Chapter 769
No matter how rational a person may be, they cannot remain composed every moment of their life.
And Michael Silbert only realized he was agitated after pouring himself three cups of coffee in a row.
‘Agitated? Me?’
Even to him, it was quite surprising, and that surprise soon turned into displeasure.
A leader must never show signs of wavering.
Not to an enemy, nor to an ally.
And the same applied to oneself.
To win this war, he could not reveal even the slightest flaw.
In a fierce battle, a person’s movements begin to slow from the very moment they realize they have been wounded.
Michael Silbert believed that he could possess everything only by ignoring pain, and he had lived according to that belief.
Ever since that distant day when he had returned from the edge of death.
But there were two reasons why he, who had lived that way, was so agitated today.
One was the trembling that came from having finally come so close to his great dream.
The other was…
‘Probably because of that bastard.’
Through the steam rising from the coffee cup, the face of one man flashed through his mind.
A youth far younger than himself, who had monopolized the public’s affection in an absurdly short span of time and ultimately become the most troublesome obstacle of all.
‘Jin Taekyung.’
Along with that name lingering in his mouth, he felt a faint pain around his neck.
Sssk.
As Michael Silbert carefully pulled down the turtleneck covering his neck, a vivid dark red wound was revealed.
Skin twisted and damaged by the heat that had seeped in for only a brief instant.
It was the first wound he had suffered in over a decade, a mark left behind by Jin Taekyung just a few days ago.
Bzzzzz.
At the vibration coming from somewhere, the fingertips that had been caressing the still-unhealed wound trembled.
Instinctively pulling the collar back up to hide it, Michael Silbert looked at the name displayed on the smartphone screen.
[Immanuel]
There are many people in this world named Immanuel.
But there was only one Immanuel who could contact him directly without going through Huginn.
Click.
Congratulations, Guild Master.
The moment the French President’s voice came through, Michael Silbert let out a laugh and immediately tipped the three coffee cups in front of him onto the floor.
Along with the anxiety and agitation contained within them, and the face of the one man that had faintly appeared through the rising steam.
And after spilling it all out like that, the only things left in those empty cups were joy and a sense of victory.
‘I… have won.’
Now that the throne had been prepared, all that remained was a splendid coronation.
At this very moment, Michael Silbert suddenly grew curious.
What kind of expression Jin Taekyung must be wearing after hearing the news.
The corner of his mouth twitched at the vivid image that rose in his mind.
It’s strange.
Something that never should have happened has become reality, yet my heart is strangely calm.
And one of the biggest reasons I could remain like this was probably because it had been a sufficiently predictable outcome.
===
“Fuck.”
Even so, I still had to say what had to be said. I couldn’t just sit there admiring it.
Spitting out a curse out of habit, I looked at Team Leader Choi Minwoo, who had just opened the door and stepped inside.
“So… we couldn’t stop it after all?”
Team Leader Choi Minwoo gave a heavy nod.
“There was a clear limit.”
“Even with Russia’s unexpected support?”
“Even if the UK, which maintained neutrality during this General Assembly, had joined our side, the result wouldn’t have changed much. The situation right now is effectively wartime.”
Even I, who was practically blind when it came to politics, knew how overwhelming the authority of the permanent member states was.
I also knew that what the experts on TV called the international situation was ultimately just a power struggle between nations.
After all, this place was no different from another Murim.
If martial artists flaunted their family name and martial arts, powerful nations flaunted their military, economy, and every sort of resource, including production capacity, while suppressing weaker ones.
And in this UN General Assembly, as many as five permanent member states, the very greatest among the great powers, had joined forces to oppose the re-establishment of the World Hunter Federation.
Under normal circumstances, regardless of likes or dislikes, many countries under the influence of that power and authority would have followed their lead like mere accessories.
That is, under normal circumstances.
“Already, around twenty countries, including Congo, Syria, Ethiopia, and Myanmar, are on the verge of civil war. With coup forces rising everywhere under the pretext of public sentiment, they would’ve wanted a conclusion as quickly as possible. The situation in the other countries isn’t much different.”
“Damn it.”
“Fear is destroying the rule of law. This must be the exact situation Michael Silbert wanted.”
This had gone beyond politics. It was a matter of survival.
If your house was about to burn to ashes and several huge men stood blocking the fire hydrant, telling you to wait a little longer, who would obediently turn back?
I understood their position completely.
However…
‘It’s a completely different matter if you find out that fire extinguisher is actually a flamethrower.’
I admit it.
The World Hunter Federation is absolutely necessary.
During the last Great Cataclysm, they had played the role of outstanding firefighters in a situation where terrible flames were spreading everywhere.
Because they did their best as the most devoted heroes.
But Michael Silbert wasn’t like that.
The very man who had secretly set the fire was being appointed as the new fire chief.
What greater black comedy could there be?
That was why, three days ago, I had said it in front of everyone.
We had to stop him. We had to use every ounce of strength we had within the time given to hold Michael Silbert back.
And now, the sand in the overturned hourglass was running out.
And in just three days.
“This is… this is too fast.”
It wasn’t just Team Leader Choi Minwoo and me in the room.
Skeleton King, who muttered the words like a groan, clenched the documents in his hand tightly.
Through the hopelessly crumpled paper in his grip, a familiar face printed on it was visible.
A man looking into the camera with a younger, more human expression than he had now.
It was Michael Silbert.
To be exact, Michael Silbert from decades ago.
Over the last four days, we had investigated every material brought from Siegfried Bassman’s secluded residence, along with Michael Silbert’s past activities.
To find some clue that could stop him.
But Michael Silbert was one of the most famous figures in the world.
The amount of information accumulated over decades since the Great Cataclysm was overwhelmingly vast.
Time did not wait for us.
“Can’t we stop it?”
I couldn’t answer Skeleton King’s question.
Magic Johnson, who was in charge of the materials from the secluded residence, might perhaps have discovered something by now, but the odds were slim.
Even when he visited via hologram four days ago, he had already reviewed all the materials more than ten times, then reviewed them all over again.
In the end, the only answer I could give now was a guess close to despair.
“Yeah. Probably.”
“So far, all we’ve done is confirm what we already knew.”
After those words, a heavy silence settled over the room.
Then, at that moment, Skeleton King, who had been staring at the mountain of documents with trembling eyes, suddenly opened his mouth.
“No, one method remains.”
“A method… still exists?”
“A very simple and easy method. There’s no need to take a difficult detour.”
And the next moment, the words that came from Skeleton King were something I had never expected at all.
“Treacherous human, you must annihilate this body.”
“What?”
At first, I thought I had misheard him.
But Skeleton King continued calmly toward me, who stared back in disbelief.
“Of course, not right now. Reveal this body’s identity in front of everyone, in front of those important humans watching, and annihilate it. Then we can achieve a definite effect.”
“Isn’t it simple? If we’ve been caught with a weakness so critical that we have no choice but to accept his demands, then all we have to do is eliminate that weakness. Along with an appropriate reason.”
An icy chill ran down my spine.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
Even though I was looking at the same being as always, the creature in front of me felt more unfamiliar than ever before.
His deeply sunken eyes. The faint smile forming on his face. Even that calm voice.
Every last part of him.
“This body is a Monster. To you humans, it is no different from evil itself, and it is cunning enough to easily deceive and approach the eyes of insignificant humans.”
Skeleton King grinned.
“You, human. To confess now, you are not actually all that devious. You are merely ignorantly strong and far more stupid than you should be. The other humans know that as well, so if you show it through your actions, they will not find it difficult to accept.”
Thump. Thump. Thump.
My heart pounded violently.
Countless thoughts tangled in my mind, and words I couldn’t bring myself to speak swirled around in my mouth before I even realized it had opened.
‘This lunatic…’
I had never even considered it once.
That was exactly why it hit me so much harder.
And into my ears, frozen for a moment, another voice drove in like an awl.
“It’s possible.”
“Team Leader Choi!”
Despite my instinctive shout, Team Leader Choi Minwoo didn’t even flinch.
He continued speaking with a face hardened stiffly in place.
“A weakness can only be called a weakness if it is exposed and the enemy can exploit it. If you remove it yourself, no problem remains.”
“What the hell are you…”
“Yes, it would work. The public still loves Jin Taekyung. Although the extermination of the terrorist group led to the Prophet’s appearance, it was done for a greater good, and despite the many criticisms, he still saved people with everything he had. In particular, the spirit of sacrifice Jin Taekyung showed during the Monster Waves involving Leviathan and Munich…”
“Enough!”
At my shout, which burst out once more, his mouth finally closed.
But Team Leader Choi Minwoo’s silence didn’t last long.
“Then what are you going to do?”
“Is there another method? Is there any way to stop Michael Silbert from taking the World Hunter Federation, no, the entire world, into his grasp?”
I couldn’t breathe.
Toward me, who had lost my words for a moment, Team Leader Choi Minwoo poured out the words he had been suppressing somewhere inside himself without pause.
“We could hide Skeleton King in some distant place no one knows, some place no one can ever find. But if Michael Silbert reveals the truth, do you think people will believe us?”
“But that guy…”
“Yes, that’s right. He absolutely saved many people. In Sichuan, in Busan, in Japan and Munich, he fought right alongside us. Perhaps hundreds of thousands of lives were saved because of him. But!”
Thud.
With a heavy step, Team Leader Choi Minwoo came right up in front of me.
A pair of eyes mixed with countless emotions and a powerful voice followed.
“People won’t believe it.”
And his final words faded away powerlessly, like a dying campfire.
“Because Skeleton King is… he is a Monster.”