Chapter 198
Chapter 198
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 198
Chapter Title: Tokyo Apocalypse - 4
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Once the music ended, Seok-hyun stopped dancing and pulled out his staff.
The people who had been watching in a daze snapped back to reality.
"Wh-what the hell?"
"My heartbeat was pounding so hard, I just wanted to let the music take over my body."
Everyone stared at Seok-hyun in disbelief.
Murayama was especially shocked.
He'd brushed off the talk of a bunny-man, but he never imagined it'd look like this...
"You... you're a monster?"
At his words, Yuzuka, standing beside him, covered her mouth with her sleeve to stifle a laugh.
Sung-ho gave a wry smile.
"If by monster you mean killer, then no."
"Then what the hell are you?"
"Just... a monster with a bunny headband?"
"Playing word games, are we? I want to hear your name."
Murayama drew his long knife and thrust it forward.
Sung-ho responded by pulling out his mithril blade.
The underlings murmured among themselves.
"Isn't that the 8,000-point one?"
"Someone actually bought it..."
The mithril blade was definitely longer than the long knife, making it look incredibly sleek.
Even Murayama couldn't hide his greed upon seeing it.
"Doesn't suit a guy like you."
"And it suits you, monster Murayama?"
Murayama stepped forward, puffing out his chest.
"Hand it over willingly, and I'll train you up nice. I'm saying I'll accept a Korean like you."
"No thanks."
"I'll make you beg for it soon enough."
"Do your worst."
Sung-ho shrugged.
Truth be told, sticking around here was just to see how big a deal these guys were.
But now that he'd seen them, he was wasting time.
As he stood, Seok-hyun tightened his gloves.
"Time to get it on... nah, time to game?"
That's when Sakaguchi stepped forward.
"Hold on, Murayama, and you lot too. That girl over there... you wouldn't happen to have the surname Shiraishi?"
"I won't deny it."
"Your name?"
"Shiraishi Yuzuka."
"A fine name..."
Sakaguchi slipped his hand into his sleeve, savoring the moment.
Yuzuka shook her head vigorously.
"I may be from the Shiraishi family, but it means nothing now. I'm just one person struggling to survive."
Sakaguchi opened his eyes and pulled his hand from his sleeve.
"Hanging around with Koreans must be tough. Why not put yourself under our protection? No, this is something you must do. We need you."
"I don't need you."
"...You've been tainted."
As Sakaguchi opened his mouth to say more, Sung-ho stepped in front of Yuzuka.
"Enough chit-chat."
"Then what's starting?"
"Showtime. This is your first and last warning. Turn back now, and I won't bother chasing you. Too much hassle."
Murayama laughed.
"Hah, talking like you have some grand purpose. What is it? This mighty goal of yours."
Sung-ho didn't really want to tell them, but he decided to dangle the bait anyway.
"Griffin. Huge flying monster. Ever seen one?"
One of the underlings whispered into Sakaguchi's ear.
"Sounds like the owner of that massive nest in Mori Tower."
It was meant to be quiet, but to Sung-ho with his super senses, it rang clear as day.
"Oh, it has a nest there? Perfect."
The Japanese looked baffled.
How the hell did he hear that whisper?
Sakaguchi grinned sinisterly.
"Not bad. Last offer: come under me."
"Pass."
"Even after seeing this?"
Sakaguchi gave a nod, and his underlings drew guns in unison.
Sung-ho nearly burst out laughing.
Those guns looked anything but ordinary.
"Aren't those just metal rods? You gonna shoot with those?"
"Plenty good for killing people."
"Still a pass."
"You wanna die, huh? Murayama, if you would."
"Leave it to me."
The monsters, led by Murayama, advanced.
One of the underlings had a skill to open and close deathmatches at will, so there was no telltale thud.
They were all huge, their presence overwhelming.
As Murayama approached, he asked,
"One question. My men must've come here. Where are they?"
Seok-hyun tilted his head toward the sea.
"You mean those?"
Something floated on the murky waters of Odaiba.
It didn't take long to realize they were corpses.
Murayama and the monsters' eyes bulged with rage.
"You bastaaard!"
"Come at me."
Seok-hyun beckoned with his fingers, and Murayama, unable to hold back, charged.
Anyone would picture it:
The ultimate monster Murayama cleaving the bald bunny-man in two with his long knife.
But it was Murayama who doubled over, vomiting blood.
"Gahk!"
A single casual punch from Seok-hyun left him out cold.
Shockingly, the long knife hadn't even scratched Seok-hyun's hand—it was caught in his grip.
"Idiot..."
Sakaguchi couldn't believe his eyes.
How does a human catch a long knife barehanded?
And Seok-hyun lifted Murayama by the collar with one hand.
"What now?"
"Kill him."
"The others?"
"I'll handle them."
With that, Seok-hyun hurled Murayama's body at the monsters.
In an instant, one-sided violence erupted.
These were tough monsters, but they couldn't withstand Seok-hyun's ogre-strength punches.
Ribs shattered like twigs, chests caved in.
One even died instantly from a skull-crushing blow.
The pounding heartbeats dwindled in real time.
Sakaguchi began to tremble in fear.
"Sh-shoot! Shoot them!"
"C-can't see 'em! Can't aim!"
As the underlings said, Seok-hyun moved too fast to hit.
"I said shoot that bastard!"
But no one fired at Sung-ho.
Emerald darts pierced the air.
"Ugh!"
"Krrk!"
Darts embedded in hands and arms, sending guns clattering to the ground.
Sung-ho didn't miss the opening and charged.
Thud, thud, pow!
These Japanese were near-normal due to growth stagnation—their stats weren't even comparable to Sung-ho's.
A light punch snapped waists and smashed jaws.
Sakaguchi tried to counter, but his attacks whiffed into empty air.
Why? How can he move so fast?
To his eyes, Sung-ho was just a blur.
Then the fist loomed large.
Crack.
A sickening crunch echoed as Sakaguchi flew back.
His spine twisted unnaturally, foam bubbling from his mouth.
Meanwhile, Yuzuka, now a total bystander, was stunned.
Strong... but this strong?
Auction house intel pegged Murayama and Sakaguchi as forces to reckon with in Tokyo.
And they'd been smashed in the blink of an eye. Impressively swift.
Looking at dead Murayama and crumpled Sakaguchi, she was convinced.
Cooperating with Sung-ho was the way, no matter what.
They might not have much to offer, but something would turn up.
The monsters all met their end at Seok-hyun's hands, while Sakaguchi and the others were bound with rope.
The trio dragged the three bound men off somewhere.
Yuzuka hurried after them.
"Where are you taking them?"
"To the ghoul flower. Gotta clean up."
The reason Odaiba had no monsters was that massive ghoul flower.
Smaller than the one in the museum, but way bigger than average.
Sung-ho planned to feed them to it, then smash the flower.
Seok-hyun, dragging the rope, glanced back.
"Sad to see fellow Japanese die?"
Yuzuka shook her head.
"No Japanese here. Just potential friends or enemies."
"Good mindset. I like it."
Seok-hyun flashed her a thumbs-up, and she gave an awkward smile.
Guess that's a compliment.
As they dragged the three along, Sakaguchi regained consciousness and started thrashing.
"I-I'm the same blood as you! Not Korean!"
Zainichi, huh.
Sung-ho's response was indifferent.
"So?"
"Spare me, and the Sakaguchi Alliance is yours! Please!"
"I'll take what I want. No need to worry."
"Attacking anyone, but Sung-ho? What were you thinking? Guy's a total demon."
"Says the bunny monster."
As the two bickered, Sakaguchi was dumbfounded.
"Ignoring the Sakaguchi Alliance? Do you know how many guns my men have...?"
But when Sung-ho pulled a heavy machine gun from his dimensional slot, Sakaguchi shut up.
"This baby's pouring out hundreds of 12.7mm armor-piercing rounds per minute."
"Th-that's military grade... how?"
"Figure it out yourself."
Sung-ho stowed the machine gun and quickened his pace.
A half-collapsed building housed the ghoul flower.
No food around, so its whips had grown insanely long.
Snap!
Air tore as a whip slammed right in front of them.
The ground cracked, concrete flying everywhere.
Sakaguchi was practically sobbing now.
"Please! I beg you! Just my life!"
"Sorry, never spared anyone in a spot like this. I like it clean."
Sung-ho nodded to Seok-hyun.
The three bound men were flung with brute force, and the ghoul flower spotted them.
"Hiiiiaaaah!"
Sakaguchi's scream rang out as the whip lashed their bodies.
Crunch―
A gruesome sound, and Sakaguchi went limp.
The whip carefully gripped the three and carried them to the core.
Once they were gone, Sung-ho charged the lobby with a flamethrower and torched the core.
Flames roared up the Frontier Building.
I rode my bike to Roppongi.
Battlefield Lockdown was still active, making movement tricky.
But that didn't mean I was scrapping the plan to raid Sakaguchi's crew.
Perfect time for a little trick.
I opened the auction house.
Time to spill the truth and stir some chaos.
Sure enough, things got weird, and comments flooded in.
Mostly taunts.
Chonseijin always lie, don't believe 'em.
They'll stab you in the back for sure, only idiots trust 'em.
Lots praising Murayama too.
Makes sense—Ikebukuro's prime real estate, and he owned it. Bad rep citywide.
Auction house exploded in laughter at my level reveal.
The mockery stopped dead.
Someone asked,
Not all blind here.
Curses poured in as expected.
Even straight-up death wishes.
I dropped the final ultimatum.
Hurry up and come.
I waited.
Chaos erupted around Roppongi.
Sakaguchi Alliance turf, now swarming with survivors.
More people, more monsters.
The already noisy area turned into total pandemonium.
"Now I can move."
Sung-ho slipped into the Sakaguchi base while they panicked.
Battlefield Lockdown lingered, but with their guns, no one could stop him.
He killed members and scoured Mori Tower for supplies.
"This guy's got a ton stashed..."
Medical supplies, food, luxuries—piled high.
A crude furnace in the corner blazed hot.
Making guns with that, huh.
Sung-ho opened a dimensional gate and looted everything.
Then someone grabbed his hand and yanked him in.
It was Dajeong.
Inside, she chewed him out.
"What the hell are you doing in Tokyo? I can't even leave."
Battlefield Lockdown blocked all add-ons except the first effect.
So everyone but Sung-ho was gated out of dimensional gates.
"Just a bit longer. I'm in the middle of something."
"Forget supplies—the griffin's more important, right?"
She kicked a cardboard box on the floor.
Not wrong.
But Sung-ho had his side.
"That's the process. Next stop's Roppongi Mori Tower. Griffin's nest up top. Luring it to Odaiba. Battlefield's clean there."
Odaiba was one of the few spots in Tokyo where powers worked normally.
Dajeong's eyes softened as she caught on.
"Oh, duh. You always got a plan, Sung-ho."
"Hang tight. I'll let you ride the griffin."
"How to get it to Korea if we rule here?"
"Stash in my dimensional storage, pull it out later."
Won't die, just pass out. No biggie.
Getting it now, Dajeong planted a deep kiss on Sung-ho, heedless of the others.
"Mmm! Sorry for misunderstanding. Thought you cheated with Yuzuka."
"Seok-hyun's vibe with her is solid?"
"Really?"
Of course, joking.
No way that guy clicks with anyone.
As Sung-ho headed to upper floors of Roppongi Mori Tower, footsteps thundered.
"Up top! Chonseijin's up there!"
"Die die die!"
Sung-ho deliberately stomped loudly up the stairs.
On the half-ruined rooftop, a massive nest.
"Griffin... yep."
He darted to snatch a griffin egg, but it was too heavy.
"Damn, why so heavy?"
Makes sense—a hatchling bigger than a person, no way he budges it.
Sung-ho opened a dimensional gate and shoved the egg with his body.
As it edged out of the nest, wind blew.
Sung-ho looked up and grinned.
The griffin was there.
"Hey?"
Doesn't look friendly.
Spotting the egg thief, the griffin's eyes widened furiously.
Screeeeech!
End of Tokyo Apocalypse - 4