Chapter 21

Chapter 21. Bizarre (1)

I'd like to talk a little about the complicated state of world affairs.

Originally, I had the most to say about the United States, but now the US and South Korea had become eternal brother nations.

So this time, I'll be talking about our closest neighbor, Japan.

A few years ago, an A-rank Hunter who had been raiding Gates alongside the Patriot was killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run.

Outside of a Gate, anyone who wasn't a Transcendent was just a human — so no matter how A-rank he was, there was no way to withstand a car plowing into him at 200 km/h driven by someone blackout drunk.

—A-rank Hunter Lee Jeong-sin, who risked death for his country clearing Gates, was killed in a drunk-driving hit-and-run. Fuck! How does this even make sense?

A-rank Hunter Lee Jeong-sin was a decent man who had donated every Mystery he ever obtained to the state.

His death pushed the Patriot's trigger.

The Patriot declared:

—All drunk drivers, death penalty!

The Patriot summoned [Constellation, Yi Sun-sin] and his fleet of aircraft carriers to Gwanghwamun Square.

Twelve aircraft carriers rose high into the sky and launched unmanned drones across all of South Korea.

After that, every citizen was placed under inspection.

People are a stupider animal than you might think.

Not long after the Patriot deployed those drones, drunk drivers started popping up in droves.

The drones, having entered [Stealth] mode, were invisible to the public eye, and the Patriot's fits of rage like this were hardly a one-off occurrence — which was how it came to this.

<On June 6, the death penalty will be carried out on 36 criminals caught driving under the influence. Constellation Sword Master Cheok Jun-gyeong will execute the sentence by beheading at the scaffold in Gwanghwamun Square.>

<The Patriot has declared that he will console the spirit of A-rank Hunter Lee Jeong-sin by this means.>

In time, the drunk drivers who had been publicly executed stayed vivid in people's memories.

<A miraculous thing has happened! Within six months of the Patriot's campaign of guidance, drunk drivers have vanished from every corner of South Korea!>

During those six months, the cult Gaecheonji was growing the Red Sea.

Not long after, the Red Sea overflowed, and the ringleaders bolted for Japan.

Then, in Japan, they set off another Gate.

<The lava Gate at Mount Fuji has overflowed, scattering volcanic ash across the whole of Japan! Lava is melting entire cities whole!>

The fact that the culprit was Gaecheonji's Cult Leader, Gye Man-hwi, was kept under wraps.

But the Japanese government privately put their own word in to ours.

—You people take responsibility!!!

South Korea, whose relations with Japan had been cold since the Patriot's bombing incident, was in a genuinely awkward position.

It was around this time that the current President, Lee Seok-hyeon, entered politics at the Patriot's recommendation.

—Serves them right! Why should I help those Jap bastards who invaded South Korea? Go beg those Yankees you all worship to help you!

The Patriot read all of this aloud at an official press conference.

The Patriot was a genuine patriot, deeply anti-Japanese, anti-Chinese, and anti-American in ideology.

He was the sort of man who made you think that if "South Korean supremacism" ever materialized in real life, it would look exactly like him.

—Anyway, the point is that cults are the problem, right?

The Patriot interpreted the Japan issue through his own lens and understood it as: "Cults are the problem in South Korea!"

From that point on, the Patriot began executing cults throughout the whole of South Korea.

<2,341 senior members of the cult Jesus and Children are awaiting their turn in front of the guillotine. Behold that long, long line!>

The Patriot was a figure who valued the public's right to know, so he ensured, by any means necessary, that the villains he captured went up on the scaffold.

He even spent enormous amounts of Mysteries to create [Lie Detectors], to make sure no wrongfully accused victims would result.

<Cults have disappeared from South Korea!>

More than 50,000 people died in the Patriot's Anti-Cult Incident.

The scale of it was so severe that the Japanese government reached the decision that they would not be inviting the Patriot to their country.

<Japanese Government Declares Independent Control of the Mount Fuji Lava Gate!>

In truth, Japan could not control the Gate Break.

Their real intent was that a madman who had publicly executed 50,000 people must never be allowed to set foot on Japanese soil.

That was how terrifying those executions had been.

And the public opinion among our citizens?

—Cult bastards. Brainwashing the vulnerable and working them like slaves — serves them right!

—My mom gave how much money to those dog bastards... they had her do all kinds of fucked-up shit, saying she'd become an Awakened—.

This was when the Patriot hit his peak.

Twelve years ago, after the first Gate incident, the world collapsed at a rapid pace.

Amidst that chaos, cults flourished.

They carried out vile acts, and in the process inflicted wounds upon their victims that could never be washed away.

Imagine how many victims had piled up over twelve years.

—My mom's treatment is going well thanks to the Patriot's sponsorship. The Patriot covers the full cost of treatment for victims.

Seizing the entire property of the cults and pouring in the Patriot's personal fortune, they built a mega-sized rehabilitation hospital operating on [Mysteries].

The hospital was named [Jeong-sin Hospital], after the late Hunter Lee Jeong-sin.

The Patriot was a man who performed true good, yet couldn't keep his lines.

'Why did he tell me all this?'

Senior Prosecutor Kang Mu-jin had delivered this information to me before I went in on my raid.

To summarize in a single line, it would be the "Secret History of Japan's Mount Fuji Lava Gate."

Talk that was handed to me with no explanation.

But I thought I understood the reason.

'Probably…'

My goal was the Baby Sword's Scabbard.

To obtain it, I had to go to Japan and execute the Gaecheonji cult leader, Gye Man-hwi.

In the process, there was a high chance I'd end up handling the Mount Fuji lava Gate myself — and that would be an act that benefited Japan.

'Me resolving Japan's great catastrophe?'

That would mean a rise in Japan's national power.

Because the three Japanese Transcendents chained to Mount Fuji would be set free.

That would, in turn, become a pretext for the Patriot.

'The Patriot will treat me as a traitor to the nation.'

Anyone who benefits Japan is a traitor.

That was the Patriot's logic, but…

'What do I care?'

I didn't give a damn about that.

What mattered to me was one thing only — the Baby Sword's 'Scabbard.'

'How could I possibly resist a Scabbard?'

In all my time playing [Raise a Sword], a Scabbard had never once appeared.

In other words, this was something close to a perfect new-item.

'I need to become so strong that even if that bastard calls me a traitor, he can't do a single thing about it.'

I drew my sword.

And so, I headed for the largest, most ominous Bizarre in all of South Korea — <Ghost Valley>.

Gwacheon City.

An ominous world devoured by the phenomenon known as Bizarre.

And…

—Fuck, Gwacheon's flaring up again and we can hear the screams in Seocho-gu.

—Suicidal urges are insane. Shudder shudder shudder shudder.

—If it weren't for the veil Lord Si-woo threw up, we would've been seriously screwed.

—Right, now only the urges come and then they stop.

—Ahh, truly GOD!!!

Gangnam — or more precisely, Seocho-gu, right above Gwacheon — was the primary culprit for the collapse of property values.

This was a problem that couldn't be solved.

In Gwacheon — no, in <Ghost Valley> — there was no Gate.

_________________________

—Ep. 09. Bizarre.

Gwacheon City, Gyeonggi-do.

Gazing at the city reduced to rubble by the Patriot's bombings, I felt a strange emotion.

As though the world had ended, almost.

Saaaaaaa——.

A violet mist scattered an eerie chill, and bizarre things appeared in every direction.

Kiiiiiii——!!!

A chilling scream rang out.

Something human-shaped emerged from within the mist, then vanished.

That scream and the shadows of human shapes drifting through the fog were the very origin of the name 'Ghost Valley.'

'Gwigokseong.'

A word meaning the wailing cries of ghosts — a traditional Bizarre passed down through Korean folk legends.

This Ghost Valley was similar to such a phenomenon.

What some called ghosts.

'They're still just a Bizarre.'

But I simply called them Bizarre.

The government had designated all amorphous entities that appeared from Gates as 'Bizarre,' and as a former civil servant, that term was more natural to me.

Pasaseuk—.

I crossed the city's boundary.

The interior of the city, leveled by bombings, came into clear view.

Not a single intact building remained — only the purple mist and the shadows of human figures drifting within.

'The Patriot apparently devotes a lot of attention to this place.'

According to the legends, Gwigokseong was a kind of ill omen.

Causing people to suffer misfortune, or devouring those bewitched by the ghosts' screams.

Some legends even said it heralded the fall of a nation — that was how ominous it was.

—The nation will fall? Like hell I'll stand for that!

That had struck a chord with the Patriot.

Originally, the Patriot had bombed Gwacheon once a week to drive out the ghosts and the mist.

But now, such measures were absent.

As expected, the situation inside was severe.

Kiiiiiiiii———!!!

Screams filled every direction.

Chilling screams that supposedly induced suicidal urges — something even a decent A-rank Hunter would struggle to withstand.

And this was the aftereffect of a Gate encroaching on reality.

'But there's no Gate here.'

A Gate Break phenomenon with no source.

Literally something only a Transcendent could resolve.

And this kind of amorphous catastrophe was excellent nourishment for the 5th Sword Iris.

【Ahh, Master. Such a banquet prepared for this maiden!!!】

Iris was a sword aligned with supreme demonic energy.

The closer what she absorbed was to the demonic, the greater the power she gained.

'Not yet.'

I held the Baby Sword and headed deeper into the city.

There was something I needed to confirm.

Sreureuk—.

A Bizarre materialized, blocking my path.

Eyes torn wide open, their sockets empty of eyeballs.

Bloody tears streamed from the hollow sockets.

A ghost with a twisted body reminiscent of a zombie, standing as tall as Jesus.

Kiiii——.

The Gwigokseong — said to drive even a decent A-rank Hunter insane — hammered my ears from point-blank range.

But I felt nothing.

'Compared to the demons Iris commands, this thing looks tame.'

Feeding and feeding these things — no, feeding them the entire world to grow to the very end of the end — that was what I had done with my 5th Sword, Iris Ruzbella.

How many horrifying things had I seen while raising her?

Seuk—.

I raised the Baby Sword and aimed at the ghost.

Then I slashed it without hesitation.

Black and white spiraled in a helix—

[Single Slash, Horizontal Cut]

Reinhardt's Transcendent technique, executed through the Baby Sword.

A fissure appeared in midair.

The good-evil ratio had been broken, so the white energy was stronger — which actually made it more effective at killing this kind of Bizarre.

Thwack——!!!

The ghost of the Gwigokseong was sucked into the sword-scar etched in the air.

True to the rumors, the ghost died in a truly ghastly manner.

Kiiii——.

Even in death, it sprayed blood in all directions while shrieking.

They said it could cause trauma — well, I wasn't so sure.

Compared to Iris's demons, who ate everything alive, this was nothing.

My attention was elsewhere.

'The air is rippling strangely.'

The aura of [Chaos].

Still registered merely as an 'alignment' for now, but once it grew, its designation would change to 'aura.'

Understanding this Chaos trait was my highest priority as the [Sword Master].

'I still can't quite figure it out.'

Instead, I was searching for something else.

"Iris, can you sense a Gate?"

【This maiden cannot detect anything. Ahh! If I could consume more blood and release my power, I could be of help to the Master…】

Iris spoke in a voice laden with guilt.

Somehow her voice sounded much younger than what I'd heard in [Raise a Sword], but since I couldn't actually see the [world of swords], I chalked it up to my imagination.

Anyway.

I refocused on the heart of the matter.

"If bizarre things are happening without a Gate… this is that, right?"

【Ahh, a precursor! This maiden thinks so too!】

In [Raise a Sword], 'Black Gates — the Abyss' would appear.

And the Abyss would herald its arrival to the world through precursors.

'The reason the Patriot can't clear this place must be because it's a Black Gate.'

The Ghost Valley, bearing the omen of national ruin.

A Gate the Patriot should have eradicated long ago.

Yet in this place, no Gate had appeared — only the phenomena existed.

'I need to understand the differences between reality and Raise a Sword.'

In this world, only I possessed this information.

If the conditions for a [Black Gate — Abyss] appearing were the same…

'Thousands of deaths and a Bizarre maintained for two years.'

A Black Gate would likely appear soon.

A fairly large one, at that.

The repercussions couldn't be easily predicted.

Because if a Gate appeared, the situation would grow far more complicated.

'America's case took a month, I heard.'

Information I'd gotten from Jesus.

That one had been lucky — the issue was environmental, so the precursors had been mild.

Two years without a single drop of rain.

The Gate size had also been small-to-medium.

For reference, the one who'd dealt with that Black Gate was America's SSS-rank Transcendent, 'Dragon Master.'

'The Patriot should come out a bit sooner.'

Thinking that, I combed through every corner of this Ghost Valley.

Killing ghosts along the way.

Jjeuap——!!!

【Delicious!】

I hadn't known, but my 'Baby Sword' could apparently absorb even the residual matter of ghosts left on the blade.

* * *

I had slain countless ghosts.

Fed the remains to the Baby Sword.

As a result, I'd balanced Chaos's good-evil ratio to 50:50.

And so, I—

"I've figured it out."

【Ahh, exalted Sword Master!!! This maiden is in awe—.】

Swinging the sword, I had grown far more familiar with the [Baby Sword].

Unlike a completed Ego Sword, the Baby Sword and I needed time to get to know each other.

On top of that, the Baby Sword had no ego to speak of yet.

So it had taken longer.

'Chaos is literally chaos.'

Having grown a little closer to the sword, I could now grasp its precise ability.

Most likely…

"Chaos can tear through the origin of space."

Infiltrating a Gate that hadn't yet appeared, or forcibly opening a door from inside a Gate to reality.

Such attempts seemed possible.

【How can that be possible?】

I didn't know either.

But it felt like it would work.

'The Baby Sword is my final sword.'

Surely it possessed a distinct trait like the other swords.

And that was most likely something related to time and space.

Vvng—.

I held the sword and focused.

Having become a [Holy-Demon Sword], the blade's color had changed — and today it was especially noticeable.

One side pitch-black, the other stark-white.

Atop it, a black-and-white aura rose in a spiral.

I drew a line through the air as-is.

Zzzeok———!!!

Single Slash, Horizontal Cut.

But with a slightly different sensation.

'Cutting through space.'

Reinhardt's 'Single Slash' was already evolving into a new technique tailored for me.

The enlightenment dwelling within me was tuning Reinhardt's Transcendent technique to suit the [Baby Sword].

This was something akin to instinct.

If my Baby Sword truly had the power to tear through space?

'I might be able to enter a [Black Gate] before it even appears.'

That was why I'd been saving the [5th Sword Iris Ruzbella]'s manifestation.

Looking at the split air, Iris let out a cry of rapture.

【Ahh… the Master was saving the most delicious morsel for this maiden!!!】

It seemed I'd been on the right track.

Through the torn air, a pitch-black vortex appeared.

Kiiiii——.

A spine-chilling noise and an ominous sensation.

The form of the Abyss from the [Raise a Sword] I knew.

In this world, it was called a Black Gate.

I walked toward the Gate and spoke.

"Iris Ruzbella."

The name of the mightiest sword that had annihilated the world.

Iris Ruzbella.

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

Along with a distant omnipotence, my world was engulfed in vivid crimson.