Chapter 102: The Enemy Within (2)
Squelch. Squelch.
The red-haired monster approached barefoot, stepping on the Creep.
The toxicity of the contaminated zone didn’t harm him in the slightest—in fact, it seemed to infuse him with even more power.
Codename ‘Pigeon,’ Intelligence Department secret agent Kwon Si-hoo, trembled as he watched the grotesque figure drawing near.
This wasn’t the first time he had seen a GODS villain, but the aura this one gave off was entirely new.
The red fog enveloping the area, the mad glint in his eyes, the unpredictable aggression.
If that were all, he might have dismissed him as just another common villain, but the sheer overwhelming power he possessed surpassed imagination.
“Kk…”
Kwon Si-hoo focused mana on his severed left wrist, barely managing to staunch the gushing blood.
His face was deathly pale.
Part of it was from blood loss and excruciating pain, but the overwhelming cause was sheer terror.
He hadn’t sensed any sign at all, yet a body part had simply vanished.
The thought that he might meet the same fate as the CIA secret agent who had exploded moments ago paralyzed his reason.
Was it really worth risking everything to operate the watch?
The result appeared soon enough.
―Pigeon Senior. What’s going on?
A voice he usually never wanted to hear.
Yet today, it felt like a lifeline dropped from the heavens.
Even as his vision blurred from massive blood loss, his heart grew strangely calm.
The red-haired lunatic licked his lips and spoke.
“Looks like the new friend isn’t coming after all.”
Whatever the monster muttered didn’t even reach Kwon Si-hoo’s ears.
Even if he died here, Psycho would surely avenge him.
Just as he was about to accept the approaching death—
Tzzzzzt—
A pitch-black portal-like thing formed behind the red-haired man.
And out stepped a man in a black suit.
Kwon Si-hoo nearly burst into tears but barely held it back.
“Pigeon Senior, didn’t I tell you? Never move without a Zero-Grade.”
“…Yeah, you did.”
Being reprimanded in a situation like this.
Even though he was getting scolded by his junior, he didn’t feel bad at all.
In fact, he felt like he could fly.
“What? I thought you weren’t coming. Heehihik.”
The red-haired man turned toward Psycho and muttered.
Ignoring him, Psycho created a portal beside Kwon Si-hoo.
“This is a portal to Seoul. Go get your hand treated first.”
“Where do you think you’re running to? You can only leave this place after you die.”
Kwa-tzzzzzt—
The moment the red-haired man moved red mana to destroy the portal—
Crack— Crack-crack-crack!
His limbs twisted grotesquely in an instant.
Pu-kwaak—
They were ripped off as if torn away.
Blood gushed like fountains from the four severed points.
“Kihihihik!”
Even in this state, he burst into mad laughter—clear proof he wasn’t sane.
“What the hell has that bastard been babbling about?”
“Uh…”
Kwon Si-hoo hesitated, unsure how much to translate for Psycho’s question.
“Just nonsense. Hurry and go before the portal breaks.”
Kwa-jijik—
As he spoke, the circular portal began shrinking and distorting under the red mana’s assault, growing unstable.
“…Thanks.”
The moment Kwon Si-hoo leaped into the portal—
Kwa-jijijijik!
The red mana crushed the black portal completely, annihilating it.
And then came the laughter.
“Kihihihik! The false prophet himself. Do you even know how much I’ve wanted to meet you?”
The red-haired figure, whose severed limbs had already regenerated, stared at him with eyes gleaming with madness.
Kwa-jijijijik! Pssss…
Chae Jin-young watched in admiration as his own portal was annihilated by the red mana.
It wasn’t just any portal—it was made of his black mana.
Something that wouldn’t budge under normal force, yet the destructive power of that red mana surpassed imagination.
Of course, he hadn’t concentrated a large amount of mana into this particular portal.
Still, this was the first time something like this had happened, so he couldn’t help but be surprised.
Tzzzzzt— Kwa-tzzzzzt!
While pushing back the thick red mana fog enveloping the area with psionic energy, Chae Jin-young could feel it clearly.
An incredible repulsive force.
The red mana clashed head-on with his psionic energy, trying to shove it away just as fiercely.
It wasn’t the kind of power one could feel from the blue mana ordinary hunters used.
Compared to this, Eun Ji-eun’s red mana was no different from a preschooler’s.
‘This isn’t really mana, it’s more like…’
『It’s closer to energy.』
The tentacle shared the same thought.
For now, figuring out the nature of the red mana could wait until after dealing with this guy.
“So you’re that No. 87 or No. 78 experiment, huh.”
Chae Jin-young recalled the words of Kwak Jeong-min—Yoon Soo-ho’s old friend who had once been part of GODS.
An experimental subject who could wield red mana.
Just as described: red hair, and clearly completely unhinged.
“Father, I’m sorry, Father. I don’t think I can hold back today. Hehehehe.”
No. 78 muttered incomprehensible words.
Chae Jin-young had no choice but to bring out a translator from his sub-space.
Normally he would have called Jacob, but considering the opponent’s strength, that was too risky.
Shuuut—
A demon stepped out through the portal.
The moment the variant appeared, No. 78’s lips tore into an even more grotesque grin.
“No. 29! No. 29 was alive! Where have you been all this time? Huh?”
“No. 78. Shut that noisy mouth of yours.”
The one called No. 29—the variant—spoke with clear annoyance.
“I heard rumors you betrayed Father. Is it true? Answer me. Huh?”
Ignoring everything, No. 78 spoke excitedly as if genuinely delighted to see him.
“Father… I find it shameful even to call that thing Father.”
At the variant’s words, No. 78’s grin momentarily vanished.
Expressionless.
Chae Jin-young couldn’t fully understand the conversation between the two test subjects, but he could vaguely read the atmosphere.
And that No. 78 was about to explode.
Yet suddenly, No. 78 began frantically biting his nails, his body trembling like an aspen leaf.
He started muttering the same words over and over.
“No. 29… No. 29… No. 29… my friend… friend… friend… no, traitor… traitor… traitor…”
Chae Jin-young, observing him, asked the variant.
“Why’s he acting like that?”
“He seems shocked that I betrayed the Godfather.”
“He’s capable of being shocked?”
“You shouldn’t try to understand that lunatic. No—you shouldn’t even see him as human.”
Even though they were both Godfather’s test subjects, the variant treated No. 78 as something entirely different from himself.
At that moment.
The trembling No. 78 raised his head and said,
“…Traitors must die.”
The red mana fog spread across the area suddenly underwent a change.
Kwa-jik— Kwa-jijijik—
The faint mist floating in the air began writhing violently, sparking with intense energy.
As if it had gained a will of its own, the red mana moved irregularly.
Kwa-tzzzzzt—
It thrashed wildly, as though it would tear through the psionic energy barrier surrounding Chae Jin-young’s body at any moment.
“…He’s gotten even stronger since last time.”
The variant also furrowed his brow under the pressure of the red mana.
He was wrapped in a black mana barrier, but he looked quite strained.
“Die… die… die…”
No. 78 glared at the variant with blood-red eyes as he muttered.
Crack-crack-crash!
In the end, unable to withstand the overwhelming difference in power, the variant’s barrier shattered.
No. 78 clenched his fist, fully intending to explode and kill the variant in one blow.
At that moment.
Shwaaaaak—
The red mana fog that had dominated the area suddenly converged toward a single point.
Right where Chae Jin-young stood.
Tzkwa-kwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—
The red mana rapidly rotated around Chae Jin-young, spiraling upward into the sky like a dragon ascending.
“…….”
No. 78 blinked in confusion at the unexpected development.
The red mana that had been about to obliterate the variant was now drawn toward Chae Jin-young instead.
The gathered red mana quickly shrank—smaller and smaller—compressing into a spherical shape.
Kugugugugu…
Before long, a soccer-ball-sized red orb was completed.
The concentrated red mana inside churned unstably, looking as though it might explode at any second.
‘Looking at it now, doesn’t this feel similar to red energy?’
『You mean wrath energy?』
‘Yeah. That one.’
Chae Jin-young recalled the two energies used by the Void Church’s cult leader.
Commonly called black energy and red energy. Their proper names were void energy and wrath energy.
『Perhaps the one called Godfather was experimenting to see if ordinary humans could wield wrath energy.』
‘And this lunatic is the only survivor.’
『The black mana used by the prophets is likely a product of void energy as well.』
‘Right. Our black mana too. If we play our cards right, we might even find a way to handle void energy.’
Chae Jin-young alternated his gaze between the red orb and No. 78, the corner of his mouth curling in amusement.
It felt like another piece of the puzzle about the Godfather’s true identity was falling into place.
“Hehehe… Hehehehehik!”
Then came the bizarre laughter out of nowhere.
No. 78 had suddenly changed moods again, clutching his stomach as he burst into manic cackling.
“Kikikikikik! Yes, this is it. The stimulation I wanted!”
Kwaaaaaaaa—
A torrent of red mana erupted from his body.
The red mana fog he had spread across the area wasn’t his full power.
Unlike the prophets, he couldn’t continuously replenish black mana from the Creep, but he possessed so much strength that he didn’t need to.
Which meant there was value in capturing him alive for research.
“How about adding one more lunatic to the sub-space?”
“That damn sword alone is already too much.”
『I agree.』
The variant shook his head, and the tentacle concurred.
But their opinions didn’t matter.
“We’ve built a new city in the sub-space anyway. One more won’t even be noticeable.”
“…….”
Chae Jin-young released psionic energy.
At the same time, cyclic energy joined in, rapidly amplifying the power.
Now he could handle the two energies almost as one.
“Make me enjoy this even more. Kikikikik!”
No. 78 shaped the red mana into a gigantic hand and hurled it toward Chae Jin-young.
The two forces collided.
It looked as though the red hand would swallow the psionic energy whole—
Shukwa-kwa-kwa-kwa—
But the spinning psionic energy tore the red hand to shreds.
Compared to the fusion energy used by the cult leader, this was far inferior.
After all, red mana was essentially a degraded version of wrath energy—so it was only natural.
“Wow… that’s cool.”
Even as he watched the red mana hand being torn apart, No. 78 let out an exclamation of admiration.
Chae Jin-young seized the man’s body in place and opened two portals on either side of him.
Tzzzzzt—
Tentacles burst out from the portals.
“Welcome to residency in the new city.”
***
[‘The National Intelligence Service that protected Korea from countless threats’—not only GODS villains but also monster waves were blocked under the NIS’s leadership…]
[‘National Intelligence Service achieves highest performance in 2028’—Director Yeon Jae-won’s secrets to success]
[‘Peace Party Representative Son Jae-seon: Only shared meals with NIS Director’—rumors about Yeon Jae-won joining the party after retirement put to rest…]
Director Yeon Jae-won of the National Intelligence Service scanned the articles on his tablet with a satisfied smile.
He had recently gathered every public and private achievement he could, leaking them gradually to the press to raise his profile.
With his term as NIS Director soon ending, he was preparing to aim for an even higher position.
But the smile quickly vanished.
The critical timing to drive in the final nail had arrived, yet no news came.
He began dialing a number.
[Intelligence Department Director Jeong Bo-hoon]
Lately, he had been funneling achievements toward Jeong Bo-hoon, but now he couldn’t reach him either.
“What the hell is he doing?”
At that moment.
Knock knock.
“Come in.”
Yeon Jae-won gave up on the call and casually tossed his smartphone aside.
The person who knocked and entered was his chief secretary.
“Director, the VIP has arrived.”
“Ah, bring him in right away.”
At the mention of VIP, Yeon Jae-won quickly cleared his desk and moved to the reception table.
Soon, the chief secretary returned with a neatly dressed middle-aged man.
“Please come in, Assemblyman Park. Or rather, I should call you Representative Park now.”
“Haha, it still feels awkward being called that.”
Park Jeong-jae—National Assembly member and floor leader of the ruling Peace Party—smiled and shook hands.
The chief secretary quickly prepared coffee, placed it on the table, and left silently with a bow.
The two men sat on the sofa. Yeon Jae-won took a sip of coffee first and spoke.
“How’s the atmosphere in the party these days?”
“It’s quite tense. News of terrorism and internal conflicts around the world starting yesterday has everyone on edge.”
Park Jeong-jae spoke that way, yet showed no real concern on his face.
“That makes sense. In countries without Zero-Grade hunters, things must be far more chaotic.”
“Indeed. When you think about it, is there any country as safe to live in as Korea? Heh heh.”
The two exchanged polite, formal pleasantries like old acquaintances catching up.
But it was Park Jeong-jae who first brought up the main topic.
“Shouldn’t we be hearing news of the yakuza arrests by the NIS around now?”
“…….”
Yeon Jae-won pondered how to respond, taking another sip of coffee.
He smacked his lips and finally spoke.
“Something feels off. If it were Director Jeong, he would have finished the mission and contacted me long ago.”
“Hmm… Even now, Director Yeon, your achievements are more than sufficient. But for the next presidential election to be certain, this operation must succeed…”
Rrrring—
Park Jeong-jae, who had been speaking calmly, suddenly wore a troubled expression as his smartphone rang.
“Excuse me. Just a moment… Hm? It’s Chairwoman Cheon calling…”
He checked the caller ID—Busan Metropolitan Council Chairwoman Cheon Ji-hee.
Hearing the name, Yeon Jae-won furrowed his brow and said,
“It’s fine. Go ahead and take it.”
Park Jeong-jae nodded and answered.
“Hello? Chairwoman Cheon?”
Then he listened silently for a long while.
His expression grew increasingly serious, and Yeon Jae-won began to feel uneasy as well.
Click.
After ending the call, Park Jeong-jae spoke in a low voice.
“…It seems Chairwoman Cheon has betrayed us.”
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