Alertness (1)

In Japan, news was suddenly delivered that the expedition team would be deployed to attack a Red Gate, and China ultimately came to proclaim the Church of Ruin as an official religion to the entire world.

They had already predicted many parts of it and had also prepared, but once the situation actually arrived, an unpleasantly fierce backlash rose up.

“We are absolutely opposed to accepting Chinese refugees!”

“We condemn China’s actions in endorsing the atrocities of the Church of Ruin, and they must be thoroughly held accountable and punished for those sins!”

Countless people rushed out in protest marches, and public opinion boiled over all across the world, defining the Church of Ruin as absolute evil that had to be subjugated.

Until now, countless countries had bowed their heads to the Church of Ruin, but China was a completely different matter in terms of the aftermath, and at the right timing, movements from the Apostle also began in Britain, leading to signs being detected that it was trying to invade the Netherlands.

“If things continue like this, there really will be no answer.”

Due to An Sang-ik’s absence, one of the other captains was attending the meeting.

“It is not that I do not understand Captain Kim Cheol-ung’s feelings, but there is no way to immediately start a war, and in order to suppress China, all of Asia, beyond East Asia, must unite. Yet right now, are they not in a situation where they cannot even open their mouths out of fear that the Apostle’s gaze will turn toward them?”

“It is certainly true that they are watching the situation, but even so, I do not believe that is any reason for us to remain silent as well.”

Public opinion boiled over.

Reports were steadily revealing that politicians were currently preparing to somehow leave Korea or move in search of safe places, and the military was showing signs of dividing into warlord factions and concentrating their strength separately.

They were squabbling among themselves to find ways to survive.

The one fortunate thing was that because Kim Dae-san was one of the three great heroes representing Korea, it had not yet led to division.

Many people currently had a strong tendency to think of Kim Dae-san as merely a politician because he was holding a pen and doing politics, but during the war, while possessing tremendous power, he had been the leading figure who brought victory against the North Korean puppet army and even an 8th Circle black mage Lich.

Moreover, whenever the five strongest current Awakeners were named, he was also one of the people always mentioned.

Because someone like him was still standing firm, the representatives of countless factions currently present at the meeting were focusing on his words even now.

“We have no intention of starting a war, but against fights brought to us, we have responded thoroughly with vicious tactics, to the point that we left no room for recovery. However, the enemy we must face this time is not a being we can think of lightly. It is a powerful enemy against whom we must stake the fortune of an entire nation, and in fact, China has also chosen to flee from that mighty enemy by acknowledging the Church of Ruin.”

Amid the descending silence, Kim Dae-san lightly struck the table with a “bang,” exhaled deeply, inhaled fully, and spoke with force.

“We are a country with many powerful Awakeners, enough to achieve self-reliant national defense. I am certain that we can also stop the Apostle of the Calamity God who is coming this time. I, Chu Myeong-hun, Captain An Sang-ik, and many others called heroes will all step onto the battlefield, and Master Geum Seong-chan, who has recently gained tremendous fame and is called the world’s first and strongest, has also agreed to coordinate with us and fight the enemy. So I ask this of everyone.”

Kim Dae-san glared at the politicians as though flames would burst from him, and after gritting his teeth, twitching his muscles, and exhaling, he brought out what was truly inside him.

“The bastards who run away… I will set aside my political career and grind my entire life into it to tear every last one of them apart and kill them. Prepare yourselves. The gentlemanly moment ended just now.”

It was the moment when the giant of the past threw off his mask.

The room fell silent with chills.

Only then did everyone remember who the person before them was, and Captain Kim Cheol-ung also came to gaze at his former direct superior and the great man who had protected this country as a war hero with eyes full of reverence.

“Let us protect the country. As we always have.”

“That Dae-san fellow is seriously furious.”

“It seems he intends to take off his mask now.”

“Until now, many citizens were watching, so he had merely restrained himself. I always knew he would become like that someday.”

Laughter broke out at Jeong Gil-sun’s words.

Kim Dae-san was that kind of person.

He had been passionate and always full of worries.

That was why he was a person who had been thorough in order to create as few worries as possible.

A person who began his life by controlling himself and sought to end it that way; such a person had begun to run wild.

Perhaps it was only the natural order of things.

Because I could not even estimate what that filthy emotion must have been like, having to live while embracing the vested interests who would turn their backs and flee when the country fell into crisis.

Still, the truly fortunate thing was the surprising fact that such passion had not yet cooled while he was doing politics.

“He is like a volcano.”

I nodded at Go Yu-jin’s words.

Because it actually felt that way to me as well.

That did not mean it felt bad.

He was a more likable figure than before. So my heart turned a little.

‘Was he someone who sincerely loved the country?’

I thought back on what he had tried to protect even while losing his own family.

It likely had not been a sacrifice he had wanted. It was only that, while protecting me and those around him, he had momentarily gone blind to what was precious. The result must have been far too miserable and painful, but he had not collapsed and had instead risen even more stubbornly, firmly setting himself upright.

That was why I could gauge just how deep an emotion his current words contained.

“But is it really possible with our forces?”

“For now, we will know if we wait and see.”

“Why?”

“Because they are in the Netherlands.”

Go Yu-jin and the other black mages looked puzzled after hearing my words.

In truth, it was information I had happened to learn by chance.

“They said it was a rumor So-mi heard from a community she often frequents.”

Everyone who looked puzzled stared not at me, but at An So-mi. Only then did An So-mi make a triumphant expression, lift her nose proudly, and open her mouth.

“They say it is presumed that the ‘Sea Sun Brigade’ is in the Netherlands.”

“…Huh, them?”

It was a group anyone who had even a little interest in the world, including Jeong Gil-sun, would know.

The exact number of members belonging to the “Sea Sun Brigade,” which had earned a great reputation as the world’s strongest armed group, had not been confirmed, but it was estimated to be a group of no more than fifty at most.

And because the most famous person among its members, a “9th Circle mage,” belonged to it, it was a group that always drew the world’s attention.

But the fact that they, who had been quiet for the past few months, had suddenly appeared in the Netherlands was surprising, and it was also surprising that this fact had become known not through something like the news, but through an anonymous community.

“It may not be accurate information, may it?”

At Jeong Gil-sun’s words, An So-mi spoke confidently.

“They said Marcelo appeared. And since his unique relic, the Saint’s Staff, was also spotted with him, it must be certain that the Sea Sun Brigade is there.”

The image of Marcelo of Scotland, the 9th Circle mage, had been taken and revealed.

Some called it a lie, while others said that perhaps it was not the entire Sea Sun Brigade moving, but Marcelo acting individually.

The reason was simple. Marcelo’s lover was French.

If he was active with the Sea Sun Brigade, he would not be able to have a proper relationship, and even if he did, frequent meetings would be impossible.

In such a situation, when trouble happened while he was operating far away, An So-mi brought up speculative talk that Marcelo may have moved for revenge, and everyone narrowed their eyes and glared at her.

“No, they say that love can pierce even a distant eye through the sun, right?”

“Where did you hear something like that this time?”

At Jeong Gil-sun’s question, An So-mi joked, “A webtoon?”

In any case, though I did not know what kind of circumstances there were, if their figures had been discovered, then it was possible to speculate that there might be a battle with Beral.

Moreover, the fact that Beral’s next destination was the Netherlands was also an important point.

“But they say Red Gates have been appearing everywhere recently. Considering that Beral first moved while targeting a Red Gate, was he trying to create a new Apostle?”

Everyone fell into thought at Go Yu-jin’s question, but there was no way they could know the correct answer.

In effect, everyone’s speculation went only as far as wondering whether Red Gates could be turned into Yellow Gates through some special method, and it was difficult to speculate any further than that.

“For now, we will be able to judge once we see the battle situation within the next few days. If they can do it, then it will mean we can do it as well.”

At my confident words, everyone looked at me with concern.

However, I thought it was fully possible.

Go Yu-jin had also steadily grown stronger, and if the buffs I cast on her stacked doubly, they would create tremendous synergy.

It was to the point that I could speculate that there would be no physical Awakener who could handle Go Yu-jin’s golem after it received such stacked buffs.

In addition, there were groups that did not want the Church of Ruin to gain power, because all the otherworldly religious orders, which until now had arranged for participation in wars to be voluntary and limited to “those who wished to participate,” had demanded compulsory participation this time.

Thanks to that, along with the cardinal of the Gaia Church and the Saintess of the Zodiac Church within the country, many powerful figures of the Chantra faction, such as Crusaders and Guardians, were also scheduled to participate in large numbers.

It seemed they had judged that since this was their foundation, and there were few countries where they could secure high-ranking believers as stably as in Korea, they could not afford to lose it.

In any case, it was correct to think that the Republic of Korea currently had secured its greatest fighting force in history.

“There will be no need to be so tense. And if we steadily prepare and make them feel just how horrifying and terrifying a ‘prepared one’ can be, will that not be enough?”

At my words, Jeong Gil-sun suddenly asked a question.

“You are not Geum Seong-chan, are you?”

“I am.”

“You were not such a positive fellow.”

“The higher my realm rises, the more I feel the restrictions mortgaged to the Necronomicon disappearing. Perhaps it is thanks to that?”

“Huh, are you regaining your old passion?”

“I was never passionate. I merely tried to live.”

“That is being passionate. You damned brat! When an elder is speaking, you keep answering back!”

Jeong Gil-sun shouted and charged at me. He truly was an energetic old man.

“You should hold back and use that energy in the war.”

“Would you hold back if you were me!!”

Everyone lightly relieved their tension through the brief conversation.