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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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In Kim Gi-young, sprawled on the floor, no emotion was visible in his eyes; he was like a broken shell of a person.
Hwaaaaak-!
Kim Gi-young’s body was then swallowed by the black curtain Bihyung had created.
Although he had cleanly disposed of Kim Gi-young, who had made outrageous threats, the anger surging within his heart did not subside.
‘To dare touch my family…’
The reason he had given up everything as a Demonic God and returned to Earth was for his precious family, who were more valuable than anything else in the world.
A threat to his family was, for Lee Seong-joon, the ultimate ‘line’ that must not be crossed.
This meant that Kim Gi-young and the other executives of the Returnee Alliance had crossed a line they absolutely should not have.
Fortunately, thanks to his thorough preparations beforehand, there was no damage, but he had no intention of letting it go lightly.
‘Blood for blood.’
He intended to make them pay a corresponding price.
Filled with cold fury, Lee Seong-joon immediately contacted Vice-President Ko Tae-hyun and informed him of the situation.
It was obvious, but the reaction was exactly as he had expected.
-Those trashy bastards, how dare they…!
Coarse curses flowed from Ko Tae-hyun’s mouth as he heard the full story.
-I will take action immediately.
Ko Tae-hyun, making a quick and accurate decision as usual, pulled out his best available move, but Lee Seong-joon cut him off sharply.
“No.”
He hadn’t contacted Ko Tae-hyun seeking direct help in the first place.
It was a minimum courtesy to the relationship he had built with the Hunter Association, and also a warning.
“I will handle it myself.”
In the past, he had no power, so he had no choice but to compromise and retreat to some extent, but now there was no longer any need for that.
He possessed sufficient power and fame.
‘Cleanly deal with this as an example, so no one dares to lay a hand on my family again.’
It was time to show the true nature of the ruler who had been praised as a Blood Demon and Demonic God, feared by all on the Celestial Continent, a nature he had suppressed within himself.
Perhaps sensing Lee Seong-joon’s chilling intention, Ko Tae-hyun, unlike usual, couldn’t readily reply.
-…
A brief silence seemed to flow, but it wasn’t long before Ko Tae-hyun’s voice came through.
-Understood.
He instinctively knew.
Lee Seong-joon was not asking for permission now.
It was a kind of notification.
There was no veto power in the first place.
Preparing for the approaching future was the best choice he could make at present.
-I will ensure that the best preparations are made for a clean cleanup.
Vice-President Ko Tae-hyun. Indeed, he was very quick-witted and knew how to give the desired answer.
Thinking so, Lee Seong-joon, filled with cold fury, made his way to the headquarters of the Returnee Alliance.
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Returnee Alliance Headquarters, Main Conference Room.
Just hours earlier, the executives of the Returnee Alliance, who had been confidently smiling, certain of their victory, now had expressions as stiff as plaster statues.
“There’s still no contact from the Knights Commander’s side.”
“…There’s also no news from the Shadow Group, which targeted Kim Ji-young.”
“The Chief of Staff’s communication is also cut off.”
It meant the plan had failed.
In what was literally the worst situation, the executives of the Returnee Alliance sitting in the conference room couldn’t hide their anxiety, their faces turning pale.
However, not everyone was like that.
Choi Seung-tae.
As an executive holding the position of Moo Moon-ju, and ranking 5th, he was one of the top executives of the Korean Returnee Alliance. He sat with a relaxed smile.
‘It’s going according to plan.’
To be honest, he hadn’t thought the plan itself would succeed.
Their opponent was Lee Seong-joon, after all.
He was a person who had always shown more than what was expected, no, even more than that.
How could such an extraordinary monster leave his own weakness unattended without any countermeasures?
Nevertheless, he had not openly opposed Kim Gi-young’s plan.
‘With this, I can definitely save my life.’
Alliance Leader Tae Sang-cheon possessed a cruel temperament, truly befitting the title of tyrant.
However, he wasn’t a reckless madman who ran wild on a whim.
He wasn’t foolish enough to strike down his executives when the alliance’s power had already diminished.
Therefore, he had subtly manipulated Kim Gi-young and several other key executives, who were not easily dealt with mere subordinates, to directly participate and move according to the plan.
‘In a situation where key executives of the Returnee Alliance have disappeared, he wouldn’t think of striking down the remaining key executives.’
He dared to guess that it would, at most, end with a momentary outburst of anger.
If rumors spread that they had targeted an ordinary person, there would be considerable pressure from the government and the association, but that much was manageable.
‘The only variable that could arise is… Lee Seong-joon’s actions.’
According to prior investigations, Lee Seong-joon cared terribly for his family.
At this moment, the Returnee Alliance could be said to have touched what Lee Seong-joon valued most.
Retaliation of some kind was inevitable.
The retaliation of a ranker-level powerhouse like Lee Seong-joon was terrifying, but Choi Seung-tae’s expression showed little agitation.
‘…This, too, is fully manageable.’
In the first place, if it weren’t manageable, he wouldn’t have started this.
‘If I hide myself abroad, within the World Returnee Alliance, until the Alliance Leader breaks his secluded training, there shouldn’t be much of a problem.’
The World Returnee Alliance was a force with immense power and authority that ordinary hunters, let alone rankers or even Guardians, could not carelessly deal with.
No matter how formidable Lee Seong-joon was, he would never dare to provoke them easily.
While various questions and issues might arise from the executives of the World Returnee Alliance, causing some discomfort, at least he wouldn’t lose his life.
‘If I search for the fastest flight right now and depart… I can enter the headquarters of the World Returnee Alliance by tomorrow morning.’
Choi Seung-tae, thinking he had safely overcome a major hurdle, was suppressing a laugh inwardly when.
Wheeee-ee-eeng-!
A warning alarm began to blare inside the main conference room.
An emergency had occurred.
“What?!”
“Go out immediately and find out what’s happening!”
At the executives’ shouts, one of the returnees who had been waiting in the conference room hurriedly moved outside to assess the situation.
But he returned quickly, not long after.
Of course, he didn’t return of his own accord.
Thud-!
The returnee’s body, flung along with the door, was rolling on the floor.
It was then that the executives’ eyes widened at the sudden situation.
“It seems you all are conveniently gathered in one place. Thanks to that, I won’t have to bother searching for you.”
With a cold voice, a figure emerged from the thick dust.
The man’s face, revealed through the slowly settling dust, was a person all the executives of the Returnee Alliance knew well.
“L-Lee Seong-joon?”
Choi Seung-tae’s expression, who had thought he had overcome a major hurdle, couldn’t help but register shock.
“You didn’t think you could cross a line that shouldn’t be crossed and get away unscathed, did you?”
Lee Seong-joon’s sudden appearance was a completely unexpected situation.
However, the situation itself could be said to be very good.
‘Lee Seong-joon is alone.’
This meant he had acted unilaterally, without borrowing the power of the government agencies or the Hunter Association, which possessed official authority.
‘…This is an opportunity.’
Choi Seung-tae’s eyes gleamed with a calm expression.
“To come in so recklessly like this, hahaha! Did you think you could handle all of us by yourself?!”
Of course, even if all the Returnee Alliance executives here attacked him, they wouldn’t be able to defeat Lee Seong-joon.
But he was confident they could buy time and endure.
‘Since the alarm has rung and a commotion has started, if we just hold out for about 10 minutes, the association’s hunters or government officials will arrive.’
While they might not be of much direct help in terms of combat power, they could be used as a shield or shackles to tie down Lee Seong-joon’s movements.
This meant they could create an opening for escape.
‘If I can safely get away, cornering Lee Seong-joon will be easier than falling off a log.’
With clear evidence, he would be branded as a criminal, a villain, who suddenly launched an attack in the middle of the night.
This meant they could throw him into prison, preventing him from ever seeing the light of day again.
“Foolish fellow, blinded by rage because his family was threatened, he made a self-inflicted wound.”
“…You’re deeply mistaken.”
Lee Seong-joon, letting out a hollow laugh, lightly flicked his clenched middle finger.
A red line was drawn as a sphere flew and pierced through Choi Seung-tae’s shoulder.
Crunch-!
With the sound of bone breaking, a scream erupted from Choi Seung-tae’s mouth.
“Ugh-!”
Choi Seung-tae, kneeling on the floor, clutching his shoulder with one hand, his eyes widened.
‘Qi-Gong…?’
It wasn’t ordinary Qi-Gong either.
It was Qi-Gong so fast and precise that he, Choi Seung-tae, an S+ rank at the peak of his realm, couldn’t even react.
‘Just how many martial arts has he mastered?’
Deep consternation settled on Choi Seung-tae’s face as he looked at Lee Seong-joon.
And for good reason: the only attack methods Lee Seong-joon had shown to the public were fist techniques and sword techniques.
In fact, that alone was truly remarkable.
Ordinary martial artists, let alone masters who had reached higher realms, struggled just to train one path.
To have mastered two martial arts to a higher realm could be said to be an impossible talent.
Yet, Lee Seong-joon’s attack method just now was clearly Qi-Gong.
‘Not only fist and sword techniques, but he also wields Qi-Gong at a higher realm?’
Choi Seung-tae’s confusion and surprise grew at Lee Seong-joon’s martial prowess, which seemed to have no end.
However, it wasn’t long before Choi Seung-tae shook his head.
‘…That’s impossible.’
He had never even heard of a martial artist who had mastered three paths of martial arts.
Then there was only one answer.
‘He’s clearly putting on an act to gain the upper hand.’
There was no way he had properly mastered Qi-Gong.
At best, he would only be able to shoot Tanji Gong as he just did.
Of course, even this alone could be said to be a truly monstrous talent.
But it wasn’t a variable he couldn’t handle.
‘The damage might be greater than I thought, but I can definitely hold out for about 10 minutes.’
Choi Seung-tae, having finished his calculations, urgently raised his voice.
“You idiots, what are you standing there gawking for?! Don’t give him a chance to attack, push forward!”
At Choi Seung-tae’s shout, the executives, who had been standing hesitantly, pulled themselves together.
‘Blood Flower Heavenly Genesis, Full Bloom.’
As he extended his hand, Lee Seong-joon, who had formed a crimson orb in the air, lightly flicked his finger.
The blood-flower bud, which had been clumped into a round orb, burst into full bloom like a spring flower, scattering petals in all directions.
Wheeee-ee-eeik-!
Within the main conference room, which could by no means be called large, there was no space to dodge the petals spreading in all directions.
The fully bloomed crimson petals traced arcs, piercing through the bodies of the executives.
“Ugh-!”
“Aghhh!”
Hot blood poured from the wounds of the executives, who were crying out in pain, profusely soaking the floor.
The white marble floor instantly turned crimson with blood, forming a river, and naturally, their mouths and noses were filled with the metallic scent of blood.
The world was dyed red with blood; the area visible to their eyes was truly like hell itself.
It was then, as despair filled Choi Seung-tae’s eyes at the sight of a world where only death was visible,
The crimson-eyed Asura, who could be called the master of hell, slowly began to walk.
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