âThis isnât China. I canât order everyone to have faith in me.â
Even if he ordered the wealthier Americans to believe in the Undefeated Incarnation of Training, they would most certainly refuse, and there would be a severe backlash.
After all, the president wasnât a king.
-I think he doesnât know much more about Earth than I do.
Even the goddess of sloth was baffled.
-How are you going to respond?
-Respond? Iâll just ignore him.
Even though Huntsman was a believer, Choi Yeonseung didnât intend to make him part of his household.
However...
[Mitt Huntsman sends faith to the âUndefeated Incarnation of Training.â]
[He says that if you make him your household member, he will give you the United States!]
[Mitt Huntsman sends faith to the âUndefeated Incarnation of Training.â]
[He curses you for not answering!]
âIgnore him. Ignore him...â
-A constellation is bound to receive faith from lunatics as well...
***
[The âRider of Thirst and Famineâ gives congratulations and says it isnât a bad achievement.]
[The âBeast of Swords and Spearsâ says angrily that it is still far away.]
[The âBubbling Mass of Plagueâ says that this is enough.]
[The âMarauder Wielding a Scytheâ agrees that it seems like it.]
The evil god constellations who had invaded Earth were discussing the progress of the invasion, and their words made it clear that their opinions were divided.
Given that multiple countries on Earth had been invaded at the same time, the achievements of the constellations varied greatly. The most unfortunate constellations were the ones who had targeted South Korea and the United States.
Those had started their attacks by thinking, âSouth Korea would be enoughâ or âThere has to be a lot to aim for in such a large realmâ, but they had suffered tremendous damage and had been forced to retreat.
Of course, the most unlucky one was the black magician constellation. He had targeted Japan, but the countryâs proximity to South Korea had led to his defeat, losing his territory as well...
Nonetheless, many evil god constellations were doing well in this invasion.
[The âWarrior Risen from the Deathâ says he doesnât want any more fights. If the good god constellations want a truce, he will accept it.]
[The âParrot with a Corrupted Tongueâ agrees.]
Thanks to their names constantly being mentioned in the news and on the internet, the evil god constellations had gained a tremendous amount of power of existence, and they didnât want anything else.
It had been the same in the first invasion.
Now, the evil god constellations had no reason to refuse a ceasefire if the good god constellations proposed it.
Of course, the good god constellations had no intention of tolerating the arrogance and hostility of the evil god constellations, but in the end, humans would get tired of this invasion.
Wouldnât it be better to have a truce than to continue a pointless worldwide war?
Moreover, in the eyes of the evil god constellations, the humans of Earth didnât really care about anything other than their respective countries. As long as they felt that their country was safe, they wouldnât care if the evil god constellations were rampaging elsewhere.
[The âBeast of Swords and Spearsâ bellows that it is unacceptable!]
[The âAdviser to the Thievesâ agrees!]
[The âBeast that Makes the Sea Overflowsâ...]
[...]
The evil god constellations argued with each other about what to do, but this was more like an argument with a predetermined conclusion.
Those who had gained something out of this invasion would withdraw, while those who had suffered losses would continue fighting and face fierce retaliation from the humans.
Knowing this, those who wanted to retreat would just calmly wait for the conclusion of the invasion.
...However, the evil god constellations were still unaware of Earthâs politics, which would move things in a direction they never wouldâve predicted.
***
It was a mild start.
âI have no intention of surrendering to the evil god constellations who are running wild right now. At the moment, it might seem beneficial to give in. There are signs that we are recovering, but I wonât surrender for political gain! Iâll work with as many countries as possible in order to fight off the evil god constellations!â
âOh... Itâs a good idea.â
Normally, no candidate would be able to make a pledge like that, but an altruistic candidate like Mike Hwang, with the support of a selfless and righteous A-grade hunter, could make such promises and seem believable!
-Mike Hwang says there will be no truce with the evil god constellations... He declares war to the end!
-I will eradicate all the evil god constellations!
The staff members of Mikeâs camp all expressed concern, but Choi Yeonseung gave the green light.
-Adaquaniel also said itâs okay.
-Itâs such a dangerous ple... Ah, is that so?
-I see.
-Adaquaniel said it was okay?
-Oh. Really? Then I guess it really is okay.
-...
There was an immediate reaction from Huntsmanâs side.
-How dare you make such bold and provocative promises in front of me?! Do you know who I am?
-M-Mr. Huntsman, please calm down! I donât think your supporters like his pledge. Iâll come up with something, but...
-What do you know? Are you saying I should just bend over?! Make a stronger announcement!
-I... I understand.
-Mitt Huntsman has declared that he will wipe out all the evil god constellations who came during the first invasion...
-Mitt Huntsmanâs speech... âEarth belongs to us humansâ... His supporters are thrilled.
[The âGreedy Owner of the Treasure Houseâ contacts you.]
â?â
Choi Yeonseung was taken aback when an evil god constellation contacted him out of the blue.
What was going on?
The Greedy Owner of the Treasure Houseâlast time, he made a blunder in the corporate war and almost lost his fortune. It was as though his mind went blank whenever he faced Choi Yeonseung.
As for Choi Yeonseung, he considered the treasure house constellation to be the most greedy and insignificant evil god constellation out there.
Of course, there was a lot of money involved, but Choi Yeonseung still couldnât believe that the treasure house constellation had stooped so low.
[The âGreedy Owner of the Treasure Houseâ says he is here to keep his promise.]
[He accuses the evil god constellations of planning an assassination.]
To avoid losing all of his money, the treasure house constellation had signed a contract to act as a spy among the evil god constellations.
âAssassination?â
Choi Yeonseung frowned. Who would the evil god constellations try to assassinate..?
âMike Hwang!â
Given that he was a normal human and a believer of Choi Yeonseung, it made sense for the evil god constellations to target him.
However, the vision Choi Yeonseung had seen with Future Sight was different...
-I will make America great! Even if it means putting a bomb necklace around the huntersâ necks, I will manage everything... Cough! H-how dare you... If... I fall, the United States... No...!
-Gah! An attack! An attack!
-Everybody, run away!
â...Itâs Huntsman.â
The vision showed the evil god constellations attacking the venue where Mike Hwang and Huntsman would have their important debate. Buildings would crumble, and people would fall. It was an utterly chaotic scene, but it was clear whom the evil god constellations were after.
In the vision, dozens of hunters rushed to the scene, but the attackers ignored them and persistently aimed for Huntsman.
âI donât understand. Why are they targeting Huntsman?â
Choi Yeonseung didnât understand the evil god constellations. Neither Mike Hwang nor Huntsman believed in an evil god constellation, but wasnât Mike Hwang the most threatening opponent, given that he wasnât insane?
If Choi Yeonseung were an evil god constellation, he would probably want Huntsman to become president...
-Isnât it because the evil god constellations are afraid? He said he would fight to the end, so the evil god constellations might be wary of him.
-They believe in that bluff?
In Choi Yeonseungâs view, Huntsmanâs pledges were a mess. Countless people were already skeptical, asking, âIs that even possible?â but Huntsman pretended not to hear them.
But the evil god constellations bought into his bravado...?
-Just as humans are unfamiliar with constellations, constellations are also unfamiliar with humans.
-Itâs ridiculous.
Thank you, Greedy Owner of the Treasure House.
Youâve helped me a lot.
First of all, Choi Yeonseung expressed his gratitude to the treasure house constellation. Even though a contract was binding, treating his enemy well would yield extra benefits.
[The âGreedy Owner of the Treasure Houseâ says goodbye and leaves.]
[The âMarauder Wielding a Scytheâ has come.]
[He says he will give you good information, so please decrease the protection fee.]
â...â
-...
Both Choi Yeonseung and the goddess of sloth could guess what the marauder constellation was about to tell them, so their expressions stiffened.
***
Gilbert Gerrity, an American A-grade hunter, had been using all sorts of excuses to hide in his mansion, and the reason for that was simple.
Once it was known that he was healthy, he would have to go out and fight.
Of course, Gerrity enjoyed killing monsters about which there was a lot of information available. But fighting the household members of the evil god constellations, whom he knew nothing about?
That would be risky even for an A-grade hunter. Those who gambled like that were crazy.
âAll the A-grade hunters are cursed at because of one crazy guy.â
Gerrity was unhappy with Choi Yeonseungâs meteoric rise. What was even worse was that he knew deep down that Choi Yeonseung was special, even though he didnât want to admit it.
A-grade hunters were the tactical weapons of a country; they were just pieces of meat with some extra pride and dignity. They were those who never admitted that they were weaker than someone else, even if they lost a one-on-one fight.
But Choi Yeonseung was different. It wasnât just because he was a martial artist, excelled in raids, and risked his life like a madman. Gerrity instinctively felt that Choi Yeonseung was special, but he couldnât put his finger on what exactly made him like that.
People were even discussing his potential promotion to S-grade, and the prospect of that caused Gerrity to feel deeply uncomfortable.
âGerrity.â
âAh. You came.â
There was only one reason Gerrity came out from hiding. It was to obey Chairman Parkerâs orders to protect Huntsman! He couldnât refuse the orders of a wealthy man like Chairman Parker.
Gerrity led his subordinates and built a tight defense around Huntsman.
âI think Huntsman is a real madman... Does Chairman Parker really have an idea?â
âGerrity, that Huntsman guy is Chairman Parkerâs puppet. He diligently does whatever Chairman Parker tells him.
âFor now. Will it be the same when heâs president? I doubt that... Anyway, the old man can take care of it himself.â
Gerrity decided to stop worrying about useless things. He just had to do his job and collect his paycheck.
â...Hey. What are those guys doing?â
âThey're martial artists. Their numbers have increased lately. Donât you know this?â
A bunch of hunters approached Gerrityâs team with swords in their hands. There was a distinctive aura about them, completely different from magicians.
âI donât mean that. Iâm asking why theyâre glaring at me like that,â said Gerrity as he frowned.
âArenât you too soft?â
His subordinate hunter cocked his head. The hunters didnât seem to be glaring at Gerrity.
Just then, a chill ran down Gerrityâs spine.
âDodge!â
Gerrityâs artifacts glowed as soon as he yelled. Four spells were activated at the same time. Only A-grade hunters could cast magic so quickly.
Gerrity managed to save the lives of his colleagues by blocking the sword energy with his magic, stopping it right before cutting them in half. His peers were terrified, and one of them even wet himself.
âIf it hadnât been for Choi Yeonseung...â
Despite the surprise attack, Gerrity couldnât help thinking of Choi Yeonseung, his face popping in his mind. If Gerrity hadnât taken that beating from Choi Yeonseung, he wouldnât have noticed that those hunters were acting strange.
That defeat had caused Gerrity to be on his toes whenever he saw other martial artists.
âA-amazing, Gerrity!â
âShut up!â
Gerrity prepared for a counterattack.
Just then, Choi Yeonseung and his hunters rushed to the scene.
âCh... Choi Yeonseung!â yelled Gerrity. â It was you! It was you!!â
âWhat are you talking about, Gerrity? Hunter Choi Yeonseung is also here for security!â
â...â
â...â
âIs that human crazy?â asked Illaphael, puzzled.