S-class Hunter Chun Ji-ho, a promising genius swordsman and the next heir to the #1 hunter guild in the country, the Divine Sword Guild and Hanara, a quasi-S-class hunter who was considered an equal genius.
Parents she admired and was proud of.
Often traveling to the provinces to capture gates, So-yeon's parents would take her with them on school days off to spend time with their daughter.
Chun So-yeon was the sweetheart of Chun Ji-ho's raid team, and So-yeon loved her parents and her raid hunter uncles and aunts.
But four years ago in Ulsan Chun So-yeon was greeting her parents as they came out of the gate like any other day, when a "demon sword" appeared in front of her.
[That's quite a bowl. You have talent]
Take the sword. I will make you the strongest swordsman.
Even though she was only fourteen years old, she instinctively recognized the ominous aura of the demon sword. But… she reached out.
It wasn't her will but the aura it emitted, the temptation, was beyond the power of ordinary human will to resist.
"So-yeon…!"
Just as Chun So-yeon was about to grab the sword, it was her father, Chun Ji-ho, who grabbed the hilt of the demon sword.
"It's because of me, because I was tempted by the demon sword...."
Her father took the sword for her, and she became the sixth generation of Demon Swordsman.
His mother and the uncles and aunts of the raiding party had all died at his hands.
"You know what? It is said that the Demon Sword… wanders in search of humans with the most exceptional swordsman's temperament, and the reason it came to Ulsan… was because of me."
From that day forward, So-yeon was given her destiny.
Kill her father, who became a demon swordsman, and take revenge on herself, who was the cause of everything.
Thus, her revenge would be twofold.
"Stupid."
"...."
As Leon listened to the poignant story, he denied her vengeance.
"How can the target of revenge be the victim and not the perpetrator? You've got the target of revenge all wrong."
"...Are you saying that my true target of revenge is the Demon Archduke?"
"That's right."
Chen So-yeon hadn't realized that the Wandering Demon Sword was a creature. It was a fact that no one on Earth knew.
"Make amends with the God of Darkness and Vengeance, and take the revenge you deserve. That would be the right way to be an avenger."
"But I…I'm not even a match for him."
"Recall what a miracle you have before you."
Leon chuckled and placed a hand on Chun So-yeon's shoulder. A moment later… in front of the throng of government officials, reporters, and Hunters in the ballroom, he declared.
"I declare it here and now. This king will open the gate and we will put an end to this scoundrel."
* * * *
I will open the gates and slay the Demon Archduke.
Leon's words shocked the Hunters and others gathered in the ballroom.
"Open… the gate… is that even possible?"
"It is possible....."
Beatrice jumped to the podium at Leon's call, and she wasn't the only one.
"Lord Spinner."
-Da-da-da-da!
A minimalist mechanical spider climbs the stairs. It was Yakt Spinner, the first Holy Knight of the TTG Guild.
-Tsk!
With a sputter of machine language, Yappy projected a giant holographic image in the center of the ballroom.
-What is that?
-It appears to be a hologram.
-Was that… a practical application of the technology?"
-As far as that kind of precision imaging goes....
Yappy showed a video of the moment when the TTG Guild formed an artificial gate and entered it.
"Hmph…A gate was created?!"
"Your Majesty, is that video real?"
The fact that the Demon Sword had created the gate was well known among the Hunters, but it hadn't yet spread to the civilian world.
To the shocked reporters, Beatrice explained slowly.
"Gates can be artificially created. It's more of a phenomenon. The question is, 'which' gate?"
A reporter raised his hand.
"So… you're saying you can artificially select the gate you want?"
"Not 100%, but you must have something that can help you pick the coordinates."
The roaring reporters, the Hunters, the higher-ups and the government officials came to one conclusion.
"Your Majesty, you mean to open the gate and slay the Demon Archduke...."
"We will open the gate after his escape. This time, we will end the evil bastard."
Chase the fleeing Demon Sword and slay it.
There was no one here who did not know what that meant.
* * * *
"Foolish."
Chairman Kamiya was appalled by Leon's declaration.
"Mr. Chairman...."
Takeda, who had come to the banquet hall to assist Chairman Kamiya, swallowed what he wanted to say.
As far as he was concerned, Leon's declaration was not realistic.
Opening the gate is good. It's amazing that they have the ability to do that but apart from that, the problem is that the being he's trying to defeat is the Demon Archduke.
"We, Japan, have already suffered great losses. There's no point in sending a bunch of people here to attack a Black Gate."
The Black Gate is a gate of immeasurable difficulty that must be captured at the risk of national honor.
Any country would be disgusted by this, let alone Chairman Kamiya himself.
"But Mr. Chairman, this might be an opportunity."
"A chance?"
"Yes. We haven't gotten anything out of this slaughter. Besides, with the Lionheart King, we can slay even those nasty demons. It won't even be able to resurrect like the one in Shanghai."
A demon is something that cannot be killed.
The Archdemon Skazakari, the one responsible for the Shanghai massacre, was slain many times, only to be resurrected and turn Shanghai into a hellhole.
But with Leon, they don't have to worry about the immortality of demons.
Leon's power, the Holy Law, extinguishes the demon's soul itself.
"That's the problem!"
"What?"
"Even if they manage to defeat the Demon Archduke, all of your hard work will go to the TTG Guild. The Hunters of the Alliance will be nothing more than accessories for him."
"...."
But Takeda felt that he had to put that aside and defeat the Demon Archduke now.
Demons have an unreasonable tendency to resurrect and return after being defeated.
What if the Wandering Demon Sword returned after regaining its strength? What guarantee was there that the Lionheart King would be with them then?
Above all....
"Nishimori, Asada, Miyamura, Kanae… they were all great hunters, even for their revenge──"
"Those weaklings can be replaced, there are still over thirty S-class Hunters in Japan!"
"...."
Takeda's brow narrows. He was fed up with Chairman Kamiya treating even S-class Hunters as expendable.
Without even seeing Takeda's expression, Chairman Kamiya continues.
"Besides, the people won't accept it. No one wants to see a black gate in front of their house."
President Kamiya doesn't usually care about the public's opinion, but when it's in his favor, he takes it into account.
However public opinion has begun to take a strange turn.
* * * *
Leon's public declaration that he will slay the Demon Archduke has, unsurprisingly, become a hot topic throughout Japan.
First was the need to open a new gate off the coast of Shikoku to follow Akasha's trail.
Then there was the massive amount of magic stones required to open the gate, which the Japanese government would provide.
Most importantly, he called for the massive participation of Japanese hunters in the hunt.
-Why would we want to capture the Demon Archduke in Japan?
-If we fail and there's a dungeon break in Japan, we'll be blamed for it.
-We've already lost a lot of hunters in Japan.
"Hmm… of course they'll say that."
Ha-ri had a look of helplessness on her face as she read the internet reactions that the Yakt Spinner was translating in real time.
Of course, it's in the best interest of humanity as a whole to take down the Demon Archduke when they can.
It would be shortsighted and self-serving to let an Archduke go because they're afraid of the damage to their own country, because the demon will soon recover and invade Earth again.
Logically, it would be wise to follow Leon's lead but apart from that, people don't like to lose.
They recoil from the idea of sacrifice for the greater good.
"If this were the Lionheart Kingdom, we wouldn't be having this debate.
"I'd gladly give my life for the chance to slay an Archduke!" the hard-core demon-hater would say.
"Lord Yappy…won't this be hard? It looks like even the All Japan Association won't cooperate, citing public opinion."
-Hmm?
At Ha-ri's question, Yappy looked at her as if she were a savage who had found fire and could only roast meat.
"How is it possible for a camera eye to display such a wide range of emotions?!"
-Public opinion is not formed. They are 'made'.
"For example?"
-Triggering the appropriate protocols. Taking over Japanese networks. 3…2….
"Lord Yappy?"
-...Takeover complete.
At that moment the internet comments that Ha-ri had been reading were flooded with dislikes and objections, and new ones began to appear.
-How dare you say that in front of people who've been killed by demons. Aren't you the devil's followers for letting the devil go?
-Proud Japanese hunters have been murdered. We must avenge them.
-Fleeing here is like surrendering to the demons. Everyone who says we shouldn't attack the gate now is a demon follower.
It's not just the comments.
As if to bury the articles that were skeptical or negative about the gate attack, articles supporting the gate attack and its benefits began to pour in.
-Japan will never give in to the demons!
-Korea Hunter Association pledges full support. The All Japan Association still hesitates.
-The Otherworldly Lionheart King, who has come to Japan's defense, promises to lead the way.
-After defeating the Demon Archduke, the Transcendent sided with Japan.
"Uh, uh, Lord Yappy! Lord Yappy, suddenly the public opinion on the Internet has started to change? This is no joke! I guess people's goodwill...."
-Kiruk. Attempt to manipulate public opinion discovered. Blocked. Blocked. Blocked. Began work on exposing the scandal of the Strategic Opposition.
"Lord Yappy?"
Ha-ri looked at the additional articles posted as breaking news.
-Leak of shocking remarks by All Japan Association President Kamiya. A single S-class Hunter is worth a million citizens.
-Four-term LDP lawmaker found to have shocking off-the-books funds. Where did the money come from?
-Japan's S-class hunters, who refuse to attack because they value their lives. When did Yamato's samurai become such cowards?
Articles that would normally never be published under the watchful eye of the All Japan Association appeared.
"You crazy bastard! What are you doing? What are these articles?"
"Ugh! That's unfair! We never published anything like this!"
"Shut up and get off!"
"Hey, the server is down, I can't even access the Internet!"
The media outlets were blocked with pinpoints. Even the Nippon Keizai was hacked, and no one could make a move against them.
-We, the great nation of Japan, do not need to be at the mercy of the Chong (a derogatory term for Koreans).
We must take revenge on the Chongs for sacrificing Japanese hunters in an all-out war.
Before some far-right sites could react, their community servers were blown up. It was an EMP attack.
-Controlled. Public approval of the gate attack remained in the 80s.
As Ha-ri watched, she thought to herself.
'Is this okay?'
Was she watching the birth of a media-controlled dystopian dictatorship?
Apart from that, people from all walks of life in Japan were also starting to make moves, fueled by the power of public opinion.
"Prime Minister Fujisawa, dismiss the president of the All Japan Association, order the creation of a temporary government-affiliated hunter organization, announce unlimited supply of blessed crops and 'gate-operable reconnaissance drones'!"
"Hunter Takeda, second in command of the All Japan Association declares that he will repay the price of his colleagues' lives! Will he part ways with Chairman Kamiya?"
"Chairman Kamiya Exposed for Illegal Political Funding. Prosecutors begin investigation."
"The Japanese branch of the TTG Guild expands! It is recognized as an official religion and begins its activities."
Ten days after the defeat of the Demon Sword.
That's how long it took for the TTG Guild to take over all of Japan.
* * * *
With public opinion under control, the government and the Hunter's Association in full cooperation, the gate attack was prepared in a flash.
First, the government warehouses were opened and a huge amount of magic stones were prepared, and as Chairman Kamiya's remarks and scandal were exposed, Japanese Hunters from the All Japan Association joined the attack on the Japan-Korea Alliance.
"Twelve S-class Hunters from Korea! Twenty-one from Japan! Over five hundred A-class Hunters from both countries! This is the largest raid ever!"
That's not all, there were also a lot of B-class Hunters mobilized, including Leon's TTG Guild members, bringing the total number to over 3,000.
Even though more than a thousand people were mobilized from the TTG Guild alone, the Japanese B-class Hunters were not happy about the situation.
-With the Lionheart King, we'll be strengthened by at least one rank, which should help us considerably.
-This is one of the few chances we have to attack the Demon Gate. If we do well, we could turn our lives around.
The governor and prime minister have agreed to provide gate-operated reconnaissance drones and tons of blessed crops to any raiding party that participates!
Public opinion may have turned against them, but Hunters from both Japan and Korea have a lot at stake in this raid.
It was the Blessed Crops, which were once famous, but were in short supply and barely available to even the largest guilds.
The TTG Guild, which holds the rights to the crop, has promised to supply it first.
Blessed Crops are a high-end supply coveted by Hunters around the world, as they provide a significant amount of buff potions and health over time.
It's worth joining just to get priority access to something you can't buy. And──
"The Temple of Ten Thousand Gods is announcing a scout drone that can be activated from the gate. It's a revolution in gate capture that can observe the entire field."
Electronics don't work properly inside the gate. This is due to mechanical failures caused by the high concentration of mana and miasma.
At best, small electronics, such as photography equipment, can barely work, and they cost a fortune.
Obviously, reconnaissance drones are out of the question, and satellites? There isn't even a simple satellite technology that can be launched individually.
Yappy has already developed a combat satellite armament platform that works from the gate, but it hides the fact that it's supplying the hunter raiders in the field.
They've even created a simple satellite, a reconnaissance drone unencumbered by magic and miasma.
In fact, in a small field, a reconnaissance drone would be much more cost-effective than a satellite.
"Why is the Japanese government so cooperative?"
Ha-ri was puzzled by the strangely cooperative Japanese government but Beatrice, who had been leading the negotiations, shrugged it off.
"Politics."
"Politics?"
"For years, the Japanese government has been beholden to a private organization, the All Japan Association, and His Majesty has helped to break it up and create an independent Hunter's Association under the Japanese government."
"Ah… ah, so the blessed crops and drone offerings…?"
"Those were the first gifts we gave them in exchange for their cooperation."
Both the blessed crops and the drones were given to the Japanese government so that they could be distributed by the government.
Naturally, Japanese hunters need to look good to the government.
Crops and drones are powerful items that can save the lives of raiders.
In Korea, it's one thing to be manipulated by a top ten guild, but the All Japan Association, which was completely privatized and not even a government agency, was a blight on Japanese society.
It was only covered up by the Hunter's heroization and public opinion manipulation.
When that manipulation didn't work, it didn't take long for it to collapse.
"Let's get started."
Leon approached, and Ha-ri shot him a surprised glance.
Leon had engineered all of this and in just ten days, he had brought down Japan's impregnable fortress.
"What?"
"Nothing. Your Majesty is… smarter than I thought."
She doesn't say it, but her expression reveals the impure thought: He's not just a thug…
"This?"
It was Beatrice who saved Ha-ri from the brink.
"Your Majesty, I will open the gate then."
The massive combined invasion force of 3,500 hunters from Japan and Korea crossed the gate opened by Beatrice.
"All the gods are with us. Even the Demon Sword is useless against the Lionheart King, who overpowered the Demon Archduke!
'I wonder how the Lionheart King and the Ten Thousand Gods Guild will fight.'
'I'm reluctant to face a demon, but only if there's the Lionheart king....'
As their thoughts intersect, they are met with a culture shock beyond their wildest dreams.
"Take them all! They are not worthy of death!"
Leon commands, but they can't hide their dumbfounded faces.
'Something… something doesn't seem right.'
Leon's gravelly voice reaches all 3,500 of them.
His voice, filled with boundless hatred and boundless anger, had a force that bent even the common sense they took for granted.
"These scums will be reduced to serfdom and suffering, take as many as you can!"
The first thing the Allied Exterminators who entered the Demon Archduke's territory did was──burning villages, slaughtering civilians and hunting down slaves.
""Is this, is this right?""
They had forgotten that the Lionheart King was a medieval fantasy super racist.