Traitor in the Japanese Ranks

Japan's raid party of sixty.

Sa Choiheon's declaration that a ma-in was hiding among them.

"So you're saying there's a ma-in hiding among us Japanese hunters?"

"That's right."

Of course, backlash was inevitable.

The Japanese hunters openly showed their displeasure.

"Even if it's you, do you really think we can't spot a single ma-in?"

"I get that the Korean Association's on edge after getting overrun by ma-in, but..."

Japan's team was also a combined force from three guilds. The members had spent years together as comrades.

But one of them was a ma-in.

Of course, the angriest was the mid-rank ma-in Jackal, who had spent years as the S-rank hunter Miyamoto Takeshi.

"W-what makes you say there's a ma-in among us? There's a limit to rudeness. And this isn't even blackmail—what the hell..."

Jackal spat as he ranted in fury.

Sa Choiheon explained calmly.

"Korea alone had that many ma-in hiding in plain sight. What's to say Japan doesn't have even one?"

"..."

The Japanese hunters couldn't respond easily.

In truth, Japan hadn't taken any direct action against ma-in.

Their association and government held firm power, and they'd been watching Korea's chaos from afar like it was someone else's problem.

Still, they didn't hide their discomfort.

Reading the mood, Jackal raised his voice even louder.

"You can't guarantee there aren't any ma-in among you either, right? Korea was a ma-in breeding ground. If we're talking suspicious, that black-robed figure hiding their whole body looks way shadier. Don't you think?"

Jackal pointed accusingly at Mumyeong.

This time, the Korean hunters' gazes turned icy. If Mumyeong were a ma-in, Korea would've fallen long ago.

The two sides' hunters were on the verge of clashing.

Sa Choiheon intervened as if it were routine, raising both hands and channeling anti-ma power.

Fwoosh.

Multicolored flames danced up his arms.

"Spotting ma-in isn't hard. A simple handshake does it. We found Korea's ma-in this way—it's guaranteed to work."

The last part was a lie, but it was convincing enough for the Japanese side.

A handshake was no big deal, after all.

But the lingering unease couldn't be shaken off.

Then, Japan's rank 1, Hayato, stepped forward casually.

"If the Korean hunters go first, we'll accept it."

It was approval that considered his team's mood.

"No reason not to eliminate discord ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠upfront. From the third gateway on, both nations' trust is essential. We're conquering together, after all."

Most Japanese hunters nodded in agreement at Hayato's words.

But one person—one ma-in—wasn't convinced.

"Y-you think a stupid handshake can spot a ma-in? Are you insane? Who knows if the Koreans are just picking fights?!"

"Miyamoto, it might be a hassle, but let's just do it."

"What if there really is one among us?"

'That's me, you idiots!'

Miyamoto's face flushed red. He couldn't shake hands knowing he was the ma-in.

The Korean checks proceeded quickly. Following Hayato's mediation, the Japanese hunters went one by one.

Finally, it was Miyamoto's turn. The gritted-teeth Jackal—Miyamoto—raised one hand.

"No, I can't. It pisses me off too much."

"If you're innocent, no problem. Miyamoto, shake."

"W-what? You even know my name?"

Sa Choiheon quietly extended his hand.

That was when it happened.

"He's hating it this much—can we skip him?"

One of the Japanese hunters defended Miyamoto. The others nodded.

"Yeah, Miyamoto's definitely not a ma-in. Who fought hardest in the SS-rank gate?"

"His veins bulged purple, eyes turned black—he pushed that hard. How could that be a ma-in?"

Clear signs of a ma-in.

"Ho."

Sa Choiheon smirked faintly. Miyamoto hurriedly covered the hunter's mouth.

"A-alright, shut up already! Fine, I won't cooperate. Got it?"

Miyamoto bellowed, emboldened.

Mugen's guild master Hayato stroked his chin. His eyes darkened deeply.

"Any proof Miyamoto's a ma-in? Without it, forcing him's tough. If you're pushing without evidence, we won't just let it slide..."

"There is."

Mumyeong spoke for the first time.

In that instant, the air seemed to grow heavy. The surroundings melted away, leaving only Mumyeong as the sole presence.

Or so it felt.

'So that's Mumyeong... His presence is even stronger than the rumors.'

Hayato's eyes sank deeper.

The one and only bearer of rank at present—Mumyeong.

His words demanded attention whether you wanted it or not; you heard them whether you tried or not. Mortals couldn't ignore that presence.

That was rank.

"No time, so..."

As Mumyeong raised one arm—

Boom—!

A sharp whoosh came from behind. The returner Ho Young charged at the Japanese hunters.

The Japanese drew their weapons.

Cheon Iryeong stepped forward, her face unusually fierce.

"We can't stop him either."

"What do you..."

Ho Young pinned the struggling Miyamoto, who screamed wildly.

"Let go, you bastards!"

The Japanese hunters looked ready to swing at Ho Young any second.

Sa Choiheon seized the moment.

Shing.

Anti-ma power enveloped Ho Young, flowing from him straight to Miyamoto.

Drip, drip...

Human skin peeled away, revealing purple flesh. Pale eyes blackened, red pupils emerging.

Even small horns sprouted from his head.

"M-Miyamoto, you...!"

"No way!"

"Miyamoto's a ma-in?"

"All that hard work was an act?"

Undeniable proof of a ma-in.

"Damn..."

Hiss—!

Purple mist began rising around Miyamoto.

Mid-rank ma-in Jackal, subordinate of Seven Deadly Sins Sloth.

His granted power was "Slumber."

"M-Miyamoto..."

"I trusted you..."

Thud, thud.

The Japanese hunters who inhaled the mist lost consciousness and collapsed.

Snore, snore.

Even Ho Young, stuck right to him, started snoring. Sa Choiheon hurriedly covered his mouth and retreated.

"A real ma-in. Miyamoto, of all people?"

Hayato muttered from where he'd slipped back. Enraged Jackal shouted.

"Inferior humans daring to ruin the demons' plans? I'll kill you all...!"

The purple mist spread rapidly—a sleep inducer that plunged you into deep slumber upon scenting it.

Fwoosh—!

A pair of black wings swept the mist away.

"Inferior humans, huh. Is that how lower beings see us?"

A sneer curled Lucifer's lips.

"Bold words."

Gabriel followed, fanning the mist with her wings, her expression blank.

"Oh, this is fun. Is this what they mean by not knowing your place?"

The Blue Dragon watched Jackal with gleaming interest.

No escape.

Jackal's eyes shook wildly.

'Damn it...!'

Three apostles.

He already knew their power.

'How did it come to this...!'

He'd only meant to trip up Mumyeong, not fight head-on. And at the apostles' center stood Mumyeong.

He had to survive.

Escape first.

"Don't make me laugh—!"

With a roar, over fifty demon beasts began summoning around Jackal.

At full power, he could buy time to flee.

Not fleeing—suicide otherwise. Better to gather allies and return...

But.

Splatter—! Fwoosh—!

"W-what."

The beasts wouldn't summon. Only dark red blood chunks and flesh sprayed into the air.

Red blood pooled on the plaza floor.

Failed?

His summoning?

Impossible.

"N-never had this happen before."

Jackal's face twisted grotesquely.

He snapped his fingers to summon again. Same result.

Fwoosh—!

Bloody chunks and guts splattered onto Jackal's face.

This couldn't be.

Splatter—! Fwoosh—!

The summons were succeeding.

Magi drained.

It didn't feel like failure.

Splatter—!

Yet no beasts appeared.

'No way.'

A chill raced up his spine.

Pale-faced, Jackal looked up.

It wasn't failing to summon.

Splatter, fwoosh—!

Each one was instantly erased by Mumyeong the moment it arrived. At invisible, terrifying speed.

Mumyeong was openly slaughtering the summons.

Absurd power.

Drip, drip...

Blood from the demon beasts soaked Jackal, drops falling into the pool below. Stunned like a lost soul, Jackal barely squeezed out words.

"M-maybe a misunderstanding?"

Ridiculous, of course.

"Misunderstanding, my ass."

Crack—!

Lucifer's kick smashed Jackal's head.

"Sorry for suspecting. Never thought Miyamoto was a ma-in. I apologize."

Mugen's guild master Hayato bowed his head.

Now was the time to unite humanity's strength.

If the SS-rank gate collapsed, the nation would suffer catastrophic damage.

The Japanese hunters stayed silent.

They'd nearly brought a ma-in themselves— their fault.

"Eh, it's fine, right? It worked out. Ahh, first good sleep in ages—feels great."

Korea's rank 2, Chae Arin, stretched her arms like after a nap. She glanced at the pure white door behind.

Mumyeong and the apostles had dragged the ma-in inside. Sa Choiheon went with them.

'Whatever he's thinking...'

Chae Arin shrugged.

"We're in the same boat now—nice working with you. Only surprises left from here."

"...Surprises?"

"The magic where SS-rank gates clear just by breathing."

Chae Arin nodded, arms crossed. Her gaze shifted to Cheon Iryeong nearby.

"Felt like that energy back then. Definitely a ma-in. Gotta ask."

Cheon Iryeong muttered to herself.

Meanwhile.

Inside the subspace Sa Choiheon had opened.

"Mumyeong, if it goes as you say, great, but..."

"Doubting Master?"

This was the result of Mumyeong and the apostles pooling their heads.

"Kuhk..."

Ma-in Jackal, who'd passed out, opened his eyes. The first things in his sight: the apostles and Mumyeong.

"H-hek!"

Splat—!

Jackal scrambled backward on his butt to the wall. He scanned around, then froze.

No escape.

"W-what are you gonna do to me?"

Jackal gulped and asked. Lucifer replied annoyedly.

"Check your familiar contract."

"What?"

Jackal urgently checked his forearm. The brand was faint. Proof the familiar contract was severed.

As expected.

In the Subspace of Division, familiar contracts were temporarily cut off. Its trait blocked connections to the present world.

The apostles, however, were fine.

- This proves true loyalty, right?

Lucifer had said that, but it was summoning, not a contract.

Anyway.

Mumyeong pulled a black orb from his robes.

"Use this to sever the familiar contract."

"W-wait, that's..."

Jackal's eyes widened.

In Mumyeong's hand: the source of magi.

With that, he could indeed break the familiar contract.

"Try anything else, and you die instantly."

Mumyeong's flat, rank-laden voice rang in his ears. Jackal swallowed hard.

He meant it.

Mumyeong could kill him anytime.

"A-alright, I'll do as you say."

No other choice anyway.

Even absorbing all the magi source wouldn't make him apostle- or Mumyeong-level. Otherwise, ma-in wouldn't grovel to the Seven Deadly Sins.

The magi source's main use was "interference."

Twisting the system, guiding it elsewhere to achieve desires.

That power could sever a familiar contract.

Tzzzz—!

Black energy flowed into Jackal. He figured he'd heal up while at it.

Slash—!

Sa Choiheon's sword severed Jackal's arm.

"Said sever the contract, not heal."

Sa Choiheon clicked his tongue.

"Gaaahk!"

Jackal rolled on the ground.

"Faking pain won't help."

"I-it really hurts!"

"Just do the job."

"O-okay."

He could regenerate the arm with magi anyway.

One-armed Jackal stood, raising the orb again.

Tzzzz.

This time, the brand vanished. The familiar contract was gone. Not bad for Jackal.

He'd have been discarded as a pawn eventually.

"Sigh, I can't rebel against ma-in society."

Jackal spoke reluctantly. Mumyeong stared down impassively.

Deflated Jackal added,

"...Not much, anyway."

"Tell me about Seven Deadly Sins Sloth. What they've prepared in the SS-rank gate."

"A-alright, I'll tell you."

Mumyeong turned to Gabriel behind. She nodded vigorously.

"Leave it to me, Master. Lie detector on."

"No thought of lying."

"Truth."

"I-it's true."

Jackal had his own calculations.

Gathering intel on the apostles and Mumyeong would be valuable.

Even if the Seven Deadly Sins failed, fine.

The demons' grand plan would proceed.

That was his excuse to himself.

"Seven Deadly Sins Sloth is fully prepared."

No longer a familiar, no hesitation.

Jackal spilled everything he knew.

"From the fourth gateway, his minions wait. And from the fifth, he's there in the Apocalypse Temple."

Sa Choiheon furrowed his brow.

"Double dungeon. Smart. Dungeon within a dungeon—more like a double gate. The inner one's exponentially harder."

Apocalypse Temple inside the SS-rank gate.

"No wait time needed. But it vanishes with the SS-rank gate. Might be easier than thought."

Sa Choiheon didn't know every future.

Especially an SS-rank gate colluding with ma-in and Seven Deadly Sins.

First time. Without Mumyeong, he might've regressed.

Winning over the ma-in was essential.

"Clear the SS-rank gate, and the Apocalypse Temple vanishes automatically."

Lucifer echoed. Jackal shook his head.

"No, impossible."

"Why."

"T-the Apocalypse Temple's position."

Jackal looked up.

"It's right at the path from fifth to sixth gateway. Without clearing it, you can't reach the SS-rank gate."

"Uncleared gates eventually collapse."

Sa Choiheon sighed, glancing at Mumyeong.

From here, it was on Mumyeong.

Mumyeong confirmed again.

"Sloth's minions at every fourth gateway?"

"Yes."

"How strong?"

Jackal answered promptly.

"Obvious. Humanity's current level? All dead. Our ma-in are hidden in every nation too."

"..."

Little time left.

If each nation's top 60 died at the fourth, gates collapsing—world chaos unprecedented.

The answer was clear.

"Before other hunters reach the fourth gateway, we ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠take out the Seven Deadly Sins in the Apocalypse Temple first."

Blitzkrieg.

Absurd plan, but no objections.

SS-rank gate, humanity's max difficulty.

Plus the generated Apocalypse Temple—in one go?

Impossible on the face.

But the conqueror was Mumyeong.

"Shortest speedrun. I'm ready, Master."

"New tech mastered too—I'll nail one right between Sloth's eyes."

Gabriel and Lucifer burned with resolve.

"Uh, f-fighting?"

Jackal chimed in cautiously.

"S-so what about me?"

I exited the subspace with the apostles.

Gazes from Japanese and Korean hunters poured in.

Getting used to it now.

Returner Ho Young was still sleeping...

"Let's move."

"Yes, let's go."

Explanation to Sa Choiheon.

Sa Choiheon emerged with ma-in Jackal, bound tight in anti-ma chains.

"You. Ma-in."

"Wahk, what, human brat."

Cheon Iryeong grabbed Jackal's collar. Sa Choiheon didn't stop her. She was furious.

"Know a scarred ma-in? Who's at the ma-in peak? Spill everything."

"Scar? What? Ma-in peak is one person..."

Crack, crack—!

"Grahk, a mid-rank like me never met the peak?!"

The brutal sounds echoed. Her hatred for ma-in palpable even here.

Cheon Iryeong was thoroughly beating the ma-in with holy power from Gabriel.

Not my concern.

I headed to the third gateway.

Three apostles followed.

With Japanese hunters arrived, the massive door stood open.

'Intel gathered plenty.'

Seven Deadly Sins Sloth.

Traits, skills—all from Sa Choiheon.

'Now, erase him with full force.'

Advancing into the third gateway's darkness, I slotted the SSR soul into the lantern.

Shaa—!

Pure white light burst out, illuminating everything.

The endless wide corridor was crumbled and shattered in places.

Kieek!

Grrraa!

Kreeee!

Demon beasts hidden in the gaps all lifted their heads.

The third gateway's mission: "Massacre."

Slay a set number to open the door to the next gateway. Not hard for me.

Fade...

The light ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠piercing the darkness gradually dimmed.

'Wait.'

But its form remained clearly in my hand.

'...Collected.'

Lucifer's exclusive weapon—its fifth fragment collected.

"Finally! Master, watch this."

Lucifer stepped forward with a confident grin. Black energy gathered at his fingertips.

Just like before...

From here, not battle—but one-sided hunt.