Chapter 543: Survival of the Fittest (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 543: Survival of the Fittest (4)
A few days ago.
Much like the United States, Russia had verified the intelligence: Wang Wiryong, the Emperor of China, had personally traveled to meet Roman Dmitry. Russia immediately convened an emergency summit. With the 2nd International Conference looming, Wang Wiryong's movements were a massive red flag.
The leadership delivered their report.
"This is highly unorthodox. It appears China and South Korea have struck some sort of deal."
"If South Korea has aligned with China to resolve this issue... it will be a catastrophic blow to Russia. China has always spoken of continental conquest, greedily eyeing its neighbors. Russia has managed to remain safe from their threats thanks to our formidable national power, but if China absorbs South Korea, they will undoubtedly set their sights on other bordering nations next."
"We must find a way to keep their relationship in check. If things continue to progress smoothly like this, Russia will inevitably face a dire situation."
It was a valid point.
China's rapid growth was a looming disaster for Russia, and President Markov could not afford to overlook this development.
Markov finally spoke.
"A decade ago, when Wang Wiryong first unified China, we stood by and watched their rise under the pretext that other domestic issues were more pressing. That was a fatal mistake. If we had dealt with the precedent of Wang Wiryong back then, Russia would have no reason to feel anxious just because we share a border with them. We must not repeat the failures of the past. For Russia to leap forward as the world's greatest superpower, we must eliminate Roman Dmitry—who is poised to become a second Wang Wiryong—before he can grow any further."
A single wrong choice.
That was why Russia was reacting so severely now.
Markov had clearly had opportunities to crush China in the past, but he had underestimated the latent power of the once-divided nation. Under Wang Wiryong's leadership, China had rapidly attained the status of an empire. By the time Russia realized the danger, China had become too solid to be brought down by any conventional attack, and the international community had no choice but to accept it as a global superpower.
It was the exact same situation now.
If they stood by and allowed China to annex South Korea, China would expand its power exponentially and eventually bare its fangs to swallow Russia as well.
Logically, they couldn't conceive of any other scenario.
Even though Wang Wiryong was the one who had personally visited Roman Dmitry, the Russian leadership assumed South Korea had bowed its head to China. It was only natural to think so. Wang Wiryong was a belligerent warlord who would never bow to anyone, and unlike South Korea—which was still classified as a weak nation—China was an established titan. It was only logical to assume that China held the leash.
Though the truth was entirely different, Markov had to make a decision.
He cast a fierce, uncompromising gaze over his leadership.
"If we do not get the results we want at the international conference, we will eliminate South Korea by any means necessary. We must ensure China never achieves what it wants through them."
"Could it be..."
A single word flashed simultaneously in the minds of the leaders.
Markov turned their silent thoughts into reality.
"Prepare for war in secret. With the 2nd International Conference as our starting point, we will reshape the world order."
* * *
And now, in the present.
Slam!
Markov stormed out of the conference room, his face twisted in fury.
Things had not gone as expected.
While the intelligence correctly stated there was a deal between China and South Korea, he had never imagined China would declare itself a vassal state. His mind was in complete disarray. Because China's attitude defied all common sense, he was no longer certain whether he should proceed with the preemptive strike they had painstakingly prepared.
One of his aides caught up to him and whispered, "Perhaps it would be best to abort the plan. Both China and the United States have openly declared their support for South Korea. If we wage war now, we might end up being the ones who get crushed..."
"No. If we back down now, we will only repeat our past failures."
Markov's expression hardened into a cold mask. He turned the situation over in his mind, weighing his options. But no matter how much he thought about it, Roman Dmitry's arrogant attitude made it impossible for him to retreat.
"Roman Dmitry is a ticking time bomb far worse than Wang Wiryong. If we give someone like him enough time, South Korea will soon grow to threaten Russia, just as China did ten years ago. I will not stand by and watch such a future unfold again."
"The issue is President Patrice. He seemed hesitant about entering the war."
"Patrice has always been that way. He is a coward who loves to posture and pretend he's taking the lead, but shrinks back when a real decision is required. What he needs is a catalyst. Since he already opposes Roman Dmitry due to the doctrines of the Maron religion, he will have no choice but to make a move once we start the war and set the stage. It is only a matter of time. At first, it might look like we are bearing the brunt of it alone, but within a day or two, this war will spread across the entire globe."
Markov reached into his coat. Driven by a burning ambition, he pulled out a cigar and placed it between his lips. He took a deep drag. As thick gray smoke billowed from his nose and mouth, his eyes settled into a dark, calculating stare.
"Right now, we need someone to light the spark. And in war, the most devastating blow is the one they never see coming."
He smirked. South Korea would be off guard. With Roman Dmitry currently away, this was the perfect opportunity to strike them where it hurt.
"Ensure Roman Dmitry cannot return to his country. And contact headquarters—tell them to launch an immediate attack on the South Korean capital."
"Understood."
As his aides hurried off, Markov took several more drags of his cigar. He stared back at the closed doors of the conference room where Roman Dmitry remained, a sinister smile playing on his lips.
* * *
Roman Dmitry also stepped out of the conference room.
He had intended to return to the Korean Empire immediately, but he received a disappointing response from the mage in charge of the teleportation magic circle.
"I am terribly sorry, but the teleportation magic circle cannot be used right now. There is an issue with the mana stones powering the circle, and it will take at least two to three hours to recalibrate and restart it."
"I see."
It seemed like a routine issue.
While a simple teleportation across a few cities was easy enough, traveling the vast distance between the United States and the Korean Empire required the assistance of a specialized facility like this teleportation magic circle. If what the mage said was true, they simply had to wait for the repairs. Roman Dmitry stepped back without raising any immediate objections.
Ten minutes later, Park Min-woo received a transmission and approached Roman Dmitry with a grim expression.
"Your Majesty. Just moments ago, Russia declared war and launched an attack on Incheon. It seems they had already completed preparations to invade the Korean Empire in case the 2nd International Conference fell through."
"Then the sudden breakdown of the teleportation magic circle is no coincidence either, as expected."
"Indeed, Your Majesty."
It was an amusing situation. Russia had laid a clever trap.
The 2nd International Conference was being held in the United States, and the mage in charge of the teleportation magic circle was an American citizen. If Roman were to suspect and pressure him, what would happen? It would inevitably cause friction with their ally, the United States. Markov had set a double trap: delaying Roman Dmitry's return while using an American spy to sow discord.
If they delayed any longer, Incheon would be in grave danger. Markov believed he had set the perfect stage to dominate the war, but his fatal mistake was that his opponent was Roman Dmitry.
Before leaving the Korean Empire, Roman had already calculated every single possibility.
With a calm face, Roman Dmitry spoke to Park Min-woo.
"Connect me to President John Harrison."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Park Min-woo moved quickly. Having already anticipated Roman's reaction, he handed over a communicator that was already connecting to John Harrison.
[I just heard the news about Russia. What on earth is going on?]
"Given the urgency of the situation, I will get straight to the point," Roman said. "The mage in charge of your teleportation magic circle appears to be a Russian spy. His goal is to prevent my return to the Korean Empire while simultaneously driving a wedge between our two nations. I do not have the luxury of time to formally prove his identity. Therefore, I intend to eliminate him here and now, and send you the supporting evidence later. Do you have any objections?"
It was an incredibly sensitive matter. The mage in charge of the teleportation magic circle was a US citizen and an official. Executing him based on mere suspicion was highly irregular, yet Roman Dmitry boldly forced this situation upon John Harrison.
In truth, it wasn't just suspicion. While Roman had quietly agreed to wait for the repairs, Park Min-woo had already confirmed that the mage was intentionally delaying the process. The Korean Empire's intelligence department had immediately begun gathering hard evidence on the mage, but Roman Dmitry saw no need to explain all of this to the US President.
This was the reality of their alliance. It clearly demonstrated who held the upper hand.
Hearing Roman Dmitry's cold, absolute tone, John Harrison hesitated for a moment before speaking.
[I apologize. This is a failure of our own personnel management. Please handle the matter as you see fit. There is no need to send any supporting evidence.]
"Thank you for your understanding."
Click.
Roman cut the connection. No more words were needed.
As Roman Dmitry stepped forward, the clueless mage blocked his path with a troubled expression, feigning innocence.
"I apologize, but repairing the magic circle will take some ti—"
Flash.
Splat.
Blood sprayed into the air. The mage's severed head flew off his shoulders and hit the floor.
The surrounding staff gasped in shock and horror, stumbling backward, but Roman Dmitry simply flicked the blood off his blade and spoke coldly.
"Park Min-woo. Reactivate the teleportation magic circle."
"Where shall I set the coordinates, Your Majesty?"
Throughout all of this, Roman Dmitry had calculated every contingency in advance. A betrayal by the US or China, an attack by France or Russia, and so on. Blindly trusting in one's own strength was foolish. He had already figured out exactly how to respond if Russia decided to act independently.
"We are going to Russia."
* * *
Meanwhile, in Incheon.
A group of shadows moved with swift, silent precision.
They were Genazzit, Russia's elite special forces unit. They had slipped into the Korean Empire in secret days before the operation, hiding among the civilian population while waiting for the order to strike. Every single member of Genazzit was an A-rank or B-rank Hunter. Though they lacked the overwhelming individual power of an S-rank, they were lethal weapons who had been trained for special operations from the moment they could walk. They possessed "something" far beyond what could be measured by mere ranks.
Pavel, the leader of Genazzit, spoke to his squad in a low, gravelly voice.
"From this moment, we split into two groups. Group 1 will assault the Incheon government building and eliminate the Mayor of Incheon, Kim Jun-hyeok. Group 2 will seize the teleportation magic circle to secure a path for our main force to deploy into Incheon."
"Understood."
The orders were concise. Securing the teleportation magic circle was essential for deploying a large-scale force, and the assassination of Kim Jun-hyeok had been prioritized alongside it. During their intelligence gathering on the Korean Empire, Kim Jun-hyeok had been flagged as a high-risk target. A commander who knew how to use his brain was just as troublesome as a powerful warrior. They calculated that if they eliminated Kim Jun-hyeok while Roman Dmitry was away, the Korean Empire would fall into chaos in no time.
Now, it was time to execute.
Pavel activated his Hide skill, vanishing from sight.
"For the glory of Russia."
"For the glory of Russia."
Shhh—
Outside, the sun was still shining brightly. Yet Pavel and the members of Genazzit concealed themselves with their Hide skills, splitting into two groups and moving toward their targets in the blink of an eye.
Pavel took command of Group 1. Anticipating that Kim Jun-hyeok would be heavily guarded, his plan was to eliminate the guards quickly and then regroup with Group 2.
Thud.
"Urgh."
The guards were neutralized in an instant. Pavel cleared the path swiftly, advancing toward the mayoral office where Kim Jun-hyeok was located, exactly as planned.
Just like that, they reached their destination. Slipping silently through the door, Pavel and his men found Kim Jun-hyeok sitting at his desk, focused entirely on his paperwork.
"Are you Mayor Kim Jun-hyeok?"
Pavel revealed himself. There was no longer any need to hide. Their presence had already been exposed when they took down the guards, and reinforcements would soon swarm the building anyway. By then, Kim Jun-hyeok would already be a corpse. No matter how clever Kim Jun-hyeok was rumored to be, he was an ordinary human without a shred of Hunter abilities. There was no way he could survive an assassination attempt by Genazzit.
Kim Jun-hyeok looked up. Facing the lethal assassins surrounding him, he calmly reached into his coat and pulled out a single handgun.
"To think you believe a mere handgun can stop us. Despite your reputation, you are remarkably foolish."
Pavel drew his dagger with a soft hiss. As he took a step forward, Kim Jun-hyeok checked the magazine of his pistol.
"Just as you say, people always ask me that," Kim Jun-hyeok replied, his voice terrifyingly steady. "They ask why I carry a handgun that wouldn't even scratch a monster. They say that if someone of my status is ever in real danger, a pistol will be completely useless."
He smiled. The atmosphere in the room shifted strangely. Even with his life hanging by a thread and elite assassins closing in, he showed not a single trace of panic.
Click.
There were six bullets in the magazine. After confirming this, he slammed the magazine back into place.
"This gun represents my resolve never to retreat from the line of fire. It is my determination to fight to the bitter end under any circumstances, and if I truly reach the end of the line, to shoot myself in the head rather than be captured and tortured."
He raised the gun.
At that exact moment, Pavel and his assassins lunged at Kim Jun-hyeok, having heard enough.
Bang!
Bang-bang-bang-bang!
The pistol spat fire. Five gunshots rang out in rapid succession.
A smirk played on Pavel's lips. He assumed Kim Jun-hyeok had given up on surviving and was saving the final bullet to shoot himself in the head.
But then—
Bang!
Clang.
He fired the sixth and final bullet directly at Pavel.
Pavel deflected the round effortlessly with his dagger. Yet, as he looked at Kim Jun-hyeok's cold, unbothered face, a sudden wave of dread washed over him.
Something was wrong.
Knowing the handgun would be useless, and having just made that speech about his resolve to save the last bullet for himself, there was absolutely no reason for him to fire all six bullets at them.
Pavel froze. Just as he opened his mouth to shout a warning—
Flash!
Flash-flash-flash-flash!
The world warped. The floor and ceiling inverted, sucking the Russian operatives into an unknown dimension.
It was an Illusion Formation.
Just before they were completely swallowed by the illusion, Kim Jun-hyeok's calm voice echoed in their ears.
"Welcome. You have just set foot in the stronghold of the Korean Empire."