42
042 ― Conversation
Jin-woo's sword split the red building-like heart. The strike imbued with Magi flew forth and bisected the heart, causing the Erosion to begin collapsing.
Kuguugugugugugu―
A massive energy was released and disappeared as if seeping into the void.
However, there was something only Jin-woo could see, unlike the others.
the Ireland's black flames. They scattered upward into the sky, then changed direction and poured into Jin-woo.
Just as the Elves' souls had in Tokyo.
'Is this how we escaped from the Erosion?'
Did the turtle's soul escape from the Erosion? At the very least, it would have escaped from that monarch who was eroding Earth.
'The turtle's final answer.'
There had been an answer.
The turtle's response to Jin-woo's question about the monarch's name.
[ Fragments of a past life surface. That sword shall finally cleave the heavens. ]
He recalled the skeleton's helmet he had obtained earlier, still in his inventory. That helmet is said to be cursed by the god of the sky.
The other name he had heard for him in Belen Village was the Lord of Oppression and Ceiling.
***
"It stopped! I don't know what happened, but the thing stopped!"
"Now's our chance! Hit it with everything we've got!"
The Hunters snapped to attention, seeing the Ireland suddenly stop.
Never once until now, though it may have slowed, had the Ireland's legs ever completely stopped.
Had their relentless assault finally yielded results?
Though they had reason to rejoice, they didn't let their guard down and squeezed out every last bit of their remaining strength. Thinking this was their first and last opportunity, they poured out all their power.
Massive chunks of energy. Meteor-like rocks fell, lightning poured down, and the ground split apart.
Then suddenly.
The Ireland began disappearing rapidly.
"Huh? What?"
"Did we get it!?"
Though it was fast, given its enormous size, it took time. During that disappearing process, the Hunters' bombardment poured down on the Ireland.
The black Erosion disappeared from the Ireland's eyes. For the first time since appearing on Earth, the creature could regain its complete sanity.
Whether it was sad that this was its final moment, or joyful that it could at least die with a clear mind at the end.
―Uuuuuuuuuu…….
The powerless the Ireland groaned and curled its body with its last remaining strength. It couldn't disappear immediately right now.
If it did, the being within its heart would be exposed to the Hunters' attacks.
At least until the current barrage ended, it had to take the hits and protect him.
Kwagwagwagwagwang!
After some time, the Hunters' bombardment subsided.
Simultaneously, the Ireland felt relieved and could finally enter the rest it had so longed for.
"We, we got it! We got it!"
"What? Who finished it off? How!?"
While celebrating their victory, they all had questions.
Everyone here was no ordinary person. They were the strongest from each nation.
They could distinguish whether their own power had dealt a perfect blow to the enemy or not.
Not a single person here thought they had delivered a fatal strike. They had merely destroyed and scorched the surface shell and flesh.
Then who on earth was the one who brought down the Ireland?
"Are you safe?"
"Yes. I'm fine."
At that moment, a human figure was discovered where the Ireland had disappeared. Though there were actually two people, only one was visible to the others' eyes.
"Who is that?"
"Hey! That's an unfamiliar face. Which country's S-rank is that?"
The gazes of S-ranks poured down. Under the attention of all these distinguished individuals, Jin-woo's eyes darkened.
'Until the very end…….'
He was not one to be unaware of the turtle's final action.
He had seen everything from inside. The creature curled its body to shield him one last time before departing.
Suddenly, the last scene of the memory he had witnessed earlier came to mind.
The small turtle that had lived for such a long time had died of old age before him.
He had carefully picked up that child's corpse and buried it in a corner of the garden.
Though he hadn't shed tears, he remembered feeling sad nonetheless.
It was the same now.
***
"Crazy!"
All of New York erupted in cheers.
All New York citizens who had been receiving real-time updates while evacuating erupted in cheers at the news of the Ireland's subjugation.
"They got it!"
"We won! Humanity has triumphed again!"
"This isn't just New York's victory, it's the entire world's victory! Without everyone coming to help, there would have been only a terrible ending!"
They hugged each other while shedding tears.
Of course, much was lost. Many died, and many were injured. There were also those who sacrificed themselves for others.
But their wishes had been fulfilled. The city was safe, and many citizens had survived.
Restoring the barrier, reconstruction work in the destroyed western area, handling crimes and incidents that occurred during evacuation, and so on. Though many problems still remained, for now, everyone was celebrating.
Gratitude to all those who worked hard to protect New York. Gratitude also to the Hunters who came to support despite it being another country's affair.
Before all those names, one name spread rapidly.
―Seoul's Kang Jin-woo. Ends the fight by cutting out the Ireland's core.
―Hunter who dealt the fatal blow to the Ireland revealed to be an E-rank from Seoul.
―Tokyo's S-rank Kurenai Masato: "Stopping the Ireland was everyone's achievement, but defeating it was one person's achievement."
The Ireland, which had seemed like an unstoppable disaster, something they had even thought would be New York's end.
The city couldn't help but be in uproar at the news that an E-rank had stopped it.
└ Crazy, it's crazy! He's E-rank? Isn't he an S-rank that Seoul secretly raised?
└ Why is Seoul classifying him as E-rank? Anyone can see he's S-rank!
└ Did you see the video? The sight of him cutting through a building-sized heart with one slash!
└ Whatever, it doesn't matter. Whether E-rank or S-rank, he's Kang Jin-woo. New York's savior!
The reason Jin-woo's name spread even further was because of a single video submitted to New York media.
In the video, there was a red object as large as a building writhing, with hundreds and thousands of black tentacles extending around it, intertwined like a spider web.
That obviously extraordinary thing was the Ireland's heart.
It was a video capturing the entire sequence of Jin-woo bisecting that heart with a single sword strike, and simultaneously, the Erosion beginning to collapse.
It was essentially a video proving that Jin-woo had defeated the Ireland, taken by Kurenai Masato's body cam.
└ Wow, look at this! Who would think this is E-rank after seeing this?
└ At least A-rank. You can't be B-rank or lower while shooting out such a sword strike.
└ Everyone's focusing on the sword strike, but what's more incredible is the swordsmanship. I'm also a sword-using Hunter, so I know well, but such a clean form is very rare even among A-ranks!
Though it was just a short video, its impact was tremendous. All Hunters who knew something about swords flocked to analyze and admire Jin-woo's strike.
Some said Jin-woo was a Hunter who had properly learned swordsmanship, others said he was a practical fighter who learned through real combat. Everyone analyzed with their own convictions, but no one's opinions matched.
Swordsmanship that looked different depending on the viewer. The mystique it provided captivated swordsmen around the world.
While citizens were getting excited over all kinds of topics.
At the 5-star Golden Haven Hotel, standing tall in the heart of New York, most of the S-ranks who had participated were gathered, holding a victory celebration party.
"Everyone fought well! All that hard work paid off."
"Enough with the stuffy talk, let's just toast!"
The city authorities had rented out an entire hotel to treat them. Since all reservations had been canceled due to the Ireland's appearance, they were able to quickly make reservations.
The party schedule was set to continue for a whole week.
Such a long schedule wasn't arranged just for the victory celebration alone.
"Hey, Mister Kang. Tell us about it. How were you able to find and eliminate the core?"
"Right, exactly. Finding it might be an ability thing, but how did you stop the Ireland's regeneration?"
"In my view, he's an excellent mage. Holding a sword was fake, and he clearly constructed magic to interpret the Ireland and suppress its regeneration."
"Hey, you don't know swords so you're saying that, but didn't you see the video? It's impossible for a mage to wield a sword like that!"
In the hotel hall where champagne bottles popped and all kinds of luxurious cuisine, wine, and desserts were provided, people gathered near Jin-woo.
Though they came to help New York, they also came to obtain information about the new Erosion phenomenon. Fighting the Ireland was, in a way, also to obtain combat data.
Therefore, they wanted to hear from Jin-woo, who had essentially defeated the Ireland alone, more than anyone.
"I can only say it's the power of past lives. Like all of you, it's a power that's hard to explain in words."
"Tch. We were comrades briefly, but you're going to be petty like that?"
"I'm not hiding it, it's really true. If I were really a mage, I might have been able to explain the principles, but having only used swords, it's hard to explain the principles of the power."
The interpreter conveyed Jin-woo's words as he spoke with a bitter smile, and the S-rank Hunters clicked their tongues regretfully.
Since a case like the Ireland had appeared, it was hard to think such forms of Erosion wouldn't appear again.
For the future as well, they really wanted to know Jin-woo's ability to find or destroy cores, but…….
"Still, the possibility of another the Ireland-sized monster appearing is low."
"Right. If it's normal size, we can just stab and smash randomly until the core eventually breaks. As long as it's not as big as the Ireland."
Hahahaha! They laughed loudly as if they had heard an amusing joke.
Another the Ireland-sized monster appearing? This should please remain just a joke. Even while laughing, they were breaking out in cold sweat.
"Excuse me, Jin-woo."
Then someone approached and called Jin-woo.
A woman wrapped entirely in plain black clothes, holding a baby dragon in her arms.
It was Mahiri, New Delhi's S-rank Hunter.
"……."
Goreureung.
Jin-woo looked at Mahiri once and glanced at the red baby dragon in her arms once.
Was its name Kalesian?
He strangely had something he wanted to say, but this wasn't the place for it, so he held back.
"What is it?"
"I heard you were attacked by Johan, is that true? If it's true, did you defeat Johan?"
The laughter of the S-ranks who had been chattering merrily stopped, and gazes immediately focused. Johan, New York's S-rank black mage's whereabouts.
Though it had been glossed over due to the Ireland's appearance, there had definitely been an issue before that.
Seoul's Cheonok Group's grandson was attacked by Johan, and in the process, one E-rank Hunter was supposedly killed.
But that E-rank was here while Johan hadn't returned. Then…….
"David."
Before answering, Jin-woo called David's name.
David, who had already been drinking alone in an inconspicuous corner, frowned deeply.
"Why did you order Johan to kill me?"
The interpreter was startled and asked Jin-woo if he really wanted this translated. Before Jin-woo could answer, one of the S-rank fluent in both Korean and English loudly translated.
"He says David ordered Johan to do it!"
The atmosphere began to turn cold at the sudden bombshell statement.
***
―[Breaking News] Seoul's Kang Jin-woo: "David ordered Johan to kill me."
The breaking news that spread in one line struck all of New York. It was already noisy about the Ireland and Kang Jin-woo.
In the midst of that, with a major scandal involving Johan and even David, public opinion became hot to the point of explosion.
└ Really? What Cheonok Group's grandson say was true?
└ I don't want to believe it, but…… What can we do when he says so himself?
└ Everyone, be quiet. Nothing has been revealed yet. Let's maintain neutrality as much as possible in such matters.
Since David was involved, public opinion was also cautious. There were those who were angry and those who were cold, so it was still just the calm before the storm.
Until one more article came out.
―Tokyo's Tsukikage Guild's secret ledger revealed. David's name among the clients?
No evidence came out that David had ordered Johan. That's why they could remain neutral, but commissioning Shartia's assassination in Tokyo was clearly evidenced.
With that, public opinion completely turned, and voices denouncing David grew endlessly.
"Kurenai. Did you help me with this?"
Jin-woo, who had been watching things unfold, asked Kurenai Masato.
No matter what, the timing was too coincidental. If Kurenai Masato hadn't arranged this in advance…….
"……Foolish talk. I do have goodwill toward you, but I'm not so smitten as to break an assassin's principles."
No matter what happens, keeping client information secret is an assassin's principle.
This relates to the entire industry's credibility, so it must be maintained no matter what. If a member is found breaking it, they immediately become subject to exclusion.
'He must be very angry.'
Kurenai Masato was furious.
He was extremely angry to the point where blue flames flickered, and Jin-woo saw for the first time today that emotions could affect souls to this degree.
This meant Kurenai Masato's spirit had a rank high enough to compare with his soul.
At the same time, it also meant he was angry enough to be swept up in passion despite having such a spirit.
"Did I mention before? That internal control isn't working well."
"I thought you were just saying that."
"There seem to be many guys with feet in various places. Oh my, oh my, why are there so many bastards in this world who need to be killed……."
He had wanted to stay and have more fun in New York, but saying that, the old man left the hotel. He was probably returning to Tokyo.
After he left, Jin-woo shrugged. For him, it was an outrageous act that undermined the entire industry's credibility, but for Jin-woo, it was favorable. The assassination industry's credibility had nothing to do with Jin-woo anyway.
'Where's David…… Still in his room?'
Jin-woo lay down in the rocking chair in his room and closed his eyes.
He was grasping all the blue flames in this entire hotel, and among them, he was intensively monitoring David's.
With Jin-woo's ability, he could monitor him even while sitting in his room like this without having to wander around nearby. Since he wasn't using any kind of magic or familiars, there was no worry of being detected.
While quietly closing his eyes and monitoring him, simultaneously.
'Past life memories.'
Jin-woo was constantly ruminating over the past life memories he had seen earlier.
***
"Damn it!"
David tore at his hair and anxiously paced around his room.
He had thought he could brush off Johan's matter. After all, it had happened inside a Gate. There was no possibility of being caught based solely on Cheon Ju-hyeok's or Kang Jin-woo's claims.
But Shartia's matter was different. It was something with clear evidence, and because of that, even Johan's matter got entangled, making it impossible to completely deny everything.
'Even so, it's just some assassin's ledger. I can brush this off, too somehow, but…….'
He might not know how to suppress it for now. But with such corruption exposed, the future he had dreamed of was as good as blocked.
Plans to liquidate his dangerous Hunter life and ambitiously enter politics.
He didn't want to enter perilous Gates until he was old. Most other Hunters thought similarly.
That's why everyone prepares for retirement. Some establish guilds to discover young Hunters, others become technical advisors for companies, or join volunteer organizations.
Among them, some, like Seoul's Ma Du-sik, successfully entered politics and established themselves. David had also dreamed of that path, but…….
"Room service."
"Just leave it and go!"
Then the hotel room service arrived. Luxurious meals were brought, but David had no appetite.
Then, under a plate, he discovered a small note.
'What's this?'
When he unfolded the note, there was only one sentence written without even a sender's name.
―Hong Kong always awaits you.―
'Tsk, that hellhole is being clingy again.'
As if this was familiar, David casually crumpled the note and threw it in the trash.
S-rank Hunters get many offers from various places. Not just him, but all S-ranks would receive various proposals from many countries.
Hong Kong was one of them, and Hong Kong in particular was one of the countries that had been putting heart and soul into planting money and spies in New York from before.
David didn't know how many times he had received love calls since before becoming bureau chief.
Since there was no particular reason to leave New York, he had continued ignoring them, but…….
'……Should I listen to what they have to say this time?'
When the situation was good, he ignored them without listening, but now that things had turned out this way, he was tempted again.
It's not entirely uncommon for S-rank Hunters to change countries. Every nation pours massive money and resources into bringing in even one S-rank Hunter.
In fact, hadn't Shartia also left New York to go to Seoul?
He didn't want to leave New York, but he might need to prepare a place to evacuate to just in case.
Listening to what they had to say would probably be fine.
'Let's see, the contact information is…….'
He knew several congressmen who had taken lots of money from Hong Kong. Among them, he picked a congressman with deep connections to the Hunter industry and made contact.
Even while this was happening, the victory party and Erosion countermeasure meetings continued, and 5 days of the schedule had passed.
After 5 days, David arranged to meet directly with Hong Kong's agent. There was too much that couldn't be discussed over the phone.
'There are surveillance cameras and many watching eyes.'
Especially since he was at the center of attention, many people were watching him.
In such a situation, he couldn't openly go out through the front entrance. In the early morning, he secretly opened his window and clung to the hotel wall.
He then leaped up the wall, and his form quickly rose to reach the building's rooftop.
'They wouldn't place surveillance cameras or security personnel even on building walls.'
Having snuck out like this, he felt incredibly free. It had been so long since he felt like this.
Fully enjoying the strong wind of freedom with his whole body, he leaped vigorously toward the neighboring building's rooftop.
Then.
Swooooooooosh!
A sword strike that suddenly shot up from below aimed at him.
"Kuk!"
Startled by the sudden surprise attack, he drew his sword and blocked it. The power of the sword strike was so tremendous that his body soared much higher upward.
By the time he barely regained his posture and landed back on the rooftop, the enemy had already climbed onto the rooftop as well.
It was Jin-woo, standing with a sword from which Magi's afterglow was rising.
"Kang Jin-woo! How did you……!"
When he came out, he had thoroughly checked for areas without surveillance. The reason he had opened the window and climbed the building wall instead of going out through the corridor was to avoid surveillance.
But how did he capture his movements and attack?
Along with doubt, David gritted his teeth bpaddeuk, and Kang Jin-woo took out his smartphone with his free hand.
He sent a signal to Shartia, whom he had contacted in advance, and then opened the translation app he had used most since coming to New York.
When he muttered a few words into the phone, a common AI voice flowed out and reached David's ears.
―I want to have a conversation with you.
"Conversation while holding a sword, you crazy bastard!"
David's face contorted viciously.