Chapter 24 – War [On the Corpse]

‘Combat Sense.’

He activated Combat Sense, the basic Skill of a Superhuman, consuming 10% of his Mana.

As the Skill, which also served as a measure of a Superhuman’s Rank, activated, Siguk’s world changed.

His senses became extremely acute.

With his eyes, he could see the minute tremors of the fifteen thugs from Incheon standing before him.

With his ears, he could hear not only the empty, wind-whistling sounds escaping their mouths but also the rough pounding of their hearts.

With his entire body, he vividly felt the hostility and fear focused on him.

‘Killing Blade.’

Simultaneously with the activation of Combat Sense, his other Skill, Killing Blade, was triggered.

20% of his Mana was consumed, and Siguk became one with the single-edged longsword in his hand.

The sword became him, and he became the sword. His will became the sword’s will, and the sword’s will became his. It was the realm of divine sword unity spoken of by swordsmen.

A Skill he had naturally acquired in his previous life upon killing his 300th person with a blade, it was being activated for the first time in what felt like an eternity.

The specially crafted single-edged longsword, made from high-grade steel as Lee Jeonghoon had described, felt welcoming, as if it were a living creature.

Feeling life, familiarity, and reliability from an inanimate object for the first time in so long, Siguk kicked off the ground and lunged forward.

“Stop that son of a bi……!”

Manager Wang Mansu’s words could not continue.

Before the sentence he had instinctively formed in his mind could be completed as sound, Siguk’s blade had already sliced through his neck and passed by.

His head rotated clockwise in the air before falling to the ground.

Blood gushed from the cleanly severed cross-section, splattering Siguk and several thugs standing nearby.

“Ugh, aaaaah!”

A thug who had gotten a face full of blood at close range screamed like a madman and swung his tool at Siguk.

‘Head.’

The targeted location of the tool was captured by his senses. Siguk lightly twisted his shoulder, and the steel pipe lost its point of impact and plunged downward.

‘Neck.’

Immediately, Siguk’s blade sliced through the attacker’s neck.

His head rotated forward, separating from his body, and blood spurted from the similarly cleanly severed cross-section.

Two decapitations occurring in a mere 6 to 7 seconds.

Watching this unfold in real-time, the thugs from Incheon momentarily wondered if they had entered a dream world.

But that thought shattered as Siguk’s blade sliced through the neck of a third thug.

And what took its place was the fear that they might die here.

Fear caused the humans to exhibit two types of behavior.

“Aaaaah!”

One group charged at Siguk instead. Seven thugs, as if trying to overcome their fear, let out a shout—whether a battle cry or a scream—and rushed at Siguk.

Steel pipes, wooden clubs, box cutters, hammers, and more flew toward Siguk.

Some he dodged, others he blocked with his sword.

‘Blocked’ wasn’t quite accurate; ‘cut through in return’ was more precise.

Screech-!

Sparks flew as the single-edged longsword clashed with a steel pipe. But the sound that followed wasn’t the clang! of metal on metal; it was the sound of something being severed.

After the steel pipe, it was the neck of the one who had swung it.

Splurt-!

Unfailingly, blood gushed from the severed surface.

Seizing that opening, one guy tried to stab a box cutter into Siguk’s side.

But the box cutter missed Siguk’s side by a mere 3 centimeters.

And the single-edged blade mercilessly sliced through the wielder’s neck.

“Ughhhhh!”

The other group were those trying to flee, letting out sounds akin to animal cries.

Five thugs, even discarding their weapons, turned their backs on instinct and tried to run.

“Y-you sons of bitches! Where do you think you’re running!”

Baek Minsik shouted at them with trembling eyes.

But their eyes and ears thoroughly ignored Baek Minsik.

Even though he was their boss, who had given them tremendous push as fellow Incheon natives, they didn’t have the loyalty to jump into a fight where death was almost certain for his sake.

“What, what are you doing!”

However, they couldn’t escape the vacant lot.

Lee Mincheol and the seven men from Bucheon, who had stepped back earlier, were blocking the entrance.

Seeing this, Baek Minsik felt relieved inside. Thanks to that, he could prevent desertion.

“Move aside, you sons of bitches!”

The fleeing men shouted and spewed curses, but the Bucheon organization members stood firm.

Instead, they swung the tools they held, threatening the fleeing men in return.

While the fleeing men were caught in a dilemma, Baek Minsik approached them and shouted.

“Hurry up and go help those bastards! All of you!”

They couldn’t escape anyway.

With that thought, the five who had been fleeing instantly transformed back into thugs.

They immediately tried to charge toward Siguk.

But the moment their eyes recognized Siguk, their legs wouldn’t move.

“Ughhh…….”

Already, around Siguk, headless corpses were staining the vacant lot floor with blood.

Holding the blood-stained single-edged longsword pointed downward, Siguk slowly approached them.

They could only watch Siguk approach. They didn’t have the courage to perform any action beyond that.

Lee Jeonghoon, who had been watching the slaughter scene as the color gradually drained from his face, looked at the five thugs trembling violently.

No will to fight could be found in them anymore.

Lee Jeonghoon stretched his hand forward and opened his mouth.

“There’s no need to kill th……”

But before his sentence could be completed as words, Siguk’s blade danced through the air even faster.

And almost simultaneously, five heads fell downward, blood gushing from their severed surfaces.

“……ose guys……”

Lee Jeonghoon’s fingertips trembled faintly. His hand dropped.

Siguk turned his gaze backward. His two eyes, revealed above the black mask, stared intently at Lee Jeonghoon for about three seconds.

The words Siguk had spoken flashed through Lee Jeonghoon’s mind.

『Become more cruel. Become more of a villain. Only then can you protect your wife and Nayeon.』

Lee Jeonghoon bit his lip tightly. His lip split, and blood flowed. The metallic scent of blood spread through his mouth and nose, awakening his spirit.

Siguk turned his gaze forward again. Behind the collapsing headless corpses, Baek Minsik was staring at Siguk with a dazed expression.

Siguk slowly approached Baek Minsik.

Baek Minsik took a step back. But Siguk closed the distance even faster, and Baek Minsik’s neck entered the sword’s range.

A smile formed on Baek Minsik’s face. But it was merely servile flattery for survival, completely unrelated to the emotion he was feeling with his entire being right now.

“H-hey, Hyung. I, I and Chairman Lee……”

At his servile appearance, devoid of any dignity, Lee Mincheol and the seven Bucheon action squad members watching and listening clearly from behind couldn’t help but feel an indescribably strange emotion.

The servile appearance of an absolute being they had never dared to covet or even think of surpassing.

The shock brought by that sight. That shock was, if not smaller, certainly no less than the one they received when all fifteen Incheon action squad members became headless corpses by Siguk’s blade.

“Ch-Chairman Lee! I, I admit defeat! I lost! Take it all! Take it all……”

Screech-!

Siguk’s blade sliced through Baek Minsik’s neck.

Baek Minsik’s head spun in the air before falling, blood gushing from the severed surface.

The headless corpse soon lost its balance and collapsed onto the floor.

Baek Minsik, who had been leading the largest criminal organization in the Southwestern District and had been speaking boldly to Lee Jeonghoon just minutes before, had thus become a meaningless corpse.

Just like those he had killed on his journey into this world and to this position, just as the women who had been sacrificed for his desires and even became drug addicts had wished, he ended his not-so-long life as a cold corpse.

Siguk’s gaze turned toward the eight men blocking the vacant lot entrance.

As his gaze reached them, those who had been wearing dazed expressions at their boss’s death all flinched.

‘There’s probably no reason to kill us. He promised differently.’

Lee Mincheol gulped and shifted his gaze toward Lee Jeonghoon, standing in front of the large sedan’s bumper behind them.

Lee Jeonghoon nodded. And simultaneously, Siguk averted his gaze from them, turned around, and headed toward Lee Jeonghoon.

‘Whew…….’

The eight men simultaneously sighed in relief inwardly.

But none of them could move from their spots.

The seven action squad members only looked at Lee Mincheol, and Lee Mincheol only looked at Lee Jeonghoon.

And Lee Jeonghoon was barely standing, leaning slightly against the bumper for support.

Siguk approached Lee Jeonghoon. Stepping over the headless corpses that were obstacles along the way, Siguk stood before Lee Jeonghoon.

And he could see.

The small amount of blood flowing from Lee Jeonghoon’s mouth, the pale skin devoid of color in contrast, the trembling pupils filled with numerous complex emotions, the faintly trembling limbs.

Siguk looked into Lee Jeonghoon’s eyes with a cold, settled gaze and spoke.

“My part is done. Now it’s Chairman Lee’s turn.”

As he spoke, Siguk emitted a faint Mana Wave.

That wave penetrated Lee Jeonghoon’s marrow and anchored his spirit.

Lee Jeonghoon closed his eyes and regulated his breathing.

After taking a few deep breaths, Lee Jeonghoon opened his eyes again. The complex emotions that had filled his eyes were gone.

In their place, only cold, calculated thinking remained.

“Good work.”

After briefly speaking to Siguk, Lee Jeonghoon took out his smartphone.

“Yeah. It’s me.”

Watching this, Siguk headed toward the trunk.

Opening the trunk, he saw three water bottles and a change of clothes.

Siguk immediately took off his clothes and mask, stuffed them into a corner of the trunk, opened a water bottle, and poured water over himself.

Washing off the blood from his hair, face, hands, and sword with water, Siguk dried his body and sword with a towel, changed clothes, and put on a new mask.

Meanwhile, the vacant lot became somewhat crowded as the seven organization members brought by Kang Bonggil and Han Myeongho respectively joined in.

Siguk silently went behind Lee Jeonghoon and stood still, holding his sword.

Looking at that sight and the corpses scattered on the floor, not only Kang Bonggil and Han Myeongho but also all seven Clover Faction action squad members who had followed them in trembled in fear.

Looking at them, Lee Jeonghoon opened his mouth.

“Wrap all the corpses in the plastic you brought. Wrap them and load them into the vans parked outside. Load them carefully so blood doesn’t leak. Get started.”

At Lee Jeonghoon’s words, Kang Bonggil and Han Myeongho bowed their heads and began cleaning up the corpses with the action squad members.

“Alright, alright. You guys help these friends too. Hurry. You, you, and you, go bring the vans here.”

Lee Mincheol also gave orders to the Bucheon action squad members, and they complied.

The Clover Faction action squad members, conscious of the Bucheon natives who had joined them, cleared away the corpses without much talk.

A short while later, all the corpses were wrapped in plastic bags and loaded onto the three vans that had entered the vacant lot.

“CEO Han and CEO Kang, go bury them properly and come to Clover.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Yep.”

The three vans departed in a line.

Watching them, Lee Jeonghoon approached Lee Mincheol, who was standing awkwardly with the Bucheon action squad members.

As Lee Jeonghoon and Siguk behind him approached, Lee Mincheol and the action squad members straightened their postures.

As Siguk even emitted a faint Mana Wave, naturally, not only their postures but even their attitudes became respectful.

“Good work.”

Lee Jeonghoon spoke to Lee Mincheol. Lee Mincheol, with a somewhat stiff expression but trying his best to smile, bowed deeply and replied.

“Not at all. I merely did as you ordered, Chairman.”

“No. Without our CEO Lee here, things would have been really difficult and complicated.”

When the word ‘CEO Lee’ referring to himself came from Lee Jeonghoon’s mouth, Lee Mincheol finally broke into a wide grin.

He straightened his back, slightly bowed his head, and replied.

“Not at all. It’s all thanks to you, Chairman. Without your excellent strategy, I would have been insignificant.”

Looking at such Lee Mincheol, Lee Jeonghoon could only smile weakly.

Lee Mincheol sharply turned his head back. He made an eye gesture toward the action squad members who had been silently watching for cues. The action squad members all nodded slightly as if understanding.

Lee Mincheol looked at Lee Jeonghoon again. After taking a moment to steady his breath, he shouted loudly and bowed.

“We look forward to working with you, Chairman!”

Simultaneously, the action squad members standing behind him took the same action and shouted.

“We look forward to working with you, Chairman!”

Looking at that sight, Lee Jeonghoon felt something surging from deep within his chest and smiled brightly.