“…Any response?”
Prime Minister Daisuke Tanaka.
He was a man whose reputation was once legendary, hailed as the best Prime Minister for turning around Japan’s chaotic situation.
But now, his face—which looked remarkably clean for his age—was twisted like a demon’s, and cold sweat poured continuously from his forehead.
Tension, irritation, and anxiety.
Why was the man who had supposedly stabilized Japan’s precarious situation and prepared a foothold for it to become a superpower again so nervous?
The answer lay in the environment around him.
“Crash, boom!”
Exposions echoed continuously from the vicinity.
“Aaaah!”
“Save me!”
The screams alone told the story.
The Prime Minister’s Residence where they were located was in the center of Tokyo.
It was the very heart of the city.
However, the scene unfolding there was unbelievable.
It was a sudden invasion by the Demon Clan.
Until only recently, Japan had insisted on maintaining a friendly relationship with them.
Now, they were suffering immense damage from the demons’ invasion.
Damage?
No, it couldn’t be described as mere damage.
It was as if they had been waiting.
The Demon Clan legion that invaded Japan was leading the nation toward total destruction.
This was no exaggeration.
In fact, the demons who had invaded from the north were marching toward Tokyo, the heart of Japan, in no time at all.
If things continued this way, it was as clear as day that Japan would fall under the rule of the Demon Clan.
Did he regret the “friendly relationship” with the demons?
That was a matter for later.
What he had to think about right now was blocking this powerful demon force and protecting the nation of Japan.
Therefore, he had asked for help.
He reached out to the person he hated most, but the one he needed most.
He requested support from South Korea.
And then…
“…We received a reply saying they cannot help.”
“…”
They couldn’t help.
Considering their relationship up until now, it was an expected answer.
However…
“Grit.”
Prime Minister Daisuke gnashed his teeth.
“How foolish!”
His blame was directed toward South Korea.
“Do they not realize that South Korea will be the next target after us?”
Geographically, there was a high probability that South Korea would be targeted after Japan.
“To think they would threaten the whole world over mere past grudges. What a bunch of petty people!”
He acted like a truly petty man himself, criticizing others without reflecting on his own actions.
Yet, he remained unaware of that fact.
“I didn’t expect much anyway. What about the alliance?”
To be honest, he had hoped for something, but it was true that his expectations weren’t high.
What he anticipated most was the alliance of nations they had recently joined in secret—nations like the United States, Russia, China, the United Kingdom, India, France, and Italy.
These nations, which had been able to return to the ranks of superpowers through the Awakening Potion, had formed a secret alliance.
He believed their help would be available, but…
“The thing is…” The Minister of Foreign Affairs looked hesitant, “…We received word from all the alliance nations that they are also under attack by the Demon Clan and cannot provide assistance.”
Japan wasn’t the only one under fire.
The Demon Clan was launching a simultaneous all-out assault on the nations that could be called members of the alliance.
“…As I thought, is that how it is…?”
It was a fact he hadn’t wanted to believe.
The target of the Demon Clan’s attack was the alliance itself.
It made sense.
They had confirmed that the Demon Clan evolved through the new generation of Awakeners—those who had consumed the Awakening Potion.
As a result, Japan and all the alliance nations were put in a position where they had to protect their Awakeners to prevent the Demon Clan from growing stronger.
The Awakeners, who should have been the most active on the front lines, were pulled to the rear.
They were now being protected by others, contributing nothing to the military strength.
In other words, the new generation of Awakeners they were so proud of couldn’t exert any power in the war against the Demon Clan.
“W-What about the other countries?”
This wasn’t just any enemy; it was the outbreak of the Demon Clan.
Just like in the past, the entire world could fall into their hands.
Aside from South Korea, with whom they had a slight grudge, shouldn’t everyone else be rolling up their sleeves to help?
“Everyone is remaining silent, watching South Korea’s stance.”
The news was desperate.
The tight-knit alliance was in no position to help due to the demon attacks, and the rest of the world was staying silent because of South Korea’s influence.
No matter how much he hated South Korea and held a grudge against them, Daisuke knew very well.
He knew that this was the Karma they had brought upon themselves.
‘Does this mean we should have followed South Korea?’
From the past to the present, South Korea’s decisions had never been wrong.
In contrast, Japan and the alliance—who had made opposing decisions—had always insisted on the wrong answers.
Perhaps this was…
***
‘Retribution.’
Yes.
I felt that this might be retribution.
“…What do you think?”
I asked Leon, who had returned after completing the conquest of the eighth floor.
Leon pondered for a long time.
I stared at him silently.
In truth, this was a form of training.
Martial power?
Most things could be resolved with that power.
However, our nemesis, Nepas, was not an existence that could be suppressed by martial power alone.
One must develop the insight to grasp his schemes and read the opponent’s moves.
That was why I asked for Leon’s opinion without giving him any clues.
“This is… a completely different vibe from the usual Nepas.”
After much thought, Leon finally began to speak.
“A different vibe?”
“Yes. Nepas originally operated based on meticulous strategies and plans. His previous movement to settle the Demon Clan was also started through perfect advance preparation.”
The Awakening Potion—no, the Evolution Potion—and the rule of the floors.
He was accurately reading Nepas’s intention to settle the Demon Clan through such bait.
“But this current movement shows a sudden progression that doesn’t suit Nepas at all.”
“Planting the Awakening Potion—no, the Evolution Potion—in people was also part of the plan. Could it be that it’s just sudden for you?”
“That makes it even more suspicious. If it were Nepas, he wouldn’t have been satisfied with only a few countries accepting the Evolution Potion. If he had spent more time, he could have used many more people as sacrifices for the potion to evolve the demons…”
“However, because of you, that wasn’t properly realized.”
Thanks to Leon’s active efforts, nations that had escaped the Tower’s pressure were able to resist friendly relations with the Demon Clan and form an opposing force.
And…
“What if he became impatient because of that?”
Since the pressure wasn’t working, could he have moved the plan forward a bit?
“No.” Leon shook his head firmly and said, “If it were Nepas, he wouldn’t have moved the plan forward; he would have come up with another move to reverse the current situation. He isn’t the type of fool to take the risk of rushing a plan that wasn’t in the schedule.”
As expected of someone Nepas had created with great care, Leon’s strategic mind was not shallow.
“In my judgment…”
“In your judgment?”
“…It seems something has happened to Nepas’s personal safety.”
“For example?”
“Altain must have rebelled, perhaps…”
“…”
The moment I heard those words, I stopped questioning.
“…I think the same.”
What Leon said was exactly what I had anticipated.
“The Nepas I know would try to create a variable no matter how urgent the situation, but he would never make such an extreme choice.”
That guy had sown seeds through the Evolution Potion.
It was still too early to harvest; it was a premature judgment.
Yet, ignoring all of that, a demon army was raised and was now preoccupied with an unreasonable harvest.
That was definitely not Nepas’s doing.
That was…
‘Altain. That guy must have rebelled against Nepas, and he must have succeeded.’
Altain was the only one capable of rebelling against Nepas.
“Leon, you were probably at the center of that change.”
Leon’s unexpected performance.
Nepas must have been displeased with Altain for failing to become a floor ruler and likely tried to dispose of him as usual.
But it didn’t go as planned, and instead, he allowed a counterattack.
‘Of course, it’s hard to say that Nepas was annihilated by that. That guy has hidden his life in various secret places.’
Even if Altain’s rebellion succeeded, it was only a half-success.
To be precise…
‘It means Nepas permitted it.’
I didn’t know what whim he had, but Nepas allowed the rebellion.
Even now, he would be hiding somewhere, watching every move and action.
And that meant…
‘Altain’s abilities are more impressive than I thought.’
He had earned Nepas’s recognition.
That meant Altain’s power was stronger than I had initially assumed.
“It seems we won’t be choosing the method of stalling for time anymore, so we’ll have to take action ourselves.”
The United States, Russia, China, Japan, the United Kingdom, France, India, and so on.
Even if it was retribution, I couldn’t ignore their crisis forever.
This was because the power of the Demon Clan, who had swallowed the seeds of evolution planted by Nepas, was gradually growing stronger.
The price to be paid just for their Misfortune was bound to be too expensive.
Moreover…
‘I’ve sufficiently awakened the sense of alarm regarding the Demon Clan now.’
Refusing the help requests from the countries being attacked by the Demon Clan wasn’t just because of retribution or their past actions.
There was no rule saying that something like this wouldn’t happen again in the future.
Therefore, I intended to use the damage to these nations to clearly wake the world up.
The Demon Clan was an existence that could never coexist with humanity.
If left alone, they would become a great calamity for mankind at any time.
Thanks to the countries that had advocated for the Demon Clan, I was able to sufficiently instill that sense of alarm and crisis.
And now, it was time to act before the power of the Demon Clan grew any larger.
-Slide.
I picked up my smartphone for the first time in a long while.
I contacted the saved name: Kim Chaun.
“This is Kim Chaun!”
Kim Chaun answered before the signal could even finish ringing.
It was as if he had been waiting for my call.
“Preparation?”
I didn’t really say much else.
However, if it was him—if it was Kim Chaun—he would have anticipated my next move to some extent.
“Just give the word, and I can move all military forces around the world through the hotline.”
It wasn’t just the United States and Russia that had formed an alliance.
An alliance had been formed around South Korea to oppose the Demon Clan and keep their movements in check.
With one phone call from Kim Chaun, military forces from all over the world would move.
Before anyone knew it, South Korea had reached a position where it could play the role of the world’s leader, much like the United States in the past.
“Then, let’s begin.”
“Understood!”
Not many words were needed.
Kim Chaun, who understood the meaning perfectly, hung up the phone.
And after that time…
“The request from South Korea has come in.”
“From this moment on, we will begin the suppression of the Demon Clan that threatens the world.”
“Through this opportunity, we will sever our ill-fated connection with the Demon Clan.”
The world’s military forces—those who had not responded even to the requests of the United States and others—were finally deployed in a large-scale war to sweep away the Demon Clan.
The entire world was moving at South Korea’s command.
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