Chapter 122

The dark aura completely vanished from Busan.

The gloomy fog lifted from all directions, and visibility began to improve.

Hunters and ordinary citizens, who had been staring at each other with bewildered expressions, finally cheered when they saw the pitch-black clouds that had covered Busan slowly dissipate.

“Whoa!”

Some wept, embracing their surviving family members, while others ran around, spreading the joyous news.

“You did well! Everyone did well! We’re alive!”

The Hunters, too, patted each other on the shoulder, celebrating their survival.

Then, they suddenly noticed Kang Yuseong standing to one side and approached him.

With faces much brighter than before, they lined up in front of him and bowed deeply.

“It’s all thanks to Captain Kang Yuseong! Thank you.”

“Thank you, Captain! Thank you!”

Following their lead, the citizens of Busan approached Kang Yuseong, Kim Do-jin, and Gil Hyeok-jun, repeatedly bowing their heads in gratitude.

Their faces were overflowing with the relief of survival, and smiles appeared for the first time in a long while. Kim Do-jin and Gil Hyeok-jun, seeing them, returned their smiles.

Kang Yuseong also nodded, acknowledging their greetings.

Yet, his expression held a subtle sense of frustration, as if something troubling weighed on him.

Kim Do-jin, observing him from the side, subtly furrowed his brow. But he said nothing, assuming there was a reason for Kang Yuseong’s demeanor.

After retaking Busan, Kang Yuseong immediately contacted the Phoenix Guild in Seoul, requesting urgent reinforcements.

Once the situation in Busan was somewhat settled, Kang Yuseong got into a car bound for Seoul.

Yoshii probably wouldn’t reappear anytime soon.

To exert such powerful influence, infusing his will onto a log must have consumed a significant amount of his strength.

He would need time to recover as well.

But time was the problem.

‘Hmm…’

From the moment he got into the car, Kang Yuseong’s expression had been stiff.

Even after gaining the power of radiance, he had only barely managed to fight the log infused with Yoshii’s will to a standstill.

Of course, he had crushed it with overwhelming pressure, but that wasn’t Yoshii’s true body.

If it had been his true body, Kang Yuseong might have been instantly killed by him.

‘Hoo…’

Currently, Kang Yuseong’s power level was far beyond anything ordinary Hunters could imagine.

Yet, he had to pour all his strength into defeating a log imbued with Yoshii’s will.

If Yoshii were to recover his true power and personally lead an invasion of the Korean Peninsula, a hellish battlefield far worse than anything Kang Yuseong had witnessed in his past would unfold.

Tap-tap-

Kang Yuseong, as was his habit, tapped his knee with his fingers, lost in deep thought.

“Captain.”

Just then, Kim Do-jin called out to him softly from the side.

Kang Yuseong broke from his thoughts and looked at him.

“Hmm? What is it?”

Kim Do-jin’s expression, as he looked at him, was serious.

“What are you hiding?”

Kang Yuseong offered no excuses.

He simply let out a long sigh, closed his eyes tightly, slowly nodded, and then spoke with a heavy voice.

“The one I defeated wasn’t the real one.”

Gil Hyeok-jun, who was driving, furrowed his brow, and Kim Do-jin’s eyebrows twitched.

“What do you mean?”

“It was a log infused with his will. An incredibly powerful Japanese sorcerer projected his will into a log and sent it to ravage Busan. His true body is still in mainland Japan.”

Kim Do-jin’s expression turned to one of disbelief.

“You mean… a mere log infused with his will was enough to devastate all of Busan like that?”

Kang Yuseong nodded heavily.

“Yes. His power was beyond imagination. To the point where even pouring out all my strength wasn’t enough. An enormous monster has been born. One that should never exist.”

It was a being with immeasurable power, even by monster standards.

As they listened to Kang Yuseong’s words, both men felt goosebumps rise on their skin.

They were individuals who enjoyed fighting so much that they’d be upset if anyone surpassed them.

So much so that if they could fight without even eating, they would spend their entire lives on the battlefield.

But Kang Yuseong’s words were enough to send shivers down their spines.

They knew Kang Yuseong too well.

Immeasurable.

That was the very word used to describe Kang Yuseong.

But now, that had changed.

A being had appeared that made even Kang Yuseong show a tense expression for the first time.

“Then… Japan is currently…”

Kim Do-jin’s expression hardened for a moment before he muttered, letting out a groan.

Kang Yuseong nodded.

“Yes, a hellish scene is probably unfolding there.”

What Kim Do-jin implied was clear.

If a being capable of such heinous sorcery came from Japan, it was safe to assume that Japan was already in his grasp.

In that case, an even more horrific reality must be unfolding in Japan than what they had witnessed.

Where the dead tormented the living, and the living were forced to serve the dead.

The events in Busan would pale in comparison; Japan was undoubtedly steeped in a colossal evil.

“In any case, it’s a self-inflicted trap.”

Who resurrected the wicked monk Yoshii was unknown.

His purpose was unknown, and perhaps the wicked monk Yoshii resurrected himself.

‘Most likely, that’s the case.’

After Kang Yuseong constantly racked his brain about Yoshii’s appearance, the most probable conclusion he reached was this:

Yoshii had resurrected himself.

Because if one understood why the current Mega Shock and Second Shock occurred, one could arrive at that conclusion.

The Mega Shock phenomenon, which could not be explained by science, common sense, or even religious philosophy, was originally caused by another dimension interfering with this one.

After a long time, it was revealed that the Mega Shock occurred during the process of an unknown dimension, named the Invader, breaking through the dimension Earth belonged to and forcibly merging with it, followed by the successive occurrence of the Second Shock.

The progression of the Invader dimension, which seemed to swallow not only Earth but also the entire solar system and even the galaxy, astonished all who studied it.

However, this discovery critically helped in somewhat preventing the invasion of the Invader dimension.

What was important among these was the Invader dimension’s influence on this dimension.

On Earth, various dimensions overlapped, with the afterlife, Hwangcheon (the Underworld), and the real world, Saba (the Mortal Realm), being prime examples. Besides these, the Void Realm, where will-less floating objects drifted, and the Dark Realm, said to be filled with dark will, were also known.

However, as the Invader dimension encroached upon Earth’s dimension, it shattered the dimensional boundaries, causing beings from the Spirit Realm, which Hwangcheon belonged to, to reappear in reality. Such instances had also occurred in Kang Yuseong’s past, when he was a Monarch.

Yoshii, he suspected, might be a case of self-resurrection under such circumstances.

But one question remained.

Why had his resurrection occurred now, when it hadn’t happened in Kang Yuseong’s past?

And considering the words left by the Japanese Hunter Kang Yuseong had killed, there were more than a few doubts surrounding Yoshii’s resurrection.

‘The important thing is…’

But amidst all this, one undeniable fact remained: he had appeared in this world.

And one more thing.

‘He will surely die.’

Kang Yuseong’s eyes blazed with a fierce, chilling killing intent.

Regardless, he would die.

Because Kang Yuseong intended to make it so.

* * * * *

Upon returning to Seoul, Kang Yuseong mobilized all resources to gather information on Japan’s current situation.

With Star Pharmaceuticals’ influence, no information was unobtainable.

Star Pharmaceuticals’ influence was already immense worldwide, and high-quality information poured into Kang Yuseong’s hands.

Confronted with that information, Kang Yuseong was speechless.

Japan.

A country both near and far.

And to them, a place always remembered as an enemy nation.

A highly duplicitous nation, outwardly displaying perfect order while unreservedly revealing its naked ambitions.

The myriad reports indicated that the country was anything but normal.

– Early this month, rumors of 100,000 deaths in Kyoto Prefecture. Reports stated that the discovered corpses had no hearts.

– In Tokyo, 4,000 Hunters belonging to the Taiyo Guild were found collectively massacred. Testimonies claimed no blood remained in their bodies.

– Residents in the Miyagi Prefecture area were found long dead. Shocking testimonies claimed that these skeletal remains had killed and eaten each other’s flesh.

Even a brief glance revealed an endless stream of horrifying information.

Up until now, preoccupied with monster attacks, they hadn’t paid much attention to Japan, and this was truly shocking.

Examining the data, such incidents had begun approximately a month prior.

It was clear that Yoshii had resurrected around that time and begun his evil deeds.

Recent reports also indicated that the residents of Japan were being treated like dogs and pigs. The Hunters of large guilds fattened themselves, while ordinary citizens became slaves, forced to feed them.

Just like North Korea, where he had been last time.

Yoshii was likely at the pinnacle of all these events.

And he had undoubtedly extended his demonic hand to swallow not just Japan, but also South Korea.

Unlike in the past, he had resurrected, and Japan had completely fallen into his hands.

He had unleashed tremendous slaughter, as if to avenge the grudges of his former life, and as a result, he now wielded immense power and reigned supreme.

And his next target was none other than South Korea.

Now, monster attacks were no longer the primary concern.

If Yoshii decided to launch an attack, it was a foregone conclusion that Seoul would fall in an instant.

Busan alone made that clear.

‘It won’t go your way, Yoshii.’

Kang Yuseong thought of the countless corpses he had witnessed in Busan.

The endless coffins laid out inside the Sejin Building.

Those coffins, which couldn’t even be properly buried and had to remain among the living, were the direct result of Yoshii’s atrocities.

The one who created a hell where dead fathers gnawed on the flesh of their living sons, and living daughters, wailing, had to sever the heads of their deceased mothers.

A muscle twitched in Kang Yuseong’s cheek.

He would bring that hell here.

‘No… not anymore.’

Throughout countless historical periods, the Korean Peninsula had always suffered their invasions. Attacked when attacked, killed when killed.

How heavy was the weight of the resentment accumulated over all that time?

Even the revered Admiral Yi Sun-sin, constrained by his limitations, had to pass away with the deep regret of not being able to utterly annihilate them…

But now, it was different.

They would no longer tolerate being provoked.

Now, they would strike first.

“Team Leader Baek Myeong-han.”

He picked up the receiver and called Baek Myeong-han.

“Prepare an attack unit, a raid. D-Day is in ten days. The target is…”

Kang Yuseong’s bleak voice carried through the receiver.

“Japan.”

And he added one more sentence.

“We will wipe them out.”