Chapter 30

Chapter 30. The British Doctor as Iron (2)

The more observers, the lower the probability.

That was the truth about Awakening.

"As you know, Lord Si-woo, that applies only to natural Awakened."

For Induced Awakened, a different method applied.

"Using something already observed to induce Awakening. Thanks to this, the world has been able to dramatically increase the number of Awakened."

Having just mentioned China, the Japanese Prime Minister abruptly brought up the topic of Induced Awakened.

'Why the Induced Awakened issue?'

It was something I knew well.

Working at the Awakened Management Bureau, I had accumulated plenty of relevant knowledge.

Even as a degraded version, simply by overcoming an observed trial, one could become an [Awakened] similar to the original.

"Like South Korea's [Swordsman], or our Japan's [Oni]."

Depending on how the inducement was done, the outcome would vary.

In South Korea's case, they reproduced the missing SS-rank Hunter Sword Emperor's [Room of N-Year Cultivation] to train close-combat Awakened.

The very reason the Sword Emperor was continually mentioned despite being missing was that he had shared his 'trial.'

Oh! For reference, the Patriot had shared his trial too.

No — he had shared his trial first of all.

'The problem is there are no survivors…'

Even in its degraded form, the Patriot's trial was no joke.

"On the other hand, China is…"

In any case.

From the topic of Induced Awakened, the Japanese Prime Minister finally got to the main point.

'China, which has conquered North Korea.'

These bastards were at another level entirely in 'Induced Awakening.'

SSS-rank Transcendent, War God Zhang Chen.

The trial Zhang Chen had undergone was a martial-arts-based online battle-royale game, 'Life-and-Death Duel.'

China reproduced his trial at nearly 100% fidelity, and by grinding an absurd population into it, they mass-produced [SS-rank Induced Awakened].

"They gather 1,000 people and whittle them down to a single survivor — a mad trial."

Up to here was information South Korea already had.

China had a population so bloated it could afford to discard 999 'anti-state elements' for a single SS-rank.

Things like 'labor reeducation camps.'

Or minority groups who had demanded independence after the Gate incident.

"A mad nation that mass-produces brainwashed SS-rank Hunters. There are rumors that soon they'll be conscripting even the citizens of Taiwan and Hong Kong."

China cultivated Awakened by planting something called 'Gu Poison.'

The completed SS-rank Hunters would become faithful slaves of China's authoritarian government.

"The yield of the North Korean Awakened factories is practically appalling, isn't it?"

The Chinese government had deliberately neglected North Korea's Gate corrosion, and had gone further — building secret laboratories to conduct horrific Awakened-cultivation programs.

But we had the Patriot.

He rained wide-area bombings across the entirety of North Korea every single day.

So we'd figured things were holding together reasonably well, but—

"…In North Korea, even more horrific experiments are being conducted in secret."

I heard a deeply shocking statement.

"China seeks to create natural Awakened like Jesus by outright fabricating [trials]."

"That can't be—"

"The polluted beasts pouring into the Paju area of Gangwon Province are the end result of failed experimental subjects."

It was something even our government, which bordered North Korea, didn't know.

Taking his word for it at face value wasn't possible.

"Do you have evidence?"

At my question, the Japanese Prime Minister produced an orb without hesitation.

Apparently the Japanese Transcendent Yuki had used the [Spirit World] to peek and captured what she saw in the orb…

'So that's why Necribas's root source was on North Korean soil.'

Watching the scene reflected in the orb, I couldn't help but be convinced.

'It's not a reenactment of Jesus's trial, but…'

The footage within the crystal orb exceeded my imagination by far.

Countless ordinary humans were being forced to undergo extreme, inhuman experiences.

'Survival, torture, war, salvation, Bizarre, and so on.'

To describe it precisely, humans were imposing [trials] on humans.

The Chinese government had built underground bunkers made of [Mysteries] beneath North Korea and was running experiments there.

The content of the trials was ghastly enough that the majority died or went insane, but…

"Never would've imagined a healer would be born from an amputation experiment."

The SSS-rank Hunter [Ultra-Regeneration Healer] that the Chinese government had announced recently had been a Transcendent created in North Korea.

They forcibly made subjects undergo strange and bizarre experiences.

They forced it on tens of thousands and then culled a handful.

And thus they had made pseudo-Transcendents.

"They aren't true Transcendents. They're Awakened who are still accumulating experience. My guess is the Chinese government will send them straight to the Tower to grow them rapidly."

"And the goal is still the Chinese Chairman's dream, I take it?"

"Most likely so."

The Chinese Chairman, Chen Hao.

He dreamed of eternal youth and immortality.

And in today's world, eternal youth and immortality wasn't entirely impossible.

For starters, Chen Hao was believed to have already achieved eternal youth.

In that context, could it be that China was devoted to mass-producing [Regeneration] or [Immortality]-class Awakened?

'Cooperating with Japan up to this point is fine.'

I understood exactly what the Japanese Prime Minister was saying.

I felt the necessity too.

I also grasped his feelings about wanting to bind Japan and me together at any cost.

Offering me Japan's finest wealthy district as a fiefdom was the proof.

But…

"Enough with the rat you've got hidden."

I simply couldn't trust this nation called Japan.

Pulling yet another stunt after the brainwashing.

'I was watching how far they'd go, and they just keep coming, with no end.'

There was a reason I'd let the brainwashing slide.

The strange presence I'd been feeling for a while now.

Given that it was a sense derived from my swords' enlightenments, the possibility of mistaking or misreading it was nil.

After confirming even that, I'd intended to punish them for all of it at once.

"What do you—"

The Japanese Prime Minister looked at me with an utterly bewildered expression.

I swung the Baby Sword through empty air, as if to tell him to drop the pitiful acting.

The Baby Sword wielded the special nature of [spacetime].

With that power, I sliced through the place where the strange sensation came from.

Jjijik—jjijik.

The crack expanded in size, emitting blue waves.

Yuki's Spirit World.

"And you'll still deny it?"

Inside, a man in a doctor's gown was visible.

* * *

Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Jiro.

He felt as though he'd go mad from how unjust this was.

'The British Doctor, why?'

Through the Spirit World — a single man in view.

A tall white man wearing a white coat and round-rimmed spectacles.

The massive greatsword on his back stood out particularly.

'How on earth has the British Doctor appeared from inside Yuki's Spirit World?'

What the Japanese Prime Minister had prepared was brainwashing — that was it.

Given Shin Si-woo's power, complete brainwashing had looked impossible, so they had aimed at a Korea-Japan alliance.

Even accounting for the possibility of that failing, they had prepared enormous reparations money.

Japan's goal throughout was to display as much goodwill toward Shin Si-woo as possible and deepen ties with him.

And yet, a problem had arisen.

"Hmm, Prime Minister. We've unfortunately been caught."

Behind the British Doctor, Sato Masaki could be seen collapsed on the floor.

"Wh-what did you do to him?"

At the Prime Minister's question, the British Doctor smiled brightly.

"He's merely asleep — don't worry. Surely, as if I would do anything to an Awakened of Japan."

The British Doctor's intellectual appearance lent credibility to his words.

Robes swaying, he approached the Japanese Prime Minister.

He acted like the very closest of acquaintances.

"L-Lord Si-woo! This is a misunderstanding!!!"

The Prime Minister felt like he was going mad.

So he shouted out to Shin Si-woo.

A situation in which a being with no connection to him was acting as though they had been conspiring together.

"Prime Minister, it's already too late to play innocent."

Piling it on further, the British Doctor even perched himself on the armrest of the chair the Prime Minister was sitting in.

Then, as though they were bosom friends, he even draped an arm over the Prime Minister's shoulder.

In that state, Shin Si-woo asked,

"What's your relationship?"

"Fellow island nations helping each other out, is all."

The Japanese Prime Minister wanted to deny every accusation and cry out the injustice of it all.

But his mouth wouldn't open.

Even trying to convey his intent with his hands and feet, no movement came out.

"There's a pact between the British Empire and Japan, so I'd ask you to pardon the portion you overheard."

Fabricating agreements that didn't exist, the British Doctor carried out his incitement and falsification.

In truth, the British Doctor had been calmly watching for his moment during a perfectly ordinary conversation.

No matter how he looked at it, that Shin Si-woo fellow—

'—is weak.'

He seemed to be about Transcendent level, but didn't reach the level that Jesus had marveled at.

Even the large, grand sword Jesus had warned about just felt strange — nothing that felt truly powerful.

Compared to his own scalpel, that sword wasn't even that large to begin with.

'The Queen has given me two plans.'

Plan A: If Shin Si-woo was a true powerhouse, request the removal of the 'Ring' on favorable terms.

Plan B: If he was overhyped, without hesitation, rummage through his brain and extract only the secret of erasing the Gate-less corrosion.

As the British Doctor fell into thought.

"Stop playing games with the non-Awakened Japanese Prime Minister and get to the point."

Shin Si-woo suddenly spoke, his head cocked to one side.

Then he rose from his seat and gazed down at the British Doctor steadily.

"Games, is it—"

Swick.

Shin Si-woo suddenly drew his sword.

"What I'm saying is, cut out the tasteless antics."

"Oh, my—. Quite the sharp one, aren't you."

The British Doctor toyed with his scalpel as he stared at Shin Si-woo.

A prickly tone, and an impudent look.

Shin Si-woo had had no intention of cooperating with him on favorable terms from the start.

'Plan B, then, it seems.'

And so, the British Doctor pulled out the enormous scalpel slung on his back.

The conditions had been met.

'Mockery toward My Queen, and the arrogance of looking down on the British Empire—'

Shin Si-woo was a subject requiring surgery.

"I shall take it you mean to settle this through a surgical duel."

The British Doctor said so as he pushed his glasses up.

"This entire space has already become my operating theater."

* * *

【The entire space has been wrapped in a boundary dividing life and death!】

This was the reason I couldn't kill the British Doctor with a single stroke.

'The British Doctor's operating theater works on a principle similar to a boundary.'

Among my swords, the only one with any manifestation time remaining was the 2nd Sword, Yuria Lanestia.

The 5th Sword Iris's manifestation time had been used up erasing the Red Sea, and the 1st Sword Reinhardt's while detonating the Gate and the Dark God.

'With just the 2nd Sword, there'd be no problem killing the British Doctor, but—'

The issue was the British Doctor's Authority, which wrapped this space like a [domain].

One might think I could just summon demons and devour it, but the 'Baby Sword' could summon a maximum of ten demons.

As I was weighing this—

"Gkh—."

Thud.

The Japanese Transcendent Yacha collapsed before my eyes.

"I have only killed his consciousness for about an hour — don't let it concern you."

That's right.

Inside this operating theater, the British Doctor could manipulate every life-form as he willed.

'A space that dominates life.'

There was a reason Jesus had called him troublesome.

He couldn't do anything to me, but people like Big Sis Seol-a beside me, or the Japanese Prime Minister, he could kill at his whim.

That was a form of threat.

"Are you taking hostages?"

I was curious why he was pulling all this.

So I asked his objective.

"What do you want?"

"Speaking banmal to a Duke of the British Empire… impertinent of you."

The British Doctor shifted the enormous greatsword slightly.

I could feel his will to wipe out everyone in this space if need be, and I could sense that included me.

'Muratan, still not interested?'

Rather than calling forth the [2nd Sword Yuria], I attempted to manifest the [4th Sword Muratan], who had given me no response.

"I wish to erase the Ring surrounding the British Empire. A Gate-less corrosion — I'd like to know the method you used to erase the Bizarre."

Hoisting the enormous greatsword, the British Doctor approached me.

He called it a scalpel, but to my eyes it was a large, enormous sword, and an uncanny Authority that dominated [life] and [death] could be felt from it.

And—

"No intention of answering?"

I maintained my silence.

The British Doctor swung his enormous sword at me and spoke.

"I'll kill your spirit, just like the Sword Emperor's. Scalpel!"

The British Doctor's greatsword.

It came down upon my Baby Sword.

Clang!

Sparks flew atop the [Baby Sword].

And those sparks were as dark as lava.

The meaning of that lava was one thing.

Kuung———.

The world sank.

A rough, blunt voice echoed through my mind.

【Sword Master, you promised me you would let me hammer every kind of iron in the world and forge the strongest sword!】

Fire and iron cried out at me.

【I abandoned everything and, following your will, Sword Master, made myself into the strongest hammer to reforge every iron in the world!】

What the voice carried was a sense of injustice.

【I am a blacksmith who wished to forge the strongest sword — not someone who wished to become the strongest sword!!!】

That was true.

I had deceived Muratan.

To reforge 'stronger iron,' I'd told him to become a 'stronger sword.'

'It was simply that you had no iron left to reforge into the strongest.'

Infusing it with [Sword Master's Dominion], I spoke to Muratan.

Muratan then asked,

【Is it different here?】

Earth was different.

I could guarantee that the iron Muratan would want to hammer was beyond counting here.

The British Doctor before me was much the same.

'You see and still ask?'

I said to Muratan.

And then—

【Oho, iron containing the power of guaranteed kill and guaranteed survival…】

Muratan muttered in a tone of admiration.

【Sword Master, you have a prodigious talent for seducing me. So I'll trust you again! Truly, a world brimming with iron I've never seen!!!】

All of this in the blink of an eye.

With Muratan's acknowledgment as the final seal—

Paat!

[4th Sword Muratan is unlocked.]

[The 4th Sword Muratan's loyalty has reached the highest level.]

[As a special reward, the Manifestation value is increased by +3.]

—4th Sword, Muratan. [4/100]

Another sword had been unlocked.

I immediately manifested [Muratan].

"4th Sword, Muratan."

The world stopped.

Within the stilled flow, heat could be felt.

From my hand gripping the sword's hilt.

That heat was as fierce as lava, and within it I could feel a passion capable of hammering anything.

Kuung———.

The Baby Sword began to transform.

A large, enormous, obscenely solid-looking iron sword.

A sword with a distinct purpose — made simply to hammer all things in creation.

This was a sword, yet a hammer.

I could feel it.

Paat!

[You have obtained the Blacksmith's Eye.]

[The Blacksmith's Recognition reshapes the world.]

[The Blacksmith's Passion rules the world.]

All things in the world are iron, and there is no iron I cannot handle.

"H-how is this — my operating theater is—!!!"

The British Doctor cried out with a stunned expression.

Just moments ago, this reception room had been an [operating theater].

But now it was different.

"This world is my forge."

And so, I looked at the British Doctor.

Then I declared,

"And you are iron."