Ha Joon was inside his carriage when he got the sudden warning from Merlin about the artifacts.
For about five minutes, he remained still, thinking of the next step he could take. For all he knew, the Cult of Barbatos could have begun their next move.
Other than the fact he knew about the artifacts and the dead bodies of the demi human, nothing else about how the ritual was going to be like was known.
"Dammit! I hate feeling confused." Ha Joon scratched his head a bit. His hair falling over his face.
Lyra and Yukio looked at the each other, wondering why their master was suddenly frustrated.
_pa_
Ha Joon slapped himself.
"Your majesty!" Yukio didn't waste any time, she immediately reached for her pocket and pulled out an handkerchief that she proceeded to use and clean his cheeks.
"Oi! Why did you do that? Are you going crazy?" Lyra asked.
"I would seem so, doesn't it?" Ha Joon smirked, "I'm going to kill those cult bastards."
"Oh, you're talking about those guys? I mean, we know where they are, so why don't we just go destroy the underground?"
Lyra asked.
She was met with a response from Ha Joon-
"We can't do that. If we did, they would easily change their location, and then it would be hard to find them again. We know they are in Telver, which means that is where they plan to do their ritual."
Ha Joon looked outside the carriage, the wind blowing against his face.
"Kuronashi on the other hand, is most likely the master mind, his location is unknown. Meaning if we attack the underground in Telver, he could easily create a new cult and start again."
He recalled back in his world, how gun men from other countries acted. As long as the leader was alive, there would be no way to stop them from killing more people as he would always recruit more.
Kill the leader, and the rest will be easy to put down.
"Our main target should be Kuronashi."
_kuuuuuuu!_
The carriage suddenly stopped.
Lyra already had a face that screamed she was alert, but Ha Joon was still calm.
'What's happening?'
He thought to himself.
Suddenly, the driver at the front began to yell-
"YOU FOOL! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA THE PATH YOU JUST BLOCKED. THIS IS THE KING'S CARRIAGE! STEP ASIDE!".
'Oh? Someone is blocking the road? Probably a foreigner?'
"Do not bother yourself, your majesty, I shall go take care of it."
Yukio bowed her head and stepped out of the carriage after Ha Joon tilted his head in response.
"You're here for my phone," Ha Joon said calmly, his face completely unreadable. "But why would I hand over something so valuable to a coward hiding behind a mask?"
Kuronashi's eyes gleamed behind the mask. "Because, Ha Joon, you're a smart man. You know this world isn't fair. You know that all the power you hold is meaningless in the face of what's coming."
"And what's that?" Ha Joon asked, crossing his arms, genuinely curious now.
Kuronashi's voice deepened, carrying a strange, almost reverent tone. "The Demon King will reshape this world, bend it to his will. Under his rule, the strong will no longer be shackled by the weak. The powerful will rise, and the rest... will simply cease to matter."
Ha Joon tilted his head, a faint grin tugging at his lips. "So your whole plan is to throw the world into chaos and hope you come out on top? Sounds like a gamble."
Kuronashi took a slow step forward. "It's not a gamble when the odds are in our favor. We will summon the Demon King. Your artifacts are already within reach."
Ha Joon's eyes narrowed. He had heard enough.
"I'm not giving you the phone. And you know what? I'm going to stop your summoning, and after that, I'm going to find you. And when I do—"
"You won't stop us," Kuronashi interrupted, his voice darkening. "You're too late, Ha Joon. The world will change, with or without you."
For a moment, both men stood in silence, a dangerous tension building between them. Yukio remained still, her hand still on her sword, waiting for the slightest signal from her king.
"I like to make my own luck," Ha Joon said, breaking the silence, his voice steady. "And you've made one big mistake, Kuronashi."
Kuronashi's head tilted slightly. "And what's that?"
"You came here thinking you had leverage," Ha Joon said, his grin widening. "But you've shown your hand too early. Now I know exactly who to hunt."
At that, Kuronashi's hand twitched, a low growl escaping from behind his mask.
"The next time we meet, it won't be like this," Kuronashi warned, his voice dripping with malice.
Without another word, he stepped back into the shadows, disappearing as suddenly as he had come. The air seemed to lighten, but the weight of his threat lingered.
Yukio exhaled, finally loosening her grip on her sword. "Your majesty, should we—"
"No," Ha Joon interrupted, shaking his head. "Let him go."
"But... your majesty—"
"We have bigger problems now," Ha Joon said, his face dark with thought. "They're further along in their plans than we thought. We need to act fast."
He turned and stepped back into the carriage, motioning for Yukio to follow.
"Lyra, tell the driver to take us to Telver. We need to start preparing for the worst," Ha Joon said, his tone cold and decisive.
Lyra, who had been listening silently the entire time, nodded and relayed the orders.
As the carriage began moving again, Ha Joon leaned back, staring out the window, his thoughts racing.
Kuronashi's words echoed in his mind.
The Demon King will reshape this world...
Ha Joon clenched his fists, his resolve hardening. If the cult thought they could break the kingdom and remake the world in their image, they were about to learn how wrong they were.
"Telver... it's all going to start there," Ha Joon muttered to himself, his eyes gleaming with a dangerous light.
The battle wasn't just against a cult now. It was against the future they were trying to create.
And Ha Joon had no intention of losing.