Chapter 337: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (55)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 337: Blazing Flames of the Battlefield[R-18] (55)
“Leon Risensia, it’s been a long time.”
The gray-haired old man spoke, slowly exhaling a plume of cigarette smoke as he looked at the man sitting before him.
“It has been a while, Supreme Chairman.”
Leon bowed his head. His posture was dignified, but his eyes still held something that had not cooled with time.
“To think you were in a place like that… I never imagined it.”
“The same goes for me. I never dreamed I’d be trapped in such a place for years.”
The Chairman let out a short laugh.
“If I may ask… could you tell me how you came to be imprisoned there?”
Leon quietly turned his head. Still seated, he rested an arm on the chair and looked up at the dark sky beyond the window.
“…It is a truly heartbreaking story.”
With those words, Leon’s voice dropped to a low register.
His silhouette, leaning back in the chair, stretched long under the lights.
“It seems the child could not understand the father’s ideals.”
The Supreme Chairman’s eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly.
“Don’t tell me… it was Adele Risensia who imprisoned you?”
But Leon didn’t answer. He simply turned his head slowly to gaze out the window. Neither a denial nor a confirmation.
The Chairman, seeming to have guessed something, nodded silently.
“…Then, what was Adele Risensia’s reason for imprisoning you?”
A slow smile crept onto Leon’s lips. His voice was low and elegant, as if reciting the preface to an ancient epic.
“I suppose it was because her ideals and my ideals clashed.”
“Ideals…”
The Chairman narrowed his eyes.
“Leon, what exactly are these ideals you speak of?”
Leon raised his head and met his gaze. There was no hesitation in his eyes, no guilt.
“Power. And a perfectly controlled world.”
His words were low and calm, but within them was a conviction as sharp as a blade.
“Freedom is merely an illusion, Chairman. True peace has always been built upon order and compulsion.”
The Supreme Chairman slowly leaned his head back. His brow, devoid of any humor, furrowed.
“Arrogant… but persuasive.”
Leon narrowed his eyes and asked quietly.
“The fact that you found me, Chairman… means you received that file, correct?”
The old man slowly opened his eyes and uttered a single phrase.
“Athena Zero_Protocol.”
In that instant, Leon’s lips curved into an elegant smile, like a man who had just placed the final piece of a long-awaited puzzle.
“You too wish to maintain your power, don’t you, Chairman?”
“…Of course. These uncivilized dogs and pigs don’t even know how this world works, or who keeps it running. That is why a prophet like myself must govern them properly.”
“Precisely.”
Leon said, slowly leaning back in his chair.
“What those ignorant masses need is not justice or freedom, but ‘controllable order.’ And the thing that puts that order into motion is the Athena Zero_Protocol.”
The Chairman’s eyes narrowed.
“What… is it, exactly? The name was flashy, but the actual contents were just your coordinates and a few lines of text.”
Leon smiled.
“It’s nothing much. It simply involves… inserting a chip into the brain of every human being.”
“…What did you say?”
“In the brains of all two trillion people. It’s a neural network protocol that standardizes their thought processes while maintaining their autonomy, allowing us to control threats and ideological infections in advance.”
“…You’re insane. Do you really think that’s possible?”
“I’m telling you because it is possible. However, there is a prerequisite.”
Leon lowered his voice.
“We must put an end to the civil war. For now, the priority is to gather our strength and neutralize the colonial forces. That is the first step.”
At the words ‘civil war,’ the Chairman’s face hardened. The deep wrinkles on his face trembled slightly.
“…You may not be aware, having just woken up, but… the Federation is already beyond my control.”
He clenched his fist and continued.
“The hardliners have elected their own Supreme Chairman, and the rebels have declared their own independent path. All I have left is the Zeros Code and a few remaining troops.”
“Which is why you need my help.”
Leon’s voice was firm.
“The hardliners and the rebels are merely groups divided by ‘ideology.’ But I know their common weakness. I also know a way to neutralize them all at once.”
The Chairman scoffed.
“You’ve been gone for years. The Risensia Group was carved up by the rebels and the hardliners and left in ruins. What influence could you possibly have now to dare say such things?”
Leon slowly rose from his seat. His silhouette, as he stood, was somehow overwhelming.
“Chairman.”
He murmured, gazing into the darkness beyond the window.
“Risensia is not just a corporation. It is a name. There are assets designed to respond to that name, and codes imprinted to obey only that name.”
He slowly turned his head. His gaze was not on the world outside the window, but on the future.
“Right now, at this very moment, those who await that name are awakening all across the world.”
The Chairman’s eyes wavered.
“…Is that… really true?”
Leon nodded firmly.
“Yes. So, Chairman. Will you join me? Are you prepared to plant our flag upon this chaos and disorder, and seize a new world once more?”
His words were like the whisper of a devil, yet the offer was too sweet to refuse.
The Chairman stared at Leon Risensia’s outstretched hand for a long moment, the corners of his mouth slowly curling upward. His eyes were a mixture of greed, ambition, and desire.
He finally extended his own hand, grasping Leon’s firmly as he muttered.
“Of course… If everything you’ve said is true…”
His voice trembled.
“…The world will once again rest in the palm of our hands.”
Leon accepted his hand without a word.
*
Leaving the Chairman’s secret hideout, Leon immediately boarded a black vehicle that was waiting for him. The interior was dark and quiet. The moment the engine rumbled to life, a man’s voice came from the front seat.
“Are you really going to join hands with that old fox?”
“He’s the perfect person to exploit. He may have lost his power, but the influence he built hasn’t died yet.”
He rested his elbow on the armrest and gazed out the window.
“Besides… it’s rare to find someone so simple to handle.”
The man in the driver’s seat chuckled softly.
“Well, I’m sure you know what you’re doing. More importantly… how does it feel to be awake after so long?”
Leon quietly closed his eyes, then opened them again.
“Refreshing, and yet terrible.”
“Terrible?”
“The world is even more chaotic than before I went to sleep. The things that need to be suppressed, the things that need to be eliminated… they’ve disgustingly multiplied. Frankly, it’s sickening.”
Leon’s voice was as cold as ice. The lights from outside streaked past, slicing across his eyes, but his gaze remained perfectly still.
“But that also means it’s worth rebuilding.”
The man in the passenger seat let out a small laugh.
“You haven’t changed a bit… even after being awake for such a short time.”
“I was only sleeping.”
Leon crossed his arms and leaned back. He stared at the city lights beyond the window and muttered.
“She’s my daughter, but she’s so damn soft.”
“Perhaps that’s a sign of her purity?”
“My daughter, pure…”
Leon scoffed.
“Well, maybe so.”
He turned his head.
“What is she doing now?”
The man in the passenger seat nodded and pointed to the back.
“There’s a terminal behind you. You can see for yourself.”
Leon reached out, and the terminal’s screen began to glow silently. A few seconds later, a person’s profile, location, and movements were automatically loaded.
He looked at the screen and muttered under his breath.
“She hasn’t deviated from my predictions one bit.”
Then his finger stopped on one particular scene. It showed the profile of an unfamiliar man.
“…Jin Seo-yun. Who is this man?”
The man in the passenger seat let out a slight smirk.
“He’s your daughter’s boyfriend. It wouldn’t be a stretch to call him your future son-in-law.”
At those words, Leon’s eye twitched.
“…Hah.”
He stared at the screen in silence for a while. The muscles in his face gradually tensed.
“…This thing, worse than a monkey, is my daughter’s boyfriend?”
“A monkey? That’s a bit harsh.”
“…His relationships with women, his eccentric behavior, insubordination, selfishness, and he’s uncontrollable.”
“His personality is a bit… rough and direct. And his relationships with women are complicated, I’ll admit. But you won’t be saying that once you check his combat data.”
Leon looked back at the terminal screen. The combat log, bio-readings, and internal tactical behavior analysis of his unit were scrolling by rapidly.
“……This is.”
His eyes slowly narrowed.
“A monster.”
“Indeed.”
The man in the passenger seat nodded.
“He was somewhat rough and unrefined as a trainee, but his skills have improved dramatically since seeing actual combat.”
Leon didn’t take his eyes off the screen.
“And—”
The man added.
“His physical ability stats are beyond human standards. Muscle reaction speed, sensory processing speed, internal recovery rates… he’s a complete monster in human skin.”
Leon’s gaze grew a little sharper.
“…This is a variable.”
He tilted his head and asked.
“But… his last known whereabouts are blank.”
“Arsenos used a Fire Fall on the Nemesis Colony, incinerating both the Federation and colonial forces on site. He was officially declared ‘Killed in Action’ after that.”
Leon stroked his chin.
“…So, the variable has been eliminated.”
The man chuckled lightly.
“Well, we don’t know that for sure.”
At the man’s words, Leon stared at the screen a while longer, his eyes boring into Jin Seo-yun’s profile.
*
“Hey, you hear the news?”
A corner of the bar. Amidst the cheap music blaring from an old speaker, a man’s low voice drifted out. Cigarette smoke rose slowly, blurring the ceiling lights.
“What is it now? If it’s just some crap you made up like last time, I’m ripping your tongue out for real.”
The man sitting across from him narrowed his eyes. But the one who had spoken remained serious. His lips were set in a firm line, and his fingertips were slowly turning a glass.
“No. This time it’s real.”
“So what is it?”
The man glanced around. An old woman in the corner, a guard dozing off half-drunk—they all pretended not to care, but their ears were turned this way.
Without bringing the glass to his lips, the man whispered.
“It’s intel from the colonial army’s side. They say a single black-armored unit is tearing through their territory like a madman.”
Hearing this, the other man’s brow furrowed slightly.
“…A black unit?”
“Yeah. Apparently, the colonial army is in an uproar because they can’t even catch that one unit.”
“You’re not making this up?”
“I’m not. I told you before, right? My buddy’s in the military. I heard it directly from him.”
Silence fell. The man flicked his cigarette ash and continued.
“And the Arsenos bastards, they supposedly call that unit—”
He brought the glass to his lips, then lowered his voice.
“—The Knight of the Apocalypse.”
“…What?”
“Something about how when that unit appears, nothing but death is left in its wake.”
His companion burst out laughing.
“Haha, that’s a hell of a name.”
“Well, my friend said the colonial army has paused its offensive because of it. They’re trying to catch that unit first.”
“If that’s true, isn’t that good news for us?”
“Could be. But…”
He quietly took out another cigarette and lit it.
“Something’s strange on the Federation side, too.”
“That place is always a mess.”
“True, but this is recent. Sheryl Mortimer, you know her? Formerly of the Zeros Code.”
“The woman who betrayed them?”
“Yeah. They say she’s been clashing with the Federation a lot lately. But this is the really important part, so listen carefully.”
He leaned forward slightly. His voice dropped even lower as he cautiously scanned their surroundings.
“My friend told me not to tell a soul. The Federation’s civil war, which has been in a ceasefire until now, suddenly ended recently. They’ve reformed back into ‘one.’”
“…What? Those guys who were always at each other’s throats, just like that?”
“Yeah. He said it stopped when someone showed up.”
His companion set down his glass and scoffed.
“Tsk, tsk, there you go again. Your crazy theories are entertaining sometimes, I’ll give you that.”
“I’m telling you, it’s not a theory. This time… it’s real.”
Before the men’s conversation could finish, Su-hyeon, who had been quietly holding a glass near their table, lifted her head.
Her eyes flashed with a sharp light as she listened to their words.
Then, she rose to her feet. With quick, silent steps, she slipped out through the back door of the bar and headed toward an abandoned building on the outskirts of the city.
Down an alley no one ever used, even in the dead of night, there was a hidden steel door. Pushing it open, she descended a secret passage into the basement. In a dimly lit room, Adele Risensia was sitting.
She was holding a terminal, quietly organizing something.
“My lady.”
At the voice, Adele looked up.
“Su-hyeon? What’s with that look on your face? Did something happen?”
“…I think I’ve found him.”
“Found who?”
Su-hyeon took a slow, quiet breath and spoke.
“The Master.”
The terminal slipped from Adele’s hand and fell to the floor. With a dry clatter, the screen went dark.
“……Where?”
“Inside Arsenos territory. It’s not confirmed, but… I heard a man in a bar talking about a black unit.”
Adele bit her lip. She closed her eyes for a moment, then spoke as if swallowing a breath.
“…We have to go find him, right now—”
But she couldn’t finish the sentence. Her head slowly drooped. Her shoulders slumped as if weighed down, and she couldn’t stop her fingertips from digging into her thighs.
“……I can’t go, right now.”
Her voice was very small and low. But it was saturated with an emotion that had been violently shaken and then forcibly suppressed.
“The operation I’m running right now… if I let go of this, too many things will fall apart.”
An operation to neutralize a key Earth Federation base. An extremely limited opportunity to halt the war, even for a moment.
“This… I have to see this through. He would understand.”
Then, Adele slowly smiled. It wasn’t a sad smile, but the expression of someone who had steeled herself out of necessity.
“I guess we’ll meet a little later.”
Su-hyeon nodded.
“The Master… he’ll be safe until then.”
“…Yeah.”
Within that short reply, faith, regret, and resolve were intertwined.