Chapter 308: Episode 308

“You petty bastarrrrrrrd!”

With her face burning bright red, she began furiously hurling the tissues and newspapers scattered on the table at me. I half-heartedly feigned being in pain, curling my body up to dodge the barrage.

Meanwhile, Phil, who was still sitting right between us, let out a bewildered laugh. “…You two weren’t actually about to fight to the death earlier, were you?”

“Nope. We were just joking around.”

“Shut up! This time it’s not a joke, I’m really going to kill you!”

She sprang to her feet and aggressively rolled up her sleeves. Whether she actually meant it or not, I casually rested both my arms on the backrest of the sofa and looked up at her.

“I’m not done talking yet. I told you I wasn’t just bringing bad news, right? If you abandon the war with the East African Front and cooperate fully with the raid team, I will maintain the Field Magic across all of Egypt, entirely free of charge, for ten years. How about it?”

“T-ten years?” Stopping abruptly, she quickly sat back down and crossed her arms tightly.

I could practically see the gears turning in her head as she weighed the political benefits of conquering Tanzania against the sheer, astronomical expense required for ten years of nationwide Field Magic.

After about ten minutes of agonizing over it in total silence, clutching her head as if it might split open, she shot a sharp sideways glance in my direction. “…You aren’t bullshitting me, right?”

“Have you ever seen me go back on my word?”

She covered her face with her palms and sighed heavily. “Ugh, so annoying…”

It was a de facto confirmation.

“You wouldn’t have gotten a damn thing out of fighting me anyway, so why’d you lose your temper?” I teased.

“Shut up!”

Watching the two of us bicker, Phil chuckled softly. “Seeing you like this, you look like genuine, real-life friends. Haha!”

He’d hit the nail right on the head.

*

Anyway, things had worked out remarkably well with Han Yoonjeong.

The Pharaoh’s participation in the vanguard was confirmed, and depending on how I set the board moving forward, I might be able to rope in the Gravekeepers as additional firepower.

Africa was now on our side.

Moreover, Secretary General Phil had also committed to actively pushing my raid team proposal. Soon, there would be a summit of certified rank-1 hunters hosted at the Coalition level, followed by an emergency meeting of the association presidents of every nation.

Now for the other regions.

From my perspective, there were still a few countries that were in total disarray.

Specifically, the West Asian Alliance. In the Middle East, excluding Saudi Arabia—which boasted incredibly robust economic power—countries like Yemen, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Iran, and Iraq were nations that had been tragically slow to transition into a hunter-based defense system.

Unable to fend off the constant monster attacks, their citizens had become refugees, scattering across the globe. This left these nations in a desperate position where they were blindly clinging to the Coalition’s hunter dispatches without any long-term countermeasures of their own.

But at some point, massive external capitalists had swooped in, buying up the ruined infrastructure of these West Asian countries and exerting substantial, shadow-government influence over them.

Their true identity was none other than GOT—the main culprits behind the infamous cold medicine incident.

Despite severe warnings from the international community, the West Asian nations ultimately turned their backs on the World Coalition and willingly joined hands with GOT.

Retaliation from the globe’s superpowers swiftly followed. High-intensity economic sanctions were an absolute given, and even the Coalition’s critical hunter dispatches were abruptly cut off to starve them out.

Netizens all over the world pointed fingers at the West Asian Alliance countries, branding them as turncoats who had surrendered their humanity to the demonkins. Every geopolitical analyst predicted they would be utterly ruined before long.

However, as if to prove everyone wrong, the rift outbreaks across the Middle East drastically decreased.

As the monsters mysteriously disappeared, the refugees began to return, the domestic economies miraculously revived, and the fractured countries slowly began to function once more.

GOT’s deep-pocketed capitalists rapidly armed these nations by buying up ownerless, cutting-edge weaponry from the Suez Defense Line at bargain-bin prices. They even went as far as to aggressively recruit well-known global hunters, establishing a formidable hunter system perfectly prepared for battles against high-rank monsters.

Meanwhile, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia—the only nation in West Asia that had been holding out well without GOT’s blood money—grew incredibly tense at the rapid, unnatural development of its neighboring countries.

Then, change arrived in a flash of violence. The King of Saudi Arabia and key political figures who had maintained a hardline stance against the demonkins were assassinated in a brutal terrorist attack.

Starting from that day, numerous internal conflicts erupted across the kingdom, ultimately culminating in a total regime change. Shortly after, Saudi Arabia announced its official withdrawal from the Coalition and accepted GOT’s capital.

Naturally, Saudi Arabia instantly began to reap the benefits of having their rift outbreaks perfectly managed across its entire territory.

This startling movement in the Middle East blew a new wind of change across the globe. Especially in developing countries facing severe financial difficulties, there were rising instances where the citizens themselves rioted, violently demanding their governments open negotiations with GOT.

Unsurprisingly, the international community, spearheaded by the Coalition and M10, strongly condemned any country that dared to join hands with GOT.

British Prime Minister Peter fiercely criticizes: “Joining hands with demonkins is willingly surrendering one’s own humanity.”

U.S. expresses “deep dismay,” considering additional sweeping economic sanctions.

Yet, despite the fiery criticism from these powerful nations, the stance of West Asia and the allied developing countries remained resolute.

Their netizens were no different, flooding the internet with a single, unarguable sentiment.

-You ignored us when we begged for help, so why do you care now that we’re finding our own way to survive?

“My wife and children are about to be slaughtered by monsters right now. I’d rather take the hand of a demonkin than rely on the Coalition while they just run their mouths from afar.”

“What has the Coalition even accomplished in the Middle East?”

“Starving to death or making a deal with the devil—it’s all the same in the end.”

While debates raged across the internet, the Coalition and the M10 prepared a massive demonkin sweep operation in the Middle East. However, every time they attempted to mobilize, cataclysmic disasters broke out, derailing their plans time and time again.

Experiencing such monumental devastation left even the world’s superpowers reeling. Struggling to pour all their resources into protecting their own citizens, they simply had no room to worry about West Asia.

With the powerful nations constantly delaying their operations and walking on eggshells around each other, it was finally my turn to step up.

Manama, Bahrain.

The capital and administrative center of the nation.

Bahrain was infamous for being the first country in the world to join the GOT line. An island nation in the Middle East, it sat nestled close to Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

After signing a contract with GOT, Bahrain had practically surrendered all governmental authority to the organization. Exploiting the natural geographic defenses of an island, they had locked down the entire country, operating in total, impenetrable isolation.

This was my very first target.

It’s such a massive city, yet I barely see anyone.

Manama was filled with jaw-dropping skyscrapers, but compared to the sheer scale of the architecture, the foot traffic was notably barren. Of course, I already knew the secret of this city. A country that had handed over all its power to GOT, rejected trade, and enforced an aggressive isolationist policy.

It reeked of something foul.

Ea. Are you ready?

-Yes, Tower Master.

I stepped into the shadows of a corner alleyway and opened my briefcase. From the five sub-dimensional pockets inside, a swarm of aerial drones soared into the sky.

“We’re all set over here!” Eunsol’s voice crackled through the comms. “The makeshift communication base station is all clear!”

Okay.

I activated the Wing Golem and launched myself into the air.

The drones, moving under Eunsol’s remote control, circled around me before scattering. Then, they projected glowing holographic screens across the skyline.

“Broadcast status is green!”

From this moment on, the entire world would witness what I was about to do. I roused the mana within my body and extended my right arm.

“Come out, everyone.”

Cheir.

Soma.

Ops.

Cardia.

Four magic circles flared to life and began to rotate. Skillfully, I drew a grand magic circle over my chest, absorbing the seventh-order magic circles directly into my body. Pure blue feathers scattered wildly around me as my clothes shifted, transforming into a sleek blue suit.

“You ready for this, Yusin?” Eunsol asked. “We’re broadcasting simultaneously to over two hundred countries. We are on air!”

The drones began transmitting the feed. My live video fed directly to YouTube and every other channel contracted with Alchemia.

The notification signaling the start of the stream popped up, and I spoke.

“It has been five years. I am Kim Yusin, Master of the Magic Tower.”

The drones circled, illuminating my face from multiple angles. On their holograms, I could see the live viewer count ticking up from zero at a blistering pace. In less than a minute, the audience had already surpassed the thousands.

Among the flood of text, one comment caught my eye.

-Is that the real Kim Yusin?

“Yes, as you can see, it is me. I’ve filmed plenty of recorded videos over the years, but this is my first time hosting a live broadcast like this. Even if I stumble a bit, I ask for your generous understanding.”

I gave a light cough, cleared my throat, and continued.

“I am currently hovering in the skies above Manama, the capital of Bahrain.”

The drones shifted, panning down to illuminate the sprawling metropolis below. High-definition zoom allowed the viewers to closely examine every shadowed corner of the empty streets.

“I have come here to keep a promise I made.”

I snapped my fingers off-screen, and Eunsol immediately triggered a pre-recorded clip.

“From this moment forward, any organization or faction deemed a hindrance to the suppression of the Calamity Nemesis will be considered an enemy of the Magic Tower.”

“Yes. Starting now, the Magic Tower will strike Bahrain. This is a live broadcast of war.”

The reaction was instantaneous and explosive.

The view count skyrocketed insanely, shattering the 200,000 mark in seconds. A tidal wave of chat messages in dozens of languages poured in.

I turned my head to skim the chat window. Given the unfiltered nature of the internet, there were plenty of comments saying This is epic or That’s insane, but there was an equal amount of sheer panic: What gives you the right to declare war? and A live war broadcast? Are you out of your goddamn mind?!

“I know what you all are worried about. Ah, speak of the devil. I have a call coming in.”

Pulling my phone from my pocket, I saw Secretary General Phil’s name flashing on the screen. There was no reason to ignore it. I pressed answer and brought the device to my ear.

“Yes, Secretary General.”

—”Hunter Kim Yusin! What the hell are you doing?!” Phil roared. “Attacking Bahrain?! You didn’t say a word about this to me!”

“I apologize. This is a matter I am handling personally.”

—”Return immediately! I don’t care if you are an officially recognized Rank 1, declaring war on a sovereign nation is a grave threat to the international community!”

“I am simply doing my job, Secretary General. What is the most important role of the World Guild?”

The eradication of demonkins.

The World Guild could exercise the absolute highest level of investigative authority wherever demonkins were present, without needing an ounce of cooperation from the host nation. They even possessed the right of execution, allowing them to kill suspected demonkins on the spot.

Any collateral damage stemming from the apprehension of demonkins was entirely borne by the Coalition and the nation involved. Having been granted such transcendent authority, the World Guild acted as humanity’s ultimate deterrent.

—”I intend to fully exercise the authority granted to me as the World Guild. I’m working right now, so I’ll have to hang up. I’ll call you back later.”

—”W-Wait a minute! Kim Yu—!”

I powered off my phone and shoved it away.

Sure enough, Bahrain had reacted during that brief exchange.

“Looks like they’re finally coming out to play.”

Glass shattered across high-rises and apartment complexes as demonkins, already transformed into grotesque monsters, began to creepily rear their heads. A Basilisk awakened on the railway, and a massive Leviathan stirred in the churning sea, both fixing their murderous glares on me.

The sight of monsters pouring out of the woodwork in a once-quiet city was absolutely horrifying.

The winged, flight-capable demonkins immediately shrieked their fury, launching themselves into the air toward me.

“Take care of the small fry, Eunsol.”

“Got it!”

If they wanted to play a numbers game, so did we. Samia’s warp gate tore open behind me, and a legion of flight-capable Iron Golems flooded out into the open air.

Thirty Iron Golems drew sharp arcs through the sky, mercilessly slashing down the approaching flying monsters.

“Then, I’ll go up a little higher.”

I commanded the Wing Golem to push my altitude. The drone cameras faithfully followed suit. Once I reached a sufficient vantage point, I grasped the Specter slung across my back.

“I prepared a spell in advance. The scale is massive, but its effect is simple.”

To prevent any further geopolitical arguments, I directly showed the drones the intricate composition of the magic circle. Then, I laid the Specter flat and lightly tapped it with my finger.

Vwwm!

The magic circle slipped from the Specter and expanded into the sky, steadily growing larger and more complex.

“The name of this spell is Cancellation. It scatters the bonds of mana, rendering any meaningful magical effects completely useless. In other words…”

Fwooooooosh!

A blinding blue pillar erupted from the magic circle, shooting directly into the heavens. Expanding in size the higher it climbed, Cancellation soon completely pierced the sky over Manama.

“You could call it a total nullification spell.”

The blue light faded away. To the naked eye, there were still no visible changes.

“I will emphasize this once more. All I did was dispel a specific magical cloaking effect that was placed over this city.”

I looked up. The drones tilted their lenses upward as well. A crystal-clear blue sky still stretched out overhead, completely serene.

Countless question marks flooded the chat, but I wasn’t in the slightest rush. With the Deva’s Eye, I could read the true flow of mana.

It’s here.

The blue sky slowly began to splinter and crack as the anomaly known as a ’Rift’ appeared. A single Rift wasn’t exactly a groundbreaking phenomenon to modern people.

But this time, the story was a bit different.

-What is all that?

I had merely used Cancellation, yet the sky was suddenly riddled with holes as well over a hundred Rifts erupted simultaneously.

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