Chapter 63. Those with Demonic Power.

"No. It's just that they're as beautiful as the forms you imagine."

"Hmm... if you put it that way, now I'm curious."

To be honest, personally, the Celestials are far more repulsive than the Demons. 'This is God's will, that is God's ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠will.' They're a race fanatically bound by their own convictions.

'If they were a truly powerful existence, I would have known about them.'

What Leviathan said before honestly bothered me a little. Still, whatever they do, their actions mean absolutely nothing to me. That was true back there, and it's true here.

'Go ahead and struggle all you want. I'm curious to see the look on your faces when you realize every last action was utterly meaningless.'

As we spent time together, the older folks' drinking session seemed to wind down, and one by one they trickled over to us. They must have drunk a hell of a lot, because the moment they arrived, they started falling asleep. Seeing that, we moved elsewhere and turned in for the night.

The next morning, we ate a simple meal and made plans to return to Gimpo.

"Mr. Sihu, I do hope ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠we can continue to maintain a friendly relationship and build trust going forward."

Chairman Lee Hyeon-cheol saw us off with a handshake.

"Heh. Let's do that. When I send the next round of supplies, I'll deliver your engineers safely as well."

After checking in with all the groups, we boarded the helicopter and flew back toward Gimpo.

When we landed in Gimpo, my father-in-law, mother-in-law, and the senior officers including Seo Ji-hoon were all waiting to greet us. They were all curious about what we'd discussed.

"Let's head straight to the assembly hall. There's a fair bit to talk about."

I instructed the other personnel to show the engineers to their quarters. We went inside the assembly hall and briefed our people on the details of the contract we'd made at the research complex. After he'd heard the whole thing, Seo Ji-hoon spoke.

"This is clearly a mutually beneficial contract."

"Exactly. Food's something we can keep securing indefinitely anyway."

Chaeyeon and Jia said they needed to tell everyone about what they'd experienced with the Hospital Group.

"When we went to deliver supplies to the Hospital Group, we sensed a faint energy signature... from Titan."

The others wore the same worried expressions as those who'd heard the story earlier.

"Son-in-law, doesn't that mean they're dangerous?"

"It was a familiar energy, but honestly, it was so faint that I couldn't be sure."

"Then could it be that people from your homeland are crossing over?"

"Titan... but they wouldn't be human. It was an alien sensation, something other than the energy a human possesses."

To begin with, a higher-ranking race wouldn't have made such a ludicrous demand as "bring us supplies." If they wanted, they could simply crush everyone with overwhelming force and take everything. I explained this to them.

"Ahem... it's a problem if they're human, and it's a problem if they're not."

"Well, they won't be much of a threat."

At my answer, Terion spoke in a slightly incredulous tone.

"That's true only for you..."

"Hm?"

"To put it simply, when it rains, a human just needs an umbrella, but for ants, even a light shower collapses their homes and kills them in droves. To you, whether it's a divine authority or a mere human, neither can affect you. Isn't it all the same?"

"...I was being a bit complacent."

"Well, even so, as long as they don't attack first, there's no reason to bother with them."

We wrapped up the meeting, coordinated with the dispatched engineers, and on the designated days, we repeatedly sent supplies with them and brought the engineers back. Rescue operations continued as well, though the incoming calls had dwindled significantly given the time that had passed.

Occasionally, survivors turned up on their own. They'd lost or broken their phones early on, they said, and had found their way to us after seeing one of the flyers.

We gave the survivors lodging, meals, and work, and time flowed on.

Then one day, another group of survivors showed up. It had been a while, and we were all having a meal together at my place when a soldier came to the house and reported that some survivors at the entrance were making a scene.

'Aish... I thought things had been quiet for a while. Guess I'll go get a look at their faces and see what kind of bastards they are.'

"Everyone, keep eating. I'll be right back."

The others ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠assumed it was just some people throwing a tantrum and told me to go and come back without much thought.

But when I got there, several soldiers lay collapsed on the ground, and a few nurses who worked at the quarantine station were being held by the hair. The situation was slightly off.

'I made it absolutely clear they could respond with overwhelming force against bastards like this... if these guys are the ones on the ground...'

"They're Awakened..."

"Yes... that's right. I'm sorry."

"No, there's nothing to be sorry for. Call some others and get the downed personnel out of here. I'll handle these ones."

Seeing me approach while talking with another soldier, the bastards seemed to realize it too. They tossed the nurses they'd been holding aside and spoke to me.

"Hey! You the leader of this group? I said bring me your top ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠dog!"

"Oi, you little fucks. Shut your mouths for a second."

I walked over to the nurses who were trembling and groaning on the ground beside them and asked what had happened.

"What went on here?"

"They said someone was injured, so we rushed over to check the wounds... then they told us to check every inch of them... and when the soldiers tried to stop them and we resisted, they just... like that... sob..."

Hearing someone was hurt, the nurses must have sprinted all the way here from the quarantine station. And these bastards pulled this?

"Don't worry. Take the others and go get some rest."

Snapping out of their daze from my cursing, the bastards shouted at me again.

"You fuck, I'm asking if you're the fucking leader!"

"Yeah. I'm the representative of this group. Where the hell did you lot come from?"

"You keep giving us nothing but scraps for food, so we came ourselves."

'How long has it been since I said I'd stop paying attention...'

"Heh... you're some funny little shits, aren't you... Food? Did we put it in your fucking storage?"

"For someone calling himself a representative, you sure act big... but while we're still asking nicely, before our captain and the senior officers get here, just bow your head."

Watching them speak in what they clearly thought was a generous tone, I actually laughed out loud.

"Hah... ah, I haven't seen this many lunatics at once in a while... this is entertaining."

The bastard I'd mocked turned bright red and threw a punch at me. I threw my own fist right back at his.

— Crunch!!!

He must have been an Awakened with some real ability, because the recoil alone utterly obliterated his right arm.

"HYAAARGH!!!!!"

"Is this you 'acting big' because you're an Awakened?"

I smashed my fist into the mouth of the screaming bastard, and he went out cold just like that.

"That's a bit quieter. What about the rest of you?"

"The, the team leader..."

"Boss...!"

Wondering why I hadn't returned yet, the others were approaching from behind. My father-in-law, mother-in-law, and the President, seeing something like this for the first time, looked a bit shocked at the grotesque spectacle.

"If you've got something to say, tell your captain, or whatever the hell he is, to come here himself."

Only then remembering that the others were behind me, I looked at them a bit sheepishly.

"This is the first time I've seen this side of you, Mr. Sihu..."

"Heh, are you afraid of me?"

At my words, the President actually looked at me with a resolute expression and continued.

"No. I believe a decisive response is correct, rather than a lukewarm one. Besides, weren't they the first to attack our group?"

"Son-in-law, I think so too. You've got to instill a genuine sense of fear in beasts less than animals like them. Respond half-heartedly and they'll just keep crawling back."

Whether they were truly worried or just trying to put me at ease, their words did the job.

"In any case, I'm worried. If they truly do attack..."

"If that happens, then they..."

I swallowed the rest of my words and trailed off. The others probably knew as well. If they failed to recognize their place and attacked, they would suffer a thorough retaliation written in blood.

We went back to the house and finished the meal we'd left half-eaten. Though the food had gone a little cold.

Time passed without incident, and despite their blustering, there was no sign of them attacking. Day after day went by like that until one day, while I was spending time with the group, I sensed a faint Magi in the distance.

"Magi...!"

Ironically, my companions reacted more intensely than I did.

"M-Magi! Sir, are they Demons...!?"

"All of a sudden like this...!"

"Lieutenant General Go Seong-hyeon! Assemble the troops immediately!"

"No, no! Everyone, calm down!"

"Does this not mean there are Demons nearby!?"

"They're approaching us, but I don't sense any malicious intent. Just calm down first."

I'd told them again and again, but they clearly held heavy preconceptions about Demonkind—Demons. I'm not someone who kills Demons blindly either. I only kill the ones who pick a fight with me. I reassured the group once more, telling them they were simply another race.

Together, we all headed in the direction they were coming from. The group consisted of six people, and they were walking straight toward us. The figure walking at the very front spoke to me.

"Young, with black hair and blue eyes—just as I heard. Are you the representative here?"

'Just as he heard?'

"Yeah. I'm the representative of this group. Where are you from?"

"It seems one of my subordinates caused you some trouble. He said you made the arrogant demand that I come see you myself if I wanted to talk. So here I am."

'The Hospital bastards.'

"So, did you come for revenge?"

"No. I came to extend an offer for you to join us."

"You're the ones who've been quietly collecting food handouts because you had none, and now you're telling me to get under your boot?"

"Yes. Because there's no longer a need to hold our breath. Now, choose. Submission? Or death?"

I thought I knew what was giving him this confidence. The energy I'd felt as familiar must have been Magi after all. Back then it was faint, but now it was dense enough that I could say with certainty it was Magi. That was probably why the bastard was coming on so boldly.

Now I was curious. How did Magi exist on Earth, and how was a human wielding it?

"You think you own the world just because you picked up a scrap of meager Magi?"

The moment I mentioned the word Magi, the bastard's pupils shook violently, and he panicked.