<The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family Chapter 142>
Gigant, who created countless machines, also had his share of failures.
Alpha.
The first combat-type machine and simultaneously the first failure.
People commonly refer to Alpha Gears as “machines with self-awareness,” but the original goal of Alpha was different.
Not “a human with self-awareness,” but a “mechanical human.”
A machine that possesses human-like emotions.
This is what Park Ki-hyuk referred to as a homunculus.
However, as mentioned before, this type of homunculus is a realm of impossibility that can never be achieved. Even Gigant could not overcome this and kept producing failures.
But Gigant did not give up.
Out of stubbornness?
No, out of interest. It was fascinating.
This concept of the soul.
It was a new world, a boundless ocean.
Thus, Gigant eventually reached the forbidden realm.
“Perhaps if it’s not human, then it could be a monster?”
That’s right.
What we know as the first War Armor, Alpha, was a mutated homunculus born from a monster’s soul.
Possessing intelligence and judgment equal to, or even surpassing humans.
However, Gigant had not anticipated the ‘mutation’ of the soul.
Especially, the souls of monsters were prone to corruption, and Alpha not only attacked humans but also defied Gigant’s orders and fled.
The public believed, for some reason, that Alpha had been damaged, but in reality, Alpha had chosen to escape from Gigant.
Did Gigant get angry when this happened? No, instead, he was pleased.
“I’ve been planning this for a long time. This is intriguing.”
With Gigant’s personality, such abrupt situations were always welcome.
This entire experience was a fresh shock and the reason why he had not yet abandoned his work on souls, or rather, homunculi.
From then on, Gigant refrained from inserting ‘souls’ into machines, making the Alpha Gear the only machine to possess true self-awareness.
…
…
Gigant tilted his head while staring intently at one side of the wall.
A rough cement wall, with mysterious bulbs shining.
“Hmm~.”
Gigant installed a certain management system in all kinds of ‘machine works’ he created.
The Protocol War Armor.
Initially, it was just a casual ‘Made by Gigant’ – a simple origin label – but when people got excited and started calling these machines ‘War Armors,’ Gigant felt it was a personally authorized, sacred title.
Through this ‘Protocol War Armor,’ Gigant could monitor the condition of all his machine creations and check their ‘lifespans.’
In other words, the bulbs hanging on this wall were a panel indicating the status of the machines Gigant created.
The one where Gigant’s gaze was currently fixed was the very first one among these bulbs, located at the top left corner.
“Look at you. You’ve been hiding, but why are you poking out now?”
The owner of that light.
Alpha.
You who dared to disobey the creator and ran away, the disloyal one.
And yet, in a way, an admirable one.
Both a stain and a pride of Gigant.
An unprecedented entity has appeared in Japan, calling itself a ‘Guardian Spirit.’
This shocking revelation put Optimum on high alert for several days.
In the Optimum conference room, dozens of people were glued to monitors, phones in one hand and coffee cups in the other.
“All five members of the Five Sisters seemed unaware. Their confusion was evident. ‘Royal Seavali’ has criticized us, saying, ‘It’s nonsensical for the Korean Optimum to not know about the situation in Japan, a neighboring country,’ and is demanding information from us.”
“There are no pictures, no one has even seen it. However, Japan’s current Prime Minister and key cabinet members have released a statement recognizing this self-declared ‘Guardian Spirit.'”
“All agents and communications in Japan have ceased. Not only those with whom we had a cooperative relationship, but all agencies registered to operate in Japan have inexplicably gone silent.”
“Director, we have a flash report! The Defense Ministry just informed us that ‘satellite surveillance’ of Japan has been blocked!”
Naturally, Kim Yeon-hee has been unable to return home for several days.
With caffeine suppressing the encroaching sleep, she was keeping a watchful eye on developments from Japan.
“Haa, here we are, having an unnecessary power struggle. Tell the Five Sisters officially: the Optimum knows nothing, and we are the ones most alarmed. If there’s any response, counter by stating that the UK might well be questioned as Japan’s ally.”
“Everyone, find any information possible. Something small, anything at all. The number of toes, the number of fingers – whatever. We need it to have minimal response capability. Please give Intelligence a nudge.”
“Satellites… we’ll skip that for now. Let’s focus on what we can do.”
At that moment, the Secretary-General, who had just distributed coffee to every employee, returned, opening the door.
Sweating, the urgency of his expression was palpable, indicating a severe situation.
Kim Yeon-hee approached him quickly.
The Secretary-General whispered the report into her ear.
“Ms. Yggdrasil is on the line. We should proceed immediately.”
“……!!”
Kim Yeon-hee rushed ahead.
Inside the President’s office, she picked up a secure line phone.
“Hello. Guardian Spirit. This is Kim Yeon-hee.”
– Long time no see, Yeon-hee. Let me get straight to the point since I’m sure you’re quite surprised.
Yggdrasil was equally serious about this situation and, without preamble, moved directly to the point.
– The so-called Guardian Spirit that has emerged in Japan is not one of us.
“Is that an official response?”
– Yes, I stake my name on it.
“Phew… That’s a relief.”
– It’s too early to say ‘relief.’
“That means…”
– It’s not a Guardian Spirit, but the presence I’m sensing is unsettling.
Not a Guardian Spirit.
But it’s highly likely that it possesses Guardian Spirit-level power.
– …We are constrained, whereas this unidentified entity may not be bound by any. Is this a blessing for humanity? I don’t know.
Only then did Kim Yeon-hee’s expression turn serious.
“Would Yggdrasil be able to assist…”
– Unfortunately, it’s impossible. If this land were invaded, I would try to take some measures, but currently, I am not authorized to intervene in this situation.
“Understood.”
– Regardless, good luck, Yeon-hee.
“Thank you. Your assistance is greatly appreciated.”
Click.
She hung up the phone.
Good news and bad news came together.
Not a Guardian Spirit.
But because it’s not a Guardian Spirit, we have no idea where it may go.
How should we respond? Kim Yeon-hee was pondering while still pushing forward on her tasks.
“Secretary-General, please convey this to the Intelligence Department. The entity appearing in Japan is not a ‘Guardian Spirit.’ Let this be the starting point as you adjust the direction of your investigation.”
“Understood.”
As the Secretary-General hurried off, Kim Yeon-hee picked up another phone, this time opening a direct line with the Five Sisters.
“Official announcement from Yggdrasil.”
“The entity identified is not a Guardian Spirit.”
“Warning about the potential danger it poses.”
Kim Yeon-hee relayed only the facts succinctly and returned to her thoughts.
The information we have so far is from a news article in Japan from a few days ago.
The mysterious angel descending upon Japan.
The birth of a new Guardian Spirit?
A god descends upon Japan!
That’s all.
A photograph showing something luminous within the crowd, though it was in black and white.
“…An angel-like spirit. Given the information, if we speculate, it could be a god resembling a celestial being.”
Kim Yeon-hee had encountered monsters resembling angels.
What’s more intriguing, this monster could freely pass through Gates.
Is all of this a coincidence?
“No, no. Let’s not jump to conclusions hastily.”
We don’t even know if it’s truly an angel and have no clue about the color of that light.
With so much information at her disposal and yet acting purely on intuition is too risky for Kim Yeon-hee.
“Hoo.”
Let’s wait calmly.
It’s only been a few days.
It’s not 1984, after all; information can’t be controlled so easily.
“It’s not too late to act once we have more data.”
However, Kim Yeon-hee’s resolve crumbled with a single sentence from the breathless Secretary-General rushing in.
“The Japanese cabinet has declared a state of emergency!”
“……!!”
In practical terms, every channel of communication disappeared.
Moments ago, Japan had been sealed off.
After the festival, we had come out to welcome the new club members with a welcoming party.
CLANG!!
“Is THIS how you hold a welcoming party?!”
“Is THIS the welcoming party?!”
The Suwon twins, who fended off a group of werewolves rushing towards us, complained to me rather unexpectedly. Why are you acting like this?
I shrugged.
“This is our way.”
As I pierced the heart of the werewolf blocking my path,
“There’s plenty of food.”
I flipped and slammed another rushing werewolf onto the ground.
“And lots of training.”
I flipped the werewolf around and twisted its neck twice and a half.
“And we build camaraderie.”
I shattered two werewolves mid-air as they lunged toward the twins.
“How’s that for a welcoming party?”
“…”
“…”
d*mn kids, you seem thrilled to d*ath. So much so that your bodies are trembling. I chuckled, pleased with myself.
So cute. Since you made me laugh, I have to reward you.
“Hand me a spear.”
“What?”,”What?”
As the twins hesitated, I grabbed one of the spears they were about to offer, taking the closest one from Garang.
“Listen up. Every weapon must have an ‘absolute principle.'”
“Absolute principle?”,” What’s that?”
“Simply put, what’s the most basic use of a spear?”
“To stab.”,”To stab.”
“You’ve got it. That ‘stabbing’ is the spear’s absolute principle.”
The twins laughed, “Well…”
They dismiss it as trivial, but they don’t understand yet.
This ‘absolute principle’ is the beginning and the end of every martial technique.
Smiling, I took a stance with the spear.
When handling long weapons such as spears, your steps must be wide.
You need to focus your strength not in your arms, but in your back while keeping perfect balance around the center; focus on one point.
Pierce.
Focus entirely on this one point while…
Driving the spear…
WHOOSH!
The moment a streak of light shot out.
A stream of bl**d tore through the air before splashing down, and a werewolf with its heart pierced collapsed on the ground.
“…!!”, “…!!”
“Didn’t see it? Let me show you one more time.”
Once again, a streak of light shot from my hand.
Two more werewolves standing in a straight line fell. One had its heart pierced, and the other had a hole where its ear used to be.
“The spear was born to pierce. Look at you two, using the spear to block, and strike, and cut – why overcomplicate things?”
“That’s what we were taught.”
“The key to using a spear is maintaining distance.”
“Distance? You’re right. Distance is vital. A spear is all about controlling distance. Hmm… good mood. Let me show you how to manage it.”
Taking a step forward and driving the spear.
A group of werewolves collapses.
Taking another step forward and driving the spear again.
Another group crumbled, their bodies pierced and spilling bl**d.
In just five steps – only five steps – I secured the distance required.
By killing them all.
“Take a look. What’s around me right now?”
Answer: Corpses, and corpses alone.
“The best defense is offense. Strike before being struck. This is how you control distance with a spear. Pretty easy, right?”
“…”,”…”
The Suwon twins trembled with awe once more.
They’re so young, their reactions are priceless.
d*mn kids, I patted their shoulders and walked past them.
As I shattered another rushing werewolf with ease and continued walking, I saw the new recruits gathering here and there.
Among the group with Majuri and the Healing System trainees was Mary. It seemed there was much in common between a priestess and a shaman.
“Even if you’re from the healing system, you can’t stay at the back forever. No one can guarantee what variables might arise in combat. As the Gate level increases, these variables rise sharply. What does this mean?”
“…”
“Ultimately, the only one who can protect you is yourself.”
Given this situation, naturally, the fighters gathered around Yoonjo.
Surrounded by four or five children, Junwoo was there too. Though shy by nature, he was handling the kids better than I expected.
“What do you think the starting point of close combat is? Strength? No. Power? No. Think about the most important information we gather as we enter combat. Vision, your field of view. The information you can take in at a glance. That’s where close combat skills diverge.”
“…”
“And the only way to broaden your vision is through actual combat. I’ll show you this now.”
If this is what it means to be an excellent senior…
Yuri Jin? Well, she’s just Yuri.
Despite trying to act like a senior, could she possibly teach anyone?
Ultimately, she and Hani Kim floated in the air, chatting idly.
“Why is no one coming to me?”
“It’s because you make strange statements like ‘just perceive what you see.’ That doesn’t even make sense.”
“But spring understands everything I say, doesn’t she?”
“Spring and Senior Park are exceptions. They’re OP characters.”
“Hehe. Our spring is a genius. Hehehe.”
…What could they seek, playing around like this?
Passing by them carelessly, I demolished another charging werewolf and continued forward.
Moving away from the relatively quieter battlefield, I entered the truly teeming mass of werewolves and finally found the person I was looking for.
“Aaaaah!!”
Song Saebyeok. My adorable disciple.
There he was roaring in the middle of the werewolf pack, frantically swinging his weapon, his body drenched in bl**d. The interesting point was the twin swords in Saebyeok’s hands instead of an axe.
Needless to say, I had given them to him for some experiments.
Hovering in the air, I moved closer.
“You’re doing well.”
“Huff… Huff… Huff…”
Saebyeok, panting heavily, tried to greet me, but I waved him off.
“It disrupts the flow. Just listen while you fight.”
Honestly, Saebyeok has a lot of room for improvement right now. To the point where there’s almost nothing worth mentioning except for his stamina.
The way he uses his body, how he handles his weapons, his balance – it’s all a mess.
Of course, this is by my standards.
For an average person, this level of skill would be enough to make a name in hunting circles.
Indeed, there were plenty of hunters who were far worse but boasted their names on social media as top-tier talents.
However, that’s by normal standards.
Isn’t he my disciple? Since he’s my disciple, he should, by principle, meet the standards of his teacher.
“Do you know what your biggest problem is?”
Didn’t some philosopher say, “Know thyself”?
In the Art of War as well, it states, “Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will be victorious in a hundred battles.”
Currently, Song Saebyeok’s biggest issue lies here.
“You don’t know yourself.”
Oni and divine power.
Divine power and Oni.
Saebyeok has no understanding of his origins.
Not knowing yourself, how can one hope to progress?
No, progressing sounds laughable. From what I see, Saebyeok hasn’t even reached the starting line.
“First, you need to understand yourself. But there’s no way of doing that, right? Asking the two families to teach you would be the easiest method, but you refused that path.”
Given this situation, is there any choice left?
“Let’s try brute force learning.”
Everyone has heard this before – how humans summon superhuman strength in moments of crisis.
“You’ll reveal the power within when you’re about to lose your breath. For survival, that’s what you’ll need.”
Snap, I flicked my finger.
In the distance, lightning descended from the sky.
Something overwhelming the plains far and wide.
A horde of werewolves.
“Fight hard.”
*
Thus, the welcoming party from ‘The Hell With No Exit’ began early in the morning and finally ended late in the evening.
Park Ki-hyuk staggered out of the gate, carrying the exhausted Song Saebyeok.
The moment they emerged from the gate:
“Master! Please save us!”
…At the time, he didn’t know.
That these people held the information Kim Yeon-hee desperately sought – about ‘Japan’.
