Chapter 155
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 155
Chapter Title: 140. People of the World Where the Original Story is Broken
-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the Pacific Ocean lay an island no hunter knew of.
It had emerged from a gate after the Great Cataclysm, shrouded in such immense demonic energy that unless one ventured inside, all anyone could see was the mana haze. No one was aware of its existence.
And on this island, the Sins—next in line after the Four Heavenly Kings of Evil—were holding a meeting around a round table.
"Who could've guessed that Gluttony, who we thought had only just been born, would go down so pathetically?"
A woman with light pink hair, exuding mature allure and known as the Sin of Envy, shook her head as she spoke. The others seated around the table chimed in with their own opinions.
"She was the last of us to awaken, so she got cocky in her weakened state and paid the price."
"Sure, she was the weakest among us, but to lose to a mere cadet?"
"Envy, didn't Gluttony call Yoo Eun-ha 'Azidahaka' or something?"
Everyone present was a Sin.
To be precise, there were four of them: two men and two women.
"Yoo Eun-ha's abilities do resemble Azidahaka's, but Azidahaka was still active even after Yoo Eun-ha was born."
"Even so, you can't ignore the power it takes to take down a Sin."
The one who responded to Envy was the Sin of Pride.
Azidahaka had vanished without a trace since disappearing in China, where it was last sighted. The timelines didn't match for it to have reincarnated as Yoo Eun-ha, and more importantly, reincarnation required death—but there was no report of Azidahaka dying anywhere.
In other words, the 'Azidahaka = Yoo Eun-ha' theory didn't hold water.
"Speaking of which, what happened to Gluttony Pintao?"
"Word is Yoo Eun-ha buried her alive. That girl Pintao was deep into Zhonghua supremacism. Tsk tsk."
"And what are you doing lying around?"
Envy eyed the man sprawled on the sofa, playing a game with a weary expression, her tone dripping with disdain.
Gluttony was dead, Lust was nowhere to be found. How could he act so nonchalant in this situation? She had to question if he was really one of the Sins.
"Hey, don't ignore me!"
Finally, even after his game console was snatched away, the man scratched his head, got up, and reclaimed it.
He was the Sin of Sloth.
"Yapping all you want won't change a thing. Half of us were dragged here against our will, so I'll wait till your little meeting's over."
"Pathetic. If we want to blanket the Earth in demonic energy, we all need to step up."
When Pride mocked Sloth, Sloth shot back with a smirk of his own.
"Will all that noise bring back the defeated Gluttony? Or maybe go find Lust, off building a harem somewhere, getting pounded or doing the pounding with men or women."
"You think we're here just to gossip about Gluttony like a bunch of aunties?"
"Then what is it?"
Sloth tilted his head, genuinely puzzled. The other Sins shook their heads.
"Korea's forces are stronger than we thought. Even more than during Yoo Jin-seok's time. The White Flower Church has a weapon that nearly diced the Yellow Dragon, and there's even a freak who bound and tore it apart. If we invade Korea, we might win, but our grand ambitions would fail. It's time to change course."
Despite coming for a meeting, the Sins were bickering among themselves. The golden-haired girl, who had been sipping tea with elegant poise, finally spoke.
"Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will win every battle. For now, we must increase our forces through the gates. This is the time to build our strength."
"Hmph. So, does our noble German aristocrat lady have some plan in mind?"
Envy, who had never liked the golden-haired girl, pressed her. The girl replied in a calm tone.
"The global situation is shifting rapidly, centered around East Asia. First, a young hero has emerged from China's Northwest warlords. After the Beijing warlords fell, the Northwest took over Beijing and appointed a new hunter named Xue Li. Rumors say she has the constellation 'Chui.' Perhaps due to its influence, she's remarkably mature for her age, skilled at handling subordinates, and wields various weapons and powers. She's revered as the young leader of the Northwest warlords, and her special forces unit, the Chui Unit, is advancing on Beijing."
"Whoa! Japan has its Shogunate, China has Chui. East Asia really is regressing to the past!"
Sloth, who had been listening quietly, clapped his hands.
"Korea's war hero Yoo Eun-ha has been sidelined by Ha Jung-seok into handling the White Flower Church as a special hunter. The original leader, White Flower, has gone missing, so Yoo Eun-ha is effectively in charge now."
"Putting a war hero in charge of a villain group, even if it's an autonomous zone? Hilarious."
Pride was dumbfounded.
Sure, if they wanted dictatorial power, that might be ideal. But sidelining a girl young enough to be his daughter? Laughable.
"Japan's in an uproar too. Unable to profit from the economic boom due to not intervening in the Korea-China war, right-wingers are criticizing the Shinohara regime and pushing for a restoration of the monarchy. Hunters aligned with the right-wingers carried out terrorism but were massacred by the Shinsengumi in broad daylight."
Maybe Sloth's joke had turned out to be true.
East Asia truly seemed to be reverting to the past.
China had Chui, who fought Emperor Huangwon; Korea felt like ancient faction wars; Japan had its Shogunate. It was like stepping back in time.
Come to think of it, did the Sins really need to rush?
"If it's like this, we don't seem to need to hurry either. Even with Gluttony dead, do we really need to step in?"
Envy shrugged, more relaxed than before.
"Fair enough. Let's watch and wait for now."
For the moment, caution was key.
Beijing, China
A hunter unit bearing a red flag emblazoned with a goblin emblem clashed fiercely with the monsters occupying Beijing.
Leading them was a black-haired woman in her early twenties, her hair tied back in a ponytail.
At the girl's command, the goblin-flagged troops surged with morale and annihilated the monsters. She aimed a crossbow forged of light at the last remaining beast.
"Guooooaaaaah!"
"Begone from Chui's land."
Though her voice carried the high pitch typical of girls her age, its weight made the monster falter. The light arrow she fired shattered its head, killing it.
Confirming the monster's death, she shook the crossbow in her hand. It transformed into a sword and sheathed itself at her waist.
"We've reclaimed Beijing from the monsters!"
"Long live the Chui Unit!"
This was the moment the Chui Unit recovered Beijing, lost to monsters after the Beijing warlords' fall. But someone had come seeking the woman at that very time.
"Leader, someone from Nanjing is here."
Nanjing meant the Presidential Palace.
Who sent them? Obvious enough.
The woman greeted the Chinese public security officers from Nanjing with icy coldness.
"Trying to win me over again?"
"Yes. Xue Li, if you surrender to the Nanjing government, you'll be given command of a hunter unit established by Public Security. We'll also provide you with several generations' worth of wealth and land. This is Chairman Zhang's will."
Xue Li—that was the name of the rising star of the Northwest warlords after the Beijing collapse, and the leader of the Chui Unit.
Xue Li sneered coldly at the offer.
"The Communist Party's nest of corruption, extravagance, vain delusions of emperorship, and greed that threatened neighboring countries, sacrificing over 1.3 million lives screaming in the war with Korea—they want me?"
"That was General Zhang Wei's independent action."
"You think I don't know the Presidential Palace was behind it? And in this era, an emperor? Don't make me laugh. If you come for me one more time, Chairman Zhang's head will roll on the ground."
The Northwest warlords were already rebelling against Nanjing's Presidential Palace.
Previously stifled by the Beijing warlords, they could no longer stay silent amid the Beijing collapse, Chairman Zhang's failed reforms, corruption, and war defeat.
China was diplomatically isolated worldwide. Thus, the Northwest had effectively declared independence.
In the end, the public security officers from Nanjing left empty-handed.
Once they were gone, the Chui Unit hunters cheered Xue Li.
"As expected of our leader. Well done. If Korea has Yoo Eun-ha, China has you."
Korea's Yoo Eun-ha—the woman who, with Choi Si-woo and a few cadets driven by patriotism, crushed the Beijing warlords' main force on the battlefield.
Moreover, she had felled even Pintao, the Sin of Gluttony, Beijing's ultimate weapon—a true heroine.
Xue Li had been hunting monsters in the northwest but had recently expanded her territory to Beijing, encountering the name Yoo Eun-ha frequently.
"Isn't Yoo Eun-ha the woman who captured Beijing hunters in the Pyongyang and Pyeongseong battles, then defeated Pintao in single combat through unyielding will, leading to victory?"
"Most of the forces crumbled under White Flower Church missiles by then. The war was already over."
She knew that. The million ragtag followers afterward were irrelevant.
She was the war's top contributor, the Korean talent who forced Chairman Zhang to cede the northeast to Korea.
"Hmm... I'd like to meet her sometime."
A sly smile curled on Xue Li's lips.
Shinohara Castle
Lately, Shinohara Yuzuki had been receiving frequent reports.
"My lord, right-wingers are stirring trouble in Kyoto again. They terrorized against Shinohara hunters and were subdued."
The right-wingers rebelling against Shinohara.
Ridiculous. Mere relics from the old Self-Defense Forces daring to defy Shinohara.
It wasn't the first or second time. Probably the prime minister's doing.
"The prime minister's scheming again."
"Shouldn't we drag him down?"
Shinohara Mariko worried the right-wingers might threaten Shinohara.
If Shinohara's authority wavered, it was over. But Yuzuki polished her sword leisurely.
"No need. We don't have to create unnecessary strife."
"But they're keep agitating."
"Pfft. Does that mean the Japanese people are following them?"
"No, but..."
In the past, maybe. But now Shinohara controlled the nation. Even with some right-wing noise, in this information age, without dominating media and propaganda, no Japanese would fall for it.
Moreover, Shinohara hadn't erred.
"We haven't made any mistakes to begin with. We didn't get the full war boom, but we profited from mediation, improved relations with Korea, and secured investment rights in the Northeast Three Provinces now Korean land. Did any of our hunters die on the peninsula? We gained without losses."
"Yes."
"No rush. The prime minister wants us to rise with force. Leave him be, and he'll crumble on his own."
Thanks to China's blunder, East Asia was on edge. If Shinohara mobilized hunters to wipe out right-wingers now, it would only tarnish the regime's international reputation.
"What about Hansung Academy, then?"
Hansung Academy—even with Gluttony dead, ties with Korea were more crucial than ever.
War hero Yoo Eun-ha, designated by White Flower Church leader White Flower as the next head.
With Northeast Three Provinces gate investments secured, Ha Jung-seok could wait; Yoo Eun-ha relations mattered more now.
"Getting friendly with Yoo Eun-ha benefits Shinohara. I should go. Need to discuss Northeast Three Provinces investments with that Ha Jung-seok too. Hmm. Inviting them to Shinohara Castle isn't a bad idea."
"Then, just monitor the Self-Defense Forces and prime minister?"
"Yes. Have the Shinsengumi keep watch."
"Understood."
No need to hurry. Better if they self-destruct—that was Shinohara's desire.
She would end the prime minister and royal family completely, ushering in Japan's new era.