[T/N : no.. this is not marvel]
A banquet was held to celebrate the victory.
Although they had succeeded in defeating the Demon Swordsman, the mood in the Japanese archipelago was now somber.
Four of the country's leading S-class Hunters were dead and over a hundred Class A Hunters had died.
In such a mood, it's necessary to celebrate victory in order to forget defeat.
Luckily, there's someone to symbolize that: Leon.
-Long live His Majesty Leon the King God Emperor!
-The future of mankind depends on His Majesty Leon!
Neither the Japanese government nor the All Japan Association wanted to cover up the fact that they had suffered heavy losses and were unable to defeat the Demon Sword despite those losses.
It's also an uncomfortable fact that the TTG Guild is the only one that made a significant contribution to the Demon Sword campaign.
That's why they had to package the outcome of this battle as a 'victory'.
"Wow!"
Ha-ri marvels at the splendor of the banquet hall.
The banquet hall, located outside the hotel, was set in a Japanese-style garden with a long walkway and a pond.
As they walked through the Japanese stone lantern path, which is often used for wedding photography, they saw a huge number of dishes lined up left and right for a gathering of guild executives.
She thought it was a traditional Japanese garden, but in this part, it was also a western-style banquet hall, which was designed to cater to foreign guests.
In the middle of the banquet hall, musicians playing the shamisen, a traditional Japanese instrument, play relaxing music, and staff dressed as chefs take care of the guests.
"Wow, Sis, I've never seen anything like this before."
"Me neither. Oh, and I'll have a drink."
Ha-ri accepted a single glass from the waiter offering champagne.
"… Elder sister, I want to drink too."
"Ugh! No, no. You're too young to drink."
"I'll be an adult in a few months, right?"
Soo-ho whined, but Ha-ri scoffed and sipped her champagne.
Soo-ho glared at Ha-ri, who was feasting to the fullest in a dress provided by the Japanese government.
"Sister, aren't you an Association employee? Shouldn't you be over there with Mr. Oh, Kang-hyuk?"
-Boom!
Ha-ri's gaze darted to the center of the banquet hall, where Prime Minister Fujisawa and Oh Kang-hyuk were exchanging pleasantries.
Behind them is standing in formal attire, department head Kim Jin-soo.
Han Ha-ri, who isn't technically a member of the TTG Guild, should be over there.
"Soo-ho."
"Huh?"
"In your life…when will you ever be so pampered?"
Ha-ri's golden eyes sparked with fire.
"What is it, senior?"
Just then, Jae-hyuk interrupted, looking quite dapper in his suit.
"Jae-hyuk, are you enjoying the party too?"
"Not really. As a member of TTG Guild, I'm treated like a VIP."
Hotel suites, dresses, and banquets.
Ever since the Demon Sword Battle, the TTG Guild has been treated like royalty down to the last soldier.
"It must have been impressive to run across the sea and fight. You're getting quite a few interview requests, aren't you, Ha-ri?"
"Absolutely! I'm an association employee, that's all."
In the Japanese archipelago, Leon's video of the mythical battle was viewed over 100 million times in three days.
They've heard stories of people being promised tens of billions of dollars in ad revenue for each of the five-minute highlights.
The TTG Guild, which had absorbed the Hanbit Palace, had already guaranteed a fast rate of cultivation, and this battle drew a lot of attention.
It was no wonder that Leon was getting so much attention.
"His Majesty isn't the type to grant interviews."
"Queen Beatrice must be busy, too."
It's a tricky business to get access to TTG Guild Number One and Number Two so the Japanese naturally turned their attention to the ones beneath them.
– Hunter Han Ha-ri, is it true that you are the one who used the holy law that allowed the guild members to walk on the sea?
-Can you explain the Holy Law to me?
-You use water and fire at the same time, how is that possible?
-Would you ever consider becoming a Hunter in Japan?
"Ugh… it was a little scary, was I being secretly photographed or something, like a hundred people all of a sudden rushing around."
"They say that the Senior Hunters are half-celebrities… but what kind of broadcast is this?"
With the organization's top executives out of the picture, the people below them were naturally targeted.
Jae-hyuk has also been getting interview requests and high-priced scouting offers from reporters lately.
"Both of you have a lot of trouble. Everyone is interested in holy law users."
They allowed troops to run on the ocean, created waves to sweep enemies away, and rain down thunderbolts from the dry skies.
There were plenty of unique skills that could cause magical phenomena, but the Holy Law was a different kind of power.
"By the way, where's Chun So-yeon? Isn't she a Holy Law user as well, and hasn't she attracted quite a bit of attention?"
"Speaking of which, His Majesty is nowhere to be seen."
The three of them searched for the two of them, but they were nowhere to be seen in the banquet hall.
* * * *
Chun So-yeon shuffled onto the second floor terrace of the banquet hall.
Even though she is an adult, the off-the-shoulder party dress that showed off her legs was embarrassing, but it was familiar to her as she had participated in the family's parties since long ago.
-Ms. Chun So-yeon, you're the next guild leader of the Divine Sword Guild, so why are you in the TTG Guild?
A Japanese reporter who was quite persistent in requesting an impromptu interview.
Yes, she was planning to return someday and the only reason she was here is to get her hands on the Holy Law but none of the gods would grant her the power to do so with such impure intentions except for one.
"I am the only one who will honor your foul bargain. Despite your distrust, I give you power. Do not take that good fortune lightly."
She risked her soul for revenge but she had to do it, to appease her mother's and the guild's spirits.
It had to be done with her own hands, down to the last detail. But....
'I wasn't even a match.'
She thought she had gotten stronger with the Holy Law, with its omnipotence, and she did but it wasn't enough.
'You're not one of those knights or one of those orcs.'
You are nothing.
The words were harsh.
How stinging to be ignored by the object of one's vengeance.
"It's not… over."
[Yes, it's not over]
The darkness whispered in her ear and he was right.
Leon has no intention of letting this raid end here. He planned to open a gate of his own and follow Akasha, just as he did with Holy Knight Jerea Relic Convoy gate.
She still has a chance.
[But you are an unworthy foe. You have your talents, but they pale in comparison to his.]
"Your Majesty…You mean?"
Ventasis knew that his blessing would not be enough for her to face the Demon Archduke.
The Demon Archduke is the second in command, directly beneath the Demon Lord. They are the most powerful demons who would normally vie for the position of Lord.
Even Ventasis has seen only a few powerful Holy Knights in its long history that could rival the Demon Archdukes.
Among the Holy Knights, only the Holy Knights of War could do it but it's just that Leon is so out of the norm.
[But there is a way, my child has actually succeeded, for he has defeated the Demon Archduke of Sloth]
"Is that… true?"
Someone with the blessings of the God of Darkness and Vengeance has defeated a Demon Archduke.
[I'll give you that power if you want it]
"I have already paid the price of my soul. I have no more...."
[If it's to kill the demons, I don't need anything in return, the soul is just a condition of receiving the power]
Chun So-yeon was tempted by Ventasis. No, it wasn't a seduction.
It's just that she and Ventasis have the same common goal.
"Then...."
"Forget it, you're not crossing a river of no return."
"...!"
She turned around to find a tuxedoed Leon staring straight at her.
"Your Majesty...."
So-Yeon stood and bowed as Leon said.
"Power out of proportion is expensive."
"Are you asking me to give up...revenge?"
So-yeon didn't hide her repulsion at Leon's insistence, knowing that what he was about to say would end up being the same old clichéd advice from her grandfather and other adults.
"If you're going to say something about the futility of revenge or that the living must live, then──"
"Who do you think I am, I am the avenger of the gods."
[Hmph…so it should be]
Ventasis agreed.
[Wench, imitate him, for he has lost his people, his comrades, his country, his world, and sworn a vengeance more bitter than any other.]
It was a vengeance so great that even Ventasis was moved.
[That man has fought alone for two hundred years to avenge his losses, he is a great avenger who has triumphed against the impossible]
He destroyed three Demon Lords and two Archdukes, and beheaded over forty Archdemons while slaying millions of demons in the process.
He traveled from one end of the planet to the other, slaying every single demon in his path.
It was a journey of vengeance so great that even the God of Vengeance, Ventasis, was ecstatic.
Would he deny her vengeance? No.
"This king does not deny revenge. He embraces it and has spent so many years fighting for it."
"For the gods… no?"
"It was just a common goal."
"Then why...."
He makes it sound like he's encouraging her revenge.
"Revenge is sweet. But it must be done in cold blood. If you give yourself up for revenge, it's not revenge at all."
Leon looked at the faceless dark god behind So-yeon's back and said.
"Mortals are easily seduced by power and abandon themselves, and you are offering the destruction of mortals as a condition."
[There is a difference in aesthetics. I approve of all vengeance but this one lacks the strength to achieve it, so she must pay the price.]
"This mortal has a backstory, a future. Do you intend to take it away, as you did with 'the child'?"
That child….So-yeon suddenly remembered hearing Ventasis say something similar. When Ventasis had blessed the Starsteel Armor, when Leon had intervened──
"Like when you lost your daughter?"
Leon's daughter. Could she be related to Ventasis?
[The Archduke of Dragonia borrowed the power she deserved from me, and got her wish]
"And she didn't get anything in return, did she?"
[Yes, due to an unexplainable accident, though I think I understand now]
"The deal is done. I paid the price."
[I'm not going to deny your credit, you're the greatest avenger, but this and that are two different things]
"...."
There was a moment of silence between Leon and Ventasis but it was Ventasis who finally surrendered, preferring to compromise than lose the favor of the Lionheart King.
[Speak the alternative, the darkness and vengeance will listen to you]
"This king will help the child get revenge."
"Your Majesty…!"
Leon protested.
"You may have the power to avenge yourself, and the God of Darkness and Vengeance certainly has the power to do so. However, it will end up extinguishing your soul."
"Something like that──!"
I can take it. Chun So-yeon was about to say so when she met Leon's furious gaze and was forced to shut up.
"Don't take the destruction of your soul lightly. Even a sociopath who betrays the gods retains his soul. They get what they deserve and have a chance to purify."
"Do not underestimate the price you will pay for being blinded by your own blood, young one who has not even lived half a century."
"You will never enter the banquet hall of the gods, nor will you have the chance to be pardoned for your sins while your soul is torn apart. Nor will you be left behind as an avenger of darkness and vengeance."
"The price you are about to pay is the burning of your soul. Do you not know that?"
Leon saw the daughter he'd lost in Chun So-yeon but he didn't deny that his actions were not out of remorse.
"Young one, if you are going to speak of revenge, cool your head first."
"If you feel a lack of strength, find something to fill it, but don't lose yourself."
"Do not be afraid to laugh, for at the end of revenge you must laugh."
Leon did not discuss tolerance, mercy, or oblivion.
He had done too much revenge to say that living well is true revenge, and──
"Who do you really want to avenge?"
"That, of course…!"
"The one, who killed your mother and your friends, or yourself, who was chosen by the Demon Sword."
"...!"
At Chun So-yeon's reaction, Leon let out a deep sigh.
This child is so damn similar to my daughter.
Looking for someone to hate, blaming her father, and ultimately blaming herself──
"It's because of you, Your Majesty, you and I… killed him."
The father and daughter had paid too high a price.
In the end, only the failed father remained.