Bandages were important. Especially for warriors who used martial arts.
This was because they used them to secure their wrists, something incredibly important to do.
Of course, they weren’t as good as wrist guards made of state-of-the-art materials, but they were still better than other wrappings.
Kuk.
Leo carefully bandaged both of his arms, ensuring that they were tight and secure.
Seeing this, Gerard smiled.
“Are you going to fight me with your bare hands? I thought you might have gotten hold of some good equipment, but it seems that wasn’t the case.”
“I don’t intend to rely on equipment. For a warrior, the body is the greatest weapon.
“Haha. Is that some kind of eastern philosophy? I’m not sure I can agree with that.”
Gerard drew his sword.
As he held it in front of him, white energy began billowing around the blade of the sword.
Sword Ki. This was a type of power that could only be utilised by First class Swordsmen who were close to reaching the stage of Master.
Leo’s expression hardened slightly.
He could see it for himself. Just how good of a hunter Gerard was.
“You’re right-handed. So in remembrance of the old days, I’ll only cut off your left arm.”
This cruel murmur was said so quietly that only Leo was able to hear him.
From his tone, Leo knew that Gerard was serious.
But it didn’t intimidate or frighten him.
Instead, he was grateful. After all, those words had just given him a hint for how to fight.
Gerard was extremely prideful. After declaring that he would cut off his left arm, it was clear that he would keep his word.
This meant that at a critical moment, he was more likely to aim for Leo’s left arm.
Now that he knew this, he would be able to avoid the crisis to an extent.
‘I have to avoid head-on confrontations.’
While thinking this, Leo took a stance.
He knew that he had no chance of winning if he used the martial arts or subsidiary techniques he learned.
‘Warrior King Fist.’
But there was a chance to win if he used the technique his master had taught him.
Leo took a deep breath.
[This duel will be officiated by Matthew Costa, and it will be stopped if I feel it has ended. Keep in mind that the two duelists must agree to the fight clauses.]
They heard the voice of the referee, Matthew Costa. He was in a room beside the duel ground, which was separated by a glass wall.
Leo and Gerard just nodded because there was no way he would hear their voices unless they shouted loudly.
[Then the duel can begin.]
* * *
The portal management room.
This was a room created for the management and maintenance of the portal and could be found in every branch.
People might think that simply opening and closing the portal was not an important job, but that was not true. If they allowed entry to those who weren’t their allies, it could cause their enemies to attack from within the base.
Therefore, the ones who were allowed to work in the portal management room were those who the administration had complete trust in.
“They would never have expected even until the moment they died.”
Du Dangpae couldn’t help but have this thought as he looked down at the corpses with a stiff expression.
They were human corpses, not Demons. And they had been killed by none other than him.
‘I killed my own kind.’
As soon as he thought this, he couldn’t help but feel strange, like animal blood had been spilled all over his spotless white shirt.
Although they were of different nationalities and races, they were still comrades who once fought against the enemy known as Demons. It could not be denied that they were allies.
More importantly, most of the humans here were civilians.
Nevertheless, he had not shown them any mercy.
What did they think as they died?
Du Dangpae had deliberately revealed himself to them just before they died. And he watched as their eyes widened in shock.
These poor people would never have expected to die at the hands of a fellow human.
When he recalled the fear and disbelief in their eyes, a thrill of pleasure once again surged through his body.
Nevertheless, while he enjoyed their reactions, he didn’t allow them to raise the alarm. This mass assassination had occurred silently.
After all, with even the control room under their control, the situation in the Russian Headquarters remained as calm as usual.
They would never know that the dozens of people in the control and portal management rooms had all been exterminated.
Du Dangpae manipulated the portal’s control panel.
Jing-
When he was done, the portals of the East Asia Branch headquarters and the European Branch headquarters were connected.
Now, when the order was given, the portal would be triggered and hundreds of selected hunters from East Asia would appear in this base.
Woowoong-
Just as he had that thought, he felt a vibration in his ring.
He was wearing one of a pair of couple rings, and if ki was injected into one, the other would vibrate.
The range was short, and it was impossible to communicate outside of the vibrations, but it was good enough for situations like this one.
Before opening the portal, Du Dangpae took a deep breath.
“…hoo.”
If he opened this portal, this base would become a mess. It was impossible to tell just how many people would die.
And it would not be a fight against the Demons but against fellow humans. The defeated side and the victorious side would end up with numerous scars without gaining anything.
There would be countless people who died for nothing.
He could already smell the heavy scent of blood.
He could also feel his heart pounding. But it wasn’t anxiety or fear.
With a smile, Du Dangpae opened the portal.
* * *
Lukas now knew the role of those who came to this base.
“Keeeek!”
Otsuru’s face looked hideous.
Blood vessels stuck out from his face, and he grit his teeth so hard that his gums bled. The voice that came from his throat didn’t sound human.
Half Demon(1) Otsuru.
He didn’t get this title because one of his parents was a Yokai.
Yokai energy.
Yokai energy was something that appeared only in Japan. And without sufficient willpower, one wouldn’t be able to control this power.
Otsuru had probably accepted the yokai energy on his own. Perhaps he obtained the cells of a great yokai and transplanted them into himself, or maybe he ate its heart. (TL: Author didn’t explain what ‘yokai’ is in this sense. Or whether they are related to the ‘demons’ or not.)
However, as a result of this, Otsuru had failed to truly make the yokai energy his own.
Crack.
“…kuk!”
Lukas stepped on Otsuru’s chest, destroying his heart.
Red blood spurted from Otsuru’s mouth, quickly forming a puddle on the floor.
His irritation didn’t subside.
He felt that if he was pushed further, he wouldn’t just end at killing Otsuru or the intruders but every human in this world.
“Hoo…”
He couldn’t do that.
Lukas forced himself to calm down.
The images of Min Ha-rin and Leo Freeman came to his mind at that moment.
“…”
His raging emotions calmed down a little.
It was then.
Kiki-ki-
Otsuru got up from the ground.
This was impossible. His life had already ended.
His heart had been destroyed, and there was no living being who could have survived without a heart.
However, his movements were unstable.
There was a strange, creepy feeling as if he was a broken doll that was forcibly being made to rise.
Otsuru’s mouth then opened.
“It seems you didn’t like my greeting, madman.”
His voice came out stiffly. But it wasn’t the voice that Lukas paid attention to.
Madman.
There were very few beings in this universe who knew that title. And it was obvious who among them was capable of controlling Otsuru.
“Nodiesop.”
“That’s right.”
He nodded before looking down at himself.
He could tell just by looking at the traces. Otsuru had been killed cleanly. There wasn’t even the slightest trace of hesitation in Lukas’ actions.
“I’m surprised. I heard that you were an Absolute who loved humans. But you’re far less merciful than I expected.”
“This universe has the law of reincarnation. Since I didn’t kill his soul, this can’t be considered harsh.”
“I see. So that’s what you were thinking.”
Whether he would kill humans or not. And, if he did, whether he would hesitate.
Those were probably some of the things Nodiesop wanted to find out.
“Nevertheless, I thought you’d be more tolerant considering the fact that you consider yourself the saviour of humanity.”
“Enough of your bullshit, Nodiesop. I’m not in a good mood right now. So tell me why you dared to show your face.”
Nodiesop didn’t seem affected by Lukas’ harsh tone.
“Originally, I wasn’t going to show myself this soon either.”
It was true.
He never intended to reveal himself to Lukas until the right time came. He didn’t even want to give him the slightest hint of his existence.
But the situation has changed.
“A meeting is being held.”
“…what?”
“A four… no, three-party discussion.”
Lukas’ brows furrowed at Nodiesop’s unexpected words.
“Who are these three parties?”
“You’ll naturally find out when you come.”
Shuk.
At that moment, a small rippled appeared in the air, which then split open to reveal a portal.
No. It was a much more sophisticated power than a portal. It was much closer to the space time movement that the Demigods used in the past.
An ability that only transcendent beings would be able to use.
“You want me to go in there?”
“Right.”
Ha. It was so kind of him to open a passage for him.
It was ridiculously beyond suspicious. Lukas almost let out a laugh.
Naturally, he thought it was a trap, but he couldn’t help but think that Nodiesop’s attitude was a bit strange.
As if he’d read Lukas’ thoughts, Nodiesop spoke.
“It doesn’t matter if you don’t come. No, in all honesty, I’d be happy if you didn’t come. But if you miss this opportunity, you will probably regret it.”
“…says who?”
[Me.]
The answer came from behind him.
Lukas could not hide his shock.
The surge in his emotions was so sudden that he could not hide it.
This was natural.
‘This voice…’
No. In a sense, it couldn’t be said that he’d heard the voice. Instead, it was as though the speaker had imprinted the words directly into his head.
Lukas turned around.
Then, he became speechless.
Standing there was a being with a body that seemed to be made of light. Overall, the shape was that of a human, but they had no features or hair on their body.
Moreover, the body was so perfect that it appeared to have been sculpted by a master who poured his soul into his creation for numerous years.
Lukas looked at this being with a complicated expression on his face. He couldn’t remember how long it had been since his emotions had fluctuated so much.
[Long time no see. How long has it been since we last met?]
“…it’s already been too long to count.”
[Huhu.]
God chuckled.
The being who was the one and only creator of the multiverse.
Lukas was surprised.
This was his third time meeting God. Or, to be more precise, after he had become an Absolute and began saving humans in countless worlds, God never appeared before him.
Of course, this wasn’t strange, but Lukas couldn’t help but feel a bit puzzled. He thought they would at least meet again after he’d completed his first mission.
[I told you. I’m always busy.]
God spoke, reading Lukas’ thoughts.
It had been a long time since Lukas had this feeling. With his current strength, even the Rulers were unable to read his mind.
God’s small performance proved that it was really him.
He was still a crafty guy.
God laughed for a moment as he read that thought as well.
[But I have been paying attention to your actions. It’s been very interesting. Few Absolutes have risen as fast as you.]
“I don’t think you came here just to compliment me.”
[Of course not. Four Absolutes have entered this universe at this point. I’m here to explain a small advantage that is applicable to you.”
“…advantage?”
[More importantly, Lukas Trowman, I have special advice for you.]
“…”
It wasn’t a trap.
He could be certain that God wouldn’t join hands with Nodiesop just to deal with him.
And Lukas knew that if he missed this opportunity, he would never be able to know about the small advantage he had or hear the advice.
“How long will it take?”
[Well…]
Could he not tell?
Lukas felt conflicted.
His biggest issue was the current situation in the base. And what was about to happen.
If he went with them, all of the European hunters, including Nina, might be wiped out by the time he returned.
“…”
After thinking for a moment, Lukas opened his mouth.
(Note:
1. This is referring to Yokai instead of the ‘Demons’, but ‘Half Yokai’ sounded strange, so I put ‘half demon’ instead. I mistranslated this before because the author simply put ‘half-yo’ so I took it as a name ‘Banyo’, ‘ban’ naturally being ‘half’. But this time they added hanzi so I realised it was a title instead.)