Elaine and Drei.
By now, they should each be clearing an S-Rank Tower—Delicate Arch S-Rank Tower and the Statue of Liberty S-Rank Tower.
No.
Perhaps they’ve already finished.
The S-Rank Towers outside have fallen, and there’s a chance they’re on their way here.
They haven’t arrived yet, but those two are more than capable of handling one Tower each on their own.
The problem is here.
How do we deal with the ones inside this Devil’s Tower S-Rank Tower—these insects, no, these villains?
— Partner. Just to be sure, are you prepared to kill people?
Kiharu had asked me that once.
– I’ve even considered the extinction of humanity, so taking out one or two isn’t a big deal for me, but as for you… the only living things you’ve ever killed are mosquitoes and plants, aren’t they?
Was I prepared to take the life of another human?
– You’ll be facing more people like Ironblood from now on, and every time you do, you’ll hesitate. You’ve already thought about this a lot, haven’t you?
Kiharu’s words were his way of looking out for me.
But from the moment he asked that question, there was already something I had decided.
“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”
If an A-Rank Hunter dares to fire a bullet filled with killing intent at me, then I’ll respond in kind—with Illinois’ main guns.
“There are always bastards who mistake kindness and virtue for weakness. And right now is no different.”
If they think I’m some merciful and benevolent Hunter just because I’m attacking an S-Rank Tower, they are gravely mistaken.
I am not some alien raised by humans, nor am I New York’s friendly neighborhood hero.
I don’t go out of my way to kill people,
but I am no saint who will let those who stand in my way walk free.
“Once Elaine and Drei arrive, they’ll probably want to dirty their own hands, so—”
Click.
“Sorry, Illinois. But you’ll have to be my sword and get a little bloody.”
I may only be pressing a button, but in the end, it’s no different from pulling a trigger.
“Tonight, here, ninety percent of America’s cancer will be wiped out.”
* * *
A-Rank Hunter Steven Kim, who had ‘defected’ from Korea to the United States, could not comprehend what was happening inside this S-Rank Devil’s Tower.
“How…? He was just an ordinary person…!”
Who exactly was Master?
That information had already been exposed when people in Korea dug into his identity.
A former game company employee.
One of those who quit his job to hide the fact that he was Awakened.
Not even a lottery jackpot winner, just a guy who happened to win second place in the lottery—Only to quit his job to keep his Awakening a secret, causing a momentary mix-up.
In the end, though, it was just another case of someone using the situation as an excuse to leave his job.
Steven sympathized with Master’s situation.
It wasn’t exactly draft dodging, but the Hunter Conscription Law in Korea—
Forcing even an eighth-year reservist like Master to continue serving—had enraged him.
– You’re not even in Civil Defense. You’re an eighth-year reservist. You were summoned in accordance with the Reserve Forces Act.
So he defected.
Even getting called up for Civil Defense duty was bullshit, but being practically re-drafted because of a one-year difference? That was the last straw.
There had been some trouble with Hunters during his defection, but the United States had accepted him.
Or rather, not the United States itself—
but the Villain Alliance within it.
[Wings of Freedom].
The name sounded like it belonged to some democratic resistance fighting for liberty.
But in reality, it was a group opposing the U.S. government’s Hunter Registration Act, allowing Hunters to operate independently without submitting their information to the state.
The more rogue Hunters there were, the more valuable Steven became.
Before long, he was proudly operating in the underground under the alias Duty-Free.
A man freed from obligation.
That was why he believed he could relate to Master.
In America’s shadows, whether he was doing drugs, getting high, shooting up.
Or hosting wild parties with entire groups of women—
None of it would have been imaginable in the land of Confucian morality.
But here?
He was strong.
Strong enough that no one could say a damn thing about whatever pleasures he indulged in.
If Master built a harem and lived surrounded by women.
Steven expected to benefit from that trickle-down effect—
bagging female Hunters or popular influencers would be child’s play.
And yet—
[Hunters wielding power but refusing to conquer Towers… What a disgrace.]
What exactly was this overwhelmingly powerful man doing?
[You are unnecessary. Not just to this country—but to this planet.]
BOOOOM!
A voice speaking in Korean thundered over the external speakers.
Steven was the only one who understood it.
“Damn it! The translator’s broken! It was using data!”
“Does anyone here speak Korean?! What the hell is Master saying?!”
The Hunters fighting Master inside the S-Rank Tower—
not a single one of them understood his words.
How could they, when they didn’t know the language?
Steven, at least, found Korean more comfortable than English, so he could understand—
but he wasn’t about to tell the others.
BOOOOM!
“James!!”
“Master is trying to kill all of us!!”
Even without Master’s words, the sheer devastation of Illinois’ missile strikes and artillery barrages made his intent crystal clear to everyone.
“Damn it! I only came to give a warning…!”
“Bullshit! You came on Donald’s orders to kill Master!”
“Shut up! It wasn’t Donald—it was… AARGH!!”
BOOOOM!
The Hunters were utterly helpless against the missile explosions.
Did those missiles have homing capabilities or something?
Even as the Hunters desperately fled and tried to put distance between themselves and the blasts, they were mercilessly struck down by the relentless bombardment.
And then, Steven saw it.
“N-No…! My mana…!”
“H-He’s… turning into Ironblood…!”
Those struck by the missiles suffered nothing more than light burns on their bodies.
But for anyone below S-Rank, a single hit meant their mana was completely drained—leaving them powerless.
Ironblood.
The first to lose all their magic from Illinois’ attack.
And because of that, Hunters across the world came to understand the true nature of Master’s power.
A de facto death sentence for Hunters.
They had once clawed their way out of rock-bottom, winning the Awakening lottery and seizing a new life as Hunters.
But now, without even fully enjoying their freedom, they were being stripped of their status, power, and privilege—all at Master’s whim.
And for a Hunter, that was no different from death itself.
“N-Nooo!! I don’t wanna go back to being a hippie in the slums!!”
A Hunter with dreadlocks tried to escape Illinois’ assault.
If they wanted to flee from inside the Tower, the only way out was the Gate.
But unfortunately for them, Illinois had completely blocked the exit.
“Listen up, everyone! If we wanna get out, we have to get rid of that thing!”
Steven shouted.
There were some S-Rank Hunters among them, but they were too busy dodging or deflecting Illinois’ artillery to mount an attack.
“There’s no way we can destroy that thing from in here! We’re better off killing him in the real world!”
“B-But if we do that…!”
“It’s still a better shot than this! Who cares if the world finds out? We already chose to live as villains!”
[That’s an interesting take, but aren’t you forgetting something?]
Steven froze.
[What made you think I’d let any of you live?]
“W-What…?”
[I might have avoided direct action outside to maintain a certain image—
but I’m no saint.]
“N-No way…”
Illinois’ main guns slowly rotated toward a new target.
As magic gathered at the barrel’s tip, the Hunters standing in its path frantically scattered.
“N-No…!”
And at the end of that barrel—
BOOOOM!
The main cannon roared.
A blast of pure magical energy tore through the middle of the Hunters.
“We made it! We dodged it!”
“No, he wasn’t aiming at us—”
SCREEEEECH!!
A screeching wail erupted alongside the explosion.
It was a sound every Hunter should be familiar with—
But one they rarely heard firsthand anymore.
Something they’d only seen in dungeon raid footage.
“Y-You…!”
SCREEEEECH!!
[If you’re a Hunter, maybe focus on fighting the beasts inside the Tower—
instead of plotting to kill each other.]
Rumble.
The ground trembled.
The monsters—
The ones that had only been watching the infighting until now—
Finally made their move.
After witnessing dozens of their kin get obliterated by the main cannon, they charged.
Toward Illinois?
No.
“AAAAAARGH!!”
They were charging at the fallen Hunters—
the ones already struck down by Illinois’ bombardment.
CRACK! SNAP!
“Urgh…!”
Spines snapped, heads and torsos were torn apart,
limbs were seized and used as clubs to bludgeon their owners’ former comrades.
SCREEEEEEEEEECH!!
Humans.
Once villains.
Now reduced to Ironblood—
Powerless prey for the beasts of the Tower.
“You… you call yourself human?!”
Steven screamed at Illinois.
“You’re murdering people like this—just slaughtering them! You monster!”
[I never thought I’d hear that from you, Kim Chang-sik.]
“W-What…?!”
[Steven Chang-sik Kim. Didn’t you cripple three Hunters while murdering your reservist commander during your escape?]
“…!”
He didn’t even have time to ask how Master knew.
[I know everything.]
BOOOOM!
Illinois fired again.
The blast incinerated the monsters that had been devouring the fallen villains.
“W-What…? Why…?”
“AAARGH! Why is he sparing him but not me?!”
[I’m not sparing anyone. I’m making sure the ones who deserve a trial make it to court.]
Thud.
As he watched the villains get torn apart by the remaining monsters,
Steven finally understood.
“You can’t be serious…”
[I’m not interested in saving murderers. If you’ve killed innocent civilians, don’t expect me to waste my mercy on you.]
“AAAAAAAH!!”
Steven ran.
He ran with all his strength, dodging Illinois’ bombardment, desperately trying to outrun the monsters chasing him.
[If you’ve got innocent blood on your hands— I’m not kind enough to care what happens to you.]
“AAAAAARGH!!”
A gap.
A tiny, minuscule gap—
Between Illinois and the Gate.
If he could squeeze through it—
If he could just make it to the other side—
He might survive.
He might actually have a chance—
CRACKLE.
A spark of electricity danced at the Gate’s entrance.
“Hello?”
A woman stood between Illinois and the Gate.
She was pressed tightly into the narrow gap.
A gun aimed directly at Steven’s forehead.
“How the hell did you fit in there—”
BANG!
A shot rang out.
A bullet laced with lightning.
The moment Steven realized it was heading straight for his forehead—
He could no longer think at all.
