#170
Kyushu Crisis (2)
While Hans was active on Earth, time in Auterica was flowing quickly.
The Kingdom of Talia, now officially ruled by the Hybrids.
For various political reasons and to minimize chaos, they decided to continue on without changing the country’s name.
Since it was not all that different from how they had ruled from the shadows until now anyway, they had simply left the shell intact and taken the form of replacing only the regime.
They did not go out of their way to hide the fact that the new ruling class were vampires, either, but neither did they announce it on a grand scale, instead glossing over it ambiguously.
It was their way of paying some attention to how things appeared externally, since too sudden a change could provoke severe rejection.
Naturally, however, such shallow tricks could not erase every shock.
“Have you heard the news? They say our country’s king has changed.”
“Huh? What are you talking about all of a sudden?”
The rumors that began to spread slowly from the capital were only the mild part.
“What’s that new building for, sparkling like that?”
“They say it’s a blood donation center... Apparently, if you sell your blood, they give you money and various benefits.”
“Blood?! Th-that’s awfully unsettling. What if you get cursed for it?”
“Come on, they said it’s officially run by the country, didn’t they? And the pay is quite decent, so it’s not bad when you need quick cash. You do get a little tired, but it doesn’t really hurt, and afterward they give you all sorts of things that are good for your body.”
“Even so... Wait, how do you know so much about it? ...Don’t tell me?”
“Ahem, well, business has been rough lately...”
As the “blood donation centers,” the main bases of the vampires spread throughout each region, began opening one by one, even ordinary citizens who had been too busy making ends meet to care about politics gradually began to feel the change.
Of course, there were some among them who realized that vampires had come to rule the country and expressed concern, but every person who might have become a rallying point was already under the control of the Hybrids, so there was not much ordinary people could do on their own.
Since no direct harm had occurred just yet, they could only watch the situation closely with worried eyes.
But of course.
There were also those who could not view the situation so optimistically...
“Huh, what is this all of a sudden... At a time like this, of all times.”
“...I had sensed signs to some extent, but I never thought they would step forward so abruptly and so openly.”
They were none other than the neighboring countries that shared borders with Talia, and the Main God Church, which was all but the representative of the Ion Continent.
Their initial grasp of the situation had not come through their intelligence networks.
Astonishingly, an envoy from the “Kingdom of Talia,” who had visited after going through the proper procedures, had informed them of all these facts.
And now, at the Roselia Grand Temple, the holy site of the Main God Church.
Duke Bright, who had participated in the summit as well, had personally come as an envoy and was facing the upper ranks of the Church.
“You must have been quite taken aback. I can only apologize for visiting so suddenly like this.”
“It is all right. We were somewhat startled, but... we are grateful that you came to us like this, at least.”
Given the nature of the matter, the faces gathered there were dazzling indeed.
The cardinals who oversaw the Church’s affairs, Saintess Liesta, who was practically its public face, and...
“These are chaotic times in many ways. In the present situation, it is only natural that we prioritize dialogue. Would that not be the fastest path toward peace and coexistence?”
“You are absolutely right, Saint.”
...even Saint Heinrich, who had happened to visit the Grand Temple while busily rushing about.
The hero of the continent, who was rapidly making his name known by successfully exterminating the many hordes of evil that suddenly appeared, all based on his “prophecies” with their astonishing accuracy.
He looked at Duke Bright with a serious expression.
And the results of the consultation that followed were.
Needless to say, carried out in a direction that satisfied both sides.
***
The Hahoe Mask that had ruled Korea’s nights with terror had crossed over to Japan, but its influence did not appear immediately.
-I don’t know what might happen, so I don’t really want to say the exact location. I live in Fukuoka Prefecture, and this time I...
-...So just when I thought I was dead, everything around me suddenly went dark and someone appeared.
-I was so scared I trembled and passed out right away, so I didn’t see properly, but I think it was a man in black clothes wearing a strange mask. When I came to, I was in the hospital.
-I’ve been questioned by the police and came back home now, but my sense of reality suddenly disappeared, so I’m just rambling here. I even wonder if I dreamed it.
Of course, as his activities became more earnest, he came into contact with many people, and some of those who encountered him posted their experiences on the internet, but...
-Oh, interesting. So when’s the next chapter coming out?
-A masked hero? What era is this sensibility from lol. Though it is my taste. (laugh)
-The patient escaped over here! Hurry and prepare the meds!
Because he avoided leaving evidence of his appearance just as he had in Korea, the topic failed to become a major issue and was quietly buried.
On the internet, where all sorts of nonsense ran rampant, even serious posts were often treated as mere compulsive lying, so it was only natural.
But as Fukuoka City was one of the largest cities in Japan, many people were sensing the change, knowingly or unknowingly.
They did not know why, but somehow, things seemed oddly quieter than usual.
And as time passed and the influence spread beyond Fukuoka to surrounding regions such as Kumamoto and Nagasaki, related contents began to gradually accumulate on internet communities as well.
Since it was still only a story limited to part of Kyushu, the third-largest island in Japan, it did not become mainstream, but among those living in the same region, there were not a few who sympathized with it.
But unlike the general public, there were people who were feeling its impact most painfully—
“What the hell is going on? Doesn’t anyone know?!”
“I looked into it through the police contact I have, and they say the place is a total bloodbath! It seems they’re all dead...”
They were none other than the underground organizations that could be called the parties involved in this incident.
Regardless of whether the first victims were allied organizations on friendly terms or rival organizations in hostile relations, they all became alert to this sudden situation.
Forces that lost contact one by one and began to disappear.
No matter how one looked at it, this was an attack aimed at their industry, so they, unable to know when they would become the next target of the culprit, were in no position to let down their guard.
And...
“All right, report.”
The next place to react sensitively and launch an investigation was the Kyushu District Ability Bureau under the National Ability Committee, which managed Awakened in Japan.
“After comparing the on-site investigation findings with the testimonies of numerous witnesses, we believe the reliability is extremely high. It is to the point that it may be considered practically certain.”
“Huh, so that was really true? What did they call him... Hahoe Mask?”
The director, who oversaw Awakened in the Kyushu region, muttered as if dumbfounded.
As he was in charge of a region himself, he had naturally heard plenty about the Awakened individual who was currently so famous in the neighboring country.
Of course, until now, he had been convinced that Hahoe Mask’s achievements were media manipulation by the Korean government.
“This is ridiculous. So the bastard who was running wild in Korea has come all the way to Japan and is causing chaos here too? While doing that criminal hunting thing?”
The director’s mouth twitched.
Before even discussing whether the intent was good or evil, how many officials would be pleased by a foreigner freely stirring up their country?
And if that person was causing trouble in the very district under one’s jurisdiction, no less?
‘So he wasn’t an entirely fictional person. The unofficial strongest in Korea, was it? What nonsense.’
Just how much did he look down on them to cross the border as he pleased and cause such a mess?
It seemed the bastard believed in that frog-in-a-well title and was rampaging around without fear.
“Just a single Awakened, at that.”
Now that things had come to this, it no longer mattered whether Hahoe Mask was a fabricated hero or whether Korea had truly been pushed around by a mere Awakened individual.
It had now become a matter of their own face.
“Tamura.”
“Yes, Director!”
“If we fail to catch him here, we will look ridiculous. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course! We will make sure to show them that we are different from those incompetent Koreans!”
“Still, contact the Returnee Association separately as well. He is a man who stirred up half of Kyushu in just a few days. For now, we should assume his ability is genuine.”
That was certainly an impressive fact, but not enough to make them shrink back.
The reason they had left the underground organizations alone until now was due to their secrecy and certain political factors involving high-ranking officials, not because they lacked force.
‘Now that I think about it, it would not be a bad picture for us to catch an Awakened that Korea could do nothing about. If I handle the media well, I might be able to use this opportunity to move to the center.’
If he properly emphasized that the man was the unofficial strongest criminal in Korea, it seemed possible.
Thus, the director, steeped in sweet dreams, drew in even the Guardians of the Japanese Returnee Association and formed a pursuit team for Hahoe Mask...
And over the several days after they began moving in earnest.
No miracle occurred to make his vain dream come true.
Not until Hahoe Mask was on the verge of devastating the entirety of Kyushu’s underworld.
***
‘Tch, how annoying.’
As Hans grumbled inwardly and lightly waved his staff, countless demonic hands instantly stretched out from the magic circle constructed around him and swept through the surroundings.
Goooo—
“Block it!”
“Grace of the Holy Spirit!”
In response, dozens of people defended against it while launching counterattacks.
However, the group currently fighting Hans was not the criminal organization he had been aiming for.
The Japanese pursuit team that had been persistently following him for several days had hidden near the target he was aiming for, as if they had steeled themselves, and launched a surprise attack.
‘Since it’s an island, the destinations left to me were bound to become limited as time went on. And the ones I was aiming for this time were the last targets in Kyushu.’
Unlike Korea, which had struggled with its initial response due to a lack of information on him, Japan had pursued him with a certain degree of understanding of Hahoe Mask and a clear knowledge of the places he was targeting.
And the result was the current situation.
‘In Korea, there weren’t people charging at me like they were determined to die.’
Since Hans had been active in Korea for quite some time, it was not as if he had never encountered agents of the Ability Management Bureau or Guardians.
But at those times, he had avoided fighting as much as possible, and the other side had not actively rushed at him either, so matters had often ended ambiguously.
There were likely various reasons for that.
Perhaps they had simply been too afraid to attack, or perhaps, deep down, they sympathized with Hahoe Mask’s actions.
On top of that, there must have been the basic policy of trying to win Hahoe Mask over, so in a way, it was only natural.
But Japan’s situation was different from Korea’s, so on the contrary, they had no choice but to charge at him as if their lives depended on it.
From Hans’s perspective, whose hunt had been obstructed, their meddling was merely annoying.
‘If not for these people, I would have cleaned up Kyushu long ago and moved straight on to the next region.’
Just as he was wondering how to shake off these bothersome leeches and aim for his target.
At the sudden edge he sensed, he adjusted his grip on the bone staff in one hand.
His spread feet planted firmly on the ground.
His lowered center of gravity supported his body stably.
His waist rotated as if snapping, aided by mana.
And the staff wrapped in dark mana moved gracefully...
“Ultimate Art of the Severing Wind Sword Style! Whirlwind’s... Gah!”
Kwaaang—!
He struck and sent flying the fool who, despite concealing his presence splendidly and attempting a surprise attack, had pointlessly shouted a long technique name at the very end.
With perfect posture that had even received indirect aid from Heinrich’s 「Path of Martial Arts」.
“That idiot, even in this situation!”
“More importantly, wasn’t that man a mage? What on earth was that move just now...!”
Sighs and astonishment burst out at the same time.
However, unlike the Awakened who were criticizing the one who had attempted the surprise attack, Hans was in fact deeply impressed by him.
‘To steadfastly shout the technique name even in this situation. He has conviction, and he understands romance quite well.’
That utterly inefficient act was the ultimate “style,” usable only when the strong faced the weak.
It was insolent of him to dare attempt such a thing against Hans, but he also fully understood the pleasure of succeeding with it against a strong opponent...
‘No, even so, that’s not right! I nearly fell to “Hans’s” temptation.’
Hans’s instinct, filled to the extreme with attention-seeking and bravado, strongly desired it, but no matter what, wasn’t that going too far?
There was a limit even to useless things.
[Hehehe— I am in a hurry, so let us finish this quickly. Dark Shadow Corridor!]
...Still, perhaps doing it once in a while was not so bad.
He had come to understand, just a little, how Malcolm—now a Death Wizard—had felt in the past when he recited spell names every time he used magic.
***
And at that moment, on a small mountain a short distance from where the fight had broken out.
-[Hahoe Mask confirmed. Begin the operation. Everyone, to your positions.]
-[Confirmed.]
-[Okay.]
A group of people hiding their identities began to move covertly.