Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (2)
TL: Boko
The U.S. President, Aiden, promised to treat Sung Joon like a state guest. Sung Joon realized that it wasn’t just lip service.
Sung Joon was inspected by the honor guard and entered a luxurious sedan, which travelled to a heliport. There, Sung Joon and Aiden entered the president’s personal helicopter, ‘Marine One’ and flew to the conferment ceremonial hall. A formation of attack helicopters protected them along the way.
“We’ve arrived.”
A bodyguard disembarked first and made sure it was safe. Then, Aiden and Sung Joon got off the helicopter. Leia was accompanying them on account of being bored.
The conferment ceremonial hall was so close that they could get there on foot. But because he was with the President of the United States, security was tight.
There were several people at the conferment ceremonial hall. He thought it’d be chaotic, but it was surprisingly quite orderly. Everyone was excited to see Sung Joon and the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“I have some other things to take care of, so I’ll take my leave. Jennifer will guide you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”
Aiden left with his attendants, as he had to prepare for the conferment ceremony.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon!” a familiar voice said, and they approached him. He turned his head and saw Idun.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in New York?”
“I wanted to thank you, so I came to guard the ‘Righteous Shield’. There are two other S-rank Hunters here to increase security.”
The ‘Righteous Shield’ was a rare SS-rank item in his past world. Someone could try stealing it, so S-rank Hunters were required to defend it.
“Thank you again. Our members weren’t hurt very much because of you.”
Idun bowed his head. Sung Joon was an SS-rank Healer Hunter, so his ‘Heal’ was incredibly powerful. Because of that, the Special Task Force’s casualties in New York was minimized. That was what Idun was thanking him for.
Sung Joon was a Healer with exceptional combat abilities, so he would always minimize the casualties of his fellow Hunters.
“The conferment ceremony will begin soon. You should get going now.”
He had been so busy talking with Idun that he hadn’t noticed the time. Jennifer checked her watch and urged him to go.
“Then I’ll get going now.”
Idun quickly returned to his post. He couldn’t leave his station for very long, since his mission was to guard the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“Let us go.”
“I understand,” Sung Joon replied, and followed Jennifer.
“We don’t have to do a rehearsal or something?” Sung Joon asked. The conferment ceremony was huge, so he thought they’d have a rehearsal, but Jennifer shook her head.
“They’ve already rehearsed.”
“Is that so? I didn’t participate. Is that ok?”
“Where you have to go is quite straightforward, so you didn’t need to participate. And the workers are going to guide you with a microphone.”
Jennifer, who was finished explaining, took out a radio with a microphone attached to it. It wasn’t hard to wear.
Sung Joon put the microphone into his ear. He had a drink in the waiting room and waited for the conferment ceremony to begin.
“I’ll go scout around.”
There were attendants inside the waiting room, including Jennifer. Therefore, Rishubalt wasn’t able to converse with Sung Joon.
Rishubalt must have been bored, as he volunteered to go and scout. While he was out scouting, Leia returned to the waiting room. She had probably loitered around the conferment ceremonial hall and had gotten bored.
“I’m bored.”
She quietly sat beside Sung Joon and began fiddling with her smartphone.
‘Rishubalt’s late.’
One hour passed. He should’ve been back by now if he was just scouting. He wasn’t concerned as Rishubalt was currently in his spirit form, but thought that perhaps something had gone wrong.
A short while later, Rishubalt returned with a dark expression.
“My lord. There was several Hunters around the conferment ceremonial hall that I believe to be ‘enemies’.”
“Leia.”
He could trust Rishubalt. Sung Joon called Leia. Leia, who had been busy with her smartphone, looked up at Sung Joon.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you feel that strange mana?”
“Not really?”
Leia shook her head. Although she was the world’s sole SSS-rank Hunter, she couldn’t always sense the presence of mana from afar.
“Two kilometers to the north. And three kilometers to the east. Several people are gathering there. I’ll find the exact coordinates.”
Rishubalt was quick on the uptake. He knew that Sung Joon couldn’t give him any orders right now, so he predicted his orders and acted accordingly.
Befitting a loyal aide that served him in his past life, his predications were never off.
Rishubalt gave him the coordinates, and Sung Joon relayed said coordinates to both Jennifer and Leia.
Leia closed her eyes and concentrated so that she could sense them. Jennifer raised her radio and tried to find out whether Central Hunter Bureau troops were stationed at the coordinates.
“Yeah. You’re right. Hunters have gathered over there.”
Leia confirmed that Hunters had indeed gathered at said coordinates. They were quite far away, but befitting an SSS-rank Mage Hunter, she could sense their mana reactions without much difficulty when she concentrated.
“I’ve confirmed that it’s not the assembly place for reserve troops. The Hunters that have gathered there are not a part of the U.S. government.”
Jennifer checked one last time. Those Hunters weren’t connected to the U.S. government, and they also hadn’t been asked to help. In other words, they were ‘uninvited guests’.
“I heard they checked everything within five kilometers... How did they get in...”
Jennifer muttered to herself and reported the situation to the Central Hunter Bureau. A short while later, the citizens participating in the conferment ceremony were taken to safety by the police. At the same time, the Central Hunter Bureau’s reserve troops were mobilized.
The unknown force realized that they’d been discovered and began their operation.
Kwang!
The sound of an explosion could be heard nearby. At the same time, Sung Joon sensed killing intent everywhere. The door to the waiting room opened and one of the bodyguards rushed in.
“What’s the situation?”
“The west and south areas are being attacked!”
Jennifer asked, and the bodyguard replied. Rishubalt hadn’t been able to scout those areas, but it seems like the enemy had forces close by.
“Didn’t you say you checked everything within five kilometers? What’s going on!?”
Jennifer pressed the Central Hunter Bureau worker. The worker bowed their head and said.
“I think we have a traitor in our midst. It has to be one of the higher ups.”
There were several organizations that were connected to the conferment ceremony, like the CIA or the Central Hunter Bureau. They protected everything within a five kilometer radius.
This couldn’t happen, unless one of the head honchos had betrayed them.
“What happened to the ‘Righteous Shield’?” Sung Joon asked. The enemy was definitely aiming for the SS-rank item, the Righteous Shield.
“It’s in the southern area, where the battle is most intense. Without any reinforcements, they’ll encircle the area within ten minutes.”
“What about the president?” Leia asked.
“He’s under attack as well, but he’s not in danger,” the bodyguard said.
Sung Joon mapped out the situation in his head. Based on the report, he was sure that the enemy was aiming for the ‘Righteous Shield’.
The President of the United States was under attack, but it was nothing more than a diversionary tactic. Their main force was attacking the southern area, where the Righteous Shield was located.
“What about the northern and eastern forces?” Sung Joon asked.
“Our reserve troops are intercepting them. The U.S. Marine Corps and the National Guard are sending troops over.”
The U.S. President had prepared for this eventuality by ensuring that there were plenty of reserve troops within five kilometers of the conferment ceremonial hall.
The reserve troops stopped the northern and eastern enemy troops from entering the conferment ceremonial hall, which was a relief.
“I’ll go to the president.”
Leia disappeared from his sight before anyone had a chance to reply. Her presence disappeared instantly.
It was similar to Blink, the short range Dimensional Leap Magic. Sung Joon turned his gaze towards Jennifer.
“Do you know where the Righteous Shield is?”
“I’m not sure. But if I ask, they should tell me.”
So long as she had a valid reason, Jennifer could access quite a lot of information, as she was now a department head.
“The president should be safe since Leia went over there. I’ll go to the area where the ‘Righteous Shield’ is held.”
“I’ll go with you. I’ll ask where it’s located.”
“Alright.”
Sung Joon welcomed her help. He couldn’t speak English that well, so he needed her to translate. If Shin Tae was still his interpreter, he wouldn’t be able to follow him so easily.
“I’ve made an inquiry.”
“Let’s move.”
Sung Joon left the waiting room with Jennifer and saw the entirety of the conferment ceremonial hall, which could fit more than ten thousand people.
It was chaos. The U.S. government’s forces and their attackers were in the middle of an intense battle.
The formation of helicopters were flying around busily, and three hundred of the attackers managed to enter the conferment ceremonial hall.
“Some of them can use the Empire’s swordsmanship.”
Most of them were either Hunters or mercenaries, but Rishubalt could tell that some of them could use the Empire’s style of swordsmanship.
Sung Joon could see it too. Their swordsmanship wasn’t practical, so they weren’t a part of the Knight Brigade.
There was a high chance that they were either a part of the Empire’s Special Forces or the Pan-Dimensional Task Force.
“The Empire is definitely involved,” Rishubalt said.
Following the battle of the Ridonia Great Plains and Roukel’s subsequent death, the Empire and the Species Alliance had sent their forces to Earth, little by little. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were posing as high-ranking officials.
‘Who are they... that’s the problem.’
He was doubtful of the U.S. President, Aiden, as well. The CIA and the Central Hunter Bureau hadn’t noticed them, so it had to be a high-ranking official of the U.S. government conspiring with the Empire or the Species Alliance.
‘Now’s not the time...’
Sung Joon shook his head. He could track down the traitor later. Aiden wasn’t an idiot.
If Aiden wasn’t the perpetrator, then he should’ve realized by now that the attackers were connected to a high-ranking official. Sung Joon’s top priority was protecting the ‘Righteous Shield’.
‘I can’t let them steal it, now can I?’ Sung Joon thought.
They were just about to give it to him, so he couldn’t let them take it, now could he?
//
Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (3)
TL: Boko
“Lightning Storm!”
Idun swung his staff and a storm of lightning was unleashed in front of him. The swarming enemies were exposed to an electric shock.
The enemy forces couldn’t withstand the electrical shock and ‘exploded’. Red blood spewed up into the sky like a fountain and then fell like rain.
“Idun! You’re alive!”
A Hunter wearing priest vestments approached Idun and said. His name was Baker, and was an S-rank Healer Hunter that was a part of the Alpha headquarters.
Unlike Sung Joon, Baker was a normal Healer, so his combat abilities were equivalent to a top B-rank Hunter.
“I haven’t been injured, but I’ve used up too much mana.”
“Me too. There are so many people injured, so at this rate, I’ll run out of mana.”
The enemy’s offense was formidable. The two didn’t know, but the coming enemy forces had more than employed Hunters in their midst; some of the Empire’s elites were mixed in as well.
Fighting them wasn’t easy, as they possessed Hunter rank combat abilities.
“Where are all these armed troops coming from?” Baker said.
He thought the conferment ceremonial hall’s security and inspections had been perfect. Idun opened his mouth with a grave expression.
“I think we have a traitor on the inside.”
Idun thought similarly to Sung Joon. There was no way they’d get through the strict inspection without someone on the inside helping them.
“It seems that way.”
“It’s definitely a high-rank official,” Idun said.
The conferment ceremony was an important event attended by the president himself. But the fact that all this had happened signified that a high-rank official was involved.
It was important find the perpetrator, but they couldn’t right now, as they were in the middle of a battle. Plus, it wasn’t something that Idun or Baker could do anything about either.
‘The CIA or the Central Hunter Bureau will take care of it,’ Idun thought. He felt five presences rapidly approaching.
“Above!”
The S-rank Combat Hunter with them (Idun and Baker) sensed the enemy presence first and leapt into the air.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
The moment he leapt into the air, the two masked assailants screamed in agony, spewed blood, and fell to the ground.
However, the S-rank Hunter hadn’t gone unscathed. One of the assailants’ final strike managed to sever the S-rank Hunter’s right sword arm.
“S-Shit!”
“Endure it!”
The S-rank Healer cursed. Idun began casting to back him up, but three assailants attacked the S-rank Combat Hunter simultaneously.
Ultimately, the S-rank Hunter’s head rolled onto the floor as his body spurted blood like a fountain.
‘They’re at least S-rank...!’
He had seen them exchange several attacks instantaneously. Idun was able to estimate the three remaining assailants’ skill level.
‘We’re not in a good spot...’
Idun was in a tough spot, as he was a Mage Hunter against three skilled S-rank attackers, who specialized in close combat.
Baker was also an S-rank Hunter, but his combat abilities were poor, as he was a Healer. He was different from Sung Joon. Sung Joon was special.
“L-Lightning Shock!”
Once they gave the signal, the three assailants rushed over to Idun and Baker.
Idun was so flustered that he countered with such a common spell. Even so, it seemed like he had a plan in place, as he modified the electric attack so that it would defend him instead; the electricity circled around him like a shield. However, it didn’t change that it was still an average, run of the mill spell.
Idun saw the assailants’ black clothes protecting them from the electricity, so they must be superb items.
They swung their blades at Idun and Baker, but then...
“Acceleration.”
“Ugh!”
By the time they heard his voice, the dagger had already lodged into an assailant’s chest.
“Return.”
Once the dagger disappeared from their chest, it spurted blood like a fountain. He might’ve pierced their heart, as the attacker bled excessively.
“He’s strong! Retreat!”
The team leader ordered for their retreat without signaling them and then left. The other attacked looked sharply at them but retreated as well.
They had been so close to stealing the ‘Righteous Shield’, but someone had intervened at the last second, so they felt unsettled.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon?”
It was a familiar voice. Idun turned his head towards the direction of the voice. Sung Joon was indeed there.
He hadn’t come with any other reinforcements, but Sung Joon’s presence alone caused the morale of Righteous Shield’s guards to skyrocket.
“Healing Spray.”
Sung Joon healed the injured in Baker’s stead. Baker was almost out of mana, as there had been so many he needed to heal from the intense battle.
“I’ve been healed!”
“T-Thank you!”
Those healed picked up their weapons. The assailants didn’t move while the guards were reorganizing themselves. He wondered why, but then he saw more troops joining up with them. They must have been waiting for reinforcements.
Sung Joon surveyed his surroundings. The conferment ceremonial hall had become a battlefield where it rained bullets. It was so chaotic that he couldn’t hope for reinforcements, but he remained relaxed.
“I’m sure that they’re the Ghost Squad of the Empire’s Special Forces. The two in front are first class assassins, while the reinforcing troops are second class assassins,” Rishubalt reported.
First class assassins were skilled, S-rank foes. They were trained in assassin techniques, and even S-rank Hunters trained in assassination would have difficult facing them.
The Ghost Squad’s assassination techniques were on another level compared to the techniques used on Earth. Rishubalt had been a part of the Knight Brigade, but he knew all of the Empire’s martial arts and assassination techniques.
“You must have already figured that out, my lord,” Rishubalt said, and Sung Joon slightly nodded his head.
Sung Joon was like Rishubalt. No, he was even more monstrous than him. He not only knew about all of the Empire’s martial arts and assassination techniques, but had also learned and had a high level of competence in both.
“Mr. Idun. Could you please cover me?” Sung Joon requested.
The other Central Hunter Bureau members were exhausted, so they had to focus on protecting the ‘Righteous Shield’. Compared to them, Idun seemed to be in good condition. If he aided him with his magic, then Sung Joon could get through the assassins without using much mana.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m going,” Sung Joon said, and unleashed his Illusionary Sword.
The Illusionary Sword was normally a single target ability, but it could be adapted to attack multiple targets in front of him. He’d recently sorted through his memories and learned how to adapt the Illusionary Sword for this purpose.
“Ugh!”
While the Illusionary Sword had more range, its power was weakened considerably. There was no helping it. The first class assassins groaned and either blocked or avoided the swords. On the other hand, two of the second class assassins behind them had their arms and legs severed, causing them to fall to the floor.
“Lightning Spear!”
Idun cast ‘Lightning Spear’, which could be raised to the level of high-rank magic depending on the user. A second class assassin tried attacking Sung Joon from above, but the lightning spear pierced his stomach. At the same time, the current exploded and the second class assassin’s body burst.
‘An opening!’
Sung Joon broke through their formation and ended up in the center of the assassins. Then, he calmly used one of his sword techniques.
“Tempest Sword.”
More than two hundred sword winds raged like a true tempest, killing the remaining thirteen second class assassins. Now, only the two first class assassins remained. It seemed like one of them had been injured, as the assassins’ leg dripped blood.
“Wow!”
“He’s amazing!”
“I’m alive because of you!”
Idun and his comrades, who were protecting the ‘Righteous Shield’, cheered. Whereas, the first class assassins stiffened behind their masks.
‘That’s definitely the Knight Brigade’s swordsmanship.’
‘He’s at least as strong as one of the top one hundred members of the Knight Brigade.’
The first class assassins looked at him complicatedly. They were both thinking the same thing.
‘We’re no match for him.’
A member of the Knight Brigade within the top one hundred was equivalent to an SS-rank Hunter on Earth.
There was no way two first class assassins, who were considered high tier S-rank, could beat him. What’s worse, he seemed incredibly adept at assassination, contrasting with his high quantity of mana.
‘Damn it!’ the Team Leader cursed, but nothing would change. He couldn’t even hope for reinforcements, as he didn’t feel any of his allies’ mana nearby.
“Are you the Ghost Squad of the Empire’s Special Forces?”
“H-How do you...?”
When Sung Joon spoke in the otherworld language, the team leader couldn’t help but be flustered. Unlike the otherworld language, the existence of the Ghost Squad hadn’t been revealed to the people of Earth.
So they couldn’t help but feel intensely anxious at his mentioning of the ‘Ghost Squad’.
The Empire had been concerned that the news would cause chaos, so only a portion of the Empire knew that an individual using Roukel’s swordsmanship had shown up. So, the assassin team leader could only assume the worst and thought that the U.S. had learned a lot about the ‘Empire’.
‘This is enough.’
Momentary unrest would cause one to lower their guard. In that brief moment that the assassin leader felt anxious, Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and lunged with his sword.
“Ugh!”
His thrust pierced through, and the assassin weakly fell to the ground.
“You bastard!”
By the time the other first class assassin threw his dagger, Sung Joon had already withdrawn his sword. He quickly swung his sword and deflected the dagger.
The first class assassin gripped his dagger and was about to use high-speed movement, but by then, Sung Joon was already behidn him.
Swish.
He couldn’t even scream. The assassin’s severed head rolled onto the floor.
“Is it over?” one of the Hunters asked. He hoped it was over already, but unfortunately, it was still too early for that.
Sung Joon sensed several presences rapidly approaching him, Baker, and Idun.
“They’re coming!” Idun raised his staff and warned.
“Fly!”
He ascended into the air and swung his staff. Then, a lightning storm struck in all four directions. The covertly approaching assassins’ stealth was released.
‘He has good senses,’ Sung Joon acknowledged.
Casting a wide area spell to forcefully remove the stealth of several enemies was a tactic that the Empire often used. The reinforcements were weak, but they had numbers.
“There are two first class assassins, nine second class assassins, and sixty-seven third class assassin,” Rishubalt reported precisely.
Sung Joon turned his head to relay this information to Idun, but Idun was already using magic to estimate the number of enemy troops. Once he was finished, he held up his radio.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The bombardment began.
“The National Guard’s artillery battalion has formed a battle line! We’ll get artillery support now!”
Idun explained the situation. While the National Guard’s artillery battalion was bombarding them, a formation of attack helicopters flew over and shot air-to-ground missiles and their machine guns.
Contrary to monsters, the assassins didn’t possess the mana skin that rendered modern weaponry ineffective, but they still couldn’t be taken lightly.
Kwang! Kwang!
The daggers they threw were clad in aura, and they were more effective than any armor-piercing bomb.
Of the five attack helicopters, three of them plunged to the ground. Seeing that, Sung Joon quietly raised his sword, ‘Roel’. He infused mana into it and said.
“Dragon Fear.”
//
Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (4)
TL: Boko
“My lord! Your Dragon Fear may affect your allies as well!” Rishubalt said and Sung Joon withdrew the mana he’d infused into Roel.
There was a chance that his allies would get caught up in his Dragon Fear, so Sung Joon decided to use a different technique.
“Gale Sword!”
A high-speed movement technique accompanied by sword winds. The assassins, who’d gotten through the bombardment, were met by Sung Joon.
“W-When did he...!?”
“He’s fast!”
It was difficult for second class assassins to see Sung Joon’s movements. They were shocked, but at that very moment, they were hit by Sung Joon’s Gale Sword.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
The second class assassins used their high-speed movement techniques to barely avoid his attack, but the third class assassins had no such luck.
They weren’t skilled enough to dodge an SS-rank Hunter’s sword winds. A dozen third class assassins fell without resistance, as if they were scarecrows.
They were about as strong as high tier B-rank Hunters, so they hadn’t been harmed by the bombardment. However, Sung Joon was the issue. They couldn’t get through him.
“Attack him together!”
The two first class assassins grouped with the second class assassins and got into formation. However, Sung Joon immediately saw through their tactic, as he already knew what formation they were using.
“Mr. Idun! There’s a Mage Hunter at their rear!”
Sung Joon, who had broken their formation and was slaughtering the assassins, was being bombarded by a barrage of fire spears and ice blades, so he asked Idun for his assistance.
If he wanted to get to the Mages, then he’d have to get through the assassins first, but that would take a lot of time.
Rather than use an unfamiliar term like ‘Magician’, Sung Joon used the more familiar phrase, ‘Mage Hunter’.
Idun acted immediately. He distracted the rear guard with an offense spell while radioing the artillery corps to bombard them.
“We’ll get artillery support soon!” Idun yelled.
Even while busily swinging his sword, Sung Joon heard his message loud and clear. The artillery corps bombarded the rear guard, but most of the Mages had cast defensive spells to protect themselves, so they got out unscathed. However, that was enough.
Sung Joon advanced while they were focused on defense, and was soon right in front of them, creating a river of body and blood along the way.
“Stop the bombardment! One of ours is down there!”
Idun ordered the troops to standby. He knew that should the bombardment continue, Sung Joon wouldn’t be able to act freely.
“Use your defensive spells!” the Magician Leader ordered hastily and cast a defensive spell.
His subordinates followed suit and cast their spells, but Sung Joon kept smiling.
“...You really think that’ll be enough to stop me?”
“W-What are you...?”
They couldn’t understand what he meant. His voice had been muffled by the racket and the cold laughter, so they couldn’t hear him.
“I said, do you really think you can stop me with such poor magic?”
“Ugh!”
Once he swung his sword, the defensive spell broke into pieces. It was the Spell-Breaking Sword.
“N-No way...!”
The Magician Leader was shocked. He was a high-rank Magician. And a spell cast by a high-rank Magician shouldn’t have broken so easily.
“Blink!”
The Magician Leader cast Blink and quickly retreated, but the other Magicians didn’t act so quickly. Sung Joon pushed through, swinging his sword.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
Whenever he swung his sword, a Magician would spurt blood and fall. A few of them hurriedly cast an offensive spell, but the spells futilely ‘vanished’ before his blade.
The Magician Leader watched this happen from afar and bit his lip.
‘It’s definitely the Spell-Breaking Sword! A technique reserved for the swordmasters of the Knight Brigade was leaked!’
He turned his gaze to the car holding the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“He’s not important right now...” the Magician Leader muttered. At that moment, he felt a presence and a icy gaze from behind him.
“Then what is important?”
“Ah! Blink... Ugh!”
He wouldn’t escape a second time. Before he could even utter the activation words, Sung Joon’s blade decapitated the Magician Leader. Red blood spurted onto his face, and the Magician Leader’s body fell weakly onto the floor.
Sung Joon wiped most of the blood off his face and looked around with a sharp gaze.
Because he’d taken out the Magicians, the enemy’s offensive had weakened noticeably. However, they hadn’t fallen yet. The National Guard, the Central Hunter Bureau, and the U.S. government’s troops had sustained heavy casualties.
They were getting a steady supply of reinforcements, but that wouldn’t heal the wounded.
“You must kill the commander,” Rishubalt said.
Sung Joon agreed with him and nodded his head. Killing the commander was a good way of stopping all resistance.
“Stealth.”
Sung Joon disappeared. It would be difficult to detect someone stealthed on such a chaotic battlefield.
That’s what he was aiming for. He pushed through enemy territory while stealthed. The National Guard’s artillery corps continued to bombard the enemy, and the formation of attack helicopters shot air-to-ground missiles.
This was dangerous, as there was a possibility of friendly fire, but Sung Joon dodged all of the artillery fire and the missiles with ease, and managed to go deep into enemy lines.
“Someone is stealthed!”
“Deal with it!”
Those protecting command weren’t weak. Although the battlefield was so chaotic, they were still able to detect his stealth.
But it seemed like they didn’t know his exact position, as they were looking around sharply.
Sung Joon stared at them and gathered his mana, breaking his stealth. His sword moved before they noticed him.
“Gale Sword!”
“Ugh!”
Two of the three first class assassins that acted as guards fell to his sword, which was like a gale.
The sole remaining assassin managed to block the sword winds, but his stance was crooked. At this rate, the first class assassin would be defenseless against Sung Joon’s follow-up strike.
“Ha!”
In a battle with two skilled fighters, the one who showed weakness would die. Sung Joon didn’t waste this opportunity. He let out a battle cry and swung his sword, cutting the first class assassin’s thigh.
“Ugh!”
His posture was crooked before, but he completely crumpled this time. He counterattacked, but it didn’t reach Sung Joon.
On the contrary, he missed Sung Joon’s counterattack as his poor defense crumbled.
Once Sung Joon’s blade pierced his heart, the first class assassin fell weakly. The guards had been annihilated. Now, all that remained was the commander.
“You use the Knight Brigade’s swordsmanship, I see.”
Sung Joon turned his head towards the direction of the voice and saw the commander. He looked calm, despite all that had happened, and wore an insignia on his armor that Sung Joon was familiar with.
“Are you part of the Noble Order?”
The Noble Order was, as the name implies, an organization of high-ranking noble commanders. They held a high position within the Empire, as only the best of the best could join the organization.
“You know our language as well... and you’re familiar with the crest of the Noble Order. You also use the Knight Brigade’s swordsmanship... You must be a traitor.”
“Think what you want. You’ll be dead soon anyway.”
Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and swung his sword, slicing off the Noble Commander’s right arm.
The Noble Commander had learnt the Noble Order’s swordsmanship and assassination techniques as well, but he was still no match for Sung Joon. Eventually, Sung Joon cut off the Noble Commander’s head.
Sung Joon broke the command flag beside him to notify the troops that command had fallen.
“Command has fallen!”
He didn’t need to pick up the Noble Commander’s severed head and yell that. Lifting up the broken flag and yelling would be just as effective.
All the Empire’s soldiers that had crossed over via the warp gate were elites, but their morale took a nosedive when they heard that command had fallen.
As gunfire rained down on the battlefield, the Central Hunter Bureau’s agents moved covertly in order to capture a prisoner. Then, the high-ranking commanders simultaneously ingested poison and committed suicide.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon! We’ve won!”
Idun rushed over and reported their triumph.
* * *
Once the high-ranking commanders killed themselves, their subordinates soon followed. The U.S. weren’t able to procure even a single prisoner.
The CIA and the Central Hunter Bureau identified the dead, but couldn’t find the nationality of the enemy, aside from the mercenaries.
Once the battle was over, Sung Joon’s synchronization rate rose to 63%. The enemy had attacked them for the ‘Righteous Shield’, so the event was cancelled. Sung Joon would receive the item privately.
Contrary to its name, it wasn’t actually a shield but a necklace. Sung Joon was already wearing two other necklaces: the ‘Dragon’s Protection’ and the ‘Knight Brigade’s Necklace’. Wearing too many necklaces would be a hindrance on the battlefield, so Sung Joon decided to take off the ‘Dragon’s Protection’ as it overlapped with the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”
There was a short knock on his door. Jennifer opened the door and peeked her head in.
“May I come in?”
Sung Joon, who was sitting down and fiddling around with his smartphone, nodded his head. She then entered his room and sat in front of Sung Joon.
Sung Joon had received the ‘Righteous Shield’, but there was still the matter of his payment for the raid, so he was still staying in the Blair House.
“Are you done processing my reward for the New York raid?”
“Yes. The sum will be deposited into your account within one hour.”
“Nice.”
Sung Joon smiled. Because of the U.S.’s generosity, Sung Joon was able to stay in the Blair House without feeling discomfort, but he didn’t feel as comfortable here as he did back home.
“How much will I get?” Sung Joon looked at Jennifer and said.
He would know once it was deposited, but he wanted to know right away. Jennifer looked into it with her tablet PC.
“$700 billion*.”
*T/N: May be referring to won. If so, it would roughly equal $700 million in U.S. currency. However, there is a possibility that this sum is in U.S. dollars already.
“It’s a lot more than I expected,” Sung Joon said honestly.
He wasn’t the raid’s MVP and he hadn’t received additional payment from the South Korean government.
Therefore, he could understand $500 billion, but the reward was totally unexpected. Perhaps it was because it was a large SS-rank raid.
“You were given a huge payment due to the size of the raid,” Jennifer smiled and said.
Sung Joon nodded his head. It wasn’t like being paid a lot was a bad thing.
They briefly stopped talking and Sung Joon took out his smartphone during the five minutes of silence. He had heard his phone’s alarm go off.
“It’s been deposited.”
Sung Joon smiled, as he could check the payment details.
“Have you checked the amount?”
“Yes. There’re no problems.”
“That’s a relief.”
“More importantly, have you finished investigating the attackers?” Sung Joon asked. The attackers were from the Empire, so Sung Joon couldn’t say he was entirely unrelated to it. That’s why he wanted to know, but Jennifer shook her head.
“Nothing has been finalized, so I can’t tell you anything yet.”
“I see.”
Sung Joon smiled. She was telling him in a roundabout way that she couldn’t reveal what was going on. He could understand her position.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the U.S. itself was attacked, so why would they give Sung Joon, an outsider, the information?
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”
Jennifer organized her thoughts and called for him.
“Yes?”
“The president has invited you to a banquet. Would you like to go?”
//
Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (2)
TL: Boko
The U.S. President, Aiden, promised to treat Sung Joon like a state guest. Sung Joon realized that it wasn’t just lip service.
Sung Joon was inspected by the honor guard and entered a luxurious sedan, which travelled to a heliport. There, Sung Joon and Aiden entered the president’s personal helicopter, ‘Marine One’ and flew to the conferment ceremonial hall. A formation of attack helicopters protected them along the way.
“We’ve arrived.”
A bodyguard disembarked first and made sure it was safe. Then, Aiden and Sung Joon got off the helicopter. Leia was accompanying them on account of being bored.
The conferment ceremonial hall was so close that they could get there on foot. But because he was with the President of the United States, security was tight.
There were several people at the conferment ceremonial hall. He thought it’d be chaotic, but it was surprisingly quite orderly. Everyone was excited to see Sung Joon and the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“I have some other things to take care of, so I’ll take my leave. Jennifer will guide you, Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”
Aiden left with his attendants, as he had to prepare for the conferment ceremony.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon!” a familiar voice said, and they approached him. He turned his head and saw Idun.
“Aren’t you supposed to be in New York?”
“I wanted to thank you, so I came to guard the ‘Righteous Shield’. There are two other S-rank Hunters here to increase security.”
The ‘Righteous Shield’ was a rare SS-rank item in his past world. Someone could try stealing it, so S-rank Hunters were required to defend it.
“Thank you again. Our members weren’t hurt very much because of you.”
Idun bowed his head. Sung Joon was an SS-rank Healer Hunter, so his ‘Heal’ was incredibly powerful. Because of that, the Special Task Force’s casualties in New York was minimized. That was what Idun was thanking him for.
Sung Joon was a Healer with exceptional combat abilities, so he would always minimize the casualties of his fellow Hunters.
“The conferment ceremony will begin soon. You should get going now.”
He had been so busy talking with Idun that he hadn’t noticed the time. Jennifer checked her watch and urged him to go.
“Then I’ll get going now.”
Idun quickly returned to his post. He couldn’t leave his station for very long, since his mission was to guard the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“Let us go.”
“I understand,” Sung Joon replied, and followed Jennifer.
“We don’t have to do a rehearsal or something?” Sung Joon asked. The conferment ceremony was huge, so he thought they’d have a rehearsal, but Jennifer shook her head.
“They’ve already rehearsed.”
“Is that so? I didn’t participate. Is that ok?”
“Where you have to go is quite straightforward, so you didn’t need to participate. And the workers are going to guide you with a microphone.”
Jennifer, who was finished explaining, took out a radio with a microphone attached to it. It wasn’t hard to wear.
Sung Joon put the microphone into his ear. He had a drink in the waiting room and waited for the conferment ceremony to begin.
“I’ll go scout around.”
There were attendants inside the waiting room, including Jennifer. Therefore, Rishubalt wasn’t able to converse with Sung Joon.
Rishubalt must have been bored, as he volunteered to go and scout. While he was out scouting, Leia returned to the waiting room. She had probably loitered around the conferment ceremonial hall and had gotten bored.
“I’m bored.”
She quietly sat beside Sung Joon and began fiddling with her smartphone.
‘Rishubalt’s late.’
One hour passed. He should’ve been back by now if he was just scouting. He wasn’t concerned as Rishubalt was currently in his spirit form, but thought that perhaps something had gone wrong.
A short while later, Rishubalt returned with a dark expression.
“My lord. There was several Hunters around the conferment ceremonial hall that I believe to be ‘enemies’.”
“Leia.”
He could trust Rishubalt. Sung Joon called Leia. Leia, who had been busy with her smartphone, looked up at Sung Joon.
“What’s wrong?”
“Don’t you feel that strange mana?”
“Not really?”
Leia shook her head. Although she was the world’s sole SSS-rank Hunter, she couldn’t always sense the presence of mana from afar.
“Two kilometers to the north. And three kilometers to the east. Several people are gathering there. I’ll find the exact coordinates.”
Rishubalt was quick on the uptake. He knew that Sung Joon couldn’t give him any orders right now, so he predicted his orders and acted accordingly.
Befitting a loyal aide that served him in his past life, his predications were never off.
Rishubalt gave him the coordinates, and Sung Joon relayed said coordinates to both Jennifer and Leia.
Leia closed her eyes and concentrated so that she could sense them. Jennifer raised her radio and tried to find out whether Central Hunter Bureau troops were stationed at the coordinates.
“Yeah. You’re right. Hunters have gathered over there.”
Leia confirmed that Hunters had indeed gathered at said coordinates. They were quite far away, but befitting an SSS-rank Mage Hunter, she could sense their mana reactions without much difficulty when she concentrated.
“I’ve confirmed that it’s not the assembly place for reserve troops. The Hunters that have gathered there are not a part of the U.S. government.”
Jennifer checked one last time. Those Hunters weren’t connected to the U.S. government, and they also hadn’t been asked to help. In other words, they were ‘uninvited guests’.
“I heard they checked everything within five kilometers... How did they get in...”
Jennifer muttered to herself and reported the situation to the Central Hunter Bureau. A short while later, the citizens participating in the conferment ceremony were taken to safety by the police. At the same time, the Central Hunter Bureau’s reserve troops were mobilized.
The unknown force realized that they’d been discovered and began their operation.
Kwang!
The sound of an explosion could be heard nearby. At the same time, Sung Joon sensed killing intent everywhere. The door to the waiting room opened and one of the bodyguards rushed in.
“What’s the situation?”
“The west and south areas are being attacked!”
Jennifer asked, and the bodyguard replied. Rishubalt hadn’t been able to scout those areas, but it seems like the enemy had forces close by.
“Didn’t you say you checked everything within five kilometers? What’s going on!?”
Jennifer pressed the Central Hunter Bureau worker. The worker bowed their head and said.
“I think we have a traitor in our midst. It has to be one of the higher ups.”
There were several organizations that were connected to the conferment ceremony, like the CIA or the Central Hunter Bureau. They protected everything within a five kilometer radius.
This couldn’t happen, unless one of the head honchos had betrayed them.
“What happened to the ‘Righteous Shield’?” Sung Joon asked. The enemy was definitely aiming for the SS-rank item, the Righteous Shield.
“It’s in the southern area, where the battle is most intense. Without any reinforcements, they’ll encircle the area within ten minutes.”
“What about the president?” Leia asked.
“He’s under attack as well, but he’s not in danger,” the bodyguard said.
Sung Joon mapped out the situation in his head. Based on the report, he was sure that the enemy was aiming for the ‘Righteous Shield’.
The President of the United States was under attack, but it was nothing more than a diversionary tactic. Their main force was attacking the southern area, where the Righteous Shield was located.
“What about the northern and eastern forces?” Sung Joon asked.
“Our reserve troops are intercepting them. The U.S. Marine Corps and the National Guard are sending troops over.”
The U.S. President had prepared for this eventuality by ensuring that there were plenty of reserve troops within five kilometers of the conferment ceremonial hall.
The reserve troops stopped the northern and eastern enemy troops from entering the conferment ceremonial hall, which was a relief.
“I’ll go to the president.”
Leia disappeared from his sight before anyone had a chance to reply. Her presence disappeared instantly.
It was similar to Blink, the short range Dimensional Leap Magic. Sung Joon turned his gaze towards Jennifer.
“Do you know where the Righteous Shield is?”
“I’m not sure. But if I ask, they should tell me.”
So long as she had a valid reason, Jennifer could access quite a lot of information, as she was now a department head.
“The president should be safe since Leia went over there. I’ll go to the area where the ‘Righteous Shield’ is held.”
“I’ll go with you. I’ll ask where it’s located.”
“Alright.”
Sung Joon welcomed her help. He couldn’t speak English that well, so he needed her to translate. If Shin Tae was still his interpreter, he wouldn’t be able to follow him so easily.
“I’ve made an inquiry.”
“Let’s move.”
Sung Joon left the waiting room with Jennifer and saw the entirety of the conferment ceremonial hall, which could fit more than ten thousand people.
It was chaos. The U.S. government’s forces and their attackers were in the middle of an intense battle.
The formation of helicopters were flying around busily, and three hundred of the attackers managed to enter the conferment ceremonial hall.
“Some of them can use the Empire’s swordsmanship.”
Most of them were either Hunters or mercenaries, but Rishubalt could tell that some of them could use the Empire’s style of swordsmanship.
Sung Joon could see it too. Their swordsmanship wasn’t practical, so they weren’t a part of the Knight Brigade.
There was a high chance that they were either a part of the Empire’s Special Forces or the Pan-Dimensional Task Force.
“The Empire is definitely involved,” Rishubalt said.
Following the battle of the Ridonia Great Plains and Roukel’s subsequent death, the Empire and the Species Alliance had sent their forces to Earth, little by little. It wouldn’t be surprising if they were posing as high-ranking officials.
‘Who are they... that’s the problem.’
He was doubtful of the U.S. President, Aiden, as well. The CIA and the Central Hunter Bureau hadn’t noticed them, so it had to be a high-ranking official of the U.S. government conspiring with the Empire or the Species Alliance.
‘Now’s not the time...’
Sung Joon shook his head. He could track down the traitor later. Aiden wasn’t an idiot.
If Aiden wasn’t the perpetrator, then he should’ve realized by now that the attackers were connected to a high-ranking official. Sung Joon’s top priority was protecting the ‘Righteous Shield’.
‘I can’t let them steal it, now can I?’ Sung Joon thought.
They were just about to give it to him, so he couldn’t let them take it, now could he?
//
Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (3)
TL: Boko
“Lightning Storm!”
Idun swung his staff and a storm of lightning was unleashed in front of him. The swarming enemies were exposed to an electric shock.
The enemy forces couldn’t withstand the electrical shock and ‘exploded’. Red blood spewed up into the sky like a fountain and then fell like rain.
“Idun! You’re alive!”
A Hunter wearing priest vestments approached Idun and said. His name was Baker, and was an S-rank Healer Hunter that was a part of the Alpha headquarters.
Unlike Sung Joon, Baker was a normal Healer, so his combat abilities were equivalent to a top B-rank Hunter.
“I haven’t been injured, but I’ve used up too much mana.”
“Me too. There are so many people injured, so at this rate, I’ll run out of mana.”
The enemy’s offense was formidable. The two didn’t know, but the coming enemy forces had more than employed Hunters in their midst; some of the Empire’s elites were mixed in as well.
Fighting them wasn’t easy, as they possessed Hunter rank combat abilities.
“Where are all these armed troops coming from?” Baker said.
He thought the conferment ceremonial hall’s security and inspections had been perfect. Idun opened his mouth with a grave expression.
“I think we have a traitor on the inside.”
Idun thought similarly to Sung Joon. There was no way they’d get through the strict inspection without someone on the inside helping them.
“It seems that way.”
“It’s definitely a high-rank official,” Idun said.
The conferment ceremony was an important event attended by the president himself. But the fact that all this had happened signified that a high-rank official was involved.
It was important find the perpetrator, but they couldn’t right now, as they were in the middle of a battle. Plus, it wasn’t something that Idun or Baker could do anything about either.
‘The CIA or the Central Hunter Bureau will take care of it,’ Idun thought. He felt five presences rapidly approaching.
“Above!”
The S-rank Combat Hunter with them (Idun and Baker) sensed the enemy presence first and leapt into the air.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
The moment he leapt into the air, the two masked assailants screamed in agony, spewed blood, and fell to the ground.
However, the S-rank Hunter hadn’t gone unscathed. One of the assailants’ final strike managed to sever the S-rank Hunter’s right sword arm.
“S-Shit!”
“Endure it!”
The S-rank Healer cursed. Idun began casting to back him up, but three assailants attacked the S-rank Combat Hunter simultaneously.
Ultimately, the S-rank Hunter’s head rolled onto the floor as his body spurted blood like a fountain.
‘They’re at least S-rank...!’
He had seen them exchange several attacks instantaneously. Idun was able to estimate the three remaining assailants’ skill level.
‘We’re not in a good spot...’
Idun was in a tough spot, as he was a Mage Hunter against three skilled S-rank attackers, who specialized in close combat.
Baker was also an S-rank Hunter, but his combat abilities were poor, as he was a Healer. He was different from Sung Joon. Sung Joon was special.
“L-Lightning Shock!”
Once they gave the signal, the three assailants rushed over to Idun and Baker.
Idun was so flustered that he countered with such a common spell. Even so, it seemed like he had a plan in place, as he modified the electric attack so that it would defend him instead; the electricity circled around him like a shield. However, it didn’t change that it was still an average, run of the mill spell.
Idun saw the assailants’ black clothes protecting them from the electricity, so they must be superb items.
They swung their blades at Idun and Baker, but then...
“Acceleration.”
“Ugh!”
By the time they heard his voice, the dagger had already lodged into an assailant’s chest.
“Return.”
Once the dagger disappeared from their chest, it spurted blood like a fountain. He might’ve pierced their heart, as the attacker bled excessively.
“He’s strong! Retreat!”
The team leader ordered for their retreat without signaling them and then left. The other attacked looked sharply at them but retreated as well.
They had been so close to stealing the ‘Righteous Shield’, but someone had intervened at the last second, so they felt unsettled.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon?”
It was a familiar voice. Idun turned his head towards the direction of the voice. Sung Joon was indeed there.
He hadn’t come with any other reinforcements, but Sung Joon’s presence alone caused the morale of Righteous Shield’s guards to skyrocket.
“Healing Spray.”
Sung Joon healed the injured in Baker’s stead. Baker was almost out of mana, as there had been so many he needed to heal from the intense battle.
“I’ve been healed!”
“T-Thank you!”
Those healed picked up their weapons. The assailants didn’t move while the guards were reorganizing themselves. He wondered why, but then he saw more troops joining up with them. They must have been waiting for reinforcements.
Sung Joon surveyed his surroundings. The conferment ceremonial hall had become a battlefield where it rained bullets. It was so chaotic that he couldn’t hope for reinforcements, but he remained relaxed.
“I’m sure that they’re the Ghost Squad of the Empire’s Special Forces. The two in front are first class assassins, while the reinforcing troops are second class assassins,” Rishubalt reported.
First class assassins were skilled, S-rank foes. They were trained in assassin techniques, and even S-rank Hunters trained in assassination would have difficult facing them.
The Ghost Squad’s assassination techniques were on another level compared to the techniques used on Earth. Rishubalt had been a part of the Knight Brigade, but he knew all of the Empire’s martial arts and assassination techniques.
“You must have already figured that out, my lord,” Rishubalt said, and Sung Joon slightly nodded his head.
Sung Joon was like Rishubalt. No, he was even more monstrous than him. He not only knew about all of the Empire’s martial arts and assassination techniques, but had also learned and had a high level of competence in both.
“Mr. Idun. Could you please cover me?” Sung Joon requested.
The other Central Hunter Bureau members were exhausted, so they had to focus on protecting the ‘Righteous Shield’. Compared to them, Idun seemed to be in good condition. If he aided him with his magic, then Sung Joon could get through the assassins without using much mana.
“I’ll do my best.”
“I’m going,” Sung Joon said, and unleashed his Illusionary Sword.
The Illusionary Sword was normally a single target ability, but it could be adapted to attack multiple targets in front of him. He’d recently sorted through his memories and learned how to adapt the Illusionary Sword for this purpose.
“Ugh!”
While the Illusionary Sword had more range, its power was weakened considerably. There was no helping it. The first class assassins groaned and either blocked or avoided the swords. On the other hand, two of the second class assassins behind them had their arms and legs severed, causing them to fall to the floor.
“Lightning Spear!”
Idun cast ‘Lightning Spear’, which could be raised to the level of high-rank magic depending on the user. A second class assassin tried attacking Sung Joon from above, but the lightning spear pierced his stomach. At the same time, the current exploded and the second class assassin’s body burst.
‘An opening!’
Sung Joon broke through their formation and ended up in the center of the assassins. Then, he calmly used one of his sword techniques.
“Tempest Sword.”
More than two hundred sword winds raged like a true tempest, killing the remaining thirteen second class assassins. Now, only the two first class assassins remained. It seemed like one of them had been injured, as the assassins’ leg dripped blood.
“Wow!”
“He’s amazing!”
“I’m alive because of you!”
Idun and his comrades, who were protecting the ‘Righteous Shield’, cheered. Whereas, the first class assassins stiffened behind their masks.
‘That’s definitely the Knight Brigade’s swordsmanship.’
‘He’s at least as strong as one of the top one hundred members of the Knight Brigade.’
The first class assassins looked at him complicatedly. They were both thinking the same thing.
‘We’re no match for him.’
A member of the Knight Brigade within the top one hundred was equivalent to an SS-rank Hunter on Earth.
There was no way two first class assassins, who were considered high tier S-rank, could beat him. What’s worse, he seemed incredibly adept at assassination, contrasting with his high quantity of mana.
‘Damn it!’ the Team Leader cursed, but nothing would change. He couldn’t even hope for reinforcements, as he didn’t feel any of his allies’ mana nearby.
“Are you the Ghost Squad of the Empire’s Special Forces?”
“H-How do you...?”
When Sung Joon spoke in the otherworld language, the team leader couldn’t help but be flustered. Unlike the otherworld language, the existence of the Ghost Squad hadn’t been revealed to the people of Earth.
So they couldn’t help but feel intensely anxious at his mentioning of the ‘Ghost Squad’.
The Empire had been concerned that the news would cause chaos, so only a portion of the Empire knew that an individual using Roukel’s swordsmanship had shown up. So, the assassin team leader could only assume the worst and thought that the U.S. had learned a lot about the ‘Empire’.
‘This is enough.’
Momentary unrest would cause one to lower their guard. In that brief moment that the assassin leader felt anxious, Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and lunged with his sword.
“Ugh!”
His thrust pierced through, and the assassin weakly fell to the ground.
“You bastard!”
By the time the other first class assassin threw his dagger, Sung Joon had already withdrawn his sword. He quickly swung his sword and deflected the dagger.
The first class assassin gripped his dagger and was about to use high-speed movement, but by then, Sung Joon was already behidn him.
Swish.
He couldn’t even scream. The assassin’s severed head rolled onto the floor.
“Is it over?” one of the Hunters asked. He hoped it was over already, but unfortunately, it was still too early for that.
Sung Joon sensed several presences rapidly approaching him, Baker, and Idun.
“They’re coming!” Idun raised his staff and warned.
“Fly!”
He ascended into the air and swung his staff. Then, a lightning storm struck in all four directions. The covertly approaching assassins’ stealth was released.
‘He has good senses,’ Sung Joon acknowledged.
Casting a wide area spell to forcefully remove the stealth of several enemies was a tactic that the Empire often used. The reinforcements were weak, but they had numbers.
“There are two first class assassins, nine second class assassins, and sixty-seven third class assassin,” Rishubalt reported precisely.
Sung Joon turned his head to relay this information to Idun, but Idun was already using magic to estimate the number of enemy troops. Once he was finished, he held up his radio.
Kwang! Kwang! Kwang!
The bombardment began.
“The National Guard’s artillery battalion has formed a battle line! We’ll get artillery support now!”
Idun explained the situation. While the National Guard’s artillery battalion was bombarding them, a formation of attack helicopters flew over and shot air-to-ground missiles and their machine guns.
Contrary to monsters, the assassins didn’t possess the mana skin that rendered modern weaponry ineffective, but they still couldn’t be taken lightly.
Kwang! Kwang!
The daggers they threw were clad in aura, and they were more effective than any armor-piercing bomb.
Of the five attack helicopters, three of them plunged to the ground. Seeing that, Sung Joon quietly raised his sword, ‘Roel’. He infused mana into it and said.
“Dragon Fear.”
//
Chapter 53 – Otherworld Entity (4)
TL: Boko
“My lord! Your Dragon Fear may affect your allies as well!” Rishubalt said and Sung Joon withdrew the mana he’d infused into Roel.
There was a chance that his allies would get caught up in his Dragon Fear, so Sung Joon decided to use a different technique.
“Gale Sword!”
A high-speed movement technique accompanied by sword winds. The assassins, who’d gotten through the bombardment, were met by Sung Joon.
“W-When did he...!?”
“He’s fast!”
It was difficult for second class assassins to see Sung Joon’s movements. They were shocked, but at that very moment, they were hit by Sung Joon’s Gale Sword.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
The second class assassins used their high-speed movement techniques to barely avoid his attack, but the third class assassins had no such luck.
They weren’t skilled enough to dodge an SS-rank Hunter’s sword winds. A dozen third class assassins fell without resistance, as if they were scarecrows.
They were about as strong as high tier B-rank Hunters, so they hadn’t been harmed by the bombardment. However, Sung Joon was the issue. They couldn’t get through him.
“Attack him together!”
The two first class assassins grouped with the second class assassins and got into formation. However, Sung Joon immediately saw through their tactic, as he already knew what formation they were using.
“Mr. Idun! There’s a Mage Hunter at their rear!”
Sung Joon, who had broken their formation and was slaughtering the assassins, was being bombarded by a barrage of fire spears and ice blades, so he asked Idun for his assistance.
If he wanted to get to the Mages, then he’d have to get through the assassins first, but that would take a lot of time.
Rather than use an unfamiliar term like ‘Magician’, Sung Joon used the more familiar phrase, ‘Mage Hunter’.
Idun acted immediately. He distracted the rear guard with an offense spell while radioing the artillery corps to bombard them.
“We’ll get artillery support soon!” Idun yelled.
Even while busily swinging his sword, Sung Joon heard his message loud and clear. The artillery corps bombarded the rear guard, but most of the Mages had cast defensive spells to protect themselves, so they got out unscathed. However, that was enough.
Sung Joon advanced while they were focused on defense, and was soon right in front of them, creating a river of body and blood along the way.
“Stop the bombardment! One of ours is down there!”
Idun ordered the troops to standby. He knew that should the bombardment continue, Sung Joon wouldn’t be able to act freely.
“Use your defensive spells!” the Magician Leader ordered hastily and cast a defensive spell.
His subordinates followed suit and cast their spells, but Sung Joon kept smiling.
“...You really think that’ll be enough to stop me?”
“W-What are you...?”
They couldn’t understand what he meant. His voice had been muffled by the racket and the cold laughter, so they couldn’t hear him.
“I said, do you really think you can stop me with such poor magic?”
“Ugh!”
Once he swung his sword, the defensive spell broke into pieces. It was the Spell-Breaking Sword.
“N-No way...!”
The Magician Leader was shocked. He was a high-rank Magician. And a spell cast by a high-rank Magician shouldn’t have broken so easily.
“Blink!”
The Magician Leader cast Blink and quickly retreated, but the other Magicians didn’t act so quickly. Sung Joon pushed through, swinging his sword.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
Whenever he swung his sword, a Magician would spurt blood and fall. A few of them hurriedly cast an offensive spell, but the spells futilely ‘vanished’ before his blade.
The Magician Leader watched this happen from afar and bit his lip.
‘It’s definitely the Spell-Breaking Sword! A technique reserved for the swordmasters of the Knight Brigade was leaked!’
He turned his gaze to the car holding the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“He’s not important right now...” the Magician Leader muttered. At that moment, he felt a presence and a icy gaze from behind him.
“Then what is important?”
“Ah! Blink... Ugh!”
He wouldn’t escape a second time. Before he could even utter the activation words, Sung Joon’s blade decapitated the Magician Leader. Red blood spurted onto his face, and the Magician Leader’s body fell weakly onto the floor.
Sung Joon wiped most of the blood off his face and looked around with a sharp gaze.
Because he’d taken out the Magicians, the enemy’s offensive had weakened noticeably. However, they hadn’t fallen yet. The National Guard, the Central Hunter Bureau, and the U.S. government’s troops had sustained heavy casualties.
They were getting a steady supply of reinforcements, but that wouldn’t heal the wounded.
“You must kill the commander,” Rishubalt said.
Sung Joon agreed with him and nodded his head. Killing the commander was a good way of stopping all resistance.
“Stealth.”
Sung Joon disappeared. It would be difficult to detect someone stealthed on such a chaotic battlefield.
That’s what he was aiming for. He pushed through enemy territory while stealthed. The National Guard’s artillery corps continued to bombard the enemy, and the formation of attack helicopters shot air-to-ground missiles.
This was dangerous, as there was a possibility of friendly fire, but Sung Joon dodged all of the artillery fire and the missiles with ease, and managed to go deep into enemy lines.
“Someone is stealthed!”
“Deal with it!”
Those protecting command weren’t weak. Although the battlefield was so chaotic, they were still able to detect his stealth.
But it seemed like they didn’t know his exact position, as they were looking around sharply.
Sung Joon stared at them and gathered his mana, breaking his stealth. His sword moved before they noticed him.
“Gale Sword!”
“Ugh!”
Two of the three first class assassins that acted as guards fell to his sword, which was like a gale.
The sole remaining assassin managed to block the sword winds, but his stance was crooked. At this rate, the first class assassin would be defenseless against Sung Joon’s follow-up strike.
“Ha!”
In a battle with two skilled fighters, the one who showed weakness would die. Sung Joon didn’t waste this opportunity. He let out a battle cry and swung his sword, cutting the first class assassin’s thigh.
“Ugh!”
His posture was crooked before, but he completely crumpled this time. He counterattacked, but it didn’t reach Sung Joon.
On the contrary, he missed Sung Joon’s counterattack as his poor defense crumbled.
Once Sung Joon’s blade pierced his heart, the first class assassin fell weakly. The guards had been annihilated. Now, all that remained was the commander.
“You use the Knight Brigade’s swordsmanship, I see.”
Sung Joon turned his head towards the direction of the voice and saw the commander. He looked calm, despite all that had happened, and wore an insignia on his armor that Sung Joon was familiar with.
“Are you part of the Noble Order?”
The Noble Order was, as the name implies, an organization of high-ranking noble commanders. They held a high position within the Empire, as only the best of the best could join the organization.
“You know our language as well... and you’re familiar with the crest of the Noble Order. You also use the Knight Brigade’s swordsmanship... You must be a traitor.”
“Think what you want. You’ll be dead soon anyway.”
Sung Joon used his high-speed movement and swung his sword, slicing off the Noble Commander’s right arm.
The Noble Commander had learnt the Noble Order’s swordsmanship and assassination techniques as well, but he was still no match for Sung Joon. Eventually, Sung Joon cut off the Noble Commander’s head.
Sung Joon broke the command flag beside him to notify the troops that command had fallen.
“Command has fallen!”
He didn’t need to pick up the Noble Commander’s severed head and yell that. Lifting up the broken flag and yelling would be just as effective.
All the Empire’s soldiers that had crossed over via the warp gate were elites, but their morale took a nosedive when they heard that command had fallen.
As gunfire rained down on the battlefield, the Central Hunter Bureau’s agents moved covertly in order to capture a prisoner. Then, the high-ranking commanders simultaneously ingested poison and committed suicide.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon! We’ve won!”
Idun rushed over and reported their triumph.
* * *
Once the high-ranking commanders killed themselves, their subordinates soon followed. The U.S. weren’t able to procure even a single prisoner.
The CIA and the Central Hunter Bureau identified the dead, but couldn’t find the nationality of the enemy, aside from the mercenaries.
Once the battle was over, Sung Joon’s synchronization rate rose to 63%. The enemy had attacked them for the ‘Righteous Shield’, so the event was cancelled. Sung Joon would receive the item privately.
Contrary to its name, it wasn’t actually a shield but a necklace. Sung Joon was already wearing two other necklaces: the ‘Dragon’s Protection’ and the ‘Knight Brigade’s Necklace’. Wearing too many necklaces would be a hindrance on the battlefield, so Sung Joon decided to take off the ‘Dragon’s Protection’ as it overlapped with the ‘Righteous Shield’.
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”
There was a short knock on his door. Jennifer opened the door and peeked her head in.
“May I come in?”
Sung Joon, who was sitting down and fiddling around with his smartphone, nodded his head. She then entered his room and sat in front of Sung Joon.
Sung Joon had received the ‘Righteous Shield’, but there was still the matter of his payment for the raid, so he was still staying in the Blair House.
“Are you done processing my reward for the New York raid?”
“Yes. The sum will be deposited into your account within one hour.”
“Nice.”
Sung Joon smiled. Because of the U.S.’s generosity, Sung Joon was able to stay in the Blair House without feeling discomfort, but he didn’t feel as comfortable here as he did back home.
“How much will I get?” Sung Joon looked at Jennifer and said.
He would know once it was deposited, but he wanted to know right away. Jennifer looked into it with her tablet PC.
“$700 billion*.”
*T/N: May be referring to won. If so, it would roughly equal $700 million in U.S. currency. However, there is a possibility that this sum is in U.S. dollars already.
“It’s a lot more than I expected,” Sung Joon said honestly.
He wasn’t the raid’s MVP and he hadn’t received additional payment from the South Korean government.
Therefore, he could understand $500 billion, but the reward was totally unexpected. Perhaps it was because it was a large SS-rank raid.
“You were given a huge payment due to the size of the raid,” Jennifer smiled and said.
Sung Joon nodded his head. It wasn’t like being paid a lot was a bad thing.
They briefly stopped talking and Sung Joon took out his smartphone during the five minutes of silence. He had heard his phone’s alarm go off.
“It’s been deposited.”
Sung Joon smiled, as he could check the payment details.
“Have you checked the amount?”
“Yes. There’re no problems.”
“That’s a relief.”
“More importantly, have you finished investigating the attackers?” Sung Joon asked. The attackers were from the Empire, so Sung Joon couldn’t say he was entirely unrelated to it. That’s why he wanted to know, but Jennifer shook her head.
“Nothing has been finalized, so I can’t tell you anything yet.”
“I see.”
Sung Joon smiled. She was telling him in a roundabout way that she couldn’t reveal what was going on. He could understand her position.
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that the U.S. itself was attacked, so why would they give Sung Joon, an outsider, the information?
“Mr. Kang Sung Joon.”
Jennifer organized her thoughts and called for him.
“Yes?”
“The president has invited you to a banquet. Would you like to go?”
//
