#161
Hahoe Mask Rises (1)
“With the news lately and all, you can really feel that incidents and accidents have gone down.”
“Seriously. Until just recently, I was wondering if things were going to spiral into something really bad.”
There was something that everyone living in Korea—not just Seoul—could clearly feel these days.
Domestic public safety had risen to an absurd degree.
Compared to the news from overseas, where things were still steadily worsening, the phenomenon felt almost alien, and it had now seeped deep into everyone’s daily lives.
Of course, there were many possible reasons for it.
The government agency, the Ability Management Bureau, had been working hard, and the Guardians under the Returnee Association had also achieved plenty in arresting criminals, so their contributions could not be ignored.
But by now, those in the know all knew.
That there was one more being whose name ought to stand above theirs.
-Honestly, if it weren’t for Hahoe Mask, our country would’ve been a complete mess like the others. Agreed?
-It’s true the Guardians worked hard too, but the difference before and after Hahoe Mask showed up is so huge there’s no way to cover for it.
-But seriously, what is Hahoe Mask’s real identity? He’s probably a bunch of people pretending to be one person, right?
At some point, a strange figure had appeared, pacified Seoul’s nights, and finally begun appearing all across Korea: Hahoe Mask.
Rumors about him began spreading at an uncontrollable pace, and eventually, he was mentioned frequently even on celebrities’ social media and TV programs.
And riding that wave, one internet community was experiencing explosive growth...
It was “Dawn’s Seonangdang,” a fan site dedicated to “Hahoe Mask.”
The name was taken from Hahoe Mask’s traditional image and his habit of operating mostly in the dead of night, and with enthusiastic responses from many people, its influence was rapidly growing.
Naturally, the general public were not the only ones showing interest in this modern dark hero who drew the attention of so many.
Ability Management Bureau Criminal Investigation Division, Hahoe Mask Investigation Team.
“Aaaaargh—! How long are we supposed to keep playing this impossible game of tail-chasing?! Isn’t it about time we gave up? Let’s just leave him alone and let him do what he’s good at!”
“That bastard’s acting up again. Hey! It’s time for the rookie’s medicine!”
“Yes, Team Leader. Damn it—! You punk. You think we’re doing this because we want to? The higher-ups ordered it, so what can we do?”
Thwack, thwack—!
The senior agents, who had been reviewing CCTV footage, gladly bestowed blows upon the back of Gang Taesan’s head as he flailed around.
This rookie had an illness that caused seizures if he wasn’t beaten periodically, so while it pained them, there was no helping it.
“Man, the back of this guy’s head is sticking to my hand especially well today.”
“Ack, agh! Senior! I’ve come to my senses! Senior!”
“Good, you punk. In any case, figuring out crimes committed by Awakeners is our job. Keep your personal feelings out of it and work.”
“...Ugh, understood.”
And so, the hand of the government agency continued to reach after Hahoe Mask’s trail...
Korean Returnee Association, Seoul Southern Branch.
“Hmm, I still think the Blood Alliance and Hahoe Mask are connected. Especially the Heterosis faction.”
“By Heterosis, you mean the elite combat group within the Blood Alliance that’s been rising rapidly lately? The one led by the level-eight vampire using the alias Heinz?”
“That’s right. After they drove out the hardliners, they’ve been acting quite peacefully, so we’ve been turning a blind eye to their expansion...”
In any case, underground organizations were bound to grow back like weeds no matter how thoroughly they were rooted out.
If so, it was more efficient in many ways to empower a group cooperative with public security, like the current Blood Alliance, and let them regulate themselves.
In fact, the results so far had been highly satisfactory. With the Blood Alliance’s control and the fear of Hahoe Mask overlapping, the districts under their jurisdiction maintained rather excellent public order.
“No matter how I look at it, Hahoe Mask seems to be receiving separate information from the Blood Alliance while also moving independently.”
“By information... do you mean a death list?”
“Well, you could call it that.”
Branch Manager Yun Jiyun, who had been speaking with her secretary, furrowed her brow and sank back into her chair.
Even for her, Hahoe Mask was far too burdensome an existence to dig into rashly.
Based only on what had already been revealed, he was a powerhouse who could be called Demon King-class in most worlds.
If they carelessly provoked him and he lost the line he was currently maintaining and went berserk, a calamity would literally descend upon the heart of Seoul.
“...For now, let’s watch a little longer.”
In the end, she closed her eyes and chose to observe the situation a while longer.
The Ability Management Bureau and the Returnee Association.
Aside from these representative organizations, countless intelligence agencies, criminal groups, and even the Beoncheonhoe were secretly investigating Hahoe Mask.
Things had reached the point where it was impossible to discuss the current state of Korea without mentioning Hahoe Mask.
And in such a situation...
Wooooong—
[Kuhuhut— To think there’s still someone pulling this kind of stunt. You’ve got quite the nerve. I’ll have to slice open your belly and check for myself.]
“What is this, a formation? Who are you!”
Hans was facing a fresh reaction for the first time in a while.
He had thought he had instilled enough fear into the underworld these days, but when he came to catch someone who had committed murder without even attempting to hide it, this was the attitude he encountered.
“...So you’re the one they call Hahoe Mask. They say your fame has been spreading far and wide lately. Indeed, what ferocious demonic energy.”
The man even burned with fighting spirit upon facing him.
This was not mere recklessness born of ignorance from having only recently returned.
No matter how much Hans was concealing the power of his heart, there were not many who could face him head-on and remain that confident.
‘That means he has confidence in his own ability.’
Gooooooo—!
Sure enough, just as he expected, a heavy aura began flowing from the man’s body in an instant, and his presence gradually swelled.
It was filthy and murky, as though several energies were mixed together, yet heavy and overbearing as it filled the inside of the barrier Hans had set up.
‘Energy accumulated by plundering the life force of others? How unusual. To think he could reach such a level with such unstable energy without becoming a cripple.’
Perhaps he had some unique skill related to it.
The density of the energy the man possessed clearly surpassed that of Cornwell, captain of the Azerion Empire’s Imperial Guard.
“So, judging by the look of things, it seems that reputation of yours isn’t empty. I didn’t expect the one called Hahoe Mask to be a jiangshi, but I suppose you must have completed some unusual great art?”
Hans was currently wearing an intact Hahoe mask and concealing his skull, but it was impossible to hide his energy completely from a powerhouse of that level.
Of course, Earth had all sorts of unique skills, so it was something he could explain away somehow.
[Kekeke, it’s been so long since someone stood against me this boldly that it feels quite refreshing. Very amusing.]
“Hah— Let’s see how long that amusement lasts.”
Craaaack—!
Before the words had even finished.
A rough explosive sound burst out right beside him.
An attack of tremendous speed pierced through the black magic barrier in an instant.
But because dozens of strands of the “Abyss” extended from Hans at the moment of impact, the man’s surprise attack could not continue into a follow-up strike.
Likewise, Hans’s counterattack did not prove very effective either.
The moment the serpents of the Abyss were about to pierce the man nearby, in that brief instant, his opponent had already retreated far away and was staring at him warily.
‘Fast. As expected of someone from a martial world dimension specialized in one-on-one combat. Still, this is the first time I’ve faced someone who uses such an impressive lightness art.’
A swift strike and withdrawal.
Lightness arts were techniques favored in places where martial arts and internal energy were central—in dimensions commonly called martial worlds—and from a mage’s perspective, they were inevitably quite troublesome.
“...What is that? It’s not ordinary demonic energy. To think such sinister yet pure energy exists. ...Even the Heavenly Demon wasn’t at that level.”
The man, who had wrapped both hands in dark red energy resembling a devil’s claws, frowned and spoke.
Where had his previously confident attitude gone? Having directly faced the power of the Abyss, he now looked extremely alarmed.
‘It’s already too late to realize that now.’
Thoom—
With a single light stomp of Hans’s foot, sinister waves spread in every direction along the floor.
And from where those waves passed, a deep abyss that swallowed even light bloomed, covering the barrier that enveloped them.
Zzzzt! Zzzk!
The existing barrier felt somewhat unreliable for keeping the man trapped, so he was reinforcing it to make certain the matter was handled properly.
It would be quite troublesome if the man used that mobility to break the barrier and flee.
“...Ha! You were leisurely fiddling with a formation while facing me? Before this lord, the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Emperor?”
Perhaps Hans’s actions had irritated him, because the opponent, who had been sharpening his aura, ground his teeth and spat out the words.
Boldly announcing his own dazzling epithet!
‘Ugh, calling yourself the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Emperor with your own mouth... How childish. Isn’t he embarrassed?’
It was embarrassing enough just to watch.
But unlike his inner self, which found the man’s words and actions pathetic, Hans was a gentleman whose usual consideration was ingrained in him, so he played along so the man would not feel awkward.
[Kuhuhuhut— There is nothing more irritating than letting prey slip away after you’ve already caught it. Now then, let us begin in earnest!]
Naturally, his already eroded conscience did not hurt in the slightest.
***
Kwaaaang!
“Keugh! You persistent bastard!”
And so, roughly an hour passed.
The battle went on far longer than expected.
In truth, his opponent’s martial power was remarkable, but more than anything, his mobility made him exceedingly difficult to handle.
From midway through, the man attempted to escape, and the damage to the shaken barrier was substantial. If Hans had not reinforced it beforehand, he might truly have let him get away.
‘Still, it’s about to end. Fortunately, I can wrap this up within the duration of 「Object Projection」.’
Shiaaaak—!
Centered on the hand Hans extended forward, the power of the Abyss spread like a net, covering all directions as if blocking off the man’s escape routes.
“Damn it! What kind of filthy energy is this!”
Even as death encroached upon his flesh through the wounds all over his body, the man forcibly moved and resisted fiercely.
‘He certainly had reason to be confident. Since he hasn’t been back for long, he probably hasn’t had much experience fighting mages either.’
Regrettably, ordinary black magic had almost no effect on that Heavenly Slaughter Demon Emperor.
The protective qi enveloping his body granted him powerful anti-magic resistance, and the sharply refined devil’s claws severed the flow of offensive magic strand by strand.
Using that, he could deflect, divert, or even split apart most ordinary black magic along the flow of mana, so dealing with him inevitably required far more effort than usual.
[But even that is meaningless before the Abyss.]
Unfortunately for him, his energy had the worst possible compatibility with the Abyss.
His internal energy, already murky and unstable to begin with, began to be rapidly contaminated and shaken whenever it came into contact with it.
Whether he counterattacked to knock it away or blocked it with protective qi, the damage steadily accumulated.
From his perspective, it was enough to drive him insane.
But in truth, even this was Hans’s power in a significantly weakened state compared to his might in Auterica.
‘Unlike black magic, the efficiency of the Abyss’s power is halved on Earth. Just like divine power... It seems there’s some kind of standard depending on the energy, but I’m still not sure what it is.’
It was something he had not paid much attention to until now, but when projecting his full power against a strong opponent, the drawback became clearly apparent.
It seemed he would need to compare and experiment with various energies regarding this matter as well.
It was a method others could not use, but for him, it was a simple matter he could experience personally.
But no matter how much less efficient it was than in Auterica, it still displayed overwhelmingly superior power compared to using only black magic.
And the opponent who had endured against it this long could certainly not be taken lightly...
Puk! Pupuk! Puhwaak!
That resistance was now over.
“Keheuk!”
At last, one strand after another of the Abyss that the man failed to avoid began piercing into his body.
Like a starving beast, the encroachment of death greedily burrowed into the body that had been abused all this time.
[Excellent. Truly excellent. You should be able to be reborn as an outstanding undead. What an unexpected windfall.]
“Kraaagh! Don’t spout nonsense! I am the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Emperor, who reigned as the terror of the Ganghwan Realm! Do you think I, who reached the Profound Realm, will die so meaninglessly here?!”
Gooooo—!
The devil’s claws, along with his surging, mighty internal energy, tore away the Abyss with rough gestures.
But with his body in such a state, no amount of internal energy was of any use.
‘The Ganghwan Realm... I’m sure I vaguely remember seeing it while looking into dimensions.’
But to think he had been called the terror of an entire dimension. Wasn’t that quite similar to Hans?
Upon realizing the other party was in the same line of work, Hans simply could not remain still.
Clatter!
“Grrk!”
Bound by the Abyss surging in from all sides once again, the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Emperor began to struggle.
And Hans slowly approached him and placed a hand on his head.
[The terror of the Ganghwan Realm... How similar to me. Since this too is fate, I shall tell only you specially.]
The other party had introduced himself first, so it would be impolite not to answer.
There, within a space covered by a pitch-black barrier of the Abyss.
An absurd existence that seemed to have been formed by gathering all the negativity in the world looked down at a human and slowly opened his mouth.
[This body is the terror that descended upon Auterica, the despair of the continent, the ruler of death—the Immortal King.]
He did not bother revealing his name.
...After all, even if he told this man, it would mean nothing.
Soon, the Abyss extending from Hans’s hand completely covered the body of the Heavenly Slaughter Demon Emperor.