Chapter 236
Chapter 236
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 236
Chapter Title: 53. Impervious to Sword and Spear (3)
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Central Committee of the Communist Party of China.
It had been the de facto highest authority in China before the Reset, and that hadn't changed much afterward.
Surprisingly, State President and General Secretary of the Central Committee Im Du-pyeong had survived.
Of course, the title of State President only held meaning if a "state" still existed.
The Reset had turned all of China into lawless territory, with dozens of major regions slipping from the Party's control. In reality, the notion of State President Im Du-pyeong was largely nominal.
That was why Im Du-pyeong's policy to reclaim power, centered on his stronghold in Beijing, was called "One China."
"One China? Wasn't that a concept you were pushing even before?"
Yeong-woo tilted his head in puzzlement as he listened to the explanation, prompting Jang Ja-ham to nod in agreement.
"That's right. But now the meaning has changed a bit. China truly isn't one anymore."
Not even a federation, for that matter.
Even Shandong Province, relatively close to Beijing, was using demons from Korea to plot the State President's assassination.
In a way, the Reset had liberated the people.
Before the Reset, the very idea of killing the nation's leader had been unthinkable.
"Is Im Du-pyeong that strong? To the point where all these regions can't budge?"
"We wouldn't know."
"Huh...?"
"We only know he exists. We've never met him in person."
"What? So you're paying tribute to someone you've never even seen?"
When Yeong-woo asked incredulously, Woo Cheong-jin gazed south as he replied.
"The tribute demands came from members of the Politburo Standing Committee. They are Im Du-pyeong's right-hand men."
And according to Woo Cheong-jin, they hadn't even lasted three exchanges against those men.
Thus, Im Du-pyeong, who controlled them, was undoubtedly the strongest demon in Chinese history.
'That much, at least, is certain.'
Yeong-woo largely agreed with Woo Cheong-jin's claim.
Even without considering the martial prowess of those Standing Committee bastards, Im Du-pyeong had to be strong.
'Surviving the first stage vote unscathed is unbelievable enough, but the second stage too? How did he block all those attacks? Did he really have hundreds of millions of karmic points?'
If that were true, then Im Du-pyeong was indeed history's strongest demon, as Woo Cheong-jin said.
Imagine taking the leftover karmic points after blocking countless kills to the exchange.
Im Du-pyeong might have started the first day of the Reset with tens of millions... no, hundreds of millions of karma.
'No matter how I think about it, nothing adds up.'
Even Yeong-woo, who had repeatedly delved into dungeons on alien planets, couldn't fathom the depths of this man called Im Du-pyeong.
"So, how much were you paying to Beijing?"
When Yeong-woo asked about the tribute amount, Woo Cheong-jin suddenly glanced at him nervously and hemmed and hawed.
"Well..."
"Hey, just tell me how much."
As Yeong-woo grew slightly irritated, Jang Ja-ham dropped to his knees again, as if sharing the damage.
"Thirty million per day, Hero Jeong!"
"Man, why are your knees so damn cheap."
Thirty million every day.
Ten million more than the peace maintenance fee Yeong-woo had demanded.
'No wonder they handed over the money so readily.'
There was a reason after all.
From Shandong's perspective, signing the pact with Yeong-woo actually saved them ten million.
"So that whole 'do something about Beijing' thing was really just about the money, huh."
When Yeong-woo said this with a somewhat disappointed look, Jang Ja-ham, still on his knees, clasped his hands in a fist-palm salute.
Clap!
"No! Im Du-pyeong is ultimately a dictator... We would have had to rebel against him sooner or later."
"But you said you could barely last three exchanges against the Standing Committee? How can you be so sure I can beat Im Du-pyeong, who commands monsters like them?"
It was a rebuttal that was hard to argue against.
Yet Shandong's two powerhouses pierced through the dilemma with sheer romanticism.
"Impervious to sword and spear...!"
"We believe Hero Jeong can absolutely do it!"
As they spoke, the gazes of Shandong's Twin Evils fixed on the 'golden trajectory' gleaming behind Yeong-woo.
Not only Yeong-woo's realm—more precisely, heart impervious to blades—but even the auto-hunting greatsword he wielded seemed godlike to the Chinese.
Without knowing its mechanism, it looked no different from imperial sword flight.
In other words, Yeong-woo was currently a super-demon who had attained imperial sword control, heart impervious to blades, and instantaneous wound regeneration—an immortal body.
That left Shandong's Twin Evils with no choice but to bet on Jeong Yeong-woo decapitating Im Du-pyeong.
'I was just gonna pull some strings, but this has snowballed way out of control.'
Yeong-woo scratched his chin.
Of course, if Im Du-pyeong was really alive and still pushing "One China," they were bound to clash eventually.
After all, weren't they the thieves who had brazenly stolen Chinese assets?
With the territorial sovereign stigma marking their presence, Im Du-pyeong wouldn't just sit idly by.
"First things first, we need to cut off those tribute payments. When do their collectors show up?"
When Yeong-woo asked, Jang Ja-ham bowed his head.
"There's no exact schedule, but... they usually come between five and six in the afternoon."
"Oh ho."
As expected, the other side waited until the variant issue was resolved before collecting.
'This complicates the itinerary a bit.'
Yeong-woo blinked as his mind raced.
Today's must-do was returning to Gangnam before 1 p.m. to deal with the variants.
And if possible, deliver Shandong's peace maintenance fee issue beforehand.
Someone reliable would need to collect the money.
'Then around five, come back to Shandong to meet the collectors. Looks like I'll be handling today's peace fee myself.'
That is, assuming he could neutralize the collectors without issue.
Coincidentally, on the very day the pact was signed, his skills were being tested.
"..."
As Yeong-woo scanned the hundreds of terrified coastal citizens, Woo Cheong-jin cautiously spoke up.
"Hero, what do you plan to do? We can't pay tribute to both sides. Fifty million is far too much."
Meaning, if you won't fight Im Du-pyeong, we can't afford the peace fee either.
And honestly, that was a fair point.
Why pay for peace maintenance if peace isn't maintained?
So Yeong-woo replied.
"Don't worry. From today, you just need to pay me twenty million karma."
"Oh...!"
"Really?"
Replacing the mega-thief with a large one.
Still, Shandong's Twin Evils couldn't hide their delight.
Financially and politically, allying with Joseon's Greatest Swordsman to topple their dictator was the better deal.
"Then, when will the showdown with Im Du-pyeong be...?"
Eager for the pact's conclusion, Woo Cheong-jin pressed, but Yeong-woo waved him off.
"If he really survived the votes, his prowess must be immense. I need to face him at my peak power."
First, clean up Seoul's variants, then deliberate carefully.
Whether he could unconditionally win against Im Du-pyeong.
'Only one life, so caution is key.'
As Yeong-woo steeled himself with a deep breath, an unexpected alert crossed his vision.
Flash!
「Domestic title, Gijang First Sword, has been stolen!」
"...Huh?"
Having only ever stolen others' assets, Yeong-woo was seeing "stolen" for the first time.
"Huh? Wait, Gijang?"
Gijang.
In Korea, the place name "Gijang" meant Gijang County in Busan Metropolitan City, right?
And with Pangea underway, it fit perfectly.
Big trouble in Busan.
And soon.
Bang!
A sharp warning blare sounded, followed by the first territorial sovereign alert for Korea since the Reset.
『Territorial Sovereign: Republic of Korea』
|Assets of the Republic of Korea have been stolen! From this moment, the invader's location is revealed. Track and punish them.
* * *
At the same time, Cheongsapo in Haeundae-gu, Busan.
Busan First Sword Kang Gyowon sensed something had gone terribly wrong.
Not just because Gijang First Sword Park Sung-jun's head had been lopped off in one stroke.
"Uwaaaah!"
"Stone fucker!"
Individual combat power differences weren't that vast, but their numbers were overwhelmingly greater.
"How did they gather so many?"
Dozens of Japanese sword emperors and sword heroes from various regions filled his view—nearly thirty in total.
In contrast, the Southern Alliance had only eleven members present today.
They thought they were fully prepared, but Japan had come with full-scale war preparations.
Especially the giant who had just beheaded Gijang—his aura was tremendous.
"Hraaap!"
The man, at least two meters tall, had sliced Dong-gu First Sword—who charged for revenge—in one stroke, then locked eyes with Gyowon.
『Yamaguchi Sword Emperor』
'Damn... Sword Emperor. So that's the superior title. Sword Heroes are the relatively weaker ones.'
He could tell just from Ulsan First Sword Kim Chaena battling three Sword Heroes nearby.
Of course, he knew Ulsan was stronger than Gijang or Dong-gu First Sword, but how much stronger could she be?
'Even Ulsan wouldn't last long against that Sword Emperor. And more importantly...'
Gyowon glanced around the darkening Cheongsapo ground, shadowed by the Japanese swordsmen's figures.
Sword Emperors aside, they were hopelessly outnumbered.
Staying and fighting meant certain death.
So Gyowon ultimately decided.
"All units, retreat! Disengage from the battlefield immediately!"
Even while eye-to-eye with that Yamaguchi Sword Emperor.
It felt like his pride was being seared with a cigarette butt, but it was unavoidable.
"What? Retreat? Do you even know what that means right now?"
Sure enough, Kim Chaena, tangled with the Sword Heroes, gritted her teeth and snapped.
Retreating from Cheongsapo meant yielding Haeundae.
Ordering retreat here was tantamount to abandoning Haeundae.
But Gyowon didn't reverse his decision.
Because.
Slash!
The problem Sword Emperor suddenly shifted his gaze to Kim Chaena and gripped his sword.
'He's moving again...!'
Gyowon dashed in, yanking Chaena from the battlefield.
"Meaning? It means staying here is a guaranteed meaningless death!"
Gyowon gripped Chaena's arm hard enough to crush it, trying to pull her out of Cheongsapo.
Then.
Thud!
Chaena shook off his hand with immense force and impaled a charging Sword Hero on her spear tip.
Crunch!
"Can't you see? There's no retreat anyway. Where the hell do you think we're going?"
Indeed, as she pointed out, Japanese swordsmen had already taken positions at Cheongsapo's rear.
With numbers over three times greater, forming an encirclement was child's play.
"Get ready to kill as many as you can. Someone will come to reclaim this place eventually."
She meant thinning Japanese numbers for whatever reinforcements might show—if any.
"Fuck."
Unlike Chaena, who had long resolved herself, Gyowon—who had planned for the future—scanned the surroundings with a wretched expression.
The messengers dispatched before the land connected would barely have reached major cities by now.
Even if they convinced the cities' First Swords immediately, by the time they arrived...
"You're right. Thinning their numbers as much as possible is our best bet."
As survival will drained from Gyowon's voice, Chaena gave a bitter smile.
And right on cue.
Clang!
The brute Sword Emperor who had sliced through the Southern Alliance's First Swords in single strokes stood facing the two, alternating glances.
"Why didn't you gather more forces? You knew the land would connect today—it's been announced well in advance. Fair's fair."
It was mockery, not of raw power, but of their lack of preparation.
Chaena raised her spear, pointing at his face with furrowed brows.
"You're an island nation, idiot. We're a peninsula—enemies on all sides."
Japan's population was over twice Korea's too.
Even accounting for that, their meticulous invasion prep was undeniable.
In this post-Reset world, where asymmetric warfare was rare, sheer numbers decided wars.
'Fuck, we lost fair and square. Should've requested nationwide aid from the start.'
As Kang Gyowon clenched his teeth, pride properly stung by the Sword Emperor's taunt, a fierce wind rose behind him.
Whoooosh!
And Kim Chaena, still in a stare-down with Yamaguchi Sword Emperor,
"......!"
clearly saw the enemy's pupils dilate momentarily.
He was shocked by something behind them.
"W-What, suddenly?"
Unable to turn while checking the Sword Emperor, Chaena just asked aloud—then a corpse flew in from behind.
Whoooosh, splat!
It crashed like a heavy rice sack: a Japanese swordsman with a massive hole through his forehead.
"Uh...!"
Whoever it was, an ally from inside the peninsula.
No—even if not, it didn't matter.
Any enemy of Japan would do.
"Who... who the hell...?"
Chaena gripped her spear tight, stealing the slightest glance sideways.
Then she saw another spear blade hovering there.
Accompanied by a youthful voice that sounded freshly past puberty.
"Huh, not here either."
The mysterious spear-wielder muttered, and Chaena couldn't hold back—she turned her head.
"Who... who are you looking for?"
Whoosh!
Her view filled with what seemed a high schooler at least two meters tall.
"Huh...?"
Chaena's eyes widened round.
Meanwhile, the giant spear-wielder scanned the battlefield with a troubled expression.
"Who knows. If he's still alive, probably Seoul First Sword...? But he's not here either."
He sighed.
"Dead, or shirking duty, I guess."
Gyowon, staring at the corpse on the ground, asked the spear-wielder.
"Excuse me, but may I ask who you are and where you're from?"
He noted no title hovered above the spear-wielder's head.
The nameless spear-wielder eyed the encircling Japanese swordsmen, then slammed his red spear into the ground.
Boom!
"When the enemy invaded, town after town fell in succession, and the people, unaccustomed to battle, could not stand against their blades."
"Yes...?"
"1592-1598, Imjin War. The passage from last week's test is still fresh."
Then, leaving the Southern Alliance members behind, he stepped forward alone.
"Pleased to meet you. Gyeongbuk First Spear, Kang Yechan. And I am anti-Japanese."