Chapter 165: Festival (3)

Nazi Empire.

The epitome of malevolence.

Every action they took was abhorrent. Upon their emergence, the Nazi Empire embarked on a heinous campaign.

Kidnapping.

They abducted Jews and transformed them into magic soldiers. By forcibly infusing magic, they turned them into compliant warriors.

The method for creating these magic soldiers was alarmingly straightforward. The Black Sun they revered provided them with an almost limitless supply of magic.

The emergence of such a malevolent empire sent shockwaves around the world.

The scars of World War II had not yet healed.

There was a global consensus that this nation needed to be obliterated.

Yet, Germany persisted. In defiance of the entire world.

The reasons were manifold.

The world was in turmoil.

The merging of worlds brought about widespread disarray among nations. In China, the martial world surfaced; in the USA, the Hundred Temple raged; in Japan, over a hundred thousand deities manifested; in Greece, Olympus reemerged; across Scandinavia, Asgard was reborn. In Korea, a returnee made their appearance.

Nations struggled to unite and confront Germany.

The devastation was immense. The limited resources they relied on only exacerbated the crisis. At this juncture, Germany had amassed significant power. They indiscriminately abducted citizens from neighboring countries to bolster their ranks of magic soldiers.

The tally reached an astonishing fifty million. A figure beyond belief. But there was more.

The sinister force known as the Black Sun also commandeered the souls of the deceased. They resurrected those who had passed away. Such a feat was exclusive to the jurisdiction of the Nazi Empire, and the number of the undead swelled immensely.

Europe’s gravest nightmare.

Such was the current reality of the Nazi Empire.

And now, they were amassing near Baekdu Mountain, in the ancient lands of North Korea.

Their forces were vast.

‘It’s about time they noticed.’

They had heavily bribed the association. Those corrupted fools must be enjoying themselves now, oblivious to the existential threat looming over the Korea Hero Academy.

But the real challenge was the government of Korea.

The greatest hero harbored a pathological hatred for politicians. During the great chaos, he secretly eliminated those adept only at politicking, replacing them with individuals of integrity. Selection was merit-based, and the constitution was rewritten.

As a result, the Korean government was now composed of honest and capable individuals.

This likely served as a pretext for the association’s upper echelons to be replaced. Thus, this was also seen as a last resort.

‘They must be killed.’

The triad of the Nazi Empire resolved to focus on the artificial island floating above the Korean Hero Academy.

The beast was slowly advancing towards them.

Black Heaven cleaved the mountain.

Truly, it was a sight to behold.

A body made of spirit was inherently weak.

I knew because I had tested it myself. Before my trip to the USA, my physical condition was similar.

‘Just that ability split the mountain?’

I didn’t show it outwardly, but I was internally astounded.

Because Black Heaven had merely swung a sword. Even in technique alone, the difference was stark. There was undeniably a vast chasm between her capabilities and mine.

Click.

The sound of a switch being flipped in my mind, I activated Divine Sight. The world was awash in the hues of magical energy.

And I saw it. The path of the sword swung by Black Heaven had cleaved everything in its wake. Magic was no exception.

-Really, this is the epitome of brute simplicity…

Eternal Heaven said.

Despite her words, her voice quivered. She, too, was taken aback by the true power of Black Heaven.

-I’m still in a sealed state, yet I can wield this much power… Did he loosen the seal for his successor? Or did he manipulate my memory?

Eternal Heaven spoke with a somber tone.

I shifted my gaze to Black Heaven.

Hee-ing.

Black Heaven knelt down, assuming a posture with raised hands.

As soon as she grasped the seriousness of the situation, that was her reaction.

‘Is that right?’

I had heard strange tales about the Heavenly Demon, who was also the leader of 100,000 religious followers.

She displayed the temperament of a grandmaster while inventing the Black God Martial Arts and conquered the Central Plains upon her entrance into the martial world. Bored, she would often say, ‘Come at me with everything you’ve got,’ a phrase attributed to the Heavenly Demon…

Honestly, from her current appearance, she seemed more like just Black Heaven than the Devil of the Heavens.

However, the sword with which Black Heaven cleaved the mountain inspired many.

Talent, Sword Demon (S+), began to conjure ideal swords in my mind.

[I contemplate the ideal swords.]

[Spiritual Presence (S+), Sword Demon (S+), Midas' Hand (A+), Martial Arts Versatility (B) proficiency increases.]

[Martial Arts Versatility (B) evolves into Martial Arts Versatility (A).]

There were many troubling issues.

Yet, I did not want to miss this opportunity. Entrusting everything to the Electronic Witch, I lifted Black Heaven.

The day of the festival arrived.

I strolled leisurely, yawning here and there.

“Hello. I’m from CBC. Can I do an interview?”

“Look over here, folks. This is the festival of the Korea Hero Academy, the pride of Korea. Oh, there’s Park Woon-hyuk. Can we interview him right now?”

The festival was bustling.

It was open to the public and had allowed media inside, naturally attracting those primarily from internet broadcasts. The Korean Hero Academy is responsible for Korea’s future. Most of the promising heroes currently active are graduates of the Korean Hero Academy. Naturally, it attracted a lot of attention.

“There are really a lot of people.”

“Don’t you have to go?”

“No, I’m using illusion magic right now. People nearby won’t recognize us, right?”

Yum-yum—Ershil took a bite of her ice cream.

“Why are you looking at me? Oh, am I too lovely?”

“…”

“Ah, you wanted the ice cream I was eating? Well, I’m not easy, but if Seo-ha wishes, I can’t say no…”

“It’s okay.”

Since that incident, Ershil had become more proactive.

She was blatantly seductive. I steadied my mind with Spiritual Presence.

“We’re on a date, right?”

“A date… right.”

I almost denied it but stopped myself. Because no one around us was looking for us. It was due to Ershil’s illusion magic.

I was not affected by illusions, but if I casted a complete illusion without touching my body, I could cast illusions on others like this.

The problem was that the caster needed to be a master, and it required a lot of magic power, but Ershil met both conditions.

“I checked quietly, but you’re not participating in anything at this festival?”

“Noisy things aren’t my style.”

“Too bad. I wanted to listen to a song. What about going together just the two of us later?”

“Let’s do that.”

I didn’t dislike singing. In fact, I was quite good at it. It’s just uncomfortable in front of people.

After saying that, Ershil disappeared somewhere with a quick pace.

I pulled out the hood of the hoodie I was wearing inside and put it on.

My appearance was too eye-catching. I could look prettier than the pretty girls standing next to them.

-Certainly, seeing Lee Seo-ha, even anger seems to dissipate. It seems Black Heaven sometimes enjoys it.

-Eternal Heaaveeennn!

Black Heaven’s scream continued.

I moved to a bench nearby and checked my phone.

“Are there no suspicious folks yet?”

I felt oddly uneasy.

At this point, it wouldn’t be strange for something to happen. A strange sensation was holding me, warning that something might explode soon.

Despite this, because incidents do happen, I took a moment to enter a community used by students.

[I've spotted someone suspicious. - Night Storyteller]

A suspicious person?

I hesitated, then immediately clicked on the title.

[I’ve spotted someone suspicious.]

Actually, it was a lie.

But what can you do about it?

What can you guys do?

Besides getting angry in the comments and downvoting, lol.

“Guess it was just a bait post.”

I sighed and considered patrolling the area when I spotted a man.

He was dressed in a plain gray T-shirt and shorts.

“What’s this?”

My Sword Demon’s (S+) senses were on high alert.

His walk was peculiar.

He was headed outward. I killed my presence and began to follow him.

[You have acquired the Skill, Stealth (D).]

I could now hide my presence even better. I continued to trail him.

Following him, I confirmed that he met with some entity on the outskirts of the school.

“Who is it?”

I wanted to see the face but couldn’t get any closer.

Sword Demon (S+) and Spiritual Presence (S+) warned me not to proceed any further.

I sensed that this area was his territory.

It must be at least a high-ranking threat. I remained on high alert.

“I’m sorry I’m late. The security was tighter than expected.”

“It’s okay. We have big things to accomplish; waiting a bit is no big deal.”

“Thank you. Fortunately, there is still a way in. I’ve arranged for immediate access to the central D-37 area of the festival. And I’ve confirmed the location of the person you mentioned.”

“Well done.”

“So, about the condition you promised…?”

“Yes. I’ll release it.”

Thud.

A sound of something being pierced was heard.

“Uh, why…”

“But we can’t let anyone who knows about our crime live. Don’t worry. I’ll keep my promise. Your brother will become one of us and accomplish great deeds.”

“This bastard…”

The man died.

He stared in my direction. Despite the many barriers between us and that entity, I could still feel its gaze.

“It’s about time you came out, rat.”

“I think I’m too strong to be a rat.”

“Indeed, as the rumors say. Was it you who damaged part of my territory?”

I quietly stared at the opponent.

He was wearing a white uniform adorned with two lightning bolts on the right chest.

I recognize this entity.

“But why are you here?”

“Do you recognize me? Well, if you’ve paid any attention to world affairs, it’s impossible not to.”

The man,

“I have many purposes. Thanks to you, I can save time. You are one of the reasons.”

Heinrich Himmler looked at me, his smile chilling.

“I regret to say I hold no ill will towards you. However, to become the foundation of a great empire, I must take your life.”