Amid the wall of lightning surging ferociously.
‘If they die, it’s not my responsibility. Who told them to become villains?’
I paid no heed to whether the villains caught in the storm of wall lightning lived or died.
Whether they survived, perished, or met some other fate, I decided to focus on the other enemies.
Just then, Yeon Haneul approached.
“I’ve been wanting to see you anyway. Glad you came at just the right time.”
“Hmph, are you trying to score points now? Isn’t it more like you came at the right time because you needed me?”
“No. I really wanted to see you.”
“Really?”
“Didn’t you miss me?”
“I did. That’s why I came running here so quickly.”
With our backs pressed against each other.
Yeon Haneul and I chuckled.
At the same time, we kept watch on the villains.
“Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Not particularly, thanks to you bringing me the Azure Sword. But why did you have this?”
“Grandfather gave it to me before he left.”
“Grandfather? You mean… my grandfather?”
“Yep! He told me to say that he felt hurt. He called you a bad person. He asked how you could get married and leave the family without his permission.”
“Ha….”
While dealing with the villains rushing at us.
I could only click my tongue as I listened to Yeon Haneul.
It was hard to believe.
So, to summarize….
“He told us to visit the main family during this vacation and greet the elders of the clan. You and me.”
“Really?”
“Yep, really! When we parted earlier, he even called me ‘granddaughter-in-law.’”
My marriage to Yeon Haneul.
Grandfather had acknowledged it.
For me, it could not have been more unexpected.
I was secretly astonished.
Even so.
“Reeeally?”
“Yeees, really!”
Like Yeon Haneul, who happily swung her iron hammer.
The corners of my mouth rose on their own.
Strength I had not possessed before surged through me.
Then and there.
“Then we absolutely have to visit during vacation. To greet the people of the clan. I’ll introduce you.”
“Yeah, I’m looking forward to it.”
Yeon Haneul and I supported each other, taking down the villains around us.
There was no opponent for us as we coordinated without giving our enemies a moment to breathe.
Besides, Yeon Haneul was not the only reinforcement to come to the hunters’ aid.
“I’ll join in too.”
“Noona! It’s been a while.”
Do Sieun, who had apparently been planning to have lunch with Yeon Haneul, also leaped into the battlefield.
“Do Gyeonwooooooo!”
“We’re heeeere!”
“You missed us, right!?”
Along with the triplets.
“Gyeonwoo! You aren’t hurt, are you!?”
“Oh! Clan Head! You were here too! I’ll join the battle as well!”
“Ugh… If this many people were going to come, I guess I didn’t need to show up….”
“What are you talking about!? Hurry up and fight! Don’t just eat!”
“I’ll provide assistance as well.”
“Isn’t this none of our business? It’s against school rules….”
“Don’t worry about that in a situation like this. Minju! Watch your back!”
Yeon Bada, Yong Haerang, Cha Eunseol, Min Arin, Gwon Boram, Ham Minju, Yu Gaeul, and others.
Not only the friends who had received a call from me and Kang Hanbyeol.
Other hunters joined in as well.
“Gyeonwoo, I’m here too.”
“Huh? Did I call you?”
“Ah….”
“Sorry, I’m joking.”
As an aside, Bak Sagun was there too.
After brushing past him in the opposite direction, I gave him a teasing grin.
Then I called out to Nam Yuri.
“Yuri!”
“Yeah! I’m here!”
Nam Yuri, who had been spinning around with a gigantic scythe and threatening the villains.
She answered brightly.
Soon, we joined hands.
“Gyeonwoo-gyeonwoo! Let’s combine!”
Instead of answering.
I activated the Pass.
〈Beast Transformation: Nam Yuri Coat〉
Nam Yuri transformed into an ash-gray coat.
With her draped over my shoulders, I became even more fearless.
I advanced toward the villains.
Crackle!
Entrusting my body to my evasion instinct as it activated, I dodged the villains’ attacks.
Leaving the more complicated tasks to Nam Yuri.
〈Beast King Style, Unique Form Two〉
Lion Flash
I brought the Azure Sword down.
Wall lightning carved a line through the air and exploded.
I did not stop there.
〈Beast King Style, Unique Form Three〉
Lion Iron Sword
Sharpening the iron sand scattered throughout the coastal city to a razor’s edge.
I swung the Azure Sword without restraint.
Like that.
“They’re weak.”
[Gyeonwoo-gyeonwoo! Don’t get conceited! But they are weak!]
The hunters, myself and my friends included, continued to pressure the villain alliance.
Mo Hwidam and Song Yejun, who were being fought individually by Seo Jeongjin and Gwon Haeil, and Yong Suhwan and Min Hwiseong, were also nearly cornered.
The tide had completely turned.
Riding the momentum and growing increasingly triumphant, we were about to finish things.
But then.
────!!!
A murderous intent so threatening that it made our bodies recoil descended upon us.
Startled and frightened for an instant, we raised our heads.
There.
“This is quite something….”
“...”
An old man in a pure-white suit was looking down at us.
Tacheon, the head of the Demon Society.
“Looks like we tried to land one great blow, only to be struck down ourselves.”
Clicking his tongue.
Tacheon slowly landed on the ground beneath everyone’s gaze.
No, just before he did so.
“On a battlefield.”
Without anyone noticing.
The Battle Ghost, Seo Jeongjin, closed the distance.
And immediately.
“Don’t stand around posing.”
Toward Tacheon.
He brought his bludgeon down with all his strength.
As a result.
“…!”
Before anyone could react.
Tacheon’s face crumpled from the direct hit of Seo Jeongjin’s bludgeon, and he went flying into the distance.
He rolled across the ground, bones snapping, until at last there came the sound of his head bursting apart.
Tacheon was dead.
“...”
Regardless of which side they belonged to.
We had to doubt our own eyes.
Our mouths hung open.
* * *
Regrettably.
Tacheon, the boss of the final episode in the game and the man who had once plunged the world into terror, could not possibly have died this futilely.
Sure enough.
From the place where Seo Jeongjin was looking.
“I know you deceived us with an illusion. Do you think I wouldn’t recognize your methods? Stop hiding there and come out.”
“Heh heh. Battle Ghost, you still have no regard for your opponent. You attack without so much as a word….”
“...”
As though he had been there from the very beginning.
Tacheon naturally stepped out.
Completely unharmed….
The corpse whose head had supposedly been blown apart had somehow turned into an unknown villain.
“Such a shame….”
Go Eunbi clicked her tongue regretfully.
The others, myself included, felt the same way.
It had really seemed like we were going to win.
Meanwhile, the villain alliance felt relieved upon confirming that Tacheon was safe.
Then Tacheon grumbled.
“It was certainly a perfect plan…. How astonishing. How did you realize it? Was there some agent of the Shadow Family Yu that I failed to detect? To think we would be deceived in return…. This was unexpected.”
Villains such as Mo Hwidam and Song Yejun gathered around to protect Tacheon.
The hunters, led by Min Hwiseong, Gwon Haeil, and Yong Suhwan, surrounded them.
Even so, Tacheon did not lose his composure. He slowly surveyed his surroundings.
Before long, his gaze.
“Oh? You were here too. What a coincidence.”
“...”
Came to rest on me.
I could not help but flinch.
Tacheon greeted me.
“Is this our first time meeting in person? A pleasure, child of the Divine Sword Do family. You may not know this, but I have been watching you with interest for some time. Ah, I heard that you got married recently. Congratulations. I was told that you left your family because of it….”
“...”
“Judging by the sword in your hand, have you somehow returned to the fold? The Beast King may be cold, but he has always been surprisingly softhearted. Perhaps age has made him even more so…. In any case, it is a shame. If things had continued as they were, I might have been able to draw you and your wife into my ranks….”
Tacheon chuckled gleefully.
I, on the other hand, felt nothing but discomfort.
I was not pleased to see him in the slightest.
And he even knew that I had gotten married….
It was utterly horrifying.
“But, child of the Divine Sword Do family. Was this your doing? Strangely enough, every incident you become involved in—”
“It wasn’t me.”
“...”
“It really wasn’t me.”
There was nothing good to come from becoming entangled with Tacheon.
I had no interest in his attention.
Quickly reading the rest of his unspoken question, I immediately shook my head.
But contrary to my wishes….
“Very well, so it was your doing after all.”
‘Damn it…. Can he read minds?’
Tacheon reached his own conclusion.
His shoulders shook as he chuckled.
I could not help but grimace.
“Truly… you are a variable. I had intended to look favorably upon you because you were a student, but it seems I can no longer do that. You… may become dangerous.”
“...”
“So, child of the Divine Sword Do family. I will make you an offer. Come over to my side. If you swear allegiance to me, I will give you a portion of the world. In that world, you will be able to achieve what cannot be achieved and live a life in which you enjoy everything you desire. But if you oppose me….”
Tacheon’s red eyes flashed.
He continued as though passing sentence.
“I will kill you here and now. It seems I cannot allow you to grow any further. The best course of action is to eliminate a variable before it has a chance to develop.”
“...”
“So choose, child of the Divine Sword Do family.”
Will you swear allegiance to me?
Or will you die by my hand?
Tacheon asked me.
With his gaze fixed solely upon me.
“Uh… well… my choice is….”
I deliberately stalled for time.
Taking advantage of that moment.
“I believe I told you. Don’t stand around posing.”
Gwon Haeil, Yong Suhwan, and Min Hwiseong worked together to keep Mo Hwidam and Song Yejun at bay.
Seo Jeongjin, who had approached from outside Tacheon’s field of vision, launched a surprise attack.
Tacheon was forced to hastily retreat to avoid the bludgeon.
“This is quite something…. I can’t have a conversation because of you. Do you have no sense of romance?”
“Are you trying to die while searching for romance? When dealing with people like you, you have to kill them when you have the chance.”
“Are you wary of me to that extent? I must admit, receiving your acknowledgment is rather satisfying. In any case, child of the Divine Sword Do family, have you made your choice?”
Ah, why was he so fixated on me…?
I could not help but recoil from Tacheon’s persistence.
I was sick of him in my heart.
Fortunately.
“Can’t you grasp the situation? You’re talking so leisurely, as if you still have the initiative.”
Min Hwiseong drew Tacheon’s attention elsewhere.
He exhaled cigarette smoke from his long-stemmed pipe and sneered.
“If you have eyes, look around you. You are completely surrounded. Our reinforcements are also continuing to increase. Do you really think you can get away safely? Your lives are already forfeit. If you want to live, surrender quietly.”
“Certainly, we are at a disadvantage. Both quantitatively and qualitatively. But it is not over yet.”
“What does that mean?”
“Do you think I threw myself into certain death without a plan, simply to rescue my subordinates? No. I came here because I had a plan.”
“...”
“Until today, when the Future Festival was held. I have been wandering through this city, planting explosive magic in various locations. I prepared it to use when the time came, but since things have gone so wrong, I have no choice but to— Battle Ghost, stay still for a moment. Stop acting so cowardly. You are worse than us.”
“Tsk, you noticed.”
“…Are we not in the middle of a conversation? Step back for a moment. And tell your disciple to stop as well…. So. Are you saying that if we do not let you leave peacefully, you will carry out a terrorist attack on the academy city? Using that magic? You want to make a deal with us?”
“You understand quickly, which is good. Yes, let us make a deal. It will not be a bad proposition for you, either.”
“Why should we?”
“Would you not care if the people who came to watch the Future Festival were sacrificed? There are also distinguished guests from all over the world. If things go wrong, this could develop into a diplomatic incident. I do not wish to ruin the grand plan this way, either.”
“First, we would have to assume that the magic is actually installed. You could be lying to us. How are we supposed to believe you?”
“Then shall I set off a few?”
“...”
Tacheon laughed tauntingly.
Faced with a situation in which they could not tell whether he was telling the truth or lying.
The hunters, including Min Hwiseong, could not carelessly open their mouths.
The atmosphere grew solemn.
‘If it’s Tacheon… he’s more than capable of it.’
That was my judgment.
Perhaps Min Hwiseong thought the same, because his brow furrowed.
He asked suspiciously.
“It must be magic that can be disarmed remotely?”
“Of course. If you let us go, I will disarm it then.”
“How are we supposed to trust you? Besides, how do we know you will not leave some of it behind?”
“You are a very suspicious man.”
“One should test even a stone bridge before crossing it. Is that not only natural for a mage?”
“You’re right. A mage must be able to doubt everything, and even deceive the world if necessary. But I’m being sincere right now. I can even swear upon my very existence.”
“Your existence….”
“The higher one’s realm, the more one should know how heavy the burden of an oath sworn upon one’s existence is, yes?”
“Hmph, you must be quite frightened. You’re willing to swear upon your existence just to survive us….”
“You seem to be misunderstanding something.”
It was then.
Tacheon’s red eyes gleamed.
The moment he revealed his aura in a single burst, we were overwhelmed.
It felt as though the air itself had grown heavy.
“I am not begging you to spare me. If anything, I am showing you mercy. If I so wished, killing you here, Griffin, would be no difficult task. The same goes for you, Battle Demon, and for Ganseong and Martial Venerable. So do not disregard me.”
“How laughable. You lost to us in the last all-out war.”
“Yes, I lost. I was defeated by the combined assault of you and the other Ten Great Families. Quite a few former heads of your families died back then, did they not? That is how you came to occupy your current positions. If you think about it, you should be thanking me.”
“Shut your mouth.”
“Moreover, though you won, you failed to kill me. All you did was take me by surprise and imprison me in a gate hidden beneath the sea. How utterly underhanded.”
“…”
“And yet you think that means you won everything? Do not misunderstand. I simply have no desire to ruin the grand plan in this manner.”
Tacheon waved his hand once.
Space split open around the villains.
“Go in.”
“…”
Min Hwiseong remained silent.
It was tacit agreement.
As a result, the hunters had no choice but to watch in fury as the villain alliance was allowed to leave.
They crossed into the subspace.
Before long, Mo Hwidam and Song Ye-jun departed as well, leaving only Tacheon behind.
“The destruction of the Puppet Ghost Maiden, and the events at the Grand Ranking Tournament…. With our losses this severe, it seems we will have to bring the grand plan forward. Yes…. That time should do.”
With the enormous subspace behind him, Tacheon suddenly spoke.
Looking over the hunters, he said,
“Midnight on January 1 of next year, when the year changes.”
Wait, this was….
I could not help but prick up my ears at Tacheon’s words.
Those were lines that had appeared in the game as well.
The problem was—
“How about we settle things then? Let us put an end to our long-standing enmity, with this world at stake.”
It was a line Tacheon had spoken when he visited Geumgang Academy during the second semester of our third year, immediately before the final episode.
In other words—
‘He’s proposing the final battle? A whole year early?’
I was bewildered.
But considering the state of the weakened villain alliance after my interference, it made sense that the final episode might be brought forward.
I could understand it.
At that moment, Gwon Hae-il answered,
“Why should we agree? How are we supposed to know what schemes you people are plotting?”
It was a reasonable objection.
Tacheon snorted.
“It would benefit you as well, would it not? Have you not grown tired of dealing with us? Then let us fight an all-out war and end things with one side claiming the world. Or are you afraid of us? Afraid you will lose? I never knew the head of the Iron Fortress Gwon clan, the man who claims to be this nation’s guardian, was a coward.”
“Shut your mouth. Do not insult me.”
“Well, if you truly refuse, then there is nothing I can do. In that case….”
We will have no choice but to carry out indiscriminate acts of terror.
The corners of Tacheon’s mouth stretched into a long, crooked grin.
“On January 1 of next year, when the year changes, if you refuse to engage in an all-out war, we will carry out indiscriminate acts of terror across this country. Hunters and civilians alike—we will kill everything in sight without distinction. We will continue until no one who interferes with my wish remains.”
“…”
“And if you still refuse, then say so now. But you will never be able to reject us. The foundation of you hunters lies in the nation and its people. You will not be able to leave us alone.”
Tacheon shook his shoulders as he chuckled.
The hunters, myself and my friends included, could not refute him.
Nor could we readily answer that we would accept the all-out war.
The moment someone answered on behalf of the hunters, they would have to bear the responsibility.
It was an immense burden.
It was then.
“Fine. I accept the all-out war.”
“…”
Battle Demon, Seo Jeong-jin.
He stepped forward and made the declaration on our behalf.
He had decided to bear the responsibility.
Tacheon smiled in satisfaction.
“Yes, that is how you should respond. A wise decision! Now, where would be a good place to hold the battlefield….”
“We’ll hold it here.”
“Haimong-dong…. Not a bad choice. We fought there during the last war as well. In that place, you will be able to fight at ease, without any concerns. Very well. I agree.”
And with that.
The all-out war was set.
With grim expressions, we watched Tacheon turn his back on us.
“Then, my enemies.”
“…”
Tacheon stepped into the subspace.
The torn space gradually closed.
His face appeared through the narrowing gap as he offered us a farewell.
“Let us meet at the end and beginning of the year. And you, child of the Divine Sword Do clan.”
Ah, why….
He could have made a dignified exit, like a proper final boss….
I flinched when my name was called.
Tacheon’s red eyes curved.
“I will be waiting for your choice. See you then.”
Go away already! Please!
Soon, the subspace vanished.
* * *
Once again, after more than thirty years.
An all-out war that would decide the fate of an entire nation had been announced.
The world, which had returned to its daily life after the Future Festival ended, could not hide its shock.
Amid all that—
“I had hoped it wouldn’t be true.”
Muyeong, head of the Shadow Submergence Yu clan.
After organizing the information obtained during the Future Festival, he let out a deep sigh.
“Among us….”
There had been a mole.
That was the conclusion he had reached after investigating the movements of the heads of the Ten Great Families who had visited the Academy City during the Future Festival and giving the matter considerable thought.
Furthermore, Muyeong had deceived them by providing each of them with different information.
The fact that the villains had somehow known that information as well was anything but ordinary.
There was ample reason for suspicion.
He had also obtained a clue from the villains who had targeted the members of the Contribution Society whom he and So Hyeyul had worked together to arrest.
For that reason, he could not deny it.
“What a fool.”
In the unlit office,
Muyeong clicked his tongue.
“It looks like I’ll be losing another friend….”
No matter how many times he experienced it, he never grew accustomed to it.
His heart was heavy.
But the head of the Shadow Submergence Yu clan had to be someone capable of severing personal attachments.
Closing his eyes and sinking into the darkness, Muyeong steadied his mind.
At the same time, he turned his thoughts elsewhere.
‘The war has already begun in all but name. It simply hasn’t surfaced yet; in the shadows, an intelligence war is already underway…. I must not let my guard down from here on.’
And so.
The signs of war drew near.
I Became the Middle Boss’s Childhood Friend