Chapter 147: Chapter 146: Revolutionary B

“There! Everyone, chase him!”

Soldiers were tracking an intruder crossing the palace.

At the end of a dead-end alley, they had cornered him and, without a moment’s hesitation, began stabbing him with the weapons in their hands.

And the opponent accepted the attack with his body without avoiding it.

Knowing his body would be mercilessly torn apart, as if he wished for it.

-Boom!

With that, his body exploded with the impact, spreading smoke in all directions.

Feeling their vision obscured by the smoke, one of the soldiers, as if frustrated, threw his weapon to the ground and exclaimed.

“Damn it! It’s a fake again!!”

Unique Ability: Complete Replication.

An ability to create a clone that completely replicates the user’s abilities and ego using magic, making it possible to create or disturb an army of dozens on one’s own.

Moreover, unless the main body was defeated, the clone could be recreated multiple times.

In essence, if they could not find and kill the main body, they would be endlessly tormented by the spreading clones.

“The main body… Where is the main body?!”

“Don’t focus on finding the main body, subdue the clones! If even one clone slips through, the Crown Prince will be in danger!”

What was most dangerous about this ability was that the clones could do everything the main body could.

Unlike illusions, the clones could pose physical threats such as assassinations or battles, which meant that even the clones were not to be underestimated by the soldiers tasked with protecting the Imperial Family.

“Protect His Majesty’s chambers!”

“Evacuate the Crown Prince! We must not let the enemy escape at any cost!”

The invasion of such a dangerous entity turned the Imperial Palace into a battlefield in an instant.

Amidst the chaos, a shadow that had climbed the outer walls to reach the rooftop began to flutter the cloak they were wearing and spread their arms wide as if to show off.

“Everyone, look this way~!”

The moment they heard that solemn voice, everyone on the scene turned to look.

Standing atop the tower was the leader of the revolutionary group Nihil.

Regardless of whether it was the original or a clone, they recognized him as an entity that must be eliminated upon identification.

“Though it may look like a vagabond wandering wherever the wind takes it, inside is armed with a secret weapon forged from the sorrow of the cowardly populace!”

Amidst the focused attention, the speech continued majestically.

Soldiers drawn by the speech rushed to surround him, yet he did not flee but continued to recite poetry.

As if to express that he would never bend his convictions through that act alone.

“That dagger will slash through injustice and corruption like a whirlwind, shattering and utterly destroying them, all for the sake of revenge… for the sake of a merciless vengeance that will one day protect the miserable and the righteous, as it embraces the ground while looking towards the light~!”

-Clank, clank!

The sound of armor clashing began to echo from all directions.

Along with this, armed forces filled the area around the tower, and snipers, revealing their shadows in the windows, began to aim their arrows at him simultaneously.

In the sky, a dome made of magic blocked the retreat path, and soldiers climbing up the stairs prepared to target his now inescapable rear in a critical situation.

“Pleased to meet you, followers of the corrupt empire. I am the leader of the revolutionary organization Nihil, which will soon overturn this empire…”

Yet, the clone, holding the same convictions as the original, still unabashedly revealed his existence, speaking towards them.

“I’m known as ‘B’.”

With a demeanor so confident, not a hint of embarrassment could be felt.

“…Byeong-bin, are you still doing weird things?”

“It’s not Byeong-bin; it’s B.”

“No, you are Byeong-bin. Park Byeong-bin.”

“Don’t call me by such a stupid name, my dear friend.”

The leader of Nihil confidently responded after his solemn speech.

But no matter how much he denies it, the real name I knew him by would not change.

“Hey… even if you don’t like your name, should you speak so disparagingly about the name your parents gave you?”

“And you, aren’t you always dissatisfied with your own name? It seems like you’d still freak out if someone called you ‘Woo Hyo’ now.”

If you’re going to make a comparison, make a proper one.

I’m saying don’t call me by a stupid name when I have a perfectly good one, and you’re asking to be called by a stupid name because you don’t like yours.

“No matter what you say, my conviction will not be broken. The letter ‘B’ is already engraved deeper than my heart, becoming an inseparable entity from me.”

“…Don’t bring up convictions about consonants.”

“B is my conviction, my justice, and everything… It means that B essentially represents me.”

Damn lunatic.

Of course, there were many eccentrics among the heroes by nature, but this guy’s concept of adopting a consonant as his identity was on a whole different level.

Though he speaks solemnly and behaves gentlemanly, his obsession with the consonant ‘B’ almost feels like madness.

If he could change the font of his words, he’d probably convert all characters containing ‘B’ to Gothic. Damn ‘B’ enthusiast.

“…Well, that’s just like you.”

As frustrating as his quirky nature was, watching him brought a certain peace of mind.

Even though he had become a rebel and our connection was completely severed, the person himself hadn’t changed, as evidenced by our trivial conversation.

“Have you been well all this time?”

Hero Park Byeong-bin.

Despite holding the position of a hero, which often led to arrogance from excessive rewards, he had hoped for an egalitarian relationship with everyone around him.

Unlike the consistently taciturn Tae-yang or the venerable Ja-seong, who couldn’t be treated lightly, he was, in a way, like a ‘friend’ with whom trivial banter was easy.

“You must have heard news about me from time to time, haven’t you?”

“Yes, there’s no one as infamous in the empire as you.”

I haven’t looked it up directly, but I’ve paid close attention and checked carefully whenever I came across them.

The newspapers, influenced by the Imperial Family, portrayed him as a vile being, but there likely weren’t many who took that content at face value.

The humanity gathered in this empire was here not because they saw value in living for the corrupt ruling class, but because they had no other choice.

“It seems like your work is progressing smoothly, seeing as you infiltrate the Imperial Palace as if it’s your own house.”

“Haha, if I seem at ease, it must mean I’m doing well. After all, those who stand before others must never show a disheveled appearance.”

Park Byeong-bin chuckled softly as he smoothly adjusted his mask.

For some reason, his voice carried a hint of bitterness.

Despite nonchalantly infiltrating the Imperial Palace and feeling his popularity rise day by day.

“Yet, despite feeling that, it seems you don’t actually welcome me.”

“…Well, I’m not a revolutionary.”

He must have sensed that it would lead to confrontation.

I quietly raised the weapon in my hand and asked him firmly.

“Your target is Vivian, isn’t it?”

“Yes, the charming woman with two B’s1 in her name is one of the targets of this intrusion.”

Starting his ‘B’ spiel again seemed odd, but this time, it couldn’t be passed off as a mere joke.

His foolish aspect was his fanatical obsession with one consonant.

In every other aspect, he acted seriously and meticulously, which was why he became the leader of the revolutionary army and gained the support of many people.

“If you’ve entered the Imperial Palace, you must have heard about her. She’s the one who made it possible to bring people from other worlds to this one.”

Such a person was now targeting Vivian, who was beside me at this moment.

She, like me, brought beings from other worlds here, providing hope for humanity’s salvation.

Moreover, she possessed research that could potentially summon even more powerful entities.

“…If that research is completed, the already powerful empire’s malice will only grow worse.”

Yes, his reason for targeting her was sufficient for someone who opposed the imperial leadership.

As I took a step forward, the mana surging from the weapon in my hand grew denser.

“Even so, do you intend to protect her? You must know that humanity in this world is heading in the wrong direction…”

“You seem to be mistaken; I’m neither on the side of the empire nor yours.”

-Swish!

The weapon in my hand swung forward, and the mana sharpening its blade began to burn even more fiercely.

This in itself proved that even against a former acquaintance, my hostility would not wane.

“No matter how messed up the workplace is, you can’t just burn everything down… You do realize it’s too much to expect a commoner, who’s just started to climb the ladder of success, to join a hopeless rebellion, right?”

Though I could overlook him due to old connections and my dissatisfaction with the empire, I couldn’t become a revolutionary.

And currently, I was closer to Vivian than to him.

Gradually understanding what kind of person she was, I couldn’t let her come to harm.

“…Yes, it would be foolish to ask someone with something to lose to join a revolution.”

He showed no sign of trying to persuade me, as if he understood my stance.

It seemed he had grasped that such a situation was inevitable even before coming here.

“So don’t hold any resentment towards me. I won’t hold any towards you either.”

-Flap!

Soon, his cloak spread out, and as it retracted, countless clones identical to him began to appear.

Their outfits and even the daggers they held were exact replicas, indirectly showing that their capabilities matched those of the original.

-Swish!

But even if the opponent was an army, there was no need to yield.

As soon as the clones appeared, I quickly leaped forward, creating weapons and throwing them, causing their bodies to convulse briefly before swelling up.

This was due to the inherent magic in the clones expanding.

I had already figured out that when the clones suffered significant physical impacts, the vessels containing their power would split and lead to explosions.

I also used this inversely, embedding powder throughout my clothing to spread smoke as a distraction when their bodies exploded.

-Puff!

As expected, white smoke spread in all directions.

However, it wasn’t difficult to pinpoint the opponent’s location.

Memories of traversing battlefields were far more disorienting and bewildering than mere smoke could ever be.

It was easier to detect the enemy in the smoke, where only one presence could be felt, than in a crowded situation where many presences were evident.

-Thud!!!

At the end of a swinging axe strike, I pursued the retreating figure with a powerful blow.

The one who hadn’t had time to create a clone staggered as my axe struck him.

“…Just as I thought.”

Right after those words were uttered, the body exploded with a bang!

Then, after cutting through the resulting smoke, I stopped breathing and looked up towards the high bookshelves on the side.

“I thought that given the opportunity, one could rise high, but you’ve become unrecognizably strong since the times we were together. At this point, you’d be among the top, even among heroes.”

As I held my breath and turned my gaze there, I saw Byeong-bin applauding from atop a high bookshelf in the archive.

Damn, was the guy who was confronting me from the beginning a clone?

“It’s fortunate that the rumors of defeating the Red Knight weren’t exaggerated.”

“You son of a…!”

The place he landed was none other than where Vivian had fallen.

From the start, he provoked me to charge at him, planning to capture Vivian by deploying a clone first.

“Don’t think too badly of it. I’ve just entered enemy territory… Dealing with the enemy requires utmost caution, doesn’t it?”

Saying this, he casually pointed a dagger at Vivian’s neck.

The sharpness of the weapon indicated that he was taking the situation seriously.

“…Are you planning to kill her?”

“I intend to take her since she’s valuable. But unlike me, who only needs her alive, you’d be sensitive to even one of her fingers missing.”

Thus, if you don’t want her to be harmed further, step back.

With that threat implicit in his words, the dagger in his hand moved closer, filling my heart with increasing urgency.

“So, put down your weapon. I’d prefer to avoid fighting you any further.”

-Snap.

Gradually, strength was gathered in my hand, holding the weapon aimed at him.

As the quietly surging mana flowed out of my body, given that Vivian was taken as a hostage, I couldn’t bring myself to directly aim it at him.

“…Hey, Park Byeong-bin.”

“Call me ‘B’.”

“You realize you’ve crossed the line this time, right?”

But I couldn’t just let him take Vivian away like this.

As I made my intention not to back down clear, he too began gathering mana into the dagger in his hand, sharpening its blade even further.

“You’re stating the obvious. I’ve long since crossed the line the moment I became a rebel…”

-Whoong!

Immediately after, a vibrating sound cut off his words.

The unique physical force of mana produced that sound, causing his body to stiffen and his gaze to turn toward the source of the sound.

Right beside him.

There stood a cluster of spirits, with translucent forms but very real presences and essences.

“What’s this…?”

“Why? Did you think you were the only one who could play tricks with clones?”

While they lacked the judgment to move independently, they were actively demonstrating the ability to perfectly mimic my actions.

That is, if I swung a mace forward from a distance, the cluster of spirits would do the same, striking him in front of them.

“Oh no…?!”

“You’re too late, man!”

-Thud!

The blow from the mace sent his body tumbling to the ground.

And despite the impact, his body didn’t explode.

“…Ugh!”

The groan that escaped his lips indicated that the one who had been struck by this blow was indeed his real body.

TL/N: The Korean language doesn't have a specific "V" sound. Instead, the "V" sound is usually represented by the letter "ㅂ" (Bieup), which sounds more like a "B" or "P" in English. So “Vivian” in Korean would be written as "비비안" (Bibian). ️