Book 2: Chapter 23

Shaa-

It was raining heavily. The bolt of lightning in the sky spread like a spider web before disappearing.

Lukas realised that the Lightning God’s thought projection had completely left the universe.

“…the Great Game.”

These words remained stuck in his head. At the same time, he had a premonition that it would be a trial unlike anything he’d ever encountered.

“Hoo.” 

He took a deep breath and organised his thoughts.

Instead of the ‘Great Game’ which he knew nothing about, it would have been better to think about the Absolutes who would soon be entering this universe.

Absolutes.

That’s what the Lightning God said.

In other words, it wouldn’t be only one Absolute who would be entering this universe.

It hadn’t been a big problem that he couldn’t use Divine Magic Power or Endtongue. At least so far. 

The knowledge and experience he had, together with 9 star spells, were enough to allow him to have no threats in this universe.

Although he hadn’t met the Demon King, the Dukes, who were considered the strongest Demons after the Demon King, couldn’t pose any threat to him.

However, it was completely impossible to face an Absolute with nothing but the power of 9 stars.

‘If an Absolute has already entered…’

Then it was important for him to find out where they were.

In order to do that, he needed information. 

This meant that he had to obtain the assistance of organisations that could identify major events happening around the world with ease.

Currently, the most favourable force for Lukas was the European Branch. That was because he had the absolute trust of Nina, the Branch President.

However, Europe could not afford to fight against the Demons who were constantly encroaching on their territory.

Although some modicum of intel collection was carried out, it was different from the information Lukas wanted.

He needed first-class operatives who gathered information not only in the human territories but also in the land of the Demons.

He needed eyes and ears.

‘I need the power of the Chinese Intelligence Agency.’

China could be called the most controversial country in the world, but such feelings had grown thin following the Demons’ invasion.

Now, most of the people were moving under the ideology of ‘One of China’, and they faithfully played the role of the biggest defense wall for the human front.

Unlike Japan and Korea, where one would have relatively few opportunities to see Demons, the power of the Chinese Branch could be considered among the top three in the entire world because it had always been fighting life-threatening battles on the frontline.

That was why their intelligence went without saying. At this point, most advanced science had been neutralised. 

The Chinese Intelligence Agency’s ability to obtain information directly from the Demons’ territory despite the fact that it was filled with Demons was beyond even the United States’.

But things wouldn’t work so easily.

Even if he borrowed Nina’s power. No. Instead, there was a high possibility that he would be criticised for such tricks.

China didn’t have a very positive opinion of the United States, who lived in the peaceful space they created across the sea. And it was the same for Europe, who had built a close relationship with the United States.

It was then Lukas thought of a man.

He was the second-in-command of the Hunter Association’s Chinese Branch, and he was a revered figure throughout Asia. (TL: How did it become ‘Chinese Branch’ after ‘East Asia Branch’?)

The Human Dragon, Lee Jong-hak.

To gain the power of the intelligence agency, his assistance would be indispensable.

* * *

A few days before Lukas had an encounter with the Lightning God.

Europe and Africa were said to be the two regions that had suffered the most devastating damage on earth. It was no exaggeration to say that most of the land on these two continents was occupied by the Demons.

Great Britain, which could have been called one of the three major powers in Europe, was no exception. Among the island nations across the world, Great Britain suffered an unprecedented amount of damage.

This might have been because the Demon King descended upon France, which was the country closest to Great Britain.

The situation of Northern Ireland, which didn’t belong to Great Britain, fared relatively better.

Or at least, that was the case not so long ago.

“H-, hoo…”

Katherine panted with a terrified expression.

She wanted to cover her ears from the beastly grunts, screams, and sounds of things being eaten coming from outside the house.

“Big sis?”

Tom, who was now six years old, still didn’t seem to fully understand what was happening. His voice was filled with curiosity about his sister’s unusual expression.

Seeing this little boy, who was much weaker than she was, Katherine gained some courage.

“It’s fine. Everything will be fine. Do you trust big sis?”

“Mhm.”

“Good. As long as we stay…”

Crack!

“Kyah!”

The door was smashed, and a bizarre looking creature entered the house.

Its snout was as long as an anteater’s, and its upper body was unusually large. Compared to that, its lower body was so thin that one couldn’t help but wonder how it could’ve supported its own weight.

“Grrr…”

The monster’s red eyes shined brightly, and its nose flared. His sense of smell was abnormally strong, so it was no problem for him to find the boy and girl who were hiding in the house thinking that they were safe.

“O-, oh, my God…”

Katherine closed her eyes with a look of despair. 

On the other hand, Tom didn’t close his eyes.

Instead, he was staring at the sky with a blank expression on his face.

The ceiling of the house had collapsed during the Demon Beasts’ rampage, so the night sky was clearly visible.

And in it, a meteor could be seen.

“Pretty.”

Tom muttered this softly. But he noticed that the meteor’s movement was strange. It was as if it was coming right for them.

No, was that really a meteor? 

Boom!

“Krk?”

The Demon Beast turned its head. An unidentified object had fallen from the sky and smashed into the ground. 

Turning away from the two humans who it didn’t think could escape, the Demon Beast looked at the crater.

Then, someone walked out of the dust cloud.

“…”

It was a breathtakingly beautiful woman. Her hair was so dark that it seemed to absorb the moonlight, and her clothes were pitch black.

Her eyes seemed to shine with a bloody light, and her expression was grim.

What truly stood out, however, was the weapon in her hand.

It was a ridiculously large scythe, which didn’t seem to suit her at all.

“Krrr…”

The Demon Beast stared at the woman with a cautious expression. 

The hair on its entire body stood up, and its pupils shook. It found it hard to breathe because of the vicious aura surrounding the woman.

“Kyaah!”

Nevertheless, a beast was a beast. 

The Demon Beast did not like the feeling of fear it got from the woman, so it charged towards her. Its claws, which could easily tear through stone, flashed in the moonlight.

Chuk-

But the Demon Beast’s body suddenly became thousands of pieces of meat, splattered across the ground.

Nevertheless, there wasn’t a single drop of blood on the scythe.

“H-, hik…”

Katherine stared at the woman in horror, but the woman left the house while pretending to not notice them.

“Krk!”

“Kaak! Kaak!”

The Demon Beasts who smelled the heavy scent of blood started swarming. There were even some incredibly large ones who made the Demon Beast who had just died look small in comparison.

“Ignorant things.”

The woman muttered darkly.

Then the entire city became bathed with blood.