The moment he heard that, Lukas’ heart became cold. It was as though someone had poured water on a raging bonfire.
At that moment, he felt like the thin thread that connected him to Neil Prand snapped.
He looked at Neil.
He’d thought that Neil wasn’t evil. It was just that his beliefs were a bit twisted and his devotion to humanity had deviated.
He’d thought that it wasn’t hopeless. That the twisted beliefs could be corrected, that one day, he would treat every human in the world like he did the Americans.
But now, he wasn’t so sure.
He’d thought that Neil hadn’t changed much, but he was wrong. Neil had changed. He’d become much more extreme and biased than Lukas could have expected.
He wouldn’t just protect North America. He would only protect North America. The difference between the two was beyond description.
It was only after letting go of his guilt when he was able to look at Neil Prand objectively.
He had already grown rotten.
There were no longer any traces of the young, intelligent American boy whom Lukas had saved.
“Do you even need me?”
“What are you talking about?”
“It seems that you’ve already found someone to replace me.”
As if on cue, the faint sound of laughter could be heard from the office. The reception room seemed to be soundproofed, but the laughter was still able to pierce through.
This was proof of just how loudly he was laughing.
“Where did you find that man?”
“I don’t know.”
“What is your connection to him?”
“I can’t say.”
Neil evaded all of his questions.
Lukas moved his head slightly and looked Neil in the eyes.
Neil didn’t avert his gaze, and they remained in that position for a few seconds.
“You can’t control Letip.”
Neil’s expression didn’t change at those words. He remained as unflappable as ever.
But he clenched his fists beneath the desk.
‘As expected.’
He created the Hunter Association. He took the seat as President of the Association. And now, he had become a person who would never have to look up to anyone else.
Neil knew that his position was hundreds of times stronger now than it was when he was younger.
He wasn’t the only one who thought so, either. The hundreds of thousands of hunters in North America could bear witness.
And it wasn’t without results. North America had managed to create a haven with perfect peace and security over the past few decades, and Neil Prand had contributed the most to this.
Nevertheless.
Even though he stood at the pinnacle of humanity, the distance between him and the being in front of him was still unfathomable.
It was as if to say no matter how high he climbed, he would never be higher than the heavens.
“He can’t be called North America’s power. You met him by chance and somehow managed to convince him to stay with you.”
“I’m curious as to why you would be so presumptuous.”
That statement was basically an acknowledgement of Lukas’ words.
Lukas had already known this, but it was better to get confirmation instead of continuing under an assumption. And Neil’s attitude had already given him the confidence to continue.
“If you could make Letip work with you, you wouldn’t have avoided my question. In fact, you would have brought it up even before I asked. To make your deal sound more convincing.”
Or to show off.
In all honesty, Lukas was certain that if Neil had been able to acquire the assistance of a transcendent being as strong as he was, he never would have made an offer in the first place.
“…”
So he was saying that his refusal to answer was admittance?
It was then when Neil realised how tense he was. After all, he would never make such a mistake normally.
Neil nodded.
“We didn’t find him. Letip came to us. He showed up about a week ago in California. And as soon as he arrived, he destroyed the entire area.”
“The damage?”
“No one was hurt or injured because there was no one nearby. Only a few surveillance towers and other buildings were burnt to ashes. After receiving the report, I checked the videos and realised that he was like you.”
Those words made Lukas a bit uncomfortable.
“So you persuaded him?”
“I don’t know. Maybe my persuasion worked. As you said, I can’t control him. However, Letip likes American culture. In all honesty, it’s a bit strange. He seems to fundamentally be the same as you, but unlike you, who’s emotionless, he seems to be true to his desires.”
Letip wandered around as he pleased, ate food he liked, and even slept with women he liked.
This wasn’t a bad thing for Neil since he wanted Letip to have as many connections with this land as possible.
“…”
Lukas had a different thought after hearing Neil’s explanation.
“I’d like to hear your answer now.”
Lukas looked at Neil once again.
Now that he thought about it, he had made a similar offer to him before they separated in the past.
‘Master, become North America’s protector. If you and I work together, we could create the most perfect Anti Demon Barrier. We could make the strongest fortress in the world that would never collapse.’
He had said this with an earnest voice and desperate expression.
And Lukas gave the same answer he’d given to a young Neil Prand.
“I refuse.”
“…”
There was a heavy silence.
Neil’s breath became hitched for a moment. He closed his eyes as if to calm his fluctuating emotions.
Then, with his fists clenched once again, he spoke in a strained voice.
“I see.”
When Neil opened his eyes again, he’d returned to the same unflappable persona from before.
“In that case, our negotiations have come to an end. I will prepare the portal for you, so please leave.”
“Are you really going to do nothing?”
“Yes. I don’t care what happens to Eurasia.”
This was spoken with blunt honesty.
All Neil wanted to do was protect North America and the people who lived here.
“No.”
But Lukas didn’t accept his words.
“You will do everything you said.”
Neil paused and looked at Lukas when he heard that.
“And one more thing: I brought two disciples with me. They are unpolished gemstones, so I’d like for them to experience the curriculum here in America. I’m sure it will be a great help to them.”
Lukas said those words in a casual manner as though he expected them to happen.
Neil’s expression turned cynical.
“I have no obligation to do that.”
“Neil Prand.”
Neil became speechless for a moment as Lukas called him by his full name.
“You should be the human who knows me best in this world.”
“…that’s an unexpected statement.”
He forced himself to respond.
“It’s already been several decades since I traveled across North America with you, and if you were intelligent, you wouldn’t have forgotten.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Do you think I said those words thoughtlessly?”
The table creaked unpleasantly, and Neil shuddered slightly as a strange pressure resonated from Lukas.
“I’m going to get angry.”
The topic changed once again.
Neil felt like he should say something, but his lips felt like they were glued together.
“Maybe it’s because a lot of things happened recently.”
Lukas thought about the European hunters.
Those who fought on the fiercest front and had to risk their lives every day. They knew how difficult their task was, and they knew that it wouldn’t be strange if they were to die the next day.
And yet, they did not shirk away in fear. Instead, they accepted their obligations without giving it.
Each and every one of them was a hero. The hunters in the other regions could be safe because of the European hunters.
“North America might be safe now, but that might not necessarily be the case if Europe disappears. You might be able to prevent the Demon’s invasion now. However, what about 20 or 30 years ago? If Europe had given up fighting or got destroyed earlier, wouldn’t the Demons have crossed the ocean to reach you?”
This wasn’t even an assumption. It was a guarantee.
Lukas knew the Demons’ tendencies.
If they had captured Europe, they would have immediately turned to the humans in Asia and North America.
The other regions were able to recover from the initial attack and build defense lines at the expense of Europe.
In other words, every human in the other regions owed Europe.
“And yet, the European Headquarters has become a mess. Not at the hands of the Demons or Demon Beasts but their fellow humans.”
“Many people were injured or killed.”
Nina Rednikova.
Lukas had saved her when she was only a little girl.
He’d found the little girl in the ruins of a city, and she’d always looked up to him like he was her saviour.
Lukas taught and told her many things. And many of the things he taught her were legends of humanity.
He’d wanted her to be proud. He’d wanted her to know just how amazing humans were. And to do that, he told her stories of the many human heroes he encountered in his journeys around the multiverse.
When Nina heard these stories about heroes, she always became excited as one would expect a child to be.
Then she would confidently say that she would be the same one day.
Every time she said this, little Nina’s eyes lit up like the stars in the sky. She’d wanted to change the world, drive the Demons away, and restore peace.
And now, Nina, who’d gotten her eyes gouged out by her own kind, sobbed bitterly and said, ‘I hate humans more than the Demons’.
“Does it look like I have no emotions?”
Anger finally appeared in Lukas’ voice.
This was Neil’s biggest mistake.
Lukas’ emotions had been worn away over time, but they were still there.
“You made a deal with the Demons. You committed an act that was no different from selling your own people, and that’s not all. I’m certain that you were the one who sent Vaches Bondarenko, one of the bosses of the Red Mafia, after me. And I can guess why. You probably heard that I killed the Demon Duke. And you wondered whether I could kill not just the Demons but also humans.”
As Lukas continued to speak, Neil’s expression slowly grew paler.
He was a hunter who stood at the pinnacle of humanity, but he knew he couldn’t afford to anger the being in front of him.
Moreover, Lukas was right.
Neil knew that Lukas couldn’t use his power recklessly.
That’s why he’d been confused. He’d heard of the great hunter escape in Europe. And that the escape involved the death of a Demon Duke.
It wasn’t hard for him to learn of the death of the Demon Duke.
Because the Demon who died was none other than Duke Sandro… the one who had been doing business with North America in the shadows.
But it was impossible for those hunters to kill Duke Sandro, even for Lee Jong-hak, who was the strongest among them.
So Neil dug into the information of all of the hunters who escaped and soon learned that Lukas had been a part of it.
If it was the Lukas Neil knew, then he could definitely kill a Duke.
That fact made his heart shake.
As far as Neil knew, Lukas’ strength was restricted. And he knew it was true because he had personally seen Lukas sit on the sidelines while countless humans died.
And yet, Lukas had killed a Demon Duke.
Anxiety surged in Neil’s heart.
Were his restrictions gone?
Was it possible that he could now use his incredible power as he pleased?
After having this thought, Neil immediately used his connections in Europe to hire Vaches Bondarenko.
He thought that the rough and powerful mafia would be able to provoke Lukas. And by looking at how he dealt with Vaches, he would be able to get a clue.
Everything Lukas said was right.
Neil had wanted to know if this being in front of him could not only kill Demons but humans as well.
“You have a biased perspective, but I still thought that you were a necessary talent for humanity. In fact, you showed even more potential than I initially anticipated. But if you were to turn your back on your own kind, then those facts would no longer matter. Because I would not see you as a human anymore.”
The anger in Lukas’ voice was clear.
“And I don’t hesitate to kill such people.”