The Inquisitor's Fall
The fierce backlash of public opinion quickly subsided once various experts and politicians appeared across the media. The flow of ordinary internet communities followed a similar pattern.
Everything had unfolded so smoothly that it made him acutely aware of Neo Dominion's influence, yet it only deepened his suspicion that they had orchestrated the entire incident from the start.
‘They probably think it doesn’t matter if they’re suspected. In fact, they see it as a chance to demonstrate their power.’
Offering a carrot while wielding a whip was a basic technique.
The problem was that the ones who had swung that whip were none other than the Forbidden Period investigators.
No matter how he thought about it, they didn’t seem to possess any truly remarkable abilities. The only conclusion he could reach was that they were nothing more than frogs in a well.
The way they rampaged about while placing excessive faith in their own capabilities was utterly laughable.
And so.
Han Yujin met with Park Seryong and headed to an upscale restaurant in the heart of Seoul.
The restaurant they arrived at appeared to have been rented out for the entire day, as there wasn’t a single customer in sight. Even so, they were guided deep inside to a private dining room.
When the employee opened the door and they stepped inside, three people who had already arrived and taken their seats came into view.
Their faces were so famous that no introductions were needed. One of them was even a chaebol whom Han Yujin had seen in person during his S-class Hunter debut.
Jeong Woo-hyun, floor leader of the ruling party.
Oh Seung-jae, chairman of the global conglomerate Axion Group.
Shin Geon-sik, owner of a major media company.
Each one possessed undeniable social influence.
“Nice to meet you.”
Jeong Woo-hyun, acting as the representative, greeted them first.
Meanwhile, Park Seryong, who had followed Han Yujin inside, showed a slight flicker of agitation upon spotting the chairman of the conglomerate that backed his Axion Guild.
‘I see now why Neo Dominion never actively tried to recruit Park Seryong despite having this much influence. The chairman of the company running his guild was already one of them.’
“First, please take a seat. We’ve prepared a special meal, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. After all, we have quite a lot to discuss today.”
Jeong Woo-hyun, who looked every bit the seasoned politician, extended the invitation with considerable formality. Han Yujin pulled out a chair as if complying and asked,
“More impressive figures have shown up than I expected. At the very least, you all seem to be mid-level managers within Neo Dominion.”
“Haha… Something like that, yes.”
Even though the remark could have wounded his pride, Jeong Woo-hyun simply smiled and gave a vague answer.
At that moment.
“Then that’s enough.”
The words had barely left his lips when a violet glow flashed in Han Yujin’s eyes.
With the help of his natal magic treasure, the Monghyeon-gyeong, and the spirit weapon Elb, an illusion born from terrifying computational power invaded the minds of all three men at once and began extracting information.
Though they were undoubtedly influential in society, they were nothing more than ordinary people with zero resistance to mystical arts.
Moreover, since the Forbidden Period investigators were aided by the Galactic Empire’s fusion intelligence, it took less than a single second to thoroughly scour every important memory.
Of course, there was a reason he had come here despite already knowing roughly what had happened in Beijing.
These men were indeed mid-level managers, but they knew very little about Neo Dominion. More precisely, almost none of what they knew was truly significant.
The location of the core headquarters, the true identities of the highest echelon known as the Council of Sovereigns, the precise scope of their influence or military strength—none of it.
They only possessed vague knowledge and belonged to the organization with the mindset that they, too, were simply using the group for their own benefit.
‘Still, I didn’t expect there to be this few clues.’
It seemed they hadn’t accepted the meeting out of stupidity after all.
As that thought crossed his mind, Han Yujin suddenly sensed something and whipped his head toward a corner of the room, activating his True Dragon Eyes.
Vertical pupils holding cosmic hues radiated an overwhelming sense of intimidation that no ordinary person could withstand. At the same time, they began observing not only gravity but the flow of space-time itself, including the half-overlapping form of the Primordial Chaos Realm.
Within that expanded field of vision.
He saw a man who was clearly in a state of extreme panic. He must have been absolutely certain he would never be detected.
And to be fair, that confidence had been reasonable. Even a Nascent Soul cultivator would normally only begin to perceive space-time upon reaching that realm, yet this man—who at best appeared to be an A-class Hunter—had twisted space to conceal himself.
He undoubtedly possessed a very special awakening ability.
The moment Han Yujin saw him, he felt a strange sense of familiarity and immediately realized who it was.
It was the Suit Ghost from the post-apocalyptic Earth timeline.
The very same entity who, despite clearly being at the Soul Formation level, would twist his upper body in bizarre ways that distorted the surroundings with every movement. Han Yujin had suspected he had been a space-type ability user in life.
Even as the thought formed, his hand was already extending, casting a spell.
Since he had discovered someone who likely knew something truly important rather than worthless fodder, capturing him alive was the obvious choice.
While using the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art would work, if the man had uses beyond simply extracting information—especially with space already twisted—securing a live specimen took priority.
Thus, drawing on the utility of his divine ability True Dragon Eyes and Elb’s exceptional computational power, he unleashed a high-grade spell that was clearly overkill for the man.
Unbreakable Cold Ice.
The instant a faint blue light flashed—
Crack-crack-crack-crack—!!
A chilling sound erupted as the man was trapped inside transparent indigo ice. Not a single wisp of cold leaked outward, making him look like an insect preserved in sapphire.
It was Taechung Hyun Ice, formed with space-time power infused within. No matter how specialized his awakening ability was in the space attribute, someone who hadn’t even reached the Dharma Soul stage could never break free.
In fact, even a Soul Formation investigator would be helpless once completely trapped like this. Even if the spell was an incomplete high-grade technique.
Jjik!
Mu-yong, who had been hiding her presence using the power of Monghwan Yusim until now, let out a short cry. She seemed quite pleased that her master had successfully located and captured the enemy.
“I had no idea he was hiding.”
Park Seryong expressed his admiration a beat later.
The three ordinary people who had fallen victim to the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art remained in a dazed state, drooling slightly as their minds lingered in a dream.
“It seems they really did consider me important. To hide someone with such a special awakening ability.”
He must have been certain he wouldn’t be detected, given that he could twist space to conceal his entire body. That was likely why he had been chosen to observe an opponent suspected of possessing mental manipulation abilities without any cognitive distortion.
Unfortunately for him, he had been caught anyway.
Han Yujin applied the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art to the subdued space-type awakener. There was naturally no resistance, and as expected from someone with a special ability, he knew quite a lot.
“Thanks to him, I’ve saved myself a lot of trouble. There’s no need to keep pretending to follow along while maintaining contact.”
At the same time, another thought crossed his mind.
‘When I bring the Suit Ghost into reality, I can test whether this man is affected or not.’
That would completely erase his concerns about whether bringing Ghost Wonhee into reality might somehow affect the young Lee Won-hee.
‘I had assumed that since turning the dead into ghosts isn’t considered resurrection by anyone, there would naturally be no effect…’
Still, it was better to test it just in case. It wasn’t as if he lacked the ability to do so.
“What do you plan to do now?”
To Park Seryong’s question, Han Yujin answered as if it were obvious.
“I’ve learned the identities and locations of two members of Neo Dominion’s ruling class—the Council of Sovereigns. It would be perfect to go meet them right now.”
“Right this instant?”
“Take care of the prisoner and send these three back properly. If they have any sense, they won’t cause a scene.”
With those words, Han Yujin transformed into a streak of light and shot off somewhere.
Park Seryong stared at the empty space where Han Yujin had vanished in the blink of an eye, glanced briefly at the man trapped in ice, then turned his attention to the three ordinary people who were slowly regaining consciousness.
He praised himself for having chosen the right side.
* * *
Jackson Hole, Wyoming, USA.
A place of vast natural beauty near the Rocky Mountains where world-renowned billionaires—names everyone recognized—owned vacation homes. It was a location that offered both expansive grounds and perfect privacy.
Although Han Yujin had never once visited the United States in his life, the spirit weapon Elb, connected to his smartphone, guided him via an augmented reality interface. Thanks to that, he flew in a straight line without getting lost at all.
As a result, it took him a mere twenty minutes to travel from Korea to his target location in America. And he hadn’t even used his full power.
‘Once I reach the Nascent Soul stage, I should be able to travel back and forth in just a few minutes using space-time interference.’
He would need accurate information about the destination and it would consume a fair amount of energy, but the important thing was that it was possible.
‘There really isn’t much time left until I claim the entire Earth as my territory.’
Reaching Nascent Soul would make it entirely feasible, even if a bit cumbersome. Alternatively, he could make fuller use of his awakening abilities, advance to the Soul Formation stage, and then realize his grand plan.
By that point, he would truly become an undeniable divine being, living up to the name of Deification.
As he was thinking, he spotted the palace-like grand mansion he had seen in the space-type awakener Ryu Taeseob’s memories and immediately headed for the entrance.
Even before landing, he had used his divine sense to fully grasp the number and condition of everyone inside the villa. And the debauched behavior they displayed naturally left him with no favorable impression.
‘If they weren’t awakeners, their lifestyles would have ended in ruin long ago.’
Alcohol, gambling, orgies, and even drugs.
It was a chaotic festival of depravity that clashed horribly with the elegant atmosphere of the old-fashioned villa. The only positive aspect was the complete absence of any traces of violence or murder.
No one stopped him as he appeared just inside the villa entrance and walked straight toward the main area. Almost no one even spared him a glance.
However, the moment he entered the grand hall where all kinds of food were laid out, people were dancing, gambling, and even engaging in highly explicit acts of affection behind curtains in one corner—
A few people glanced at the newcomer, then their expressions changed as they realized he was a completely unfamiliar Asian man.
“Hey, you!”
The instant someone called out to him.
An overwhelming, terrifying halo erupted from behind Han Yujin, who had appeared utterly ordinary just moments before.
Above a pure white ring that seemed to have gathered every color in existence, the images of six realms with indistinct boundaries appeared and began to revolve. Beneath the backlighting they cast, a pair of vertical pupils containing a cosmic scene gazed down at everyone with overwhelming pressure.
—······!!!
A sound like a great bell, carrying an unfathomably deep enlightenment that defied interpretation, slammed into the minds of everyone present in the villa.
They could now clearly see Han Yujin’s figure in the hall regardless of where they stood or what they had been doing. They were completely captivated by the sight, utterly unable to break free.
— Those who, based on universal and self-evident common sense, believe they have committed sins worthy of death.
The declaration of an existence that could not be defied rang out.
— Kill yourselves now.
Immediately afterward.
Several awakened hunters within the villa took their own lives in their own ways.
Some smashed their own heads with their hands. Others grabbed nearby weapons and stabbed their throats or hearts. Yet another manipulated mana in a rather sophisticated and refined manner to destroy his own brain.
Roughly one in every twenty people—only four out of everyone present in the entire villa.
‘Hmm?’
Even villains are not entirely without self-awareness of their evil deeds. That was why the result was clearly fewer than Han Yujin had anticipated.
Right then.
Boom—!!
Someone astonishingly smashed through the hall’s ceiling and burst inside. The moment he did, he scattered golden energy across his entire body and descended upon Han Yujin like a hawk swooping down on prey.
In a world that seemed to slow as his thoughts accelerated, the intruder’s appearance registered.
A height easily exceeding 190 centimeters, a muscular yet never clumsy beast-like physique, dark brown hair and bright amber eyes typical of Latin mixed heritage, and within those eyes, a strikingly fierce fighting spirit.
Combined with the golden energy he radiated, he gave off the impression of a mythical warrior come to life.
At the same time, the moment their eyes met, a formless power shot forward, attempting to tear apart Han Yujin’s divine sense and soul.
But that was all.
Boom—!!
The man struck by the rippling Origin Power Great Hand was sent flying in an undignified manner. The force that had tried to destroy the incoming divine sense was not only pulverized without a trace but triggered a backlash in its owner, causing both eyes to explode.
“Aaaaaaaaagh…!”
Before the man writhing in shock and pain, Han Yujin—who had moved at some unknown point—took a single step forward and stood before him.
“Ethan Cross.”
He spoke the man’s name.
The world’s number one ranked hunter. A member of Neo Dominion’s Council of Sovereigns. The one who maintained internal discipline and eliminated external threats. Codename: The Inquisitor.
What was most famous about him was the mysterious power that could kill monsters with nothing but a glance. To think that power was nearly identical in nature to a divine sense secret art—it was truly unexpected.
However, because it was merely an awakening ability rather than a proper divine sense technique, the backlash seemed stronger than expected.
The fact that it had only resulted in his eyes exploding was thanks to Han Yujin showing restraint. Had he simply repelled it mercilessly, both eyes and the soul itself would have been shattered to pieces.
‘Still, to think he endured my Six Paths of Reincarnation for even a brief moment, even though I had spread it lightly in a wide-area form.’
Even with an awakening ability similar to a divine sense technique, it would have been impossible without diligent personal training.
Thinking that, he raised Taechung Hyun Water and healed the man’s exploded eyes.
Since the gap in their abilities was overwhelming and no curse-like energy remained, creating new eyes took only an instant.
Even so, Ethan Cross was still groaning from the spiritual aftershock. Nevertheless, with his newly restored eyes, he looked up at Han Yujin with a mixture of shock and terror.
Immediately afterward, the Dream Illusion Mind Snatching Art was deployed. Having already suffered one defeat, he offered no resistance whatsoever and had all his memories stripped away in the blink of an eye.
A brief silence followed.
Once again showing a hint of surprise—along with a touch of pity and mercy—Han Yujin spoke.
“Despite such lofty talent and drive for improvement, you lost your way because you didn’t know how to grow.”
As he emerged from the dream and once again witnessed the pair of True Dragon Eyes gazing down at him from within the backlighting of the Six Paths of Reincarnation, Ethan Cross trembled.
It was not simple fear. He shuddered, crushed beneath an emotion that went far beyond it.