Chapter 366
Chapter 366
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 366
Chapter Title: Terror (3)
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Given the gravity of the situation, he'd mobilized every resource available within the limits of what he could spare.
This included summoning High Elf Harris from the Elven Kingdom and Hesperon, who had been lingering as a guest at the Imperial Palace.
'Of course, even with prior notice, they couldn't stay away for long. Best to wrap things up quickly and get back.'
And naturally,
they weren't the only ones deployed for this.
"All personnel have been deployed to their sectors, Lord. I've impressed upon the lower organizations as well, so they won't dare act rashly. Even if Reverse Heaven tries to exploit the chaos, they won't achieve their goals easily."
"Good. Tell them there will be no mercy for anyone caught slacking off this time. My mood is foul right now."
"...Understood. I'll reinforce the message."
In a back alley shrouded in an eerie silence that belied the chaos engulfing all of Seoul,
Heinz 2nd tilted his head slightly as he received Jin Solan's deferential report, his gaze falling on the object in his hand—a small crystal orb cracked in all directions.
'I suspected as much. They didn't rely solely on gunpowder bombs.'
Thanks to the synergy of his keen senses and Insight, he'd personally recovered this explosive one-time-use magic tool just before it detonated.
It had been thoroughly concealed and secured, but once it entered his perception, no such measures could evade Heinz's control.
'This feels excessive. Why go this far? What's their endgame?'
This was far more aggressive than anticipated.
Even if provoked by Korea and Howard Industries' moves, launching an operation of this scale would burden Reverse Heaven immensely.
'This is the capital of a developed nation. Preparing something this massive in secret must have taken astronomical time and resources. To throw it all away on a single terror attack...'
Moreover, stirring global anxiety over an unknown enemy was a net negative for them too.
The world was already on edge after an assault on a Pantheon leader in America; news of this spreading would only heighten tensions.
'...Focus on what I can do now. Better keep the main body out of sight, just in case. Even with Hans using Entity Projection, the Reverse Heaven Lord stepping in personally would be troublesome.'
In that sense, keeping the main body in the shadows to prioritize tracing the culprits was a sound call.
Of course, if things turned truly dire, he could summon the real Hans and all other avatars to carve out an opening—but that was a last-resort card to hoard.
'To divert eyes from the main body, the diversions need to be even flashier. Can't miss this chance. With their tails exposed, it's time to uproot every last one hiding in Korea.'
As Heinz reaffirmed his resolve,
Jin Solan, who had been communicating with her subordinates via telepathy, approached with a furrowed brow.
"Lord, suspicious activity reported in Gangseo District. A Level 6 executive is handling it personally, but..."
"I'll go myself."
He'd been itching to move again anyway.
Dealing with issues en route would draw eyes even more effectively.
At his speed, he'd arrive with time to spare.
"Understood, then..."
"I'll hear the details on the way."
Without waiting for her reply, Heinz shot westward.
A streak of crimson wind accelerated across Seoul.
Wherever it paused, raging flames subsided, debris blocking survivors crumbled to dust, and lurking bombs disarmed without exploding.
That alone drew plenty of attention, but since he'd committed to a spectacle, he had no intention of stopping there.
At the heart of a site ravaged by disaster,
a brilliant light suddenly erupted.
Paah—
Not blinding, but a warm, comforting glow swept the area.
As all eyes turned to it, a figure emerged slowly through the radiance, stepping forward.
Clank— Clank—
A magnificent frame clad in pristine white armor.
With each heavy metallic clink of movement, a subtle aura emanated, gently cradling the exhausted bodies and spirits of those worn down by the sudden calamity.
"Oh! That... that person is...!"
"N-no way!"
Citizens strewn about in disarray recognized him and began rising one by one.
This included those grimacing through injuries and parents clutching loved ones on the brink of death, unsure what to do.
"Saint!"
"P-please, our mother...!"
"Ahh—!"
Heinrich, bathed in their desperate gazes, immediately met their expectations.
Saaah—
The blade of the holy sword drawn smoothly from his palm scattered sparkling light.
Tracing a graceful arc, it plunged into the shattered asphalt gripped by callused hands.
"Lord of All, extend your merciful hand to these pitiful lambs of the land..."
With the low prayer came Great Blessing: Wings of Glory.
And then,
a miracle proving the existence of gods somewhere manifested.
Holy power swelled unbound around the holy sword, spreading instantly via wings of light to blanket the area in platinum waves.
Vitality surged back into the weary, wounds reverted to normal on the injured, and ragged breaths stabilized on those clinging to life.
"Ahh! Thank you! Thank you!"
"Saint! We owe you everything!"
Hope bloomed on faces sunken in grief amid the majestic sight.
How could it not, when salvation cradled their battered souls in their darkest hour?
Not everyone reacted that way, of course.
"The... the Saint! Then please, our mother at least...!"
"Uhehehung— Taehyun—!"
Even Heinrich couldn't revive the dead.
With a somber expression, he quietly shook his head, closing his eyes to pray for the victims' souls.
But even that luxury was brief.
Nearby hospitals overwhelmed, makeshift wards overflowing, disaster sites everywhere—too many places needed him now.
Guided by data from Hesperon's Machine Eye: Kallikas, he moved to the next location.
Sensing today would be busier than ever.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Amid the sudden national crisis, it wasn't just superhumans with extraordinary abilities who shone.
The Association and Guardians bustled about, rescuing citizens and neutralizing threats.
Awakened from government agencies stepped up regardless of affiliation, using their powers to help however they could.
Pantheon's priests volunteered to heal the wounded.
And ordinary firefighters, police, officials, and brave civilians plunged into danger without superpowers, driven by conviction.
Many rolled up their sleeves amid the chaos, swiftly stabilizing the mess.
The simultaneous outbreaks across a vast area amplified confusion, but as time passed, issues resolved rapidly, easing into calm.
And observing Korea's response from start to finish, jotting notes, were certain individuals—
"The Brain Emperor exceeded expectations. He wasn't this strong fighting Alpha recently..."
"That 'Mjolnir' must be the catalyst for his sudden growth. Troubling. We'll have to scrap all prior data."
"Ability Management Bureau's Graphite didn't show either... Association Chairman matches old intel. Is that a silver lining?"
In a vast basement lit by countless glowing monitors like a control room,
a hazy-faced man at the head table stroked his chin silently amid the fervent exchanges.
Compiled data from various sources displayed across monitors before him.
'Hahoe Mask and Phantom. Expected them to dominate Korea's shadows. But the Saint appearing now—coincidence? Or real-time intel from another world...?'
Pondering one screen, his head turned aside.
There, photos and data on the new players were neatly arrayed.
Two stood out especially.
"Helmeted freak presumed to be an elemental spirit summoner, and the power suit hero-syndrome case."
The power suit impressed more for its unique magic-tool applications than raw realm, but the spirit summoner was a confirmed transcendent.
Couldn't assume these were all Korea's hidden freaks, but uncovering another transcendent was a major haul.
'Sheesh. How many transcendents crammed into this tiny country?'
Tsking lightly, he shook his head.
This plan layered multiple objectives.
Among them, the core was gauging the potential of Korea—the enemy's heartland.
Reverse Heaven's past setbacks stemmed largely from intel gaps, right?
Enemy numbers still hidden, their disaster response patterns, ability limits and weaknesses—gather it all in detail.
That was his mission from above.
Any fallout? Higher-ups would handle cleanup.
They'd accounted for it when issuing orders.
'Bit disappointing. Resolved too fast. A longer drag would've yielded far more data.'
With so many transcendents defying human limits, resolution was swift.
Fires, toxic gases, chain explosions meant to amplify terror? All effortlessly blocked.
'If we'd detonated a nuke backpack, it'd have been certain...'
The organization could supply one easily, but escalating that far was premature.
He lacked authority for such ops running the shrunken Korean branch anyway.
'No helping it. Wrap this op here.'
Lipping his regret, he rose slowly and clapped lightly.
Clap—
"Attention."
Gazes snapped to him from the murmuring group.
"We're ending here. Good work despite shortages."
These were the Korean branch's elite survivors—proven through relentless pursuit and purges, the op's key players.
Not all were present due to duties, but they exceeded half the remnants.
"Double-check data backups transferred, erase all traces here, then scatter..."
This den was precisely where Reverse Heaven's Korean remnants gathered.
💥 INTRUSION 💥 [Who decided that?]
Their last chance before scattering like ants to track the operatives' movements.
"...What?!"
"Emergency— Gahk!"
"Kkh...! How...?"
A chilling voice seeped from hell itself.
With it, immense pressure crushed the entire space instantly.
Quick reactors sensed anomaly and moved sharply, but the intangible force hit simultaneously, pinning them immobile.
Crackle— Craaack—
The basement temperature plunged below freezing in a heartbeat.
Frost crept over convulsing bodies on the floor.
Black magic suppressing vital signs without killing.
⚙ INTRUDER'S MIND ⚙ [Kkh— Blind spot. Never expected a base in the DMZ.] As all were subdued,
a figure slowly rose from the abyss now blanketing the floor.
Enveloped in pitch black like darkness incarnate.
Ghostfire leaking from its eye sockets scanned the surroundings slowly.
Bleak concrete walls layered with complex concealment spells, various electronics exuding unnatural auras.
'Tech from machine civilizations. Practically magic tools. Even self-power generators?'
Like the consumed rations, how they'd smuggled all this undetected was a mystery.
Especially so close to North Korea...
'No. With China in hand, North Korea's no different.'
Post-Awakener emergence, the DMZ defenses were tighter than ever—even rumored transcendent elites from Ability Management Bureau stationed nearby constantly.
'Details from here on.'
Hahoe Mask glanced at the hazy-faced man who'd just speechified—the apparent highest rank here.
Eyes bulging in disbelief, he writhed violently against the bindings.
Futile for one short of transcendent.
'Brainwashing ability user. If Andrew had been even slightly slower spotting him, we'd have lost them.'
Did he realize his blunder exposed the base?
Hahoe Mask sneered inwardly, extending a hand slowly toward the man's head.
'Reward for Andrew... Language interpretation magic tool, yeah. Thanks to Forbidden Truth, I can make one now. Boost his efficiency.'
A "reward" that would make Andrew scream.
He only wanted leave or vacation, but gifts reflect the giver's heart.