Total War
Yamamoto Kazuki had been in a foul mood lately.
Even though he'd swiftly won the civil war against Kazuma with minimal losses, he hadn't managed to capture the one person who mattered most: Kazuma himself.
To Kazuki, who always pursued perfection, Kazuma's existence— a potential seed of unrest at any moment—was like a thorn in his side.
I should have dealt with him decisively when I had the chance...
Tsk. Kazuki clicked his tongue briefly, feeling not even a shred of brotherhood toward his sibling anymore.
He was the sort of ruthless man who could discard even his own twin brother without hesitation.
That was Yamamoto Kazuki, the current leader of the Yamamoto expedition force.
"Those damn association bastards. Showing up right at that moment and ruining everything when it was all but done..."
All the bribes he'd diligently fed them over time had gone to waste.
If not for them, he could have finished Kazuma off for good...
"Well, given how things are unfolding, they can't just keep sitting on the sidelines anymore."
He was well aware of the massive uproar he'd caused.
He should have kept it contained, at least to the point where it wouldn't leak to civilians.
But watching the business he'd carefully built crumble to dust in a single night had made him lose his reason.
Kazuma might act without regard for consequences, but for him to make such a mistake?
A flicker of shame rose in him, and Kazuki clicked his tongue again.
"Even so, if I'd cut off Zhang Wei's lifeline while the association and government were still turning a blind eye, it wouldn't have been a problem."
But that damned civil war with his brother had delayed him.
The thought reignited his killing intent toward Kazuma, though as always, he didn't let it show on his face.
Kazuki quietly swallowed the blazing anger rising within him and glanced sideways.
Starting with Yoshida, who bowed his head deeply, eight S-rank hunters awaited Kazuki's orders in silence.
Satisfied with the sight, Kazuki spoke calmly.
"Right now, our forces and Zhang Wei's are evenly matched... I had planned to ride the momentum from our last victory and crush them all at once. But that fool Kazuma has made that impossible."
He spat the words with deliberate irritation, furrowing his brow as he continued.
"On top of that, the association and government, which had been staying silent, are starting to stir. They're saying they can't overlook it anymore."
"......"
"Zhang Wei's movements are suspicious too. He might call in reinforcements from his home country if things get dire."
"...Reinforcements, you say?"
"Wang Feng himself won't step in without cause, but at the very least, another SA-rank will join. As you know, he has dozens of SA-rank sworn brothers. It wouldn't be strange if one showed up immediately."
"......"
Silence fell over the room at Kazuki's matter-of-fact explanation of the situation.
They all knew what it would mean if Chinese reinforcements arrived now.
"That's why we have no time. We need to end this before the Korean association or government intervenes in earnest. Before Zhang Wei, cornered, calls for backup."
Kazuki scanned his silent subordinates and continued gravely.
"Total war."
A low murmur of sighs and exclamations rippled through the group.
Gauging their reactions, Kazuki pressed on.
"Finally, I've stuffed the association and government officials with plenty of bribes. In a few days, for exactly one day, the association and police won't move. And in that window, we finish Zhang Wei."
"...You're planning to take him down?"
"I'd love to grind him into mincemeat... but yes, if he dies, Wang Feng gets justification to step in personally. Regrettable, but we'll subdue Zhang Wei instead."
"What about the other S-ranks?"
"Cut every last one down. Let them serve as an example for daring to bare their teeth at us."
All nodded at Kazuki's cold declaration.
Of course, there was no opposition.
With that, the meeting within the Yamamoto expedition force concluded.
The S-rank hunters under Kazuki quietly dispersed to prepare for the battle in a few days.
As always, Yoshida was the last to leave. Kazuki watched his retreating figure for a moment, as if sensing something.
"Hoo... damn association bastards."
Song Jae-ha, guild master of Hwarang Guild, muttered irritably under his breath.
He scratched his head furiously in frustration before slumping back into his chair.
It had been over ten months since his uncle's death.
Only recently had he managed to steer Hwarang, which had lost much of its strength and teetered on collapse, back onto stable ground.
For those ten months, he'd been the association's hunting dog, handling all sorts of dirty work.
He was now an SA-rank hunter himself and had no intention of continuing as their lapdog, but the damned association refused to let him or Hwarang go.
This latest affair was a perfect example.
They promised full institutional support going forward, but digging deeper, it was just a new leash for a disobedient hound.
No matter how generous or flashy the rewards, that's all it looked like to Song Jae-ha.
How had mighty Hwarang fallen to this?
Was it all because he, inadequate as he was, had become guild master? He couldn't help but ponder it seriously.
...What's the point of grinding my way to SA-rank? I'm still just a hunting dog.
A bitter taste filled his mouth.
This wasn't the Hwarang Song Jae-ha had envisioned.
The guild he'd once imagined in conversations with his uncle was nothing like this.
Staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment, he suddenly swept a hand over his face.
...This isn't the time for this. Not now.
He had no leisure for sentimentality.
The task the association had dumped on him was far trickier than he'd anticipated.
"Goddamn it... If you're gonna assign this crap, do it from the start. Handing it to me when it's already wrapping up—what the hell is their game?"
Song Jae-ha wasn't blind or deaf; he knew the underworld situation unfolding lately all too well.
The escalating clash between China and Japan, building to a fever pitch by the day.
High officials on the take from bribes had kept it out of the media, but anyone paying attention already knew everything.
"Letting it get this far... Do they even want to resolve it, or not?"
He scanned the tablet's compiled data with practiced ease and clicked his tongue lowly.
He'd known the association was rotten from handling their dirty jobs, but he hadn't expected them to openly ignore foreign hunters invading like this.
Even knowing their ultimate goal was to swallow the Korean hunter world whole.
"Hoo... Getting worked up won't help."
The association's corruption wasn't news; Song Jae-ha tamped down his rising irritation as usual and eyed the tablet.
"Are both Japan and China backed into a corner? At this rate, it'll wrap up soon..."
He murmured softly, his eyes flicking rapidly.
"Yamamoto Kazuki. If he's not an idiot, he won't kill Zhang Wei. Doesn't seem the type to poke the hornet's nest."
Song Jae-ha lightly rubbed his chin.
Fundamentally, the association wanted this mess to fade from public discourse.
For the incident to conclude without further civilian chatter.
Who ended up ruling the underworld afterward wasn't a priority.
...That way, they can skim more off the top.
No matter who dominated, they figured they could always flip the underworld with their own power if needed.
"Shortsighted fools... Do they think those guys will just roll over?"
Half-assed schemers like this were the worst.
The risks were obvious at a glance, yet their response was so complacent.
In that sense, what Association President No Gwan-sik truly wanted was a definitive solution.
"...Complete control of the underworld."
No Gwan-sik didn't want either Kazuki or Zhang Wei to dominate it.
What he craved was direct management—by the association.
The underworld's nature made eradication impossible; human greed and desire were endless, and nowhere fed them like the black market.
Knowing this, No Gwan-sik wanted association oversight.
More precisely, using Hwarang and Song Jae-ha as proxies.
"Ha... calling this garbage 'compensation'."
For Hwarang, no back-alley thugs, this was utterly humiliating.
He'd wanted to flip the table and storm out right then...
"Association President No Gwan-sik... Heard he's handled nothing but desk work for over a decade, no labyrinths."
Meeting him in person, No Gwan-sik defied rumors of being a washed-up old tiger; he was still formidable.
"At least several moves ahead... A little intimidation, and I'd have been crushed. Then he'd exploit that weakness to wring me even drier..."
The humiliation stung; Song Jae-ha swept his face again.
After all his grinding, to lose to some geezer retired for over ten years.
...No helping it. Not with Hwarang and me in this state.
How had he ended up so pathetic?
A self-deprecating smile crossed his lips as he checked the tablet again.
Reviewing the underworld's state, a plan was forming in his mind.
"Start with the Black Market, then."
According to association data, the current Black Market boss was an S-rank female hunter.
Kicked out by a subordinate's betrayal, she'd only recently returned—but in a scene overflowing with SA- and S-ranks, she couldn't wield real power.
Japan and China were too busy with each other to care now, but once a winner emerged, the Black Market's fate was obvious.
Song Jae-ha planned to exploit that.
Protect them from Japanese and Chinese hunters in exchange for the Black Market.
If taking over the underworld, why build from scratch when an existing power base waited?
Best of all, keeping the current boss as figurehead meant no direct involvement for him.
No Gwan-sik might want Song Jae-ha hands-on, but running Hwarang left no room for that nonsense.
She's got a brain; she won't refuse protection for the status quo.
Sure, less freedom and more oversight than before, but better than total ruin.
Sorting his plan, Song Jae-ha glanced at the tablet screen.
A blurry photo of the Black Market boss—somehow procured.
Data said she'd unwillingly inherited after her grandfather, the previous boss, died suddenly...
"Doesn't look that old."
Seemed a bit younger than him, or same age?
Like him, thrust into leadership unprepared after a father's death, his gaze lingered.
"...How hard did she work through it all?"
His own struggles overlapped; his murmur carried a hint of fatigue.
He hadn't met her yet, but maybe they'd get along better than expected?
The thought drew a wry chuckle.
"Don't get sentimental. Just do my job."
He muttered flatly, setting the tablet down.
But he stole another glance at her photo. Despite loathing underworld figures, she didn't repulse him.
"...If we meet, I'll be a bit kinder."
Unbeknownst to himself, affinity had formed; Song Jae-ha murmured as much.