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The National Defense Council and the Hongik Patriotic Group share the same goal.

However, their dispositions are clearly different.

“They’re as different as a bunch of muscle-bound idiots in the National Defense Council and a wild bunch of crazies who think they’re smart in the Hongik Patriotic Group.”

Of course, as Korea progressed, the differences in their characteristics narrowed considerably, but with key figures still firmly in place, like pillars and foundations, there was an evident contrast between the two groups, like oil and water.

And right now.

In front of Jinseong stood one of the key figures from the Hongik Patriotic Group.

The Sword Demon, Kim Jong-soo.

Known as the “Sword Ghost” by the Viet Cong during the Vietnam deployment, he was a warrior whose name had become synonymous with that title. Naturally, with such a nickname came unparalleled swordsmanship, and rather than rusting with age, he grew even stronger over time.

It was said he made significant contributions in battles against Japan before his rewind, his berserk behavior being that of a human butcher.

“Who are you?”

As soon as Kim Jong-soo got out of the car, he glared at Jinseong with fierce eyes.

Without answering, Jinseong adjusted the shape of his golden mask. The mask changed into shapes resembling a wasp, a spider, an ant, a caterpillar, and more, shifting continuously to dazzle Kim Jong-soo’s sight.

The mask kept transforming,

With spider legs made of gold,

A bizarre atmosphere that certainly resembled a person but felt off.

All of it sparked tension in the air.

Then, when that tension peaked, Jinseong finally spoke up.

“Ahem. The question is wrong.”

His voice was strange.

It sounded distorted and echoed as if he were speaking through a twisted, knotted pipe.

As if a butterfly were vocalizing with a rounded mouth.

Like a madman speaking through a brass instrument.

Jinseong aimed to captivate everyone with that bizarre voice.

But Kim Jong-soo, undeterred by the strange voice, glared at him with gleaming eyes.

“Alright. Let’s rephrase the question. How did you get here?”

“That’s also the wrong question.”

Jinseong spread his arms wide and looked at him.

The golden mask that had just resembled a caterpillar had transformed into a shape akin to a grasshopper.

“This is not a case of wandering here aimlessly, nor is it destiny that brought me here. Thus, my arrival is well beyond coincidence—it was an undeniable will. I came here solely by my own volition, so even the words ‘fate’ or ‘destiny’ can’t apply.”

The golden mask trembled.

It resembled an insect trying to hold back laughter.

“Therefore, that question is utterly meaningless.”

“Is that so?”

Kim Jong-soo replied calmly, looking at Jinseong.

“If so, then having this conversation is also pointless.”

With that, he unsheathed his sword like a flash of lightning.

An invisible, colorless energy swept past Jinseong, something his eyes couldn’t even see.

And time flowed on.

As Kim Jong-soo blinked, a thin line appeared on Jinseong’s neck.

With a slight intake of breath, the line became even more distinct.

And when he sheathed his sword again, Jinseong’s head fell to the ground.

Thud.

Rolling.

“Sir! What is this!”

The officer who came with Kim Jong-soo screamed.

He screamed, horrified that the Sword Demon had suddenly swung his sword and committed murder, that proper procedures were skipped for an instant execution, and he despaired over how this would cloud his path to a promotion.

The officer, pale-faced, rushed towards Kim Jong-soo.

“I can see you’re a reasonable person, so why! Why did you chop his head off?”

“Hmm.”

“Furthermore, this is clearly excessive force! Though it’s an important facility, you can’t just decapitate some random intruder! This isn’t wartime—what the hell are you doing?!”

The officer vented his grievances, filled with indignation.

Normally, this was something he would never have even dreamed of doing, yet faced with this shocking event and realizing his promotion path was stifled, the officer lost a bit of his reason and was able to act quite rudely.

But Kim Jong-soo, despite the officer complaining at his side, merely stared at the head rolling on the ground. Then he pulled out his sword again with one hand and muttered.

“Indeed.”

He sighed lightly and gave his sword tip a gentle shake.

Then, once more, the unseen energy sliced through the disembodied head in half. It was as if a watermelon or cabbage was precisely halved, revealing a dazzling, blinding golden light that dazzled the eyes.

The cut surface squirmed, almost as if embarrassed by the gazes of others, altering its shape until it eventually formed into small bug-like shapes and crumbled to the floor. A golden beetle and paper-note-like flying bugs scurried about, dizzying all eyes around.

These gathered insects formed into shapes like horns, resembling the top of a pyramid with a mouth.

“Cough.”

In response to the bizarre scene, Kim Jong-soo asked the dazed officer at his side.

“Does it seem like it can still talk?”

“Uh, I can’t understand what it’s saying…. But, it doesn’t seem human, sir….”

“It is human. No, it was human. It may have been horrific, but it was human.”

Kim Jong-soo said, gazing at Jinseong, who was reforming his body from the golden insects.

“I felt a clear human presence earlier, so it was indeed human. But it seems that it has fled and is hiding, controlling those things.”

“Fled? You mean that?”

The officer looked as if he couldn’t comprehend how that was possible.

Dozens of soldiers.

TOD, satellites, drones, CCTV, sniper scopes, and other surveillance systems.

And among them, the Warrior Kim Jong-soo, who would undoubtedly rank within the top ten if asked for a powerhouse in Korea.

In such conditions, how could anyone slip away unnoticed?

“Even a mere animal would develop fleeing skills to cling to its life, so why should humans be any different?”

Kim Jong-soo said, closing his eyes.

Then he exhaled energy from his body, spreading his presence in all directions.

Faintly.

As sensitive as a spider’s web.

Most importantly, light yet capable of moving solely by his own will.

“I found you.”

Kim Jong-soo began to move his sword, piercing through the darkness created by his eyelids.

His movements were as light as holding a puppy’s grass.

* * *

The sword cut through the air like a formless entity.

As light gathered and vanished, it left an ephemeral trail.

If such a trail left no trace, how would one know that the sword had even swung?

If the energy dissipated and the trail left no afterimage, proving only what was cut, then only the result matters.

If that were the case, swinging and cutting would be all there was.

Everything else would be irrelevant.

* * *

With Kim Jong-soo’s slow horizontal slash, somewhere in the village was severed.

The sword he wielded at the well cut cleanly through the neck of an unseen entity lurking somewhere in the village. Just as before, it drew a straight line and cut diagonally through, letting the severed head fall to the ground.

But the fallen head seemed to mock him, dissolving again and scattering golden insects everywhere.

“It’s… useless.”

“Right. Quite useless.”

Kim Jong-soo breathed a small sigh at the mocking voice.

And then he quietly watched the golden insects wriggling and changing shapes on the ground.

“Cough. If you ask the right question, I will answer.”

“No. That’s enough.”

“In that case, why not call someone else? Since it’s clear that those present cannot capture me, wouldn’t it be wise to bring someone else to attempt to find and capture me?”

Kim Jong-soo frowned as the eerie voice tickled his ears.

“It seems you have quite the talent for enchanting people with your tongue….”

It’s unfortunate you couldn’t even have your tongue pulled out or your head chopped off.

He muttered softly and glanced at the officer beside him.

“Request backup. There’s a murder suspect here.”

The officer blinked at Kim Jong-soo’s words.

Murder?

Murder suspect?

With those heavy words, the officer’s face gradually turned white.

But simultaneously, his eyes and hands trembled slightly with excitement at the realization that capturing the murder suspect would not just restore his promotion path but pave a fast lane to success.

“Tell them the crazy shaman who killed a loan shark is here, and make sure to mention the serial number on those flying bugs like paper money.”

“Yes!”

Jinseong hid behind Letona, excitedly watching the reporting officer and the wary Kim Jong-soo, who held his sword aloft.

He merely watched.

 

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