Chapter 45 of The Demon Lord of the Swordsmanship Family
The entire nation was in chaos.
A mass kidnapping targeting children was underway!
A kidnapping group that operated mainly around Incheon. Now, the danger has spread to Seoul.
The number of missing children is estimated to be at least 147. If we add the unaccounted ones…
Parents with children aged 1 to 10 are advised to be particularly cautious…
The Ministry of Education announced, “Remote classes will be held in elementary schools nationwide for the time being.”
An inexplicable kidnapping crime that began in Incheon.
The investigation authorities have classified it as a “superhuman crime,” declaring it the work of a villain that leaves no traces or motives behind.
An official document requesting cooperation has been issued to military bases and various agents.
At that moment, Kim Yeon-hee, who had just finished a seminar in Germany, set foot on Korean soil, only to check the official document handed to her by her secretary at the airport.
“We’re running out of time. Let’s get the report first.”
“A mass kidnapping incident that started in Incheon has spread to Seoul. The police have declared it a ‘superhuman crime,’ linking it to a villain, and they have requested our cooperation.”
“I already knew that. Is there anything else? Like the identity of the kidnapper?”
“…There is still no solid evidence. However, there was a report a few months back about a force believed to belong to the ‘Evolutionary Group’ moving in the area. Interestingly, the location where this report first surfaced is the gate the Young Master has entered.”
“…Could it be the ‘Claw-hand Orc village’?”
“Yes, and currently, the Young Master is…”
“Wait. Please don’t say anything until I finish speaking.”
Indiscriminate kidnappings targeting children.
The emergence of a villain presumed to be from the Evolutionary Group.
Kim Yeon-hee instinctively felt these two incidents were connected.
“That’s quite a coincidence. Should we call it that… Secretary-General, do you know what the topic of this seminar was?”
“…I’m not sure.”
“Human transmutation.”
“…!!”
“I heard a ‘Human Transmutation Report’ was being circulated covertly. But when I checked the contents, they were far more specific than expected. The ‘Alliance’ judged that this was information disseminated by the Evolutionary Group.”
“Whoa!!”
If it’s the Alliance, it’s a community of the five major agents.
Though it’s merely a group of five agents, these represent the strongest agents in the world from their respective countries. Therefore, they wield tremendous influence, comparable to the ‘World Superhuman Organization.’
This is not something to be taken lightly when it comes from the ‘Alliance.’
“From the Alliance to the Evolutionary Group. It feels like something’s brewing, doesn’t it?”
“…I’ll do my best to find out.”
“No need to do your best. Bring me results.”
“Understood.”
“We will reconvene on this. Now, what I interrupted earlier. What about Ki-hyuk?”
“Ah… Well, the Young Master is also currently missing.”
“…!! You should have said that first!! Tell me in detail. What happened?”
“That is…”
At the Happy Orphanage, a girl named Park Bom was kidnapped.
Park Ki-hyuk went searching for Park Bom and soon lost contact.
Upon hearing this report, Kim Yeon-hee became visibly anxious.
Where she had shown no signs of disturbance when mentioning the world-class villain organization known as the Evolutionary Group, she was noticeably agitated now that it involved Park Ki-hyuk.
And finally, Kim Yeon-hee made a decision…
“Minji, I need your help. Please find your younger sibling.”
The White Tiger squad was dispatched.
—
Inside a sliding car on the road.
“Mother has arrived.”
Amidst the newspaper he was reading, he saw a familiar face.
A smile naturally spread across his face. She said she was at a seminar, and it seemed she returned safely.
At that moment, the bulky driver glanced sideways, gulping hard.
“…The representative of Optimum is your mother? Is it really you…”
“Shh.”
How dare some trash casually mention a name like that?
Making a gesture to keep his mouth shut, he pointed with his finger into the air.
An Asura emerged from the void.
The creature licked its lips. A soul stained by wickedness, clearly its type. It gazed at me like a pitiful puppy, evidently craving something.
“Wait. I’ll give you a tasty treat soon. But not this one. I promised to k*ll it gently.”
“Whoa!”
The driver’s pants became damp.
What a variety of reactions! As expected of trash, his guts were as small as a pea. I chuckled and rolled down the window.
As I watched the rapidly passing clouds, I fell into thought.
‘The outline is becoming clearer.’
A decentralized organization.
While the goal, ideals, and pursuit of profit were the same, the organizational structure was divided into small parts composed of fewer members.
A structure often shown by those with dark pasts to hide their leadership in case they get caught, they scatter subordinate tails around to disguise the hierarchy.
This is a system that boasts a history and tradition in the back alleys.
Developing through intelligent trash, especially in this world with advanced information systems, it theoretically ensures that the control tower can restrict information, potentially keeping them from reaching the upper echelon.
Yeah, theoretically.
It’s all just theory.
‘Theories exist to be broken.’
I smirked as I glared at the trembling trash.
No matter how perfect the structure may be, humans are not perfect. Here’s a prime example.
Generally, filthy trash knows how to find a way to survive spectacularly.
Theoretically, they would restrict information, but below them, the trash feels insecure. They might stink, but they are quick to catch on. They know their lives are like dying flies; they can be squashed at any time.
These self-reflective trash will inevitably find a way to survive.
They weave the scraps of information handed down from above into ropes, holding them up as life lines.
Of course, when the real situation arises, they’ll realize that the lifeline is actually rotting.
But is it my concern?
All I need to do is keep linked to whatever goes up.
Just like now.
“I’m asking this just in case, but there’s nothing at the spot where this car stopped, right? If so, you should get my left arm will come out soon.”
Flinch!
“Our left arm, having three faces, seems to overflow with energy. What happened to your partner earlier?”
“Eek!!”
“I’ll chew, bite, and play around with your soul until you crumble apart. You wanna end up like that?”
“S-save me…”
“…k*ll me, please.”
Now they seem to understand the situation.
I smiled.
“It’s up to you.”
Boom-!
The meter shot up steeply.
The fierce wind whipped through my hair.
—
The Evolutionary Group was thoroughly structured as a decentralized organization.
Under the main research team, which serves as the national branch, several subordinate research teams exist, and within those subordinate teams, there are further subordinate teams, resembling an ant colony.
This organization framework was designed to allow them to sever ties at any moment, and even though it operates globally, very few reach the core of the Evolutionary Group once a tail is cut off.
However, an extremely rare case was occurring right now.
Park Ki-hyuk.
He was reaching out to grasp the true essence of the Evolutionary Group.
Shh-!
A fountain of bl**d burst forth. An unidentified “monster” was split in two.
And Park Ki-hyuk was standing atop the fallen monster, laughing.
“A Chimera, huh? You guys made something interesting?”
“k*ll!!”
Monsters sprang forth from all directions.
Bodies of humans, arms of orcs, legs of wolves… Various monsters merged into a new beast that erupted from the ground, revealing its hostility toward Park Ki-hyuk.
And opposing them was…
“Come forth.”
The army of d*ath.
A skeleton army emerged from the darkness, charging toward the monster legion.
“Is it just skeletons?”
“Crush them!”
Chimera vs. Skeleton.
The Evolutionary Group was confident of a decisive victory with their Chimera.
They did not believe their carefully crafted creations would be defeated by mere skeletons.
But…
As the two forces clashed, the reality before them was devastating.
Boom-!
The claws of a Chimera were stopped by the skeleton’s shield.
Snap!
Soon after, a skeleton’s axe broke the Chimera’s spine.
Kyaeeck-!!
The shattered skeletons reformed in the air, clawing at the Chimera’s body.
Fsssss.
Torn apart.
Ling Chi.
Four limbs were torn and shredded apart from all sides.
What they did not realize was that if this Chimera was their long-awaited research creation, then the skeletons were true “warriors” who fought in the hellish battlefield alongside the Demon Lord.
The Evolutionary Group’s Chimera legion was swept away in an instant.
But still, was it the Evolutionary Group after all?
“Everyone hold your positions.”
A so-called world-class villain group—there must be competent members.
The ‘Evolution 318 Team’ began to resist in earnest.
Dark clouds gathered and raindrops began to fall from the sky. The ominous drops of rain caused the skeletons to dissolve.
Acid Rain.
An elemental magic that rained acidic rain to deal area damage to enemies.
Meanwhile, two capable members approached Park Ki-hyuk.
“That’s you. The one stepping on our tail.”
“Yum. Looks delicious. Appears appetizing.”
A man wielding a saw-toothed mace and a man covered in full plate armor with an extremely obese body reminiscent of a Kumus.
“Are you called ‘Squeezy’ and ‘Chubby’?”
“Squeezy? Are you talking about me?”
“…Ha, this is why we need to recycle properly. Just look at this trash tossed around, now it can talk.”
“You b*stard. Hey, hit me!”
“I’m eating!!”
The man in full plate armor lunged at Park Ki-hyuk.
Park Ki-hyuk parried with his sword.
But the man would not stop.
“Looks delicious. I’m eating. Yum, yum.”
Truly seeing Park Ki-hyuk as ‘food’, he slobbered while reaching out, even in front of Park Ki-hyuk’s fierce sword strikes.
“Wow, you’ve really gone too far. Did you turn your body into a Chimera?”
“I guess you still have the presence of mind to talk.”
“……!”
Bang-!!
A mace flew in from behind.
It was strange. There was that grinning man right there.
Yet, here comes the mace?
But upon closer inspection, the man’s arms were missing.
That’s right. The man was a telekinetic-type superhuman. A swordsman utilizing extreme swordsmanship by launching his own body.
However, what truly shocked Park Ki-hyuk wasn’t this absurdity.
He was a Demon Lord who had survived through all kinds of despair. What would be significant about dismembered arms? He had seen hearts pulsating and escaping.
But the reason he was surprised now was due to this peculiar yet familiar sensation.
“Hey… what’s your connection with the dancer?”
“Huh? Huh? You know the dancer? No wonder your reaction is quick.”
“The dancer was delicious. A delicacy.”
“But that’s strange. We’ve secured all of them.”
“……!”
At that moment, the truth behind the Busan Disaster, which had been shrouded in mystery, revealed itself.
Swords and swords, fists and swords.
In the clash of steel and iron, a fierce exchange took place.
“Busan, was delicious. A family delicacy. Yum yum. I want to eat it again.”
“Oh! Are you from Busan? Have you been to Jagalchi? Come on, let’s go! Hahaha.”
The two, who had just flinched at Park Ki-hyuk, persistently provoked him by mentioning ‘Busan’.
Did their provocation work? The tension that had been taut began to ease.
And slowly…
Fssh-
A scar appeared on Park Ki-hyuk’s chest.
Drip, drip.
Watching the bl**d fall, the two savored a triumphant smile.
But Park Ki-hyuk, in contrast, simply said:
“……I’ve finished thinking.”
He was not shocked.
He was not agitated.
He merely thought.
“About how to deal with you.”
Mana exploded as a hexagram magic circle appeared behind Park Ki-hyuk.
The two panicked.
Anticipating an incoming spell, they took a defensive posture around Park Ki-hyuk.
But the summoned magic circle began to shrink.
It minimized, minimized, and shrunk even further…
Until it was sucked into the great sword.
And at the moment the hexagram magic circle was chaotically revealed upon the blade’s surface.
“Let’s just hit once at a time.”
Geomho-ryu Quick Sword Technique
Meteor
Two streams of light cutting through the danger line.
The sound was even slowed down by the skillful quick sword technique.
Thus, where the meteor landed were:
“Ugh-!!”
One with his waist severed.
“Ow! That hurts!”
Another having lost both legs lay helplessly.
“Stop whining.”
But for them, misfortune was just beginning.
Park Ki-hyuk slashed the air with a great sword imbued with hexagram power.
Black Magic Summoning
Void Abyss Worm
触手深淵虫
Tentacles emerged from the split air.
A creature that dwells at the depths of the Void World.
When this Void Abyss Worm, which lives its life half-dead, can grasp a fully alive human in its grasp…
It never lets go.
Living half-eaten by the Void Abyss Worm for a lifetime, they eventually become a beast of the abyss when they have nothing else to eat.
“If you extract the information, these trash will be yours. What do you say, is this a deal?”
The tentacles of the abyss worm enveloped their heads.
A cool trade.
