The Usual WWE - (2)

A fierce storm raged. I stood in a small plaza, facing the Scorched Saint Selene, who had planted her Wedge Sword of Hellfire in the ground and was glaring at me.

"We meet again, master of the Storm Dragon. Have you come to interfere with My Lord once more?"

Selene's voice dripped with hostility. Crimson flames surged from the sword in her grip, writhing like serpents and scattering sparks in every direction. The Storm Dragon spread its wings wide in defiance. Between the pounding rain and the occasional crack of thunder, it almost looked as if Tempest was the one summoning the storm.

"Let that man go."

"I refuse. This human dared to threaten My Lord. He cannot be allowed to live."

Selene spoke in an icy tone, despite the flames cloaking her body. Shit, I might actually piss myself.

I finally understood why Yu Junseo had bolted the last time he ran into Selene during the Tower raid. The sheer, overwhelming terror. Facing Selene with a weapon in hand made my legs tremble. It's just acting, but does it really have to feel this intimidating?

That was right. Selene and I were currently putting on a ridiculous third-rate play. We'd deliberately chosen a crowded location, and Selene had been spewing flames to assert her presence until the higher-ups from the Management Bureau arrived. Jo Geon-uk, held hostage, Selene's chilling threat of an execution, my timely appearance, and even Mirien's rain starting at the perfect moment—everything was scripted, every element a stage prop.

The reason for all this effort was simple.

"Tell your master, Actor. If he kills that man, I will hunt you down and end you."

We needed to sever any perceived connection between the Ruler of the Abyss, Actor, and the S-class Awakened Nam Juyeon by using Jo Geon-uk as a hostage. At the same time, the warning delivered through Selene would give us an excuse to block any troublesome interference from the Management Bureau. It was a clever move, but if it aroused even the slightest suspicion, it would have been better not to attempt it at all. That was why this performance had to be flawless.

And Selene was far better at acting than I'd expected.

"How dare a lowly human speak My Lord's name? You clearly have no regard for your own life. I shall sever your head and scorch it in the fires of hell."

Whoosh. The flames surrounding Selene flared brighter. Though I felt no real malice, the intense heat brushing my face made cold sweat trickle down my back. I steadied my voice as much as possible and delivered the line I'd memorized in advance.

"Fine. No matter what you and Actor try, no matter what schemes you devise, I'll smash them all head-on!"

The moment my words ended, Tempest let out a thunderous roar. Even this non-human actor had perfectly captured the scene. The crowd watching from a distance erupted in cheers and began chanting my name.

"...Indeed. Among the rabble gathered here, you seem the most capable. Perhaps your baseless confidence was not so baseless after all."

For some reason, Selene appeared to be genuinely enjoying this little play. The flames rippling around her like a cloak were far more dynamic than usual. Those flames seemed to reflect her emotions, and it looked like she was thoroughly enjoying our little game of make-believe.

"Very well. Just this once, I shall overlook your nonsense."

Selene sheathed her sword and assumed a praying posture.

The Sacred Flame Imprint—Selene's signature skill and identity. The flames that had enveloped her body melted into the air and vanished.

"But remember this well. Actor is watching you. Cross the line, and only ruin awaits."

"Where do you think you're going?!"

I gave the order to the Storm Dragon. Tempest swelled in size and unleashed Sky's Roar, but—

Rumble. By the time the sound faded, Selene and the hostage Jo Geon-uk had long since vanished into the sky. To be precise, they hadn't actually disappeared. Ashen Veil was a concealment skill, not a teleportation one. But what mattered was that the Scorched Saint Selene was no longer visible to the crowd.

"Wooooah! ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠The Dragon Lord! The Dragon Lord defeated the Scorched Saint!"

Following someone's shout came a thunderous roar of cheers. Right now, I felt like a fantasy star standing on the pitch.

*

The situation was quickly ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠resolved. Awakened from the Management Bureau had been dispatched, and since everyone had witnessed my clash with Selene, the story spread fast.

"If it weren't for Nam Juyeon, who knows what that disaster might have done."

Kang Se-na said this with genuine admiration.

"Ah, ahaha. I was planning to handle it myself, but Juyeon showed up and made it pointless. Well, all's well that ends well. Oh, there's a camera over there. Smile, smile."

Yu Junseo was putting on a whole show in front of the camera, trying to associate himself with me somehow. But more important than such empty formalities was Selene's final line. Cross the line, and only ruin awaits. The warning left by the Scorched Saint Selene had lodged itself firmly in the minds of the Management Bureau's Awakened.

"...Do you think Actor is warning us?"

Kang Se-na examined the transcript with a doubtful expression. Selene's performance had been method acting at its finest. Even just hearing her voice on the recording sent chills down one's spine.

"...It does seem like a warning."

I agreed, and Kang Se-na nodded along. Ever ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠since I'd rescued Seo Ye-rin, she had been unconditionally supportive of my opinions. I pressed the advantage.

"...If the Management Bureau continues pursuing the Ruler of the Abyss, Actor, that disaster will appear again. Seoul will suffer catastrophic damage."

"...I see."

Yu Junseo's expression visibly darkened. To my eyes, he seemed more concerned about the negative impact on his reputation than anything else. In reality, it wasn't much different.

"Nam Juyeon, what should we do? If this gets reported to the media, the Bureau will be mocked as incompetent fools who get pushed around by a single disaster... Our online reputation is already terrible, and if it gets any worse..."

"..."

Kang Se-na's eyes narrowed. She was almost too easy to read. Still, Yu Junseo's materialistic personality proved useful in situations like this.

"Leave it to me. If Actor makes a move, I'll stop him."

When I spoke, Yu Junseo and the other A-class Awakened from the Bureau narrowed their eyes.

"You think you can handle it alone? I mean... not that your abilities are lacking, but..."

"Yes. It's fine. You saw it just now. That woman didn't want to fight me."

Selene had fled rather than fight me. It had been part of the script, but everyone had witnessed it. Using that scene as evidence, no one could raise an objection. Moreover, Yu Junseo, the Bureau Director, was rotten to the core with his materialistic nature. He would never step into danger himself—especially not after his experience at the Tower of Rebellion.

"...G-great! If an S-class Awakened is willing to protect Seoul, we can't stop him. Right, Kang Se-na?"

"...Yes. I suppose so."

Kang Se-na sighed and glanced at me. Her eyes asked, Are you really okay with this? I just shrugged in response.

Whether I was okay or not, things were going so smoothly it was almost a problem.

*

"As expected, I cannot help but admire My Lord's foresight."

The moment we returned to the Tower, Selene bowed deeply and praised me. The ruthless demon from moments ago had transformed back into a loyal retainer. Yet every time I looked at her, I couldn't help recalling the killing intent she'd displayed during the play. If I ever made a mistake and that blade turned toward my heart...

Focus.

I shook my head to dispel the dreadful thought. Right now, I was Actor, the Ruler of the crack who commanded great disasters. I would never be devoured by these guys.

"The plan worked. The investigators from the Management Bureau won't try to pursue Actor anymore. In fact, they'll probably think I'm his rival."

The reason I'd orchestrated this play in the first place was because of Jo Geon-uk. He was currently a liability. It felt wrong to keep him locked in the Tower just because he knew my identity. Killing him with my own hands went against my conscience as a human. So I'd come up with a solution. At first, I'd considered using Mirien's Mind Control skill to turn him into a puppet. But Mind Control was a concentration-type skill. Maintaining it continuously would place too heavy a burden on both Mirien and me. Mirien herself had said it would require devouring nearly five disasters just to maintain the skill for a single day. Using the disaster-devouring hippo Mirien came at an enormous cost.

After much deliberation, I'd overheard Yu Junseo's words and come up with the idea of rigging the game. Using Jo Geon-uk as a prop in the hostage play had worked beautifully, as expected.

News pages were filled with daily reports about Actor. The content was so abstract it felt like reading a third-rate fantasy novel. Or perhaps the apocalyptic ravings of some schizophrenic patient.

The comments were fervent. So much so that I didn't even want to read them.

"Man, this is embarrassing."

"How could mere mortals possibly comprehend My Lord's great will?"

Selene smiled warmly as she scanned the text on the phone screen.

"...Anyway, from now on, I can move around more freely under the pretext of tracking Jo Geon-uk."

"It is all thanks to My Lord's grace."

"...Y-yeah."

Setting aside Selene's worship, I'd already received a firm assurance from Yu Junseo that the Management Bureau wouldn't interfere with my actions. Now I could search for the other disasters without any annoying outside interference. All the groundwork had been laid. All that remained was...

"Actor!"

Three days later, Mirien, who had been using tracking magic on the top floor, came running toward me with a delighted expression and practically threw herself into my arms.

"Actor, I found her! Karne! I figured out where that woman is!"

"Good job. Well done."

After facing Mirien every day for the past few weeks, I'd grown accustomed to handling her. I skillfully pulled her closer by the shoulders and stroked her deep blue hair. She grinned and looked up at me. I gently rubbed the underside of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠her chin. It was clearly the way one would treat a pet dog.

"...Hehe."

Mirien was just about to bury her face in my chest when—

"...Hmm."

A wave of heat approached my face. Turning my head, I saw the Scorched Saint Selene standing with her arms crossed, her eyes narrowed as she glared at Mirien. Her expression was no different from the menacing look she'd worn during the play a few days ago.

"...Hey, Selene. You're not angry, are you?"

"My apologies, My Lord. However, I do not get angry."

It was an obvious lie.