Chapter 11

Chapter 11. Red Sea (1)

"Why does no one acknowledge us?"

The live video the demon worshipper had filmed while corrupting the Red Sea received absolutely zero attention from the world.

[Viewers: 0]

Afterward, his comrades ripped the footage and uploaded it to WorldTube, but even that garnered zero interest.

[Views: 0]

And for good reason.......

A far bigger story had already broken in the Republic of Korea.

[Identity of the Yeouido Transcendent revealed — NOT the Patriot!!!]

[A new SSS-rank Transcendent is born in the Republic of Korea!]

[Righteous Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin deceives the nation! What was his true intent in hiding the Transcendent?]

Multiple analysts had picked apart the Yeouido footage.

And 45 million Korean WorldNet users had joined in.......

—Yeouido terrorist is B-rank Hunter Park Chang-seok. Was a normal guy besides the intense Awakening superiority complex.......

Naturally, the terrorist's identity was also uncovered.

—But how does a B-rank Transcend?

A B-rank Hunter becoming a Transcendent?

Facts the government had been hiding were exposed.

—Why is the SSS-rank who instantly erased that B-rank being hidden?

In the end, the truth always comes out.

—Kang Mu-jin's daughter just got transferred to the Hunter Division.

—She's handling a single A-rank Hunter named Shin Si-woo, who has Solo Raid Authorization, and there's virtually zero public info on him.

—Isn't information suppression something the Patriot absolutely despises?

The reason the public knew all this was thanks to the 'Freedom of Information Act' the Patriot had established.

And so, the new Transcendent's identity was revealed.

[Hunter Shin Si-woo, who possesses the ability to intercept targets with tens of thousands of swords. What is his true nature?]

[Why did Righteous Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin hide information from the public?]

Sensational news grounded in fact poured out.

Every headline carefully treading the line of the 'Patriot's Trash Journalist Special Act.'

"Hah—. All this in a single day."

It wasn't just the public watching.

Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin, in his office, let out a deep sigh.

"I'd hoped the demon worshipper issue at least would stay hidden......"

Whether B-rank or C-rank, Falling made you a Transcendent.

In other words, it meant the entire nation would be living under constant threat of terrorism.

Just as countless concerns weighed on him—.

BEEP— BEEP— BEEP—.

An alarm blared in Kang Mu-jin's office.

Followed by a report.

—The Red Sea has begun to overflow!!!

News that an anomaly had occurred in the crimson sea blanketing Goyang City.

A problem severe enough to make the Yeouido incident look trivial.

'Serious enough to bury the Transcendent Shin Si-woo story?'

Kang Mu-jin pondered this while watching the government's response.

Code Red.

A national disaster situation had erupted.

The Presidential Office stepped in.

"Declare martial law!!!"

WEEEE— WEEEE—

<Dear citizens, movement has been detected in the Red Sea corroding Goyang City. To safeguard the safety of our people, I, President Lee Seok-hyeon, hereby declare martial law under the Patriot Special Act.>

The Red Sea ceaselessly spawned offspring Gates.

Even so, it had been manageable with Hunters deployed.

But then.......

—Are you serious, martial law?

—Gate Break???

WHOOOOSH—.

The Red Sea surged from the center of Goyang City.

Waves so towering they were clearly visible even from Seoul.

The Red Sea was rampaging, trying to pour its power beyond the Gate.

—Where's the Patriot?

When the Red Sea had overflowed before, the Patriot had summoned [Constellation — Yi Sun-sin] to push it back.

When fighter jets from the aircraft carriers unleashed a bombardment, the Red Sea had been beaten back helplessly.

Martial law hadn't even been declared that time.

<Breaking news: An official announcement has been made that the Patriot is currently inside a Gate to prevent an even greater catastrophe. It's believed that the Patriot's absence was a factor in our government's decision to declare martial law.>

The news covered the story in real time.

<Can you see this? All of Korea's high-ranking Hunters are converging on the Goyang City area!!!>

Correspondents on the scene relayed the vivid situation in Goyang City.

<Citizens, please hold out in the evacuation shelters until the situation is resolved.......>

WHOOOOSH———!!!

Waves surging as though to pierce the sky.

The correspondent fell silent.

SHREEEEE—————!!!

Everyone clapped their hands over their ears at the noise the [Red Sea] was belching out.

Gate Break.

This meant it was actually happening.

—Yo, what the hell is that?

—Someone's filming inside the Red Sea?

Amidst all this, a video began trending on [WorldNet].

Presumably filmed inside a Gate by an unidentified Hunter, it had shot up to [Trending Videos] as the Red Sea overflowed.

<I offer myself as a sacrifice!!! O Gate, Fall and return to where you belong!!!>

The Red Sea.......

It was possible to deliberately trigger it?

This was an issue with repercussions far beyond Korea— it would send shockwaves across the entire world.

 

—Ep. 05. The Red Sea.

Paat!

I was back home.

'In the end, I didn't exchange a single word with Iris.'

【You created such an enormous world for me… Ahh, there are living beings beyond counting!!!】

There was truly nothing I could say to the [5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella], who was drooling at the sight of Earth.

【Ahhh!!! And a sea of blood on top of it!!!】

I might have been pestered endlessly, but fortunately, once I grasped how to use the [Communication Ability], the problem was resolved.

[Communication Ability] only applied to the sword I designated.

It was another means of controlling the swords.

【Sword Master, this humble servant shall do his utmost to watch over the world of swords.】

For now, I'd delegated the Iris situation to Reinhardt.

'That'll only last so long, though…'

Before long, I was going to need her power.

Because of her build.

'Reinhardt was an insane training monster.'

Whatever I told him to do — 10 years, 30 years — he'd hole up and train nonstop. That was the monster called Reinhardt.

Iris was different.

'A being who grew strong by walking the path of heresy and corruption.'

Growing stronger quickly, easily, and comfortably.

In a sense, for me and the 'Baby Sword,' what we needed most was the [5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella].

'I'll think about this matter gradually…'

I opened [WorldNet] and checked the time.

'Another whole day has passed.'

Time flowed strangely in the Tower.

I'd been in the [Tower] for a little over 1 hour, but outside, a full day had passed.

'1 hour in the Tower is 1 day outside.'

Conversely, spending 100 years in the Tower meant only 1 hour had passed outside.

That was the rough ratio — the actual time ratio didn't apply precisely at 100%.

Even experts hadn't identified the cause.

'It's also the basis for the Sword Emperor death theory.'

Elder Sword Emperor, who'd been trapped in a room of n-thousand years of training, most likely died in the Tower.

If something like a 'million-year training chamber' had appeared, as the public speculated, only an instant should have passed outside.

While I was thinking that, I noticed something strange.

[Missed Calls +821]

[Text Messages +999]

[WorldTalk +999]

An overwhelming volume of texts and messages.

And…

<Martial Law Declared — All citizens proceed to designated shelters. All combat-capable Awakened assemble at designated locations.>

A notification pinned to the very top of WorldNet.

'Martial law?'

Martial law had been declared for the first time in five years.

The first since the fall of North Korea.

As a Hunter, I was obligated to move to a [rally point] when martial law was invoked.

I hurriedly checked my messages.

[Seol-a noona: Si-woo! Come to Yeouido first!!! Do NOT go to Goyang City!!!]

My home was near Yeouido, my workplace.

I rushed to the Awakened Management Bureau in Yeouido.

Amid the chaos of civilians fleeing, I moved against the current toward the Yeouido branch.

"D-did you see WorldNet?"

Seol-a noona, who'd been waiting for me, asked with a flustered face.

"The martial law?"

"No, the other stuff."

"Martial law was already declared when I got out of the Tower — you think I had the presence of mind for that?"

"You didn't even see the news?"

"Martial law just dropped and you think I'd stop to check the news?"

Noona's expression was strange.

I asked for the details.

She then delivered profoundly serious news.

"So you're telling me my identity has been exposed to the whole world, and on top of that, the Red Sea overflowed at that exact moment and martial law was declared?"

"Yeah. Astonishingly, all of that happened in a single day."

A foreboding feeling suddenly struck.

I had been raiding a Gate at the time the [Red Sea] moved.

And now, right after returning from the Tower, the Red Sea had burst and was gushing out a sea of blood.

'Wait, is this my fault?'

That ominous feeling arose, but the truth was different.

Noona's explanation continued.

"So while I was away at the Tower…"

Demon worshippers had risen up and publicly corrupted a Gate — an insane turn of events.

"They say the demon worshippers even streamed it live — how could no one have spotted it beforehand?"

"Everyone's attention was on the SSS-rank Transcendent Shin Si-woo incident."

"Ah…"

"Anyway, a Gate being forcibly ruptured is a first. You'll be pulled out as irregular-tier combat strength."

Shocking, to be sure.

Yet I was fiercely calm.

'A pattern similar to Raise a Sword.'

There too, demon worshippers corrupting the [Abyss] had happened on occasion.

Of course, the conditions were stringent.

'Human sacrifice is required.'

And they'd need to offer at least a thousand to even discuss the possibility.

But on Earth, the demon worshippers hadn't committed any such large-scale slaughter yet.

【If I may—. That sea of blood may have served as the condition.】

That was when Reinhardt spoke.

The Red Sea was a sea of blood.

Human blood, at that.

'The conditions were met on their own?'

Just as that thought struck me, a ferocious-looking man appeared from behind noona.

With a gleaming axe in his hand.

"Unofficial SSS-rank Hunter and Transcendent, Shin Si-woo. It's been a while."

Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin.

Seol-a noona's father.

'I should have noticed from noona being fully dressed up…'

Lamenting my own lack of perception, I greeted Senior Prosecutor Kang.

"It's been a while."

"We'll talk on the way. Seol-a, you go to the shelter."

"What about you, Dad?"

"I'll drop this fellow off and follow on my own."

He practically shoved Seol-a noona out, then led me to the Bureau's basement.

Kuguguung——.

An enormous iron gate rose from beneath the Bureau.

The dimensional gate of Special Task Force [Hyeonmu] — the one I'd only heard about.

A Transcendent's power related to spatial transit.

"We'll move using this."

I caught something odd in Senior Prosecutor Kang's words.

'We'?

"Uh… aren't you a non-Awakened, Senior Prosecutor?"

"That's right."

An ordinary person's body would necrotize upon contact with the Red Sea.

Then die horribly.

No matter how many Hunters guarded him, it was tantamount to suicide.

"Then… why?"

"I overheard you talking with Seol-a. You really haven't seen WorldNet at all?"

Senior Prosecutor Kang dropped a bombshell on me.

"The truth is, we're not in a position to worry about the Red Sea."

"Pardon?"

"We're about to be branded as traitors."

Where did treason suddenly come from?

"Lord Patriot is here — who would commit treason?"

"Your identity's been blown, hasn't it. And now the whole world knows I'm the one who hid it."

I tilted my head.

With an issue like the Red Sea overflow on the table, would the public really make a fuss about that?

"Using one issue to bury another. Wasn't that the prosecutors' favorite trick?"

"Heh. Shin Si-woo. You're SSS-rank and a Transcendent. A far bigger deal than some Red Sea."

At SSS-rank Transcendent level, one was sometimes described as 'nation-tier authority.'

Just as the Patriot was.

"You're the new divine power. And I hid you."

"And… Senior Prosecutor Kang is Lord Patriot's confidant?"

My mind sparked.

So that was how the politicians at the center had survived beside the Patriot.

"A being capable of opposing the Republic of Korea's sole SSS-rank Transcendent. That's your position."

They'd been scheming quite hard.

"Lord Patriot is a good man, isn't he?"

"Not necessarily. He's quietly petty… ahem. At any rate, he might see you as an eyesore."

Only then did I grasp the gravity.

I also understood that saying 'Actually, I can only be a Transcendent for 4 seconds!' here would land me in deep trouble.

So I listened in silence.

"We need to move public opinion. The entire nation needs to understand why I hid you."

I distilled all of that neatly into a single line.

"You're saying I need to show power so overwhelming that Lord Patriot can't say a word when he returns?"

"Exactly!"

It seemed like a flashy performance was being demanded.

Sooner than expected, but…

It seemed the time had come to confirm the power of [5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella].

* * *

Screech—thud!

Beyond Hyeonmu's gate, a crimson world unfolded.

A sea surging to the sky's end blocked all sight, and crimson waves billowed on every side.

This was a battlefield.

"Second wave, fire!!! Everyone target the monsters surging from the waves!!!"

Hunters capable of ranged attacks stood in formation atop enormous tiles.

[Mages], [archers], or bizarre forms of ranged attackers.

KWAANG————!!!

Countless Hunters standing on black tiles, bombarding the red sea — quite the spectacle.

'They deployed that many platforms?'

The black tiles — platforms — were none other than [Mobile Pseudo-Gates], hailed as the pinnacle of modern military industry.

'They let every Awakened wield their power.'

In a world where, save for an extreme few Transcendents, no one could exercise power outside a Gate.

Just as when I'd registered as an Awakened, pseudo-Gates could be created from [Mysteries] obtained in Gates—

"Mage division, prepare firepower!!!"

The enormous tile-shaped [Mobile Pseudo-Gates] boasted the finest performance among them.

Of course, they consumed [Mysteries] at an obscene rate…

"By releasing the government's Mystery reserves, we can sustain combat for approximately 7 days."

"Will Lord Patriot return within that time?"

"…We cannot be certain."

Listening to the nearby conversations, they were clearly all members of the high command.

'Noona's father really is someone powerful.'

But they didn't seem to grasp the severity of the situation yet.

I approached Senior Prosecutor Kang.

"That massive wave is about to come crashing down."

"That… is going to crash down?"

The wave surging from the Red Sea's parent body had now grown so tall its peak was no longer visible.

I could feel it.

The will dwelling in the Red Sea's blood.

It was vicious killing intent.

And it had reached its peak.

"Huh?"

"Th-that's coming down!!!"

No sooner had I spoken than the wave began to tilt.

Shwaaaaaaa————.

An overwhelmingly massive crimson wave.

So enormous it appeared to crash in slow motion, yet in reality it was closing in on us at dozens of meters per second.

Hunter or not, everyone was scrambling to retreat.

"Tch, stay calm."

By contrast, the non-Awakened high command here watched the wave without flinching.

"Is this man… the Transcendent you've been hiding, Prosecutor Kang?"

An officer whose name I didn't know asked.

"Shin Si-woo, any plan? If not, we should retreat—"

Seol-a noona's father said next.

But those voices were growing fainter in my ears.

'Iris is reaching out to me.'

I instinctively plunged my hand into empty air.

My fingers closed around the small, precious Baby Sword's hilt.

Clunk—.

The sword wouldn't draw.

In that state, I connected my consciousness to Iris.

'She might refuse to lend her power since I kept ignoring her…'

I was inwardly worried.

But that fear was unfounded.

【Ahh, as expected! The Master wasn't ignoring this maiden after all!!!】

A distant cry of delight, along with a cheerful voice.

【To prepare such a feast for this maiden… that deep, crimson blood! Let us share a reunion meal together!!!】

Paat!

[The 5th Sword's loyalty has reached the highest level.]

[As a special reward, manifestation value increases by +3.]

—5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella. [4/100]

To answer her joy, I drew the sword.

My 5th Sword, soaring as it tore through the air.

It was a crimson, resplendent greatsword.

Kuung————.

The world sank.

It felt as though everything had stopped.

Within that stillness, I had become a Transcended being.

The Red Sea was nothing.

That was how it felt.

Saaa—.

A hilt that flaunted crimson allure.

A glinting violet blade, forged from refined blood.

And the enlightenment I could feel.

Paat!

[You have equipped the Last Empress of the World, Iris Ruzbella.]

[You have become the master of the Million Demons.]

[True Death Star has been acquired.]

[The power to cut concepts.]

[The power to cut abstractions.]

[The power to cut illusions.]

︙

The 5th Sword, Iris — who had killed everything in the world.

She whispered to me.

That she could kill everything in this world.