Chapter 457
Chapter 457
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 457
Chapter Title: Visit (1)
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The Crime Investigation Division of the Ability Management Bureau, the national agency overseeing superhuman crimes in Korea.
"...Wow, this is nasty."
An Seongjin, the black magic user called in as a consultant as usual, unwittingly stuck out his tongue.
He pulled his hand away from the forehead of the man lying on the bed, drooling uncontrollably with unfocused eyes, and shook his head.
"At this level, recovery is out of the question. It's completely wrecked, like dozens of nuclear bombs went off. He's basically a vegetable... The surprising part is that the brain damage isn't as severe as I expected."
"It was even worse originally. We called in a priest just in case treatment might help, but as you can see, no dice."
"Yeah, figured as much."
Park Hancheol, the head of the Crime Investigation Division, let out a short sigh and roughly scratched the back of his head at the casual response.
It was such an unusual case that he'd called in the black magic user An Seongjin on a whim, but it looked like another bust.
Unaware or uncaring of Park Hancheol's thoughts, An Seongjin continued nonchalantly.
"I've only got one thing to say: this can't be fixed. The foundation itself evaporated clean. What are we supposed to repair? It'd be easier to create a new ego and turn this guy into a flesh golem."
"...You know that's nonsense, right?"
"Psh, obviously a joke. We don't even have the materials for that."
Park Hancheol furrowed his brow and clicked his tongue at An Seongjin's shrug, a quintessentially black magic user quip.
He was one of the rare sane black magic power users, and they got along well privately, but moments like this made him no different from any other.
'The funny part is that this guy's considered one of the more stable Returners out of the whole lot.'
As head of the Crime Investigation Division, he'd faced countless Villains and knew it all too well.
Most black magic users were risks, sure, but not all criminals were black magic users.
No, even those who didn't commit crimes—Returners who survived extreme otherworlds—often ended up with mindsets that clashed with Earth's norms.
Years of trials, experiences, and insights had warped their entire worldview from the roots.
Much like how those who'd already achieved massive success socially believed their way of life was absolute truth.
'At least the ones with a sense of chosen superiority are manageable. But if they start rampaging just because they have power...'
Society, painstakingly built and maintained by humanity, could crumble in an instant.
Wasn't the man lying there right now proof of that?
"So, what happened to this guy? He's not in a hospital, so he's no ordinary victim."
"...Attempted rape of a minor, they say. According to the victim, he suddenly went berserk and vanished in a flash. We recovered him sprawled out a short distance from the scene."
"Ha! Serves him right. Karmic payback? Do we really need to fix him?"
An Seongjin glared at the man on the bed, wiping his hand—the one that had touched the man's forehead—on his pants as if it'd touched something filthy.
"Fixing him isn't the point. The issue is that an Awakened with this kind of ability has shown up."
Mental ability users were top-priority watch subjects everywhere.
They faced heavy restrictions on leaving the country and constant interference in daily life.
It was only natural—mental abilities offered the fastest, easiest way to topple societal structures via terrorism.
'The World Returner Association's first move after forming the Guardians was to consolidate mental ability users for defense. Without that, the world would've been chaos long ago.'
From petty crimes to nuclear wars dragging in the whole planet.
That's why mental ability users had to be recruited or eliminated—no exceptions. The Crime Investigation Division's hypersensitivity was par for the course.
Though they got treated well in return, from what he'd heard.
"You noticed too, right? What level this guy was at."
"Mm, yeah..."
And if the target could reduce even a Master-class powerhouse to this state, there was no choice.
Mental abilities were blockable by peers or superiors, so the culprit had to be at least one realm above him.
'Judging by the destructive power... maybe even Transcendent-class.'
They needed intel by any means to prepare for the worst.
Any clue to their identity.
"Well, nothing we can do about that. Sorry I couldn't help. Wouldn't consulting another mental ability user be better than me?"
"...Several already came. Connections severed, traces wiped clean—nothing they could do. Thought a black mage might have a trick up his sleeve, so I called you..."
Park Hancheol eyed him thoughtfully.
An Seongjin felt an ominous chill and backed away stealthily, only to halt as his arm was grabbed.
"Perfect timing—another one just came in with the same symptoms before you arrived. Since you're here, check him out too."
"Wait, we've already concluded—why me again...?"
"This one's raw, pre-treatment. You're the ace with top clearance in this field, aren't you? Brass is riding me hard; can't even go home. Please."
With that plea, An Seongjin reluctantly nodded.
He'd owed the team leader favors before.
'Ah, no need to chase performance bonuses anymore, and here I am working extra.'
Competent people never got a break.
An Seongjin smacked his lips, recalling the 'donation' he'd received legitimately from Hwetal.
He'd bought his parents' shop building and invested in assets...
'Wait a sec.'
Trailing Park Hancheol to another room, An Seongjin paused.
A sense of déjà vu hit him about the situation.
'...Come to think of it, running into Hwetal in that mental world was exactly this setup.'
After a brief ponder, he sighed and kept walking.
Unlike then, he now had solid backing.
'I'm under Hwetal now. I've racked up favors; he'll help if trouble brews.'
No matter how formidable the mental ability user, not on Hwetal's level.
As a fellow black mage who'd met him personally, An Seongjin knew Hwetal's terror.
'He's no longer human. Death incarnate, unavoidable.'
Fortunately—or unfortunately—no repeat of that incident.
No clues either, though.
Like the first criminal, the mental world was utterly devastated—no traces.
"Ah, this is hopeless."
The groaning team leader perked up suddenly.
As if struck by genius.
"Right, the otherworld saint! That Heinrich the White Knight. Still active here, isn't he?"
"Oh, that guy?"
An Seongjin knew of the otherworld saint Heinrich well.
Anyone plugged into society would.
Especially in Korea.
"But isn't that a long shot?"
"No, there's hope. He does charity work, performs miracles, heals incurables."
Someone with those powers might restore them.
He'd heard recent government ties too; stressing the need for order against mental ability users...
"No, not that. You really don't know?"
"...Know what?"
Asking a heavyweight like that wasn't easy.
Even with higher-ups' help, prep would be massive.
Park Hancheol, mind racing on logistics, bristled at An Seongjin's nitpicking.
Better to send him packing—
"That guy's in America."
"Huh?"
He froze, blinking blankly.
"What? You didn't know? It was on the news on my way here."
He hadn't a clue.
Too busy chasing the sudden 'Mind Breaker'.
Heinrich's public activities weren't his jurisdiction anymore.
"...Why America? When's he back?"
"How should I know? Not like I'm him. Not even Korean. From the news..."
Not the point, though his reflexive question missed it.
His best lead fizzled before starting.
Sighing deeply, he half-listened to An Seongjin's answer while rubbing his neck.
"Something about visiting the Pantheon headquarters?"
***
Kiyuuung—
San Francisco International Airport, California, West Coast USA.
"The car's here. This way, Brother Heinrich."
Leaving the noisy airport behind, Heinrich followed a burly forties-era priest to the pre-arranged vehicle.
"Finally honored to escort Brother Heinrich. Truly moving."
"Sorry for the long wait. My situation doesn't allow focusing on one thing."
"Haha! No worries. We understand. Plenty on your plate there, and dimensional time lags are unavoidable."
The brown-haired, neatly bearded middle-aged man—Jason, priest dispatched from the US Pantheon headquarters—laughed heartily and waved it off.
Faith was his priority, so he took missions leisurely.
Plus, enjoyable exchanges with Korean priests.
Chatting idly with Jason, Heinrich gazed out the window.
American soil, so different from Korea.
He'd been here once to handle the scribe, but an official visit felt fresh.
'Finally here. Kept putting it off with work excuses.'
No other reason for coming.
Compiling intel on the Reverse Heaven Society Leader, he'd realized overlooking a key fact.
'He's not just divine—he wields his own divinity... closer to a true god than any.'
The Reverse Heaven Society's schemes continued unabated.
Capable subordinates coped, but their built-up time and foundations overwhelmed.
Still, they held because the enemy feared exposure.
'And that's solely due to constraints from the Reverse Heaven Society Leader himself.'
He'd gathered info diligently.
Yet ignorant on what mattered most.
Why no native mysteries on Earth.
Why Akasha System made Earth a hub.
Why destroy dimensions to sprout new mysteries here.
Gazing out, Heinrich closed his eyes.
Reverse Heaven Society Leader intel swirled, thoughts deepening.
'He can't influence worlds freely.'
True on Earth and beyond.
Like Kosias, he could shatter worlds yet never did—from the start.
Couldn't.
'If he could've used full power initially, we wouldn't have beaten him in Outerica.'
Same for Strong World, Divoe, even doomed Kosias.
Worlds took decades to fall, no?
Theological sense: gods bound by their own rules, detached from mortals.
'Need deeper dive into gods. Not just Outerica— all dimensions' faiths.'
Where he gained power, its source, angelic ascension and self-divinity.
Akasha System and gods' ties.
This place was his choice for that.
"We're here, Brother Heinrich."
Hub of faiths from worlds linked to Earth—interdimensional religion central.
"This is the Temple of All Gods, Pantheon headquarters."
Outerica's saint and Main God's angel stepped into the Interworld Religious Alliance Pantheon.