Chapter 70: Federation General Assembly (6)
Tachibana Yutaro—President of the All-Japan Awakener Association and the world’s No. 6 ranked Zero-grade hunter.
As the Secretary-General of the International Awakener Federation, he possessed both military might and political authority.
Excluding Liu Qinglong—who rarely appeared even in China—Yutaro was effectively the strongest hunter in East Asia.
India’s Emperor Prasad Bachchan also seldom attended Federation events, so Yutaro had a firm grip on the Asian region.
In that context, the fact that Korea’s Yoon Soo-ho had reached Zero-grade and was hosting the general assembly—in Korea, no less—was more than unpleasant for Yutaro; it was deeply suspicious.
“Since this is the most important agenda of today’s assembly, I’ll save my comments for later.”
When Kyle had set the stage, Yutaro had been inwardly delighted but spoke in a restrained tone.
He had concluded that this unknown hunter was clearly a spy acting on Godfather’s orders, having built trust with Yoon Soo-ho while resolving GODS-related matters.
No nameless hunter could achieve such feats without receiving power from Godfather.
Moreover, the ease with which he anticipated and neutralized GODS operations had to be thanks to Godfather.
Of course, there was no concrete evidence.
It was all Yutaro’s speculation.
But with the backing of the Zero Club—and especially the United States, the world’s superpower—even turning the tables on Korea would be simple.
And as the Secretary-General of the Federation, his words carried weight that other associations couldn’t easily ignore.
That had been his thinking.
Kwaaaaang!
But now the Emperor of India lay motionless with his head buried in the ground.
“······.”
Yutaro seriously questioned whether the scene before him was an illusion.
If his mind had been manipulated or disrupted, he should have noticed immediately.
If he hadn’t noticed even after being affected, that was a problem in itself.
“Next.”
Despite having subdued a Zero-grade hunter, the monster-like man’s face remained perfectly calm.
As he scanned the room, his gaze landed on one person.
“Tachibana Yutaro. You said you had something to say.”
“W-Wait…”
Yutaro panicked.
Jin-young beckoned with an innocent smile.
“Why hesitate? Come on up and speak.”
The moment Yutaro met his eyes, he felt his brain shut down.
This was far beyond anything he had anticipated.
Even when Kyle stepped forward, he hadn’t expected this outcome.
The man who had acted wasn’t just anyone—he was backed by the United States, home to the Prophet.
If even with the Prophet’s warning Kyle had ended up like this, it meant something was seriously wrong.
Yutaro slowly turned to look at the Federation Chairwoman and the Prophet.
“······.”
But both of their expressions were no different from usual.
They had known this would happen.
‘Why?’
Why had the Prophet let Kyle charge ahead?
Why hadn’t she stopped Prasad?
Why had she allowed the general assembly to descend into chaos?
A single word from the Prophet could have resolved everything peacefully.
Including for himself.
At that moment, Prophet Michelle met his gaze and mouthed the words:
‘You will become a cripple.’
Yutaro’s face stiffened as he understood.
If the Chairwoman hadn’t been right beside her—and if that monster hadn’t been here—he would have rushed forward and grabbed her by the collar.
And then came the death sentence.
“Tachibana Yutaro.”
Hearing his name called by the monster, Yutaro swallowed hard.
If he spoke carelessly here, he would end up crippled.
Ignoring the summons was also a problem; running away was an even bigger one.
After agonizing for a moment, Yutaro stood up abruptly and walked down toward the monster’s maw of his own volition.
Of course, he had no intention of simply being devoured.
“Shall we settle this with a life-or-death duel?”
The monster asked as Yutaro faced him.
The demonic sword that had blocked Prasad’s sneak attack floated gently into the air.
Its eerie aura was impossible to ignore—its mystique drew the eye and refused to let go.
Snapping himself out of it, Yutaro drew his Japanese sword—still in its scabbard—from his waist.
Thud.
He dropped it.
Then he dropped to his knees and pressed his forehead to the floor.
“I have committed a mortal sin.”
***
“Hah.”
Yutaro’s choice was none other than dogeza.
Jin-young hadn’t expected him to go this far.
Of course, Yutaro was known for his exceptional survival instincts and political savvy.
But even so—
Even so, when he recalled what Japan had done to Korea before his regression, it was hard to believe they were the same person.
“Are you asking for forgiveness?”
After a brief moment of thought, Jin-young’s lips curled upward.
“If you would grant it, I will never forget this grace for the rest of my life.”
“Anyone can say they’ll never forget a favor. You’re the type who talks big but never follows through, aren’t you?”
“N-No, absolutely not.”
Hunters from associations around the world watched as Yutaro prostrated himself.
This alone was already an immense humiliation.
Of course, Jin-young had no intention of letting him off with just this level of disgrace.
“Two years ago, when you came to support a Korean raid—you injured our hunters and then acted like the victim. Do you remember?”
“…Pardon? Uh, that was…”
Yutaro either genuinely couldn’t recall or was pretending not to—he didn’t answer clearly.
But Jin-young was well-practiced at jogging memories.
Crack!
“Guh…!”
Yutaro’s wrist twisted violently as he let out a stifled groan and finally spoke.
“I-I remember now. The 1st-grade dungeon in Busan… right?”
“Good thing your memory came back. I almost thought you were going to end up crippled.”
“······.”
Having felt Jin-young’s power firsthand, Yutaro’s heart was pounding twice as fast as usual.
He could finally understand why Prasad had been so helplessly overpowered.
For the first time in his life, he had been attacked without sensing even the slightest flow of mana.
He had been wrapped head-to-toe in a transparent water barrier—mana compressed tens of thousands of times—yet it had been pierced effortlessly.
Then his body, trained to its physical peak, had been twisted like a dry twig.
No hunter or monster he had ever faced in his life had accomplished such a thing.
Not even Godfather, whom he had seen in the past, had been this overwhelming.
“And after clearing the dungeon, you took all the rewards without any discussion—violating international standards.”
“I apologize.”
“And at the Awakener Tournament hosted by the Federation—you deliberately injured Korean hunters and just brushed it off. That was intentional, wasn’t it?”
“That was the independent action of the participating hunters—”
Crack!
Yutaro’s shin bone snapped in an instant.
“You’re the Association President.”
“I-I’ll apologize on their behalf.”
“And also…”
Jin-young began listing, one by one, every atrocity Japan had committed against Korea over the years.
The real-time translation conveyed every word to the hunters gathered here.
The Federation’s own Secretary-General had ignored international agreements and inflicted all manner of outrages on a neighboring nation—now laid bare for all to see.
For Yutaro, the shame he felt in this moment made the pain of broken bones feel like nothing.
“And during the Indonesia raid—you injured Shin Soo-jeong and the Crystal Guild members too.”
“…Pardon?”
“Ah, that hasn’t happened yet in this timeline. Still, it pisses me off, so let’s break one more thing.”
Snap—
“Argh!”
Yutaro couldn’t hold back a scream as his shoulder broke.
Jin-young recalled how, before his regression, Shin Soo-jeong had failed to reach Zero-grade because of injuries inflicted by Japanese hunters.
Without that incident, Korea would have produced its first Zero-grade hunter much earlier.
Of course, in this timeline Yoon Soo-ho had reached Zero-grade first.
But one more Zero-grade would only be better.
To secure a comfortable future, he needed to crush Japan’s arrogance once and for all.
“To the Japanese hunters: consider this your final warning. I’m actually more of a pacifist than I look.”
The Japanese hunters wanted to rise up immediately, but seeing their Association President so utterly helpless, they could only stay seated.
There was no way they could defeat an opponent even their strongest hunter couldn’t handle.
The expressions of the other hunters were equally grave.
Some were reacting to Japan’s past misdeeds, but most were stunned by Jin-young’s brutal methods.
Yet Jin-young paid them no mind and continued.
“Now only the main course remains. Come on up, Association President.”
Yoon Soo-ho, who had been watching everything, finally stepped onto the podium.
The hunters from various nations could no longer see Yoon Soo-ho as their equal.
He had ascended to a position beyond their reach—the leader of the strongest nation.
As soon as Yoon Soo-ho approached, he spoke to Jin-young in a low voice.
“You really stirred things up while I was gone. Was this your plan for the assembly from the beginning?”
“Half right, half wrong. I wasn’t planning to start anything. But after hearing Michelle’s prophecy, I changed my mind.”
“If it’s about the prophecy…”
Before Yoon Soo-ho could finish—
Sssss…
A chilling wind suddenly swept through the conference hall, carrying the faint smell of sulfur.
“What’s that smell?”
“Hey, are you okay?”
Some hunters were sweating coldly with anxious expressions, their skin flushed red.
The moment Jin-young met Michelle’s eyes and she nodded—
Sssss! Chwaaaak—
Black Creep suddenly burst out from the hunters whose skin had turned red.
“What the—!”
“GODS spies! Get back!”
Still, they were top-tier hunters from various nations, so they dodged without delay.
Kudududud…
In the meantime, the hunters whose bodies were now covered in Creep were all restrained by Jin-young’s psychokinesis.
Michelle and Hannah descended from the podium toward Jin-young and shouted.
“Don’t panic—everyone gather here!”
The unaffected hunters quickly joined Jin-young’s side following Hannah and Michelle.
“Grrrrr…”
“S-Save… me…”
The hunters being eroded by Creep let out grotesque sounds as their bodies trembled.
They were all GODS spies who had been concealing their black mana.
Jin-young had already identified them by sensing their black mana.
Moreover, thanks to Michelle’s prophecy, he already knew what was about to happen.
He hadn’t prepared in advance to minimize variables in the future.
Kwa-tz-tz-tz…
Then, in the center of the conference hall, a vortex of black mana suddenly rose.
Kwaaaaah—
From within the vortex, pitch-black flames erupted, melting the ceiling and forming a pillar of fire.
The smell of sulfur mixed with thick demonic energy filled the air.
“Ugh…”
“C-Can’t… breathe…”
2nd- and 3rd-grade hunters struggled to even breathe under the overwhelming current of black mana, while 1st-grades could barely protect themselves.
“Qinglong.”
At Jin-young’s call, Liu Qinglong immediately unleashed a gale.
Shwaaaaak—
The sulfur-tainted stream of black mana was swept away by the storm.
It seemed like even the black pillar of fire would be blown apart, but—
Shssss…
Liu Qinglong’s storm was absorbed into the pillar and extinguished.
Then, from within the flames, a Black man emerged.
Hannah Adams narrowed her eyes as she recognized him.
“Lyle Umkaba.”
At her murmured words, Yoon Soo-ho reacted.
“The black-grade villain?”
“Yes. And also one of GODS’s Prophets.”
Lyle Umkaba.
A hunter from South Africa who had once been at the forefront of resistance against racial discrimination.
Of course, that was only his past glory.
The noble spirit of opposing racial discrimination had long faded.
After massacring all the white people in South Africa,
He had effectively become its king.
But he didn’t stop there—he had been in the process of realizing his ambition to dominate the entire African continent.
Eventually, the Federation branded him a villain.
He joined GODS sometime after that.
“Of all people…”
Hannah bit her lip.
If one were to name the villains most difficult to deal with after Godfather, Lyle Umkaba would be at the top.
Although he had been excluded from the Zero Club now, Lyle was still a Zero-grade hunter.
There were even rumors that he had grown even stronger after receiving power from Godfather and becoming a Prophet.
Lyle opened his mouth with an expression that suggested everything was a hassle.
“I… have no intention… of fighting you…”
He spoke slowly.
Back when he terrorized Africa, he had been impulsive and ferocious—but after meeting Godfather, he had changed completely.
“No intention of fighting?”
Hannah narrowed her eyes as she asked.
Michelle’s prophecy had ended precisely at the moment the incident began.
She hadn’t known Lyle would appear, nor what would happen afterward.
“I came only… to deliver… Godfather’s message…”
Lyle raised both arms upward, as though paying homage to Godfather, and was about to continue—
Pukwa-kwa-kwak!
His head crumpled and exploded in an instant.
Drip. Thud.
Black blood gushed from his neck and fell like rain onto the floor—a sight that struck the hunters with considerable shock.
Jin-young stepped forward and spoke.
“If you’ve got something to say, come here and say it yourself.”
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