Inside the screen,
While the green aura was covering the forest of the south of Amazon,
Outside the screen,
The situation inside the Central Command & Control Centre of the Association also changed rapidly.
The face of the assistant adjutant that had been thrust onto the table was half broken, with blood covering the tabletop. Being a superhuman, he wouldn’t die from just this much but this was the Association, and was the most important Command Centre of the Association.
That wasn’t the end. Christoph was there, as well as Zhuge Haiyan and the chairman. Yu Jitae’s conduct exceeded the realms of acceptable disrespect. Therefore, while the advisors were in a hurry to call for more reinforcements, other fairly powerful superhumans inside shouted with frowns.
“Must have really gone mad!”
“What do you think you’re doing? Let go of the adjutant right now!”
“What are you all doing! Take him outside right now!”
Immediately, weapons were thrown towards Yu Jitae on all sides – swords and spears. Two at the front and three at the back. They were all high rankers in their hundreds. Even more gazes were on his forehead and the chest, if including the snipers that were on stealth. There were three snipers but 31 weapons pointing at him in total.
Dozens of weapons were currently being pointed at Yu Jitae. Although the weapons were right in front of him, he instead pressed harder on the head of the assistant adjutant.
“Kuuu, uhaaak…!”
Even after hearing the groan of pain, the guards were unable to rashly attack him. That was when some of the executives raised their bodies including the King of Mercenaries, Christoph.
He originally belonged to the 5th Command Room, and was unrelated to the Central Command Centre but he attended here just because of Yu Jitae.
“I’m warning you, Season. Let go right now.”
When those executives were determined to raise their auras, tension was created inside the room.
That was when an indifferent voice was heard.
“Hey. I get that you’re mad, but can you keep that for later?”
There was someone in the corner of the control room, staring at 32 hologram screens by herself. She was the head director of the Association’s military strategy council, Zhuge Haiyan.
Yu Jitae didn’t reply. He had been waiting for the right opportunity.
“Huh? Can’t you see what’s happening right now? It’s damn concerning enough already. Or you can go outside and do whatever you want there.”
“…”
“Are you all kids or what… Huh?”
She, who had been grumbling without any sense of tension, soon gazed directly at one of the screens. Like a large balloon of gray, there was a gray alternate dimension covering the south forests of the Amazon.
“That’s… why is that… Nn?”
As if realising something, Zhuge Haiyan frowned. Soon, the eyes of the superhumans that were gazing at Yu Jitae all turned towards the hologram.
Inside the screen, just one superhuman was overwhelming the SS+ boss, which was a large flying type monster at that.
“What is happening?”
“Huhh? Who is that?”
“What in the…”
They all observed the situation wearing frowns.
Their eyes. The fluctuations of mana. The attribute of the embedded mana. All those sources and data were implying that the strength of the person responsible rivalled the 5 Transcendents.
That bizarre looking sword artifact might even be stronger than that.
Since the user of the weapon was different, the revealed shape of the ‘dream’ was also completely different. Not a single one of the onlookers could connect that to the [Dream Eater] they knew.
Who was it though?
They could sometimes take a glance at the man’s face through the gray alternate dimension but it was too faint for them to identify him. It was right when their doubts were about to stack up like a mountain.
– It’s ‘One’! The 3rd grade agent that participated as a free mercenary!
A report was given.
The ones that were aware of that name turned their gazes away from the screen. Half of them gazed at Yu Jitae while the other half gathered their eyes on Antonio Jefferson, who had been dumbfoundedly staring at Yu Jitae for a while now.
“…Case closed.”
Although the fight was still going on, Zhuge Haiyan opened her mouth after finishing her calculations.
That served as a signal of some sort. Along with sighs and lamentations, a few of them were able to sit back straight but none were able to relax.
The situation outside might have been settled, but the situation inside the Association was still in progress.
“Uhh, Season. How about you let go for now…”
“Oi–”
Right when someone was about to soothe Yu Jitae by breaking the silence, Christoph cut his words off short.
“Don’t let go of that hand.” He said.
“What. Should I kill him then.”
“No. You can’t kill him either. You must hold onto it. Since that’s your lifeline.”
“Old man. How is something like this my lifeline.”
“Haha. ‘How’? You’ll die if you let go and you’ll also die if it breaks. What is it if not a lifeline?”
Christoph unsheathed his sword from his dimensional storage. It was a silver longsword with sharp tips travelling down the blade. It was a Level 3 artifact. Ranked 9th from the top among Level 3 artifacts, it was an ancient relic-type weapon.
[Fangs of a Hungry Wolf]
A longsword that did not let go of anything it pierced.
“I have seen people like you many times.”
The old man revealed his fangs with an even more threatening voice.
“There are a lot of them like you. They have black blood running beneath their skin and yet wear white clothes and pretend like they’re not devils.”
“You have no eyes.”
“Shut it. They’re always like that. Somehow you trick people into thinking that you’re able and smart in extremely clever ways. Mere parasites that try to put their own desires on the shoulders of the Association…”
“Do you have Alzheimer’s? Must have forgotten who insulted my mate first.”
“Is that the only excuse you’ve prepared? Hnn? Season.”
Without saying anything in response, Yu Jitae let go of the head of the assistant adjutant that had been crushed beneath his hand. Unconscious, the man fell on the spot and crumbled down but none of them went to support him.
The guards were those that were almost brainwashed to protect the executives of the Association even if their daughters were at stake.
Even though there were so many of those guards there, none of them was able to move in an attempt to save the adjutant. The existence of the man standing still was oppressing and destroying their values.
Right. Just like that guy in the forest, you’re not average either ey…
Thinking that, the King of Mercenaries felt his blood boil.
“Now. All of you Central Command Centre. Please take the chairman and step outside. Let me deal with this guy here!”
“Ah, yes!”
“Then let us…”
The chairman, executives and even Zhuge Haiyan were about to leave the room without trying to accelerate the problem. The room turned noisy. Chairs creaked against the floor. People walked and coughed.
“No.”
But when a dry voice left like a sigh, all sources of sound vanished from the room as if someone had turned the place on mute.
“You will not leave.”
Their legs stopped. After stopping, they pondered.
Why did I stop?
Most of the ones inside the room felt the same thing.
Opening his eyes, Yu Jitae glanced across the room from left to right. Meanwhile, he sincerely thought of wishing to kill everyone here by dissecting them into pieces.
When he did that, something impossible to explain began oppressing everyone inside the room. Among the ones that looked into his eyes were also those that felt like their lungs were being contracted.
Before entering the Association, Yu Jitae had already undone the [Chains of Hell].
It was all for this moment.
“From now on, no one will move from their spot.”
As if they were thousands of metres inside the depths of the ocean, oppressive energy covered them on all sides and pressed down like it was trying to force them into balls.
Lower officials that were unable to deal with the unprecedented level of presence lost their consciousness. However, their stiffened bodies weren’t even allowed to fall. Either sitting down or standing still, they lost their consciousness with their eyes open.
“I am not forcing or threatening you.
“You must listen to my words.
“But you can decide for yourselves.”
The gazes of the oppressed ones headed towards Christoph.
What was one of the 5 Transcendents doing?
But all they realised was that the expression on his face was crumpled like a fiendish devil.
“You bastard…”
The only difference would be that he was the only one able to speak.
“Are you a catastrophe rank demon? Or a new sovereign?”
“No. I am just another superhuman.”
“Yeah. It doesn’t matter who you are. But do you think you’ll be fine after daring to do this at the centre of the Association? Huh–!?”
Along with a shout, he tried to move his body. In order to force his unmoving body to move, the transcendent had to squeeze the muscles of his body and face to raise his body.
Tududuk…
Something snapped inside his body but he did not care.
“I am one of the five transcendents appointed by Chaliovan. And this is the Association! No matter who you are and what you do…!”
He could no longer continue.
Yu Jitae, who was standing right before him before he could even realise it, looked directly into his eyes.
“Old man. You really like saying weird things.”
Kuuuuung—
An oppressive killing intent was added only for him.
Christoph’s mouth was sealed shut after a gasp. His teeth shattered when his mouth was forced to shut. The mysterious killing intent that had previously made him feel like he was in the centre of the depths of the ocean now felt like the entire outer space was trying to crush him, a mere human.
Yu Jitae started oppressing him with all his killing intent.
Suddenly, the old man’s heart stopped beating.
“…!”
When the astronomical level of killing intent suffocated him, the old man bled from his mouth and nose. Tears of blood travelled down his cheeks and his wrinkled face before dripping on the ground. Belatedly, even his ears started bleeding.
“From the first time we met, you’ve been repeating the same thing. This is the Association… I am the transcendent of Chaliovan… As if the authority given by those concepts actually exist.
“Laughable is it not. What meaning is there with an ‘Association’ that simply gets oppressed by one superhuman?”
The Regressor asked the old man but the old man could not dare reply. Seeing the abnormal state of Christoph in real time, the onlookers were shocked and befuddled.
“After the war, you managed to reach your spot thanks to a lot of hard work. There must have been a part of you asking to be rewarded.
“Presenting the glory of the distant past like a trophy, you merely reminisce in those memories. That’s all you are right now.
“How dare you do it in front of the ‘Association’. This is the heart of the Assocation… how funny.”
Turning to the left, Yu Jitae stared at the superhumans.
“If I kill all of you there and fill it with people I know, is that still the ‘Association’? Well, maybe.”
Kukh… Blood oozed from the lips of one of the listeners. Turning to the right, Yu Jitae gazed at the superhumans on the other side.
“Then if I kill all of you here as well and fill them up with my people, is that still the ‘Association’? Will that still be the case?”
One of their eyes exploded but they were unable to raise their hands and cover their eyes. They were being greatly overpowered.
“If everyone here dies and it’s filled solely with my people, is that still the ‘Association’ you know of?
“Instead if I don’t kill you and chase you out, will you gather outside and tell me that you are the Association?
“Then there will be two Associations under the sun. Right?
“How laughable.”
Among the listeners, the ones that weren’t aware of the story of Theseus’s ship could not understand what Yu Jitae was trying to say.
But even the ones that were aware of it were in distress. After comparing the abstract concept of the Ancient Greek ship with their organisation, they had to feel their long-time belief and values shatter.
According to him…
“There is no such thing as the Association. It’s but an illusion.
“The Association does not exist. Only you who assign great meanings to useless concepts and stay by your claims.
“Look at the reality. If the decent shell called Association doesn’t exist, then what does that make you guys standing here.”
Turning his head, Yu Jitae looked at the chairman. Although he was sitting relaxedly with his legs crossed, he didn’t say anything in response.
“Aren’t you just a group of weak superhumans, being oppressed by one superhuman?”
He once again turned towards Christoph. Bleeding from his entire body, the old man trembled like a leaf in an attempt to stand against Yu Jitae’s pressure.
“And what about transcendents? If Chaliovan calls you a ‘transcendent’, do you suddenly transcend something then? Does your title alter your existence; do you transcend something and become a different being from others, enough to lead people forward with unprecedented power?
“Answer me. You sloppy old man. Are you truly a ‘transcendent’?”
Christoph immediately felt the aura oppressing his body disappear in an instant. The man in front of him asked a question and was giving him a chance to reply.
Even when trying to reply, Christoph could only do so within the given time of the opportunity. He couldn’t dare call himself a transcendent in such a situation.
When his belief in himself as a ‘transcendent’ that had followed him all the days of his life was shattered, the old soldier felt his own self becoming endlessly contemptible. Even the ones watching the two of them felt similar to Christoph.
There was an existence in front of them. No-one acknowledged him but without the acknowledgement of others, his existence alone proved his transcendence.
The true [Transcendent] was before their eyes.
“Right. I see.”
There was one person there, who was the only one able to reply without being oppressed by Yu Jitae’s aura.
Yu Jitae turned towards him.
He was the owner of the International Superhuman Association. The greatest contributor to the establishment of the Association and had once been the owner of the witch. He was the one who rectified control over the world’s disorder.
The chairman of the International Superhuman Association – Chaliovan Greenrain opened his mouth.
“You are truly a strong human.”
Chaliovan continued with an indifferent look on his face.
“Perhaps the same as our sovereign… or even stronger. It doesn’t make sense how such an astonishing thing could happen, but that is how it feels and even catastrophe-ranked demons won’t be your opponent. I haven’t gotten this feeling even when I was against the god of monsters during the Eastern Asian Great War.”
He wasn’t trying to curry favour with Yu Jitae. With such strength, he should be able to do whatever he wants so why is he bothering to exert his influence here?
“There seems to be something even you can’t handle alone. I can’t even imagine it. What is it that is approaching us, that you had to reveal your existence to prove the danger of the upcoming disaster?”
A transcendent being like him appearing here at a time like this implied something. The chairman, Chaliovan, was asking what that exactly was.
“What is the approaching future,
“And what do you wish from the Association.”
Yu Jitae turned silent for a while. Soon the killing intent that had been oppressing the entirety of the Command & Control Room dissipated.
Huk, huuk… Able to breathe again, they gasped for breath while their suffocated hearts began beating again. However, the superhumans were still unable to look away from Yu Jitae.
“You must prepare for the future.”
Chaliovan squinted his eyes.
“You will experience yet another war.”
His assertion came to them like a fact.
“You will confront an army incomparable to the likes of the Eastern Asian Great War.”
Slowly, the gasps for breath ceased yet again.
“You will watch humanity crumble under that overwhelming violence.”
He looked like a prophet.
“A long night will come. A night unending on its own. Like today, the night will be without its omens. Darkness will suddenly colour the world and the day won’t come no matter how you wait.”
His words sounded like a revelation.
“You must wake up and prepare for a war. The worthless ceasefire you made with the demons just because they don’t make money must be concluded at all costs.
“Force superhumans living under the virtual concept of transcendents and rankers to compete and seek improvement and filter the soldiers resting under the shelter called the Association that will be useless in the times of distress. Even without that notion, are you not the mightiest strength protecting humanity?”
In the 7th iteration, there was a power called ‘Hostility’ distorting the world. Since the Regressor always moved considering the worst possible case scenarios, he was here in an attempt to bring the best future possible.
“Thus, you must be able to protect the world.”
Even without the illusion, they were the organisation of the strongest superhumans and the beginning of the establishment of their organisation was also to save and guide humanity.
Before being the Association and transcendents, they were ‘soldiers’.
Fighting to protect humanity.
After their long-trusted belief shattered, what was left were the hearts of the soldiers who had lifted their weapons to simply save people. A lot of thoughts appeared in the minds of the listening soldiers.
However, all the things he spoke of were what he was requesting from the Association. Although the authenticity was yet to be confirmed, those were simply what the Association had to do before the approaching era he mentioned.
Wearing a frown, Chaliovan asked.
“Then what will you do?”
The transcendent replied.
“I, shall be with you.”