through the Black Wind Corps.
'It's this powerful...?'
Of course, Hyun-soo's MP plummeted as a result.
And Bon was included among those trampled.
Fenrir Charge ends.
After Fenrir vanished, Hyun-soo swallowed hard.
It had all happened in less than 10 seconds.
As the thick dust cleared, the 2,000 Black Wind Corps members—trampled to the brink of death—came into view.
The 2,000 Black Wind Corps are neutralized.
You must fulfill the promise.
"Ughhh......"
"Kuhhh......"
"Ugh...... No......!"
Seeing their despair, Hyun-soo moved.
'In my own way.'
If they feared, he'd confront it his way.
The Black Wind Corps members were terrified.
They weren't as strong as Bon or as great as the Saint King.
They were merely slightly exceptional soldiers living off their stipends.
To them, transcendent beings were objects of fear.
Especially.
'In two years, we'll face a demon...'
'How agonizing will our deaths be?'
'Demons are cruel—they'll make it even worse.'
'Even with Bon's consideration, in the end... ugh......'
They were convinced they'd meet the most horrific end in two years.
Could they live happily for those two years?
No.
Days would feel unbearably short, their lives like those with a terminal diagnosis, counting down the time.
And even if they stayed in Atlas, with no future ahead, they'd lack motivation.
Crucially, if they couldn't overcome that wall, their presence here was meaningless.
Humans become utterly powerless knowing death looms.
No one studies or trains knowing they'll die in a month.
Some among those trampled by the colossal Fenrir, now facing torment and a "terminal" life, shed tears.
And amid the thick dust.
Hyun-soo's Overwhelm and Pride of the Master Craftsman took effect.
The Black Wind Corps members were captivated by the man in the brown coat surveying them.
"Bon saw it—I sealed the demon."
A fact the entire Black Wind Corps knew.
The issue was they believed he'd done it with others' power or some method.
Not his own full strength.
His visible power seemed far weaker than the complete Saint King's.
His next words peeled away some of their fear.
"......That day, the people here now were with me."
"......!?"
"......!?"
"......!?"
A new truth dawned.
Even Bon, groaning on the ground, realized it.
The wind blew, clearing the dust.
At last, their full forms revealed.
People they didn't know, called "beacons."
A man munching on chicken breast.
He'd subdued a knight effortlessly with a single dagger.
And the one Bon himself had said walked the Path of the Hegemon.
"Gremory? Next time, I'll take her head."
Lukio's casual words confirmed it as truth.
Their gazes now turned to the man who'd been walking his dog.
He looked ordinary, but he'd one-shot the vice-commander.
And Kabel was clever.
"......Pleased to meet you. I am Asura Kabel, who will fight alongside you."
"......!"
"......!"
"......!"
The murderous Asura.
The legendary being who ruled hell.
A silent death to enemies, silent protection to allies.
They realized.
That day, the Asura would protect them.
The Black Wind Corps members began rising.
Shing-
Hyun-soo drew the sword forged with Reversal.
No famed sword in the world could ring as purely and clearly.
Thud-
They inspected the legendary blade as Hyun-soo tossed it to the ground.
Its name was Babylon.
"That day, I'll be the first to strike the demon."
Bon, recognizing the sword first, stepped back.
The Black Wind Corps, seeing it, instinctively straightened and gazed at him.
The creator of a sword transcending eras, nearly impossible to exist.
"Hide behind me."
He was strong too, stirring other thoughts.
'A lord with an Asura and one who walked the Hegemon's Path at his side.'
His potential and power were immeasurable.
And this opened possibilities.
"What will you do until two years from now?"
Possibilities had opened.
An territory where those who'd sealed the demon gathered.
"Train to kill any invaders."
The eyes of those neutralized before even fighting changed.
Possibility opened.
Thinking it a death sentence, but learning a 40%+ survival chance—they'd seize life, strive harder.
Bon, watching, was most deeply moved.
Affinity with Bon increases.
He'd accomplished what a true sovereign must never forget.
Instilling faith in his followers.
By shining immense faith, he'd ignited those gripped by fear.
Bon took a step toward Hyun-soo.
The once-disheveled Black Wind Corps now stood in perfect ranks, like ancient battlefield legions.
And Bon stood at the forefront as their representative.
Hyun-soo knew.
This time, there would be no failure.
"Pledge your loyalty to me."