Chapter 156: 19530305 |
It seems that the foolish Emperor is determined to turn the entire nation into communists.
**『 Richard Nixon’s1 response to hearing about the Bloody Tuesday incident a year after Stalin went missing』**
* * *
“…How?”
The Western Count Palatine muttered unintentionally the moment he saw the intruder land on the stairs.
It was a simple question with multiple implications.
How did the numerous guards, who were supposed to be protecting the sewer, allow this to happen? How did they manage to break through such thick concrete walls?
The answer to all his questions descended from the ceiling; two women wearing masks that revealed only their eyes and armed with a massive hammer and anti-tank rockets.
It wasn’t until the Western Count Palatine saw them covered in blood and concrete dust that he began to piece together what had happened above.
It was hard to believe, but there was no other explanation.
As the Western Count Palatine took a big gulp and stepped back, the horse-headed man, who had been observing the intruders from a distance, opened his mouth.
“You guys… are all Earthians.”
None of the intruders replied.
Instead, the male intruder who landed first charged at the horse-head with a sword glowing with a milky white Sword Aura.
.
The sword came straight at him without any tricks. It was a simple attack, but its speed was incredibly fast.
And by the time the horse-head instinctively raised his protective shield, the sword was practically at his face.
Twang!
The shield crumpled like paper, and the horse-head man was blasted backwards as if struck by a shell.
He desperately reached out midair, trying to grab anything he could.
His fingers broke, and his hand was torn, but the horse-head somehow managed to stop himself from falling down the concrete stairs.
He hung on to the staircase railing by the skin of his teeth and took a deep breath.
While he would normally prepare for the next spell or transformation, he was too disoriented to do anything other than stare at the intruder.
Was it because the intruder’s abilities had exceeded his imagination? No, it was because the intruder’s movements were eerily familiar.
“The Flying Kick technique…?! How is the Flying Kick technique coming from that intruder’s footsteps?”
How was the martial art of the patriots, embodying the blood and sweat of the Korean people, appearing in the movements of an intruder?
First came confusion, and then overwhelming rage.
“A Dwarven-made sword and the Flying Kick technique… Are you agents from America?”
“…”
“Ha! Jeon Yongseop… So, that traitor even sold something that should have never been sold!”
The intruder, Cheon Yeomyeong, didn’t bother correcting his misunderstanding. What use was the truth to someone about to die?
He unleashed the Flying Kick technique once more and swung his sword. This time, the mana from the wave of the Surging Wave technique flowed over the sword.
“O King of the Undead!”
Seeing that, the horse-head began chanting a spell as if he had been waiting for it. Twisted mana in the form of crimson flames erupted from his mouth.
Yeomyeong did not stop nor did he try to evade them. Instead, he put more force into his shoulders and struck downward toward the flames.
The sword, imbued with the swordsmanship he had stolen from the Player and Sword Aura, along with the mana of the Surging Wave technique, cut through the pouring flames and twisted mana, before embedding itself deep into the horse-head’s shoulder.
The horse-head managed to narrowly avoid the sword aimed at his neck, but he was unable to put up any meaningful resistance. Yeomyeong drove his weight into the sword, severing the horse-head’s arm.
Chwaak— The repulsive blood, characteristic of the Shepherds, splattered across the concrete as the severed arm flew through the air.
Just as Yeomyeong was about to deliver a big swing with his sword, the horse-head cast yet another spell.
Only this time, the target wasn’t Yeomyeong, but his severed arm. The spell was called Corpse Explosion.
Almost immediately, mana and air were sucked in, and BOOM—it exploded. Blood and flesh erupted like a grenade, knocking both of them back.
And in that split-second gap created by the explosion, the horse-head immediately began to draw mana and prepare for a transformation. If he could transform, losing an arm wouldn’t be a big issue—
“Cough!?”
However, his thoughts were cut short. An invisible force grabbed him by the neck as he was falling.
“Tele…kinesis…?”
Magic? Just as the horse-head belatedly focused on his Magic Resistance, Yeomyeong hurled the horse-head down the stairs.
YOU DAMN BASTARDDDDD—!
The horse-head let out what sounded like a scream—or rather, a loud scream—as he disappeared below.
Yeomyeong wiped the blood off his face and looked down the concrete stairs. He didn’t hear the sound of the horse-head hitting the ground, so he couldn’t tell how deep it was.
“The ones who fall like that always end up coming back alive.”
“…”
As Neti’s voice broke the moment, Yeomyeong raised his head and looked at his companions.
Seti and Neti had already bound the Western Count Palatine tightly, and surprisingly, the Western Count Palatine looked rather composed.
“…Are you really Earthians? Americans, at that?”
“…”
Could it be that the horse-head’s misunderstanding spread? After all, from the perspective of the Western Count Palatine, it was reasonable that he would think that way.
“I am… the Western Count Palatine of this city, Joe Pantoliano.”
“…I know.”
“You know? Then that makes things easier. With the authority of Count Palatine granted by the Emperor… I formally request cooperation with you and the United States.”
Though he tried to act composed, the Western Count Palatine’s voice contained an undeniable trace of fear and expectation.
Yeomyeong didn’t know what the man was thinking… however, perhaps there was a way to use him.
Yeomyeong signaled Seti with a glance, asking her to remain silent, then responded to the Western Count Palatine.
“Cooperation? You sure talk a lot for a terrorist.”
“T-Terrorist, you say? I was being used by them against my will!”
The sound of the Western Count Palatine’s heartbeat grew louder. Lies.
Yeomyeong remained silent and crossed his arms, as if daring him to keep blabbering.
Trying to hide his trembling voice, the Western Count Palatine continued speaking fervently.
“I told you… I had no choice. They took the citizens I cherished hostage to threaten me!”
“…”
“B-but I didn’t just sit back. Looking for an opportunity for retaliation, I pretended to cooperate and secretly gathered information—”
It was a blatant lie. With a subtle glance, Yeomyeong clenched his teeth to suppress a bitter smile.
Did he interpret Yeomyeong’s silence as agreement? The Western Count Palatine licked his lips and added.
“Aren’t you curious about the information I dug up? If you promise to cooperate with me—”
“No, the order is wrong. You should prove your value first.”
“…”
Press. In sync with Yeomyeong’s act, Seti tugged the rope binding the Western Count Palatine, causing it to tighten.
Under the sudden pressure, the Western Count Palatine gasped for air but continued speaking.
“They’re after the underground armory! The armory…”
“I already know that. Tell me something more useful.”
The Western Count Palatine’s face turned bright red as Seti tightened the rope even further.
“Th-the passwords they know for the armory are all fake!”
Only then did the rope loosen a little.
“…Fake?”
“I-I gave them fake ones on purpose! So that I could punish them when the time came—”
Or rather, he must have left a contingency plan until the very end.
Yeomyeong let out a bitter smile he had been holding in and looked down the stairs.
If what the Western Count Palatine said was true, then the horse-head who had already descended must be stuck at the entrance of the armory, unable to proceed.
“…What should we do?”
In the meantime, Seti, still pressing the Western Count Palatine, asked. Yeomyeong shook his sword and responded.
“There’s nothing more to get. Let’s get rid of him.”
“What? Wait! Without me, you won’t be able to get into the—!”
Just as the Western Count Palatine’ was about to continue protesting, Seti snapped his neck and… thud, he collapsed like a wooden puppet.
Having dealt with the Western Count Palatine, the group was about to descend the stairs when Neti, who had been watching in silence, asked.
“…Is it really okay if we don’t know the armory password?”
Instead of answering, Yeomyeong pulled out the Golden Seal from his pocket and waved it.
A magic item that could open any lock in the world.
That gesture was far more convincing than a hundred words, but Neti, still puzzled, asked.
“Uh… what is that?”
* * *
Duncan couldn’t shake the feeling that something had gone wrong.
He had been full of dreams when he gathered his subordinates and descended into the western sewer.
He dreamed of finding the secret vault in the sewers, making a hefty profit, and returning to the Magic Tower with the Arcane Relic from the former Magic Tower Master.
However, what he actually greeted him when he entered the sewer was far from his dreams.
Bodies of unidentifiable pig-headed creatures, the stinging smell of gunpowder, and the dregs scurrying around in the sewer.
And among all these problems, the biggest issue was still the age old one: people. In this city, people were always the problem.
“Boss, uh… let’s just retreat. I don’t think this is something we should get involved in.”
One of Duncan’s subordinates spoke up when angry shouts and screaming echoed from the other side of the sewer.
Even an ordinary person, who couldn’t sense mana, could tell that the situation was a complete mess.
Duncan wasn’t unaware of the problem, but he couldn’t bring himself to suggest they leave the sewer.
Not long ago, his organization had fallen into decline after an attack by an unknown assailant that left him with broken arms and legs, causing his wealth to shrink even further as a result.
If they were to retreat without making any gains, he couldn’t predict how far they’d fall.
Drunk on greed, false hope, and the stubbornness of a person pushed to the edge, he shouted.
“Shut up and just locate the vault! What’s there to worry about when you have me?”
His subordinates hesitated but reluctantly obeyed his command because the mage before them was far more terrifying than the screams coming from the other side.
However, it didn’t take long for Duncan to realize that his judgment had been wrong.
“Huh? What’s that sound?”
The subordinate who was inspecting the sewer from a distance heard countless footsteps.
Squelch, squelch. And surprisingly, the sound of footsteps in the sewer water followed a regular pattern.
“Boss! Some strange figures are coming this w—!”
Feeling uneasy, just as the subordinate was about to call for help, the relaxed footsteps suddenly turned into the sound of running.
Thud, thud, thud! It sounded like thousands of rats were moving at once.
The subordinate turned in alarm, but it was already too late because a blade shot out from the darkness and dug deep into his neck.
- Squeak! Squeak! Kill them all! Kill them all!
- Revolution! It’s the time of revolution!!
- Ura! Ura!!!
The last thing that flashed before the collapsing subordinate’s eyes, as he foamed at the mouth was the sight of Rat Beastfolks flooding the sewer.
For some fun trivia, google March 5, 1953
Footnotes
- 1. Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913 – April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 until his resignation in 1974.