Chapter 55
Chapter 55
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Russia's Resolution
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“Crazy bastards.”
Lee Jae-kyung spat out the curse.
“Next.”
This was truly an absurd sight.
He had saved them from the brink of destruction, yet all he got in return was cold hostility.
And what? They were willing to blow themselves up just to capture him?
“What the hell possessed them?”
They must have been possessed by demons.
“Next. Is there no one else?”
Otherwise, it made no sense.
A brief lull.
“…….”
Go Yohan watched them as well.
Only a few among them were truly possessed by demons.
“Common sense only exists in times of peace.”
That was why Go Yohan could view the situation with cold clarity.
“Sometimes.”
Thud thud thud thud!
“Human greed and instincts can be more terrifying than demons.”
In Travania, more than a third of the continent had fallen prey to demonic schemes.
Even those who hadn’t sold their souls to demons but had still been possessed for long periods and offered themselves up numbered plenty.
But.
‘Even without offering their souls to demons, those who tore the continent apart…’
Were even more numerous.
There was no such thing as ‘common sense’ in that place.
As the helicopter approached, the players retreated further.
Despite the whipping winds, Go Yohan and his group held their ground.
The one who emerged from the landed helicopter was.
“Mikhail.”
Russia’s Minister of Defense.
And.
‘A player.’
Another unfamiliar player.
The young man exuded considerable power and had steely eyes.
The others who disembarked from the helicopter, dressed in Russian Association uniforms, shouted at the players.
“Disperse!”
“…….”
“Those who followed Anton’s orders out of necessity will face no penalties!”
Only then did the players’ expressions brighten.
“……Really?”
“…….”
The young man glanced at the headless corpse before speaking.
“The culprits seem to have already paid for their crimes. Fall back! Take them to the Association, investigate, and release them.”
Only then did the Association members quickly disperse the players.
They had already wanted to flee after witnessing Go Yohan’s abilities.
“……I’m sorry.”
Mikhail approached, bowing his head immediately.
“This was all Anton’s unilateral decision, and…….”
“Anton’s unilateral decision? Are you saying that’s even possible?”
Yun Seung-ah said in a cold voice.
But Go Yohan raised a hand to stop her.
He couldn’t keep leaving everything to the apostles forever.
“……And it had the president’s approval.”
The Russian president.
Mikhail had thought it madness when he saw Go Yohan’s back, but witnessing the events in the Black Land had completely changed his mind.
Anton had changed his mind too, however.
‘This……is dangerous.’
Beyond imagination.
And.
‘The Shins are ultimately part of the Temple. And the Temple is deeply tied to America.’
Vague fear.
Complicated politics and interests were at play, but that was the crux.
“So?”
Go Yohan said.
That was when the young man beside Mikhail stepped forward.
“The president just died of a heart attack.”
“…….”
“Anton……thank you for cleaning up the trash. They were stains on Russia’s glory.”
Only then did the picture become clear.
Pfft.
Go Yohan let out an incredulous laugh.
-My name is Ivan.
Yun Seung-ah’s voice revealed the man’s identity.
“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I’m Ivan Sergeyevich Ivanov, from the Russian Association’s Enforcement Division.”
At the same time.
-He’s the one who reached out to the Temple.
Yun Seung-ah’s voice continued.
This Ivan was the mastermind behind it all.
He had drawn the Temple’s interest, aiming to become one of them.
One might call it his gamble.
Though the path hadn’t been smooth, he had seized the opportunity and moved swiftly.
“This incident……I apologize formally once more. But it has nothing to do with Russia’s will, or rather…….”
Ivan said.
“Please understand that from now on, this has absolutely nothing to do with Russia’s will.”
Ivan bowed his head without hesitation.
Thump, thump, thump.
Go Yohan could feel the man’s heart pounding fiercely.
“Raise your head.”
Go Yohan said.
In that instant.
Slash!
Blood erupted from Ivan’s face.
A deep diagonal gash that would likely scar even with proper treatment.
As the startled Mikhail and Association members moved to react.
“Stoy!”
Ivan shouted for them to stop.
“I have no intention of letting this end here. I promise appropriate compensation for this incident later.”
Ivan spoke without even wiping the blood from his face.
“……Will you accept it?”
In this moment, Ivan thought.
“…….”
That his future was being decided.
And.
“Never think of using the apostles for any reason again. This is your last mercy, and your warning.”
At Go Yohan’s voice, now laced with a changed tone.
“Thank you.”
Ivan bowed his head in gratitude.
A dark smile crept across his lips.
“We are at your service.”
With that, the Russian matter was settled.
*
*
*
There was no need to take a private jet back or anything of the sort.
The Black Land had vanished, and Yun Seung-ah’s magic was no longer impeded.
However, upon returning to Korea, Yun Seung-ah.
“I’ll be off.”
“……You sure know how to stir up trouble. Might as well clean house entirely.”
“The outcome was good, wasn’t it?”
“……Even without that, I had plans in place. Sigh, never mind. Captain. I’ll go. Oh, and I’ll take Black Mirror with me.”
She departed for Russia again, this time with Lee Ha-yeon, whose eyes burned with venom.
It seemed a massive upheaval was brewing, and she aimed to stabilize it while extracting maximum gain.
The worldwide gate breaks were also quieting down.
The Temple was behind that.
The opening of Goldian’s warehouses, support from the Temple’s dimension.
Numerous high-level players mixed in.
“The ranker rankings are going to shake up big time.”
Those who had been laying low were starting to emerge one by one.
“It’s just the beginning, after all.”
Lee Jae-kyung and Go Yohan exchanged smiles.
“Whatever it is, it looks good.”
Lee Jae-kyung’s voice came out of nowhere.
“What does?”
“Your expression and all that. And stop acting like you’re carrying the world alone. We’re here too, you know?”
“…….”
“No matter the past, things are different now.”
Indeed.
“Anyway, those demon bastards got hit hard, right?”
“Yeah. An invasion of that scale would’ve required sharpening their knives, but it ended before it even started.”
It would likely be quite some time before the next gate opened.
Of course, demonic schemes would continue in the meantime.
‘But we can’t just keep taking hits forever.’
Go Yohan had plans ready for that.
‘Certainly.’
As Lee Jae-kyung said, it might differ from Travania.
There.
-Michael, you are under arrest for the murder of the Iron Dragon Knights.
Humans born of the goddess’s blood and flesh had been weakest against them.
*
*
*
The battle with Kartul had awakened things long forgotten.
Unlike the anger or arrogance from hunts, these were tied to Go Yohan’s core.
‘Mana.’
In Travania and on Earth, the foundation of power for those called superhumans was mana.
The fine threads constituting existence—that was what mana was called.
Even ordinary people were made of mana.
Humm.
Through Divine Sight, they resembled puppets woven from threads.
But viewing players that way.
Their threads were thicker, more sturdily connected.
‘Levels.’
As Go Yohan understood it, levels were the number of mana threads one possessed.
Stats corresponded to the colors of those threads.
Such players evolved every 100 levels—transformations that could rightfully be called evolutions in Go Yohan’s eyes.
Threads thickened and multiplied, accommodating more colors, their hues deepening.
That was why humans.
‘Were beautiful.’
Dazzlingly so in Go Yohan’s eyes.
Puppets of every color.
He had once explained this to Lee Jae-kyung.
‘How many colors can I hold? How impressive am I?’
‘……?’
‘What do you mean? You said higher levels mean more and different colors. So how many…….’
‘Shut up, old man.’
He had stopped explaining after the nonsense.
But more important than that was.
‘Divinity.’
The divine power that set him apart.
Travania had healing magic.
But no healing spell or potion could match what Go Yohan achieved.
In swordsmanship and physical mastery, he was unparalleled.
That was divinity’s power.
If mana was the threads.
Go Yohan’s divinity was.
‘Fiber.’
The power to handle and comprehend each and every strand.
Grip.
Realizing this anew, he sensed changes stirring in his body.
“Chains…….”
That was right.
Through Divine Sight again, he saw himself bound by colors and threads absent before.
Many of the thick gray strands had vanished.
The increase in black was unavoidable, but.
Humm.
And as he examined the sword transforming into the Mark of Sin, the Great Sin.
“…….”
Lee Jae-kyung entered the church basement training hall, his face somewhat heavy.
“What’s wrong?”
Go Yohan dismissed Divine Sight and asked.
“……Well.”
His voice sank heavily.
“The knight…….”
That was when.
Rrring.
Go Yohan’s phone, known only to family, rang fiercely.
“Articles just dropped about the Hojo Guild and Forest Guild incidents.”
Hojo—the ones Go Yohan had personally executed in the Black Gate.
Forest was the same.
The place where, alongside Black Mirror, they had executed those tainted by evil.
“What of it.”
Go Yohan said, releasing the necklace.