[10 Minutes Ago, China-India Border]
“Ahh. Just quietly pull your troops back.”
Soldiers in what looked like near-future sci-fi-style uniforms rolled up on tanks to the top of a hill, shouting through loudspeakers.
“If you peacefully retreat now and recognize the border, there won’t be any bloodshed.”
“Shut the hell up!”
Across from them stood bronze-skinned men also in military uniforms, returning the shout through their own loudspeakers.
“Who the hell do you think you are, trying to claim this land? This is Indian territory, not your damned Chinese soil!”
“Tsk. Borders change with the times. Can’t you see the sky?”
The Chinese soldier pointed to the sky.
“The White Babel of East Asia has spread all the way here. That Babel’s position is undeniable proof that this is Chinese land.”
In the sky where he pointed, two Babels stood with a clear boundary.
The Babels, each radiating a distinct color like oil and water, clearly marked specific zones. The East Asian Babel extended past its limit, reaching into part of India.
“We’re going to clear our Babel, so the land beneath it is ours. Stand down peacefully. Otherwise—”
“Bullshit! Then what about the Babel poking out from Russia into your territory? Does that make it Russian land?”
“…Talking won’t resolve this.”
At the Indian soldier’s shout, the Chinese soldier stood up atop the tank.
“I didn’t want to use this… but you leave me no choice.”
Whirrrrrr.
Magic energy began to surge from the Chinese soldier as he removed his military cap and took a battle stance.
“Damn it… I knew it! You’re not a soldier—you’re a Hunter!”
“Already made the call in advance! Shakti!”
As the Chinese Hunter in military uniform stepped forward and unleashed his mana to intimidate, a woman who looked like a college student stepped out from the Indian ranks, holding a whip.
“Hey there, Shakti.”
“And you are…?”
The Indian Hunter known as Shakti tilted her head and looked the man up and down, but he just twisted his lips into a smirk and threw a mock punch forward.
“No need to know.”
“No, I’d like to know. Instead of clearing the Tower, you’re using the Babel to make territorial claims—what kind of idiocy is that?”
“No matter what you say, it changes nothing. This land is marked by the East Asian Babel—a gift from the heavens. It isn’t yours.”
“Ugh, seriously.”
Shakti scratched her head, visibly annoyed.
“You’re just like Ironblood—”
BOOM!
Before Shakti could finish her sentence, an attack flew toward her.
A punch swung through the air sent a wave of force crashing down on her, and she countered it with a whip strike.
“You dare insult me, you worm…!”
“Oh, sorry. That ‘like Ironblood’ line was a bit much. Still… huh?”
After countering the blow, Shakti looked up at the sky.
“What’s that…?”
“Don’t look away, where do you think you’re—huh?”
Fsshhhh.
The East Asian Babel slowly began to fade, turning transparent.
“No way…”
“Th-That’s impossible! It hasn’t been that long since Master entered the Babel!”
“Aha. So that’s what this was. You picked the moment Master was inside the Babel to stir up trouble? And all over the world, simultaneously?”
“No—no!!”
As with any other S-rank Tower when it’s cleared, the Babel began to vanish.
“There’s still Babel overhead on our side, but… it’s a beautiful sight.”
“Grr… Retreat!!”
The tanks began rolling backward as the Chinese troops withdrew, and Shakti made the sign of the cross while gazing at the cleared Chinese sky.
“A border dispute caused by the Babels… Ha. While Master is out there risking everything to overcome the trials given to humanity, these bastards use the opportunity of his absence to stir up Ironblood-level nonsense.”
Shakti shook her head in disgust.
“They never imagined he’d clear the Babel so quickly. It’s a shame, really. Just because they’re neighbors to the land where Master was born, they now get to enjoy that clear sky.”
“Sha—Shakti!”
“I know. I shouldn’t talk like that. But come on… the Babel is still above us, and those bastards get blue skies just for being next to Korea.”
East Asian Babel, cleared.
“I wonder when Master will return.”
People were already starting to turn their eyes to the next Babel.
* * *
[A Short While Later, Off the Coast of Tokyo]
Whoooosh…
Sailing across the sea aboard Illinois, I began checking through the situations unfolding around the world while we had been inside the Babel.
“These bastards.”
I cursed automatically at what I saw.
“They must’ve thought it would take us a week or even a month to clear the Babel and pulled this crap in the meantime.”
Ironbloods who’d been lying low around the world started crawling out of the woodwork, causing all kinds of chaos.
Korea? Already taken care of—no Ironblood problems there anymore, thanks to me.
The U.S.? They don’t count—because villains who ran wild in places like Devil’s Tower had already been turned into Ironbloods.
Then what about the rest?
“How the hell did all of this happen—or was planned to happen—just as soon as I stepped off Earth for a moment?”
“That just shows how immense your influence on the planet has become, Master.”
Elaine brought over tea and snacks, but even drinking the tea didn’t help me calm down.
“There’s a major gap between the Babel territories and Earth’s national borders. Stirring up territorial disputes over that? Pure foolishness.”
“They must’ve seen Justice go up into Babel, and watched Illinois vanish from the surface too—so they figured it was their chance to act boldly.”
Kiharu tapped her smartphone and handed me a few files.
The files were messages left by President Luigi—intel from the U.S. Intelligence Service, documenting incidents of Ironbloods causing chaos all over the world, sent to me via DM during my time inside Babel.
Beep.
“Mr. President?”
[Are you alright?!]
“Yes. I’m fine. Took a little longer than expected, but I made it back safely.”
President Luigi let out a loud sigh of relief, audible even through the phone.
Drei silently brought over a tablet and turned it on. The screen showed President Luigi taking my call from what looked like a congressional hearing room.
[So, the Babel…?]
“It was a place that could throw the entire world into shock and terror, but at its core, it’s no different from the Towers. Just ranked above an S-rank Tower—you could say it’s an SS-rank Tower.”
SS-rank Tower.
I can say that with certainty, having cleared one myself.
[Wait, what do you mean by ‘shock and terror’? No—actually, maybe now isn’t the time to explain that.]
Maybe it was due to the massive amount of Tower Coins I brought back with me, but I felt like even my mana had increased.
Over the line, I heard someone shout “Mr. President!”—a congressman, probably.
They were dying to know.
Just what the hell had I experienced in Babel that I would say something like that?
President Luigi already knew, of course. But sometimes, pretending not to know is part of the game.
“I encountered over 100 S-rank Awakened in Babel.”
[W-What…?!]
President Luigi’s eyes went wide.
Even though he already knew, he played the part perfectly—like he’d genuinely forgotten and was only just remembering now. The performance was so convincing that everyone at the hearing started glancing at each other in confusion.
“They came from all sorts of backgrounds. I met an S-rank from the Neo-Japan Empire that had conquered the Korean Peninsula and Manchuria, and even one from North Korea.”
[…What?]
Now the president looked even more stunned.
[I—I’m in the middle of a hearing, you know…!]
“I’m aware.”
The content of the conversation was sensitive, sure—but more importantly, he was probably worried I’d just start talking without realizing I was being broadcast live.
[…Can I put you on speaker?]
“Go ahead.”
But now that I’d said “I’m aware,” President Luigi had no choice but to follow my lead.
“Ahem. I’ll decline to answer questions for now, but there’s one thing I want to make absolutely clear. In Babel, I encountered people—S-rank Awakened—from other Earths. Or, should I say, from different timelines and worlds entirely—a multiverse.”
Drei swiped the screen, and a split-second later, the hearing chamber filled with gasps. The faces of astonished congressmen were broadcasted in full view.
“I’m not sure how things are in the American Babel, but considering what I saw in East Asia’s, it’s entirely possible. There might be S-rank Awakened from a version of America ruled by Native Americans—or from a world where the Ku Klux Klan conquered the U.S.”
[W-What in the world—?!]
That wasn’t President Luigi this time. Another senator shouted out in panic through the speaker.
“What do I mean? It’s a metaphor. In our case, there were S-ranks from an Earth where Korea had fallen, and others from a Korea that expanded into Manchuria and founded the ‘Holy Eastern Roman Democratic Empire of Joseon.’”
And it’s not like I’m making this stuff up—
Otowahara Yui told me all of it.
“Through Babel, I saw it with my own eyes. Just as many versions of Earth as there are S-rank Awakened.”
[…]
“And in that Babel… just a moment.”
While on the call, I sent a quick message.
A text landed on President Luigi’s phone. He stared at it in silence, then gave a firm nod.
Permission granted.
The signal that everything was ready.
“Ahem. In Babel, I discovered a shocking truth. Even more than Babel being a convergence point of countless parallel worlds… it’s a place that can directly influence our Earth.”
[And that is…?]
“Tower Coin.”
I just dropped a bomb on the global economy.
“It can only be used in Babel. But with it, you can buy things like—oh, say—an item that lets a regular person awaken into a Hunter.”
* * *
Three minutes later.
Tower Coin value doubled.
