Chapter 280: Emotion (1)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 280: Emotion (1)
["Virtually a Declaration of War"... Spear Saint Abruptly Announces Mobilization Order.]
[<Announcement> Humanity and Demons Enter the '2nd Human-Demon War.']
[<Breaking News> Archery Saint Expresses Intent to Join the War.]
[<Breaking News> "The United States Will Also Join"... All Mute States Position.]
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The entire world was flipped upside down. A complete madhouse. Journalists pumped out articles more aggressively than ever, and view counts reached tens of thousands in under a minute. Normally, news agencies would have celebrated such numbers.
But they couldn't. Media outlets and reporters reported on the bloody future without exaggeration. Only in the face of an emergency did they finally produce straightforward, sober articles. An irony, if ever there was one.
Was it thanks to that? Even netizens, usually busy tearing each other apart, remained quiet today. Occasionally, some tried to incite flame wars, deny reality, or spread sensational lies, but their comments were quickly buried.
People weren't fools either. The Joaquin Disaster, the Joaquin Terror, the invasion of 4th Corps Commander Permush. It was only a matter of time. Just listing this series of events made it clear that the 2nd Human-Demon War was an inevitable conclusion.
The comments, once blind arrows directed at anyone in sight, now encouraged and cheered for the heroes going off to war. Heroes were warriors who fought in their place, but above all, if they fell, humanity would face apocalypse.
In other words: If the heroes die, I die too. That was the underlying psychological reality.
“…….”
Saki Ryozo scrolled down slowly, savoring every single word as if chewing on them. Once she finished checking the articles, she spoke.
“Vixbig. Are these articles true?”
[Yes. Except for a few tabloid pieces and Neotube videos, they are all true.]
“…….”
Ryozo turned her smartphone upside down. She lacked the energy to reply. Feeling completely drained, she leaned her head back against the chair's headrest, covering her eyes with her wrist to shield them from the bright glare of the fluorescent lights.
'Geomma...'
The reason she had been digging through countless articles for hours was to confirm whether Kang Geomma would participate in the war. However, as that was still classified information, related articles were scarce.
At best, there were speculative pieces asking: Would the Heavenly Sword, who is only eighteen, really jump into the war? Wouldn't it be better to keep him as a reserve force?
However, Ryozo was practically certain of Kang Geomma's entry into the war. Kang Geomma was not the type to turn away from the dark clouds hanging over humanity. He would step up to the front, if anything. He was just that kind of person. And that truth tore Ryozo's heart to pieces.
'Kang Geomma... in this war...'
She didn't even want to imagine it. Yet, even amidst her dread, her rational mind coldly weighed his chances of survival, delving deep into probabilities down to the decimal point.
As her mind accelerated, her delicate brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Her back was drenched in cold sweat. It was then that she sensed a presence.
Ryozo snapped her eyes open. Her upside-down vision captured her mother's face. Cynthia was quietly gazing down at her daughter, who had been lost in deep thought with her head thrown back.
“Sweetheart.”
Cynthia wiped Ryozo's forehead with her sleeve.
“Let's eat. You need food if you're going to keep those gears spinning.”
“…….”
Ryozo nodded silently and stood up. Cynthia smiled softly and patted down her apron for no particular reason.
Ryozo sat at the dining table. Kimchi, stir-fried anchovies, braised fish cakes, and seasoned radish strips. A distinctly Korean spread. The very center remained conspicuously empty.
“Ta-da!”
Cynthia placed an earthenware pot into the empty spot. Wearing oven mitts, she proudly opened the lid. Amidst the rising steam, the bright red broth boiled vigorously.
“It's my special Kimchi stew. Ryozo, since your palate is Japanese, I made it a bit milder on purpose and brought out more sweetness instead.”
Cynthia moved to ladle the stew into a bowl for her. Although sharing a single communal pot was traditional in Korean culture, she assumed it would still feel unfamiliar to Ryozo.
“You don't need to ladle it out just for me.”
But to her surprise, her daughter declined.
“It just creates more dishes. Let's just eat like this. Sit down, Mom.”
“Oh, um. Shall we? Sure. Let me enjoy sharing a pot with my daughter for once.”
“Saying things like that at the dinner table... You're ruining my appetite.”
Ryozo clicked her tongue softly and picked up her spoon. With just one bite, the pungent aroma of garlic and chili hit the roof of her mouth and tongue.
Her eyes and nose began to sting. Her mother's claim that she hadn't made it spicy was a lie. Ryozo sniffled and glared at Cynthia.
“It sounds much more plausible to say you're crying because the food is spicy than crying pathetically alone in your room, doesn't it?” Cynthia said, casually eating the Kimchi stew as if it were nothing.
“It's okay to cry when you want to. And if it's out of concern for someone, you can cry your eyes out even more. But since my daughter was born Japanese, you have a bit of a dishonest side with your feelings. And besides...”
A faint line of tears trickled down Cynthia's cheek. Ryozo's eyes widened. Then, she suddenly remembered an article she had seen earlier. The headline was definitely: <Breaking News> Archery Saint Expresses Intent to Join the War.
Ahead of the war, the Archery Saint had resigned as Prime Minister, declaring that democratic elections would be introduced after this war ended. Though swept up in the deluge of war news, it was a radical announcement in its own right—especially to those who knew him well. Among them were not just Ryozo, but Cynthia as well.
“Mom... don't tell me...”
“Yeah. You guessed it.”
Cynthia laid down her spoon. Inside the earthenware pot, the Kimchi stew continued to bubble unbothered.
“I hate him to death, but every now and then, that man—Saki Kojima—shows up in my dreams.”
“…….”
“A dream where the doorbell suddenly rings long and clear, and I open the door thinking it's a delivery, only to find your father standing there. That kind of dream.”
Ding-dong—
Right at that moment, the doorbell unexpectedly rang with a long chime. Taken aback, mother and daughter blinked blankly at each other. Only the echoing reverberation of the bell quietly resonated through the house. Immediately after, as if by unspoken agreement, the light in both their eyes turned stone-cold.
It couldn't be a delivery. Right now, it was DEFCON 1, wartime. Convenience stores, delivery services, and similar utilities had been paralyzed since last week. Fortunately, Cynthia, ever prepared, had stockpiled supplies early on, allowing them to eat three meals a day.
But not everyone was like them. In fact, most people were in dire straits. Therefore, this uninvited guest was highly likely a neighbor coming to beg. Or perhaps a burglar or robber.
“I'll go check.”
“You, Mom? I think it'd be better if I checked.”
“Look at this girl. Are you underestimating me?”
Cynthia rummaged through a living room drawer, pulled out a scalpel, and flipped it into the air. She caught the scalpel midair as it spun like a pinwheel—a nimble, practiced movement.
“Did you forget your mother's nickname? I am Cynthia of God.”
“What does that have to do with anything?”
“Those who excel at saving lives are naturally good at taking them too.”
“Is that something a doctor should say...?”
“It's just a figure of speech. Anyway, just keep eating.”
Cynthia concealed the scalpel like a dagger up her sleeve. She felt the cold sensation of steel against her skin and turned the doorknob with her free hand.
As the door opened, she stiffened in surprise. An unexpected face stood before her.
“What is it? Who is it?”
Ryozo peeked over her mother's shoulder. A moment later, her eyes widened too.
Kang Geomma.
“May I come in for a moment?”
The man who should currently be the busiest person on Earth had suddenly visited Busan.
* * *
While the whole world was plunged into panic, I remained relatively composed. Part of it was due to the Blessing of the Sword God, but it was also because this was a scenario I had constantly kept in mind ever since coming to this world.
Perhaps that was why, now that it had actually arrived, my mind felt cool and clear. It felt like... what was bound to come had finally arrived. Thanks to my level head, I carefully reflected on what I might have missed at this juncture. I felt that if I blindly jumped into the war without thinking, I would regret it.
'Because this time, I really might die.'
Kuarne was definitely a formidable enemy. But he wasn't an opponent I couldn't even stand against. In the end, I had unlocked all my Blessings and mastered Lycan's Evil Eye and magic. If it came down to a one-on-one melee battle, I had a fighting chance.
'My true enemies are the entities beyond him—the False Gods.'
That was what the God of Sword and Lycan had said. Neither of them mentioned Kuarne specifically, but they always made sure to mention the False Gods.
It wasn't because Kuarne was weak, but because they wanted to emphasize who the real primary enemies were. In short, my primary enemies were the gods, and it was an insinuation that they would reveal themselves in this war. Therefore, this time, I truly had to be prepared to die.
'Looking back, it's funny.'
When did I, someone who struggled desperately just to survive, become so consumed by a sense of duty? They say you can't see even an inch into the future in life, but really...
Anyway.
Standing on the precipice of the final battle, I finally thought about what mattered most to me.
The first ones who came to mind were my parents in this life. The two whose very existence had vanished without a trace. Consciously, I held onto the memory of their existence, which was gradually fading from my mind.
What would they have said if they saw me now? They had called me the pride of the Seori Kang Clan just for getting into Joaquin Academy.
'If I told them I became one of the Seven Stars, they'd probably lose their minds.'
Since I could no longer see them, my train of thought moved on to the next. The most important person to me besides my parents. Quite a few faces flashed through my mind: the Academy Principal, the Sword Emperor, the Spear Saint, and others who had aided me wholeheartedly.
I always harbored gratitude toward them. But at the very bottom of my heart, where only a remnant of emotion remained, a voice whispered that there was someone else who was the most precious to Kang Geomma—or more precisely, to 'me.'
Guided by those emotions, my feet decided on a destination. I headed straight for Busan.
“…….”
“…….”
And so, here I was, sitting silently across the dining table from Ryozo. In place of our closed lips, the Kimchi stew bubbled away between us.
'How did things end up like this?'
Cynthia was stunned by my sudden visit for a moment, but she quickly excused herself, saying she had somewhere to go. She meant it as a thoughtful gesture, but Cynthia's absence was fatal. Ever since she left, only the two of us remained in this spacious, cozy 1,400-square-foot home.
“You must be busy... What brings you here...?”
Ryozo was the first to speak. Fidgeting with her fingers, she stole glances at me. The faint flush on her cheeks seemed to plainly betray her feelings: embarrassment, unfamiliarity, gladness.
'To think Ryozo used to be so shy when I first met her.'
She had truly changed a lot—so much that she could be considered a different person. Ryozo, who used to constantly eat sweet red bean jelly, no longer craved sweet things. Ryozo, who used to value status over inner depth, now worried about the well-being of others. Ryozo, who used to be far from honest with herself, now showed her feelings right on her face. Of course, that expression was something she reserved only for me.
I decided to be honest too. I would use the upcoming final battle as an excuse to finally be honest. Even if someone pointed fingers and called me a coward, I couldn't help it.
“You.”
“M-me? Why?”
My lips parted slightly. Even though I had made up my mind, the words didn't come easily. After all, I had never said something so embarrassing in my entire life.
'To think Ryozo said things like this to me multiple times.'
Standing in her shoes, I realized just how incredibly difficult it was to say.
“Ryozo.”
“…Why do you keep calling my name? You're making me nervous.”
I inhaled deeply and let out a long breath, lowering my gaze as far as it would go. Expecting any more than this from a lifelong single guy was asking too much.
“I came because I wanted to see you.”