Chapter 395: Unquenchable Wrath (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 395: Unquenchable Wrath (1)
It was a presence so immense that ‘incredible’ didn’t even begin to describe it.
Lu Bu approached, radiating a fierce energy that could only be called awe-inspiring.
As he stepped through the open door and walked past me, his gaze lingered on me for a moment.
“…You’re of some use.”
An arrogant tone, spoken with the certainty of one who knows he is superior.
But I didn’t find it offensive.
“‘Of some use,’ he says…”
He was a man whose evaluation of others was as harsh as his confidence in his own abilities was absolute.
A creature forged from an arrogant nature that would sooner break than bend, combined with a brutally direct personality.
Coming from someone like him, the words ‘of some use’ had a completely different weight.
If I had to translate it, it would mean something like, ‘He is highly skilled,’ or ‘A Hunter with a promising future.’
“This feels strange.”
I had heard those exact same words from him in the past, back in Son Si-woo’s body.
That was ten years ago, a time when I was at my physical and mental peak.
Back then, I had found his words deeply unpleasant.
Why?
There were various reasons.
Full of confidence, I hadn't been able to properly see him for what he was.
I couldn't gauge the true skill of a man hailed as one of the world's strongest.
I had considered him a rival from a neighboring country, only to realize he didn't even see me as being on his level.
“I was so young back then, really.”
It was only after my body was broken that I truly understood how powerful Lu Bu was.
A time when I had to put in bone-breaking effort not to grow, but simply to maintain what I had.
It was only when I reached a state where I could no longer even hear him say I was ‘of some use’ that I finally realized.
Just what a monster he was.
Even if I imagined a future where my body hadn't been ruined and I had continued to grow, I couldn't even begin to entertain the notion that I might have reached his level.
“This is the first time we’ve met alone.”
“Indeed.”
The man who had seemed like a monster back then was now…
“A pleasure to meet you, Saintess. I am Lu Bu.”
“……”
…an even greater monster, pressuring the Saintess I was assigned to protect.
* * *
She had met so many people in her life.
Chaebols from wealthy nations, politicians, Hunters.
It was quicker to count the world-famous figures she hadn't met than those she had.
Just as no two people in the world were identical, the impressions they left were all different.
Lu Bu was one of the people who had left the most intense impression on her.
‘Fiery, and coarse.’
A man who held a flame of unknown origin in his chest.
A wild beast who kept his humanity intact only by perfectly reining in his untamable nature.
He opened his mouth, his aura so fierce it felt like it could tear apart not just a person’s body, but their very soul.
“Did the secret meeting go well?”
“……”
It seemed he already knew.
He knew that the Minister of National Defense had secretly requested a meeting with neighboring countries and the Vatican Orthodox Church.
As she hesitated for a moment, wondering how to respond…
“It’s not too late. Rescind your promise of support.”
He made the first move.
A fierce energy poured out of him, despite his gentle tone.
Feeling an indescribably intense pressure, she gave a bitter smile.
“Your way of expressing yourself is quite harsh.”
She was not pleased.
Saintess Sophia.
Because of her title, everyone assumed she was a good person.
And she was.
But while she was a kind person, she was not weak or frail.
“If I say I won’t back down… do you intend to kill me?”
Lu Bu reacted to her sharp tone.
“If necessary.”
“…!”
Even for her, a woman of considerable nerve, she couldn’t help but be shocked this time.
She knew he was a reckless man, but she never imagined he would actually say he would kill one of the two leaders of the Vatican Orthodox Church, which boasted the largest number of followers in the world.
And given who he was, she couldn't dismiss it as a joke.
He was being completely serious.
He was saying that even a Saintess would not escape death the moment she became his enemy.
“Anyone who stands in my way is an enemy. And I never leave an enemy alive.”
He had lived his life in an incredibly simple way.
Sometimes he was reckless, sometimes he attempted the impossible, but that one principle never changed.
How was that possible?
The reason was simple.
He had never once been the weaker party.
He was born with overwhelming power.
Those who stood before the strong had to make the impossible possible, and the unreasonable reasonable.
“Decide, here and now. Will you be my enemy, or my ally?”
The Saintess let out a small sigh at his tyrannical behavior.
‘What should I do…?’
She didn't for a second believe her faction would kneel before a single man like Lu Bu.
She was confident they wouldn't lose even in a direct confrontation with his forces.
However, that would mean they, too, would have to endure enormous losses.
‘The right move here is to take a step back.’
Thinking rationally, that was the correct choice.
Putting China in their debt would be useful down the line, but she couldn't push the priests of the Orthodox Church to their deaths for that alone.
Moreover, her own life was on the line.
If she just said she would withdraw her support, she could get through this without any harm.
And yet.
“I hope you won’t make a foolish choice, trusting in the power of the Orthodox Church.”
She really didn’t like that.
Even now.
Wasn’t he speaking arrogantly, as if the Orthodox Church was no match for him?
That reckless personality of his was forged because everyone had always yielded to his pressure.
In his utterly arrogant gaze, she saw it.
His unbridled wildness and burning fury would not be satisfied with merely the position of Chairman of China.
‘I can’t back down here.’
She had to prevent his ambitions from spreading as he pleased.
She had to ensure his greed remained confined within China for even a moment longer.
Just then, one person caught her eye.
“William.”
Kim Do-jin.
The man who, along with Lu Bu, had left an incredibly strong impression on her.
He answered her call.
“Yes.”
A truly short and emotionless reply.
It was amazing.
How could he remain so composed amidst the aura a world-renowned powerhouse was deliberately unleashing?
His steadfast appearance gave her a bit more courage, and she asked him.
“Can you protect me from Lord Lu Bu until I board my plane back home?”
“Uh, well.”
Kim Do-jin pondered the unexpected question for a moment before answering.
“I can’t be certain, but… it doesn’t seem entirely impossible, either?”
In that instant, Lu Bu’s aura exploded.
* * *
The next morning.
After finishing our last breakfast at the hotel with the Saintess, we checked out.
We then got in the car and headed for the airport.
I recalled the words the man had left behind last night after unleashing a refreshing burst of his energy.
—“I’ll be looking forward to it.”
His pride had been wounded.
Wounded by the idea that a mere A-rank Hunter could safely see the Saintess off under his watch.
That’s why he left.
To show me his true power.
“…Did I provoke him too much?”
I let out a small sigh, slightly regretting what I’d said yesterday, and glanced at the Saintess sitting beside me.
Her face was covered, making it difficult to judge precisely, but she appeared to be extremely calm.
Her heartbeat and breathing were perfectly steady.
“…Aren’t you scared?”
Her composure was so unlike someone whose life was being threatened that I asked in disbelief. She, in turn, asked me back.
“Is there a reason I should be?”
“There is. It’s Lu Bu.”
Even if she were surrounded by over a hundred guards, they wouldn't be able to stop him.
That was the kind of being Lu Bu was.
A man with the power of one against a thousand, who could face hundreds of monsters, slaughter them all, and take the boss’s head.
“Ah… right. The one after my life is Lord Lu Bu. Thinking about that does make me a little tense, but…”
Her voice trailed off as she stared at me, then she continued.
“But strangely, I’m not scared.”
“……”
This woman is definitely not normal, either.
Shaking my head at her baseless confidence, we arrived at the airport.
The private jet that would take her back to her home country was almost ready for takeoff.
After a few procedures, if she could just get on the plane and fly away, she would escape the immediate danger of being killed here.
The only problem was…
“Whoa… they’re already everywhere.”
Lu Bu’s subordinates were already spread throughout the entire airport.
It even looked like they had chartered the whole airport for the day.
Seeing not a single ordinary traveler, I was almost certain.
He must have figured it was better than causing civilian casualties by rampaging inside the airport.
As she stepped inside, I whispered to her quietly.
“Stay right behind me. And please heal me if I get hurt.”
From behind me, where she had hidden, came a confident reply.
“Don’t worry about injuries. As long as you don’t die, I can save you.”
“……”
I wasn’t sure if I should find that reassuring or terrifying.
Lu Bu’s subordinates were lined up like warriors before a battle, their expressions grim.
Lu Bu himself walked out from between them.
He wore armor made of tens of thousands of small, overlapping scales and carried the Bangcheon Halberd.
The Bangcheon Halberd was a replica of the one used by the Lu Bu of the Three Kingdoms.
The armor he wore was called the Dragon Scale Armor.
It was an artifact crafted by hundreds of Chinese artisans who had poured their heart and soul into every single scale.
It was said that after donning that armor, Lu Bu had never suffered even a minor scratch in his countless victories.
Fully prepared for battle, he made one last offer to the Saintess.
“This is your last chance, Saintess. Bow your head and rescind your support. Do that, and I will let you go peacefully.”
In response, she peeked her head out from behind my back and answered immediately.
“I refuse. I only bow my head to the god I serve.”
“……”
This woman.
She’s got some serious nerve…