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Sergey was confident that he would be the first to register as an Awakened. Although the association had instructed them to refrain from any activities until the registration date, he couldn’t just suck on his fingers at home and do nothing. It was entirely possible that someone would beat it to him to get registered first.
The world was changing at an unprecedented speed. The Stage of Advent gave him unprecedented strength, so now it was time for him to claim the authority he was entitled to. He first contacted the Kremlin. Despite the presence of others who had similar motives there, he was eventually hired due to his previous experiences and successes in his career.
He heard a shocking story while being dispatched to London with the Minister of Finance. It was about the existence of a secret organization that deserved to be called the world’s government and the leader who controlled them. The hands of only one guy controlled the entire world.
“Keep your posture straight in front of him. You and I are going there on behalf of our President and Russia.”
“Ugh, okay, okay.”
“I’m warning you not to be overconfident just because you have a superpower.”
“Just because?”
“No, w…what I meant was… to look at his subordinates closely. You said that the leaders of the association are different from you guys.”
“Watch your mouth before I tear it apart.”
“...Sorry.”
“The King of Hell and the Plague Monster might have been under him, but is that still the case now? You don’t know anything about us, the Awakened. If what you mentioned is true and he once controlled the King of Hell and Plague Monster… Heh, heh. He will have to watch his back. Ah, that might be why.”
“What is?”
“The reason why the King of Hell and the Plague Monster didn’t appear in public so far. Both of them might be aiming for his head at the same time. Listen to me carefully. It’s Odin, not him, that you should hug onto.”
“Every Awakened I talk to is really afraid of Odin. Even people like you. Can you tell me more about the Stage of Advent?”
“It’s not your turn to ask yet. Tell me more about him. The club owner. Even if he is not an Awakened, he shouldn’t be underestimated as he has such a position. He could come out while being accompanied by guys like me. I need more information to figure out his weaknesses and control him the way I want.”
“...”
“Why? Is there any problem? Oh, you still haven’t grasped what’s going on even though I told you this much. His world is over. Club? That’s ridiculous. It’s now the World Awakened Association’s era. Soon, Odin and the Awakened will arrive.”
“The club and association have different names, but when it comes to the leadership…”
“How many times do I tell you? That’s an old story.”
“Okay, okay. But do as I say until the world you speak of comes. If you don’t promise me, then I can’t take you.”
“Ah, you are quite hard to deal with. You are really scared, but that’s a different matter. Answer my question.”
“Only the President knows about him.”
“Oh, so you don’t know anything? You talked like you know a lot about the club, but I guess you are not as great as you think, right?”
“Promise me you will only watch quietly with your companion. You definitely don’t want to miss this chance, right?”
That was correct. They claimed that it was an emergency meeting where capital forces from around the world gathered. He could receive a mission unexpectedly, and it might be to prevent any situations that could be caused by the other Awakened, not to subtly threaten the club’s owner.
To the Russian government, the club’s owner was irresistible like the leader of the Awakened ‘Odin.’ Until then, Sergey belittled the Russian government. Of course, he agreed that they possessed vast financial power and the authority of the person who relished such enormous wealth.
However, he witnessed an absolute deity that transcended any civilization created by mankind at the last moment of the Stage of Advent. But what the hell was going on here?
“I… I, I see you… O… Odin…” he stuttered.
Sergey’s balance collapsed without even realizing it.
“Are you gathering the Awakened from Russia?”
Sergey closed his eyes tightly. It was not just his voice, but also his face was also Odin’s. Sergey looked at the Minister of Finance he accompanied with a pale face. He asked for help with a desperate and sorrowful expression, reflecting a primal urge to survive that he had forgotten for a while.
Say something, you moron!
While Sergey was shouting inside, the Minister of Finance finally opened his mouth.
“It is true that there are Awakened who have contacted our government as Sergey did. However, we are making sure that no one is trying to circumvent the club’s authority with them as we have not received any updates from the club. So far we have only used their services in circumstances that mandate security, such as the current situation…”
The Minister of Finance immediately stopped talking as if he had realized his crucial mistake. Then, he introduced himself with a sincere apology, “It’s… an honor to meet you. I’m Egor Borbiyev. Vladimir wanted to express his apologies that he couldn’t attend in person.”
Sergey couldn’t bear to raise his head, so he listened to Odin’s voice while looking at the floor. His fate could be determined within the blink of an eye. If he had known that Odin was the owner of the club, then he wouldn’t have come even if they had given him Vladimir’s position!
At that time, he heard the Minister of Finance telling him to go out. He ascended into bliss as he scurried away, feeling as if those words had come from heaven.
***
Meanwhile, at the State Council of the People’s Republic of China…
The paramount leader of China was ready, having finalized the constitutional amendment prior to the Day of Advent. This amendment eliminated the term limit for the paramount leader of the People’s Republic of China, solidifying his permanent hold on power.
The U.S. President begrudgingly accepted this and even said, “The Chinese leader is now called the ‘President for life.’ He was able to do it, and it’s a great achievement. It’s something our nation should try too.”
Reflecting on the past years was incredibly harsh.
The Stage of Advent was often referred to as the ‘Battlefield of Hell’ by Awakened, but for him, his childhood after his father was labeled as anti-party was a sequence of hellish experiences.
One of his sisters had committed suicide because she couldn’t overcome the scarlet letter of being a traitor’s daughter, but it wasn’t the case for him. He had fought the evils who had called his family and him traitors. Finally, the kid who had lived a more miserable life than a beggar triumphed over oppression and became the absolute leader of China.
However, there couldn’t be two emperors in the world. The club had taken out their knife as if they had reached the same conclusion as him. He expected that this day would come, but the timing was unexpected as the world had just defeated the invasion from alien monsters.
It was a time for stability not only for China but also for the entire world. The population needed to reconstruct the destroyed cities and ready themselves for the possibility of another economic downturn. The club’s true intention was clear as they took these measures, not just to contain Awakened in bronze, silver, and gold sections, but also to curb China’s growing power.
The paramount leader of China was certain that they wouldn’t lift economic sanctions even though China had released the detained Awakened.
“Are you okay?”
He looked at the person asking the question. This guy was the one who had insisted that the Awakened shouldn’t be confined, but he had also taken the lead when it began.
His name was Zheng Zhi. Despite his low status as a third-class sergeant in the Ministry of Public Security, he could now meet the paramount leader in person because his eyes glowed red in the dark. They were the red eyes of the Awakened. In fact, the paramount leader had actually turned off all the lights in his office as he wanted to see those eyes properly.
“Go ahead.”
Zheng Zhi explained, “We thought that he had died while he confronted Doom Dejire. Therefore, we carried out the quest to assassinate Mary. Most of the Awakened, excluding his allies and confidants, took up the challenge. However, it turned out he was not dead.”
Zheng Zhi continued on, and he ended with the reason why he had been able to get out alive.
“I was in the main attack squad of the Lord of Heaven. If I ran a separate offensive team like the other low-level ones, then I wouldn’t have been able to see you here.”
The paramount leader nodded slightly. “That is a relief.”
“...Sir. This is a matter of life and death to me.”
He soothed the fidgety man, “Don’t worry. We won’t give up on you as long as you stay in China. Also, I pay tribute to your decision on supporting China. Go to the General Inspector of Public Security. Your current status is too shabby.”
The man responded gratefully, “Thank you.”
“Turn on the light on your way out.”
“Yes, sir.”
The light turned on, and the leader’s flushed face was revealed.
The problem wasn’t the economic sanctions. The entire world had closed its doors to China, but the consequences were not limited to just China. Soon, the global community would understand the cost of cutting off relations with them.
The paramount leader turned on his computer and checked the videos. Even those who were called ‘idiots’ among the Awakened had an unbelievable power equivalent to the alien monsters. Zheng Zhi stated that the protective barrier generated by items enabled them to withstand being hit by firearms. He also claimed that their Strength allowed them to crush soldiers’ skulls and demolish structures and that their skills created flames and mysterious beings that fought for them.
Even those who were ridiculed among the Awakened were superhumans… It was difficult for him to calculate how transcendent Odin’s abilities were just from hearing Zheng Zhi’s explanation.
That was why he didn’t enter the bunker even though his subordinates had begged him to. All the Awakened he talked to said that no matter where he was, he wouldn’t be able to avoid Odin.
In other words, even if he hired the executives of the association such as Mary, the King of Hell, and Osiris as bodyguards, none of them would be able to stop Odin. They all agreed that Odin was undefeatable even if the entire population of the Awakened cooperated together.
Odin… He wondered if they could call such a being a human. There was a gunless war over the actual authority of the world with the club, but everything would ultimately be determined by Odin’s desires regardless of victory or defeat.
The paramount leader then became preoccupied as he was curious why Odin didn’t dominate the world with physical force. After all, he would have done it if he was him.
Did the slogan of the World Awakened Association open a new era and the peace of mankind?
It’s hilarious, but maybe… Odin sincerely wanted that.
Right then, the Minister of Finance rushed in. Then, he told him that the global stock markets, except for China, were rising together.
The paramount leader banged down on the desk and shouted, “That’s different from what you said would happen!”