Chapter 158: United Kingdom (2)
Chapter 158: United Kingdom (2)
While Han Shin’s group rushed toward the United Kingdom, the large French clans prepared their invasion.
The scale of the gathering was immense, consisting of ten large clans, including Awakeners from other countries who had fled and become minions of the demons. The number of Awakeners alone exceeded ten thousand.
Despite such a massive force, they moved with a level of secrecy that made them nearly impossible to detect.
France had essentially fallen into the hands of demons. More than half of the large clans were under the control of Ego Artifacts. Much like the Goryeo and Geumwa clans in Korea, most of these large clans held their own territories.
In France’s case, the large clans weren't all concentrated in Paris; they were spread across the country, each holding their own base city. Operating like feudal lords, they maintained absolute control over their domains, making it possible to evade outside scrutiny to some extent.
However, the UK had been keeping a particularly close eye on France and had planted permanent spies on the ground, which allowed them to notice the irregularities.
Ultimately, the demons' goal was to tear open a passage from Nippur to Earth. To achieve this, they needed to punch a hole in the Dimensional Barrier, and the points where that barrier could be weakened were Korea, Japan, and the UK.
Since it was clear that the Benevolent God forces, including Tiamat’s follower Laysia, were present in Korea and Japan, striking the distant UK was their best option.
For this reason, Mammon’s demons in France were pushing the operation forward at a rapid pace. It was obvious that the longer they waited, the lower their chances of success would be. While Mammon’s demons operated in the shadows, they were moving with the utmost urgency.
Their plan was to seize control of the UK and then erect a Black Spire, just as they had done in Aokigahara, Japan.
Even before the UK realized something was wrong in France, the demons had already smuggled their Awakeners across the border in disguise.
Immigration had been strict even before the Portals appeared, but after the period of extreme chaos following their emergence, the inspections had become even more rigorous, allowing only those with verified identities to enter.
The Eurostar, which traveled through the Channel Tunnel connecting Calais, France, to Dover, UK, followed these same procedures. Unlike the continental European nations, the UK was an island nation with a strong isolationist streak. The immigration platforms were always crowded with people waiting in long lines.
“Next, please.”
David, an immigration officer, felt the weight of his increased workload lately. There had always been a steady flow of people between France and the UK, but the number of arrivals had surged recently.
With the European continent in chaos, many were trying to flee to the relative stability of the UK, leading to an overwhelming amount of work. David had developed dark circles under his eyes from exhaustion, yet there was no time to rest.
David looked at the screen displaying the next person’s information and then looked up.
“Mr. Auguste?”
“Yes.”
David looked at the photo on the screen and then at the man standing before him. They didn't match at all.
The person on the screen was a scrawny, blonde Caucasian man wearing glasses... but the man standing in front of David was a rugged, classic macho type. They weren't the same person.
David knew immediately that this was a different individual. He saw this from time to time—people trying to enter the country illegally by stealing or buying someone else's passport.
Is it another one of those idiots? David thought.
Naturally, he had to interrogate the man coldly and call the immigration security staff to take him into custody. Illegal entry was a crime, and the protocol was to punish it immediately.
David needed to ensure that this man, who claimed to be Auguste, didn't run away. He discreetly pressed the call button to signal a problem.
David needed to stall for time. However, before much time could pass, Auguste sensed something was off.
"Is there a problem?"
"Ah... just a moment. The computer seems to be acting up."
"Is that so...?"
David considered rejecting him outright with a firm tone, but he decided against it for now. He was worried that if he provoked the man prematurely, things might turn violent—he’d heard stories of officers getting their heads smashed in by desperate migrants.
So, he emphasized that it was an unavoidable situation, pretending that the computer was malfunctioning and that the process would take some time.
Did he buy it?
The man claiming to be Auguste didn't show any signs of anger; instead, he simply smiled. Everything seemed to be going smoothly, yet David felt an inexplicable sense of unease.
Auguste...?
It was a common, ordinary French name. The man in front of him wasn't acting hostile at all. Yet, David’s body was screaming at him, sending constant warning signals.
David realized too late that he was missing something and tried to piece it together in his mind.
Wait, could it be...?
David heard the sound of busy movement behind him. The immigration booths were structured with large bulletproof glass windows to ensure the safety of the staff. Soon, a large number of people would arrive to surround and secure both David’s side and Auguste’s side.
Thwack!
"Gah...!"
In the next moment, David let out a short cry, his thoughts cut short.
He had sensed someone approaching from behind, and based on his experience and the layout of the immigration hall, he assumed it was an ally. He never imagined he would be attacked so suddenly.
A powerful impact struck the back of David’s head. With a sickening crack, his neck bone snapped, and his head lolled uselessly. He had found the missing piece of the puzzle in his final moment, but he was already dead.
The Awakener from the large French clan who had attacked him from behind cleared David’s slumped corpse off the chair.
"Agh!"
"No! Help me!"
"What's going on?! What—ack!"
David wasn't the only one.
The immigration hall at Dover Station, where arrivals to the UK were processed, turned into a literal slaughterhouse. The platform was filled with the screams of people. Most of those present were immigration staff; there were a few Awakeners among them, but they were slaughtered before they could even put up a fight.
This was the advance party that the large French clans had smuggled in earlier. They had thoroughly scouted Dover Station, mapping out the deployment of guards and staff before infiltrating.
As Demonic Humans empowered by demons, this task was far easier for them than it had been when they were mere Awakeners. As a result, the platform was completely seized before anyone could even send word to the outside.
The most shocking part was that most of the people inside the Eurostar that had just arrived were also Demonic Humans from the corrupted French clans.
Auguste looked at David’s lifeless body and smirked.
There was a thought David had realized at the very end but couldn't voice.
Auguste Bazzarelli.
He was the leader of Leblanc, one of the large French clans. He had certainly been a powerful Awakener, but he was originally a scrawny man with an appearance so poor he was often called a nerd. Because of this, he had avoided appearing in public.
Since other leaders of large French clans were often beautiful, handsome, or possessed an overwhelming presence, Auguste had felt even more diminished, and the public paid him little attention.
He was a mage who used lightning magic, and though he possessed great power, he lacked star quality. Lacking self-confidence, he rarely showed himself to the public and became obsessed with artifacts.
Specifically, artifacts that could change his appearance and physique.
Since plastic surgery didn't work on Awakeners, this was the only thing he could cling to.
As a result, he was the first to fall to the corruption of an Ego Artifact and become a Demonic Human. In exchange, he gained a physical form that was the polar opposite of his former self.
By becoming a Demonic Human, his body had become far more robust; his once-frail frame was now that of a muscular warrior, and his unattractive face had transformed into a ruggedly handsome, masculine one.