Chapter 544: Law of the Jungle (5)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 544: Law of the Jungle (5)
Fssss.
The world warped.
He had clearly been standing inside the office just a moment ago, but now a thick fog rolled over a barren wasteland where absolutely nothing else existed. It was an utterly incomprehensible situation. Although he carried a magic defense artifact just in case, a magic spell capable of altering an entire space defied all common sense.
"Do not panic! If this is a magic trap, there has to be a way to break it!"
Pavel's voice was instantly swallowed by the dense fog.
His squad members were still within his line of sight, but they didn't seem to hear him. No matter how loudly he shouted, they didn't react. Anxiety crept in. This wasn't part of the plan. They had run countless simulation drills in preparation for this operation, but not once had they encountered a situation like this.
Click.
Click, click.
He turned on his magic flashlight.
If sound couldn't reach them, he would signal them with light.
Yet, his squad members remained unresponsive.
Fearing the situation would only deteriorate, Pavel quickly approached the nearest squad member.
But then—
Whoosh.
Fssss.
The fog swept over the man.
It swallowed him whole, like a living creature. When Pavel reached the exact spot where his subordinate had just been standing, not a single trace of him remained. It was utterly baffling, as if ghosts were at play. Cold sweat dripped down Pavel's face. He hurriedly looked around, spotting the other squad members still wandering in the distance, acting as deaf as before.
"Damn it."
He gritted his teeth and dashed forward.
He had to secure his men before the fog swallowed them too.
But the result was exactly the same.
Just before Pavel could reach them, the mist devoured them as if mocking his efforts.
Goosebumps erupted across his skin.
Something was terribly wrong.
His magic defense artifact was functioning perfectly, yet the scene unfolding before him couldn't be explained by anything other than 'magic.' He stopped in his tracks. Just as he tried to reassess the situation, he felt a fierce presence surging from beyond the fog.
Screeech!
Clang!
It was a monster.
A beast-like creature lunged, swinging its massive forepaw. Even though Pavel noticed it late, he blocked the attack with ease. As the leader of Genazzit and an A-Rank Hunter, he was a seasoned veteran who had successfully completed countless missions. He parried the beast's strike and ended its life in a single, fluid blow.
Thud.
Gurgle.
The monster collapsed, foaming blood from its mouth.
But that wasn't the end of it.
Monsters began pouring in from all directions.
'What kind of cheap trick is this?!'
Isolated within the fog, Pavel was entirely alone.
Thrust into this incomprehensible nightmare, he had to struggle just to survive, slaughtering every monster he encountered. Before he knew it, his squad members were completely forgotten. All that remained was the thick fog and the steaming carcasses piling up on the ground. His face drenched in blood, Pavel abandoned all attempts to make sense of the situation and focused entirely on butchering the beasts.
He had to survive.
He had to survive and complete the mission.
Driven by sheer desperation, he killed and killed again.
With the sweet, metallic taste of blood rising in his throat, Pavel's eyes burned with venom.
'Those bastards. They anticipated our attack and laid a trap.'
If he survived this...
He would sever Kim Jun-hyeok's head and hang it from the fortress walls.
He would make them pay dearly for daring to mock Genazzit.
How much time had passed?
As he plunged his dagger repeatedly into the carcass of a fallen monster, his senses suddenly cleared, as if he had just breached the surface of the deep sea. The fog vanished. Pavel hurriedly raised his head, and the sight that met his eyes left him utterly speechless.
"...W-what is this?"
Inside the office, a sea of blood lay before him.
And at the center of it all stood Pavel, his dagger buried deep in the chest of one of his own squad members.
* * *
Pavel's pupils dilated.
He wanted to deny reality.
Staggering back in horror at the realization that he had slaughtered his own men, he hurriedly ripped his hands away from the corpse.
"What a cruel commander. Killing all your own subordinates just to save yourself."
It was Kim Jun-hyeok.
Perched on the edge of his office desk, he looked down at Pavel with cold, unfeeling eyes.
Chills ran down Pavel's spine.
Though his mind refused to accept reality, the corpses scattered across the room bore wounds that were unmistakably his doing. The technique of gripping a dagger short and striking vital points—the fatal injuries matched his signature style perfectly. This meant the entire sequence of events in the fog had been an illusion created by Kim Jun-hyeok.
Everything had been planned.
Blinding their senses with thick fog, hiding the squad members to make them believe they were separated, and then sending them—disguised as monsters—to attack each other. Genazzit had been completely and utterly outplayed. Pavel's face contorted like a demon's as he unleashed a torrent of murderous intent.
"You son of a bitch!"
"What? Did you really think we wouldn't anticipate your attack?"
The Second International Conference.
The Korean Empire had prepared for the absolute worst-case scenario.
Even if the conference ended in disaster and the Korean Empire went to war with the entire world, Roman Dmitry had told them to trust and follow him. None of the leaders who attended the conference raised a single objection. From the moment he succeeded in a rebellion that everyone thought was impossible, Roman Dmitry had earned their blind, unwavering trust.
Over the past few days, they had calculated every conceivable possibility.
If the enemy were to attack Incheon, there was a high probability they would target the teleportation magic circle and Kim Jun-hyeok.
It was only natural.
The teleportation magic circle was essential for large-scale troop movements, and Kim Jun-hyeok was the brain who filled the void left by Roman Dmitry. Thus, they had made thorough preparations. In particular, they had set up layers of formations within Kim Jun-hyeok's office. These formations, fundamentally different from standard magic, possessed a complex system that could not be blocked by any magic defense artifact.
Markov's assumption had been dead wrong.
He believed it was a perfect surprise attack that would catch the Korean Empire off guard, but among the various scenarios Roman Dmitry had anticipated, Russia acting alone was a trivial matter. Unaware of this, Genazzit had stepped into the Incheon Government building, completely oblivious to the fact that they were walking straight into their own graves.
Kim Jun-hyeok spoke.
"The World Government brings up the Korean Empire's violation of international law, but the moment you launched a surprise attack without due process, the World Government lost its justification. You committed a contradiction in your attempt to punish us. Responding to a violation of international law with another violation is highly hypocritical. Pavel, leader of Genazzit. This means your choice was wrong from the very beginning."
Pavel's eyes widened.
His affiliation, his name—everything had been exposed.
Realizing there was no way out alive, Pavel gripped his dagger tightly.
"And just like here," Kim Jun-hyeok continued, "your subordinates targeting the teleportation magic circle will also be slaughtered."
"Die!"
Pavel lunged forward.
Since he was going to die anyway, he would drag Kim Jun-hyeok down to hell with him.
Pavel rushed forward like a madman to strike, but in an instant, his vision tilted diagonally.
Splat.
Blood sprayed.
Pavel's head was severed from his neck.
Standing behind him, Lee Tae-seong, who had just lopped off Pavel's head, sheathed his sword with cold eyes.
'Lightning.'
It was a sword technique so swift that one couldn't even react to it.
* * *
It was exactly as Kim Jun-hyeok had said.
The forces attacking the teleportation magic circle had believed ten minutes would be more than enough to seize it, but the reality they faced was an utter disaster.
Flash.
"Aaargh!"
A Genazzit squad member's arm was severed.
The man swung his sword at his opponent even as he screamed in agony, but Kang Min-ho calmly blocked the attack and took his head off. Cold corpses were already piling up around Kang Min-ho. The Genazzit squad members, who had rushed in with high spirits, only realized something was terribly wrong after three or four of their heads had already rolled across the floor.
'He's strong!'
This area was defended by Kang Min-ho and the Guardian Unit.
Although the Guardian Unit had only recently been established, they had already achieved astronomical growth in that short span of time.
It was all thanks to Roman Dmitry.
Roman Dmitry had taught them the martial arts of the Guardian Sect. The members of the Guardian Unit, including Kang Min-ho, had rapidly developed based on their harrowing experiences during the Great Disaster. It was a truly perfect synergy. A martial art that guaranteed a limitless future, combined with the life-or-death experience of fighting countless monsters. It was completely different from the days when they had stagnated in the lower ranks. By absorbing insights that ordinary people would never experience in a lifetime, they had stepped into an entirely new realm of power.
Clang!
Cl-cl-cl-clang!
Kang Min-ho blocked every single attack.
He didn't let a single strike from the surrounding enemies slip past his guard. Instead, he pushed forward, tearing his opponents limb from limb.
Splat.
Spurt.
Blood sprayed like a fountain.
His imposing presence swelled.
A man who had once seemed insignificant now stood like a guardian deity, refusing to let a single soul pass.
'It's exactly as His Majesty the Emperor predicted.'
Yesterday evening, Kang Min-ho had met the Master of the Heavenly Sword Guild.
While preparing for the war that might break out, Min Chan-gi had mentioned how curious he was about how His Majesty the Emperor, Roman Dmitry, could perfectly anticipate every single situation. It was a terrifying ability when facing him as an enemy, but even as an ally, it was completely incomprehensible.
At the time, Kang Min-ho had replied:
"After experiencing various situations by his side, the conclusion I've reached is simple. He holds every situation in the palm of his hand. Because he chooses the most aggressive and daring path among them, people think he is walking a precarious tightrope. But in reality, countless calculations went into the process of bringing down the Central Government. It means he only acts because he knows it is possible. For us, who have already witnessed numerous miracles, we only need to be faithful to the roles assigned to us."
He believed in Roman Dmitry.
Even if the entire world attacked the Korean Empire, Kang Min-ho never believed Incheon would fall.
Flash.
He severed another opponent's head.
Drenched in blood, Kang Min-ho roared at the top of his lungs, "The crime of attacking the Korean Empire! Pay for it with your lives!"
"Pay for it with your lives!"
Incheon.
The situation was unfolding in a completely different direction from what Markov had anticipated.
* * *
The Russian city of Irkutsk.
The teleportation magic circle activated without warning, and a man suddenly emerged through the shroud of brilliant light.
"Who goes there?!"
"How did you teleport...?"
"Chain Lightning."
Bzzzzzt!
"Aaargh!"
"Ack!"
The soldiers collapsed, their bodies convulsing violently.
The identity of the man was none other than Park Min-woo.
Roman Dmitry had ordered Park Min-woo to activate the teleportation magic circle, and in accordance with the plan, Park Min-woo had sent Roman Dmitry to the operation site. Afterward, different orders were given to Park Min-woo and Wang Wiryong. Wang Wiryong was told to return to China, lead his forces, and march north. Meanwhile, Park Min-woo was ordered to attack Irkutsk and throw Russia into absolute chaos.
Being assigned an individual mission felt good.
It meant he had Roman Dmitry's trust. But the problem was the existence of Wang Wiryong.
'The way Wang Wiryong looked at me was highly suspicious. It was definitely the gaze of a sly snake eyeing my position. Now that it's been revealed that Wang Wiryong is indeed a descendant of the Heavenly Demon Cult, whether he's a painter or whatever, if His Majesty Emperor Roman Dmitry takes a liking to him and actually teaches him the real Heavenly Demon Sword Technique, my position as the second-in-command is over. I need to solidify my standing before that happens. I must become the most important person to Emperor Roman Dmitry, to the point where a mere nobody like Wang Wiryong wouldn't dare covet my spot.'
He burned with determination.
Roman Dmitry had clearly ordered him to attack Irkutsk and throw Russia into chaos.
However, there were no specific instructions on how to proceed next if he achieved significant results.
'If I defeat not just Irkutsk, but other Russian cities one by one, my achievements will be incomparable to Wang Wiryong's. He will probably only bring down one or two cities at most. Yes, this is a war of speed. Only swift and overwhelming achievements can make me shine.'
Wrrr!
Wrrrrrr!
Alarms blared all around.
Because he had used the teleportation magic circle without authorization, the Russian forces had detected Park Min-woo's presence.
In the distance, soldiers were already swarming in.
Their numbers were too vast to count.
To begin with, ordering Park Min-woo to attack an entire city by himself was an absurd mission, but he had absolutely no intention of stopping here. This was an opportunity. An opportunity to firmly imprint his superiority over that interloper, Wang Wiryong. Normally, he would have hit them moderately and retreated, but right now, he was completely blinded by ambition.
Rumble.
Ruuuumble.
He channeled his magic power.
Shrouded in a dark blue aura, Park Min-woo took a step toward the soldiers rushing at him.
"Fine. I'll slaughter every last one of you."
With his magic power exploding outward, Park Min-woo wore an expression even more ferocious than the day he had been abandoned by the Demon King.