Chapter 73
Bang! Bang bang!
"Damn it! Why the hell is Hahoe mask here?! These days, he's all over Seoul, catching vicious criminals, saying he's too busy!"
"Shut up and put the gun away! Do you think that kind of thing will work on him?"
As their main business involved minor robberies for money and valuables, they believed they were not significant enough to warrant a visit from Hahoe mask.
So, they felt incredibly wronged by the current situation, but the deed was already done, and they were trapped in a barrier with no way to escape.
But they couldn't just sit there and take it.
"Haap!"
Thump!
One of them charged in like lightning, stepping forward in a stance and delivering the impact directly into his fist, stabbing it towards Hahoe mask.
At the same time, his colleagues also launched a concerted full-force attack.
Boom!
The massive energy of the attacks from all sides made the black protective barrier ripple, but that was all.
Instead, shadows rising from the ground suddenly entwined their entire bodies, making them unable to move an inch.
"Urgh..."
"Damn it!"
Not just them, but soon, the entire surroundings were engulfed in sticky darkness.
It was as if a scene from the depths of hell had been directly transposed.
And before them, a being with a mask, exuding dark energy from its entire body...
Just stood there, quietly watching them.
"Puhuhu... Damn, not even the Dark Sect's leader was like this..."
Just being looked at was enough to make their hearts shrink, an overwhelming sense of oppression.
Feeling the shadows creeping over their faces, they all had the same thought.
...A 'Demon Lord' has descended upon Earth.
***
"So, I just said it! 'Senior! I don't think that's quite right!' And then he glared at me with wide eyes..."
The drinking session with Tae-san didn't end until dawn.
I meant to lay him down after he'd had enough, but it seemed his resentment had built up over not drinking for so long, and he showed no signs of stopping.
'Uselessly strong tolerance...!'
I was considering pretending to pass out first when a thought suddenly crossed my mind.
I had been pondering a problem, and now seemed like a good opportunity to bring it up, as anything I said could easily be brushed off.
'I also needed ideas from various people.'
I seized the opportunity as soon as Tae-san stopped talking and casually brought it up.
"Hey, Tae-san. You know, I've been thinking of writing a novel as a hobby lately?"
It was an unexpected topic, but at this point, alcohol had taken over his brain, so it wasn't a big deal.
"Oh? A novel? What's gotten into you? Sure, what's it about?"
"I'm thinking of writing about a classic demon lord and hero story..."
"That's classic, but nice. I tried writing novels myself back in the day!"
During his sensitive middle school days, he used to cling to a notebook all day, scribbling something, claiming he was writing a novel.
Of course, I have no idea what became of that abyss of youthful vigor, but that experience might be of some help.
I quickly added a brief explanation.
The basic plot was about the protagonist embarking on a journey to defeat the evil demon lord resurrected on the continent, solving the incidents caused by the demon lord, and becoming a hero.
"But you know, even if it's just a novel, I find it hard to write about good people suffering."
"Hmm... Well, if that's what you think."
Since I myself had been in the victim's position, Tae-san seemed to accept it without much objection.
"So, I wish there was an episode where the demon lord could gain infamy by only punishing the bad guys, but I just can't come up with any ideas."
"Yeah, it's weird to think that an evil demon lord would pick and choose who to kill."
"That's why I'm considering various things. What do you think would be good?"
"Hmm... Nothing comes to mind right away. I think I need to think about it. Anyway, you're at the stage of drafting the plot, right? Have you decided on all the character names yet?"
"Uh? Uh... Not yet?"
It seemed okay to share names, but I was reluctant to delve into too much detail, so I vaguely brushed it off.
"Whatever else, the names of the protagonist and the demon lord need to be impactful and cool. Definitely not something like Michael, John, or Hans!"
Startle!
"Huh... Huhum. Would it be weird if the demon lord's name was Hans?"
"Of course, it's ridiculous! A demon lord named Hans! That's the worst!"
"Uh... I thought it might be okay. Kind of a twist?"
"A twist my foot, it's just cheesy! It doesn't have the impact at all, not even as a local extra!"
Tae-san argued vehemently, his face reddening with excitement.
It seemed like hitting a switch in his drunken state.
"Look, imagine the demon lord makes an appearance! And then people around say 'Demon Lord Hans has appeared! Run away!' How about that? Or 'Mwahaha! I am Demon Lord Hans!' Doesn't it just lose all its coolness? It becomes a laughingstock!"
"Is... is that so?"
I hadn't thought deeply about it, but listening to his compelling voice, I started to waver.
'Wait, isn't he making all good points?'
The calamity of Outerica, the Immortal King Hans.
The name Hans was common enough to be found in any village.
It indeed lacked the gravitas expected of the absolute evil of the continent.
'The problem is the Church already knows him by that name...'
Despite the ringing in my thin ears, it was too late to change the name.
"If you really like that name, use it as a nickname or an acronym. The official name should be something cool."
"Oh? Like what?"
"Well, if it's Hans... Let's see. Han, s... Hmm... How about 'Hannibal Strauss'? Doesn't that sound incredibly cool?"
He was as passionate as he had been in his middle school days, fully immersed.
The problem was that I also started to think the name wasn't bad.
With the alcohol I had been steadily consuming, a slight buzz set in, and Tae-san's enthusiasm seemed to ignite my own teenage sensibilities.
...Of course, it made sense.
Hans's behavior, which made me kick my blanket, was also a part of me.
"And for the demon lord's generals, something like the Four Heavenly Kings..."
"Then we could do this..."
And so, we spent the entire night drinking and engaging in passionate discussion.
***
"Damn it! Damn it all!"
There was a figure rushing through the dark.
He constantly cursed under his breath, looking back and trying his best to silence his footsteps as he ran.
'How could such a monster exist! That's not level 7 material! Could it really be level 8? It wasn't just a rumor?'
All the comrades who had shared his cause had been killed by that one person.
If it hadn't been for his unique skill specialized in escape, he too would have been unable to get away and would have perished alongside the others.
"Damn it...! I thought we finally found freedom after Alpha disappeared! But then someone even worse shows up!"
As a hardliner Gamma, he had enjoyed certain privileges, but more than that, he craved freedom.
Living under the scrutiny of others within the organization had been incredibly stressful.
'So, I quickly took the opportunity when the hardliners fell.'
Everyone who had been summoned to the villa 'that day' had vanished, dead.
He had been lucky enough to avoid that fate and had seen it as an opportunity to break away with those loyal to him.
"Heterosis? Aligning with the moderates? That's just getting entangled in even stricter rules! I can't live like that, not even if I die!"
The thought of being subjugated to a new Lord, unable to freely drink blood as he wished, was utterly dreadful.
"With my abilities, I should be able to live more freely. Why should I conform?"
Lately, Seoul had become a difficult place to breathe because of Hahoe mask, so he had been hiding in the provinces, continuing his activities little by little...
But somehow, they found their location.
Today, the Lord of Heterosis had paid them a visit.
And at the worst possible moment, during a tasting party where they had kidnapped humans according to their tastes.
The aftermath was the situation he found himself in now.
His followers had all turned to ash, and he was the only one hiding and on the run.
"I should be far enough away by now that they can't catch up, right?"
He was reaching his limit with using his unique skill.
His ability to temporarily make his existence undetectable was powerful but had a short duration.
At full activation, even those with the sharpest senses couldn't detect him right in front of them, allowing him to escape enclosures and keep himself alive until now.
"Huff... Huff... Damn, what a mess."
Having sprinted in a tense state to maximize the effect of his skill, he sat down to catch his breath.
He had managed to escape, but the road ahead of him was looking bleak.
As he sighed deeply, contemplating his next move and about to get up...
"You were here."
A cold voice froze his thoughts.
"Ho... How...!"
"An interesting ability. To disappear momentarily like that. I was quite taken aback until you reappeared here."
Heinz II, who had suddenly appeared beside him, calmly and slowly approached.
"You sensed where I would reappear...? Even after I moved at least 10 kilometers?"
While his skill was active, he left no traces like footprints.
Meaning, without any clues from where he disappeared, he had found this place...
"What's the problem with that?"
But Heinz seemed unconcerned.
With his continuously evolving senses, enhanced by "Insight," there was no way he would lose track of someone he had already encountered, not at this distance.
"Ha... Hahah..."
The other party, unaware of this fact, could only let out a hollow laugh.
"Even if I beg for my life... It's useless, isn't it?"
"Yes, you're too late."
He would be too much trouble if forced into servitude, always causing problems and making things difficult.
While his abilities seemed useful, Heinz, who preferred Heterosis to run smoothly on its own, didn't see him as a desirable recruit.
"I can't just... submit quietly, cuh!"
Thump
Just as he was about to muster his strength in defiance, Heinz's hand was already piercing deeply through his heart.
"Urgh, why, why go this far..."
"Because this is the new order. If you won't follow, you're simply excluded."
As the opponent was being turned into ash while his blood was absorbed, Heinz answered his last question with a calm voice.
The expression wanting to protest fluttered away, and suddenly, the surroundings were engulfed in silence.
'Everything here is taken care of. Time to head back.'
It had been another busy day.
Feeling the dawn breaking, Heinz soared towards Seoul.
***
"Welcome back. You've worked hard, Lord."
"Yes. Any other problems?"
"No immediate issues. Thanks to your various efforts lately, Lord, Heterosis has now firmly established its place within the alliance."
"Is that so..."
As the morning sun rose, Heinz arrived at the office where Jinsol was and sank into a chair.
It had been well over three weeks since Heterosis was founded.
Thanks to his relentless efforts, day and night, fueled by his strong physical stamina, Heterosis had now developed the resilience to handle most problems on its own.
He had preemptively dealt with any major issues, so from now on, it would only be necessary for him to step in if his subordinates couldn't handle something.
'Which means, my work on Earth is almost done.'
The stabilization of Heterosis, Heinz's primary task, had just been completed.
The process of expanding influence in the underworld through the alliance was also proceeding smoothly, so it was safe to say the initial goals had been surpassed.
Seoul was now... through Hans and Heinz, establishing a new order.
And soon, that would spread across all of Korea.
'Heinz can now devote himself to Outerica.'
It was time for a separate force in the other world for the progression of the scenario.
He was the best suited to gather information from the shadows.
Having already consumed an entire organization, he felt more confident about doing even better this time.
"I'll be going then. I'll take a break for a while, so contact me if there's anything. Handle the rest on your own."
"You're not planning to come in anymore?"
"I have personal matters to attend to. If there's a need for me, I'll come. Handle the other matters yourselves."
That's why he had placed them in their positions.
Heinz II left the office with a much lighter step, fully enjoying the feeling of a boss who has competent subordinates.
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