Chapter 99

Chapter 99

“……”

A cold silence hung between Gunji and me.

They were the ones who crossed the line first. Among Awakened, mentioning someone’s gift is considered a faux pas. Since it lays your full combat capability bare, it’s established as a kind of taboo.

And he was demanding I do exactly that?

So he wanted to see what happens.

I understood now, too.

That he’d made the suggestion not for the operation’s sake, but out of pure spite. In that case, there was no reason for me to go along with it.

Besides, what could he even do if I told him?

Just looking at him, he didn’t seem to have that kind of skill.

“Are you saying you won’t cooperate for the operation?”

“And even if I cooperate, do you have any intention of making it succeed? That’s the whole reason I’m here, isn’t it?”

“……”

He kept up the polite act while making sure to skip over exactly the parts that mattered.

“Did I say anything wrong?”

It’s always the incompetent ones whose mouths run ahead of their actions. If you don’t want to hear it, then bring results. From what I’d seen, Gunji excelled at defense but couldn’t bring much force to bear on offense.

A typical transcendent who’s carried by his gift. You can’t climb to a higher level if you’re dragged around by your gift.

When I looked at him, he glared back and radiated killing intent. Was he puffing himself up because this was his home turf?

He opened his mouth to spout more nonsense, so I beat him to it.

“What—!”

Startled, Gunji crossed both arms. The Arc Mine drove in like a lightning bolt, but it couldn’t pierce into his body and was deflected off.

That was the effect of his defensive gift. I fired Arc Mines to the left, right, and behind as well, but his sturdiness held.

To me, though, he was nothing more than a sturdy sandbag.

Gunji managed to block successfully, but he couldn’t help losing his balance. After scattering his focus with a barrage of attacks, I closed in and gave his leg a light kick—his balance collapsed, leaving him defenseless before me.

My hand shot straight out and slammed into his shoulder.

Thwack!

But my Arc Mine couldn’t break through the semi-transparent barrier surrounding him. Its color was growing darker by the moment—the darker it got, the more his defense seemed to rise.

So this was why he was called the Guardian Deity. In the end, he was just an upgraded sandbag.

Let’s see how long he lasts.

Thwack! Thwack-thwack! Thwack-thwack-thwack!

In an instant, over a dozen Arc Mines pounded the barrier. The barrier that had been solid as an iron fortress rapidly cracked under the sudden onslaught, then shattered into pieces.

Gunji regained his balance in the meantime, but it was meaningless. If he wanted to apologize, he could do it to his heart’s content in the afterlife.

“Wait!”

Just as my hand was about to crush his wrist and seize his throat, Tsuyoshi—who had been watching—intervened.

A long blade carved a line between Gunji and me.

If we’d been in a wide open space, I would have dodged forward and pressed in, but the cramped meeting room was a drawback.

I didn’t push it and stepped back.

Kwa-gwang!

Caught in the Force, an innocent table and chairs shattered to pieces.

I fixed my gaze on Tsuyoshi. We’d built a decent relationship, but that wasn’t a reason not to kill him.

Lee Sehee’s words came to mind.

Transcendents who come to foreign countries die in “accidents” quite often.

Was he doing this now for that purpose?

To build a justification to kill me?

It was a foolish choice. When it came to killing people and fleeing, I had more experience than any villain out there. I’m probably the only one who’s had tens of thousands of people mobilized against him multiple times just to kill a single villain. Fine—I could kill them all and swim home.

If they wanted to show their true colors, then I’d play along.

That was when it happened.

Tsuyoshi released his sword and raised both hands, showing he had no intention of resisting.

“I apologize. Gunji lost a beloved younger brother to the League, so his emotions were running high. This was a discourtesy committed in his urgency to catch the League even a day sooner. I ask that you forgive him with a generous heart.”

“……”

Now of all times?

Should I pretend not to know and kill him, then take Immovable Heart?

…I thought about it, but I had no justification.

It was hard to kill someone who’d thrown down his weapon, apologized, and was trying to talk.

And the provocation itself had been pretty weak.

Gunji had provided the cause, but it wasn’t enough for me to finish things the way I wanted.

“Thank you.”

When I relaxed my combat stance, Tsuyoshi expressed his gratitude, then turned his head and raised his voice at Gunji in Japanese. Gunji shouted back just as loudly. And so, with me left out, a shouting match between Japan’s two transcendents ensued.

After arguing for quite a while, Gunji finally gave up and stepped back. Tsuyoshi let out a sigh and bowed his head to me.

“Thank you for understanding.”

“……”

With him apologizing so deferentially, it was awkward not to accept.

Gunji, who’d met my eyes, turned his head away.

I didn’t like it.

But it was hard to just walk past Tsuyoshi, who’d swallowed his pride and kept apologizing.

“I’ll accept your apology.”

“Thank you!”

The mood had cooled completely, so I didn’t press further and stepped back. I could hear sighs of relief from all around. It seemed a lot of people had been alarmed that we might come to blows.

Tsuyoshi hurried over to Gunji and pulled him away. As they left the room, the look directed at me felt extremely disrespectful.

Should I deal with him before trouble arises?

If he tried any more tricks, I’d have to remove him.

* * *

“What on earth is wrong with you!”

Tsuyoshi, having moved elsewhere, raised his voice—uncharacteristic of him.

He knew Gunji disliked Choi Junho. But Gunji was someone who knew how to manage his expressions depending on the situation. There was no reason to give them a pretext for conflict like this.

“That man is a villain wearing the mask of a transcendent. We’re receiving help from a villain.”

“That’s only your opinion. Choi Junho is currently South Korea’s greatest transcendent and a transcendent recognized worldwide. Why are you trying to make things so difficult!”

“Is that really enough for you?”

“What?”

“I’m asking if you’re fine with resolving the situation through Choi Junho’s help. This is something happening in Japan. Are we in such a dire situation that we desperately need Choi Junho’s power?”

“……”

Tsuyoshi shut his mouth. What Gunji said was something he too had been thinking for a long time.

But it was a decision made from above. And it was clear that the asset known as Choi Junho would be a great help.

“So what do you want to do?”

“Let’s handle it ourselves.”

“You’re suggesting we defy the Cabinet’s directive?”

“Not defy—resolve it through preemptive action. If we can show that we can handle it without Choi Junho’s help, they won’t repeat the same mistake. Tsuyoshi, even if you won’t do it, I will.”

Gunji’s resolve was firm.

Tsuyoshi sighed at his friend’s hardline stance. Once he made up his mind, he never reversed it—so Tsuyoshi knew it would be difficult to change his decision.

But even recklessness had its limits. Gunji’s gift was suited for defense, not for striking at something.

“Even so, sidelining him is unacceptable.”

“Tsuyoshi!”

“Hear me out. I agree with your opinion that we should take the lead and resolve the situation. Let’s assign Choi Junho to killing small fry on the outer perimeter.”

“……”

“If you won’t accept this either, I’ll talk to the Cabinet. You’ll be sitting this one out.”

“Fine. We’ll do it your way. Do you have a method in mind?”

“I do.”

The two talked for a long while.

* * *

About an hour had passed since the two left.

The atmosphere around us was quite unsettled. Especially the attention directed at me.

Even Park Younghoo was looking at me with an awkward expression.

“Why are you looking at me like that?”

“I’d heard stories about you, Transcendent, but I’ve learned they’re exactly as the rumors say.”

“What rumors?”

“Mm, well, they’re quite difficult to repeat.”

“It’s fine.”

When I do internet broadcasts, I watch reactions in real time—this much is nothing.

Park Younghoo hesitated, then finally spoke with difficulty.

“I heard that when someone is defined as an enemy, you show no mercy.”

“That’s not wrong.”

“It’s just that people are talking because of that……”

People would talk, sure.

I don’t particularly care about gossip behind my back anyway.

But there was something worth listening to in what Park Younghoo said.

“There are times when the clear standard isn’t apparent.”

A standard? Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever given it much thought.

The standard by which I act has always been: those who need to die, those who’ve done something deserving death, and those who’ve picked a fight with me.

Now that I’m a proper transcendent, I suppose I need to make that distinction.

While I was organizing my thoughts, Gunji and Tsuyoshi appeared.

“Sorry.”

Gunji offered a brief apology, and Tsuyoshi apologized as well.

“Once again, I apologize for the sudden situation that occurred.”

“…It’s fine.”

I thought about it for a moment, then accepted.

If they’d been a little later, I would have used my hands, but there was no need to mention that.

With the mood considerably softened by my accepting the apology, the discussion began.

“I’ll take the vanguard.”

Tsuyoshi announced that he would take the front. His Immovable Heart gift had a favorable matchup against the Witch Doctor’s curses.

Even if he had a matchup advantage, basic capability should matter, shouldn’t it?

The villains called the Twelve Zodiac are known as transcendents that can’t be dealt with unless one is a Ten Great Transcendent.

Tsuyoshi’s evaluation fell short of the Witch Doctor’s.

I’d never seen her myself, so I didn’t know the specifics of how big that gap was.

Was he trying to use this operation as a test to overturn that evaluation?

Judging by how Gunji and I had been pushed back into support roles, the guess seemed true. Once the full-scale assault began, we’d intervene then—but it looked like Tsuyoshi intended to take the tastiest part for himself.

Could he really overturn the evaluation?

Among the countless evaluations that had been made so far, only one had ever been different.

The one that said I was insane?

I’d have to watch and see how much Tsuyoshi could pull off.

“Very well.”

“Thank you for understanding.”

Tsuyoshi, who’d worn a worried expression the whole time, smiled brightly and thanked me.

Let’s see what he’s got.

* * *

Information came in that the League’s reinforcements had arrived, and Tsuyoshi began moving quickly at the vanguard.

It was an infiltration, but he had no intention of letting an opportunity slip by.

‘I’ll capture the Witch Doctor.’

Not once had Tsuyoshi thought himself inferior to the Twelve Zodiac.

Immovable Heart means a heart that never wavers.

It grants immunity to mental gifts, and it was the reason he could maintain calm through the many affairs of daily life.

The close younger brother Gunji had lost had been a close younger brother to him as well. Unlike Gunji, who’d been affected by it, he had accepted it as something that could happen in daily life.

An unshakable heart is a great advantage in combat. But because his nature disliked stepping forward and never boasted, he felt his abilities were being underestimated.

He didn’t think much of it. Confidence in oneself was what mattered—there was no reason to react sensitively to others’ evaluations and be swayed by them.

But recently, his thinking had changed.

Even though the Cabinet had said they were sufficient, they’d called in Choi Junho.

Was he untrustworthy? Was Gunji? They were all transcendents who’d devoted themselves to Japan. He thought this matter showed a lack of respect for them. That must have been because he’d never clearly demonstrated his abilities until now.

“Gunji has a point too.”

He decided that this time, he’d achieve definite results and make them acknowledge them.

It would be a lie to say he had no ambition. The renown of having defeated one of the Twelve Zodiac would be truly tremendous.

Tsuyoshi invaded the League’s hideout at high speed. He intended to pass through the wide factory grounds and scout the warehouse located at the deepest point to gather information.

But that intention was thrown off when a voluptuous black figure appeared before his eyes.

“You’re Tsuyoshi, right?”

“…You are.”

“Me? I’d say I’m pretty famous among your lot, but I guess you don’t know me?”

“Witch Doctor.”

“Correct.”

Even in the darkness, she radiated a seductive beauty—the Witch Doctor, Constantine.

Her blue eyes, holding a calm stillness, were fixed on Tsuyoshi.

“……”

Looking at Constantine standing brazenly before him, Tsuyoshi furrowed his brow.

He couldn’t understand why she, reputed to lack direct combat ability, had shown herself.

Constantine, sensing his thoughts, smiled.

“You’ve walked right into the middle of a trap—isn’t it a bit late to be suspicious now?”

She raised her right hand and tapped the air with her index finger, and a black ripple spread. At the same time, Tsuyoshi felt himself severed from the world, his five senses thrown into confusion.

It was a curse the Witch Doctor favored. Briefly disoriented by the surprise curse, Tsuyoshi activated Immovable Heart.

His eyes, which had been shaking dizzily, snapped back into place in an instant.

“Cheap tricks like that won’t work on me.”

“As expected of Immovable Heart. Then how about this?”

As the Witch Doctor prepared to cast another curse, Tsuyoshi charged at her.

When his katana reflected the moonlight and scattered pale blue Force, the Witch Doctor’s body wavered and then receded far into the distance. She’d cast a curse in that brief instant. Immovable Heart was holding off the status effects, but the curse’s power was stronger than he’d expected.

“Kgh!”

Immovable Heart means a heart that never wavers. Firmness of heart leads to firmness of mind, and becomes the power to maintain one’s center through any change.

He’d endured the curse—now it was his turn.

Reaching Constantine, Tsuyoshi swung his sword.

She was a member of the Twelve Zodiac, but the renown she’d earned was due to her curse ability to influence transcendents.

Her direct combat ability was reputed to fall short of a transcendent’s.

If that was true, then this was his victory.

Just as he thought she’d be cut in half, something astonishing happened.

Constantine deflected the katana with ease.

And it had been a full-force strike.

“How……”

She smiled faintly at his shock.

“Did you really think I was called a transcendent without any direct combat ability? No one in Europe believes that—but someone far away does. Thanks for falling for it.”

“Ik!”

Gritting his teeth, Tsuyoshi swung his sword. Blue Force flashed, cleaving through the darkness and surging forward. Constantine caught the attack easily with her white hand.

The exchange between the two transcendents continued over thirty times in an instant. Tsuyoshi, deep in enemy territory, gave it everything he had, but he couldn’t break through Constantine’s defense.

Bit by bit, the one being cornered was Tsuyoshi, right in the heart of enemy territory.

The smile on Constantine’s lips deepened.

“Aren’t you being a little too careless?”

“Quit your cheap tricks!”

When a black ripple spread through the air, he realized the curse had activated and triggered Immovable Heart.

But this curse was different.

A massive shock bore down on him, as if he’d been struck in the head with a blunt weapon.

Eyes wide, Tsuyoshi gritted his teeth and struggled to maintain Immovable Heart.

“Did you think I was just sitting back and playing around?”

Constantine slipped through the opening.

The moment her touch brushed across his heart, Tsuyoshi felt Immovable Heart shatter into pieces.

Was there really a curse that could dispel a gift?

“The curse industry has to make a living too, you know. We can’t afford to stick to just one method.”

She said it like a joke, but the aftermath was devastating.

“Gwaaah!”

Through the collapsed wall of Immovable Heart, uncontrollable emotions came surging in like a tidal wave.

And what filled his mind most of all was all the hypocrisy he had committed.

He had killed anyone who got in his way in the name of the greater good, even the innocent. For the sake of success, he had coldly abandoned the woman who had devoted herself to him. And using peace as an excuse, he had eliminated innocent witnesses who had been harmed unilaterally, and paid no mind to victims arising from accidents if it meant raising his own value.

All the hypocrisy he had committed tore Tsuyoshi’s conscience to shreds.

Why live like this? Did he even deserve to be alive? I’m trash. The longer I live, the more harm I’ll bring to the world. I should disappear. Let me disappear.

Self-loathing spread beyond all control.

The finishing blow was the memory of an old lover he had buried deep, deep down.

A woman who had supported him since the days when he had nothing. She had taken on work herself and never shirked even the hardest chores, telling him to focus on his training.

A woman who had believed in him when he had nothing and given him everything without a shred of doubt.

A woman who had pretended to accept his declaration of breakup with composure, but in the end grew sick and withered away.

And he had coldly turned his back on her.

‘Keiko…….’

His guilt toward her burst like a dam overflowing, shattering Tsuyoshi’s mind into pieces.

“Ugh!”

In the end, unable to withstand the shock, he raised his katana and cut his own throat.

Sshhhk!

Blood sprayed forth, and his headless corpse collapsed where he stood.

It was the hollow end of the transcendent who had represented Japan.

“He made me use quite a few of the tools I had prepared.”

But a transcendent was still human in the end.

Before her curses, the burly grown man, the frail and elderly, the Awakened, and the transcendent were all the same.

If there was a gift that could endure a curse, she simply had to cast a curse that would shatter it.

Constantine, standing before Tsuyoshi’s corpse, bent down.

She wet her hand in the blood that had not yet cooled and smiled.

“Now all that’s left is the Head Breaker.”