Chapter 39

Chapter 39. Madman (2)

"Sugoi!!!"

Japanese Prime Minister Hatoyama Jiro.

He had reached the point of being brought to tears in admiration.

South Korea had changed.

"That Patriot…"

Apologizing dozens of times for the atrocities committed during the Japanese colonial period.

They had paid out reparations so immense there was nothing more to say and no more to pay.

Going in person to visit the bereaved families of comfort women victims and performing dogeza one by one was basic.

Japan had publicly disclosed all the information about Japanese war criminals from the colonial period they had kept as top secret, and had even handed the criminals over to Korea.

While at it, they had even handed over the complete roster of pro-Japanese collaborators inside Korea.

"Damned bastards. They're only now doing what they should have always done."

And even after all that, they were only cursed at.

The Japanese Prime Minister tried to endure, thinking this was still something in a chaotic Gate era.

But…

"Hey! Apologize!!!"

Even so, the Patriot would periodically threaten them into apologizing again…

The imposing sight of bombers covering the skies over Tokyo was terrifying beyond measure, and the Prime Minister would each time spit out additional reparations money and bow his head.

"I'll forgive you the bombing today — it was for punishing Japan."

After countless apologies, all Japan had obtained was an exemption from bombing.

But…

That had changed.

"At last!!!"

[South Korean Government's Official Request for a Korea-Japan Alliance.]

1. A public apology by the Japanese Prime Minister and the three Transcendents.

2. The dispatch of SSS-rank Hunter Half-Elf Yuki to Korea.

The Korean government had formally delivered an alliance-related request.

Do that, and they would have not a bombing exemption, but an 'alliance.'

"Korea has changed!!!"

South Korea had changed.

No — the Patriot had changed.

If they offered this 24th Public Dogeza…

"A Korea-Japan alliance would be realized."

The Japanese Prime Minister couldn't stop the tears.

In truth, lately, they had been at a loss over how to deal with the Patriot, and Shin Si-woo had appeared and normalized Korea-Japan relations.

To begin with, wasn't Japan down to only one card left to hand the Patriot?

That was—

"His Majesty the Emperor would live a little longer."

Japan had secretly hidden away the last remaining Emperor.

Not out of intent to preserve the remnants of imperial Japan, but as a card held in reserve for armistice negotiations should the Patriot declare war on Japan.

They could now hold onto that card a little longer.

"Shin Si-woo, that magnanimous one…"

All of this was thanks to South Korea's second Transcendent, Shin Si-woo.

The Japanese Prime Minister truly envied the country called South Korea.

'Even just the Patriot alone had absurd abilities, and now an existence surpassing even him has appeared.'

Was it thanks to having witnessed the British Doctor get smashed to pieces?

The Japanese Prime Minister had come to dimly understand that Shin Si-woo was a being on another plane entirely.

Now the superiority and inferiority between the two nations was irreversible.

The being who had planted that certainty — Shin Si-woo.

He was…

"Tremendously magnanimous."

It was true that the Prime Minister had played a somewhat impertinent trick.

Following the lava Gate and the Patriot's threats, the whole nation had been backed so far into a corner that they had responded irrationally.

Even so, the great Transcendent Lord Shin Si-woo had let it go coolly.

Had that been the Patriot?

'Our Hunters and myself would all have been dragged off to Korean soil.'

Just like the war criminals Japan had handed over, they too would have been dragged to Gwanghwamun and publicly executed.

Shin Si-woo's patronage was that tremendous.

No bombing, and a bowed head was enough for an alliance.

The resistance of Japan's own Transcendents?

"Yacha, what do you think?"

"Rather than waiting for our domestic Transcendents to increase in number, it's far better to stand with Korea. Seeing the Patriot become moderate, it seems the cause of 'heavy punishment' has really hit home."

The SSS-rank Hunter Yacha — the strongest in close-range unarmed combat — didn't even think of confronting Shin Si-woo.

On the contrary, he was welcoming it with open arms.

"And the Lord of the Imagined and Boundless?"

"His demons — even the ghosts of my Hundred Ghosts Night Parade that I command…"

Ugh—.

A man wearing a white mask shuddered.

Despite being a user of ghosts, the thought of demons made him feel chilled.

Still, he welcomed the alliance itself.

"In that case, rather than Yuki going to Korea alone, how about we all apologize publicly and visit Korea together?"

Originally, what Korea had requested was one person — the Half-Elf Yuki.

But the Prime Minister, wanting to give hope to his citizens and deepen relations with Korea further, had planned a larger visit.

"I will go."

The steadfast Yacha — agreed.

"I-I am not going anywhere near those red monsters!!!"

The Lord of the Imagined and Boundless — conditionally agreed.

"Hnng——. D-do I really have to go?"

Half-Elf Yuki.

She, who had always looked down on humans with lofty detachment, asked in terror.

The horror of being eaten a single bite by a demon had resurfaced.

"He is not someone who would casually pull out demons."

"N-no, but still…"

The Japanese Prime Minister bowed his head to Yuki.

Then he cried out, tearfully,

"Please… please! For the nation's fortune — decide!!!"

A friendly posture like this from the Patriot was the first since the Gate crisis began.

If they missed this chance, Japan would truly face a lost century and walk the path of ruin alongside its entire populace.

At the Prime Minister's long, impassioned plea, Yuki reluctantly nodded.

"Korea and Japan must be on the same boat."

The Japanese Prime Minister was the descendant of a house of politicians for generations.

So he knew well.

"No — even if our Japan must remain bowed forever, we must board the great ship that is Korea!"

* * *

Paat!

[4th Sword, Muratan has attained enlightenment.]

[Following the new species, a new weapon is born.]

[New weapon — the demon has evolved.]

"Something is being born?"

I looked at the status window with a bewildered expression.

Not long ago, the new species — the Life-and-Death Demon — had been created…

"Wait, Iris's demons?"

When I examined it more closely, what Muratan was developing was Iris's subjects — the demons.

What, fundamentally, was a demon?

The Million Demons subordinate to the 2nd Sword, Iris Ruzbella.

Under ordinary conditions, they didn't die, and they devoured literally everything.

Having a physical form was basic; they were horrifying beings that even ate abstractions, illusions, and concepts.

Even if they died, by Iris's Authority their count automatically remained at one million.

In other words, if demons decreased, new demons were born.

"How is that going to evolve?"

I had thought I'd seen the end of the end, but suddenly an unimaginable change had occurred.

'How is it transforming?'

To know the future, it was best to look back on the past.

I calmly recalled memories from within [Raise a Sword].

The era when I had checked Iris's traits and built her sword.

[Iris Ruzbella — Master of the Death Star.]

The Death Star had the trait of learning anything extraordinarily quickly, so long as it served the purpose of [killing].

Also, the more she killed, the stronger her own body became.

So I hadn't taught Iris any techniques.

She had a talent whose very existence drove her toward completion.

Instead—

'I focused on育成.'

Literally —育成, raising.

Filling in her malnourished state.

Properly restoring her body, which hadn't grown under the imperial family's restrictions.

Iris's sword had begun this way.

'Next was support.'

A build that healed or strengthened her body, and created summons to fill in the numbers the army lacked for war — things like that.

Simply put, Iris's own martial strength would grow thick and steady thanks to the Death Star, so I had built up the sword's Authority absurdly high — that was the case.

'I genuinely have no idea.'

Even I had no sense of how the demons would evolve.

Muratan, who was evolving the demons, possessed the trait of [World-Reshaping] — a special Authority that made himself into a hammer, the world into a forge, and his targets into iron.

What would hammering the demons with that cause them to become?

'It must be different from the Life-and-Death Demon…'

The Life-and-Death Demon I rode was a 'unique specimen' created by embedding the British Doctor's guaranteed life and guaranteed kill abilities.

That was why it was a new species.

Anyway, I was examining the messages about the sword and falling into various deliberations.

As it happened, the swords had said they had to busy themselves with 'war preparations,' so I was leisurely pondering.

'They must be having quite the festival.'

Naturally, my swords welcomed war.

Especially a war to smash evil things.

'Right about now, they're probably arguing over which of them gets to manifest first and take the vanguard.'

As I was thinking that.

⦗Sword Master!!!⦘

A weighty and dignified voice rang out.

The steadfast 1st Sword Reinhardt's voice.

⦗The Dark God Necribas was, fundamentally, my mortal enemy.⦘

He spoke to me while concealing a feeling loaded with piercing nostalgia — perhaps even more than that, a surge of emotion.

⦗In this war, please call upon this servant—.⦘

The demon worshippers who had annihilated Reinhardt's house.

The being they had served was the very Necribas who had appeared from the Molten Sea.

It was the expected part.

"Agreed."

I welcomed it too.

When Reinhardt faced the Dark God Necribas, several buffs were added to him.

And for the Dark God—

'Tons of penalties would be applied.'

A being who had, solely for the sake of revenge, sacrificed his precious things and, with a heart of purity, devoted himself to cultivation — from a mere commoner to Sword Sovereign.

That was my 1st Sword Reinhardt.

Such Transcendent swords of mine possessed the mighty ability to influence others simply through their existence.

And so—

Paat!

[Enter the Tower and overcome a trial.]

[Reward: The Forms of the 1st Sword, Reinhardt Euclid.]

A space designed solely for me, to aid my growth — that was the [Tower].

A Tower trial tailored to the change in my swords had appeared.

What was to come had come.

"The Patriot said he was going to the Tower too."

Now there were two Transcendents in South Korea.

It'd be good to alternate — just in case.

I used [WorldNet] to contact the Patriot.

A reply came in 1 second flat.

[Patriot: How about you go first, senior, and then I go in after? I'm planning on entering tomorrow.]

As expected of the Patriot.

It seemed he was so eager for heavy punishment that he was even going to the Tower.

* * *

"Th-that damn crazy bastard!!!"

The Patriot spat fury.

Over a single text message saying he was going into the [Tower]…

"Actually crazy bastard!"

A chill had gone through him.

No matter how he thought about it, the Patriot couldn't understand Shin Si-woo.

'A lunatic declaring war in a world that's already been smashed to this state!!!'

The Patriot cursed Shin Si-woo in his heart.

Sending out bombers across the national territory all day didn't annihilate the catastrophes, and yet Shin Si-woo was discussing a [China Conquest] without a care about such things, wasn't he?

"Patriot, are you really fine with not knowing the true purpose of the war?"

"Catching the Dark God might just be a pretext."

The Constellations welcomed the war itself but demanded a concrete explanation.

The Patriot had heard no such thing from Shin Si-woo.

No — he hadn't asked.

The reason was obvious.

"He's clearly trying to feed his demons."

Those damned terrifying red monsters.

Shin Si-woo's purpose was to provide them food.

'Go to Japan and feed them that Ggampre, then…'

And yet he was attaching all kinds of grand causes, drawing in allied nations, and expanding the scale of the war.

The Patriot's excessive stress kept inducing warped thinking.

"With that much power, and showing such caution like this…"

"He is no ordinary man. It's clear my sword would be blocked."

Shin Si-woo was the being Cheok Jun-gyeong had said he couldn't see a 1-on-1 kill angle against.

And even so…

"Going to the Tower too?"

Not content with the power he had, he was heading to the Tower.

It was proof Shin Si-woo wanted greater power.

'Shi…'

The Patriot was in a difficult position.

In truth, the Patriot didn't welcome war.

His periodic fits against Japan were because he feared Japan might revive the Japanese Empire, like the British Empire.

He never actually said his true feelings, though.

'The Japs are genuinely bad bastards, that's true.'

It was half venting, but anyway, he hadn't thrown fits just because he was in a bad mood.

"Still, war — isn't that a bit much?"

Punishing that vile China, and a sacred war to reclaim North Korea, Korea's rightful land.

Even so, the Patriot was disinclined.

However…

"We shall make the Great Korean Empire."

"Patriot, you will once again witness the miracles you showed in the trial."

"Ah, the days when a single sword swept through China!!"

The Constellations' reactions were entirely different.

They all gazed at empty air with dream-soaked expressions.

Every Constellation here had shared the Patriot's trial.

They had memories of smashing China and Japan alongside the Patriot and establishing the Great Korean Empire upon the world within the trial.

How could they forget those memories?

"Are we really going to war?"

"Why refuse the glorious task of building the Great Korean Empire?"

Looking at Yi Sun-sin, the Patriot shrieked,

"The young men of the Republic might be dragged into the military and slaughtered mercilessly by Chinese Red Army troops — what about the tears of parents who lose their children?"

The immense deaths of one's citizens.

He raised that as his cause.

But…

"The nature of war has changed."

The war Shin Si-woo spoke of was different.

"It's a war where Transcendents like you and us sweep across North Korean soil with firepower in an instant."

Honed and re-honed, Yulgok Yi I's 100,000-strong army — reborn as killing machines through an unfathomable trial — was set to march. How could mere polluted beasts block them?

"Hmm, that is true. Civilians wouldn't have to be sent to war."

At the clever Constellations' words, the Patriot was left speechless.

Ah, so I can't stop the war.

Then…

"It's been a while. Time to visit the Tower."

"The Tower? Patriot, didn't you say you don't know any of the Constellations on this list?"

"Still, I need to build up my power."

In truth, it had been quite some time since the Patriot was due to enter the Tower.

The Patriot pulled up the messages he had been putting off.

'If I could receive someone like King Sejong, I wouldn't have to quail before Shin Si-woo, but…'

Paat!

[Enter the Tower, overcome the trial, and welcome a new Constellation.]

[Options]

1. Constellation, Syngman Rhee.

2. Constellation, Yi Do.

One was completely unknown to him, and the other wasn't well-known either, so it was awkward to choose.