Chapter 117
Chapter 117
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 117
Chapter Title: Angels from the Failed Ritual
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“Want to die?”
The researchers fell silent at Takashi’s threat-like words from the special committee.
“.......”
“I’m not saying I’ll kill you. If we fail, Prime Minister Saika will use us as the next sacrifices. I don’t want to die like that.”
Takashi pointed to one side. There lay dozens of corpses drained of blood and turned pale white after being used as offerings.
The researchers gulped.
“If we don’t make it in time, we die. If the magic circle fails, we die. But if it succeeds, we live. That’s our only chance. Get ready now!”
“Yes!”
The researchers began constructing the magic circle based on their previous studies.
First, they carved into the concrete floor to a depth of one knuckle joint, creating channels for the blood to flow.
They embedded the highest-grade mana stones, secretly procured without alerting the World Hunter Association, into each element of the magic circle.
Finally, they moved the naked sacrifices—whose minds had been taken by drugs, leaving them drooling—to their positions.
“God... forgive us.”
Takashi closed his eyes and prayed.
As the researchers placed the final mana stone, the magic circle glowed white.
“Mana stone energy converted to light attribute! Magic circle maintenance estimated at 60 minutes! Counter reset!”
The digital clock on the wall began counting down from 60:00:00.
“The sacrifices...”
The lab director spoke solemnly, and ten researchers plunged daggers into the necks of the drooling sacrifices simultaneously.
“Gahk...”
The sacrifices drowned in their own blood. Their blood flowed into the magic circle and mixed together.
* * *
“Prime Minister! Tell me right now! Where are they?!”
Akiko—one of Japan’s two S-Rank Hunters—shouted. For a hunter, she was short in stature, and her gentle face contrasted with her famously violent figure. Akiko was a hunter beloved not just in Japan but worldwide for her modest and kind image.
“Tch... Can’t you lower your voice?”
“What kind of tone is that to take with His Excellency the Prime Minister?!”
Kanematsu, the prime minister’s loyal hound and chief secretary, blocked Akiko’s path and pointed accusingly as he yelled.
“Step aside.”
Kanematsu flinched and took a step back from the secretary blocking the prime minister. Akiko was known for her good nature, but he lacked the courage to stand against a hunter whose anger had reached its peak.
“Akiko, that’s enough.”
Takahashi—one of Japan’s two S-Rank Hunters—lifted his face to look at her. His long bangs covered his left eye.
“Sacrificing humans? Have you abandoned all human dignity?”
Akiko ignored Takahashi and addressed the prime minister directly.
“Tch... Did you foresee the future? They’re criminals and the disabled. They’re no use to society!”
The skills that made Akiko an S-Rank Hunter were Foresight, Future Vision, and telekinesis.
Foresight allowed her to see a short glimpse of the future using mana. It enabled her to dodge enemy attacks with minimal movement. Though it wasn’t always active and only worked while consuming mana—limiting prolonged use—it was still overwhelmingly powerful.
Future Vision, on the other hand, showed random glimpses of the future. Sometimes they involved her directly, but most were unrelated events, offering little practical help.
“Human dignity? Dignity requires a nation to exist! If we continue like this, we’ll be devoured by monsters or swallowed by the superpowers. We could even be eaten by Korea!”
Prime Minister Saika trembled as if he could not tolerate that above all else.
“I’d rather that than maintaining the country with sacrifices.”
Akiko—who had always held positive feelings toward Korea—could not understand the prime minister.
“Watch... your mouth, Hunter Akiko. I overlook it for the sake of your abilities, but insulting the Greater Japanese Empire means no second chances, not even for an S-Rank Hunter.”
“Try me.”
“......”
“Where are they? The sacrifices?”
“What do you plan to do?”
“Stop it, obviously.”
“Akiko... Don’t make me draw my gun.”
Takahashi unfastened the retaining strap on his hip holster and placed his finger on the trigger.
With his attack speed the fastest among S-Rank Hunters, Takahashi was confident he could subdue even Akiko.
“The moment you draw that gun, you’re dead.”
Iron balls floated around Akiko. They were plain, golf-ball-sized orbs made of mithril from an S-Rank Gate.
Akiko attacked enemies by hurling indestructible iron balls at high speed with her telekinesis. Dodging with Foresight and striking with the balls was her fighting style.
Tension hung in the air as the two glared at each other.
Rumble rumble rumble!
The ground shook violently then.
“Earthquake?”
The prime minister scurried under his desk.
“No alerts came in, but... Your Excellency, let me...”
The secretary shoved his head under the desk to save himself too.
“Damn it... Didn’t you say it was an infinite heal magic circle, Prime Minister?”
Takahashi peered beyond the wall with his left eye’s X-ray vision. He covered one eye to use it, hence the bangs.
“Wh-what? What’s wrong, Hunter Takahashi?”
The prime minister poked his head above the desk and asked Takahashi.
Sensing something off, Akiko hurled an iron ball, blasting away the wall in the direction Takahashi was looking.
“Good God... Prime Minister. See what you’ve done.”
A beam of light shot from the ground, piercing a massive hole in the sky. The hole was at least 100 meters wide, and white angels poured out like they would blanket the earth.
The rift in the sky was a type of Gate never seen before. Unlike usual Gates, its interior was fully visible, lined with countless angels waiting to cross.
Fortunately, some force was impeding them. The angels pushed through an invisible barrier with their bodies, preventing them from emerging all at once. Otherwise, tens of thousands would have descended simultaneously.
“Wh-what?! Kanematsu~~! What’s happening?!”
The prime minister yelled at Kanematsu upon seeing the speechless spectacle. The beam from the magic circle heading toward the Gate clearly tied it to the infinite heal experiment.
“J-just a moment... I’ll find out!”
The pale-faced secretary pulled out his phone with trembling hands.
His fingers kept slipping, but he finally dialed the lab and hit call.
“Pick up... Pick up...”
“Prime Minister! Summon the Hunters and Self-Defense Forces now! Takahashi, we’ll hold them off until then.”
The angels gathered in the sky, and as their numbers grew, they began descending to the ground.
“Damn it... Not on a good day to die...”
Akiko launched herself first, followed by Takahashi.
“Y-Your Excellency...”
“What?! Spit it out!”
“The experiment failed. They activated an unverified magic circle to shorten the time...”
“You idiots! Why the hell would you do that?!”
*You told them to!* The words rose in his throat, but years of honed survival instincts forced them back down.
“I’ll summon the full Special Self-Defense Forces and all Hunters immediately.”
“...Call only the minimum forces. We’re evacuating.”
“Pardon?”
“Look at that number. Even every Hunter in the country couldn’t stop them.”
Over a thousand angels descended from the sky, with dense lines waiting behind. There were even new types: angels holding tomes and greatswords, larger and seemingly stronger than those from the previous descent.
That wasn’t all. A grotesque monster—multiple eye-studded rings layered into a sphere—lurked beyond the Gate. Unlike the others, it was more fiercely blocked by the invisible barrier and couldn’t emerge. Yet it pushed as if to tear the Gate apart. The prime minister predicted it was the strongest of all.
“Th-then... what do we do?”
“We have prototype mana stone engines, don’t we? They kept exploding, so use them as bombs. Wipe them out in one go with firepower several times stronger than the experiments!”
“B-but we can’t time the explosions. Too soon and they’ll detonate mid-flight; too late and the angels scatter, only harming our side afterward.”
“Isn’t that why I poured massive funds into it?! Summon the researchers now!”
“What about the Hunters fighting right now?”
Akiko and Takahashi fought alongside the urgently mobilized Hunters and Special Self-Defense Forces against the angels.
“Sacrifices for the nation. They’ll go down in history as heroes. Ah, pull Takahashi out beforehand so he can escape before it blows.”
“And Hunter Akiko...?”
“A defiant warrior is better off gone. Execute immediately.”
“Long live the Greater Japanese Empire!”
The secretary saluted with exaggerated flair, and Prime Minister Saika slowly raised his hand in acknowledgment.
Rumble...
As the building shook, the two screamed, clutched their heads, and staggered toward the escape helicopter.
* * *
“Hyung! Jiseok hyung!”
Sanghun came running, his face gaunt. But unlike his usual weary expression, he looked joyful.
“You okay?”
“Yeah! Being in the World Tree’s shade will heal me soon. But look at this!”
Sanghun infused his sword with light attribute.
“Your skill leveled up?”
When they first met, its power was so weak and it just emitted light that it was unclear if it was a baton or a weapon. Now the light was intensely compressed, and with mana to spare, the sword appeared twice as large.
“Skill level up and total mana increased too. Destructive power is several times stronger now.”
Sanghun slashed horizontally and vertically through the air. Though he’d lost muscle, his movements were crisp and efficient.
“Impressive. How?”
“Gaph helped.”
“...Did you make some deal?”
“Nope. When the angels came, he suggested training you for light-attribute attacks. I agreed. No soul-selling or anything.”
“Be careful. He looks like a kid, but he’s the Demon King who corrupts humans and steals their souls.”
He recalled Gaph’s words while harvesting Franklin’s soul.
‘It took a long time to make this.’
“Gaph might gain power or pleasure by corrupting humans.”
“It’s fine. I haven’t done anything corruptible. Anyway, angels are coming now, right? Let me train you.”
He claimed to help but his eyes gleamed with the desire to beat me. Seems he’d built up a grudge. Was that corruption too?
Still, I’d worked him hard during training, so it was my turn now. Plus, it was necessary. Princepatus was nothing, but stronger angels might come, so preparation was wise.
“Alright, to the training ground.”
“Hee hee hee hee.”
Sanghun cackled. His emaciated face and poor complexion made him look like a sneaky villain.