[10 Hours Ago]
Before departing for Devil’s Tower, I made a request to the President of the United States to dispatch four transport ships.
During this process, I also conveyed some critical information.
Villains were gathering near the S-Rank Towers.
Their goal was to eliminate me inside the dungeon, steal my power, and then flee to Russia or China.
[I will handle everything, Master.]
The President was eager to take action against them, but I had no intention of letting the law judge them.
“They’re not even Hunters to begin with. Why not take this opportunity to wipe them out?”
[Are you saying you want to make them Ironblood?]
“Yes. I’ll turn them all into Ironblood. They will become ordinary people with no mana, losing their qualification as Awakened. The only thing left for them will be their former Hunter assets and a body that’s slightly stronger and healthier than the average person.”
To become Ironblooded—
Losing one’s mana, being stripped of the rights of an Awakened, and reduced to nothing more than a person with remnants of their former physical strength.
“I don’t intend to go that far unless necessary. Every Hunter has their own trauma, and forcing someone suffering from PTSD back into battle is wrong.”
[But they are not wounded soldiers.]
“Exactly. That’s why we need to strip them of their power even more. A soldier suffering from PTSD needs psychological treatment and mental care. But if that same soldier storms into a military base, steals a gun, and starts a shooting rampage, wouldn’t you stop them or take them out?”
[You mean the Hunters—no, the villains trying to obstruct your Tower conquest are the same as such individuals?]
“Yes. In fact, they’re even worse. Some villains commit such crimes with a perfectly sane mind.”
Obstructing a Hunter who is trying to conquer a Tower for personal gain?
Not just interfering, but killing them to steal their power?
“It’s self-defense. Regardless of one’s beliefs, battles inside the Tower are life-threatening.”
[Understood. But what about those waiting outside the Tower…?]
“Only inside the Tower.”
After much discussion and debate with the President, we reached a compromise.
“Anyone who attacks me inside the Tower will be turned into Ironblood without exception. However, if any of them have taken a life, they will not be spared.”
[You mean… you’ll kill them?]
“I’ll have someone else do it. There are plenty of monsters inside the Tower that would gladly take care of them.”
The Towers are filled with beasts.
Even if I don’t personally throw them to the monsters, what happens to someone inside the Tower after losing their power?
Crunch, Crunch.
They become monster fodder, and we simply eliminate the monster afterward.
[You’ve become more ruthless compared to when we first met…]
“The darkness of the world has shaped me into this. Haven’t you experienced something similar, Mr. President?”
[I won’t deny it. Every time I’ve had to deal with classified state secrets, I’ve felt disillusioned with the world.]
Ironically, it was thanks to the hacking data I obtained by summoning Drei that I found common ground with the President.
[Every leader of a major world organization probably feels the same way. They know the darkness of their own country and suffer because of it, yet they must only show the ‘light’ to the people. That is the role of a leader.]
“I may not be a leader like the President of the Hunter Association, but as someone who stands at the top, I try to set an example.”
[That is more than enough. You are worthy of that position.]
Some national leaders wield darkness and chaos to desperately maintain their regime, but this man was not one of them, which was reassuring.
“President Luigi, I’m truly grateful that you are the President of the United States.”
[Me? No, any U.S. President would have done the same.]
“I’m not so sure. I didn’t choose the United States just because of its favorable conditions. While there were many advantages, the decisive reason was something else.”
[And what was that?]
“The fact that you are the President of the United States.”
Eisen Armstrong Luigi.
Because this man was the President at this moment, I could confidently choose the United States over countless other nations across Europe, Central Asia, and the entire world.
“Think about it. Let’s say another President had withdrawn from NATO, tried to make Canada the 51st state, attempted to reclaim Panama, imposed a 140% tariff on every other country, and declared war on weaker nations—do you think I would have chosen the United States?”
[…]
President Luigi did not answer but smiled awkwardly.
[If Korea had a President who met your criteria, would you have chosen Korea instead?]
“Hmm.”
That was a difficult question.
“I go where the Towers are. If the Towers I must conquer are gone from the world and only Babel remains in the sky, I will conquer Babel so that humanity can once again see a bright sky.”
[And if you succeed in conquering Babel?]
“Then…”
It was not an easy question to answer.
“I’ll go wherever it’s comfortable to live.”
[…]
“Don’t worry. At the very least, I’ll secure a house in West Virginia.”
[That… is somewhat reassuring.]
“One thing is certain—I can’t live in a house infested with cockroaches.”
[Are you referring to Ironblood and villains?]
“Yes.”
Completely eradicating cockroaches might be impossible, but I could at least ensure they don’t show up around where I live.
“This isn’t much different from exterminating cockroaches that are trying to bite people’s throats. Using the conquest of the S-Rank Towers as a foundation, we’ll force them into the Tower and wipe them out with Illinois’ main guns.”
[I see. Then, will you focus on clearing the other Towers afterward?]
“No.”
The exact order was uncertain, but—
“Until the Maid and Hacker deployed to the Statue of Liberty and Delicate Arch return after conquering those Towers, I will remain inside Devil’s Tower with Illinois.”
[Wait… remain inside?]
“Yes. Once those two S-Rank Towers have fallen and they join me, that’s when we will launch the full-scale assault on Devil’s Tower.”
I explained the S-Rank Tower triple-conquest plan that I had devised with my party members in detail to President Luigi.
[Sounds good. Then… let me ask you something. About the Maid and Hacker.]
“Yes?”
[Would it be possible for them to jump out of a hypersonic stealth fighter and enter the Tower that way?]
“…”
Not a transport ship, but a state-of-the-art U.S. stealth fighter that could only be discovered through hacking.
“You want them to jump from there? Just to enter the Tower?”
[Not you. You can jump from the transport ship to draw everyone’s attention. While the world focuses on you in the air and on flight paths, our stealth fighter will discreetly drop your allies near the Tower.]
“Wouldn’t that show up on the aviation maps?”
[If it did, then all of our national secrets would be out in the open.]
He had a point.
[I’ll have the Air Force Secretary arrange it. It will be handled in absolute secrecy. When else would they get a chance to drop S-Rank or higher Awakened from a stealth fighter at hypersonic speed?]
Before I even entered the Tower, Elaine and Drei were already moving under the cover of secrecy.
Not on a conspicuous transport ship that would attract the public’s gaze,
but aboard the latest U.S. stealth fighter—silently and unseen.
* * *
“How was it?”
[It was thrilling~]
Drei grinned as she fired rounds at the entrance.
[Elaine?]
“She’s still stuck, apparently. It seems the boss room in Delicate Arch’s Tower took longer to reach than expected.”
[Took longer, huh?]
Drei smirked meaningfully at my choice of words before jumping down from Illinois’ wall to the ground.
[How did you confirm that?]
“Quest completion stack.”
Current progress: (5 / 6).
Before entering Devil’s Tower, it was 3 / 6.
As time passed, the numbers increased one by one, confirming that Elaine and Drei would return.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t tell exactly who had cleared which Tower.
Logically, Drei, who went for the Statue of Liberty’s Tower, should have arrived later due to distance, but—
“How was your raid, Drei?”
[Hmm, I led a squad of two S-Rank and seven A-Rank Awakened—they all wanted to become Master’s summons~.]
Drei didn’t make fun of Elaine’s delay, likely because she had been fighting alongside American Hunters.
[They weren’t bad, you know? I guess where there are villains, there have to be heroes, too.]
“It’s the same in Korea. It’d be strange if America didn’t have them as well. So, what was it like?”
[A giant robot raid against Mecha Statue of Liberty.]
“…”
Oh.
[You should’ve seen it swinging its torch like a club, sending out shockwaves. Everyone almost died. If I hadn’t hacked it in time, they would’ve been bent in half.]
“That’s a relief. I expected a mecha boss, but I didn’t think the Statue of Liberty itself would transform.”
[You should’ve seen it fire a laser beam from its mouth. Hehehe.]
“Enough. That Tower is already conquered.”
A Hacker armed with a pistol, remotely controlling hundreds of drones to support the Hunters,
And those Hunters launching an all-out assault on Mecha Statue of Liberty—
Plunging greatswords and spears into its engine, which served as its heart—
This battle would soon be uploaded to the Master’s exclusive channel.
But right now, my priority was eliminating the villains who had entered Devil’s Tower.
Viiiiiing.
[Oh, she’s here!]
[I apologize for being late, Master.]
“No, you arrived just in time.”
With the fifth S-Rank Tower conquered, the next conquest became even more critical.
“Let’s go. Time to recruit Illinois’ junior.”
By eliminating the boss of Devil’s Tower.
